|
(themodernreligion.com)
Science
and Islam's close relationship with it played a
tremendous role in strengthening my faith and that
of scientists throughout history - even today! This
is a fascinating section - do take time to explore
it!
"There is
indeed no human work prior to modern times that
contains statements which were equally in advance of
the state of knowledge at the time they appeared and
which might be compared to the Quran. It comes as no
surprise to learn that Religion and Science have
always been considered to be twin sisters by Islam
and that today, at a time when science has taken
such great strides, they still continue to be
associated, and furthermore certain scientific data
are used for the better understanding of the Quranic
text.
"What is
more, in a century where, for many, scientific truth
has dealt a deathblow to religious belief, it is
precisely the discoveries of science that, in an
objective examination of the Islamic Revelation,
have highlighted the supernatural character of
certain aspects of the Revelation.
"The Quran
contains infinitely more precise details [than many
scientific discoveries today] which are directly
related to facts discovered by modern science: these
are what exercise a magnetic attraction for today's
scientists.
"It is not
faith in Islam that first guided my steps, but
simple research for the truth. [What led me to this
conviction was the fact that it would be
unthinkable] for a man of Muhammad's time to have
been the author of such statements on account of the
state of knowledge in his days." ~
Dr. Maurice Bucaille, an eminent medical
scientist and a member of the French Academy of
Medicine. He is the author of the book entitled
"The Bible, The Quran and Science."
From
a Gaseous Mass to the Heavens and the Earth
The Qur'an was
revealed in the seventh century. Many statements
pertaining to physical phenomena are dispersed
throughout the Qur'an. These are there in the Qur'an
to draw the attention of people to the wonders of
Allah's creation.
Any other seventh
century book making statements about the physical
universe would surely contain mistakes. Our
knowledge of physical sciences in the twentieth
century is far advanced beyond the imagination of
people living the seventh century. What will come as
a surprise to many people is that of all the
numerous statements about scientific matters found
in the Qur'an, not one of those have proved contrary
to the established facts of science. On the other
hand, many of those statements have already been
verified by modern scientific studies, and we
confidently expect that as various fields of
knowledge advance, other Quranic statements will
likewise prove true.
Let us look at
some of the statements which science has already
verified.
Concerning the
creation of the heavens and the earth, the Qur'an
says that prior to the creation, the Heaven was
smoke. God then commanded it and the earth to come
into being and they came willingly (see surah
41:11). How does that compare with modern scientific
explanations? Let us hear a scientific explanation
and then judge for ourselves.
The French
scientist Dr. Maurice Bucaille in his book called The
Bible, the Qur'an and Science
explains:
"At
the earliest time it can provide us with, modern
science has every reason to maintain that the
universe was formed from a gaseous mass principally
composed of hydrogen and a certain amount of helium
that was slowly rotating" (p.147).
Didn't the Qur'an
say that the Heaven was smoke before its creation?
Dr. Bucaille explains the connection between his
description and that of the Qur'an as follows:
"Smoke
is generally made up of a gaseous substratum, plus,
in more or less stable suspension, fine particles
that may belong to solid and even liquid states of
matter at high or low temperature" (p. 143).
He therefore sees
no contradiction of the Quranic use of the Arabic
word dukhan (translated smoke) and a modern
interpretation of that word as a gaseous mass with
fine particles when speaking of the formation of the
universe.
We notice here two
remarkable features of the Qur'an. The first feature
is that it expresses scientific truths that will be
verified many centuries later. The second feature is
that the Qur'an expresses those truths using terms
and expressions that would avoid confusing its first
readers in the seventh century. The seventh century
reader of the Qur'an can easily relate to the image
of smoke, and the twentieth century scientist can
easily interpret the word as a gaseous mass.
The
Fusing and Separating of the Heavens and the Earth
How
do modern scientists explain the formation of the
universe? Dr. Maurice Bucaille explains it in his
book, The Bible, the
Qur'an and Science, as follows: "The
basic process in the formation of the universe . .
. lay in the condensing of material in the primary
nebula followed by its division into fragments
that originally constituted galactic masses. The
latter in their turn split up into stars that
provided the sub-product of the process, i.e. the
planets" (p.149).
Does
the Qur'an say anything about this condensing and
separation of the primary material to result in
the formation of our universe? Let's have a look.
Our creator, Allah, says in his final book: "Do
not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the
earth were joined together, then we clove them
asunder . . ." (Qur'an 21:30).
This
could also be translated as follows: "Do
not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the
earth were fused together, then we separated them
. . ." (Qur'an 21:30).
Dr.
Bucaille sees this as "the
reference to a separation process of a primary
single mass whose elements were initially fused
together" (p.143).
Thus
the Qur'an gives an accurate account of the
formation of the universe to call upon humankind
to recognise the power of their creator.
This
raises an interesting question: How could a man
living in the seventh century invent these ideas
which could not be confirmed until modern times?
And how could he in so doing avoid the mythical
and fanciful ideas prevalent in human history?
Dr.
Bucaille mentions some of these myths for
contrast:
"When,
as in Japan, the image of the egg plus an
expression of chaos is attached to the above with
the idea of a seed inside an egg (as for all
eggs), the imaginative addition makes the concept
lose all semblance of seriousness. In other
countries, the idea of a plant is associated with
it; the plant grows and in so doing raises up the
sky and separates the heavens from the earth. Here
again, the imaginative quality of the added detail
lends the myth its very distinctive
character" (p. 152).
In
contrast to those myths, the Qur'anic statements
are "free from any of the whimsical details
accompanying such beliefs; on the contrary, they
are distinguished by the sober quality of the
words in which they are made, and their agreement
with scientific data" (p. 152).
It
must be that the Qur'an is not the product of any
human or humans, but a revelation from Allah. The
Qur'an says: "The
revelation of the scripture whereof there is no
doubt is from the Lord of the Worlds" (Qur'an
32:2).
Avoiding
the Mistakes of Genesis
As we
saw in chapter 2, both the Qur'an and modern science
confirm that the heavens and the earth were created
simultaneously, having been separated from a primary
nebula. It is important to understand that the
Bible, the most famous record of the creation prior
to the Qur'an gives a sequence for the creation of
the heavens and the earth that is today found
unacceptable from a scientific standpoint. If the
Qur'an was the work of human beings it is difficult
to imagine how they could have avoided the human
errors so firmly fixed in the minds of people from
the previous records.
In
the Bible, in Genesis, chapter 1, we read that God
created light which He called day, and separated it
from the darkness which He called night (see v. 3).
Today we know that the alternation of day and night
is caused by the earth's movement in relation to the
sun. But, according to Genesis, the sun was not
created until the fourth day (see v. 16). So how
could day and night alternate before that?
A
related problem is that vegetation is created on the
third day (see vv. 11-12) whereas the sun which is
necessary for sustaining vegetation does not appear
until the fourth day.
"What
is totally untenable" says Dr. Bucaille,
"is that a highly
organized vegetable kingdom with reproduction by
seed could have appeared before the existence of the
sun" (The
Bible, the Qur'an and Science, p. 42).
We
have already seen that the Qur'an states, and modern
science confirms, that the heavens and the earth
were formed together.
Dr.
Bucaille explains as follows: "Earth
and moon emanated, as we know, from their original
star, the sun. To place the creation of the sun and
moon after the creation of the earth is contrary to
the most firmly established ideas on the formation
of the elements of the solar system" (p. 42).
By
giving a sequence in which the sun and moon are
created after the creation of the earth, the Genesis
account proves erroneous. On the other hand, the
Qur'an, by speaking of the simultaneous creation of
the heavens and the earth, has judiciously avoided
the errors of the Genesis account.
Could
the Qur'an have been authored by a human? No!
Dr.
Bucaille asks: "How could
a man living fourteen hundred years ago have made
corrections to the existing description to such an
extent that he eliminated scientifically inaccurate
material and, on his own initiative, made statements
that science has only in the present day been able
to verify?" (p.151).
Six Days of Creation or
Six Periods?
Today
we know that the creation process can be measured in
billions of years.
The
priestly editors or the Bible could not have known
this. In their eagerness to enjoin Sabbath
observance on others they wrote that God rested on
the very first Sabbath day after finishing up his
work of creating the heavens and the earth.
The
six days of creation in the book of Genesis, then,
are clearly like six days of any seven-day week. The
Priestly editors have made it clear that a day is
meant a period from one sunset to another. Six days
meant from Sunday to Friday. They believed that the
reason the Sabbath day became holy is that God
Himself had rested on that day. Thus the editors
tell us: "By the seventh
day God had finished the work he had been doing; so
on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the work of
creating that he had done" (Genesis 2:2).
If
that is not far enough, the editors took the idea
that God rested farther still when they wrote as
follows: "In six days the
Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day
he rested, and was refreshed" (The Holy Bible,
King James Version, Exodus 31:17).
The
idea that God rests like humans and gets refreshed
like humans had to be corrected by Jesus, on whom be
peace, when, according to John, he declared that God
never stops working, even on the Sabbath day (see
John 5:16). God clarified the matter in His own
words when he declared: "And
verily we created the heavens and the earth and all
that is between them in six days, and naught of
weariness touched us" (Qur'an 50:38 see also v.
15).
The
above qur'anic verses clearly refute the idea that
God rested. God, according to the Qur'an does not
get tired. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes him (Qur'an
2:255).
But
how about the period of creation? Was that six days
in the Qur'an too? In the above quotation from the
Qur'an the term translated `days' could mean,
according to Dr. Maurice Bucaille, "not just
`days', but also `long periods of time', an
indefinite period of time (but always long)" (The
Bible, the Qur'an and Science, p. 139).
Dr.
Bucaille notes that the Qur'an also speaks of
"a day whereof the measure is a thousand years
of your reckoning" (Qur'an 32:5). The Qur'an
also speaks of "a day whereof the measure is
50,000 years" (Qur'an 70:4).
Dr.
Bucaille also points out that long before our modern
ideas of the length of time involved in the
creation, commentators of the Qur'an understood that
when the Qur'an speaks of six days of creation, it
does not mean six days like ours, but rather six
periods. Abu al Su'ud, for example, writing in the
sixteenth century, understood it as six events (see
The Bible, the Qur'an and Science, p.139).
Again,
we see that the Qur'an has avoided repeating an
error which was established in a previous book - an
error that will not be discovered until modern
times. In view of this, can anyone insist that the
Qur'an is the work of a man?
How
Old is the Earth?
The
Bible provides a chronology of history that extends
back to the creation of Adam and Eve and to the
creation of the earth. From this chronology it is
possible to determine the date of the creation and
hence the age of the earth.
Archbishop
Ussher of Armagh (1581-1657) had calculated the year
of creation to be 4004 B.C. If that was not precise
enough, Dr. Lightfoot of Cambridge worked out that
the exact time when God completed His creation was 9
a.m. on Friday, October 23, 4004 B.C. (see the book Thinking
about God by Sr. R. W. Maqsood, p.
63).
Many
religious groups and sects have used this date in
predicting precise dates for the end of the world,
but all such predictions have so far proved
erroneous. The one fact against them is that the
world is still intact and we are very much alive.
One reason all of those predictions failed is that
they are calculated from a false date of creation.
If 4004 B.C. was the year of creation, that would
make the earth less than six thousand years old. No
scientist can accept this today.
Modern
scientists estimate that the earth is 4.5 billion
years old with a maximum error of 2.2 % (see The
Bible, the Qur'an and Science, p.
148). Knowing this, many educated people lost faith
in religion. They naturally felt that the Word of
God should not contain errors of this kind. Others
maintain that the Word of God was meant to teach
only that truth which God wanted put into the
scriptures for our salvation. It is therefore
immaterial if the book contains historical or
scientific errors. As the scientist Galileo put it,
the Bible is there to teach people how to go to
heaven; it is not there to teach people how the
heavens go. Some maintain, therefore, that it is
understandable that the book will contain some
historical and scientific errors since it was
written by human beings who lived a long time ago
and did not share our modern knowledge.
The
Qur'an, on the other hand, does not contain any
historical or scientific or any kind of error. God
challenges us to test this claim by examining the
book for ourselves (see Qur'an 4:82).
The
Qur'an does not repeat the incorrect biblical
chronology we have seen above. The Qur'an does not
give a chronology since its purpose is not to
provide us with the details of history, but only to
teach us the lessons arising from specific events in
history.
The
Qur'an does, however tell us that God measured the
sustenance of the earth in four periods (Qur'an
41:10). As to what could be the significance of
these four periods, Dr. Bucaille comments as
follows: "One could
perhaps see in them the four geological periods
described by modern science, with man's appearance,
as we already know, taking place in the quater nary
era. This is purely a hypothesis since nobody has an
answer to this question" (The
Bible, the Qur'an and Science, p.
150).
How
did the author of the Qur'an avoid the mistake in
chronology committed by so many others, and believed
in by so many others even up to our present day?
Could a man in the seventh century have known that
the earth was much more than six thousand years old?
How could he come by this modern knowledge unless
God was revealing knowledge to him?
God
tells us that the Qur'an is His book and not the
work of any man (see Qur'an 10:37).
Organization
of the Universe
What
the Qur'an mentions about the organization of the
Universe is important because "these
references constitute a new fact of divine
Revelation" (The
Bible, the Qur'an and Science, p.
153). The Qur'an deals with this matter in depth
although this is not dealt with in the previous
scriptures.
Dr.
Maurice Bucaille also points out the important fact
that the Qur'an does not contain "the
theories prevalent at the time of the Revelation
that deal with the organization of the celestial
world" (p. 153). If the Qur'an was
authored by any human being, he or she would have
naturally included the ideas prevalent at the time.
But many of those ideas were later shown to be
inaccurate. How did the author of the Qur'an know
enough to exclude those ideas, unless the author is
God himself?
Those
who say that Muhammad authored the Qur'an think that
the Arabs were very knowledgeable in the field of
Science, and Muhammad was or course one of them. But
this explanation is based on the incorrect
assumption that the Arabs knew Science before the
Qur'an was revealed. As pointed out by Dr. Bucaille,
the fact is that Science in Islamic countries came
after the Qur'an, not before. "In
any case", writes Dr. Bucaille, "the
scientific knowledge of that great period would not
have been sufficient for a human being to write some
of the verses to be found in the Qur'an" (The
Bible, the Qur'an and Science, p.
153-154)
Modern
astronomers are aware that the stars and planets are
kept within ranges of precise distances from each
other. Had it not been for this fact, collision
between them would be inevitable. The author of the
Qur'an was also aware of this. In the Qur'an we read
"the sun and the moon (are subjected) to
calculations (Qur'an 55:5).
Again,
we read: "For you (God)
subjected the sun and the moon, both diligently
pursuing their courses" (Qur'an 14:33).
The
phrase `diligently pursuing their courses' is a
translation of the Arabic term daa'ib which here
means `to apply oneself to something with care in a
perseverant, invariable manner, in accordance with
set habits' (The Bible,
the Qur'an and Science, p.155). And
that indeed is how the sun and moon behave.
Another
verse in the Qur'an says, "the
stars are in subjection to His command" (Qur'an
16:12).
Order
in the universe is essential for its preservation.
God, who subjected them to that order knew about it
before any scientist.
Science
and the Quran
Science
& Mathematics in Medieval Islamic Cultures
Introduction:
There were astonishing (surprising)
achievements
by Muslim scholars (people
who study, students)
and scientists during the period from approximately
750 to 1050 A.D. This period is called a
"Golden Age" of the Islamic World. Great
advances were made in the Abbasid Islamic Empire
(with its capital in Baghdad) even up to 1258 when
the Mongols invaded the empire and destroyed its
capital. Great achievements also continued in Muslim
Spain, in Cairo, Egypt at later time periods, but
the glorious "Golden Age" was the best
period for science and mathematics. These
achievements greatly influenced learning in Europe,
as well. Without the Muslim achievements at this
time, much of the learning from ancient Greece,
Rome, and Egypt would have been lost forever.
I.
Why was there a Golden Age?
A.
Encouragement of Scholarship (studying)
within Islam
The
Muslims were encouraged by the Prophet Muhammad
himself to "seek learning even as far as
China". In the area of medicine, the Prophet
Muhammad also encouraged a scientific approach. He
said, "For every disease, Allah has given a
cure," and scientists were encouraged to find
those cures. This attitude toward learning and
research was a powerful reason that science
developed so much under Islam. Moreover, Islam
encouraged learning in order to read the Qur'an,
which begins: "Recite!" (which is also
translated: "Read!").
Here
are some more Hadith (sayings of the Prophet
Muhammad) which encouraged learning:
"He
who pursues the road of knowledge Allah will direct
to the road of Paradise... The brightness of a
learned man compared to that of a mere worshiper is
like that of a the full moon compared to all the
stars.... Obtain knowledge; its possessor can
distinguish right from wrong; it shows the way to
Heaven; it befriends us in the desert and in
solitude, and when we are friendless; it is our
guide to happiness; it gives us strength in misery;
it is an ornament to friends, protection against
enemies.... The scholar's ink is holier than the
martyr's blood.... Seeking knowledge is required of
every Muslim....
From
Science in Medieval Islam by H. Turner,
University of Texas Press, 1995. Page 17
B.
Geographic
Unity:
During
this period the territory of the Muslim Empire
included present-day Iran, Syria, Iraq, Egypt,
Palestine, North Africa, Spain, parts of Turkey and
Turkey, and more! People came from all those
lands to Baghdad. This brought about a sharing of
ideas from different parts of the world.
The
Abbasid Caliphate about 950 A.D.
C.
Development of Paper
A
third important reason for the Golden Age was the
establishment of a paper mill (factory)
in Baghdad. Paper was first invented in China and
then the Muslims learned how it was made. (Actually
Chinese papermakers were taken prisoner and forced
to teach their captors how to make paper!) Soon
paper replaced parchment (the
skin of animals)
and papyrus (a
plant made into a kind of "paper" in
ancient Egypt).
The development of paper made it possible for a
great many people to get books and learn from them. This
was an important advance which affected education
and scholarship.
Courtesy,
Museum
of Paper Making. Also see a map of the History
of Paper which shows the slow spread of
papermaking through the Middle East, across North
Africa, and into Europe.
D.
A Unified Language
Another
important reason for the "Golden Age" was
the development of Arabic into the language of
international scholarship. This was one of the
most significant events in the history of ideas.
Scholars could communicate with one another, and
ideas were translated from Greek, Latin, ancient
Egyptian, Chinese, and languages from other parts of
the world. In the ninth century the Caliph al-Mamun
encouraged the translation of Greek and
Byzantine knowledge. With the approval of the
Byzantine emperor, the caliph sent scholars to
select and bring back Greek scientific
manuscripts (handwritten
works) for
translation into Arabic. This knowledge could be
read and discussed by scholars from all over
the Islamic Empire.
Arabic
painting of Socrates, a Greek philosopher
E.
"The House of Wisdom - Bayt al-Hikmah"
The
House of Wisdom was a place where
scholar-translators tried to translate into
Arabic the important philosophical and scientific
works of the ancient world, especially from Greece
and Egypt. They also tried to show how Islam
could include exloring new ideas and experiments
(rationalism). The House of Wisdom was set up by
Caliph al-Mamun in 1004 A.D. in Baghdad, the capital
of the Abbasid Empire. It was the greatest
"think tank" the medieval world had ever
seen! Without the translations and research that
went on here, much of the Greek, Latin, and Egyptian
knowledge would have been lost to the world.
The
historian al-Maqrizi described the opening of the
House of Wisdom in 1004:
"
In 1004 A.D. 'The House of Wisdom' was opened. The
students took up their residence. The books were
brought from [many other] libraries ... and the
public was admitted. Whosoever wanted was at
liberty to copy any book he wished to copy, or
whoever required to read a certain book found in the
library could do so. Scholars studied the Qur'an,
astronomy, grammar, lexicography and medicine. The
building was, moreover, adorned by carpets, and all
doors and corridors had curtains, and managers,
servants, porters and other menials were appointed
to maintain the establishment. Out of the library of
Caliph al-Hakim those books were brought which he
had gathered-- books in all sciences and literatures
and of exquisite calligraphy such as no king had
ever been able to bring together. Al-Hakim permitted
admittance to everyone, without distinction of rank,
who wished to read or consult any of the books.
F.
The Importance of Books to the Muslims
"Within
two hundred years after the death of the Prophet
Muhammad, the book industry was to be found in
almost every corner of the Muslim world. Indeed, the
whole of Muslim civilization revolved around the
book. Libraries (royal, public, specialized,
and private) had become common. Bookshops were
found almost everywhere and book authors,
translators, copiers, illuminators, librarians,
sellers, and collectors from all classes and
sections of society, of all nationalities and ethnic
backgrounds, competed with each other in the making
and selling of books.
"There
were many libraries from which to borrow books in
the Muslim civilization. Historians list thirty-six
libraries in Baghdad alone around the middle of the
thirteenth century, and that does not include the
House of Wisdom!
"There
were similar libraries in Cairo (Egypt), Aleppo
(Syria) and the major or cities of Iran, Central
Asia and Mesopotamia. In addition to the central
government libraries, there was a huge network of
public libraries in most big cities, and prestigious
private collections which attracted scholars from
all parts of the Muslim world.
"Of
course, one could always buy books. A manuscript
... was about the size of the modern book,
containing good quality paper with writing on both
sides, and bound in leather covers. An average
bookshop contained several hundred titles, but
larger bookshops had many more ... The list of
books sold in one bookstore was more than sixty
thousand titles in many subjects: language and
calligraphy, Christian and Jewish scriptures, the
Qur'an and commentaries on the Qur'an, language
books, histories, government works, court accounts,
pre-Islamic and Islamic poetry, works by various
schools of Muslim thought, biographies of numerous
men of learning, Greek and Islamic philosophy,
mathematics, astronomy, Greek and Islamic medicine,
literature, popular fiction, travel (to India,
China, Indochina), magic, other subjects and
fables!"
From
another historian/traveler Al-Wazan (also known as
Leo Africanus) we learn that in the city of
Timbuktu, Mali in West Africa, books were very
precious. At the height of the city's golden age in
the mid-16th century, Timbuktu boasted not only the
impressive public libraries, but also private ones
which included many of the rarest books ever written
in Arabic. The libraries of Timbuktu grew through a
regular process of hand-copying manuscripts. Al-Wazan
commented that "hither are brought divers
manuscripts or written books, which are sold for
more money than any other merchandise.
Above:
The Public Library of Hulwan, Baghdad from a scene
in Maqamat al-Hariri. The leather-bound books were
stacked into niches cut into the wall. The last line
in the Arabic text above is a common proverb still
in use: "During an exam, a person is either
honored or disgraced."
source:
Horace
Mann
Many
scientific facts and realities are present in the
Qur'an, which is the only religious book not to
contradict science. Creation is described on the
embryological and cosmological levels:
"And indeed We created man out of an extract
of clay. Thereafter, We made him as mixed drops of
the male and female fluids and lodged him in a safe
lodging (womb of the mother). Then We made the mixed
drops into a clot (a piece of thick coagulated
blood). Then We made the clot into a little lump of
flesh. Then We made out of that little lump of flesh
bones. Then We clothed the bones with flesh. And
then We brought it forth as another creation. So
blessed be Allah, the best of creators."
(23:12-14)
A careful comparison of this verse with the actual
details of embryological development will reveal no
contradictions. The creation of life, the earth, and
the universe is also described in a way that
parallels modern scientific theory:
"Do not those who disbelieve know that the
heavens and the earth were joined together as one
united piece, then We parted them? And We have made
from water every living thing. Will they then not
believe? And We have placed on the earth firm
mountains, lest it should shake with them, and We
placed therein broad highways for them to pass
through that they may be guided, and We have made
the heaven a roof, safe, and well-guarded. Yet they
turn away from its signs. And He it is Who has
created the night and the day, and the sun and the
moon, each in an orbit floating" (21:30-33)
Human beings are asked to ponder the creation of the
universe and consider their role therein:
Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the
earth, and in the alternation of night and day there
are indeed signs for men of understanding - those
who remember Allah always, standing, sitting, and
lying down on their sides, and think deeply about
the creation of the heavens and the earth, saying,
"O Lord! You have not created all this without
purpose! Glory be to You! Give us salvation from the
torment of the fire." (3:190)
Are you more difficult to create or the heavens
above? (79:27)
Many of the chapters are named after cosmological
objects such as "The Star"[1]
and "The Sun",[2] the
latter of which begins:
By the sun and its brightness, and by the moon as
it follows it, and by the day as it shows up in the
sun's brightness, and by the night as it conceals
it, and by the heavens and Him who built it, and by
the earth and Him who spread it....
Although the people of the Prophet's time knew
nothing about the lifetimes or mechanisms of the sun
and stars, the Qur'an refers to the fact that stars
exist for a fixed period of time:
And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term
appointed. That is the decree of the Almighty, the
Omniscient. And the moon, We have measured for it
mansions to traverse till it returns like the old
dried curved date-stalk. It is not for the sun to
overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the
day. They all swim each in an orbit. (36:38)
Even the expansion of the universe is alluded to:
"With power did We construct the heavens;
verily, We are able to expand the vastness of space
thereof." (51:47)
The end of this universe, too, is described:
And remember the day when We will roll up the
heavens 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.
(21:104)
When the sun has wound around and lost its light
and has been overthrown, and when the stars shall
fall, and when the mountains shall be made to pass
away... And when the seas shall become a blazing far
or shall overflow.... (81:1-3,6)
When the Heaven is cleft asunder, and when the
stars have fallen and scattered, and when the seas
have burst forth.... (82:1-3)
When the Event befalls - and there can be no denying
its befalling - it will bring low some, and others
it will exalt. When the earth will be shaken with a
terrible shaking, and the mountains will be powdered
to dust so that they will become floating dust
particles.... (56:1-6)
And they ask you concerning the mountains. Say,
"My Lord will blast them and scatter them as
particles of dust; then He shall leave it as a
smooth, level plain. You will see therein nothing
crooked or curved." (20:105-107)
The Qur'an does not contradict science because Allah
Who revealed the Qur'an is the same Allah Who made
this creation.
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