Van Islamitische 'filosofen'
Definition of Time
Although most people understand what space is (at least on 3 dimensions), most people only have vague ideas about what time is.
Time is the measurement of the movement of a physical body with respect to a reference point.
Or we can say;
Time is the measurement of a fluctuation of a sensory phenomenon.
Or we can say;
Time is the measurement of a change between the states of something that is perceived.
We can come up with many similar statements, but the crux of the matter is the same in that it states:
1) It is only through the movement of physical bodies relative to a preference point that we can understand the concept of time.
2) All *time-keepers* ancient and modern work on this principle:
a) The hourglass uses the movement of sand grains.

The water clock, the movement of water.
c) The dial-clock, the movement of the gears that move the dials.
d) The solar clock, the rotation the earth.
e) Digital wristwatches, the movement of electrical impulses through wire semiconductors & crystals.
f) The cesium clock, the orbit of electrons around the cesium atom.
g) It has also been discovered that the human body has its own time clock, Thus when the human experiences the phenomenon of time his mind is actually just measuring the number of fluctuations of some sensory phenomenon.
h) It is provable that the human mind/body is a discontinuous (this is a simple mathematical term which is opposed to continuous) instrument which calculates and recalculates its current state at a fixed time interval. (Those that are highly learned in both the fields of computer engineering and modern neurology will agree with this as the human mind sends electrical impulses to its neurons which after gaining enough information reconstructs/refreshes its present state similar to how a finite state machine such as a computer works). This is why if a phenomenon happens too quickly, the mind will not perceive it.
3) If the human mind is discontinuous, it cannot be easily proven that the physical world (which consists of space reconstructed through time) is continuous. (As a side note, another proof that the world may not be continuous is the Uncertainty Principle in Physics which states that we cannot accurately describe both the location and time of a particle due the delays in receiving the information of its location at a particular time.)
4) Rather we should state that is provable that the physical world (in both space & time) is not continuous (contrary to current and past popular belief).
5) If we most a body from point A to point B (and there is one meter between point A & point

, we can count a great number of states of motion, but cannot count an infinite number of states of motion (again due to the delay in receiving the information about the body's movements). Thus we cannot prove that the body actually went through an infinite number of states.
6) It has been proven in advanced Physics over the past 100 years that all matter is made up of distinct and finite building blocks. For example, a one-foot iron rod is made up a finite number of Fe atoms. It is not valid to state any longer that one can divide up a one-foot rod an infinite number of times. Now, of course, we can go further and count the protons, neutrons, and electrons in the one-foot iron rod, but we will still end up with a finite number at a particular time. Now, of course we could go even further and count the quarks (e.g. the one's with up spin, and down spin etc) in the iron rod, but again we in the end would end up with a finite number. It may happen that we find even smaller particles in the future which make up the smallest known particle now; but again in the end we will end up with a finite number of particles no matter how deep we go in the nested scheme.
7) Thus, we conclude that space which is made up of matter and matter-voids is the discontinuous and not continuous (contrary to past & present belief) ((Now you may ask, I understand the proof for matter being discontinuous but what is the proof that matter-void must also be discontinuous like matter itself.))
We will only mention a short proof for purpose for purposes of brevity: The matter-void becomes the domain in which matter rests and we know that the space in matter-voids can only fit in a finite number of pieces of matter. Therefore, we conclude that these voids must also be of finite dimensions (otherwise, they would be able to fit an infinite number of pieces of matter.) Anything that is finite in dimensions cannot itself be continuous.
A brief proof for this is that if we state that something of finite dimension were continuous that would force us to claim that we could divide it into an infinite number of pieces and that sum of this infinite series would total its finite dimensions. But, it we divide any finite number by infinity, we will get zero. Thus that would mean that each of the infinite number of pieces, which make up the matter-void of finite dimension would be of zero size. And if we sum these pieces of zero size we will get zero whereas we already know that the finite dimension of the matter-void is greater then zero. And this leads to a contradiction which forces us to back-step and reconsider the proposition that something of finite dimension could actually be continuous.

Now returning to our example in number 5 about moving a body from point A to point B, it is obvious from our above discussion in number 7, that the body can only have a finite number of movements states between point A & point B since the matter-void through which the body moves is discontinuous..
9) Now returning to our definition of time, if the number of states of a moving body from point A to point B is always finite, it cannot prove that time itself is continuous as time is only measurable by the movement/fluctuation of finite sensory phenomena.
10) Rather, we would state that it is provable that time is discontinuous. Time here is analogues to the matter-void in proof (7) and the events, which take place at a particular instance in time, are analogous to the contained matter in proof (7). If time were continuous, then that would force us to claim that we could divide a fixed time interval an infinite number of times. But again, each timepiece would be of zero length and all of them together would sum to zero. But we know from point 8 that since a body moving from point A to point B requires a fixed time interval to be at each location between the two points, time intervals are of sizes greater than zero. And this would lead to a contradiction forcing us to back-step and reconsider the proposition that time could actually be continuous.
11) Next, we would state that it is provable that time (as conceived by ancient and modern man) does not in actuality exist. And what it really is- is an imaginative metaphor created in the human mind to explain the differences in state which the human experiences at disparate intervals. And only the metaphor of time which conforms to reality (as summarized above) is that of linear (non-circular but not necessarily non-multidimensional ((e.g. time may branch out like a tree)) forward progressing time.
12) Now we will go about proving the statement in number 11...
a) The human being can only experience one physical state at a time (please note that when we say human, here, we mean all conscious beings/things bound in time).

It is only because of the human's memory that he can experience the concept of the past. This is because if the human did not have a memory, then he would only know such state, which he is experiencing currently. Thus in such a case, he would be unable to see things as progressing from his previous experiences to his current experiences.
c) It is only because of the human's imaginative faculties that he can experience the concept of future. This is because if the human did not have the ability to imagine other than what he currently sees at present, he would be unable to expect another state in the future.
d) If the concepts of past and future rest on the human's memory and imaginative faculties (which are internal to him), then it cannot be proven that time as conceived by the common man actually exists. Rather, we say that it is provable that time (which is considered by the common man to be a smoothly flowing domain in which events take place) in actuality does not exist.
e) As for the fact that time is smooth and continuous, we have already disapproved that in the sections above and concluded that time must be discontinuous. But, what prevents time from being a discontinuous flowing domain for events to take place in?
f) If we state that time is a freely flowing domain that would force to claim that time can exist without events to hold; otherwise, it would not be freely flowing but be tied to disparate events as explained above. If we propose that time can exist without events to hold then we would state it cannot be flowing, but must be stable.
he reason for this is that if time were independently flowing, it would mean time itself could experience (as it will keep adding discontinuous time intervals to its length as its flowing continues). And anything that can experience change needs another "time-like" dimension to quantify its change. We will call this other proposed "time-like" dimension of time "time-2". Now the same thing would apply to "time-2" in that it could either be tied to time or be an independent flowing domain, which holds time. And the same argument about the flow of time-2 would apply in that if it could exist and flow independently, then it itself would need a time-like dimension to quantify it.
If we propose that time-2 is not an independent flowing domain which holds time, bit is tied to time, then that proves that time itself could not have a directional flow (as it has no independent quantifiable domain in which its directional flow can be measured ((this is also because time-1 and time-2 are similar in their characteristics and purpose; this, saying that they are fixed/tied to each other is the same as saying that only time-1 exists; but if an independent time-2 does not exist, then time-1 cannot experience flow/change)). However, if we propose that time-2 is an independent domain which can experience flow, then we would need yet another time-like dimension which we will call time-3 to quantify time-2's change. And thus we would continue on like this forever. If we propose at any iteration that time-x is not an independent flowing domain, then that will mean in sum total that time-1 can not experience change or flow (as each level will keep collapsing until we reach the original time-1).
And if we keep stating at each iteration that time-x is an independent flowing domain, we will end up with an infinite series which never ends. This would mean that the sum of the discontinuous time intervals of each time line at each level at any particular time (in according to the measurement of time-1) would either be odd nor even (as the infinite series of time lines would lead to an infinite number of discontinuous time intervals) However we know from the laws of mathematics and counting that all discontinuous phenomena must add up to either an add or even number at a fixed a fixed point in time. This, we conclude that such an infinite series of time-lines is impossible and at least one time line at some iteration must not be independent and flowing. But as we stated before, as soon as we conclude that a higher iteration time-line is not independent and flowing this will cause all of the levels below to collapse until we reach time-1 forcing us to accept that time-1 cannot experience change and this cannot have a directional flow.
13) This if time does not consist of an independent flow, it is useless arguing about the direction of its progress (either forward, backward, or both forward & backyard simultaneously). Rather the concept of flow can only be understood as a metaphor for the human's previous memories and future imaginative expectations. And this metaphor can only lead to one consider time to be linear and forward progressing as one frame is shown to the human at a time which his memory recalls. And this proves that the view of time as expressed by the mutakallimin (theologians) is the only view acceptable after examining this issue in detail. And those that hold the possibility of backward flowing or circular time have made the mistake of considering time an independently flowing domain in which events can take place or not take place.
What this means for the kufr;
a) Space is discontinuous

Time is discontinuous
c) Time, in reality, has no directional flow (but one can metaphorically understand time to be linear and forward progressing by using human experience as a base for building this metaphor)
Some of these detrimental consequences for kufr are;
a) Striking a fatal blow to random causality flow (e.g. as expressed by the Evolutionists and Naturalists) as each disparate space-time frame has no direct link between the previous frame and the next frame shows to us.

Taking the argument of "things happen by themselves" away from the Atheists as there is no independent flowing domain in which things may occur by themselves. Rather the argument points to the fact that there must be a "Master of Creation" working behind the scenes and His "super-smooth" and "super-fast" discontinuity leads the simple minded into believing in continuality and considering things as independently existent.
c) Inducing the last death yells (screams before death) of those who oppose the rational arguments for the Existence of a Supreme Being by taking away the possibility of backward-flowing or circular time (this strikes a direct hit against their claim that matter is eternally pre-existent).
d) Introducing a more comprehensive and direct proof for the existence of a "master of Sensory Phenomena" which goes beyond the three proofs which Immanuel Kant claimed were the only three possible ((Ontological; Necessity of Existence Proof, Cosmological and Psycho-theological)).
e) Apprising the learned that the physical universe is nothing more than a large multi-dimensional "TV" screen in which sensory phenomenon are "updated" at a disparate intervals.
f) Causing the ground under the anthropomorphist and polytheist to open up and sway, as part of the conclusion of the above argument is that all sensory phenomena have no independent existence and it the "Master of Creation" willed they would be snuffed out in the next frame without any external cause at all. And a god whose existence can be snuffed out in a single frame is no god at all.