A Deep Thinking

Iron is one of the elements highlighted in the Quran. In
the chapter known Al-Hadeed, meaning Iron, we are informed:

“And We also sent down iron in which
there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind…” (Quran 57:25)

The word “anzalna,”
translated as "sent down" and 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, as this word usage had not
been employed in the Quran except literally, like the descending of the rain or
revelation, we realize that this verse implies a very significant scientific
miracle. Because, modern astronomical findings have disclosed that the iron
found in our world has come from giant stars in outer space.[1]

Not only the iron on earth, but
also the iron in the entire Solar System, comes from outer space, since the
temperature in the Sun is inadequate for the formation of iron. The sun has a
surface temperature of 6,000 degrees Celsius, and a core temperature of
approximately 20 million degrees. Iron can only be produced in much larger 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 it eventually explodes in what is called a "nova" or a
"supernova." These explosions make it possible for iron to be given off into
space.[2]

One scientific source provides
the following information on this subject:

“There is also
evidence for older supernova events: Enhanced levels of iron-60 in deep-sea
sediments have been interpreted as indications that a supernova explosion
occurred within 90 light-years of the sun about 5 million years ago. Iron-60 is
a radioactive isotope of iron, formed in supernova explosions, which decays with
a half life of 1.5 million years. An enhanced presence of this isotope in a
geologic layer indicates the recent nucleosynthesis of elements nearby in space
and their subsequent transport to the earth (perhaps as part of dust grains).”[3]

All this shows that iron did not
form on the Earth, but was carried from Supernovas, and was "sent down," as
stated in the verse. It is clear that this fact could not have been known in the
7^th century, when the Quran was revealed. Nevertheless, this fact is
related in the Quran, the Word of God, Who encompasses all things in His
infinite knowledge.

The fact that the verse
specifically mentions iron is quite astounding, considering that these
discoveries were made at the end of the 20th century. In his book Nature’s
Destiny, the well-known microbiologist Michael Denton emphasizes the importance
of iron:

“Of all the metals
there is none more essential to life than iron. It is the accumulation of iron
in the center of a star which triggers a supernova explosion and the subsequent
scattering of the vital atoms of life throughout the cosmos. It was the drawing
by gravity of iron atoms to the center of the primeval earth that generated the
heat which caused the initial chemical differentiation of the earth, the
outgassing of the early atmosphere, and ultimately the formation of the
hydrosphere. It is molten iron in the center of the earth which, acting like a
gigantic dynamo, generates the earth’s magnetic field, which in turn creates the
Van Allen radiation belts that shield the earth’s surface from destructive
high-energy-penetrating cosmic radiation and preserve the crucial ozone layer
from cosmic ray destruction…

“Without the iron
atom, there would be no carbon-based life in the cosmos; no supernovae, no
heating of the primitive earth, no atmosphere or hydrosphere. There would be no
protective magnetic field, no Van Allen radiation belts, no ozone layer, no
metal to make hemoglobin [in human blood], no metal to tame the reactivity of
oxygen, and no oxidative metabolism.

“The intriguing and
intimate relationship between life and iron, between the red color of blood and
the dying of some distant star, not only indicates the relevance of metals to
biology but also the biocentricity of the cosmos…”[4]

This account clearly indicates
the importance of the iron atom. The fact that particular attention is drawn to
iron in the Quran also emphasizes the importance of the element.

Moreover, iron oxide particles
were used in a cancer treatment in recent months and positive developments were
observed. A team led by Dr. Andreas Jordan, at the world famous Charité Hospital
in Germany, succeeded in destroying cancer cells with this new technique
developed for the treatment of cancer—magnetic fluid hyperthermia (high
temperature magnetic liquid). As a result of this technique, first performed on
the 26-year-old Nikolaus H., no new cancer cells were observed in the patient in
the following three months.

This method of treatment can be
summarized as follows:

1. A liquid containing iron
oxide particles is injected into the tumour by means of a special syringe. These
particles spread throughout the tumour cells. This liquid consists of thousands
of millions of particles, 1,000 times smaller than the red blood corpuscles, of
iron oxide in 1 cm3 that can easily flow through all blood vessels. [5]

2. The patient is then
placed in a machine with a powerful magnetic field.

3. This magnetic field,
applied externally, begins to set the iron particles in the tumour in motion.
During this time the temperature in the tumour containing the iron oxide
particles rises by up to 45 degrees.

4. In a few minutes the
cancer cells, unable to protect themselves from the heat, are either weakened or
destroyed. The tumour may then be completely eradicated with subsequent
chemotherapy.[6]

In this treatment it is only the
cancer cells that are affected by the magnetic field, since only they contain
the iron oxide particles. The spread of this technique is a major development in
the treatment of this potentially lethal disease. Iron has also been found to be
a cure for people suffering from anemia. In the treatment of such a widespread
diseases, the use of the expression “iron in which there lies great force and
which has many uses for mankind” (Quran, 57:25) in the Quran is particularly
noteworthy. Indeed, in that verse, the Quran may be indicating the benefits of
iron even for human health. (God knows best.)