Islamists claim that the Big Bang Theory was told in the Quran. They present the following verse:
Quran 21:30:
اَوَ لَمۡ یَرَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡۤا اَنَّ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ کَانَتَا رَتۡقًا فَفَتَقۡنٰہُمَا ؕ
ARE, THEN, they who are bent on denying the truth not aware that the heavens and the earth were [once] one single entity [Arabic: رَتۡقًا Ratqan], which We then parted asunder [Arabic: فَفَتَقۡنٰہُمَا] [Translated by Muhammad Asad]
Do the disbelievers not realize that the heavens and earth were ˹once˺ one mass then We split them apart? [Translated by -Dr. Mustafa Khattab]
The problems with this Islamist claim is:
(1) The Heavens and the Earth Were Not a Single Entity, but Created Separately, but put adjacent to each other:
The translation of the word "ratqan" (رَتْقًا) as "one single entity" or "one mass" is dishonesty by the Muslim Translators.
According to Lane's Lexicon, the word "ratqan" means "closed up" or "sewn up" (Lane's Lexicon, p. 1027 رَتْقًا). Thus, the verse does not imply that the earth and the heaven were a homogenous mass or state as one single entity.
The verse suggests that the heavens and the earth were joined together initially at the time of creation, and were later separated. It does not imply that they were originally one undifferentiated mass.
The correct translation of this verse is:
Quran 21:30: "Do not those who deny the truth see that the heavens and the earth were joined together and that We then split them asunder?"
Furthermore, Muhammad's hadith supports the understanding that the heavens and the earth were created as distinct, separate entities.
... He said, "First of all, there was nothing but Allah, and (then He created His Throne). His throne was over the water, and He wrote everything in the Book (in the Heaven) and created the Heavens and the Earth."
If it was as a case of one entity/one mass, then Muhammad would have instead said:
" ... His throne was over the water, and He wrote everything in the Book (in the Heaven) and created one homogenous mass, from which later the Heavens and the Earth were created."
The concept was present in multiple cultures (as we will see later in this article) that both the Earth and the Heaven were created separately, but put adjacent to each other initially in the beginning. Muhammad copied this exact concept.
Ibn Kathir wrote in the commentary of this verse (link):
Do they not see that the Heavens and the Earth were ratqan, meaning that all of them were connected (muttaṣil) to each other, touching (mutalāṣiq) and piled up (mutarākim) on top of each other at the beginning of the affair. Then He separated this (the heaven) from that (the earth), so He made the heavens to be seven and the earth to be seven and separated the lowest heaven and the earth with air.
(2) The Separation Does Not Mean "Explosion"
The Arabic word فَفَتَقۡنٰہُمَا fafataqnahuma is also an evidence that they were not one single entity/one mass when they were separated.
The word فَفَتَقۡنٰہُمَا is a DUAL object pronoun (link).
Thus, the verse states that "We separated them" (dual pronoun 'huma'), not "We separated it", thereby indicating that:
- The Earth and heaven were two distinct entities even before separation.
- and they stayed as only two distinct entities AFTER the separation too. This indicates that the verse is talking about the separation of two entities, not the splitting of a single mass into multiple parts due to any EXPLOSION.
Additionally, there is no mention of an explosion in this verse or elsewhere in the Quran. The word "fataq" (فَتَقَ) means to split, separate, or unfold, but it does not imply a violent event such as an explosion. The Quran only speaks of the heaven and earth being separated in an orderly, controlled manner, not a chaotic or destructive event like the Big Bang, which involved the rapid expansion of matter and energy.
(3) In the Quranic Creation Story, the Stars Did Not Originate from the Heavens
According to the Quranic narrative, the universe consists of seven heavens, and the stars are confined only to the first heaven (the lowest one, also referred to as the heaven of our world), and were added later in the creation process. This explicitly implies that the other six heavens do not contain any stars.
In Quran 41:9-12, it is stated:
Then He formed the heaven into Seven Heavens in two days, assigning to each its mandate. And We adorned (only) the lowest (1st) heaven (i.e. the heaven of our Earth) with ˹stars like˺ lamps ˹for beauty˺ and for protection.
This verse clarifies that:
- The stars neither originated from the heavens nor from the earth, but they were separately created later and put under the first heaven.
- The formation of 7 heavens and keeping the stars only under the 1st heaven refers to an "Intelligent Design". While the Big Bang was an "EXPLOSION", which can never create such an intelligent design, as the Quran describes.
(4) The Earth Formed 9 Billion Years After the Big Bang
The Quranic claim is scientifically untenable, as Earth came into existence approximately 9 billion years after the Big Bang.
The Big Bang occurred around 13.8 billion years ago, marking the formation of the universe, including stars and galaxies. Over time, many of the early stars underwent cycles of formation and destruction, with some exploding in supernovae, releasing the elements necessary for new stars and planets to form. Eventually, our planet Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago from the remnants of these earlier stars.
This creates a 9 billion-year gap between the creation of the universe (heavens) and the formation of Earth, meaning they were not formed simultaneously. The Quranic description of the heavens and Earth being separated from each other is therefore incompatible with modern science, which shows that they were never "together" in the way the verse suggests.
(5) The Quran only repeated ancient stories about Creation where the earth and the sky were adjacent in the beginning
Many ancient cultures shared myths or stories about the heavens and the earth being united and then separated. Here’s a list of some of the earlier cultures with such beliefs:
1. Mesopotamian (Sumerian/Babylonian) Mythology
- Myth: In Sumerian mythology, the heavens and earth were united as one before being separated by the gods.
- Example: "Gilgamesh and the Netherworld" describes how the heavens and earth were initially united, only to be later split apart by the gods.
2. Egyptian Mythology
- Myth: The sky goddess Nut and the earth god Geb were initially together in a close embrace before they were forcibly separated by the god Shu to create space for the world to exist.
- Example: Nut and Geb’s separation is often depicted in Egyptian art, where the sky arches above the earth, with the air god Shu holding them apart.
3. Greek Mythology
- Myth: In ancient Greek cosmology, Uranus (the sky) and Gaia (the earth) were initially together, with Uranus lying over Gaia. They were later separated by their son, Cronus.
- Example: Euripides, a Greek tragedian, recounted the story of how the heavens and earth were one form but later separated, bringing forth all life.
4. Hindu Cosmology
- Myth: In Hindu creation stories, the heavens and earth were considered unified before being separated by divine action.
- Example: In some versions, the god Prajapati or Indra is responsible for separating the heavens and the earth to create the world as we know it.
5. Norse Mythology
- Myth: In Norse mythology, the cosmos began as a void called Ginnungagap, and from this void, the giant Ymir was formed. Later, the gods separated the primordial elements to create the heavens and the earth.
- Example: The gods formed the heavens from Ymir’s skull and the earth from his body, separating these realms in the process.
6. Maori (Polynesian) Mythology
- Myth: In Maori mythology, Rangi (the sky) and Papa (the earth) were closely bound together, and their children, the gods, separated them to allow life and light to flourish.
- Example: The god Tāne pushed the sky and earth apart, creating the world between them.
7. Chinese Mythology
- Myth: In ancient Chinese myths, Pangu, the creator god, separated the heavens and the earth, which were initially mixed together in chaos.
- Example: Pangu is said to have held up the heavens and pressed down the earth to separate them, thereby creating the world.
8. Native American Myths (Various Tribes)
- Myth: Some Native American tribes, such as the Hopi and Iroquois, tell stories of a primordial union of the heavens and earth, followed by their separation to form the current world.
- Example: In Iroquois mythology, Sky Woman descended from the heavens, and the earth was formed below her.
9. Japanese Mythology
- Myth: In Shinto belief, the heavens and earth were originally merged in a chaotic form until they were separated by the primordial gods.
- Example: The creation myth describes how the first gods, Izanagi and Izanami, shaped the earth and heavens, separating them as they created the islands of Japan.
10. African Mythology (Dogon People of Mali)
- Myth: The Dogon people of West Africa believed that the earth and sky were once a single entity before being separated to form the cosmos.
- Example: According to Dogon mythology, the earth and sky were separated by the actions of the supreme god Amma, leading to the creation of the world.
These myths reveal a widespread and ancient belief across many cultures that the earth and heavens were originally united and were later separated, often through divine intervention. The Quran’s account of the heavens and earth being joined and then separated echoes these older cultural traditions, demonstrating that this was a common theme in human mythology long before the advent of Islam
Hassan Radwan