Ascension into the Sky
Professor Dr. Mustafa Ibrahim Hassan
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
"And even if We opened to them a gate from heaven and they continued therein to ascend, they would surely say, 'Our eyes have only been dazzled. Rather, we are a people affected by magic.'"
(Qur’an: 15: 14-15)
There are six aspects of scientific miracles in this noble verse, which we will discuss below:
The First Aspect of the Miracle Allah Almighty said:
"And if We opened to them a gate from heaven,
" which confirms that the sky is not a mere void as people believe even today, but it is a well-constructed structure that cannot be penetrated except through doors that open inward.
The Second Aspect of the Miracle It is evident in the reference of the two noble verses to the extreme thinness of the daytime veil, as stated by Allah – Glorified and Exalted be He – "And even if We opened... they would say..." meaning that the statement that our eyes have been dazzled and the universe is enveloped in darkness occurs as soon as one ascends a short distance into the sky. This darkness remains until the end of the universe, a fact that modern science has confirmed with great precision.
The Third Aspect of the Miracle It is evident in His saying: "And they continued therein to ascend." The linguistic expression "continued" starts with the letter "fa," (in Arabic) which indicates speed because ascending from the earth to the sky requires very high speeds that may reach 12,800 km within three minutes. To ascend into space, one must travel very long and far distances, which the Quran expressed with the word "continued." Here, the Quran's miracle in describing this stage of ascension into the universe is evident.
The Fourth Aspect of the Miracle It is evident in the description of movement in the sky as "to ascend": "And they continued therein to ascend." Ascension in the language means the movement of a body in a curved line. It has been scientifically proven that the movement of objects in the universe cannot be in straight lines, but they must curve due to the spread of matter and energy throughout the universe, and the influence of both the gravitational pull of matter (in its various forms) and the magnetic fields of energy in its various forms on the movement of celestial bodies. Therefore, any physical object, no matter how large or small its mass, cannot move in the universe except in curved lines.
The Fifth Aspect of the Miracle It is evident in the saying of Allah – Glorified and Exalted be He – "They would surely say, 'Our eyes have only been dazzled...'" meaning "Our eyes have been closed and sealed, or veiled and covered to prevent vision." At that point, man sees nothing but darkness. Man marvels at this miraculous Quranic analogy, which represents a cosmic reality unknown to man until his success in space exploration in the early 1960s when he was surprised by the fact that the universe is engulfed in deep darkness in most of its parts, and that the daytime belt on the side of the earth facing the sun does not exceed 200 kilometers in thickness above sea level.
The Sixth Aspect of the Miracle In His saying, "Rather, we are a people affected by magic," man will be surprised after leaving the earth by the absence of Earth's gravity, which equals zero, leading to:
The inability to hear sounds due to the absence of air through which sound travels, so when one speaks with a fellow astronaut, he cannot hear his voice as if magic had suddenly occurred.
Objects will not fall to the ground due to the absence of Earth's gravity.
One cannot drink liquids because they will not pour out of containers as if another magic is at play; instead, they will be absorbed rather than drunk, and water will turn into something resembling crystals outside the container.
The astronaut will be able to fly from one place to another without falling.
The astronaut will be able to stand on a piece of paper and swing without falling.
So, Glory be to the One who revealed the Quran with truth, revealed it with His knowledge, and made it a miracle for the Seal of His Prophets and Messengers. May the peace, blessings, and grace of Allah be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, whom his Lord – Glorified and Exalted be He – honored by describing him as one who does not speak of his own desire. Allah – Exalted be He – said:
"Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed. Taught to him by one intense in strength"
(Qur’an: 53: 3-5).
