- When the stars are put out.
77-The Emissaries, 8 [077 SURE AL-
MURSALAT, 8V]
At the time of the descent of the
Quran, people believed that the light
of the stars would last forever. This
at a time when the inner structure of
the stars was a mystery and the fact
that the energy of the stars would,
one day, be exhausted was not
known. The Quran’s prediction about
the end of the stars is a miraculous
statement.
2- When the planets are scattered.
82-The Shattering, 2 [082 SURE AL-
INFITAAR, 2V]
While the verses speak of the putting
out of stars, the planets, not light
sources, will scatter. The Arabic word
for a star is “najm,” while “kavkab” is
a planet. Given the fact that the
planets are dependent on a central
star, when this star is no more, the
planets will necessarily scatter.
(There have been translators who
translated both words as stars
without heeding the difference
between them.) Planets are not light
sources, therefore their extinction is
out of question. The Quran displays
its miraculous attribute in all its
statements.
1- When the sun is rolled.
81-The Rolling, 1 [081 SURE AT-
TAKVEER, 1V]
The Arabic word “takwir” refers to
the wrapping of the turban around
the head in a spiral form; it also
means the rolling or winding of a
thing into a ball or round mass, or
around something. The scene
describes how the end of the sun will
come. Like all the other stars, our sun
also consumes hydrogen atoms by
transforming them into helium
atoms and releasing energy in the
form of radiation, heat and light. The
transformation of hydrogen into
helium stops with the exhaustion of
the hydrogen. Even without the
effect of other potential causes, the
sun will have to come to an end for
this reason. Before their extinction,
the stars, according to their sizes,
pass through such phases as red
giant, white dwarf or black hole. In
view of its magnitude, our sun must
turn first into a red giant before
dying.
The sun has been a subject of
worship in the history of mankind.
People who did not believe in the
end of the universe considered the
sun itself to be an immortal divinity
and thought that the universe and
the earth would last eternally; there
have been those who believed in the
transmigration of souls
everlastingly. Having eventually
been convinced by scientific
discoveries that the world was
doomed to die one day, the minds
that idolized the sun and the belief in
the eternal reincarnation cycle lost
their support. The belief in the
Hereafter described in the Quran and
the end of the universe are
interconnected as the stages of a
system. Taking cognizance of the fact
that the end of the universe will
eventually come has reinforced the
belief in the Hereafter.
7- And verily the Hour is coming, no
doubt about it, and that God will
resurrect those who are dead.
22-The Pilgrimage, 7 [022 SURE AL-
HAJJ, 7V]
The description of the end of the
universe in the Quran relating to the
end of the sun and of the world is
given in striking colors. What the
people at the Prophet’s time knew
about astronomy could not possibly
have permitted them to describe
such occurrences. Muslims who lived
at the time of the revelation of the
Quran believed in all these, not
because of scientific deductions but
because they had faith in the fact
that it was easy for God, the Creator
of the heavens and the earth, to
destroy them. All the statements of
the Quran about the disappearance
of the stars, the sun and the earth
are corroborated today by scientific
discoveries.
EARTHQUAKES WITH BOILING SEAS
4- When the earth will be shaken
up.
56-The Inevitable, 4 [056 SURE AL-
WAQIYA, 4V]
When the Hour comes, the entire
earth will be shaken by a terrible
earthquake. The Quran says that the
tremor will cause mountains to be
pulverized, and men will run to and
fro in panic. As for the sea, we have
the following indications:
6- When the seas boil.
81-The Rolling, 6 [081 SURE AT-
TAKVEER, V 6]
3- When the seas are suffered to
burst forth.
82-The Shattering, 3 [082 SURE AL-
INFITAAR, V 3]
An earthquake will pulverize
mountains, hot lava will burst forth
from many corners of the earth.
Volcanoes will erupt and lava will
rise from the sea. It is unlikely that
the depiction of the end of the world
was an exaggeration of natural
disasters that Muhammad
experienced in his lifetime. The area
where Muhammad lived was not on
a major earthquake fault-line, and
those who spent most of their lives
in the middle of desert, most likely,
never witnessed the eruption of a
volcano in mid-ocean!
5- When the wild beasts are
summoned.
81-The Rolling, 5 [081 SURE AT-
TAKVEER, V 5]
The Quran draws our attention to
the herding together of animals. We
know today that animals react to a
tremor even before we, as human
beings, realize it. For instance, in the
zoo in Seattle Woodland, the odd
movements of elephants and the
restlessness of gorillas in their cages
were observed before the
earthquake was felt by human
beings. This is a domain in which
further research studies are being
conducted. In view of this statement
of the Quran, we think that this
research should be intensified.
3- And when the earth is flattened
out.
4- And when it throws out
whatever it contains and is empty.
84-The Splitting, 3-4 [084 SURE AL-
INSHAQAQ, V 3, V4]
The contents of the earth, the
magma, the molten rock, will rise to
the surface as lava, as described in
the verses quoted.
The Quran would like us to turn our
attention to the most serious event
of earth history to come. Advanced
science has demonstrated that the
end of the world and the universe is
inevitable. No one can assert any
longer that the stars and the sun will
shine forever, and that the universe
and the earth will abide to eternity.
18- Are they waiting until the Hour
comes to them suddenly? Its signs
have already appeared. How can
they benefit then when it has come
upon them?
47-Muhammad, 18 [047 SURE
MUHAMMED,V18]
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