The Quran; A Miracle Beyond Time-A Study of Its Miraculous Nature (Part 22)
Galaxies, giant telescopes and the vastness of the universe
The beginning of an amazing news
One of the largest space projects in human history began four years ago: the launch of a spacecraft with a huge telescope whose lens was eight meters in diameter. This space telescope was launched into space at a speed of more than forty thousand miles per hour (nearly 65 thousand kilometers per hour), with the aim of discovering the hidden secrets of the universe.
Now, according to a report by a global news network, this spacecraft, which is most likely located near the planet Jupiter, has managed to send an amazing image: an image of an unknown galaxy that has just been discovered; but the amazing point is the distance of this galaxy: “hundreds of billions of light years from Earth.”
To understand the depth of this wonder, we must know that the most distant galaxy observed so far was about twenty billion light years from Earth, while the closest burning star to Earth is only “four light years” away from us. We need “fifty million years” of non-stop travel to reach that star with terrestrial means of transport!
So how is it possible for us to get an image of a galaxy hundreds of billions of light years away? The answer lies in the Intricate mysteries of space, time, and the expansion of the universe; but beyond scientific knowledge, these phenomena make one reflect deeply: ﵟفَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِمَوَٰقِعِ ٱلنُّجُومِ ۰ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَقَسَمٞ لَّوۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ ﵞ Translation: “By the positions of the stars and their rising and setting! And this is indeed a great oath, if you (only) know.” [Surah Al-Waqiah: 75–76]
Understanding Astronomical Concepts: Light Year, Speed of Light, and Dimensions of the Universe
A light year Is a unit for measuring enormous distances in the universe. A light year is equal to “9.46 trillion kilometers”; that is, the distance that light travels in one year at a speed of 300,000 kilometers per second.
For example: The Moon: is about one light second away from Earth.
The Sun: is about eight light minutes away from us.
The North Star: is about four thousand light years away.
The Andromeda Galaxy (the woman with the folded arms): is about two million light years away.
But the newly discovered galaxy is “hundreds of billions of light years” away from us. This means that the light we receive now from it has been “traveling for hundreds of billions of years”; a time before the Earth was even formed; Of course, it is almost impossible to comprehend these distances with the human mind; but cosmic knowledge sometimes brings us closer to a relative understanding of the vastness of the universe.
The Truth About Galaxies: Floating Islands in the Ocean of the Universe
Galaxies are huge collections of stars, nebulae, cosmic dust, magnetic fields, planets, comets and other celestial bodies, floating like large islands in the boundless ocean of the universe.
While the naked eye can only see three galaxies (the Milky Way, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds), advanced telescopes have been able to observe “more than a thousand billion galaxies”! Scientists estimate that there may be more than “a trillion galaxies” in the entire universe. Each galaxy contains hundreds of billions of stars.
For example, our galaxy (the Milky Way) is more than “150 thousand light years long” and we are just a tiny speck in its heart.
فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِمَوَٰقِعِ ٱلنُّجُومِ ۰ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَقَسَمٞ لَّوۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ Translation: “By the positions of the stars and their rising and setting! And this is indeed a great oath, if you (only) know.” [Surah Al-Waqiah: 75–76]
Movement in the Universe: From the Earth to the Unknown Frontiers
Everything in the universe is in motion:
The Earth rotates at a speed of 1,600 kilometers per hour.
The Earth revolves around the Sun at a speed of 30 kilometers per second.
The Sun moves towards the center of the Galaxy at a speed of 200 kilometers per second.
The entire Milky Way galaxy is also moving through space at a speed of about “240,000” kilometers per second; that is, almost “80% of the speed of light!
The sun needs about “250 million years” to complete one revolution around the center of the galaxy. These figures are not only astonishing; but they are also an indication of the precision and grandeur of the system of the universe.
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلرَّجۡعِ Translation: “By the sky that returns (radio waves and water vapor in the form of snow and rain)!” [Surah Al-Tariq: 11]
إِنَّ فِي خَلۡقِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱخۡتِلَٰفِ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ لَأٓيَٰتٖ لِّأُوْلِي ٱلۡأَلۡبَٰبِ Translation: “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, are signs for men of understanding.” [Surah Al-Imran: 191]
A manifestation of divine power: an explosion in the M28 galaxy
Not so long ago, a huge explosion was recorded in the center of the M28 galaxy. The flames of this explosion spread hundreds of millions of kilometers into space. Scientists estimated that the energy released in this event was equivalent to “two thousand billion hydrogen bombs”!
For comparison: just one of these bombs is enough to destroy a large city.
This event is just a small manifestation of the manifestation of the name of Allah “the Mighty.” The same God who established the great system of the universe, with unparalleled precision and infinite ability.
إِنَّمَا يَخۡشَى ٱللَّهَ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِ ٱلۡعُلَمَٰٓؤُاْۗ Translation: “Only the knowledgeable and aware servants fear Allah with reverence.” [Surah Fatir: 28]
From the Universe to Faith
Can this infinite system with such amazing order be purposeless and uncreated? Can human not bow down before this greatness?
Allah draws human’s attention to these wonders with a clear statement and a great oath:
فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِمَوَٰقِعِ ٱلنُّجُومِ ۰ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَقَسَمٞ لَّوۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ Translation: “By the positions of the stars and their rising and setting! And this is indeed a great oath, if you (only) know.” [Surah Al-Waqiah: 75–76]
And in another verse, He says: أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى ٱلۡإِبِلِ كَيۡفَ خُلِقَتۡ 17 وَإِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ كَيۡفَ رُفِعَتۡ 18 وَإِلَى ٱلۡجِبَالِ كَيۡفَ نُصِبَتۡ 19 وَإِلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ كَيۡفَ سُطِحَتۡ 20
Translation: “Do they not look at the camels, how they were created? And at the sky, how it was raised? And at the mountains, how they were set up and established? And at the earth, how it was spread out?” [Surah Al-Ghashiyyah: 17-20]
The more a person understands the universe, the more humble he becomes before the Creator. In a world where billions of galaxies, each with billions of stars, move, our Earth is a very small point; and human is only a passing traveler; but this same human, through reason and contemplation, can understand the truth and establish a deep connection with the Creator. [1]
