PREDICTIONS
IN THE QUR'AN
INTRODUCTION
THE
VICTORY OF BYZANTIUM
THE
PRESERVATION OF PHARAOH'S BODY
THE
CONQUEST OF MAKKAH
THE
TRIBE OF ISRAEL WILL BECOME VERY HAUGHTY
THE
EXPLORATION OF SPACE
THE
VOYAGE TO THE MOON
MODERN
MEANS OF TRANSPORT
PLANE
TECHNOLOGY
IMAGE
TRANSMISSION
SMELL
TRANSFERENCE
THE
USE OF ELECTRICITY
ARTESIAN
WELLS
THE
ARMY-ANT IN TECHNOLOGY
ATOMIC
ENERGY AND FISSION
INTRODUCTION
Another miraculous aspect of the Qur'an is its prediction of future events,
all of which have so far been fulfilled. This is one of the proofs that
the Qur'an is the Word of Allah. In the following pages, we will dwell
on some of these events.
THE VICTORY OF BYZANTIUM
An astonishing prediction is found in the first verses of Surat ar-Rum,
which refers to the Byzantine Empire, the eastern part of the later Roman
Empire: The Byzantine Empire, which had met with a great defeat, would
soon gain victory.
Alif, Lam, Mim. The Romans have been defeated in
the lowest land, but after their defeat they will be victorious within
three to nine years. The affair is Allah's from beginning to end.
(Qur'an, 30:1-4)
These verses were
revealed around 620, almost 7 years after the idolatrous Persians had
severely defeated Christian Byzantium in 613-14. In fact, Byzantium had
suffered such heavy losses that it seemed impossible for it even to survive,
let alone be victorious again. Following their defeat of the Byzantines
at Antioch in 613, the Persians seized control of Damascus, Cilicia, Tarsus,
Armenia, and Jerusalem. The loss of Jerusalem in 614 was particularly
traumatic for the Byzantines, for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was
destroyed and the Persians seized the "True Cross," the symbol of Christianity.174
In addition, the Avars, Slavs, and Lombards also were posing serious threats
to the Byzantine Empire. The Avars had reached as far as the walls of
Constantinople. Emperor Heraclius ordered the gold and silver in churches
to be melted and turned into money in order to meet the army's expenses.
When this proved insufficient, bronze statues were melted down in order
to mint more money. Many governors had revolted against Heraclius, and
Byzantium was on the point of collapse.175
Mesopotamia, Cilicia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Armenia, which had earlier
belonged to Byzantium, were invaded by the idolatrous Persians.176

The Dead Sea basin where Byzantium was defeated by Persians. Above
is a satellite photograph of the region. The Lake of Lut region,
which is the lowest region of the world, is 395 meter below the
sea level.
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In short, everyone was expecting Byzantium to be destroyed. But during
this time, the first verses of Surat ar-Rum were revealed, announcing
that Byzantium would triumph in 3 to 9 years. This predicted victory seemed
so impossible that the Arab polytheists thought it would never come true.

On top a satellite photograph of the Dead Sea basin. The altitude
of the Dead Sea could only be determined with modern measurement
techniques. These measurements led to the discovery that this
region is the "lowest region on the Earth."
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Like all the other predictions in
the Qur'an, however, this one also came true. In 622, Heraclius gained
a number of victories over the Persians and conquered Armenia.177
In December 627, the two empires fought a decisive battle at Nineveh,
some 50 kilometres east of the Tigris river, near Baghdad. This time too,
the Byzantine army defeated the Persians. A few months later, the Persians
had to sue for peace with Byzantium, which obliged them to return the
territories they had taken from it.178
The Byzantine victory was completed when Emperor Heraclius
defeated the Persian ruler Khosrow II in 630, recaptured Jerusalem, and
regained the "True Cross" for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.179
In the end, "the victory of the Romans" proclaimed by Allah in the Qur'an
miraculously came true within the verses' stated "three to nine years"
time frame.
Another miracle revealed in these verses is the announcement of a geographical
fact that could not have been known by anyone at that time: that the Romans
had been defeated in the lowest region of Earth. This Arabic expression
adna al-Ard is interpreted as "a nearby place" in many
translations. However, this is not the literal meaning, but rather a figurative
interpretation. The word adna, derived from the word dani
(low), means “the lowest”. The word ard means “the
world.” Therefore, adna al-ard means "the lowest place
on Earth."
Some interpreters of the Qur'an, considering the closeness
of the region in question to the Arabs, prefer the "closest" meaning of
the word. However, the actual meaning indicates a very important geological
fact: The Dead Sea, one of the regions in which the Byzantines were defeated
in 613-14, is the lowest region on Earth.180
As stated earlier, for Christian Byzantium, the loss of the True Cross
was the heaviest blow in that defeat in Jerusalem, located near the shores
of the Dead Sea.

The Byzantines and the Persians actually fought at
the Dead Sea basin, which is situated at the intersection point of the
lands belonging to Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. At 399 meters below sea
level, the Dead Sea is the "lowest" place on Earth's surface.181
However, as only modern measuring methods and equipment can prove this
fact, it would have been impossible for anyone living at that time to
realise this truth. Yet, the Qur'an states clearly that this region was
the "lowest land" on Earth and thereby provides further
evidence that it is the Word of Allah.
THE PRESERVATION OF PHARAOH'S BODY
As we shall see later
on, Pharaoh regarded himself as a deity and responded with slanders and
threats to Prophet Musa's (as) calls for him to believe in Allah. This
arrogant attitude lasted until he was faced with the threat of death through
drowning. The Qur'an relates that Pharaoh immediately turned to belief
when faced with Allah's punishment:
We
brought the tribe of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his troops
pursued them out of tyranny and enmity. Then, when he was on the point
of drowning, he [Pharaoh] said: "I believe that there is no god but
Him in Whom the tribe of Israel believes. I am one of the Muslims."
(Qur'an, 10:90)
However, this last-minute conversion was not accepted, for it was not
sincere. According to the Qur'an, Allah exclaimed:
"What, now! When previously you rebelled and were one
of the corrupters? Today we will preserve your body so you can be
a Sign for people who come after you. Surely many people are heedless
of Our Signs." (Qur'an, 10:91-92)
The information that Pharaoh's corpse would serve as
a sign for later generations may be regarded as an indication that his
body would not decay. On display in the Royal Mummies Chamber of the Egyptian
Museum in Cairo is a mummified body believed to be that of this tyrant.
In all likelihood, Pharaoh's body floated to shore after being drowned,
was found and mummified by the Egyptians, and then carried to a previously
prepared burial chamber.182
THE CONQUEST OF MAKKAH
Allah has confirmed His Messenger's vision with truth:
You will enter the Masjid al-Haram [Sacred Mosque] in safety, Allah
willing, shaving your heads and cutting your hair without any fear.
He knew what you did not know and ordained, in place of this, an imminent
victory. (Qur'an, 48:27)
One night in Madinah,
the Prophet (saas) dreamed that the believers would enter the Sacred Mosque
and walk around the Ka`bah. After he awoke, he gave this good news to
the believers, for those who had migrated from Makkah to Madinah with
him had not been able to return since.
In Surat al-Fath 27, Allah revealed to the Prophet (saas) that He would
help and support him, that the dream was true, and that the believers
would enter Makkah. A short while later, with the Treaty of Hudaybiyah
and the conquest of Makkah, the believers entered the Sacred Mosque in
complete safety, just as the dream had foretold. That was how Allah showed
that it had been His will that the Prophet's (saas) dream be fulfilled.
On closer consideration, this verse can be seen to
announce yet another victory that will take place before Makkah's capture:
the capture of the Khyber Fortress, which was under the control of the
Jews, before they entered Makkah.183
Other verses that give the glad tidings of Makkah's conquest are given
below:
He held their hands back from you, and your hands from
them in the valley of Makkah, after giving you the upper hand over them.
Allah sees what you do. (Qur'an, 48:24)
Truly We have granted you a clear victory, so that
Allah may forgive you your earlier errors and any later ones, complete
His blessing upon you, and guide you on a Straight Path. And so that
Allah may help you with a mighty help. (Qur'an, 48:1-3)
Surat al-Isra' 76 states that the unbelievers cannot stay in Makkah:
They were very near to scaring you from the land with
the object of expelling you from it. But had they done so, they would
only have remained there a short time after you. (Qur'an, 17:76)
The Prophet (saas) entered Makkah and conquered it in 8 ah (630). Two
years later, all of the unbelievers left Makkah, just as Allah had said
that they would. Another point that should be noted here is that when
the Prophet (saas) gave that good news to the believers, it looked totally
out of the question. In fact, the situation pointed in quite the opposite
direction, and the polytheists appeared quite determined never to let
the believers enter Makkah. As a result, those who had doubts in their
hearts began to doubt the Prophet's (saas) words. Yet, the Prophet (saas)
trusted in Allah, paid no attention to the doubters' words, and told people
what Allah had revealed to him. The Qur'an confirmed his words, and the
prediction was fulfilled shortly afterwards.
THE TRIBE OF ISRAEL WILL BECOME VERY HAUGHTY
We decreed in the Book for the tribe of Israel: "You
will twice cause corruption on Earth and you will reach [a degree of]
great haughtiness. When the promised first time came, We sent against
you servants of Ours possessing great force, and they ransacked your
houses, rampaging right through them. It was a promise that was fulfilled.
Then once again We gave you the upper hand over them, supplied you with
more wealth and children, and made you the most numerous group." (Qur'an,
17:4-6)
As these verses reveal,
the Children of Israel were to cause two corruptions over the world. After
the first one, during which they adopted a very high level of haughtiness,
Allah sent a powerful army against them. Indeed, when the Jews killed
Prophet Yahya (as) and set a trap to kill Prophet 'Isa (as) ("reaching
to a degree of great haughtiness"), they were exiled shortly afterwards
from Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 and wandered all over the world.
When that verse was revealed to the Prophet (saas), the Jews were living
under very difficult conditions in various countries and had no state
of their own. Yet, Allah told the Children of Israel that one day they
would recover their strength. At that time, however, there seemed to be
almost no chance that this would really happen. Many centuries later,
however, the Jews returned to Palestine and established the State of Israel
in 1948. Today, Israel possesses military and political power and keeps
the Middle East in great turmoil because of its Zionist ideology and harsh
treatment of Palestinian Muslims and Christians.
This is a sign of the Children of Israel's second "corruption." However,
this wicked behaviour clearly does not apply to the entire Jewish people,
among whom there are many individuals of good conscience and common sense
who do not agree with Israel's Zionist and anti-Arab policies.
In this and other verses, we notice that almost no one could believe
that such things would ever come about. But Allah willed their fulfilment,
and thereby provided believers with more proof that the Qur'an is a miraculous
book revealed by Him for their benefit.
THE EXPLORATION OF SPACE
Humanity's exploration
of space was accelerated with the Soviet satellite Sputnik on 4 October
1957, which carried aloft the first man to ever leave Earth's atmosphere:
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. On 20 July 1969, the American astronaut
Neil Armstrong became the first human being ever to set foot on the Moon.
In fact, the Qur'an revealed that such developments and achievements
would one day be realised. For instance, Allah draws our attention to
this in the following verse:
O company of jinn and human beings. If you are able
to pierce through the confines of the heavens and Earth, pierce through
them. You will not pierce through, except with a clear authority. (Qur'an,
55:33)
The Arabic word sultan, translated here as "a
clear authority," has other meanings as well: force, power, sovereignty,
dominion, law, path, permission, give leave, justify, and proof.
Careful examination reveals that the above verse emphasizes that humanity
will be able to move into the depths of Earth and sky, but only with a
superior power. In all likelihood, this superior power is the superior
technology employed in the twentieth century, for it enabled scientists
to achieve this great feat.
THE
VOYAGE TO THE MOON
And [I swear by] the moon when it is full,
you will mount up stage by stage! What is the matter with them,
that they have no faith? (Qur'an, 84:18-20)
After referring to the Moon, the above verses then say that people will
mount up stage by stage. The term tarkabunna comes from the verb
rakiba, (to mount, walk on a path, follow, embark upon, set about,
participate, or rule). In the light of these meanings, it is very likely
that the expression "you will mount up stage by stage"
refers to a vehicle to be boarded.
Indeed, the astronauts' spacecraft pass through each layer of the atmosphere
one by one, and then begin to pass through the Moon's gravitational field.
Thus, the Moon is reached by moving through individual layers. In addition,
the swearing by the Moon in Surat al-Inshiqaq 18 further strengthens this
emphasis, meaning
that the verse may well be a sign that humanity will travel to the Moon.
(Allah knows best.)
MODERN MEANS OF TRANSPORT
And horses, mules, and donkeys both to ride and for
adornment. And He creates other things you do not know. (Qur'an, 16:8)
The above verse indicates that in addition to the animals mentioned here,
people will have various unknown (to them) means of transport. The following
verse points to the fact that there will be such mass modes of transport
as ships:
A Sign for them is that We carried their families in
the laden ship. And We have created for them the like of it, in which
they sail. (Qur'an, 36:41-42)
PLANE TECHNOLOGY
And
to Sulayman We gave the fiercely blowing wind, speeding at his command
toward the land that We had blessed. And We had full knowledge of everything.
(Qur'an, 21:81)
As the above verse relates, Allah placed the wind under Prophet Sulayman's
(as) command and allowed him to use it as a vehicle. There is a strong
possibility of an indication here that, as in Prophet Sulayman's (as)
time, wind energy will also be used in the technology of the future.
And We gave Sulayman power over the wind-a month's
journey in the morning and a month in the afternoon... (Qur'an, 34:12)
The expression "a month's journey in the morning and a month
in the afternoon" may be drawing attention to the fact that Prophet
Sulayman (as) moved rapidly between different regions perhaps by using
a technology similar to an airplane, or developed wind-powered vehicles
that could cover long distances quickly. (Allah knows best.) There is
thus a strong possibility that these verses point to modern airplane technology.
IMAGE TRANSMISSION
He who possessed knowledge of the Book said: "I will
bring it [the Queen of Saba's throne] to you before your glance returns
to you." And when he [Sulayman] saw it standing firmly in his presence,
he said: "This is part of my Lord's favour, to test me to see if I will
give thanks or show ingratitude." (Qur'an, 27:40)

[He is] the Originator of the heavens and earth. When He decides
on something, He just says to it, “Be!” and it is.
(Qur’an, 2:117)
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"He who possessed knowledge of the Book" told Prophet Sulayman (as) that
he could bring the Queen of Saba's throne to him very quickly. This is
a possible reference to the transmission of images with present-day advanced
technology. Another verse on the subject reads:
A demon of the jinn said: "I will bring it to you before
you get up from your seat. I am strong and trustworthy enough to do
it." (Qur'an, 27:39)
In our day, text, pictures, and films can be sent anywhere in the world
in a matter of seconds, thanks to the Internet and advances in computer
technology. For instance, carrying the Queen's throne to Prophet Sulayman's
(as) court very quickly may well refer to the fact that it will be possible
to send a three-dimensional picture or image in the blink of an eye over
the Internet.
According to scientists, the teleportation of atoms
and molecules, as well as larger bodies, may become possible in the near
future. By this method, the item's material characteristics are removed
from one location and transferred in every detail and atomic sequence
to another location, where they are reconstructed. If this technology
becomes operational one day, time and space will no longer represent an
obstacle to travel and objects will be able to be transported anywhere
in a single moment without traversing any physical distance.184
In 1998, physicists at the California Institute of
Technology (Caltech) working with two European groups transported a photon.
The scientists formed a copy of the photon by reading its atomic structure
and then transmitted that information a distance of 1 metre. In another
recent teleportation experiment, Ping Koy Lam of the Australian National
University (ANU) and other researchers transmitted a laser ray a short
distance.185
Indeed, according to a CNN report on 17 July 2002, a group of physicists
from the National Australian University in Canberra split a laser ray
and "transmitted" it several metres. Ping Koy Lam, the team's head, stated
that they had not yet succeeded in transmitting matter in its atomic state,
but that such a thing was not impossible and may become a reality in the
future.
According to a study published in
the science journal Nature, Eugene Polzik of Denmark's University
of Aarhus, and his colleagues performed successful experiments on a large
number of atoms, using laser rays and quantum physics.186
In his analyses of teleportation's potential, published in the journal
Scientific American, Australian physicist Anton Zeilinger states
that far more complex systems could be teleported without violating the
laws of physics.187
As the Qur'an reveals in "We will show them Our Signs on the
horizon and within themselves until it is clear to them that it is the
truth" (Qur'an, 41:53), these scientific advances may represent
a part of the technologies indicated in the Qur'an, all of which reveal
its miraculous aspects.
SMELL TRANSFERENCE
He [Yusuf] said: "No blame at all will fall on you.
Today you have forgiveness from Allah. He is the Most Merciful of the
merciful. Go with this shirt of mine and cast it on my father's face,
and he will see again. Then come to me with all your families." And
when the caravan went on its way, their father said: "I can smell
Yusuf's scent! You probably think I have become senile." (Qur'an,
12:92-94)
Today, scientists state that teleporting atoms and scent molecules may
be possible in the near future. In Surah Yusuf 94, Prophet Yusuf's (as)
father says that he can smell his son's scent. Scientists also say that
it will soon be possible to send scents in the same way as pictures and
three-dimensional images are sent. Therefore, this verse might be a sign
of an advanced technology developing from the current research into transmitting
scent.
Like our other sense perceptions, smell forms in the brain. For example,
a lemon peel's molecules stimulate the nose's scent receptors, which then
transmit them in the form of electrical signals to the brain for analysis.
Therefore, when the scent's signal is artificially formed in another form,
the scent can be perceived in the same form. Indeed, the "electronic nose"
is one of the research areas showing that this may well be possible in
the near future.
A human being's scent perception system makes it possible
for a trained nose to name and distinguish some 10,000 odours. Professionals
in the perfumery business who have received special chemical training
are able to sniff a scent that contains 100 different odorants and then
list the ingredients.188
This superior creation in the human nose has encouraged many scientists
to design similar equipment. Efforts are underway in various research
and development centres to replicate this human scent perception system.
The models developed on this basis are termed "the electronic nose."
The human nose's receptors are composed of proteins; those in its electronic
counterpart are composed of a series of chemical receptors. Each receptor
is designed to detect different odours; the more their distinguishing
capacities are enhanced, the more difficult production becomes and the
greater the cost. The signals collected by the sensors are turned into
binary codes, by means of electronic systems, and then sent to a computer.
The electronic systems can be thought of as imitating the nerve cells
responsible for scent detection, and the computer as the brain. The computer
is programmed to analyse the data and thus interprets the binary code
signals.
Electronic noses are currently being used in the food,
perfumery, and chemical industries, as well as in medicine. Universities
and international organizations are also providing major support for such
projects. Nevertheless, as stated by Julian W. Gardner of the University
of Warwick, researchers are still in the early stages of this technology.189
THE
USE OF ELECTRICITY
And We made a fount of molten copper flow out for
him. (Qur'an, 34:12)
One of Allah's great blessings to Prophet Sulayman (as) was "a fount
of molten copper." This can be understood in several senses. By the use
of melted copper, it may be referring to the existence, at his time, of
an advanced technology that employed electricity. We know that copper
is one of the best metals for conducting electricity and heat, and thus
constitutes the basis of the electrical industry, which uses much of the
copper produced in the world. The expression "flow out" may indicate that
electricity can be used in many fields. (Allah knows best.)
ARTESIAN WELLS
We divided them up into twelve tribes-communities.
We revealed to Musa, when his people asked him for water: "Strike the
rock with your staff." Twelve fountains flowed out from it, and all
the people knew their drinking place. And We shaded them with clouds
and sent down manna and quails to them: "Eat of the good things We have
provided for you." They did not wrong Us; rather, they wronged themselves.
(Qur'an, 7:160)
A closed artesian aquifer is confined by an overlying impermeable
body of rock, which prevents any water from filtering down into
the aquifer. Instead, water enters the tilted aquifer layer through
a recharge area, where the aquifer rock is exposed at higher elevations.
The flow in an artesian aquifer resembles water flowing through
a J-shaped tube. Water added on the tube’s long side provides
enough pressure to drive the water upward on the tube’s shorter
side.
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The above verse describes how Prophet
Musa's (as) people asked him for water and how he provided places where
each tribe could drink. Clearly, his people were suffering from a shortage
of water. Such shortages still exist, for more than 1 billion people today
lack access to clean water, and 2.4 billion still live without improved
sanitation. According to projected estimates, by 2025 about 5 billion
people will not have access to sufficient amounts of water.190
Every year, some 12 million people die from water scarcity; 3 million
of whom are children who die from waterborne diseases.191
Today, 31 countries, comprising 8
percent of the world's population, face chronic freshwater shortages.
By 2025, this number is expected to rise to 48 countries.192
According to UN predictions, renewable freshwater will become an even
more limited resource by 2025, and the number of 131 million people experiencing
water problems will rise to either 817 million (according to low population
growth projections) or 1.079 billion (according to high population growth
projections).193
Groundwater, the
largest source of fresh water on Earth, represents more than 90 percent
of the readily available freshwater reserves194
and is therefore of vital importance to meeting the water needs of up
to 2 billion people.195
It constitutes the primary source of water for up to 50 percent of the
American population, a figure that rises to 95 percent in rural areas.196
Groundwater is also the safest and most reliable source of fresh water.
At the same time, this water can be used to produce geothermal energy
and save energy by using heat pumps.
When the water sucked up from the soil meets an impermeable underground
layer, it collects there and forms a water source. This water is then
brought to the surface by the artesian method. Artesian springs are formed
by sedimentary rocks that can store underground water.
The fact that artesian wells are drilled in rocky areas runs parallel
to the description in the Qur'an. Given that Allah commanded Prophet Musa
(as) to strike the rock, Surat al-A`raf 160 may be indicating this method.
(Allah knows best.) The verb idrib, translated as "strike," can
also mean "to raise, to open." Thus, this verse may be describing a water
source being opened by the raising of the rock. As a result, pressurized
water may have emerged, as described in the verb inbajasat (to
pour out, flow freely, bubble up, flow), just as happens with artesian
wells. If sufficient pressure forms, water can continue to flow to the
surface without the need for a pump.
Allah is He Who created
the heavens and the earth and sends down water from the sky and
by it brings forth fruits as provision for you… (Qur’an,
14:32) |
It is particularly striking that current solutions for dealing with water
scarcity use underground water resources. In fact, one of the most effective
methods of doing so is the artesian well. In other words, we might be
copying Prophet Musa's (as) example of striking or lifting the rock without
even knowing it. Surat al-A`raf 160 may therefore be a reference to artesian
wells, the first of which was opened in 1126 in the French region of Artois.
(Allah knows best.)
THE ARMY-ANT IN TECHNOLOGY
Then, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an
ant said: "Ants! Enter your dwellings, so that Sulayman and his troops
do not crush you unwittingly." (Qur'an, 27:18)
The "Valley of the Ants" refers to a special place and special ants.
In addition, the fact that Prophet Sulayman (as) could hear the ants talking
among themselves may contain striking references to future developments
in computer technology. The present-day term "Silicon Valley" refers to
the centre of the world of technology. It is most significant that a "valley
of the ants" appears in the account of Prophet Sulayman's (as) life. Allah
may be drawing our attention to the advanced technology of the future.
Furthermore, ants and other insect species are widely used in advanced
technology as models in robot projects and are intended to serve in a
wide range of areas, from the defence industry to technology. The verse
may also be referring to these developments.
Latest Developments in Miniature Technology: Army-Ant
Robots
The best known project using ants as a model are the "Army-Ant Robot"
projects being carried out independently in several countries. One study
being carried out by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Virginia State
University seeks to develop small, inexpensive, and simple physically
identical robots that can be used as a robot army. Project officials explain
these robots' functionality in the following terms: "The way they behave
as a group, in a coordinated manner, perform a series of physical actions,
and take joint decisions." These robot armies' mechanical and electrical
designs have been based on the behaviour of an ant community. They are
called the "army-ant" robots because of their similarities to their insect
counterparts.
The
"army-ant" robot system was originally designed as a "material-carrying
system." According to this scenario, several small robots would be charged
with jointly lifting and carrying objects. It was later decided that they
could be used for other tasks. One report describes other tasks to which
they might be assigned in the future:
Nuclear and hazardous waste cleanup with robotic
"swarms," mining (including material removal and search-and-rescue),
mine sweeping (both land and water), surveillance and sentry, planetary
surface exploration and excavation.197
In a report by Israel A. Wagner, an expert on ant robot technology, the
ant robot projects were described in these terms:
Ant-robots are simple physical or virtual creatures designed to cooperate
in order to achieve a common goal. They are assumed to have very limited
resources of energy, sensing and computing, and to communicate via traces
left in the workspace or on the ground, like many insects naturally
do…
The distribution of work among multiple a(ge)nts
can be made by either a central controller who sends orders to the agents,
or by an a-priori agreement on a certain partitioning that, if obeyed
by the agents, eventually leads to a completion of the given mission.
A third way, used throughout the current work, is to design the behavior
of individuals such that cooperation will naturally emerge in the course
of their work, without making a-priori decisions on the structure of
the cooperation. The specific application that we address is covering,
which is also known as exploring or searching. This variety of names
hints to the many applications this problem might have: from cleaning
the floor of a house to mapping an unknown planet or demining a mine
field.198
As can be seen in these examples, an ant's social lifestyle forms the
basis of many projects, and the various ant-based robot technologies are
providing benefits for human beings. That is why it is so important that
ants and their valley are referred to in the Qur'anic account of Prophet
Sulayman's (as) life. The term "ants" in the verse may refer to an army
consisting of robots, future developments in robot technology, and how
robots will play an important role in human life. For example, they may
perform many arduous tasks and thus make people's lives more comfortable.
(Allah knows best.)
ATOMIC ENERGY AND FISSION
Allah splits the seed and kernel. He brings forth the living from the
dead, and produces the dead out of the living. That is Allah, so how
are you misguided? (Qur'an, 6:95)
The terms "seed" (al-habb) and "kernel" (an-nawa) in
the above verse may indicate the splitting of the atom. Indeed, the dictionary
meanings of an-nawa include "nucleus, centre, atomic nucleus."
Furthermore, the description of bringing forth the living from the dead
can be interpreted as Allah creating matter from dead energy. Producing
the dead out of the living may refer to energy (dead) emerging from matter
(living), since the atom is in motion. (Allah knows best.) That is because
as well as "living," al-hayy can also mean "active, energetic."
With its meaning of "non-living," al-mayyit, translated above
as "dead," may very probably refer to energy.
Scientists define energy as the capacity for doing
work. Matter, the material that comprises all things on Earth and in the
universe, consists of atoms and molecules that can be seen to be in motion
under an electron microscope. In the early twentieth century, Albert Einstein
(d. 1955) theorised that matter could be converted into energy, suggesting
that the two were inter-related at the atomic level.199
This may be the bringing forth of the dead from the living, as described
above, or, in other words, obtaining energy from matter, which is in motion
at the atomic level. In addition, yukhriju, translated as "bringing
forth," also means "bringing out, emitting" (as in the case of electrical
waves). Therefore, the terms in this verse may be indicating the form
of energy obtained from the atom. (Allah knows best.)

Today, atomic nucleus can be split into smaller nuclei by means of
nuclear fission. |
Scientists can now split the atom by dividing its nucleus. Taking Einstein's
theories as their starting point, they obtained energy from matter in
the 1940s by means of nuclear fission, the process of splitting the atomic
nucleus. The verb faliqu in Surat al-An`am 95, translated as
"to split," may be a reference to fission's dictionary meaning: the process
of splitting (the atom's nucleus). When this process takes place, enormous
amounts of energy are released.
The words in Surat al-An`am 95 are very wise in terms of their meanings.
The phenomena described in this verse bear a very close resemblance to
the splitting of the atom's nucleus in order to obtain atomic energy.
The verse may therefore be a reference to nuclear fission, which was only
made possible by twentieth-century technology. (Allah knows best.)
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