Space outside organized astronomical systems was earlier assumed to be a vacuum. Astrophysicists later discovered the presence of bridges of matter in this interstellar space. These bridges of matter are called plasma, and consist of completely ionized gas containing equal number of free electrons and positive ions. Plasma is sometimes called the fourth state of matter (besides the three known states viz. solid, liquid and gas).

The Qur’an mentions the presence of this interstellar material in the following verse:

It would be ridiculous for anyone to even suggest that the presence of interstellar galactic material was known 1400 years ago!