Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.
EVIDENCE OF GOD IN THE UNIVERSE p. 175
For the existence of life on Earth, various complex conditions are necessary. These conditions are such that they cannot come about by mere chance. They cannot be together by fluke. This being the case, one must necessarily accept that there is some conscious guidance that is present in the universe that is the cause behind these conditions and that has arranged for them to come about in just the manner needed for life to be able to exist on Earth. p. 175
The Earth is continuously moving about in the vast space. That itself is a fascinating phenomenon! Along with this, the conditions on Earth are those of a highly exceptional planet. These things are so astounding that one is amazed if one thinks about them. There are many signs on Earth and in the rest of the universe which, if a person sincerely reflects on them, can become a mirror for the realization of God and God’s beauty and majesty. p. 176
In terms of size, the Earth does not even have the status of a tiny particle compared to the rest of the universe. But despite this, in the entire known universe, as far as scientists have been able to discover, it is only on tiny little Earth that the conditions necessary for life are present. As far as our knowledge goes, such conditions are not present elsewhere. p. 176
To get an idea of some of these conditions necessary for hosting life, consider the issue of the Earth’s size. Had the Earth been considerably smaller or bigger than it presently is, life on it would have become impossible. If the Earth were as small as the moon—that is, if its diameter were a fourth of its present size—its gravitational force would turn into a sixth of what it is now. As a result, the Earth would not have been able to maintain water on its surface and air on top of it, and then life here would have been simply inconceivable. On the other hand, had the Earth’s diameter been twice what it presently is, its gravitational force would double. As a result, the Earth’s atmosphere, which stretches to a height of around 500 miles above the Earth’s surface, would have been pulled down. The atmospheric pressure would then increase by 15 to 30 pounds per square inch, harming life in various ways. p. 176
Consider another feature of the fantastic way the Earth has been designed in a manner that is conducive to life. A blanket surrounds Earth—the atmosphere—some 500 miles high. If this thickness were reduced from 500 to 400 miles, the atmospheric pressure would increase to one ton per square inch. Due to this extraordinary pressure, it would no longer be possible for living beings to flourish on Earth. An animal that weighed one pound would now weigh some 150 pounds! p. 177
Reflect on another fascinating aspect of the Earth, which shows how perfectly it has been designed in the necessary manner for life to flourish on it. Earth completes one round around its axis in 24 hours. In other words, the Earth travels around its axis at around 1000 miles an hour. Suppose this speed were to drop to 200 miles an hour; our days and nights would become ten times longer than at present. In summer, the sharp sunlight would burn up all the plants on Earth, and what might remain would be subjected to frost during the long nights. p. 177
Think of another interesting aspect: The sun, which provides heat and light, is a scorching place. Its surface temperature is 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit! The sun is located at a distance of around 93 million miles from the Earth. This distance is maintained with amazing regularity. This phenomenon is exceedingly significant for us because if the distance between the sun and the earth were to reduce substantially—for instance, if it were to reduce by half—it would become so hot on Earth that life here would be impossible. p. 177
On the other hand, if this distance were to double, the Earth would become so cold that, once again, life would not be possible here. The same would happen if an extraordinarily bigger and hotter star assumed the place of the sun. Its immense heat would have caused the Earth to become like a furnace. p. 178
Another unique feature of the Earth that indicates how its design is well-calculated for the flourishing of life as we know it is that its axis is tilted at around 23 degrees. This tilt gives us our seasons. As a result of this tilt, large portions of the surface of the Earth have become habitable and can host different sorts of plants and crops. Had the Earth not been tilted like this, there would have been perpetual darkness in the polar regions, with major consequences for the world’s climate. There would be many other such effects, as a result of which life would have become impossible on Earth. p. 178
If the surmise is true that the Earth came into being after breaking off from the Sun, its initial temperature would have been the same as that of the Sun—i.e., 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Gradually, the Earth must have cooled after that. It would not have been possible for hydrogen and oxygen to combine until the Earth’s temperature had declined to 4000 degrees. When that happened, water, essential for life, came into being. Then, millions of years passed with many dramatic transformations on the Earth’s surface, and perhaps a billion or so years ago, the Earth acquired its present shape. A significant portion of the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere went into space. Some went into forming water, while others were absorbed into various things on Earth. Another portion remained in the air in the Earth’s atmosphere, consisting mainly of oxygen and nitrogen. Why was all this happening precisely this way, with the gases being apportioned in particular proportions and quantities? It may be that this was precisely what was necessary for life as we know it to exist. p. 178
The Earth’s upper atmosphere is a collection of gases, of which 78% is nitrogen and 21% oxygen, with other gases in tiny proportions. Here, the question arises as to how these gases combined in this way and remained in just the correct quantity and proportion in the atmosphere necessary for life. If the oxygen ratio in the atmosphere had been 50% instead of 21%, many things on the face of the Earth might have easily caught fire. On the other hand, had this proportion been substantially lower, would human life as we know it have been impossible on Earth? p. 179
Oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide are separately formed and are vital components of life. There is no chance that one in a billion people could come together by chance in just the proportions they are presently in that enable human life to flourish on Earth. p. 179
Checks and Balances in Nature p. 179
Here are some more examples that highlight how finely and wisely designed our Earth is: p. 179
1. An estimated 25 million meteoroids, micrometeoroids, and other space debris enter the Earth’s atmosphere each day, which results in an estimated 15,000 tons of that material entering the Earth’s atmosphere each year. If this atmosphere had been considerably thinner than it is now, many meteorites would have fallen on the Earth. These meteorites travel at the speed of 25000 to 160000 miles per hour. They would have burnt up every flammable thing on the Earth and converted its surface into a vast field full of craters. Meteorites, which travel 90 times faster than the bullet of a gun, can turn a creature like man into pieces simply by their heat, but the Earth’s atmosphere, on account of its exceedingly accurate and appropriate thickness, protects us from this fiery onslaught. p. 180
2. The Earth’s atmosphere keeps just the right amount of density so that actinic rays of the Sun reach the Earth in just the appropriate quantity necessary for plant life. The quantity that precisely meets our needs is astounding. p. 180
3. One of the properties of water is that the density of ice is less than that of liquid water. Water has an exceptional quality: when it freezes, it becomes lighter rather than heavier. This water feature is essential for preserving aquatic life in regions where it becomes frigid in winter and water bodies freeze. Because of this feature, ice can float on the water’s surface and not sink below; otherwise, all the water would turn solid, ending all aquatic life. This ice becomes a protective layer on the water’s surface, allowing the temperature below to remain above freezing. Due to this unique quality, fish and other aquatic animals remain alive even in cold winters in regions where it snows, and water-bodies freeze. p. 180
4. At the beginning of the 20th century, when a disease called Endothia attacked the chestnut trees in America, spreading rapidly, many people, upon seeing the cracks in the forest canopy, exclaimed, “These cracks will never be filled again.” Any other type of tree had not yet supplanted the majestic American chestnut. Tall buildings were made from the durable wood of these trees, and they also had other advantages. However, in 1900, the disease known as Endothia entered Asia. Until then, these forests were considered the king of all woods. But now, this tree has become extinct in these forests. p. 181original + quote
However, the empty spaces in the forests soon filled up with trees of another kind. Perhaps the American tulip trees were waiting for these cracks to emerge. Before the appearance of the cracks, these trees, although a regular part of the forest, grew and blossomed very little. But now, no one feels the absence of chestnut trees, as other species have taken their place completely. These trees grow an inch in girth and six feet in height annually. Besides rapidly multiplying, they provide the best quality wood, which is especially useful for delicate work. p. 181
5. Once in Australia, a cactus was sown as fences for fields. No enemy insect of this plant was in the country, so it began proliferating. It even entered cities and villages, rendered areas desolate, and made agriculture difficult, if not impossible. No scheme seemed to work against it. The cactus seemed invincible. But experts worked on a solution till they finally arrived at an insect whose only food was the cactus. This insect finally established control over the seemingly unstoppable army of this cactus in Australia, and then the problem was solved. p. 181
The checks and balances of this sort abound in Nature. Can any person reasonably claim that they have come about by chance, on their own, and not because of the conscious planning of a Creator? p. 182
Mathematical Precision in the Universe p. 182
An astounding mathematical precision is found in the universe. A matter that appears stagnant and unconscious is not without order, organization, and meticulous arrangement. Specific, definite laws bind it. Here are some examples. p. 182
1. For instance, no matter when and where the word ‘water’ is uttered, it will have only one meaning—a compound consisting of two parts of oxygen and one of hydrogen. Everywhere on the Earth, water will boil at the same temperature—100 degrees Celsius—as long as the atmospheric pressure is 760 mm. Had there not been this sort of order, discipline, and regularity in matter and energy, there would have been no basis for scientific research and inventions because then, in this world, only mere chance would reign, and for scientists, it would have been impossible to say that under such-and-such conditions if one uses such-and-such method, such-and-such results will appear. p. 182
2. The Periodic Table of Elements is perhaps the first thing a new student is shown in Chemistry. It categorizes elements into groups based on their atomic numbers—that is, the number of protons present in the nucleus of the atom of an element. These numbers create the difference between the atoms of one element and another. p. 183
Hydrogen, the simplest element, contains a single proton at its atomic core. Helium has two protons, and lithium has three. Creating a table of different elements became possible due to a fascinating mathematical principle inherent in them. The best example of order and organization can be found in identifying element number 101, which was determined by studying its 17 protons. This remarkable arrangement of nature is not referred to as a periodic chance but as a periodic law. However, those who seek structure and order from an organizer and planner deny it. If modern science fails to acknowledge God, it will inevitably deny one of its indispensable research findings. p. 183
3. Let us take another instance. On August 11, 1999, a total solar eclipse was fully observed in Cornwall, England. However, its prediction had already been made earlier. Consequently, the complete solar eclipse of 1999, which garnered the highest number of observers in history, was witnessed in Europe. Many individuals, including scientists, embarked on long journeys to reach the eclipsed area. Similarly, on July 22, 2009, a solar eclipse occurred, marking the most extended duration of any solar eclipse in the 21st century, lasting over five and a half hours. This event was visible in Pakistan, India, and China. p. 183
Astronomers have such faith in the regularity and predictability of the solar system’s movement that they can predict, well in advance, that a solar eclipse will happen at a particular time on a specific date. For instance, based on calculations, it has been predicted that a long solar eclipse will occur in the year 2132. This solar eclipse is predicted to be prolonged, as seen in 2009. p. 184
4. We are astounded when we look at the sky and see numerous stars scattered about. These huge balls in the space for aeons have specific and determined pathways and move about continuously. They travel in their orbits with such discipline and regularity that their location at a particular time can be predicted with complete accuracy centuries earlier. p. 184
From a humble drop of water to distant stars spread out in space, unparalleled order, precision, and organization are found in the universe. In the functioning of various things in the natural world, there is such a degree of regularity that we can devise laws on their basis. This is undeniable proof of the existence of a Creator and Master of the universe. p. 184
Predictability, Order, Precision, and Fine-Tuning p. 184
Newton’s theory of gravity explains the motion of astronomical bodies. As a result of this, British scientist John Cough Adams (1819-1892) and French scientist Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier (1811-1877) could predict, simply on a mathematical basis and without even having viewed it, the presence of a planet that till then had remained unknown. And so, in September 1846, when at night the direction of a telescope in the Berlin Observatory turned to the location they had mentioned, they spotted that planet that is presently known as ‘Neptune’. p. 184
We must consider: “To what extent is it incomprehensible that within the universe, a mathematical certainty exists that has spontaneously emerged?” The above and innumerable other phenomena in the universe cannot be explained without accepting the role of a higher intelligence behind them. How absurd it is to think that all this could result from matter organizing itself on its own! The regularity, predictability, order, precision, and fine-tuning found in the universe certainly demand a Creator of the universe who is also its Master. If modern science does not accept God, it would deny a necessary result of its findings. p. 185original + quote
Earth: A Sign p. 185
Lewis Thomas (1913-1993) was an American scientist and philosopher. He authored a book on biology, in which he wrote the following words about Earth: “hanging there in space and alive.” (Lewis Thomas, The Fragile Species, Collier, 1993, p. 135) p. 185other source
This depiction of the planet Earth is remarkably accurate. Earth is constantly orbiting within the vast expanse of space. The conditions of the Earth, in conjunction with its existence, are exceptionally extraordinary, akin to those of a vibrant sphere. These aspects are so awe-inspiring that contemplating them would send shivers down one’s spine and cause their body to quiver. Earth, along with the myriad signs present in the cosmos, holds such profound significance that if an individual earnestly reflects upon them, the universe becomes a reflection of their recognition of God’s divine knowledge and majestic beauty. p. 185