TIMELESSNESS
AND
THE REALITY
OF
FATE
He is the Originator of
the Heavens and the
Earth...
(Surat al-An'am: 101)
HARUN
YAHYA
First Published 2001
c Goodword Books, 2001
Distributed
by
Al-Risala
The
Islamic Centre
1,
Nizamuddin West Market,
New Delhi
110 013
Tel.
462 5454, 461 1128
Fax
469 7333, 464 7980
e-mail:
skhan@vsnl.com
website:www.alrisala.org
ISBN
81-87570-83-0
Printed
in India
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER
1
THE UNIVERSE IS CREATED
FROM NON-EXISTENCE
CHAPTER
2
THE REAL ESSENCE OF MATTER
CHAPTER
3
RELATIVITY OF TIME AND
THE REALITY OF FATE
CHAPTER
4
THE EVOLUTION DECEIT
NOTES
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Now
writing under the pen-name of HARUN YAHYA, Adnan Oktar was born in Ankara in 1956. Having
completed his primary and secondary education in Ankara,
he studied arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University and philosophy at Istanbul University.
Since the 1980s, he has published many books on political, scientific, and
faith-related issues. Harun Yahya is well-known as the author of important
works disclosing the imposture of evolutionists, their invalid claims, and the
dark liaisons between Darwinism and such bloody ideologies as fascism and
communism.
Harun
Yahya’s works, translated into 60 different languages, constitute a collection
for a total of more than 45,000 pages with 30,000 illustrations.
His
pen-name is a composite of the names Harun (Aaron)
and Yahya (John), in memory of the
two esteemed Prophets who fought against their peoples' lack of faith. The
Prophet's seal on his books' covers is symbolic and is linked to their
contents. It represents the Qur'an (the Final Scripture) and Prophet Muhammad
(saas), last of the prophets. Under the guidance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah
(teachings of the Prophet [saas]), the author makes it his purpose to disprove
each fundamental tenet of irreligious ideologies and to have the "last
word," so as to completely silence the objections raised against religion.
He uses the seal of the final Prophet (saas), who attained ultimate wisdom and
moral perfection, as a sign of his intention to offer the last word.
All
of Harun Yahya's works share one single goal: to convey the Qur'an's message,
encourage readers to consider basic faith-related issues such as Allah's
existence and unity and the Hereafter; and to expose irreligious systems'
feeble foundations and perverted ideologies.
Harun
Yahya enjoys a wide readership in many countries, from India to America,
England to Indonesia, Poland
to Bosnia, Spain to Brazil,
Malaysia to Italy, France
to Bulgaria and Russia. Some of
his books are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian,
Portuguese, Urdu, Arabic, Albanian, Chinese, Swahili, Hausa, Dhivehi (spoken in
Mauritius), Russian, Serbo-Croat (Bosnian), Polish, Malay, Uygur Turkish,
Indonesian, Bengali, Danish and Swedish.
Greatly
appreciated all around the world, these works have been instrumental in many
people recovering faith in Allah and gaining deeper insights into their faith.
His books' wisdom and sincerity, together with a distinct style that's easy to
understand, directly affect anyone who reads them. Those who seriously consider
these books, can no longer advocate atheism or any other perverted ideology or
materialistic philosophy, since these books are characterized by rapid
effectiveness, definite results, and irrefutability. Even if they continue to
do so, it will be only a sentimental insistence, since these books refute such
ideologies from their very foundations. All contemporary movements of denial
are now ideologically defeated, thanks to the books written by Harun Yahya.
This
is no doubt a result of the Qur'an's wisdom and lucidity. The author modestly
intends to serve as a means in humanity's search for Allah's right path. No
material gain is sought in the publication of these works.
Those
who encourage others to read these books, to open their minds and hearts and
guide them to become more devoted servants of Allah, render an invaluable
service.
Meanwhile,
it would only be a waste of time and energy to propagate other books that
create confusion in people's minds, lead them into ideological chaos, and that
clearly have no strong and precise effects in removing the doubts in people's
hearts, as also verified from previous experience. It is impossible for books devised
to emphasize the author's literary power rather than the noble goal of saving
people from loss of faith, to have such a great effect. Those who doubt this
can readily see that the sole aim of Harun Yahya's books is to overcome
disbelief and to disseminate the Qur'an's moral values. The success and impact
of this service are manifested in the readers' conviction.
One
point should be kept in mind: The main reason for the continuing cruelty,
conflict, and other ordeals endured by the vast majority of people is the
ideological prevalence of disbelief. This can be ended only with the
ideological defeat of disbelief and by conveying the wonders of creation and
Qur'anic morality so that people can live by it. Considering the state of the
world today, leading into a downward spiral of violence, corruption and
conflict, clearly this service must be provided speedily and effectively, or it
may be too late.
In this effort, the
books of Harun Yahya assume a leading role. By the will of Allah, these books
will be a means through which people in the twenty-first century will attain
the peace, justice, and happiness promised in the Qur'an.
TO
THE READER
A
special chapter is assigned to the collapse of the theory of evolution because
this theory constitutes the basis of all anti-spiritual philosophies. Since
Darwinism rejects the fact of creation—and therefore, Allah's existence—over
the last 150 years it has caused many people to abandon their faith or fall
into doubt. It is therefore an imperative service, a very important duty to
show everyone that this theory is a deception. Since some readers may find the
chance to read only one of our books, we think it appropriate to devote a
chapter to summarize this subject.
All
the author's books explain faith-related issues in light of Qur'anic verses,
and invite readers to learn Allah's words and to live by them. All the subjects
concerning Allah's verses are explained so as to leave no doubt or room for
questions in the reader's mind. The books' sincere, plain, and fluent style
ensures that everyone of every age and from every social group can easily
understand them. Thanks to their effective, lucid narrative, they can be read
at one sitting. Even those who rigorously reject spirituality are influenced by
the facts these books document and cannot refute the truthfulness of their
contents.
This
and all the other books by the author can be read individually, or discussed in
a group. Readers eager to profit from the books will find discussion very
useful, letting them relate their reflections and experiences to one another.
In
addition, it will be a great service to Islam to contribute to the publication
and reading of these books, written solely for the pleasure of Allah. The
author's books are all extremely convincing. For this reason, to communicate
true religion to others, one of the most effective methods is encouraging them
to read these books.
We
hope the reader will look through the reviews of his other books at the back of
this book. His rich source material on faith-related issues is very useful, and
a pleasure to read.
In these books, unlike
some other books, you will not find the author's personal views, explanations
based on dubious sources, styles that are unobservant of the respect and
reverence due to sacred subjects, nor hopeless, pessimistic arguments that
create doubts in the mind and deviations in the heart.
INTRODUCTION
A general review of
historical trends and people against the religious morality reveals that they
all base their philosophy on materialist thought. As is known, materialists
deny the fact of creation. Instead, they maintain the error that matter has
existed since time immemorial and will remain as an absolute entity for all
eternity. In other words, they deify matter. (Surely Allah is beyond that.)
Materialism is thus defined in materialist sources:
Materialism
accepts the eternity and everlastingness of the universe (its having no
beginning or end), that it is not created by God, and is infinite in time and
place.1
The reason why
materialism so deifies matter stems from its categorical refusal to accept the
existence of a Creator. That matter is not absolute implies that it had a
beginning: that it had a beginning means that it was brought into being from
nothing, that is, it was created.
Not surprisingly, the
consensus reached by the world of science at the end of the 20th century verifies the fact that matter is not
absolute and that it had a beginning: the whole universe originated from
nothing approximately 15 billion years ago with the explosion of a point with
"zero" volume and took its present shape by expanding over time. The
authenticity of this event, which is called the Big Bang, is proved by many
substantial observations and experiments as well as by the calculations of
theoretic physicists.
The latest point reached
by science today verifies the fact that "the universe was created out of
nothing," as is maintained in the Qur'an as well as in the Old and the New
Testaments. In addition, modern science has disproved materialism and all its
sub-ideologies, destroyed the matter-dependent world of materialists, and
defeated them in the struggle they waged against creation.
Materialists, however,
cannot accept the fact that matter is not absolute but was created, even at the
cost of conflicting with science. To accept this fact would require them to
accept the existence of Allah, and to believe in Allah would require them to
accept religious moral values and lead religious lives. As religious morality
primarily requires definite obedience and submission to Allah, this would prove
to be troublesome for such people as are blinded by their own arrogance. In the
Qur'an, the state of those who escape realities because of their arrogance —
though the truth is quite apparent — is explained as follows:
And they rejected those
Signs in their iniquity and arrogance, though their souls were convinced of
their truth. Consider the fate of those who acted corruptly! (Surat an-Naml, 14)
Materialists believe the
falsehood that time, just like matter, is absolute, i.e., it comes from
eternity and goes on to eternity. Adhering to this misapprehension, they seek
to deny fate, the day of resurrection, paradise and hell. However, today,
modern science has proven that just like matter, time, which is a derivative of
matter, has also been created from nothingness, and that it also had a
beginning. At the same time, that time is a relative notion, that it is not
static and unchanging as materialists have long believed, and that it is a
changing form of perception were also discovered in the 20th century. The
relativity of time and space has been proven by Einstein's Theory of Relativity
and this fact has today laid the basis of modern physics.
To sum up, time and
space are concepts that are not absolute, that have a beginning, and that were
created by Allah from nothing. Allah, Who has created time and space, is
certainly beyond these concepts. Allah has defined, determined and created
every moment of time in timelessness. This is what underlies the essence of the
reality of "Fate," which materialists fail to comprehend.
All of the events that
have been experienced in the past and that will be experienced in the future by
us, are within the knowledge and control of Allah, Who is not dependent on
time, and Who created time from nothing.
Today, modern science
verifies facts announced by the Qur'an 1400 years ago, which are unequivocally
believed in by the believers. This bears witness that the Qur'an is the word of
Allah. On the other hand, materialist thought, which has been denying Allah's
existence and the fact of creation for centuries, is refuted in every field by
science, a discipline to which it never stops referring and in which it takes
refuge on all occasions. In this book, we will produce evidence to show that
the claims of materialists have no scientific and logical basis, and that on
the contrary, materialism is totally demolished by contemporary science. The
subjects covered here include very important pieces of evidence about the
essence of matter and the relativity of time and space. Thus, you will
encounter some facts which you have never pondered upon so far, and will
understand that the essence of matter is in truth very different from what
materialism puts forward or what you have previously been taught.
CHAPTER
1
THE
UNIVERSE IS CREATED FROM
NON-EXISTENCE
Materialism is a system
of thought that holds matter to be an absolute entity and denies the existence
of anything but matter. Having its roots in ancient Greece and gaining increased
acceptance, particularly in the 19th century,
and becoming famous with the dialectical materialism of Karl Marx, this system
of thought claims that matter has existed forever and that it will exist for
all eternity. Since it maintains that matter is not created, it does not accept
the existence of a Creator.
As we have just stated,
materialism became popular mainly in the 19th century. One of the principal reasons for this
is the "static universe" model that was then produced in response to
the question of "how the universe had come about". This model
answered the question by stating that the universe had not come about, it had
existed forever and would continue to exist forever. The universe was accepted
to be a stable, constant and unchanging collection of matter and the notion was
promoted that such a universe did not require us to believe in a Creator.
The confirmation of the
opposite of this universe model, that is, the discovery that the universe had a
beginning and that it was alterable, unquestionably proved the existence of a
Creator. In his book "Principes Fondamentaux de Philosophie", renowned
materialist philosopher Georges Politzer accepted this fact in his denial of
creation on the basis of this "boundless universe" model:
The
universe is not a created object. If it were, then it would have to have been
created instantaneously by God and brought into existence from nothing. To
admit creation, one has to admit, in the first place, the existence of a moment
when the universe did not exist, and that something came out of nothingness.
This is something to which science cannot concede.2
In saying, “this is
something to which science cannot concede,”
Georges Politzer is actually referring to the materialist world view,
not to science. As a matter of fact, one of materialists’ most-known false
beliefs is the error that science has to be materialist. In writing these
lines, Politzer imagined that science was on his side and that subsequent
progress would confirm the idea of the boundless universe. At the end of a
period that started in the second quarter of the 20th century, modern science, however, proved the
fact admitted by materialists when they said: "If it was so, then we would
perforce agree that a Creator existed,"—that is, that the universe had a
beginning. This fact was revealed after a number of stages.
The
Expansion of the Universe
The 1920s were important
years in the development of modern astronomy. In 1922, the Russian physicist
Alexandra Friedman produced computations showing that the structure of the
universe was not static and that even a tiny impulse might be sufficient to
cause the whole structure to expand or contract according to Einstein's Theory
of Relativity. George Lemaitre was the first to recognize what Friedman's findings
meant. Based on these computations, the Belgian astronomer Lemaitre declared
that the universe had a beginning and that it was expanding as a result of
something that had triggered it. He also claimed that radiation surviving from
that initial moment would also be detected. In fact, working on a different
research, Vesto Melvin Slipher, had already determined, in 1913, before
Lemaitre, that some galaxies near us were rapidly moving away from the Earth.
This discovery by Slipher was the first clue to show that the universe was
expanding.
The theoretical musings
of these scientists did not attract much attention and probably would have been
ignored except for new observational evidence that rocked the scientific world
in 1929. That year the American astronomer Edwin Hubble, working at the
California Mount Wilson observatory, made one of the most important discoveries
in the history of astronomy.
What Hubble initially
wanted to do was to study far-off galaxies and to try to establish the
movements of the stars and their chemical structures based on the information
regarding the light they emitted. Hubble and his team analyzed the light rays
arriving from distant galaxies one by one and made significant discoveries. One
of these was that the commonest elements in the galaxies were hydrogen and
helium. This discovery confirmed information put forward by previous
scientists, and was accepted without controversy by the scientific world.
Hubble’s other discovery stunned the scientific world, however: He noted that light
emitted from stars shifted toward red.
According to the
physical law known as the Doppler effect, the wavelength of the light is
“contracted” as it approaches the observer and is “stretched” when moving away
from him. In other words, the light moving toward the observer is seen as
shifted towards the blue end of the spectrum, while that of light moving away
from the observer shifts towards the red end of the spectrum. (In the same way
that the sound of a train whistle moving away from an observer is thinned out.)
That being the case,
Hubble and his team’s discovery indicated that all the galaxies were moving
away from us and the stars and galaxies were not just moving away from us, but
also from each other. The greater the distance, the greater the speed. Hubble
designed a mathematical equation to express this, known as “Hubble’s law.” This
law was once again conformed by every new piece of information from distant
galaxies.
The only possible
conclusion in a universe in which everything is moving away from everything
else was that the universe is “expanding.” And that meant the collapse of the
idea that “the universe is stable and boundless,” which had reigned in the
scientific world for many years and been fiercely defended by materialists.
Indeed, at first Hubble’s findings attracted strong reactions. The science
writer David Filkin describes the reaction from materialist and atheist
scientists to Hubble’s discoveries in his book Stephen Hawking’s Universe: The Cosmos Explained:
An expanding
universe was a difficult concept for the majority of atheistic scientists who
had become firmly wedded to the idea of an unchanging infinite and eternal
universe. Anything that was expanding could hardly be unchanging. So there was
a huge temptation to play down or dismiss Hubble’s perception.3
But no matter how much
materialists sought to play down Hubble’s discoveries, new findings and data
obtained shortly after once again confirmed the irrefutable fact that the
universe is expanding.
The
Reality Shown by the Expansion of the Universe:
The
Big Bang
Hubble's discovery that
the universe was expanding led to the emergence of another model that needed no
fiddling around with to make the equations work right. If the universe was
getting bigger as time advanced, going back in time meant that it was getting
smaller; and if one went back far enough, everything would shrink and converge
at a single point.
Scientists unable to
refute this state of affairs theoretically imagined they could do so with
mathematical data. The Oxford
University mathematician
Roger Penrose worked on various hypotheses using Einstein’s mathematics.
Penrose’s research inflicted a terrible disappointment on materialists, because
mathematical formulas showed that gravitational attraction would cause a large
amount of matter to collapse, becoming an increasingly denser and smaller
“single point.”
Penrose’s findings were
expanded by Stephen Hawking. Penrose and Hawking mathematically proved that the
universe came into being from a single point they referred to as a
“singularity.” Bill Bryson described the concept of the singularity in his book
A Short History of Nearly Everything:
… outside the
singularity there is no where. When
the universe begins to expand, it won’t be spreading out to fill a larger
emptiness. The only space that exists is the space it creates as it goes.
It is natural but wrong
to visualize the singularity as a kind of pregnant dot hanging in a dark,
boundless void. But there is no space, no darkness. The singularity has no
“around” around it. There is no space for it to occupy, no place for it to be.
We can’t even ask how long it has been there—whether it has just lately popped
into being, like a good idea, or whether it has been there forever, quietly
awaiting the right moment. Time doesn’t exist. There is no past for it to
emerge from.
And so, from nothing,
our universe begins.4
The conclusion to be
derived from the calculations was that at some time, all the matter in the
universe was compacted in a single point-mass that had "zero volume" because of its immense gravitational force.
In an announcement
issued in 1970, Penrose and Hawking revealed that the universe had come into
being through the explosion of this “point” with zero volume. The formulas they
discovered left no room for any alternative proposition. In this way, the
theory known as the “Big Bang” had been proved mathematically.
Another fact shown by
the Big Bang was this: Since zero volume means “nothing,” the universe had come
into “being” from “nothing.” This, in turn, meant that the universe had a
beginning and invalidated the materialist assumption that “the universe had
existed for ever.” This led to intense debates among materialist scientists.
Professor of cosmology Andrei Linde set out the questions needing to be
answered in the wake of the Big Bang theory:
In
its standard form, the big bang theory assumes that all parts of the universe
began expanding simultaneously. But how could all the different parts of the
universe synchronize the beginning of their expansion? Who gave the command?5
The answer to Linde’s
question is in fact quite clear. Something coming into “being” from “nothing”
demonstrates one single fact: Creation. Allah created matter and the whole
universe from nothing, by commanding it to “Be!” Allah makes this pronouncement
about His sublime creative power in this verse from the Qur’an:
[He is]
the Originator of the heavens and earth. When He decides on something, He just
says to it, “Be!” and it is.” (Surat
al-Baqara, 117)
Why
Were Materialist Scientists Unable
to
Accept the Big Bang?
The Big Bang theory
quickly gained wide acceptance in the scientific world due to the clear-cut
evidence for it. Nevertheless scientists who favored materialism and adhered to
the idea of an infinite universe that materialism seemingly demanded held out
against the Big Bang in their struggle to uphold a fundamental tenet of their
ideology. The reason was made clear by the English astronomer Arthur Eddington,
who said "Philosophically, the notion of an abrupt beginning to the
present order of Nature is repugnant to me".6 In other words,
materialist scientists continued to espouse an error, not out of scientific
concerns, but from ideological ones.
Reactions against the
Big Bang theory were expressed in different forms. For example, asked for his
view of the Big Bang theory, the German chemist Walter Nernst claimed that to
accept these findings “would be to betray the very foundations of science.”7
The concern that Nernst expressed in these words was nothing else than a fear
of a betrayal of materialism. That is because although the scientific findings
indisputably proved the Big Bang, Nernst and others who shared his views were
still reluctant to accept it, and thus flew in the face of science. MIT (Massachusetts
Institute of Technology) professor of physics Phillip Morrison said in a BBC
film, “I find it hard to accept the Big Bang theory; I would like to reject
it.”8 Allan Sandage, from the Carnegie Observatories, who made
significant discoveries showing that the universe was expanding at a constant
speed, expressed his amazement at the findings in the words, “it cannot really
be true!”9
As expressed in an
article titled “Big-Bang Theology” by the
New Yorker writer Jim Holt, “the big bang is probably the only idea in the
history of science that was ever resisted because of its [supporting creation by God].”10 In “The Religion
of Science” chapter of his book God and
the Astronomers, the eminent astrophysicist Robert Jastrow examines the
reasons why materialist scientists are reluctant to accept the Big Bang theory,
despite all the findings that confirm it. Jastrow interprets these responses as
follows (the scientists Jastrow refers to here are materialist scientists):
There is a strange ring
of feeling and emotion in these reactions. … This religious faith of the
scientists is violated by the discovery that the world had a beginning under
conditions in which the known laws of physics are not valid, and as a product
of forces or circumstances we cannot discover. When that happens, the scientist
has lost control. If he really examined the implications, he would be
traumatized. As usual when faced with trauma, the mind reacts by ignoring the
implications…
Consider the enormity of
the problem [for the scientists]. Science has proven that the Universe exploded
into being at a certain moment. … Who or [W]hat put the matter and energy into
the Universe? Was the Universe created out of nothing …?
This is an exceedingly
strange development, unexpected by all but the theologians.11
Jastrow’s analysis
clearly reveals the astonishment and despair of materialist scientists. A fact
clearly verified by all scientific findings is rejected solely out of
ideological concerns, and the search for an alternative view is insistently
maintained. These words from another astrophysicist, Barry Parker, express this
very well:
We do, of course, have
an alternative. We could say that there was no creation, and that the universe
has always been here. But this is even more difficult to accept than creation.12
Materialist scientists
preferred the difficult alternative and persisted in the denial of Creation.
One of the theories proposed against the Big Bang was the “steady state
theory,” which was espoused most determinedly for a time, despite all the
scientific realities.
The
Invalidity of the "Steady State"
Theory
Proposed against the Big Bang
Another astronomer who
opposed the Big Bang theory was Fred Hoyle. Around the middle of the 20th
century he came up with a model, which he called "steady-state", that
was an extension of the 19th century's idea of an infinite universe. According
to Hoyle’s model, as the universe expanded new matter was continuously coming
into existence by itself in just the right amount to keep the universe in a "steady
state". In fact, the theory launched by Hoyle and his team contained a
number of internal inconsistencies. More importantly, these constituted the
basis of new developments that would soon demolish the theory.
Hoyle wanted to account
for the emergence of certain chemicals that gave rise to all the matter in the
universe. He maintained that stars had moments of birth and death and that they
produced all chemical elements throughout their lives. According to this view,
the stars came into being when hydrogen atoms in space were pulled together
under the force of gravity into increasingly larger spheres. As these spheres
grew, so the inward pressure of gravity increased, with the pressure eventually
reaching such a point that some of the hydrogen atoms fused together, thus
producing helium atoms.13 This conversion happens on a constant
basis, and stars are exposed to processes of fusion that give rise to the next
heaviest chemical element. These progressive reactions continue with the
production of numerous light elements as far as iron, and eventually a hot iron
core remains.
This stage is one in
which the star continues to emit light, known as the white dwarf stage. When
the star turns into a cold mass of iron that does not emit light, it moves to
become what is known as the brown dwarf. If this final remnant of a star is not
pulled into collision by the gravitational force of other bodies in the
universe, then it remains in space.
In large stars, as their
lives come to an end, high temperatures and pressure sufficient to give rise to
heavier elements arise in direct proportion to the gravitational force. During
this process, elements are thrown off reaching far and wide as a very hot
shining dust cloud is blown out into space.
When these claims by Hoyle
and his team were backed up by observations, scientific circles imagined for a
moment that they supported the idea of the infinite universe. The fact is,
however, that there was an important question that could not be answered by
Hoyle’s concept, which said that all the elements came in a cycle from
hydrogen. The question concerned how hydrogen, the basis of all the elements
and that gave rise to stars, first appeared. That is because an extraordinarily
high-temperature explosion would be needed to produce hydrogen. The scientific
answer to that question, which Hoyle ignored, once again came as a
disappointment to materialists.
New
Evidence for the Big Bang:
Cosmic
Background Radiation
In a radio program in
1940s, Hoyle said, “If the universe began with a hot Big Bang, then such an
explosion would have left a relic. Find me a fossil of this Big Bang.”14
The fossil that Hoyle and materialists never imagined would ever be discovered
was in fact found soon after.
In 1948, the physicist
George Gamow launched a new theory in order to find the traces of the Big Bang.
The formation of the hydrogen necessary for the first stars to emerge could be
explained by the Big Bang setting up extraordinarily high temperatures. In
fact, findings from the traces of the earliest galaxies showed that a cosmic
makeup of 80% hydrogen and 20% helium formed at the moment of the great
explosion. That being the case, the radiation caused by the high temperatures
that gave rise to those elements should still be in existence, despite the
passage of billions of years. Since the universe was expanding in all
directions, like a balloon being inflated, low-level background radiation
should have radiated out in all directions, and that now needed to be detected.
Those traces were soon after identified, and the fossil that Hoyle was so
certain would never be found was in fact discovered.
In 1965, two researchers
by the name of Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered these waves, though
they were not actually looking for them. This radiation, called "cosmic
background radiation", was different from radiation coming from a
particular point in space. It was extraordinarily uniform. In other words, it
did not seem to radiate from a particular source but rather pervaded the whole
of space. Thus, it was revealed that the heat waves that were uniformly
radiated from all around space had been left over from the initial stages of
the Big Bang. Penzias and Wilson were awarded a Nobel prize for their
discovery.
In 1989, George Smoot
and NASA team sent a satellite into space. Called the "Cosmic Background
Emission Explorer" (COBE), it took only eight minutes for the sensitive
instruments on board the satellite to detect and confirm the levels of
radiation reported by Penzias and Wilson. These results conclusively
demonstrated the existence of the hot, dense form remaining from the explosion
out of which the universe came into being.Cosmic background radiation was
invisible to the naked eye, but it was everywhere in the universe and present
everywhere we could see. If we could have seen these waves, the whole of the
sky, in all directions, would have been equally brightly illuminated by it.
One piece of information
discovered in 1992 by George Smoot from data obtained from COBE once again
proved the truth of the Big Bang and the false nature of the “steady state
theory.” Following discoveries by Penzias and Wilson, the adherents of the
steady state theory came up with a new claim. They said that cosmic background
radiation temperature was uniform and that there would have to be variations,
in other words, small differences in temperature, in order for galaxies to form
in the wake of a giant explosion. They suggested that so long as this
temperature difference could not be identified, cosmic background radiation
could not be used as evidence for the Big Bang. It was this temperature
difference that the exponents of the steady state theory said was lacking that
George Smoot determined in 1992. There were very small differences between the
data sent by COBE in 1992 and the old map of the universe. The details in the
picture were closely examined. The computerized maps revealed very small
temperature differences in background radiation. For example, some regions had
a temperature of 2.7251 Kelvin and others of 2.7249 Kelvin. The Big Bang had
once again been confirmed by scientific findings and observations.
The majority of
scientists interpreted the COBE data as verifying the Big Bang in an
incontrovertible manner. In an article titled “Stephen Hawking, the Big Bang
and God,” the Nobel Prize candidate professor of chemistry Henry F. Schaefer
described what happened when the results of the COBE research were
announced:
About the 1992
observations, which were from the COBE (the NASA satellite Cosmic Background
Explorer), there was a story on the front page of virtually every newspaper in
the world. The thing that the London
Times, New York Times, etc.
seemed to pick up on was a statement by George Smoot, the team leader from the
Lawrence-Berkeley Laboratory. He said, “It’s like looking at [the signs of
creation by] God.” Obviously, this captured the public’s attention.
A[nother] …
assessment of the findings was given by Frederick Burnham, a science-historian.
He said, “These findings, now available, make the idea that God created the
universe [much more different] … today than at any time in the last 100
years.”15
More evidence for the
Big Bang was forthcoming. One piece had to do with the relative amounts of
hydrogen and helium in the universe. Observations indicated that the mix of
these two elements in the universe was in accord with theoretical calculations
of what should have been remained after the Big Bang. That drove another stake
into the heart of the steady state theory because if the universe had existed for
eternity and never had a beginning, all of its hydrogen should have been burned
into helium.
Confronted by such
evidence, the Big Bang gained the near-complete approval of the scientific
world. In an article in its October 1994 issue, Scientific American noted that the Big Bang model was the only one
that could account for the constant expansion of the universe and for other
observational results.
Defending the
steady-state theory alongside Fred Hoyle for years, British scientist Dennis
Sciama described the final position they had reached after all the evidence for
the Big Bang theory was revealed. Sciama stated that he had taken part in the
heated debate between the defenders of the steady-state theory and those who
tested that theory with the hope of refuting it. He added that he had defended
the steady-state theory, not because he
deemed it valid, but because he wished that it were valid. Fred Hoyle stood
out against all objections as evidence against this theory began to unfold.
Sciama goes on to say that he had first taken a stand along with Hoyle but, as
evidence began to pile up, he had had to admit that the game was over and that the steady-state theory had to be dismissed.16
Further confirmation of
the data obtained by the COBE came from other, subsequent studies. One such was
the result obtained in 2000 from an observation balloon known as BOOMERANG
(Balloon Observations of Millimetric Extragalactic Radiation and Geophysics),
launched at the end of 1998. Loaded with sensitive equipment and traveling
37,000 meters (120,000 feet) above the Antarctic, the balloon made it possible
to obtain extremely detailed and clear data regarding cosmic background
radiation. The equipment on BOOMERANG was sufficiently sensitive to detect tiny
temperature variations—only 100-millionths of a degree Celsius. The results
obtained once again verified the truth of the Big Bang and allowed scientists
to obtain more detailed information about the earliest days of the universe.
One of the scientists who analyzed the data from BOOMERANG that confirmed the
Big Bang, Michael Turner of the University
of Chicago, says:
The big bang framework
and Einstein's general relativity have passed a major new test.17
The
Big Bang's Victory
All of this compelling
evidence caused the Big Bang theory to be embraced by the scientific community.
The Big Bang model is the latest position reached by science on the formation
and beginning of the universe.
Prof. George Abel from
the University of
California states that
currently available evidence shows that the universe originated billions of
years ago with the Big Bang. He concedes that he has no choice but to accept
the Big Bang theory.18
With the Big Bang's
victory, the concept of "eternal matter" that constituted the basis
of the materialist philosophy has been thrown on to the trash-heap of history.
What, then, came before the Big Bang and what was the power that brought the
universe into "being" with
this big explosion when it was "non-existent"?
This question certainly reveals the existence of a Creator—that is, the
existence of Almighty Allah. The renowned atheist philosopher Antony Flew
comments on the issue:
Notoriously,
confession is good for the soul. I will, therefore, begin by confessing that the Stratonician atheist has to be embarrassed
by the contemporary cosmological consensus. For it seems that the
cosmologists are providing a scientific proof of what St. Thomas contended could not be proved
philosophically; namely, that the universe had a beginning. So long as the
universe can be comfortably thought of as being not only without end but also
without beginning, it remains easy to urge that its brute existence, and
whatever are found to be its most fundamental features, should be accepted as
the explanatory ultimates. Although I believe that it remains still correct, it
certainly is neither easy nor comfortable to maintain this position in the face
of the Big Bang story.19
Many scientists who do not blindly condition themselves to
be atheists have admitted the existence of Almighty Allah in the creation of
the universe.
Roger Penrose, a
physicist who has done extensive research on the origin of the universe, has
also stated that the universe rests where it is not by mere coincidence, and
this shows that it definitely has a
purpose. For some people, "the universe is just there" and it
just goes on being there. We just happened to find ourselves right in the
middle of this whole thing. This viewpoint would probably not help us in
understanding the universe. According to Penrose's view, there are many deep
affairs going on within the universe whose existence we cannot today
perceive.20
The
WMAP Satellite Once Again
Proved
the Big Bang
The WMAP (Wilkinson
Microwave Anisotropy Probe) satellite launched into space in 2001 and that
enabled the clearest results to be obtained in 2003 also verified the accuracy
of the Big Bang theory and enabled discoveries of the greatest significance to
be made. Science magazine chose the
studies on the basis of the data obtained from the WMAP as the breakthrough of
the year 2003.21 The great majority of scientists agreed that the
data sent back by WMAP represented a turning point in cosmology.
The cosmic background,
the map of which was extracted from WMAP, dated back 13 billion years. WMAP
determined the state of the universe when it was 390,000 years old. The data
from this background enabled a great many questions about the formation of the
galaxies to be answered. The importance of the mission was summarized as
follows on a NASA web page:
The WMAP mission
addresses fundamental questions in cosmology:
What is the geometry of the Universe?
How did structures, such as galaxies and galaxy clusters, that we see in
today’s sky come about? How old is the
Universe, and what are its constituents?
Answers to these
questions lie in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the remnant background
radiation left over from the Big Bang… 22
Because of the lower
sensitivity of the equipment on COBE, only the main lines of the cosmic
background radiation in the universe had been mapped. The WMAP, however, was
designed and launched specifically to measure the cosmic background radiation
left over from the Big Bang.
The advanced equipment
on the WMAP produced a more detailed map of the cosmic background radiation and
permitted definitive results to be obtained in many spheres regarding the
universe. These data also clarified many subjects of debate such as the
universe’s expansion rate, its composition and its density.
Some of the information
revealed by WMAP is as follows:
The universe is 13.73
billion years old. The margin for error here is around 1%. Prior to this, space
was estimated to be 15-20 billion years old.23
The first stars began
shining about 400 million years after the Big Bang.24 Such an early
dating astonished scientists.
The universe is made up
of 4.6% ordinary atoms, 23.3% dark matter and 72.1% dark energy. These new
measurements will enable significant data to be obtained about the nature of
the dark energy, which pulls galaxies apart.25
Scientists say that this
information support and reinforce the theories of the Big Bang and the
expanding universe. “This is a beginning of a new stage in our study of the
early Universe,” said one WMAP team member from Princeton University, N.J.
“We can use this portrait … to understand the first moments of the Big Bang.”26
Discoveries
That Have Put an End
to the Big
Bang Debate
Two separate study
groups made up of British, Australian and American scientists produced a
three-dimensional map of some 266,000 galaxies in the wake of many years of
research. The scientists compared the data they collected about the
distribution of the galaxies with those of the cosmic background radiation
disseminated throughout the universe, and obtained important findings about the
origin of the galaxies. Researchers analyzing the studies concluded that
galaxies formed where matter relatively clustered some 350,000 years after the
Big Bang and took shape due to the gravitational force. The findings in
question provided new evidence for the Big Bang theory.
One study carried out
over 10 years by the Anglo-Australian Observatory in New
South Wales, Australia
determined the positions in space of around 220,000 galaxies using a
three-dimensional mapping technique. The mapping procedure, carried out using
the observatory’s 3.9 meter-diameter telescope, was nearly ten times larger
than previous similar surveys.27 A team of scientists led by the
director of the observatory, Dr. Matthew Colless, determined galaxies’
positions relative to one another and the distances between them. They then
modeled the distribution patterns and examined minute fluctuations in these
models in great detail.
In a similar study
conducted by the Apache Point Observatory in the US
state of New Mexico
– of another region of space – some 46,000 galaxies were three-dimensionally
mapped and their distribution examined. The study, which used the 2.5
meter-diameter Sloan telescope, was led by Daniel Eisenstein from the University of Arizona.28
Both groups’ findings
were announced at a meeting held by the American Astronomical Society in San Diego on 11 January,
2005. Colless and Eisenstein’s teams determined a correlation between
fluctuations in the distances between galaxies and the fluctuations observed in
background cosmic radiation. It was thus established that the galaxies were
seeded around 350,000 years after the Big Bang in areas where matter was
slightly more intensely clustered together.
The findings obtained
from these studies further reinforced the Big Bang theory. Dr. Russell Cannon,
a team member of the latter survey, emphasized this support in the words:
We've known for a long
time that the best theory for the universe is the Big Bang - that it started in
some enormous explosion in a tiny space and it expanded ever since. … What we
can now be much more confident about is that it is the right basic idea, it all
bolts together very nicely. 29
Facts
Announced By The Qur'an 14
Centuries
Ago
To sum up, the definite
conclusion reached by astrophysics was that the entire universe, with its
matter and time dimensions, came into being at a moment of zero with a big
explosion (Big Bang). Before the Big Bang, there was no such thing as time.
Matter, energy, and time came into existence out of a state of nothingness
where neither matter, nor energy, and nor time was existent this event can be
defined as entirely metaphysical. However, this great reality discovered by
modern physics only at the end of the 20th century was announced to
us in the Qur'an 14 centuries ago.
To Him is due the primal
origin of the heavens and the earth… (Surat
al-Anaam, 101)
The Big Bang theory
showed that, in the beginning, all the objects in the universe were of one
piece and then were parted. This fact, which was postulated by the Big Bang
theory was stated in the Qur'an 14 centuries ago, when people had a very
limited knowledge about the universe:
Do
not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together
(as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water
every living thing. Will they not then believe? (Surat al-Anbiya, 30)
As stated at the
beginning of this chapter, the expansion of the universe is one of the most
important pieces of evidence that the universe was created out of nothing.
Although this fact, which has existed since the universe was created, was not
discovered by modern science until the 20th century, Allah informed us of this
reality in the Qur'an which was revealed 1,400 years ago:
It is We who have built
the universe with (Our creative) power, and, verily, it is We who are steadily
expanding it. (Surat
adh-Dhariyat, 47)
The
Explosion That Brought Order
In reality, the Big Bang
caused much greater trouble for the materialists and atheists, than the above
confessions of the atheist philosopher, Antony Flew. The Big Bang proved not
only that the universe was created out of nothing, but also that it was brought
into being in a very planned, systematic and controlled manner.
Perfect order arose
after the Big Bang, which was an explosion. Explosions, however, never bring
about order. All of the observable explosions tend to harm, cause to
disintegrate, and destroy what is present. For example, the atom and hydrogen
bomb explosions, fire-damp explosions, volcanic explosions, natural gas explosions,
solar explosions all have destructive effects.
If, however, we are
introduced to a very detailed order after an explosion, we then conclude that
there is an intellect, an intervention behind this explosion and that all the
pieces dispersed by the explosion are made to move in a very controlled way.
The following statement
made by Sir Fred Hoyle, who accepted his mistake after many years of opposition
to the Big Bang Theory, expresses this situation very well:
The
big bang theory holds that the universe began with a single explosion. Yet, an explosion merely throws matter apart,
while the big bang has mysteriously produced the opposite effect - with matter clumping together in the form
of galaxies.30
While stating that the
Big Bang's giving way to order is contradictory, he surely interprets the Big
Bang with a materialistic bias and assumes that this was an "uncontrolled
explosion." In reality, however, he was the one who contradicted himself
by making such a statement simply to dismiss the existence of a Creator, Who is
Allah. If great order has arisen as the result of an explosion, then the
concept of an "uncontrolled explosion" must be set aside and it must
be accepted that the explosion was extraordinarily controlled.
This order holds true
for all stages after the Big Bang. The matter that has emerged with the Big
Bang is in the form of the particles we call "atomic particles". But
these have come together in an orderly manner and formed atoms everywhere and
in every part of the universe. Being composed in great order, these atoms have
formed galaxies by concentrating in certain parts of the universe. In these
galaxies stars have formed stars, and around these stars, star systems and
planets have come into existence. All these vast heavenly bodies are extraordinarily
organized. If we think that there are approximately 300 billion galaxies in the
universe, and 300 billion stars in each one of them, we can better understand
the degree of the extraordinariness of the order and balance in question.
Delicate
Balances
Another aspect of this
amazing order formed in the universe following the Big Bang is the creation of
a "habitable universe".
The conditions for the formation of a habitable planet are so many and so
complex that it is almost impossible to think that this formation is
coincidental.
Paul Davies, a renowned
professor of theoretical physics, calculated how "fine tuned" the
pace of expansion after the Big Bang was, and he reached an incredible
conclusion. According to Davies, if the rate of expansion after the Big Bang
had been different even by the ratio of one over a billion times a billion, no
habitable star type would have been formed:
Careful
measurement puts the rate of expansion very close to a critical value at which
the universe will just escape its own gravity and expand forever. A little
slower and the cosmos would collapse, a little faster and the cosmic material
would have long ago completely dispersed. It is interesting to ask precisely how delicately the rate of expansion has
been "fine-tuned" to fall on this narrow dividing line between
two catastrophes. If at time I S (by which time the pattern of expansion was
already firmly established) the expansion rate had differed from its actual
value by more than 10-18, it would have been sufficient to throw the delicate
balance out. The explosive vigour of the universe is thus matched with almost
unbelievable accuracy to its gravitating power. The big bang was not, evidently, any old bang, but an explosion of
exquisitely arranged magnitude.31
The amazing balance in
the universe is thus explained in a scientific magazine:
If
the density of the universe matter had been a little more, then the universe,
according to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, would never expand due to the
attraction forces of atomic particles, and have would have recollapsed to turn
into a spot. If the density had initially been a little less, then the universe
would have expanded at the highest speed, and the atomic particles would not
have been able to attract and capture one another and stars and galaxies would
never have been formed. Naturally, we, too, would not have existed! According
to the calculations made, the difference between the initial real density of
the universe and the critical density beyond which there is no likelihood of
its formation is less than a quadrillion of a hundredth. This is like placing a pen on its sharp end so that it can stay so even
after one billion years. Moreover, this balance gets more delicate as the
universe expands.32
The famous physicist
Prof. Stephen Hawking makes this comment on the balance in the speed of
expansion in his book A Brief History of
Time:
If
the rate of expansion one second after the big bang had been smaller by even
one part in a hundred thousand million million, the universe would have
re-collapsed before it ever reached its present size.33
As regards this
interesting situation Paul Davies states:
It
is hard to resist the impression that the present structure of the universe,
apparently so sensitive to minor alterations in the numbers, has been rather
carefully thought out… The seemingly miraculous concurrence of numerical values
that nature has assigned to her fundamental constants must remain the most
compelling evidence for an element of
cosmic design.34
In relation to the same
set of facts, an American professor of astronomy, George Greenstein, writes in
his book The Symbiotic Universe:
As
we survey all the evidence, the thought insistently arises that some supernatural agency–or, rather
Agency–must be involved (in the formation of the universe).35
We must conclude, when
we examine the glorious system in the universe, that the existence of the
universe and its workings rest on extremely delicate balances and an order too
complex to be explained away by coincidental causes. As is evident, it is by no
means possible for this delicate balance and order to have been formed on its
own and by coincidence after a great explosion. The formation of such an order
following an explosion such as the Big Bang could only have been possible as a
result of conscious interventions at each step. This is the creation of Allah,
Who created the universe out of nothing and Who at every moment keeps it under
His control and guidance.
Objections
to the Fact of Creation and
Why
These Are Invalid
As we have seen this
far, the Big Bang theory means that the universe came into being from nothing,
and obviously therefore proves Creation. For that reason, astronomers and
physicists who espoused materialist philosophy have tried to come up with alternative
accounts in order to be able, in their own eyes, to reject this reality. The
“steady state” theory, one such instance, is a hopeless alternative produced by
a number of scientists “philosophically” uneasy at the idea of the creation of
the universe.
Two other alternatives
proposed by materialists consist of models that accept the Big Bang but seek to
interpret it in ways that exclude creation. One is the “oscillating universe
model,” and the other is the “quantum model of universe.” Let us now consider
these theories in turn, and see why they are invalid.
The oscillating universe
model was advanced by the astronomers who disliked the idea the Big Bang was
the beginning of the universe. In this model, it is claimed that the present
expansion of the universe will eventually be reversed at some point and begin
to contract. This contraction will cause everything to collapse into a single
point that will then explode again, initiating a new round of expansion. This
process, they say, is repeated infinitely in time. This model also holds that
the universe has experienced this transformation an infinite number of times
already and that it will continue to do so forever. In other words, the
universe exists for eternity but it expands and collapses at different
intervals with a huge explosion punctuating each cycle. The universe we live in
is just one of those infinite universes going through the same cycle.
This is nothing but a
feeble attempt to accommodate the fact of the Big Bang to notions about an infinite
universe. The proposed scenario is unsupported by the results of scientific
research, which show that it is impossible for such an "oscillating"
universe idea to come into being. Furthermore the laws of physics offer no
reason why a contracting universe should explode again after collapsing into a
single point: it ought to stay just as it is.36
Even if we allow that
there is some mechanism by which this cycle of contraction-explosion-expansion
does take place, the crucial point is that this cycle cannot go on for ever, as
is claimed. Calculations for this model show that each universe will transfer
an amount of entropy to its successor. In other words, the amount of useful
energy available becomes less each time and every "opening" universe
will open more slowly and have a larger diameter. This will cause a much
smaller universe to form the next time around and so on, eventually petering
out into nothing. Even if "open and close" universes can exist, they
cannot endure for eternity. At some point it becomes necessary for
"something" to be created from "nothing.”37
Put briefly, the
"oscillating" universe model is a hopeless fantasy whose physical
reality is impossible.
The "quantum model
of universe" is another attempt to purge the Big Bang of its creationist
implications. Supporters of this model base it on the observations of quantum
(subatomic) physics. In quantum physics, it is to be observed that subatomic
particles appear and disappear spontaneously in a vacuum. Misinterpreting this
observation as "matter can originate at quantum level, this is a property
pertaining to matter," some physicists try to explain the origination of
matter from non-existence during the creation of the universe as a
"property pertaining to matter" and present it as a part of laws of
nature.
However this syllogism
is definitely out of question and in any case cannot explain how the universe
came into being. William Lane Craig, the author of The Big Bang: Theism and Atheism explains why:
A quantum
mechanical vacuum spawning material particles is far from the ordinary idea of
a "vacuum" (meaning nothing). Rather, a quantum vacuum is a sea of
continually forming and dissolving particles, which borrow energy from the
vacuum for their brief existence. This is not "nothing," and hence,
material particles do not come into being out of nothing.38
So in quantum physics,
matter "does not exist when it was not before". What happens is that
ambient energy suddenly becomes matter and just as suddenly disappears becoming
energy again. In short, there is no condition of "spontaneous existence
from nothingness" as is claimed.
In physics, no less than
in other branches of the sciences, there are materialist scientists who do not
hesitate to disguise the truth by overlooking critical points and details in
their attempt to support their own views and achieve their ends. For them, it
is much more important to defend materialism and atheism than to reveal
scientific facts and realities.
In the face of the
reality mentioned above, most scientists dismiss the quantum model of universe.
C. J. Isham explains that "this model is not accepted widely because of
the inherent difficulties that it poses."39 Even some of
the originators of this idea, such as R. Brout and Ph. Spindel, have abandoned
it.40
A recent and
much-publicized version of the quantum model of universe was advanced by
Stephen Hawking. In his book A Brief
History of Time, Hawking states that the Big Bang doesn't necessarily mean
existence from nothingness. Instead of "no time" before the Big Bang,
Hawking proposed the concept of "imaginary time." According to
Hawking, there was only a 10-43 second
"imaginary" time interval before the Big Bang took place and
"real" time was formed after that. Hawking's hope was just to ignore
the reality of "timelessness" before the Big Bang by means of this
"imaginary" time.
As a concept,
"imaginary time" is tantamount to zero or non-existence–like the
imaginary number of people in a room or the imaginary number of cars on a road.
Here Hawking is just playing with words.
One of the claims made
by materialist scientists in the face of scientific advances that confirm the
flawless creation of the universe from nothing is the idea that “maybe there
are an infinite number of universes and one of these, the one we inhabit, by
chance became capable of supporting life.” This theory, known as the
“multiverse,” is no more than a figment of the imagination launched for the
purpose of propping up materialism, and one not supported by any scientific
findings. In an article titled “A Brief History of the Multiverse,” published
in The New York Times on 12 April,
2003, the well-known astrophysicist Paul Davies attempted to defend the claim.
But Davies’s article is full of discrepancies, and he himself recognizes the
existence of Allah:
Why is nature so
ingeniously, one might even say suspiciously, friendly to life? What do the
laws of physics care about life and consciousness that they should conspire to
make a hospitable universe? It's almost as if a Grand Designer [Allah] had it
all figured out.41
In addition, Davies also
admits that the multiverse theory is purely speculative. According to Davies,
“It is but a small extra step to conjecture” the multiverse theory. However, he
also admits that “credibility reaches a limit” and “As one slips down that
slope, more and more must be accepted on faith.”
What all this shows is
that alternative models to the Big Bang such as steady-state, the oscillating
universe model, multiverse theory, and quantum universe models in fact spring from
the philosophical prejudices of materialists. Scientific discoveries have
demonstrated the reality of the Big Bang and can even explain "existence
from nothingness." And this is a definitive piece of evidence of creation
by Allah.
Ken Miller from Columbia University describes the light the Big
Bang sheds on the origin of the universe by saying:
One of the most remarkable findings of cosmological science is that the universe did have a beginning, and a spectacular beginning at that. Discussions of first causes used to be dry philosophical constructs, theoretical arguments against an infinite regression of events backwards in time. The big bang made the first cause real. It placed a wall at the beginning of time, closing to inquiry (but not, of course, to speculation) all events that might have occurred before that cosmic explosion. In the view of many scientists, the big bang casts a distinctly theological light on the origin of the universe.42
In conclusion, the truth
disclosed by science is this: Matter and time have been brought into being by
our Creator, Possessor of immense power and unbound by neither time nor matter.
It is Omniscient and Almighty Allah Who created the universe in which we live.
Materialists’
Reactions to the Big Bang
Are a Sign
of Their Defeat-
An example of the
opposition to the Big Bang is to be found in an essay by John Maddox, the
editor of Nature (a materialist
magazine), that appeared in 1989. In "Down with the Big Bang", Maddox declares the Big Bang to be
philosophically unacceptable because it
helps theologists by providing them with strong support for their ideas.
The author also predicted that the Big Bang would be disproved and that support
for it would disappear within a decade.43 Maddox can only have been
even more discomforted by the subsequent discoveries during the next twenty
years that have provided further evidence of the existence of the Big Bang.
This fact came as a most
disturbing and even totally undermining one to materialists who maintained that
the universe is infinite and eternal. That is why materialist scientists
embarked on a search for models they thought would rule out the Big Bang and
keep the idea of the eternal universe alive. But all their efforts along these
lines ended in failure.
Some materialists do act
with more common sense on this subject. The British Materialist H. P. Lipson
accepts the truth of creation, albeit "unpleasantly", when he says:
If living matter is not,
then caused by the interplay of atoms, natural forces, and radiation, how has
it come into being?…I think, however, that we
must…admit that the only acceptable explanation is creation. I know that
this is anathema to physicists, as indeed it is to me, but we must not reject
that we do not like if the experimental evidence supports it.44
The
End of Materialism
All these facts indicate
that the claims of the materialist philosophy, which is simply a 19th century
dogma, are invalidated by 20th century science. By erroneously deeming
everything to consist of nothing but matter, materialism made the great mistake
of denying the evident existence of a Creator Who brought matter into being and
ordered it. By exposing the great
intellect and order prevalent in the material sphere, modern science has proved
the existence of an almighty Creator Who rules over the material sphere, that
is, Allah. The order we encounter in the universe is also revealed in the
world of living beings, causing the greatest support of materialism, Darwin’s theory of
evolution, to be literally demolished.
Materialism could have
held sway over a great number of people for centuries, having even disguised
itself with the mask of "science" in the 19th century. Yet it seems that in the 21st century, it will be remembered as a
superstitious belief opposing science. Humanity has rid itself of such
superstitious beliefs as that the world stands on the horns of an ox, or that
it is flat, and so will it rid itself of materialism.
WARNING
The chapter you are now
about to read reveals a crucial secret of your life. You should read it very
attentively and thoroughly, for it is concerned with a subject that is liable
to make a fundamental change in your outlook upon the external world. The
subject of this chapter is not just a point of view, a different approach, or a
traditional philosophical thought: it is a fact which everyone, believing or
unbelieving, must admit and which is also proven by science today.
CHAPTER
2
THE
SECRET BEYOND MATTER
AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT
The
Secret Beyond Matter
is
Not Wahdatul Wujood
The topic called “The Real
Essence of Matter” has been criticized by some people. Having misunderstood the
essence of the subject, these people claim that what is explained as the secret
beyond matter is identical to the teaching of Wahdatul Wujood. Let us state,
before all else, that the author of this book is a believer strictly abiding by
the doctrine of Ahlus Sunnah and does not defend the view of Wahdatul Wujood.
However, it should also be
remembered that Wahdatul Wujood was defended by some leading Islamic scholars
including Muhyiddin Ibn al-‘Arabi. It is true that numerous significant Islamic
scholars who described the concept of Wahdatul Wujood in the past did so by
considering some subjects found in these books. Still, what is explained in
these books is not the same as Wahdatul Wujood.
Some of those who defended
the view of Wahdatul Wujood were engrossed by some erroneous opinions and made
some claims contrary to the Qur’an and the doctrine of Ahlus Sunnah. They, for
example, completely rejected the creation of Allah. When the subject of the
secret beyond matter is told, however, there is definitely no such claim. This
section explains that all beings are created by Allah, and that the originals
of these beings are seen by Him whereas people merely see the images of these
beings formed in their brains.
Mountains, plains,
flowers, people, seas—briefly everything we see and everything that Allah
informs us in the Qur’an that exists and that He created out of nothing is
created and does indeed exist. However, people cannot see, feel or hear the
real nature of these beings through their sense organs. What they see and feel
are only the copies that appear in their brains. This is a scientific fact
taught at all schools primarily in medicine. The same applies to the article
you are reading now; you can not see nor touch the real nature of it. The light
coming from the original article is converted by some cells in your eyes into
electrical signals, which are then conveyed to the sight center in the back of your
brain. This is where the view of this article is created. In other words, you
are not reading an article which is before your eyes through your eyes; in
fact, this article is created in the sight center in the back of your brain.
The article you are reading right now is a “copy of the article” within your
brain. The original article is seen by Allah.
In conclusion, the fact
that the matter is an illusion formed in our brains does not “reject” the
matter, but provides us information about the real nature of the matter: that
no person can have connection with its original.
THERE IS MATTER OUTSIDE OF US,
BUT WE CANNOT REACH IT
… [S]aying that matter is
an illusion does not mean it does not exist. Quiet the contrary: whether we
perceive the physical world or not, it does exist. But we see it as a copy in
our brain or, in other words, as an interpretation of our senses. For us,
therefore, the physical world of matter is an illusion.
The matter outside is seen
not just by us, but by other beings too. The angels Allah delegated to be
watchers witness this world as well:
And the two recording angels are recording, sitting on the right and on
the left. He does not utter a single word, without a watcher by him, pen in
hand! (Surah Qaf: 17-18)
Most importantly, Allah
sees everything. He created this world with all its details and sees it in all
its states. As He informs us in the Qur'an:
… Heed Allah and know that Allah sees what you do. (Surat al-Baqara: 233)
Say: "Allah is a sufficient witness between me and you. He is
certainly aware of and sees His servants." (Surat al-Isra’: 96)
It must not be forgotten
that Allah keeps the records of everything in the book called Lawh Mahfuz
(Preserved Tablet). Even if we don't see all things, they are in the Lawh Mahfuz.
Allah reveals that He keeps everything's record in the "Mother of the
Book" called Lawh Mahfuz with the following verses:
It is in the Source Book with Us, high-exalted, full of wisdom. (Surat
az-Zukhruf: 4)
… We possess an all-preserving Book. (Surah Qaf: 4)
Certainly
there is no hidden thing in either heaven or Earth which is not in a Clear
Book. (Surat an-Naml: 75)
KNOWING THE REAL ESSENCE
OF MATTER
People who contemplate
their surroundings conscientiously and wisely realise that everything in the
universe—both living and non-living—must have been created. So the question now
is "Who is the creator of all these things?"
It is evident that "the fact of creation", which
reveals itself in every aspect of the universe, cannot be an outcome of the universe
itself. For example, a bug could not have created itself. The solar system
could not have created or organised itself. Neither plants, humans, bacteria,
erythrocytes (red-blood corpuscles), nor butterflies could have created
themselves. The possibility that these could all have originated "by
chance" is not even imaginable.
We therefore arrive at
the following conclusion: Everything that we see has been created. But none of
the things that we see can be "creators" themselves. The Creator is
different from and superior to all that we see with our eyes, a superior power,
invisible but Whose existence and attributes are revealed in everything that
exists.
This is the point at
which those who deny the existence of Allah demur. They are conditioned not to
believe in His existence unless they see Him with their own eyes. They may
disregard the fact of "creation", but they cannot ignore the
actuality of "creation"
manifested all throughout the universe and find themselves forced to prove
—falsely—that the universe and the living things in it have not been created.
Evolutionary theory is a key example of their vain endeavours to this end.
The basic mistake of
those who deny Allah is shared by many people who in fact do not really deny
the existence of Allah but have a wrong perception of Him. These people, who
make up the majority of the society in some countries, do not openly deny
creation, but have superstitious beliefs about "where" Allah is. Most
of them think that Allah is "up in the sky." They falsely imagine
that Allah is behind a very distant planet and interferes with "worldly
affairs" once in a while. Or perhaps that He does not intervene at all: He
created the universe and then left it to itself and people are left to
determine their fates for themselves. (Surely Allah is beyond that.)
Still others know the
fact that Allah is "everywhere" as revealed in the Qur’an, but they
cannot perceive exactly what this means. They think that Allah surrounds
everything like radio waves or like an invisible, intangible gas. (Surely Allah
is beyond that.)
However, this notion and
other beliefs that are unable to make clear "where" Allah is (and maybe unwisely deny His evident
existence because of that) are all based on a common mistake. They hold a
prejudice without any grounds and then are moved to wrong opinions of Allah.
What is this prejudice?
This prejudice is about
the nature and characteristics of matter. Some people are so conditioned to
suppositions about the real essence of matter that they may have never thought
about it thoroughly. Modern science demolishes the prejudice about the nature
of matter and discloses a very important and imposing reality. In the following
pages, we will try to explain this great reality to which the Qur'an points.
The
World of Electrical Signals
All the information that
we have about the world we live in is conveyed to us by our five senses. The
world we know of consists of what our eye sees, our hand feels, our nose
smells, our tongue tastes, and our ear hears. We never think that the
"external" world can be other
than what our senses present to us, as we have been dependent only on
those senses since the day of our birth.
Modern research in many
different fields of science, however, points to a very different understanding and
creates serious doubt about our senses and the world that we perceive with
them.
The starting-point of
this approach is that the notion of an "external world" shaped in our
brain is only a response created in our brain by electrical signals. The only information
you have about the redness of the apple, the hardness of the wood, —even, your
mother, your father, your family, and everything that you own, your house, your
job, and the lines of this book, are comprised only of electrical signals. In
other words, we can never know the true color of the apple in the outside
world, nor the true structure of wood there, nor the real appearance of our
parents and the ones we love. They all exist in the outside world as Allah’s
creations, but we can only have direct experience of the copies in our brains
for so long as we live.
In order to clarify the
subject, let us consider our sense of sight, which provides us with the most
extensive information about the external world.
How
Do We See, Hear, And Taste?
The act of seeing is
realised in a very progressive way. Light clusters (photons) that travel from
the object to the eye pass through the lens in front of the eye where they are
broken up and fall in reverse on the retina at the back of the eye. Here, the
impinging light is turned into electrical signals that are transmitted by
neurons to a tiny spot called the centre of vision in the back part of the
brain. This electrical signal is perceived as an image in this centre in the
brain after a series of processes. The act of seeing actually takes place in
this tiny spot at the posterior part of the brain, which is pitch-dark and completely insulated from
light.
Now, let us reconsider
this seemingly ordinary and unremarkable process. When we say that "we
see", we are in fact seeing the effects
of the impulses reaching our eye and induced in our brain after they are
transformed into electrical signals. That is, when we say that "we see", we are actually observing
electrical signals in our mind.
All the images we view in
our lives are formed in our centre of vision, which makes up only a few cubic
centimetres of the volume of the brain. Both the book you are now reading and
the boundless landscape you see when you gaze at the horizon fit into this tiny
space. Another point that has to be kept in mind is that, as we have noted
before, the brain is insulated from light; its inside is absolutely dark. The
brain has no contact with light itself, which exists outside.
We can explain this
interesting situation with an example. Let us suppose that there is a burning
candle in front of us. We can sit across from this candle and watch it at
length. However, during this period of time, our brain never has any direct
contact with the candle's original light. Even as we see the light of the
candle, the inside of our brain is pitch dark. We watch a colourful and bright
world inside our dark brain.
R.L. Gregory gives the
following explanation of the miraculous aspect of seeing, an action that we
take so very much for granted:
We
are so familiar with seeing, that it takes a leap of imagination to realise
that there are problems to be solved. But consider it. We are given tiny
distorted upside-down images in the eyes, and we see separate solid objects in
surrounding space. From the patterns of simulation on the retinas we perceive
the world of objects, and this is
nothing short of a miracle.45
The same situation
applies to all our other senses. Sound, touch, taste and smell are all
transmitted to the brain as electrical signals and are perceived in the
relevant centres in the brain.
The sense of hearing
functions in the same manner. The outer ear picks up available sounds by the
auricle and directs them to the middle ear; the middle ear transmits the sound
vibrations to the inner ear by intensifying them; the inner ear sends these
vibrations to the brain by translating them into electrical signals. Just as
with the eye, the act of hearing finalises in the centre of hearing in the
brain. The brain is insulated from sound just as it is from light. Therefore,
no matter how noisy it is outside, the inside of the brain is completely
silent.
Nevertheless, even the
subtlest sounds are perceived in the brain. The precision of this process is
such that the ear of a healthy person hears everything without any atmospheric
noise or interference. In your brain, which is insulated from sound, you listen
to the symphonies of an orchestra, hear all the noises in a crowded place, and
perceive all the sounds within a wide frequency band ranging from the rustling
of a leaf to the roar of a jet plane. However, if the sound level in your brain
were to be measured by a sensitive device at that moment, it would be seen that
complete silence prevails there.
Our perception of odour
forms in a similar way. Volatile molecules emitted by things such vanilla or a
rose reach the receptors in the delicate hairs in the epithelium region of the
nose and become involved in an interaction. This interaction is transmitted to
the brain as electrical signals and perceived as smell. Everything that we
smell, be it nice or bad, is nothing but the brain's perceiving of the
interactions of volatile molecules after they have been transformed into
electrical signals. You perceive the scent of a perfume, a flower, a food that
you like, the sea, or other odours you like or dislike in your brain. The
molecules themselves never reach the brain. Just as with sound and vision, what
reaches your brain is simply electrical signals. In other words, all the odours
that you have assumed to belong to external objects since you were born are
just electrical signals that you feel through your sense organs. You can never
have direct experience of the true nature of a scent in the outside world.
Similarly, there are
four different types of chemical receptors in the front part of a human being's
tongue. These register salty, sweet, sour, and bitter tastes. Our taste
receptors transform these perceptions into electrical signals after a chain of
chemical processes and transmit them to the brain. These signals are perceived
as taste by the brain. The taste you get when you eat a chocolate bar or a
fruit that you like is the interpretation of electrical signals by the brain.
You can never reach the object on the outside; you can never see, smell or
taste the chocolate itself. For instance, if taste nerves that travel to your
brain are cut, nothing you eat at that moment will impinge upon your brain; you
will completely lose your sense of taste.
And here is another
interesting fact: We can never be sure that what we feel when we taste a food
and what another person feels when he tastes the same food, or what we perceive
when we hear a voice and what another person perceives when he hears the same
voice are the same. On this point, Lincoln Barnett says that no one can know
that another person perceives the colour red or hears the C note the same way
as he himself does.46
Our sense of touch is no
different than the others. When we touch an object, all information that will
help us recognise the external world and objects are transmitted to the brain
by the sense nerves on the skin. The feeling of touch is formed in our brain.
Contrary to general belief, the place where we perceive the sense of touch is
not at our finger tips or skin but at the relevant centre in our brain. As a
result of the brain's assessment of electrical stimulations coming from objects
to it, we sense different properties these objects such as hardness or
softness, or heat or cold. We derive all details that help us recognise an
object from these stimulations. Two famous philosophers, B. Russell and L.
Wittgeinstein, have this to say:
For
instance, whether a lemon truly exists or not and how it came to exist cannot
be questioned and investigated. A lemon consists merely of a taste sensed by
the tongue, an odour sensed by the nose, a colour and shape sensed by the eye;
and only these features of it can be subject to examination and assessment. Science can never know the physical world.47
It is impossible for us
to reach the original physical world. All objects around us are apprehended
through one or more means of perception such as seeing, hearing, and touching.
By processing the data in the centre of vision and in other sensory centres,
our brain, throughout our lives, confronts
not the "original" of the matter existing outside us but rather the
copy formed inside our brain. We can never know what the original forms of
these copies are like.
"The
External World" Inside
Our
Brain
As a result of our
scientific investigation of the physical facts described so far, we may
conclude the following: we can never have direct experience of the original of
anything we see, touch, hear, and perceive as matter, "the world" or
"the universe." We merely know their copies in our brain.
Someone eating a fruit
in fact is aware not of the actual fruit itself but of a 'picture' of it in the
brain. The object considered to be a "fruit" actually consists of an
electrical impression in the brain which includes the shape, taste, smell, and
texture of the fruit. If the sight nerve travelling to the brain were to be
severed suddenly, the image of the fruit would suddenly disappear. Similarly a
disconnection in the nerve travelling from the sensors in the nose to the brain
would completely destroy the sense of smell. Simply put, the fruit is nothing
but the interpretation of electrical signals by the brain.
Another point to be
considered is the sense of distance.
Take, for example, the distance between you and this book. It is only a feeling
of emptiness formed in your brain. Objects that seem to be distant to the human
being likewise exist in the brain. For instance, someone who watches the stars
in the sky assumes that they are millions of light-years away from him. Yet
what he "sees" are really the stars inside himself, in his centre of
vision. While you read these lines, you are, in fact, not inside the room you
assume you are in; on the contrary, the room is inside you. Your seeing your
body makes you think that you are inside it. However, you must remember that you have never seen your original body,
either; you have always seen a copy of it formed inside your brain.
The same applies to all
your other perceptions. For instance, when you think that you hear the sound of
the television in the next room, you are actually experiencing the sound inside
your brain. Both the sound you imagine to be coming from metres away and the
conversation of a person right next to you are perceived in a centre of hearing
measuring a few cubic centimetres inside your brain. Within this centre of perception,
no concept such as right, left, front or behind exists. That is, sound does not
come to you from the right, from the left or from the air; there is no direction from which the sound comes.
The same is true of
odour. Just as a rose will appear as an image in the centre of vision, so will
its fragrance be sensed in the centre of smell. Whether the source of the odour
is near or far, and whether the odour is sour, sweet, acrid, pleasant, etc. are
likewise matters for the brain to interpret.
The "external
world" presented to us by our perceptions is merely a collection of the
electrical signals reaching our brain. Throughout our lives, these signals are
processed by our brain and we proceed without recognising that we are mistaken
in assuming that these are the “original” versions of matter existing in the
external world. We are misled because we can never directly reach matter itself
by means of our senses.
Moreover, it is again
our brain that interprets and attributes meaning to the signals about the
"external world" and we assume to be dealing with its original. For
example, let us consider the sense of hearing. It is in fact our brain that
transforms the sound waves in the "external world" into a symphony.
That is to say, we know music as interpreted by our brain, not the original
music that exists outside. In the same manner, when we see colours, what
reaches our eyes are merely electrical
signals of different wavelengths. It is again our brain that transforms
these signals into colours. The colours
in the "external world" are unknown to us. We can never have
direct experience of the true red of an apple, the true blue of the sky or the
true green of trees. The external world
depends entirely on the perceiver.
Even a slightest defect
in the retina of the eye causes colour blindness. Some people perceive blue as
green, and some red as blue. In these cases, it does not matter whether the
object outside is coloured or not.
The World
of Senses Can Occur Without
Outside
World's Existence
One factor which reveals that everything we see
and experience exists in our brain and that we can never know the original of
the matter that exists outside is that we do not need an outside world for
senses to occur in the brain. Many technological developments such as
simulators and also dreams are the most important evidences of this truth.
Science writer, Rita Carter, states in her book,
Mapping The Mind, that "there's
no need for eyes to see" and describes at length an experiment carried out
by scientists. In the experiment, blind patients were fitted with a device that
transformed video pictures into vibrating pulses. A camera mounted next to the
subjects' eyes spread the pulses over their backs so they had continuous
sensory input from the visual world. The patients started to behave as if they
could really see, after a while. For example, there was a zoom lens in one of
the devices so as to move closer the image. When the zoom is operated without
informing the patient beforehand, the patient had an urge to protect himself
with two arms because the image on the subject's back expanded suddenly as
though the world was looming in.48
As it is seen from this experiment, we can form
sensations even when they are not caused by material equivalents in the outside
world. All stimuli can be created artificially.
"The world of senses" that
we experience in dreams
A person can experience all senses vividly
without the presence of the outside world. The most obvious example of this is
dreams. A person lies on his bed with closed eyes while dreaming. However, in
spite of this, that person senses many things which he or she experiences in
real life, and experiences them so realistically that the dreams are
indistinguishable from the real life experience. Everyone who reads this book
will often bear witness to this truth in their own dreams. For example, a
person lying down alone on a bed in a calm and quiet atmosphere at night might,
in his dream, see himself in danger in a very crowded place. He could
experience the event as if it were real, fleeing from danger in desperation and
hiding behind a wall. Moreover, the images in his dreams are so realistic that
he feels fear and panic as if he really was in danger. He has his heart in his
mouth with every noise, is shaken with fear, his heart beats fast, he sweats
and demonstrates the other physical affects that the human body undergoes in a
dangerous situation.
A person who falls from a high place in his
dream feels it with all his body, even though he is lying in bed without
moving. Alternatively, one might see oneself slipping into a puddle, getting
soaked and feeling cold because of a cold wind. However, in such a case, there
is neither a puddle, nor is there wind. Furthermore, despite sleeping in a very
hot room, one experiences the wetness and the cold, as if one were awake.
Someone who believes he is dealing with the
original of the material world in his dream can be very sure of himself. He can
put his hand on his friend's shoulder when the friend tells him that "it
isn't possible to deal with the original of the world", and then ask
"Don't you feel my hand on your shoulder? If so, how can you say that you
don’t see the original matter? What makes you think in this way? Let's take a
trip up the Bosphorus; we can have a chat about it and you'll explain to me why
you believe this." The dream that he sees in his deep sleep is so clear
that he turns on the engine with pleasure and accelerates slowly, almost
jumping the car by pressing the pedal suddenly. While going on the road, trees and
road lines seem solid because of the speed. In addition, he breathes clean
Bosphorus air. But suppose he is woken up by his ringing alarm clock just when
he's getting ready to tell his friend that what he's seeing is the original
matter. Wouldn't he object in the same manner regardless of whether he was
asleep or awake?
When people wake up they understand that what
they've seen until that moment is a dream. But for some reason they are not
suspicious about the real nature of the life that starts with a "waking"
image (what they call "real life") can also be a dream. However, the
way we perceive images in "real life" is exactly the same as the way
we perceive our dreams. We see both of them in the mind. We cannot understand
they are images until we are woken up. Only then do we say "what I have
just seen was a dream". So, how can
we prove that what we see at any given moment is not a dream? We could be
assuming that the moment in which we are living is real just because we haven't
yet woken up. It is possible that we will discover this fact when we are woken
up from this "waking dream" which takes longer than dreams we see
everyday. We do not have any evidence that proves otherwise.
Many Islamic scholars have also proclaimed that
the life around us is only a dream, and that only when we are awakened from
that dream with "a big awakening", will people be able to understand
that they live in a dreamlike world. A great Islamic scholar, Muhyiddin Ibn
al-'Arabi, referred to as Sheikh Akbar (The greatest Sheikh) due to his
superior knowledge, likens the world to our dreams by quoting a saying of the
Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace):
The Prophet
Muhammad [may Allah bless him and grant him peace] said that "people are
asleep and wake up when they die." This is to say that the objects seen in
the world when alive are similar to those seen when asleep while dreaming...49
In a verse of the Qur’an, people are told to say
on doomsday when they are resurrected from the dead:
They will say,
"Alas for us! Who has raised us from our sleeping-place? This is what the
All-Merciful promised us. The Messengers were telling the truth." (Surah
Ya Sin: 52)
As the verse demonstrates, people wake up on
doomsday as if waking from a dream. Like someone woken from the middle of a
dream in deep sleep, such people will similarly ask who has woken them up. As
the verse points out, the world around us is like a dream and everybody will be
woken up from this dream, and will begin to see images of the afterlife, which
is the real life.
Who
Is The Perceiver?
As we have explained so
far, we can never have experience of the original of the material world we
think we are inhabiting and that we call the "external world."
However, here arises the question of primary importance. If we cannot reach the
original of any of the material existence that we know of, what about our
brain? Since our brain is a part of the physical world just like our arm, leg,
or any other object, we cannot reach its original either.
When the brain is analysed,
it is seen that there is nothing in it but lipid and protein molecules, which
also exist in other living organisms. This means that within the piece of meat
we call our "brain", there is nothing to observe the images, to
constitute consciousness, or to form the being we call "myself".
R.L. Gregory refers to a
mistake people make in relation to the perception of images in the brain:
There
is a temptation, which must be avoided, to say that the eyes produce pictures
in the brain. A picture in the brain suggests the need of some kind of internal
eye to see it - but this would need a further eye to see its picture… and so on
in an endless regress of eyes and pictures. This is absurd.50
This is the very point
which puts the materialists, who do not hold anything but matter as real, in a
quandary. To whom belongs "the eye inside" that sees, that interprets
what it sees and reacts to it?
Karl Pribram also
focused on this important question in the world of science and philosophy about
who the perceiver is:
Since
the Greeks, philosophers have been thinking about "the ghost in the
machine," "the small man within the small man," etc. Where is
"I", the person who uses his
brain? Who is it that realises the act of knowing? As Saint Francis of
Assisi said: "What we search for is the one that sees."51
Now, think of this: The
book in your hand, the room you are in, in brief, all the images in front of
you are seen inside your brain. Is it the atoms that see these images? Blind,
deaf, unconscious atoms? Why did some atoms acquire this quality whereas some
did not? Do our acts of thinking, comprehending, remembering, being delighted,
being unhappy, and everything else consist of the electrochemical reactions
between these atoms?
When we ponder these
questions, we see that there is no sense in looking for will in atoms. It is
clear that the being who sees, hears, and feels is a supra-material being. This
being is "alive" and it is neither matter, nor an image of matter.
This being associates with the perceptions in front of it by using the image of
the body.
This
being is the "soul".
It is the soul that
sees, hears, feels, perceives and interprets the copies in the brain of the
matter existing on the outside. The intelligent beings that write and read
these lines are not each a heap of atoms and molecules-and the chemical
reactions between them-but a "soul".
The
Real Absolute Being
All these facts bring us
face to face with a very significant question. Since we can never know anything
about the original of the material world and since we only have direct
experience of replica images in our brains, then what is the source of these
images?
So, who makes our soul
watch the stars, the earth, the people, our body and all else that we see?
It is very evident that
there exists a supreme Creator, Who has created the entire material universe
and Who continues His creation ceaselessly. Since this Creator displays such a
magnificent creation, He surely has eternal power and might.
This Creator introduces
Himself to us. He has sent down a book and through this book has described
Himself, and the universe and has explained the reason for our existence.
This Creator is Allah
and the name of His Book is the Qur'an.
The fact that the
universe, the heavens and the earth, are not stable, that their presence is
only made possible by Allah's creation and that they will disappear when He
ends this creation, is all explained as follows:
It is Allah Who sustains
the heavens and the earth, lest they cease (to function): and if they should
fail, there is none – not one – who can sustain them thereafter: Truly, He is
Most Forbearing and Oft-Forgiving. (Surah Fatir, 41)
As we mentioned at the
beginning, some people have no genuine understanding of Allah and so, as a
result of terrible ignorance, they imagine Him as a being present somewhere in
the heavens and not really intervening in worldly affairs. (Surely Allah is
beyond that.) The basis of this corrupt logic actually lies in the mistaken
thought that the universe is merely an assembly of matter and Allah is
"outside" this material world, in a faraway place. (Surely Allah is
beyond that.)
The only real absolute
being is Allah. That means that only
Allah exists; matter is not absolute being. The material world on the outside is one of the works of Allah’s
sublime creation. Allah is surely
"everywhere" and encompasses all. This reality is explained in
the Qur'an as follows;
Allah! There is no god
but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep can
overtake Him. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who can intercede
in His presence except as He permits? He knows what (appears to His creatures
as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall man grasp anything of His
knowledge except as He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the
earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them, for He is
the Most High, and the Supreme (in glory). (Surat al-Baqara, 255)
The facts that Allah is
not bound by space and that He encompasses everything are stated in another
verse as follows:
To Allah belong the east
and the West: Wherever you turn, there is the presence of Allah. For
Allah is all-Pervading, and all-Knowing. (Surat
al-Baqara, 115)
The fullness of faith consists of understanding
this truth, avoiding the mistake of associating others with Allah and
acknowledging Allah as the One Absolute Being. Someone who knows that, apart
from Allah, everything is a shadow existence, will say with certain faith (at
the level of Haqq-al yakin – truth of certainty) that only Allah exists and
there is no other deity (or any being with strength) besides Him.
The materialists do not believe in the existence
of Allah, because they cannot see Him with their eyes. But their claims are
completely invalidated when they learn the real nature of matter. Someone who
learns this truth understands that his own existence has the quality of an
illusion, and grasps that a being which is an illusion will not be able to see
a being which is absolute. As it is revealed in the Qur’an, human beings cannot
see Allah but Allah sees them.
Eyesight cannot perceive
Him but He perceives eyesight... (Surat al-An‘am: 103)
Certainly, we human beings cannot see the Being
of Allah with our eyes but we know that He completely encompasses our inside,
our outside, our views and our thoughts. For this reason, Allah reveals Himself
in the Qur’an as "controlling
hearing and sight" (Surah Yunus: 31) We cannot say one word, we cannot
even take one breath without Allah's knowing it. Therefore, Allah knows everything
we do. This is revealed in the Qur’an:
Allah – Him from Whom nothing is hidden, either
on earth or in heaven. (Surah Al ‘Imran: 5)
As we imagine we have
direct experience of the original of matter and watch the copy world in our
brains, as we live our lives in other words, the closest being to us is Allah
Himself. The secret is concealed in this reality: "It was We Who created
man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular
vein." (Surah Qaf: 16) Allah
has encompassed man and He is "infinitely close" to him.
Allah informs men that
He is "infinitely close"
to them with the verse: "When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them)"
(Surat al-Baqara, 186). Another verse relates the same fact: "We told you that your Lord encompasses
mankind." (Surat al-Isra, 60).
Man is misled by
thinking that the being that is closest to him is himself. Allah, in truth, is
closer to us even more than ourselves. He has revealed this fact in the verse
"Why do you not intervene when it
(the soul) comes up to the throat, under your very eyes. We are nearer to him
than you, but you do not see it." (Surat al-Waqia, 83-85). As we learn
from this verse, some people live unaware of this phenomenal fact, because they
do not see it with their own eyes.
Some people are unaware of this great fact. They
accept that Allah created them, but think that the work they do belongs to
them. However, every action performed by a human being is created with the permission
of Allah. For example, a person who writes a book writes it with the permission
of Allah; every sentence, every idea, and every paragraph is composed because
Allah wishes it. Allah reveals this very important principle in several verses;
one of these verses is, "... Allah
created both you and what you do?". (Surat as-Saffat: 96) In these
words "... when you threw; it was
Allah Who threw... ", (Surat al-Anfal: 17) Allah reveals that
everything we do is an act that belongs to Him.
This is the reality. One
may not want to concede this; but this does not change a thing.
Understanding
the Reality of Matter
Removes
Worldly Ambitions
What we have described so far is one of the most
profound truths that you have heard in your whole life. We have shown that the
whole material world is really a shadow, and that this is the key to
understanding the existence of Allah, His creation, and the fact that He is the
one absolute Being. At the same time, we have presented a scientifically
undeniable demonstration both of how helpless human beings are and a
manifestation of Allah's wonderful artistry. This knowledge compels people to
belief making it impossible for them not to believe. This is the main reason why some people avoid
this truth.
The things that are being explained here are as
true as a physical law or a chemical formula. When necessary, human beings can
solve the most difficult mathematical problems and understand many very complex
matters. However, when these same people are informed that matter is an appearance
formed in the human mind, and that they have no connection with it, they have
no desire at all to understand. This is an exaggerated case of an inability to
understand, because the idea discussed here is no more difficult than the
answer to the questions, "What is two times two?" or "How old
are you?", If you ask any scientist or professor of neurology where they
see the world, they will answer you that they see it in their brains. You will
find this fact even in high school biology text books. But despite the fact
that it is clearly evident, information pertaining to the fact that we perceive
the material world in our brains and the results that this information entails
for human beings can be overlooked. It is of major significance that one of the
most important scientifically proven facts is so carefully hidden from people's
eyes.
The fundamental reason why people easily accept
all scientific facts, yet are so afraid to accept this one, is that learning
the truth about matter will basically change the way everyone looks at life.
Those who believe that matter and the self are absolute beings will discover
one day that everything they have worked for and protected based on this idea -
their spouses, their children, their wealth, even their own personalities - is
an illusion. People are very afraid of
this reality and pretend not to understand it even if they do. They try with
determination to disprove the facts, which are simple enough for even a primary
school child to understand. The reason behind this opposition is that they are
afraid to lose what this world offers.
For someone who is attached to his possessions,
his children, or the transient offerings of this world, the illusory nature of
matter is cause for great fear. At the moment such a person understands this,
he will have died before his natural death, and he will have surrendered his
possessions and his soul. In the verse,
"If He did ask you for it (all your
wealth) and put you under pressure, you would be tight-fisted and it would bring
out your malevolence." (Surah Muhammad: 37), Allah reveals how human
beings will behave with meanness and rancor when He demands their possessions
from them.
But when a person learns the real nature of
matter, he will understand that his soul and his possessions already belong to
Allah. If he knows that there is nothing to give or to resist giving, he will
submit himself and all he possesses to Allah before he dies. For sincere
believers, this is a beautiful and honorable thing and a way to draw nearer to
Allah. Those who do not believe or whose faith is weak cannot recognize this
beauty and stubbornly reject this reality.
The
Environment That Will Come To Be When
the Real
Nature of Matter Is Not Kept Secret
Those who know that they have no connection with
the actual material things, and that they are in the presence only of images
that Allah presents to them, will change their whole way of living, their view
of life and their values. This will be a change that will be useful both from
the personal and social point of view, because someone who sees this truth will
live without difficulty according to the high moral qualities that Allah has
revealed in the Qur’an.
For those who do not regard the world as
important and who understand that matter is an illusion, it is spiritual things
that deserve to be given importance. Someone who knows that Allah is listening
to him and watching him at every moment, and is aware that he will render an
account of his every action in the hereafter, will naturally live a morally
virtuous life. He will be very careful about what Allah has commanded and what
He has forbidden. Everyone in society will be filled with love and respect for
one another, and everyone will compete with one another in the performance of
good and noble deeds. People will change the values according to which they
judge others. Material things will lose their value and therefore, people will
be judged not according to their standing and position in society but according
to their moral character and their piety. No one will pursue those things whose
source is illusion; everyone will seek after truth. Everyone will act without
worrying about what others will think; the only question in their minds will be
whether or not Allah will be pleased with what they do. In the place of the
feelings of pride, arrogance and self-satisfaction that come from possessions,
property, standing and position, there will be a sense of the understanding of
humility and dependence. Therefore, people will willingly live according to those
examples of good moral qualities spoken of in the Qur’an. Eventually, these
changes will put an end to many problems of today's societies.
In place of angry, aggressive people, anxious
even about small profit, there will be those who know that everything they see
is an image shown by Allah. They will be well aware that reactions of anger and
loud shouting make them look foolish. Well-being and trust will prevail in
individuals and societies and everyone will be pleased with his life and
possessions. These, then, are some of the blessings that this hidden reality
will bring to individuals and societies. Knowing, considering and living
according to this reality will bring many more goodnesses to human beings.
Those who wish to attain these goodnesses should consider this reality well and
endeavor to understand it. In one verse, Allah says,
Clear insights have come
to you from your Lord. Whoever sees clearly, does so to his own benefit.
Whoever is blind, it is to his own detriment... (Surat al-An‘am: 104)
Logical
Deficiencies of
the
Materialists
From the beginning of
this chapter, we have seen through scientific evidence that matter is not an
absolute entity as the materialists claim, and that we never have direct
experience of the original of the matter that exists outside us. Materialists
resist in an extremely dogmatic manner this evident reality which destroys
their philosophy and bring forward baseless anti-theses.
For example, one of the
biggest advocates of the materialist philosophy in the 20th century, an ardent
Marxist, George Politzer, gave the
"bus example" as
supposedly a great evidence regarding this matter. According to Politzer,
philosophers who espouse the fact that we deal with the copy of matter in our
brains also run away when they see a bus bearing down on them.52
When another famous
materialist, Johnson, was told that we are never in contact with the original
matter, he tried to deny this truth by giving stones a kick.53
There are similar
examples and ill-considered statements such as "You understand the real nature of matter when you are slapped in the
face," in the books of famous materialists such as Marx, Engels, Lenin, and others.
The point where materialists are mistaken is
that they think the concept of "perception" only applies to the sense
of sight. In fact, all sensations, such as touch, contact, hardness, pain,
heat, cold and wetness also form in the human brain, in precisely the same way
that visual images are formed. For instance, someone who feels the cold metal
of the door as he gets off a bus, actually "feels the cold metal" in
his brain. This is a clear and well-known truth. As we have already seen, the
sense of touch forms in a particular section of the brain, through nerve
signals from the fingertips, for instance. It is not your fingers that do the
feeling. People accept this because it has been demonstrated scientifically.
However, when it comes to the bus hitting someone, not just to his feeling the
metal of the indoor—in other words when the sensation of touch is more violent
and painful—they think that this fact somehow no longer applies. However, pain
or heavy blows are also perceived in the brain. Someone who is hit by a bus
feels all the violence and pain of the event in his brain.
In order to understand this better, it will be
useful to consider our dreams. A person may dream of being hit by a bus, of
opening his eyes in hospital later, being taken for an operation, the doctors
talking, his family's anxious arrival at the hospital, and that he is crippled
or suffers terrible pain. In his dream, he perceives all the images, sounds,
feelings of hardness, pain, light, the colors in the hospital, all aspects of
the incident in fact, very clearly and distinctly. They are all as natural and
believable as in real life. At that moment, if the person who is having that
dream were told it was only a dream, he would not believe it. Yet all that he
is seeing is an illusion, and the bus, hospital and even the body he sees in
his dream have no physical counterpart in the real world. Although they have no
physical counterparts, he still feels as if a 'real body' has been hit by a
'real bus.'
In the same way, there is no validity to the
materialists' objections along the lines of "You realize that the real
nature of matter when someone hits you," "You cannot doubt whether
you see the original of matter when someone kicks your knee," "You
run away when you meet a savage dog," "When a bus has hit you, you
understand whether it is in your brain or not," or "In that case, go
and stand on the motorway in front of the oncoming traffic". A sharp blow,
the pain from a dog's teeth or a violent slap are not evidence that you are
dealing with the matter itself. As we have seen, you can experience the same
things in dreams, with no corresponding physical counterparts. Furthermore, the
violence of a sensation does not alter the fact that the sensation in question
occurs in the brain. This is a clearly proven scientific fact.
The reason why some people think that a
fast-moving bus on the motorway or an accident caused by that bus are striking
proofs of the fact they are dealing with the physical existence of matter is
that the image concerned is seen and felt as so real that it deceives one. The
images around them, for instance the perfect perspective and depth of the
motorway, the perfection of the colors, shapes and shadows they contain, the
vividness of sound, smell and hardness, and the completeness of the logic
within that image can deceive some people. On account of this vividness, some
people forget that these are actually perceptions. Yet no matter how complete
and flawless the perceptions in the mind may be, that does not alter the fact
that they are still perceptions. If someone is hit by a car while walking along
the road, or is trapped under a house that collapses during an earthquake, or
is surrounded by flames during a fire, or trips up and falls down the stairs,
he still experiences all these things in his mind, and is not actually
confronting the reality of what happens.
When someone falls under a bus, the bus in his
mind hits the body in his mind. The fact that he dies as a result, or that his
body is completely shattered, does not alter this reality. If something a
person experiences in his mind ends in death, Allah replaces the images He
shows that person with images belonging to the hereafter. Those who are unable
to understand the truth of this now on honest reflection will certainly do so
when they die.
The
Example of Connecting
the
Nerves in Parallel
Let us consider the car
crash example of Politzer: In this accident, if the crushed person's nerves
travelling from the points of impact to his brain, were connected to another
person's, for instance Politzer's brain, with a parallel connection, at the
moment the bus hit that person, it would also hit Politzer, who was sitting at
home at that moment. Better to say, all the feelings experienced by that person
having the accident would be experienced by Politzer, just as the same song is
listened to from two different loudspeakers connected to the same tape
recorder. Politzer would feel, see, and experience the braking sound of the
bus, the impact of the bus on his body, the images of a broken arm and the
shedding of blood, fracture aches, the images of his entering the operation
room, the hardness of the plaster cast, and the feebleness of his arm.
Every other person
connected to the man's nerves in parallel would experience the accident from
beginning to end just like Politzer. If the man in the accident fell into a
coma, they would all fall into a coma. Moreover, if all the perceptions
pertaining to the car accident could be recorded by some sophisticated device
and if all these perceptions were then transmitted to another person, the bus
would knock him down many times.
So, which one of the
buses hitting those people is real? The materialist philosophy has no
consistent answer to this question. The right answer is that they would all
experience the car accident in all its details in their own minds.
The same principle
applies to the cake and stone examples. If the nerves of the sense organs of
Engels, who felt the satiety and fullness of the cake in his stomach after
eating a cake, were connected to a second person's brain in parallel, that
person would also feel full when Engels ate the cake and was satiated. If the
nerves of Johnson, who felt pain in his foot when he delivered a sound kick to
a stone, were connected to a second person in parallel, that person would feel
the same pain.
So, which cake or which
stone is the real one? The materialist philosophy again falls short of giving a
consistent answer to this question. The correct and consistent answer is this:
both Engels and the second person have eaten the cake in their minds and are
satiated; both Johnson and the second person have fully experienced the moment
of striking the stone in their minds.
Let us make a change in
the example we gave about Politzer: let us connect the nerves of the man hit by
the bus to Politzer's brain, and the nerves of Politzer sitting in his house to
that man's brain, who is hit by the bus. In this case, Politzer will think that
a bus has hit him, although sitting at home; and the man actually hit by the
bus will never feel the impact of the accident and think that he is sitting in
Politzer's house. The very same logic may be applied to the cake and the stone
examples.
As is evident, it is not
possible for man to transcend his senses and break free of them. In this
respect, a man's soul can be subjected to all kinds of representations,
although it has no physical body and no material existence and lacks material
weight. It is not possible for a person to realise this because he assumes
these three-dimensional images to be real and is absolutely certain of their
existence, because everybody depends on the perceptions stemming from his
sensory organs.
The famous British
philosopher David Hume expresses his thoughts on this fact:
Frankly
speaking, when I include myself in what I call "myself", I always
come across with a specific perception pertaining to hot or cold, light or
shadow, love or hatred, sour or sweet or some other notion. Without the
existence of a perception, I can never
capture myself in a particular time and I can observe nothing but perception.54
The
Formation of Perceptions in the Brain is not
Philosophy
but Scientific Fact
Materialists claim that
what we have been presenting here is a philosophical view. However, to hold
that we never have direct experience of the original of the "external
world" is not a matter of philosophy but a plain scientific fact. How
images and feelings form in the brain is taught in detail in all medical
schools. These facts, proven by 20th-century science, and particularly by
physics, clearly show that matter does not have an absolute reality and that
everyone in a sense is watching the "monitor in his brain".
Everyone who believes in
science, be he an atheist, Buddhist, or of any other persuasion, has to accept
this fact. A materialist might deny the existence of a Creator in his own
limited understanding, yet he cannot deny this scientific reality.
The inability of Karl
Marx, Friedrich Engels, Georges Politzer and others to comprehend such a simple
and evident fact still seems startling, even although the level of scientific
understanding and range of possibilities of their times were less than
adequate. In our time, science and technology are highly advanced and recent
discoveries make it easier to comprehend this fact. Materialists, on the other
hand, are stricken with the fear of both comprehending this fact, albeit
partially, and realising how definitively it demolishes their philosophy.
The
Great Fear of the Materialists
For quite some time now,
materialists have been loudly giving vent to their fear and panic in their
publications, conferences and panel discussions. Their agitated and hopeless
discourses imply that they are suffering from a severe intellectual crisis. The
scientific collapse of the theory of evolution, the so-called basis of their
philosophy, had already come as a great shock to them. Now, they have come to
realise that they are starting to lose matter itself, which is a greater
mainstay for them than Darwinism, and the shock they experience as a result is
even greater. They declare that this issue is the "biggest threat"
for them, and that it totally "demolishes their cultural fabric".
One of those who
expressed in the most outspoken way this anxiety and panic felt by materialist
circles was Renan Pekunlu, an academician as well as contributor to Bilim ve Utopya (Science and Utopia), a periodical
which has assumed the task of defending materialism. Both in his articles in Bilim ve Utopya and in the panel
discussions he has attended, Pekunlu presented the book The Evolution Deceit, the first book in which this subject was
brought up, as the number one
"threat" to materialism. What disturbed Pekunlu even more than the
chapters that invalidated Darwinism was the part you are currently reading. To
his readers and (only a handful of) audience, Pekunlu delivered the message:
"Do not let yourselves be carried away by the indoctrination of idealism
and keep your faith in materialism," and gave Vladimir I. Lenin, the leader of the bloody communist revolution in
Russia, as his reference. Advising everyone to read Lenin's century-old book
titled Materialism and Empirio-Criticism,
all Pekunlu did was to repeat the ignorant counsels of Lenin, stating: "Do
not think over this issue, or you will lose track of materialism and be carried
away by religion." In an article he wrote in the aforementioned periodical,
he quoted the following lines from Lenin:
Once
you deny objective reality, given us in sensation, you have already lost every
weapon against fideism, for you have slipped into agnosticism or
subjectivism-and that is all that fideism requires. A single claw ensnared, and the bird is lost. And our Machists have
all become ensnared in idealism, that is, in a diluted, subtle fideism; they
became ensnared from the moment they took "sensation" not as an image
of the external world but as a special "element". It is nobody's
sensation, nobody's mind, nobody's spirit, nobody's will.55
These words explicitly
demonstrate that the fact which Lenin alarmingly realised and wanted to banish
both from his own mind and the minds of his "comrades" also disturbs
contemporary materialists in a similar way. However, Pekunlu and other
materialists suffer yet a greater distress; because they are aware that this
fact is now being put forward in a far more explicit, certain and convincing
way than 100 years ago. For the first time in world history, this subject is
being explained in a quite irresistible way.
Nevertheless, the
general picture is that a great number of materialist scientists still take a
very superficial stand against the fact that "we never have direct
experience of the original of matter." The subject explained in this
chapter is one of the most important and
most exciting subjects that one can ever come across in his life. There is
no chance of ever having faced such a crucial subject before. Still, the
reactions of these scientists and the manner they adopt in their speeches and
articles hint at how superficial their comprehension is.
The reactions of some
materialists to the subject discussed here show in no uncertain manner that
their blind adherence to materialism has caused some kind of a flaw in their
logic and for this reason, they are far removed from comprehending the subject.
For instance, Alaattin Senel, also an academician and a writer for Bilim ve Utopya, delivered himself of
similar messages as Rennan Pekunlu saying: "Forget the collapse of Darwinism, the really threatening subject is
this one," and issued such challenges as "so you prove what you
say," sensing that his own philosophy is groundless. What is more
interesting is that this writer himself has shown in his writings that he can
by no means grasp this fact which he considers to be a menace.
For instance, in an
article in which he exclusively discussed this subject, Senel accepts that the
external world is perceived in the brain as an image. However, he then goes on
to write: "I do not know whether the images in my brain have correlates in
the external world or not, but the same thing applies when I speak on the
phone. When I speak on the telephone, I cannot see the person I am speaking to
but I can have this conversation confirmed when I later see him face to
face."56
By saying so, this
writer actually means the following: "If we doubt our perceptions, we can
look at matter itself and check its reality." However, this is an evident
misconception, because it is impossible for us to reach matter itself. We can never get out of our minds and know
what is "outside". Whether the voice on the phone has a correlate
or not can be confirmed by the person on the phone. However, this confirmation
is also a confirmation experienced by the mind.
As a matter of fact, the
same events may be experienced also in dreams. For instance, Senel may also see
in his dream that he speaks on the phone and then have this conversation
confirmed by the person to whom he spoke. Or, Pekunlu may in his dream feel as
if he is facing "a serious threat" and advise people to read the
century-old books of Lenin. However, no matter what they do, these materialists
cannot deny the fact that they never experience the original of the events that
have happened and the people they have talked to in their dreams.
Materialists
Have Fallen Into
The
Biggest Trap In History
The atmosphere of panic
sweeping through materialist circles in Turkey, of which we have mentioned only
a few examples, shows that materialists face utter defeat, one which they have
never previously suffered. That we do not have direct experience of the
original matter has been proven by modern science and it is put forward in a
very clear, straightforward and forceful way. It only remains for materialists
to see and acknowledge the collapse of the entire material world in which they
blindly believe and on which they rely.
Materialist thought has
always existed throughout the history of humanity. Being very assured of themselves
and the philosophy they believed in, materialists ignorantly revolted against
Allah Who created them. The irrational and unscientific scenario they
formulated maintained that matter has no beginning or end, and that none of its
forms could possibly have a Creator. (Surely Allah is beyond that.) Because of
their arrogance, they denied Allah and took refuge in the lie that matter was
the absolute entity. They were so confident in this philosophy that they
thought that it would never be possible to put forward an explanation proving
the contrary.
That is why the facts as
set forth in this book regarding the real nature of matter surprised these
people to such a degree. What has been explained here has destroyed the very
basis of their philosophy and left no ground for further discussion. Matter,
upon which they based all their thoughts, lives, arrogance and denial, vanished
all of a sudden.
One of the attributes of
Allah is His plotting against the unbelievers. This is stated in the verse:
"They plot and plan, but Allah too plans; and Allah is the best of planners." (Surat al- Anfal, 30)
Allah entrapped
materialists by making them assume that they deal with the original of matter
and, in so doing, humiliated them in hidden ways. Materialists deemed they knew
the originals of their possessions, status, rank, the society to which they
belonged, the whole world and everything else, of which they actually had an
experience of only the copies, and ignorantly grew arrogant toward Allah in
their reliance on these things. Displaying the greatest unreason, they revolted
against Allah by being boastful, thereby taking their unbelief to extremes.
While so doing, they totally relied on matter. Yet, they were so lacking in
understanding that they failed to think that Allah totally encompasses them.
Allah announces the state to which the unbelievers are led as a result of their
thick-headedness:
Or do they
intend a plot (against you)? But those who defy Allah shall themselves be
ruined!
(Surat at-Tur, 42)
This is most probably
the biggest defeat in history. As they grew more arrogant, materialists were
tricked and suffered a serious defeat in the struggle they attempted to wage
against Allah by bringing up something monstrous against Him. The verse:
"Thus have We placed leaders in every town, its wicked men, to plot
therein: but they only plot against
their own souls, and they do not perceive it," indicates how lacking
in awareness these people who ignorantly revolt against our Creator are, and
what their fate will be. (Surat al- An'am: 123). In another verse the same fact
is related:
Fain would
they deceive Allah and those who believe, but they only deceive themselves, and
do not realise it! (Surat al-Baqarah, 9)
While the unbelievers
try to plot, they do not realise a very important fact, which is stressed by
the words "they only deceive themselves, and do not realise it!".
This is the fact that everything they experience is a piece of copy image they
deal with in their minds, and they have experience of the copies of all the
plots they devise in their brains just like every other act they perform. Their
folly has made them forget that they are all alone with Allah and, are thus
entrapped in their own devious plans.
No less than those
unbelievers who lived in the past, those living today face a reality that will
shake their devious plans to their very foundations. With the statement that "…feeble indeed is the cunning of
Satan" (Surat an-Nisa, 76), Allah says that these plots were doomed to
end with failure the day they were hatched. He gives good tidings to believers
with the assertion that "…not the
least harm will their cunning do you." (Surat 'Ali Imran, 120)
In another verse Allah
says: "As for the unbelievers,
their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which the man parched with
thirst mistakes for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be
nothing." (Surat an-Nur, 39). Materialism, too, becomes a
"mirage" for the rebellious, just as stated in this verse; when they
have recourse to it, they find it to be nothing but an illusion. Allah has
deceived them with such a mirage, and shown them this whole collection of
images as if they experienced their originals. All those professors,
astronomers, biologists, physicists, and all others regardless of their rank
and position are simply deceived like children, and are humiliated because they
unwisely took matter as their god. (Surely Allah is beyond that.) Assuming the
copy images they see in their brains to be absolute, they based their
philosophy and ideology on it, became involved in serious discussions, and
indulged in so-called "intellectual" discourse. They deemed
themselves wise enough to offer an argument about the truth of the universe
and, more importantly, to imagine vain thoughts about Allah with their limited
intelligence. Allah explains their situation in the following verse:
And
(the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah. (Surat 'Ali Imran, 54)
It may be possible to
escape from some plots; however, this plan of Allah against the unbelievers is
so foolproof that there is no way of escape from it. No matter what they do or
to whom they appeal, they can never find a helper other than Allah. As Allah
declares in the Qur'an, "they shall
not find for them other than Allah a patron or a helper." (Surat
an-Nisa, 173)
Materialists never
expected to fall into such a trap. Having all the means of the 20th century at
their disposal, they thought they could remain obdurate in their denial and
coerce people into disbelief. In the Qur'an, Allah thus describes this
unremittingly stubborn mentality of the unbelievers and their end:
They plotted
and planned, but We too planned, and they did not perceive it. Then
see what was the end of their plot! This, that We destroyed them and their
people, all (of them). (Surat an-Naml, 50-51)
This, on another level,
is what the verses come to mean: materialists are made to realise that they
have experience of only the copies in their brains of everything they own, and
therefore everything they possess has
been destroyed. As they witness their possessions, factories, gold,
dollars, children, spouses, friends, rank and status, and even their own
bodies, the originals of all of which they deem to know, slipping out of their
reach, they are "destroyed"
in a sense. At this point, they are no longer material entities but souls.
No doubt, realising this
truth is the worst possible situation for materialists. This is tantamount, in
their own words, to "death before dying" in this world.
With the verse, "Leave Me alone, (to deal) with the
(creature) whom I created (bare and) alone", Allah reveals the fact
that each human being is, in truth, all alone in His presence. (Surat al-
Muddaththir, 11). This remarkable fact is repeated in many other verses:
And
behold! You come to us bare and alone as We created you for the first
time: you have left behind you all (the favours) which We bestowed on you…
(Surat al-An'am, 94)
And each
one of them will come to Him on the Day of Resurrection, alone. (Surah
Maryam, 95)
This, on another level,
is what the verses indicate: those who ignorantly take matter as their god
(surely Allah is beyond that) have nevertheless come from Allah and must return
to Him. They must submit their wills to Allah whether they want to or not. Now
they must wait for the Day of Judgement when every one of them will be called
to account, however unwilling they may be to acknowledge this.
Conclusion
The subject we have
explained so far is one of the greatest truths that will ever be told to you in
your lifetime. Proving that we never have direct experience of the original of
matter, this subject is the key to comprehending the existence of and creation
by Allah, and to understanding that He is the only absolute being.
The person who
understands this subject realises that the world is not the sort of place it is
surmised by most people to be. The world is not an absolute place, of which we
know the original, as supposed by those who wander aimlessly about in the
streets, who get into fights in pubs, who show off in luxurious cafes, who brag
about their property, or who dedicate their lives to hollow aims. All our
knowledge of the world consists of copy images we see in our brains. All of the
people we have cited above are only shadow beings who watch these copy images
in their minds: yet they are not aware of this.
This concept is very
important, for it undermines and demolishes the materialist philosophy that denies the existence of Allah. This is
the reason why materialists like Marx,
Engels, and Lenin felt panic, became enraged, and warned their followers
"not to think over" this concept when they were told about it. As a
matter of fact, such people are in such a state of mental deficiency that they
cannot even comprehend the fact that perceptions are formed inside the brain.
They assume that the world they watch in their brains is the "original
external world" and they cannot comprehend the obvious evidence to the
contrary.
This unawareness is the
outcome of the lack of wisdom given to disbelievers by Allah. As Allah reveals
in the Qur'an, the unbelievers "have
hearts with which they do not understand, eyes with which they do not see,
and ears with which they do not hear. They are like cattle—nay more misguided:
for they are heedless (of warning)." (Surat al-Araf, 179)
In the age in which we
live, this fact has been empirically proven by the body of evidence put forward
by science. The fact that we do not experience the original of the universe is
described in such a concrete, clear, and explicit way for the first time in
history.
For this reason, the 21st century will be a historical-turning point when people
will generally comprehend the divine realities and be led in crowds to Allah,
the only Absolute Being. In the 21st century, the twisted materialistic creeds
of the 19th century will be relegated to the trash-heaps of history, Allah's
existence and creation will be grasped, such facts as spacelessness and
timelessness will be understood, and humanity will break free of the
centuries-old veils, deceits and superstitions enshrouding the truth.
CHAPTER 3
RELATIVITY OF TIME AND
THE REALITY OF FATE
The
foregoing arguments demonstrate that we can never have direct experience of the
outside world, that we only know matter as it exists inside our brains and that
one leads one's whole life in "spacelessness". To assert the contrary
would be to hold a superstitious belief removed from reason and scientific
truth, for the things set out here are all technical and scientific facts even
described in middle school textbooks.
This fact refutes the
primary assumption of the materialist philosophy that underlies evolutionary
theory. This is the assumption that matter is absolute and eternal. The second
assumption upon which the materialistic philosophy rests is the supposition
that time is absolute and eternal. This is as superstitious as the first one.
The
Perception of Time
The perception we call
time is, in fact, a method by which one moment is compared to another. We can explain
this with an example. For instance, when a person taps an object, he hears a
particular sound. When he taps the same object five minutes later, he hears
another sound. He then perceives that there is an interval between the first
sound and the second, and he calls this interval "time." Yet at the
time he hears the second sound, the first sound he heard is no more than a bit
of information in his memory. The person formulates the perception of
"time" by comparing the moment
in which he lives with what he has stored in his memory. If this comparison is not made, neither can
there be perception of time.
Similarly, a person
makes a comparison when he sees someone entering a room through its door and
sitting in an armchair in the middle of the room. By the time this person sits
in the armchair, the images related to the moments he opens the door, walks
into the room, and makes his way to the armchair have been compiled as bits of
information in the brain. The perception of time occurs when one compares the
man sitting in the armchair with those bits of stored information.
In brief, time comes to exist as a result of the
comparison made between a number of illusions stored in the brain. If man
had not had memory, his brain would not have made such interpretations and
therefore the perception of time would never have been formed. The reason why
one determines himself to be thirty years old is only because he has
accumulated information pertaining to those thirty years in his mind. If his
memory did not exist, he would not be thinking of the existence of such a
preceding period of time and he would only experience the single
"moment" he was living in.
The
Scientific Explanation
Of
Timelessness
Let us try to clarify
the subject by quoting explanations by various scientists and scholars on the
subject. Regarding the subject of time flowing backwards, the famous
intellectual and Nobel laureate professor of genetics, François Jacob, states
the following in his book Le Jeu des
Possibles (The Possible and the Actual):
Films
played backward, make it possible for us to imagine a world in which time flows backwards. A world in which milk
separates itself from the coffee and jumps out of the cup to reach the
milk-pan; a world in which light rays are emitted from the walls to be
collected in a trap (gravity center) instead of gushing out from a light
source; a world in which a stone slopes to the palm of a man by the astonishing
cooperation of innumerable drops of water making it possible for the stone to
jump out of water. Yet, in such a world in which time has such opposite
features, the processes of our brain and
the way our memory compiles information, would similarly be functioning
backwards. The same is true for the past and future and the world will
appear to us exactly as it currently
appears.57
Since our brain is
accustomed to a certain sequence of events, the world operates not as it is
related above and we assume that time always flows forward. However, this is a
decision reached in the brain and therefore is completely relative. In reality,
we can never know how time flows or even whether it flows or not. This is an
indication of the fact that time is not
an absolute fact but just a sort of perception.
The relativity of time
is a fact also verified by the most important physicist of the 20th century,
Albert Einstein. Lincoln Barnett, writes in his book The Universe and Dr. Einstein:
Along
with absolute space, Einstein discarded the concept of absolute time — of a
steady, unvarying inexorable universal time flow, streaming from the infinite
past to the infinite future. Much of the obscurity that has surrounded the
Theory of Relativity stems from man's reluctance to recognize that a sense of time, like sense of colour, is a
form of perception. Just as space is simply a possible order of material
objects, so time is simply a possible
order of events. The subjectivity of time is best explained in Einstein's
own words. "The experiences of an individual," he says, "appear
to us arranged in a series of events; in this series the single events which we remember appear to be ordered according to
the criterion of 'earlier" and 'later'. There exists, therefore, for
the individual, an I-time, or subjective
time. This in itself is not measurable. I can, indeed, associate numbers
with the events, in such a way that a greater number is associated with the
later event than with an earlier one."58
Einstein himself pointed
out, as quoted from Barnett's book, that "space and time are forms of
intuition, which can no more be divorced
from consciousness than can our concepts of colour, shape, or size."
According to the Theory of General Relativity, "time has no independent existence apart from the order of events
by which we measure it."59
Since time consists of
perception, it depends entirely on the perceiver and is therefore relative.
The speed at which time
flows differs according to the references we use to measure it, because there
is no natural clock in the human body to indicate precisely how fast time
passes. As Lincoln Barnett wrote: "Just as there is no such thing as
colour without an eye to discern it, so an instant or an hour or a day is
nothing without an event to mark it."60
The relativity of time
is plainly experienced in dreams. Although what we see in our dream seems to last
for hours, it in fact, lasts for only a few minutes, or even a few seconds.
Let us take an example
to further clarify the subject. Imagine that, for a certain unspecified period
of time, we are locked up in a room with a single, specially designed window
from which we can see the setting and rising of the sun, and that we have a
clock by which to judge the passage of time. A few days later, our estimate of
the time spent in the room will be based on our periodic clock – watching and
our noting of how often the sun rose and set. At the end of our period of
confinement, we come to the conclusion that we have spent three days in the
room. But then our "captor" reveals that in reality if was only two
days. The reason? The "sun" we
had been observing had been artificially projected by a simulation machine and
our clock had been regulated to run faster than normal. So our calculations had
no meaning.
This example confirms
that the information we have about the rate of the passage of time is based on
relative references. The relativity of time is a scientific fact also proven by
scientific methodology. Einstein's
Theory of General Relativity maintains that the speed of time changes
depending on the speed of the object and its distance from the centre of
gravity. As speed increases, time is shortened, compressed; and slows down as
if coming to the point of "stopping".
Let us explain this with
an example given by Einstein himself. Imagine twins, one of whom stays on earth
while the other goes travelling in space at a speed close to the speed of
light. When he comes back, the traveller will see that his brother has grown
much older than he has. The reason is that time flows much more slowly for the
person who travels at speeds near the speed of light. Similarly, in the case of
a space-travelling father and his earth-bound son, if the father was 27 years
old when he set out and his son 3, when the father comes back to the earth 30
years later (earth time), the son will be 33 years old, but his father will be
only 30.61
It should be pointed out
that this relativity of time is caused not by the slowing down or running fast
of clocks or the slow running of a mechanical spring. It is rather the result
of the differentiated operation periods of the entire material system, which
goes as deep as sub-atomic particles. In other words, for the person
experiencing it, the shortening of time is not like acting in a slow-motion
picture. In such a setting where time shortens, one's heartbeats, cell
replications, and brain functions, and so on, all operate more slowly than
those of the slower-moving person on Earth, who goes on with his daily life and
does not notice the shortening of time at all. Indeed the shortening does not
even become apparent until the comparison is made.
Relativity
In The Qur'an
The conclusion to which
we are led by the findings of modern science is that time is not an absolute fact as supposed by materialists, but only a
relative perception. What is more interesting is that this fact,
undiscovered until the 20th century by science, was imparted to mankind in the
Qur'an 14 centuries ago. There are various references in the Qur'an to the
relativity of time.
The
scientifically-proven fact that time is a psychological perception dependent on
events, setting, and conditions is underscored in many verses of the Qur'an.
For instance, as started in the Qur'an, the entire life of a person spans a
very short time:
On that Day He will call
you, and you will answer (His Call) with (words of) His Praise and Obedience,
and you will think that you have stayed (in this world) but a little while! (Surat al-Isra, 52)
And on the Day when He
shall gather them together, (it will seem to them) as if they had not tarried
(on earth) longer than an hour of a day: they will recognise each other. (Surah Yunus, 45)
In some verses, it is
indicated that people perceive time differently and that sometimes people can
perceive a very short period of time as a very lengthy one. The following
conversation of people held during their judgement in the Hereafter is a good
example of this:
He will say: "What
number of years did you stay on earth?" They will say: "We stayed
a day or part of a day: but ask those who keep account." He will say:
"You, stayed for only a little while – if you had only known!" (Surat
al-Mumenoon, 112-114)
In some other verses it
is stated that time may flow at different paces in different settings:
Yet they ask you to
hasten on the Punishment! But Allah will not fail in His Promise. Truly, a
day in the sight of your Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning. (Surat al-Hajj, 47)
The angels and the
spirit ascend to him in a day the measure of which is like fifty thousand
years.
(Surat al-Maarij, 4)
These verses are all
manifest expressions of the relativity of time. The fact that this result, only
recently understood by science in the 20th century, was communicated to man
1,400 years ago by the Qur'an is an indication of the revelation of the Qur'an
by Allah, Who encompasses the whole of time and space.
Many other verses of the
Qur'an reveal that time is a perception. This is particularly evident in the
stories. For instance, Allah has kept the Companions of the Cave, a believing
group mentioned in the Qur'an, in a deep sleep for more than three centuries.
When they were awoken, these people thought that they had stayed in that state
but a little while, and could not reckon how long they slept:
Then We drew (a veil)
over their ears, for a number of years, in the Cave, (so that they could not
hear). Then We wakened them up so that We might know which of the two parties
would best calculate the time that they had tarried. (Surat al-Kahf, 11-12)
Such (being their
state), we roused them (from sleep), so that they might question each other.
Said one of them, "How long have you stayed (here)?" They said,
"We have stayed (perhaps) a day, or part of a day." (At length) they
(all) said, "Allah (alone) knows best how long you have stayed here....
(Surat al-Kahf, 19)
The situation described
in the verse below is also evidence that time is in truth a psychological
perception.
Or (take) the instance
of one who passing by a hamlet, all in ruins and quite desolate, said:
"Oh! how shall Allah (ever) bring it to life, now that it is dead?"
Therefore, Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then brought him back
to life. Allah asked: "How long did you tarry (thus)?" He said:
(Perhaps) a day or part of a day." He said: "No, you have tarried
thus a hundred years; but look at your food and your drink; they show no signs
of age; and look at your donkey: And so that We may make you a sign to the
people, look further at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them
with flesh." When this was shown clearly to him, he said: "I know
that Allah has power over all things." (Surat al-Baqara, 259)
The above verse clearly
emphasises that Allah, Who created time, is unbound by it. Man, on the other
hand, is bound by time: that is ordained by Allah. As in the verse, man is even
incapable of knowing how long he remained asleep. This being so, to assert that
time is absolute (just as the materialists do because of their distorted
mentality), would be very unreasonable.
Destiny
This relativity of time
clears up a very important matter. Relativity is so variable that a period of
time, which seems to us like billions of years may last for only a second in
another dimension. Moreover, an enormous period of time extending from the
world's beginning to its end may not last even a second but only a fraction of
a second in another dimension.
This is the very essence
of the concept of destiny- a concept that is not well understood by most
people, especially materialists, who deny it completely. Destiny is Allah's
perfect knowledge of all events past or future. The majority of people question
how Allah can already know events that have not yet been experienced and this
leads them to fail to understand the authenticity of destiny. However,
"events not yet experienced" are not yet experienced only for us.
Allah is not bound by time or space, for He Himself has created them. For this
reason, the past, the future, and the
present are all the same to Allah; for Him, everything has already taken place
and finished.
Lincoln Barnett explains
how the Theory of General Relativity leads to this fact in The Universe and Dr. Einstein: According to Barnett, the universe
can be "encompassed in its entire
majesty only by a cosmic intellect."62 The will that Barnett calls
"the cosmic intellect" is the
wisdom and knowledge of Allah, Who prevails over the entire universe. Just
as we easily see a ruler's beginning, middle, and end, and all the units in
between as a whole, Allah knows our entire life span as if it were a single
moment, right from its beginning to the end. People experience incidents only
when their time comes and they witness the fate Allah has created for them.
It is also important to
draw attention to the shallowness of the distorted understanding of destiny
prevalent in society. This distorted conviction of fate has engendered the
superstitious belief that Allah has determined a "destiny" for every
man, but that these destinies can sometimes be changed by people. For instance,
in the case of a patient who returns from death's door, people make superficial
statements like "He defeated his destiny". Yet, no one is able to
change his destiny. The person who turns from death's door does not die because
he is destined not to die just then. It is again the destiny of those people
who deceive themselves by saying "I defeated my destiny" to say so
and maintain such a mindset.
Destiny is the eternal
knowledge of Allah and for Allah, Who knows time like a single moment and Who
prevails over the whole of time and space, everything is determined and
finished in the matter of destiny. We also understand from what is related in
the Qur'an that time is one for Allah: some incidents that will seemingly
happen to us in the future are related in the Qur'an in such a way as to
indicate that they have already taken place long before. For instance, the
verses that describe the account that people are to give to Allah in the
hereafter are related as events which have already occurred long ago:
And the trumpet is
blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are in the earth swoon
away, save him whom Allah wills. Then it is blown a second time, and
behold them standing waiting! And the earth shines with the light of her
Lord, and the Book is set up, and the prophets and the witnesses are
brought, and all are judged with fairness, and none are wronged...
And those who disbelieve are driven to hell in hordes... And those
who keep their duty to their Lord are driven unto the Garden in
hordes..."
(Surat az-Zumar, 68-73)
Some other verses on
this subject are:
And every soul came,
along with a driver and a witness. (Surat al-Qaf, 21)
And the heaven is
cloven asunder, so that on that day it is frail. (Surat al-Haaqqa, 16)
And because they were
patient and constant, He rewarded them with a Garden and garments of silk.
Reclining in the Garden on raised thrones, they saw there neither the sun's
excessive heat nor excessive cold. (Surat
al-Insan, 12-13)
And Hell is placed
in full view for all to see. (Surat an-Naziat, 36)
But on this Day the
Believers laugh at the Unbelievers. (Surat
al-Mutaffifin, 34)
And the Sinful saw
the fire and apprehended that they had to fall into it: no means did
they find to turn away from it. (Surat al-Kahf, 53)
As is evident,
occurrences that are going to take place after our death (from our point of
view) are related in the Quran as past events which have already been
experienced. Allah is not bound by the relative time frame that we are confined
in. He has willed these things in timelessness: people have already performed
them and all these events have been lived through and ended. It is stated in
the verse below that every event, be it big or small, is within the knowledge
of Allah and recorded in a book:
In whatever business you
may be, and whatever portion you may be reciting from the Qur'an,- and whatever
deed you (mankind) may be doing,- We are witnesses to it when you are deeply engrossed in it. Nor is
there hidden from your Lord so much as the weight of an atom on the earth or in
heaven. And the least and the greatest of these things are recorded in a clear
book. (Surah Jonah, 61)
The
Worry of the Materialists
The issues discussed in
this chapter, namely the truth underlying matter, timelessness, and
spacelessness, are, of course quite clear. As stated before, these issues are
in no way any sort of a philosophy or a way of thought, but crystal-clear, indisputable scientific truths. In
addition to their being a technical reality, the rational and logical evidence
also admits of no other alternatives on this point: we can know only the
version of the universe, with all the matter composing it and all the people
living in it, in our brain.
Materialists have a hard
time in understanding this issue. For instance, let us return to Politzer's bus
example: although Politzer knew that technically he could not step out of his
perceptions, he could only admit it for certain cases. That is, for Politzer,
events take place in the brain until the bus crash, but as soon as the bus
crash takes place, things go out of the brain and gain a physical reality. The
logical defect at this point is very clear: Politzer has made the same mistake
as the materialist philosopher Johnson who said, "I hit the stone, my foot
hurts, therefore it exists" and could not understand that the shock felt
after bus impact was in fact a mere perception as well.
The subliminal reason
why materialists cannot comprehend this subject is their fear of the fact they
will face when they comprehend it. Lincoln Barnett writes that this subject has
been "discerned" by certain scientists:
Along
with philosophers' reduction of all objective reality to a shadow-world of
perceptions, scientists have become aware of the alarming limitations of man's senses.63
Any reference made to
the facts that we do not have direct experience of the original of matter and
that time is a perception arouses great fear in a materialist, because these
are the only notions he relies on as absolute entities. In a sense, he takes
these as idols to worship; because he thinks that he has been created by matter
and time (through evolution). (Surely Allah is beyond that.)
When he feels that he
only experiences the perceptions of the universe he thinks he is living in, the
world, his own body, other people, other materialist philosophers whose ideas
he is influenced by, and in short, everything, he feels overwhelmed by the
horror of it all. Everything he depends on, believes in, and takes recourse to
vanishes suddenly. He feels a desperateness which he, essentially, will
experience on Judgment Day in its real sense as told about the unbelievers in
the verse: "That Day they shall openly show their submission to Allah; and
all their inventions shall leave them in
the lurch." (Surat an-Nahl, 87)
From then on, this
materialist tries to convince himself of the lie that he can reach the original
of matter, and makes up "evidence" to this end; he hits the wall with
his fist, kicks stones, shouts, yells, but can never escape from the reality.
Just as they want to
dismiss this reality from their minds, they also want other people to discard
it. They are also aware that if the true nature of matter is known by people in
general, the primitiveness of their own philosophy and the ignorance of their
worldview will be exposed for all to see, and there will be no grounds left on
which they can rationalise their views. These fears are the reason why they are
so disturbed by the fact related here.
Allah states that the
fears of the unbelievers will be intensified in the hereafter. On Judgement
Day, they will be addressed thus:
One day We shall gather
them all together: We shall say to those who ascribed partners to Us: "Where
are the partners whom you invented and talked about?" (Surat al-Anaam,
22)
Thereupon, unbelievers
will bear witness to the disappearance of possessions, children and close
circle whom they had assumed to be real and ascribed as partners to Allah: "Behold! how they lie against their
own souls! But the (lie) which they invented will leave them in the
lurch." (Surat al-Anaam, 24).
The
Gain of Believers
While the reality that
we do not have direct contact with the original matter and that time is a
perception alarms materialists, just the opposite holds true for true
believers. People of faith become very glad when they have perceived the secret
behind matter, because this is the key to all questions. With this key, all
secrets are unlocked. One comes to easily understand many issues that were
previously difficult to understand.
As previously stated,
the concepts of death, paradise, hell, the hereafter and changing dimensions
will be explained, and important questions such as "Where is Allah?",
"What was before Allah?", "Who created Allah?", "How
long will the life in cemetery last?" "Where are heaven and
hell?", and "Where do heaven and hell currently exist?" will be
easily answered. The kind of system by which Allah created the entire universe
from nothingness will be understood. So much so that, with this secret, the questions of "when", and
"where" become meaningless, because there will be no time and no
place left. When spacelessness is comprehended, it will follow that hell,
heaven and earth are all actually at the
same place. If timelessness is understood, it will follow that everything
takes place at a single moment:
nothing is waited for and time does not go by, because everything has already
happened and finished.
With this secret uncovered,
the world becomes like heaven for a
believer. All distressful, material worries, anxieties, and fears vanish.
The individual grasps that the entire universe has a single Sovereign, that He
changes the entire physical world as He pleases and that all he — the believer
— has to do is to turn to Him. He then submits himself entirely to Allah "to be devoted to His service".
(Surat 'Ali Imran, 35)
To comprehend this
secret is the greatest gain in the world.
Along with this secret,
another very important reality mentioned in the Qur'an is unveiled: the fact
that "Allah is nearer to man than his jugular vein." (Surah
Qaf, 16). As everybody knows, the jugular vein is inside the body. What could
be nearer to a person than his own insides? This is easily explained by the
reality of spacelessness. This verse can also be much better understood in
terms of this concept.
This is the plain truth.
It should be well established that there is no other helper and provider for
man other than Allah. There is nothing
but Allah; He is the only absolute being in Whom one can seek refuge,
appeal to for help, and count on for reward.
Wherever we turn, there
is the presence of Allah.
CHAPTER 4
THE DECEPTION OF
EVOLUTION
Darwinism, in other
words the theory of evolution, was put forward with the aim of denying the fact
of creation, but is in truth nothing but failed, unscientific nonsense. This
theory, which claims that life emerged by chance from inanimate matter, was
invalidated by the scientific evidence of miraculous order
in the universe and in living things. In this way, science confirmed the fact
that Allah created the universe and the living things in it. The propaganda
carried out today in order to keep the theory of evolution alive is based
solely on the distortion of the scientific facts, biased interpretation, and
lies and falsehoods disguised as science.
Yet this propaganda
cannot conceal the truth. The fact that the theory of evolution is the greatest
deception in the history of science has been expressed more and more in the
scientific world over the last 20-30 years. Research carried out after the
1980s in particular has revealed that the claims of Darwinism are totally
unfounded, something that has been stated by a large number of scientists. In
the United States in particular, many scientists from such different fields as
biology, biochemistry and paleontology recognize the invalidity of Darwinism
and employ the fact of creation to account for the origin of life.
We have examined the
collapse of the theory of evolution and the proofs of creation in great
scientific detail in many of our works, and are still continuing to do so.
Given the enormous importance of this subject, it will be of great benefit to
summarize it here.
The
Scientific Collapse of Darwinism
Although this doctrine
goes back as far as ancient Greece, the theory of evolution was advanced
extensively in the nineteenth century. The most important development that made
it the top topic of the world of science was Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species,
published in 1859. In this book, he denied that Allah created different living
species on Earth separately, for he claimed that all living beings had a common
ancestor and had diversified over time through small changes. Darwin's theory
was not based on any concrete scientific finding; as he also accepted, it was
just an "assumption." Moreover, as Darwin confessed in the long
chapter of his book titled "Difficulties on Theory," the theory
failed in the face of many critical questions.
Darwin invested all of
his hopes in new scientific discoveries, which he expected to solve these
difficulties. However, contrary to his expectations, scientific findings
expanded the dimensions of these difficulties. The defeat of Darwinism in the
face of science can be reviewed under three basic topics:
1) The theory cannot
explain how life originated on Earth.
2) No scientific finding
shows that the "evolutionary mechanisms" proposed by the theory have
any evolutionary power at all.
3) The fossil record
proves the exact opposite of what the theory suggests.
In this section, we will
examine these three basic points in general outlines:
The First
Insurmountable Step:
The Origin
of Life
The theory of evolution
posits that all living species evolved from a single living cell that emerged
on the primitive Earth 3.8 billion years ago. How a single cell could generate
millions of complex living species and, if such an evolution really occurred,
why traces of it cannot be observed in the fossil record are some of the questions
that the theory cannot answer. However, first and foremost, we need to ask: How
did this "first cell" originate?
Since the theory of
evolution denies creation and any kind of supernatural intervention, it
maintains that the "first cell" originated coincidentally within the
laws of nature, without any design, plan or arrangement. According to the
theory, inanimate matter must have produced a living cell as a result of
coincidences. Such a claim, however, is inconsistent with the most unassailable
rules of biology.
"Life
Comes From Life"
In his book, Darwin
never referred to the origin of life. The primitive understanding of science in
his time rested on the assumption that living beings had a very simple
structure. Since medieval times, spontaneous generation, which asserts that
non-living materials came together to form living organisms, had been widely
accepted. It was commonly believed that insects came into being from food
leftovers, and mice from wheat. Interesting experiments were conducted to prove
this theory. Some wheat was placed on a dirty piece of cloth, and it was
believed that mice would originate from it after a while.
Similarly, maggots
developing in rotting meat was assumed to be evidence of spontaneous
generation. However, it was later understood that worms did not appear on meat
spontaneously, but were carried there by flies in the form of larvae, invisible
to the naked eye.
Even when Darwin wrote
The Origin of Species, the belief that bacteria could come into existence from
non-living matter was widely accepted in the world of science.
However, five years
after the publication of Darwin's book, Louis Pasteur announced his results
after long studies and experiments, that disproved spontaneous generation, a
cornerstone of Darwin's theory. In his triumphal lecture at the Sorbonne in
1864, Pasteur said: "Never will the doctrine of spontaneous generation
recover from the mortal blow struck by this simple experiment."64
For a long time,
advocates of the theory of evolution resisted these findings. However, as the
development of science unraveled the complex structure of the cell of a living
being, the idea that life could come into being coincidentally faced an even
greater impasse.
Inconclusive
Efforts of the Twentieth Century
The first evolutionist
who took up the subject of the origin of life in the twentieth century was the
renowned Russian biologist Alexander Oparin. With various theses he advanced in
the 1930s, he tried to prove that a living cell could originate by coincidence.
These studies, however, were doomed to failure, and Oparin had to make the
following confession:
Unfortunately, however,
the problem of the origin of the cell is perhaps the most obscure point in the
whole study of the evolution of organisms.65
Evolutionist followers
of Oparin tried to carry out experiments to solve this problem. The best known
experiment was carried out by the American chemist Stanley Miller in 1953.
Combining the gases he alleged to have existed in the primordial Earth's
atmosphere in an experiment set-up, and adding energy to the mixture, Miller
synthesized several organic molecules (amino acids) present in the structure of
proteins.
Barely a few years had
passed before it was revealed that this experiment, which was then presented as
an important step in the name of evolution, was invalid, for the atmosphere
used in the experiment was very different from the real Earth conditions.66
After a long silence,
Miller confessed that the atmosphere medium he used was unrealistic.67
All the evolutionists'
efforts throughout the twentieth century to explain the origin of life ended in
failure. The geochemist Jeffrey Bada, from the San Diego Scripps Institute
accepts this fact in an article published in Earth magazine in 1998:
Today as we leave the
twentieth century, we still face the biggest unsolved problem that we had when
we entered the twentieth century: How did life originate on Earth?68
The
Complex Structure of Life
The primary reason why
the theory of evolution ended up in such a great impasse regarding the origin
of life is that even those living organisms deemed to be the simplest have
incredibly complex structures. The cell of a living thing is more complex than
all of our man-made technological products. Today, even in the most developed
laboratories of the world, a living cell cannot be produced by bringing organic
chemicals together.
The conditions required
for the formation of a cell are too great in quantity to be explained away by
coincidences. The probability of proteins, the building blocks of a cell, being
synthesized coincidentally, is 1 in 10950 for an average protein made up of 500
amino acids. In mathematics, a probability smaller than 1 over 1050 is
considered to be impossible in practical terms.
The DNA molecule, which
is located in the nucleus of a cell and which stores genetic information, is an
incredible databank. If the information coded in DNA were written down, it
would make a giant library consisting of an estimated 900 volumes of
encyclopedias consisting of 500 pages each.
A very interesting
dilemma emerges at this point: DNA can replicate itself only with the help of
some specialized proteins (enzymes). However, the synthesis of these enzymes
can be realized only by the information coded in DNA. As they both depend on
each other, they have to exist at the same time for replication. This brings
the scenario that life originated by itself to a deadlock. Prof. Leslie Orgel,
an evolutionist of repute from the University of San Diego, California,
confesses this fact in the September 1994 issue of the Scientific American
magazine:
It is extremely
improbable that proteins and nucleic acids, both of which are structurally
complex, arose spontaneously in the same place at the same time. Yet it also
seems impossible to have one without the other. And so, at first glance, one
might have to conclude that life could never, in fact, have originated by
chemical means.69
No doubt, if it is
impossible for life to have originated from natural causes, then it has to be
accepted that life was "created" in a supernatural way. This fact
explicitly invalidates the theory of evolution, whose main purpose is to deny
creation.
Imaginary
Mechanism of Evolution
The second important
point that negates Darwin's theory is that both concepts put forward by the
theory as "evolutionary mechanisms" were understood to have, in
reality, no evolutionary power.
Darwin based his
evolution allegation entirely on the mechanism of "natural
selection." The importance he placed on this mechanism was evident in the
name of his book: The Origin of Species, By Means of Natural Selection…
Natural selection holds
that those living things that are stronger and more suited to the natural
conditions of their habitats will survive in the struggle for life. For
example, in a deer herd under the threat of attack by wild animals, those that
can run faster will survive. Therefore, the deer herd will be comprised of
faster and stronger individuals. However, unquestionably, this mechanism will
not cause deer to evolve and transform themselves into another living species,
for instance, horses.
Therefore, the mechanism
of natural selection has no evolutionary power. Darwin was also aware of this
fact and had to state this in his book The Origin of Species:
Natural selection can do
nothing until favourable individual differences or variations occur.70
Lamarck's
Impact
So, how could these
"favorable variations" occur? Darwin tried to answer this question
from the standpoint of the primitive understanding of science at that time.
According to the French biologist Chevalier de Lamarck (1744-1829), who lived
before Darwin, living creatures passed on the traits they acquired during their
lifetime to the next generation. He asserted that these traits, which
accumulated from one generation to another, caused new species to be formed.
For instance, he claimed that giraffes evolved from antelopes; as they
struggled to eat the leaves of high trees, their necks were extended from
generation to generation.
Darwin also gave similar
examples. In his book The Origin of Species, for instance, he said that some
bears going into water to find food transformed themselves into whales over
time.71
However, the laws of
inheritance discovered by Gregor Mendel (1822-84) and verified by the science
of genetics, which flourished in the twentieth century, utterly demolished the
legend that acquired traits were passed on to subsequent generations. Thus,
natural selection fell out of favor as an evolutionary mechanism.
Neo-Darwinism
and Mutations
In order to find a solution,
Darwinists advanced the "Modern Synthetic Theory," or as it is more
commonly known, Neo-Darwinism, at the end of the 1930s. Neo-Darwinism added
mutations, which are distortions formed in the genes of living beings due to
such external factors as radiation or replication errors, as the "cause of
favorable variations" in addition to natural mutation.
Today, the model that
stands for evolution in the world is Neo-Darwinism. The theory maintains that
millions of living beings formed as a result of a process whereby numerous
complex organs of these organisms (e.g., ears, eyes, lungs, and wings)
underwent "mutations," that is, genetic disorders. Yet, there is an
outright scientific fact that totally undermines this theory: Mutations do not
cause living beings to develop; on the contrary, they are always harmful.
The reason for this is
very simple: DNA has a very complex structure, and random effects can only harm
it. The American geneticist B. G. Ranganathan explains this as follows:
First, genuine mutations
are very rare in nature. Secondly, most mutations are harmful since they are
random, rather than orderly changes in the structure of genes; any random
change in a highly ordered system will be for the worse, not for the better.
For example, if an earthquake were to shake a highly ordered structure such as
a building, there would be a random change in the framework of the building
which, in all probability, would not be an improvement.72
Not surprisingly, no
mutation example, which is useful, that is, which is observed to develop the
genetic code, has been observed so far. All mutations have proved to be
harmful. It was understood that mutation, which is presented as an
"evolutionary mechanism," is actually a genetic occurrence that harms
living things, and leaves them disabled. (The most common effect of mutation on
human beings is cancer.) Of course, a destructive mechanism cannot be an
"evolutionary mechanism." Natural selection, on the other hand,
"can do nothing by itself," as Darwin also accepted. This fact shows
us that there is no "evolutionary mechanism" in nature. Since no
evolutionary mechanism exists, no such any imaginary process called
"evolution" could have taken place.
The Fossil
Record:
No Sign of
Intermediate Forms
The clearest evidence
that the scenario suggested by the theory of evolution did not take place is
the fossil record.
According to this
theory, every living species has sprung from a predecessor. A previously
existing species turned into something else over time and all species have come
into being in this way. In other words, this transformation proceeds gradually
over millions of years.
Had this been the case,
numerous intermediary species should have existed and lived within this long
transformation period.
For instance, some
half-fish/half-reptiles should have lived in the past which had acquired some
reptilian traits in addition to the fish traits they already had. Or there
should have existed some reptile-birds, which acquired some bird traits in
addition to the reptilian traits they already had. Since these would be in a
transitional phase, they should be disabled, defective, crippled living beings.
Evolutionists refer to these imaginary creatures, which they believe to have
lived in the past, as "transitional forms."
If such animals ever
really existed, there should be millions and even billions of them in number
and variety. More importantly, the remains of these strange creatures should be
present in the fossil record. In The Origin of Species, Darwin explained:
If my theory be true,
numberless intermediate varieties, linking most closely all of the species of
the same group together must assuredly have existed... Consequently, evidence
of their former existence could be found only amongst fossil remains.73
Darwin's
Hopes Shattered
However, although
evolutionists have been making strenuous efforts to find fossils since the
middle of the nineteenth century all over the world, no transitional forms have
yet been uncovered. All of the fossils, contrary to the evolutionists'
expectations, show that life appeared on Earth all of a sudden and
fully-formed.
One famous British
paleontologist, Derek V. Ager, admits this fact, even though he is an
evolutionist:
The point emerges that
if we examine the fossil record in detail, whether at the level of orders or of
species, we find – over and over again – not gradual evolution, but the sudden
explosion of one group at the expense of another.74
This means that in the
fossil record, all living species suddenly emerge as fully formed, without any
intermediate forms in between. This is just the opposite of Darwin's
assumptions. Also, this is very strong evidence that all living things are
created. The only explanation of a living species emerging suddenly and
complete in every detail without any evolutionary ancestor is that it was
created. This fact is admitted also by the widely known evolutionist biologist
Douglas Futuyma:
Creation and evolution,
between them, exhaust the possible explanations for the origin of living
things. Organisms either appeared on the earth fully developed or they did not.
If they did not, they must have developed from pre-existing species by some
process of modification. If they did appear in a fully developed state, they
must indeed have been created by some omnipotent intelligence.75
Fossils show that living
beings emerged fully developed and in a perfect state on the Earth. That means
that "the origin of species," contrary to Darwin's supposition, is
not evolution, but creation.
The Tale
of Human Evolution
The subject most often
brought up by advocates of the theory of evolution is the subject of the origin
of man. The Darwinist claim holds that modern man evolved from ape-like
creatures. During this alleged evolutionary process, which is supposed to have started
4-5 million years ago, some "transitional forms" between modern man
and his ancestors are supposed to have existed. According to this completely
imaginary scenario, four basic "categories" are listed:
1. Australopithecus
2. Homo habilis
3. Homo erectus
4. Homo sapiens
Evolutionists call man's
so-called first ape-like ancestors Australopithecus, which means "South
African ape." These living beings are actually nothing but an old ape
species that has become extinct. Extensive research done on various Australopithecus
specimens by two world famous anatomists from England and the USA, namely, Lord
Solly Zuckerman and Prof. Charles Oxnard, shows that these apes belonged to an
ordinary ape species that became extinct and bore no resemblance to humans.76
Evolutionists classify
the next stage of human evolution as "homo," that is "man."
According to their claim, the living beings in the Homo series are more
developed than Australopithecus. Evolutionists devise a fanciful evolution
scheme by arranging different fossils of these creatures in a particular order.
This scheme is imaginary because it has never been proved that there is an
evolutionary relation between these different classes. Ernst Mayr, one of the
twentieth century's most important evolutionists, contends in his book One Long
Argument that "particularly historical [puzzles] such as the origin of
life or of Homo sapiens, are extremely difficult and may even resist a final,
satisfying explanation."77
By outlining the link
chain as Australopithecus > Homo habilis > Homo erectus > Homo
sapiens, evolutionists imply that each of these species is one another's
ancestor. However, recent findings of paleoanthropologists have revealed that
Australopithecus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus lived at different parts of
the world at the same time.78
Moreover, a certain
segment of humans classified as Homo erectus have lived up until very modern
times. Homo sapiens neandarthalensis and Homo sapiens sapiens (modern man)
co-existed in the same region.79
This situation apparently
indicates the invalidity of the claim that they are ancestors of one another.
The late Stephen Jay Gould explained this deadlock of the theory of evolution
although he was himself one of the leading advocates of evolution in the
twentieth century:
What has become of our
ladder if there are three coexisting lineages of hominids (A. africanus, the
robust australopithecines, and H. habilis), none clearly derived from another?
Moreover, none of the three display any evolutionary trends during their tenure
on earth.80
Put briefly, the
scenario of human evolution, which is "upheld" with the help of
various drawings of some "half ape, half human" creatures appearing
in the media and course books, that is, frankly, by means of propaganda, is
nothing but a tale with no scientific foundation.
Lord Solly Zuckerman,
one of the most famous and respected scientists in the U.K., who carried out
research on this subject for years and studied Australopithecus fossils for 15
years, finally concluded, despite being an evolutionist himself, that there is,
in fact, no such family tree branching out from ape-like creatures to man.
Zuckerman also made an
interesting "spectrum of science" ranging from those he considered
scientific to those he considered unscientific. According to Zuckerman's
spectrum, the most "scientific"—that is, depending on concrete
data—fields of science are chemistry and physics. After them come the
biological sciences and then the social sciences. At the far end of the
spectrum, which is the part considered to be most "unscientific," are
"extra-sensory perception"—concepts such as telepathy and sixth
sense—and finally "human evolution." Zuckerman explains his
reasoning:
We then move right off
the register of objective truth into those fields of presumed biological
science, like extrasensory perception or the interpretation of man's fossil
history, where to the faithful [evolutionist] anything is possible – and where
the ardent believer [in evolution] is sometimes able to believe several
contradictory things at the same time.81
The tale of human
evolution boils down to nothing but the prejudiced interpretations of some
fossils unearthed by certain people, who blindly adhere to their theory.
Darwinian
Formula!
Besides all the
technical evidence we have dealt with so far, let us now for once, examine what
kind of a superstition the evolutionists have with an example so simple as to
be understood even by children:
The theory of evolution
asserts that life is formed by chance. According to this claim, lifeless and
unconscious atoms came together to form the cell and then they somehow formed
other living things, including man. Let us think about that. When we bring
together the elements that are the building-blocks of life such as carbon,
phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, only a heap is formed. No matter what
treatments it undergoes, this atomic heap cannot form even a single living
being. If you like, let us formulate an "experiment" on this subject
and let us examine on the behalf of evolutionists what they really claim
without pronouncing loudly under the name "Darwinian formula":
Let evolutionists put
plenty of materials present in the composition of living things such as
phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, iron, and magnesium into big barrels.
Moreover, let them add in these barrels any material that does not exist under
normal conditions, but they think as necessary. Let them add in this mixture as
many amino acids and as many proteins—a
single one of which has a formation probability of 10-950—as they like. Let
them expose these mixtures to as much heat and moisture as they like. Let them
stir these with whatever technologically developed device they like. Let them
put the foremost scientists beside these barrels. Let these experts wait in
turn beside these barrels for billions, and even trillions of years. Let them
be free to use all kinds of conditions they believe to be necessary for a
human's formation. No matter what they do, they cannot produce from these
barrels a human, say a professor that examines his cell structure under the
electron microscope. They cannot produce giraffes, lions, bees, canaries,
horses, dolphins, roses, orchids, lilies, carnations, bananas, oranges, apples,
dates, tomatoes, melons, watermelons, figs, olives, grapes, peaches, peafowls,
pheasants, multicoloured butterflies, or millions of other living beings such
as these. Indeed, they could not obtain even a single cell of any one of them.
Briefly, unconscious
atoms cannot form the cell by coming together. They cannot take a new decision
and divide this cell into two, then take other decisions and create the
professors who first invent the electron microscope and then examine their own
cell structure under that microscope. Matter is an unconscious, lifeless heap,
and it comes to life with Allah's superior creation.
The theory of evolution,
which claims the opposite, is a total fallacy completely contrary to reason.
Thinking even a little bit on the claims of evolutionists discloses this
reality, just as in the above example.
Technology
in the Eye and the Ear
Another subject that
remains unanswered by evolutionary theory is the excellent quality of
perception in the eye and the ear.
Before passing on to the
subject of the eye, let us briefly answer the question of how we see. Light
rays coming from an object fall oppositely on the eye's retina. Here, these
light rays are transmitted into electric signals by cells and reach a tiny spot
at the back of the brain, the "center of vision." These electric
signals are perceived in this center as an image after a series of processes.
With this technical background, let us do some thinking.
The brain is insulated
from light. That means that its inside is completely dark, and that no light
reaches the place where it is located. Thus, the "center of vision"
is never touched by light and may even be the darkest place you have ever
known. However, you observe a luminous, bright world in this pitch darkness.
The image formed in the
eye is so sharp and distinct that even the technology of the twentieth century
has not been able to attain it. For instance, look at the book you are reading,
your hands with which you are holding it, and then lift your head and look
around you. Have you ever seen such a sharp and distinct image as this one at
any other place? Even the most developed television screen produced by the
greatest television producer in the world cannot provide such a sharp image for
you. This is a three-dimensional, colored, and extremely sharp image. For more
than 100 years, thousands of engineers have been trying to achieve this
sharpness. Factories, huge premises were established, much research has been
done, plans and designs have been made for this purpose. Again, look at a TV
screen and the book you hold in your hands. You will see that there is a big
difference in sharpness and distinction. Moreover, the TV screen shows you a
two-dimensional image, whereas with your eyes, you watch a three-dimensional
perspective with depth.
For many years, tens of
thousands of engineers have tried to make a three-dimensional TV and achieve
the vision quality of the eye. Yes, they have made a three-dimensional
television system, but it is not possible to watch it without putting on
special 3-D glasses; moreover, it is only an artificial three-dimension. The
background is more blurred, the foreground appears like a paper setting. Never
has it been possible to produce a sharp and distinct vision like that of the
eye. In both the camera and the television, there is a loss of image quality.
Evolutionists claim that
the mechanism producing this sharp and distinct image has been formed by
chance. Now, if somebody told you that the television in your room was formed
as a result of chance, that all of its atoms just happened to come together and
make up this device that produces an image, what would you think? How can atoms
do what thousands of people cannot?
If a device producing a
more primitive image than the eye could not have been formed by chance, then it
is very evident that the eye and the image seen by the eye could not have been
formed by chance. The same situation applies to the ear. The outer ear picks up
the available sounds by the auricle and directs them to the middle ear, the
middle ear transmits the sound vibrations by intensifying them, and the inner
ear sends these vibrations to the brain by translating them into electric
signals. Just as with the eye, the act of hearing finalizes in the center of
hearing in the brain.
The situation in the eye
is also true for the ear. That is, the brain is insulated from sound just as it
is from light. It does not let any sound in. Therefore, no matter how noisy is
the outside, the inside of the brain is completely silent. Nevertheless, the
sharpest sounds are perceived in the brain. In your completely silent brain,
you listen to symphonies, and hear all of the noises in a crowded place.
However, were the sound level in your brain measured by a precise device at
that moment, complete silence would be found to be prevailing there.
As is the case with
imagery, decades of effort have been spent in trying to generate and reproduce
sound that is faithful to the original. The results of these efforts are sound
recorders, high-fidelity systems, and systems for sensing sound. Despite all of
this technology and the thousands of engineers and experts who have been
working on this endeavor, no sound has yet been obtained that has the same
sharpness and clarity as the sound perceived by the ear. Think of the
highest-quality hi-fi systems produced by the largest company in the music
industry. Even in these devices, when sound is recorded some of it is lost; or
when you turn on a hi-fi you always hear a hissing sound before the music
starts. However, the sounds that are the products of the human body's
technology are extremely sharp and clear. A human ear never perceives a sound
accompanied by a hissing sound or with atmospherics as does a hi-fi; rather, it
perceives sound exactly as it is, sharp and clear. This is the way it has been
since the creation of man.
So far, no man-made
visual or recording apparatus has been as sensitive and successful in
perceiving sensory data as are the eye and the ear. However, as far as seeing
and hearing are concerned, a far greater truth lies beyond all this.
To Whom
Does the Consciousness that Sees
and Hears
within the Brain Belong?
Who watches an alluring
world in the brain, listens to symphonies and the twittering of birds, and
smells the rose?
The stimulations coming
from a person's eyes, ears, and nose travel to the brain as electro-chemical
nerve impulses. In biology, physiology, and biochemistry books, you can find
many details about how this image forms in the brain. However, you will never
come across the most important fact: Who perceives these electro-chemical nerve
impulses as images, sounds, odors, and sensory events in the brain? There is a
consciousness in the brain that perceives all this without feeling any need for
an eye, an ear, and a nose. To whom does this consciousness belong? Of course
it does not belong to the nerves, the fat layer, and neurons comprising the
brain. This is why Darwinist-materialists, who believe that everything is
comprised of matter, cannot answer these questions.
For this consciousness
is the spirit created by Allah, which needs neither the eye to watch the images
nor the ear to hear the sounds. Furthermore, it does not need the brain to
think.
Everyone who reads this
explicit and scientific fact should ponder on Almighty Allah, and fear and seek
refuge in Him, for He squeezes the entire universe in a pitch-dark place of a
few cubic centimeters in a three-dimensional, colored, shadowy, and luminous
form.
A
Materialist Faith
The information we have
presented so far shows us that the theory of evolution is incompatible with
scientific findings. The theory's claim regarding the origin of life is
inconsistent with science, the evolutionary mechanisms it proposes have no
evolutionary power, and fossils demonstrate that the required intermediate
forms have never existed. So, it certainly follows that the theory of evolution
should be pushed aside as an unscientific idea. This is how many ideas, such as
the Earth-centered universe model, have been taken out of the agenda of science
throughout history.
However, the theory of
evolution is kept on the agenda of science. Some people even try to represent
criticisms directed against it as an "attack on science." Why?
The reason is that this
theory is an indispensable dogmatic belief for some circles. These circles are
blindly devoted to materialist philosophy and adopt Darwinism because it is the
only materialist explanation that can be put forward to explain the workings of
nature.
Interestingly enough,
they also confess this fact from time to time. A well-known geneticist and an
outspoken evolutionist, Richard C. Lewontin from Harvard University, confesses
that he is "first and foremost a materialist and then a scientist":
It is not that the
methods and institutions of science somehow compel us accept a material
explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced
by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of
investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no
matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover,
that materialism is absolute, so we cannot allow a Divine [intervention]...82
These are explicit
statements that Darwinism is a dogma kept alive just for the sake of adherence
to materialism. This dogma maintains that there is no being save matter. Therefore,
it argues that inanimate, unconscious matter created life. It insists that
millions of different living species (e.g., birds, fish, giraffes, tigers,
insects, trees, flowers, whales, and human beings) originated as a result of
the interactions between matter such as pouring rain, lightning flashes, and so
on, out of inanimate matter. This is a precept contrary both to reason and
science. Yet Darwinists continue to defend it just so as "not to allow a
Divine intervention."
Anyone who does not look
at the origin of living beings with a materialist prejudice will see this
evident truth: All living beings are works of a Creator, Who is All-Powerful,
All-Wise, and All-Knowing. This Creator is Allah, Who created the whole
universe from non-existence, designed it in the most perfect form, and
fashioned all living beings.
The Theory
of Evolution:
The Most
Potent Spell in the World
Anyone free of prejudice
and the influence of any particular ideology, who uses only his or her reason
and logic, will clearly understand that belief in the theory of evolution,
which brings to mind the superstitions of societies with no knowledge of
science or civilization, is quite impossible.
As explained above,
those who believe in the theory of evolution think that a few atoms and
molecules thrown into a huge vat could produce thinking, reasoning professors
and university students; such scientists as Einstein and Galileo; such artists
as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti; as well as antelopes,
lemon trees, and carnations. Moreover, as the scientists and professors who
believe in this nonsense are educated people, it is quite justifiable to speak
of this theory as "the most potent spell in history." Never before
has any other belief or idea so taken away peoples' powers of reason, refused
to allow them to think intelligently and logically, and hidden the truth from
them as if they had been blindfolded. This is an even worse and unbelievable
blindness than the totem worship in some parts of Africa, the people of Saba
worshipping the Sun, the tribe of Prophet Ibrahim (as) worshipping idols they
had made with their own hands, or the people of Prophet Musa (as) worshipping
the Golden Calf.
In fact, Allah has
pointed to this lack of reason in the Qur'an. In many verses, He reveals that
some peoples' minds will be closed and that they will be powerless to see the
truth. Some of these verses are as follows:
As for
those who do not believe, it makes no difference to them whether you warn them
or do not warn them, they will not believe. Allah has sealed up their hearts
and hearing and over their eyes is a blindfold. They will have a terrible
punishment. (Surat al-Baqara, 6-7)
… They
have hearts with which they do not understand. They have eyes with which they
do not see. They have ears with which they do not hear. Such people are like
cattle. No, they are even further astray! They are the unaware. (Surat
al-A‘raf, 179)
Even if We
opened up to them a door into heaven, and they spent the day ascending through
it, they would only say: "Our eyesight is befuddled! Or rather we have
been put under a spell!" (Surat al-Hijr, 14-15)
Words cannot express
just how astonishing it is that this spell should hold such a wide community in
thrall, keep people from the truth, and not be broken for 150 years. It is
understandable that one or a few people might believe in impossible scenarios
and claims full of stupidity and illogicality. However, "magic" is
the only possible explanation for people from all over the world believing that
unconscious and lifeless atoms suddenly decided to come together and form a
universe that functions with a flawless system of organization, discipline,
reason, and consciousness; a planet named Earth with all of its features so
perfectly suited to life; and living things full of countless complex systems.
In fact, the Qur'an
relates the incident of Prophet Musa (as) and Pharaoh to show that some people
who support atheistic philosophies actually influence others by magic. When
Pharaoh was told about the true religion, he told Prophet Musa (as) to meet
with his own magicians. When Musa (as) did so, he told them to demonstrate
their abilities first. The verses continue:
He said:
"You throw." And when they threw, they cast a spell on the people's
eyes and caused them to feel great fear of them. They produced an extremely
powerful magic. (Surat al-A‘raf, 116)
As we have seen,
Pharaoh's magicians were able to deceive everyone, apart from Musa (as) and
those who believed in him. However, his evidence broke the spell, or
"swallowed up what they had forged," as the verse puts it:
We
revealed to Musa: "Throw down your staff." And it immediately
swallowed up what they had forged. So the Truth took place and what they did
was shown to be false. (Surat al-A‘raf, 117-8)
As we can see, when
people realized that a spell had been cast upon them and that what they saw was
just an illusion, Pharaoh's magicians lost all credibility. In the present day
too, unless those who, under the influence of a similar spell, believe in these
ridiculous claims under their scientific disguise and spend their lives
defending them, abandon their superstitious beliefs, they also will be
humiliated when the full truth emerges and the spell is broken. In fact,
world-renowned British writer and philosopher Malcolm Muggeridge, who was an atheist defending evolution for some 60 years, but
who subsequently realized the truth, reveals the position in which the
theory of evolution would find itself in the near future in these terms:
I myself am convinced
that the theory of evolution, especially the extent to which it's been applied,
will be one of the great jokes in the history books in the future. Posterity
will marvel that so very flimsy and dubious an hypothesis could be accepted
with the incredible credulity that it has.83
That future is not far
off: On the contrary, people will soon see that "chance" is not a
deity, and will look back on the theory of evolution as the worst deceit and
the most terrible spell in the world. That spell is already rapidly beginning
to be lifted from the shoulders of people all over the world. Many people who
see its true face are wondering with amazement how they could ever have been
taken in by it.
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