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Science and the Seven Earths: Difference between revisions
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→Gates and water of the universe: Added a short paragraph just clarifying that the heavens here are different term than the afterlife - which may be confusing for readers and cause them to miss the point of other sections. I've also added another verse mentioning the gates of the skies.
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(→Seven Universes: I have added another verse which I believe contradicts the modern interpretation of the 'heavens' being the universe(s), instead matching the contemporary firmament view. Also got rid off the Arabic on an Earth hadith to save space. With this 'heavens' section expanding it might be worth changing the page title to include 'and the seven heavens' (which I can't edit myself)? Thanks.) |
(→Gates and water of the universe: Added a short paragraph just clarifying that the heavens here are different term than the afterlife - which may be confusing for readers and cause them to miss the point of other sections. I've also added another verse mentioning the gates of the skies.) |
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===Seven Universes=== | ===Seven Universes=== | ||
Another common apologetic claim is that these seven heavens are actually seven universes which we are yet to discover, and that we know only our one universe so far | The word that in English is translated for heaven(s) is samā/سَماء, which can also be translated as sky (which is essentially it's modern meaning in Arabic).<ref>[https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english-arabic/sky ''Sky.''] Translation English to Arabic. Cambridge dictionary.</ref> This is separate to 'jannah/جَنَّة', which means the paradise supposedly in the afterlife for righteous Muslims - which readers may mistake as being the same given the double meaning in English. However, unlike paradise (jannah), the heaven(s)/skies (samā) are part of the cosmos, with the moon being described as in them ({{Quran|71|15-16}}), clouds ({{Quran|2|164}}), along with the stars ({{Quran|41|12}}). | ||
Another common apologetic claim is that these seven heavens are actually seven universes which we are yet to discover, and that we know only our one universe so far. | |||
This is due to the Quran stating the nearest/lowest heaven is adorned with stars which cover the known visible universe (such as {{Quran|41|12}}), rather than any philological analysis and ignoring all historical context of the word. However there are many problems with this as we will see below, with all verses using a form of the word samā/سَماء. | |||
==== Gates and water of the universe ==== | ==== Gates and water of the universe ==== | ||
The following verse contradicts such a claim since it says rain was made to fall from heaven. Certainly, rain does not come from outer space, let alone from gates at the edge of the universe which would be ~46.5 billion light years away.<ref>[https://www.mos.org/mos-at-home/pulsar/how-far-away-is-the-edge-of-the-universe#:~:text=We're%20looking%20back%20in,again%2C%20is%20what%20cosmologists%20do. ''How Far Away is the Edge of the Universe?''] Museum of Science Podcast. Janine Myszka. </ref> The word used for heaven here is '' | The following verse contradicts such a claim since it says rain was made to fall from heaven. Certainly, rain does not come from outer space, let alone from gates at the edge of the universe which would be ~46.5 billion light years away.<ref>[https://www.mos.org/mos-at-home/pulsar/how-far-away-is-the-edge-of-the-universe#:~:text=We're%20looking%20back%20in,again%2C%20is%20what%20cosmologists%20do. ''How Far Away is the Edge of the Universe?''] Museum of Science Podcast. Janine Myszka. </ref> The word used for heaven here is ''samā'', the same as that for the seven heavens. | ||
{{Quote|{{ | {{Quote|{{Quran|54|11}}|So We opened the gates of heaven, with water pouring forth. }}The gates of the heavens are mentioned elsewhere such as the below, saying even God opened a gate so the disbelievers could climb up it, they would still not believe. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|15|14-15}}|And if We open for them a gate in the heavens, to ascend it through the day – Even then they would say, “Our sights have been hypnotised – in fact, a magic spell has been cast upon us.”}} | |||
==== Earth created before the universe ==== | ==== Earth created before the universe ==== | ||
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In reality, the night and day we experience is a feature of the earth's rotation on its axis and is only applicable to Earth itself. There is no sense in which the earth's night and day apply across the wider cosmos as it would need to to be able to substitute the word/modern concept 'universe' with heaven/heavens (samā). | In reality, the night and day we experience is a feature of the earth's rotation on its axis and is only applicable to Earth itself. There is no sense in which the earth's night and day apply across the wider cosmos as it would need to to be able to substitute the word/modern concept 'universe' with heaven/heavens (samā). | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|79|27-29}}|Is your creation more prodigious or that of the heaven He has built? He raised its vault and fashioned it, and <b>darkened its night</b>, and <b>brought forth its forenoon<b/>.}} | {{Quote|{{Quran|79|27-29}}|Is your creation more prodigious or that of the heaven He has built? He raised its vault and fashioned it, and <b>darkened its night</b>, and <b>brought forth its forenoon<b/>.}} | ||
==== Between the Universe and the Earth ==== | ==== Between the Universe and the Earth ==== | ||
God is said to have dominion/sovereignty of the heavens and Earth and all that is ''between them (baynahum بينهم).'' | God is said to have dominion/sovereignty of the heavens and Earth and all that is ''between them (baynahum بينهم).'' | ||
There is nothing between the Earth and the rest of the universe, so substituting the 'heavens' with the modern definition of the universe does not make sense here. Yet once again matches the ancient view of the heavens as 'firmaments' in the sky with space between them. This idea is also backed up in many hadith ''(see: [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Creation]]),'' such as {{Bukhari|9|93|608}}, describing Muhammad's alleged night journey through the heavens. | There is nothing between the Earth and the rest of the universe, so substituting the 'heavens' with the modern definition of the universe does not make sense here. Yet once again matches the ancient view of the heavens as 'firmaments' in the sky with space between them. This idea is also backed up in many hadith ''(see: [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Creation]]),'' such as {{Bukhari|9|93|608}}, describing Muhammad's alleged night journey through the heavens. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|5|18}}|Say the Jews and the Christians: "We are sons of God and beloved of Him." Say: "Why does He punish you then for your sins? No: You are only mortals, of His creation." He can punish whom He pleases and pardon whom He wills, <b>for God's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them,</b> and everything will go back to Him.}} | {{Quote|{{Quran|5|18}}|Say the Jews and the Christians: "We are sons of God and beloved of Him." Say: "Why does He punish you then for your sins? No: You are only mortals, of His creation." He can punish whom He pleases and pardon whom He wills, <b>for God's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them,</b> and everything will go back to Him.}}Clouds are also distinctly said to be ''between'' the heavens and the Earth, again preventing the interpretation of the 'samā'/heavens/skies as our whole/visible universe.{{Quote|{{Quran|2|164}}|Indeed in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, and the ships that sail at sea with profit to men, and the water that Allah sends down from the sky—with which He revives the earth after its death, and scatters therein every kind of animal—and the changing of the winds, <b>and the clouds disposed between the sky (samā) and the earth,</b> there are surely signs for a people who exercise their reason.}} | ||
==== ==See Also== | ==== ==See Also== | ||
*[[Scientific Miracles in the Quran]] | *[[Scientific Miracles in the Quran]] | ||
{{Hub4|Harun Yahya|Harun Yahya}}{{Hub4|Cosmology|Cosmology}} ==External Links== | {{Hub4|Harun Yahya|Harun Yahya}}{{Hub4|Cosmology|Cosmology}} ==External Links== | ||
*[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.answering-islam.org./Quran/Science/seven_earths.html|2=2011-12-05}} Qur'an & Science Problem: The Seven Earths] ''- Answering Islam'' ==References== | *[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.answering-islam.org./Quran/Science/seven_earths.html|2=2011-12-05}} Qur'an & Science Problem: The Seven Earths] ''- Answering Islam'' ==References== | ||
{{Reflist|30em}} | {{Reflist|30em}} [[Category:Qur'an]] | ||
[[Category:Qur'an]] | |||
[[Category:Islam and Science]] | [[Category:Islam and Science]] | ||
[[Category:Cosmology]] | [[Category:Cosmology]] | ||
[[Category:Harun Yahya]] | [[Category:Harun Yahya]] | ||
[[Category:Apologetics]] | [[Category:Apologetics]]<!-- ==To Do== | ||
<!-- ==To Do== | |||
Expand to include the claim that the "seven layers" applies to the [http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_19.html http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.miraclesofthequran.com%2Fscientific_19.html&date=2014-01-03 earth's atmosphere]. There are only 5 not 7 principal layers to the [[W:Atmosphere of Earth|earth's atmosphere]] http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FAtmosphere_of_Earth&date=2014-01-03 determined by temperature. Within the five principal layers there are several more layers determined by other properties. Also see [http://councilofexmuslims.com/index.php?topic=5823.0 http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcouncilofexmuslims.com%2Findex.php%3Ftopic%3D5823.0&date=2014-01-03 here] for a little more info. Once complete, rename the article, "Earth or its Atmosphere Made of Seven Layers" --> | Expand to include the claim that the "seven layers" applies to the [http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_19.html http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.miraclesofthequran.com%2Fscientific_19.html&date=2014-01-03 earth's atmosphere]. There are only 5 not 7 principal layers to the [[W:Atmosphere of Earth|earth's atmosphere]] http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FAtmosphere_of_Earth&date=2014-01-03 determined by temperature. Within the five principal layers there are several more layers determined by other properties. Also see [http://councilofexmuslims.com/index.php?topic=5823.0 http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcouncilofexmuslims.com%2Findex.php%3Ftopic%3D5823.0&date=2014-01-03 here] for a little more info. Once complete, rename the article, "Earth or its Atmosphere Made of Seven Layers" --> | ||