"Nor is hidden from thy Lord (so much as) the weight of an atom on the earth or in heaven. And not the least and not the greatest of these things but are recorded in a clear record." (Yunus, 10/61) Are subatomic particles pointed out in the verse above?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Chapter of Yunus, Verse 61:

"In whatever business thou mayest be, and whatever portion thou mayest be reciting from the Quran,- and whatever deed ye (mankind) may be doing,- We are witnesses thereof when ye are deeply engrossed therein. Nor is hidden from thy Lord (so much as) the weight of an atom on the earth or in heaven. And not the least and not the greatest of these things but are recorded in a clear record."

Dharrah (atom) lexically means smallest reddish ants; they are given this name because they are spread and scattered around the environment; and in this sense, the dust particles seen in the sunlight entering through a window and any vent are called «dharrah». This word is also used for scattered sand, seeds, etc.

Considering its lexical meaning, scholars described «dharrah» as the smallest indivisible part (juzun la-yatajazza) until recently. In fact, the purpose of using this word in the relevant verse is to mention the smallest part.

Then, the issue is clarified and attention is drawn to the fact that dharrah is atom in the sense that it is used today; then, the phrase «smaller than the smallest part» is used, which indicates electrons turning at an unprecedented pace. The human mind and thought are activated by stating that nothing in the earth and in the sky will be kept away and secret from the Lord, the only arranger, educator, developer and perfector of the universe.

Then, it is explained that everything, including the greatest part, is written in the Book, that is, in Lawh al-Mahfuz (the Preserved Tablet). It is explained with this book that divine science arranged and determined everything in advance, planned and programmed everything and keeps everything under His control.

As it is seen, while lighting the way for scientists, God Almighty gives basic information in a somewhat implicit way; He determines and shows the starting point; thus, it is understood that the Quran gives the human mind both material and wide-ranging help regarding almost everything.

The somewhat implicit way of narration aims to lead the human mind to research. If everything were expressed clearly and in detail, man would get used to finding things ready; his thought would not expand and there would be no need for research. A kind of clue is given in in the verse about atoms and molecules with such a method.

(see Celal Yıldırım, İlmin Işığında Asrın Kur’an Tefsiri, Anadolu Yayınları: 5/2731-2732.)

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