Sahih International
And We made the sky a protected ceiling, but they, from its signs, are turning away.
http://quran.com/21/32
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
And We made the heaven a roof, for the earth, [functioning] like the roof of a house, preserved, from collapsing; and yet of the signs thereof, namely, [the signs of this heaven such as] the sun, the moon and the stars, they are disregardful, failing to reflect on them and thus realise that the Creator of such [things] can have no partner.
“And We have set up the sky as a well-secured canopy.” (Verse 32) In Arabic, the sky refers to everything that is above us. We see above us something like a ceiling. The Qur’ān states that the sky is a well-secured canopy. It is secure from any defect or contamination, since it symbolizes the height from which God’s revelations are bestowed. But “they stubbornly turn away from all its signs.” (Verse 32)
In the Qur'an, God calls our attention to a very interesting attribute of the sky;
This attribute of the sky has been proved by scientific research carried out in the 20th century.
The atmosphere surrounding the earth serves crucial functions for the continuity of life. While destroying many meteors big and small as they approach the earth, it prevents them from falling to earth and harming living things.
In addition, the atmosphere filters the light rays coming from space that are harmful to living things. Interestingly, the atmosphere lets only harmless and useful rays- visible light, near ultraviolet light, and radio waves pass through. All of this radiation is vital for life. Near ultraviolet rays, which are only partially let in by the atmosphere, are very important for the photosynthesis of plants and for the survival of all living beings. The majority of the intense ultraviolet rays emitted from the sun are filtered out by the ozone layer of the atmosphere and only a limited-and essential-part of the ultraviolet spectrum reaches the Earth.
The protective function of the atmosphere does not end here. The atmosphere also protects the earth from the freezing cold of the space, which is about minus 270° C.
This
illustration shows meteors that are about to crash into
the earth. The celestial bodies wandering in space could
pose a serious threat to the Earth. Yet, God, He Who creates
most perfectly, has made the atmosphere a protective roof.
Thanks to this special protection, most meteoroids do
not harm the Earth, as they fall to pieces in the atmosphere.
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Most people looking at the sky do not think about the protective aspect of the atmosphere. They almost never think what kind of a place the world would be like if this structure did not exist. The above photo belongs to a giant crater caused by a meteor that fell in Arizona, in the USA. If the atmosphere did not exist, millions of meteoroids would fall to the Earth and the Earth would become an inhabitable place. Yet, the protective aspect of the atmosphere allows living things to survive in safety. This is certainly God's protection of people, and a miracle proclaimed in the Qur'an. |
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The
energy released in a Sun burst is so powerful that the
human mind would hardly comprehend it: A single burst
is equivalent to 100 billion atomic bombs similar to the
one dropped on Hiroshima. The world is protected from
the destructive effects of this energy by the atmosphere
and the Van Allen Belts.
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As
we move from the Earth, which is perfectly fitted for
human life, beyond the atmosphere into the space, we come
across a freezing cold. The world is protected from the
freezing cold of space, which is around -270 degrees,
by the help of the atmosphere.
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The magnetosphere layer, formed by the magnetic field of the Earth, serves as a shield protecting the earth from celestial bodies, harmful cosmic rays and particles. In the above picture, this magnetosphere layer, which is also named Van Allen Belts, is seen. These belts at thousands of kilometres above the earth protect the living things on the Earth from the fatal energy that would otherwise reach it from space.
All
these scientific findings prove that the world is protected
in a very particular way. The important thing is that this
protection was made known in the Qur'an in the verse "We
made the sky a preserved and protected roof" 1,400
years ago.
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Dr. Hugh Ross has this to say on the importance of Van Allen Belts to our lives:
In fact, the Earth
has the highest density of any of the planets in our Solar System.
This large nickel-iron core is responsible for our large magnetic
field. This magnetic field produces the Van-Allen radiation shield,
which protects the Earth from radiation bombardment. If this shield
were not present, life would not be possible on the Earth. The
only other rocky planet to have any magnetic field is Mercury
- but its field strength is 100 times less than the Earth's. Even
Venus, our sister planet, has no magnetic field. The Van-Allen
radiation shield is a design unique to the Earth.
The energy transmitted in just one of these bursts detected in
recent years was calculated to be equivalent to 100 billion atomic
bombs similar to the one dropped on Hiroshima. Fifty-eight hours
after the burst, it was observed that the magnetic needles of
compasses displayed unusual movement and 250 kilometers above
the earth's atmosphere, the temperature suddenly increased to
2,500° C.In short, a perfect system is at work high above the Earth. It surrounds our world and protects it against external threats.
