The Quran & The Big-Bang Concept

The Quran On The Growing Universe And The Big-Bang Concept

Hubble’s Law
For centuries, astronomers wrestled with basic questions in regards to the universe.  Until the very first 1920’s, it was considered that the universe had always been around; also, that the size of the universe was fixed rather than changing.  However, in 1912, the United states astronomer, Vesto Slipher, made a discovery that would soon change astronomers’ thinking about the universe.  Slipher, observed that the galaxies were moving from the earth at huge velocities.  These findings provided the first evidence giving support to the expanding-universe theory.

Until the invention of the telescope in 1608, man could do-little more than wonder in regards to the origin of the universe. (Courtesy: NASA)

In 1916, Albert Einstein formulated his complete Theory of Relativity that suggested that the universe must be whether expanding or contracting.  Verification of the expanding-universe theory finally was available in 1929 in the hands of the well-known American astronomer Edwin Hubble.

By observing redshifts within the light wavelengths emitted by galaxies, Hubble discovered that galaxies were not fixed in their position; on the other hand, they were actually leaving us with speeds proportional for their distance from earth (Hubble's Law).  The only real explanation for this observation was that the universe needed to be expanding.  Hubble’s discovery is undoubtedly one of the greatest in the history of astronomy.  In 1929, he published the velocity-time connection which is the basis of modern metaphysics.  In the many years to come, with further observations, the expanding-universe concept was accepted by scientists and astronomers similar.

Surprisingly well before telescopes had been even invented and well before Hubble published his Law, Prophet Muhammad used to recite a verse of the Holy Quran to his companions that ultimately stated that the universe is growing.

“And the heaven We created with might, and indeed We are (its) expander.” (Quran 51:47)
During 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 over the Earth.  In the above verse, the term “heaven” is referring to space and the known universe.  The verse explains that space, and thus the universe, is literally expanding, just as Hubble’s Law states.

That the Quran mentioned such a fact hundreds of years before the invention of the first telescope, at a time when there was ancient knowledge in science, is considered remarkable.  This is much 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 disclosure from the Creator and Originator of the universe?

The Big-bang Theory
The big-bang theory states that around 12-15 billion years ago the universe was introduced from one single extremely hot and dense point, and that something caused the explosion of this point that contributed to the beginning of the universe.  The universe, since then, has-been expanding with this single point.  
Later, in 1965, radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson made a Noble prize-winning discovery that confirmed the Bing Bang concept.  Prior to their discovery, the idea implied that if the single point from where the universe came into life was initially incredibly hot, then remnants of this heat should-be found.  This remnant heat is really what Penzias and Wilson found.  In 1965, Penzias and Wilson discovered a 2.725 degree Kelvin Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB) that develops through the universe.  Thus, it was recognized that the radiation found was a remnant of the early stages of the Big Bang.  Presently, the Big Bang theory is acknowledged by the vast majority of scientists as well as astronomers.

Cosmic History Explorer Data
A microwave map of the remaining 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 about 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 a description as to what triggered off the explosion that brought about the start 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 possess explained the previous verse mention that the heavens and earth were once one, and then God caused them to separate and form inside seven heavens and Earth.  Yet, due to the restrictions of science and technology during the time of the revelation of the Quran (and for centuries to follow), no scholar was capable of giving much detail about how exactly the heavens and earth were made.  What the scholars could explain was the precise concept of each word in Arabic in the verse, as well as the overall concept of the verse.

In the prior verse, the Arabic words ratq and fataq are used.  The word ratq are translated into “entity” “sewn to” “joined together” or “closed up”.  The specification of these translations all circulate around something which is mixed and that has a separate as well as distinct existence.  The verb fataq is translated into “We unstitched” “We clove them asunder” “We separated” or “We have opened them”.  These definitions imply that something comes into being by an action of splitting or tearing separate.  The sprouting of a seed through the soil is a good example of a similar example of the meaning of the verb fataq.

With the development of the Big Bang theory, it soon became clear to Muslim scholars your details mentioned with regards to the idea go identically hand in hand with the definition of the creation of the universe in verse 30 of chapter 21 of the Quran.  The idea states that all the matter in the universe was introduced from one single extremely hot and dense point; that exploded and caused the beginning of the universe, matches what is mentioned in the verse that the heaven and Earth (thus the universe) where once joined collectively, and  then split apart.  Once again, the only possible description is that Prophet Muhammad had truly received divine revelation from God, The Creator and Originator of the universe.

The Miracle of Iron

Outline: The Quran appears to imply that the iron was a thing “sent down” and not from this earth, a concept not foreign to 20th century technology.

Iron is among the elements highlighted in the Quran. In the chapter named Al-Hadeed, meaning Iron, we're informed:
“And We also sent down iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind…” (Quran 57:25)

The term “anzalna,” translated as "sent down" and used for iron in the verse, might be thought of having a metaphorical meaning to describe that iron has been provided to benefit people. But, when you think about the literal meaning of the word, and that is, "being actually sent down from the sky, as this word usage was not employed in the Quran except literally, such as the descending of the rain or disclosure, we realize that this verse suggests a very significant scientific wonder. Because, modern astronomical findings have revealed that the iron found in our world has arrived from giant stars in outer space.

Not just the iron on earth, but in addition the iron in the entire Solar System, is derived from outer space, since the temperature in the Sun is insufficient for the formation of iron. The sun has a surface temperature of 6,000 degrees Celsius, along with a core temperature of about 20 million degrees. Iron is only able to be produced in much larger stars as compared to Sun, where the temperature hits a few hundred million degrees. When the quantity of iron exceeds a certain level in a star, the star is unable to accommodate it, and it eventually blows up in what is called a "nova" or perhaps a "supernova." These explosions make it easy for iron to be given off into space.

One scientific source delivers the following information about this subject:
“Addititionally there is evidence for older supernova events: improved levels of iron-60 in deep-sea sediments have-been interpreted as indications that a supernova blast occurred within 90 light-years of the sun about 5 million years back. Iron-60 is a radioactive isotope of iron, shaped in supernova explosions, which decays having a half life of 1.5 million years. An improved presence of this isotope in a geologic layer shows the recent nucleosynthesis of elements nearby in space in addition to their subsequent transport to the earth (possibly as part of dust grains).”


All of this shows that iron did not form on this planet, but was carried from Supernovas, as well as was "sent down," as stated in the verse. It is clear this fact could n't have been known in the 7th century, when the Quran was revealed. But, this fact is related in the Quran, the Word of God, Who encompasses everything in His infinite knowledge.

The Holy Quran on Clouds

The Holy Quran on Clouds

Outline: Details pointed out in the Quran about cloud formation over 1400 years ago has only been recently uncovered by science.

Scientists have examined cloud types and are aware that rain clouds are formed and shaped as outlined by definite systems and certain steps associated with certain types of wind and clouds.
One kind of rain cloud is a cumulonimbus cloud.  Meteorologists come with studied how cumulonimbus clouds are formed and that they produce rain, hail, and lightning.

They've found that cumulonimbus clouds have the following steps to produce rain:

1) The clouds are pressed by the wind: Cumulonimbus clouds commence to form when wind pushes some small items of clouds (cumulus clouds) to an area where these clouds gather (see figures 1 and 2).

Figure 1: Satellite photograph showing the clouds heading towards the convergency areas B, C, and D.  The arrows display the directions of the wind. (The Use of Satellite photographs in Weather Analysis and predicting, Anderson and others, p. 188.)

Figure 2: Small components of clouds (cumulus clouds) moving in direction of a convergence zone close to the horizon, where we can see a large cumulonimbus cloud. (Clouds and Storms, Ludlam, plate 7.4.)


2)  Joining: then this small clouds join together developing a larger cloud[1] (see figures 1 and 2).

Figure 2: (A) separated small pieces of clouds (cumulus clouds).  (B) As soon as the small clouds join together, updrafts within the bigger cloud increase, so the cloud is stacked up.  Water drops are suggested by ·. (The Atmosphere, Anthes and others, p. 269.)


3)  Stacking: When the little clouds join together, updrafts inside the larger cloud increase.  The updrafts close to the center of the cloud are more powerful than those near the edges.[2]  These updrafts result in the cloud body to grow up and down, so the cloud is stacked up (see figures 2 (B), 3, and 4).  This vertical growth reasons the cloud body to stretch into cooler areas of the atmosphere, where drops of water and hail come up with and begin to grow larger and larger.  Once these drops of water and hail come to be too heavy for the updrafts to aid them, they begin to fall through the cloud as rain, hail, etc.[3]

Figure 3: A cumulonimbus cloud.  Following the cloud is stacked up, rain is released of it. (Weather and Climate, Bodin, p.123.)

Figure 4: A cumulonimbus cloud. (A Colour Guide to Clouds, Scorer and Wexler, p. 23.)

Allah has said in the Quran:
“Have you not seen how God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it....” (Quran 24:43)

Meteorologists have lately come to know this level of detail of cloud formation, structure, and function by making use of advanced equipment like planes, satellites, computers, balloons, and other hardware or equipment, to study wind and its direction, to measure humidity and its variations, and to look for the levels and variations of atmospheric pressure.

The above verse, after mentioning clouds and rain, speaks about hail and lightning:
“....And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky, and He strikes with it whomever He wills, and turns it from whomever He wills. The vivid flash of its lightning nearly blinds the sight.” (Quran 24:43)

Meteorologists have discovered that these cumulonimbus clouds, that shower hail, reach a height of 25,000 to 30,000 ft (4.7 to 5.7 miles),[5] like mountain tops, as the Holy quran said, “...And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky...” (see figure 4 above).
This verse may raise an issue.  Why does the verse say “its lightning” in a mention of the hail?  Does this mean that hail will be the major factor in creating lightning?  Let us notice what the book entitled Meteorology Today says relating to this.  It says that a cloud ends up being electrified as hail falls through a region in the cloud of supercooled droplets and ice crystals.

As liquid droplets clash with a hailstone, they freeze on get a hold of and release latent heat.  This keeps the top of hailstone warmer than that of the surrounding ice crystals.  As soon as the hailstone comes in contact with an ice crystal, a significant phenomenon occurs: electrons flow from the colder target toward the warmer object.  Hence, the hailstone ends up being negatively charged.  Similar effect occurs when supercooled droplets are exposed to a hailstone and tiny splinters of positively charged ice break-off.  These lighter favorably charged particles are then carried to the upper part of the cloud by updrafts.  The hail, left with a negative charge, falls to the bottom of the cloud, thus the bottom part of the cloud becomes negatively charged.  These negative charges are then discharged as lightning.  We determine from this that hail is the major factor in generating lightning.


This information about lightning was discovered just lately.  Until 1600 AD, Aristotle’s ideas on meteorology were dominant.  For instance, he said that the atmosphere covers two kinds of exhalation, moist and dry.  In addition, he said that thunder is the sound of the collision of the dry exhalation aided by the neighboring clouds, and lightning is the inflaming and burning for the dry exhalation with a thin and faint fire.  Here are some of the ideas on meteorology which were dominant at the time of the Quran’s disclosure, 14 centuries ago.

The Holy Quran on Deep Seas and Internal Waves

The Holy Quran on Deep Seas and Internal Waves

Allah has said in the Quran:
“Or (the unbelievers’ state) is like the darkness in a deep sea.  It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds.  Darknesses, one above another.  If a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it....” (Quran 24:40)
This verse describes the darkness found on deep seas and oceans, where if someone stretches out his hand, he is not able to see it.  The darkness in deep seas and oceans can be found around a depth of 200 meters and below.  Only at that depth, there is almost no light (see figure 1).  Under a depth of 1000 meters there is absolutely no light at all.  Human beings aren't able to dive much more than forty meters without the assistance of submarines or special devices.  Human beings cannot endure unaided in the deep dark a portion of the oceans, such as at a level of 200 meters.

Figure 1: Between 3 and 30 percent of the sunlight is mirrored at the sea surface.  Subsequently almost all the seven colors of the light range are absorbed one after an additional in the first 200 meters, except for the blue light. (Oceans, Elder and Pernetta, p. 27.)

Researchers and scientists have recently uncovered this darkness by means of specialized equipment and submarines that need enabled them to read the depths of the seas.
We may also understand through the following sentences in the earlier verse, “...in a deep-sea.  It is included in waves, above that are waves, above that are clouds....”, that the deep waters of seas and also oceans are included in waves, and above these swells are other waves.  It is obvious that the second set of surf are the area waves that we see, considering that the verse mentions that on top of the second waves there are clouds.  Exactly what about the first waves?  Researchers have recently found out that there are internal waves which kind of “occur on density interfaces between levels of different densities.” (see figure 2).

Figure 2: Internal waves at user interface between two layers of water of various densities.  One is heavy (the lower one), the other the first is less dense (the upper one). (Oceanography, Gross, p. 204.)


The internal surf cover the deep waters of seas and oceans due to the fact deep waters have a higher density as compared to waters above them.  Internal waves act like surface waves.

They may be able also break, just like surface waves.  Internal waves may not be seen by the human eye, but they can be detected by studying temperatures or salinity modifications at a given location.

The Holy Quran about Cerebrum

The Holy Quran about Cerebrum

Outline: The Quran and science in total conformation with regards to the ‘anatomy of a lie’.

Allah has said in the Quran about one of several evil unbelievers who forbade the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of Allah  be upon him, from praying at the Kaaba:

“No!  If he does not stop, We will take him by the naseyah (front of the head), a lying, sinful naseyah (front of the head)!” (Quran 96:15-16)

Why did the Holy quran explain the front of the head as actually lying and sinful?  Why did not the Holy Quran say that the person was lying and sinful?  What's the relationship between the front of the head and also lying and sinfulness?

Whenever we look into the skull at the front of the head, we'll find the prefrontal part of the cerebrum (see figure 1).  What does physiology inform us about the function of this particular area?  A book entitled fundamentals of Anatomy The motivation and the foresightedness to plan and initiate motions occur in the anterior portion of the frontlet lobes, the prefrontal area. This is an area of association cortex...”  Also the book says, “in connection with its involvement in motivation, the prefrontal region is also considered to be the functional center for violence....”

Figure 1: functioning regions of the left cerebral hemisphere of the cerebral cortex.  The prefrontal area is found at the front of the cerebral cortex. (Essentials of Anatomy )


And so, this area of this cerebrum is mainly responsible for planning, motivating, and initiating good and sinful actions and is mainly responsible for the telling of lies and the speaking of truth.

Therefore, it is proper to explain the front of the head as lying and sinful an individual lies or commits a sin, as the Holy Quran has said, “...A lying, sinful naseyah (front of the head)!”


Researchers have only uncovered these functions of the prefrontal area during the last sixty years, according to Professor Keith L. Moore.

The Quran about Seas and Rivers

The Quran about Seas and Rivers

Advanced Science has found out that in the areas in which two different seas meet, there is a barrier in between them.  This barrier splits the two seas so each sea has its own temperature, salinity, plus density.  For example, Mediterranean sea-water is warm, saline, and less heavy, compared to Atlantic ocean waters.  When Mediterranean sea-water enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill, it goes several hundred kilometers to the Atlantic at a depth of about 1000 meters along with its own warm, saline, and less dense attributes.  The Mediterranean water stabilise at this depth (see figure 1).

Figure 1: The Mediterranean water as it enters the ocean over the Gibraltar sill featuring its own warm, saline, and less dense properties, because of the barrier which distinguishes in between them.  Temperatures are in degrees Celsius (C°). (Marine Geology, Kuenen, p. 43, with a slight improvement.)


Even though there are large waves, strong currents, and tides during these seas, they do not mix in or offend this barrier.

The Holy Quran mentioned that there's a barrier between two seas that meet and that they do not transgress.  God has said:
“He has set free the two seas meeting together.  There is a barrier between them.  They do not transgress.” (Quran 55:19-20)

But when the Quran speaks in regards to the divider between fresh and salt water, it reference the existence of “a forbidding partition” with the barrier.  God has said in the Quran:
“He is the one who has set free the two kinds of water, one sweet and palatable, and the other salty and bitter.  And He has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition.” (Quran 25:53)

One may ask, why did the Quran mention the partition when speaking about the divider between fresh and salt water, but did not mention it when speaking about the divider between the two seas?
Modern scientific research has found that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the problem is somewhat different from what is found in locations where two seas meet.  It's been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a “pycnocline zone with a marked thickness discontinuity separating the two layers.”  This partition (zone of separation) has a different salinity through the fresh water and from the salt water (see figure 2).

Figure 2: Longitudinal part showing salinity (parts per thousand ‰) in an estuary.  We become aware of here the partition (zone of separation) between your fresh and the salt water. (Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, p. 301, with a slight improvement.)



This information has been uncovered only recently, using advanced equipment to measure temperature, salinity, density, oxygen dissolubility, and so on.  The human eye can not see the distinction between the two seas that meet, instead the two seas appear to us as one homogeneous sea.  Similarly, the human eye are unable to see the division of water in estuaries inside three kinds: fresh water, salt water, and the partition (zone of separation).