Astronomy in The Qur'an (part IV:Conclusion)

Some may say that the presence of astronomical
facts in the Qur’an is not surprising since the Arabs
were advanced in the field of astronomy. They are
correct in acknowledging the advancement of the
Arabs in the field of astronomy. However they fail
to realize that the Qur’an was revealed centuries
before the Arabs excelled in astronomy. Moreover
many of the scientific facts mentioned here, such
as the origin of the universe with a Big Bang, were
not known to the Arabs even at the peak of their
scientific advancement. The scientific facts
mentioned in the Qur’an are therefore not due to the
Arabs’ advancement in astronomy. Indeed, the
reverse is true: they advanced in astronomy,
because astronomy occupies a place in the Qur’an.

Astronomy in The Qur'an (part III)

INTERSTELLAR MATTER
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 refers to
the presence of this interstellar material in the
following verse:
“He Who created the heavens
and the earth and all
that is between.”
[Al-Qur’an 25:59]
It would be ridiculous for anyone to even suggest
that the presence of interstellar galactic material
was known 1400 years ago!

THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE
In 1925, American astronomer Edwin Hubble,
provided observational evidence that all galaxies
are moving away from one another, which implies
that the universe is expanding. The expansion of the
universe is now an established scientific fact. This is
what the Qur’an says regarding the nature of the
universe:
“With power and skill
did We construct
the Firmament:
For it is We Who create
the vastness of Space.”
[Al-Qur’an 51:47]
The Arabic word musioon is correctly translated as
‘expanding it’, and it refers to the creation of the
expanding vastness of the universe.
One of the greatest astrophysicist Stephen
Hawking, in his book, ‘A Brief History of Time’,
says, “The discovery that the universe is expanding
was one of the great intellectual revolutions of the
20th century.” The Qur’an mentioned the expansion
of the universe, before man even learnt to build a
telescope!