
THE FINE TUNING IN THE UNIVERSE
He Who created the seven heavens in layers. You
will not find any flaw in the creation of the All-Merciful. Look
again-do you see any gaps? Then look again and again. Your sight
will return to you dazzled and exhausted! (Qur'an, 67:3-4)
Do you not see how He created seven heavens in
layers? (Qur'an, 71:15)
He to Whom the kingdom of the heavens and the
earth belongs. He does not have a son and He has no partner in
the Kingdom. He created everything and determined it most exactly.
(Qur'an, 25:2)
Materialist philosophy emerged with the claim that all the systems
in nature and the universe were like machines that functioned on
their own, that the flawless order and balance within them were
the work of chance. However, today, the false nature of materialism
and of Darwinism, its so-called scientific foundation, has been
scientifically demonstrated. (See Harun Yahya, The
Evolution Deceit, 8th ed., Taha Publishers, 2004 and Darwinism
Refuted, Goodword Books, 2003.)
The scientific discoveries of the 20th century that followed swiftly,
one after the other, in the fields of astrophysics and biology have
proved that life and the universe were created. As the theses of
Darwinism collapsed, the Big Bang theory has shown that the universe
was created from nothing. Discoveries have revealed that there is
a great design and fine-tuning in the material world and this has
categorically demonstrated the groundless nature of the claims of
materialism.
Considering the conditions necessary for life,
we see that only the Earth meets these particular conditions. For
an environment suitable for life, there are innumerable conditions
taking place simultaneously and unceasingly all around us. There
are some hundred billion galaxies, each with-on average-a hundred
billion stars. In all the galaxies, there are perhaps as many planets
as stars.8 In the
face of such overpowering numbers, one can better comprehend the
significance of the formation of such an exceptional environment
on the Earth.
From the force of the Big Bang explosion to the physical values
of atoms, from the levels of the four basic forces to the chemical
processes in the stars, from the type of light emitted by the Sun
to the level of viscosity of water, from the distance of the Moon
to the Earth to the level of gases in the atmosphere, from the Earth's
distance from the Sun to its angle of tilt to its orbit, and from
the speed at which the Earth revolves around its own axis to the
functions of the oceans and mountains on the Earth: every single
detail is ideally suited to our lives. Today, the world of science
describes these features by means of the concepts of the "Anthropic
Principle" and "Fine-Tuning." These concepts summarise the way that
the universe is not an aimless, uncontrolled, chance collection
of matter but that it has a purpose directed towards human life
and has been designed with the greatest precision.
Attention is drawn in the above verses to the measure and harmony
in Allah's creation. The word "taqdeeran," meaning "to
design, measure, create by measuring," is employed in Qur'anic verses
such as Surat al-Furqan 2. The word "tibaqan," meaning
"in harmony," is used in Surat al-Mulk 3 and Surah Nuh 15. Furthermore,
Allah also reveals in Surat al-Mulk with the word "tafawutin,"
meaning "disagreement, violation, non-conformity, disorder, opposite,"
that those who seek disharmony will fail to find it.
The term "fine-tuning," which began to be used towards the end
of the 20th century, represents this truth revealed in the verses.
Over the last quarter-century or so, a great many scientists, intellectuals
and writers have shown that the universe is not a collection of
coincidences. On the contrary, it has an extraordinary design and
order ideally suited to human life in its every detail. (See Harun
Yahya, The
Creation of the Universe, Al-Attique Publishers, November
2002 and
A Chain of Miracles, Global Publishing, May 2004.)
Many features in the universe clearly show that the universe has
been specially designed to support life. The physicist Dr. Karl
Giberson expresses this fact thus:
In the 1960s, some physicists observed that our
universe appears to have been fine-tuned for
the existence of human life. 9
The British astrophysicist Professor George F. Ellis refers to
this fine-tuning in these terms:
Amazing fine tuning occurs
in the laws that make this [complexity] possible. Realization
of the complexity of what is accomplished makes it very difficult
not to use the word "miraculous" without taking a stand as to
the ontological status of the word. 10
Everything in the heavens and everything in the earth belongs
to Allah. All matters return to Allah.
(Qur’an, 3:109)
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The speed of the Big Bang explosion:
The balances established with the Big Bang, the
instantaneous formation of the universe, are one of the proofs that
the universe did not come into being by chance. According to the
well-known Adelaide University professor of mathematical physics
Paul Davies, if the rate of expansion that took place following
the Big Bang had been just one in a billion billion parts different
(1/1018), the universe could not have come into being.11
In his book A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking recognises
this extraordinary precision in the universe's rate of expansion:
If the rate of expansion one second after the
big bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand
million million, the universe would have recollapsed before it
ever reached its present size. 12
The Four Forces:
All physical motion in the universe comes about thanks to the interaction
and equilibrium of the four forces recognised by modern physics:
gravity, electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear
force. These forces possess extraordinarily different values to
one another. Michael Denton, the famous molecular biologist, describes
the extraordinary equilibrium among these forces thus:
If, for example, the gravitational force was
a trillion times stronger, then the universe would be far smaller
and its life history far shorter. An average star would have a
mass a trillion times less than the sun and a life span of about
one year. On the other hand, if gravity had been less powerful,
no stars or galaxies would have ever formed. The other relationships
and values are no less critical. If the strong force had been
just slightly weaker, the only element that would be stable would
be hydrogen. No other atoms could exist. If it had been slightly
stronger in relation to electromagnetism, then an atomic nucleus
consisting of only two protons would be a stable feature of the
universe-which would mean there would be no hydrogen, and if any
stars or galaxies evolved, they would be very different from the
way they are. Clearly, if these various forces and constants did
not have precisely the values they do, there would be no stars,
no supernovae, no planets, no atoms, no life. 13
The Distances between Celestial Bodies:
The distribution of celestial bodies in space and the enormous
spaces between them are essential to the existence of life on Earth.
The distances between celestial bodies have been set out in a calculation
compatible with a great many powerful universal forces in such a
way as to support life on Earth. In his book Nature's Destiny Michael
Denton describes the distance between supernovae and stars:
The distances between supernovae and indeed between
all stars is critical for other reasons. The distance between stars
in our galaxy is about 30 million miles. If this distance was much
less, planetary orbits would be destabilized. If it was much more,
then the debris thrown out by a supernova would be so diffusely
distributed that planetary systems like our own would in all probability
never form. If the cosmos is to be a home for life, then the flickering
of the supernovae must occur at a very precise rate and the average
distance between them, and indeed between all stars, must be very
close to the actual observed figure. 14
Gravity:
- If gravity were stronger, excessive ammonia and methane would
collect in the Earth's atmosphere, which would have a most damaging
effect on life.
- If it were weaker, the Earth's atmosphere would lose excessive
quantities of water, making life impossible.
The Earth's Distance from the Sun:
- If this were any greater, the planet would grow very cold, the
water cycle in the atmosphere would be affected, and the planet
would enter an ice-age.
- If the Earth were any closer to the Sun, plants would burn up,
the water cycle in the Earth's atmosphere would be irreparably damaged,
and life would become impossible.-
The Thickness of the Earth's Crust:
- If the crust were any thicker, then an excessive amount of oxygen
would be transferred to it from the atmosphere.
- If it were any thinner, the resulting amount of volcanic activity
would make life impossible.
The Speed at which the Earth Revolves:
If this were any slower, the temperature difference between day
and night would grow enormously.
-If it were any faster, then atmospheric winds would reach enormous
speeds, and cyclones and storms would make life impossible.
The Earth's Magnetic Field:
- If this were any more powerful, very strong electromagnetic storms
would arise.
- If it were any weaker, then the Earth would lose its protection
against the harmful particles given off by the Sun and known as
solar winds. Both situations would make life impossible.-
The Albedo Effect (Ratio between the amount of light the
Earth reflects and the amount of light that is absorbed):
- If this were any greater, an ice-age would rapidly result.
- If it were any less, the greenhouse effect would lead to excessive
warming. The Earth would first be flooded with the melting of the
glaciers, and would then burn up.-
The Proportion of Oxygen and Nitrogen in the Atmosphere:
- If this were any greater, vital functions would be adversely
accelerated.
- If it were any less, vital functions would adversely slow down.
The Proportion of Carbon Dioxide and Water in the Atmosphere:
- If this were any greater, the atmosphere would overheat.
- If it were any less, the temperature of the atmosphere would
fall.
The Thickness of the Ozone Layer:
- If this were any greater, the Earth's temperature would fall
enormously.
- If it were any less, the Earth would overheat and be defenceless
against the harmful ultraviolet rays emitted by the Sun.
Seismic Activity (Earthquakes):
- If this were any greater, there would be constant upheaval for
living things.
- If it were any less, the nutrients at the sea bottom would fail
to spread into the water. This would have a damaging effect on life
in the seas and oceans and all living things on Earth.-
The Earth's Angle of Tilt:
The Earth has a 23 degree angle of inclination to its orbit. It
is this inclination that gives rise to the seasons. If this angle
were any greater or any less than it is now, the temperature difference
between the seasons would reach extreme dimensions, with unbearably
hot summers and bitterly cold winters.
The Size of the Sun:
A smaller star than the Sun would mean the Earth would freeze and
a larger star would lead to its burning up.
The Attraction between the Earth and the Moon:
- If this were any greater, the powerful attraction of the Moon
would have extremely serious effects on atmospheric conditions,
the speed at which the Earth revolves around its own axis and on
the ocean tides.
- If it were any less, this would lead to extreme climate changes.-
The Distance between the Earth and the Moon:
- If they were just a little closer, the Moon would crash into
the Earth.
- If they were any further, the Moon would become lost in space.
- If they were even a little closer, the Moon's effect on the Earth's
tides would reach dangerous dimensions. Ocean waves would inundate
low-lying areas. The friction emerging as a result of this would
raise the temperature of the oceans and the sensitive temperature
balance essential to life on Earth would disappear.
- If they were even a little further away, the
tides would decrease, leading the oceans to be less mobile. Immobile
water would endanger life in the seas, and the level of the oxygen
we breathe would be endangered. 15
The kingdom of the
heavens and earth belongs to Allah. Allah has power over all
things. In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and
the alternation of night and day, there are
Signs for people with intelligence.
(Qur’an, 3:189-190) |
The Temperature of the Earth and Carbon-Based Life:
The existence of carbon, the basis of all life, depends on the
temperature remaining within specific limits. Carbon is an essential
substance for organic molecules such as amino-acid, nucleic acid
and protein: These constitute the basis of life. For that reason,
life can only be carbon-based. Given this, the existing temperature
needs to be no lower than -20 degrees and no higher than 120 degrees
Celsius. These are just the temperature limits on Earth.
These are just a few of the exceedingly sensitive balances which
are essential for life on Earth to have emerged and to survive.
Yet even these are sufficient to definitively reveal that the Earth
and the universe could not have come into being as the result of
a number of consecutive coincidences. The concepts of "fine-tuning"
and the "anthropic principle" that began to be employed in the 20th
century are further evidence of Allah's creation. The harmony and
proportion therein were described with magnificent accuracy fourteen
centuries ago in the Qur'an.

8. Carl Sagan, Cosmos (Avenel,
NJ: Wings Books: April 1983), 5-7.
9. Karl Giberson, “The Anthropic Principle,” Journal
of Interdisciplinary Studies 9 (1997).
10. George F. Ellis, "The Anthropic Principle: Laws and Environments,”
The Anthropic Principle, F. Bertola and U. Curi (New York: Cambridge
University Press: 1993), 30.
11. Paul Davies, Superforce: The Search for a Grand Unified Theory
of Nature, 1984, 184.
12. Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time (London: Bantam Press:
1988), 121-125.
13. Michael Denton, Nature's Destiny: How the Laws of Biology Reveal
Purpose in the Universe (New York: The Free Press: 1998), 12-13.
14. Ibid., 11.
15. www.pathlights.com/ce_encyclopedia/01-ma10.htm#Elemental Forces.
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