"…(In the Qur'an,) all the subjects are blended together in an exceptionally beautiful manner. But, the unwary reader begins to imagine that, the Qur'an is a book without any other link or connection between its verses, and continuity of its subjects..."

--- Translation of the Qur'an(Introductory Comment) by Yusuf Ali, Third Edition 1998

The Mystery Behind Human Soul

"They ask you(Muhammad) concerning the Soul. Say: "The Soul(comes) by the command[and exclusive knowledge of Allah] Lord: What you were given(by Allah) of knowledge is little."--- Q-17:85
Analysis: This verse and many others in the Qur'an is telling us that, even Prophet Muhammad, the best ever creature among the entire creation of Allah on earth and in the universe in its entirety, does not know the nature of human Soul, which is strictly and exclusively within the domain and dominance of Allah, the Al-Almighty!
The December 2007 issue of the Awake magazine carried a short article captioned, "A Futile Pursuit". It disclosed that; On November 9, 1949, James Kidd, a 70 year old copper miner disappeared in the mountains of Harizona, U.S.A. Several years later, after he was declared legally dead, his pencil-written "Will" was discovered, along with his investments worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. In his "Will", Kidd stipulated that his money be used for research to find "some scientific proof of a soul of the human body which leaves at death."
Soon afterward, over 100 purported researchers and scientists applied for the funds(to unravel the mystery surrounding soul). There were months of court hearings and thousands of claims suggesting the existence of an invisible soul. Finally, the judge awarded the money to two reputable research organizations. Well over half a century later, those researchers have yet to produce "scientific proof of a soul of human body which leaves at dearth."
And any non-believer or atheist who still thinks science can unravel the façade or the mystery surrounding soul should ponder over the wisdom of Voltaire, a Philosopher, whose wisdom paraphrases the verse above, when he said; "Four thousand volumes of metaphysics will not teach us what soul is!"
Imam Ibnil-Qayyim defined soul as, "a soft tissue that attaches to the body as a lover attached to the beloved, or it is like a tube with water flowing over a green wood. Better still, it is like a perfume or cologne from the flower. The human soul experiences life in four different abodes:
1- Mothers' Womb.
2- This (home) world that man lives in, committing good and evil.
3- The home of Barzakh, which geographically refers to as isthmus or a neck of a land that separates between two different regions, and has a particular life phenomenon, quite different from the two regions that it situated in between. It is more spacious with huge land mass.
4- The last abode is that of the last day and it is the sustainable, everlasting and eternal habitat either in Paradise or in the Hell Fire.
The celebrated sufi scholar of the blessed memory, Imam Abdul Hamid Gazali stated in his famous book, "Ihyah Uloomul Deen" or the "Revival of Religious Science" that, "The soul inherently has all the (human) knowledge and perceives everything, for it is directed from Allah…a fact most people find hard to perceive…The lifeless organs (human body)feel no pain; it is the soul that feels pain. The effects of injury or burning spread to the soul. The more the pain reaches the soul, the more painful it becomes…the soul extraction, on the other hand, overcomes all parts. The soul is the one extracted and pulled out of every vein, nerve, joint, hair and skin from the top of the head to the bottom of the foot. It is painful and agonizing."
The Death of Stars & Planets
"What will you do when the heaven is split open and becomes rose-colored like red oil or red hide?"--- Q-55:37
Analysis: NASA has published a very remarkable photograph of the heavens. Interested persons could obtain this photograph from NASA's website. It is referred to as the "Cat's Eye Nebula" and was taken by NASA on September 18, 1994. It is officially referred to as "NGC 6543". The picture is red like the petal of rose. The Qur'an in this verse is stating that a day will come when the heaven will split and turn into rose like red object. NASA astronomers state that the picture shows or represents the explosion and death of a star that took place in the heavens 3000 light years away. How could the Qur'an state centuries ago that when a star explodes in the universe it looks like the petal of a red rose, unless it was revealed from the All-Knowing and All-Wise Allah!
It may be added that the universe now is in a state of constant expansion. A group of scientists , based on numerous evidences, hold that this expansion will stop one day, and a process of contraction will start. The universe like a balloon would then contract and shrink. All the planet that are now too far and scattered in the universe will come closer like dots on the surface of a balloon. As the contraction will continue, various groups of planets will merge and collide and then explode resulting in more red rosy spots. The whole universe towards the end may then look like the petals of a red rose. This may be the Day of Judgment and the end of the world. Only Allah knows the best, but this verse has a clear scientific reference both to the explosion and death of stars in the universe and also to the end of this world on the Day of Judgment. It should be added that astronomers have shown numerous red rosy spots in the heavens, all of these refer to the death of previous starts and planets.
Husseini Yushau BabalWaiz, is the Research & Outreach Coordinator at the Center for Media & Peace Initiatives Inc. New York, Author of three books, including "Not good without God" & Tutor in Arabic & Islamic Studies in New York, babalwaiz71@gmail.com.
NB: Folks, this brings us to the end of this special Ramadan series on; "Quranic Commentary & Analysis through the Lens of Modern Science", which commenced from the inception of the universe and concluded to the end of life in the universe as you might have seen in this last piece. I thank everyone for his or her prayers and words of encouragements and support. By popular request, I will compile all these series in a book form to benefit the future generation. And I will continue on different special matters relating to Islam at least once or twice a week. I wish everyone Eidul Mubarak and May Allah make us observe many Ramadan to come, Ameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!!!
Further Reading:
1-Alruh [The Soul], by Ibnil Qayyimul Jawzii.
2-160 Miracles & Mysteries of the Qu'ran