Mohamed Jameel, Post Date: 15 November 2023.
Ancient Views about Heavenly Bodies in the Sky.
Throughout human history, diverse beliefs and perceptions have played a significant role in shaping our understanding of the stars, planets, sun, and moon. Ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians, Greeks, Arabians, Africans, and Asians held deep admiration for these celestial objects, attributing divine significance to them. In Greek mythology, there are tales of sky gods who govern various elements, including seasons, wind, light, and darkness. The very constellations we recognize today derive their names from the narratives woven into the fabric of Greek and Roman cultures. Often depicted as clusters of stars, these constellations are associated with gods, goddesses, animals, and objects, all interwoven into captivating stories.
Our Sky and Milky Way Galaxy.
Today we know that the majority of stars visible to us in the sky are concentrated within a ‘bubble’ of space approximately 10,000 light-years across in the Milky Way galaxy that spans around 100,000 light years. The Milky Way hosts a staggering number of stars, ranging between 100 billion to 400 billion, but only a fraction of stars are visible to the naked eye. A substantial portion of these stars remains concealed, veiled by gas and dust, making them invisible even to the most advanced telescopes. Under optimal stargazing conditions—free from the moon’s luminance, with sparse clouds, and absent city lights—one has the potential to observe between 2 and 7 galaxies scattered as luminous points in the night sky through the Milky Way. Using powerful telescopes, you can see many thousands of Galaxies that could thought of as distant worlds.
In various Arabic dialects, “Samaa” is a common term referring to the sky. In the following verse (Quran 37:6), the word “السَّمَاءَ” indicates “the sky” of the earth. The Earth’s sky comprises everything within the vast structure we now recognize as the Milky Way galaxy. The semantics of the ayah show that “السَّمَاءَ” and “الدُّنْيَا” can be more appropriately translated as the “sky of the earth”. However, most translators used the word “nearest heaven” or “lower heaven” instead, probably to refer to the Milky Way Galaxy.
إِنَّا زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِزِينَةٍ الْكَوَاكِبِ ﴿٦﴾
Indeed, We have adorned the nearest heaven with an adornment of stars (Qur’an 37:6)- Sahih International
We have adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the stars (Qur’an 37:6)- Maududi
The sky is not a canopy as ancient people thought. Our atmosphere is transparent and consists of a mixture of gases. Throughout the day, the sky is predominantly blue, except during sunrise and sunset when different shades of red and orange are seen. The blue sky is caused by the scattering of blue light more than other colors by the molecules in the air. We can see the moon through the atmosphere during the day, but stars and planets are not visible due to the bright illumination of the sun. At night, luminous objects such as stars become visible against a dark background in the absence of sunlight.
…….. خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا
He created the heavens without pillars that you see…. (Qur’an 31:10)- Sahih International
The Sky and Heaven- Are they the same?
Numerous ancient cultures held a belief in an afterlife. Take the Egyptians, for instance—they believed that following death and the judgment process, the soul continued to exist in a world resembling our own. In order to facilitate a smoother transition to the afterlife and prevent any potential punishment to the soul, they inscribed funerary texts on items like coffins and placed them in significant locations, such as pyramids.
Cambridge Dictionary (2023) states that in some religions heaven is imagined to be in the sky, where God resides, and where virtuous individuals are believed to go after death to experience perfect happiness. We can neither accept nor reject the idea that heaven is in the sky as there is a vast region beyond our own galaxy that we cannot explore, especially anything behind the visible universe.
The Qur’an employs specific Arabic terms, such as “Jannath” (Garden) and “Dhaar” (Home), to illustrate the realm where individuals attain eternal bliss, pleasure, youth, and immortality. Examples include Dhaar As-Salaam (Qur’an 6:127), Dhaar Al-Muttaqeen (Qur’an 16:30), Jannat Al-Khuld (Qur’an 18:107), and Janaat Al-Firdaws (Qur’an 16:30), among others. These places are enduring and transcend any part of the physical and visible universe, such as a galaxy (samaa), which Allah pledged to conclude, as mentioned in the Qur’an (21:104).
يَوْمَ نَطْوِي السَّمَاءَ كَطَيِّ السِّجِلِّ لِلْكُتُبِ ۚ كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُّعِيدُهُ ۚ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَا ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ ﴿١٠٤﴾
The Day when We will fold the heaven like the folding of a [written] sheet for the records. As We began the first creation, We will repeat it. [That is] a promise binding upon Us. Indeed, We will do it. (Qur’an 21:104)- Sahih International
The above verse suggests a return of the galaxy to its state before its creation. Additionally, the Qur’an (39:68) states that when the horn is blown, everyone in the skies (السَّمَاوَاتِ) will experience death, except those spared by Allah’s will. This implies that such an ending applies not only to our galaxy but also to many others.
Formation of Milky Way Galaxy and the Solar System
Similar to other galaxies, the Milky Way originated from a proto-galactic cloud composed of gas and dust. Scientists propose that gravitational forces elevated this cosmic haze, setting off a rotational motion. Consequently, the Milky Way evolved into a medium-sized disk. Gravity played a crucial role in causing gas within the disk to accumulate in distinct regions, leading to the formation of sun-like stars and clusters. Within the Milky Way, as these stars approach the end of their life cycles, the remaining material blends with gas, giving rise to nebulae and facilitating the birth of new stars and planetary systems. Our solar system, including Earth, is a product of such a nebula. Over time, the rotation of these stars and galaxies within the disk contributed to the formation of the spiral arms that adorn our galaxy today. Verse 11 of Surah Fussilat (سورة فصلت) in the Qur’an, describes how the heaven (sky) is created in simple language that someone with no scientific background can also understand.
ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَهِيَ دُخَانٌ فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ ائْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا قَالَتَا أَتَيْنَا طَائِعِينَ ﴿١١﴾
Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, “Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion.” They said, “We have come willingly. (Qur’an 41:11)- Sahih International
What is “smoke”? Smoke is a collection of tiny solid, liquid, and gas particles. This is so accurate as a proto-galactic cloud composed of gas and dust. If we look at the order of creation by going through the phrase, “… said to it and to the earth..”, we see the sky (Milky Way Galaxy) was created first and then follows the earth (Solar system). Not vise vasa.
Could there be living things beyond the Earth?
With the recent discovery of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system), we now acknowledge the possibility of living things in other galaxies. Our telescopes reveal thousands of galaxies, some of which are so distant that identifying individual stars and orbiting planets becomes impossible, limiting our knowledge about them.
اللَّـهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ وَمِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ يَتَنَزَّلُ الْأَمْرُ بَيْنَهُنَّ لِتَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ وَأَنَّ اللَّـهَ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا ﴿١٢﴾
It is Allah who has created seven heavens and of the earth, the like of them. [His] command descends among them so you may know that Allah is over all things competent and that Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge. (Qur’an 65:12)- Sahih International
In Qur’an (65:12), the term “سَمَاوَاتٍ” (samaawaathi) is used, which is the plural form of “السَّمَاءَ,” (Samaa) translating to “skies.” The word “سَبْعَ“, (Sab’a) in Arabic means seven. In Arabic seven is used for seven countable objects or for many objects.
There are thousands of galaxies in the universe. There may be seven or more Earth-like planets in seven or more galaxies in the universe. Those residing on any of these planets would perceive a sky similar to what we see on Earth. The stars and other celestial objects they observe are specific to the galaxy they inhabit.
The Qur’an (39:68), states that when the horn is blown, whoever is on the earth and in the skies (referring to other galaxies) will fall dead, except those whom Allah wills. This verse implies the existence of life beyond the Earth. If there were no living things in these galaxies, there would be no reason for them to perish as described.
نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَصَعِقَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَن شَاءَ اللَّـهُ ۖ ثُمَّ نُفِخَ فِيهِ أُخْرَىٰ فَإِذَا هُمْ قِيَامٌ يَنظُرُونَ ﴿٦٨﴾
And the Horn will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will fall dead except whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown again, and at once they will be standing, looking on (Qur’an 39:68)- Sahih International
Can we go out of the Milky Way Galaxy?
In order to escape and go out of any Galaxy such as the Milky Way, the object should pass through three regions which are called gravitational fields. They are the gravitational field of the planet, host star, and galactic center.
يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَن تَنفُذُوا مِنْ أَقْطَارِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ فَانفُذُوا ۚ لَا تَنفُذُونَ إِلَّا بِسُلْطَانٍ ﴿٣٣﴾
O company of jinn and mankind, if you are able to pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass. You will not pass except by authority [from Allah] (Qur’an 55:33)- Sahih International
O company of jinn and men, if you have the power to go beyond the bounds of the heavens and the earth, go beyond them! Yet you will be unable to go beyond them for that requires infinite power. (Quran 55:33)- Maududi
The Quran (55:33) mentions regions that are gravitational fields of the Earth, Sun, and Milky Way. In order to reach space, any spacecraft should pass through Earth’s atmosphere and the gravitational field that slows it down. To avoid falling back to Earth, it requires an escape velocity of 11.2 km/s from the surface of the Earth. “Velocity” is a term employed in physics to describe “speed with direction”. Similarly, to escape from the Sun’s gravitational field at the distance of Earth, one needs an escape velocity of 42.1 km/s. If the object escapes Earth but does not reach the escape velocity of the Sun, it falls back toward the Sun.
To escape the gravitational field of the galactic center of the Milky Way galaxy, an escape velocity of 550 km/s is required at the distance of the Sun from the galactic center. If an object escapes from the solar system and does not reach this velocity, it orbits around the galactic center. The escape velocity decreases according to the inverse square law when you go away from an object in its gravitational field.
Even at the escape velocity of 550 km/s, it would take an object more than 25 million years to travel from the center of the Milky Way to its outer edge across the disc. If you were able to travel at the speed of light (approximately 300,000 km/s), you could exit the Milky Way through its nearest boundary and reach the closest neighboring galaxy, the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, in 25,000 years. Nevertheless, such a journey would be impossible according to the laws of physics, as it requires substantial energy and spans numerous generations of human lives.
****************