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Fourth Article
Regarding some of the events that occur in the middle layer of the atmosphere, such as lightning, thunder, and flashes of light, it is reported with a judicious style.
O esteemed one! It should be known that philosophers and astronomers unanimously state: The causes of lightning, thunder, and flashes of light are as follows: Due to the heat of the sun, small (metallic) particles on the earth become finely dispersed and small combustible (gas) particles in the atmosphere mix together, which is called smoke. This smoke then mixes with the vapor mentioned above and rises together until it reaches a cold layer, forming clouds, and that smoke becomes trapped within the cloud. As the mass of smoke, retaining its heat internally, attempts to rise upward, and the diminishing heat causes it to descend downward, these smokes pass through the cloud so rapidly in each ascent and descent that a tremendous roar, a terrifying sound is produced. This is what is called thunder (ra’d). If the friction-generated heat ignites the compressed smoke, two conditions arise; if this fire becomes translucent and quickly extinguishes, it is called lightning (berk), and if it remains unextinguished and descends to the earth, it is called a flash of light (sā'ika).
Sometimes this flash of light becomes refined; it pierces through bodies that separate, and burns those that do not. For example, it melts gold and silver contained within a pouch, but does not burn the pouch itself, unless the heat of the dirhams melted therein has burned the pouch. At other times, the flash of light is very intense and burns whatever it strikes. If it were to strike a large mountain, it would pierce through that as well. When thunder and lightning occur together, lightning appears before the sound of thunder is heard. For one is perceived by the eye’s sight, and the other is felt by the ear's hearing. And hearing depends on the sound reaching the ear, which occurs through vibrations in the air reaching its location. However, the rays that enable vision reach the eye more quickly than the sound reaches the ear. Just as you observe a laundress beating laundry with a mallet against stone (or laundry), you first see her strike it, but only after a while do you hear the sound of that striking. During winter months, because the vaporous smoke rising into the sky is scarce, lightning and thunder are rarely seen. This is why lightning and thunder are not observed when snow falls from the sky, for there is never any smoky vapor in clouds where snow falls, and the intense cold extinguishes the vaporous smoke, leaving no trace of it.
When rain is abundant, because the particles within the clouds are very dense, lightning, thunder, and flashes of light occur frequently. This is due to the concentration of clouds causing rainwater to be compressed within them; therefore, raindrops fall rapidly to the earth. Just as water contained in a closed place would flow forcefully into its channel if it found a way out.
All of this is brought into existence from nothingness at His will, wherever He wills, and those actions are full of wisdom – exalted is the glory of Allah, the Exalted! His attributes are perfect, and He is free from all imperfection. There is no god but Him.
[518] Similar explanations regarding shooting stars are also found on pages 73-74 of *Muhtasar Cosmology*.
Ey azîz! It should be known that philosophers and astronomers unanimously state: Shooting stars (kevâkib-i zü’l-eznâb) and falling stars (envâ-i shihāb) originate in the upper layer of the air element. However, the essential substance of what is thought to be a falling star (shihāb) is a subtle smoke that rises from the earth into the air due to the impact of sunlight, passing through the cold layer without being affected and reaching the fiery sphere. If the lower part of this smoke completely severs its connection with the earth, then it ignites and turns into fire like a cotton wick touching the flame of a candle, and because it burns very quickly, it appears to extinguish immediately. This is because the aforementioned brilliance first falls on the upper side of the smoke and continues to burn until the end. However, when the brilliance reaches the other side of the smoke, it extends towards that side, appearing as if it has moved swiftly like a firework fired from one end to another – this is the essence of what is called the shihāb/fire mass. During this aforementioned brilliance, particles belonging to the earth separate from the smoke and become pure, becoming thick and invisible. If the smoke reaching the fiery sphere is dense and dark, it retains its darkness for a while when fire touches it, sometimes persisting unextinguished for days or even months, revealing itself with the color characteristic of the substance of the smoke. This brilliance appears in shapes such as braided hair, round like a ball, like a star with a tail (kevkeb-i zû-zeneb), short arrows, upright cones, or any animal form. If the smoke substance is very dense, when it reaches the fiery sphere, it produces such a great flame that the depths of the heavens and the earth are illuminated – these are its manifestations.