IRON FROM SPACE
Picture Credit: Nasa/JPL-Caltech
Today scientists know that iron in the universe is produced by massive stars, and can be released in the interstellar space when these massive stars at the end of their existence undergo supernova explosions, which are gigantic burst of energy that also blast chemicals, dust, and other things. [1] These explosions can release the chemical iron in space, and through a series of celestial events that iron ended up on the surface of the Earth and in its core. And what do we read in the Quran ? In chapter 57 verse 25 as translated by Ahmed Ali (Princeton University Press) , we read :
“We have surely sent apostles with clear signs, and sent with them the Book and the Balance, so that men may stand by justice; and We sent down iron which causes much distress but also has advantages for men, so that God may know who helps Him and His apostles in secret. Verily God is all-powerful and all-mighty” [2]
Here the arabic verb translated as sent down, is transliterated as ANZALNAA and come from the arabic roots ن ز ل (see[3]). While the verb can have different meaning, SENT DOWN is very appropriate since today science can reveal that indeed iron is manufactured by massive stars. We can affirm this Interpretation of iron being sent down to mean literally from space by simply reading the Quran, still chapter 57 but verse 4 as translated by Ahmed Ali (Princeton University Press) :
“It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six stages, then assumed the throne. He knows whatsoever enters the earth, and whatsoever comes out of it, and what comes down from the sky and what goes up to it; and He is with you wheresoever you may be, and He perceives whatsoever you do” [4]
This chapter 57 of the Quran is called Al Hadid, meaning The Iron, and this verse just quoted in no uncertain terms informs the reader at the beginning of the chapter of the knowledge of God encompassing everything that “comes down from the sky ” Here again the roots of the verb translated as “comes down ” are ن ز ل (see[5]), the same as in verse 25. So, by reading verse 25 quoted earlier, God gives us an example of what literally “comes down from the sky,” like iron, which also happens to be the title of the chapter in question. So when God tell us that “iron was sent down”, it is without a doubt that it belongs to “what comes down from the sky.” And the word sky in arabic is SAMA, which means sky, or universe, space, etc., which prove the literal meaning of sending down iron from space, which is what science affirms.
Some have argue that it is not a foreknowledge since some ancient civilizations, like the Egyptian, or the Hittites, for example seem to know about iron meteorite falling from the sky, and used that iron for various purposes.[6] So one must ask if the Arabs at the time of prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) had this knowledge from these ancient civilizations. It is very unlikely since first they would have had to first decipher their languages. For example, in the case of the Hieroglyphs, it was only in 1822 that Jean-Francois Champollion was able to decipher the Egyptian Hieroglyphs. [7] Another reason it is unlikely is because as Shaykh Abdul-Majeed ‘Azeez Al-Zindani informs us, while some early interpreters of the Quran like Al-Tabari, al-Qurtubi and al-Wahidi understood the verse 25 as describing iron as being literally being sent down, others important interpreters like Al- Ibn Kathir, al-Tha’alibi and al-Shawkani used words like ¨made¨, ¨originated¨, or ¨created,¨ for their interpretations. [8] Even today some translators continue to use words like ¨bestowed¨ (which is one valid meaning) , ¨made¨, and created.¨ [9] instead of “sent down.” Why? Because even those renowned interpreters of the past who believed it was literally sent down never mentioned iron in relation to iron meteorites. So iron meteorites was not mention in the sayings of prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) in relation to that verse, otherwise every single interpreter and translator of the past and present would have used that knowledge. If Arabs at the time of the prophet of Islam knew about iron meteorite why did not ALL interpreters of the past affirmed the belief in iron being literally sent down from space ? And it is not just valid for the Arabs, since Europeans scientists officially only believed unanimously in meteorites in 1803 [10], and this applies to meteorites in general not necessarily iron meteorites, even though some of their regional neighbors among the Romans and the Greeks, like Aristotle, and Plutarch had already wrote about a stone falling from the sky in 466 BC or 467 BC . [11] Which means that Europeans scientists before 1803 would have disbelieved in the Quran even though verse 25 of chapter 57 would have been a correct foreknowledge for them! Therefore just because Arabs and Egyptians lived relatively near each other, that does not mean, giving their different languages at the time, that the knowledge of each culture would necessarily spread to a neighboring country, just like Greek and Roman knowledge of stones falling did not necessarily spread to other Europeans.
Only those who saw with their own eyes iron meteorites in general could believe that iron was sent from space. Otherwise a people affirming it without seeing it, is indeed qualified to have proclaimed a foreknowledge, so as one can read the chapter 57 of the Quran verse 25, iron being sent down means literally from space, and this is a definitive foreknowledge from the holy book of Islam. Seeing and then believing, like the Egyptians who had access to iron from meteorites, is not possessing a foreknowledge, but not seeing and still affirming that the chemical iron comes from space, that is a foreknowledge.
References
[1] European Space Agency. (2025, February 24). Supernovas Blast Iron Interstellar Space.
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/02/Supernovas_blast_iron_into_interstellar_space
[2] Ali, Ahmed.(2001, July 1). Al-Qur’an: A Contemporary Translation (chapter 57 verse 4). Princeton University Press. https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/57/25/#gsc.tab=0
[3] The Quranic Arabic Corpus (Version 0.4). Quran Dictionary -ن ز ل. https://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=nzl
[4] Ali, Ahmed.(2001, July 1). Al-Qur’an: A Contemporary Translation (chapter 57 verse 25). Princeton University Press.
[5] The Quranic Arabic Corpus (Version 0.4). Quran Dictionary -ن ز ل. https://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=nzl
[6] Bennett, Jay. (2023, May 9). How did ancient cultures first discover iron? It fell from the sky. National Geographic Magazine.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/how-ancient-cultures-discovered-iron-feature
[7] Blakemore, Erin. (2021, July 16). How the Rosetta Stone unlocked the secrets of ancient civilizations. National Geographic Magazine.
[8] Shaykh ‘Azeez Al-Zindani, Abdul-Majeed. (2016, Mars 14). And We Sent down Iron. alukah.net
[9] Ali, Ahmed.(2001, July 1). Al-Qur’an: A Contemporary Translation (chapter 57 verse 4). Princeton University Press.
[10] Eschner, Kat (2017, April 26). Scientists Didn’t Believe in Meteorites Until 1803. Smithsonian Magazine.
[11] Bennett, Jay. (2023, May 9). How did ancient cultures first discover iron? It fell from the sky. National Geographic Magazine.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/how-ancient-cultures-discovered-iron-feature