According to a recent news report, scientists calculated that one of two metallic asteroids floating in Earth’s vicinity may contain precious metals worth about $11.65 trillion. The expensive nugget, in fact, could boast more iron, nickel and cobalt than the entirety of our global metal reserves.
The heavy metals in the universe are produced in the nuclei of big stars. Our solar system, however, does not possess a suitable structure for producing iron on its own. Iron can only be produced in stars much bigger than the Sun, where the temperature reaches a few hundred million degrees.
What’s really interesting about this story is how Allah mentioned “iron” in the Qur’an.
Allah says in Surah Al-Hadeed (57:25):
وَأَنزَلْنَا ٱلْحَدِيدَ فِيهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَنَـٰفِعُ لِلنَّاسِ
“And We sent down iron, wherein is great military might and benefits for the people…”
The word أَنزَلْنَا (anzalna) has been used in the Qur’an in the literal sense in several places e.g: anzalnal maa’a (And We sent down water…). In the above verse, it appears to indicate that the iron was something “sent down” to Earth and that it was not naturally formed here.
Subhan Allah, how accurate is the Qur’an!
Dr. Bilal Philips