Discovery of Hydrogen Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) Reference: The Great Muslim Scientist and Philosopher, Jafar As-Sadiq

The university of Imam Sadiq (as) Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) devoted his whole life to knowledge and education. He did not charge his students any fees. He gave financial help to poor students so discreetly that others did not know about it. He used to purchase books for students who could not afford to buy them. If there was only one book available, he hired transcribers who made a number of copies of the book which were then distributed to students. Some of his students: Abu Hanifa, Malik bin Anas, Jabir ibn Hayyan and many others.

Many subjects were taught In his academy many new subjects were taught which had never been taught before. He also translated those books which were not available in Arabic for the benefit of his students. For teaching physics, chemistry and other science subjects there was a laboratory attached to his institute. It was a small lab but sufficient for the needs of his students. This proves that the great scholar did not depend on theory alone, but tested them through experiments. Many great discoveries were made in this small lab.

Discovery of hydrogen and oxygen One of his greatest miracle was that twelve and a half centuries ago he discovered the presence of oxygen in the air. His father, Imam Muhammad Baqir, who was also a great scholar, had discovered the presence of hydrogen in water. He also found that it was a highly inflammable gas. That is why he said that water can be turned into fire. Imam Sadiq must have known about the presence of hydrogen in water through his father, but he himself discovered the presence of oxygen in the air.

Separation of gases The discovery of these 2 gases depended on their separation from air and water. Separation of hydrogen from water is more difficult than separation of oxygen from air. Pure oxygen is available in the air, but pure hydrogen is not available anywhere. That is why hydrogen could not be obtained till sufficient power was developed and water was hydrolyzed.

How was hydrogen separated at that time? The French scientists write: “We are surprised how Jafar Sadiq and his father were able to discover hydrogen, which is a colourless, odorless, and tasteless gas and does not exist freely in nature. They could not have identified this gas and found out its properties without separating it from water through the process of hydrolysis which was impossible without a strong current of electricity.”

Modern discovery The 1st person who was able to separate hydrogen from water in modern times was the English scientist Henry Cavendish, who died in 1810 at the age of 81. After working hard for many years he was able to hydrolyze water and obtain hydrogen gas. On May 27, 1766, he placed a burning stick near a container full of hydrogen gas. Instantly, it caught fire. The container exploded and fire spread everywhere. If people had not rushed to his rescue, the whole house would have been burnt. He escaped with some injuries to his hands and face. This is how he learnt that hydrogen gas is highly inflammable.

The genius of Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (as) In the time of Imam Sadiq (as), electricity was not available. The French scientists write: “Had he and his father employed some other means, which modern scientists do not know, for separating hydrogen gas from water without the use of electricity? This great discovery was not possible through philosophical speculations and guess work.”

Still a mystery The pollution of air arising from excessive use of fossil fuel for producing energy has caused Americans to consider using hydrogen gas as an alternative source of energy. But the problem of separating it from water without the use of an electric current has not been solved yet.

Some knowledge should be kept a secret In the Book of the Dead, which was written in Egypt and is the oldest book in the hands of mankind, it is recommended that knowledge should not be taught to unsuitable persons, as it would be harmful to the interest of gods and the people. Confucius, the great philosopher of China, who died in 476 BC writes that some scientific secrets should not be taught to those who might use them against the interests of other people, otherwise scientific knowledge would become a source of misfortune for mankind.

The secrets of Ahlul Bayt (as) Muslims in general and Shias in particular believe that there were many secrets which the Holy Prophet and his 12 Imams knew, but they did not reveal them to their followers lest they fall into the hands of persons who might endanger the public and create anarchy and social disorder.

Separation of hydrogen from water can be catastrophic We must accept that Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq did the right thing by not revealing their secret formula of separating hydrogen from water without the use of electricity. We have already seen that the separation of hydrogen from water has led to the production of the hydrogen bomb, which can annihilate the human race.