Category: Astronomy
Quran 42:29:
And of his signs is the creation of the heavens and earth and what He has dispersed throughout them of creatures. And He, for gathering them when He wills, is competent.
According to Muhammad Asad, the term “Heavens and Earth” denotes:
‘Lit., “in both”. In the Qur’an, the expression “the heavens and the earth” invariably denotes the universe in its entirety.’ (The Message of the Quran, pg. 950, note #33)
And also:
“It is Allah who has created the seven heavens and a like number of earths. His commandments are sent between them, so that you would know that Allah has power over all things and that His knowledge encompasses all” (The HolyKoran 65:☐2).
As written by Dr. Anisur Rahman:
“Hence, if we pay attention to the above Noble verses, it is very clear that the Glorious Koran says that the Earth is not the only unique and the only one in this Universe, and that, living things are also not only exclusive to the Earth. Rather, innumerable earths and living beings (seven earths may just allegorically means huge numbers) are dispersed in this gigantic Universe.”
Rahman,Dr. Md. Anisur. Quran and Modern Science (pp. 80-81). Unknown. Kindle Edition.
The following excerpt is taken from “The Quran and Modern Science” by Zakir Naik pg. 11-12:
“It was believed by earlier civilizations that the moon emanates its own light. Science now tells us that the light of the moon is reflected light. However this fact was mentioned in the Qur’aan 1,400 years ago in the following verse:.
“Blessed is He Who made Constellations in the skies, And placed therein a Lamp And a Moon giving light.” [Al-Qur’aan 25:61]
The Arabic word for the sun in the Qur’aan, is shams. It is referred to as siraaj, which means a ‘torch’ or as wahhaaj which means ‘a blazing lamp’ or as diya which means ‘shining glory’. All three descriptions are appropriate to the sun, since it generates intense heat and light by its internal combustion. The Arabic word for the moon is qamar and it is described in the Qur’aan as muneer, which is a body that gives nur i.e. light. Again, the Qur’aanic description matches perfectly with the true nature of the moon, which does not give off light itself and is an inert body that reflects the light of the sun. Not once in the Qur’aan, is the moon mentioned as siraaj, wahhaaj or diya or the sun as nur or muneer. This implies that the Qur’aan recognizes the difference between the nature of sunlight and moonlight.
Consider the following verses related to the nature of light from the sun and the moon: “It is He who made the sun To be a shining glory And the moon to be a light (Of beauty).” [Al-Qur’aan 10:5]
“See ye not How Allah has created The seven heavens One above another, “And made the moon A light in their midst, and made the sun As a (Glorious) Lamp?” [Al-Qur’aan 71:15-16] “
And He completed them as seven heavens within two days and inspired in each heaven its command. And We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and as protection. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.
The Multiple Universes:
God Says, “So He ordained them seven heavens in two periods, and revealed in every heaven its affair; and We adorned the lower heaven with brilliant stars and (made it) to guard; that is the decree of the Mighty, the Knowing”
The Noble Koran 4☐: 2). “Do you not see how Allah has created the seven heavens, one above another” (The Noble Koran 7☐:☐5)
Therefore, it is evident from the above verses that there are seven universes (heavens) and each of the universe has different sets of natural laws.
Rahman,Dr. Md. Anisur. Quran and Modern Science (pp. 52-53). Unknown. Kindle Edition.
The following excerpt is taken from “The Bible, The Quran and Science” by Maurice Bucaille pg. 140:
“The terms ‘worlds’ reappears dozens of times in the Qur’an. The Heavens are referred to as multiple as well, not only on accounto f their plural form, but also because of their symbolic numerical quantity: 7. This number is used 24 times throughout the Qur’an for various numerical quantities. It often carries the meaning of ‘many’ although we do not know exactly why this meaning of the figure was used. The Greeks and Romans also Beemt o have used the number ? to mean an undefined idea of plurality. In the eur’an, the number ? refers to the Heavens themselves (aamd,utdt). It slone is understood to mean ‘Heavens’. The r roads of the Heavens are mentioned once: -,gUfA 2, VefSe 29: ” (God) is the one who erebted for you all that is on the earth. Moreover He turned to the heaven and fashioned seven heavens with harmony. He is Full of Knowledge of all things.” -SUfa 28, Verse1 7: “And we have ereated above you seven paths: we have never been unmindful of the Creation.” -sura 6?, verse3 : ” (God; is the one who created seven heavenso ne sbove another. Thou eanst see no fault in the creation of the Beneficent. Turn the vision again! Canstt hou see any rift?” -sura 71, veree 15-16: “Did you seeh ow God ereated seven heavenso ne abovea nother and made the moon a light therein and made the sun a lamp F” -sura 78, verse 12: “we have built above you seven strong (heavens) and placed a blazing lamp,” Here the blazing lamp is the Sun. The commentators on the Qur’an are in agreement on all these verses: the number ? means no more than plurality.
According to Al-Razi,
“It is established by evidence that there exists beyond the world a void without a terminal limit (khala’ la nihayata laha), and it is established as well by evidence that God Most High has power over all contingent beings (al-mumkinat ). Therefore He the Most High has the power (qadir ) to create a thousand thousand worlds (alfa alfi ‘awalim) beyond this world such that each one of those worlds be bigger and more massive than this world as well as having the like of what this world has of the throne (al-arsh), the chair (al-kursiyy), the heavens (al-samawat ) and the earth (al-ard ), and the sun (al-shams) and the moon (al-qamar ). The arguments of the philosophers (dala’il al-falasifah) for establishing that the world is one are weak, flimsy arguments founded upon feeble premises.” (Fakhr al-Din al-Razi on physics and the nature of the physical world: a preliminary survey.)
Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, “Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion.” They said, “We have come willingly.”
According to Muhmmad Asad, the term ‘smoke’ means:
“I.e., a gas – evidently hydrogen gas, which physicists regard as the primal element from which all material particles of the universe have evolved and still evolve” (The Message of the Quran, pg. 932)
Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?
Previous generations of commentators have not fully known how to interpret this line. Many modern commentators hold that it is a clear reference to the Big Bang theory, which asserts that all matter, including the earth, was once fused together in a compact unit that suddenly split apart, eventually resulting in the galaxies, planets, stars and other heavenly bodies over billions of years. This is a plausible interpretation as the plural word samawat (heavens) is used here, which is usually used in Qur’anic parlance to refer to all the zones of space outside the earth. (Compare with verse 21:32 where earth’s specific ‘sky’ is mentioned in the singular.)
Emerick, Yahiya. The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an in Today’s English (p. 827). Unknown. Kindle Edition.