SIMULTANEOUS CREATION OF THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH
The Earth was created simultaneously along with the whole Universe in the same two periods of cosmic evolution
Let us read the full verses:
Say: Are you rejecting the One who created the Earth in two periods, and ascribing you rivals unto Him, the Sustainer of the worlds?,/ For He placed therein mountains standing firm, and blessed it, and determined according to a measure its sustenance to all who would seek it: in four periods,/ WHILE He settled to the Heaven, and it was smoke, so He said to it and to the Earth, “Come both, willingly or unwillingly”. They said, “We do come, in willing obedience.” / So He ordained them seven Heavens in two periods, and inspired in every Heaven its function. And We adorned the lowest Heaven with lights and security: such is the measuring of the Mighty, the Knowing.
[Surah Fussilat/41: Ayat 9-12]
Interestingly, in another description of cosmic evolution:
ءَأَنتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ ۚ بَنَىٰهَا ٢٧رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّىٰهَا ٢٨وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَىٰهَا ٢٩وَٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَىٰهَآ ٣٠
"Which is harder to create: you or the sky?1 He built it,raising it high and forming it flawlessly.He dimmed its night, and brought forth its daylight.As for the earth, He spread it out as well,"— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
[Surah An Naziat/79: Ayat 27-30]
in [Surah An Naziat/79: Ayat 27-30], we read – instead of ‘thumma’ – the expression ‘baʿda dhalika’ (‘after that’), which makes a clear reference to the time sequence, where the Earth is specifically mentioned as having been shaped after the Heaven.
Otherwise, if we were to assume that ‘thumma’ in verses [Surah Fussilat/41: Ayat 9-12] implies a time sequence or temporal succession, then there would be eight periods of creation, not six. This would contradict the unequivocal statement that ‘the Heavens and the Earth were created in six periods’, which persistently appears in the Quran, in seven instances (7:54, 10:3, 11:7, 25:59, 32:4, 50:38, 57:4), none of which refers to ‘eight periods’.
Thus, as the Quran explains itself, we need to understand – in light of all these verses – the total number of periods in 41:9-12 as six, not eight.
In other words, the ‘two periods’ mentioned in 41:12 which involves the creation of both the Heavens and the Earth must be the same as the ‘two periods’ initially mentioned in 41:9 for creation of the Earth.
This simply indicates a chiastic structure in the order of verses 41:9-12 – a structure evident in many other cases throughout the Quran – possibly functioning just as yet another literary device in the Quran.
The passage 21:30-33 too describes the evolution of ‘the Heaven and the Earth’ as concurrent and thus maintain that the ingredients of the Earth were existing as scattered throughout the cosmos since the Big Bang.
FOUR PERIODS OF TERRESTRIAL EVOLUTION
The Earth then evolved through four geological periods
The Earth formed as a planet at the end of the Stelliferous period (41:9), i.e., about 4.6 billion years ago. Thereafter its evolution went through four geological aeons, of which the first three are often referred to as the Precambrian. These four periods are identified according to the geologic time scale in line with the characteristic geologic and biologic features recorded in rock strata.
Based on the Quranic allusions about the four periods of terrestrial evolution (41:10, 79:27-30) along with the current scientific knowledge, we may identify these aeons as the following:
Hadean, 4.6-4 billion years ago. This ‘Hellish’ (Hadean) aeon extends from the formation of the Earth to the formation of the oldest recognized rocks. In the beginning of this period, a Mars-sized body struck the original Earth, pulverizing both, and reforming into the current Earth-moon binary. Then the Earth was subject to frequent bombardment by comets, asteroids, and other planetary debris. This period was characterized by extensive volcanism and formation of the first crust with gradual cooling of the molten Earth. Following a second period of cosmic bombardment, by the end of the Hadean, the Earth had an unbreathable atmosphere, and oceans filled with water.
Archean, 4-2.5 billion years ago. This aeon of ancient rocks was a time when the Earth’s crust had cooled enough to allow the formation of continents and the beginning of life on Earth. During this period, diverse microbial life flourished in the primordial oceans, and the continental shields developed from volcanic activity. The reducing (anaerobic) atmosphere enabled anaerobic microbes Archaea to evolve and the blue-green algae Cyanobacteria produced oxygen as a metabolic by-product.
Proterozoic, 2.5-0.54 billion years ago. This aeon of early (Proto) life (zoic) saw the atmosphere changes from reducing to oxygenated, enabling the rise of aerobic life, such as both prokaryote and the more complex eukaryotic cells. The modern regime of continental drift began, and saw the formation of supercontinent of Rodinia, and several extensive ice ages. Late in the Proterozoic a runaway icehouse effect meant that the preceding warm conditions were replaced by a “Snowball Earth” with ice several kilometers deep covering the globe.
Phanerozoic, 0.54-0 billion years ago. This aeon of visible (phaner) life (zoic) extends to the present; includes Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras; and is marked by an abundance of fossil evidence of life. The period starts with the sudden appearance of a number of animal phyla and their evolution into diverse forms; the emergence and development of complex plants; the evolution of fish and the emergence of insects and tetrapods. It then experiences the development of more complex life forms, including the modern flora and fauna. During this time span, tectonic forces which move the continents had collected them into a single landmass or supercontinent known as Pangaea, which then separated into the current continental landmasses.
Note how the rock-based timeline above with evolution of life is consistent with this Quranic mention of mountains along with all life-forms: For He placed therein mountains standing firm, and blessed it, and determined according to a measure its sustenance to all who would seek it: in four periods. 41:10
TOTAL SIX PERIODS OF COSMIC AND TERRESTRIAL EVOLUTION
So, the creation of the Heaven and the Earth took total six periods
Finally, based on the Quranic allusions along with our current scientific knowledge about the stages of cosmic and terrestrial evolution, we may construct a hypothetical model of six periods (7:54, 10:3, 11:7, 25:59, 32:4, 50:38, 57:4) which could correspond to the following aeons:
1. Primordial, 13.8-13 billion years ago. During this radiation or particulate era, changes were experienced by elementary and composite particles.
2. Stelliferous, 13-4.57 billion years ago. During this period of the self-organizing Universe, matter was structured into stars, planets, nebulae and galaxies.
3. Hadean, 4.6-4 billion years ago. This ‘hellish’ (Hadean) aeon extends from the formation of the Earth to the formation of the oldest recognized rocks.
4. Archean, 4-2.5 billion years ago. This aeon of ancient rocks was a time when the Earth’s crust had cooled enough to allow the formation of continents and the beginning of life on Earth.
5. Proterozoic, 2.5-0.54 billion years ago. This aeon of early (Proto) life (zoic) saw the atmosphere changes from reducing to oxygenated, enabling the rise of aerobic life.
6. Phanerozoic, 0.54-0 billion years ago. This aeon of visible (phaner) life (zoic) extends to the present; includes Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras; and is marked by the evolution of numerous life forms, including the modern flora and fauna.
Related article:
An answer to Richard Carrier’s “Cosmology and the Koran”
https://www.miracles-of-quran.com/index.html
Note 2
Thumma/while. Usually translatable as ‘while’, the Arabic particle ‘thumma’ (Tha-Miim-Miim) in its various Quranic uses means while, and, also, moreover, again, then, so, and again, thereupon, likewise, similarly and so on. In contrast with ‘fa’ or ‘baʿda’ (‘then’ or ‘after’), however, ‘thumma’ functions as a simple conjunction to link two parallel statements, without suggesting any cause-and-effect relationship or any time sequence between the two (cf. 2:29, 2:51, 3:111, 5:93, 6:11, 6:154, 7:11, 16:69, 19:70, 25:45, 41:11). It also links two events occurring together simultaneously/ concurrently (‘WHILE He settled to the Heaven, 41:11’; cf. 2:29, 2:187, 57:4; cf. ‘baʿda’ in 79:27-30). Furthermore, sometimes it is used to signify repetitive stress (e.g. kalla … thumma kalla = Nay … and again, Nay, 102:3-4). Thus we note how the narration in 41:11 (like 2:29) switches from using ‘thumma’ to using ‘fa’, which implies that they have dissimilar meanings. As Joseph Islam observes, “The Arabic phrase ‘thumma’ often translated as ‘and’, but’ or ‘then’ does not always imply a sequence. From a Quran’s perspective, this phrase is also understood to signify ‘parallelism’ or two events occurring together / simultaneously / concurrently and not necessarily in sequence (or one after the other). For example in Surah 41:11, we note the phrase “thumma ‘istawa” signifying God’s instructions to the heavens when it was still smoke, to form. This was not an action carried out in sequence, or after the creation of mountains on the earth (41:10), but rather, it was an action in tandem or simultaneously with the creation of the Earth. Thus ‘thumma’ is better rendered in such contexts as ‘moreover’ or signifying a simultaneous action rather than one in sequence. This phrase is also used to signify repetitive stress as can be seen in Surah 102.” Here is a detailed study on the meaning of ‘thumma’: Understanding thumma.
