Allah Almighty has stated in the Qur’an:
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ (95:4)
“Indeed, We created man in the best form.”
The meaning of “best workmanship” is that among all the creatures in the universe, man is the most excellent. Man’s superiority over creation is based on the fact that within him exists the capacity to know hidden sciences, to understand them, and to benefit from them. Scientific inventions of centuries past and those of today are, in reality, demonstrations of the use of these hidden capacities. Everything on earth is enclosed in a sheath of light, and within that sheath, proportions are at work. When man awakens his hidden faculties and contemplates upon something, even if it is an atom, the forces concealed within that thing are unveiled to him. Modern scientific progress is also based upon this very law.
As scientists pondered further, the constructive and destructive forces working inside matter were disclosed to them. They concluded that everything in the universe, whether liquid, solid, or gaseous, is composed of atoms, and that the atom itself is mostly empty space.
Some substances consist entirely of similar atoms, and such substances are called elements, such as hydrogen, carbon, iron, gold, lead, and uranium among the natural ones, and platinum among the man-made ones. Apart from elements, compounds consist of atoms of different elements bound together. Through such binding, molecules are formed.
The word “atom” comes from Greek, meaning “indivisible thing.” In Greek, “tom” means to cut, while the prefix “a” negates it. Thus, “atom” literally means something that cannot be divided. The term was given by the Greek philosopher Democritus, who proposed that everything in existence is made of tiny indivisible particles. The size of an atom is about 1/25,000,000th of an inch or 1/10,000,000th of a centimeter, meaning millions of atoms could fit on the tip of a needle. Light objects have light atoms, and heavy objects have heavy ones. The soul of all living beings, including man, is also composed of atoms, though the atoms of the soul are subtler and finer. According to Democritus, death occurs when all the atoms of the soul leave the body, leaving none behind to restore life.
Research has shown that the number of electrons in each atom varies. These electrons revolve around the nucleus in successive orbits with order and balance. Questions arose: Why do electrons not tire over time? Why does their energy not diminish? Why do they not collapse into the nucleus? The answer given is that electrons move on different energy levels around the nucleus. They can jump from one level to another but cannot remain suspended in between. When an atom is exposed to heat or radiation, its electrons absorb energy and leap to higher levels. When the external energy ceases, the electrons return to lower levels, releasing the absorbed energy as light. The wavelength of the light depends on the amount of energy absorbed.
Another discovery added a new chapter to atomic research: some elements emit energy spontaneously in the form of rays. Uranium was the first such element discovered, but radium is an even stronger source of energy. Pierre and Marie Curie discovered that radium continuously emits rays, proving it to be a radioactive metal.
Lord Rutherford and Frederick Soddy revolutionized the concept of the atom, proving it divisible. They showed that radium atoms undergo continuous disintegration, releasing particles and transforming into lighter atoms different from the original radium.
Scientists claim to have captured images showing the internal state of atoms. The first such photo was released by the University of Pennsylvania, magnified 275,000 times.
Research has established that matter and energy are two forms of the same reality. Every known particle, when split, ultimately manifests as energy.
Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an:
وَمَا ذَرَأَ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَذَّكَّرُونَ (16:13)
“And all the variegated things He has created for you on the earth—indeed, in them is a sign for people who reflect.”
اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ (24:35)
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.”
مَّا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِن شَيْءٍ (6:38)
“There is nothing small or great but it is all explained in the Book.”
قُلْ أَنزَلَهُ الَّذِي يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ (25:6)
“Say: It has been sent down by Him who knows the secret of the heavens and the earth.”
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ… الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا مَّا تَرَىٰ فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ مِن تَفَاوُتٍ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَىٰ مِن فُطُورٍ (67:1-3)
“Exalted is He who created with measured proportions and then informed of the creative formulas.”
This means Allah created everything with determined measures, the atoms and their energies, which operate by a divine discipline. Nothing escapes His knowledge, neither the greatest heavenly body nor the tiniest electron.
The Qur’an states:
عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْهُ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا أَصْغَرُ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَا أَكْبَرُ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ (34:3)
“He knows the unseen. Not a particle in the heavens or the earth, nor anything smaller or greater, escapes Him, but it is all recorded in a clear book.”
In this verse three kinds of particles are mentioned:
- A particle with weight (مثقال ذرۃ), which is the atom.
- That which is smaller, such as electrons, protons, and neutrons.
- That which is greater, meaning the compounds and larger formations of atoms.
Thus, the Qur’an affirms that Allah is the Creator of every particle, its parts, and all that lies within the heavens and the earth.
He also says:
وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا (29:69)
“And those who strive for Us, We will surely guide them to Our ways.”
And regarding metals:
وَأَنزَلْنَا الْحَدِيدَ فِيهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ (57:25)
“And We sent down iron, in which is great strength and benefits for mankind.”
The secret of gold-making lies in understanding the divine proportions of atoms. Lead and gold differ only in the arrangement of these measures. Whoever gains insight into these proportions can alter them and transmute one into the other. This is why Allah says:
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مِّنْهُ (45:13)
“And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, all from Him.”
The implication is that by reflection, man can gain knowledge of the hidden measures upon which the sun, moon, earth, angels, jinn, plants, and minerals exist.
In summary, the atom is a composition of proportions. Every material unit is wrapped in light, and over the light is a sheath of radiance. Beyond light lies nur, moving at speeds greater than light. When human thought pierces beyond light into nur, the secrets of energy are unveiled.
If science were guided by the Qur’an and prophetic wisdom, it would become a source of peace and light. But as it stands, driven by selfishness, science has brought humanity to the edge of destruction.
By Beloved Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA), from the book Rainbow