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MQ-03 |
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THE EXPANSION
OF THE UNIVERSE
In the Qur'an,
which was revealed
fourteen centuries
ago at a time
when the science
of astronomy was
still primitive,
the expansion
of the universe
was described
in the following
terms:
And it is
We Who have constructed
the heaven with
might, and verily,
it is We Who are
steadily expanding
it. (Qur'an, 51:47)
|
Edwin
Hubble with
his giant
telescope |
|
The word
"heaven,"
as stated
in the verse
above, is
used in
various
places in
the Qur'an.
It is referring
to space
and the
wider universe.
Here again,
the word
is used
with this
meaning,
stating
that the
universe
"expands."
The Arabic
word "moosiaaoona"
in the term
"inna
lamoosiaaoona,"
translated
into English
as "it
is We Who
are steadily
expanding
it",
comes from
the verb
"evsea,"
meaning
"to
expand."
The prefix
"la"
emphasises
the following
name or
title and
adds a sense
of "to
a great
extent."
This expression
therefore
means "We
expand the
sky or the
universe
to a great
extent."
This is
the very
conclusion
that science
has reached
today. (1)
|
Until the
dawn of
the 20th
century,
the only
view prevailing
in the world
of science
was that
"the
universe
has a constant
nature and
it has existed
since infinite
time."
However,
modern research,
observations,
and calculations
carried
out by means
of modern
technology
have revealed
that the
universe
in fact
had a beginning
and that
it constantly
"expands."
At the
beginning
of the 20th
century,
the Russian
physicist
Alexander
Friedmann
and the
Belgian
cosmologist
Georges
Lemaitre
theoretically
calculated
that the
universe
is in constant
motion and
that it
is expanding.
This notion
was confirmed
by the use
of observational
data in
1929. While
observing
the sky
with a telescope,
Edwin Hubble,
the American
astronomer,
discovered
that the
stars and
galaxies
were constantly
moving away
from each
other. This
discovery
is regarded
as one of
the greatest
in the history
of astronomy.
During these
observations,
Hubble established
that the
stars emit
a light
that turns
redder according
to their
distance.
That is
because
according
to the known
laws of
physics,
light heading
towards
a point
of observation
turns violet,
and light
moving away
from that
point assumes
a more reddish
hue.
|
During
his
observations,
Hubble
noted
a
tendency
towards
the
colour
red
in
the
light
emitted
by
stars.
In
short,
the
stars
were
moving
further
and
further
away,
all
the
time.
The
stars
and
galaxies
were
not
only
moving
away
from
us,
but
also
from
each
other.
A
universe
where
everything
constantly
moves
away
from
everything
else
implied
a
constantly
expanding
universe.
The
observations
carried
out
in
the
following
years
verified
that
the
universe
is
constantly
expanding.
In
order
to
gain
a
clearer
understanding
of
this,
let
us
imagine
the
universe
to
be
the
surface
of
a
balloon
being
inflated.
In
the
same
way
that
the
more
the
balloon
is
inflated,
the
further
away
the
points
on
its
surface
move
from
one
another,
celestial
bodies
also
move
away
from
one
another
as
the
universe
expands. |
|
From
the
moment
of
the
Big
Bang,
the
universe
has
been
constantly
expanding
at
a
great
speed.
Scientists
compare
the
expanding
universe
to
the
surface
of
a
balloon
that
is
inflated.
|
This was
theoretically
discovered
by Albert
Einstein,
regarded
as one of
the greatest
scientists
of the 20th
century.
However,
in order
to avoid
violating
the "static
universe
model"
that was
generally
accepted
at that
time, Einstein
laid that
discovery
aside. He
would later
describe
this as
the greatest
blunder
of his life.
(2)
This fact
was explained
in the Qur'an
in a time
when telescopes
and similar
technological
advancements
were not
even close
to being
invented.
This is
because
the Qur'an
is the Word
of Allah:
the Creator
and Ruler
of the entire
universe.
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