For thousands of years, astronomers wrestled with basic
questions concerning the universe. Until the early 1920’s, it was believed
that the universe had always been in existence; also, that the size of the
universe was fixed and not changing. However, in 1912, the American astronomer,
Vesto Slipher, made a discovery that would soon change astronomers’ beliefs
about the universe. Slipher, noticed that the galaxies were moving away from
earth at huge velocities. These observations provided the first evidence
supporting the expanding-universe theory.[1]
Before the invention of the telescope in 1608, man could do
little more than wonder about the origin of the universe. (Courtesy: NASA)
In 1916, Albert Einstein formulated his General Theory
of Relativity that indicated that the universe must be either expanding or
contracting. Confirmation of the expanding-universe theory finally came in
1929 in the hands of the well known American astronomer Edwin Hubble.
By observing redshifts[2]
in the light wavelengths emitted by galaxies, Hubble found that galaxies were
not fixed in their position; instead, they were actually moving away from us
with speeds proportional to their distance from earth (Hubble's Law). The only
explanation for this observation was that the universe had to be expanding. Hubble’s
discovery is regarded as one of the greatest in the history of astronomy. In
1929, he published the velocity-time relation which is the basis of modern
cosmology. In the years to come, with further observations, the
expanding-universe theory was accepted by scientists and astronomers alike.
With the Hooker Telescope, Hubble discovered that the galaxies
were moving away us. Above are photos of known galaxies. (Courtesy: NASA)
Yet, astonishingly well before telescopes were even invented
and well before Hubble published his Law, Prophet Muhammad used to recite a
verse of the Quran to his companions that ultimately stated that the universe is
expanding.
“And the heaven We created with might, and indeed We are (its)
expander.” (Quran 51:47)
At the time of the revelation of the Quran, the word “space”
was not known, and people used the word “heaven” to refer to what lies above the
Earth. In the above verse, the word “heaven” is referring to space and the known
universe. The verse points out that space, and thus the universe, happens to
be expanding, just as Hubble’s Law states.
That the Quran mentioned such a fact centuries before
the invention of the first telescope, at a time when there was primitive knowledge
in science, is considered remarkable. This is more so considering that, like
many people in his time, Prophet Muhammad happened to be illiterate and simply
could not have been aware of such facts by himself. Could it be that he had
truly received divine revelation from the Creator and Originator of the
universe?
The Big Bang Theory
Soon after Hubble published
his theory, he went on to discover that not only were galaxies moving away from
the Earth, but were also moving away from one another. This meant that the
universe happened to be expanding in every direction, in the same way a balloon
expands when filled with air. Hubble’s new findings placed the foundations for
the Big Bang theory.
The Big Bang theory states that around 12-15 billion
years ago the universe came into existence from one single extremely hot and
dense point, and that something triggered the explosion of this point that
brought about the beginning of the universe. The universe, since then, has
been expanding from this single point.
Later, in 1965, radio
astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson made a Noble Prize winning
discovery that confirmed the Bing Bang theory. Prior to their discovery, the
theory implied that if the single point from which the universe came into
existence was initially extremely hot, then remnants of this heat should be
found. This remnant heat is exactly what Penzias and Wilson found. In 1965,
Penzias and Wilson discovered a 2.725 degree Kelvin Cosmic Microwave Background
Radiation (CMB) that spreads through the universe. Thus, it was understood
that the radiation found was a remnant of the initial stages of the Big Bang. Presently,
the Big Bang theory is accepted by the vast majority of scientists and
astronomers.
A microwave map of the leftover from the Big Bang that gave
birth to the universe. (Courtesy: NASA)
It is mentioned in the Quran:
“He (God) is the Originator of the heavens and the earth…”
(Quran 6:101)
“Is not He who created the
heavens and the earth Able to create the likes of them? Yes; and He is the
Knowing Creator. His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to
it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” (Quran 36:81-82)
The above verses prove that the universe had a
beginning, that God was behind its creation, and all that God needs to do
inorder to create is to say “Be,” and it is. Could this be an explanation as to
what triggered off the explosion that brought about the beginning of the
universe?
The Quran also mentions:
“Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens
and the earth were a joined entity, then We separated them, and made from water
every living thing? Then will they not believe?” (Quran 21:30)
Muslim scholars who have explained the previous verse
mention that the heavens and earth were once one, and then God caused them to
separate and form into the seven heavens and Earth. Yet, due to the limitations
of science and technology at the time of the revelation of the Quran (and for
centuries to follow), no scholar was able to give much detail about how exactly
the heavens and earth were created. What the scholars could explain was the
precise meaning of each word in Arabic in the verse, as well as the overall
meaning of the verse.
In the previous verse, the Arabic words ratq and fataq
are used. The word ratq can be translated into “entity” “sewn to”
“joined together” or “closed up”. The meaning of these translations all
circulate around something that is mixed and that has a separate and distinct
existence. The verb fataq is
translated into “We unstitched” “We clove them asunder” “We separated” or “We
have opened them”. These meanings imply that something comes into
being by an action of splitting or tearing apart. The sprouting of a seed from
the soil is a good example of a similar illustration of the meaning of the verb
fataq.
With the introduction of the Big Bang theory, it soon
became clear to Muslim scholars that the details mentioned with regards to the
theory go identically hand in hand with the description of the creation of the
universe in verse 30 of chapter 21 of the Quran. The theory states that all
the matter in the universe came into existence from one single extremely hot
and dense point; that exploded and brought about the beginning of the universe,
matches what is mentioned in the verse that the heaven and Earth (thus the
universe) where once joined together, and then split apart. Once again, the
only possible explanation is that Prophet Muhammad had truly received divine
revelation from God, The Creator and Originator of the universe.
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