The Quran: A Miracle Beyond Time—A Study of Its Miraculous Nature (part 115)
The Miracle of the Effect of Atmospheric Pressure on Humans in Light of Modern Scientific Discoveries
The Holy Qur’an is not only a book of guidance and moral education for humanity, but within its verses there are also precise and astonishing references to natural phenomena and scientific laws.
In many cases, these references were mentioned centuries before their discovery by human science, and today they are regarded as manifestations of the scientific miracles of the Holy Qur’an.
One such example is the verse in which the spiritual and psychological condition of a person deprived of guidance is compared to someone ascending into the sky: «فَمَن يُرِدِ ٱللَّهُ أَن يَهدِيَهُۥ يَشرَح صَدرَهُۥ لِلإِسلَٰمِ وَمَن يُرِد أَن يُضِلَّهُۥ يَجعَل صَدرَهُۥ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ».» Translation: “Whomever Allah wills to guide, He opens his chest to Islam; and whomever He wills to leave astray, He makes his chest tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky.” [1]
At first glance, this comparison appears to be merely a rhetorical image; however, with the advancement of science, its precise scientific dimensions have also become evident.
Classical Interpretation of the Verse
Early commentators, due to the scientific limitations of their time, interpreted this verse metaphorically.
As Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (RA) wrote: «في كيفية هذا التشبيه وجهان الأول كما أن الإنسان إذا كلف الصعود إلى السماء ثقل ذلك التكليف عليه وعظم وصعب عليه وقويت نفرته عنه فكذلك الكافر يثقل عليه الإيمان وتعظم نفرته عنه. والثاني أن يكون التقدير أن قلبه ينبو عن الإسلام ويتباعد عن قبول الإيمان فشبه ذلك البعد ببعد من يصعد من الأرض إلى السماء.» Translation: There are two explanations for this comparison. First, just as ascending into the sky is extremely difficult, burdensome, and unpleasant for a human being, so too faith becomes difficult for the disbeliever, and his aversion toward it increases. [2]
Second, the meaning is that his heart distances itself from Islam and turns away from accepting faith, and this remoteness is likened to the distance of someone ascending from the earth toward the sky.
This interpretation is entirely correct and acceptable from a literary and semantic perspective; however, it expresses only part of the reality contained in the verse.
Opening New Horizons Through Scientific Advancement
With the advancement of science—especially in atmospheric physics, aerospace medicine, and aviation—human beings became capable of reaching the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere and even outer space. These developments made it possible to understand this Qur’anic verse more precisely.
Scientists discovered that as altitude increases above sea level, significant changes occur in atmospheric pressure and air composition, producing direct and sometimes dangerous effects on the human body.
The Concept of Atmospheric Pressure and Its Balance in the Human Body
Atmospheric pressure is the pressure exerted by air upon the Earth’s surface and upon the human body. At sea level, this pressure is approximately equal to the pressure caused by a 76-centimeter column of mercury [3].
The human body has been created in such a way that the internal pressure of the body (within the lungs, blood, and tissues) remains balanced with the external atmospheric pressure.
This balance is essential for the normal functioning of bodily organs. Under ordinary conditions, a person feels no pressure because this equilibrium is maintained with remarkable precision.
Mercury is a shiny, heavy, silver-colored metal that remains liquid at room temperature. It forms alloys with certain metals and is used in thermometers, barometers, and gold extraction.
