The Dimensions of Time, Space, Speed, and Elevation in This Physical Realm
Published in June 21, 2018
Translated by: Ahmed Fathy
Introduction:
Within our attempt to imagine the locality of Paradise bliss and Hell torment on the Last Day, we provide here an overview of the dimensions of time, space, speed, and elevation in the physical realm of the known universe; as per the Quran, this transient world is the First Day, which will end in destruction when the Hour takes place; after this total destruction, the Last Day will begin and it will be endless as human beings will be living for eternity; some in Hell and some in Paradise. We have written a series of articles before about scientific and cosmic indications inside the Quran, especially regarding the earth and the heavens, as the Quran contains indications which have not been tackled yet by the scientists of the West; we sincerely hope that such indications would be tackled by specialized scientists who can infer more scientific facts from these Quranic indications. We provide some details about this topic in the points below.
Firstly: seven levels of heavens overlapping seven levels of earth:
God says in the Quran: "God is He Who created seven heavens, and their like of earth. The command descends through them..." (65:12). These seven levels of heavens are overlapping each one overlaps with the next one beneath it, and this applies to the seven levels of the earth. The lowest heaven is the one we see above us and the lowest level of earth is the physical one we see under our feet; the physical universe contains atoms whose vibrations are heavy and have the lowest speeds in comparison to the other Barsakh, metaphysical levels, in which jinn, devils, and angels exist. Of course, the jinn and devils exist in the lowest Barsakh level overlapping with earth; they are prevented from reaching higher levels into which they are never permitted; the high-rank angels exist in the Upper Realm in the seventh heaven.
Secondly: the dimension of time enveloping everything in this physical realm:
1- Of course, the physical universe of the heaven and earth is enveloped by the dimension of time; we cannot see or know anything about the baresark levels of heavens and the earth which overlap the physical realm; we know only some pieces of information about the matter from which the universe (with its stars, galaxies, planets, etc.) is created. The three dimensions of the universe are enveloped by the element of time. We know from the Quran that time moves forward and never stops or turns back at all and that there are various speeds in each of the Barsakh levels; we also know from the Quran that the universe is heading unstoppably towards its inevitable end: total destruction.
2- We notice that the Lord God in the Quran expresses the material or building blocks of the universe (i.e., the heavens and the earth) by using time-related terms: "day", "hour", ''year'', and "predetermine time". God shows in the Quran that the Hour (i.e., the total destruction of the physical realm) will take place within a speed faster than the speed of light: "And Our command is but once, like the twinkling of an eye." (54:50); "To God belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth. The coming of the Hour is only as the twinkling of the eye, or even nearer..." (16:77).
Thirdly: speeds within vibrations:
1-Within our physical realm, solid atoms (from solid masses to planets and galaxies) rotate and vibrate within the speed of 400 billion cycles per second, and this speed increases up to 750 billion cycles per second when solid matter turns into gas and we can barely see gases, and it is impossible for the human naked eye to see energy. Higher vibrational levels and rotations exist in the Barsakh levels and this is why we cannot see creatures of these levels: jinn, devils, and angels. Of course, souls of the dead exist in this Barsakh; souls of sleepers go there temporarily and return to their bodies once they wake up. The scientific field called quantum mechanics, which is related to waves, indicates that overlapping or lack of overlapping between bodies is directly linked to the similarity or difference of the vibrational levels. Thus, if both bodies belong to the same realm, it is impossible that they overlap or merge; e.g., a man cannot move with his body through a wall as both the man and the wall have the same vibrational levels. The beings that have higher vibrational levels can overlap with or move through beings that have lower vibrational levels. Thus, angels, jinn, and devils as ethereal beings can exist on earth as the overlapping between them and the physical world is possible and natural. Thus, the souls inside the human bodies are deemed as another example of this overlapping and merging possible as per this scientific field called quantum mechanics.
2- The slowest speeds exist in the lowest level: i.e., the physical realm of the earth; the higher speeds for creatures exist within the Barsakh levels; the higher the Barsakh level, the higher the speed; this cannot be imagined by our limited mind; this applies to the varying speeds of the angels in their flying/moving expressed by the idea of (wings): "Praise be to God, Originator of the heavens and the earth, Maker of the angels messengers with wings-double, triple, and quadruple. He adds to creation as He wills. God is Able to do all things." (35:1). This means that the most powerful angels of the highest speeds are those who live in the Upper Realm in the seventh heaven.
3- The arch-angel Gabriel, the Holy Spirit, and some angels with him descend with the fates decreed by God to all humanity (adversity/prosperity, births, deaths, and provisions) once a year within the Night of Decree every Ramadan; for further details, see our book in English titled "The Night-Journey Is The Night of Decree" (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=112).
4- Each type of the creatures living within its given dimension or level has its type of speed available within this dimension or level. The movements of human beings and earthly creatures have the speeds which are less than the speed of light; the ethereal beings in the Barsakh levels have speeds faster than the speed of light; the higher the Barsakh level, the higher the speeds are.
Fourthly: elevation means the various speeds of vibrations of atoms:
We do not mean lower/higher levels of elevations within this earth or its creatures; rather, we mean that the speeds of the Barsakh- levels ethereal creatures vary despite the overlapping of these levels;Superstring theory can make us understand this notion; the ethereal creatures (i.e., angels) of a higher Barsakh-level can descend and overlap with the lower Barsakh level; the opposite is not true for angels of a lower level; they cannot be elevated to reach or enter into a higher level; they are not permitted to do so. This means that the most powerful angels of the highest speeds are those who live in the Upper Realm in the seventh heaven; they include Gabriel; he and other angels descend on the physical earth annually (i.e., within the lower Barsakh level overlapping with earth) on the Night of Decree while carrying fates ordained by the Lord God on all human beings.
Fifthly: the universe is speeding towards its end; i.e., total destruction when the Hour takes place:
This universe (with its stars, galaxies, planets, etc.) is moving relentlessly towards its end ordained by God within a predetermined time when the Hour will take place and the universe will be destroyed. God says in the Quran: "Say, "Have you considered those you worship instead of God? Show me which portion of the earth they have created. Or do they own a share of the heavens? Bring me a scripture prior to this one, or some trace of knowledge, if you are truthful."" (46:3). The disbeliever never contemplate on the universe and its creation; they never ponder that it has a beginning and it will have an end; the Hour will usher the end of the transient day of this world and the beginning of Last Day of Eternity; God says in the Quran: "Do they not reflect within themselves? God did not create the heavens and the earth, and what is between them, except with reason, and for a specific duration. But most people, regarding meeting their Lord, are disbelievers." (30:8).
Sixthly: one's dimension of space changes since the physical realm is moving towards its inevitable end:
1- Since the universe is in constant state of movement towards its inevitable end, this means that a person's location/space in the universe changes every second (or femtosecond) within the Milky Way galaxy which moves and revolves around its axis and this change of space/location is also indicated by the fact that the earth revolves around the sun and the sun revolves around the axis of the galaxy; this means that the Barsakh levels of the earth and the heavens move and change their locations in space all the time unstoppably until the utter destruction when the Hour takes place; the universe will end in vacuum or nothingness/chaos from which it has been originally created and begun.
2- This movement of time and space can never be stopped; one cannot move back in time; time is the dimension enveloping everything (visible or invisible to us) in the universe; the destruction/death of the universe is unavoidable.
Seventhly: "Indeed, I swear by what you see. And by what you do not see." (69:38-39):
1- We cannot see the Barsakh-levels realm and its ethereal creatures; this is because of the speeds there which are higher than the speed of light and which cannot be imagined by the human limited mind; the human eye cannot perceive this; this example of the physical realm of the earth will illustrate this fact further:Science tell us that atoms rotate within speeds between 400 billion to 750 billion cycles per second, and when they rotate faster, we can no longer see them. This is why we cannot see fan blades if they rotate at fast speeds. Let alone seeing angels moving in speeds faster than the speed of light?
2- God says in the Quran: "Indeed, I swear by what you see. And by what you do not see." (69:38-39). This means that within the vision-field of the human eye, there are ethereal creatures (i.e., angels, jinn, and devils) which we cannot see and they exist in the Barsakh level overlapping with earth; for instance, the angels which record our deeds and the devils which whisper evil deeds and thoughts to human souls; tempting devils will be seen by the misguided losers/sinners only on the Last Day.
3- Science tells us about the unseen (dark matter) in the universe; the ozone layer which protects the atmosphere is unseen by the human naked eye; this form of protection is alluded to, we think, in this verse: "And We made the sky a protected ceiling; yet they turn away from its wonders." (21:32).
Eighthly: we cannot see the firmament and how it was built/created:
The Lord God describes the sky/firmament in the Quran as a built entity/structure situated high above us.
1- God says in the Quran: "He who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure..." (2:22); "It is God who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure..." (40:64); "And the sky and He who built it." (91:5).
2- More details about the firmament or heaven are found in these verse.
2/1: It is a well-built, ornamented structure and it is never pierced with holes/fissures/cracks: "Have they not observed the sky above them, how We constructed it, and decorated it, and it has no cracks?" (50:6).
2/2: The firmament is built with the divine might and it contains seven strong levels/heavens: "And built above you seven strong ones?" (78:12).
2/3: The firmament of the universe is expanding: this applies to the heavens and to the galaxies as well: "We constructed the universe with power, and We are expanding it." (51:47).
2/4: The heavens contain minute balance; e.g., the laws of gravity which we can detect but we cannot see with the naked eyes: "And the sky, He raised; and He set up the balance." (55:7); "God is He who raised the heavens without pillars that you can see..." (13:2).
Lastly: what is the duration of the existence of the physical realm of the universe? When will the Hour take place?:
To rephrase this question, we say here: what is the duration of this first day we call the universe? We know for sure it is heading with a certain speed to its end: total destruction. When this will occur? When will the end of days come?
1- Disbelievers and deniers used to ask God mockingly to hasten the torment for them; it is postponed till the Day of Judgment. We know from the Quran that the Divine Command or Decree for the Hour to take place has been issued; yet, its execution will occur within a pre-determined earthly time known only to God; it is never known to any of His creatures; the earthly time differs from the Divine Time in the Upper realm; 1000 years on earth is one day within the Divine Time: "The command of God has come, so do not rush it. Glory be to Him; exalted above what they associate." (16:1); "And they ask you to hasten the punishment. But God never breaks His promise. A day with your Lord is like a thousand years of your count." (22:47).
2- The same estimation of time is linked to the divine commands/decrees descending to earth with the movements of angels up and down the universe between the earth and the heavens: "He regulates all affairs, from the heavens, to the earth. Then it ascends to Him on a Day the length of which is a thousand years by your count." (32:5).
3- God says that the transient world will exist only for 50 thousand years as per the Divine Time in the Upper Realm and NOT as per earthly, terrestrial time: "A questioner questioned the imminent torment. For the disbelievers; none can repel it. From God, Lord of the Ways of Ascent. Unto Him the angels and the Spirit ascend on a Day the duration of which is fifty thousand years." (70:1-4). Of course, we never know when the universe has been created; we never know when the universe is destroyed when the Hour comes; we only know that the biggest sign of the nearness of the coming of the Hour is the revelation/descent of the Quran as the Last Divine Message from God to human beings; the Quran will last until the end of days or the end of Time.