Page 192 - For Men of Understanding

escape from the earth and causing the atmosphere to
be dispersed in space and to vanish.
If the earth’s velocity of rotation were slower than Mankind! Worship
required, then gas molecules’ velocity of escape from your Lord, Who
created you and those
the earth would decrease and they would also disap-
before you, so that
pear through being absorbed by the earth because of
hopefully you will
the effect of gravitation.
have taqwa. It is He
o
3. The 23 27’ inclination of the earth’s axis pre- Who made the earth
vents the excess heat between the poles and the equa- a couch for you, and
tor liable to pose an obstacle to the formation of the the sky a dome.
atmosphere. If this inclination had not existed, the (Surat al-Baqarah:
21-22)
temperature difference between the polar zones and
the equator would increase enormously, making it
impossible for a life-supportive atmosphere to exist.

B) A layer is needed to prevent the dispersion of generated
heat:

To keep the earth’s surface temperature at a constant level, temperature loss
must be prevented, particularly at nights. For this purpose, there is a need for a
compound to prevent heat loss from the atmosphere. This need is met by intro-
ducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide covers the earth like
a quilt and prevents the loss of heat to space.

C) On earth, there are certain structures maintaining the bal-
ance of heat between the poles and the equator:
o
There is a heat difference of 120 C between the poles and the equator. If
such a heat difference had existed on a more even surface, there would be
tremendous atmospheric movement, and heavy storms with speed of 1,000 km
per hour would turn the world upside down. Because of these storms, the equi-
librium in the atmosphere would soon be destroyed and the atmosphere would
dissipate.
However, the earth is uneven and that blocks potential powerful air currents
that might have arisen due to the heat difference. The unevenness starts with
the Himalayas between the Indian sub-continent and China, continues with the
Taurus Mountains in Anatolia, and reaches the Alps in Europe through moun-
tain-chains joining the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the
east. In the oceans, the excess heat formed at the equator is channelled to north
and south due to the properties of liquids, thus balancing the heat differences.
As seen, the existence of air, one of the basic elements of life, has become

190 For Men of Understanding