The Qur'an and Modern Science

Creation of the Universe

An important general impression emerges when examining the Creation as described in the Qur'an - that of its dissimilarity with the Biblical narration. This contradicts the parallels which are often and wrongly drawn by Western authors to underline the resemblances between the two scriptures.

When speaking of subjects like the Creation, there is a strong tendency in the West to claim that Muhammad produced a general outline of the Bible. It is indeed possible to compare the Biblical narration of the six days of Creation and an extra sabbath day of rest with this verse from the Qur'an:

(إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ)
"Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and earth in six days." (Sūrah al-A 'rāf, 7:54)

It should be pointed out that commentators stress the interpretation of "ayyām" (days) to mean "long periods" or "ages" rather than periods of twenty-four hours.

What appears to me to be of fundamental importance is that, in contrast to the narration contained in the Bible, the Qur'ān does not lay down a sequence for the creation of the heavens and the earth. In reference to the Creation in general, some verses mention the word heavens before the word earth, while in others verses the earth is mentioned first, such as:

(تَنْزِيلًا مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ وَالسَّمَاوَاتِ الْعُلَى)
"A revelation from He who created the earth and highest heavens." (Sūrah Țā Hā, 20:4)

In fact the notion to be derived from the Qur'ān is one of a concomitance in the celestial and terrestrial evolutions. There are also within it fundammtal data concerning the existence of an initial gaseous mass (dukhān) which is unique and whose elements, although at first fused together (ratq), subsequently became separated (fatq). This notion is expressed in the following two verses:
(ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَهِيَ دُخَانٌَ)
"Then He directed Himself to the heaven While it was smoke." (Sūrah Fuşşilat, 41:11)

(أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَٰهُمَا)
"Have those who disbelieve not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, then We separated them." (Sūrah al-Anbiyā, 21:30)

The separation process resulted in the formation of multiple worlds - a notion which crops up dozens of times in the Qur'ān.

All of this is in perfect agreement with modern ideas on the existence of primary nebula and the process of secondary separation of the elements that had formed the initial, unique mass. This separation resulted in the formation of galaxies, and then when these divided, of stars from which the planets were to be born.

Reference is also made in the Qur'ān to an intermediary creation between the heavens and the earth:

(ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا)
"[God is] the one Who created the heavens and the earth and What is between them." (Sūrah al-Furqān, 25:59)

It would seem that this intermediary creation corresponds to the modern discovery of bridges of matter which are present outside organized astronomical systems.

This survey certainly shows how modern data and statements in the Qur'ān agree on a large number of points. We have come a long way from the Biblical text with its successive phases that are totally unacceptable, especially the one placing the creation of the earth on the third day before that of the heavens on the fourth day when it is a known fact that our planet comes from its own star, the sun. Under such circumstances how can we imagine that a man could have drawn inspiration from the Biblical text and then, of his own accord, corrected it to arrive at a general concept concerning the formation of the
universe when this concept was not to be formed until centuries after his death?