SPIRIT OF ISLAM APRIL 2O18

4 Spirit of Islam Issue 64 April 2018 physical law was eliminated and then it was believed that there were three governing laws. In 1974 Dr. Hawking published a thesis in the journal Nature under the title “Black Hole Explosions?” This work is hailed by scientists as the first great landmark in the struggle to find a single theory of nature. With this, Dr. Hawking helped in laying the foundation for unifying the remaining two forces of nature—gravity and quantum mechanics, descriptions of the large and the small in the universe. Stephen Hawking worked further on this theory. In other words, Dr. Hawking’s work helped in the search for finding a cohesive explanation for the functioning of the universe. It is this explanation which is the equivalent of a scientific affirmation of the concept of one God. In 1963, as a graduate student at Cambridge at the age of 21, Dr. Hawking learned that he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neuromuscular degenerative disease. He was given only two years to live by doctors. The disease gradually left him wheelchair-bound and paralyzed. He was able to move only a few fingers on one hand and was completely dependent on others or on technology for everything —bathing, dressing and eating. He used a speech synthesizer that allowed him to speak in a computerized voice. However, Dr. Hawking remained undeterred by his condition, becoming Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, and publishing several bestsellers, including A Brief History of Time in 1988 and Universe in a Nutshell in 2001. His A Brief History of Time , which introduces in non- technical language the nature, origin and structure of the universe, made him known to people across the world. This book sold 10 million copies and was translated into 40 languages. Considered on par with the likes of Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, Dr. Hawking is regarded as his generation’s leader in exploring gravity and the properties of black holes. He discovered that black holes would eventually fizzle out leaking radiation, which is now known as Hawking radiation. Dr. Hawking once said: “When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are a lot of things you want to do.” The British cosmologist Martin Rees said that millions around the world have been inspired by his unique example of achievement against all odds—a manifestation of amazing willpower and determination. He believed that people need not be limited by handicaps as long as they are not disabled in spirit. Dr. Hawking, according to the mathematical physicist Roger Penrose, had an absolute determination not to let anything get in his way and