Big Bang - An Islamic Perspective?

Big Bang - An Islamic Perspective?

The Big Bang theory attempts to explain how the universe began. This theory was put forward by Edwin Hubble in 1929. He discovered that the galaxies close to the Milky Way are moving and distancing away from us. He also noticed that the further the galaxies were, the faster they were distancing. From this he argued that the universe had a starting point from which it was expanding and has been expanding from since.

"And the heavens We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander." [Quran: 51:47] (the word vaasi’ in Arabic means vast, moowsi’oon [which comes from the root word vaasi’] is the word used in that verse which signifies that someone is an expander and expanding that certain thing, in the context of the verse – the heavens or space is gradually being expanded by God’s control.]

What occurred before the Big Bang remains unknown, how did all matter begin, what caused the Big Bang? Scientists who do not believe in the concept of God will say that they don't know and have no answer, while others will argue that this was caused by an all Powerful God who is outside His creation.

In the 1960s, Arno Panzias and Robert Wilson detected an afterglow from the Big Bang. This showed that during the universe’s early period, it was a hot and hostile place. They concluded from this that the universe began as a dense fireball. This is where it began to expand from.

This started to expand gradually, the different gases (of a smoke composition i.e. hydrogen, helium etc.) began to distance away.

Then He turned to the heaven when it was smoke... (Quran, 41:11)

This gradually expanded into the universe, the heavens, and space. After around 300,000 years these gradually cooled and slowly – over time - were formed into stars, and planets (including the planet earth we live in.)

Have not those who disbelieved known that the heavens and the earth were one connected entity, then We separated them? And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?

(Quran, 21:30)

A new star forming out of a cloud

of gas and dust (nebula)

The Lagoon nebula is a cloud of gas and dust, it is about 60 light years in diameter. It is excited by the ultraviolet radiation of the hot stars that have recently formed within its bulk. (Horizons, Exploring the Universe, Seeds, plate 9, from Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.)

The above picture shows how the nebula (shown in the earlier image) has formed into hot stars gradually as the gases have cooled.

We as Muslims simply believe that all this was caused by Allah who is perfect in every way, whereas those who disbelieve in Allah - the Lord of the Worlds will simply have no explanation for who caused this and will remain questioning for eternity. Since they cannot prove or give a suitable explanation to what occured before the Big Bang. The atheists will say all the planets and starts etc. formed by chance, we will say that it all happened by Allah's will.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/origins/bigbang/

http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-ch1-1-c.htm