Devastation of Oceanic Systems
By: Moulana Aneesur Rahman Nadvi
In the previous pages, we have elaborately discussed in the commentary of verse 6 of Surah Takveer five out of seven sayings of companions of Prophet Mohammed and companions’ companions with regard to the oceanic turbulences and there we had demonstrated that all these sayings are related to the natural phenomena occurring in the oceans of the earth due to global warming and climate change and are likely to occur one after another gradually with the gradual intensification of global warming on planet earth.
Here we will discuss here the sixth saying of the companions of Prophet Mohammed pbuh. According to this sixth saying, tasjeer-e-bihar denotes boiling away and drying out of earth’s oceans. The wordings of the hadith in this regard are as follow: “It (ocean) will dry up; this is the saying of Hasan.”1 This saying of Hazrath Hasan has been elaborated more clearly in Tafseer Khazan in the following words:
“Sujjira means drying up; and running out of water; and there won’t be a single drop of water in the oceans of planet earth.” 2
Before we discuss the relevance of this hadith, we would like to shed some light on the importance and significance of the oceans of planet earth which will help us understand this phrase of the Hadith completely.
Importance of Oceans
Oceans are considered lifeblood of planet earth and humankind. All living creatures including humans cannot survive even for a moment without water on the planet earth. Oceans encompasses approximately three quarters of the planet earth, and hold around 97% of the planet’s water. The remaining 3 percent of water which exists in the form of rivers, lakes and mountain glaciers on continents has source attributed to the seawater which evaporates into vapour and then brought back to the earth in the form of rain. In addition, the oceans produce more than half of the oxygen in the atmosphere and absorb most of the carbon from it. Thus oceans not only provide water to the animals but also provide clean air to the living beings. Hence, the air that we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat all come from oceans.
In addition, oceans also fulfill numerous needs of the human civilization. They are also an important source of valuable minerals to humans. They are a major source of transport, and they work as great routes of trade for humans. In short, oceans are considered a basic need for the survival of life on planet earth. Hence, life could not be imagined on the earth without oceans.
Is Planet Earth at the Risk of Losing it Oceans?
Now the question arises here is whether the planet earth is at risk of losing its great oceans? If yes, what would be its probable causes? And how long will it take to happen? And what will be the fate of the planet earth if such a situation arises?
Completely boiling away of earth’s oceans is such a notion that if someone had it until a few decades ago, he must have been regarded as insane or stupid. But the modern scientific researches have ascertained that boiling away of earth’s oceans is not only a scientific possibility, but this phenomenon is going be a dead reality on planet earth very soon.
According to the scientists, the planet’s oceans will face the risk of losing its waters due to an increase in the average temperature of planet earth. They have shown that the planet earth might witness increase in its average temperature to an extent that might force its oceans to evaporate and boil away completely due to three prominent factors. These risks are as follow:
- Increasing luminosity of the sun
- Sun becoming red giant
- Intensification of current global warming
In the following, we will discuss all these threats to the Earth’s oceans in brief.
Increasing luminosity of the sun
According to modern scientific researches, the luminosity of our sun is increasing day by day leading to an increase in its radiation and temperature on earth. According to these researches, our sun was only 70% luminous in the earliest days of it formation than it is today. Since then its luminosity has been increasing gradually. If its luminosity continued to increase, it will lead to complete boiling away of earth’s oceans. What happens in this scenario is that when oceanic water evaporates into atmosphere and condenses there to form clouds and instead of pouring again on the planet earth, it will be lost into the space due to the intense heat. In this way, earth’s oceans will be lost completely in a specific period. According to the scientists, the earth is still 1 – 1.5 billion years away from this scenario. 3
Our Sun becoming Red Giant
The second cause which has been attributed for boiling away of earth’s oceans completely is our sun becoming red giant. According to this theory, there are trillions of our sun-like stars in this vast universe. These stars pass through the faces of life and death, i.e., each star, after its formation, passes through various stages of its evolution and ultimately dies out. Our sun too has to undergo these periods of formation, development and death. The logic behind this is that all stars including our sun have been made up of hydrogen gas, and this hydrogen gas is constantly burning and changing into helium. When a star like our sun has burned all of its hydrogen fuel, it expands to become a red giant – big enough to swallow the planets Mercury and Venus. According to scientists, during the red giant phase of our sun, the temperature on earth will increase to the extent that it will vaporize all the oceans of planet earth. According to scientists, it could take at least 1 billion years for our sun to become a red giant. 4
Intensification of Current Global Warming
The third biggest and unexpected threat posed to the oceans of planet earth is from current global warming and climate change of the planet earth. It has been explained earlier that the key factor for boiling away of oceans of earth is the extreme increase in its average temperature. The same factor was attributed in both the causes discussed above with regard to the boiling away of earth’s oceans. The same factor is clearly arising as a major threat in the current climate change of planet earth too. Scientists say that if the current climate change intensifies and the average temperature of planet earth increases beyond a certain point, then there is a strong possibility that the earth’s oceans will boil away completely and be lost into the space.
But since the notion of boiling away of earth’s oceanic water completely is a sensitive issue. Particularly accepting the probability of its occurrence in the near future on earth is regarded as a kick in the teeth of the theory of evolution; hence scientists are not willing to accept the probability of its occurrence at least in the near future. Hence though the boiling away of oceans due to intensity of climate change is considered a dead reality among scientists, nevertheless there seems to exist differences among them with regard to the timing of its occurrence. In recent times, some scientists have succeeded in reaching a conclusion with the help of an in-depth study of Venus and its climate. Its details are as follows.
Exemplary Lesson from Venus
As it has been described briefly in the previous pages, the Planet Venus which is the nearest neighbor of earth in our solar system, has been the center of intense study by scientists since 1960s, and so far several space missions and spacecraft have been sent to study its climate. Through these deep studies, scientists have succeeded in discovering that Venus too had witnessed a severe climate change in its past. Scientists also say that it is easy to figure out as to what form the current climate change on earth will take if it is intensified beyond control with the study of current state of affairs on Venus.
Venus is not only the immediate neighbor of the earth but also the one which resembles most with the planet earth. Earth’s diameter is 12756 kilometers while that of Venus is 12103 km; earth takes 365 days to rotate completely around the sun, while Venus takes 224 Earth days for a full rotation around the sun. Similarly, there isn’t much difference in their density and gravity. Around 71 percent of earth is covered with oceanic water and 29 percent is made up of continental highlands with 7 continents, while 80 percent of Venus is considered oceanic and 20% continental with two continents.
Despite all these similarities, Earth and Venus differ tremendously in their weather, climate, their rotation (Venus rotates clockwise in retrograde rotation while earth rotates anti-clockwise 5); and most importantly, the oceans of Venus are completely empty, i.e., not a drop of water exists in its oceans. According to scientists, the cause of these differences in the Earth and Venus is attributed to the runaway climate change which occurred on Venus in its past.
Scientists have also learned that in the past Venusian climate was favorable for life; its oceans were full of water; flora and fauna flourished on its surface. Nevertheless due to the runaway climate change that occurred on Venus, it transformed into hell from heaven. Today its average surface temperature is 462 degrees; its entire continental land has turned into desert; its oceans have completely boiled away; Scientists further say that initially climate change on Venus wasn’t intense but in due course it intensified and trapped in a cycle of action and reactions and destructions one followed by other and reached to the state of catastrophe and annihilation which we are observing it today. This sort of climate change which occurred on Venus is called runaway climate change.
Runaway Climate Change and the Looming Threat to the Planet Earth
A runaway greenhouse effect is a process in which a net positive feedback between surface temperature and atmospheric opacity increases the strength of the greenhouse effect on a planet until its oceans boil away. As it has been stated earlier, it has happened on Venus. Nevertheless the question arises here is that whether it could happen on Earth too? Scientists seem to be in disagreement or in other words reluctant to accept this fact. In 2007, IPCC in one of its reports ruled out that a runaway greenhouse effect analogous to that of Venus could happen on earth. But chief scientists who are involved in research on this subject opined that the runaway greenhouse effect and the runaway climate change on earth is not only a possibility but its occurrence is inevitable in the near future. This has been opined by climatologist James Hansen in his book ‘Storms of My Grandchildren’ published in 2009. This is the same scientists who presented a number of researches in 60s and 70s of past century on the climate of Venus; involved in several space missions to Venus; and proposed several theories with regard to its runaway climate change. Hansen theorized that if we use all the fossil fuel, runaway climate change on earth is a dead reality:
“If we burn all reserves of oil, gas, and coal, there is a substantial chance we will initiate the runaway greenhouse. If we also burn the tar sands and tar shale, I believe the Venus syndrome is a dead certainty.” 6
Initially Hansen was criticized and his point of view was regarded as exaggerated. But later scientists have accepted his view with some modifications. Now scientists hold the view that James Hansen’s outcome might be possible, but requires ten times the amount of CO2 we could release from burning all the oil, coal, and natural gas in Earth’s crust.
Regardless of disagreements and reluctance of scientists on the timing of the occurrence of runaway greenhouse effect and runaway climate change on earth, if we take into account the potential of planet earth to instigate a runaway greenhouse effect, it will become evident that it is not only far easier to initiate a runaway greenhouse effect than it was thought earlier but it is going to be a reality very soon. Most scientists believe that if planet earth’s average temperature crossed 50 degree Celsius, the oceans of earth will start to boil away. The current average temperature of earth is 16 degrees Celsius. The question arises here is how it might be possible that the earth’s average temperature could increase to such an extent? According to modern scientific researches, such a dramatic increase in planet earth’s temperature is possible due to several factors.
Unexpected Threats to the Planet Earth
The following reasons may be attributed for the dramatic, unexpected and sudden increase in the temperature of the earth:
1 – Water Vapor: Vapor is also a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will increase vapor equivalently. Increased presence of vapor in the atmosphere will increase the temperature vaporizing more oceanic water. In this way, the planet earth will be caught in a cycle of action and reaction of increased CO2, vapor and heat with the increased global warming and pave the way for the occurrence of runaway greenhouse effect analogous to the Venus.
2 – Permafrost: The second greatest and unexpected threat posed to the planet earth is from carbon trapped beneath permafrost. As it has been explained previously that about 20% of the total land area of the planet earth is covered by permafrost. Beneath it, organic matter has been buried for thousands of years in which enormous carbon and methane have been trapped. According to an estimate, world permafrost has around 900 gigatonnes of carbon reserves. There is a looming threat on planet earth from global warming that if this permafrost has to melt it will release this huge amount of carbon into the atmosphere, causing dangerous increase in its temperatures and bringing catastrophes to the entire planet earth.
3 – Methane Clathrate: The third greatest and unexpected threat posed to the planet earth is the release of methane from the seafloor from methane clathrate. There exists methane gas in huge quantities on ocean sediments in frozen form which is called methane clathrate. According to an estimate, there exists around 2000 to 4000 gigatonnes of carbon in methane clathrate. Oceans are also warming up due to global warming. Scientists believe that if the oceanic temperature crossed a certain threshold, then there is danger of explosive release of this gas from beneath the oceans increasing the global temperatures dangerously.
The total carbon reserves including permafrost and methane clatherate are estimated at 10,000 to 11,000 gigatonnes worldwide.7 This is large enough that if 10% of the stored methane were released, it would have an effect equivalent to a factor of 10 increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations.8 Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a higher global warming potential than CO2. It might be estimated to which level global temperatures will soar and what kind of destruction and catastrophe these carbon reserves could bring to the planet earth once initiated and released into the atmosphere. So the runaway greenhouse effect and runaway climate change on earth and boiling away of its oceans seem to be a dead reality in view of these hidden traps. It won’t take much time to instigate this sort of runaway greenhouse effect. Some scientists have warned that well before the complete use of fossil fuel (coal, natural gas and petrol) runaway greenhouse effect and runaway climate change will be triggered on the earth.
Allah’s Hidden Army in the Earth and Skies
As it has been stated above, the total carbon reserves on earth amount to 10,000 to 11,000 gigatonnes. These reserves of carbon are so huge that if instigated they could burn up Earth-like planet completely to ashes several times. And as described above, these reserves of carbon are hidden in the layers of the earth (in the form of permafrost and methane clathrate). The Holy Qur’an has hinted out at this devastating natural phenomenon in a verse. This verse is as follows:
“And to Allah belong the army of heavens and earth. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wisdom.” (Qu’ran: 58: 7)
In this verse the Arabic word Junood denotes the army and military. Usually the work of an army used to restore discipline in any area and if needed to fight the enemies to take them under control or wipe them out. Therefore, the army of Allah got mentioned in this verse refers to the natural laws and forces that govern the planet earth and the heavens. But if man revolts against these natural laws, these forces might turn against them and start punishing them. Hence the classical commentators of the Holy Qur’an have meant these hidden forces in the earth and the heavens from the word ‘Junood’ which are able to punish man. Allama Shahabuddin Alusi says in his commentary on this verse:
“It is said that army ‘Junood’ is of two kinds: army of mercy and army of punishment. The latter has been referred here.” 9
Imam Razi has stated three interpretations in the commentary of this verse. In the third, he says:
“Third is that the celestial and earthly causes are meant here. So that a celestial object from the sky and an event of subsidence could be regarded as His army.”10
Hence, what would be the greatest divine punishment hidden in the earth and heavens than these reserves of carbon and methane which if triggered due to the transgression of man, can destroy not only the whole of mankind but also burn into ashes the whole of earth-like planets several times.
Strongest Evidence against Theory of Evolution
This sign of doomsday i.e., ‘boiling away of oceans’ is the most important and vital sign in its nature and versatility from among the sings of doomsday discussed so far in this book. The emergence of this sign will be considered as the end of all forms of life on earth and the planet earth will be sterilized completely, because the most important and essential element for the survival of life on earth i.e., water will cease to exist now. Hence, the appearance of this sign would mean the end of life on earth. Or in other words, it will be equivalent to the blowing of trumpet of death ‘nafaqatus saiq’. This notion directly challenges the very foundation of the theory of evolution according to which the life on earth has been evolving on earth for past billions of years and has come to its present state after passing through such a long time. And that life on Earth will continue to evolve for several more billion years from now. Even some suggest that humans will also continue to evolve until they become ‘super humans’. All these assertions and arguments have proved to be hollow and deceitful. That’s why evolutionists do not appear to accept the evidence of runaway climate change on planet earth so easily. Instead they try to make this a controversial issue by providing remote interpretation, and do not even hesitate to reprimand those who oppose their point of view.
But modern climatological researches have proved that humans neither can achieve unchecked and unrestrained material progress, nor they can elevate to the status of superhuman by consuming all the sources considered to be the sing of material progress, i.e., fossil fuel, instead, by doing so they will push themselves as well as the entire planet earth towards complete destruction. Or in other words, it is fair to say that the pursuit of ultimate material development by human on the planet earth would in fact be the announcement of his fall and extinction from the planet earth.
It is also noteworthy that the climate change which is occurring on planet earth today is not the first event to occur in its history, rather climate changes have been occurring with a periodic frequency in the geologic history of planet earth at regular intervals. According to scientists, those climate changes occurred due to the same reasons for which the current climate change is occurring on earth today, i.e., increased concentration of greenhouse gases in atmosphere in those periods which caused global warming. According to the scientists, the planet earth witnessed unprecedented destructions and extinctions on global scale at the end of each climate change. However, according to them, planet earth neither witnessed runaway climate change nor its oceans boiled away ever. This view of scientists might be contentious. It is because if the runaway climate change and boiling away of oceans would be considered as an inevitable and ultimate consequence of every climate change as it has happened on Venus and it is predicted to happen on earth, than this phenomenon must have been happened several times in the geologic history of earth. But since accepting occurrence of any such phenomenon in the geologic history of planet earth would demean the very foundation of the theory of evolution, evolutionists don’t consider it noteworthy let alone deem it arguable.
So it is the need of the hour that we strengthen and enable our research institutions and universities so that they might be able to carry out their own research work and bring forth original research works in these fields and benefit the whole world from its true fruit; and liberate the science from the bondage and clutches of materialists. It is the foremost duty of Muslims intellectuals today.
The fact is that today the entire Western thought and philosophy is based and revolves around this false theory of evolution. Evolutionists have concealed the true geological history of planet earth under the dense cover of evolution, and have also made the present and future of planet earth dusty. They know very well that the collapse of theory of evolution would be considered as the collapse of entire Western philosophy and breakdown of materialism. If there exists any philosophy which can walk side by side of modern scientific researches and compete with them, it is Islam alone; the West has left absolutely with no other alternative!
Scientific Marvels of Hadith
There exist complete corroboration between modern scientific researches and hadiths with regard to the boiling away of earth’s oceans. In this way, if we study modern science profoundly, it would appear very well that all the scientific researches and discoveries revolve around the statements of Qur’an and hadith. However, certain principles should be taken into account in this regard:
1. A comparative study of statements of hadiths regarding the boiling away of oceans and the modern scientific discoveries reveals that the statements of hadith are categorical and definite in its meaning while the scientific discoveries in this regard are nearing a conclusion. Hence it establishes principally that statements of Qur’an and hadith are irrevocable and authentic and doesn’t require any further interpretation. It is the scientific researches which require scrutiny and examination. It is possible that the lack of resources to research at the disposal of man or its unavailability or non-development of science, the human knowledge about a natural phenomenon might be considered incomplete, or passing through stages of completion, or in other words it is possible that a man might have perceived a scientific fact 25% or 50% or 75% and might not have understood it completely. Almost all universal realities pass through these stages of investigation and exploration before becoming scientific facts and realities.
2- As the Creator of this universe has concealed a lot of natural phenomena and universal secrets from man, and its disclosure has been destined with the gradual progress and advancement of human knowledge and science, similarly he has kept a lot of hidden secrets in his eternal revelation whose disclosure has been predestined with the development of human knowledge about the universal realities. In this way, through corroboration between Almighty’s deeds (science) and His word (Qur’an and hadith) human beings will be able to apprehend the fate of this universe; and that where the man is standing in the time and space.
3- Another principle in this regard is that if there exists difference of opinion between scientists with regard to any scientific theory, or there found numerous opinions about a natural phenomenon, then that theory or opinion may be adopted which corroborates completely or partially with the statements of Qur’an and hadith. Hence with regard to the differences of scientists over boiling away of oceans, that opinion will be preferred which support complete boiling away of oceans of planet earth, since it is supported by an extra evidence without any further explanation.
Endnotes:
1 – Tafseer Al Nukat wal Ouyoun (Tafseer Al Mawardi), Abul Hasan Ali Al Mawardi, V.6, P. 213, Darul Kutub Al Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon.
2 – Tafseer Al Khazan, Alauddin Al Khazan, V. 4, P. 397, Darul Kutub Al Ilmiyah, Beirut.
3 – http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech
/specials/washington_2000/649913.
stm
4 – Turning of a sun into red giant and white dwarf is also among the signs of doomsday, which has been mentioned in Qur’an and a lot hadiths. For a detailed study on this topic refer the book “Death of Sun and the Doomsday” by Allama Mohammed Shihabuddin Nadvi. But when and how this important link in the chain of signs of doomsday is likely to happen? I have discussed it in detail in the third part of this book.
5 – A detailed study with regard to its causes may be referred later in this book.
6 – Storms of My Grandchildren, James Hansen, Bloomsbury, USA.
7 – Macdonald, G. J. (1990). “Role of methane clathrates in past and future climates”. Climatic Change. 16 (3): 247–243.
8 – Archer, David (2007). “Methane hydrate stability and anthropogenic climate change” (PDF). Biogeosciences. 4 (4): 521–544.
9 – Roohul Maani, Shihabuddin Aalosi, V. 13, P. 249, Darul Kutub al Ilmiyah, Beirut.
10 – Tafsir Kabir, Imam Razi, V. 28, P. 68, Dar Ihya Al Turas Al Arabi, Beirut.
11 – A detailed study on blowing of trumpets will be presented later in this book.