The Universe
Let us dive deep into the creation of the universe, why do we as Muslims believe in a perfect creator and his perfect creation? Let us start with the origin, where it all began: the big bang. An event that seems so preposterous and fantastical that it will never cease to inspire awe in humans, how can an infinitesimally small point rip open, in the matter of nanoseconds, and pour forth a seemingly endless universe? Can it really be deemed as a chance which scientists claim it to be? Or is there an omnipotent being behind such an impossible event? We can only observe the beautiful night sky and the infinite stars in the infinite galaxies within it and be completely wonder-struck but can we truly understand the creation without its creators guidance?
So now, the question arises, where do we find this divine guidance? For a simple question, there is a simple answer, the Holy Quran. This beautiful light is a gift for mankind; to guide them through darkness by opening their heart to the decree of Allah, by opening their mind to the power of the all-mighty and by opening their eyes to the signs of the creator. This is a book that has remained unchanged since its revelation thousands of years ago. This is undoubtedly the word of the creator. This is divine guidance.
How can we imagine that the entire universe being so massive that our most advanced technology can only attempt to map it, was formed in the blink of an eye, from a point smaller then that of a needle, the observable universe being so expansive that we are only a proverbial drop in the ocean of galaxies that house stars, holding in place planets with their moons, all this created by chance, by luck, by logical explanation.
There is no logic behind such an event, only explanation, and what better explanation is there than that of the creator himself for Allah states in the Quran:
“Do not the disbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were a closed up mass, then we opened them out?”
The Holy Quran (21:31)
The origins of such a beautiful universe are truly grand, but what of its end? How does such a flawless creation die out? We only see it expanding, growing, stretching, covering more and more of the endless darkness that surrounds us. Will it expand forever? Will stretching eventually lead to ripping? Will the universe collapse in on itself? These are the questions that scientists are working so hard to provide answers for. Lets see what they have found.
The big rip is the first of their many theories, the explanation is as follows; as the universe expands, it stretches, meaning that as it stretches, the spaces between galaxies, stars and planets will spread so far that gravity will lose its hold; stretching so wide that even the atomic structure will fall apart, resulting in the deconstruction of everything.
Following up from the theory of stretching comes the big freeze. This is a concept that due to stretching, planets will have no heat source, the auxiliary gas wil`l spread too thin completely stopping production of new stars and eventually the expansion of the universe will slow down, gradually bringing the universe to a complete stop, a motionless state, frozen in time.
Finally, the big crunch, branded as the least likely theory by scientists, is actually the correct one. This theory is as such; the universe will stop expanding and then begin collapsing back into its original state, smaller than an atom only to be opened again at an appointed time. How do we know this is the true one? Because Allah states:
“The day when we shall roll up the heavens like the rolling up of written scrolls by scribe. As we began the first creation, so shall we repeat it – a promise binding upon us; we shall certainly fulfil it. “
The Holy Quran (21:105)
Galaxies
Galaxies are without a doubt, one of the most stunning creations in the universe, they are home to the billions of stars that house their own planets. Each galaxy is unique in its design, and there are trillions of them in the universe.
Our beautiful home, the milky way, holds around three hundred billion stars that house over one hundred billion planets!
With such a vast majority of stars, large spiralling arms and a potentially unstable massive black hole in the centre, it truly confuses scientists how our galaxy and other galaxies keep together while also spinning and moving through the empty space around them.
After a huge amount of research, money and time was spent on this dilemma, scientists came to a very fragile and weak conclusion of dark matter. This phenomena deserves its own article as it is a very vast topic. All we know so far is that 21% of space is occupied by this unseeable, untouchable and impossible matter
Evidence for this matter was found when scientists observed galaxies from a certain perspective, a strange lens arching occurred, distorting images, bending the shape of galaxies. This completely blind-sided the scientists, leaving them utterly confused, scattering for some form of logical explanation of such an unexplainable phenomenon. They are still trying to find a logical explanation. Allah states in the Quran:
“Aye, look again, and yet again, thy sight will only return unto thee confused and fatigued”
The Holy Quran (67:5)
What do we know so far? Dark matter surrounds galaxies and with Some form of pressure, stops the galaxy from opening up and letting the spirals fly off into open space. Dark matter also has a very strange property that defies the laws of common physics, we cannot see it, nor feel it, nor collide with it; we can only detect its gravity. How can such a thing exist in the bounds of normality, why do they still disbelieve when they themselves admit that this is truly something beyond comprehension?
“All praise belongs to Allah, who created the heavens and the earth and brought into being darkness and light…”
The Holy Quran (6:2)
In this verse, it is stated that Allah has created darkness and light. Light is a form of matter that is produced by stars. They are like interstellar light bulbs. That is their purpose. Therefore, logically the darkness may be referring to dark matter. And dark matter is like cosmic glue, holding everything together.
Physicists are working hard to find an answer on their behalf. They are beginning to understand that there are more than four dimensions. There could be a possibility of seven total spatial dimensions. And we can not interact with all seven nor see everything in them nor feel anything in them.
Let us see what Allah states:
“Who has created seven heavens in harmony. No incongruity canst thou see in the creation of the gracious God. Then look again: sees thou any flaw?”
The Holy Quran (67:4)
If we understand that earth is in the first heaven then the six remaining superimposed heavens may be referring to the six dimensions that these physicists are only now discovering. You cannot compete with the knowledge of the creator.
Stars
As stated earlier on, stars are like cosmic light bulbs, they are created by God for the purpose of providing us with light and heat, without which we would not exist. The universe would be pitch black. Allah explains in the Holy Quran:
“By the heaven and the morning star and what should make thee know what the morning star is? It is the star of piercing brightness.”
The Holy Quran (86:2-4)
It is this piercing brightness that lets us look to the skies and see the beauty of creation.
Stars also have another important purpose. Did you know that your body is made from dead stars? A star dies in 3 different ways. One of them is a supernova, a large cosmic explosion that sends out all the elements that the star formed in its life. Millions of years ago, elements of dead stars travelled through space and eventually hit earth in its early stages. The earliest forms of life had these same minerals running through them and of course, we descend from these early animals. Star dust runs through our veins! How beautiful is the creation of God!
We know how they die but what about their formation? Well, Allah the almighty has created a flawless recycling system. Stars are created through the death of other stars, the stellar remains become nurseries for other stars when gravity brings the remains of dead stars, gas and dust together forming a new star, a new stellar bulb lighting the way; another important purpose for a flawless creation.
“And it is he who ordained the stars for you that you follow the right direction with the help amid the darkness of the land and the sea.”
The Holy Quran (6:98)
Everything in space has its own gravity. Gravity is another force that we cannot see nor interact with but we can see its effects. Gravity is extremely important. We have seen the extreme where there is zero gravity, where life becomes a whole lot more difficult. Eating, breathing and sleeping all become completely different in space. But what about the other extreme? Too much gravity. This is the case of black holes. These incredibly strange phenomenon are another way that stars die. These were recently discovered in the 20th century. This means that there is not a lot of information on them, we have no idea what their purPose is, how many are there and we can only guess what happens when you are pulled into one.
The gravitational pull of black holes is incredibly strong, so strong that not even light can escape its grasp. Which is why it is completely black in the centre hence the name black hole. They are able to consume any star no matter the size, as long as the black hole is close enough. They bend the shape around them completely distorting vision. They are so strong that if one was to appear even close to our solar system, earth would fall into chaos super earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and mega tsunamis would wipe out mankind before the black hole even reached us. One of the most mind blowing facts about black holes is that they disturb time. 1 hour near a black hole could be years to everyone else.
“Nay! I call to witness those that recede while advancing, rush ahead and then hide.”
The Holy Quran (81:16-17)
These wanderers of space are scattered throughout the cosmos, advancing through space while receding (pulling) things in. Due to the vastness and darkness of space, it is very difficult to see them, which is why Allah uses the word hide in this verse. Black holes are the equivalent of cosmic vacuums, another design set in place by Allah.
Also, churning in the centre of our galaxy is a super massive black hole which seemingly holds the centre together. The immense pull of this black hole has attracted over 10 million stars to it, this is why the centre of every galaxy is extremely bright. 6 stars out of the 10 million are stuck in extremely tight orbits around the black hole and these orbits are completely different to the orbits we know of. These are tight elliptical orbits that take decades to complete a full orbit. The longest orbit is of the star s-1, it takes over 94 years to orbit once!
Solar System
Our solar system is truly unique in the galaxy. We have a planet that has complete molten lava on its surface; a planet with life, water, air; a planet that is made completely of gas; a planet that has a ring; a planet where it rains diamonds and we even have a planet so small that its not even a planet.
The cyclic motion of these planets are so organised that even though there are 9 different planets orbiting one sun, not one is in danger of hitting another.
“It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day. All of them float smoothly in an orbit.”
The Holy Quran (36:41)
God created everything in the solar system for a reason, the sun for light and heat, “a bright lamp” (78:14). The moon for lamination and control of tides, even far away planets like jupiter that seem like they have no use to us are in fact a shield from stray meteors and comets
The sun is a true masterpiece of creation; its immense size is awe inspiring. 99.86% of the solar systems mass is found in the sun and the majority of the remaining 0.14% is contained within the solar systems eight planets!
The suns shape is the closest thing to a sphere observed by humans. This is due to the immense temperature of 5,600 degrees celsius, which means it is completely molten lava and due to the way gravity pushes into the sun, it forms a sphere.
Its lifespan is calculated to be around 10 billion and it has already completed 4 billion of those years.
“And the sun is moving onto its determined goal. That is the decree of the almighty, the all-knowing God.”
The Holy Quran (36:39)
The sun has been emitting heat for around 4 billion years as a result of the constant chemical reactions taking place on its surface. At a moment, determined by Allah in the future, these reactions will eventually come to an end, and the sun will lose all its energy and finally die out.
Our sun is above average in size, therefore it will not collapse into a black hole nor will it explode via supernova. Instead, our sun will have a beautiful death in which its different layers of chemicals will peel off one by one as the sun increases in size. This will form a stunning nebula. This happens to large stars because, once they reach a certain age, their core can no longer power the whole sun so it begins to slowly release by weakening the gravity. When this does happen, the enlarging star will engulf the first few planets including earth.
For now the Sun will continue on its course in time and space, but that motion will continue until a specific, predetermined time. The verse “When the sun is folded up”, (81:2) which appears in descriptions of Doomsday, tells us that such a time will be coming. The specific timing is known only to Allah.
Our Solar system is the only one we know of that has life. Every intricate factor that created life, our solar system managed to surpass it. Every intricate factor that destroyed life, our solar system managed to avoid it. Is this purely by luck, or is this the design of a creator?
Planetary; Earth
Can we truly call it luck when there are more than a hundred billion planets in our Galaxy yet we are one of the only ones with life? Are we lucky that our planet is neither too hot nor too cold, just perfectly in the habitable zone allowing us to thrive? Are we lucky that our Earth is just the perfect size for life to be created? Luck is just an excuse created by people that cannot scientifically explain the flawlessness of Allahs creation. He created the heavens and the earth in accordance with the requirements of wisdom.
If our Earth was slightly bigger, the habitable zone would be closer to the sun and if it was smaller then the habitable zone would be further away. The smallest factors affect the habitable zone; a zone in which the conditions are perfect for the thriving of life. How is it that after all the bombardments of meteors, each one shifting the floating rock the tiniest bit, that we still ended in the perfect spot for life. Each meteor not only moved the planet, it also grew it in size. Each time the size grew, the chances of life reduced, each time the planet moved, the chance of life reduced and against all odds, here we are, reading, understanding, learning. Allah’s creation, created with intelligence, created to be above other creation. Is this really down to a game of possibility?
Even when the catastrophic collision of the moon of Theia crashed into planet Earth, it hit the perfect spot causing Earth to tilt and beginning. Both of which now grant us seasons, grants us days, grants us a beautiful moon. The rubble of this collision that clumped together to form our irreplaceable moon now controls the tides of our earth and also maintains the spin, without the moon to support the gravitational pull of the sun, our home may not have remained in the perfect zone or its tilt and spin, everything that happened to Earth was for its benefit, it was for us, for life.
This collision reduced the size of the Earth by 3,959 miles which was the size a planet would need for its distance from the sun to allow life to flourish with ease. If this literal life changing collision had struck more towards central earth, it could have caused a larger chunk to be broken off leaving a smaller Earth, which in turn would have caused a higher temperature leaving a barren, lifeless Earth.
If Theia had not struck Earth then there would not have been a moon to control our tides. Theia would be a planet in the solar system and Earth would be much larger in size which would have caused the temperature to be much lower than it is required for the formation of life.
The size, temperature, atmospheric conditions, spin, tilt and tides of Earth all determined by one vital collision, this is not luck; this is the flawless creation of the Perfect Creator.
Environment
Weve talked about many things that are of course very distant from us. But now let us focus on the creation that we all know of, things that we see and we use and we completely look past because we are so well acquainted with them and we take for granted. The signs of Allah are within everything around us. Lets begin with water.
Water is, undoubtedly, one of the most important resource in our lives. We need it almost everywhere, we use it to grow crops, we use it to clean ourselves, we need it to quench our thirst and yet we still do not spare a thought for the Creator. This is an inexhaustible blessing which should truly remind us of God. Its limitless uses, its essential need in our life and its flawless appearance. Without water, we would eventually cease to exist; our bodies are made up of 60% of it. Even more mind blowing is that our oceans take up 71% of planet Earth which explains why Allah has chosen this very resource to be the birthplace of all life.
“And Allah has created every animal from water. Of them are some that go upon their bellies, and of them are some that go upon two feet, and among them are some that go upon four. Allah creates what He pleases.”
The Holy Quran (24:46)
“And thou sees the earth lifeless, but when We send down water thereon, it stirs and swirls and grows every kind of beauteous vegetation.”
The Holy Quran (22:6)
In this beautiful verse from the Quran, Allah is helping us to visualise the blessings gained from his gift for mankind. A lifeless, barren, lonely earth rejuvenated by the bounty of Allah, a gift to mankind, a substance so alluring, our bodies thirst for it every day. Can we really say that this beauty was just simply formed and not created by intelligence beyond our comprehension?
Now we look to another masterpiece of systemically perfection. Trees. A flawless process of photosynthesis that provides us with the fresh air we take so much for granted. Early Earth was in a state of complete destruction, the bombardment of meteors had caused huge volcanoes to form from which devastatingly large amounts of sulphur and Co2 had polluted earth. This high concentration of Co2 would have a huge effect on the production of life if it was not for the early trees of earth to exchange the C02 with oxygen. Gradually over time, a very large amount of C02 had been converted into oxygen giving way for the creation of Allah to roam the earth.
“He placed therein firm mountains rising above its surface, and blessed it with abundance.”
The Holy Quran (41:11)
Mountains are truly an astonishing creation. Towering over everything that we humans can create, their peaks climbing towards their creator, stunning views that inspire all hearts, created for a consequential purpose, guarding us from the harshest of earthquakes.
These are the creations of Allah, created to benefit the best of his creation. How can we deny such beauty.
Signs of Creation
Now, every creator has his design, a sign to present himself. A watchmaker has his unique clockwork, a shoemaker and his unique branding, a fashion designer and his distinct taste in style. So how does the perfect creator leave his mark in his flawless creation for his believers? Let us find out.
What do galaxies, stars, planets, moons and orbits have in common with our eyes, with egg cells, with molecules and with atoms? There is only one way such a strange variety of objects could be connected and that is through the existence of a creator. Galaxies come together and form in a circular shape, suns are the most spherical objects in the universe, planets and moons, astronomical rocks, form into spheres. Our extremely complicated eyes are created spherical, the key of our birth, the egg cell, is created as a sphere, the molecules of every substance are spheres and even the foundation of every single object, the atom, is spherical.
Readers! The biggest and the smallest objects in creation are created and left with a distinct sign of a Creator. Why a sphere, you may be wondering? A sphere has one side, all the way around, denoting the oneness of the intelligent creator. This is the design of the flawless God.
Now let us return to the beginning, The Big Bang, how is this connected to an acorn, or an embryo even.
The Big Bang, started as a tiny small point opening up into the infinite universe we know, an acorn, a small little seed growing into one of the sturdiest, biggest trees on earth and the most mind blowing of all is that a small microscopic cell that grows into an intelligent, learning human, reading, understanding words, symbols, analysing, judging, having the will to control his every movement
Just take a look at your body, can you imagine that this intricate system, the nervous system, your vital senses, your ability to speak, your delicate palate; all this came from 2 cells, objects of the microscopic world. You grew inside another human for 9 months, each complex body part growing from something of a diminutive size. These are the signs of creation, signs of a Creator, signs of an omnipotent, omniscient being that is far outside our comprehension.
“He has created man from a mere drop of fluid, but lo! He is an open disputer.”
The Holy Quran (16:5)
Flawless: without any imperfections or defects; perfect. The dictionary definition of a powerful adjective. It can not be easily applied to simply anything, can any man made crea – tion be called flawless; surely not for there is a flaw in everything but can you find a flaw in the creation of the all powerful
“This is the Creation of Allah: now show me what is there that others besides Him have created…”
The Holy Quran (31:12)
Here we are, living, breathing on a floating rock, orbiting an astronomical ball of molten lava, spinning on the arms of a colossal galaxy , surrounded by darkness in every direction. Are we the lucky ones, formed by the good fortune of the stars, surviving every cosmological disaster that would have wiped us out in an instant, or, are we created, flawlessly by an All Powerful Being through which, such perfection has been brought into existence?
“Do you know what it is you call upon beside Allah? Show me what they have created of the earth. Or, have they a share in the creation of the heavens?”
The Holy Quran (46:5)
We humans cannot even explore and understand our own oceans and yet we try to understand the universe, of which we are not even a dot on the map of. Can we truly understand the flawless creation of the All knowing without His supreme Guidance?
