A Magnificent View and A Down-to-Earth Realization
This picture of a spiral galaxy, one of the most magnificent I have ever
seen, is 60,000 light years across. Although these heavenly objects are so
huge that our finite brains cannot comprehend their size and distance, they
still look and act like ordinary objects which we see and play with here on
earth, such as a whirlpool. Without such pictures, we would have difficulty
imagining that something as large as 60,000 light years across can spiral
like a whirlpool!
A recent theory now portrays a very different universe. It nullifies another six-decade old theory that the central gravity of the universe will
eventually slow down its outward expansion and will ultimately cause it to
shrink and collapse back, much like a rubber band does when it reaches its
elastic limit and jumps backwards. According to the new theory, the
expansion of the universe will never slow down. Due to a mysterious "dark
energy" which overcame the gravitational pull, the speed at which the
galaxies are running away outwards will continue to accelerate towards the
infinity.
As mind boggling as the size and distance of the universe and these
theoretical concepts are, they certainly bring us back to one simple
reality: the Majesty of God Almighty Who created such an incomprehensibly
huge and complex universe out of nothing and by mere volition, and our own
insignificance and near nothingness comparing with the rest of it.
But seldom does Man remember his humbleness. When God gives him knowledge
and wisdom, he demands respect and recognition; when he is given power and
authority, he misuses his power and demonstrates his might; when God
provides him with tools and capabilities, he depletes natural resources as
much and as fast as he can to produce more and more and make more and more
profit, destroying other species and their habitats and the vital and
delicate ecological balance that sustains us and other creatures; when God
endows him with scientific capabilities and prominence, he turns arrogant
and becomes ashamed to be known as a believer in God - he would rather
attribute things to "mother nature" and not be "superstitious".
Such is Man's arrogance. And so it is worthwhile sometimes to take a break,
and drive to the countryside away from the hustle and bustle of the city
and its dazzling lights. And, lying back on the grass and looking straight
into the starry heaven, ponder about the universe and our place in it.
Perhaps this will bring us back to earth from the height of arrogance and
make us humble - humble towards our fellow humans, towards other species,
and towards all that is around us.
Nor walk on the earth with insolence, for you cannot rend the earth asunder
nor reach the mountains in height. (Qur'an: 17:37)
- Mushfiqur Rahman, 11 April 2001
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This picture of a spiral galaxy, one of the most magnificent I have ever
seen, is 60,000 light years across. Although these heavenly objects are so
huge that our finite brains cannot comprehend their size and distance, they
still look and act like ordinary objects which we see and play with here on
earth, such as a whirlpool. Without such pictures, we would have difficulty
imagining that something as large as 60,000 light years across can spiral
like a whirlpool!
A recent theory now portrays a very different universe. It nullifies another six-decade old theory that the central gravity of the universe will
eventually slow down its outward expansion and will ultimately cause it to
shrink and collapse back, much like a rubber band does when it reaches its
elastic limit and jumps backwards. According to the new theory, the
expansion of the universe will never slow down. Due to a mysterious "dark
energy" which overcame the gravitational pull, the speed at which the
galaxies are running away outwards will continue to accelerate towards the
infinity.
As mind boggling as the size and distance of the universe and these
theoretical concepts are, they certainly bring us back to one simple
reality: the Majesty of God Almighty Who created such an incomprehensibly
huge and complex universe out of nothing and by mere volition, and our own
insignificance and near nothingness comparing with the rest of it.
But seldom does Man remember his humbleness. When God gives him knowledge
and wisdom, he demands respect and recognition; when he is given power and
authority, he misuses his power and demonstrates his might; when God
provides him with tools and capabilities, he depletes natural resources as
much and as fast as he can to produce more and more and make more and more
profit, destroying other species and their habitats and the vital and
delicate ecological balance that sustains us and other creatures; when God
endows him with scientific capabilities and prominence, he turns arrogant
and becomes ashamed to be known as a believer in God - he would rather
attribute things to "mother nature" and not be "superstitious".
Such is Man's arrogance. And so it is worthwhile sometimes to take a break,
and drive to the countryside away from the hustle and bustle of the city
and its dazzling lights. And, lying back on the grass and looking straight
into the starry heaven, ponder about the universe and our place in it.
Perhaps this will bring us back to earth from the height of arrogance and
make us humble - humble towards our fellow humans, towards other species,
and towards all that is around us.