Astronomy in The Qur'an (part I)

CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE:


‘THE BIG BANG’
The creation of the universe is explained by
astrophysicists as a widely accepted phenomenon,
popularly known as ‘The Big Bang’. It is supported
by observational and experimental data gathered by
astronomers and astrophysicists for decades.
According to ‘The Big Bang’, the whole universe was
initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then there
was a ‘Big Bang’ (Secondary Separation) which
resulted in the formation of Galaxies. These then
divided to form stars, planets, the sun, the moon,
etc. The origin of the universe was unique and the
probability of it happening by ‘chance’ is nil.
The Qur’an contains the following verse regarding
the origin of the universe:
“Do not the Unbelievers see
that the heavens and the earth
were joined together (as one
unit of Creation), before
We clove them asunder?”
[Al-Qu’ran 21:30]
The striking similarity between the Qur’anic verse
and ‘The Big Bang’ is inescapable! How could a book,
which first appeared in the deserts of Arabia 1400
years ago, contain this profound scientific truth?

INITIAL GASEOUS MASS BEFORE
CREATION OF GALAXIES
Scientists agree that before the galaxies in the
universe were formed, celestial matter was
initially in the form of gaseous matter. In short,
huge gaseous matter or clouds were present
before the formation of the galaxies. To describe
initial celestial matter, the word ‘smoke’ is more
appropriate than gas. The following Qur’anic verse
refers to this state of the universe by the word
dukhaan which means smoke.
“Moreover, He Comprehended
in His design the sky,
and it had been (as) smoke:
He said to it and to the earth:
‘Come ye together,
willingly or unwillingly.’
They said: ‘We do come (together),
in willing obedience.’”
[Al-Qur’an 41:11]
Again, this fact is a corollary to the ‘Big Bang’ and
was not known to anyone before the prophetehood of
Muhammad (Peace be upon him)1. What then, could
have been the source of this knowledge?

SHAPE OF THE EARTH IS SPHERICAL
In early times, people believed that the earth was
flat. For centuries, men were afraid to venture out
too far, for fear of falling off the edge! Sir Francis
Drake was the first person who proved that the
earth is spherical when he sailed around it in 1597.
Consider the following Qur’anic verse regarding the
alternation of day and night:
“Seest thou not that Allah
merges Night into Day
and He merges Day into Night?”
[Al-Qur’an 31:29]
Merging here means that the night slowly and
gradually changes to day and vice versa. This
phenomenon can only take place if the earth is
spherical. If the earth was flat, there would have
been a sudden change from night to day and from
day to night.
The following verse also alludes to the spherical
shape of the earth:
“He created the heavens and
the earth in true (proportions):
He makes the Night
overlap the Day,
and the Day
overlap the Night.”
[Al-Qur’an 39:5]
The Arabic word used here is Kawwara meaning
‘to overlap’ or ‘to coil’– the way a turban is wound
around the head. The overlapping or coiling of the
day and night can only take place if the earth is
spherical.
The earth is not exactly round like a ball, but
geo-spherical, i.e. it is flattened at the poles. The
following verse contains a description of the earth’s
shape:
“And the earth, moreover,
hath He made egg shaped.”
[Al-Qur’an 79:30]
The Arabic word for egg here is dahaahaa1 which
means an ostrich-egg. The shape of an ostrich-egg
resembles the geo-spherical shape of the earth.
Thus the Qur’an correctly describes the shape of the
earth, though the prevalent notion when the Qur’an
was revealed was that the earth was flat.

BOTANY IN QURAN

PLANTS HAVE MALE AND FEMALE
Previously, humans did not know that plants too
have male and female gender distinctions. Botany
states that every plant has a male and female
gender. Even the plants that are unisexual have
distinct elements of both male and female.
“‘And has sent down
water from the sky.’
With it have We produced
diverse pairs of plants
each separate from the others.”
[Al-Qur’an 20:53]

FRUITS HAVE MALE AND FEMALE
“And fruit of every kind
He made
in pairs, two and two.”
[Al-Qur’an 13:3]
Fruit is the end product of reproduction of the
superior plants. The stage preceding fruit is the
flower, which has male and female organs (stamens
and ovules). Once pollen has been carried to the
flower, they bear fruit, which in turn matures and
frees its seed. All fruits therefore imply the
existence of male and female organs; a fact that is
mentioned in the Qur’an.
In certain species, fruit can come from non-fertilized
flowers (parthenocarpic fruit) e.g. bananas, certain
types of pineapple, fig, orange, vine, etc. They also
have definite sexual characteristics.

EVERYTHING MADE IN PAIRS
“And of everything
We have created pairs.”
[Al-Qur’an 51:49]
This verse lays emphasis on everything. Besides
humans, animals, plants and fruits, it may also be
referring to electricity in which the atoms consist of
negatively – and positively – charged electrons and
protons. And many more things!

“Glory to Allah, Who
created in pairs
all things that the
earth produces,
as well as their own
(human) kind
and (other) things of which
they have no knowledge.”
[Al-Qur’an 36:36]
The Qur’an here says that everything is created in
pairs, including things that the humans do not
know at present and may discover later

Physics in The Qur'an

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

ATOMS CAN BE DIVIDED :

In ancient times a well-known theory by the name
of ‘Theory of Atomism’ was widely accepted. This
theory was originally proposed by the Greeks, in
particular by a scholar called Democritus, who lived
about 23 centuries ago. Democritus and the people
that came after him, assumed that the smallest unit
of matter was the atom. The ancient Arabs used to
believe the same. The Arabic word zarrah most
commonly meant an atom. In recent times modern
science has discovered that it is possible to split
even an atom. That the atom can be split further is
a development of the 20th century. Fourteen
centuries ago this concept would have appeared
unusual even to an Arab. For him the zarrah was
the limit beyond which one could not go. The
following Qur’anic verse however, refuses to
acknowledge this limit:
“The Unbelievers say,
‘Never to us will come
The Hour’:
say, ‘Nay! but most surely,
by my Lord,
it will come upon you –
by Him Who knows the unseen –
from Whom is not hidden
the least little atom
in the Heavens or on earth:
nor is there anything less
than that, or greater, but
is in the Record Perspicuous.’”
[Al-Qur’an 34:3]
This verse also refers to the Omniscience of God,
His knowledge of all things, hidden or apparent. It
then goes further and says that God is aware of
everything, including what is smaller or bigger than
the atom. Thus the verse clearly shows that it is
possible for something smaller than the atom to
exist, a fact discovered only recently by modern
science.

Conclusion:
The scientific evidences of the Qur’an clearly prove
its Divine origin. No human could have produced a
book, fourteen hundred years ago, that would
contain such profound scientific facts.
The Qur’an, however, is not a book of Science but a
book of ‘Signs’. These signs invite Man to realize the
purpose of his existence on earth, and to live in
harmony with Nature.