Every Soul Shall Taste Death — But What Does Science Say About Time?

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-15

[00:00:00]Asalam alaikum. Welcome to another podcast. Welcome Dr. Omar Atila Ai.

[00:00:05]>> Hello Dr. Isra channel again.

[00:00:08]>> Yes, welcome to the Isra channel and we are going to talk about time. But it's a very interesting approach to time. Can we stop the flow of time? And I suppose that's important because can we stop aging basically and can we stop ourselves from dying? And obviously this then has implications in Islam as well because it can affect your your divine decree. Um and this idea that everything's predestined it just throws everything in the air in that sense.

[00:00:38]>> Yes. Yeah. Well as you know the Quran says every nefs will shall taste death.

[00:00:46]>> Okay. So this not only includes living beings even non-living beings as well because there will be an end to you know all space time everything uh but time is a very interesting thing >> uh I don't think we can define it very clearly to be honest >> actual time >> actual what what it means look we don't actually know what time is but we are very good at measuring it.

[00:01:16]>> It's a good point.

[00:01:17]>> We are very capable at measuring it because in a very general definition, they say that time is >> the period that passes between a series of events or between events, the flow of time. That's what it is. And usually in in physics, it's defined as you know like a river flowing from one point to another point. So it's one direction or time is flowing one direction. Uh but here's an interesting thing.

[00:01:48]>> It is flowing one way time but at different speeds. That's another thing.

[00:01:54]>> Okay.

[00:01:54]>> So what that means is you know there is no such a thing as uh now. You know when we say now at this moment >> right now there's >> there's no such a thing as right this moment in the universe. You know when we say it now this moment we are referring to our own time on earth at this point.

[00:02:15]>> Yeah. But not >> as a universal. Yeah. Because because in some galaxies the time flows slower.

[00:02:24]>> You know it could be I'm just here saying you know hypothetically it could be like 1,000 years ago in those galaxies.

[00:02:31]>> Wow.

[00:02:32]>> For us it's now for them it's 1,000 years ago. So time flows at different speeds in different parts of the universe. And what affects the flow of time is one is gravity. When there's more mass and more gravity, time slows down. We call it time dilation and speed. The other one is velocity.

[00:02:54]>> The faster you go, the slower time gets.

[00:02:57]>> Go away though.

[00:02:58]>> You know the travel like if you travel through space.

[00:03:03]>> I see. Okay. But anywhere this this is a reality. Anyway, >> that's like even if I'm on the plane.

[00:03:08]>> Yes.

[00:03:08]>> Even though it's tiny tiny, there's >> time goes slower for you.

[00:03:12]>> Even if one person is sitting, the other one is walking.

[00:03:16]>> All right.

[00:03:17]>> They experience different time dilations, but that is like you said, it's very small, very minimal.

[00:03:24]>> And and this is a fact because we have proven it.

[00:03:28]>> We have tested it. Like for example astronauts on ISS, International Space Station, they have clocks on board.

[00:03:36]>> We know that those clocks are running uh a tiny bit slower than the clocks on Earth.

[00:03:42]>> You know, it's only like millions of a second or something, but we know we can, you know, uh detect it.

[00:03:48]>> Uh so can we stop time? Look, the only way that time can uh stop if you travel at the speed of light. Okay, >> it actually stops according to Einstein's you know special relativity >> uh which is uh as you get closer to the velocity of light time keeps on slowing slowing at the >> speed of light it it completely stops >> and it's a very interesting thing like to give site one example >> uh the light from the sun our sun our sun is about 150 million kilometers from us approximately because we have a you know like elliptic uh orbit around the sun we get closer and further the earth >> but approximately it's 150 million kilometers >> and the sunlight takes about 8 minutes to reach earth >> yeah once it leaves the sun it takes 8 minutes to reach earth but that is from our perspective the observer's perspective >> but the light itself self no time passes.

[00:04:58]So it it leaves the sun it's here at the same time same instant >> same instant if for the light >> for the light itself for the photons themselves. So technically you know in in in space like I'll I'll give this example. The closest star to our solar system is uh Alpha Centtory system.

[00:05:19]That's three stars there. Alpha A, Alpha B and Proxima Centtory. Proxima is the closest to us. It's about 4.2 light years away. That equates to as I remember about 40 trillion kilometers or something like that. So closest it's very interesting. So light travels from that star to us in 4.2 years. It takes 4.2 years >> for us standing here. That's the time.

[00:05:47]Yeah.

[00:05:47]>> Yeah. That's the time that light gets you know from that star to us.

[00:05:53]>> But for the light itself no time passes.

[00:05:57]>> Yeah.

[00:05:57]>> It's instant. It's instant. So technically when you ask is is it possible to stop time? Yes. If you can travel at a speed of light, you can stop time.

[00:06:09]>> Yeah.

[00:06:10]>> Therefore, you can stop aging too.

[00:06:12]>> In theory, right?

[00:06:13]>> In theory. In theory.

[00:06:15]>> Yeah.

[00:06:15]>> Uh but the thing is no matter can travel at the speed of light because light is made up of uh photons and photons are this tiny, you know, energy packets packets of energy >> and they don't have mass. No mass at all. But there's no weight.

[00:06:34]>> There's no weight. Okay. Yeah.

[00:06:36]>> So humans, we're physical matter. It's going to be you can't travel.

[00:06:39]>> No matter can, you know, travel at the speed of light. You know, to push an object to the speed of light, you need infinite energy >> which you can't get you know for the propulsion. You need infinite energy to make it go at the speed of light.

[00:06:55]>> Uh therefore uh like theoretically although you can stop time, you don't age. If a human being actually hypothetically enough, >> got to the speed of light actually it happened that I say you would never age.

[00:07:11]>> Is this like you know I know I'm kind of sidetracking but back to the future movie. Have you watched it? They go back >> they go back and once they go forth is it is it all related to this approach theory >> maybe to velocities they use the velocities and things like that to build time machine but you know >> uh philosophically you can't really go back in time you know there's a famous grandfather paradox you know if I go back and kill my grandfather then I shouldn't exist then I should I shouldn't be able to go back anyway in the first place how did I go back there in the first place >> so there is a paradox there.

[00:07:48]>> Yeah.

[00:07:48]>> But um theoretically you can go forward in time. We can go to the future then.

[00:07:55]>> That's why I that reminded me you know back to the future term that reminded me of that >> we can go forward because the faster we go time will slow you know the will flow slower for us but for others it'll pass >> more quicker. uh like in the past I used to think no human beings will never travel to another star systems because the universe is too big as I said Proxima is 4.2 two light years away.

[00:08:28]Without technology today, it would take us probably about 40,000 years to get there.

[00:08:34]>> Without technology today, all the rockets we built and things like that.

[00:08:38]40,000 years. Who would want to go to that distance? You know, it's going to take you 40,000 years to get there.

[00:08:45]>> No one would do that.

[00:08:47]>> But I realized something else which is very interesting. You know, if we ever build a spacecraft, you know, that can travel at uh 99.9999% of the speed of light because we can never get to the speed of light. But let us say we can get to that uh velocity.

[00:09:13]We could get to alpha century approximate century within 4.3 years. at that speed 4.3 years.

[00:09:22]>> Yeah.

[00:09:23]>> Uh but here's the interesting you know would any astronaut take that risk travel 4.3 years you know in empty space but again that is the time that the observers feel us >> not the astronauts themselves they would get there in about 21 days. M >> so he's traveling at that. So, so when they come back for example for them uh let us say 2 months have passed but for the people on earth it's almost 10 years have passed.

[00:09:58]>> So that's how you go to the future. They went to the future you know >> went to the future. Yeah. It is a possibility but like you know if we look at the Quran and Islamic theology the reality is there's no way we can stop you know aging because we can't get to the sphere of light anyway and and aging occurs because of two things two different things uh it is really complex it's not that simple you know like one of them is biological of course it's to do with your chromosomes your your cells you know uh cannot copy themselves anymore more after a certain stage there's a part in the DNA on top of the it gets shorter and so shorter each time it copies itself so it fails to do that in in in in the future eventually they are looking into that I heard one um research in China just recently uh they injected uh a monkey species uh that a monkey that was aged >> okay >> it actually worked So they they to a certain degree they reversed aging >> and even the monkey started getting you know the the abilities of cognitive skills the way it was before younger >> it actually worked. So biologically I'm assuming maybe one day we will achieve this.

[00:11:20]>> So we will extend the lifespan of human beings. I'm not talking about in regards to kad of course whatever is written there will still occur. It's a different thing. This is all the probabilities you know we might increase the lifespan to 120 years 130 years you know eventually however the other aspect is uh thermodynamics you know the second law of thermodynamics which is entropy we can't stop that >> everything gets worn out everything moves from order to disorder you know so eventually you know stars die you know you The stars in the sky they have a lifespan you know approximately about 10 billion years. Nothing is eternal and the Quran is very clear on that there will come a day where the Quran says everything will perish except his canen. So nothing will be left except Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

[00:12:21]This is the reality. This is also you know a scientific reality too. We know universe is heading towards a energetic death. It will eventually happen.

[00:12:32]>> Everything has an end except for Allah.

[00:12:34]And it's so interesting I think this idea of asking can we prolong life? I sometimes think where is it coming from?

[00:12:40]Like why are we >> I mean we all want to live but why do we want to extend our time on this earth?

[00:12:46]Are we so um bound by it? And you know as I suppose if we believe in the afterlife then >> as Muslims we do what's another 10 years on this earth. I think yeah it's really interesting >> and I'm sure some people have had their bodies frozen somewhere waiting for them.

[00:13:03]>> Yes. There is people >> there is isn't there >> they say maybe in the future they might find you know solution to this or or or treatment to this illness or whatever.

[00:13:13]But you know where I think it's coming from? It's called we have this you know we we believe that we will live for eternity and and we will but not in this world. We're looking for it in the wrong place. We're looking for it because this bodies were not designed for that. Not hardwired for that. This universe was not hardwired for that. We know it's temporal. You know the universe is you know temporary.

[00:13:41]It fleeting passing. So this is the reality we need to face. No matter how long we prolong life, we will eventually die.

[00:13:51]The Quran says uh death is h it's the truth. But like you said, uh even if you prolong life for 10,000 years on earth, >> would anyone want to live 10,000 years >> on this world?

[00:14:06]>> I'm telling you, it'll become very very thing tedious. You would say, I wish I died. You know that's another perspective. Death is in reality a blessing. Blessing.

[00:14:21]So Allah creates both death and life.

[00:14:24]Death is a blessing and we can prove it.

[00:14:26]You know like for example imagine a person who is unable to die but keeps keeps on getting older because of physics physics of the universe thermodynamics. We said >> you keep on getting older. You can't die. And you reach the age of 565 or something.

[00:14:45]>> You're lying in the corner of your house. You can't go to the toilet yourself. You can't wash. You can't wash yourself. You can't even eat for yourself. You're just bones and skin, but you can't die. You'll be begging >> to die.

[00:15:00]>> To die. It's a reality. So death [snorts] is a blessing. uh we're looking for eternity in the wrong place.

[00:15:07]>> That's what it is, isn't it? I think we have this instinct like I think that's a very important point. There's an instinct within us that wants to live eternally or there's a part of us >> and what you said we're looking for it in the wrong place. We're thinking that that eternal happiness somehow we can capture it here whereas you can't um it's in the afterlife and that confusion it's a whether it's a confusion or a disillusionment it's that causes big problems it seems.

[00:15:33]I think I I agree with this. Otherwise, like you said, if any human being listen to their own hearts, you know, it beats with like this aet eternity, eternity, eternity. We are the only beings on earth who understand the concept of eternity anyway. You know, animals don't know about that. We we understand eternity. That's why we want to live for eternity.

[00:16:00]>> But like I said, not not with these bodies. We weren't designed for that.

[00:16:05]But the Quran promises us there will be eternity because Allah will create in a different way. That there will be different laws of physics there you know. So thermodynamics second law will will not apply there >> and and probably no aging and probably our cells will be designed there to always reproduce >> continuously. deterioration that happens here. It won't happen there. So there's different natural laws, >> different things. Yeah.

[00:16:36]>> Different things.

[00:16:37]>> But there are some examples on earth too. You know that the the immortal jellyfish, it's very famous. You heard of the immortal jellyfish?

[00:16:45]>> There's a type of jellyfish. You know, they can do the research. Our viewers, it's called immortal.

[00:16:52]Immortal jellyfish.

[00:16:54]>> It actually keeps on renewing itself.

[00:16:57]Takes itself back to the to to the infant stage. when it starts getting maturity, you know, it starts renewing itself and it goes back to infancy. So technically, theoretically, it would never die. Immortal jellyfish. But there are, of course, diseases, uh, predators, you know, which eat them still, they still die. But technically, if nothing touched it, it'll keep on renewing it.

[00:17:25]So it keep on renewing.

[00:17:26]>> That's fascinating. I had not heard of it. But also shows you that we have glimpses of what to expect in the afterlife in this life >> cuz someone could say you know where it's impossible >> you're seeing a glimpse of it here or even just even when you say gardens of paradise in Jenna gardens in yeah of paradise in paradise >> you've got gardens here so you can you know you think oh obviously you know the ones here are not like the ones there >> but there is resurrection here too isn't like Allah keeps on renewing >> you know winter comes summer comes you know >> and even sleeping waking up as seen as the brother of death like we have so many examples to show that it's not impossible.

[00:18:07]>> Yes, it's not exactly >> and all the things that you know described about like Jenna sometimes people think it's like you know a fantasy or or a magical world or something. It's not like you said there are examples here a little like >> you know I heard in Jenna like when we sweat it's said that it'll smell like musk a beautiful smell will come out and people say what is this you know Allison Wonderland or something but the reality is >> we have examples here you know they make musk from the thing uh blood or thing sweat of deer >> type of deer it happens here anyway way, you know, and and they say like limbs in Johannam can, you know, like melt and and new ones they will be renewed.

[00:18:57]Doesn't it happen here? It just takes a longer process like you know when you have a wound it heals itself eventually.

[00:19:05]Uh you have the type of lizards you know when they lose their tail new one grows.

[00:19:10]So already some like you said glimpses are shown here. So why are you you know skeptical >> skeptical why Allah can't do it he can do anything he wish he's the all you know powerful so >> yes we are looking for the you know what we wish what we want what we long for we we are looking for it in the wrong place >> wrong place yeah >> so this is a place of investment for the afterlife inshallah >> inshallah yes >> all right thank you that was a very interesting and intriguing conversation thanks Dr. See you next time. Asalam alaikum.