The
Origins of the Universe & planet Earth
Reader's Attention: This was explained by Nouman Ali Khan. Hear here.
أَوَلَمْ
يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِوَالْأَرْضَكَانَتَارَتْقًا
فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا- وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ ۖ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Have not the disbelievers seen that the Heavens and the Earth [i.e. the Universe], KaanaTaa [were both] Rathqan(Fused), Fa [then], FataqNaa [We Fataq (Parted)] HuMaa [Them Both].
And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?
[surah al Anbiya
21:30]
The Big Bang
The Big Bang theory attempts to explain how the universe began. This theory was put forward by Edwin Hubble in 1929. He discovered that the galaxies close to the Milky Way (our Galaxy) are moving and distancing away from us. He also noticed that the further the galaxies were, the faster they were distancing. From this he argued that the universe had a starting point from which it was expanding and has been expanding from since.
The heavens [samaawaat] and the earth ['ArD] (an arabic expression referring to the Universe)
Rathqan [ رَتْقًا] = something which is fused and inseparable. This word was used in classical arabic when a mother is carrying a child during pregnancy (because they are inseparable), and when she is delivering the child
- Fataqa
[ فَتَقْ] was
used = they are Parting
up i.e. Her body
is parting open and also she is parting from her child (in separation
from pregnancy).
The heavens
and earth
used to be fused and inseparable,
but then Allah
caused them to part and separate.
In original form - the universe was united as one entity/matter, and
they separated /spread out to become separate (individual type)
distinguished entities.
Relation
to the Big Bang Theory:
The description above is very close to the Big bang theory. Wherein the Universe and Earth were all One Singularity (i.e. speck) of Compressed Energy, and it continued to Expand to form into the Universe. The matter within it formed into different objects (stars, planets etc.) and forms, including the planet Earth located within it.
NOTE:
Science does answer what was before this Big Bang. Also click
here for more information on the Big Bang & this
Article.
This Expansion
of the Universe is supported in the Qur'an when Allah
tells us;
وَالسَّمَاءَبَنَيْنَاهَا
بِأَيْدٍ
وَإِنَّالَمُوسِعُونَ
And the Universe, Weconstructed it
with Power, and Surely
We, Surely are it'sExpander.
[surahal Dhariyat 51:47]
Wasi'
= to Expand/Vasten.
muWsi'uwn-
from the word Wasi'
= to Expand/Vasten. = Expander.
=
Surely, We
[Royal We - referring to God] are
its muWsi'uwn = Expander.
This
is further supported in a translation by Dr.
Ghali
on Quran.com;
...surely We are indeed extending
(it) wide.
[al Dhariyat 51:47]
Continuous Expanding?
If someone was to object and question if the Universe is continuously expanding or not, then they should know; muWsi'un is in a similar pattern to when Allah says;
(إِنَّا
نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا
لَهُ لَحَفِظُونَ)
Surely
We have sent the Reminder [Quran] and surely
We are it's Preserver.
[Hafidhoon](Al
Hijr 15:9)
This is an implication of Continuous Preservation. The same way Allah is Continuously guarding the Quran [Hafidhuwn] until the Final Hour of this world, it is possible that He is continuously expanding the Universe [muWsi'uwn].
Since both follow a similar pattern in the Arabic language.