Now, here’s a really interesting question: Are Atoms Living? Well, when we learn in school and college, we’re told that atoms are not living things. So, why even ask this question? Just Keep reading, and you’ll discover something interesting about atoms.
Table of Contents
What is an Atom?
An atom is the smallest unit of matter that makes up everything around us. It consists of a nucleus at its center, which contains positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons, surrounded by negatively charged electrons that orbit the nucleus. Atoms combine to form molecules, which then build up all the substances and materials in the universe.
What Science says about “Are Atoms Living?”
Science categorizes atoms as non-living things. Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter, and while they play a crucial role in the chemistry of life, they are not considered living entities themselves.
Biologists have a set of rules to decide if something is alive. Here are the main things they look for:
1. Staying Balanced (Homeostasis): Living things can keep their inside environment stable. For example, they can sweat to stay cool when it’s hot outside.
2. Building Blocks: Living things are made up of tiny particles called cells. These cells are like the building blocks of life.
3. Energy Management: Living things can change energy into different chemicals and use it to stay organized and do things. It’s like using food to stay healthy and active.
4. Getting Bigger: Living things grow over time. All their parts get bigger, not just one part.
5. Changing and Adapting: Living things can change to survive in their surroundings. This is important for evolution, and it depends on their genes, what they eat, and where they live.
6. Reacting to the World: When something happens around them, living things can respond to it. This might mean moving or changing in some way. Even plants can react to things like sunlight.
7. Making New Life: Living things can make new living things. This can happen with just one parent or two parents.
These are the key things scientists look for to decide if something is alive or not.
Secret of life and how our minds work:
Let’s talk about something important now! We want to understand the secrets of life and how our minds work.
So, what’s the secret of life? Where does our intelligence come from? What about our minds and souls? These are big questions that poets, philosophers, and scientists have been thinking about for a long time, but we still don’t have all the answers.
Some people think that life came from outer space, while others believe it started right here on Earth. The idea is that a long time ago, Earth was really hot and couldn’t support any life. It took billions of years for the Earth to cool down and form oceans. During this time, things like amino acids, which are the building blocks of life, started to form because of things like sunlight and lightning.
In 1957, an American scientist named John Miller recreated these early Earth conditions in a lab and found traces of amino acids. This supported the idea that life might have started right here on Earth. Over time, scientists thought that these amino acids could have combined to make proteins and eventually create living cells. This is a possible explanation for how life could have developed, but it still doesn’t answer the basic question: why and how did lifeless things come together to create life and intelligence?
In the light of Quran:
Let’s try to answer this puzzling question using the Holy Quran, the last book given to humans by the Creator of the world. The Quran teaches us that everything in the universe, from tiny particles to enormous galaxies, has a specific design and nature. It’s like they come with a built-in guide from their Creator. It says:
“Our Lord is He, Who gave to each and everything, Its Design and the Nature, And gave it Guidance”. Al-Quran [20;50]
The Holy Quran also tells us that everything, without exception, follows a set plan and timeline. It’s like they have a program that guides their life and nature. It says:
“Every matter has its appointed time and course”. -Al-Quran [54:3]
What Light is Shed on Verses Above?
Above verses throw light on the following realities concerning the nature of everything.
1) Everything has a built-in nature and a guidance system from Allah. This means that everything has basic traits and functions that are part of its design.
2) Every tiny bit of matter is set to last for a specific amount of time. It’s like it has a plan for how long it will exist.
3) Everything in the universe is naturally meant to follow the rules of the Divine. They are designed to work according to specific rules and are destined to do so from the start.
It’s not surprising for someone who believes in something to see that science has also come to similar conclusions. Science is built on the idea that the rules of nature stay the same no matter where or when you are, and everything in the universe naturally follows these rules.
This helps us understand why lifeless things still follow nature’s rules. For example, why do hydrogen and oxygen always make water when they come together, no matter where or when it happens? This same question can be asked for all chemical reactions.
But what’s about Science?
Right now, many scientists don’t agree with this idea. (Are Atoms Living?) They think that atoms are the smallest, stable, basic pieces of stuff. Inside an atom, there are even tinier particles we don’t completely understand yet. A famous scientist named Prof. Abdus Salam said, “The more we study it, the more confused we get.” For example, when electrons move from one place to another inside an atom, they seem to do it in a weird way. They kind of disappear from one spot and instantly appear in another without going through the space in between. Other tiny particles in atoms also act unpredictably. This unpredictability is something called Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, which is a big deal in science.
Also read: “HOW MANY PLANETS EXIST?: EXPLORING FROM QURANIC INSIGHTS”
Can something that’s not alive do all these things?
Quantum physics experiments have shown that tiny particles in the energy world behave strangely. For example:
Atoms continually monitor their surroundings and select the most ergonomic position. Moreover, they engage with their environment, gather data, and employ probabilistic calculations to determine the most suitable location.
They have the ability to sense the energy potentials of myriad entities in their vicinity, perform probability assessments, and opt for the most likely outcome.
Atoms can differentiate whether they are under observation or not. When observed, they behave as a cohesive “body,” adhering to provided instructions. However, in the absence of observation, they assess their surroundings using their wavelengths and opt for the most probable configuration.
They exhibit a tunneling effect, wherein they collectively allocate energy to facilitate the overcoming of substantial obstacles, ensuring the integration of items into a more ergonomic structure.
Additionally, atoms possess the capacity for instantaneous communication on a universal scale, among other remarkable abilities.
Can an inactive unit perform such tasks?
Everything in the universe proclaims the praises of the Supreme Creator:
There is a verse in Quran that deliver the message that everything in the universe, whether living or not, somehow recognizes and praises the Supreme Creator. This recognition is like a mind or soul within each thing. Even atoms, the smallest units of matter, have this built-in awareness of their Creator and His laws. This concept changes how we understand the nature of things and reveals the secret of life.
“The seven heavens and the earth (too) And whatsoever between them declare His glory, Nothing is that does not proclaim His praises; But ye understand not their glorification. Lo! He is ever Clement, Forgiving.” (Quran 17:44)
In this verse, there’s a phrase that says, “Everything praises God, but you don’t understand it.” This means that everything in the world, like plants, rocks, and more, somehow knows about God’s greatness. If we think of this knowledge as a type of thinking or soul, then we can say that everything in the universe has a sort of mind. Even atoms, the tiny building blocks of stuff, have this built-in knowledge. They know about God and remember what’s around them.
This concept is very different from what we usually think about matter, and it helps us understand nature better. It tells us that everything in the universe, no matter how small or big, has a built-in mind and a way of knowing what to do and how to act. It also explains why things happen and how the laws of nature work.
With this concept, we can say that life isn’t a mystery. It’s a natural part of everything. Atoms are the basic units of life, and everything else, like complex molecules and living cells, is just different combinations of atoms. So, living things are more organized and alive because they have more complicated combinations of atoms. And all this provides answer to the question of “Why” and what is life and how the laws of nature operate in the matter.
Soul or Mind of Matter:
The concept of “Soul or Mind of Matter” suggests that there are three important things that control how the universe works: Time, Space, and Mind.
We know that nothing can happen without Time and Space because every event needs a place to happen and a moment for it to occur. So, Time and Space are like the basic ingredients for anything to happen.
Now, when it comes to how things happen, it’s controlled by the “Mind of the matter.” This means that there is some kind of thinking or organizing power that decides how events unfold.
This trio of Time, Space, and Mind has been working since the very beginning. At first, it created energy, and then that energy was shaped and transformed into matter. From simple matter, more complex forms emerged, and this process eventually led to the development of free will.
Different creatures have different levels of free will. Higher animals, like humans, have more free will than lower species. In fact, humans, who are considered the most advanced beings, have the highest degree of free will.
Also Read: “STARS, UNIVERSES, AND BEYOND: A CONVERSATION BETWEEN IMAM JAFFAR AL-SADIQ AND JABBIR BIN HAYYAN”.
Having a mind and memory:
The idea that atoms are the basic building blocks of life and have a mind and memory suggests two important things:
1) If science can figure out how atoms are arranged in a living cell and can rearrange those atoms in the same way in a lab, then it might be possible to create artificial life in a lab. This means that people, who are considered representatives of God on Earth, could potentially create life.
2) When a person dies, their body breaks down, but the atoms in their body don’t disappear. According to the law of conservation of matter and energy, these atoms never die. Even after the body breaks down, they remember their previous life and the way they were organized. So, each atom has the memory of its past life and can repeat that life again. This idea acknowledges the greatness of Allah.
He is Allah—there is no god except Him: the King, the Most Holy, the All-Perfect, the Source of Serenity, the Watcher ˹of all˺, the Almighty, the Supreme in Might, the Majestic. Glorified is Allah far above what they associate with Him in worship! -Surah Al-Hashar 23
Never stop thinking!
Are Atoms Living? Now, it’s all about how we learn and discover! The deeper we delve into it, the more questions arise. I agree that living things have unique features like metabolism, growth, and reproduction that atoms don’t have. However, there’s something about atoms that makes us think of them as living. They exhibit behaviors that make our minds believe they might be alive!
In any case, only Allah truly knows the real truth. But as human beings, Allah has given us the ability to think and explore the entire world. I hope you like and understand all these points. And please, don’t forget to remember me in your prayers!
Thankyou for Reading!
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Blog title: Are Atoms Living? Quranic and Scientific Insights.
References:
-The Atom: A Visual Tour (Mit Press) by Jack Challoner (Author)
-Kitab Zindagi by Sultan Basheer Mehmood (Sitar-e-Imtiaz)
-Some comments from Quora.com
-Some information from Google.com
Note: We’ve extracted content from these sources, but we haven’t simply copied and pasted it. Instead, we’ve reorganized and improved the text with careful consideration and editing by imamandscience.ccom
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