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We are going to discuss the very recent discovery of the cosmic web. The Holy Qur’an refers to this web.…. |
We’ll discuss the way how the galaxies and their assemblies are forming a tight web the same as the interwoven filaments. We’ll speak about how The Holy Qur’an refers to this web in the saying of Allah (Exalted is He): "And (by) the heaven comprising interwoven tracks", Surat Ath-Thariyat (The Winnowers) verse no.7
We’ll see that The Quran is coinciding with the stable and absolute scientific facts. This coincidence proves that The Qur'an is the Book of Allah and that this book is miraculous from the scientific and cosmic viewpoints.
We are going to depend on the most West scientists who have discovered this web and composed the researches in that topic. We’ll depend also on the recently published researches those researches that are documented by the most important astronomy websites such as NASA website.
Allah (Exalted is He) is describing the sky while saying: And (by) the heaven comprising interwoven tracks, I’ve read this verse years ago and repeated it many times before, trying to get the meaning of the word (interwoven tracks).This word indicated (the tight textile) for me.
Explanation of the term: “The interwoven tracks”
I’ve returned back to the interpretations of the commentators on the Qur'an. (May the mercy of Allah be upon them). I‘ve found most of them understood that the expression “interwoven tracks” means the tightly interwoven, strong and perfect textile. In addition, they said that His saying And (by) the heaven comprising interwoven tracks means that it has a beautiful shape, tightness, decoration and tracks.
We have a commentary said by the imam Alqortoby (May the mercy of Allah upon) who has expanded his explanation to the degree that it included seven meanings of this expression interwoven track that is mentioned in the saying of Allah (Exalted is He) And (by) the heaven comprising interwoven tracks. He says that in the interpretation of the word [alhobok] interwoven track seven meanings: the first one said by Ibn Abbaas, Qitadah and Mijahed: the good and straight creation. Ikrema also said “don’t you see the weaver when he weaves the dress and made it tightly; it said that the dress is tightly woven which means perfectly woven. Moreover Ibn Ala’araby said every thing that is accurately and perfectly done is said to be tightly woven.
The second meaning is the adorned. This view is said by Alhasan and Said bin Jobeir. Alhassan also said the third meaning i.e., which has stars. The fourth meaning is said by Alfarraa which says that the word (alhobok) means that it breaks every thing such as the sand it the silent winds passes by it and the raised water if the wind passed by it. The fifth meaning is that it has some sort of firmness, this view has been said by Ibn Zaid and he recited the words of Allah: And We have built above you seven strong (heavens) Surat An-Naba (The Tidings) verse no.12 and he said that the tightly done is the strongly created such as the horse and the like.
It is narrated in the Hadith that Aishaa (may Allah be pleased with her) was used to tighten her dress under the veil during the prayer, which means that she was used to pull the dress and fasten it.
The sixth meaning means thick or heavy. We use this word to describe the face which means brazen. The seventh meaning is that the tracks is a word that expresses the galaxy in the sky and it is called so because it has the effect of the numerous things.
Where is this web?
I was wondering, where is this interwoven web in the sky as we don’t see something except for the stars and the planets? I searched for the answer in the references that are specific for the astronomy and the cosmos structure; I found nothing that refers to the concept of “web’ at that time.
This verse has been kept in my memory for many years and they still didn’t have any accurate explanation, till some days before writing this research. At that time, I was searching in some international websites for the cosmos structure, and what they have reached of the steady and absolute facts concerning the sky. I’ve got a great surprise when I read about a piece of news that has been published by the European Southern Observatory through its website; the article was titled: "A Glimpse of the Very Early Universal Web".
When I read the first lines of this article I realized that the Holy Qur'an has preceded these scientists by fourteen centuries in the mentioning of this cosmic web and called it “the interwoven tracks”. Not only did Allah (Exalted is He) mention it, but also He swore by it.
The linguistic indication of the term (interwoven tracks)
The task cannot be handled with simplicity, because we are dealing with the book of Allah; and the interpretation of something from the book of Allah without any knowledge may lead the commentator to Hell and expose him to the anger of Allah (the Almighty). Therefore, I’ll never bear on a verse of the book of Allah a meaning that cannot be actually implied in it.
Moreover, I cannot direct myself towards a new understanding for this verse or another of the verses of Allah (Exalted is He), without the
condition of getting certainty that Allah (Exalted is He) means exactly that meaning.
In addition to that the hastiness in the interpreting one of the Qur’anic verses depending upon some scientific theories; their failure may be proved in the future can touch the majesty of the book of Allah. Also, it can be a means in the hands of the enemies of Islam to degrade it of that True religion aiming at doubting the scientific miracle of the Holy Qur'an.
Therefore, it was necessary to seek information in the Arabic language in which the Holy Qur'an has been descended, and to search for the semantics of this word, and this is what I’ve done. Thus, after a journey through the linguistic dictionaries, I’ve found that the term has come from the verb [habak](interweave); and the Arabs say that “ the weaver has interwoven the dress” which means “has woven’. Also, when they say that “the tailor has interwoven the dress” it means that he has well sewn it, tightened and fastened it. In addition, the term [hobok] (tracks) is the plural of the word [habikah] i.e. the road.
Through these linguistic semantics of this term, we can see that the word [hobok] (interwoven tracks) imply some essential meanings that are related to the web and the perfectly interwoven filaments that are tightened to each other. Whereas the commentators (may the mercy of Allah be upon them) didn’t realize the dimensions of that meaning because they were not acquainted with the modern astronomy during their age. Furthermore, the cosmic web is considered a very recent idea whose date goes back to only some years.
An increasingly enlarged picture for the cosmic web as it appears through the greatest computerized process in the twentieth centuries. The filaments that we see looking like the woven web are, in fact, billions of galaxies that are rowed and arranged in a perfect shape; and this is what the Qur’an has called “the interwoven tracks” and swore by this web saying: "And (by) the heaven comprising interwoven tracks" Surat Ath-Thariyat (The Winnowers) verse no.7
A new surprise
As a result to the understanding of the previously-mentioned linguistic meaning, I’ve realized that the shape of this cosmic web must be like the web of interwoven strings that are connected to each other. The second surprise was when I saw the picture of that web photographed by the hugest computer. It was exactly a web of interwoven strings that are connected to form a marvelous and perfect web that proves the majesty of the Creator (Glorified is He).
The new pictures show us the cosmic web as it was drawn by the super computer sets for the first time in the twenty-first century. It contains hundred billions of galaxies and each galaxy contains hundred millions of stars. The shining dots represent the assemblies of huge galaxies. All of them has been arranged by Allah (Exalted is He) in this vast cosmos through a marvelous web structure like the interwoven web. Moreover, He swore by it saying And (by) the heaven comprising interwoven tracks, Surat Ath-Thariyat (The Winnowers) verse no.7
But this scientific article about the features of the universal web is not enough at all. It may be a theory only, not a scientific fact. Being a believer, I should get certainty of any new information and become convinced of its truthfulness to build my belief upon right scientific bases. Therefore, I started reading hundreds of researches about the cosmic web and the cosmic filaments, and all of them have been published some years ago. I’ve found that all the scientists assure this fact; moreover it is one of the most important, clear and certain facts in the twenty-first century.
Another picture for the cosmic web in which the shining dots represent the places of galaxies assemblies. They appear the same like the knots that are relating the filaments to each other. It seems that we are watching web strings that are tightly and very accurately interwoven. Would you contemplate, dear reader, the holy verse And (by) the heaven comprising interwoven tracks, doesn’t it give an accurate description for this picture that has cost millions of dollars?!
More meanings & indications
After seeing this web produced by the digital equations and the pictures drawn by the computer, I’ve realized that the Qur'an has frankly spoken about the cosmic web that the West scientists, nowadays, are boasting of being the first people to speak about it.
But there are still more meanings and indications. Before starting in the contemplation in the wealthy meanings that this verse bears, we should contemplate first what has been discovered by the researches of the twenty –first century in the field of cosmic sciences.
The scientists have discovered in the few past years, that what we see in this universe is less than 5% only of it. And that more than 95 % of it is composed of unseen matter that we cannot see i.e. the “dark matter”.
We can see in the pictures the dark matter that is represented in this cosmic web by the black color. It is the matter that fills the space between the galaxies and controls the distribution of the matter in the seen cosmos. This picture has been drawn by the super computer and each dot in it represents an assembly of thousands of galaxies and maybe millions of them. So try to contemplate the greatness of the universe and the majesty of the Creator of this universe who has innovated this marvelous web!
Also, remember with me the saying of the Truth (Blessed and Glorified is He): Yet no, I swear by whatever you behold, And whatever you do not behold, Surat Al-Haqqah (The Inevitable Truth) verses no.38, 39
Thus the Qur'an has told us that there are unseen things, moreover it has swore by it that the Qur'an is truth. Doesn’t this verse include an indirect hint to the dark matter that is discovered by the scientists today?
The astronomers use the same terms of the Qur’an
The question is: how could the West scientists discover the dark matter without seeing it? And how have they discovered the cosmic web? Yet, how did this term come from although they didn’t read the Qur'an?
Hence, it was necessary to go through a new searching journey in the latest discoveries of that field. And again I’ve got an amazing surprise when I read a confirmation, said by one of the scientists who discovered this web and saw it for the first time, saying that We have little doubt that for the first time, we are here seeing a small cosmic filament in the early universe. Moreover, they say the following statement verbatim: we see it at a time when the universe was only about 2 billion years old; Astronomers can (see) the distribution of matter in the early universe.
What has attracted my attention is that the scientists use the word (see) moreover they put it between two brackets to indicate that this word is newly used; taking into consideration that the actual web that they see pictures for dated back to 13 billion years!
After a lot of thinking about the reason for which the scientists insist on seeing the features of this web, I’ve remembered the saying of the Truth (Exalted is He) while addressing those disbelievers of His noble book: And have not the ones who disbelieved seen that the heavens and the earth were an integrated (mass), then We unseamed them? Surat Al- Anbiya (The Prophets) verse no.30
Glorified is Allah! (The Almighty) who says: (And have not… seen) and they say: we see as if they are unconsciously repeating the words of Allah (Exalted is He)! Moreover Allah says :(the ones who disbelieved) whereas they confess their apostasy and disbelief in the Qur'an.
In addition, Allah (Exalted is He) defines the tense in His saying (were) which means the past tense and they say “the early universe”. Also, Allah says (mass) while they confess that they started to see the first filament of the cosmic mass saying: a small cosmic filament. Isn’t it a qur'anic miracle in which every believer should think? Not only should he think, but also he should be proud of this great book that is truly the book of wonders and facts and not as they claim the book of legendaries and fables.
Would they then not believe?
This qur'anic miracle is addressing the disbelievers and claiming that they are going to see the cosmic mass that was in the beginning of the universe which actually happened with the use of their equipments and machines.
Facing this miracle, cannot the disbelievers get confirmed that the Qur'an has been descended by Allah Who has created them, prepared this discovery to be done by them and told them about it fourteen centuries before its occurrence? They have already discovered the beginning of this web and began to see the features of these cosmic filaments. In spite of this fact, they are still searching for the cosmic mass; therefore we find the divine statement in the following noble verse asking them: Would they then not believe???
As we know from the Arabic language dictionaries that the word [ratq] (patch) means the (repair) and the word [fatq] (slash) means to (tear).
Both words include a clear hint to the web. The question now is: Don’t these scientists repeat this verse although they didn’t read it?
Furthermore, when the Qur'an states that the universe was a patch i.e. a tightly woven web the same as the impenetrable block, we see that the scientists of this age firmly assure that they are seeing this web in the early stages of the cosmos development!!
Not only do they confirm that view, but also these scientists do not doubt at all the existence of this web. Their belief in this conviction reached the extent that they began to ask about the manner by which these great cosmic filaments were interwoven. Please contemplate with me this web that has been drawn by the computer using three- dimensional screen and describing a big part of the seen universe, in which we clearly notice that what we see of this universe is extremely less than what we don’t see.
Absolute scientific facts
Now we should know the manner by which the astronomers get confirmed of the existence of this web. The story begins when the cosmos scientists started to draw maps for the stars and galaxies and they observed the existence of some zones in which the galaxies are assembled in what is called “galaxy clusters”. They have also found that the cosmos contains more than two hundred thousand million galaxies.
When they got the facility of using the great accounting processes with the use of super computer, the scientists thought of feeding this huge computer with all the necessary information. The information contained all the digital data concerning the position of the galaxy and its farness from us being accounted with the use of the light-years and their radiation degree. In addition, the information included certain data concerning the huge galaxy assemblies and other information concerning more than million galaxies.
When the computer achieved the digital processes, the resulted picture was the same like the web; therefore the scientists call it the cosmic web.
And now…
If we directed a question to these scientists who have discovered this complex web and spent millions of dollars in the cause of drawing this cosmic picture and saying: What’s your opinion in that what you are discovering in the twenty-first century has been mentioned by a book that existed since the seventh century?
They would hasten to say that it is impossible. Their reason is that the prediction of the existence of the cosmos web structure and the discussion of the “Big Bang” theory needs magnifying lenses and telescopes that are distributed all over the world. It also needs thousands of researchers to draw plans for millions of galaxies, define their positions and analyze their spectra. This task will need the use of huge super computer sets and a lot of expenses and these possibilities didn’t exist before the end of the twentieth century, so how could a man predict such a web??
Responding to such an inquiry, we say yes your view is right if the Qur'an has been composed by a man, but this Qur'an is the speech of the Lord of all humanity (Blessed and Exalted is He)! So, can’t your hearts submit in front of this miracle that is considered a material evidence of the truthfulness of the Book of Allah (the Almighty) and the truthfulness of Islam message?
Therefore let’s listen to this divine statement: And in no way could this Qur’an have been fabricated, apart from Allah; but it is a (sincere) verification of what is before it (Literally: between its two hands) and an expounding of the Book. There is no suspicion about it, (it is) from The Lord of the worlds. Surat Yûnus (Jonah) verse no.37
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By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel
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