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THE BIBLE AND THE QURAN ON THE BREAKER INTO
PIECE
BY
Muhammad Yousaf Gabriel
Oqasaorg@gmail.com
Scriptures in this modern age of rationalism are
generally regarded as merely the books of the religious
guidance. The miraculous and the spiritual contained in the
Bible has been regarded by the modern rational critics as merely
unbelievable superstition. This is not exactly the case. And eye
endowed with correct vision might see the things otherwise. The
scientific description and the characterization of the nuclear
phenomenon by the Quran fourteen hundred years ago has furnished
. This world with a miracle which could not possibly be denied
by any one. And here I intend to give some thing from the Bible
which though not as exactly, strictly and completely scientific
as is the characterization of the atomic phenomenon given by the
Quran, yet it contains at least enough to dispel the view that
all that is contained by the Bible in the form of miraculous, or
purely spiritual is unbelievable and nonsensical. I will now
give a characterization of the nuclear phenomenon as may be
found in the Bible, which though giving only the main
characteristic of the nuclear phenomenon, that of breaking to
pieces, and in no way to be regarded as a complete description,
yet serves as an example to annul the view that the existence of
miraculous is a natural impossibility. I will produce a vision
of Daniel in which could be found the nuclear phenomenon
described with scientific clarity, while the other three
phenomena, namely, the gravitational, the electrical and the
minor nuclear may be seen described as quasi allegorically.
While judging between the difference
of the degree and style of description by the Quran and Daniel
in the Bible the difference of their respective eras have to be
kept in mind. If Einstein were alive today, I would have
presented this particular excerpt from the Bible to him as a
suggestive aid to his research on the unification of natural
forces, believing that it would have proved suggestive,
resourceful, thought-provoking and interesting to him in his
particular theme that of the unification of natural forces,
besides the clarification of the basic characteristic of nuclear
phenomenon that of breaking into pieces. Einstein indeed had the
realization of this last fact as is clear from his appeals to
mankind, but unfortunately the realization had come to him only
too late, after only the hydrogen bomb had appeared on the
scene. Now read the following from the Bible:-
"In the first year of Belshazzer,
king of Babylon Denial had a dream and visions of his head upon
his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the
matters. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night,
and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great
sea. And four great beasts came up form the sea, diverse one
from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings:
I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted
up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a
man's heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second,
like to a bear, and it raised up itself, on one side, and it had
three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they
said thus unto it, arise, devour much flesh. After this I
beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back
of it four wings of a fowl: the beast had also four heads; and
dominion was given to it.
After this I saw in the night
visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and
strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and
broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it;
and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and
it had ten horns.
I considered the horns, and , behold,
there came up among them another little horn, before whom there
were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and ,
behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth
speaking great-things.
I beheld till the thrones were cast
down, and the ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white
as snow, and the hair of this head like the pure wool: his
throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
A fiery steam issued and came forth
from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten
thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was
set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the
voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even
till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to
the burning flame.
As concerning the rest of the beasts,
they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were
prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions,
and, behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds of
heaven, and came to the ancient of days, and they brought him
near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory,
and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should
serve him: his dominion is an ever-lasting dominion, which shall
not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be
destroyed.
I, Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst
of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
I came near unto one of them that
stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me,
and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great
beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of
the earth.
But the saints of the most high shall
take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, and ever.
Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was
diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful. Whose teeth
were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, broke in
pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet.
And of the ten horns that were in his
head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell
; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very
great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
I beheld, and the same horn made war
with the Saitns, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient
of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most
High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Thus he said, the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon
earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall
devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in
pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that
shall arise; and another shall rise after them; and he shall be
diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he
shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear
out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and
laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and
times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and
they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it
unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of
the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people
of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Hitherto is
the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my cogitations much
troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the
matter in my heart".
(The Bible-Daniel
VII-1-28)
In order to treat the subject we will
follow the specific arrangement of the four natural forces to
depict the four beasts of Daniel's vision:-
1. THE GRAVITATIONAL FORCE
The first was like a lion, and had
eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings therefore were plucked
and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the
feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it".
2. THE ELECTRICAL FORCE
"And behold another breast, a second
, like to a bear, and it raised up itself, on one side, and it
had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and
they said thus unto it, arise devour much flesh".
3. MINOR-NUCLEAR FORCE
"After this I beheld, and lo another,
like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a
fowl: the beast had four heads; and dominion was given to it".
4. THE MAJOR NUCLEAR FORCE
The first three we will leave to the
reader himself to discern therein the resemblance to the
relevant natural force, that could be viewed in divers ways. But
this fourth, that is the nuclear beast we will try to briefly
explain. Daniel says, "after this I saw in the night visions,
and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong
exceedingly, and it had great iron teeth: It devoured and broke
in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it
was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had
ten horns".
And now let us read the Quranic
characterization of the nuclear fire. It says, " And what could
teach thee what Al-Hotama is? It is fire of Allah kindled, which
leapeth up onto the hearts. It is ( a fire) closed in on them in
outstretched columns". (Quran 104-Al-Homaza) .The Quran has used
the term "Hotama". Hotama literally means a breaker, and more
accurately means a crusher, a violent crusher. The original
commentators of the Quran have described the Hotama, as a fire
inexpressibly dreadful, terrific, and an unusual devourer.
Comparing the description given by the Bible and the Quran we
can see:-
The Bible says, " It breaketh in
pieces, and stampeth the residue with the feet of it". The Quran
says, " It is hotama that is violent breaker and crusher, and
grinder in the form of fire". The Bible says " It is dreadful,
terrible, and strong exceedingly". The Quran according to the
original commentators says, " It is inexpressibly terrible and
dreadful and strong exceedingly ". The Bible says, "It is
devourer". The Quran says, " It is devourer" The Bible says, "It
is diverse from all the beasts that were before it". The
scientific characterization of the atomic phenomenon given by he
Quran, and endorsed by nuclear science is such as
characteristically distinguishes the nuclear, that is the atomic
phenomenon from the rest of the phenomena, namely , the chemical
and the electrical. That the characteristics of the atomic
phenomenon are basically distinct and diverse from the rest of
the phenomena, is a point worth keen observation of the
atomists. But the Quran has proceeded further to give all the
distinctive characteristics of the atomic fire, to wit that it
is fire of Allah enkindled, and that it is a fire which leaps up
onto the hearts and that it is a fire closed in on them in
outstretched columns. This seemingly simple description of
atomic fire is surprisingly the most complete and comprehensive
description of the atomic fire. No better has anywhere appeared
in the circles of modern science. Daniel regarding the fourth
kingdom, that is the fourth beast has said that it shall be the
fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all
kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it
down, and break it in pieces.
Now no better description of the
distinctly particular character of this nuclear phenomenon, and
of this modern Baconian age of scientific materialistic
progress, as well as of this nuclear age as distinct from the
pre-nuclear ages could be found than the one given above by
Daniel.
This modern culture has devoured the
whole earth, land, sea, jungles, animals, every thing. The
nuclear weapons also can devour the whole earth and can tread it
down, and can break it in pieces. All this is description of
Quranic Hotama which the worthy commentators of the Quran have
most appropriately given in minute detail. This present day
mankind, that now is turning mad through panic due to this
destructive character of the nuclear kingdom, should have no
difficulty in descrying the truth of this danielian statement
given millenniums ago.
And in the end let us pray that the
prediction of Daniel regarding the fourth beast, the one which
we have called as the nuclear beast comes true. Namely that it
is Slain, its body is destroyed and is given to the burning
flames as the golden calf of Israel was destroyed by Moses. The
end of the three other beasts as is predicted by Daniel shows no
less appropriateness. Who the ancient of the days, or the son of
man is going to be, time only will tell. This vision of Daniel
on the whole is worth the research of some competent intellect
in the world and deserves to be discussed in minute detail.
I wish I had leisure.
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