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CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
IN QUR’AN
By
Maurice Bucaille, French Academy of Medicine
Let us
first examine the Creation as described in the Qur’an.
An
extremely important general idea emerges: its dissimilarity with the
Biblical narration. This idea contradicts the parallels which are often,
and wrongly, drawn by Western authors to underline solely the
resemblances between the two texts.
When
talking of the Creation, as of other subjects, there is a strong
tendency in the West to claim that Muhammad only copied the general
outlines of the Bible. It is indeed possible to compare the six days of
the Creation as described in the Bible, plus an extra day of rest on
God’s Sabbath, with this verse from the chapter, The Heights (7:54).
“Your Lord is Allah Who created the
heavens and the earth in six days”.
We must
point out straight away that modern commentators stress the
interpretation of ayyaam, one translation is of days, as
meaning “long periods” or “ages” rather than periods of twenty-four
hours. What to me appears to be of fundamental importance is that, in
contrast to the narration contained in the Bible, the Qur’an does not
lay down a sequence for the Creation of the earth and Heavens.
It refers
both to the Heavens before the Earth and the Earth before the Heavens,
when it talks of the Creation in general, as in this verse of the
Chapter TA HA (20:4).
“A revelation from Him Who created the
Earth and the Heavens”.
Infact,
the notion to be derived from the Qur’an is one of a con-comitance in
the celestial and terrestrial evolutions. There are also absolutely
fundamental data concerning the existence of an initial gaseous mass (dukhaan)
which is unique and whose elements, although at first fused together (ratq)
subsequently became separated (fatq). This notion is
expressed in chapter FUSSILAT (41:11).
“And Allah turned to Heaven when it was
smoke”.
And the
same is expressed in the Chapter the Prophets (21:30).
“Do not the unbelievers see that the
Heavens and the Earth were joined together, then We clove them assunder?”
The
separation process resulted in the formation of multiple worlds, a
notion which crops up dozen of times in the Qur’an, for instance it
forms the verse in the chapter The Opening (1:1).
“Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the
Worlds”.
All this
is in perfect agreement with modern ideas on the existence of primary
nebula and the process of secondary separation of the elements that had
formed the initial unique mass. This separation resulted in the
formation of galaxies and then, when these divided, of stars from which
the planets were to be born.
Reference
is also made in the Qur’an to an intermediary Creation between the
Heavens and the Earth, as in the chapter, The balance (25:59).
“Allah is the One Who created the Heavens
and the Earth and all that is between them”.
It would
seem that this intermediary Creation corresponds to the modern discovery
of bridges of matter which are present outside organised astronomical
systems.
This
survey certainly shows us how modern data and statements in the Qur’an
agree on a large number of points. We have come a long way from the
Biblical text with its successive phases that are totally unacceptable;
especially the one placing the Creation of the Earth (on the 3rd
day) before that of the Heavens (on the 4th day), when it is
a known fact that our planet comes from its own star, the Sun. In such
circumstances, how can we imagine that a man who drew his inspiration
from the Bible could have been the author of the Qur’an, and, of his own
accord, have corrected the Biblical text to arrive at a general concept
concerning the formation of the Universe, when this concept was not to
be formed until centuries after his death?
Dr.Maurice Bucaille is an eminent French surgeon,scientist,scholar and
author of “The Bible The Qur’an and Science” which contains the result
of his research into the Judaeo-Christian Revelation and the Qur’an.
Next
week, watch out for: Astronomy - Light and Movement by Dr. M. Bucaille.
Released by: Mulla Mujaheedali Sheriff
mulla@almahdi.org.uk |