Can We Outrun Time?
Why the Universe Has a “No Return” Policy
Introduction
Humanity has always been known to possess an unflinching urge to cross boundaries. We build ships to cross oceans and rockets to penetrate the skies. We are, without doubt, a species defined by our drive to go further.
But as we look deeper into the cosmos, we are beginning to discover that the universe is not an open field we can roam freely in. Rather, it is a place locked by invisible walls—walls woven from speed, energy, and time itself.
Is it possible that the “event horizons” of modern physics are physical manifestations of a spiritual reality deeply embedded within existence?
It is as if the universe itself has a built-in ‘No Return’ policy, one that humbles even the fastest travelers and most daring explorers.
1. The Scientific Limit: The Cage of Time
To understand the spiritual boundary, we must first appreciate the physical one.
In the 20th century, physics revealed that time is not a constant background; it is a flexible dimension that acts as a barrier. Among the most striking discoveries were the following:
The Speed Limit: Nothing with mass can reach the speed of light.
The Time Trap: As one approaches the speed of light, time slows down relative to the outside world.
This leads to a profound revelation about the limits of human existence. Near-light-speed travel might allow only a few subjective years to pass, while centuries elapse on Earth. Though one could return physically, the past they knew would be lost—an existential “No Return,” severed from the reality they left behind.
Beyond this, the universe imposes a literal boundary. Due to the accelerated expansion of space, some galaxies are receding faster than light relative to us—not because they move locally faster than light, but because space itself stretches. For any traveler attempting to reach them, even at near-light speed, arrival would be impossible. In this sense, the cosmos enforces a literal “No Return” horizon: beyond it, travel or communication is forever out of reach.
These boundaries are not merely physical—they reflect a deeper order, one governed by Divine Authority, or Sulṭān, as revealed in Scripture.
2. Sulṭān: The Authority Beyond the System
While science explains how these barriers operate, Revelation laid down—long before modern discovery—that such barriers exist, and it addresses why they exist.
The Qur’an describes a universe defined by strict limits—realms that cannot be crossed without divine sanction. In Chapter 55, a challenge is issued:
“O assembly of jinn and humans! If you can penetrate beyond the realms of the heavens and the earth, then do so—but you will not penetrate them except with Sulṭān.”
(Qur’an 55:33)
The modern discovery of time dilation echoes this Qur’anic assertion of authority.
The Meaning of Sulṭān
Sulṭān is often translated as “power,” but its classical meaning is deeper. It denotes overriding authority and conclusive proof (ḥujjah qāhirah). The verse establishes several metaphysical principles:
The heavens are a created system.
No being within the system can transcend it using tools found inside the system.
Crossing the boundary requires authority external to the order—divine authority.
Just as physics dictates that infinite energy (an impossibility for created matter) would be required to break the light barrier, the Qur’an dictates that Sulṭān is required to cross cosmic limits.
3. Al-Laṭīf: The Barrier of Heaviness
Another reason we are constrained is our own physical nature—a limitation mirrored in the subtlety and transcendence of God, captured in the attribute Al-Laṭīf. We, as it were, are too “heavy” for the heavens.
Modern physics teaches a striking rule: mass is a trap. According to relativity, the faster an object moves, the more energy is required to keep accelerating it. Approaching the speed of light would demand effectively infinite energy.
We are grounded by our own density. Only light can reach the ultimate speed because it is massless—this is a physical analogy, not a theological equivalence.
The Subtlety of God
This physical reality reflects a beautiful divine attribute: Al-Laṭīf (The Subtle).
“No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. He is Al-Laṭīf (The Subtle), the All-Aware.”
(Qur’an 6:103)
Al-Laṭīf expresses a subtlety beyond resistance or obstruction. He is not dense like matter, nor bound by mass, gravity, or energy.
We are limited because we are heavy—bound by physical law.
He is not bound, because He is Subtle.
4. Ad-Dahr: The Governor, Not the Clock
This helps clarify a common misunderstanding about time and God.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Do not curse Time (ad-Dahr), for Allah is ad-Dahr.” (Sahih Muslim: 2246e)
This does not mean that God is the dimension of time. Scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah explained that it means Allah is the One who governs time and disposes its events.
Science shows that time can bend, stretch, and slow. Theology reminds us that time itself has no agency. Time does not act; it is acted upon.
We cannot outrun time because our existence unfolds within it. Only the One who created time governs its flow and effects. To seek mastery over time without reference to God is to confuse the description with its source—mistaking the painting for the Painter.
5. Nūr: The Source of Reality
Finally, we must distinguish between the light of stars and the Light of God.
When the Qur’an states:
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth” (Qur’an 24:35)
it is not referring to photons. Classical theologians such as al-Ghazālī explain that this Light is epistemological:
Physical light allows the eye to see objects.
Divine Light allows reality itself to be intelligible.
Science studies the mechanics; Revelation identifies the source. Human knowledge cannot outstrip God, because human knowledge only exists within the Light He provides.
Conclusion: Humility Before the Horizon
The convergence of modern physics and Islamic theology is not about proving the Qur’an with science. It is about recognising our place in the cosmos.
Both frameworks converge on a humbling truth: we are not masters of the exit.
Physics reveals a universe constrained by speed and time. The Qur’an reveals a universe governed by Sulṭān.
We can map the walls of existence, but we cannot break through them. True transcendence is not found in a rocket ship, but in submission to the Creator and Sustainer of the worlds.
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