(xiv)
A‘lahazrat as a Physicist
The earth moves constantly about its own axis and also round the sun, which is stationary. This theory espoused by Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo, gained popularity all over the world. The theory says that the speed of rotation of earth is 1036 miles per hour i.e. 17.26 miles per minute i.e.30389 yards per minute i.e.506.4 yards per second. Against this theory, nobody could speak. It was A‘lahazrat who challenged it and declared:
"The
Islamic principle is that the sky and earth are stationary
and the planets rotate. It is sun that moves round the
earth; it is not earth that moves round the sun."
In order
to substantiate it, A‘lahazrat put forward two-tier
arguments. First, he quoted a number of verses from Holy
Qur’an and Hadith, the translation of some of which
is given below:
1.
The movement of Sun and Moon is according to a course.
2.
The sun and the moon are sailing within a circle.
3.
The moon and the sun were besieged for you which are
constantly moving.
[For detailed study, please see "Nuzool-i-Ayat-i-Furqan Besukoon-i-Zameen-o-Aasman" of A‘lahazrat written in 1339 A.H, published from Riza Academy, Bombay.]
It is
thus; quite clear that the sun moves and it is obligatory
upon every Muslim to believe it because it is what Allah
ordains us to believe. In light of Holy Qur’an and Hadith,
the theory of rotation of earth is absolutely wrong. Such
arguments were more than enough for Muslims but for Muslims
only. For others, A‘lahazrat presented a number of
arguments based on scientific understanding — technical
and otherwise. A‘lahazrat wrote several books on this
subject. In 1920, he presented his book "Fauz-i-Mubin
Dar Radd-i-Harkat-i-Zamin", Published from Idara
Sunni Dunia, Saudagran, Bareilly. This book contains 105
arguments, dozens of diagrams and lots of calculations in
refuting the said theory. Out of 105, I am giving below gist
of only five logical and axiomatic arguments which are quite
easy and which can be understood by a man of average
intelligence.
1. If a
heavy stone is thrown up straight, it would fall on the same
place from where it was thrown, whereas according to the
theory of movement of earth, it must not happen. According
to it, if the earth were moving towards east, the stone
would fall in west because during the time it went up and
came down, that place of earth from where the stone was
thrown up, due to movement of earth, would slip away towards
east. Suppose, the process of stone going up and coming down
took a time of 5 seconds, then according to the said speed
of movement of earth, that is, 506.4 yards per second, the
earth would slip away towards east by 2532 yards i.e. about
one and a half miles In other words, the stone must fall in
the west of that place (place of throwing up the stone) at a
distance of about one and a half miles but actually it would
fall on the same place from where it was thrown up. It shows
that the said theory of movement of Earth is wrong.
2. If
two stones are thrown away at the same time and with the
same power — one towards east and the other towards west,
then what should happen according to the said theory of
movement of earth, is that the stone going towards west must
appear to be going very fast and that the stone going
towards east very lazy. Suppose the power of throwing the
stone is 19 yards within three seconds, then the respective
stones would fall in the east and west at a distance of 19
yards only but according to the said theory, by the time the
westward stone would cover a distance of 19 yards in three
seconds, the place from where the stones were thrown, would
slip away towards east by 1519 yards (506.4 x 3) In this
way, it must fall at a distance of 1519+19 i.e. 1538 yards,
whereas it would actually fall only at a distance of 19
yards. Similarly, the other stone going towards east must
fall in the west at a distance of 1519-19 i.e. 1500 yards,
whereas actually it would fall in the very east at a
distance of 19 yards only. It shows that the said theory of
Movement of Earth is wrong.
3.
Suppose, from a tree, two birds fly with equal speed and for
equal period, one of them goes towards east and the other
towards west. Now if their flying speed is equal to the
speed of movement of earth, that is, if they fly at a speed
of 1036 miles per hour, then according to the said theory,
bird going towards west must fly at a speed of 1036+1036
i.e. 2072 miles per hour (being its own speed added by the
speed of movement of earth), while the bird going towards
east would not be able to move even an inch as its speed
after adjusting the speed of movement of earth (both being
equal) would become zero. On the contrary, what would
actually happen is that the bird going eastward would go in
the east to a distance of 1036 miles during an hour and the
bird going westward would go in the west at a distance of
1036 miles. It shows that the said theory of movement of
Earth is wrong.
For a
bird, the abnormal speed of flight of 1036 miles per hour
has been assumed only to bring it parallel to the speed of
movement of earth and simply to prove that according to the
said theory, the bird flying towards east would not be able
to cover any distance even if it comes abreast of a plane in
the matter of speed and flies at a rate of 1036 miles per
hour.
4. If it
is intended to kill a bird appearing at a distance of 10
yards in the air from a particular place and suppose it
takes two seconds in stringing the bow and shooting the
arrow, then by the time the arrow is shot, that particular
place would slip away within these two seconds at a distance
of 1013 yards at a speed of 506.4 yards per second being the
speed of movement of earth and thus the arrow can never
reach the target, whereas it may be taken for granted that
the arrow would hit the target. It shows that the theory of
movement of Earth is wrong.
5. If a
bird is sitting on a pillar near its nest just at a distance
of one yard, even then it can never reach the nest, because
in order to reach the nest, the bird shall have to fly —
may it be for a second or part thereof. The fact is that,
the bird can never surpass the speed of 1036 miles per hour,
which is said to be the speed of movement of earth. It shows
that the theory of Movement of the Earth is wrong.
Need you
go yet for further arguments? Go on thinking over plane,
gun, cannon, missile squad and so forth.
Thus, we
can come to the conclusion that a person who challenged the
great scientists like Copernicus Kepler, Galileo, Newton
etc, must have been a great scientist himself. I would like
to add that what is required to disprove the theories of
these scientists, A‘lahazrat has done ahead of it but
sooner or later its credit will be bagged by someone else
who will win the fight in the name of a scientist for,
A‘lahazrat is better known as a Muslim theologian rather
than a scientist.