الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينة ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا، ومن سيئات أعمالنا 

وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ، وأشهد أن سيدنا محمدًا عبده ورسوله

The Key Dua (Supplication)

The first Surat in the Quran Al-Fatiha includes one single supplication, Dua, which is: (اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ) “Guide us to the straight path”.

The question is: Straight path to where/what?

The general answer:  Straight path to paradise.

The Divine Answer to the Dua

In the beginning of the second Surat, Al-Baqara, Allah answered the Dua by identifying the manual which if followed, guides us to the straight path as Allah says:

ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

“This is the Book in which there is no doubt guidance for those who are God conscious (Muttaqin)”. (Al-Baqara 2:2) 

The Quran is the book that Allah revealed to provide us with His divine guidance to the straight path and this straight path leads to paradise.    But to reach paradise, there are other things that Muslims must achieve as prerequisite for securing paradise.   The Quran is also guide to the straight path to achieve these prerequisites

Guidance to the Prerequisites

What are these prerequisites that we must achieve?  They are many but let me mention three key ones and these are:

1. Superior Wealth
2. Superior technology leadership
3. Superior moral character.

The Importance of Wealth

If you wonder whether securing large wealth is a prerequire to paradise, all you need is to examine the many verses in the Quran that demands Muslims to spend of their wealth.  This means that one must have money to spend.  Let us examine only two verse. In fact, the verse immediately after introducing the Quran as the book of guidance to the straight path, Allah makes a measure of being believer is to spend of your wealth, Allah says:

ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ    الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ

“This is the Book where in which there is no doubt guidance for the Muttaqin. (2)   Those who believe in the unseen and are steadfast in their prayers (Salat) and spend out of what we have provided for them.” (2:3)

Allah also says:

الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

) البقرة – الآية 274(

“Those who spend their wealth by night and day, in secret and in public, they shall have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve”. (Al-Baqara 2:274)

Therefore, the Quran must include guidance on how to achieve wealth in a straight forward way and also guidance on how to spend this wealth in avenues pleasing to Allah.  

Guidance to Technological advancement

The second guidance that the Quran provides is the straight path to scientific discovery and technological advancement.   In fact, following this guidance will ensure both wealth and leadership that are required to achieve the prominence that Allah expects from Muslims, as He said:

كُنتُمۡ خَيۡرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخۡرِجَتۡ لِلنَّاسِ تَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَتَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنڪَرِ وَتُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ‌ۗ

“You are the best nation brought out to mankind: you command what is good and forbid what is evil and believe in Allah.” (Al-Imran 3:110). 

Also note that the first time Allah introduced Adam in the Quran; Allah told us that the superiority of Adam over the angels was not because he was better worshipper but rather because he was more knowledgeable.  

وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنْبِئُونِي بِأَسْمَاءِ هَؤُلَاءِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ

قَالَ يَا آدَمُ أَنْبِئْهُمْ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ فَلَمَّا أَنْبَأَهُمْ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ

 “And He taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the angels and said:  Tell me their names if you are truthful.  They said: Glory to You: we have no knowledge except what You have taught us, You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise”

 “He said:  O Adam, tell them their names.  When he told them their names, Allah said: Didn’t I tell you that I know what is unseen in the heavens and the earth and I know what you reveal and what you have concealed.” (Al-Baqara 2:31-33)

Source for technology Ideas

Allah provided us in the Quran ideas of many new technologies and scientific discoveries.  If Muslims are serious, they would have taken these ideas and wrote a script around these scientific ideas and this will lead scientists and engineers to start developing these technologies and transforming the ideas into realties.

This is in fact the common strategy that led to many discoveries that we enjoy now.   A fictious scientific idea is perceived by genius writer and presented in a book.   Then, the book is transformed into a scientific fiction movie and finally a discovery is made to bring this fictious idea into reality. 

Let me give you examples:

In 1865, Jules Verns wrote the book “From the earth to moon” that became a movie in 1956 and later man developed the technology that allowed him to land on the moon on July 20, 1969.  

The movie Star trek (1979) showed a wrist-worn communication gadget and in 1998 smart watch was invented and the Apple Watch was introduced in the market in 2014.

The movie “Jetsons” (1962) showed a robotic vacuum cleaner and the first robotic vacuum cleaner appeared in the market in1996

Minority report (2002)  showed gesture-based computing, and in 2010 this technology became reality.

Allah has provided us in the Quran was many scientific ideas that are waiting for someone to transfer these ideas into reality and create fast wealth and influence. 

Instead of Muslims taking advantage of the scientific concepts presented in the Quran and develop them, so far, our role is limited to using the discoveries that are based on them but made by others.   It is very important that we encourage our youth to seek to discover the ways to bring to reality the scientific concepts that Allah presented to us in the Quran.

Example of a Scientific Idea waiting for Discovery

Today, I am, inshallah, going to discuss one scientific idea that the Quran identified for us and left it up to us to make the discovery that has the potential of creating multi-billion-dollar business.   Actually, many researchers have already started working on addressing this idea, so it is now a race to discover and file the most practical patent.  There is also another aspect of this idea that no one is working on yet. 

In several verses in the Quran, Allah informs us that the Jinn, particularly the bad ones used to listen to the commands that Allah sends to the angels.  But, when the revelations of the Quran started, the heaven changed and was equipped with defense system that prevented them from listening. 

In Surat Al-Jinn, Allah presents to us a discussion among the Jim: They said:

وَأَنَّا لَمَسۡنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ فَوَجَدۡنَـٰهَا مُلِئَتۡ حَرَسً۬ا شَدِيدً۬ا وَشُہُبً۬ا (٨) وَأَنَّا كُنَّا نَقۡعُدُ مِنۡہَا مَقَـٰعِدَ لِلسَّمۡعِ‌ۖ فَمَن يَسۡتَمِعِ ٱلۡأَنَ يَجِدۡ لَهُ ۥ شِہَابً۬ا رَّصَدً۬ا (٩)

And we sought the heaven (sky) but we found it filled with strong guards and flames (meteors). (8) And we used to sit at places therein to listen. But if one tries to listen now, he will find a flame in wait in ambush for him.” (Al-Jinn 72:8-9)

Allah provides more details on the same scene in Surat Al-Saffat (37:6-10) and in Surat Al-Hijr (15: 16-18).

Questions leading to the Idea

Allah is informing us in the Arabic language what the Jinn said, did the Jinn speak Arabic?

When the Jinn went to listen, what language was they listening to?  And if it is not Arabic, did Allah translate the language into Arabic?

Also, Allah reported to us in the Arabic language, several dialogues between several prophets and their people and also between the people themselves but they did not speak Arabic, as example the discussion between Prophet Musa and the Pharaoh.  Did Allah translated what they said from their language to Arabic?

Allah also reported to us a dialogue between Him and the angels, between Him and Satan, and between Him and Adam and Prophet Musa; in what language were these communications?  Did Allah translate these languages into Arabic?

If Allah translated these talks into Arabic, did Allah translate word for word or Allah translated the meaning of what was said or did Allah translate the thought they intended?

There must be a simple answer to these questions and the answer will lead us to the idea of the discovery.

How do we hear what others say and how do we speak our thoughts?

To answer these questions, we need to understand how do we hear the words others say and how do we understand what they said.

When I speak, a sound wave is transmitted from my mouth to your ear at a speed of about 350 m/s.  So if you are sitting 10 m away, my words reach your outer ear after about 30 milliseconds and if you are sitting 20 m away, the same words reach you after about 60 seconds.  This means that my words reach the attendees at different times. After the sound waves enter your outer ears, there is a series of complex steps that occurs for you to understand what I said:

1. The sound waves that enter the outer ear travel through the ear canal to the eardrum.
2. The eardrum vibrates from the incoming sound waves and sends these vibrations to three tiny bones in the middle ear.
3. The bones in the middle ear amplify the sound vibrations and send them to a snail-shaped structure filled with fluid, in the inner ear and it causes the fluid to ripple. This structure has an elastic membrane runs from the beginning to its end
4. Once the fluid ripples, a traveling wave forms along the membrane. Hair cells sitting on top of the membrane ride the wave and move up and down.
5. As the hair cells move up and down, microscopic hair-like projections on top of the hair cells bump against an overlying structure and bend. the bending causes pore-like channels at the tips of these hair-like to open up and chemicals rush into the cells creating an electrical signal.
6. The auditory nerve carries this electrical signal to the brain, which turns it into a sound that we recognize and understand.

Animated video: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/journey-of-sound-video

Source: NIH Medical Arts

Two questions can be raised:  

1. For the same sentence that I make, is the electrical signal that your ear creates and sends to the brain the same as everyone else?
2. Can one discover an electrical signal creation machine that can shortcuts the sound vibration and directly transmit to the brain and thus one can transmit information to the brain of others without speaking to them?

We can also look at the reverse process for a thought that is created in your mind and you want to express it,  In this case the reverse process happens, an electrical signal is created by your brain and it is transmitted to another place in the brain where the association with a language occurs.  Then a sound wave is created by your mouth to transmit to the audience. 

It takes 600 milliseconds for the human brain to think of a word, create and transmit the electrical signal to the language association section where the rules of grammar are applied and send it to the mouth to be spoken.

Here is the fascinating part, the electrical signal that is created for a specific thought is independent of the language.  If you can invent a sensor that detects this electrical signal, you can associate it with any language you want.  

This answers the questions that I raised regarding whether Allah translated the words spoken in the different languages, the answer is know because Allah can associate the electrical signal created by the thought of the speaker to any language and in case of the Quran, Allah may have associated the electrical signal with the vocabulary and the grammar of the Arabic language.

Can this overcome the challenge of translating the Quran and whether the translator translates word for word or translates the meaning.    If someone recites the Quran in the proper rhythm and you can capture that electrical signal created by his brain, can we associate the signal with other languages. 

The Idea for the needed Invention:

The goal is to design a sensor that detects the electrical signal created in the brain by any thought and develop an algorithm that can associate the signal with any language one needs to understand the thought.  In simple term, the goal is to invent a thought reader.

Efforts to develop this concept have already started by several institutions but still far from reality.  

One effort was reported by Larry Greenemeier in scientific America on April 27, 2017 on Facebook project “Moon Shot” whose goal is to Decode Speech Directly from the Brain.  Facebook is  working on a strap to place onto a person’s head and use optical fibers to direct photons from a laser source through the person’s skull into the cerebral cortex to decode the intended speech and type those thoughts on a computer or smartphone at up to 100 words per minute. This would be an order-of-magnitude faster than today’s state-of-the-art speech decoders.  As part of this project, Facebook recently paid billion dollars to acquire CTRL-Labs a start-up company for their wristband technology that taps into electrical signals created by muscles triggered by neurons.

Another effort was reported by Karen Weintraub in Scientific America on April 24, 2019 on a project led by Dr. Edward Chang, a neurosurgeon, at the University of California, San Francisco.  The project purpose is “Decoding Speech from the Brain.” The team was able to generated intelligible sentences from the thoughts of people.  This was achieved by placing an electrode on the person’s neural speech centers to record the activity patterns.  The team leader Dr. Edward Chang, said: “The brain translates those thoughts of what you want to say into movements of the vocal tract, and that’s what we want to decode.” 

Illustrations of electrode placements on neural speech centers, from which activity patterns recorded during speech (colored dots) which could be synthesized to reconstruct the sentence from the sound wave below.  (Chang lab and the UCSF Dept. of Neurosurgery)

The Idea to Counter the First Idea

In order to overcome the development of a brain reading sensors, one needs to invent a system that can distort the brain signal if it is transmitted outside the skull and thus cannot be interpreted.  The Quran gives us the hint for this system in the verse that I quoted before:

وَأَنَّا لَمَسۡنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ فَوَجَدۡنَـٰهَا مُلِئَتۡ حَرَسً۬ا شَدِيدً۬ا وَشُہُبً۬ا (٨) وَأَنَّا كُنَّا نَقۡعُدُ مِنۡہَا مَقَـٰعِدَ لِلسَّمۡعِ‌ۖ فَمَن يَسۡتَمِعِ ٱلۡأَنَ يَجِدۡ لَهُ ۥ شِہَابً۬ا رَّصَدً۬ا (٩)

And we sought the heaven (sky) but we found it filled with strong guards and flames (meteors). (8) And we used to sit at places therein to listen. But if one tries to listen now, he will find a flame in wait in ambush for him.” (Al-Jinn 72:8-9)

To end, these are just two ideas that we can draw from the Quran and ready for development, these ideas involve developing a mind reading sensor and a brain signal distorting senor.  A third idea would be to develop a system that sends electrical signal to the brain bypassing the ear.

Who wants to take the lead in forming a research company to develop these technologies and the many others that we can identify form the Quran?

Dua