The INTEGRATED STUDY OF SCIENCE AND THE QURAN Rashid Khan Ph.D. rashikn@aol.

com

INTRODUCTION: Islamic scholars and scientists worldwide have done a lot of work not only on the subject related to Science and the Quran but also in various branches of science in general. Lots of material, in the form of books and articles, exist on the subjects and on the scientific inventions made by the Muslim scientists; and other areas of scientific knowledge. It is a historical fact that Greek science got to Europe through Arabic translation of the Greek work. For instance, after Ptolemy -- a Greek philosopher and astronomer -- the Greek Science had declined. But its revival had begun in the ninth century A.D. in Iraq and Syria under the Abbasid period. After that, Arabic became the new language of science and philosophy. Greek books, related to science and philosophy, were translated into Arabic; and then from Arabic these translations were translated into European languages. The proof of this lies in a bibliography of manuscripts and books, prepared by Turkish born science historian Dr. FuatSezgin and housed in Arabic- Islamic science museum in a villa at Frankfurt. The museum also displays 800 exhibits related to scientific, engineering and medical instruments. The names of famous writers of physics and mathematics books like al-Khwarizmi, ibnYunus, al-Biruni and al-Haitham are well known among the orientalists in Europe. At present, in institutions of higher learning, all over the world, you will find Muslim scholars, scientists engaged in research, teaching and publishing their work in international journals of repute; but the number is not proportional to the Muslim population all over the world. Undeniably, Muslim engineers, worldwide, are making the best use of their profession in various branches of engineering and providing the quality service to their customers and to the companies they work for. The work in this paper, however, is of different nature. The main purpose of this article is to present outcome of integrated study of the Quran and science in the light of developments made in science and technology after the revelation of the Quran, when science had not yet developed, and to show that the leads are found in the Quran inviting men of knowledge, insight and understanding to ponder upon the mysteries behind the natural phenomena of the universe -- the Quran calls them as signs of God( signs also have other meanings) -- and make use of the knowledge thus gained, along with the natural bounties created by God, for the benefits of mankind. And also to show the truthfulness of the Quran as a word of God revealed to prophet Muhammad (pbh) -Allah revealed the Quran in truth(II:176). Some truths are apparent in the verses and some require reflection which is encouraged by Allah -- as you go through this article you will find many verses conveying these meanings. But, in any case, the output should not be concealed but be discussed with Islamic scholars; and be brought to the notice of the people -- irrespective of their faith; otherwise Allah will curse us(II:159). It is hoped that the subject matter will be found pedagogical by the readers to see that Quran does encourage people of knowledge, understanding and insight to look around
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with curiosity at natural phenomena and natural objects around us and glorify God : Not only that but also to contemplate over the nature of His signs(III:190-191, and many other verses with similar meanings) to understand the mysteries behind them -- the outcome of these efforts is science. This article, therefore, has two- fold objectives. First, to show that the scientific methodology used by the modern scientists to unravel the mysteries behind the natural phenomena, which the Quran calls as Signs of God, is given in the Quran. Second, the Quran is not antagonistic to modern science and technology, but rather encourages people of understanding, knowledge and insight to observe Gods signs in the universe, reflect on them, and understand the nature of mysteries behind them( III:190-191, VI: 97) -- though their real nature is only known to God(XXXII:6, and many other verses with the similar meanings). The word Al-Ghaib used in this verse is referring to the hidden parts of the universe. There are, however, other meanings to AlGhaib mentioned in the Quran of which God is the Only One Who has the knowledge of; and an apostel(LXXII:26-27). More about Al-Ghaib will be talked about later. In another verse, the Quran says: Behold! In the creation of the heavens and earth, and in the alternation of the day and night, there are indeed Signs for men of understanding (III:190, and many other verses conveying the similar meanings about other natural phenomena). At another place in the Quran, God says to the believers, it is their duty that they should seek the means to approach Him and strive with might and main in His cause so that you may prosper(V:35, XXIX:69). Prosperity can be of both spirtual and material in nature, but it cannot be achieved unless a believer strives to achieve the goal by following what God says to do. The former is a blessing or spirtual bliss which is attained by the firm belief on the existence of Almighty and following His commands; and declaring His glorification and His gratitude for His favors and bounties(III:8, XXXVIII-35, XCVI:3). The Quran says, those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of God: for without doubt in the remembrance of God do hearts find satisfaction(XIII:28). Bounties can be of various kinds. For instance, those provided naturally (XXXVIII:35, XCVI:3) -- like rain, Sun, sea, proper kind of atmosphere which is source of oxygen we breath in to stay alive and shields us from harmful rays like X-rays, ultraviolet rays from the Sun, and protects us from micrometeorites. The other kinds of bounties are those which are attained through mans efforts; like vegetables, fruits of various kinds and various kinds of minerals from which metals are extracted for the use in industry. And the others which are obtained through the use of natural resources coupled with mans efforts and use of scientific discoveries and natural laws -- modern days technologies. By commands is meant all that the Quran says to the believers to do or not to do. But there are certain verses mentioned in this article at various places, which are addressed to human being in general irrespective of their belief. Material blessing can lead to spirtual joy as well, if a believer believes that the material blessings are also Gods favors(LV:24, and other verses in the same chapter), though many of them are the outcome of mans efforts and use of his abilities endowed by God, and could not have been possible without the Hands of God behind them (XCVI:3-5,7) -- though a man in general would not believe it. In modern times, one can see so many bounties(XVI:80-81, XVI:10-16, XVII:66, XXXI:20, XXXVIII:35, XLV:13, III:8, and many other verses with similar meanings) -- on Earth and under the Earth, and on the sea and under the sea, and in the

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atmosphere. But keeping in mind that according to Islamic belief the real life is the life of the hereafter -- but man should not get indulged too much in the material part(XIV:3) -for which the present world is the place for preparation. From these verses it follows, whatever exists on Earth, in heavens, and in between is for a man to benefit from -- for which he will have to strive and make effort, but keeping in mind that that correct and useful knowledge will be obtained by the grace of Almighty and Glorious God(XCVI:45). The proof of which follows from verses (II:30-33) where Adam was asked to inform to angels about the knowledge what he was imparted by God. As a result thereof, the angels bowed down and admitted the limitation of knowledge imparted to them by God. This would imply that Gracious and Merciful God can impart knowledge and understanding to Adams decedents as well(II:269,XCVI:4-5, provided they strive for it (V:35, XXIX:69). These verses of the Quran, and many others of the similar meanings, are addressed to man in general, and should be taken as a message to Gods vicegerent on Earth that whatever is in the universe(XLV:12), is at his disposal. He should try to search for it, and use the knowledge and understanding thus gained for his and for his fellowmens betterment. As a matter of fact, what led me to study in detail some of the verses of the Quran, and interpret them within the confinement of scientific data-base acquired through my study, and write this article, are the lines in the book THE RECONSTRUCTION OF RELIGIOUS THOUGHT IN ISLAM written by Dr. AllamaIqbal. I do not know how many of us would agree with him, when he writes in the book that main purpose of the Quran is to awaken in man the higher consciousness of his relations with God and the Universe. Through prayer and worship, and following His commands along with the obedience of His apostle (peace be upon him), believers develop their relations with God. In addition, believers can also develop their relationship with God by knowing and understanding the signs of God in the universe, and then glorifying Him. As the Quran says: He is God, the Creator, Evolver, Bestower of forms or colors. Whatever is in Heaven and earth doth declare His praise and glory.(LIX:24, XVII:44). At another place the Quran says, O ye who believe! Do your duty to God, seek the means to approach unto Him, and strive with might and main in His cause so that you may prosper(V:35). From the Quranic view point, God is beyond comprehension; He has a grasp over all things in the universe, but no vision can grasp Him(VI:103). He can, however, be approached through the Glory of His signs in the Universe (XVII:44) and understanding them, or from behind the veil or through His messengers( XLI:51). This paper will be giving emphasis on this aspect of relationship of the Quran and its description about the signs of nature. That is the message, I think, Dr. Iqbal wanted to convey. And Dr. Iqbal further quotes a dialogue between Goethe and Eckerman regarding the Quranic teachings, while Goethe making a general review of Islam as an educational force: you see this teaching never fails; with all our systems, we cannot go, and generally speaking no man can go, farther than that.

Gods Message To Reflect On His Signs:

It is belief of a Muslim that God revealed His messages, through His selected prophets, for the betterment of mankind, and the Quranic message was revealed through His last

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prophet Muhammad( peace be upon him), for the guidance of mankind in all fields of life, and for all times to come. Muslim believes in the existence of God through his faith, but God also affirms the truth of His existence through what we perceive around us( VI: 95-99) on the Earth, the sky and in between, using our sense faculties which are the primary windows endowed by God(XXXII:9, XXIII:78), to gain knowledge of the outside world. These faculties are the necessary prerequisites for knowing nature and understanding of which, subsequently, leads to scientific knowledge; and the application thereof to technological developments. The signs of God( natural phenomena and natural objects) also make believers conscious of God, and lead them to glorify Him(III:41, XIV:7, XVII:44, XXXIV:6, LVII:1, LIX:24, LVII:1). This whole panorama, including natural objects and natural phenomena, are some of His Ayates -- the Signs of God(II:64, III:190-191, VI 95-102, and many other verses of similar meanings are given at various places in the Quran). Some of these signs are particularly specified for men of understanding to reflect upon and to understand their nature irrespective of their faith. Signs also means the verses of the Quran. But this article will be dealing, specifically, with the meanings of signs related to nature-- natural phenomena and the natural objects. One thing common in their meanings is that they stand for indicators directing mans attention towards the mysteries behind them. It is this mystery, which, according to the Quran, affirms the existence of God for those who have doubt on His existence(VII:54), and also raises a question for those who are curious to know and understand them(III:190-191): as how did God cause those signs to happen? Former would come under the domain of faith, and the latter under the domain of science. One of the note-worthy features of the Quran is that it links faith to science. And then science leads to the Ultimate Reality Who is exalted in might and worthy of all praises( XXXIV:6). Some of these signs can be seen by naked eye, but some are unseen and require aiding devices( telescopes, microscopes, space probes and some other means).

AL-GHAIB(UNSEEN): The Quranic word Al-Ghaib with English equivalent as unseen or hidden, when interpreted within the context of Quanic verses(IV:126, VI:59, LXXII:26, XXXII:6, XXXIV:3, LXII:8, XIII:9) and the scientific discoveries made after the revelation of the Quran -- when the science had not yet developed -- turn out to have broad meanings. Since the word Al-Ghaib will be used quite often in this article, it is , therefore, necessary that before going any further, its meanings be elaborated within the context of various verses (IV:126, VI:59, LXXII:26, XXXII:6, XXXIV:3, LXII:8, XIII:9) regarding AlGhaib, and the scientific discoveries made in various areas of science since the revelation of the Quran, when the science had not yet developed. The study of these verses shows that Al-Ghaib can have two interpretations: those Unseen which are only known to God, and He will not impart the knowledge thereof to anybody except an apostle(LXXII:2627) - the examples are Allah Himself(XXXVI:11, LXVII:12), Life After Death, Rooh, Paradise, Hell, Angeles, The Day of Judgment. And other meanings are, as mentioned

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earlier, the mysteries and their knowledge about the natural phenomena and the natural objects which the Quran calls as the signs of God. The former, therefore, can be called Absolute Al-Ghaib, and the latter type as physical part of Al-Ghaib( hidden parts of the universe). The knowledge and understanding of the physical part of the universe can, however, be imparted to man by God, as God did to Adam( II:30-34); but the Angeles, however, were ignorant of that knowledge(II:32). The meanings of Al-Ghaib, can, therefore, be interpreted according to the data base in believers mind -- the knowledge and understanding of nature both hidden and open. Allah asks to reflect on the verses of His Book so that men of understanding may learn from it (XXXVIII:29, and other verses). God knows the best who are the men of understanding, because they are the ones who pick up the best meaning out of various alternatives, and they are ones who are guided by God(XXXIX:18). No interpreter can, therefore, claim that his is the best interpretation. He is, however, allowed to do interpretation if he feels competent, because Ijtihad is allowed in Islam. The Quraan says, we show them the path who exert and strive in His cause(XXIX:69) -- what He says to do. Since the meaning of the exertion are not specified, so it would imply both physical as well mental exertion; which could also be interpreted as Ijtihad in any human endevour which requires physical and mental exertion; though the origin of the word is in Islamic Law where it implies to form an independent opinion in legal matters within the light of Quran and Sunnah. But Ijtihad can also be done to interpret the verses of the Quran. The Quran encourages believers to reflect on its verses so that people of understanding may learn lesson from them(XXXVIII:29). Allah says that those who conceal the Signs will be cursed by Him, and also by the cursers( II:159). It is therefore duty of a believer that if he comes up with some interpretation of verses of thr Quran, he should discus with some scholars -- if the interpretation turns out to be correct, it should be brought to the notice of the believers. This article will be dealing with physical unseen of the universe; which according to the interpretation given above can be taken as a part of Quaanic word Al-Ghaib. With the advent of aiding devices, like various kinds of telescopes, microscopes and space-probes, the number of Gods signs has increased. Most of these signs were unseen at the time the Quran was revealed. However, these signs at that time would come under the physical part of Al-Ghaib, but were known to God(XXXII:6, VI:96,101, and many other verses conveying the similar meanings). There are other kinds of physical unseen which can neither be accessed either directly by sense faculties nor by aiding devices, but rather by indirect means -- they leave their foot prints or impressions on some other media, and thus their presence can be recognized. For instance, the constituents of atoms, and other elementary particles. They have never been detected by direct means; yet they are the signs of God. There is saying of prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): There is a knowledge like a form of hidden things, known to none save those who know God (Mishkatul-Anwar, Imam Ghazali, translated by W.H.T. Gairdner). According to my interpretation, this implies that knowing hidden things, and knowing Him through the glory of His signs make a believer conscious of God -- another way to approach Him( V:35); but keeping and following His other commands. All the hidden signs, therefore, belonging to the physical part of the universe, prior to their discoveries, could be called

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physical part of Al-Ghaib -- one of the note-worthy features of the Quran is that it is foretelling about the discoveries of Gods signs( natural objects and natural phenomena) which were unseen when the Quran was revealed. Whereas, Life After Death, Angels, Rooh, Paradise, Hell could be called absolute Al-Ghaib whose mysteries are only known to God and to an apostle( LXXII:26-27). From the above it follows, that Gods signs in the universe can be divided as follows: First, those which can be perceived directly by unaided sense faculties; second, by aiding devices, and the third by indirect means. And more Allahs signs are being brought to light through scientific and technological means as time goes by; and thus confirming what the Quran foretells. A believer would stay short of His glorification without knowing them(XIV:7, XVII:44, LIX:24, LVII:1) -- glorification is a remembrance of God, but should not be taken as a substitute for prayers and other modes of worship. The God says in the Quran(XLI:53): Soon we will show them our signs in the( farthest) and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all these things? The objects are being observed in the deeper and deeper space. The more about this will be talked about it latter elsewhere.

The Scientific Method and the Quran:

Anyone who reads the Quran, reflects on it and try to understand the meanings behind its verses(II:164,XXXVIII:29, and other verses with similar meanings), would realize that there are so many verses in the Quran which draw mans attention to gain information and knowledge from the signs of God in nature and to ponder upon them(III:190-191). Not only that, but also try to understand their nature and wisdom associated with them. Man is the only creature on Earth who has been blessed with this ability of reflection and pondering. The Quran, at so many places, gives emphasis upon commands related to reflective observations; and these are the commands which ultimately lead to the scientific method being used by scientists to unravel and understand the mysteries behind the natural phenomena of the universe; even including social, and psychic phenomena. The Quran says, we do explain our signs in detail to people who strive and try to understand(VI:97-98, II:269, XLV:12). Understanding of His signs, therefore, is an outcome of pondering upon them by using scientific method. God defines, as mentioned earlier, the men of understanding : those who listen to the Word, and follow the best in it, those are the ones whom God has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding(XXXIX:18). Scientists try to find the best using the steps defined in scientific method. Their criteria for testing and verifying -- picking up the best -- is through experiments and observations. This method of knowing and understanding the mysteries behind the natural phenomena was first introduced by scientists in sixteenth century. The first step of this method is the observation of Gods signs (natural phenomena and natural objects) from which man gets information and data. Then starts thinking, pondering and analysis processes leading to hypothesis (educated guess -- Arabic
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equivalent is Qiayas), laws, models, theories and their testing. Qiayas is also allowed in Islam; which is one of the basis of Fiqh. Scientists do not believe their hypothesis, models and theories unless their results would have been tested through experiments and observations; and also they should not violate what has already been scientifically established to be true. It does not imply that theories and models give the ultimate knowledge of the processes behind the natural phenomena. Real nature of the mysteries and unseen, according to Quran, is only known to God(XXXII:6, IV:126), but He does detail His signs to people of understanding and knowledge about the mysteries of the physical part of the universe(VI:97-98, II:31-33). But as far as the knowledge of Absolute Al-Ghaib is concerned, He alone knows that Unseen, nor does He make any one acquainted with the Mysteries related to that Unseen except an apostle whom He has chosen(LXXII:26-27). Knowing comes through sense faculties, reading, listening; but understanding of His signs comes by engaging mind and doing mental exertion -- using scientific thought process. The Quran, obviously, incites the intellectual quest (curiosity) of men of understanding, insight, and intellect by inviting them to reflect upon His signs - natural phenomena and natural objects in the universe(VI:97, III:190-191, and other verses with similar message). The number of Gods signs is on the increase, as new discoveries are being made and their nature understood and explained. These signs, prior to their discoveries were the physical parts of Al-Ghaib. So the signs and the unseen seem to be opposite to each other, but as a matter of fact they are related to each other in the sense that they are all parts of the physical universe which consists of seen and unseen parts. Prior to their discoveries, they were parts of unseen. So, the contents of the universe are both seen and unseen types, distributed in space and time; about which, the Quran says, that God has full knowledge of( III:189, VI:59). But Quraan does not bar man to know and understand the nature of signs, according to his intellect( III:190-191, II:269), about the physical part of Al-Ghaib(V:97,VI:59). The teachings of the Quran are, therefore, not antagonistic to modern science. They rather encourage men of understanding, knowledge, insight and intellect to look around and reflect upon the natural phenomena and strive to understand the mysteries behind them. Not only that, but the Quran also emphasizes to use the outcome of this process for the benefits of mankind. As the Quran says: And He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is in the heavens and earth: behold, in that are the signs for those who reflect(XLV:12-13). This is a message to man that whatever is in the universe is at his disposal , and he should try to use the knowledge and understanding obtained from the signs of God in conjunction with and what is in the universe, for his and his fellow mens betterment. Mans efforts in this direction have resulted in the conveniences of life which lead to the Glorification of God(LIX:24), they in turn can lead to the happiness of hearts(XIII:28, XXXI:12). Happiness of hearts can bring peace within oneself, with immediate ones and at large. God does not want man to be arrogant at his achievement, but rather wants him to stay humble and grateful for the favors and bounties( II:29, XXXI:20, XLV:12-13). But unfortunately, there has been destructive use of this knowledge as well, which was predicted by Angeles( II:30).

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It is common in all three Abrahamic faiths that God is the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and everything in between -- the whole universe. But He left the knowledge of all that, as how did He create, up to the descendants of Adam to ponder upon? Which, of course, comes under scientific domain. Man, though, according to the Quran, will not know the real nature of things in the universe; yet he will keep trying to understand it by using scientific method. Observing and knowing the nature of signs of God related to the physical parts of the universe, and enjoying the material blessings resulting from the knowledge thus gained, lead to the Glorification of God and His gratitude(XVII:44, LIX:24); which, in turn lead to the believers spiritualization and internal happiness(XIII:28), and thus getting him closer to God making man conscious of Him -in addition to His other commands; provided it is realized that there is a hidden Hand of God behind all that what man has achieved for the benefits of his fellowmen(XCVI:4-5). The Quran says, and remember! Your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): if you are grateful, I will add more( favors) unto you; but if you show ingratitude, truly my punishment is terrible indeed(XIV:7). The Quran also mentions the signs related to social life. One example, out of many, is this that the Quran says, God created mates from yourselves so that you may live in tranquility and affection with them(XXX:21). But this article will be dealing with the signs of physical universe, bringing to the notice of the believers that material blessings the man is enjoying are also His favors in addition to the natural ones and other man made bounties obtained through the use of natural resources(LV:24, II:164, XVI:80:81, XVI:10,16, XXXI:20, XCVI:3, and many other verses with similar meanings). But, sadly, not all men in the world are enjoying these favors; though they are the outcome of scientific discoveries made by the descendants of Adam using the scientific method given in the Quran; and the application thereof. GOD IS OMNIPRESENT, ETERNAL, OMNISCIENT, OMNIPOTENT AND HE IS THE LIMT: God cannot be perceived directly. He is above all comprehension(VI:103), says the Quran. However, There is no place in the vastness of space( in the whole universe) which is void of His presence(II:115, and many other verses with similar meanings). Even man is not void of His spirit( XXXII:9}. All human beings, therefore, are united through His spirit. He is Omnipresent(II:115, LVII:3), Omnipotent( 35:44), Omniscient( VI:96), and He is Eternal and Absolute(III:2, CXII:1-2). But His presence can be realized through the Glory of His signs in the universe, both seen and those which are being brought to light through the efforts of man using scientific process and the technological developments. As time goes by, more and more signs are being discovered and their nature explained, modified and re-explained using scientific method. More man gets to know about the signs of God and understand the mysteries behind His signs, more a believer would know about God and becoming conscious of Him, as mentioned earlier in reference to the saying of the prophet -- There is a knowledge of the form of hidden things known to none save those who know God. As a matter of fact Allah created Adam so that He could impart to him the knowledge of the secrets of the heavens and Earth( 2: 30-33), and thus He could be known. Now, let us see what is meant by that Allah is the Limit? No matter what sign or natural

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phenomenon scientists pick up, and start analyzing and understanding it, step by step, they will end up being at the origin of the universe: The Big Bang -- an event that occurred about 14 billion years ago and gave birth to the vastness of space along with constituents of matter, energy and four basic forces of nature -- the forces which are sustaining and keeping the whole universe in balance from subatomic scale all the way to the universal scale along with the laws governing them. They all, taken together, formed the whole universe and its contents both living and non-living. Big Bang is a theory which explains the origin, evolution and structure of the universe. Theory is one of the steps scientists use to understand nature by developing a model, but it is liable to be changed or modified or completely to be replaced by a new theory. A theory cannot be accepted unless its validity is proven experimentally and observationally. What was the origin and nature of the entity that exploded, and gave birth to the universe?. More of this will be talked about under the topic: Ultimate Nature Of Things. By studying the above paragraphs, it follows that Quran talks about two kinds of unseen : Absolute Unseen and the physical unseen, as mentioned earlier. The Absolute Unseen would include Hell, Paradise, Soul, Angeles, Last Day of Judgment, Life After Death. The knowledge and the real nature of Absolute Unseen, however, is only known to God. By physical unseen is meant those parts of the physical universe which cannot be accessed by naked eyes or unaided sense faculties; or scientific discoveries and events to come in the future. However, the physical unseen(XXXII:6, VI:59, and other verses as well) can be accessed by following the path of science leading to unraveling the mysteries and laws operating behind the Gods signs( VII:54). But their real nature is also known to God. However, man is not barred to try to know them -- God can impart the knowledge to descendants of Adam as well (II:31-33, XCVI:4-5); because He is the one who is Omniscient(IV:76,VI:59,96, XXXIII:34, XLV:37, and other verses with similar meanings; and also He is Most Gracious and Most Merciful. The Quran very clearly mentions that it is not only the Book for spiritual and social guidance, but is also a Book of guidance for those who believe in the Unseen(II:3) -- This would imply both Absolute Unseen and the physical unseen. The guidance would imply directing a man, by God, to the search of the unseen contents and forces of the physical universe, as well as to the straight path leading to the social and the spiritual lives, through the faith upon Absolute Unseen and following Gods commands. From this it follows that God wants a believer to have faith on both kinds of unseen, and then wants to guide him to their respective paths. But the guidance would be of no use unless a believer strives along the respective paths following His commands. The Quran says: those who listen to the word, and follow the best in it; are the ones guided by God, and those are the ones endued with understanding(XXXIX:18). Scientists try to choose the best path using the scientific method regarding natural phenomena. CURIOSITY & STRIVE: It is a human nature that mysterious and the unknown create curiosity in man, and thus motivates and drives him to look and search for it. The most of the research in scientific areas was motivated by curiosity to know and understand the mysteries behind the natural

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phenomena. But in present days, the basic research is motivated, mostly, by materialism and capitalism; Which, no doubt, has brought a lot of blessings of material nature, but, unfortunately, negative aspects as well (II:30): But we have to use it humbly and in moderation(LVII:23), and also giving out to those who cannot afford(II:110, III:134, and many other verses). In most instances, It is this very curiosity which has led His vicegerent on Earth to discover the unseen parts of the physical universe and the laws operating behind them(VII:54); and is still looking for more after being motivated by the previous discoveries. Though some of the discoveries were made by chance while the scientists were striving to find something else; but they should still get a credit because for their striving. God would not have helped unless they had struggled. The Quran says, we show them the path who exert and strive in His cause( XXIX:69): What He says to do. Since the meanings of the term exertion is not specified, so it would imply both physical as well as mental exertion which can also be interpreted as Ijtihad in scientific matter; though the origin of the word is in Islamic Law where it implies to form independent opinion in legal matter; and also the interpretation of verses of the Quran. It cannot be denied that there are so many natural objects and phenomena in the physical universe which were unseen at the time the Quran was revealed; and also so many discoveries in health, physical sciences and other natural sciences have been made after the revelation of the Quran. But they would all come under the physical part of AlGhaib. Physical sciences would include physics, chemistry, earth science, astronomy and cosmology. Nature of some of these signs of the physical universe have already been understood and interpreted by various kinds of scientific and technological means, models and theories; and some are still being pondered upon. The proof of their being understood lies in the modern days inventions which are the outcome of the application of laws of nature discovered by man; and also coupled with mans efforts and the use of natural resources. But the real nature of things will remain shrouded in mystery, because the real nature is only known to God, as mentioned above. But He can impart knowledge to man as He did to Adam(II:31). From this verse of Sura Al-Bakra, it follows that whatever man learns and understands about the useful knowledge of the natural phenomena of the universe -- from subatomic scale all the way to the universal scale -are the favors of God(II:164, LV:24, XXXI:20, XCVI:3-5, and many other verses with similar meanings); He is the one who is OMNISCIENT(VI:96) and the PROVIDER of all bounties -- He is Bountiful (XVI:10-16, 80-81, XXXI:20, XCVI:3 and many others verses). SIGNS(NATURAL PHENOMENA) REVEALED BY DIRECT AND INDIRECT MEANS : Generally speaking, as mentioned earlier, seen or visible means those objects and the natural phenomena which can be seen with our naked eyes. And those which cannot be sensed are called unseen. Scientifically speaking, visible world has very broad meanings. Looking all around us, we perceive natural objects like mountains, trees, vegetation, sea, Sun, Moon, stars, planets, and biological species; and likewise many others which would come under natural objects. Rising and setting of the Sun and stars, motion of the planets, phases of the Moon, solar eclipse, lunar eclipse, rainbow, biological phenomena, raining

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and so many others -- they would all come under natural phenomena. These, taken together, would come under the Signs of God(II:164, VI:95-102, XV:10-16, XXXI:20, and many other verses with similar meanings) which can be accessed directly by the unaided sense faculties of man(XXXII:9, XXIII:78 ). These sense faculties of man are the basic means to perceive and study the contents of the universe and gather information about them; but perception is limited. However, because of the scientific inventions, most of these limitations have been overcome, and the domain of the seen physical universe, as mentioned earlier, is expanding with the help of various types of telescopes, space probes and microscope, as mentioned earlier. More and more physical unseen objects and the phenomena are coming to light. Means used to access the signs, both by unaided sense faculties and the aiding devices, could be called direct means. But there are components of the physical universe which cannot be accessed directly, but can be reached by indirect means. What is meant by the indirect means? There are certain natural objects and phenomena whose existence and nature cannot be inferred by direct means, but rather by their effects on some other observable materials. For instance, electrons, protons, neutrons and so many others which are the building blocks of matter at the atomic and subatomic levels can neither be seen by eyes, nor by any aiding devices. However, when they travel in certain kinds of material, they leave their foot prints in these media, or they create some other detectable impression or effect; and then it is from their effects on other media that they are identified: thus they have been brought to light by indirect means and their existence was confirmed. Prior to their discovery they were parts of physical Al-Ghaib. Physicians cannot see what is in your lungs or in the bones unless they use X-rays, MRI, CAT scan, ultra sound or other means to see what is going on in there. As a matter of fact, health scientists and bio-scientists can throw more light on biological, physiological and health related phenomena which are accessed by indirect means. Scientists have hypothesized, based upon their calculations, that there is a form of matter in the universe, called the dark matter which cannot be seen by any direct means because it does not emit any kind of light known to man nor light is reflected from it; however it has a gravitating property -- it attracts ordinary matter and also gets attracted by ordinary matter. So astronomers are trying to detect it by using some indirect means. According to the Earth scientists, the central part of the Earth consists of two cores -solid metallic surrounded by a liquid core. Nobody has ever reached these cores. However, earth scientists have established their existence by studying the changes in the characteristics of the earthquake waves detected on the Earth surface. They have found that waves detected on the opposite side of the epicenter have characteristics which should have been different if the Earths interior were completely all rocky. Black holes - if they exist -- cannot be detected by direct means. Because, they have the property that neither light nor matter can escape a black hole. If any matter or radiation touches a black hole, it is swallowed up by the black hole. So there is no way that black holes can be detected by direct means. However, they maintain their gravitational effect and some others characteristics, and, therefore, they can be detected by studying these characteristics through indirect means. These are the few examples, out of so many, of indirect physical means which help scientists to conclude about the presence of physical

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objects and physical phenomena which otherwise could not be detected. So the indirect means are other ways to bring to light the unseen parts of the universe -- from physical Al-Ghaib to the seen part. What has been said in the above paragraphs, would clarify what is meant by accessible and inaccessible parts of the physical universe; and by direct and indirect means to ascertain the nature of hidden parts of the universe? As these hidden parts of the physical universe are coming to light, believers belief on the unseen parts of the physical universe, as mentioned in the Quran, should gain strength, because prior to their discovery, they were parts of physical Al-Ghaib; and thus proving the truth of the Quran as revealed to prophet Muhammad (pbh) . I think, a believer had stayed a short Gods Glory and Praises unless he would have known what else exists in the universe. As the Quran says at so many places that whatever is in the Heaven, on Earth and in between them -- in the universe -- belongs to Him(XX:6, and many other verses with the similar meanings), and glorify Him(XVII:44, LXI:1, LIX:24); and Glorification in turn leads to happiness of hearts(XIII:28) and the love of God. Believer should not just have a belief on the unseen, but should rather get curious and motivated by it, and try to find means to access those unseen which could not be accessed by our sense faculties and by direct means, and thus add to the scientific knowledge. Not only that, but also try to understand the mysteries and laws of nature working behind them. By doing so, he would not only be having access to the unseen and unknown parts of the universe and thus getting nearer to God(V:35, also the saying pf prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as quoted earlier, but it would also lead him to prosperity; provided he makes efforts to use the understanding thereof for the benefits of mankind(V:35). Because God has subjected to his (use) all things -- seen and unseen -in the heavens and on Earth and underneath it, and made His bounties flow to him in exceeding measures, both related to the seen and unseen( III:8). By doing so, a believer would be following one of the Quranic paths. This path, in general, is specified for men of understanding, knowledge, and intellect irrespective of their faith; but when a believer does it, he will be doing so to please and glorify God, and thus resulting in enhancing his spiritualization and strengthening his soul(XIII:28); because he will be following the path given in the Quran, which according to his belief is a word of God. MEANINGS OF THE UNIVERSE: When the Quran talks about the heavens, earth and everything in between , it not only means what we see with our eyes up till the sky, but rather much more then that -- what lies within the seven heavens, whereas the stars seen with the naked eyes lie in the lowest heaven( LXVII:5). In other words, the whole universe and its contents distributed in space are divided into seven heavens. At the time the Quran was revealed, nothing was known what lies beyond the stars but was known to God; and that, however, would come under physical unseen part of Al-Ghaib. Since then, astronomers have made numerous discoveries -- beyond human imaginations -- what lies beyond the stars. Galileo(15641642) was the first scientist who pointed telescope towards the sky and showed that there are more stars beyond what we could see with naked eye. In 1755, German Philosopher

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Immanual Kant suggested that vast collection of stars lie outside the extent of Milky Way. Not only that, but in the beginning of eighteenth century it was discovered that there were not only more stars which could not be seen at night with our naked eyes, but also more huge systems of stars called galaxies each consisting of hundred of billions of stars. The astronomers have estimated that there are more than fifty billion such galaxies surrounding our Galaxy called Milky Way Galaxy. The number of these galaxies has not been determined by counting them individually -- which humanly is not possible -- but rather their number has been determined by counting them within a small area of the sky and then extrapolating them over the entire sky surrounding our Galaxy; assuming, of course, that they are uniformly distributed in space surrounding us. In this regard Hubble Space Telescope has been very helpful. These galaxies were first seen as nebulous objects( small cloudy objects) and were considered as parts of our Galaxy( Milky Way Galaxy). However, through a debate among the astronomers, the problem was finally resolved when distances of these objects were calculated and compared with the dimensions of our Galaxy. And thus it was concluded that these nebulous objects lie outside of our Galaxy and they are system of stars like our Galaxy. It has also been determined, through observations, thatthey are receding away from our Galaxy, and proving thereby that the Universe is expanding: The vastness of space is expanding. The Quran says that We created the universe with our own Hands and caused it to expand( ). Here Hands are not to be understood in literally sense but has some deep meanings beyond mans understanding. And, moreover, it is not clear What God means to expand. But expansion of the universe is observationally verified fact. If the meanings of this are looked in the light of the verse(LI:47) which says that We created the firmament and the vastness of space; then it implies that expansion of the space means that the space is expanding, and the galaxies which are located in space must be receding away from each other along with the expansion of vastness of space -- galaxies themselves are not expanding -- but the universe as a whole is in balance and equilibrium(LV:7), though it is expanding. God not only created the universe, but is also controlling and sustaining it( VII:54, XIII:6, XXV:59, XLVIII:7, LVII:4). Meanings of these verses could be interpreted that after initiating the creation of the universe, He took control of it (the verses say that He sat on the throne of it). How does He control the whole universe and keeping it in balance, all the way from subatomic scale to the universal scale? The ultimate nature of controlling is only known to God. Scientists, however, try to explain it by their method which quite parallel to what the Quran gives, as explained earlier -- scientific method. At one time, Milky Way Galaxy was considered to be the whole universe. All what is seen on the sky with a naked eye or otherwise were considered to be a part of Milky Way Galaxy. Other than that, which could not be seen with the naked eye when the Quran was revealed and many centuries thereafter, would come under physical unseen parts of the universe. But now most of them have become seen through various kinds of telescopes and space probes. According to Big Bang theory -- the more about which will be talked about latter -- the visible universe extends all the way to fourteen billion lightyears; which implies that the visible universe is fourteen billion years old. One light year

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is a distance traveled by light in one year. The velocity of light is 186,000 miles per second. From here one can easily calculate how much one light-year is equivalent to in miles -- about six trillion miles. The nearest objects that we can see with our unaided eyes are the planets and stars. And, of course, the Sun which is a nearest star. Light takes eight minutes from the Sun to get to the Earth -- the Sun would have risen eight minutes prior to become visible over the horizon. Beyond these stars there are more stars; and beyond our Galaxy there are more galaxies. The galaxies have been discovered, which are hundred of million light years away from the Earth. There are objects which have been seen across billions of light years away. The farthest objects which have been observed are the quasars, and they are the most luminous objects discovered so far, but their nature is not fully understood. The Quran says: Soon We will show you our signs in the farthest regions of the universe and in your own soul, until it becomes manifest to you that it is a truth, and God witnesses all these things(XLI:53) -- what all this leads to the truthfulness of the Quran as word of God revealed to prophet Muhammad (pbh) by Allah. And thus showing His grasp over all things both hidden and open, His Hands behind the creation of all the signs of nature, and imparting the knowledge and insight of the secrets of the universe to His vicegerent on Earth( II:30-33). As, according to the Quran, everything in the universe is known to God, both seen and unseen(IV:126,XXXII:6, and many other verses with similar meanings given at various places in the Quran); and He can impart the knowledge and understanding (which comes through inner reflection and Allahs guidance) of physical part of Al-Ghaib to his vicegerent on Earth( II:33) but man will have to do physical and mental exertion (XXIX:69). There are so many other discoveries made in the universe, from subatomic scale all the way to the universal scale, which were previously unknown to man; and more will be discovered and seen in times to come -they will be coming from the physical part of Al-Ghaib and thus confirming the truth behind verses of the Quran. MANS POSITION IN THE UNIVERSE In order to realize mans position in the universe, first we have to see what is Earths position, which is the residing place of man, with respect to the whole universe. As mentioned earlier, out of these more than fifty billion galaxies-- Milky Way Galaxy is one of those fifty billions galaxies. The Milky Way is comprised of more than one hundred billion stars, and also some other objects including gas and dust lying in space among the stars. Out of these stars there is one special star called the Sun. Around the Sun are revolving eight planets: There used to be the nine planets in our solar system; but, recently, the ninth planet Pluto has been taken out from the list because of its some odd characteristics as compared to those of other planets in the system. Out of these planets, there is one special planet called the Earth which is the residing place of man. In spite of the fact that it is through man that God is bringing to light the unseen parts of the universe( II:30 -33), yet man has a humble position as compared to the whole universe. In the words of the Quran: We created man in the best of molds, then We abased him to the lowest of the low; excepting those who believe and do the righteous deeds( XCV:4-6): Those who follow the Gods commands and strive in His cause -- what He asks to do. Now, compare what was known and seen at the time when the Quran was revealed with

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what has been known and discovered since then. More and more signs of God are pouring out from physical part of Al-Ghaib. But, according to the Quran(XXXII:6, IV:126, and many other verses with similar meanings), God had all that knowledge which at that time was embedded in Al-Ghaib; and still more is embedded, which, because of mans efforts, is being brought to light and becoming the part of seen world: They are becoming miracles of God, and thus more signs of the universe to glorify Him. According to the Quran, God, through His signs and the mysteries behind them, reaffirms His existence to those who doubt His existence. The reaffirmation of His existence is for those who doubt in His existence, and His glorification for the believers are certainly enhanced as new signs are pouring in; and more and more are coming to light in all areas of scientific and technological developments through the efforts of man; and thus becoming known to man out of what is known to God; because He is Omniscient and does impart His knowledge to man as he did to Adam(II:33, XCVI:4-5) -- one of the purposes for which Gods Vicegerent on Earth was created (II: 30-33). UNIVERSE AT ATOMIC AND SUBATOMIC SCALES: Then, there is a universe at atomic and subatomic scale as well; the constituents of which are the building blocks of the physical universe at large scale. The chemical elements, like hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, cooper, iron etc. are made of atoms. Atom of each element has nucleus composed of protons and neutrons. Around the nucleus are revolving electrons. Electrons have negative charge and protons have positive, and neutrons have no charge. No scientist has ever seen the atomic structure and its constituents through direct means, but the validity of the structure has been established through indirect means: Observing lights of various frequencies emitted from atoms of different elements when their atoms are imparted energy from the outside sources, which excites atoms -the energy of the atom is increased. These excited atoms no longer stay in that state, but ultimately come back to unexcited state by getting rid of the extra energy in the form of radiation. Scientists learn about the interior of the atoms and their nature by analyzing these lights. This is another example of bringing to mans knowledge of the hidden part of the universe at atomic level, which would come under physical unseen of Al-Ghaib. As mentioned earlier, there is a saying of the Prophet Muhammad( peace be upon him) there is a knowledge like the form of hidden things, known to none save those who know God.: Approaching God through the knowledge of the hidden parts of the universe -one of the scientific means to get nearer to God for those who believe( V:35). FORCES OF NATURE: God is the Sustainer of Heaven and Earth(XIII:16) -- the whole universe -- says the Quran. But how does He sustain the Universe from subatomic atomic scales all the way to the universal scale? He never imparted that knowledge directly to His vicegerent on Earth. He, however, asked him to ponder upon mysteries related to His Signs in the universe, and He will help(XLV:12,VI:97-98, and other verses as well with similar meanings). Mans method to understand the mysteries of nature and the laws governing them(VII:54), is the scientific method -- but He is the one who is behind these laws(VII:54). It is through this process that man has made so many scientific discoveries

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including the forces which keep the universe going. According to these discoveries, there are four basic forces which play this role, and they are: Gravitational force Electromagnetic force Weak force Strong force. The existence of all these forces have been fully established by physicists both by direct and indirect means; and also what role they play in keeping the whole universe going from sub-atomic scale all the way to the universal scale. In physics, the concept of force is that it can bring change in state of motion of a body, or can keep bodies bound together. For example, force due to wind, earthquake, force generated by steam, forces exerted by living creatures and etc. These forces would come under seen phenomena, because one can have a direct feel for these. You might also have had a feel of electric and magnetic forces which could also have come under seen phenomena. For instance, you must have felt a light shock of static electricity while handling the metallic knob of a door. Magnetic strip gets attached to bodies made of iron; or a piece of iron gets attracted towards a magnet. These are the examples of a magnetic force. The other force for which we have feel of is gravitational force which makes a body falls and accelerate them towards the Earth -- weight of a body is due to gravitational force of the Earth. But it was not known as a force till the time of Newton when he hypothesized that a body falls and accelerates towards the Earth because of the gravitational attraction of the Earth. The electromagnetic and gravitational forces play a role at large and small scale -- they are long range forces. Gravitational forces keep the planets going around the Sun, whereas electromagnetic forces are responsible in keeping electrons going around the nucleus of an atom, and are also responsible for the chemical reactions. The other two are short range forces and are operative within the dimensions of atomic nucleus. Strong forces keep the protons and neutrons bound together in an atomic nucleus; whereas weak forces play a role in decaying the nuclei of radioactive elements. God says in the Quran, for to God belongs the forces of heavens and earth; and God is exalted in Power and full of Wisdom, and has full knowledge of all these forces(XLVIII:7) -- it would mean all the forces, hidden and open operating in the universe. It was revealed to the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, when there was no concept of force, excepting the pull and push type of mechanical forces; or the forces produced by winds, earthquake, forces responsible for causing earthquake, sea waves etc. But the forces mentioned in the Quran would also include the ones which were undiscovered at the time the Quran was revealed, which at that time would come under physical part of Al-Ghaib. DISCOVERIES OF UNKNOWN GLORIFIES GOD: What has been said so far about the physically accessible universe, almost all parts of it were unseen when the Quran was revealed; excepting what man could see or feel directly, through his unaided sense faculties on the sky, on the Earth and in between the Earth and the sky, and up to certain depth of the Earth. Creatures and other treasures in

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the deep sea were unknown. All the unknown and hidden, therefore, would come under physical unseen -- a part of Al-Ghaib. But to God they were known. As the Quran says, God knows whatever there is in the heaven, on and in the Earth, and in the sea; to God belongs the secrets of the Heaven and Earth(VI:59, III:5, XXXII:6, XXXV:38). One of the beauties of the Quran is that by introducing the word Al-Ghaib it has covered the contents of the entire universe -- seen and the physical unseen. The main objective of emphasizing on these unseen physical objects, physical phenomena, and the scientific and technological developments, is to bring to the notice of the believers that whatever has been discovered and going to be discovered in times to come, and what was hidden and what was open when Quran was revealed, have been referenced in the Quran under various verses by the word Al-Ghaib-- that part Al-Ghaib which comes under physical unseen. The meanings of these verses can now be broadly interpreted in the light of scientific and technological developments made by man in the epochs following the revelation of the Quran. And all this in turn, should strengthen believers faith, and thus resulting in the glorification of God(LIX-24). According to the Quran, it is a Book of guidance for those who believe in the Unseen(II:3) -- which, according to my interpretation, would mean both Absolute Unseen and the physical unseen. But God knows, as mentioned at so many places in the Quran, all the contents of the physical unseen parts of the universe. It would mean all that is in the physical universe: Starting from subatomic particles to all what is in the Universe including all the forces which are keeping the universe and its contents intact and bound; and all that which emanates from them -- various kinds of lights -- and the wisdom and the mysteries behind them. Mans job is not only to know and discover the unknown and unseen, but also to understand their nature and the mysteries behind them. As God says, He knows and understands the finest mysteries and nature of the universe(XXV:6, VI:59, XXXIII:34). Whatever God knows, it is a indirect message to man that he should also try to know what He knows and He will help(II:269, XCVI:3-5) excepting the Absolute Unseen(LXXII:26-27); otherwise God would not have imparted His knowledge to Adam and surprise His angels( II:32). Man will not know all what God knows, but he should strive with all main and might to uncover and understand as many physical unknowns and unseen which are in the knowledge of God -- excepting the Absolute Unseen. By imparting knowledge to Adam and showing the proof thereof to His angels, He showed that man has the freedom to know what he can through his efforts and hard work, and God will help him in his efforts( II:269,XXIX:69) . There is saying of the prophet Muhammad -- Allah says that He created Adam so that He could be known. HOW MAN UNRAVELS THE MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE: Seeing or getting information about the physical signs through sense faculties or aiding devices, and thus knowing them is different then understanding them -- ability to understand is also endowed by God(XXIII:78). How do scientists try to know and understand what lies beyond the reach of man in the universe? It is from what emanates from the contents of the physical universe has helped scientists a lot to understand their nature. Because what emanates from them acts like a message carriers from the components of the universe. By analyzing these messages, man tries to understand the nature of those objects using scientific method. What emanates are: radio waves, infrared

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rays, light waves composed of seven colors, ultraviolet rays, X-rays, and gamma rays. They are all light-like radiations traveling with the speed of 186000 miles per second, which is the speed of light. They all belong to the same family, but they differ in their wavelength and frequency. They can all be called lights, though they are invisible excepting light rays -- even the light rays are invisible excepting that they make objects visible from which these rays emanates, scattered or reflected. Stars emit all of these kinds of radiations. Out of these radiations, visible light rays can be detected by our eyes directly or through optical telescopes; and infrared radiation are the heat radiation which can be felt by human body, but the rest of them require other means to detect them. These means are different type of telescopes which are the windows to the universe; and some other devices invented to detect these kinds of radiation. Without these lights man would not be able to get all that information and knowledge what he has obtained about the universe -- man is being guided to the different parts of the universe through these lights(XXIV:35). The study of these radiations, whether directly coming from the components of the universe, or reflected there from, provide information about the nature of the distant parts of the universe. There are so many objects in the universe -- other then stars, planets moons and galaxies -- which could not have been discovered, or their features could not have been seen just by optical telescopes. But their existence and nature has been established by non-optical telescopes. Now it is becoming clear that It is through these lights that God reveals His knowledge and wisdom to His vicegerent on Earth. When Quran was revealed, only one kind of light was known to man and that is visible light which our eyes are sensitive to; the rest of them would come under unseen. Now man has approached the universe through these lights as well and the corresponding aiding devices; and thus revealing Gods more hidden signs and enhancing His glorification still further(LIX-24). GOD IS THE GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE: As mentioned earlier, God is not only the Creator of the universe( XXXII:4,XXXVI:81 and other verses with similar meanings), but is a Sustainer(XIII:16) and has detailed knowledge of hidden and open parts of the universe(XXXII:6); but He is also a Guide to that knowledge(XXIV:35), and can impart that knowledge to His vicegerent on Earth( II:30-33, XCVI:4-5) through His guidance, and then finally leading him to the realization of Ultimate Reality - . all affairs lead to God( ? ). How does He guide man to that goal? It is given in the following verse(XXIV:35): Allah is the Light of Heaven and Earth. The similitude of His Light is as if there were a niche and within it a lamp; the lamp enclosed in glass. The glass as it were a brilliant star. The star lit from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East or of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though the fire scarce touched it. Light upon light; God doth guide whom He Wills to His Light. God doth set forth Parables for men; and God doth know all things. This verse implies: Just as an observer is led to the origin of light in the lamp, which is

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olive oil and then the olive tree, which belongs neither to the East nor to the West -universal; so is man led, through observing the signs of God and scientifically analyzing them step by step, to Allah Who is Universal God( Ultimate Reality). This verse is an example which illustrates an analytical technique to get to the origin of light continuously coming from the lamp. Origin is not the lamp sitting in the niche, but rather the olive oil and then the olive tree. Scientists could go further and explain the origin of light from the oil at the molecular and atomic level. Next, a question would arise about the origin of constituents of atoms and so on; and finally to the origin of the universe, as explained below under the topic Scientific View About the Creation of the Universe. Following the same analytical line of arguments, scientists can trace back the source and mechanism of the emission of light from a star, and then tracing back further down, they would finally come to the origin of the universe -- Big Bang, and then to the Ultimate Reality: Which is Allah. And this way to reach the Ultimate Reality could be called scientists way to approach Allah(V:35) -- who prevails all over the universe and has knowledge of everything( hidden and open) , says the Quran(III:5, XI:123, VI:59, XXV:6 XXXIV:6, and many other verses conveying the same meanings). It is through the analysis of the observable world that man can also finally come to know the Ultimate Reality. But it is not just believing Him but also following His commands. Believer, however, believes in God through his faith. But he would appreciate more if he went through the scientific approach as well. The verse V:35 further says that this approach of striving would lead believers to prosperity which could be both spirtual as well material in nature. However, the material blessing could also lead to inner bliss if a believer believes that this would not have been possible without the hands of God behind it, and thus leading to the inner bliss as well, but keeping other modes of worship. It follows from the above discussion that it is through the lights that man tries to understand the nature of the signs in the universe and make new discoveries; which otherwise are beyond mans reach. If these signs and contents of the universe were known during the time of Imam Ghazali(1058-1111 A.D.), he would certainly have mentioned them in his book Mishkatal-ulAnawar. The Quran asks the men of understanding, knowledge and insight not to stop at the observations of His Signs in the universe(III:190-19, VI:97, XLV:13, and many other verses with similar meanings) but rather analyze them step by step, till they get to the threshold of the of Ultimate Cause, just as one gets to the source of physical light from the lamp sitting in the niche. What it says: A man with analytical mind, and using scientific process would finally approach The Ultimate Cause -- the Universal God who is exalted in might and worthy of all praises(XXXIV:6). It is clear from the above discussion that physical light guides scientists to the different parts of the universe which otherwise would remain inaccessible. According to verse(XXVI:35) the ultimate cause of this physical light is Allah: The real Guide is Allah, and it is through this light that He guides man to get information about the far off objects of the universe. Light here implies all three -- Allah, Guide and the physical light. It also means that Allah has the view of the whole universe and its contents at all the times -- before starting the creation by issuing the command Be He had the complete picture of the universe and its contents( II:117, XLI:11).

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Imam Ghazali calls mans intelligence also a light. He is true in the sense that it is mans scientific thinking process that leads to understand nature, which finally leads to the understanding of natural phenomena and then leading to the Ultimate Reality (Allah). But the scientific method, as used in these days to understand nature, was not fully established during the time of Imam Ghazali. Through physical light man sees signs of God, and through intelligence and insight he understands what is going behind them. Quran itself is a light from God( IV:174, V:17-18, and many other verses with similar meanings); as it guides man towards the social, spiritual and scientific paths. Quran also mentions other scriptures as lights for the people of books( V:47). In addition to the physical lights, there are some sub-atomic particles, radiating away in all directions in the universe, called cosmic rays. These are the nuclei of atoms of various elements like hydrogen, helium etc. And there are also radium-like elements, called radioactive elements, which emit a group of rays. One part of this group are the gamma rays which are light-like, as mentioned above. The other two parts are beta particles and alpha particles which carry mass and charge. Alpha particles are nuclei of helium atoms and are positively charged, and the beta rays are the electrons which are negatively charged. Cosmic rays and radioactive rays have all been detected by indirect means. In medical technology, radioactive elements are used for diagnostic and curing purposes of some kinds of diseases. These are some of the examples of the physical signs of God discovered both by direct and indirect means by His vicegerent on Earth. Similarly, there are numerous signs in other areas of science, as mentioned earlier. God has the knowledge of both hidden and the open parts of the universe(XXXII:6, XXXIV:3, XXXIV:48), and He is the only one who knows and understands the finest mysteries of the universe(XXXIII:34, IV:126,XXX:6, other verses). But He can impart the knowledge of some parts of these to His vicegerent(XCVI:4-5, II:269) on Earth, as He did to Adam(II:33) whose decedents we are. SCIENTIFIC VIEW OF THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE(BIG BANG): Now comes the question about the origination and creation of the universe and all its contents. Who created them and how were they created? Answer to the first lies in the domain of faith and that of the second in the realm of science. It is one of the beauties of the Quran that it links them both together. God certainly says in the Quran, He created the universe and everything in it in six days(LVII:4, VII:54, XXV:59), and has full knowledge about them. What is the significance of this day? Is the duration of this day the same as the Earths day: the time Earth takes to make one complete rotation around its axis, or it can be taken as an epoch of some other duration? The knowledge of that unseen is only known to God( XXII:47). He did not give all the details as how He created the universe and its sub-parts, and the natural phenomena of the universe. He, however, assigned that responsibility to people of knowledge, understanding, and people who think and strive for; and then apply the knowledge thus gained for the benefits of mankind; because what is in the universe is subjected to man, and has made His bounties flow to man in exceeding measure, both seen and unseen, says the Quran(XLV:12-13, II:164, III:8, XXXI:20). From this it follows that what exists in the universe was made for the

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man to explore and make use of it for the benefits of man. The Quran, however, gives the way, as explained earlier, as how to understand and unravel the mysteries and wisdom behind His signs related to the physical universe. But the ultimate knowledge of all these lies with God: ( III:5, XXXII:6, VI:59, and many other verses conveying similar meanings). He can, however, impart the knowledge of physical mysteries whom He wants(II:269), as He did to Adam(II:30-33). From the scientific view point, universe originated from an explosion of a single dimensionless entity, called singularity -- a point of infinite temperature and infinite density. Whatever is present in the physical universe -- seen or unseen -- was unbelievably compacted in this entity. It is this entity which evolved with time giving rise -- in fourteen billion years -- to the vastness of space and its contents and thus giving present form to the material universe( this article does not discuss the creation of life). What was the nature of the contents of this singularity at the time of this explosive event, is not known. But, according to Big Bang theory, right after this event and the rapid expansion of this entity, radiations( different kinds of lights) were dominant; which, through some physical processes gave birth to protons, neuterons and electrons -- the basic building blocks of matter in the universe (details being omitted). At this time these particles were moving so fast, and the temperature was so high, that protons and neuterons could not stick together to form heavier nuclei like that of helium( consisting of two protons and two neuterons); nor the electrons could go around the protons to form hydrogen or helium atoms. Mathematical calculations, however, show that after 100 seconds from the Big Bang event the temperature of the universe dropped to one trillion degree K where protons and neuterons could start sticking together forming helium nuclei consisting of two protons and two neuterons. But the temperature was still so high that electrons could not go around the helium or hydrogen nuclei( protons) forming atoms. It took 380,000 years for the universe to cool down so that the electrons could be captured by helium and hydrogen nuclei and forming neutral atoms of hydrogen and helium. At that stage, the universe consisted of hydrogen and helium gases and the radiation, and the temperature had dropped to 3000K. PROOF OF BIG BANG: As mentioned earlier, scientists do not believe in their theories and models unless they would have been tested and verified through experiments and observations, and also they do not violate already established results. In this regard, astronomers have discovered that the vastness of space, in which galaxies are distributed and which are the top level building blocks of the universe, is filled with low frequency radiations called the primordial background radiations. These radiations, according to the scientists, are the remnants of very high frequency radiations from the time of Big Bang event. These are the remnants in the sense that just after the Big Bang event took place, the temperature was extremely high, and the universe has been expanding and the temperature has been falling ever since -- for the last fourteen billion years. The present temperature is 3K(270C): remember, water boils at 100C( Celsius) and freezes at 0C. The discovery of these radiations have provided a proof that that Big Bang event did take place. In mathematical language, the entity which exploded and gave birth to the universe is called a singularity

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which had no dimensions (no vastness of space), as mentioned earlier. All matter, four basic forces, energy and the laws governing them, which are keeping the universe going, and the space in which all these contents are distributed, are the outcome of this explosive event -- there was no vastness of space prior to the Big Bang event. As the Quran says, We created the vastness of space(LI:47). The space does not extend only up till the sky or the firmament. Sky is just the limit of our vision, whose limit can be stretched beyond what we see by various high power telescopes, and so be the vastness of space. It means there was no space prior to its creation -- space prior to the event had a zero volume. The Big Bang theory explains how the space and its contents were created and gave birth to the whole universe. It would not appeal to common sense, but scientists, by making this hypothesis, developed models and theories whose results have been proven by experiments. That is how, as mentioned earlier, scientists try to understand the mysteries of nature -- using hypothesis, making models and theories and their testing. The Quran does not explain all that, but encourages people of knowledge, understanding and insight to reflect on the mysteries of the universe -- the scientific method comes under what Allah encourages to do, as mentioned earlier giving references of various verses of the Quran. The Big Bang theory has been proven through various cosmic observations, but scientists are also trying to prove it through experiments using Large Particle Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN. By doing this experiment, they are trying to create, at a very small level, the conditions which existed, for a very short time, after the Big Bang event. More about it can be read in LA Times issue of April 13, 2008. This is a brief description of the scientific view of the creation of the universe. Now let us see what is the Quranic view of the creation? QURANIC DESCRIPTION OF THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE: The Quran says, all things we created in proportion and measure: Our command was but a single act, like twinkling of an eye(LIV:49). At many other places, the Quran says, God is the Originator of Heaven and Earth, and of everything in between; to Him is due the primal origin of Heaven and Earth(VI:101); when He wants to create something He just wills it, and then when He decides to implement His will -- He issues a command by saying Be, and it is carried out(II:117, III:47, XVI:40). The Be can be interpreted as a command from God to start the creation process, but it does not imply that creation takes place instantaneously. In order to create the universe and its contents, He would have decreed and planed the whole creation process(II:117, XLI:11). In order to start the process of the creation of the universe he just said Be, and the process started -- the Big Bang event took place and started the process of creation of the universe. After the Command was issued, the basic forces of nature and the laws governing them started the processes of creation of vastness of space, energy and matter within the vastness of space. If one reads the above verses along with the verse LI:47 which says, With the power and skill did We construct the Firmament: for it is We Who created the Vastness of space -as time went by the vastness of space went on expanding. It follows that the universe was not created with all that vastness of space and all that energy and matter in it as it exists to-day, but rather it must have started from a single dimensionless point( without any vastness of space) and gone through various stages before coming to the present form

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-- but by saying Be God started the process of creation according to His Will and comprehension of the design(II:117, XXV:59, XLI:9-12) -- in all it took six days which are not equivalent earthly days( XXII:47). All the matter at the beginning of matterdominated era, according to the Big Bang theory, was in the form of cloud made of hydrogen, helium gases. But what was the nature of this entity and primordial matter when the event took place, scientists are trying to understand? It is this primordial matter which, by going through various epochs, finally evolved into gas clouds, and then the galaxies( systems of stars), and the present form of matter -- both living and nonliving: In his book What Is the Origin Of Man? Dr. Maurice Bucaille describes the origin of life giving references of various verses from the Quran. But, what was the primal origin of this entity( singularity) is a mystery and will remain a mystery for the scientists as well; but may convince those scientists, who do not believe, that there is a Ultimate Reality, behind all that, which cannot be explained by scientists using scientific method, but rather it may lead scientists to believe, by faith, in that Ultimate Reality -- due to Whom is the primal origin of the heavens and Earth (VI:101). The Quran says: And truly, towards thy God is the limit, there is no way to escape for those who dispute over His Signs in the universe (XLII:35 and many other verses with similar message). These verses show that no matter whatever direction man may take, he will end up being at the Ultimate Reality -- the Creator of the universe and of everything in it, and that is a matter of faith. More regarding the Ultimate Reality will be talked about later in the text. The following is little more detailed description about the origin, creation and evolution of the universe arrived at by scientists using mathematical models. It may be pointed out that real nature of things and natural phenomena is only known to God(XXXII:6, XXXIII:34). But this is the present scientific view about the origin, creation and the evolution of the universe. It may change with time. The understanding of this part requires the knowledge of nuclear and elementary particles physics, and general theory of relativity. Nevertheless, attempt here is made to explain in simplest terms how the universe evolved starting from the Big Bang event: At the time Big Bang occurred, all four forces of the universe, as mentioned earlier, were united as one unified force. Within one millionth of a second thereafter, four forces, one by one, got separated. The constituents of matter at that time were protons and neutrons, which are the constituents of nuclei of atoms -- the constituents of elements( hydrogen, helium, oxygen, iron and etc.). Prior to the stage of creation of protons and neutrons, quarks were created out of energy, which are the building blocks of protons and neutrons. In neuterons and protons, quarks are bound together, by strong forces. The Quran says: .He knows the unseen,-- from Whom is not hidden the least little atom in the Heaven or on Earth -- nor is there anything less than that, or greater, but is in the Record Perspicuous(XXXIV:3). Three minutes after the Big Bang event, nuclei of helium started forming -- protons and neutrons started combining to form central part of atoms of helium consisting of two protons and two neutrons bound together by strong forces. At this stage of the creation of matter, the universe was filled with electrons, protons, and helium nuclei (consisting of two protons and two neuterons), deuterium nuclei (one proton+2neuterons) and lithium

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nuclei (3protons + 3neuterons) of corresponding atoms. And the temperature of the universe was extremely high; and it was also filled with very high frequency radiations. 380,000 years after the Big Bang, when the universe cooled down but still expanding, nuclei of hydrogen, deuterium, helium and lithium started capturing electrons and they started going around the corresponding nuclei. According to atomic model, atom of an element has nucleus comprised of protons and neutrons, and electrons going around it. As mentioned earlier, in a nucleus of an atom, protons and neutrons are bound together by strong force. At this stage of the creation, the contents of the universe were hydrogen, helium, deuterium, lithium and the background radiations -- all mixed together occupying the vastness of space in the form of smoke. At this stage, the temperature of the mixture was ( 3000K) -- conclusions drawn from mathematical model; and the universe had no heavier elements like oxygen, nitrogen, silver, calcium, sodium, iron etc. other than those mentioned above. Where did all the other elements come from? They were all formed in stars through a nuclear process called fusion. The universe, however, comprised of huge gas cloud, was still expanding and cooling down. From this point onward, various physical processes took place and the universe passed through various epochs before the galaxies, stars and other heavier elements were formed. At that time, of course, there were no bio-chemical molecules which the living organism are composed of. Explanation of all these processes is omitted for the reason that that they involve too much technicalities. If anyone is interested to learn more about, he can pick up an astronomy book on Stars, Galaxies and the Universe. However, I would like to say a little bit about the formation of stars-- their birth, death and rebirth from the smoke( gas and dust clouds) left behind by the death of stars; which in turn give birth to new stars. COCEPT OF SIX DAYS: In order to explain the concept of six days, as mentioned in the Quran, it would be necessary to say that fourteen billion years period, from the instant of happening the Big Bang event till the formation of galaxies, stars and other contents of the universe, has been divided into various epochs. The Quran says, God created the Heavens and Earth and everything in between them in six days( VII:54, LXII:4, LXI:9-12). Is the Quranic day equivalent to a cosmic epoch( XXII:47)? It is very doubtful that if man would ever know what the Sure Reality is. Of course, men of faith would accept that God has the knowledge of Ultimate knowledge(LXXII:26) and God is the Ultimate Reality. Another reason of going through these details is to bring to the notice of the believers that according to Big Bang theory, universe went through various stages before coming to the present form. God says in the Quran, He is the Creator, Evolver, and Fashioner of Forms( or color) (LIX:24). Hence, the universe was not formed instantaneously in the stage what it is now. Before the original stars were formed, galaxies were in the form of clouds mostly of hydrogen and helium gases, which finally got converted into system of stars. Later on, planets were formed -- planets and the Sun were also formed from smoke but of a different nature as compared to the original smoke. Gravitational force, one of the four forces of nature, played a vital role in their formation. These stars are born, live their life and die and spread their material in space; and thus giving rise to a smoke of different composition. The material of these clouds finally start coming together due to mutual gravitational attraction and thus forming new stars of different chemical

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composition by going through various stages. The details of formation of stars is omitted, because of being too technical. Now, look at the meanings of the verses( X:34, XXIX:19) which say that God originates creation, then repeats it: truly that is easy for God. It is easy to see the truth behind these verses for biological species on Earth, but its truth holds for the stars as well, as explained above; though their birth and life takes million and billions of years depending upon their masses -- more massive a star is born earlier. For instance, our Sun birth, according to astronomers findings, took thirty million years from the time of initiation of its birth process till it became a full fledge star. Since then, it has been shining for the last five billion years and will continue to shine as a full fledge star for five more billion years; and then will start its death process. During the dying process, it will get rid off most of its mass by shedding it in space. The mass thus shed will become part of another cloud. Each star, within a certain mass range, in a galaxy will have to go through this cycle -- they are born, live their life and then die; finally, leaving behind a dead core called white dwarf -- or some more dense objects like neutron star or black hole depending upon mass of a star. As a matter of fact, the existence of such objects have alredy been detected in our Galaxy by various kinds of telescopes and through indirect means. During its expansion stage, before becoming a white dwarf, the Sun will become so huge and red in color( LV:37) that the orbit of the Earth will come within the Sun -after engulfing the orbits of Mercury and Venus. But it will start happening after about five billion years from now. Such conclusions are drawn by astronomers through analysis using mathematical models -- one of the steps of scientific method to understand the mysteries of nature. Though the real nature, as mentioned earlier at many places, is only known to God, but God has granted wisdom, intelligence to men of knowledge, understanding and men of insight to ponder upon the mysteries of nature(II:164, III:190, XXIII:78, XXII:9, ILV:13). PLANETS AROUND OTHER STARS: Just as our star (Sun) has planets around it, and the Earth is one of them, astronomers have discovered planets going around other stars in our Galaxy and other galaxies. According to the model of planet formation around stars, these stars and planets were first the parts of huge clouds made of dust and gases, as mentioned earlier. Some parts of the clouds, through gravitational attraction, got converted into stars and planetary systems. Now, look at what the Quran says: Moreover God comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been as smoke: He said to it and to the Earth: come ye together, willingly or unwillingly. They said: We do come (Together), with willing obedience(XLI:11). In the light of this verse, it follows that Earth and heavens had realized that they were together and, therefore, they had to stay together; -- they were both smoke and Earth got birth from smoke. At another place the Quran says: Heavens and Earth were joined together before We separated them, and then we made every living thing out of water(XXI:30). This also implies that Earth was a part of a cloud before its birth. And, moreover, Earth is the only planet in our solar system where water exists in liquid form which is important ingredient for the creation of life and its existence. According to astronomical view point, there was a huge rotating cloud called the solar

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nebula -- one of the billions of galactic clouds in the early universe -- and these clouds, 380,000 after the Big Bang event, were a part of a single universal cloud made of hydrogen, helium and small amount of lithium. It is the cloud( solar nebula) which gave birth to our solar system -- planets, moons, Sun, comets and asteroids. The gravitational force played a vital role in giving birth to our solar system and keep it going in balance -as a matter of fact the whole universe is in balance ( LV:7) but expanding. Scientists have developed mathematical models and theories as how to explain the formation of these more than 100 billion galaxies and their contents and the formation of our solar system of which the Earth is a part -- that is all that a man can do -- if he wants to understand the mysteries behind the processes of formation; which, of course, God encourages in the Quran, when He says that the signs of nature are the instructive examples for the people of understanding, knowledge and insight( II:164) -- though the real nature is only known to Him. The Quran does not directly talk about the theories and model, but they come under the scientific method -- a process of understanding the nature of Gods Signs related to physical phenomena and the physical objects. The main objective of this paper is not to teach any branch of science, but rather to point out the emphasis the Quran gives on inviting man to understand the nature of the physical universe using the methodology given in the Quran -- the references to verses regarding this methodology are given at various places in this article. This methodology -observations, thinking and testing process -- turns out to be parallel to the modern scientific method being used by scientists to understand mysteries of nature. Understanding the nature and mysteries of His Signs, and the application of knowledge derived there from, have resulted in understanding the phenomena of nature, which is science; and applications of the knowledge derived there from resulted in various material blessings and conveniences for man. Imagine, what was known in terms of scientific discoveries and the material blessings when the Quran was revealed, and what is known now. However, it was known to God(XVI:2, XXXII:6, and other verses), but was unknown to man; but now it is becoming known to man, as time goes by, due to his efforts and with Gods help. It is our belief that whatever man has learnt, and is learning, and will learn for the benefits of fellowmen, is the outcome of Gods teachings to him who is knower of everything ( VI:59, XIII:9) and He can impart the knowledge to the descendants of Adam as He did to Adam(II:30-33, XCVI: 4-5) -- but, unfortunately, the knowledge has also been used for destructive purposes as well. SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES LEAD TO GODS GLORIFICATION AND HIS PRAISES: When a believer learns all about the signs and wonders of creation, and the technological developments made by man for the benefits of his fellowmen -- but staying humble -- he would certainly say Subhanala and thus would glorify God, as His angels did when they learned from Adam what God knows(II:30-33). Observing, understanding the nature of mysteries and wisdom behind His signs have led to scientific knowledge; the application thereof to the technological developments, which have brought comforts and the conveniences to man: Which could be called material blessings; and these are the outcome of mans utilization of his abilities endowed by God to His vicegerent on Earth.

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No doubt, the glorification of God is tempted by observing the signs of God in the universe, but understanding thereof and the wisdom behind them, and their application for the benefits of mankind would enhance His glorification still further. God, addressing to the people of Thamud says that habitation in the land, and the palaces and castles, and homes built in mountains, are the benefits provided to you by God; so you should be grateful to Him( VII:74). At another place the Quran says, the sailing of ships are His favors(LV:24); -- mans made objects are also the blessings of God because of His hands behind them. So there is nothing wrong for a believer in saying that the study of scientific discoveries and their applications have led to the material blessings which are the gifts of God; and man should be thankful to Him for these gifts as well. It should be a believers belief that these blessings could not have been brought to light without mans efforts and striving, and Gods help. As it is said in a well known verse( II:255) . they shall not understand the smallest fragments of His knowledge, unless He wills. Man thinks that he is self-sufficient, but he is not(XCVI:7). Quran says, We have honored the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favors, above a great part of Our Creation( ). Realizing that behind these blessings there is a hand of God, thankfulness would strengthen believers faith and uplift his soul. God is worthy of His praise, as says the Quran; but He does not need you for His glorification and praise, for He is free from all wants but worthy of all praises(XXXI:12,XXXV:15,XXXIX:7,XXXI:26); but believers need God to Glorify Him for their own spiritualization and strengthening their own soul. At another place Quran says, those who believe and, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of God; for, without doubt, in the remembrance of God do hearts find satisfaction(XIII:28). People of understanding and insight, whose mental and physical strives have resulted in comforts and the conveniences for man, might not have come across the Quranic verses that invite people of understanding, knowledge and insight to ponder upon the signs of the universe and mysteries behind them; or they might have come across with these verses, but did not believe in them as signs of God; nor in their abilities as endowment from God. But it is our belief, as mentioned in the Quran, that man has been endowed with the faculties of senses and understanding(XXIII:78,XXXII:9). Not only the believer, but rather man in general has been blessed with these abilities. The use of these sense faculties is the first step to understand nature and its mysteries, which is also the first step of scientific process, as mentioned elsewhere above. IS MAN ALLOWED TO KNOW WHAT GOD KNOWS? The Quran talks about two parts of the physical universe, visible and the invisible. For man, seen objects are those which he can see, or perceive through his sense faculties. Let us take an example of an object seen by an eye. If the object were not emitting, scattering or reflecting light, we would not be able to see it. Nor, we would be able to perceive it if no light was reaching us from the object after being scattered. However, the object could be made seen, not directly through the eyes, but by means of other devices, as mentioned earlier, provided the object were emitting, reflecting or scattering other kinds of radiations, or the radiation received by the eyes were too little. Without these lights man

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would have no detailed information about the universe and its components; unless, of course, they could have been detected by indirect physical means, as explained earlier. It is through these lights that God revealed this universe and its components to man. According to the Quran, God has knowledge of all visible and invisible things of the universe(XXXII:6, XI:123, XVI:77, III:5). But to man they became known through these lights and the use of indirect means ; and of course, through his efforts and exertion. Here arises a question: Is man allowed to know what God knows? According to the Quran, the answer is yes. But man will have to strive, both mentally and physically then unknown and physical unseen will become manifest to him with Gods help, but he will not know the Ultimate nature about the Unseen(LXXII:26). God brought, part of what He knows, to the attention of angels through Adam (II:31:33), to whom knowledge was imparted by God. According to the Quran, angels asked God why He was creating him who would create mischief and shed blood in the world. God said to angles. you do not know why I am creating my vicegerent on Earth(II:30). When God showed them, through Adam what He knows, the angles were amazed about the depth of knowledge God has about the universe. As a consequence thereof, the angles admitted their ignorance and bowed down to Adam and glorified God. Looking all around us, we see why God created man -- so that He could be known: The angels were also right when angels responded back to God about the blood shed! The descendants of Adam would be amazed what man has done. It, therefore, follows that Adams descendants are allowed to bring to light what knowledge and wisdom God has about the universe. And, thus when a believer learns all about the signs in the universe and wonders of creation, and the material blessings, he would certainly say Subhanala( Glory to God). But man should not fall in too much love with the material grandeur( XIV:3) but stay humble, and should keep in mind the life of hereafter. ULTIMATE NATURE OF THINGS Having gone through this article, one thing becomes clear that Quran guides man to use his sense faculties endowed by God(XXIII:78) to gather knowledge from the natural phenomena and natural objects, and then invites people of knowledge, understanding, insight and intellect to ponder upon their nature and mysteries behind them -- though He is the only One who has the real knowledge of the unseen( XI:123). He can, however, impart some knowledge to descendants of Adam as He did to Adam(II:30-33), provided they strive towards that goal -- excepting of the absolute unseen about which man will not be acquainted with(LXXII:26). These efforts have led to so many discoveries of the natural phenomena in the universe, and understanding the mysteries behind them. A solution of one mystery leads to another mystery -- mystery within a mystery -- and thus brings in new questions; and pursuing this technique will make a scientist end up at the Big Bang and then to the question, what was before that? **These efforts of man to understand the mysteries of the universe and its contents, at all levels, will finally lead, as mentioned earlier, to the threshold of Ultimate Reality. One could also look into it from cause and effect point of view: To every effect there is a cause. Following this route one would finally come to the ultimate cause. What is the nature of this ultimate cause? Scientists, it is doubtful, will be able to answer that question: as a matter of fact it will bring their powerlessness in this regard excepting those who believe in Absolute

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Supreme Power( Ultimate Reality) Who has knowledge of ultimate nature of things. The Quran says, He is above all comprehensions, no vision can grasp Him, and He has grasp over all things(VI:103): He has the grasp of the whole universe -- from subatomic scale to the whole universe, but a man can see a little fraction of it at one time and within a limited space. At another place the Quran says, He is the first and the Last, Outward and the Inward; and He is knower of all things(XXXII:6,VI:59, XXXIX:46, LVII:3). It follows from these verses, as mentioned earlier, there is no point in space and time which is void of His presence, and He has knowledge of all that; and no body will have the smallest fragment of His unless He Wills( last part of Iytallqursi II:255). Now, compare what is known today with those parts of the universe which were unknown and hidden when the Quran was revealed. Note, however, whatever has been discovered, known and seen since then, was embedded in the physical part of Al-Ghaib; and those parts which will be manifested in times to come -- will be coming out of the hidden part. It is now clear, as the Quran says at so many places, that all that is on Heaven, Earth, under the sea and in between, is known to God and belongs to Him; and He is the Creator of all the contents of the universe. But how did He create, was left to man to ponder upon(XXXI:26, XLV:12, VI: 97:98)? And not only that, but God has also subjected all that to man(XLV:13) so that he can approach it and use it, and draw benefits there from for the betterment of mankind. However, the exploitation of all this depends upon the degree of strive a man does to achieve those ends. Now, if we read the same verses in the light of what has been discovered and brought to light out of the physical unseen since the seventh century, what level of praise and glorification of God it would be? As the Quran says at so many places, whatever is in the Heaven and Earth( that is, in the universe) declare praise and glory of God. In one of these verses Quran says, whatever is in the heavens and on earth declare the Praise and Glory of God(LIX:24,LXI:I) -- for He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise( LIX:1). Thus, more we learn about these natural miracles, more would we appreciate and glorify God. The Glorification and gratitude of God, in turn, would spiritualize believer(XIII:28) and make him peaceful and happy within himself and his fellowmen, and thus making peaceful environments around him. But a believer must keep in mind that by doing so he will be pleasing God not man, though, the descendants of Adam made all these discoveries and inventions through their strive; but the abilities were endowed by God(II:31-33, II:269,XXXI:20, LV:4, XCVI:4-5). God says in chapter Al-Hadid(LVII:25) about the strength of iron and many other benefits it has, which of course were unknown when Quran was revealed and, therefore, would come under the physical part of Al-Ghaib. Then the Quran further says, God will test who it is that will help, on His and His apostles behalf, in conveying their message and bringing these unseen benefits of iron to light. We see so many uses of iron around us these days all over the world. Whether a man has passed the test or not, is known to God; or the he can make a decision looking al around. SAD ASPECTS OF TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS: But there are some sad aspects of scientific and technological developments which we

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all know, and one of them was pointed out by angels(II:30): Use of it for mass destruction; and, second, that not every man on Earth has benefited from these blessings. There are so many souls in various continents who are deprived of these blessings; though attempts are being made to relieve them, as much as possible, from their miseries. Climate and environmental changes, as being discussed by scientists these days, are also the results of too much use of technological developments and industrialization, and this will go on increasing with time unless some alternatives are found.

THE ARTICE MAY REQUIRE SOME EDITING IN BOTH SUBJECT WISE AND LANGUAGE. COMMENTS WILL BE WELCOME. THIS ARTICLE HAS ALSO BEEN SUBMITTED TO Dr. SIDDIQUIFOR
REVIEW AND TO SISTER YASMEEN UMER KHAN FOR EDITING.

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