Big Bang in Quran and expansion of the universe

What do you believe about the size of the universe? Do you think it is fixed right from the start or expanding and it has been there forever? Does the universe have an edge somewhere or it goes on forever? I'm gonna discuss this topic in light of the discoveries astronomers have in the early nineteenth century and the information the Quran has given us 1400 years ago.

Scientists and astronomers tussled with the question regarding the size of the universe. Before the 19^th century, it was believed that the universe has a fixed size and it has been there forever. With the advancement of science and technology, this concept about the universe suddenly started changing in the early 19^th century. 

In 1912, Vesto Slipher, the American astronomer, made a discovery that would soon change the old misconception about the universe. He noticed the galaxies were moving away from our earth. His findings introduced the concept of universe expansion theory.

Then in 1916, Albert Einstein gave his theory of relativity. In this theory of relativity, Einstein said that the universe must be either expanding or contracting. Again, this theory helped in changing minds about the universe.

And finally, in 1929, Edwin Hubble, a great well known American astronomer, confirmed the expansion of the universe through his giant telescope. (Edwin Hubble is considered as the leading observational cosmologist of the 20^th century because of his exceptional work in astronomy. He was born in 1889 and died in 1953).

With the help of giant telescopes, light coming from distant objects was observed as a function of wavelength. Through various observations, it was noticed that the spectra of light from distant objects was shifting to longer wavelength, called “Redshift”. It meant that the objects under consideration were constantly moving away from us. By observing the “Redshift” Hubble concluded that the galaxies were not fixed in their position but they were moving away from earth.

He realized that further away a galaxy was, the bigger was the “Redshift” of the light. That meant those galaxies were moving away from us at faster and faster speed. It’s not only that galaxies are moving apart, it’s the fact that the entire universe is expanding. Edwin Hubble plot a graph between redshift and relative distance, he found a linear relationship between the two. It also meant that the redshift would increase with increasing distance to the objects. This decrease in the wavelength of light coming from an object was due to the fact that it was getting further away from us and based on this observation, it was concluded that the universe was expanding.

After analyzing the discovery of Science, we’re going to see what the Quran says about it.

Quite surprisingly, 1400 years ago when there was no telescope and the knowledge of science was not in existence, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) would recite a verse of the Quran which signed towards the expansion of the universe.

“And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are (its) expander”.
[Quran (51:47)]

Now, I suggest you take your time and think justly: is it possible for a man, who lived 1400 years ago and who happened to be illiterate, to know this fact on his own, which science could do only 100 years ago. Can you accept it? Off course not, unless he had received divine revelation (Quran) from Someone who is all-knowing and the Creator of the universe. It simply proves that the Quran is the book of the GOD.

After, it was understood that the universe was expanding; scientists realized that it would have been smaller in the past. If we go back in the past, then at some point, it would have been a single point. This point is understood as the beginning of the universe, called Big Bang.

The big bang theory states that the universe originated billions of years ago in an explosion from a single point which had nearly infinite energy density. It means all the matter in the universe was concentrated into a single incredibly tiny point which suddenly started expanding and it is still expanding today.

The Quran says:

“Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, then we separated them, and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?” 

[Quran (21:30)]

It clearly shows that the heavens and earth were once one, and then God caused them to separate into the seven heavens and earth. Before the 19^th century, the Muslim scholars could only explain the precise meaning of each word in Arabic in the verse, as well as the overall meaning of the verse due to the limitations of science and technology.

Therefore, one can say the Quran cannot be a book of a human if it were so, then it could not have provided such information hundreds of years ago. The only possibility is that it is divine revelation that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) received. 

To conclude, our universe is getting bigger and bigger. The expansion of the universe is accelerating, how can that be? Well, astronomers realized there must be some pushing because Newton’s Second Law states that in order to accelerate an object, there must be some force. They do not know what it is but it is there.

The agent, force, which causing this acceleration, they call it “Dark Energy”. They do not know what dark matter is but it is there. They don’t understand the dark energy. What agent actually triggered the process of expansion, even before that what agent caused the matter to get together and even before that, who created the matter, astronomers have no answers to these kinds of questions. The Quran can answer these questions.

The Originator says in the Quran;

“Is not He who created the heavens and the earth Able to create the likes of them? Yes, [it’s so]; and He is the knowing creator.” 

[Quran (36:81)]

Then in the next verse;

“His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.”
[Quran (36:82)]

Therefore, there is still a lot to play for. Astronomers have yet to explore the edges of the cosmos.