Part 2 of the series “Before the Sun Rises from the West: The Doors Between Worlds”
Disclaimer: This series blends documented history, established scientific theory, cultural folklore, and personal reflection on Qur’anic verses and hadith. The historical and scientific material is presented as recorded fact; the connections drawn between them reflect the author’s own interpretation and contemplation, not a claim of established tafsir or religious ruling. Readers are encouraged to weigh each part accordingly and to consult qualified scholars on matters of religious interpretation.
In the previous article, we reviewed documented cases where the normal laws of navigation fail ships, aircraft, and people vanishing in regions where compasses become useless. If such thresholds exist, could physics describe them? Let us examine the mathematics of gateways.
Weak Magnetic and Gravitational Regions
There are certain regions of the Earth where magnetic and gravitational fields are believed to be weaker than usual. In 1928, the renowned mathematician and theoretical physicist Hermann Weyl suggested that pathways may exist within the heavens through which objects can pass without returning. In this view, such gateways would function as one-way passages.
Reversible Gateways
A reversible gateway would be a stable doorway that can both open and close, allowing entry and return without collapsing, breaking apart, or sealing itself after something passes through it.
In 1973, American mathematician Homer Ellis proposed the existence of such a gateway.
Later, in 1988, Kip Thorne and Mike Morris further supported the possibility of these gateways. According to their work, such passages may indeed exist within the universe, enabling matter to travel through them and potentially return.
Ancient Structures and Gateways
Stonehenge, trilithons, dolmens, and similar ancient structures may have been constructed at locations where such gateways once existed.
According to this perspective, people living centuries ago may have been attempting to communicate this knowledge to future generations.
Aramu Muru – The Gate of the Gods
In South America, Peru, a site known as Aramu Muru, often referred to as The Gate of the Gods, was reportedly discovered in 1996.
According to local accounts, a doorway opened through the movement of a golden disc associated with the sun. It was described as a gateway that suddenly became active.
These stone-carved portals may have served only as representations of the actual gateways.
The Mathematics of Gateways
From a mathematical standpoint, the opening of such gateways appears theoretically possible.
However, we possess no knowledge of the material required to create or sustain them. In scientific terminology, such a substance is often described as exotic matter a form of matter beyond our present understanding and one that has never been directly observed.
It has been proposed that such materials occasionally pass between the Earth and the Sun, and that their interactions may contribute to the opening of these gateways.
We have explored the mathematical possibility of stable, reversible gateways. We have reviewed their theoretical requirements: exotic matter, specific geometric conditions, a mechanism for opening and closing.
But physics alone cannot answer our original question: if such gateways exist, where are they? And more importantly: has anyone ever documented reaching one?
For millennia, human beings have had only three sources of information about the nature of reality: direct observation, mathematical reasoning, and testified account. We have examined the first two. Now we turn to the third to the testimony of those who may have encountered these gateways through direct experience and left us their account in sacred text.
Entering Another Realm
The mathematical possibility of gateways raises a natural question: what would such a realm be like? Religious texts provide accounts of those who glimpsed these other worlds. Consider this narration concerning a gateway to Paradise:
A Narration Concerning a Gateway to Paradise
On one occasion, Huzoor-e-Pak Muhammad ﷺ prolonged his standing in prayer, then performed a lengthy bowing (Ruku), followed by a lengthy prostration (Sajda), and then again remained standing for an unusually long period.
This departure from his normal practice attracted the attention of the Sahabah, who later asked:
“O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, during the prayer you suddenly stretched your hand forward and then withdrew it. What did you see?”
The Prophet ﷺ replied that a gateway to Paradise had been opened before him and that he was shown its grapes. He extended his hand intending to bring some of them back for his companions, but a barrier was suddenly placed before him.
He said that had he succeeded in bringing those grapes, people would have continued eating from them forever and they would never have been exhausted.
Reference: Mishkat al-Masabih 1482.
At that time, the prayer being offered was Salat al-Khusoof, and the Sun and Earth were in a particular alignment due to the solar eclipse.
The Opening of the Heavens
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“When the gates of the skies were opened for me and I was taken there, a cloud covered me. Then I saw a light, and in that place I saw an enormous Berry Tree (Sidrat al-Muntaha) whose roots extended into the sixth heaven and whose branches reached into the seventh heaven. Its leaves were as large as the ears of elephants, and its fruits resembled large jars. The colors of that tree were constantly changing, and they were colors that I had never known before.”
References: Bukhari 349, Muslim 411, Jami’ al-Tirmidhi 3276, Sunan al-Nasa’i 449, Musnad Ahmad 10565.
The Earth, the Sun, and the Four Special Days
The Earth revolves around the Sun at approximately 30 kilometers per second, completing one orbit in 365 days.
However, besides revolving around the Sun, the Earth also rotates upon its own axis, which causes the alternation of day and night.
During each yearly orbit around the Sun, there are four particularly significant days.
One day occurs when the Earth tilts toward the Sun, and another occurs when it tilts away from it. Between these two events are two additional days during which the Earth remains in a perfectly balanced position neither tilted forward nor backward.
Thousands of years ago, some people had already identified these special days. These are the four days responsible for the changing of the four seasons on Earth.
Autumn Equinox
The first special day occurs on 23 September, when the Earth stands in a balanced position. Following this event, autumn begins. This day is known as the Autumn Equinox.
Winter Solstice
Afterward, the Earth gradually begins tilting away from the Sun, and temperatures become colder. On 21 December, the Earth reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This day is known as the Winter Solstice.
Spring Equinox
After the Winter Solstice, the Earth gradually begins tilting back toward the Sun. On 20 March, it reaches another perfect balance. At this point, the Earth is neither tilted toward nor away from the Sun but stands upright. Spring begins, and day and night become equal in length. This event is known as the Spring Equinox.
Summer Solstice
The Earth then continues tilting toward the Sun. On 21 June, the Earth reaches its maximum tilt toward the Sun. This day is called the Summer Solstice. Because of this increased tilt, 21 June becomes the longest day of the year.
According to this perspective, these periods represent not merely the meeting of two phases, but the meeting of two worlds.
Ancient Traditions and Midsummer
Ancient people were aware of the significance of the Summer Solstice.
Midsummer celebrations often included the lighting of fires and the wearing of floral crowns.
According to ancient European folklore, centuries ago people observed that on the day when the Sun remained visible for an unusually long period, a unique flower would appear in the evening. Obtaining this flower was said to be extremely difficult.
It was described as constantly changing colors of a flower that did not seem to belong to their world.
As a symbol of this, some ancient traditions mark the solstices as moments when the boundary between worlds grows thin, a theme that appears in various cultures across time. According to this interpretation, they witnessed vegetation from another world in the form of this extraordinary flower.
The Narration of Tamim Dari (R.A.)
Hazrat Fatimah bint Qais (R.A.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ascended the pulpit and related an incident reported by Hazrat Tamim Dari (R.A.).
Tamim Dari and thirty companions were travelling by ship when a storm overtook them. Their vessel drifted at sea for an entire month before finally reaching an island at sunset.
There they encountered a strange creature covered with dense hair. The creature identified itself as Jassasah and informed them that a man (Dajjal) inside a monastery was waiting for them.
When they entered, they saw an enormous man bound in heavy iron chains. His hands were tied to his neck, and iron restraints extended from his knees to his ankles.
The Dajjal asked them:
- Do the date palms of Baisan still bear fruit?
- Is there still water in Lake Tiberias?
- What is the condition of the spring of Zughar?
- What is the situation of the Prophet of the Unlettered People ﷺ?
After hearing their answers, he stated that obedience to the Prophet ﷺ was best for the people.
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Fitan wa Ashrat al-Sa’ah, Hadith 2942.
Cosmology and Other Worlds
The Copernican Principle The Mediocrity Principle
According to these principles, neither the position nor the composition of our world is uniquely special.
The Earth is not the only planet orbiting the Sun. Seven other planets also orbit it.
Likewise, the Sun is not the center of our galaxy, nor is our galaxy the center of the universe. Numerous other galaxies exist beyond it.
In 2009, observations from the Kepler Space Telescope indicated that approximately forty billion Earth-like planets may orbit stars similar to our Sun.
Forty billion worlds filled with the building blocks of life raise an important question: What kinds of beings may inhabit those worlds?
The following account of Bruno blends historical record with legend; his cosmological views are generally traced to Copernicus and earlier philosophers, though the dream narrative is often repeated in popular retellings.
Giordano Bruno and the Dream of Other Worlds
In the sixteenth century, Giordano Bruno proposed that Earth was not the center of the universe and that countless inhabited worlds existed beyond our own. The Church condemned these ideas, yet ten years after his execution, Galileo’s telescope confirmed that Bruno’s vision contained truth. The question remains: if 40 billion Earth-like planets exist, what or who inhabits them? And how would we recognize contact with those worlds?
Bruno believed his dream to be true and began discussing these ideas publicly. The Church strongly opposed his views… Even after twelve years of imprisonment, he would not withdraw his claims, and he was eventually burned alive.
But if gateways exist, where are they? The Qur’an contains an account of a man who did what no satellite, no explorer has done: he reached the actual place where the sun rises and the actual place where it sets. This is not a metaphor. This is stated as historical fact.
In the final article of this series, we turn to Mashriq and Maghrib and the secrets they may hold.
