A Giant Ball of Fire

An enormous ball of fire that split away from the Sun has a temperature of 60,000 degrees and is filled with ionised gas particles. The reactions that take place inside the Sun, which is a giant nuclear reactor, release enormous energy. The slightest deviation that might occur in these reactions, which represent the fundamental source for the survival of human life, would lead to the Sun being extinguished or else exploding within a matter of seconds. The fact that such a danger never arises stems from the way that these processes within the Sun have been regulated with a miraculous sensitivity. When we examine the Sun and the Solar System we encounter an enormous equilibrium. The effect that prevents the planets from spinning off into the frozen wastes of space lies in the equilibrium between the Sun’s gravity and the planets’ centrifugal force. The Sun attracts all the planets with a powerful gravitational force, while thanks to the centrifugal force that stems from the rotation of the planets this gravitational effect is reduced and an immaculate equilibrium is established. Were the planets to revolve just slightly slower, then they would quickly be pulled toward the Sun and swallowed by it with a huge explosion. Yet none of this ever happens, and all the planets continue in their own courses. That is because, as Allah reveals in a verse: “Each one is swimming in a sphere.” (Surah Yasin, 40)

The Glorious Equilibrium in the Sun…

The Sun is a giant nuclear reactor. Inside it, hydrogen atoms are constantly converted into helium, as a result of which light and heat are given off. In order for the light and heat that reach the Earth to be released, four hydrogens have to combine and turn into one helium. Hydrogen, which has one single proton in its nucleus, is the simplest element in the universe. The helium nucleus, on the other hand, has two neutrons and two protons. The process that takes place in the Sun is the appearance of one helium element from a combination of four hydrogens. Enormous energy is released during the course of this process. Nearly all the heat and light that reach the Earth is the result of this nuclear reaction inside the Sun (Harun Yahya, The Creation of the Universe). However, it is impossible for four hydrogen atoms to combine and turn into helium in a single moment. In order for this to happen, a two-stage process is required. First, two hydrogen atoms combine and give rise to an “intermediate formula” with one proton and one neutron. This formula is known as a “deutron.” A helium nucleus subsequently appears when two deutrons combine together.

The Strongest Nuclear Force

We may now ask the real question. What is the force that attaches two separate atomic nuclei together? This force if known as “strong nuclear force,” the greatest nuclear force in the universe. It is billions upon billions upon billions of times more powerful than gravity. It is thanks to this force that two hydrogen nuclei are able to adhere to one another.

However, research has shown that strong nuclear force is at just the right level to bring this about. Were strong nuclear force just a little weaker than it actually is at this moment, then the two hydrogen nuclei could not combine. Two protons approaching one another would immediately repel each other, and thus the nuclear reaction inside the Sun would come to an end before it had even begun. In other words, the Sun would never have existed. The well known scientist George Greenstein describes this state of affairs by saying “if strong nuclear force were just a little weaker, then the light of the Earth would never shine.”

The Balanced Reaction in the Sun

But what would happen if strong nuclear force were a little stronger? In that event, a di-proton with two protons would form, rather than a deutron consisting of one proton and one neutron. In that event, solar fuel would suddenly become unbelievably powerful, so much so that the Sun and all other stars like it would explode within a matter of a few seconds. If the Sun were to explode, then the earth and all living things on it would turn into coal in just a few seconds. Yet thanks to the mercy of Almighty Allah, our Creator, strong nuclear force stands at exactly the required level, and the Sun performs a balanced reaction; in other words, it “burns slowly.”

All this shows that strong nuclear force has been regulated in such a way as to make human life possible. Were there to be any deviation in this, stars such as the Sun would either fail to come into being, or else would be destroyed in a very short space of time in a huge explosion. Allah has created the Sun in a very special way, such as to support human life, and tells us of this in the Qur’an in verse 5 of Surat Ar-Rahman: “The stars and the trees all bow down in prostration.”

It is Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, Who created the universe from nothing and then designed and arranged it according to His choosing. After having created them, Allah bestowed a specific order on the Earth and sky, using no previous models. The way that the bodies in the universe remain  stable thanks to miraculous balances is one of the proofs of the perfection of Allah’s creation. As Almighty Allah tells us: “Among His signs is that He shows you lightning, a source of fear and eager hope, and sends down water from the sky, bringing the dead earth back to life by it.” (Surat Ar-Rum 25)