The Quran on the Origin of the Universe - The Religion of Islam

The science of modern cosmology, observational and
theoretical, clearly indicates that, at one point in time, the whole universe
was nothing but a cloud of ‘smoke’ (i.e. an opaque highly dense and hot gaseous
composition).[1]  This is one
of the undisputed principles of standard modern cosmology.  Scientists now can
observe new stars forming out of the remnants of that ‘smoke’ (see figures 1
and 2).

Figure 1: A new star forming out of a cloud of gas
and dust (nebula), which is one of the remnants of the ‘smoke’ that was the
origin of the whole universe. (The Space Atlas, Heather and Henbest, p. 50.)

 

Figure 2: The Lagoon nebula is a cloud of gas and
dust, about 60 light years in diameter.  It is excited by the ultraviolet
radiation of the hot stars that have recently formed within its bulk.
(Horizons, Exploring the Universe, Seeds, plate 9, from Association of
Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.)

The illuminating stars we see at night were,
just as was the whole universe, in that ‘smoke’ material.  God has said in the
Quran:

  “Then He
turned to the heaven when it was smoke...” (Quran 41:11)

Because the earth and the heavens above (the
sun, the moon, stars, planets, galaxies, etc.) have been formed from this same
‘smoke,’ we conclude that the earth and the heavens were one connected entity. 
Then out of this homogeneous ‘smoke,’ they formed and separated from each
other. God has said in the Quran:

  “Have not
those who disbelieved known that the heavens and the earth were one connected
entity, then We separated them?...” (Quran 21:30)

Dr. Alfred Kroner is one of the world’s renowned
geologists.  He is Professor of Geology and the Chairman of the Department of
Geology at the Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.  He said: “Thinking where Muhammad came from . . . I think it is
almost impossible that he could have known about things like the common origin
of the universe, because scientists have only found out within the last few
years, with very complicated and advanced technological methods, that this is
the case.