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The Miracle in the Iron Iron is one of the elements highlighted in the Qur'an. In Sura Hadid, meaning Iron, we are informed: "…And We sent down iron in which there lies
great force and which has many uses for mankind...." The word "sent down," particularly 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", we realize that this verse implies a very significant scientific miracle.
This is because modern astronomical findings have disclosed that the iron found in our world has come from the giant stars in outer space. The heavy metals in the universe are produced in the nuclei of big stars. Our solar system, however, does not possess a suitable structure for producing iron on its own. Iron can only be produced in much bigger 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 eventually it explodes in what is called a "nova" or a "supernova". As a result of this explosion, meteors containing iron are scattered around the universe, and they move through the void until attracted by the gravitational force of a celestial body. All this shows that iron did not form on the Earth, but
was carried from exploding stars in space via meteors, and was "sent
down to earth", in exactly the same way as stated in the
verse: It is clear that this fact could not have been scientifically
known in the 7th century, when the Qur'an was revealed.
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