The Creation of the Universe In Six Stages

By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam 7 October 2024 In every age, man has tried to understand the “Mutashabihat” or the allegorical verses of the Quran that speak of subjects such as the creation of the Universe, procreation, resurrection, etc., in terms of what he knew about these subjects. Till recently, our knowledge about our world was minimal, considering that most scientific breakthroughs have come only in the last two hundred years. As long as accurate information on these subjects was unavailable, the verses were either misunderstood or fairy tales were spun to explain them. Our ancestors were not afraid to invent meanings and spin narratives to create the impression of authenticity. Their fanciful narratives have such a hold on us that present-day scholars are unwilling to discard them even when scientifically sound explanations have become available. In this article, I have endeavoured to align the Quranic description of the creation in six days with our modern scientific understanding. It's important to remember that the Quran is not a science textbook but rather a guide that draws our attention to Allah’s perfect plan from conception through the various stages of creation, His ultimate purpose, and our purpose in life. Despite the limitations of our seventh-century vocabulary, the Quran's descriptions, though broad, perfectly align with the reality we observe today, providing a reassuring and enlightening perspective. Flexibility in Quranic Time: Days as Stages In the Quran, time is described in flexible terms that can vary based on context. Two verses provide different measures of a "day": • Surah As-Sajda (32:5): "He arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count." • Surah Al-Ma’arij (70:4): "The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years." These verses suggest that time, as understood by humans, is relative and not the same as experienced by God or in the cosmic sense. This resonates with modern science, particularly Einstein’s theory of relativity, where time is not an absolute constant but depends on the observer’s frame of reference. This provides a key insight into the "six days" (or stages) of creation mentioned in the Quran. These "days" are not literal 24-hour days but epochs or phases stretching across billions of years. The Quran’s language allows for such flexibility, suggesting its description of creation can align with modern scientific understandings of time and the universe's development. Quranic Description of Creation in Six Stages In the Quran, our earth is al-arḍa (الْأَرْضَ), and the rest of the Universe is al-samāi (السَّمَاءِ) or Samāwātin (plural). The Quran speaks of the seven heavens in layers or progressively increasing distance from the earth. Seven means many rather than always a precise number in the Quran and other Semitic languages. The lowest Heaven is our world or our galaxy and is called Al-Samāa Ad-Dun'yā (السَّمَاءَالدُّنْيَا) The following are the Quranic verses on the creation of our Universe in six stages: (41:9) Say: Is it that ye deny Him Who created the earth in two Days (stages)? And do ye join equals with Him? He is the Lord of (all) the Worlds. (10) He set on the (earth), mountains standing firm, high above it, and bestowed blessings on the earth, and measure therein all things to give them nourishment in due proportion, in four Days (stages), in accordance with (the needs of) those who seek (Sustenance). (11) Moreover He comprehended in His design the heavens (السَّمَاءِ), and it had been (as) smoke: He said to it and to the earth: "Come ye together, willingly or unwillingly." They said: "We do come (together), in willing obedience." (12) So He completed them as seven firmaments (سَبْعَسَمَاوَاتٍ) in two Days, and He assigned to each heaven its duty and command. And We adorned the lower heaven (السَّمَاءَالدُّنْيَا) with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge The “seven heavens” and the earth are created in two stages (verses 41:9 and 12). The earth is then made ready to sustain life in the subsequent four stages (verse 41:10). Verse 41:11 is a description of how the process began with bringing everything together, which suggests that a different Universe existed before, which was destroyed by bringing everything together and then creating the Universe anew. Also, see 21:30: (21:30) Do not the deniers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? What are these two plus four or six stages of creation? Let us see if these map to the stages of development that we learn from science. The Stages of the Universe's Development from Science: Stage 1. The Big Bang (13.8 Billion Years Ago) The universe began as a singularity, an incredibly dense point that expanded rapidly, giving rise to space, time, and matter. This event, called the Big Bang, marked the start of the universe. Cooling down allowed protons and neutrons to form, later giving rise to simple atoms (mostly hydrogen and helium). Stage 2. The Formation of Stars and Galaxies (12 -13 Billion Years Ago) As the universe cooled, regions of slightly higher density collapsed under gravity, leading to the formation of the first stars and galaxies. Early stars formed heavier elements (like carbon, oxygen, nitrogen) through nuclear fusion. These elements were dispersed when stars exploded as supernovae, seeding the universe with the building blocks for planets and life. The earth was a cloud of dust and gas 12 billion years ago. The universe has looked similar to how it does today for about 12.8 billion years and will continue to look identical for many billions of years into the future. It is, therefore, reasonable to conclude that the two days for the creation of the Universe alluded in verses 41:9 and 12 are as described. The Stages of the Gradual Evolution of the Earth to Sustain All Forms of Life Are as Follows: Stage 1. Formation of The Solar System (4.6 Billion Years Ago) A molecular cloud, rich in heavy elements from previous star generations, collapsed under gravity to form the Sun and surrounding planets, including Earth. Earth formed from accreting dust, gas, and planetesimals in the solar nebula. The early Earth was molten due to frequent collisions with other space objects and intense radioactive decay. 2. The Hadean Eon (4.6 - 4.0 Billion Years Ago) Earth’s surface was initially molten and hostile. Over time, the planet cooled, allowing the formation of a solid crust. Formation of Earth’s atmosphere, which was initially toxic, containing gases like methane, ammonia, and water vapor. Water began to condense, forming the first oceans. 3. The Archean Eon (4.0 - 2.5 Billion Years Ago) Earth stabilized, and its crust solidified. During this time, life is believed to have first appeared in the oceans. The emergence of simple, single-celled life forms (prokaryotes, like bacteria). Earth's atmosphere still lacked oxygen, but these early organisms likely thrived in the harsh, anaerobic conditions. Continents started to form, though much smaller than today's landmasses. 4. The Proterozoic Eon (2.5 billion - 541 million years ago) This era saw the dramatic transformation of Earth, including the rise of oxygen in the atmosphere. Cyanobacteria evolved the ability to photosynthesize, releasing oxygen as a by-product. This gradually increased oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere, allowing more complex life forms to evolve. The first eukaryotic cells (cells with a nucleus) appeared around 2 billion years ago, a crucial step toward multicellular life. Multicellular organisms began to appear toward the end of this eon, though life was still limited to the oceans. At the end of this stage, the earth was ready to support higher forms of life, leading to the Cambrian Explosion (from 541 million years ago) This marks the rapid diversification of life forms in Earth's oceans—the sudden appearance of most major animal groups, including arthropods, molluscs, and early vertebrates. Fossil evidence shows the emergence of more complex body structures, such as exoskeletons and internal skeletons. The process of biological evolution of life continued and perhaps continues. The first humans appeared 2.5 million years ago. Homo sapiens emerged around 200,000 to 300,000 years ago in Africa. The modern man with the same cognitive powers as our own appeared ~70,000 - 30,000 years ago. Allah’s Just Plan (45:22) Allah created the heavens and the earth for just ends, and in order that each soul may find the recompense of what it has earned, and none of them be wronged. (23) Then seest thou such a one as takes as his god his own vain desire? Allah has, knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart (and understanding), and put a cover on his sight. Who, then, will guide him after Allah (has withdrawn Guidance)? Will ye not then receive admonition? (24) And they say: "What is there but our life in this world? We shall die and we live, and nothing but time can destroy us." But of that they have no knowledge: they merely conjecture: Spread The New Word Allah will reward us for our attempts to understand His Word better and those who spread this new knowledge. If our ancestors were not afraid of inventing the best meanings they could, even though the results were unsatisfactory, there would be less reason for us to fear replacing their faulty interpretations with sound ones. The Islamic scholars and the disbelievers have their reasons for keeping science and the Quran apart. Islamic scholars have abysmal knowledge of science, and they fear losing control if they let those with superior knowledge of science reinterpret the Quran. The disbeliever's fear is existential. If the Quran is shown to be perfect about matters discovered only recently, then it is indeed the word of God—no wonder they feel threatened. The hostile apostates would like to keep the understanding at the level of the village Mullah so they can easily attack it. I welcome constructive criticism of the article by those who can better explain the verses. Negative criticism of trying to find fault without offering a better explanation will be ignored. ----- A frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com, Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He has spent years studying Quran in-depth and made seminal contributions to its interpretation. 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