The sky as a covering?
Satyarth Prakash
7."Who hath spread the earth as a bed for you and the heaven as a covering." (Surah 2: 22.)
C. ~ Well! Can the heaven a covering for anything? Now does it not show ignorance (of the author of the Qoran)?
It is absurd to believe in the sky being a covering. If the Mohammedans believe some kind of planet to be the heaven, it can only be the work of their own imagination.
The Response
This allegation is an excellent example to see man’s ignorance compared to Allah’s knowledge. Swamiji raised this objection in 1875, according to his 19th century scientific knowledge. A truly knowledgeable person would not object to anything unless he has perfect knowledge about it. That is the reason Allah, The Glorified, speaks about two types of verses in the Quran. Allah, The Exalted says,
“He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: in it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are not of well-established meaning. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is not of well-established meaning. Seeking discord and searching for its interpretation, but no one knows its true meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole of it is from our Lord"; and none will grasp the Message except people of understanding.” [Surah 3: Ayah 7]
As per this verse, there are two types of verses in the Quran
- Muhkamaat whose meaning is clear
- Mutashaabihaat whose meaning is not entirely clear, but with the passage of time might become clear.
Allah describes those having true faith in Him to be those who believe in all of it. Had Swamiji taken the path of wisdom and avoided speaking about a thing of which he had no knowledge, it would have been better for him and his followers. Let the same science, which he accorded great status; inform him and his followers about the truth of the Quran. Let us see how the advancement in scientific knowledge proved Swamiji in the wrong and being the one is ignorance.
This attribute of the sky has been proved by scientific research carried out in the 20th century.
The atmosphere surrounding the earth serves crucial functions for the continuity of life. While destroying many meteors big and small as they approach the earth, it prevents them from falling to earth and harming living things.
In addition, the atmosphere filters the light rays coming from space that are harmful to living things. Interestingly, the atmosphere lets only harmless and useful rays– visible light, near ultraviolet light, and radio waves pass through. All of this radiation is vital for life. Near ultraviolet rays, which are only partially let in by the atmosphere, are very important for the photosynthesis of plants and for the survival of all living beings. The majority of the intense ultraviolet rays emitted from the sun are filtered out by the ozone layer of the atmosphere and only a limited–and essential–part of the ultraviolet spectrum reaches the Earth.
The protective function of the atmosphere does not end here. The atmosphere also protects the earth from the freezing cold of the space, which is about minus 270oC.
It is not only the atmosphere that protects the Earth from harmful effects. In addition to the atmosphere, the Van Allen Belt, a layer caused by the magnetic field of the Earth, also serves as a shield against the harmful radiation that threatens our planet. This radiation, which is constantly emitted by the Sun and other stars, is deadly to living things. If the Van Allen belt did not exist, the massive outbursts of energy called solar flares that frequently occur in the Sun would destroy all life on Earth.
Dr. Hugh Ross has this to say on the importance of Van Allen Belts to our lives:
In fact, the Earth has the highest density of any of the planets in our Solar System. This large nickel-iron core is responsible for our large magnetic field. This magnetic field produces the Van-Allen radiation shield, which protects the Earth from radiation bombardment. If this shield were not present, life would not be possible on the Earth. The only other rocky planet to have any magnetic field is Mercury - but its field strength is 100 times less than the Earth's. Even Venus, our sister planet, has no magnetic field. The Van-Allen radiation shield is a design unique to the Earth [1].
The energy transmitted in just one of these bursts detected in recent years was calculated to be equivalent to 100 billion atomic bombs similar to the one dropped on Hiroshima. Fifty-eight hours after the burst, it was observed that the magnetic needles of compasses displayed unusual movement and 250 kilometers above the earth's atmosphere, the temperature suddenly increased to 2,500oC.
In short, a perfect system is at work high above the Earth. It surrounds our world and protects it against external threats. Scientists only learned about it recently, yet centuries ago, God informed us in the Qur'an of the world's atmosphere functioning as a protective shield.”
Praise be to Allah, Who put to shame all who pointed fingers at the Quran and He revealed the Glory of His Word. Our brothers and sisters who follow Swami Dayanand Saraswati must be ready to follow the 4th rule of Arya Samaj, which is
"All persons should always be ready to accept the truth and renounce the untruth".
Allah says in the Quran,
"Soon will We show them our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?" [Surah 41: Ayah 53]
Now what do the Vedas speak about the sky? Let the Vedas speak for themselves. There is a Hymn (Sukt) in Atharva Veda for the glorification of the Odana i.e. oblation of boiled rice, in Atharva Ved Kanda 11. It says,
"This earth, is the cooking pot, and sun the lid of the Odana (rice) as it is cooking." [Atharva Veda, Kandam 11; Sukt 3; Mantra 11]
See also the scanned image from the Arya Samaj hindi translation
How is this Sun a lid/cover for the cooking pot? With all due respect, can we reverse the question to Swamiji and his followers, and request them to make us understand what scientific concept is spoken here?
FOOTNOTES
[1] Taken from Big Bang Refined by Fire by Dr. Hugh Ross, 1998. Reasons To Believe, Pasadena, CA.
This ends our 7th response. New points and research might be incorporated if needed.