The

Qur’an
and the
 Abstract
Cosmology is the study of the Universe as a whole and it is the physical
study of the origins and evolution of the Universe. Cosmology
endeavors to use the scientific method to understand the origin,
evolution and fate of our Universe. Like any field of science,
cosmology involves the formation of theories or hypotheses about the
universe which make specific predictions for phenomena that can be
tested with observations. Depending on the outcome of the
observations, the theories will need to be abandoned, revised or
extended to accommodate the data. On the other hand, The Glorious
Qur’an deals with facts of creation. Herein, the basic principles of
cosmology, presented in The Glorious Qur’an, are manifested and the
scientific views are discussed, starting with principle of Fatq-Al-ratq as
a true name instead of the proposed name applied to the prevailing
theory explaining the origin and evolution of our Universe, the so-
called Big Bang Model. In this work, the author evaluates the most
recent discoveries in the field of cosmology on the light of scientific
signs mentioned in The Glorious Qur’an in the following items:
 Abstract
 1st Principle: Fatq-Al-ratq vs. big bang.
 2nd Principle: Dukhān Al-samā (smoke) vs.
universal dust.
 3rd Principle: Expanding sky vs. expanding
universe.
 4th Principle: Hobok of the Sky vs. (CMB &
Cosmic web).
 5th Principle: The age of the universe.
 6th Principle: "Taskhīr" vs. Anthropic Principle.
 7th Principle: The ultimate fate of the universe.
 The Universe
We can understand the vastness of the universe in the following way:
 Our sun, the nearest star, is 93 million miles away. That's why the sun,
which is a million times the size of the Earth, looks so small. It would
take the Space Shuttle seven months to fly there.
 When we leave the solar system, we find our star and its planets are just
one small part of the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is a huge city
of stars, so big that even at the speed of light, it would take 100,000
years to travel across it. All the stars in the night sky, including our Sun,
are just some of the residents of this galaxy, along with millions of other
stars too faint to be seen.
 The further away a star is, the fainter it looks. Astronomers use this as a
clue to figure out the distance to stars that are very far away. But how do
you know if the star really is far away, or just not very bright to begin
with? This problem was solved in 1908 when Henrietta Leavitt
discovered a way to tell the 'wattage' of certain stars that changed their
pulse rate linked to their wattage. This allowed their distances to be
measured all the way across the Milky Way.
 The Universe
The Milky Way is the galaxy we live in. It is made up of all the stars we
can see in the sky at night, and lots and lots more we cannot see. The
Milky Way looks a bit like whirlpool. Astronomers usually give galaxies
numbers instead of names. Only a few have names that tell us what they
look like-the Whirlpool, the Sombrero, and the Black Eye, for example.
There are about 1,000 billion stars in the Milky Way. Astronomers have
worked out how big our universe is and how many stars it has. There are
about 100 million trillion stars, in around 100 billion galaxies!
Image above: How Big is the Milky Way?
Imagine that our entire Solar System were
the size of a quarter. The Sun is now a
microscopic speck of dust, as are its nine
planets, whose orbits are represented by
the flat disc of the coin. How far away is
the nearest star to our sun? In our model,
Proxima Centauri (and any planets that
might be around it) would be another
quarter, two soccer fields away. This is the
typical separation of stars in our part of the
galaxy. Credit: Hubble Heritage Team
(AURA/STSCI/NASA); US Mint
 The Universe
 Beyond our own galaxy lies a vast expanse of galaxies. The deeper we see
into space, the more galaxies we discover. There are billions of galaxies, the
most distant of which are so far away that the light arriving from them on
Earth today set out from the galaxies billions of years ago. So we see them
not as they are today, but as they looked long before there was any life on
Earth.
 Finding the distance to these very distant galaxies is challenging, but
astronomers can do so by watching for incredibly bright exploding stars
called supernovae. Some types of exploding stars have a known brightness -
wattage - so we can figure out how far they are by measuring how bright
they appear to us, and therefore how far away it is to their home galaxy.

Image to right: The picture on the right was

taken three weeks after the one on the left.
In that time, a star at the edge of one of
these distant galaxies has exploded -- "gone
supernova." Can you spot the supernova in
the picture at right? Even though the
explosion is as bright as a billion suns, it is
so far away that it is just a speck of light.
Credit: NASA and J. Blakeslee (JHU)
 The Universe
 The image below is both the oldest and youngest picture ever taken. It is the
oldest because it has taken the light nearly 14 billion years to reach us. And
it is the youngest because it is a snapshot of our newborn universe, long
before the first stars and galaxies formed. The bright patterns show clumps
of simple matter that will eventually form stars and galaxies. This is as far as
we can see into the universe. It is time, not space, which limits our view.
Beyond a certain distance, light hasn't had time to reach us yet.

Image above: What is the furthest

we can see? In 2003, NASA's
WMAP satellite took images of the
most distant part of the universe
observable from Earth. The image
shows the furthest we can see
using any form of light. The
patterns show clumps of matter
that eventually formed into
galaxies of stars. Credit:
NASA/WMAP Science Team
 Principle 1 : Origin of the Universe
 The development of history of the theory of ‘Big Bang’ underwent many
stages, the latest of which is the ‘Big Inflation’ theory.
 Albert Einstein, who in 1915 published the general theory of relativity, was
sure that the universe is static, so he introduced a so-called cosmological
constant into his equations. 
 Alexander Friedmann, 1922, made two very simple assumptions about the
universe: 1-The universe looks identical in whichever direction we look; 2-
This would be true if we were observing the universe from anywhere else. On
the basis of general relativity and these two assumptions, he showed that the
universe was not static but instead expanding. Edwin Hubble, 1929, observed
exactly what Friedmann predicted that all galaxies were moving away from
us, the farther the galaxy was, the faster it was moving away.
 Roger Penrose, 1965 showed that a star that collapses under its own gravity is
trapped in a region whose boundary eventually shrinks to zero size. This
means that all the matter in the star will be compressed into a region of zero
volume, so the density of matter and the curvature of space time become
infinite. In other words, one has a singularity contained within a region of
space-time known as a black hole.
 Big Bang
 Stephen Hawking (1965) assumed that if the direction of time is reversed in
Penrose’s theorem so that the collapse became expansion, the conditions of his
theorem would still hold. Penrose’s theorem had shown that any collapsing star
must end in a singularity; the time-reversed argument showed that the expanding
universe as described by Friedmann’s model must have begun with a singularity.
The final result was a joint paper by R. Penrose and S. Hawking (1970) which
showed that the universe started from a big bang singularity, the primeval
explosion that brought all space and time, all matter and energy, into being.
  At some point in the past, between ten and twenty thousand million years ago,
the distance between the neighbouring galaxies must have been zero. At this
stage which is known as the big bang singularity, the density of the universe and
the curvature of space time would have been infinite; therefore, the general
relativity and all other physical laws would break down. One cannot predict what
would come out of the singularity. The Hot Big Bang ModelThe Big Bang
Singularity.
 One Second after the big the bang the temperature would have fallen to about ten
thousand million degrees. At this time the universe would have contained mostly
photons, electrons, and neutrinos and their antiparticles, together with some
protons and neutrons. One Second Old!Radiation & Sub-atomic Particles
100 Seconds to 100 hrs Plasma of Light Elements: About one
hundred seconds after the big the bang, the temperature would
have fallen to one thousand million degrees where protons and
neutrons would no longer have sufficient energy to escape the
attraction of the strong nuclear force. They would start to combine
together to produce the nuclei of atoms of deuterium or heavy
hydrogen. The deuterium nuclei would then have combined with
more protons and neutrons to make helium nuclei; there would also
be small amounts of a couple of heavier elements, lithium and
beryllium. Within only a few hours of the big bang, the production
of nuclei of helium and other elements would have stopped.
Formation of Atoms: In the next million years or so when the
temperature had dropped to a few thousand degrees, the
electrons and nuclei would no longer have had enough energy to
overcome the electromagnetic attraction between them. They
would then have started combining to form atoms.
Formation of Galaxies: The universe as a whole would have
continued expanding and cooling. In regions that were slightly denser
than average, the expansion would have been slowed down by extra
gravitational attraction. This would have eventually stop expansion in
some regions and cause them to start to collapse. The gravitational
pull outside these regions may cause them to rotate slightly and as the
collapsing region gets smaller, it spins faster and eventually balances
the attraction of gravity. In this way the disk-like rotating galaxies like
our own galaxy, The Milky Way, were born.
Formation of Stars: As time went on the gas in the galaxies would
break up into smaller clouds that would collapse under their own
gravity. As these concentrated, the temperature of the gas would
increase until it became hot enough to start nuclear reactions. These
would convert the hydrogen into more helium and the heat given off
would raise the pressure, and so stop the clouds from contracting any
farther. They would remain in this state for a long time as stars like
our own sun, burning hydrogen into helium and radiating the energy
as heat and light.
 The Qur’an and the Big Bang
 On the light of the scientific signs of The Glorious Qur’an, we can revise the
theories dealing with the origin of the universe either by accommodation,
revision or abandonment. For example, the prevailing theory known as the Big
Bang requires modification on light of the verse No. 30 of Surat Al-Anbiā,
where Allah says in The Glorious Qur’an:
‫ أَفَاَل‬P‫ َح ٍّي‬P‫ َش ْي ٍء‬Pَّ‫ ْال َماء ُكل‬P‫ َكانَتَا َر ْتقا ً فَفَتَ ْقنَاهُمَا َو َج َع ْلنَا ِم َن‬P‫ض‬
َ ْ‫ت َواأْل َر‬
ِ ‫اوا‬ َّ P‫ َكفَرُوا أَ َّن‬P‫ين‬
َ ‫ َم‬P‫الس‬ َ ‫ يَ َر الَّ ِذ‬P‫ )أَ َولَ ْم‬
(30:‫ي ُْؤ ِمنُون) (األنبياء‬
 Do not the Unbelievers 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?. (Quran 21:30)
The origin of creation is dealt on the light of this verse and the cosmological views
are given in the following:
 Scientific signs of the verse.
 The heavens and the earth "whole Universes" were created from one thing where all
matter and energy squeezed into a tiny volume called by The Glorious Qur’an Ratq.
 These original contents was joined together (Ratq) and the trigger of the creation start
with Instantaneous cleft called by The Glorious Qur’an Fatq .Therefore, I call the big
event of creation Fatq-Al-ratq as assigned in The Glorious Qur’an.
 Every living thing is made from water.
 The Qur’an and the Big Bang
Explanation of Arabic term (Fatq-Al-ratq)
Three interpretations of the above mentioned verse were given
before centuries by the commentators of The Glorious Qur’an:
 The heavens and the earth originally was one combined gathered
thing, after which they separated from each other giving seven
heavens and seven earths.
 The heavens were one layer and also the earth, both were welded to
each other, and then the heavens were separated to seven heavens
and the earth to seven earths.
 Originally there were no rain from the sky and no plantation from
the earth. After that the rain was ascended from the sky and the
plant was descended from the earth.
What happened before the Big Bang? Who was before the Big Bang"?
 The unbelievers unfortunately say that there was no “before”. Time began at the
Big Bang. Similarly, “what is outside the universe” is not a well-posed question.
The universe encompasses all of space. Before the birth of heavens and earth
there was Allah with His thrown". Al-Arsh" was standing on "water". Allah
says:
‫ن‬Pِ‫ ُن َع َمالً َولَئ‬P‫ أَحْ َس‬P‫ أَيُّ ُك ْم‬P‫ َعلَى ْال َماء لِيَ ْبلُ َو ُك ْم‬Pُ‫ َعرْ ُشه‬P‫ َو َكا َن‬P‫َّ ِة أَيَّا ٍم‬P‫ت‬P‫ي ِس‬Pِ‫ ف‬P‫ض‬َ ْ‫ َواألَر‬P‫ت‬ ِ ‫َّس َما َوا‬P ‫ي َخلَق ال‬P‫ ( َوهُ َو الَّ ِذ‬
)7 :‫ين) (هود‬ ْ ‫ين َكفَر‬
ٌ ِ‫ُوا إِ ْن هَـ َذا إِالَّ ِسحْ ٌر ُّمب‬ ِ ‫ون ِمن بَ ْع ِد ْال َم ْو‬
َ ‫ت لَيَقُولَ َّن الَّ ِذ‬ َ ‫قُ ْل‬
َ ُ‫ت إِنَّ ُكم َّم ْبعُوث‬
 And He it is who has created the heavens and the earth in six Days and His Throne
was on the water, that He might try you, which of you is the best in deeds. But if you
were to say to them: "You shall indeed be raised up after death," those who disbelieve
would be sure to say, "This is nothing but obvious magic) (Quran 11:7)
 Some cosmologists say that it is beyond the realm of the Big Bang Model to say
what gave rise to the Big Bang except we believe of creation. The creator is
Allah "Fater". Allah says:
ِ ‫ي ْال َخ ْل‬Pِ‫ع يَ ِزي ُد ف‬
P‫ق‬ َ ‫ َّم ْثنَى َوثُاَل‬P‫ي أَجْ نِ َح ٍة‬Pِ‫الً أُول‬P‫ ُر ُس‬P‫ ْال َماَل ئِ َك ِة‬P‫ َجا ِع ِل‬P‫ض‬
َ ‫ َو ُربَا‬P‫ث‬ ِ ْ‫ت َواأْل َر‬ ْ 
ِ َ‫ هَّلِل ِ ف‬P‫(ال َح ْم ُد‬
ِ ‫ َما َوا‬P‫اط ِر ال َّس‬
)1:‫يرٌ) ( فاطر‬P‫َما يَ َشا ُء إِ َّن هَّللا َ َعلَى ُك ِّل َش ْي ٍء قَ ِد‬
 All the praises and thanks are to Allah, the (only) Originator (or the (only) Creator) of
the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers with wings, two or three
or four. He increases in creation what He wills. Verily, Allah is Able to do all things).
(Quran 35:1)
Principle 2 : Dokha’n Al-sama’ (smoke) vs.
cosmic dust
 Many researches were made in the field of the cosmos dust:
 Spitzer space telescope: Spitzer Cosmic Far-IR Background Project,
2007 showed that Supernovae generated the universe's early dust. As
early as 700 million years after the Big Bang, galaxies were already
filled with cosmic dust (Bykov, A. M et. al, 2005). Studying nearby
supernovae SN 2003gd using the Spitzer space telescope, astrologers
found that it had produced tremendous amounts of dust.
 Cosmic Rosetta Stone (Volker Bromm, 2008): Researchers believe
that soon after big bang, matter began to form as small dust grains
and gases. The computer simulation designed by Dr. Yoshida et al.
(2008) and Takaya Nozawa et al. (2003) demonstrate how gas and
dust came together in the early universe to form the first stars after
the Big Bang.
 "Unified Dust Model": (Greenberg, 2001) suggests a model called a
Unified Dust Model. According to this model, the interstellar dust is
considered the principle source of the origin of stars, planets and
comets where the dust clouds "nebula” represents a stellar birthplace.
Principle 2 : Dokha’n Al-sama’ (smoke) vs.
cosmic dust
 The science of modern cosmology, observational and theoretical, clearly indicates
that, at one point in time, the whole universe was nothing but a cloud of ‘smoke’ (i.e.
an opaque highly dense and hot gaseous composition). This is one of the undisputed
principles of standard modern cosmology.  Scientists now can observe new stars
forming out of the remnants of that ‘smoke’.
 The Glorious Qur’an precedes recent Astronomers since more than 1400 years ago
when mentioned that the Dokhan was dominating the early sky.
 Principle 2 : Dokha’n Al-sama’ (smoke) vs.
cosmic dust
 But, the Qur’an while talking about the cosmic dust, used the wprd ‘dukha’n’
with reference to ‘cosmic dust’. Dr. Loretta Dunne from Cardiff University,
who led A team of UK astronomers says: "Cosmic dust consists of tiny
particles of solid material floating around in the space between the stars. It is
not the same as house dust but more akin to cigarette smoke."
‫س َماء َو ِه َي د َُخانٌ فَقَا َل لَ َها‬ َّ ‫ستَ َوى إِلَى ال‬ ْ ‫• (ثُ َّم ا‬
َ ‫ض اِ ْئتِيَا طَ ْوعا ً أَ ْو َك ْرها ً قَالَتَا أَتَ ْينَا طَائِ ِع‬
*‫ين‬ ِ ‫َولِأْل َ ْر‬
‫ت فِي يَ ْو َم ْي ِن َوأَ ْو َحى‬ ٍ ‫س َما َوا‬ َ ‫س ْب َع‬ َ َّ‫ضاهُن‬ َ َ‫فصلت فَق‬
‫يح‬
َ ِ‫صاب‬ َ ‫س َماء ال ُّد ْنيَا بِ َم‬ َّ ‫س َماء أَ ْم َر َها َو َزيَّنَّا ال‬ َ ‫فِي ُك ِّل‬
)12-11 :‫ (فصلت‬.)‫يم‬ ِ ِ‫َو ِح ْفظا ً َذلِكَ تَ ْق ِدي ُر ا ْل َع ِزي ِز ا ْل َعل‬
 Moreover He comprehended in His
design the sky, and it had been (as)
smoke: He said to it and to earth:
"Come ye together, willingly or
unwillingly" They said: "we do come
(together) in willing obedience. (Quran
41: 11-12)
It is a particle of cosmic dust. It is not
the same as house dust but more akin to
cigarette smoke.
 Principle 3 : The Expanding Universe
The universe is actually expanding at 1.26
million miles per second today, approx., is
over 6 1/2 times faster than the speed of light.
But a single parsec isn't expanding that fast,
it's expanding like raisen cookies, and in full
diameter is expanding at over 1.3 million
miles every second all the time constantly. In
the next 10 billion years it will expand about
40% faster than today at 1.932 million miles
per second. The speed today of our total
universe expansion is same as going from
Earth to moon in 0.18 seconds is (1/6 of 1
second) and in future is continually
accelerating will be 40% faster next 10
billion years, will be speed going from Earth
to moon in 0.137 seconds, just (1/7 of 1
second from Earth to moon)
Now the question is: What is the universe expanding into?
The Glorious Quran not only precedes the recent astronomer,
but revises their new correction about the expansion. Whereas,
Hubble and others said expanding universe, after that, recent
cosmologists said expanding or vastness of space, but Allah
says:
َ ‫) َوال َّس َماء بَنَ ْينَاهَا ِبأ َ ْي ٍد َوإِنَّا لَ ُمو ِسع‬
(47 -‫ُون) (الذاريات‬
 ‘With power and skill did We construct the firmament: for it is We
Who create the vastness of space.’ (Quran 51:47)
 The expansion of the universe proves that:
1. There are many galaxies outside of our own.
2. These galaxies are all receding from us if we go to large enough distances.
3. The velocity of recession is proportional to the distance from us.
This Quranic verse since more than 1400 years ago refers to
building of the sky, the forces of such building and the
expansion of the sky before scientists discovered the secrets of
the universe.
 The scientific signs of the verse
1) The expansion of the universe and its building: Discovery of
very rapid expansion of the universe agrees with expansion of the
sky mentioned in the Quran.
2) Mistake of Albert Einstein' and miracle of Quran: In what he
would later call "the greatest blunder of my life," Einstein added a
term called the cosmological constant to his equations that would
make his calculations consistent with a static universe. Einstein
admitted his mistake in 1929 when Edwin Hubble showed that
distant galaxies were, indeed, receding from the earth and the
further away they.
3) ‫ا لموسعون‬P‫( وان‬create the vastness of the sky) & accelerating
universe: In 1998 observations of Type Ia supernovae suggested
that the expansion of the universe is speeding up.
 ‫اع السماء‬P‫( اتس‬the vastness of the sky) is the best explanation as the Qur’an
suggested, as everything in the universe is not expanding. The stars and
galaxies are not expanding. The galaxies are moving apart because the
space between them is increasing.
 The scientific signs of the verse
4) With power and skill did We construct the firmament vs. the
four forces: Objects held together by forces strong enough to
resist this expansion won't expand. For example, atoms are
held together by the electric force, neutrons and protons are
bound by the strong force, and astronomical objects like the
Earth, our solar system, and our galaxy are held together by
the force of gravity associated with these high concentrations
of matter. Allah says:
‫ أَ َح ٍد ِّمن‬P‫ َكهُ َما ِم ْن‬P‫ أَ ْم َس‬P‫ن َزالَتَا إِ ْن‬Pِ‫ أَن تَ ُزواَل َولَئ‬P‫ض‬
َ ْ‫ت َواأْل َر‬
ِ ‫ َما َوا‬P‫ك ال َّس‬ُ P‫ن هَّللا َ يُ ْم ِس‬Pَّ ِ‫ (إ‬
)41 :‫ (فاطر‬.)ً‫ان َحلِيما ً َغفُورا‬ َ ‫بَ ْع ِد ِه إِنَّهُ َك‬
 It is Allah Who sustains the heavens and the earth, lest they cease (to
function): and if they should fail, there is none - not one - can sustain
them thereafter: verily He is Most Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving. (Quran
35:41)
 Principle 4 : The Cosmic String/Web
 According to contemporary physicists, the universe as we know it is primarily
composed of oscillating strings. Indeed, all the fundamental particles that make up the
universe (atoms, electrons, quarks, etc) are in fact different manifestations of the same
object: an extremely minuscule loop of string of about 10-33 centimeters. This length is
called the Planck length. String theory was born from the need to unify the force of
gravity with the three other forces. 
 The tiny strings that make up the universe are either closed string loops or open string
loops. Both types of strings are represented in the figure below.
 The fundamental strings possess interesting properties: they are always under tension or
in excitation mode much like the strings of a guitar. Thus, the strings are constantly
vibrating. The degree of oscillation of a string determines the properties of the particle it
represents. Thus, a string vibrating a certain way will produce an electron whereas the
particular oscillation of another string will produce a photon.
  Therefore, all components of matters only differ from each other in the way their inner
strings vibrate.
 The vibrations of the strings are similar to the musical notes of an instrument. Since
each string oscillates at a precise note, one may think of the universe as a giant
orchestra constantly performing a series of new musical tunes.
 The Cosmic String/Web

A closed loop string (left) and an open loop string (right)

The Qur’an (1,2) & the Cosmic String/Web
Allah said in the Qur’an: ْ ‫ت‬Pِ ‫ل َّس َماء َذا‬PP‫)وا‬.
(‫ل ُحب ُِك‬PP‫ا‬ َ (‫ذاريات‬
7 ‫ل‬PP‫)ا‬
 By the sky with (its) (Hobok).’ (Quran 51:7)
In this verse Allah describes the Sky that it has what is called in
Arabic (Hobok), so what is the interpretation of this Arabic term?
And how could it refer to the Cosmic web?
Arabic term mentioned in the verse Hobok of the Sky has various
meanings so the commentators clarified these meanings in their
interpretation of the verse. (Al-Kortoby, vol.17/18, and pp.22-23)
they include:
 Hobok are the filaments when they are woven firmly in a fabric (web)
 Hobok are the surface ripple in stagnant water resulted from the passing of
quite air through water.
 Hobok are what you see in surface of the sand by the effect of light wind,
which we now define as ripple marks.
 Hobok are the rippling of every thing even the uneven hair.
 Architecture with stars, galaxies and paths of stars.
The interpretation of the commentators of Hobok Al-samaa
(since 700 years ago) is very similar to the characters of CMB
(Cosmic Microwave Background) given by WMAP (2003-
2008) which discovered that CMB are similar to ripples
resulting from tossing pebbles in a pond. Scientists glimpse the
universe's beginnings by studying the subtle ripples made by
gravitational waves. Fortunately astronomers (Smoot and,
Keay, 1993) and others used the same words used by the
commentators to describe the "subtle ripples" detected
nowadays in the sky (Smoot, G. et al.1977 and 1987).[1]
After the Big Bang there were density fluctuations appeared in
the Cosmic Microwave Background (Dr. Smoot [Noble Prize
2006] called it Ripples). These ripples seeded the development
of large structure as the galaxies of our universe.
Hobok of the Sky & Cosmic architecture or cosmic web
Scientists believe that if one could see the structure of the larger
universe, the universe will appear to be bound by invisible
threads of dark matter from the Big Bang. LARGE-SCALE
structure in the distribution of galaxies is thought to have
evolved through gravitational instabilities from small density
fluctuations in the (largely homogeneous) early Universe. This
structure of galaxies consists of rich and poor clusters,
connected by filaments and sheets, with regions largely devoid
of galaxies (voids) in between. The universe appears as
filaments of galaxies woven into the cosmic web.
These ripples that converted in to filaments into web are well
described by the Arabic term (Hobok). So the holy Quran from
1400 years preceded this scientific breakthrough in describing
the universe.
 (By the sky with (its) (Hobok) (Quran 51:7)
Principle 05: How old is the Universe?
Astronomers estimate the age of the universe by different
methods. Two ways are essential:
1. by looking for the oldest stars; and
2. by measuring the rate of expansion of the universe.
The expansion rate tell them how long the galaxies have
been traveling since the big bang, and thus provide a rough
age for the Universe. NASA's Wilkinson Microwave
Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) project estimates the age of the
universe to be: (13.73 ± 0.12) × 109 years. The age of the
universe is about three times the age of the earth.

Oldest mineral crystals on Earth is Zircon

 How old is the Universe?

 The above sky map tells us the universe is 13.7 billion years old -- but how? At
first look, one only sees the microwave glow of gas from our Milky Way Galaxy,
coded red, and a spotty pattern of microwaves emitted from the early universe,
coded in gray. The gray cosmic microwave background is light that used to bounce
around randomly but came directly to us when the expanding universe became
cool enough for nearly transparent atoms to form. A close inspection of the spots
reveals a slightly preferred angular distance between them. One expects such a
pattern to be generated by sound emanating from slightly over-dense regions of the
early universe. Sound waves will take time to generate such a pattern, and the
present age of the universe can then be directly extrapolated. The above universe
age is estimated to be accurate to better than 0.2 billion years. The above map was
taken by the WMAP satellite orbiting the Sun at the L2 point, just outside the orbit
of the Earth.
 Qur’anic approach
 In Glorious Qur’an Allah says:
))‫ق ثُ َّم هَّللا ُ يُن ِش ُئ النَّ ْشأَةَ اآْل ِخ َرةَ إِ َّن هَّللا َ َعلَى ُكلِّ َش ْي ٍء قَ ِدير‬
َ ‫ْف بَ َدأَ ْال َخ ْل‬ ِ ْ‫ ((قُلْ ِسيرُوا فِي اأْل َر‬
َ ‫ض فَانظُرُوا َكي‬
)20:‫(العنكبوت‬
 Travel in the land and see how (Allâh) originated creation, and then Allâh will bring forth the
creation of the Hereafter (i.e. resurrection after death). Verily, Allâh is Able to do all things. (Quran
29:20)
 In this verse Allah commanded people to wake in the earth and look how creation began?
The verse has different meanings; it may refer to the beginning of life where creatures
appeared for the first time in the earth, or the successive appearance of organisms through
time. Here the word creation may mean something very broad including the creation of
life as well as the universe.
 The stages of creation mentioned in the previous verses give a key for geologist to
determine the age of the universe. Such determination based in two findings:
a) Assuming that these thee stages are equal in time.
b) One stage of them represents the geologic time scale where Allah says: (( He set on the (earth),
mountains standing firm, high above it, and bestowed blessings on the earth, and measured there in
all things to give them nourishment in due proportion, in four days, in accordance with (the needs of)
those who seek sustenance)). (Quran 41:10)
 Then the multiplication the age of the earth by three gives the age of the universe:
 Age of the universe = 3x4.56 = 13.68 billion years [oldest rock of the earth is Acasta
Gneiss, Northern Canada about 3.96 Billion Years, oldest mineral crystals on Earth is
Zircon, Jack Hills Conglomerate. Age of the Earth - 4.56 Billion Years]
Principle 06: "Taskheer" vs. Anthropic Principle
 The anthropic principle, used to develop scientific
explanations in cosmology, originated from
observations that the earth uniquely and perfectly
meets the requirements for life, and more
specifically human life. Anthropic comes from the
Greek word anthropos (Man).
 The very presence of life within the universe is
reliant upon a large number of extremely
improbable events, and even the slightest alteration
would make it impossible for life to exist.
Everything from the particular energy state of the
electron to the exact level of the weak nuclear
force seems to be tailored for us to exist. We
appear to live in a universe dependent on several
independent variables where only a slight change
would render it inhospitable for any form of life.
And yet, here we are. Proponents of intelligent
design draw support from this fact because it
strongly suggests that the cosmos has been
specifically designed.
 The Quranic principle "Taskheer"
 In Quran there is a clear statement on the principle of "Taskheer" which means that
every thing in this universe is subservient unto mankind and that leads to only one
conclusion that all the delicate balance, that we see in the universe, is fine-tuned to
support the human life.
 What is really interesting in Quranic verses talking about this subservience
"Takheer" is that they are talking about sky and state that every thing in heavens is
sub-serving mankind and that is a clear indication to the theses of the anthropic
principle that the universe, from its beginning and through the times of formation of
galaxies and stars passing by earth, is directed to support carbon-based human life.
‫ك ال َّس َماء أَن تَقَ َع َعلَى‬
ُ ‫ك تَجْ ِري فِي ْالبَحْ ِر بِأَ ْم ِر ِه َويُ ْم ِس‬
َ ‫ض َو ْالفُ ْل‬
ِ ْ‫ (أَلَ ْم تَ َر أَ َّن هَّللا َ َس َّخ َر لَ ُكم َّما فِي اأْل َر‬
)65‫َّحي ٌم ) (الحج‬ ِ َّ‫ض إِاَّل بِإِ ْذنِ ِه إِ َّن هَّللا َ بِالن‬
ٌ ‫اس لَ َر ُؤ‬
ِ ‫وف ر‬ ِ ْ‫اأْل َر‬
 (Have you not seen how Allah has made all that is in the earth subservient unto you? And the
ship runs upon the sea by His command, and He holds back the heaven from falling on the earth
unless by His leave. Look! Allah is, for mankind, Full of Pity, Merciful. (Quran 22:65)
ِ َ‫ض َوأَ ْسبَ َغ َعلَ ْي ُك ْم نِ َع َمهُ ظَا ِه َرةً َوب‬
ِ َّ‫اطنَةً َو ِم َن الن‬
‫اس‬ ِ ْ‫ت َو َما فِي اأْل َر‬
ِ ‫اوا‬ َّ ‫ أَلَ ْم تَ َر ْوا أَ َّن هَّللا َ َس َّخ َر لَ ُكم َّما فِي ال‬
َ ‫س َم‬
)20‫ير) (لقمان‬ ٍ ‫َمن ي َُجا ِد ُل فِي هَّللا ِ بِ َغي ِْر ِع ْل ٍم َواَل هُ ًدى َواَل ِكتَا‬
ٍ ِ‫ب ُّمن‬
 (See ye not how Allah hath made serviceable unto you whatsoever is in the skies and whatsoever
is in the earth and hath loaded you with His favours both without and within? Yet of mankind is
he who disputeth concerning Allah, without knowledge or guidance or a scripture giving light.)
(Quran 31:20)
Principle 07: The Ultimate Fate of the Universe
The scientific approach of the end of the universe asserts that there are three
possible scenarios for this dramatic end.
1.Big freeze:
 It occurs if the universe continues expanding as it has been.
 Over a time scale on the order of 10 14 years or less, existing stars burn out, stars cease to be
created, and the universe goes dark. Over a much longer time scale in the eras following this,
the galaxy evaporates as the stellar remnants comprising it escape into space, and black holes
evaporate via Hawking radiation. The universe may eventually achieve thermodynamic
equilibrium
2.Big crunch:
 If the energy density of dark energy was negative or the universe was closed, then it would be
possible that the expansion of the universe would reverse and the universe would contract
towards a hot, dense state. This is often proposed as part of an oscillatory universe scenario,
such as the cyclic model. Current observations suggest that this model of the universe is
unlikely to be correct, and the expansion will continue or even accelerate.
3. Big rip
 This scenario is possible only if the energy density of dark energy actually increases without
limit over time. In this case, the expansion rate of the universe will increase without limit.
Gravitationally bound systems, such as clusters of galaxies, galaxies, and ultimately the solar
system will be torn apart. Eventually the expansion will be so rapid as to overcome the
electromagnetic forces holding molecules and atoms together. In other words, the universe will
expand so much that the electromagnetic force holding things together will fall to this
expansion, making things fall apart.
 "Tai" Rolling up the heavens
 Quran gave a clear picture of how the universe began and referred to the major
events and facts on the universe evolution timeline. And to complete the
picture, Quran also indicates how the universe will end.
 The only theory that may be at high degree of agreement with the Quranic
explanation of the fate of the universe is the big crunch theory. Quran asserts
that the universe will return back to its original state from which it had been
created. The universe will contract on itself as Quran indicates that the
heavens will be rolled up like a scroll. Allah says
ۡ َّ ‫• "يَ ۡو َم نَ ۡط ِوى ٱل‬
:‫ين" (األنبياء‬ ٍ ۬ ‫ب‌ۚ َك َما بَ َدأنَٓا أَ َّو َل َخل‬
َ ِ‫ق نُّ ِعي ُدهُ ۚۥ‌ َوع ًدا َعلَينَ ۚٓا‌ إِنَّا ُكنَّا فَ ٰـ ِعل‬ ِ ُ‫س َمٓا َء كطَ ِّى ٱلس ِِّج ِّل لِل ُكت‬
)104
• "And (remember) the Day when We shall roll up the heaven like a scroll rolled up for books, As
We began the first creation, We shall repeat it, (it is) a promise binding upon Us. Truly, We shall
do it." (Quran 21:104)
 In another verse Quran indicates the fate of the earth and heavens. The fate of
universe exhibits dramatic changes. Ultimately the heavens become convolute
(Tai) and the earth is densely gathered (Kabd). Allah says:
ْ ‫ات َم‬
ٌ ‫ط ِوي‬
‫َّات بِيَ ِمينِ ِه ُس ْب َحانَهُ َوتَ َعالَى‬ َ ‫ضتُهُ يَ ْو َم ْالقِيَا َم ِة َوالس‬
ُ ‫َّماو‬ َ ‫ق قَ ْد ِر ِه َواأْل َرْ ضُ َج ِميعا ً قَ ْب‬
َّ ‫• " َو َما قَ َدرُوا هَّللا َ َح‬
)67 :‫ون" (الزمر‬ َ ‫َع َّما يُ ْش ِر ُك‬
• They made no just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him. On the Day of Resurrection the whole
of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand.
Glorified is He, High is He above all that they associate as partners with Him! (Quran 75:67)
 Part II:
Cosmology in the Holy
Quran
 Unanswered questions in
cosmology
Among the unanswered questions in Cosmology
are these:
1. What preceded the Big Bang?
2. What is the exact age of the universe?
3. Will the universe expand forever?
4. Does the universe contain a significant amount of
invisible matter?
5. Will the expansion stop in the future and the
galaxies begin to approach each other in a big
crush?
1. Birth of the universe (Big Bang).
The Glorious Quran present in two phenomena that constituted
the basic process of the formation of the universe:
َ ‫ت َواألَ ْر‬
‫ضˆ َكانَتَˆˆا َر ْتقا ً فَفَتَ ْقنَا ُه َمˆˆا‬ َّ ˆ‫ينˆ َكفَ ُروا أَ َّن‬
ِ ‫السˆ َما َوا‬ َ ‫ {أَ َولَ ْمˆ يَ َر الَّ ِذ‬
.(30 :‫ ) األنبياء‬.} ‫ون‬ َ ُ‫ش ْي ٍء َح ٍّي أَفَال يُ ْؤ ِمن‬
َ ‫َو َج َع ْلنَا ِم َن ا ْل َماء ُك َّل‬
“Do not the unbelievers see the heavens and the earth were
joined together, when we clove them asunder” (21: 30)
ْ ‫وقوله سبحانه {ثُ َّم ا‬
َّ ‫ستَ َوى إِلَى ال‬
.)11 : ‫}(فصلت‬... ٌ‫س َماء َو ِه َي ُد َخان‬
“Moreover (God) turned to the heaven when it was smoke”
(41: 11).
The important things to remember at present are the following:
a) The statement of the existence of a gaseous mass with fine
particles (smoke).
b) The reference to a separation process of a primary single mass
whose elements were initially fused together.
2. The creation of the cosmos in six days.
ْ ‫ستَّ ِة أَيَّ ٍام ثُ َّم ا‬
‫ستَ َوى‬ َ ‫ت َواألَ ْر‬
ِ ‫ض فِي‬ ِ ‫س َما َوا‬ َ َ‫{إِنَّ َربَّ ُك ُم هّللا ُ الَّ ِذي َخل‬
َّ ‫ق ال‬
.)54 :‫ (األعراف‬.}........ ً ‫شي اللَّ ْي َل النَّ َها َر يَ ْطلُبُهُ َحثِيثا‬ ِ ‫ش يُ ْغ‬ ِ ‫َعلَى ا ْل َع ْر‬
“Your lord is God, who created the heavens and the
earth in six days and is firmly established on the
Throne (of authority), he covers the day with the night
which is in haste to follow it”. (7:54).
The “day” in the Quran represents a stage or “long
length of time” as far as creation or days of God is
concerned: God most high says in the Quran:
‫سˆتَ َوى‬ ْ ‫سˆتَّ ِة أَيَّا ٍمˆ ثُ َّمˆ ا‬
ِ ‫ضˆ َو َمˆا بَ ْينَ ُه َمˆا فِˆي‬ َ ‫ت َواأْل َ ْر‬ ِ ‫سˆ َما َوا‬ َ َ‫{هَّللا ُ الَّ ِذي َخل‬
َّ ‫قˆ ال‬
‫ يُ َدبِّ ُر‬. ˆ‫ون‬َ ‫يعˆ أَفَاَل تَتَ َذ َّك ُر‬ٍ ِ ‫شف‬ َ ‫شˆ َمˆا لَ ُكˆم ِّمˆن ُدونِ ِهˆ ِمˆن َولِ ٍّيˆ َواَل‬ ِ ‫َعلَˆى ا ْل َع ْر‬
‫سˆنَ ٍة‬ َ ˆ‫ف‬ َ ‫ضˆ ثُ َّˆم يَ ْع ُر ُجˆ إِلَ ْي ِهˆ فِˆي يَ ْو ٍ̂م َكا َنˆ ِم ْق َدا ُر̂هُ أَ ْل‬
ِ ‫سˆ َماء إِلَˆى اأْل َ ْر‬
َّ ‫اأْل َ ْم َر ِم َنˆ ال‬
.)5‫ـ‬4 :‫ (السجدة‬.} ‫ُّون‬ َ ‫ِّم َّما تَ ُعد‬
“It is God Who has created the heavens and the earth, and all between
them, in six Days, and in firmly established on the Throne (of
authority): ye have none, besides Him, to protect or intercede (for
you): will ye not then receive admonition? . He rules (all) affairs from
the heavens to the earth: in the end will (all affairs) go up to Him, on a
Day, the space whereof will be (as) a thousand years of your
reckoning”. (32:4-5).
Quranic verse where the day is compared to (50,000) fifty
thousands years!
.)4 :‫س َن ٍة} (المعارج‬ َ ‫ح إِلَ ْي ِه فِي َي ْو ٍم َكانَ ِم ْق َدا ُرهُ َخ ْمسِ ينَ أَ ْل‬
َ ‫ف‬ ُّ ‫ج ا ْل َماَل ِئ َك ُة َو‬
ُ ‫الرو‬ ُ ‫{ َت ْع ُر‬
“The angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day the
measure whereof is (as) fifty thousand years”. (70:4)
Therefore the “day” does not mean a day as we reckon it (24 hours).
3. The Seven Heavens (Many Heavens).
ً‫ َو َج َع َلˆ ا ْلقَ َم َر فِي ِه َّˆن نُورا‬. ً ‫ت ِطبَاقا‬
ٍ ‫سˆ َما َوا‬ َ ُ ‫قˆ هَّللا‬
َ ‫سˆ ْب َع‬ َ ‫ {أَلَ ْ̂م تَ َر ْوا َك ْي‬
َ َ‫فˆ َخل‬
.)16‫ـ‬15 :‫ (نوح‬.}ً ‫س َراجا‬ ِ ‫س‬ َ ‫ش ْم‬ َّ ‫َو َج َع َل ال‬
“Did you see how God created seven heavens one above
another and made the moon a light therein and made
the sun a lamp?” (71:15-16).
.)13‫ـ‬12 ‫س َراجا ً َو َّهاجا ً} (النبأ‬ ِ ‫ش َداداً َو َج َع ْلنَا‬ِ ً ‫س ْبعا‬ َ ‫ { َوبَنَ ْينَا فَ ْوقَ ُك ْم‬
“We have built above you seven strong (heavens) and
placed a blazing lamp” (78:12-13).
In the Quran the number 7 is used many times 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
Greek and Romans also seem to have used the
number 7 to mean an undefined idea of plurality.
In the Quran, the number 7 refers to the heavens
themselves (Samawat), also the seven roads, of the
seven heavens and the seven (similar number)
earths are mentioned (Extra planets similar to the
earth). We must take into consideration that apart
from the Quran, we often find the number 7
meaning plurality in texts of prophet Muhammad’s
time, or from the first centuries following him,
which record his words (Hadith).
Gravitation .4
ْ ˆ‫ت بِ َغ ْي ِر َع َم ٍد تَ َر ْونَ َهˆا ثُ َّم‬
ِ ‫اسˆتَ َوى َعلَˆى ا ْل َع ْر‬
ˆ‫ش‬ َّ ˆ‫{هّللا ُ الَّ ِذي َرفَ َع‬
ِ ‫السˆ َما َوا‬
.)2 :‫ (الرعد‬.} ......‫س َوا ْلقَ َم َر‬ َ ‫ش ْم‬َّ ‫س َّخ َر ال‬
َ ‫َو‬
“God is the one who raised the heavens without any
pillars you can see, then he firmly established himself
on the Thorne and He subjected the sun and the
moon…” (13:2).
.)103 :‫ (لقمان‬.} ........‫ت بِ َغ ْي ِر َع َم ٍد تَ َر ْونَ َها‬ ِ ‫اوا‬
َ ‫س َم‬ َ َ‫{ َخل‬
َّ ‫ق ال‬
“God created the heavens without any pillars you can
see” (31:10).
 ِ ‫س َماء أَن َت َق َع َع َلى األَ ْر‬
.)65 :‫} (الحج‬.... ‫ض إِال ِبإِ ْذ ِن ِه‬ َّ ‫ َو ُي ْمسِ ُك ال‬....{
“God holds back the sky from falling on the earth
unless by his leave”. (22:65).
.)5 :‫ (الرحمن‬.} ‫ان‬ ٍ ‫س َوا ْل َق َم ُر ِب ُح ْس َب‬ َّ ‫{ال‬
ُ ‫ش ْم‬
.)7 :‫ (الرحمن‬.} َ‫ِيزان‬ َ ‫الس َماء َر َف َع َها َو َو‬
َ ‫ض َع ا ْلم‬ َّ ‫{ َو‬
“The sun and the moon follows courses (exactly)
calculated…. And the sky (God) raised it high, and
he has set up the balance”. (55:5-7).
َّ ‫ى‬CC‫ َين ُظ ُروا إِ َل‬C‫{أَ َف َل ْم‬
َ ‫ َك ْي‬C‫ َماء َف ْو َق ُه ْم‬C‫الس‬
‫ن‬Cِ‫ا م‬C‫ا َل َه‬CC‫ا َو َم‬Cَ‫ا َو َز َّي َّناه‬Cَ‫ َب َن ْي َناه‬C‫ف‬
.)6 :‫ (ق‬.}‫وج‬
ٍ ‫ف‬‫ر‬
ُ ُ
“Do they not look at the sky above them, how we
have built it and adrorned it, and there are no rifts
in it” (50:6).
5. The expanding universe:
The following verse of the glorious Quran hints frankly
at the expanding universe :
Allah Says :
.)47 : ‫ (الذاريات‬.} َ‫س َماء َب َن ْي َناهَا ِبأ َ ْي ٍد َوإِ َّنا َل ُموسِ ُعون‬
َّ ‫{ َوال‬
“The Heaven we have built with power, verily. We are
expanding it“. (51:47)
6. Matter and antimatter in cosmos.
The concept of the existence of matter and antimatter in the
universe may be understood through the following
universal quranic fact:
َ ‫ش ْي ٍء َخلَ ْقنَا َز ْو َج ْي ِن لَ َعلَّ ُك ْم تَ َذ َّك ُر‬
.)49 :‫ (الذاريات‬.}‫ون‬ َ ‫{ َو ِمن ُك ِّل‬
“And of every thing we have created pairs, that ya may
receive instruction”. (51:49).
Thus the annihilation is actually probable since the pair
production is a universal rule designed by God most high.
7. The Big Crush in Holy Quran
The following Quranic verses may point to the expected big
crush:
ْˆˆˆ‫ َوإِ َذا ا ْلبِ َحا ُر فُ ِّج َرت‬. ˆˆˆ‫بˆˆˆ انتَثَ َر ْت‬
ُ ‫ َوإِ َذا ا ْل َك َوا ِك‬. ˆˆˆ‫السˆˆˆ َماء انفَطَ َر ْت‬
َّ ‫إِ َذا‬
)3-1 ‫(االنفطار‬
“When the sky is cleft asunder; when the plants are scattered,
when the seas are suffered to burst forth”. (82-1-3).
.(14 : ‫اح َدةً (الحاقة‬ ُ ‫ت األَ ْر‬
ِ ‫ض َوا ْل ِجبَا ُل فَ ُد َّكتَا َد َّكةً َو‬ ِ َ‫ َو ُح ِمل‬
“And the earth is moved, and its mountains and they are
crushed at one stroke”. (69 : 14).
ُ ‫ت اأْل َ ْر‬
)21 : ‫ض َد ّكا ً َد ّكا ً (الفجر‬ ِ ‫ َ ال إِ َذا ُد َّك‬
“Nay, When the earth is pounded”. (89 : 21).
َ ‫ إِنَّهُ يَ ْب َدأُ ا ْل َخ ْل‬.......
)4 :‫ (يونس‬.... ُ‫ق ثُ َّم يُ ِعي ُده‬
“It is he who begins the process of creation, and repeats it ”.
(10: 4).
Thank You