Scientific
Concepts in the Quran: The Expanding Universe
Let us examine in detail the Quranic
verse found in Surah Al-Zariyat (51:47), which makes a strong connection
between scientific observation, introspection, and divine truth.
📖 Quranic Verse:
Surah Al-Zariyat (51:47)
🔹 Arabic Verse:
وَالسَّمَاءَ
بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْيْدٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ
🔹 Transliteration:
Wa as-samā’a banaynāhā bi-ayd(in), wa innā la-mūsiʿūn.
🔹 English Translation:
"And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We
are [its] expander."
(Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:47)
🧪 Scientific Interpretation: The Expanding Universe
This verse reveals that the heavens (universe) were constructed with power/strength and are continually expanding—a concept that was only scientifically confirmed in the 20th century.
🔹 Keyword Analysis:
1. "بَنَيْنَاهَا" (Banaynāhā):
· Root: ب-ن-ي — "to build, construct."
· Suggests a purposeful, engineered structure—not random.
2. "بِأَيْيْدٍ" (Bi-Aydin):
· Plural of "yad" (hand) but metaphorically implies power, might, strength.
· Implies the energy and precision in the creation process.
3. "لَمُوسِعُونَ" (La-mūsiʿūn):
· Root: و-س-ع — "to widen, expand, make spacious."
· Form: Active participle (plural) = “We are surely expanding it.”
· This is a present continuous action, not past tense.
✅ Conclusion: The universe is not static—it is being actively expanded.
🔭 Modern Scientific Discovery:
🔹 1. Edwin Hubble (1929)
· Discovered that galaxies are moving away from each other.
· Observed redshift in light from distant galaxies.
· The farther the galaxy, the faster it moves—proving the universe is expanding.
🔹 2. Big Bang Theory (1948 onward)
· The universe originated from an extremely hot and dense state.
· Since that explosion-like origin, space itself has been stretching.
· Supported by cosmic microwave background radiation and Hubble’s Law.
The standard model of cosmology now asserts:
“The universe is expanding in all directions like the surface of a
balloon being blown up.”
🧠 Correlation Between the Quran and Cosmology
|
Quranic Phrase |
Scientific
Phenomenon |
|
"We constructed the heaven" |
The universe has a structured origin (Big Bang) |
|
"With strength" |
The universe began with great energy and force |
|
"We are expanding it" |
Ongoing expansion of space (Hubble’s Law) |
The exact term "muwsiʿūn" (expanding) is not metaphorical—it is precise, active, and continuous, aligning with current cosmological understanding.
📌 Other Related Quranic Verses on the Universe
🔹 Surah Al-Anbiya (21:30):
"Have those who disbelieved not considered that the skies and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them..."
Arabic:
أَوَلَمْ
يَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا أَنَّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًۭا
فَفَتَقْنَـٰهُمَا ۖ
·
"Ratqan": fused, united mass.
·
"Fataqna": tore apart or split—matching the Big
Bang separation.
🔹 Surah Fussilat (41:11):
"Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke..."
Arabic:
ثُمَّ
ٱسْتَوَىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَهِىَ دُخَانٌۭ
·
"Dukhān": smoke—interpreted as cosmic
gaseous matter, similar to the plasma phase of early universe.
📚 Commentary by Scholars and Scientists
· Dr. Maurice Bucaille, in “The Bible, the Quran and Science”, observed:
“The Quran’s statements about the universe are fully consistent with modern science, even though they were revealed centuries before telescopes and astrophysics.”
· NASA Physicist Joseph Silk explained that:
“The expansion of the universe is one of the most significant discoveries of the 20th century, changing our understanding of space and time.”
Yet the Quran declared it in the 7th century.
🧠 Final Reflections
The concept of an expanding universe is not only a foundation of modern cosmology, but also a testament to the timeless scientific depth of the Quran. The divine use of the active verb "لَمُوسِعُونَ" (We are surely expanding it) precisely encapsulates a truth only recently uncovered by science.
“We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves
until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.”
(Surah Fussilat 41:53)
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