Imam PBUH Facebook Post: A Flat Universe

24 February 2014
Super User

In the name of Allah, the Abundantly Merciful, the Intensely Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.

I ask Allah for you to be well and in good health.

Noor Ala Noor wrote:

May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you. A question, please: If the universe is
flat, why does everything appear spherical in pictures? Also, Einstein proved that the shortest
distance between two points is not a straight line, but a curve that bends at a certain angle. With
sincere thanks.

Answer: If the curvature of the universe is zero, that doesnt mean it is two-dimensional. It is a
universe that has three spatial dimensions that are visible to us, and the dimension of time is
added to them. Therefore, it is at least four-dimensional. So if it is flat, that doesnt prevent a
mass of objects within it from causing a bend of its inner fabric or of the fabric of its four
dimensions. Anyway, this issue is detailed in The Atheism Delusion, and here is an excerpt I am
conveying from it. You can go back to the book and read more details, God willing.

The theory of general relativity:

According to Newtons laws, gravity between two objects is dependent on their masses and on
the distance between them at that particular moment. This means that if one of the objects
moves, changing the distance between them, the effect of the gravitational force on the other
object will directly change, meaning the change occurs instantly. This means that the effect of the
gravitational force travels at an infinite speed, which contradicts special relativity, which showed
that the maximum speed of things is the speed of light. This is why Einstein worked for ten years
on a theory that explains gravity in a way that does not contradict special relativity. So in 1915
AD, he proposed the theory of general relativity that describes the universe as a whole
concerning the effect of the gravity of matter and energy therein, and their impact upon one
another in the light of what Einstein proposed in the special relativity theory. There is no speed
within the universe greater than the speed of light; there is no absolute time and no complete
independence of time from the other dimensions of the universe that we call space. Rather, there
is a cosmic fabric of the four dimensions.

In the theory of general relativity, the effect of gravity is the result of the bending of the four
cosmic dimensions, space-time, because of matter and energy. It is as if the cosmic fabric is
elastic and bendable, and all matter in the universe bends this fabric by the amount of its mass.
Also, all energy bends this fabric by an amount that matches its material equivalent, according to
Einsteins equation in Einsteins theory of special relativity E=mc2.
So for example, the mass and energy of the Sun bend the space-time fabric, and Earth is moving
in this bend in a path similar to a straight line, as it represents the shortest path between two
points in the four dimensions. In a three-dimensional world, we see that this path is almost
circular, exactly like the airplane moving in a straight line between two points in the three
dimensions in the air, leaving a trace (shadow) on the surface of the earth that is bent due to the
differences in height on the surface of the Earth, and not due to its path.

Many applications and experiments have proven that the theory of general relativity matches
reality and observation. For example, it explains the orbit of Mercury more accurately than
Newtons law of gravity. It also predicted the deflection of light and how it is affected by
gravitational fields and through experimentation, this prediction was found to be true. It predicted
the existence of black holes, and indeed, black holes were discovered.

The most important thing presented by general relativity related to the topic we are discussing is
that time and space arent a static expanse in which events occur. Rather, time and space bend
and are affected by the things existing within them, meaning they are a dynamic, moving entity.

This has allowed some cosmologists to assume that the expansion of the universe is not
restricted to matter and energy, but includes the expanse that contains them. End of The Atheism
Delusion excerpt.

Note: What I wanted to clarify above is that the results obtained by science through observations
and mathematical equations is that the universe is flat, and it has a simple beginning after which it
expanded and became complex, so that the reader has an introduction to these results for when
we present topics in the future about the theory of evolution, and how some ignorant people
attempt to refute it.

Imam PBUH Facebook Post: Those Who Doubt (audio translation)

Details
Created on Monday, 17 February 2014 14:04
Super User

May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.

In the name of Allah, the Abundantly Merciful, the Intensely Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

May the abundant peace and prayers of Allah be upon Muhammad and his progeny, the Imams
and the Mahdis.

With the passing of each day, many people, whether they be students of religious sciences or
others, declare their belief in the call of truth by the favor of Allah. But just as it happens with all
divine calls, some of those people declare and show their belief for malicious, premeditated
purposes. The call of truth has experienced many of those hypocrites, propelled by Satan or
certain entities, and these people have returned to them in failure and disappointment:

{But they who plot evil deeds will have a severe punishment, and the plotting of those will perish.}
Surat Fatir (Originator) 35:10.

It has reached me these days that some of those claiming to believe in me doubt the official office
in Holy Najaf, and they doubt this blessed page in which I posted a message in my own voice.
After this voice message, none of those people have any excuse left. If they were not being
malevolent, let them declare their repentance now and their request for forgiveness from Allah.
Otherwise, let them avoid me and not pretend to believe in me.

And may the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.