Page 76 - The Day of Judgment

74 THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

shocking tremors, that everything will be leveled, and that the
oceans will boil over. A collision with a comet or an asteroid could
cause all of these disasters. Massive seismic waves would disturb
the ocean beds, causing landslides and huge tidal waves. Scientists
remark that previous tidal waves caused in this way were of such a
magnitude that they left their marks on the ocean bed.
Recent research reveals that a large object that fell into the Gulf of
Mexico created large-scale tidal waves headed for Florida. While
traveling toward their destination, they grew even larger and
endangered the coast. They eventually destroyed large areas of
forest. Although many people live as if their death and the Day of
Judgment will never come, there is no reason why such a
catastrophe should not occur. For instance, one day before the above
catastrophe occurred, the soil covering great swathes of America
and Mexico were fertile; soon after it struck, however, all of it was
rendered useless. 27
Fourteen centuries ago, Allah revealed that on the Day of
Judgment the sky will split apart (Surat al-Haqqa, 16) and will be
like molten brass (Surat al-Ma'arij, 8). This scenario resembles the
effects of a comet or a large meteor colliding with Earth.
Paul Davies, in his book The Last Three Minutes, says that a comet
on a collision course with Earth will emit such an intense light that
the atmosphere will begin to burn up from above and melt like
metal. He also states that the escaping gases in the vacuum of space
will create a tornado. These statements are quite similar to what
Allah says in the Qur’an, as follows:
When Heaven is split apart and goes rose-red, like dregs of oil.
(Surat ar-Rahman, 37)

The melting and running of the heavens like molten brass or
dregs of oil is reminiscent of a hot, thick-flowing liquid. In such a