The Origin of the Universe

The science of modern cosmology has proven conclusively that at one point in time in the remote past, all matter in the universe was contained in gaseous-particle filled clouds of "smoke". Even today astronomers can observe the remnants of these clouds of "smoke" and see the formation of new stars and other heavenly bodies.

Photo Example: A new star is forming out of a cloud of gas and dust which is one of the remnants of the ‘smoke’ that was the origin of the whole universe. Photo taken from the book entitled, "The Space Atlas"

Photo Example: The Lagoon Nebula is a cloud of gas and dust about 60 light years in diameter. It is lighted by the ultraviolet radiation of the hot stars that have recently formed within its bulk. Photo taken from the book entitled, "Horizons, Exploring the Universe"

The stars that grace our skies at night were at one time unformed gaseous clouds that resembled "smoke". Allah says in the Qur'an:

"Then He turned to space when it was smoke..." (41:11)

Because the earth and space were both formed from the same substance, we can accurately deduce that the earth and space were once connected entities. From that homogeneous ‘smoke,’ they were formed and then separated from each other. Allah says in the Qur'an:

"Don't the people who disbelieve understand that space and the earth were one connected entity, then We separated them?" (21:30)

Dr. Alfred Kroner, a Professor of Geology at the Institute of Geosciences in Mainz, Germany, has said, “Thinking where Muhammad came from . . . I think it is almost impossible that he could have known about things like the common origin of the universe, because scientists have only found out within the last few years, with very complicated and advanced technological methods, that this is the case.”

He also said, “Somebody who did not know something about nuclear physics fourteen hundred years ago could not, I think, be in a position to find out from his own mind, for instance, that the earth and the heavens had the same origin.”