Science - Black Holes
Stars with immense mass often meet a dramatic end, transforming into either neutron stars or black holes. A black hole represents the ultimate fate of such a star—a cosmic object so dense that not even light can escape its gravitational grip. In essence, a black hole is a region of space where matter has been compressed to such an extreme degree that it warps the very fabric of space and time.
Black holes form when a massive star exhausts its nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity. This collapse creates a singularity—a point of infinite density—surrounded by an event horizon, the boundary beyond which nothing can return. To grasp their scale, imagine billions upon billions of Earths crushed into a single point of "nothingness."
What makes black holes truly mind-bending is their effect on time itself. Inside a black hole, time slows to a halt relative to the outside universe. Their gravitational pull is so powerful that they consume everything in their vicinity, including gas, dust, and even entire stars, drawing matter inward like a cosmic vacuum.
At the center of the Milky Way lies a supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A⁎, estimated to have a mass equivalent to about 4 million suns and a diameter of roughly 17 million kilometers. These colossal black holes act as gravitational anchors—cosmic hubs around which entire galaxies, including our own, revolve. In truth, the stars and galaxies we see scattered across the universe are not drifting aimlessly; they are dancing in vast orbits around these invisible giants. Supermassive black holes serve as stabilizing forces, shaping the structure and motion of galaxies.
Qur'an - Black Holes
فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَٰقِعِ ٱلنُّجُومِ
Then I swear by the setting of the stars, 56:75
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَقَسَمٌ لَّوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ
And indeed, it is an oath - if you could know - [most] great. 56:76
The above verses point towards something strange and contain a swear by God that Indeed it is a Mighty Oath if we humans could understand. Modern cosmology has revealed astonishing truths about the universe—among them, the existence of immense gravitational entities that mark the final resting places of stars. These are not mere locations, but profound regions where the life of a star culminates in transformation. Known as black holes or neutron stars, they are so massive and dense that their gravitational influence can shape the motion of entire galaxies and warp the very fabric of spacetime.
The phrase “setting place of stars” beautifully captures this concept. It is where stars fall at the end of their luminous journey—where they cease to shine and are reborn as something far more mysterious. These places are not just endpoints, but cosmic thresholds where matter, energy, and time itself are drawn into a new and unfathomable state.
Different Quranic translations use different meanings of the word “بِمَوَاقِعِ” some used it as “The place where the stars fall” and this meaning also points towards something as mighty as a black hole. As already mentioned above, a black hole has such a strong gravity that it sucks matter from its surroundings… all the matter… the planets, the stars around it. Thus becoming a place where the stars fall.