Origin of the Universe & Life

The science of modern cosmology, both observational and theoretical, clearly indicates that, at one point in time, the whole universe was nothing but a cloud of smoke (i.e. an opaque highly dense and hot gaseous composition). This is one of the undisputed principles of standard modern cosmology. Scientists now can observe new stars forming out of the remnants of that ‘smoke’ (see figures 1 and 2). The illuminating stars we see at night were, just as was the whole universe, in that ‘smoke’ material. God has said in the Quran: Al-Quran, Chapter 41 Ha-Mim, Verse 11 In the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful Then turned He to the heaven when it was smoke, and said unto it and unto the earth: Come both of you, willingly or unwillingly. They said: We come, obedient.   Figure 1: A new star forming out of a cloud of gas and dust (nebula), which is one of the remnants of the ‘smoke’ that was the origin of the whole universe. (The Space Atlas, Heather and Henbest, p. 50.) Figure 2: The Lagoon nebula is a cloud of gas and dust, about 60 light years in diameter.  It is excited by the ultraviolet radiation of the hot stars that have recently formed within its bulk. (Horizons, Exploring the Universe, Seeds, plate 9, from Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.) Interestingly enough note that in this verse the earth and the sky are mentioned separately and being commanded to 'come together'. Why? It could be a later stage in the creation of the Universe, we do not know with certainty. However we see in the next verse that they too were as 'one' once. Al-Quran, Chapter 21 Al-Anbiyaa, Verse 30 In the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, then We parted them, and We made every living thing of water Will they not then believe? What is even more interesting is the fact that the verse says 'heavens and the earth were one piece, then we parted them'. Theoretical Science tells us that the cloud of smoke which existed in the beginning became so dense that eventually it underwent fission causing an explosion known as "The Big Bang" causing stars, planets and other celestial bodies to be formed. During their formation there was a separation of denser material from less denser material just as pointed out in the Quran. The second interesting fact in the same verse is 'and We made every living thing of water' Science tells us that life evolved from water and also that all life on this planet cannot survive without water. About 72 per cent, of the surface of our Globe is still covered with water, and it has been estimated that if the inequalities on the surface were all leveled, the whole surface would be under water, as the mean elevation of land sphere-level would be 7,000- 10,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. This shows the predominance of water on our Globe. That all life began in the water is also a conclusion to which our latest knowledge in biological science points. Apart from the fact that protoplasm, the original basis of living matter, is liquid or semi-liquid and in a state of constant flux and instability, there is the fact that land animals, like the higher vertebrates, including man, show, in their embryological history, organs like those of fishes, indicating the watery origin of their original habitat. The constitution of protoplasm is about 80 to 85 per cent of water. Dr. Alfred Kroner is one of the world’s renowned geologists.  He is Professor of Geology and the Chairman of the Department of Geology at the Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.  He said: “Thinking where Muhammad came from I think it is almost impossible that he could have known about things like the common origin of the universe, because scientists have only found out within the last few years, with very complicated and advanced technological methods, that this is the case.” So one needs to ask themselves "If the Quran was a lie, then how could such a scientifically accurate fact be given in it?" Something to think about!