Scientific Evidence of the Oneness (Tawheed) of Allah (SWT)
By Ibrahim B. Syed, PhD
Immediate Past President
Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc. Louisville, KY
Insha'Allah I will talk a few words on "Qur'an and Science" which I hope will be beneficial for Dawah work. I am a student of Science and a student of Qur'an Majeed. Although my knowledge of Arabic is basic, Alhamdulillah I have discovered that scholars have failed to translate the Qur'an faithfully, particularly into the English language. For example, Zauj is translated as wife rather than spouse. Alaq is translated as blood clot or congealed blood rather than leech or something that clings. Similarly, very few people know the meaning of Nikah or Zina.
Science means knowledge or "ilm" in Arabic, or systematic study of Natural Phenomena or Ayah (in Arabic). God or Allah (SWT) says in the Qur'an Kareem "Inna Fi Dalika La Ayathin Li Qaumin Yatha Fakkarun," meaning these are the Signs for those people who think. Allah (SWT) asks us to study His creation (Nature) and our own selves to understand Him. There are over 1,200 verses in the Qur'an which deal with scientific subjects.
History of God
Every child and adult must have asked at least once in a lifetime such questions as to what is God? How does God look like? When was God born? Will God die? Who are God' parents? Does God have children? Does God exist? If there is a God, then why don't I see God? Why can't God talk to me? These and many others are very difficult questions to answer for those whose religion is not Islam. Here an attempt is made to answer these questions fully or partially.
Everyone believes in something - unseen spirits, which can help or harm; many gods; own ability to make a happier world; national government; money; science; history; philosophical speculation; or just one God. Belief is part of a human being.
Search for Answers
What makes the thunder roar and the rain to fall? What makes lightning? Where does the sun go when it sets? What causes solar and lunar eclipses? What causes diseases? What does life mean? Men looked for answers and made up stories to explain the mysteries of the universe. Myths explained the creation of life, world, eclipses, coming and going of seasons, cases of sickness, etc. Most myths are imaginative.
Early man considered anything unusual as evidence of supernatural power: high mountains, deep craters, waterfalls, earthquakes, volcanoes, lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes, heat waves, snowstorms, sandstorms, wild animals, poisonous animals, epidemic diseases, etc. Early man also believed in "Animism" or belief in spirits dwelling within trees, stones, rivers, etc. Early man worshipped nature: sun, moon, stars, snakes, cows, trees, rivers, wind, fire, clouds, sky, etc. Many early people also believed in a god who was a distant and mysterious being. Babylonians, Romans, early Australians called their god a father (masculine for strength and power). American natives called their god Great Father, Chinese and ancient Indians and Greeks called god "Sky" as the sky covers everything.
Forty thousand years ago Aryan (noble) tribes living near the Caspian Sea believed in these nature gods (sun, moon, sky, wind, earth, fire, tree, etc.). Later they migrated in all directions carrying their beliefs. Hence the gods of Europeans, Greeks, Romans, Persians, and Indians resembled each other. About 1,500 years ago all countries except a few countries in South Asia started to believe in one God. In India ancient gods are still honored and worshipped.
Monotheism
According to scriptures, in the Middle East God spoke to Prophet Abraham. Prophet Abraham found this God was more powerful than the spirits that lived in rocks, trees, sacred groves, snakes, wild animals, sandstorms. Prophet Moses heard a voice from a flaming bush on Mt Sinai. The voice said," I AM WHO I AM THE ONE WHO ALWAYS IS - YAHWEH." Yahweh is the Hebrew word for God. When Christianity came, the Christians believed in Trinity - The Holy Father, The Holy Ghost, and the Holy Son. Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) is believed to be the Son of God. The Christians say "God made man in His own image." They give anthropomorphic image of God - meaning God looks like man.
In Islam, God is called "Allah." Allah is a unique Arabic word for it is neither singular nor plural and it is neither feminine nor masculine. For example, god is singular and gods is plural. God is masculine and goddess is feminine. Although Allah has no gender, Allah is usually referred to as He for conceptual reasons and easy understanding. The most rational and highly realistic concept of God in any religion is revealed in the Glorious Qur'an in Surah 112 which is called Al-Ikhlas (Sincerity) or Al-Tawhid (Unity). It has been called the essence of the Qur'an. The translation reads:
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
1. Say: He is Allah, the One
2. Allah, the Eternal, the Absolute
3. He begetteth not, nor was begotten
4. And there is none comparable unto Him.
This extremely simple and crystal-clear concept of God has not been given by any other religion. Thus, Surah tells us God is One, Eternal (no death), Absolute (has no limitation whatsoever), was not born like other living creatures. Has no partners and does not give birth to sons or daughters. Most important of all "there is nothing in the world or universe which can be compared to Allah." Allah has no form, shape, or substance. People ask how to visualize a God who has no birth or death? How come no one challenges the concept of Law of Conservation of Energy - which states that energy is neither created nor destroyed and that one form of energy is converted into another form? When a light bulb is switched on, we see electrical energy converted into light energy. Dry cells and batteries convert chemical energy into electricity or light. In automobiles and planes, we see chemical (gasoline) energy converted into kinetic energy (motion).
The Noble Qur'an describes the nature or attributes of God with 99 names such as Omnipotent (all powerful), Omnipresent (present everywhere), Omniscient (all knowing), etc.
In the Qur'an the concept of Allah or God is clearly defined. Examples are Surah IQLAS and Ayah al Kursi (Surah 2, Al-Baqara:255: Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtaketh Him. Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth....) In the Qur'an we also read, Allah is FATHIR 'US'SAMAVATHI WAL ARDHI and BADI 'US 'SAMAVATHI WAL WARDHI. In short, Allah (SWT) is the Creator of the Universe and everything in it, and created from nothing. This is rational and appealing to the scientists. Nowadays, scientists are showing the way to Religion and God. Examples are Paul Davis's books: God and the New Physics and The Mind of God. Several books on "The Anthropic Principle."
The concept of TAWHID is the strongest foundation of Islam. The Unity of God or oneness of Allah. How can we convince the children and non-Muslims about TAWHID. We can do this scientifically, rationally, or logically. All matter is made of atoms. The simplest atom is the atom of Hydrogen which consists of a proton (+ positively charged) and an electron (- negatively charged) orbiting around the proton. 75% of matter in the universe consists of Hydrogen and the rest is made up of Helium which is in the stars such as our sun where nuclear fusion (deuterium and tritium fuse to form Helium and Energy) takes place resulting in the release of energy (heat and light).
Physicists have determined accurately the mass, charge, spin, etc. of the proton and the electron. The diameter of the proton, the distance between the proton and the electron. The proton to electron mass ratio is 1837. That is one proton is equal to 1837 electrons. Why the ratio is 1837 and not 1500 or 2000? The answer will give you the existence of God.
When the hydrogen found on any planet in the solar system or in our sun is analyzed, we find it to be identical to that found on the earth. Our sun is one of the 200 billion stars in our Galaxy called the Milky Way Galaxy. The hydrogen in any star in the Milky Way Galaxy is identical to that found on earth. There are about 200 billion Galaxies in the Universe. The nearest Galaxy is the Andromeda Galaxy. The properties of Hydrogen in any Galaxy areidentical to that found on EARTH.
WHAT IS THE CONCLUSION? The CREATOR of earth, solar system, stars, galaxies, is ONE AND THE SAME. IN OTHER WORDS, THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING IN IT IS ONE AND THE SAME. FOR MUSLIMS HE IS ALLAH THE AHAD.
Other examples are the Four Natural Forces:
1. Gravitational Force
2. Electromagnetic Force
3. Nuclear Weak Force
4. Nuclear Strong Force
One will find that these forces are identical everywhere in the universe and the physical laws that operate everywhere in the universe are the same. HENCE THE CONCLUSION IS INDISPUTABLE THAT
THE CREATOR IS ONE.
Other examples in the Qur'an are:
Surah 4: 1(Verse)
Surah 75: 39 (Verse)
Surah 21: 30(Verse)
Surah 13 : 12 (Verse)
The Qur'an says:
O mankind, reverence your Guardian Lord
who created you from a single person,
created of like nature, his mate, and
from them twain scattered (like seeds)
countless men and women. Reverence God
through whom you demand your mutual
(rights), and (reverence) the wombs
(that bore you): for God ever watches you. (4:1).
It is He who does show you the lightning
by way both of fear and of hope. It is
He who does raise up the clouds, heavy
with (fertilizing) rain (13:12).
Allahu 'Alamu (Allah knows best).
