ATOM AND SUBATOMIC PARTICLES

Not even an atom’s weight in the heavens and the -3

earth, or something smaller or greater than it is hidden
.from Him, but all are in a clear record
Sheba, 3-34

The atom is the smallest particle of matter. God drew

attention to the existence of the atom, laying emphasis on
the importance of its knowledge. A naked eye looking at
a table, a carpet, a wall or a stone cannot fully grasp the
importance of the atom and the knowledge it contains.
While the Quran stresses the importance of the atom, it
emphasizes also the subatomic particles, “Or something
smaller or greater than.” In the expression “greater than”
is comprised the knowledge of the greater compositions
.like molecules, the entirety of which is within God’s ken

Men contemporary with the Prophet could not possibly

have known that in the atom and subatomic particles and
their compounds different types of knowledge were
comprised. The Quran asserts the omniscience of God.
Drawing attention to the existence of the atom and the
subatomic particles is relevant to the present day
.information that physics has discovered

The knowledge obtained today by means of

cosmological physics studying the science of the origin
and structure of the universe are interrelated with the
data of atomic physics. Another miraculous sign of the
Quran is its referring to the weight (miskale in Arabic) of
.the atom wherever the word “zerre” (atom) is mentioned

FROM VAST TO SMALLEST MAGNITUDES

 Imagine you are eating a pizza with great relish. What
are its ingredients? Sausage, cheese, mushrooms,
tomatoes and flour. What are the constituents of these
sausages, cheeses, mushrooms and tomatoes and what
are the constituents of the constituents? This series of
questions leads us to molecules. The molecules
themselves are made up of atoms such as oxygen,
hydrogen and carbon. Then come protons and electrons,
...together forming eventually the nucleus of the atom

The entire universe is made of matter or energy. From

the trunk of a tree to its leaves, from the hands of a
human being to his eyes, from golden ornaments to
cotton dresses, everything is matter. The atom is the
individual structure that constitutes the basic unit of any
.chemical element

The proton is an elementary particle that is the positively

charged constituent of ordinary matter, and, like the
neutron, is the building stone of atomic nuclei. The
electron is an elementary particle that is the negatively
charged constituent of ordinary matter. These are the
recent discoveries of science that led us to the discovery
of the television, computer, Internet, etc. Take, for
instance, a grain of sand in the palm, which is assumed to
be the simplest matter, and think of the quadrillion of
atoms it contains; quadrillions of atoms you could not
finish counting throughout the span of your lifetime.
Imagine that each of these atoms has its electrons
moving around the nuclei, like the planets making their
rounds around the sun. A quadrillion solar systems
contained within a grain of sand or piece of rock in your
palm. An intelligent mind will readily conceive that there
is nothing simple in the universe. Be it a pizza or a rock,
suppose that you fancy recomposing them. To embark on
such a huge project, you must go back to the very
beginning, to the primeval explosion, and repeat the
process. In this odyssey, you will run into atoms,
cornerstones of the universe, entailing the existence of
protons, electrons and neutrons; then you will be faced
by the gaseous substance made of hydrogen and helium;
these will be followed by stars and atoms produced in
these stars which will one day be transformed into the
mushrooms, cheese and tomatoes of our pizza. In order
to really make a pizza, we need to create the entire
.universe with all the stages it had

The more you delve into the study of the atom the greater
becomes your wonder. Suppose a penny on the table is
the nucleus of an atom. The orbit that the electron would
trace around it would be at a distance of 2-3 km. What is
in between? The distance between the two, i.e., the
nucleus and the electrons, is a vacuum. In other words, a
piece of rock held in our hand contains in it quadrillions
of solar systems, but 99.99% of it is a vacuum.
?Interesting, isn’t it

While we observed the fact that the universe was replete

with orbits as described in the verse (51-The Dispersing,
7), we witnessed the infinitude of God’s power and
magnitude. This divine power is demonstrated through
more than one hundred million galaxies, more than a
hundred million stars contained in each, countless planets
and satellites and their quadrillions of devised orbits. A
grain of sand, then, contains quadrillions of miniature
replicas of the solar system where electrons dance around
the nuclei of quadrillions of atoms. What should one
 deduce from this? To begin with, the incommensurable
magnitude of our Creator’s power is also observed in the
depth of matter. Endless vastness has been created from
these particles. The motion of the atom is the same
movement around the center of limitless magnitudes. The
system in any given galaxy and the one forming a
particle of dust is the same system. The Author of that
speck of dust is also the Author of the universe. All these
phenomena point to the immensity of His power and to
the order reigning in the universe, as well as to the fact
that nothing is casual in His creation. The creation of the
smallest and of the biggest is equal for Him. The creation
of a point containing trillions of atoms and of immense
space is equal for Him and difficulty is a notion not
applicable for Him. There is no limit to His wisdom and
.power

And if all the trees on earth were made into pens, and -27
the ocean supplied the ink, augmented by seven more
oceans, the words of God would not run out. God is
.indeed Almighty and Wise
Luqmaan, 27-31

INFINITESIMAL CONTENTS OF ATOMS

The nucleus of the atom contains protons charged with
positive electricity. These positive charges repel each
other. The miracle of creation occurs when protons
 adhere to each other forming a single point. The power
that confines the protons repelling each other and the
neutrons within a single point is immense; it is called
strong nuclear force. The elementary particles containing
this force are referred to with the French epithet “gluons”
meaning “sticky” (The immense destructive energy of
the atomic bomb was obtained by the use of this force).
God, who devised everything in the universe with
mathematical precision, has also conceived this immense
force with mathematical exactitude. This force adheres
the mutually repelling protons to each other; had the
power been weaker or stronger, the protons could
disintegrate or it could cause the intrusion of protons and
.neutrons into each other

The atomic bomb demonstrated tragically the immense

power of the atom. It also showed that one of the factors
that contributed to our worldly existence is its intrinsic
balance. Thanks to the welladjusted order reigning in this
field, matter does not disintegrate all of a sudden, giving
rise to noxious effects of radiation. Another important
factor that contributes to the stability of the atom is the
weak force inherent in it. This force is particularly
important in establishing the balance of the nuclei that
.comprise an excessive number of neutrons and protons

Electromagnetic force is another factor contributing to

the existence of atom. It is this force that brings about the
attraction of oppositely charged particles and the
repulsion of particles having like electric charges. This
has made possible the coming together of the protons and
electrons. However, this coming together has its limits.
Electrons do not stick to the protons while they move at a
breathtaking speed around the nucleus in their orbits. The
 repulsion of negatively charged electrons turning in
succession, and the attraction of the electrons by the
protons changes nothing. In this way, the electron does
not stick to the proton that attracts it, nor is it moved
away. The Creator of this system, of these electrons,
deprived of consciousness, is undoubtedly the Creator of
matter, atoms, electrons, etc. Let us make an experiment
as conscious human beings. Imagine tying a rope around
the waists of three or four people while others stand in
the middle of the circle. Let those in the middle try to
pull the tied people towards themselves while the outside
people are circumnavigating the center, and let the
people making the circle push each other and those in the
center as well, resembling the movement within the
nucleus of an atom. We certainly do not expect them to
make thousands of rotations per second like an electron.
Can reasonable human beings continue to imitate the
motion of an atom for the length of one minute? And
imagine for an instant that we venture to imitate the
model of an atom with 3 or 4 orbits and that there are
three or four rotations around the symbolic nucleus. In
addition to this, suppose that sumo wrestlers representing
the gluons with adhesive properties within the nucleus
try to keep those pulling the rope while pushing each
other at their places. What an awkward experience this
would be! How have the protons and electrons been
performing this feast over and over again endlessly for
eons and eons with the quadrillions of atoms contained in
?a small rock

These atoms existing in the universe and in our bodies

were produced long ago in supernovas. The calcium in
our teeth, the carbon that our pizza contains, and the iron
atoms in our body are products of stars of high
 temperatures. These raw materials of the universe are
prepared in the laboratory of these stars before being
transformed into pizzas, water, blood, flesh, teeth and
.eyes

This is not a story of an adventure taking place far away

from us. Our hands, hair, eyes, our very food and the
chair we sit on, everything is performing this process
indiscriminately. Our Creator is perpetuating this process
incessantly with His omnipotence and omniscience. All
these movements of the atom and the energy inherent in
.it are what perpetuate our existence

To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the -2

earth. No son has He begotten, nor has He a partner in
His dominion. It is He who created all things, and
.ordered them in exact measure
The Distinguisher, 2-25
?WHAT ELSE
It is estimated that there are some 1080 particles in the
universe. Add 80 zeros after 1 to have an idea of this
magnitude. These particles function thanks to complex,
ingeniously devised and balanced forces. So do the
comets, supernovas and planets, a consequence of the
harmonious interaction of these particles. What else must
one bring forth to give an idea of the power and design
lying behind all these? In this chapter, I tried to outline
the structure of an atom and emphasize that it was
extremely complex, perfect and ingeniously devised.
Were we to push our exploration further, our wonder
would be much greater. The emergence of elementary
particles in the wake of the Big Bang is the result of an
 intelligent design. The heat at every instant during the
explosion, the number of atomic particles, the forces
involved in every stage and their intensities have been
carefully planned. Any change in these values would be
the end of existence, of galaxies and atoms, and would
end up in chaos. The consequence of this primeval
explosion was not chaos as might be expected, but a
perfect harmony, the work of the Creator, governed by
physical laws, a perfect order reigning among galaxies
.and atoms

Tiny units of split seconds had their function to perform

in the creation of the universe. Had the particles and anti-
particles been created in equal number, all of them would
be destroyed when the temperature fell below one billion
degrees, leaving behind nothing but
radiation. The very fact of our existence is evidence to
the contrary. The number of electrons had to be
somewhat more than the number of positrons and the
number of protons should exceed the number of anti-
protons and the figure representing the neutrons should
.be superior to the number of anti-neutrons

Every particle had to come into being at a predetermined

velocity, temperature and time sequence. The primeval
explosion was designed in such a way that it was
followed by an evolution that reflected the Creator’s
ingenious artistry. We have touched on the structure of
the atom and the formation of atomic particles after the
primeval explosion. The more one delves into the
 mystery of creation the more one’s wonder and
amazement increase. The actual magnificence of the
atom, the creation of particles of the atom by an
intelligent design and the transformation of the particles
into atoms are beyond the grasp of the intellect. If 1080
particles, with mutually attracting and repulsing
electricity charges, had not been transformed into atoms
in a finely balanced manner, neither the human ego, nor
.the book we read, nor the earth we inhabit would exist

Whether we ascend to the heavens or descend to the

microscopic depths, we encounter the same perfection
.and immensity of God’s work and design

To God do belong the dominion of the heavens and -120

the earth, and all that there is therein, and it is He who
.has power over all things
The Feast, 120-5