Black holes are typically dead stars that were initially very massive, much more than our Sun. Their gravitational pull is so strong that no matter or electromagnetic radiation such as light can escape from them. Hence, they cannot be directly observed, although their presence can be inferred from their interaction with other celestial objects and with electromagnetic radiation, such as light, in their vicinity. Black holes were predicted by the theory of general relativity advanced by Einstein in 1915 but were not identified until 1971. They are considered to be the most fascinating objects in space. Black holes are in motion, just like any other object in the universe. Objects that come close to a black hole will eventually fall into it, due to its strong gravitational pull, and disappear.
The Quran states:
I do swear by those hidden 1 those that move and sweep. (81:15-16)
Practically all early commentators understood this to be a reference to “stars” or “planets” that were known to Arabs at the time. In their limited cosmological knowledge, they interpreted the verses in terms of these stellar bodies being visible at night and hidden during the day and to their having both forward and retrograde motion. In the light of present cosmological knowledge these verses can be understood to refer unerringly to black holes.
The word khunnas at the end of the first verse is derived from the root verb khanasa, one of whose meanings is “became hidden” (Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon, vol. 2, p. 816). This is a very apt description of a star that is initially visible but becomes hidden after it collapses.
The word kunnas at the end of the second verse is derived from the root verb kanasa, one of whose meanings is “to pass by them and sweep them away or destroy them” (Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon, vol. 7, p. 2633). This is also a very apt description of a black hole sweeping objects that come close to it and destroying them.
The two verses clearly refer to black holes, which could not possibly have been known to the Prophet Muhammad or any other mortal before the 7th century CE, when the Quran was revealed. So how can the Quran be of other than Divine origin?
