Creation of
the Universe
Six "Days" or Long Periods
of Time
By Huda
The
descriptions of creation in the Quran
are not intended as dry historical accounts, but rather to engage the reader in
contemplating the lessons to be learned from it. The act of creation,
therefore, is frequently spoken of as a way of drawing the reader into thinking
about the order in all things, and the All-Knowing Creator Who is behind it
all. For example:
"Verily in the heavens and the earth are signs
for those who believe. And in the creation of yourselves, and the fact that
animals are scattered (through the earth), are signs for those of assured
faith. And in the alternation of night and day, and that fact that Allah sends
down sustenance from the sky, and revives therewith the earth after its death,
and in the change of the winds, are signs for those who are wise"
(45:3-5).
Big Bang?
When describing the creation of the "heavens and
the earth," the Quran does not discount the theory of a "Big
Bang" explosion at the start of it all. In fact, the Quran says that
"the heavens and the earth were joined together as one unit, before We
clove them asunder" (21:30). Following this big explosion, Allah
"turned to the sky, and it had been (as) smoke. He said to it and to the
earth: 'Come together, willingly or unwillingly.' They said: 'We come
(together) in willing obedience'" (41:11). Thus the elements and what was
to become the planets and stars began to cool, come together, and form into
shape, following the natural laws that Allah established in the universe.
The Quran further states that Allah created the sun,
the moon, and the planets, each with their own individual courses or orbits.
"It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon; all
(the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course" (21:33).
Expansion of Universe
The Quran
also does not rule out the idea that the universe is continuing to expand.
"The heavens, We have built them with power. And verily, We are expanding
it" (51:47). There has been some historical debate among Muslim scholars
about the precise meaning of this verse, since knowledge of the universe's
expansion was only recently discovered.
Six Days?
The Quran states that "Allah created the heavens
and the earth, and all that is between them, in six days" (7:54). While on
the surface this might seem similar to the account related in the Bible, there
are some important distinctions.
The verses that mention "six days" use the
Arabic word "youm" (day). This word appears several other times in
the Quran, each denoting a different measurement of time. In one case, the
measure of a day is equated with 50,000 years (70:4), whereas another verse
states that "a day in the sight of your Lord is like 1,000 years of your
reckoning" (22:47). The word "youm" is thus understood, within
the Qur'an, to be a long period of time -- an era or eon. Therefore, Muslims
interpret the description of a "six day" creation as six distinct
periods or eons. The length of these periods is not precisely defined, nor are
the specific developments that took place during each period.
After completing the Creation, the Quran describes
that Allah "settled Himself upon the Throne" (57:4) to oversee His
work. A distinct point is made to counter the Biblical idea of a day of rest:
"We created the heavens and the earth adn all that is between them in six
days, nor did any sense of weariness touch Us" (50:38).
Allah is never "done" with His work, because
the process of creation is ongoing. Each new child who is born, every seed that
sprouts into a sapling, every new species that appears on earth, is part of the
ongoing process of Allah's creation. "He it is Who created the heavens and
the earth in six days, then established Himself on the Throne. He knows what
enters within the heart of the earth, and what comes forth out of it, what comes
down from heaven, and what mounts up to it. And He is with you wherever you may
be. And Allah sees well all that you do" (57:4).
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