Description: The Quran seems to imply that the iron was
something “sent down” and not from this earth, an idea not
foreign to 20th century science.
Iron is one of the elements
highlighted in the Quran. In the
chapter known Al-Hadeed , meaning
Iron, we are informed:
“And We also sent down iron
in which there lies great force
and which has many uses for
mankind…” (Quran 57:25)
The word “ anzalna ,” translated as
"sent down" and used for iron in the verse, could be thought of
having a metaphorical meaning to explain that iron has been
given to benefit people. But, when we take into consideration the
literal meaning of the word, which is, "being physically sent
down from the sky, as this word usage had not been employed in
the Quran except literally, like the descending of the rain or
revelation, we realize that this verse implies a very significant
scientific miracle. Because, modern astronomical findings have
disclosed that the iron found in our world has come from giant
stars in outer space. [1]
Not only the iron on earth, but also the iron in the entire
Solar System, comes from outer space, since the temperature in
the Sun is inadequate for the formation of iron. The sun has a
surface temperature of 6,000 degrees Celsius, and a core
temperature of approximately 20 million degrees. Iron can only
be produced in much larger stars than the Sun, where the
temperature reaches a few hundred million degrees. When the
amount of iron exceeds a certain level in a star, the star can no
longer accommodate it, and it eventually explodes in what is
called a "nova" or a "supernova." These explosions make it
possible for iron to be given off into space. [2]
One scientific source provides the following information on
this subject:
“There is also evidence for older supernova events: Enhanced
levels of iron-60 in deep-sea sediments have been interpreted as
indications that a supernova explosion occurred within 90 light-
years of the sun about 5 million years ago. Iron-60 is a
radioactive isotope of iron, formed in supernova explosions,
which decays with a half life of 1.5 million years. An enhanced
presence of this isotope in a geologic layer indicates the recent
nucleosynthesis of elements nearby in space and their subsequent
transport to the earth (perhaps as part of dust grains).” [3]
All this shows that iron did not form on the Earth, but was
carried from Supernovas, and was "sent down," as stated in the
verse. It is clear that this fact could not have been known in the
7 th century, when the Quran was revealed. Nevertheless, this fact
is related in the Quran, the Word of God, Who encompasses all
things in His infinite knowledge.
The fact that the verse specifically mentions iron is quite
astounding, considering that these discoveries were made at the
end of the 20th century. In his book Nature’s Destiny, the well-
known microbiologist Michael Denton emphasizes the importance
of iron:
“Of all the metals there is none more essential to life than iron. It
is the accumulation of iron in the center of a star which triggers
a supernova explosion and the subsequent scattering of the vital
atoms of life throughout the cosmos. It was the drawing by
gravity of iron atoms to the center of the primeval earth that
generated the heat which caused the initial chemical
differentiation of the earth, the outgassing of the early
atmosphere, and ultimately the formation of the hydrosphere. It
is molten iron in the center of the earth which, acting like a
gigantic dynamo, generates the earth’s magnetic field, which in
turn creates the Van Allen radiation belts that shield the earth’s
surface from destructive high-energy-penetrating cosmic
radiation and preserve the crucial ozone layer from cosmic ray
destruction…
“Without the iron atom, there would be no carbon-based life in
the cosmos; no supernovae, no heating of the primitive earth, no
atmosphere or hydrosphere. There would be no protective
magnetic field, no Van Allen radiation belts, no ozone layer, no
metal to make hemoglobin [in human blood], no metal to tame
the reactivity of oxygen, and no oxidative metabolism.
“The intriguing and intimate relationship between life and iron,
between the red color of blood and the dying of some distant star,
not only indicates the relevance of metals to biology but also the
biocentricity of the cosmos…” [4]
This account clearly indicates the importance of the iron
atom. The fact that particular attention is drawn to iron in the
Quran also emphasizes the importance of the element.
Moreover, iron oxide particles were used in a cancer
treatment in recent months and positive developments were
observed. A team led by Dr. Andreas Jordan, at the world famous
Charité Hospital in Germany, succeeded in destroying cancer cells
with this new technique developed for the treatment of cancer—
magnetic fluid hyperthermia (high temperature magnetic liquid).
As a result of this technique, first performed on the 26-year-old
Nikolaus H., no new cancer cells were observed in the patient in
the following three months.
This method of treatment can be summarized as follows:
1. A liquid containing iron oxide particles is injected into the tumour
by means of a special syringe. These particles spread throughout
the tumour cells. This liquid consists of thousands of millions of
particles, 1,000 times smaller than the red blood corpuscles, of
iron oxide in 1 cm3 that can easily flow through all blood vessels.
[5]
2. The patient is then placed in a machine with a powerful magnetic
field.
3. This magnetic field, applied externally, begins to set the iron
particles in the tumour in motion. During this time the
temperature in the tumour containing the iron oxide particles
rises by up to 45 degrees.
4. In a few minutes the cancer cells, unable to protect themselves
from the heat, are either weakened or destroyed. The tumour may
then be completely eradicated with subsequent chemotherapy. [6]
In this treatment it is only the cancer cells that are affected by
the magnetic field, since only they contain the iron oxide
particles. The spread of this technique is a major development in
the treatment of this potentially lethal disease. Iron has also been
found to be a cure for people suffering from anemia. In the
treatment of such a widespread diseases, the use of the
expression “iron in which there lies great force and which has
many uses for mankind” (Quran, 57:25) in the Quran is
particularly noteworthy. Indeed, in that verse, the Quran may be
indicating the benefits of iron even for human health. (God
knows best.)
Footnotes:
[1] Dr. Mazhar U. Kazi, 130 Evident Miracles in the Qur'an (New
York, USA: Crescent Publishing House: 1998), 110-111; and
www.wamy.co.uk/announcements3.html, from Prof. Zighloul
Raghib El-Naggar’s speech.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Priscilla Frisch, “The Galactic Environment of the Sun,”
American Scientist, January-February 2000,
www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/21173?
fulltext=true.
[4] Michael J. Denton, Nature’s Destiny (The Free Press: 1998),
198.
[5] www.inm-gmbh.de/cgi-bin/frame/frameloader.pl?
sprache=en&url=http://www.inm-gmbh.de/htdocs/technologien/
highlights/highlights_en.htm.
[6] "Nanotechnology successfully helps cancer therapies," IIC Fast
Track, Nanotech News from Eastern Germany, Industrial
Investment Council, October 2003; www.iic.de/uploads/media/
NANO_FT_Nov2003_01.pdf


source: http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/562/