The Creation Of The Heavens And The Earth

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

The Creation Of The Heavens And The Earth

Dr. Syed H. Akhtar


"Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then we clove them asunder and We got every living thing out of the water? Will they not then believe?" (Surah Al-Anbiya’, 21:30)
The above verse might be a reference to the origin of the universe with an explosion. The modern Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe also postulates an explosion.
"Moreover (God) turned to the heaven when it was smoke and said to it and to the earth: Come willing or unwilling; they said: We come in willing obedience."
(Surah Fussilat, 41:11)
The word "smoke" here refers to the gaseous material with particles suspended in it. This corresponds to the concept of the "Primary Nebula" put forward by modern science, which consisted of hydrogen and helium.
"Your Lord is God who created the Heavens and the Earth in six days (periods)...In a day whereof the measure is as a thousand years of your reckoning." (Surah As-Sajdah, 32:5)
The creation of the Heavens and the Earth should not be taken in a literal sense. As explained in the Qur’an, what we call a day by our earthly yardstick is not the same as a day by the heavenly yardstick. This is consistent with modern scientific knowledge, which estimates the age of the Earth and sun in millions of years.
"Did you see how God created seven Heavens one above another and made the moon a light therein and made the sun a lamp". (Surah Nuh, 71:15-16)
It is well known to modern science that in the universe there is a plurality of galaxies, with many galaxies and many suns larger than ours.