The Equilibrium in
the Explosion
The
explosive vigour of the universe is thus matched with almost unbelievable
accuracy to its gravitating power. The big bang was not evidently, any
old bang, but an explosion of exquisitely arranged magnitude.
Paul Davies, Professor of Theoretical Physics17
In the first chapter we examined the universe's creation from nothingness
as a result of a great explosion. Let us now consider some of the implications
of this. Scientists estimate that there are over 300 billion galaxies in
the whole universe. These galaxies have a number of different forms (spiral, elliptical,
etc) and each contains about as many stars as the universe contains galaxies.
One of these stars, the Sun, has nine major planets rotating around in it in great
harmony. All of us live on the third of those planets counting from the sun. Look
about you: Does what you see appear to be a disordered jumble of matter haphazardly
scattered this way and that? Of course not. But how could matter have formed organized
galaxies if it had been dispersed randomly? Why has matter accumulated at certain
points and formed stars? How could the delicate balance of our solar system have
emerged from a violent explosion? These are very important questions and they
lead us to the real question of how the universe was structured after the Big
Bang. If the Big Bang was indeed a such cataclysmic explosion
then it is reasonable to expect that matter should have been scattered everywhere
at random. And yet it is not. Instead it is organized into planets, and stars,
and galaxies, and clusters of galaxies, and superclusters of galaxies. It is as
if a bomb that exploded in a granary caused all the wheat to fall into neat sacks
and bales on the backs of trucks ready to be delivered instead of showering the
grains every which way. Fred Hoyle, a staunch opponent of the Big Bang theory
for years, expressed his own surprise at this structure:
The big bang theory holds that the universe began with
a single explosion. Yet as can be seen below, an explosion merely throws
matter apart, while the big bang has mysteriously produced the opposite
effect- with matter clumping together in the form of galaxies.18
That
the matter produced by the Big Bang should have formed such tidy and organized
shapes is indeed an extraordinary thing. The occurrence of such a harmony leads
us to the realization that the universe was the result of its perfect creation
by Allah. In this chapter we will examine and consider this extraordinary
perfection and excellence.
The Speed of the Explosion
People hearing of the Big Bang but not considering the subject
at length do not think about what an extraordinary plan must lie behind this explosion.
That's because the notion of an explosion doesn't suggest harmony, plan, or organization
to most people. In fact there are a number of very puzzling aspects to the intricate
order in the Big Bang. One of these puzzles has to do with the acceleration
caused by the explosion. When the explosion took place, matter certainly must
have begun moving at an enormous speed in every direction. But there is another
point that we need to pay attention to here. There must also have been a very
big attractive force at the first moment of the explosion: an attractive force
that was strong enough to gather the whole universe into one point. Two
different and opposing forces are at work here. The force of the explosion, driving
matter outward and away, and the force of attraction, trying to resist the first
and pull everything back together. The universe came into being because these
two forces were in equilibrium. If the attractive force had been greater than
the explosive, the universe would have collapsed. If the opposite had been true,
matter would have been splattered in every direction in a way never to unite again. Then
how sensitive was this equilibrium? How much "slack" could there have been between
the two forces?
Paul Davies: "The evidence is strong enough
to acknowledge the existence of a conscious cosmic design."
|
The
mathematical physicist Paul Davies, a professor at the University of Adelaide
in Australia, performed lengthy calculations of the conditions that must have
existed at the moment of the Big Bang and came up with a result that can only
be described as astonishing. According to Davies, if the rate of expansion had
differed by more than 10-18 seconds (one quintillionth of a second), there would
have been no universe. Davies describes his conclusion:
Careful measurements puts the
rate of expansion very close to a critical value at which the universe
will just escape its own gravity and expand forever. A little slower and
the cosmos would collapse, a little faster and the cosmic material would
have long ago completely dispersed. It is interesting to ask precisely
how delicately the rate of expansion has been "fine tuned" to fall on
this narrow dividing line between two catastrophes. If at time I S (by
which the time pattern of expansion was already firmly established) the
expansion rate had differed from its actual value by more than 10-18,
it would have been sufficient to throw the delicate balance out. The explosive
vigour of the universe is thus matched with almost unbelievable accuracy
to its gravitating power. The big bang was not evidently, any old bang,
but an explosion of exquisitely arranged magnitude.19
Bilim
Teknik (Science Technique, a Turkish scientific periodical) quotes an article
that appeared in Science in which the phenomenal equilibrium that obtained in
the initial phase of universe is stated:
If the density of the universe was a
little bit more, in that case, according to Einstein's relativity theory,
the universe would not be expanding due to the attraction forces of atomic
particles but contracting, ultimately diminishing to a spot. If the initial
density had been a little bit less, then the universe would rapidly be
expanding, but in this case, atomic particles would not be attracting
each other and no stars and no galaxies would ever have formed. Consequently,
man would never come into existence! According to the calculations, the
difference between the initial real density of the universe and its critical
density, which is unlikely to occur, is less than one percent's one quadrillion.
This is similar to place a pencil in a position so that it can stand on
its sharp end even after one billion years… Furthermore, as the universe
expands, this equilibrium becomes more delicate.20
It is We Who have built
the universe with (Our creative) power, and, verily, it is We Who are steadily
expanding it. (Surat adh-Dhariyat: 47) | Even Stephen
Hawking, who tries hard to explain away the creation of the universe as a series
coincidences in A Brief History of Time, acknowledges the extraordinary equilibrium
in the rate of expansion:
If the rate of expansion one second
after the big bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand
million million, the universe would have recollapsed before it ever reached
its present size. 21
What then does such a remarkable equilibrium
as this indicate? The only rational answer to that question is that it is proof
of conscious design and cannot possibly be accidental. Despite his own materialist
bent, Dr Davies admits this himself:
It is hard to resist that the present
structure of the universe, apparently so sensitive to minor alterations
in the numbers, has been rather carefully thought out… The seemingly miraculous
concurrence of numerical values that nature has assigned to her fundamental
constants must remain the most compelling evidence for an element of cosmic
design.22
The Four Forces
The speed of the Big Bang's explosion is only one of the remarkable
states of equilibrium at the initial moment of creation. Immediately after the
Big Bang, forces that underpin and organize the universe we live in had to be
numerically "just right" otherwise there would have been no universe. These
are the "four fundamental forces" that are recognized by modern physics. All structure
and motion in the universe is governed by these four forces, known as the gravitational
force, the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear
force. The strong and weak nuclear forces operate only at the atomic scale. The
remaining two-the gravitational force and the electromagnetic force-govern assemblages
of atoms, in other words "matter". These four fundamental forces were at work
in the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang and resulted in the creation of atoms
and matter. A comparison of those forces is enlightening for their values
are stunningly different from one another. Below they are given in international
standard units: Strong nuclear force: 15 Weak nuclear force: 7.03 x
10-3 Electromagnetic force: 3.05 x 10-12 Gravitational
force: 5.90 x 10-39 Notice how great are the differences
in the strengths of these four fundamental forces. The difference between the
strongest (strong nuclear force) and the weakest (gravitational force) is about
25 followed by 38 zeros! Why should this be so? The molecular biologist
Michael Denton addresses this question in his book, Nature's Destiny:
The molecular biologist Michael Denton addresses an important
point in his book, Nature's Destiny: How the Laws of Biology Reveal Purpose in
the Universe. According to Denton, the universe was created and specially designed
to make human life possible. |
If, for example, the gravitational force
was a trillion times stronger, then the universe would be far smaller
and its life history far shorter. An average star would have a mass a
trillion times less than the sun and a life span of about one year. On
the other hand, if gravity had been less powerful, no stars or galaxies
would have ever formed. The other relationships and values are no less
critical. If the strong force had been just slightly weaker, the only
element that would be stable would be hydrogen. No other atoms could exist.
If it had been slightly stronger in relation to electromagnetism, then
an atomic nucleus consisting of only two protons would be a stable feature
of the universe-which would mean there would be no hydrogen, and if any
stars or galaxies evolved, they would be very different from the way they
are. Clearly, if these various forces and constants did not have precisely
the values they do, there would be no stars, no supernovae, no planets,
no atoms, no life. 23
Paul Davies comments
on how the laws of physics provide for conditions ideal for people to live:
Had nature opted for a slightly different
set of numbers, the world would be a very different place. Probably we
would not be here to see it…Recent discoveries about the primeval cosmos
oblige us to accept that the expanding universe has been set up in its
motion with a cooperation of astonishing precision.24
Arno
Penzias, who was the first, along with Robert Wilson to detect the cosmic background
radiation (for which discovery the pair received a Nobel prize in 1965), comments
on the beautiful design in the universe:
Astronomy leads us to a unique event,
a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate
balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life,
and one which has underlying (one might say "supernational") plan.25
The
scientists we have just quoted have all drawn an important conclusion from their
observations. Examining and thinking about the incredible balances and their beautiful
order in the design of universe inevitably leads one to a truth: There exists
in this universe a superior design and a perfect harmony. Unquestionably the Author
of this design and harmony is Allah, Who has created everything flawlessly. Allah
draws our attention in one of His verses to the order in the creation of the universe,
planned, and computed in every detail: He to whom the kingdom
of the heavens and the earth belongs. He does not have a son and He has no partner
in the Kingdom. He created everything and determined it most exactly. (Surat al-Furqan:
2)
The Mathematics of Probability Refutes "Coincidence"
What
has been said so far shows the extraordinary balances among the forces that make
human life possible in this universe. The speed of the Big Bang's explosion, the
values of the four fundamental forces, and all the other variables that we will
be examining in the chapters ahead and which are vital for existence have been
arranged according to an extraordinary precision. Let us now make a brief
digression and consider the coincidence theory of materialism. Coincidence is
a mathematical term and the possibility of an event's occurrence can be calculated
using the mathematics of probability. Let's do so.
THE
PROBABILITY OF THE OCCURRENCE OF A UNIVERSE IN WHICH LIFE CAN FORM
| The
calculations of British mathematician Roger Penrose show that the probability
of universe conducive to life occurring by chance is in 1010123.
The phrase "extremely unlikely" is inadequate to describe this possibility.
| 10000000000000000000000000000000 |
| 00000000000000000000000000000000 |
| 00000000000000000000000000000000 |
10 | 00000000000000000000000000000000
| |
Taking the physical variables into account, what is the likelihood
of a universe giving us life coming into existence by coincidence? One in billions
of billions? Or trillions of trillions of trillions? Or more? Roger Penrose,
a famous British mathematician and a close friend of Stephen Hawking, wondered
about this question and tried to calculate the probability. Including what he
considered to be all variables required for human beings to exist and live on
a planet such as ours, he computed the probability of this environment occurring
among all the possible results of the Big Bang. According to Penrose, the
odds against such an occurrence were on the order of 1010123
to 1. It is hard even to imagine what this number means. In math, the value
10123 means 1 followed by 123 zeros. (This is, by the way, more than
the total number of atoms 1078 believed to exist in the whole universe.)
But Penrose's answer is vastly more than this: It requires 1 followed by 10123
zeros.
Roger Penrose: "This number tells us how precise the Creator's aim
must have been." |
Or consider: 103 means 1,000,
a thousand. 10103 is a number that that has 1 followed by
1000 zeros. If there are six zeros, it's called a million; if nine, a billion;
if twelve, a trillion and so on. There is not even a name for a number that has
1 followed by 10123 zeros. In practical terms, in mathematics, a probability
of 1 in 1050 means "zero probability". Penrose's number is more than
trillion trillion trillion times less than that. In short, Penrose's number tells
us that the 'accidental" or "coincidental" creation of our universe is an impossibility. Concerning
this mind-boggling number Roger Penrose comments:
This now tells how precise the Creator's
aim must have been, namely to an accuracy of one part in 1010123.
This is an extraordinary figure. One could not possibly even write the
number down in full in the ordinary denary notation: it would be 1 followed
by 10123 successive 0's. Even if we were to write a 0 on each
separate proton and on each separate neutron in the entire universe- and
we could throw in all the other particles for good measure- we should
fall far short of writing down the figure needed. 26
The
numbers defining the design and plan of the universe's equilibrium play a crucial
role and exceed comprehension. They prove that the universe is by no means the
product of a coincidence, and show us "how precise the Creator's aim must have
been" as Penrose stated. In fact in order to recognize that the universe
is not a "product of coincidences" one does not really need any of these calculations
at all. Simply by looking around himself, a person can easily perceive the fact
of creation in even the tiniest details of what he sees. How could a universe
like this, perfect in its systems, the sun, the earth, people, houses, cars, trees,
flowers, insects, and all the other things in it ever have come into existence
as the result of atoms falling together by chance after an explosion? Every detail
we peer at shows the evidence of Allah's existence and supreme power. Only people
who reflect can grasp these signs. In the creation of the
heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and day, and the ships which
sail the seas to people's benefit, and the water which Allah sends down from the
sky- by which He brings the earth to life when it was dead and scatters about
in it creatures of every kind - and the varying direction of the winds, and the
clouds subservient between heaven and earth, there are Signs for people who use
their intellect. (Surat al-Baqara:164)
Seeing the Plain Truth
20th-century science has come up with categorical evidence
that the universe was created by Allah. The anthropic principle that we mentioned
before reveals every detail of a universe that has been designed for mankind to
live in and in which there is no place for chance. The interesting part
is that the ones who discovered all this and came to the conclusion that the universe
couldn't possibly have come into being by accident are the very same people who
defend the philosophy of materialism. Scientists such as Paul Davies, Arno Penzias,
Fred Hoyle and Roger Penrose are not pious men and they certainly had no intention
of proving Allah's existence as they pursued their work. One can imagine that
they reached their conclusions about the design of the universe by a superior
power most unwillingly. The American astronomer George Greenstein confesses
this in his book The Symbiotic Universe:
How could this possibly have come to
pass (that the laws of physics conform themselves to life)?…As we survey
all the evidence, the thought insistently arises that some supernatural
agency - or, rather Agency- must be involved. Is it possible that suddenly,
without intending to, we have stumbled upon scientific proof of the existence
of a Supreme Being? Was it God who stepped in and so providentially crafted
the cosmos for our benefit?27
An
atheist, Greenstein disregards the plain truth; nevertheless he cannot keep from
wondering. Other, less prejudiced scientists on the other hand, readily admit
that the universe must have been specially designed for mankind to live in. The
American astrophysicist Hugh Ross ends his article "Design and the Anthropic Principle"
with these words:
An intelligent, transcendent Creator
must have brought the universe into existence. An intelligent, transcendent
Creator must have designed the universe. An intelligent, transcendent
Creator must have designed planet Earth. An intelligent, transcendent
Creator must have designed life.28
Thus
science proves the reality of creation. Certainly there is Allah and He has created
everything around us-the seen and the unseen. He is the sole Creator of the extraordinary
and outstanding equilibrium and design of the heavens and Earth.
It has come such a pass that today, materialism has
the flavor of a superstitious, unscientific system of belief. The American
geneticist Robert Griffiths jokingly remarked "If we need an atheist for
a debate, I go to the philosophy department. The physics department isn't
much use."29
To sum up: Every physical law and every physical constant
in this universe has been specifically designed to enable human beings
to exist and live. In his book The Cosmic Blueprint, Davies states this
truth in the last paragraph, "The impression of Design is overwhelming."30
Doubtlessly,
the design of the universe is evidence of Allah's power to establish. The precise
balances and all the human beings and other creatures are the evidence of Allah's
supreme power and act of creation. This result discovered by modern science is
just a reworking of a truth revealed fourteen centuries ago in the Qur'an: Your
Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then settled
Himself firmly on the Throne. He covers the day with the night and, each pursuing
the other urgently; and the sun and moon and stars are subservient to His command.
Both creation and command belong to Him. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of all worlds.
(Surat al-Araf: 54)
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