On Peace TV Channel, in one of
lectures, Mr Attaullah Siddiki, a scholar from UK, raised a question about the
nature, meaning or definition of the term kalimah, as it is used for the Quran
(Kalimatullah: Word of God), and also for Jesus (Peace be upon him), a man. As
for as I could follow, in the repeat telecast also, a scientific explanation is
still due.
According to Sir Syed Ahmad, the Quran is the Word of God and nature or creation
is the work of God. The one does not contradict the other. There is a constant
need for reflection, as the work of God becomes known more and more.
Besides Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, other religions also refer to
Commanding Word of God. According to Memphite belief, the god Ptah conceived
elements of the universe with his mind and brought them into being by the
Commanding Word. Here, it may be pertinent to examine the Qranic verse 36-82.
The New Testament tells that God created everything by the eternal Word. James
W. Sire, in his book The Universe Next Door (pp.29-31), says: "God created the
cosmos ex nihilo to operate with a uniformity of cause and effect in an open
system:.. God spoke it into existence (Consider Quranic verses 2-117, 36-82). It
came into being by His Word: "God said, 'Let there be light: and there was
light" (Gen. 1-3) (Examine Quranic verses, e.g., 28-71 to 73, 10-5 & 6).
Roman Catholic Church admits both, literal and allegorical interpretation of
Genesis: It believes that the creation of world is the work of God through the
'Logos': the Word (Idea, Intelligence, Reason and Logic):
The Quran informs:
"To Him (Allah) is due the primal origin
of the heavens and the earth:
when He decrees a matter, He says to it: "Be," and it is."
(2-117)
About Jesus (Peace be upon him), the Quran, categorically makes an assertion:
"The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam;
He created him from dust, then said to him
"Be": and he was." (3-59)
"Behold! the angels said:
'O Mary! Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him:
his name will be Christ,
Jesus the son of Mary held in honor..”
(3-45)
Some Biblical passages, about the Word, inform as follows:
"In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and
the Word was God.
'He' was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through 'Him', and
apart from 'Him' nothing came into being,
that has come into being ...
And the Word [Jesus Christ] became flesh,..".
(John 1-1 to 3 and 1-14)
"For by faith we understand
the worlds were prepared by the Word of God,.."
(Hebrews 11-3).
Jesus is the Word of God. (Revelation 1-13)
The Word of God is living: (Hebrews 4-12)
Let us examine these statements in the light of some available scientific
information. It is considered that time, and space-matter were all created with
the Big Bang. It presupposes existence of something called 'Singularity' that
exploded. Stephen Hawking says in his book, `A Brief History of Time', that
science has not yet answered questions pertaining to boundary conditions, time
and space, if any, in which the Big Explosion took place.
The Quran itself raises questions about creation and existence and makes
statements for further reflection into different aspects of the universe. There
are certain fundamental constants, the unalterable values, for which it uses the
term 'kalimah':
"..No change can there be in the Words of Allah.." (10-64)
These 'Words' play fundamental role in all sciences, including social. In the
realm of physical sciences, it is not just that their alteration would
fundamentally alter the universe, but that only these numbers, precisely fine
tuned, are the only exact necessary numbers for our universe to exist and for
life to have evolved. For example, an alteration in the strength of gravity by
even infinitesimal a number would have caused all stars to be either blue giants
or red dwarfs, with no possibility of sun-like stars, and consequently no
possibility of life as it exists today.
But the term 'Word', still needs more plausible explanation and clarity,
particularly in scientific sense.
All universe-all creation, in existence and in action, was not produced or
by-produced by any machine but through His Own Command, which is His Affair and
Matter:
"..When He decrees a matter, He says to it: "Be," and it is."
(2-117)
"Verily, His (Allah's) Command, when He Intends a thing,
is only that He says to it `Be' - and it is!" (36-82)
If any nearer explanation could be offered then, His Word (Kalimah) appears to
be like the word of a dictionary in action (command): the functional book of the
universe or written manual or written programme is unfolding and progressing in
sequence.
Consider following verse also:
"Say: `If the sea were ink
for the Words of my Lord-Master-Sustainer,
Surely, the sea would be exhausted before the Words
of my Lord -Master-Sustainer would be finished,
even if we brought like it for its aid".18-109
Computer uses mathematical equations, formulations and words (kalimaat) - script
into action. Atoms and cells that constitute physical universe possess an
invariant characteristic in their mathematical programme rather than in their
physical structure. Two cells may be identical in terms of chemical structure,
but it is their programs that impart them different characters. Difference
between green and violet lies in the difference in mathematical expression of
rays representing them. Individuality of each entity or event lies in its
mathematical expression. World is like pieces of mathematical equations and
formulations: words. According to Paul Davies "one can consider the space
occupied by the `dot patterns'. 'Life' is programmed and can be accessed with
commands, in physical world which is a manifestation of concordant mathematical
relationships. There must exist a programme or an algorithm from which a correct
description of the world may be obtained. The regularities in the universe, an
example of its algorithmic compressibility, are systematized into what we call
laws analogous to computer programs. The essence of the idea of algorithmic
compression hinges on a very simple question: what is the shortest message
(Word: Kalimah?) that can describe a system to a certain level of detail? The
complexity of something is defined as the length of the shortest possible
description of that thing. (Word: Kalimah. We write instructions (Words:
Kalimaat) to translate one computer language into another.
The essence of science is to uncover patterns and regularities in nature by
finding algorithmic compressions of observations, nature's hidden order, written
in code (Kalimah), e.g., genetic code. Living things encode their physical
characteristics in DNA. Virus practically is nothing but a chemical code (Kalimah).
Human genome, has three billion letters. All sciences work together in harmony,
and obey prescribed commands (Words).
Anything and everything, one can think , speak or do is `programmed' into DNA (Dioxyribonuclic
acid), containing innumerable possibilities and functionalities. Human behaviour
is the function of the set of genes in human genome. DNA consists of four
different sugars called nucleotides, that interact with one another in specific
ways. They are named as, adenine (A), thymine (B), cytocine (C) and guanine (G).
They are also called the alphabet of life. These alphabet (nucleotides) written
or repeated many billions of times in a specific sequence e.g., GATCATCCG...,
etc., etc.) form `words' and `sentences' (kalimaat). The total length of the DNA
tape in the human body is greater than the distance between our sun and moon.
They determine how a living thing functions. Geometrically, a gene is a double
helix, formed by the nucleotide, looking like a long inter-twinning ladder. It
is a segment of DNA containing chemical instruction, i.e., a `sentence'
necessary to make a specific enzyme or other protein or replicate itself. The
genetic code is the `word' or `chemical spelling' that turns a particular gene
`on' or `off', leading to a biological or functional effect (Kalimatullaah- The
Word of God. The word `Kun' is called `Kalimatul Hazrah'-The Fiat of God; When
Allah said: `Be',and it was.
"All that they do, is noted in Book. (54-52)
And everything, small and big, is written down" (54-53)
"And that it is He (Allah),
Who makes laugh and makes weep". 53-43
"Then the angels called him (Zakariya, Peace be upon him),
while he was standing in prayer in a praying place:
`Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya (John),
confirming the Word from Allah…," (3-39)
" For such , He (Allah) has written Faith in their hearts..,”
58-22