Creation in
Six Days and Cosmic Order;
In Islamic tradition, the Quran
describes the creation of the universe in six "days," which are
interpreted as six distinct periods or eons, not necessarily literal 24-hour
days. The creation is attributed to Allah (God) and involves the creation
of the heavens and the earth, and all that exists between them. This
cosmic order also includes a solid firmament (heaven), a flat earth, and a
cosmic ocean.
Here's a
more detailed breakdown:
·
Six Days of Creation:
The Quran
states that Allah created the heavens and the earth in six days. These
days are not understood as literal 24-hour periods but rather as six distinct
periods.
·
Order of Creation:
The Quran
suggests that the earth was created first, followed by the heavens.
·
Cosmic Structure:
The Quranic
cosmology includes a solid firmament or heaven, a flat earth (compared to a
bed), and a cosmic ocean above the heaven and below the earth.
·
Seven Heavens and Earth:
The Quran
also mentions seven heavens, and some interpretations suggest there may be
seven earths as well, arranged like a stack of plates.
·
The Throne:
After
creating the heavens and the earth, Allah is described as establishing Himself
on the Throne.
·
Muslim Interpretations:
Muslims
interpret the "six days" of creation as symbolic periods rather than
literal 24-hour days, aligning with the Quran's emphasis on Allah's power and
authority.
In essence, the Islamic
perspective on creation emphasizes Allah's role as the sole creator and the
universe's organization within a specific cosmic order.
Passages relating to creation occur in the Qur'an
is different places, such as:
إِنَّ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٣وَفِى خَلْقِكُمْ وَمَا يَبُثُّ مِن دَآبَّةٍ ءَايَـٰتٌۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يُوقِنُونَ ٤وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن رِّزْقٍۢ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَتَصْرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَـٰحِ ءَايَـٰتٌۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَعْقِلُونَ ٥
"Verily in the heavens and the earth are
signs for those who believe. And in the creation of yourselves, and the fact
that animals are scattered (through the earth), are signs for those of assured
faith. And in the alternation of night and day, and that fact that Allah sends
down sustenance from the sky, and revives therewith the earth after its death,
and in the change of the winds, are signs for those who are wise"
(Surah Al-Jathiyah/45: Ayat 3-5)
Big Bang?
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًۭا فَفَتَقْنَـٰهُمَا ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْمَآءِ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ حَىٍّ ۖ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ٣٠Do the disbelievers not realize that the heavens and earth were ˹once˺ one mass, then We split them apart? And We created from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
(Surah Al Anbiya/21: Ayat 30)
The Qur'an says that "the heavens and the earth were joined together as one unit, before We clove them asunder"
Following this big explosion, Allah SWT turned to the sky, and it
had been (as) smoke. He said to it and to the earth:
ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَهِىَ دُخَانٌۭ فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ ٱئْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًۭا قَالَتَآ أَتَيْنَا طَآئِعِينَ ١١
'Then He turned towards the heaven when it was ˹still like˺ smoke, saying to it and to the earth, ‘Submit, willingly or unwillingly.’ They both responded, ‘We submit willingly.’ — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
(Surah Fussilat/41:Ayat 11)
Thus the elements and what was to become the planets and stars began
to cool, come together, and form into shape, following the natural laws that
Allah established in the universe.
The Qur'an further states that Allah created the
sun, the moon, and the planets, each with their own individual courses or
orbits.
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ ٣٣
"And He is the One Who created the day and the night, the sun and the moon—each travelling in an orbit."— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran"
(Surah Al Anbiya: Ayat 33)
Expansion of Universe:
وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بَنَيْنَـٰهَا بِأَيْي۟دٍۢ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ ٤٧
"We built the universe with ˹great˺ ˺ might, and We are certainly expanding ˹it˺". — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
(Surah Adh Dzariyat : Ayat 47)
There has been some historical
debate among Muslim scholars about the precise meaning of this verse, since
knowledge of the universe's expansion was only recently discovered.
Six Days?
The Qur'an states that "Allah created the
heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in six days" (7:54).
While on the surface this might seem similar to the account related in the
Bible, there are some important distinctions.
The verses that mention "six days" use
the Arabic word "youm" (day). This word appears several other times
in the Qur'an, each denoting a different measurement of time. In one case, the
measure of a day is equated with 50,000 years;
تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍۢ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍۢ ٤
" ˹through which˺ the angels and the ˹holy˺ spirit1 will ascend to Him on a Day fifty thousand years in length.2"— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
(Surah Al Maarij/70: Ayat 4)
whereas another verse
states that:
وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِٱلْعَذَابِ وَلَن يُخْلِفَ ٱللَّهُ وَعْدَهُۥ ۚ وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍۢ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ ٤٧
"A day in the sight of your Lord is like 1,000 years of your
reckoning."
(Surah Al Haj: Ayat 47)
The word "youm" is thus understood, within
the Qur'an, to be a long period of time -- an era or eon. Therefore, Muslims
interpret the description of a "six day" creation as six distinct
periods or eons. The length of these periods is not precisely defined, nor are
the specific developments that took place during each period.
After completing the Creation, the Qur'an
describes that Allah:
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍۢ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا ۖ وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌۭ ٤
"He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days,1 then established Himself on the Throne. He knows whatever goes into the earth and whatever comes out of it, and whatever descends from the sky and whatever ascends into it. And He is with you wherever you are.2 For Allah is All-Seeing of what you do." — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
(Surah Al Hadid/57: Ayat 4)
to
oversee His work. A distinct point is made to counter the Biblical idea of a
day of rest:
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍۢ وَمَا مَسَّنَا مِن لُّغُوبٍۢ ٣٨
"We created the heavens and the earth and all that is between
them in six days, nor did any sense of weariness touch Us"
(Surah Qaf/50: Ayat 38).
Allah is never "done" with His work because the process of creation is ongoing. Each new child who is born, every
seed that sprouts into a sapling, every new species that appears on earth, is
part of the ongoing process of Allah's creation;
"He it is Who created the
heavens and the earth in six days, then established Himself on the Throne. He
knows what enters within the heart of the earth, and what comes forth out of
it, what comes down from heaven, and what mounts up to it. And He is with you
wherever you may be. And Allah sees well all that you do" (Surah Al Hadid/57: Ayat 4)
The Qur'anic account of creation is in line with
modern scientific thought about the development of the universe and life on
earth. Muslims acknowledge that life developed over a long period, but
see Allah's power behind it all. Descriptions of creation in the Qur'an are set
in context to remind the readers of Allah's majesty and wisdom;
مَّا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًۭا ١٣وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا ١٤أَلَمْ تَرَوْا۟ كَيْفَ خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ سَبْعَ سَمَـٰوَٰتٍۢ طِبَاقًۭا ١٥وَجَعَلَ ٱلْقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورًۭا وَجَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ سِرَاجًۭا ١٦وَٱللَّهُ أَنۢبَتَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ نَبَاتًۭا ١٧
"What is
the matter with you, that you are not conscious of Allah's majesty, seeing that
it is He Who has created you in diverse stages? See you not how Allah has created
the seven heavens one above another, and made the moon a light in their midst,
and made the sun as a (glorious) lamp? And Allah has produced you from the
earth, growing (gradually)"
(Surah Nuh/71: Ayat 13-17)
Life Came From Water
The Qur'an describes that Allah;
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًۭا فَفَتَقْنَـٰهُمَا ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْمَآءِ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ حَىٍّ ۖ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ٣٠ "Do the disbelievers not realize that the heavens and earth were ˹once˺ one mass, then We split them apart? And We created from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?" — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran"
(Surah Al Anbiya/21: Ayat 30)
Another verse describes how;
وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَآبَّةٍۢ مِّن مَّآءٍۢ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِى عَلَىٰ بَطْنِهِۦ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِى عَلَىٰ رِجْلَيْنِ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِى عَلَىٰٓ أَرْبَعٍۢ ۚ يَخْلُقُ ٱللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ ٤٥
"Allah
has created every animal from water. Of them are some that creep on their
bellies, some that walk on two legs, and some that walk on four. Allah creates
what He wills, for truly Allah has power over all things."
(Surah An Nur/24: Ayat 45)
These
verses support the scientific theory that life began in the Earth's oceans.
Creation of Adam & Eve
While Islam recognizes the general idea of the
development of life in stages, over a period of time, human beings are
considered as a special act of creation. Islam teaches that human beings are a
unique life form that was created by Allah in a special way, with unique gifts
and abilities unlike any other: a soul and conscience, knowledge, and free
will. In short, Muslims do not believe that human beings randomly evolved from
apes. The life of human beings began with the creation of two people, a male and
a female named Adam and Hawwa (Eve).
The Qur'an describes how Allah created Adam:
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِن صَلْصَـٰلٍۢ مِّنْ حَمَإٍۢ مَّسْنُونٍۢ ٢٦
"We created man from sounding clay, from black mud moulded into shape..."
(Surah Al Hijr/15: Ayat 26)
And,
ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقَهُۥ ۖ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنِ مِن طِينٍۢ ٧ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُۥ مِن سُلَـٰلَةٍۢ مِّن مَّآءٍۢ مَّهِينٍۢ ٨
"He began the creation of man from clay, and made his
progeny from a quintessence of fluid."
(Surah As Sajdah/32: Ayat 7-8).
Thus, human beings have a
fundamental attachment to the earth.
While the creation of Eve is not described in
detail, the Qur'an does make it clear that a "mate" was created with
Adam, from the same nature and soul:
۞ هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا ۖ فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّىٰهَا حَمَلَتْ حَمْلًا خَفِيفًۭا فَمَرَّتْ بِهِۦ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَثْقَلَت دَّعَوَا ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَئِنْ ءَاتَيْتَنَا صَـٰلِحًۭا لَّنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ ١٨٩
"He is the One Who created you from a single soul, then from it made its spouse so he may find comfort in her. After he had been united with her, she carried a light burden that developed gradually. When it grew heavy, they prayed to Allah, their Lord, “If you grant us good offspring, we will certainly be grateful.” — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
(Surah Al Araf/7: Ayat 189)
She is not mentioned by name in the Qur'an, but
in Islamic tradition, she is known as "Hawwa" (Eve).
From these two individuals, generations of human
beings have inhabited the earth:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍۢ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ شُعُوبًۭا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۭ ١٣
"O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware.1 — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
(Surah l Hujarat/49: Ayat13)
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍۢ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ يُغْشِى ٱلَّيْلَ ٱلنَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُۥ حَثِيثًۭا وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ وَٱلنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَٰتٍۭ بِأَمْرِهِۦٓ ۗ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلْخَلْقُ وَٱلْأَمْرُ ۗ تَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٥٤
Translation:
“Indeed,
your Lord is Allah who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then
established Himself on the Throne. He makes the night cover the day,
chasing it rapidly. And [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars,
all subject to His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the
command; blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds.”
(Surah Al Araf/7: Ayat 54)
Reflection: This verse
encapsulates a grand narrative of creation. In majestic sweep, it declares
the creation of the cosmos in “six days”, an assertion of deliberate,
phased creation (the exact nature of these “days” is often understood not as
24-hour periods, but as stages or epochs beyond human time). The scene then
zooms into the rhythmic covering of day by night – an everyday miracle presented
dynamically: night “chases” day “rapidly,” suggesting the
continuous rotation of the celestial sphere and the quick onset of dusk. The
sun, moon, and stars are described as subjugated to God’s command,
emphasizing God’s ongoing governance (the “command”) over creation even after
its initial making. The spiritual message is the sovereignty of God over
time and space: He brought the universe into being in an ordered way, and He
sustains its order (the day-night cycle, the courses of sun and moon) even now.
The proper response is praise – “blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds.” Believers
take comfort that the cosmos is not run by capricious forces but by a
beneficent Lord. The verse implicitly encourages trust: just as night and
day unfailingly follow each other by His command, one can trust in God’s
dependable management of all affairs. It also draws a link between creation
(the making) and command (the governing laws) – both belong to
God. Early scholars often reflected that Allah created the universe and also
laid down its natural laws (“command”) by which it operates. Thus,
studying those laws (science) can be a way to appreciate the “blessed” nature
of the Creator. The mention of God establishing Himself on the Throne after
creation is a metaphor for His absolute authority and control over the
universe.
Scientific Insight: Modern
cosmology provides an interesting parallel to the idea of creation in stages
or epochs. The universe did not appear fully formed in an instant;
rather, it has a history – from the hot dense state of the Big Bang to
the formation of basic particles, then atoms, stars, galaxies, and planets over
billions of years. This sequential development can be likened to “cosmic days”
or chapters of creation. While science counts ~13.8 billion years rather than
six days, the principle of orderly progression is common to both
narratives. After the Big Bang, the universe went through an inflationary
epoch (a split-second of exponential expansion), followed by particle
formation, the decoupling of light (release of the cosmic microwave background
“afterglow”), the dark ages, then the first stars igniting, galaxies
assembling, etc. The Quran’s language captures the principle of
an ordered creation, even if not detailing scientific timelines. It’s
noteworthy that many cultures had chaotic creation myths, but the Qur’an
emphasizes order and intentionality.
Furthermore, the verse’s
depiction of night covering day in swift pursuit beautifully matches
what we now understand: Earth’s rotation causes the sun to “set” and night to
blanket the hemisphere turned away from the sun. At any given moment, from
space one would see half the Earth in daylight and half in darkness, with the
terminator (the day-night boundary) sweeping westward continuously as Earth
spins (~1670 km/h at the equator). The phrase “chasing it rapidly” is an apt
description of how quickly dusk can fall. Travelers near the equator know that
twilight can be very short – the tropical night arrives almost “rapidly” after
sunset. Even at higher latitudes with longer twilight, the progression of night
overtaking day is relentless. This steady alternation has been constant for
billions of years, due to Earth’s stable rotation. If Earth’s rotation were
much slower, day and night would last longer (like Mercury’s day is months
long), which would cause extreme temperature swings. But a roughly 24-hour
rotation turns out to be excellent for life’s daily rhythms. We might call that
coincidence; a believer calls it part of the fine-tuning of
Earth for life.
The sun, moon, and stars
being “subject to His command” aligns with the scientific observation that all
these bodies follow fixed laws of nature. The sun shines by the laws of
nuclear fusion; the Earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits Earth by
gravitational laws; stars and galaxies move according to physics. In essence,
they obey the “command” set for them. The verse hints at this
by pairing creation with command – reminiscent of how physicist James Clerk
Maxwell said, “The laws of nature are the mathematical thoughts of
God.” Or in Qur’anic terms, after creating the universe, God “decreed
its laws”
فَقَضَىٰهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَـٰوَاتٍۢ فِى يَوْمَيْنِ وَأَوْحَىٰ فِى كُلِّ سَمَآءٍ أَمْرَهَا ۚ وَزَيَّنَّا ٱلسَّمَآءَ ٱلدُّنْيَا بِمَصَـٰبِيحَ وَحِفْظًۭا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْعَلِيمِ ١٢
So He formed the heaven into seven heavens in two Days, assigning to each its mandate. And We adorned the lowest heaven with ˹stars like˺ lamps ˹for beauty˺ and for protection. That is the design of the Almighty, All-Knowing.”1 — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
(Surah Fusillat /41:: Ayat12)
Modern astronomy has shown that if these laws
were slightly different (e.g., if the gravitational constant were weaker, stars
might not ignite; if stronger, stars might burn too fast or collapse early),
the cosmos would be unrecognizable. So, the stability and predictability of
celestial motions are indeed remarkable.
For example, we can predict
solar and lunar eclipses centuries in advance because the sun-moon-earth system
is so regular. That regularity is exactly what the Quran implies by describing
them as subjugated. Historically, the ancients were awed that the heavens
seemed orderly, not random, which is one reason astronomy became
one of the first sciences. The Islamic civilization itself put great effort
into astronomy – for calendars, prayer times, and direction to Mecca – under
the view that by understanding the divine order in the heavens, one
appreciates God’s wisdom. Verses like (Surah Al Araf/7: Ayat 54) would have fueled that view: God
is Lord of the worlds and commanded the stars; by studying
their motions, we are studying God’s handiwork.
Another subtle note: “Lord
of the worlds” might imply not just Earth but countless worlds. Today we know
there are many other “worlds” – over 5,000 exoplanets have been
discovered beyond our solar system, and potentially billions more await. The
Quran doesn’t detail that, but its plural “worlds” leaves the
concept open. Science has moved from thinking Earth is the center of creation
to seeing us as one planet among many around one star among billions. Yet the
laws (commands) that govern physics here seem to hold throughout those worlds.
This again reinforces the idea of a single authority behind it all, which is
precisely the spiritual point of the verse.
In summary, Qur’an (Surah Al Araf/7: Ayat 54)’s
portrayal of an ordered creation finds affirmation in the coherence
and regularity that science observes in cosmic phenomena, from the grand scale
of galactic formations to the simple certainty of each sunrise. The more we
understand those natural “commands” or laws, the more we can appreciate
the “blessed” nature of the One who set them. This verse
effectively bridges cosmogony (creation story) with cosmology (ongoing
cosmic operation), and invites us to marvel at both.
References:
https://lampofislam.wordpress.com/2023/10/11/six-days-of-creation/
