Is that Too Much to Ask?
Will anyone, in his sane mind, call the Solar System an accidental creation?
To most of those who express disbelief in God, especially such of them who live in our part of the world, it might be good to know where they live, (that is, the ‘little’ cosmos of ours)and the people who live within it– meaning the earth and the Solar System. We call it ‘little’ because although it is huge by itself,this Solar System is but a tiny invisible peck when compared to the galaxy, and the galaxy is but a tiny invisible spec compared to the cosmos: the universe.
But, before the Solar System, we may ask a fashionable atheist of half-baked ideas –yet, proud of his knowledge – whether he understands the planet and the people who live in in? We suspect he does not, beyond the understanding of a man in the street. This is because,like most of the atheists,he lives in a void, a dream world. This affects his mind and psychology. So, if one of them says that his understanding is beyond what we think, then we may ask: What, for instance, does he know about New Yorkers? Does he see with his mind’s eye the thousands and thousands of the homeless men and women sleeping in the streets, parks, and at the foot of the skyscrapers, many of them college-educated?
What does he see beyond the skyline of the tall buildings? He might not be seeing the realities. Does he know that just behind those skyscrapers, the area extending miles and miles in depth and width is filled by slums where live tens of thousands of single women, and, as many jobless men?The atheist needs to know not only the borders of the continents, but also the life within the borders. The knowledge of the life-conditions of the majority of people is more essential to know than geographical borders.
If he cannot see these facts, then no worry because he sees what a goat sees. Both share the same amount of knowledge. His arguments then, against the existence of God, are as heavy as fog.He need not air superiority on grounds that he speaks from a higher pedestal. That might bring him down to the earth and cure him of his pride, a factor in his denial.
Well, to go on, science theorizes that our Solar System formed out of a cloud of gas. We say it theorizes because there is no definite proof of the formation. It is a scientific guess. NASA says:
“Our solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago from a dense cloud of interstellar gas and dust. The cloud collapsed, possibly due to the shock wave of a nearby exploding star, called a supernova. When this dust cloud collapsed, it formed a solar nebula—a spinning, swirling disk of material.”
Note the use of word “possibly” above.
It consists of the Sun in the center, surrounded by a number of planets? How many exactly? Well, there is no agreement over the number. A scientific statement says: “In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially adopted a resolution defining planets within the Solar System. This definition is controversial …” And, “The current count (of the planets) orbiting our star is: eight.”
Note the use of word “controversial” above.
At all events, according to other systems of scientific calculations, our Solar system has not eight, but more planets. Thirteen and fifteen are other contenders.
The Qur’an implied that there are eleven planets.
Let’s take the moon revolving the earth. NASA once again:
“The leading theory of the Moon’s origin is that a Mars-sized body collided with Earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago, and the resulting debris from both Earth and the impact or accumulated to form our (moon).”
Again, note the words: “The leading theory…” So, there are many “theories,” not facts.
Another theory suggests: “While this theory fell out of favor during the 1980s, it was recently suggested that Earth could have filched its moon from Venus.”
The point in presenting these theories is to emphasize that these are “theories” – not facts. At some point or the other, all scientific facts need the support of a walking stick called conjecture. And the object of us pointing them out here is that the world of the atheists is filled with, as one of them claims,not on ‘scientific facts, but conjectures.’ Consequently, his attitude is of one of pride. But, in actual fact, his world is the world of phantoms. All his theories, and heated arguments, which he claims as ‘scientific,’ about God’s non-existence are based, not on facts, but on phantoms. His claim that the religious people do not stand on firm grounds, and that they are unreasonable, sentimental, and fanatical, in their arguments, are wrong. His allegations and assessment of those he looks down upon, applies to him first.
Coming back to the moon, to believe that it came to occupy the place it does now, is an unplanned accident, is not too strong an opinion. A simple experiment will demonstrate the error: Take two strong and weak magnets and place them on a table. Assume they are the Sun and the Earth. Next, place a much smaller magnet somewhere between the two in a position where it stays stationary because you have determined a place which undergoes equal pull from the other two magnets (your sun and the earth). To clarify, your third magnet stays in position and does not get attracted to either side. Assume this little magnet as the moon. To clarify further, it stays in position and does not crash into your sun or earth because you have placed it at a position where the gravitational forces from the two sides cancel out each other.
In the next step, take another magnet, call it your Venus, and place it anywhere between your Sun and the Earth, (within the orbital circle of the earth and its moon, but not in the same line) in a way that it (the Venus)does not rush up in attraction to the three other magnets (i.e., your Sun, the Earth and the Moon). Now, don’t get tired too soon in your effort to place your Venus in such a position. Give it a try of an hour. You may fail, even if you tried for hours upon hours. What you discover is that whenever and wherever you place your Venus, the other three collapse into each other. There is only one position for this new element (your Venus) where the attracting forces balance out in a way that all stay in their positions. That is, none is able to move because your chosen balanced position of their forces of attraction, does not allow any to change its position. There is only one such position in the entire orbital circle; and you cannot determine it through trial and error.
As if that is not enough of a complication, you bring in other eight or ten planets and 200 of their moons represented by magnets, and place them in their positions without any crashing into each other. You will say, “That’s impossible.”
Yes, it is impossible. But, let us suppose that you are a man of magical powers, so you can achieve the above. Then, our next requirement would be that you fill the region between planets Mars and Jupiter with a billion rocks and stones of varying sizes, (call it an Asteroid Belt). The belt is 1.5 million km thick, and revolving around the sun, just as the planets do.
Now even magic will fail. Remember that we could not create a complete computer-model of the Solar System. Here is something that challenges our imagination. It is the Kuiper Belt. Starting from just past Neptune and extending to 75 million km in width, its thickness is about 15 million km. It too orbits the Sun. It consists of frozen ice such as methane, ammonia and water.
We believe that is enough for the moment. Therefore, let us create a mental image of the system. Now,having achieved that, lift the whole thing up to move each of the components to their/its place in the sphere, including the two belts.
Then, push a button to get the whole thing move; i.e., orbiting (around the Sun) while orbiting around its axis and their moon around the planes: the 8-10 planets, the 200 moons, and the belts; each in its orbit, moving.
Will anyone in his sane mind call the Solar System an accidental creation?
The Qur’an says: “Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of the night and the day are signs for men of understanding. (3: 190)
Allah (swt) urges the atheist to be reasonable. Is that too much to ask?
