MAULA E QAINAT ON TIME

In physics time is considered as the least understood of concepts. Till now, the physicists have failed completely to understand time. Einstein himself was puzzled with time and his Endeavour in understanding time has led to his special theory of relativity. In his special theory of relativity, Einstein proposed the relativity of time and gave a new dimension to the world of physics called ‘space-time’.




Fig.1.The astronaut is younger then his contemporary Mr. Twin when he returns form a journey to star (time travel). (Google images: special theory of relativity)

The special theory of relativity is based on the proposition:nothing can move faster than light.Einstein discovered that the speed with whichlight moves is the limit of speed which is 300000 km/second and hence is a constant.According to his theory no matter can cross this speed limit.And when a body starts moving with speed of light either it's mass will become infinity or it will loose all the mass that is, it's mass will become zero.It obviously means that it is impossible to move with speed of light,the speed limit is firm.At this point of argument I find it very relevant to quote the words of Hadrat Ali formNahjulbalagha which are as follows,
"God has fixed limits for every thing he has created and made the limits firm"
Nahjulbalagha:sermon,89:page,170
Well this is a very awesome generalization,and this piece of wisdom has been there since 1000 years inNahjulbalagha but no musalman got the temptation to ponder over it and discover the physical constants.The above saying of Hadrat Ali is like an ocean enclosed in a jar.It is not too late even if we start pondering over it now.Constant in physics are the natural limits of the physical quantities.ThePlanck constant is the limit of mass which is 1.6/10000000000000000000000000000000000 joule/second.It is 1.6 divided by ten followed by thirty four zeroes.It is the smallest quantity of mass possible in the universe,mass cannot be less than the Planckconstant.The other most popular constant is the charge of electron which is 1.6/10000000000000000000 Columbs that 1.6 divided by ten followed by 19 zeroes.It is the minimum amount of charge possible in the universe,if a particle has a charge less than charge of electron it is considered as neutral particle.There are numerous constants and to mention them will be out of the scope of this article.If one starts moving with the speed of light ,time vanishes for him(of course,which is impossible,at least in this century).

In conclusion, special theory of relativity says that if an astronaut goes on a voyage to the nearest star,alphacentuary,which is four light years away(light year = distance traveled by light in one year, light covers 3 lakh kilometers in one second) then as soon as he come out of the sphere of influence of the sun(he should with velocity of light) time will stop for him.Means if he returns to earth after his eight yearsjourney he will be of the same age(Fig.1) when he left the earth.Thus you can beat the influence of time in two ways,first start moving with velocity of light and second,move out of the gravitational field of the sun


Fig.2.We are existing in the space-time web.(Google images:space time).

It means when we leave the sphere of influence of sun time is finished until we enter the sphere of influence of the other sun or star (to go out of the sun's sphere of influence one has to move with velocity of light).




Fig.3.The future and past light cone are the sphere of influence of sun(OBSERVER).When an astronautgoes out of this influence cones of the sun time ends for him.(Google images:space time).



On entering the sphere of influence (gravitational field) of the other star a different time starts operating on you, if the star in whose gravitational field you have entered has more gravitational pull then the sun, time will be running fast and you will be aging fast and in the contradictory scenario the opposite will happen means you will be ageing slowly. You can say that a day on earth can be second on the other star and a day can also be 50,000 years (If its gravity is very low) on the other star, regarding such a scenario Quran says,

“And they ask you to hasten on the torment! And Allah fails not his promise. And verily, a day with your lord is as a thousand years of what you reckon.”
QURAN: 22:47

The above verse of Quran clearly speaks of relativity of time. At other place Quran says,

“The angels and the spirit ascend to him in a day the measure of which is fifty thousand years”.QURAN: 70:4.

This verse of Quran says that angles cover 50,000 years in a day.Quran also declares ‘year’ as the unit of speed.

In our solar system itself we can see that different planets have different time. A day on mars is 24 hours and 37 minutes long; on Jupiter it is 9 hours 55 minutes, on Uranus 10 hours and on Saturn 17 hours.


Physicists are so sick of time that they are planning to remove time form the equations involved in experimental calculation.





Fig.4.JULIAN BARBOUR, a theoretical physicist, has worked on foundational issues in physics for 35 years, specializing in the study of time and inertia. He is the author of Absolute or Relative Motion?, The End of Time, and The Discovery of Dynamics.


Julian Barbour is one such physicist who says that time is an illusion and should be removed fromphysics.In his controversial book, end of time, Julian Barbour says that time is a psychological concept. He says that there is no past, there is only present. There are so many presents that the distance between them give rise to an illusion called’time’.According to him, for an unconscious man there is no time. If fact there are many cases in medical history where the patients arising after many years of coma appeared very young ,when they finally came back from it. Well we can callJulian Barbour as a disbeliever or unbeliever (kafir) of time, as he does not believe in it. So we have two kinds of physicists, one who believe in time and one who does not believe in it's existence. Regarding God also there are two sorts of people, one who believe in him and other who deny his existence. Time is regarded as a very sacred concept in Islam,regarding time Quran says,

“I(God) swear by the time! Man is in loss,except those who believe and exhort for truth and patience”.QURAN: SURAH:ASR




Fig.5.Picture showing a man in loss.Time brings loss,with time anarchy increases,2nd law of thermodynamics.

There are two word in Arabic which denote time:Dahrand Asr.Regarding time the prophet of Islam said,

“Does not abuse time (Dahr) for it is God himself”.


1. Sahih-al-bukhari, vol.6, hadith.no.351 (Sunni book)
2. Translation of Quran by Maqbool Ahmad, vol.2, page 798(urdu-Shia book)

It is strange that the above hadith is found in both the Sunni and the Shia book with exactly the same words and content.

God is invisible so is time, God cannot be understood and time is still not understood by physicists, There are atheist who don’t believe in God and there are physicists who don’t believe in time, God controls everything and nobody can control God, same is with time. God is omnipresent and according to Einstein space- time concept time is the property of space, where there is space there is time, hence time is omnipresent as well. Nobody can influence time but time influences everything, regarding the nature of time Hadrat Ali says,

“Time (Dahr) wears bodies, renews aspiration, brings end near and takes away aspiration. Whoever is successful with it (time) encounters grief and whosoever allows time to go also feels sorry.”
Nahjulbalagha:saying 72

Time wears bodies:

With time disorder increases ,this is called as the second law of thermodynamic.Hadrat Ali points towards this property of time that it destroys or wears bodies.


Fig.6.Painting showing the second law of thermodynamics,that there is increase of disorder with time.


Ageing is a process which is controlled by time. According to Einstein if an Astronaut goes out of the time frame of the sun (one has to move with velocity of light in all time travel) he will stop ageing because time stops for him. So time destroys things but it bringing new things and new events as well.
Fig.7. Picture of Paul Dirac,the Nobel prize winner in physics.

According to the theory of inflation, proposed by Paul Dirac-Nobel laureate,space has the inherent capacity to produce energy fluctuations which die very fast, but one energy bubble out of 10,0000000 survives to produce a universe. This creative aspect of space is due to the presence of time in it.Hadrat Ali says that time spoils the old system and bring in new system (renews aspiration).But as time is inherent in space, when an astronaut moves out of the time frame of the sun he will still be ageing but very very slowly, as if he is not at all ageing.


Fig.8.The inflation theory says that the present universe was formed because of an energy bubble which failed to perish.It is the inherent property of space time to produce energy bubbles which get perished in millionth of a second.The lucky energy bubble expanded exponentially to fill the space with energy,and then the energy condensed and exploded in the form of a big bang to form universe with thousands of galaxies and stars.



Whoever is successful with it (time) encounters grief and whosoever misses it also feels sorry:
According to Hadrat Ali no one can win over time.Melancholy is the nature of time.Time is grief, so there is grief in space time, so there is suffering in the universe. As long as one exists in space-time there can be no relief from grief, so instead of trying to escape from grief it is a better idea to embrace it and try living with it. At other place in Nahjulbalagha Hadrat Ali says: When you are facing trouble constantly, jump into them.



Fig.9.Julian says that time is an illusion,but according to Hadrat Ali time is grief.


At this stage of discussion I would like to advice Julian Barbour to abandon the idea of removing time form physics. With time there is trouble in physics and without time there will be more trouble, as Hadrat Ali says if you are successful with time you will be unhappy and if you allow time to go away you will be unhappy. So it is better to be unhappy with time then to be unhappy without it(in physics).



Fig.10.Time is an attribute of God.And God cannot be separated form his attributes.


If you don’t believe in God you will be a looser in the hereafter and if you believe in God you will be a looser in this world, at least for a part of time, for Quran says,

“And certainly, we shall test you (those who believe in God) with something of fear,hunger,loss of wealth, lives and fruit of labour,but give glad tidings to the patient”.Quran: 2:155

If you believe in God there is trouble and if you don’t believe in God there is trouble again, choice is yours. Till now we have see that time and God have the same characteristics. It mentioned in Quran that JesusChrist used to make birds of clay and blow spirit in them and they would become alive and fly away,but just blowing spirit Jesus he used to say:they shall fly with the permission of God.Time,like Jesus Christ,does every thing but the real force or power behind it is God.This may be the interpretation of the prophets saying:do not abuse time for it is God himself

HADRAT ALI AND WILLIAM JAMES

HADRAT ALI AND WILLIAM JAMES

This writing is comparative study of the philosophy of William James and Hadrat Ali (as).

Fig.1.William James,father of American philosophy.

William James,born in New York in1842(died in1910),was a Philosopher and psychologist responsible for the advancement ofAmerica in every sphere.He is considered as the father ofAmerican philosophy.He put the foundation of the field called'experimental psychology' and is the founder of the philosophy ofradical pragmatism.His Book 'the principles of psychology' is still popular as the text book on psychology.

During my study of William James I have found the parallel of his philosophy and psychology in the teachings of Hadrat Ali,the first Muslim and the fourth caliph of Islam.

Fig.1.1.Veena is a graduate student in the Experimental Psychology program. She is interested in language, memory, and the underlying brain mechanisms. She is currently doing research on reference processing in reading using self paced reading and event-related potential (ERP) methodologies.

Experimental psychology:William James,the father of experimental psychology,propounded that the physical actions and gesture can change the emotional state of a person.It means if you want to become angry just clench your fist and grind your teeth,in a few minutes you will feel that the emotion of anger has taken you in it's grip.And similarly laughing(for no reason) promotes the emotion of happiness and calm to encompass your personality.Well this is the reason for the success of the laughter therapy.if you make it a habit to act like an angry person, in the long run the emotion of anger takes you in its permanent grip and you end up as a short tempered person.Similarly if you act or follow the gesture of a calm and enduring person ,in the long run you end up as a calm and enduring person.In conclusion,our emotions are in our control and we can bring out whatever emotion we like just by adopting the gesturesrelated to the emotion we wish.In our brain(which is a computer) theemotions and their respective gestures exist as programs.When you make a particular gesture,say clenching fists,the brain detects these gesture through the change in blood pressure and muscle movements and finds out the emotion related to it ,in our case anger,and the programme of anger starts running.Similarly we can manipulate other emotions .It means you can be happy whenever you wish and you can be angry whenever you wish.Means if you act like a short tempered person you become one and to the contrary if you act like a forbearing person you become one,this is what Hadrat Ali means when he says,

'If you cannot forbear act to do so because it is seldom that a man likens himself to a group and does not become one of them.'

Nahjulbalagha:saying.203.

Fatigue point:William James,in his principles of psychology,gave evidence that most of us get tired every day not because of actual effort expended but because we make a habit of feeling tired at a given hour.This self imposed limit James called as'fatigue point'.When you continue to work at your fatigue point you suddenly get a burst of energy making you active again,this is called as 'first wind'.When you get tired after the first wind and still continue to work you again become active with the second burst of energy called 'second wind'.In this way you can extend yourfatigue point up to 4Th and 5Th wind.Great men become great by extending their fatigue point.Hadrat Ali mentions about extending ones fatigue point in his following saying,

Fig.2.Forget your sickness portreit.

"Keep walking in your sickness till you can."

Nahjulbalagha .saying.26

Fig.2.1.Picture showing the different aspects of moral character.

Moral character:William James was the first psychologist to point out the now accepted theory that every physical sensation and every physical contact with the outside world leaves a permanent trace among the billion neurons in the brain.Since these impressions are permanent, they are constantly accumulating and the sum total of these impressions is called personality or character.Hence our personality is the sum total of the impressions we make in our brain by our actions.Thus it can be said that we are slaves of our actions.Hence if we practice good habits it for our own good,well,what goes around turns around,as you sow so shall you reap,all these oldies are scientifically valid.In this regard Hadrat Ali says,

'contentment is as good as estate and courtesy is as good as blessing.' Nahjulbalagha:saying.225

If you make courtesy as a habit you are a blessed man,means you will always be happy.Our character determines our happiness and sorrow,a man of ill character can never be happy and a man of good character is always happy even though he may be in rags with meagre sustenance sitting on a garbage dump.The action which we perform daily becomes a permanent force in our life's and play a decisive role in our success and failure.A Good action performed daily becomes apositive force in our life and vice verse.Hadrat Ali says,

"A small action done with regularity is better than a big action done with disgust." Nahjulbalagha:saying.273.

Fig. A bit of pain,anxiety and tension is good for the development of human personality.

Anxiety is good: According to William James a bit of anxiety and tension is very good for mental and physical health(Reader's digest-special collection edition-50Th anniversary-1954to 2004,page 188).Professor Ralph Gerard at the university of Michigan points that the anxiety and tension are good because they bring into use brain cells otherwise inactive,it heightens attention and improves performance releases certain hormones and helps in fast learning at greater speed.Hadrat Ali's view in this scenario is as follows,

'Ignore pain otherwise you will never be happy:ignore pain you will ever be happy.'

Nahjulbalagha:saying.209.

According to Hadrat Ali we should we should make it as a habit to bear pain and if we try to escape pain we shall never be happy because it is not possible to escape pain.Instead of trying to escape form pain we should face pain and become resistant to it.Anxiety,tension and pain are necessary evils which promote the growth of human psyche and personality,as a famous proverb goes,

'sweet are the uses of adversities.'

A daily dose of adversities is like a daily dose of a bitter pill taken for the purpose of long term good health,in this scenario Hadrat Alisays,

'Through change of circumstances the metal of men is known'

Nahjulbalagha:saying.213

Through change of circumstances and new challenges we grow and become a better person.Well,the other name of Hadrat Ali's philosophy is 'Optimism'-B-positive.

Fig. A philosophy or relegion is true only if it promotes the development of human beings or it is beneficial to them in some aspect of worldly life:pragmatism.

Pragmatism:William James is known for his philosophy ofpragmatism according to which the test for truth is simply that it works.It means if humans and societies are getting benefited or developed because of a particular philosophy or religion then there should be some truth in that philosophy or religion.Hence the test for truth is it's cash value.In this context Hadrat Ali says,

'certainly right(truth) is weighty and wholesome(beneficial) while wrong is light and epidemic'.
Nahjulbalagha.saying.371.

According to Hadrat Ali truth is beneficial as well as weighty(it stays for long).Wrong causes epidemic(disease) where as truth brings health,it is wholesome and beneficial.

Mutual behaviour:William James says that if you believe well of your fellow men you create the good you believe in(Reader's digest-50TH anniversary).Tit for tat is not the only tool available when dealing with our fellow human beings,the strategy of forgiveness anddoing good for bad works better,in this scenario Hadrat Ali says,

'Admonish your comrade(friend)by way of good behaviour towards him and ward of his evil by forgiving.'
Nahjulbalagha:saying.156

At other place he(as) says,

'If a person has a good idea about him make his idea true.'

Nahjulbalagha.saying.244

THE ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY,IMAM ALI (A.S) AND PLOTINUS

THE ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY,IMAM ALI (A.S) AND PLOTINUS

The Islamic Philosophy, Imam Ali (as) and Plotinus


“In all the periods and times when there were no Prophets there have been persons with whom Allah whispered through their wits and spoke through their minds.”

Imam Ali (as):Nahjulbalagha: Sermon-219


Philosophy is the study of the ultimate cause of creation .Why is there a universe? What is the cause behind creation? Different philosophers gave different philosophic theories to explain the cause behind creation and the most prominent among them being Aristotle and Plato. The greatest among the last of the ancient philosophers was Plotinus. Plotinus was born in 204 A.D, some 400 years before Imam Ali (as) was born.

FIG.1.Potrait of Plotinus,the proponent of 'Practical Mystic Philosophy'.

Plotinus’s philosophy is a trinity consisting of the ‘One’ the ‘Nous’ and the Soul. Unlike the Christian trinity, the trinity of Plotinus is hierarchical in which the ‘One’ is the ultimate principle and is without any form, it cannot be grasped and is the ultimate. Next is the ‘Nous’ which is called the intellectual principle. And the last is the ‘Soul’ which is the creative principle. The Soul created the universe. The ‘One’ gave the plan of creation to the ‘Nous’ and the ‘Soul’ imbibed the plan of action from the ‘Nous’ and created the universe. The value of a philosophical theory is assessed on the basis of it’s beauty and appeal to the mind.Plotinus philosophy was wonderful because it had it’s basis in the human nature. Plotinus derived his philosophy from the study of human nature. We have three principles operating in us; one the unconscious, the mind, and the superconcious.When we are in a deep sleep the unconscious become prominent, the one who controls our respiration and heartbeat while we are asleep. When we wake, most of the time, we know the duration of our sleep, the one who gives this knowledge is the unconscious.Plotinus reached the idea of ‘One’ through the unconscious. As the unconscious controls our heartbeat while we sleep, there is an ultimate unconscious which controls the whole universe. When we are dreaming the mind is active, it is the intellectual principle in us similarly there is an ultimate intellectual principle in the universe which is the ‘Nous’.When we are awake the thought are converted into action, this is the super conscious similarly there is an ultimate super conscious in the universe who is responsible for the creation of the universe, this ultimate creative principle is the ‘Soul’. Even the Vedas talk about the concept of trinity, which is called the concept of ‘Trimurthy’.The Upanishads call the formless ‘One’ of Plotinus as the ‘Nirguna Brahman’. The ‘Nous’ and the soul together are called as the ‘Saguna Brahman’. In Hindu philosophy the ‘Nous’ and the ‘Soul’ are the complimentary unit of a whole called the ‘Saguna Brahman’. The Hindu philosophy treats the intellectual principle and the creative principle as one unit.

“DEV VAVA BRAHMANO RUPE MIRTAN CAMURTAN CA; ATHA YAN MURTAM TAD ASATYAM YAD AMURTAM TAT SATYAM TAD BRAHMA.

There are assuredly two forms of Brahman, the formed and the formless. Now that which is formed is unreal; that which is the formless is the real. That is light .OM is the self of the formless Brahman.”
Upanishads by Radha Krishna: Maitri Upanishad, chapter 6, verse 3 page 817

Chinese Philosophy: China is famous for ‘Yin-Yang’and ‘Chi’ philosophy.Chi (qi) is the universal fundamental energy which was formed before the universe was born. Every created thing has ‘Chi’ in it.Hence, Chi is the first principle from which the whole of the creation emanated. Chi is a complimentary source made of two opposing principles, one is yin (the passive energy) and the other, the yang (the active energy).The relation between the Yang and the Yin is akin to that of Sun and the moon (‘Yinyang’, the internet encyclopedia of Philosophy; http://www.iep.utm.edu/).The Chinese philosophers believed that all the natural phenomena and natural laws can be explained in terms of balancing act between the Yin and the Yang. The Yang can be referred to the ‘Nous’ of Plotinus and Yin to his ‘Soul’. The Chi can be referred to the ‘OM’ in Hindu Philosophy.
In the Islamic philosophy the Sun refers to the Holy Prophet of Islam (a.s) and the Moon refers to Imam Ali (a.s).Regarding the verse “ By the Sun when it shines and By the Moon, when it follows it (surah Shams-91-Quran)”, the Holy Prophet of Islam said that the Sun refers to him and the Moon refers to Ali (a.s).

Islamic Philosophy: In Islam Prophet Muhammad (as) is regarded as the fist creation. The first thing which was bought into existence was the light of the Holy Prophet of Islam. God wanted to introduce his first creation, Muhammad (as) so he created the universe. The Prophet said,

“I was the messenger when Adam was existing in between sand and water (when he was not made).”

He (as) also said,

“The first thing which God created was intellect, and I am the intellect.”

The above given traditions are found in both the Sunni and the Shia books.

It is very strange that even Plotinus used the same word ‘Intellect’ for the first creation.

Shia Islamic Philosophy: The Shia Islamic Philosophy is an extension of the common Islamic philosophy, according to which God first created the light of the Prophet of Islam and then split the light into two, the other part being Imam Ali (as).According to Shia Philosophy Prophet Muhammad (as) and Imam Ali (as) are the complimentary parts of a single unit. The following traditions of the Holy Prophet of Islam are found in both Sunni and Shia books,

“I and Ali are from the same light.”

“Ali is from me and I am from Ali.”

Imam Ali (as) said: “I was the Wali (guardian) when Adam was in between sand and water.”

Just as the trinity of Plotinus, the Shia Philosophy of trinity speaks of a formless, invisible and indivisible God, who created Muhammad (as) the first intellectual principle, and from Muhammad (as) he created Ali (as ) the creative principle. God wished to introduce his first creation, so he revealed the plan of creation to Muhammad (as), and Ali (as) made the universe perfectly as per the plan revealed to Muhammad (as), Imam Ali (as) says,

“I have raised the seven skies with the powers and commandments, entrusted to me by my Lord.
I am the one who when looked at the skies, and did not find any one who can challenge me.
I am the one who counts his creatures, even though they are numerous, and make sure they return back to their Lord.
I am the trustee who protects divine commands.
I do not treat anyone with unkindness, as I am the divine sustainer ‘Wali –Allah’.
His commands have been entrusted upon me and I have been made ruler over the masses by my Lord.
I am the one who called the moon and the sun and they moved forward in my obedience.
I am the one who called upon ‘seven skies’ and they bow down on my instruction and stabilized in perfect posture.
I am the one who nominated all the Prophets, created all the worlds and laid the earth down.
I am aware of all those affairs which have been made compulsory.
I am the Amr (command) of Allah and the ‘Soul’ of Allah, as Allah says: They ask you (O’Prophet) about the soul, you tell them that soul is from Allah’s Amr (command).
I am the one about whom Allah has said to his Prophet, ‘Two of you will send each and every malicious non-believer to the hell fire.’
I am the one who brought into existence everything, with the blessing of my Lord, after they were composed."

Sermon of Bayan:www.hubeali@com



It is very strange that Imam Ali has used the word ‘Soul’ for himself. Who was Plotinus? How did he reached the concept of trinity; the formless God, the Intellectual Principle and the Soul; Allah, Muhammad (as) and Ali (as).Imam Ali says,

“In all the periods and times when there were no Prophets there have been persons with whom Allah whispered through their wits and spoke through their minds.”

Nahjulbalagha: Sermon-219

IMAM ALI AND DARWINISM

IMAM ALI a.s. AND THEORY OF DARWIN

                       or
   

IMAM ALI AND DARWINISM

In the name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.


IMAM ALI –THE FATHER OF EVOLUTIONARY THEORY


“The survivors of sword (battles) live longer and have large progeny.”

Imam Ali-Nahjulbalagha: saying: 84

FIG.1. Portrait of Darwin as a young man, and when he has become old. Darwin was a Christian and a believer in God. If he would have used the word ‘God’ instead of the word ‘nature’, his theory would have been regarded as theology (study of religion).His work was a scientific one (through collection of data). He did not use the word "God", he used the word "nature" instead.


The clergy and religious scholars of Islam and Christianity opposed "Darwinism" or "The Evolutionary Theory" because they believe that Darwinism refutes theexistence of God. To the contrary, the only flaw in the evolutionary theory is the ample usage of the word ‘Nature.’ If Darwin would have used the word ‘God’ instead of the word ‘Nature’, his theory would have been welcomed, even, by the staunchly religious clergy. The point is, the believers in God want God to create all the living beings at one go, they cannot digest the idea of God making his creation slowly and gradually through selection and climatic change. Why should God create all the living beings through evolution? But the fact is, God's creation through evolution is logical and abides by the law of "cause and effect." God does not violates his own law of causality (cause and effect) .Even miracles, which were performed by the great prophets, can be explained to some extent by causality theory (for example, the great deluge of the Prophet Noah was explained by one of the great erstwhile scientists as an outcome of the gravitational pull of a comet passing by the earth, at that time).One of the great names of God is “The Subtle-Lateef (in Arabic);the lover of minute details and complexity.” Which act of God lie more nearer to logic? God creating the creation at one instant, like a magician or his creating the universe thorough change in the environment; struggle for existence; survival of the fittest; accumulation of minute positive changes with period of time; known as Darwinism or evolutionary theory (Charles Dawkinsproved that even the sub-atomic particles, like electrons and protons, evolved following the Darwin’s evolutionary principle, so theory of evolution is not restricted to only living beings but applies to the whole universe itself).


FIG.2. In his book “The Origin of Species”, Darwin never tried to prove that man has evolved form apes. His theory just provides a basis for the assumption that man has evolved form apes (in this writing we have countered the faulty assumption of man evolving from apes).Darwin’s theory was an attempt to explain existence of ‘connecting links’. Connecting links are not only characteristic of life but of non-life as well; the sub-atomic particle ‘electron’ is the connecting link between energy and matter; liquids are connecting link between gases and solids’; viruses are connecting link between non-life (death) and life etc.


The holy Quran says,

“Verily! Allah (God) selected (astafa) Adam, Noah, and the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran above the ‘Alamin (mankind).” Surah-3; verse-33

“O children of Israel! Remember My Favor which I bestowed upon you and that I preferred (selected) you to the ‘Mankind’.” Surah-2; verse-47

The above given verses hints towards the theory of natural selection; God indeed has favorites, but his favoritism is based on justice, he only selects those who are fit or worthy of his preference.Thus,it is the nature of God to do natural selection, he creates adverse circumstances and selects only those who are fit.

Dr.Haroon Yahya, the famous Islamic scientist/scholar, tried to refute the theory of evolution in his book ‘Darwinism refuted.’ The book was a great disappointment because he did not quote a single verse from The Holy Quran or mentions anyHadith (Traditions) which is against Darwinism or the theory of evolution. The only thing which he did in his whole book was, finding flaws in the fossil record. To prove that a particular concept is against Islam, one has to produce verses fromQuran or mention any Tradition (Hadith) which is against the concept in question. It will be wrong to refute a concept without reference to Quran and Hadith and then say that Islam refutes it; this is not expected, at least, from a good scholar like Haroon Yahya.If you try to find evidences against Darwinism in the Islamic sources you will end up doing the opposite, that is, you will get evidences in favor of Darwinism. The Darwin’s theory of evolution is based on the following concepts,

1. Climatic change
2. Struggle for existence
3. Survival of the fittest
4. Connecting link

All the above mentioned concepts of the Darwin’s theory of evolution can be found in the Quran, Hadith and teachings of Imam Ali (Nahjulbalagha).

CLIMATIC CHANGE:


FIG.3. Portrait of Malthus who proposed that with increase in population the natural disasters increase in order to keep a check on the population, and hence only the lucky and the fittest survive. Darwin’s theory of evolution was an extension of the Malthus theory.

Darwin was motivated by Malthus theory, which says that when population increases natural disasters increase (to put a check on the growth of population). Every living organism has immense potential to over breed. A single bacterium gives 70 generations in 20 minutes. If all the bacteria survive, then in a months time, there will be no place on earth to stand. Everything will be covered by a mountain of bacteria.The Elephant is one of the slow breeders; if all its progeny survive then in just 25 years there will be elephants at every point on earth. To check this growth nature (God) creates climatic change.

FIG.4. Increase in population brings climatic change; only the strong spirited one who can cope with the climatic change will survive.

Quran says,

“We do not change the circumstances unless you change from within.”

It means God always puts you in unfavorable conditions, and wishes that you should change and modify yourself to suit the harsh conditions, and once you get adapted to the harsh conditions, he changes the unfavorable conditions into favorable one.Thus,God loves change. First, he changes the external conditions, and then he changes you.

Imam Ali says,

“Through the change of circumstances the metal of men is known.”

The above mentioned statements of Quran and Nahjulbalagha agree with Malthus theory and the concept of climatic change.

STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE



FIG.5. Climatic change creates shortage of food which is the main reason for ‘the struggle for existence’.

Climatic change leads to struggle for existence. To face the change of circumstances or climate, species or organisms have to change or develop positive mutations (the change should help in fighting the troublesome conditions). In today’s scenario of over population and environmental damage, only those will survive who have developed a strong spirit which can control the body and make it adapt to the deteriorating climatic conditions.

Quran says,

“Every soul shall get only that for which it struggles”.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST:


FIG.6. In the struggle for existence only the fittest will survive.

Only those organisms which are fit to fight the harsh conditions are selected by nature. The climatic change, struggle for existence, and survival of the fittest concept are found in the following saying of Imam Ali (a.s),


“The survivors of sword (battle field) live longer and have large progeny.”
Nahjulbalagha saying: 84

The Battle field is a place of struggle wherein only the fit survives. Those who survive the sword live longer because they have developed positive change during their struggle and they have a large progeny because nature (God) wants these positive changes to survive.
The Quran says,

“When the mercy of God descends, the valleys flow according to their measures and only that stays which is of use to the mankind.”

According to Quran, God always wants those people or organisms to survive and grow which are useful for the creation. With constant accumulation of these positive changes new organisms come into being or in evolutionary terminology ‘originates’. This new organism multiplies tremendously owing to its new acquired characteristics which match the demand of the changing environment. The process continues. Regarding such a scenario Quran says,

“See they not how Allah originates the creation and repeats it.” Surah-29; verse-19

“Say: Travel in the land and see how (Allah) originated the creation, and then Allah will bring forth the creation of the hereafter.Verily, Allah is able to do all things”.Surah-29 v-20

God wants us to travel in the earth, like Darwin, and find the puzzle of “The Origin of Species.”

CONNECTING LINK:



FIG.7. Because of the climatic change, struggle for existence and survival of the fittest phenomena one species is converted into other species; the connecting links are an evidence of this conversion process. The above picture is of Duck Billed Platypus which is connecting link (having qualities of both birds and mammals) between birds and mammals.Scientist used to think that it is a bird, they were shocked when they found that it has mammary glands, feeds its young ones with milk and is viviparous (give birth to young ones), now it is regarded as a mammal. As God is wise, why did he create connecting links when he has created the creation at one go?


During the process of the origin of species through evolution, connecting links (animals having qualities of two different groups) are formed. Most of the connecting links which were formed during the process of evolution are found in the fossil record. Viruses are the connecting link between nonliving and living; photosynthetic microorganisms are the connecting link between bacteria and plants; parasitic bacteria are the connecting link between bacteria and animals. Lung fishes are the connecting link between fishes and amphibians; salamanders are the connecting link between amphibians and reptiles, dinosaurs are the connecting link between reptiles and birds; Duck Billed Platypus is the connecting link between birds and mammals. The list is very large. Regarding connecting linkQuran says,

“Thus We have made you (The Prophet’s family-The Infallible), a middle nation(Wasat {connecting link),that you be a witness over mankind and the Messenger be a witness over you.” Surah Baqra: 142-143

‘Ummat-e-Wasat’ in Arabic means a middle nation; a connecting link. The holy prophet and his progeny are the connecting link between God and humans. They connect human beings to God. This literally means they help people in establishing a relationship with God. All the prophets and the great saints can be called as connecting link between and God and humans. Imam Ali says,
“Do not call us God because we are his creation and hence below him, and do not call us simply humans because we are above humans”.

ORIGIN OF LIFE:




FIG.8.Life started with amino acids and nucleotide.Amino acids gave rise to proteins and nucleotides gave birth to RNA (ribose nucleic acid).The most primitive organism had RNA as genetic material. The HIV virus which causes AIDS has RNA as it’s genetic material (retro virus).Does it means that the HIV virus was existing before the arrival of human race?

The theory of evolution predicted that life originated in the oceans, and modern science has provided ample evidences of life starting at the ocean. Regarding the origination of life Quran says,

“Do not the unbelievers see that the heaven and the earth were joined together, before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?” Surah 21: verses 30.

“And Allah created every animal from water.” Surah 24 verses 25.

The most basic ingredients of life are amino acids, DNA (genes) and RNA.A piece of DNA is commonly termed as a ‘gene.’DNA is the information store house of an organism. It contains information of the sequence of amino acids in a protein. The RNA reads the information on the DNA and converts it into protein by aligning the amino acids into a sequence as mentioned on the DNA.According to the latest theory of life; RNA is the first life ingredient which was formed in the sea (the RNA played dual role of storage of information (like DNA) and sequencing the amino acids in primitive organisms). Later, amino acids were formed, which were arranged by the RNA into a sequence to give rise to the fist protein (proteins are sequence of amino acids).Thus the most primitive organism was made of only protein and RNA.When life became more complex the need for DNA wasinevitable; like in the olden days information was stored in big books then computers came, and we are using CDs and pen drives. The AIDS virus is made of only protein and RNA, and hence is considered as the most primitive life forms. The viruses which contain RNA as genetic material are called retro-viruses. All the retro-viruses hold the secret of life; there is a thorough research going on regarding the retro-viruses, now-a- days.

The viruses were converted into bacteria, the bacteria into first microscopic plant (photosynthetic green bacteria) and the first microscopic animals (the parasitic bacteria).The green bacteria invaded the land and evolved into plant kingdom; and the parasitic bacteria evolved into animal kingdom, first in the ocean then on land. Thus, animals and plants have a common ancestor. Hence when you go to a zoology department of any university, you will find a chart of phylogenic tree of evolution .The base of phylogenetic tree of evolution shows bacteria and then the stem of the phylogenic tree divides into two branches, one branch showing the evolution of plant and the other branch showing the evolution of animals. At the tip of animal branch of the phylogenic tree, we humans are placed, marking the end of the great journey.






FIG.9. The tree of evolution. Plants and animals had a common ancestor.



Now let us read what Quran says,
“Then Allah has bought you forth from the earth like a tree (nabath).”
Surah-71; verses-17
Could it be that The Holy Quran referring to the phylogenic tree of life?

DID ADAM EVOLVE FROM MONKEY?

It is possible that life originated at sea, and evolution happened till apes or monkeys, and then God sent Adam (Adam was made in the heaven before evolution started) on earth as a king (Caliph). Adam was made as a special creation, regarding the creation of Adam Imam Ali says,

“Allah collected from hard, soft, sweet, and sour, clay, which he dipped in water till it got pure, and kneaded it with moisture till it became gluey. From it, he carved an image with curves, joints, limbs, and segments. He solidified it (the soul less body of Adam (as)) and dried it and kept it just like that for a fixed time and known duration.
Nahjulbalagha: Sermon.1, page 48.

Now question is, why did God keep the body of Adam for a known time? Why did he not blow the spirit in it, there and then? For what was God actually waiting? May be God was waiting for the process evolution to complete (till apes or monkeys were formed; apes are the last stage in the process of evolution), and then sent Adam who was the chief of all that was existing on earth, just like a palace which is made and furnished with every kind of embellishments so that its king may come and claim it. The earth with all its living beings was like a well embellished palace waiting for its king, Adam, to arrive.Quran says,

“We are going to send a ‘Caliph’ (Adam) on earth.”

Imam Ali (a.s.) says:

“When he (God) has spread out the earth and enforced his command, he chose Adam as the best of his creation and made him the first of all creation.”

Nahjulbalagha: Sermon-89, page 174

Thus, Adam was made before the process of evolution began on earth hence, God did not blow his spirit in him, but only after the process of evolution was completed, God blew his spirit in Adam and sent him from the heaven to the earth to control the less intelligent. Compete intelligence can never be achieved through evolution, it has to be made, and that was Adam “The best of creation(ashraf-ul-maqlooqat.)”

reference

2. IMAM ALI (A.S) AND GEOLOGY

It is through the strength of God’s greatness and His subtle power of innovation that He made the solid dry earth out of the water of the fathomless, compact and dashing ocean. Then He made from the ocean skies (samawat) and separated them into seven layers (seven layers of atmosphere) after they have been joined together. Nahjulbalagha: sermon, 209

The above paragraph is taken from Nahjulbalagha which was compiled in 1000 A.D (422 A.H) by Sharif Razi (student of Sheikh Mufeed). It is still regarded as a masterpiece of Arabic language and is taught as a course of rhetoric in Islamic universities. Since its compilation both the Sunni and the Shia scholars have been writing commentaries on it, and in fact, one of the best (popular) commentary on Nahjulbalagha is by a Sunni scholar namedIbne-Abil-Hadeed and is called sharah-Nahjulbalgha.

Coming back to the above mentioned paragraph, Imam Ali (a.s) says that the earth and the seven layers of it’s atmosphere were created from the oceans. It is only four decades since the establishment of the seven layer theory of the earth’s atmosphere by

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the modern science. The seven layers of atmosphere as established are,

1. Troposphere

2. Stratosphere

3. Ozonosphere

4. Mesosphere

5. Thermosphere

6. Ionosphere

7. Exosphere

(The ORM seven layers standard atmosphere: Nicholas Devaney and Mette Owner, September, 13, 2001.)

It is also mentioned in Quran that there are seven layers to the sky above us in the following verses,

“It is He (God) who created everything on earth for you and then directed his attention up to the sky (samawat) and arranged it into seven layers. He has knowledge of all things.” Quran:2:220

In the above verse the seven skies are mentioned in the context of earth, and their formation is referred after the creation of earth, this implies that the seven skies refer to the seven layers of atmosphere. Imam Ali (a.s) too talks about the seven skies in the context of earth and further attributes their (atmosphere’s) origin to the oceans of earth.

Fig.5.Picture showing the formation of atmospheric oxygen, carbon dioxide and hydrogen from the water of ocean.

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According to Imam Ali (a.s), the atmosphere originated from the ocean, which is a very modern concept and all the present day geologists hold the same theory which is still in the process of research. The atmosphere contains oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide which are in the highest percentage. The oxygen of atmosphere is supposed to be formed from the break down of water by the ultraviolet rays of the sun and the same is supposed to be the case with atmospheric hydrogen (The Atmosphere: Lutgens and Tarbuk). The nitrogen of the atmosphere can be attributed to the nitrates of the ocean and the carbon dioxide to it’s carbonates.

Fig.6. Picture showing the seven layers

Of the earth’s atmosphere.

Coming to the second paragraph of the same sermon (sermon.210) Imam Ali (a.s) says,

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“He (God) also created high hills, rocks of stones and lofty mountains. He put those (mountains) in their positions and made them remain stationary. Their peaks rose into air while their roots remained in water.” Nahjulbalagha:sermon,209

In the above Para, Imam Ali (a.s) introduces the concept of mountain roots which has been discovered in 19th century while studying the phenomenon of Isostasy (state of equilibrium between earth’s crust and atmosphere). The concept of mountain roots was discovered in India by a British scientist during his study of isostasy of the Himalayan mountains (Gravity and Isostasy: John Fillmore Hayford,1917). There is nowhere mentioned in Quran, directly, that mountains have roots, but their existence can be inferred from the following verse of Quran,

“Have we not made the earth as bed and the mountains its pegs?” Quran: 78:6-7

Fig.7.Picture showing relation between earth crust and mountain root (Google: picture of mountain roots)

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Fig.9.Mountain roots were discovered when,Gerorge Everest,the surveyor general of India found some anamoly in the data of the Himalayas.He called John Pratt to analyse the data who finally dicovered 'Isostasy' and hence, mountain roots (1850)

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At this stage one would say that it is indeed miraculous for a man of 7th century A.D to be aware of a concept which is considered as a discovery of 19th century: Faith is always ahead of science.