By Dr Ibrahim B Syed
It has been shown that Islam is not in conflict with science and that Al-Qur'an does not contradict or negate modern scientific findings or discoveries. On the other hand, Western scholars have praised and credited Islam for the preservation and advancement of scientific knowledge by Muslim scientists, physicians and technologists. Over 1,400 years later, modern science is bringing to light the truths or confirming what has been revealed in Al-Qur'an. A learned Muslim will find in the Qur'an scientific truths and realities.
Qur'anic Revelations
Allah says: "Have you not seen how Allah drives the clouds, then gathers them, then makes them layers, and you see the rain come forth from between them." (First half of verse 43 of surah Al-Nur).
Here Allah Ta'ala is describing the formation of rain clouds and the rainfall from the clouds. This phenomenon is very common and known to every human being. But what is not known to human beings are the truths that are found in the following ayat (verses) from the Noble Qur'an.
Allah says: "Wa anzala minassamaa'i ma'an,"
"And (Allah) causes water to descend from the heavens," Al-Baqarah, 2:22, Ibrahim, 14:32, and Al-Nahl, 16:65).
Now, the question is why does Allah Ta'ala say that He causes the water to descend from the heavens, in contradiction to the surah Al-Nur, verse 43 cited above? If carefully studied, the following verse makes no sense and the disbelievers would belittle the Noble Qur'an and Word of Allah: "...He sends down from the heavens mountains wherein is hail..." (Second half of verse 43 of surah Al-Nur).
Hail is frozen rain or stones of frozen water. This verse very clearly states that Allah sends down from the heavens mountains containing ice ball or comets of ice. According to this verse, mountains of ice or comets are sent down from the heavens (space) towards the earth. Until 1986, this phenomenon was not known to mankind, but it was scientifically confirmed in 1988.
Scientific Discovery
The story of this startling scientific discovery and its confirmation by experimentation is worth mentioning here. Dr Louis Frank, a physicist at the University of Iowa City, studied the data gathered from 1981-1986 by the Dynamic Explorer I satellite. The satellite took ultraviolet images of the earth, particularly to study the air flow around the earth. In these images, Dr Frank found holes
punched through the atmosphere. These holes could not be explained. He discarded dozens of explanations after analysing them. He finally concluded that the holes could only be made by snowballs or comets of ice coming from space. He estimated the weight of each comet to be 100 tons and they are coated with black hydrocarbons. They are falling on the earth at the rate of 10mn a year (27,397 per day or 19 every minute). The snowball or comet of ice measures about 30 feet across.
Dr Clayne Yeates, a physicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California told this writer that the comets of ice or snowball are moving at 10km per second (21,600 mph) relative to the earth and at about 1,000km (600 miles) above the earth. They break up (into hail) due to tidal waves and would then flash to vapour in the atmosphere. Finally, the vapour would fall as rain and join the earth's water cycle. Dr Frank's calculations show this would contribute the equivalent of one inch of water all over the earth's surface every 10,000 years. The earth was formed 4.9bn years ago and if this has been happening since the creation of the earth, the process would provide enough water for the oceans and the polar ice packs.
Experimental Proof
Dr Yeates used a powerful space search telescope at the Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona to scan the heavens for the snowballs of icy comets. By swinging the telescope, similar to a shot gun at a skeet shoot, he photographed the descending icy comets pproaching earth. He told the writer that viewing through this telescope, he was able to see the icy comets 150,000km or 90,000 miles above the earth (or the heavens). Dr Yeates said, "It was remarkable. The results agreed exactly with the predictions."
