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Chapter 2 The Structure Of The Atom Air, water, mountains, animals, plants, your body, the chair on which you sit, in short, everything you see, touch, and feel, from the heaviest to the lightest is formed of atoms. Each page of the book you hold in your hand comprises billions of atoms. Atoms are particles so minute that it is impossible to view one even with the most powerful microscopes. The diameter of an atom is only of the order of one millionth of a millimetre. It is not possible for a human being to visualize this size. Therefore, let us try to explain it with an example: Think that you have a key in your hand. No doubt, it is impossible for you to see the atoms in this key. If you say you must see the atoms, then you have to magnify the key in your hand to the proportions of the world. Once the key in your hand becomes as large as the earth, then each atom inside the key is the size of a cherry.1 Let us give another example to comprehend this minuteness and how everywhere and everything is full of atoms: Let us suppose that we want to count all the atoms in a single grain of salt and let us assume that we are able to count one billion (1,000,000,000) atoms per second. Despite our considerable deftness, we would need over five hundred years to count the number of atoms inside this tiny grain of salt.2 What, then, is there inside such a small structure? Despite its exceedingly small size, there is a flawless, unique and complex system inside the atom comparable in sophistication to the system we see in the universe at large. Each atom is made up of a nucleus and a number of electrons moving in orbital shells at great distances from the nucleus. Inside the nucleus are other particles called protons and neutrons. In this chapter, we will look at the extraordinary structure of the atom that constitutes the basis of everything animate and inanimate, and see how the atoms combine to form molecules and ultimately, matter. The Power Hidden In the Nucleus
Since we cannot visualize
this vastness (better to say, minuteness), let us take our example
of the cherry. Let us look for the nucleus inside the atoms that
we had visualised as the size of cherries when the key in your hand
was magnified to be the size of the earth. But such a search would
be inconclusive because even at that scale, it is absolutely impossible
for us to view the nucleus, which is still exceedingly small. If
we really want to see it, then we would have to change the scale
again. The cherry representing our atom must again expand and become
a large ball two hundred metres in diameter. Even at this unbelievable
scale, the nucleus of our atom would not become any bigger than
a very tiny grain of dust.3 Yet there is one thing even more surprising
than that: although its size is one ten billionth of an atom's size,
the nucleus' mass comprises 99.95% of the mass of the atom. How
is it that something constitutes almost all of a given mass, while,
on the other hand, occupying almost no space?
We had noted that this force, the most powerful of
the forces in nature, keeps the nucleus of an atom intact and keeps
it from fragmenting. All the protons in the nucleus have positive
charges and they repel each other because of the electro-magnetic
force. However, due to the strong nuclear force, which is 100 times
stronger than the repulsive force of the protons, the electro-magnetic
force becomes ineffective, and thus the protons are held together.
When we consider the size of the atom and the number
of atoms in the universe, it is impossible to fail to notice that
there is tremendous equilibrium and design at work. It is crystal
clear that the fundamental forces in the universe have been created
in a very special way with great wisdom and power. The only thing
those who reject faith resort to is nothing other than claiming
that all of these came into being as a result of "coincidences".
Probabilistic calculations, however, scientifically put the probability
of the equilibriums in the universe being formed "coincidentally"
at "0". All these are clear evidence of the existence
of Allah and the perfection of His creation. The Space In the Atom
At this point, we realise that there is a similarity
between the largest and the smallest spaces known in the universe.
When we turn our eyes to the stars, there again we see a void similar
to that in the atoms. There are voids of billions of kilometres
both between the stars and between the galaxies. Yet, in both of
these voids, an order that is beyond the understanding of human
mind prevails. Inside the Nucleus: Protons and
Neutrons We had mentioned before how small is the nucleus of the atom. The size of a proton that is able to fit in the atomic nucleus is 10-15 metres. You may think that such a small particle would not
have any meaning in one's life. However, these particles that are
so small as to be incomprehensible by the human mind form the basis
of everything you see around you. Source of the Diversity In the
Universe It is the number of protons in the nuclei of the atoms
that principally differentiates the elements from each other. There
is one proton in the hydrogen atom, the lightest element, 2 protons
in the helium atom, the second lightest element, 79 protons in the
gold atom, 8 protons in the oxygen atom and 26 protons in the iron
atom. What differentiates gold from iron and iron from oxygen is
simply the different numbers of protons in their atoms. The air
we breathe, our bodies, the plants and animals, planets in space,
animate and inanimate, bitter and sweet, solid and liquid, everything…
all of these are ultimately made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. The Borderline of Physical Existence:
the Quarks This discovery led to the development of a branch of physics called "Particle Physics" investigating the "sub-particles" within the atom and their particular movements. Research conducted by particle physics revealed that the protons and neutrons making up the atom are actually formed of sub-particles called "quarks".
The dimension of the quarks that form the proton, which is so small as to exceed the capabilities of human imagination, is much more astounding: 10-18 (0.000000000000000001) metres. The quarks inside a proton can never be pulled apart from each other very much because the "strong nuclear force" that is responsible for keeping the particles inside the nucleus together operates here as well. This force serves as a rubber band between the quarks. As the distance between the quarks increases, so does this force and two quarks cannot become more distant from each other than a quadrillionth of a metre. These rubber bands between the quarks are formed by gluons that possess the strong nuclear force. The quarks and the gluons have a very strong interaction. However, scientists have not yet been able to discover how this interaction takes place. Research is underway in the field of "Particle Physics" to unravel the world of sub-atomic particles. Yet, despite all the intellect, consciousness and knowledge mankind possesses, we have only recently been able to discover the very basic particles forming everything, including ourselves. Further, the more we delve into these particles, the more detailed the subject becomes, leaving us in the lurch at the limit of the 10-18 m dimension of the quark. So, what lies beyond this limit? Today, scientists propound various hypotheses on this subject, but as mentioned above, this limit is the furthest point hitherto reached in the material universe. Everything beyond that point can only be expressed as energy, not as matter. The really important point is that man finds, in a location that he has only just been able to discover with all the technological means at his disposal, enormous balances and the laws of physics already running like a clock. Furthermore, this location is inside the atom, which constitutes the building block of all matter in the universe, as well as of human beings. Man has just started to become aware of the perfect mechanism functioning without fail in the organs and systems in his own body. His discovery of the mechanisms of the cells forming these structures goes back only a few decades. The supreme creation evident in the atoms lying at the basis of cells, the protons and neutrons in the atoms, and the quarks in these particle is so perfect as to stagger everyone, be him believer or not. The basic point to be pondered here is that all of these perfect mechanisms run in an orderly fashion every second throughout man's life, without any intervention by him, and totally outside his control. It is very self-evident fact to everyone who uses his conscience and wisdom that all of these have been created by Allah, Owner of superior power and knowledge, and are governed by Him. Everyone in the heavens and earth
requests His aid. Every day He is engaged in some affair. So which
of your Lord's blessings do you then deny? (Surat ar-Rahman: 29-30)
Tens of electrons revolving in an area so small as
to be invisible even to the most powerful microscopes create a very
complex traffic inside the atom. The most remarkable point here
is that these electrons surrounding the nucleus like an armour of
electrical charge do not have even a small accident. In fact, any
small accident inside the atom would cause a disaster for the atom.
However, such an accident never takes place. The whole operation
runs flawlessly. The electrons revolving around the nucleus at the
mind-boggling speed of 1,000 km/second never collide with each other.
It is extremely amazing that these electrons, which are no different
from each other, follow separate orbits, and it is obviously the
result of a "conscious creation". If they had different
masses and velocities, it might be natural for them to settle in
different orbits around the nucleus. For instance, the order of
the planets in our solar system follows this logic. Planets that
have totally different masses and velocities are naturally settled
in different orbits around the sun. But the case with the electrons
in the atom is totally different from that of these planets. The
electrons are exactly alike but have different orbits around the
nucleus: how do they follow these paths unerringly, how do they
not collide though they have incredibly small dimensions and move
at incredible speeds? These questions lead us to a single point:
the only truth we face in this unique order and delicate equilibrium
is the perfect creation of Allah. The electric charge they carry obliges electrons to obey certain laws of physics. One of these laws of physics is that "same electrical charges repel each other and opposite charges attract each other". First, under normal circumstances, the electrons, all negatively charged, would be expected to repel each other by obeying this rule and shoot away from the nucleus. Yet, this does not happen. If the electrons were scattered from the nucleus, then the universe would consist of idle protons, neutrons and electrons wandering in the void. Second, the positively charged nucleus would be expected to attract the negative charged electrons and the electrons would stick to the nucleus. In that case, the nucleus would attract all the electrons and the atom would implode. However, none of these things occur. The abovementioned
extraordinary escape velocities of the electrons (1,000 km/sec),
the repelling force they exert on each other and the force of attraction
the nucleus exerts on the electrons are based on such precise values
that these three contradicting factors perfectly balance each other.
As a result, this outstanding system inside the atom runs without
falling apart. Even if a single one of these forces impinging on
the atom were a little bit more or less than it has to be, the atom
would never exist. All these fine calculations are indications that even
a single atom is not idle but acts under the perfect control of
Allah. Otherwise, it would be inevitable that the universe we live
in would end before it started. This process would backfire at the
outset and the universe would not form. However, Allah, the Creator
of everything, the Omnipotent and the Almighty, established extremely
precise equilibriums inside the atom just as He established all
the balances in the universe, thanks to which the atom continues
to exist in perfect order. Scientists were desperate in the face of all these
questions because all they can do is guess at the order in which
the events take place. Their research, however, gave rise to an
indisputable reality. Every point in the universe reveals the intervention
of an Owner of intellect and will Who does not leave even a single
atom idle. There is a single power that holds all forces together
in harmony, and that is Allah, Who holds all the power and might.
Allah manifests His might wherever He wills whenever He wills. The
entire universe from the smallest atom to the endless galaxies is
able to continue its existence only by Allah's will and preservation.
Such "namings" are regarded as great discoveries
in the world of science. In fact, what scientists do is not an attempt
to form a new equilibrium in the universe or build a new system
but just an effort to comprehend and unravel the secret of the evident
equilibrium in the cosmos. What they mostly do is simply observe
one of the countless wonders of Allah's creation in the universe
and assigning a name to it. Scientists detecting a superior system
or structure created by Allah are awarded various scientific prizes,
honoured and admired by other people. In this case, the one who
really should be honoured is, without doubt, Allah, the Most Gracious,
the Most Merciful, Who brought that system into being when it was
not, furnished it with exceedingly delicate balances, and endlessly
creates extraordinary miracles the like of them. Orbits of Electrons
Tens of electrons, which spin and orbit in an area unobservable even by the most powerful microscopes, create an extremely complex traffic inside the atom as we mentioned earlier. This traffic, however, is so orderly as to be incomparably more orderly than the most systematic city traffic. Electrons never collide with each other, because each electron has a separate orbit and these orbits never coincide. There are 7 electron shells around the nucleus of the atom. The numbers of electrons in these seven electron shells that never change have been specified by a mathematical formula: 2n2. The maximum numbers of electrons that can be present in each electron shell around the atom have been fixed by this formula. (The letter n in the formula shows the electron shell number). That the endless number of electron shells of atoms
making up the universe precisely stick to the same number by obeying
the 2n2 formula indicates order. That no chaos occurs
inside the atom although the electrons move about at incredible
speeds is a further indication of this unique order. This is an
order that can by no means be attributed to coincidence. The only
explanation for the existence of this order is that Allah created
everything as a manifestation of His power in an order and harmony
as told in the Qur'an. Allah refers to this order He created in
the verses of the Qur'an: ...Allah has appointed a measure
for all things. (Surat at-Talaq:
3) Wave or Particle? It is known that light is spread in a way similar to the ripples created on the surface of water when a stone is throne into a lake. However, light sometimes bears the characteristic of a particle of matter and is observed in the form of sporadic, intermittent pulses like rain drops falling on a window-pane. This same dichotomy was experienced in the electron as well, which led to great confusion in the world of science. The following words of Richard P. Feynman, the renowned Professor of Theoretical Physics, was to lay the whole confusion to rest:
Because scientists were never able to explain the behaviour of electrons, as a solution they gave a new name to it: "Quantum Mechanical Motion". Let us again quote from Professor Feynman who in the following words states the exceptional nature of that and the awe he feels:
Yet, the blind alley Feynman refers to here is actually not so. The reason why some people can never figure a way out of this dilemma is that despite substantial evidence, they cannot accept that these incredible systems and equilibriums have been brought into existence by the sublime Creator. The situation is extremely clear: Allah created the universe when it was not, furnished it with extraordinary balances and brought it into being without any preceding example. The answer to the scientists' question "How can it be like that?" that can never be solved, nor understood, lies in the fact that Allah is the Creator of everything and that everything exists only by His command "Be!" To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens
and the earth. When He decides on something,
He just says to it, 'Be!' and it is. (Surat
al-Baqarah: 117) The World Full of Colour Whose Gates are
Opened by Electrons In its simplest terms, the photon is a "light
particle". Every star in the universe is a source of photons.
The most important source of photons for our world is, of course,
the sun. Photons are diffused throughout space from the sun at a
speed of 300,000 km a second. When these photons, arriving on earth from the sun, strike the atoms of objects on earth, the electrons of atoms sometimes begin their travel. If the electrons that are able to travel by the help of this energy rise to a higher energy shell and then return to their own shell, they emit a photon that is to form the colour that will meet our eye. Each one of these processes summarized in the few sentences above has been continuing since the outset of creation without fail. Every step runs under a great plan and to order. If only one part of this interaction between electrons and photons had not worked, this would cause a colourless, dark universe. Let us again list these steps that have to work according to plan and in order for the formation of a universe with colours instead of a dark one.
To sum up, the colour of an object in fact consists of a mixture of these light particles that are absorbed, then emitted by this object, and reach our eyes. The colour of an object that does not emit light itself but reflects the light it receives from the sun depends both on the light it receives and the change it makes on this light. If the object illuminated with white light appears "red", this is because it absorbs a large portion of the mixture that arrives to it from the sunrays and emits only red. By saying "it absorbs", we mean the following:
As mentioned before, every shell has sub-shells and
electrons travel between these sub-shells. Each shell corresponds
to a specific level of energy, and electrons carry as much energy
as allowed by the energy level of the shell on which they circle.
Shells that are more distant from the nucleus, have higher energy.
When a space for one electron becomes available in an upper shell,
the electron suddenly disappears, and then re-appears again in that
sub-shell with higher energy level. Yet, in order for the electron
to perform this, it has to raise its energy level to the level required
by the shell to which it jumps. The electron increases its energy
level by absorbing (swallowing) photon particles coming from the
sun. The electrons that revolve at incredible speed around the nucleus of the atom, which is a matter too small to be seen with the eye, suddenly disappear from their own shells and jump to another place called a sub-shell. There also needs to be a space available on the sub-shell for this leap. They are supplied the energy they require during the process by absorbing photons. They then go back to their original orbits. During this action, colours perceivable by the human eye are formed. What's more, atoms in number expressible in trillions keep doing this every moment, thanks to which we are able to view an uninterrupted "image".
This magnificent mechanism is not comparable to the operation of any man-made machine. A clock, for instance, has a highly complex mechanism in itself, and all the parts of a clock (gears, discs, screws, nuts, etc.) must be located in the right places in the right way for a clock to work properly. The smallest problem in this mechanism would impede the mechanism of the clock. Yet, when we think of the structure of an atom and how the abovementioned mechanism of the electrons works, the simplicity of the structure of a clock is better understood. As we said, the mechanism of the electrons is too complex, perfect and flawless to be compared to any man-made system. Definitely, a system that has such mind-boggling complexity and runs so perfectly could not have come about spontaneously, as a result of coincidence, as claimed by materialist scientists. Let us now ask the following question: if you saw a working clock on the ground while walking in a desert, would you think that this had formed out of dust, sand, soil and stones by chance? Nobody would think that, because the design and wisdom in the clock are all too obvious. However the design and wisdom in a single atom are, as we mentioned above, incomparably superior to those in any man-made mechanism. The owner of this wisdom is Allah, Who has supreme knowledge, Who knows, sees and creates everything. Allah created every 'where' both that which we are able to see and that which we cannot, with boundless artistry and He gave innumerable favours to be at our service, whether we are aware of them or not. The subject of colours about which we previously knew nothing, and felt no need to learn, has been brought to our attention in all its details and complexity as science advanced. It is undeniable that scientific development and progress ought to cause everyone who uses his wisdom and conscience to believe in the existence of Allah. Nonetheless, people still exist who ignore the superior artistry and wisdom observable at every point in the universe. The acclaimed scientist, Louis Pasteur made an interesting remark on this subject saying "Little science takes you away from God but more of it takes you to Him".10 As a person learns more about the examples of
creation surrounding him, he grasps much better that Allah encompasses
him from every direction, He directs all affairs in heaven and earth,
and holds everything under control. He understands that his life
will certainly be taken and he will be answerable for everything
he has done on earth. As a believer becomes more acquainted with
the innumerable phenomena taking place around him, his admiration
for Allah's knowledge increasingly grows. This admiration is a very
important step on the way to perceiving the infinite power and might
of Allah as much as possible and fearing Him as required. This is
stated in the Qur'an:
1. Jean Guitton, Dieu et La Science:Vers Le Métaréalisme, Paris:Grasset, 1991, p. 62  2.Jean Guitton, Dieu et La Science:Vers Le Métaréalisme, Paris:Grasset, 1991, p. 62 3. Jean Guitton, Dieu et La Science:Vers Le Métaréalisme, Paris:Grasset, 1991, p. 62 4. Ümit Simsek, Atom (The Atom), Yeni Asya Yayinlari, p.7 5. Taskin Tuna, Uzayin Otesi (Beyond Space), Bogazici Yayinlari, 1995, p. 53 6.Jean Guitton, Dieu et La Science:Vers Le Métaréalisme, Paris:Grasset, 1991, p. 62 7. Taskin Tuna, Uzayin Otesi (Beyond Space), Bogazici Yayinlari, 1995, p. 52
8. Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Law, The M.I.T. Press, March 1967, p. 128 9. Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Law, The M.I.T. Press, March 1967, p. 129 10. Jean Guitton, Dieu et La Science:Vers Le Métaréalisme, Paris:Grasset, 1991, p. 5 |
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70% of the rays reaching our earth from
the sun are just appropriate for the existence of life on
the earth. 
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