Cosmic rivers

Abduldaem Al-Kaheel

It is a new scientific discovery in which the westerners use the exact Koranic term. Let us read about these rivers of stars that flow in our galaxy and recognize the greatness of this religion…

American scientists recently discovered a long river of elegant stars streaming in a thrilling and striking way. This river is 76000 light years distance from us. This river includes around 50000 stars! The scientists assure the multiplicity of such rivers which spread in the universe containing stars flowing and running in a way similar to the movement of the water of rivers on the earth.

If we visualize their discoveries, we notice that they use the word “stream” which means “run” which is a word the Quran uses to express the movement of the sun. And as we know, the sun is a star, and there are more than a hundred thousand million suns flowing in our galaxy all in a precise system. Allah (SWT) describes the movement of the sun saying “And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed). That is the decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing” [ya-sin: 38].

In a study that was published in the “Astrophysical Journal Letters” magazine of March-2006, the owner of the discovery Carl Grillmair, an American researcher working for the California Institute of Technology’s Spitzer Science Center, caught my attention for his attempt to find a connection between the rivers in the sky and the rivers in the earth.


An image from NASA assures the existence of numerous rivers of stars in our galaxy. Glory to Allah!

 In his research, Carl Grillmair says that studying the stars’ rivers is very necessary to know the way the galaxies were shaped, exactly like studying the earth and the mountains to recognize how rivers were formed. What is amazing is that when Allah (SWT) spoke regarding the sun, the following verse was talking about the earth’s rivers and mountains! He Almighty says: “He has subjected the sun and the moon each running (its course) for a term appointed) [Ar-Rad: 2], He then said in the following verse: (And it is He who spread out the earth, and placed therein firm mountains and rivers” [Ar-Rad: 3].

From here we recognize that speaking of the flowing of the sun, the moon, and the rivers are among the Quranic signs which proves that this book can’t be a human made; it is Allah’s (SWT) words, the lord of humankind. Scientists say that no one could see or predict these cosmic rivers before 2006 and that the scientists used a new technology referred to as “matched filtering”. The discoveries are still in the preliminary steps, and no one could have predicted stars running in the sky before the twenty first century.                                                                                                                         

This proves that the Quran preceded the scientists in using the description “running” regarding the sun. That’s because the description is precise, matches the reality, and is scientifically acknowledged. Let’s look at this amazing Quranic description with reference to the running sun and the running ships in the seas: He almighty says: “See you not (O Muhammad) that Allah merges the night into the day, and merges the day into the night, and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running its course for a term appointed; and that Allah is All-Aware of what you do* That is because Allah, He is the Truth, and that which they invoke besides Him is falsehood; and that Allah, He is the Most High, the Most Great* see you not that the ships run through the sea by Allah’s Grace that He may show you of His signs? Verily, in this are signs for every patient, grateful (person)” [Luqman: 29-31]. 

Scientists say that the movement of the stars in the galaxy including the sun is to some extent similar to the movement of a ship in the sea. They each run and swim in currents similar to waves, and that the movement is ascending and descending. Allah (SWT) says: “It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit” [Ya-Sin: 40]. The word “float” is scientifically very accurate.

Since that the scientists are studying the rivers of the skies; if the scientists found these terms inaccurate, they wouldn’t use them. This provides evidence for the exact match between the Quran and science. Allah (SWT) says: “Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely, have found therein many a contradiction” [An-Nisa: 82].  

Related Articles with Cosmic rivers