Iron
is one of the elements highlighted in the Quran. In the chapter known
Al-Hadeed,
meaning Iron, we are informed:
“And We also sent down iron in which there lies great force
and which has many uses for mankind…” (Quran 57:25)
The word “
anzalna,” translated as "sent
down" and used for iron in the verse, could be thought of having a metaphorical
meaning to explain that iron has been given to benefit people. But, when we
take into consideration the literal meaning of the word, which is, "being
physically sent down from the sky, as this word usage had not been employed in
the Quran except literally, like the descending of the rain or revelation, we
realize that this verse implies a very significant scientific miracle. Because,
modern astronomical findings have disclosed that the iron found in our world
has come from giant stars in outer space.
Not only the iron on earth, but also the iron in the
entire Solar System, comes from outer space, since the temperature in the Sun
is inadequate for the formation of iron. The sun has a surface temperature of
6,000 degrees Celsius, and a core temperature of approximately 20 million
degrees. Iron can only be produced in much larger stars than the Sun, where the
temperature reaches a few hundred million degrees. When the amount of iron
exceeds a certain level in a star, the star can no longer accommodate it, and
it eventually explodes in what is called a "nova" or a
"supernova." These explosions make it possible for iron to be given
off into space.
One scientific source provides the following information
on this subject:
“There is also evidence for older supernova events:
Enhanced levels of iron-60 in deep-sea sediments have been interpreted as
indications that a supernova explosion occurred within 90 light-years of the
sun about 5 million years ago. Iron-60 is a radioactive isotope of iron, formed
in supernova explosions, which decays with a half life of 1.5 million years. An
enhanced presence of this isotope in a geologic layer indicates the recent
nucleosynthesis of elements nearby in space and their subsequent transport to
the earth (perhaps as part of dust grains).”
All this shows that iron did not form on the Earth, but
was carried from Supernovas, and was "sent down," as stated in the
verse. It is clear that this fact could not have been known in the 7
thcentury, when the Quran was revealed. Nevertheless, this fact is related in the
Quran, the Word of God, Who encompasses all things in His infinite knowledge.
The fact that the verse specifically mentions iron is
quite astounding, considering that these discoveries were made at the end of
the 20th century. In his book Nature’s Destiny, the well-known microbiologist
Michael Denton emphasizes the importance of iron:
“Of all the metals there is none more essential to
life than iron. It is the accumulation of iron in the center of a star which
triggers a supernova explosion and the subsequent scattering of the vital atoms
of life throughout the cosmos. It was the drawing by gravity of iron atoms to
the center of the primeval earth that generated the heat which caused the
initial chemical differentiation of the earth, the outgassing of the early
atmosphere, and ultimately the formation of the hydrosphere. It is molten iron
in the center of the earth which, acting like a gigantic dynamo, generates the
earth’s magnetic field, which in turn creates the Van Allen radiation belts
that shield the earth’s surface from destructive high-energy-penetrating cosmic
radiation and preserve the crucial ozone layer from cosmic ray destruction…
“Without the iron atom, there would be no carbon-based
life in the cosmos; no supernovae, no heating of the primitive earth, no
atmosphere or hydrosphere. There would be no protective magnetic field, no Van
Allen radiation belts, no ozone layer, no metal to make hemoglobin [in human
blood], no metal to tame the reactivity of oxygen, and no oxidative metabolism.
“The intriguing and intimate relationship between life
and iron, between the red color of blood and the dying of some distant star,
not only indicates the relevance of metals to biology but also the
biocentricity of the cosmos…”
This account clearly indicates the importance of the
iron atom. The fact that particular attention is drawn to iron in the Quran
also emphasizes the importance of the element.
Moreover, iron oxide
particles were used in a cancer
treatment in recent months and positive developments were observed. A
team led
by Dr. Andreas Jordan, at the world famous Charité Hospital in Germany,
succeeded in destroying cancer cells with this new technique developed
for the
treatment of cancer—magnetic fluid hyperthermia (high temperature
magnetic
liquid). As a result of this technique, first performed on the
26-year-old
Nikolaus H., no new cancer cells were observed in the patient in the
following
three months.
This method of treatment can be summarized as follows:
1. A liquid containing iron oxide particles is
injected into the tumour by means of a special syringe. These particles spread
throughout the tumour cells. This liquid consists of thousands of millions of
particles, 1,000 times smaller than the red blood corpuscles, of iron oxide in
1 cm3 that can easily flow through all blood vessels.
2. The patient is then placed in a machine with a
powerful magnetic field.
3. This magnetic field, applied externally, begins
to set the iron particles in the tumour in motion. During this time the
temperature in the tumour containing the iron oxide particles rises by up to 45
degrees.
4. In a few minutes the cancer cells, unable to
protect themselves from the heat, are either weakened or destroyed. The tumour
may then be completely eradicated with subsequent chemotherapy.
In this treatment it is only the cancer cells that are
affected by the magnetic field, since only they contain the iron oxide
particles. The spread of this technique is a major development in the treatment
of this potentially lethal disease. Iron has also been found to be a cure for
people suffering from anemia. In the treatment of such a widespread diseases,
the use of the expression “iron in which there lies great force and which has
many uses for mankind” (Quran, 57:25) in the Quran is particularly noteworthy.
Indeed, in that verse, the Quran may be indicating the benefits of iron even for
human health. (God knows best.)
