Chapter Four

The Qur’an and the Evolution of Life

Besides Christians, most of the Muslims also believe in the miraculous birth of Eesa. According to them, Virgin Maryum [Mary] delivered him, because Allah wanted it to happen exactly that way. The purpose was to show the humans, the extent of His ‘divine powers.’ Nevertheless, this popular myth is just a legend, as it lacks corroborating evidence from the Qur’an.     

The Christian priests and the Muslim Mullahs and Imams have almost identical views about another paramount issue, the theory of evolution. About a couple of decades ago, the theologians of both sides identified themselves as Creationists in contrast to Evolutionists, the biologists. Recently, in the West they have changed the terminology to look modern. They are now projecting the term Intelligent Design, which essentially is not very different from the old Creationism blue print.

The Muslim priesthood, regarding itself as the custodian of the Qur’an, has failed to understand the standpoint of that document about the origin of life on the Earth. Though the Qur’an is not a treatise on biology, yet it does project a concept, which is worth consideration for comprehending the mechanism and purpose of living beings inhabiting the third rock from the Sun.

The author, for the first time in the Muslim history, have tried to present the realistic perspective of the last revelation of Allah, on the subject of evolution, with particular reference to anthropology, the origin of Homo sapiens. It is important to understand the conception and the birth of humans especially that of Eesa, who according to the myth, was born asexually, which is against the established reproductive mechanism among the mammals. They engage in regular sex for reproduction.

Most Persistent Human Questions  

The humans have been trying to find answers to the following questions, since the time immemorial:  

Ø     How the universe came into existence?

Ø     How vast is the cosmos?

Ø     How life originated on the planet Earth?

Ø     Who is pulling the strings and running the show?

Ø     What is going to be the ultimate end of existence? Is it going to perpetuate forever, or blow up in a real Armageddon?

Ø     Is there any truth in the theory, ‘there is no beginning and no end?’  

Before taking up the above questions systematically for providing appropriate answers from the Qur’an, it is important to understand that the Qur’an is neither, a religious document, nor is a treatise on physical, chemical, and biological sciences. Primarily, it deals with the administrative and economic aspects of life in the form of a constitution, the implementation of which ensures progress, prosperity, and security of every human being, existing on the face of the earth.

Most of the time, it discusses down to earth realities spread all around the globe and in the firmament, to make the reader cognizant of the fact that it is for the people to explore for the benefit of the entire humanity. The Qur’an does not propose or prove any postulates, because that is out of its relevance and scope. Most of the time examples from the physical world are effectively used to instill concepts in the minds of the people, which were otherwise difficult to comprehend.

It is imperative to keep in mind that the last revelation of Allah materialized over 1400 years ago, in a society, which was very much simpler, or primitive, as compared to the modern times. It was agricultural based, and the best means of transportation were horses and camels. The highest-flying species were the Aves. All metaphors, similes, and allegories originated from their life style for easy correlation and comprehension. Sophisticated scientific laws and theories are beyond its scope and concern.

Still, it drops pearls of wisdom here and there for the human guidance and development. For instance, the Qur’an describes the origin of humans, mostly as a passing anecdote, or to prove a point with reference to the context, in various verses, utilizing unique eloquence and linguistic expression in each case.

In the verse 29: 20, the Qur’an impresses upon humans, to travel all over the globe from town to town, city to city, country to country to study the fossils and relics of the past. Only then, humans will find out how life first emerged on this planet. In other words, this will require lots of hard work and continued research.

‘Mohammad, your opponents object to the origin of the very first batch of humans [both men and women] through evolution, which We have mentioned in various chapters of the Qur’an.

Go ahead, and tell them, ‘To roam all over the earth in search of the evidence, how Allah initiated life on this planet from the combination of simple inanimate elements! Then how, according to His Law of Nourishment, evolution got a foothold over here, and life gradually passed through various stages, to appear in its perfect form. Certainly, it all happened according to Our magnificent, and immutable principles of life propagation and sustenance. We have absolute control over all entities existing within this universe and beyond, through Our binding and eternal code.’ 

Through the verse, 29:19, the Qur’an again stresses upon the intellectuals of the world for giving a serious thought to the origin of life, and how His Law of Evolution set its course on this beautiful blue marble. 

‘Mohammad, make an open declaration to your opponents; sovereignty belongs to Allah’s encompassing, effective, and authoritative laws, within the entire cosmos and beyond! In addition, if they contemplate about Allah’s Law of Creation, they shall soon appreciate how the evolution of life was initiated in the first place, and how it passed through various phases of development, to reach its current temporary abode. Also, tell them, it was very easy for Him to set the evolution rolling the very first time, because it all happened in accordance with His immutable Law of Evolution!’ 

In view of the above verse, the Qur’an obviously emphasizes, the humans should not have blind faith in Allah’s Law of Creation. They should go out and find irrefutable evidence for accepting or rejecting it. This directive came at a time, when paleontology, anthropology, and other related disciplines, tracking the evolution of Homo sapiens, were not even heard off. It all began to materialize with the beginning of 20^th century, when scientific community developed understanding and invented the required tools for investigating that specific field of study.

Interestingly, the most modern research in the area of evolution does not contradict, but endorse the basic concepts expressed by the verses of the Qur’an, pertaining to this subject. However, it is ridiculously surprising to note that the Muslim writers are constantly wasting their energies by contradicting the very tenets of the Qur’an, which prove evolution to be an irrefutable reality.

For instance, Harun Yahya [probably a Muslim mystic] came out with a publication entitled Darwinism Refuted, wherein he tried to disprove the accepted theory of evolution, and denounced it as baseless. In his opinion, the drummed up phenomenon of evolution of the universe, is not only a fantasy, but also a ludicrous concept. He openly professed, “Whatever truth this subject carries, has only been understood by a few theist philosophers and Islamic intellectuals, including, Muhyidden Ibn-al-Arabi, Imam Rabbani and Maulana Jami. They were the only recognized people, who actually knew the viewpoint of the Qur’an, pertaining to the ‘Origin of Man.” [P. 342]

The first one, Muhyidden Ibn-al-Arabi is well known, because of his literary contribution, whereas the latter two are comparatively obscure. Arabi and his mystic cohorts were the staunch believers of Halool [merger of human soul with that of Allah, after death]. His most important literary creation is Futuhat al- Makkiyya, which exhibits his expertise and much drummed up understanding of the Qur’an. Once he made a very interesting comment about this book. He said, “If, somehow, I had not written it, I would have gone into self-destructive mode, resulting in instant incineration.”

Some excerpts, or gems of his ‘infinite knowledge’, from his masterpiece work referred above, translated by Moulvi S.A.Q. Husaini, are presented below as such, for the readers to find on their own, what a distorted visionary this Arabi character was indeed:

Ø     “If a person beckons God, he is both the addresser and the addressee.” [P. 51]

Ø     “God manifests Himself in human attributes; this means, when one looks at oneself, one is in fact watching God. He is without a beginning and an end. He is the First with reference to us, and He is the Last in the same way. We emerge out of Him; He is the First, we merge with Him; He is the Last.” [Al-Fast Adamiyyah, P. 53]

Ø     “Every human being exhibits all qualifying adjectives of God, which means humans control all.” [P. 52]

Ø     “The one, who understands oneself, understands God. “Gnosis gives one a glimpse of God’s manifestations, which is a beatific vision that one watches in this world, and even more strikingly in the next. If one does not get it here; won’t get it in the hereafter.” [Pg 54]

Ø     “Mystics see God in All, and One in All.” [Pg. 54]

Ø     “The Creator is in fact the creature, and the creature exists in the Creator. All of this proceeds from one essence, and ends up in many individualized essences. The world of Nature is many figures in one mirror, nay, one Form in diverse mirrors.”[Pg. 55]

·        “The world has no existence of its own, nor is it a mere fantasy or thought. It is a fantasy, inasmuch, as it is not an addition on God or extraneous to Him.” [P. 59]

·        “Shadow cannot be separated from a person. Thus, you know how you are God, and how you are other than God. God is in both the microcosm and macrocosm—pure and purer. Light appears in the color of which the lantern possesses. It has no color of its own.” [P.59- 60]

·        “Thus, you and your feelings, which you call other than God, are mere thoughts, and the world is a thought within thoughts. Existence itself is God.” [P. 60]

·        “Thus, the creature is God, and God is what is observed in the imaginary world. God is what is sensed and the world is what is inferred.” [P. 61]

·        “The first limitation of the Unlimited was the names. The second limitation was the Throne on which He had taken His stand. Then He is said to have descended to the sky and to the earth; and He is said to be the reality of us all.” [P.61]

·        “The one, who understands oneself, understands God. Every one is in the image of God.” [P. 64]

·        “The Throne of God is on water; and water guards it, from below and from within.” [P. 66]

·        “Thus, God is realized through observation and not through reason and contemplation.” [Al-FaslAyyubiyyah, P. 68]

·        “The true Gnostic is the one, who sees everything worshipped as manifestation of God; hence, every worshipped thing gets the name Ilah [God], besides its own name of stone, tree, animal, man or angel. The last item is the individualization of that Divine manifestation, which is a particular manifestation among all stages of God.” [P. 70]

·        “God is one, homogeneous in essence, multitudinous in His aspects; just as phenomenon is one, displays several phenomena. This display of faces is called tajalli; and God is manifest in these faces.” [P. 73]

·        “God is every form and in all forms.” [P. 73]

·        “God spoke to Moses from fire, as Moses was in search of fire. If He had spoken from anything else, Moses would have turned away from Him.” [P. 73]

All of the above quotations show that Arabi did not know the Qur’an at all. He lived in a hypothetical world, and was the master of writing convoluted text, which perhaps he did not understand himself. A person having such a distorted psyche did know nothing about the subject of Evolution, as the modern experts in the field understand.

A short anecdote taken out of the alleged magnum opus of Muhyidden Ibn-al-Arabi, entitled Qasoos- ul – Hakeem [yarn knitted with logic and wisdom] relating to his strange birth is as follows:

“When my father reached the age of 50, he was childless. He went to Sheik Abdul Qaadar Jeelaani [a great saint of his time] and requested him to pray from Allah to bestow him a son. Upon his request, Sheikh prayed to Allah and Allah told him that he could not have a son in his life. However, the Sheikh said to him, “You can have a son, if another person bequeaths you a son.” The great saint further informed the father of Mohuy –deen- Ibn- Arabi, “I have a son in my loins, and I hereby give it to you as a gift. He will be great saint of his time and his name should be Mohammad.” Receiving that glad tidings, when Ali Bin Mohammad [father of Mohuy –deen- Ibn- Arabi] come home, he was surprised to find his wife already pregnant and after nine months Mohuy –deen- Ibn- Arabi came forth in the world. After his birth, his father took his son to Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jeelaani. Upon seeing the boy Sheikh exclaimed, “He is my son, who will be a great saint of his time.”

What kind of a ridiculous story is it? However, it is a notch higher than the birth of Eesa [Jesus], to accomplish, which God had to send an angel in the form of a human to breathe a son in the womb of virgin Maryum. In this case, that unnecessary step became redundant. The all-powerful Jeelaani seemed to have the ability of converting his [most probably] masturbated ejaculate or sperm directly from his Seminal Vesicle into radio waves for entering the womb of Arabi’s mom and make her pregnant.

It is a shame to realize, what rotten to the core liars were those ostensible mystics, who also called themselves Muslims and the followers of the Qur’an. In fact, they were pseudo Muslims, who directly borrowed their inspiration from the Roman, Greek, and Hindu mythologies.

Another important point needing consideration here is; Arabi’s, only in name dad, defied his Guru Jeelaani by not naming his fake son Mohammad.[1]  Did he not commit some kind of sacrilege? 

However, before taking up the evolution of humans, it seems logical to present basic tenets of the Qur’an about the beginning of the universe; how it came into existence from almost nothing, along with the formation of earth, which currently seems to be the only abode of intelligent life, within the entire cosmos.

The verse 21:30 of the Qur’an describes that in the beginning, prior to the existence of visible matter, a minute single dense ball of gases existed, which exploded  to provide raw material for what exists now.

‘O Mohammad! The people, who intend to conceal or deny the factual laws of the Qur’an, and believe in the myth that a spiritual force, a deity, some gods created this cosmos or it came into existence, just by chance. Why don’t they think about this reality that in the beginning, this universe was in the form of a single entity, composed of extremely dense cloud of compressed  gases, which We  opened up, or blasted out.’

The meanings of the terms Ratqan  and Fafataqnaahuma  of the above verse are the keys to understand the nature of the material that existed before the beginning of time. These also provide a clue to the form and shape of the original building blocks of the universe, which probably existed in the form of immensely compressed gases at that time.

·        The term Ratqan رَ تَقَ in practical terms means to sew up a tear in a fabric or to repair a rip in any material.

·        It also identifies vulva of a female, which in allegorical terms means that in the beginning, the dense smoke or gases were all clogged up and covered with an outer layer; wrapping up everything like the vulva of a woman hides her entire sex organ.

·        The adjective Ratqan رَ تٌقً qualifies a seamless restoration or a manufactured product without a joint, like a tube. This connotes that the primordial matter was closed up in an infinitesimal space, and was under intense pressure.

·        The noun Rataqun رِ تَا قٌ denotes a garment composed of two pieces of cloth sewed together at their borders. This is a metaphor, just to describe the state of the original matter, in a non-professional’s term, which was rather sewed up together very tightly.

·        The word Rutooqun رُ تُو قٌ is used for some kind of an ethereal cloud, which is beyond human perception. The Qur’an is trying to portray the state of matter, before the advent of time, in a common person’s language for easy comprehension. The fact remains, the ultra modern scientific community, with the most sophisticated equipment at its command, does not have a clue, what was it like just before the Big Bang.    

·        The expression Sahab-ur- Raatuqun  سَحَا بٌ رَ ا تِقٌ  denotes the state of matter, in the form of totally coalesced or collapsed cloud. It is just a simile to project an abstract concept in words.

The nomadic Bedouins, thousands of years before the birth of Mohammad, commonly made use of the word Rataqa for the buds of a desert plant, which had yet to bloom. The Qur’an is utilizing the commonly used word to tell the situation that existed just before the beginning of the universe, to the entire world.

The second term Fafataqnaahuma  also requires detailed analysis to understand the verse in the right context.

·        Fafataqnaahuma  is an antonym of the above term Ratqan , and means to bust open, split apart, rent asunder, or violently explode something.  

·        The expression Fataq-ul-kalaam فَتق ا لكَلأَ مَ   means to edit, amend, and revise a written text to make it easily understandable, together with improving the linguistic standard of the script. In these terms, the purpose of the original blast was to fly off the building blocks of the universe in the right direction, in accordance with the grandiose blueprint of the universe, already lined up.

·        The phrase Fataq-ul- A’jeen فَتَقَ ا لعَجِينَ denotes, with the addition of a leavening agent, like yeast, the dough rises, which makes a cake or bread very fluffy. It is an allegorical representation of the exponential expansion of the universe, after the initial blast of the super compressed matter, which according to the language of the Qur’an followed a pre-determined or pre-ordained course. 

Here, the point worth noting is, how the simple and the common Arabic words, which the Bedouins frequently used in their daily lives for thousands of years, were picked up by Gabriel communicative interface to explain to them the most abstract concept of the human history. The Qur’an exhibits such beauty of narration in numerous verses, which are in fact, an epitome of linguistic excellence in each case. Every Bedouin, before the arrival of distorted expositions, which did nothing, except creating confusion and dissensions among the Muslims, had a fairly good idea about the creation of the cosmos.   

The world astronomers have a consensus; the universe is in existence since the Big Bang. That was the event, which initiated the fourth dimension, the Time. Since then, according to the most conservative, or perhaps most accurate estimates, 13.7 billion years have passed. In other words, the cosmos is now 13.7 years old.

However, no one has any clue, what existed before that historical moment, called the ‘birthday’ of the universe. The Qur’an does provide a glimpse of the situation that existed before the biggest explosion of all time, in the verse 41:1 presented below:

The verse given above, contains certain specific Arabic terms like Ustawa , Dukhaan دُ خَا ن , U’tya , Touan  and  Karhan  ,which need to be understood thoroughly, before it is possible to present a logical and to the point exposition. Without this exercise of explaining in detail the correct meanings of the words used therein, it would be difficult to grasp the real connotation of the verse under reference.

The common Arabs used to employ the above terms in their daily verbal exchanges, thousands of years before the advent of Islam, in the following ways or manners:

Ustawa

The word ustawa  has a myriad of corresponding terms in the Arabic language, such as equal, even, proper, composed, uniform, flat, plain, symmetrical, suitable mode, and justice. It also denotes extent, size, bulk, quantity, and amount by weight, or by linear measure, and in terms of capacity. In the verse under reference, the term Ustawa   shows that the visible matter of the universe in the form of stars, planets, galaxies and everything else, were created according to His well-designed blueprint, with particular reference to size, quality, quantity, and aesthetics.

Dukan دُ خَا ن

This term is usually used for dense smoke rising from hearth burning slightly wet firewood. It also defines white plumes of steam, or fog, which are very thick and opaque.

Dakhnun دَ خِنٌ is a derivative of Dukhaan دُ خَا ن, which means dark and dingy place like a black hole. The most probable description, which emerges here is, that white thick gases were surrounded by utterly black area.

A kind of grain or a variety of millet, or an infinitesimally small seed, which is cold and dry is called Dakhnoonدُ خٌنً . This reflects that before the Big Bang some granular form of gases existed, which formed the building blocks for the formation of the present universe.

Atyya

The word Atyya  identifies some type of gases, particles [big and small] or dust, which coalesced together to shape the planet Earth. Here, with the specific reference to the universe it means, that before the Big Bang the gases, particles, and dust come together to form an intensely dense core, which exploded when the command was given, keeping the inherent characteristics intact.   

Toohin

The term Touan  signifies total submission on one’s own accord, or voluntary compliance with a given command.

Ata- un- Nahal ا طا ع ا لنحل is a term usually used for the ripening of dates ready to be picked. The most probable indication, with reference to the universe, is that when the dense gaseous ‘soup’ or matter was ready for the first gargantuan blast, the order was given, which was carried out with utmost precision. This is what the process of Touan  actually signifies.

Karahan

This term is a perfect antonym of Touan , and signifies utter hatred for a command given against the will or the wish of an animate or an inanimate entity. The basic physical properties of matter provide an excellent example of Karhan. It is very well known ‘like charges repel each other, and unlike charges attract each other.’ A very overwhelming situation exists in the nucleus of Uranium 235, where 92 positively charged protons, which in principle should repel each other, are sticking together due to the ultra strong nuclear binding energy. This is the finest manifestation of Karhan, as something is happening against the accepted and confirmed physical law.

With the detailed explanation of the key terms of the verse, under reference offered above, it is now the time to present its most logical translation in consonance with the rules of the Arabic lexicon. 

‘Allah directed the building blocks and other essential elements to come together, following their inherent physical and chemical characteristics. This interaction opened ways for highest and lowest parts of the universe to come into being. Both positive and negative particles responded obediently. The reactions between these negatively and positively charged particles of gases took place immediately and submissively in order to produce excellent result. However, simultaneously the charged particles of gases [like hydrogen], that repel each other reacted together, unwillingly, under the abnormal set of circumstances. He then established His authority with the implementation of His intelligent design with the help of heat, gravity, rotation, and revolution, which created innumerable bodies of various shapes, sizes, and weights in the best possible way.’ 

Through the explosion of the immensely dense mass, Allah created the vast expanse of space-time continuum, and filled it up with gigantic objects, like galaxies, composed of infinitesimally small sub-atomic particles like quarks and gluons.

The verse 79:28, presented below, provides a glimpse of what happened after the mother of bangs:

‘He raised all kinds of celestial entities all around in the expanding space and shaped each one meticulously, to function precisely according to His plan, efficiently and best of its abilities.’

In the verse 13:2, the Qur’an provides details of the invisible perpendicular poles or pillars consisting of gravitational force, which maintain perfect balance and provide stability among all constituent components of the cosmos.

‘With the first blast of ultra dense mass, we sent aloft innumerable spherical bodies and with the help of invisible perpendicular poles of gravitational force, We kept them together in the best possible symmetrical pattern.’

The Qur’an presents the same event in a slightly varying narration to elucidate it further for the easy comprehension of all humans. The language used is simple and straightforward for the easy understanding of non-professional people existing over 1400 years ago.

 The verse 55:7, given below, explains that effectively:

‘By exploding the original balloon of extra cohesive mass, we raised and spread the firmament in a meticulously designed way. Every celestial entity is precise in size, shape, form, weight, and speed together with being on its best behaviour with respect to interaction with others that extend deep into space.’

The two verses of the Qur’an, presented above, give credence to the view that before bursting out all over the space, the universe was limited to a very small place and existed in the form of a dense gaseous mass looking like the smoke rising from the burning slightly damp firewood. This simile was essential for making the people, existing at the time of revelation, to understand the nature of the matter destined to form the universe, before the Big Bang happened.

The Qur’an makes an all time claim in the verses 67:3 and 71:15; no one shall ever find any defect, flaw, or imperfection in the smooth operation of the universe. The cosmos, which Rahaman [Who initiates and controls spontaneous or extensive changes] created, implementing the principle of spontaneous change, is perfect in all respects.

The term Tebaaqun existing in the above verse, is very important for understanding the real connotation of the complete sentence.

·        َ- طَبق ا  لسحا بُ ا لجُوَ means the cloud cover is over the entire earth.

·        طبق  المَا وَ جهَ ا لاْ ر ضَ - translates to ‘the water is covering the entire earth.’

In view of the comparable utilization of a derivative of the expression Tebaaqun, in the above expressions, it suggests that immediately after the big blast, a dense smoke, containing a combination of primordial gases enveloped the entire surrounding space.

Allah is explaining the aftermath of the big boom that initiated the creation of the universe, in a very simple way, for the non-professional people living in the era of Mohammad. The reader must always keep that in mind! The Qur’an is not presenting a treatise on the subject under reference.

Additional derivatives of the term Tebaaqun given below are of compatible importance, with reference to the subject matter:

Ø     The word طَبَقٍ Tabaqin particularly signifies a female tortoise, which keeps on laying eggs one above the other. This example puts forward a possibility that the visible matter came into being in a systematic manner.

·        The term Tebaqan describes the synchronized movement of all four legs of a galloping horse, which for a very short duration, during each gallop get simultaneously airborne. This movement actually controls the speed; the longer the animal stays in the air, the faster it moves. This movement is much more conspicuous and pronounced in the animals of the deer family, which in fact, leap in the air during the run.

This simile suggests that the visible matter materialized very rapidly just after the blast, which is also the view of the world cosmologists, who are trying to determine, what happened in the millionth of a second after the bang.

·        The verb Mutaabaqtan مُطَا بقَة ٌ qualifies the action of placing things one above the other, in a rapid succession. This term with reference to the creation of the universe implies that the visible matter in the form of galaxies was expanding symmetrically, as new ones were forming and taking the places vacated by the older ones on their way out.  

·        The term Tabaqtun-un-Na’al طَبَقُتٌ ا لنعلَ describes the action of making a shoe sole, which requires sewing together two or more layers of leather, specially prepared to form that part of the footwear. With reference to the universe, it means that the invisible perpendicular gravitational force holds the stars and planets in place like the stitched leather pieces.  

·         Attabaqt-un-Najoom ا طبقت النجُو م qualifies the appearance of numerous stars after the primordial blast.

With the explanation of the key word, Tebaqan provided above; to the point, translation of the above verse is as follows:

‘Allah has created innumerable independent celestial entities one above the other. They are bound within their groups through strongly interactive, but invisible gravitational force. The entire cosmos is so well balanced and functioning in such a perfect manner that no one shall ever discover any flaw or, imperfection in its operation. For the very first time, Rahman[2] did bring the universe into existence, from almost nothing, through a sudden change. You may look at our achievement  again and again, but rest assured every time you do so, your gaze shall get tired and return without even touching the outer reaches of our creation.[3]’  

The verse 71:15, given below corroborates the view, “If you look again and again utilizing the most powerful telescope your vision will observe complete uniformity in the entire universe.”

‘Look through the immensely vast expanse of the wonderful universe again and again! Rest assured, every time your gaze shall return with more question than available answers!’

The verse 21:17, given below, touches upon a very important issue. It is common knowledge; the universal laws are holding the cosmos intact. However, there is another point worth consideration; the universe is not static but dynamic, due to which consistent and continuous evolution is going on. Some thing new is happening every moment.

‘Certainly, We have created countless celestial objects in space, which are following one other, remaining within their specified orbits. Since the creation of the cosmos, Our physical, chemical, and biological laws are in effect, without any change whatsoever, and are equally applicable throughout the universe. These laws are responsible for moving the evolution process forward, because of which new entities are created all the time, as per the original blue print.

Through the above verse, Allah is educating the humans about the fact, that He possesses the sole authority within the universe and beyond, and His laws are ubiquitous and work without any break, because they are free of the human weakness of dozing off.

Vide the verse 42:11, Allah declares, He created the cosmos for the very first time.[4] Furthermore, nothing is comparable with Him anywhere in space or time, because He is the creator of the farthest and the closest regions of the universe, with respect to the Earth, the home planet of the humans.

‘He created the cosmos and the Earth, your home planet, for the very first time.’

The verse 6:101, given above, corroborates the view expressed in the stanza explained above pertaining to the cosmos. [Please see the footnote # 1.]

‘He created the remotest and the closest of regions of the cosmos, with respect to the Earth, for the very first time.’

The current, immensely vast universe, which is expanding at the tremendous speed approaching that of light [186,000 mi/s], came into existence 13.7 billion years ago, according to the most conservative estimate, agreed upon by a majority of cosmologists. However, Allah created it by invoking the Law of Kun Fayakoon, but it does not mean everything that exists, materialized within six days of a regular workweek on the earth, as per the common belief of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

‘He created such an immensely vast universe, single handedly[5]  from almost nonentity. His mode of creation is like this; when he decides to produce something, it comes into existence with a beginning, then passing through various processing or evolutionary stages, it reaches the height of perfection.’

The connotation of the expression Kun Fayakoon .is further elucidated by the verse 36:82, presented below: 

‘Certainly, when He finally decides to get on with any program involving animate or inanimate entities in the cosmos, He pronounces the first word Amr or order, and a synonym of Kun, to initiate the process. Then, second half of the original expression, Fayakoon takes over, and closely watches various stages it passes through, till it attains the prefect state, as expected by the Designer.’

The verses presented above clearly indicate, the words Kun and Fayakoon do not have the powers of a magic wand, the moment it is pointed towards    an object, or waved through the air, the things begin to happen. Every happening or event within the universe needs initiation, and then requires appropriate time for its completion. In fact, that is what is exactly happening throughout the cosmos, since its inception 13.7 billion years ago. The age-old phrase ‘everything takes time,’ holds perfectly in every situation.

Look at the birth of a human baby; this requires almost nine months from inception to delivery. Can this duration be increased or decreased by any process or means? The answer is a definite NO! The same is true with all other normal processes, because the natural laws take control of every situation, right from the very beginning.

In the verse 36:82, the term Amr stands out conspicuously, and is the key to the real understanding of the verse, in its totality. It, therefore, requires additional analysis, with particular reference to its etymology.

The word Amr has a myriad of meanings, encompassing an order, a command, authority, power, dominion, a sign, a mark, a token and even the stones, which the Bedouins used to drop on their way, while passing through a stretch of unfamiliar desert for indicating the way back, on the return trip. The term Amr was Allah’s first order of the Youm, right before the creation of the cosmos. The region, where Allah’s physical, chemical, and biological laws take shape is known as Alam-ul-Amr. What goes on in there is beyond the perception and conception of the earthlings.

There is another expression worth consideration, which is pronounced as Alam-ul-Khalq. This signifies a place where ingredients or constituents are mixed continuously to streamline the production of varying life forms. Conversely, it means an extremely productive location, where the divine planning of Allah remains in full swing, with dynamism being the order of the day. In fact, the entire cosmos is Allah’s playground, where unimaginable events are taking place within every nanosecond. 

To have a better understanding of the above concept, take the example of water. This constitutes the basic ingredient for the beginning and propagation of the kind of life the humans are familiar with. According to the modern scientific thinking, life can take root only on those planets, where water exists and the environment is temperate enough to keep it in liquid form. The outermost planets of the solar system cannot support life, as water in there is staying frozen for billions of years.

According to the anthropologists, the first mono cells originated in hot and humid areas of the globe. Besides knowing the physical and chemical properties of water, we also know its structure; two Hydrogen atoms are attached to one Oxygen atom, in the form of coordinate bonds to create a single water molecule. The question is; who infused such inherent characteristics in these elements, besides Allah? The answer is no one, except Him. The scientific community has just fathomed the rules governing the elements and their specific characteristics, without creating anything themselves. Why energy levels, arbitrarily denoted as k, l, m, n, o, p by the atomic scientists, exist around the nucleus, wherein specific numbers of electrons can have a dynamic existence, is beyond the understanding of the experts in the field. The same is true about the rule of octet for the electronic arrangement. 

The Qur’an declares a myriad of colors and languages shall enhance your knowledge about the universe, and shall provide irrefutable proof of Allah’s existence to the people, who continually utilize their innate power of contemplation, based on their cumulative knowledge, like scientists. The verse 30:22, given below, sheds light on this topic:

‘The creation of countless visible entities[6] across the firmament, and the existence of a large number of distinct languages on earth along with myriad of colors spread throughout the cosmos, have played a very important role in speeding up the process of evolution. This is an irrefutable evidence, to prove the existence and working of Allah’s laws. The study of inherent colors alone would provide an excellent tool for gathering valuable information about the stars and other heavenly bodies. This is another proof for the intellectuals about the excellent working of Allah’s natural laws. A myriad of colors and languages enhance the beauty and understanding around the world. All humans are respectable members of the global community and must not divide themselves into sects, factions, or opposing parties, and should condemn discrimination based upon race, creed, color, ethnic origin, and nationality. These are some of the realities based upon Allah’s code for those, who possess innate capabilities to explore and comprehend, what lies between the heavens and the earth.’

The Qur’an firmly establishes; the existing life appeared on the planet Earth in six distinct stages. The verses 7:54; 10:3; 11:7; 25:59; 32:4; 50:38 and 57:4 provide valuable information pertaining to this topic.

Firstly, it is imperative to understand the real connotation of the term  Rabbakum, which signifies single handily raises and takes of the entire universe and beyond. Surely, there is nothing similar between Him and the large crowd of ‘Lords’ created by the British Royalty, who carry out all sorts of odd jobs for their sovereign. To call God by a degrading synonym like ‘Lord’ is not only derogatory, but also unjustified.

Secondly, the word Ayyam, a plural of the term Youm does not signify the regular 24-hour days on earth. On the contrary, it carries much wider significance as per various verses of the Qur’an, like an epoch, an era, or some specific time zone, along with a particular stage or phase of an ongoing process, or a dimension denoted as Time, on the cosmic scale.

In view of the above classifications of Time on various scales, the real ideal representation of the verse 7: 54, would be as follows:

‘Your Creator, Nurturer, and Raiser created the firmament inclusive of the Earth in six stages, or distinct cosmological periods.’

Allah has dealt with the creation of cosmos in many verses of the Qur’an, but the most expressive and meaningful, regarding the subject matter, are 7:54; 10:3; 11:7; 25:59; 32:4; 50:38, 57. These verses consistently describe the completion of that enormously gigantic and immensely massive task in six distinct steps or periods. Though the subject matter in the specified verses remains the same, yet the varying linguistic expressions covers it from various perspectives, to make the resultant narratives very comprehensive and easy to understand, especially for the Arabic literates. 

The Qur’an clearly indicates that after the big bang, the universe began to appear within the first two stages. [41:9]

‘Mohammad, ask them! Why are they opposing and denying the, nourishing, and beneficial program for the entire humanity, which Allah has revealed to you? Why do they ascribe equality to other entities with Him, or follow the fabricated rules and regulations? This plan originates with that powerful Sustainer, who created your earth and the entire firmament in two cosmic epochs.[7] This wholesome program comes from your Rabb, or Cherisher, who has taken the responsibility of providing sustenance to everything existing within this cosmos and beyond.’

The verse 41:11 further augments the cosmic connotation of the verse 41: 9, that Allah did not create the living planet Earth only, but shaped the entire cosmos within those two periods.

The verse 41:11 is the extrapolation of the verse 41:9, with the supplemental superimposition of all visible matter.

The most appropriate translation of the verse quoted above, is as follows:

‘We created innumerable worlds[8], or We completed the cosmic designing and creation in two distinct ‘stages’[9]  with the application of natural laws[10] to each one for the best utilization with respect to its functioning and control. We have adorned the firmament with shining stars[11] to present a magnificent spectacle, especially at night, to the human eye, instead of leaving there a horrifying deep black void. They are secure in their orbits[12]  and the entire universe is perfectly designed with respect to its immense expanse, through the application of Our ubiquitous and immutable laws.’

It is fascinating to discuss the terms Owhaa  or Wahi of the above verse, in order to obtain additional information about the creation of the cosmos and its eventual stabilization.

According to the above verses, after designing, creating and firmly establishing the very early universe, Allah clamped down His physical, chemical, and biological laws upon it, to let the evolution process proceed forward in a positive direction smoothly.

The Qur’an has applied the terms Owhaa  or Wahi to create the following three distinct linguistic expressions:

When the word Owhaa  or Wahi specifically denotes inanimate objects of the universe, it means each one is precisely functioning according to His prescribed physical and chemical laws. The existing matter, whether white or dark, continues to perform the way, it is designed, due to its inherent composition, and the natural laws regulating its behavior. It has no choice to deviate from the given line of action.

The Qur’an declares that fundamental reality in an authoritative manner; vide the verse 41:12, as under:

‘We have inculcated inherent properties in the matter, spread all over the cosmos, to function in accordance with our natural laws.’

Similar information comes up with the verse 24:41, in a slightly diverse style, but carrying the same commanding tone.

‘Every inorganic entity in this universe knows its duties, responsibilities, and limitations fully well, in accordance with Our Immutable laws.’

When the word Owhaa  or Wahi covers all terrestrial life forms, both of zoological or botanical nature, except humans, it means Allah has provided them with an intrinsic system of instinct, which takes care of guidance, self-preservation, nourishment, and protection. [16:68]

‘The honeybee swarms, instinctively, select mountains and trees for building honeycomb, to produce honey for the nourishment of others.[13] 

Therefore, the terrestrial life forms [except humans], including tiny insects, are instinctively cognizant of their ‘inherited characteristics’, and act accordingly. Except humans, none has freedom of choice; they are all following what is written in their institution of genes. 

Though the Qur’an has used the words Owhaa  and Wahi for humans too, yet they are not receiving the latter anymore. This mode of divine guidance commenced with Noah [about six millennia ago], the first Messenger of Allah, and ended with Mohammad, the last one of the series.

However, one fact must be kept in mind; Allah never had direct, one-on-one conversation with any person ever, including his most stalwart Messengers. Instead, He passed on His commandments to the selected receiver of Wahi, through Gabriel [powerful communicative interface], who in turn became His Messenger to disseminate that knowledge, through the implementation of the revealed constitution, with the establishment of an administration along with the economic system. In addition, he made proper arrangements to preserve the revelation for the coming generations.

It is fascinating to know; humans enjoy complete freedom, as for as Wahi is concerned. They have a right to accept or reject it, collectively or severally. That was exactly, what happened with almost every Messenger [administrator] of Allah. A group accepted the divine charter, he presented to the people, but another did not. A tussle started between the two, culminating into the possibility of violent clashes between them. At that break point, the Messenger usually migrated to a safe haven for continuing his mission. Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad faced the same dilemma, and had to say good-bye to their respective places of birth. Incidentally, each one of them became very successful in the land of his choice, where he did establish his government and implemented the divine social order. In most cases, the initial diehard dissenters could not stay in vacuum for too long, and joined the overwhelmingly successful system of government established by the Messenger and his dedicated associates, to reap ample benefits, eventually.    

After Mohammad, Allah did stop or rather put a full stop to the selection of Messengers [administrators]. He was the last one appointed, with the Qur’an being the final revelation. The logic presented for taking that step is very simple. The humanity had come of age, and in the presence of the Qur’an, there is no need to reveal another constitution, as it would tantamount to the repetition of the same. Moreover, Allah has assumed the responsibility[ through His devotees] of keeping the Qur’an intact, until the end of time, and it is existing in its original shape, form, text and syntax, right in the 21st century.

  I have taken your question, “In which form was this universe before the Big Bang” However, I did not mention in this discussion, how human being surfaced in this beautiful planet and how the first group of male and female and where evolved.  Being the student of the Quran, it is my research; it is not the final word.

Due to the latest censoring of my recent posting, addressed to Farzana regarding the wrong translation of the Qur’an, this will be the last time I write replies for Family of Heart blogs. As a protest I am holding all my postings because of this prejudice policy of the Family of Heart. The Family of Heart platform gives full liberty to atheists such as, Dr. Sohail, Farzana and Rasheed Mogul and other like-minded people to insult the Quran, Allah, and Mohammad.  In my point of view, it is their basic right and I being a Muslim and a student of the Quran take their criticism as a gift, however, Mr. Pervaiz has no right to censor my comments about Farzana without my knowledge. The same right and freedom must be given to everyone and let the readers should decide by using their choice of freedom and power of reasoning. I have participated in this podium to get and give knowledge and respect and I am not joining this stand for mental masturbation. If Mr. Pervaiz is giving freedom and all the rights and respect to atheist, especially, Dr. Sohail and Farsana to insult Islam, exalted Mohammad and the Quran then I also have the right to defend the respective Quranic values and to show their biased views towards Islam. The same thing happened when we were discussing the subject “Can we say Good by to God” and I lodged my protest to Mr. Pervaiz and explained to him that this kind of policy is against the basic rights of human freedom.

 Since Dr.Sohail and his cohorts left the Islam therefore, as a matter of principle and being an honest atheist they must not select the subject like “The Quran relevance to the 20^th century.” However, if they are selecting such kind of subject to satisfy their enmity against the Islam then they have enough courage to absorb the adverse views and they must not use the cheap tactics like cencesoring the posting of any writer. That was the reason stopped sending my postings but this time I listened to my dear atheist buddy Mr. Sultan Rafiq and again I happily participated in this discussion

This kind of policy is also against the freedom charter of the Quran.

GOOD BY

Best Regards

Send questions or comments to Akhtar Sherazi