The Creation and Destruction of The Universe: Comparison of The Perspectives in Science and The Qur’an

Abstract: This paper aims to analyze the comparison of the concepts of creation and destruction of the universe from the perspective of science and the Qur'an, by analyzing some relevant literature. The majority of the literature used in this paper comes from the ScienceDirect database. The keywords used in the reference search were "Big Bang Theory", "Evolution of the Universe", and "Cosmology". The selection of references is based on the degree to which the source provides a thorough account of the universe's formation and destruction, as well as on the author's ability to grasp the language employed. Based on a review of some literature, there are similarities in terms used by Science and the Qur'an to explain the creation of the universe, but there are also differences not because the Qur'an is not able to explain scientifically, but because the Qur'an explains implicitly, not explicitly. Science has not been able to provide certainty about when the universe ends, as well as the Qur'an which is not written concretely. The comparison of the perspectives on the creation and destruction of the universe from science and the Qur'an offers a thought-provoking journey into the realms of reason and faith. While science provides a methodical and empirical understanding of the cosmos, the Qur'an offers a spiritual and metaphysical interpretation.Abstrak: Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis perbandingan konsep penciptaan dan kehancuran alam semesta dari perspektif Sains dan Al-Qur’an, dengan menganalisis beberapa literatur yang relevan. Mayoritas literatur yang digunakan dalam makalah ini berasal dari database ScienceDirect. Kata kunci yang digunakan dalam pencarian referensi adalah “Teori Big Bang”, “Evolusi Alam Semesta”, dan “Kosmologi”. Pemilihan referensi didasarkan pada sejauh mana sumber tersebut memberikan penjelasan menyeluruh tentang pembentukan dan kehancuran alam semesta, serta kemampuan penulis dalam memahami bahasa yang digunakan. Berdasarkan ulasan terhadap beberapa literatur, disimpulkan bahwa terdapat persamaan istilah yang digunakan oleh Sains dan Al-Qur’an untuk menjelaskan penciptaan alam semesta, namun ada juga yang berbeda. Hal tersebut bukan karena Al-Qur’an tidak mampu menjelaskan secara ilmiah, namun karena kitab suci tersebut menjelaskan secara implisit, tidak eksplisit. Sains belum mampu memberikan kepastian tentang kapan alam semesta berakhir, begitu juga dengan Al-Qur’an yang tidak menuliskan secara konkrit. Perbandingan perspektif penciptaan dan kehancuran alam semesta dari sains dan Al-Qur'an menawarkan perjalanan yang menggugah pikiran menuju alam akal dan iman. Sementara sains memberikan pemahaman metodis dan empiris tentang kosmos, Al-Qur'an menawarkan interpretasi spiritual dan metafisik

Exploring the Influence of a Single Bout of Tahajjud Prayer on Acute Blood Pressure Response in Normotensive Young Adult Males with Varied Regularity of Tahajjud Practice

Tahajjud, a type of sunnah worship for Muslims, involves standard rules and complex movements that contribute to cardiovascular health and blood pressure regulation. Aims and scope: This study aimed to analyze the effect of a single bout of tahajud, on systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in normotensive young men. The study employed an experimental design with healthy men aged 18-25 and normal blood pressure (normotensive). It included a control group (n = 12) that did not perform Tahajjud and a trial group (n = 12) that regularly practiced Tahajjud for over six weeks. The treatment involved performing Tahajjud consisting of 11 raka'at from 3:30-4:30 a.m., lasting 25-35 minutes. Blood pressure was measured using a sphygmomanometer before and after Tahajjud, and data analysis utilized a t-test (p < .05). These findings indicate that there is a non-significant difference in the mean of SBP and DBP after midnight between the control and trial groups, SBP (mmHg): 110.42±9.16 and 114.58±4.98 vs 120±6.03, p = .11 and 115±6.74, p = .08. DBP (mmHg): 76.77±4.92 and 77.50±4.52, p = .58 vs. 81.67±8.35 and 79.17±5.15, p = .19, SBP and DBP decreased by 5 mmHg and 2.5 mmHg in the trial group. Tahajjud, regardless of regularity, can elicit a modest but non-significant reduction in both SBP and DBP. These results indicate that Tahajjud may have a potential role in promoting cardiovascular health. Further research is warranted to examine the long-term effects and underlying mechanisms of Tahajjud on BP regulation

In-Vitro Screenings for Biological and Antioxidant Activities of Water Extract from <i>Theobroma cacao</i> L. Pod Husk: Potential Utilization in Foods

Increasing production of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) leads to a higher environmental burden due to its solid waste generation. Cocoa pod husk, one of the major solid wastes of cocoa production, contains rich bioactive compounds unveiling its valorization potential. With that in mind, our research aimed to explore the biological and antioxidant activities of aqueous extracts from cocoa pod husks. In this present work, cocoa pod husk was extracted using water and subsequentially partitioned using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The antimicrobial investigation revealed that the ethyl acetate solubles were active against the Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans, where at a 20% w/v concentration, the inhibition diameters were 6.62 ± 0.10, 6.52 ± 0.02, and 11.72 ± 0.36 mm, respectively. The extracts were found non-toxic proven by brine shrimp lethality tests against Artemia salina with LC50 scores ranging from 74.1 to 19,054.6 μg/mL. The total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were obtained in the range of 47.44 to 570.44 mg/g GAE and 1.96 to 4.34 mg/g QE, respectively. Antioxidant activities of the obtained extracts were revealed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) assay with EC50 reached as low as 9.61 μg/mL by the ethyl acetate soluble. Phytochemical screening based on gas chromatography—mass spectroscopy analysis on the sample with the highest antioxidant activities revealed the dominant presence of three phytosterols, namely gamma-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol

In-Vitro Screenings for Biological and Antioxidant Activities of Water Extract from Theobroma cacao L. Pod Husk: Potential Utilization in Foods

Increasing production of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) leads to a higher environmental burden due to its solid waste generation. Cocoa pod husk, one of the major solid wastes of cocoa production, contains rich bioactive compounds unveiling its valorization potential. With that in mind, our research aimed to explore the biological and antioxidant activities of aqueous extracts from cocoa pod husks. In this present work, cocoa pod husk was extracted using water and subsequentially partitioned using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The antimicrobial investigation revealed that the ethyl acetate solubles were active against the Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans, where at a 20% w/v concentration, the inhibition diameters were 6.62 ± 0.10, 6.52 ± 0.02, and 11.72 ± 0.36 mm, respectively. The extracts were found non-toxic proven by brine shrimp lethality tests against Artemia salina with LC50 scores ranging from 74.1 to 19,054.6 μg/mL. The total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were obtained in the range of 47.44 to 570.44 mg/g GAE and 1.96 to 4.34 mg/g QE, respectively. Antioxidant activities of the obtained extracts were revealed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) assay with EC50 reached as low as 9.61 μg/mL by the ethyl acetate soluble. Phytochemical screening based on gas chromatography—mass spectroscopy analysis on the sample with the highest antioxidant activities revealed the dominant presence of three phytosterols, namely gamma-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol

Exploring the Influence of a Single Bout of Tahajjud Prayer on Acute Blood Pressure Response in Normotensive Young Adult Males with Varied Regularity of Tahajjud Practice

Tahajjud, a type of sunnah worship for Muslims, involves standard rules and complex movements that contribute to cardiovascular health and blood pressure regulation. Aims and scope: This study aimed to analyze the effect of a single bout of tahajud, on systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in normotensive young men. The study employed an experimental design with healthy men aged 18-25 and normal blood pressure (normotensive). It included a control group (n = 12) that did not perform Tahajjud and a trial group (n = 12) that regularly practiced Tahajjud for over six weeks. The treatment involved performing Tahajjud consisting of 11 raka'at from 3:30-4:30 a.m., lasting 25-35 minutes. Blood pressure was measured using a sphygmomanometer before and after Tahajjud, and data analysis utilized a t-test (p < .05). These findings indicate that there is a non-significant difference in the mean of SBP and DBP after midnight between the control and trial groups, SBP (mmHg): 110.42±9.16 and 114.58±4.98 vs 120±6.03, p = .11 and 115±6.74, p = .08. DBP (mmHg): 76.77±4.92 and 77.50±4.52, p = .58 vs. 81.67±8.35 and 79.17±5.15, p = .19, SBP and DBP decreased by 5 mmHg and 2.5 mmHg in the trial group. Tahajjud, regardless of regularity, can elicit a modest but non-significant reduction in both SBP and DBP. These results indicate that Tahajjud may have a potential role in promoting cardiovascular health. Further research is warranted to examine the long-term effects and underlying mechanisms of Tahajjud on BP regulation

Magnetic Behavior of Natural Fe2O3 from Lhoong Iron Ore Mining Area, Aceh Province, Indonesia

Heute, meldet die Thüringer Allgemeine, wird Lutz Schilling im Foyer des Staatsarchivs [...] eine neue Ausstellung eröffnen und sich dabei selbst vorstellen. Schilling hatte Anfang August die Direktion von Dr. Uwe Jens Wandel übernommen, der nun als wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Thüringischen Hauptstaatsarchiv in Weimar arbeitet. Die Ausstellung hat den Titel "Archiv - Schatzkammer oder Altpapierlager?" und vermittelt Einblicke in den Alltag eines staatlich verwalteten Archivs im Allgemei..

Isolation of Oxoaphorpine Alkaloid from Bark of Cryptocarya Ferrea

Extraction, isolation, identification and characterization of the compounds isolated from the bark of Cryptocarya ferrea yielded three known oxoaphorpine alkaloids. They are o-metilmoschatoline 1, ateroline 2 and subsesiline 3. Structural elucidation was established through spectroscopic methods 1D-NMR and 2D-NMR, UV, IR, and Mass Spectrometry and comparison with the published data. © 2019 Phcogj

Macrophylloflavone: A New Biflavonoid from Garcinia macrophylla Mart. (Clusiaceae) for Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Anti-Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Activities

Investigations of antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-type 2 diabetes mellitus activities have been carried out on Garcinia macrophylla Mart. plant extract fractions. An isolate from a fraction of ethyl acetate extract was characterized with spectroscopic data. A new biflavonoid compound was found to have a skeleton of 5,7,4′,5″,7″,3‴,4‴-heptahydroxyflavanone[3-6″] flavones which was named macrophylloflavone (1). The compound was evaluated for its antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 with cephazolin as a positive control, antioxidant assay against 2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) with ascorbic acid as the positive control, and anti-type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment with metformin as a positive control. The biflavonoid compound exhibited a good inhibition for bacteria and free radical DPPH. Furthermore, biflavonoid compound treatment on the diabetic rats suggested its ability to decrease the blood glucose level. This study provided evidence that the plant has antibacterial, antioxidant, and antidiabetic properties