Mass Extinction

Dinosaurs got extinct when a massive comet or asteroid hit Earth. Upon impact the smoke and dust covered the entire globe.

The comet itself didn’t hit the dinosaurs but rather it was the smoke and dust that blocked sunlight which in turn triggered a series of catastrophic events. 

An impact at Chicxulub, where the target rocks contain high quantities of sulfur, produces enormous amounts of sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere that act as nucleation sites for acid rains much more intense and devastating than anything we have generated from industrial pollution. One model suggests rain with the strength of battery acid! The direct effect is enough to suffocate some air breathers, to destroy plant foliage, and to dissolve the shells of marine creatures living along shores and in the surface waters of the ocean. The balance of CO2 between air and ocean is upset, and a chain of climatic events makes ocean surface waters barren for perhaps 20 years. Among other effects of the impact, dust, smoke, and aerosols cut down the sun’s rays for weeks or months, so that land plants and algal plankton in the ocean cannot photosynthesize. The dust also causes freezing air temperatures within days after the impact, and maintains them below freezing for weeks or even months. This may not be an unusual situation at a pole, and may not be a problem for an organism living deep in the ocean, but it is a catastrophe for organisms on continental land masses. Later, once the dust and aerosols have settled out, the enormous amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere by the impact generates a greenhouse effect that elevates temperatures on Earth for a thousand years or more.
University of California at Berkeley, The K-T Extinction, 1999. 

In short it was the smoke and dust that blocked the sun and caused the sudden drop in temperature. But it was just smoke (not dust) which caused the acid rain that killed plants and animals.

However this was portrayed in the Quran 1400 years before it was discovered. There are mountains in the heaven that have ice inside them; those mountains could fall on Earth making a very bright flash:

[Quran 24.43] Can’t you see that Allah makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a pile? Then you see rain come out from within? And He sends down from heaven mountains with ice inside them; that strike whomever He wishes or miss whoever He wishes; Its flash almost blinds you.

God sent down from the heavens mountains with ice inside them!!! The clouds are enslaved between the Heavens and Earth but those ice filled mountains came from the Heavens above the clouds and they make a very bright flash. But this is the exact description of comets and meteors when they hit our atmosphere. 

Rain hits everyone (no exceptions) however the Quran referred to: “mountains that strike whomever He wishes or miss whoever He wishes”. Of course, the meteor that killed the dinosaurs was the size of a mountain 10-15 km wide. If we get hit with a meteor the size of a mountain we too will die in a mass extinction.

In chapter “The Smoke” the Quran describes the smoke generated on impact:

[Quran 44:9-10] So watch out for the day when the sky brings prevailing smoke. Enveloping mankind; this is a painful torture.

“When the sky brings prevailing smoke” followed by “painful torture” today we know that dinosaurs died when the smoke blocked sunlight and caused drop in temperature and acid rain that killed plants and animals.

Terminal Velocity

Highest speed in free-fall.

During a free-fall terminal velocity is reached a few seconds after the drop.

Based on wind resistance, for example, the terminal speed of a skydiver in a belly-to-earth (i.e., face down) free fall position is about 195 km/h (120 mph; 54 m/s). This speed is the asymptotic limiting value of the speed, and the forces acting on the body balance each other more and more closely as the terminal speed is approached. In this example, a speed of 50% of terminal speed is reached after only about 3 seconds, while it takes 8 seconds to reach 90%, 15 seconds to reach 99% and so on.
Wikipedia, Terminal Velocity, 2019.

Skydivers have high terminal speed however there are birds that can easily overtake any skydiver.


World Atlas, The Fastest Birds In The World, 2019.

The Peregrine Falcon reaches terminal speeds of 389 km/hr and the Golden Eagle reaches terminal speeds of 240 – 320 km/hr. So these two birds can easily overtake any skydiver in a free-fall. They are both raptors (flesh eating birds). This was only recently, however 1400 years ago this was portrayed in the Quran:

[Quran 22:31] Being true to Allah, without associating anything with Him. Whoever associates anything with Allah it is as though he has fallen from the sky, and was snatched by the birds, or was taken down by the wind to a deep place.

Was snatched by the birds” these birds are attacking humans means they are raptors. But to catch humans in mid-air they have to dive faster than the skydiver. Today we know that there are two raptors that can easily overtake any skydiver.

Ramadan Mubarak

Allah says, concerning His Majestic Book:

The Month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was revealed, a guidance for mankind, [containing] clear proofs of guidance, and the criterion of distinguishing right from wrong. (Al-Qur’an 2:185)

2014_ramadan_kareem_photos

We encourage all of the believers to refrain from all of the ruinations of the tongue during Ramadan. In his seminal work, “Quickening the Religious Sciences,” Imam al-Ghazali (rah) mentions them as the following:

a) Speaking in matters that do not concern one.

b) Excessive speech.

c) Speaking about sinful matters.

d) Disputation and contestation.

e) Argumentation.

f) Excessively embellished speech.

g) Lewd, insulting, or crude speech.

h) Invoking the Curse of God on someone.

i) Singing indecent songs, or relating immoral poetry.

j) Excessive joking.

k) Sarcasm and ridicule.

l) Revealing secrets.

m) False promises.

n) Lying and false oaths.

o) Backbiting and slander.

p) Instigating tense relations between people.

q) Being two-faced.

r) Praising someone who is either undeserving, or unable to remain humble when praised.

s) Speaking about involved subjects and ideas one lacks the necessary knowledge or eloquence to adequately convey.

t) Ordinary folk speaking in subjects that are the domain of specialists.

May Allah spare us from these ruinations both during and after Ramadan.

The Prophet, Peace and Blessing of Almighty God be upon Him, said: “Whoever fails to leave off ruinous speech, and acting on it [during Ramadan], God does not need him to leave off eating and drinking.” Al-Bukahri

We encourage the believers to avoid all arguments, disputes, and unnecessary worldly entanglements during this blessed month. This is a time for deep devotion and dedication to Allah.

We encourage the believers to work to restore any severed relations or kinship ties they may be experiencing. This is a time when the gentle breezes of Divine Facilitation are blowing. Any good we endeavor during this blessed month will come to bear its proper fruits, Insha Allah.

We encourage all of the believers to eat simply during this month. One should try to make a vow to give up unnecessary, and generally unhealthy fare during this blessed month. Pizza, ice cream, fast food, pastries, and soda should all go. We should make our solidarity with our suffering brothers and sisters in other lands real, and not something confined to speeches and pamphlets.

If one is in the habit of watching television, or listening to commercial music, one should also try to give these things up for Ramadan. They are things that divert us from the remembrance of God in any case. During this special month when every letter we recite from the Majestic Qur’an is tremendously rewarded, we should busy ourselves with recitation, and drop other pastimes.

Married believers should encourage their wives to engage in spiritual pursuits during this month, i.e. reciting the Qur’an, attending Tarawih, etc. They should especially avoid burdening their wives with long hours in the kitchen in order to host extravagant Iftars. While it is certainly virtuous to provide the wherewithal for the believers to break their fast, dates, water, and simple dishes suffice in that regard.

These are some of the things we wanted to convey to you. Hopefully, they will prove of benefit. Again, we wish you a very successful Ramadan and would like to thank all of you for past, present, and future support. May Allah bless us to serve you better in the future.