The Universe
The Big Bang, the expanding universe, orbits, stars and the protected roof.
1965The Big Bang: creation from nothing
Until the mid-20th century, the scientific world believed the universe had existed forever. Today it is proven that the universe had a beginning — that it came into being by “splitting apart” from a single point.
Surah al-Anbiya, 30
1929The expanding universe
The Quran, revealed at a time when astronomy was still primitive, states that the universe is expanding. Science was able to confirm this by observation only in 1929.
Surah adh-Dhariyat, 47
The End of the Universe and the Big Crunch
As we have stated above, the creation of the universe began with a huge explosion. From this point, the universe has been expanding ever since.
Surah al-Anbiya, 104Creation from Hot Smoke
Scientists today are able to observe the formation of stars from a hot gas cloud. Formation from a warm mass of gas also applies to the creation of the universe.
Surah Fussilat, 10-11
The Splitting Asunder of "The Heavens and the Earth"
The word ratq translated as "sewn to" means "mixed in each, blended" in Arabic dictionaries. It is used to refer to two different substances that make up a whole.
Surah al-Anbiya, 30
The Creation of What Lies between the Heavens and the Earth
The Qur'an contains a great many verses concerning the creation of the Earth, the heavens and what lies between:
Surah al-Hijr, 85
The Perfect Equilibrium in the Universe
The billions of stars and galaxies in the universe move in perfect equilibrium in the paths set out for them.
Surah al-Mulk, 3-4
1961The fine-tuning and balance of the universe
The Quran says that Allah created everything with measure, raised the heaven and set up “the balance”. In the 20th century physicists discovered that the universe is “fine-tuned” for life with astonishing precision.
Surah ar-Rahman, 7-9
The Structural Differences between the Sun, the Moon and the Stars
As we know, the only source of light in the Solar System is the Sun. With advances in technology, astronomers discovered that the Moon was not a source of light but that it merely reflects the light reaching it from the Sun.
Surah an-Naba, 12-13
1783Orbits and the rotating universe
The Quran states that the Sun and the Moon each “swim” in an orbit, and that the Sun runs on towards a resting place set for it. Only modern astronomy revealed these facts.
Surah al-Anbiya, 33The Sun's Trajectory
The word "swim" in the above verse is expressed in Arabic by the word "sabaha" and is used to describe the movement of the Sun in space.
Surah al-Anbiya, 33
The Moon's Orbit
The Moon does not follow a regular orbit like the satellites of other planets. As it orbits the Earth, it sometimes moves behind it and sometimes in front.
Surah Ya-Sin, 39-40
Calculating the Lunar Year
In the first of the above verses, Allah has clearly revealed that the Moon will be a means of measurement for people to calculate the year.
Surah Yunus, 5The Force of Gravity and Orbital Movements
The word " khunnas " in Surat at-Takwir 15 bears such meanings as shrinking and cowering, retracting and turning back.
Surah at-Takwir, 15-16
The Diameters of the Earth and Space
The Arabic word translated as "confines" in the above verse is " aqtaar. " This is the plural form of the word " qutr ," meaning diameter and refers to the skies and the Earth having many diameters.
Surah ar-Rahman, 33
The Layers of the Atmosphere
One fact about the universe revealed in the verses of the Qur'an is that the sky is made up of seven layers.
Surah al-Baqarah, 29
1958The protected roof and the seven heavens
The Quran states that the sky is “a protected roof” and that it was formed as seven layers. In the 20th century both the layered structure of the atmosphere and its life-protecting functions were discovered.
Surah al-Anbiya, 32
The Sky Made a Dome
Here, the sky is described as " al-samaa' binaa' ." As well as the meaning of "dome" or "ceiling," this also describes a kind of tent-like covering used by the Bedouin.
Surah al-Baqarah, 22
1925The returning sky
In Surat at-Tariq, an oath is sworn by the sky “which returns”. Today we know that every layer of the atmosphere sends back what reaches it — either down to the earth or out into space.
Surah at-Tariq, 11
1957The secret of iron
The Quran says that iron was “sent down”. Modern astronomy has shown that the iron on Earth did not form here — it came from giant stars in outer space.
Surah al-Hadid, 25
The Relativity of Time
Today, the relativity of time is a proven scientific fact. This was revealed by Einstein's theory of relativity at the early years of the 20th century.
Surah al-Hajj, 47
Creation in Six Days
One example of the harmony between the Qur'an and modern science is the subject of the age of the universe. Cosmologists estimate the age of the universe as 16-17 billion years.
Surah al-Baqarah, 255
The Truth of Destiny
As a result of experiments he performed in 1973, Professor Benjamin Libet, a neurophysiologist at the University of California, revealed that all our decisions and choices are set out beforehand, and that consciousness only comes…
Surah al-Insan, 30The Pairs in Creation
Although the concept of ''pair'' or "couple" commonly stands for male and female, the statement of ''from things unknown to them'' has wider implications. Today, one of the implications of the verse has been revealed.
Surah Ya-Sin, 36
Sub-Atomic Particles
Following the development of the atomic theory of the Greek philosopher Democritus, people used to believe that matter consisted of minute, indivisible and indestructible particles known as atoms.
Surah Saba, 3
Black Holes
The 20th century saw a great many new discoveries regarding celestial phenomena in the universe. One of these entities, which has only recently been encountered, is the Black Hole.
Surah al-Waqi‘ah, 75-76
1967Pulsars: the knocking stars
In Surat at-Tariq an oath is sworn by “at-Tariq” — the night-comer that knocks, the star that pierces the darkness. Pulsars, discovered in 1967, are stars that send out rhythmic “knocking” signals.
Surah at-Tariq, 1-3
The Star Sirius
When certain concepts mentioned in the Qur'an are studied in the light of 21st century scientific discoveries we find ourselves imparted with yet more miracles of the Qur'an.
Surah an-Najm, 49
Light and Dark
We all know that without light a person cannot see his surroundings with the naked eye. However, the light that we can see is only a very small part of all light-emitting energy.
Surah al-An‘am, 1
Combustion without Fire
This verse refers to something that emits light. This light-emitting entity is compared to a star. The fact that the fuel used by this star-like, light-emitting body belongs to neither East nor West may be an indication that the…
Surah an-Nur, 35
The Earth’s Gravitational Force
The Arabic word "kifatan," translated as "receptacle" in the above verse, means "living things being gathered together and protected in their dwellings.” It can also mean “a place where living or inanimate things are gathered…
Surah al-Mursalat, 25
The Solidity of the Atom and Electron Orbits
One possible interpretation of the above verse is that it may very well be a reference to the strength of the atom, the building block of all matter.
Surah an-Naml, 88
The Skies with ‘Woven’ Orbits
The Arabic word "alhubuki," translated as "furnished with paths" in the seventh verse of Surat adh-Dhariyat, comes from the verb "hubeke,"meaning "to weave closely, to knit, to bind together."The use of this word in the verse is…
Surah adh-Dhariyat, 7
A Red Rose In The Sky: The Rosette Nebula
The Arabic expression translated above as "become rose red, like stained leather" is "wardatan kaalddihani." This term compares an image appearing in the sky to a red rose.
Surah ar-Rahman, 37
The Heliocentric System
In the above verse, the movement of the Earth is described by the word "yukawwiru," which comes from root verb "takwir." This means "to cover up a spherical body," in the way that the rotation of the Earth gives rise to night and…
Surah az-Zumar, 5
Quasars and The Gravitational Lens Effect
Quasar is the name given to the extremely dense and bright bodies that look like stars and emit radio waves in space. Quasars are acknowledged as the brightest celestial bodies in the universe.
Surah an-Nur, 35
The Sun Will Eventually Expire
The Sun has been emitting heat for around five billion years as a result of the constant nuclear reactions taking place on its surface.
Surah Ya-Sin, 38
The Sun's Hydrogen and Helium Content
The Sun is made up of 70% hydrogen (H) and 28% helium (He) atoms. Other substances make up less than 2% of the Sun’s constitutions.
Surah al-Baqarah, 255