Iron is an important element that is emphasized in the Qur’an. In the chapter named Al-Hadeed, meaning Iron, humanity is informed that Allah “sent down iron”. Allah speaks about creating many things in the Qur’an and uses the verb “to create” (khalaqa/خَلَقَ) over 184 times, however, when speaking about iron, He decided to specifically state it was “sent down”. The words in the Qur’an are very precise so scholars of the past grappled with this verb choice and why it was used as opposed to other verbs such as “created iron” or “provided iron from beneath you”. Interestingly, geologists in the 20th century agreed that iron was not part of the original earth, and it came down in the form of meteors, which were buried deep into the earth’s core.

Modern astronomers affirm these claims through the discovery of the origin of iron. The formation of iron requires a temperature in the few hundred million degrees Celsius, which cannot be reached on earth nor the sun. Iron can only be produced in stars much larger than the sun known as red giants. The formation of iron in red giants occurs through a series of chemical processes that result in a supernova, which is when most of the star’s atoms become iron atoms. When a star can no longer accommodate the excessive iron levels it eventually explodes, dispersing iron into space. This miraculous detail could not have been known in the 7th century, thus indicating the divine precision of the Qur’an.

These scientific discoveries illustrate iron’s significant role in providing benefit for humanity by facilitating life, thus supporting this verse. Iron is the only element to have a chapter named after it in the Qur’an; bringing attention to it in this way demonstrates the wisdom of the All-Knowing.