IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
Science and religion have been two most ardent enemies for centuries, what religion
believes in, is rejected by science and what the science proves, is refuted by religion.
In the Quran, we have a Scripture which is not only mathematically coded, but has numerous
verses with scientific implications, far advanced than the time of it's revelation. The
astounding nature of these veses serves to re-iterate that the Quran's source is divine,
no human could have known so many of these facts fourteen centuries ago.
This article examines Iron, as it occurs in the Quran - the subject of Sura (chapter)
57.
Sura 57th is named after the element iron, Al Hadid (amazingly, the gematrical values
of the Arabic letters also add up to 57). It is placed right in the middle of the Quran,
and it is chosen out of all the elements of the world for a reason. There are 114
Suras in the Quran. 56 Suras before Sura Iron, and 57 Suras after.
The Almighty introduces Iron to us in Sura 57:25: "... And we sent
down the iron, in which there is strength and many benefits for the people…"
This verse marks the 26th occurrence of the word God (Allah) from the beginning of this
sura. 26 also happens to be the Atomic Number of iron! Very much like a fingerprint
that is unique for every human being, and no two human beings have the same fingerprint,
the Atomic Number of an element is also unique for that element. Chemically, iron is a
metal, and is the 26th element in the Periodic Table, (atomic number=26), but it has the
Atomic Mass Number of 56.
The Periodic Table is an arrangement of known elements according to their Atomic Mass.
It was first compiled in 1869, by a Russian chemist called Dimitri Mendeleev. The elements
are identified and placed according to their chemical behavior and Atomic/Molecular Mass
Number. Some have been discovered already, and others are made in the laboratory. Still
others have not yet been discovered.
The table starts with the lightest element of the world, which is Hydrogen, and which
has a molecular mass of 1. The last one on the Table is the 106th element, Seaborgium.
This element is named after Professor Seaborge of Berkeley University, and is not found in
the nature, but has been synthesized in very small quantity in the laboratory.
The Molecular Mass is the sum of the masses of atoms, which make up the element.Iron
(denoted by the symbol: Fe), and is the 26th element on the table.
Here are some other interesting mathematical observations with regards to Iron:
Verse 25 of Sura 57 is the 19th verse from the beginning of the sura, where the word
God (Allah) is mentioned. If we count all the occurrence of the word God from the
beginning of the Quran including 57:25 the total occurrence is 2443. Notice that Sura 43
is the 24th initialed Sura and Sura 43 has 89 verses. Number 89 is the 24th prime number.
Some of the benefits of iron are:
The vitamins and minerals, which are beneficial for our bodies, have been discovered in
the 20th century and are part of our daily nutrition; iron is one of these minerals. Iron
is present in our blood hemoglobin and without it the chance of survival is limited. (Iron
is present in liver, spinach and certain vegetables). Pregnant women are recommended to
take iron pills to the benefit of both themselves and their babies. To enhance the
growth of the plants, trees, we feed them with iron that eventually will benefit the human
beings. Iron is used in cast iron in structures, buildings, bridges, and skyscrapers for
its strength. It is used in machinery, equipment, cars, engines, airplanes, boats, space
shuttles etc.
Why Iron? Iron is the third most abundant element of the world; (Silicon is first.
Aluminum, is the second, 5% of the earth crust contains iron.
Where did iron come from? Scientist now know how iron got on planet earth and in fact
there is an extensive article in Time magazine[1] about the function of iron, and the
critical role it played in the formation of life:
In the beginning, approximately 4.6 billion years ago, when planet earth was being
formed, there was hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and iron in space. These
molecules were formed at the BIG Bang, and iron started to soak up the oxygen. This
prevented the carbon and the nitrogen from reacting with oxygen. If, oxygen had combined
with these two elements, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides would have been formed, which
are both hazardous gases for human beings. Instead, iron reacted with oxygen and turned
into rust, (this is the reaction that happens between iron and oxygen when it forms ferric
oxide). This gave carbon and the nitrogen a chance, which both reacted with hydrogen and
formed methane and ammonia. Subsequently, these two compounds eventually formed DNA (the
building block of the living creatures).
After the radioactive elements slowly increased the temperature of the planet earth,
the iron that was on the surface of the earth for 100 millions of years, started to melt
and reached the core.
According to Science News Magazine[2], the earth 's iron core lies 2,900 kilometer
below our feet. It has proved less accessible than the outer reaches of the solar system!
The earth's inner core remains a solid despite the heat deep inside the planet.
Surrounding this hard center lies the outer core, which are molten iron and other
lighter elements. The movement of these fluids is important because they generate Earth's
magnetic field, one of the factors which help this planet to be hospitable for life. In
the 21st century, if we were to open the core of the earth, we will only see iron as the
major element (there is a very low percentage of nickel present too). This explains the
electromagnetic field of the planet earth. If you take a compass it will show you the
direction of the north.
In Sura 17 verse 49 we read: They said, "After we turn into fragments, we get
resurrected anew? 17:50 Say, Even if you turn into rocks or iron.
This verse contains remarkable insight:
All the matters seek the most stable state, which is the lowest energy level. Iron is
the most stable element in the world according to Quantum Mechanics, therefore given time,
all matters will eventually reach the most stable state, that is they will be converted
into Iron !
As you can see for yourself, a lot of the information related to iron, has only come to
light in the the 20th century, and later. These details were certainly not known in
the 6th century, when Quran was revealed.
Some may argue that at the time of Prophet Mohammed, iron did of course exist, and
therefore could be detailed (in the Quran). While it may be true that some of their tools
and utensils were made of iron, it is almost certain that they did not have the
information of the key role iron plays in life. They could not possibly have known of its
presence in the core of the earth, it's presence in our blood, it's atomic number,
and many other benefits which are crucial to life.
As a matter of fact, one cannot help but ask, why a sura on iron? Why not a sura on
silver and gold? Even with all this information, some may still say this is just
coincidence. If it is all just coincidence, then it is truly an awesome coincidence.
However, logic, and the laws of odds, point to these phenomena not being a result of
mere coincidences. Once that realisation is reached, the only possible, humbling, response
would be to give thanks and proclaim that glory be to God, Lord of the Universe. Creator
of all things, Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Seer the Hearer, the Knower, the
Most Merciful, the Most Gracious, the Initiator, the One God, the Only God, the Almighty,
the Alpha and the Omega.
Manije Khorasani
March,2001
References:
[1] October,11, 1993
[2] March, 28th,1992