Big Bang in the Quran: 14 Billion Years, Seven Skies & Kun Faya Kun
Imagine this: Fourteen billion years ago, there was nothing, No stars, No planets, No time, No space, Just absolute nothingness.
Then a mighty force. A command: “Be,” and it was.
This is where our story begins. Not just the story of the universe, but your story, my story, and the story of every human soul.
In Chapter 1: The Journey Begins From Nothingness to the Wonders of Creation of Chronicles of Unknown Book, we embark on the greatest adventure: exploring how everything came to be, who created it, and what ancient wisdom and modern science reveal when brought together.
The Echo of the Big Bang Heard 1400 Years Ago
In 1964, two scientists, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, accidentally discovered a faint, uniform radiation filling the entire universe the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) . It was the leftover echo of the Big Bang, the heat from the universe’s explosive birth.
But the Quran described this over 1400 years earlier in Surah Al-Anbiya 21:30 :
“Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity (ratq), and We separated them (fataqnahuma)?”
Ratq means something tightly sealed, fused together. Fataq means to rip apart, split, or separate. This is a perfect description of the Big Bang all matter and energy compressed into a singularity, then torn apart in an instant.
The verse continues:
“And We made from water every living thing. Then will they not believe?”
Water as the basis of life modern biology confirms that all known life depends on liquid water. The Quran connected the cosmos to biology in one verse.
Popular Question Answered: What does the Quran say about the Big Bang and creation from water (Surah Al-Anbiya 21:30)?
It describes the heavens and earth as a single, joined entity that was separated matching the Big Bang model and states that all life originated from water, a fact confirmed by science.
A Message Sent to Every Corner of the World
From ancient Sumerians to Egyptians, Greeks to Aboriginal Australians, Chinese Daoists to Native American tribes nearly every civilization shares a core set of beliefs:
- A supreme being, alone at first
- Creation beginning from water (Nammu in Sumer, Nun in Egypt, Okeanos in Greece)
- The universe formed in stages (often 6 or 7)
But most myths mixed truth with strange ideas:
- Greek myths spoke of goddesses spilling milk to form the Milky Way.
- Egyptian myths described a cosmic egg or a lotus flower.
- Aboriginal Dreamtime told of giant ancestors walking the earth.
- Norse myths said the world was made from the body of a giant.
When you filter the absurd what remains is astonishingly consistent: a single Creator, water as the first material, and a staged creation.
Why did these fragments survive? Allah sent prophets to every nation (Surah Fatir 35:24). Over time, the original message was corrupted with myths and legends. But the core remained because truth leaves an echo.
Why Other Beliefs Fall Short
Judaism and Christianity (Literalist Views):
Some ancient Jewish texts described a flat earth floating on water, with a solid dome (firmament) holding back the sky. Young-earth Christians claim creation in 6,000 years impossible when light from distant galaxies like GN-Z11 (13.4 billion light-years away) takes billions of years to reach us.
Greek Myths:
The Milky Way was Hera’s spilled breast milk. The universe rested on the shoulders of Atlas. Beautiful poetry but not science.
Hinduism and Buddhism:
They teach an eternal, cyclical universe no beginning, no end. But modern cosmology confirms the universe is expanding (Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:47). If it expands, it had a starting point. Eternal universe is disproven.
Popular Question Answered: How does Islam view the universe’s age compared to young-earth Christianity?
Islam does not fix the universe at 6,000 years. The Quran’s “six days” are ayyam periods or stages of unknown length (Surah Al-Hajj 22:47: “A day with your Lord is like 1,000 years of what you count” ; Surah Al-Ma’arij 70:4: “A day whose measure is 50,000 years” ). The Quran comfortably accommodates billions of years.
Then Came a Book That Claimed Perfection
1400 years ago, in the deserts of Arabia, a final message arrived.
A book that boldly declared:
“This is the Book about which there is no doubt, guidance for the righteous.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:2)
One book. One version. No contradictions. Preserved letter for letter.
What does it say about creation?
- Creation in six periods (ayyam) not literal 24-hour days, but stages where time itself changes (Surah Al-A’raf 7:54). This aligns with the scientific timeline: the universe evolved through distinct eras (cosmic inflation, formation of first stars, galaxies, planets).
- The Throne of Allah upon water before creation (Surah Hud 11:7). The Prophet ﷺ was asked: “Where was Allah before creation?” He replied: “He was in an aether (cloud) no air above or below then He created the Throne upon water.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi) water existed before the stars.
- Expanding heavens (Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:47): “And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are expanding it.” This was discovered by Edwin Hubble in 1929 the Quran stated it centuries earlier.
Popular Question Answered: What is Olbers’ Paradox, and how does the Quran address darkness in space?
Olbers’ Paradox asks: If the universe is infinite and eternal, why is the night sky dark? The answer is that the universe is finite in age and expanding. The Quran describes the sky as a “protected ceiling” (Surah Al-Anbiya 21:32) which implies boundaries. Modern cosmology confirms the observable universe has a horizon.
The Seven Skies: Beyond Human Reach
The Quran describes seven heavens (sab’a samawat) stacked like layers, each with distinct composition and inhabitants (based on Hadith from Mi’raj):
| Sky | Material / Description | Prophet Residing |
| 1st | Water | Adam (A.S.) |
| 2nd | White pearls | Isa (A.S.) & Yahya (A.S.) |
| 3rd | Iron | Yusuf (A.S.) |
| 4th | Brass / copper | Idris (A.S.) |
| 5th | Silver | Harun (A.S.) |
| 6th | Gold | Musa (A.S.) |
| 7th | Pure divine light | Ibrahim (A.S.) |
Above them? The Throne of Allah (‘Arsh) , carried by eight mighty angels. And the Lauheld-Mahfuz (Preserved Tablet) where every destiny is written in light.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The seven skies compared to the Throne are like a ring thrown in a desert.” (Ibn Hibban) the scale is unimaginable.
Popular Question Answered: What mysteries lie beyond the Kármán line according to Quran and Hadith?
The Kármán line (100 km above sea level) is where space officially begins. The Quran speaks of boundaries and barriers between realms (Surah Ar-Rahman 55:33: “If you are able to penetrate the regions of the heavens and the earth, then penetrate but you will not except by authority” ). Beyond our physical universe lies the unseen world (‘alam al-ghayb) angels, jinn, the Throne, and the Paradise that no eye has seen.
Scientific Wonders: Pillars, Auroras, and Relativity
The Pillars of Creation towering clouds of gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula, photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. The Quran says: “He created the heavens without pillars that you see” (Surah Luqman 31:10) implying there are invisible supports (gravity, dark matter). “Pillars of Creation” is a fitting modern name.
Aurora lights (Northern and Southern Lights) charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. The Quran describes the lowest sky as “decorated with lamps” (Surah As-Saffat 37:6) auroras are part of that decoration, a sign for those who reflect.
Time dilation (relativity) The Quran mentions that a day with Allah can be 1,000 or 50,000 years. Einstein proved that time changes with speed and gravity. This was revealed in the 7th century.
Popular Question Answered: How does the Quran explain changing time in different regions (relativity)?
Surah Al-Hajj 22:47 and Al-Ma’arij 70:4 show that Allah’s “days” are not uniform they are relative. This is a direct reference to what physics now calls time dilation.
Why Chapter 1 Matters
Chapter 1 is the foundation of everything that follows:
- It establishes the Creator not a distant watchmaker, but a personal Lord who says “Kun fa-yakun” (“Be, and it is”).
- It harmonizes faith and science the Big Bang, expanding universe, water of life, and relativity all align with the Quran.
- It answers skeptics who claim religion is anti-science.
- It invites you to reflect the same power that created galaxies can forgive your sins and transform your life.
Teaser for Chapter 2: The creation of angels, jinn, and the first light before Adam even existed.
Popular Questions Answered in This Chapter
- What does the Quran say about the Big Bang and creation from water (Surah Al-Anbiya 21:30)? ✅
- How does the Quran describe the seven skies and their composition? ✅
- What is Kun fa-yakun, and how is it the ultimate creative force? ✅
- Why do ancient mythologies worldwide mention creation from water? ✅
- What is Olbers’ Paradox, and how does the Quran address darkness in space? ✅
- How does the Quran explain changing time in different regions (relativity)? ✅
- What are the Pillars of Creation, and their link to Quranic “pillars in sky”? ✅
- Where was Allah before creation, according to Hadith? ✅ (On water, in an aether)
- How does Islam view the universe’s age compared to young-earth Christianity? ✅
- What mysteries lie beyond the Kármán line according to Quran and Hadith? ✅
Your Turn
What blew your mind the most the Big Bang in the Quran, the seven skies with prophets residing in them, or the universal water-creation myth found across civilizations?
Drop a 🌌 if you’re ready to explore the universe with an open heart. Share this with someone who thinks faith and science cannot coexist.