Quran's Revelation on the Expanding Universe and Modern Scientific Discoveries

✦ Quran and the Concept of the Expanding Universe​

Authored by: Idrees Azad

❖ The Quranic Revelation and the Theory of Cosmic Expansion​

Initially, scientists did not believe that the universe was continuously expanding. However, the Qur’an had already clarified this truth in the 6th century CE:

وَالسَّمَاءَ بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ
“And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander.” (Surah Adh-Dhariyat, Ayah 38)

✿ First Concept: The Absoluteness of Space and Time​

In early science, the prevailing belief was that both space and time were absolute, and the universe was static. This view was based on Newtonian laws, and deviating from this notion was considered absurd. When Einstein developed his General Theory of Relativity, it hinted at an expanding universe, but he couldn’t find the required energy in his equations. As a result, he introduced a "constant" — which he later referred to as the “big blunder” of his life.

◈ Hubble’s Discovery and the Expansion of the Universe​

The idea of an expanding universe did not originate from mathematics but from observation. In 1923, Hubble observed through his telescope that the universe was expanding. When he presented his findings to the scientific community, it gained widespread acceptance, and Einstein admitted to his “big blunder.”

✔ The Universe’s Expansion Rate and the Energy Dilemma​

It was initially believed that the universe’s expansion rate was slowing down over time. This theory was based on the assumption of a limited energy source and the observation that galaxies were moving away from each other at a decreasing pace. According to this view, the universe was like a balloon that, after expanding to a certain limit, would either burst or contract back to a point.

❀ The 1998 Revelation: Accelerated Expansion​

In 1998, a startling observation revealed that the universe’s expansion rate was not decreasing but accelerating. This discovery shook the world of physics. The big question emerged:
Where is the energy coming from that continues to expand the universe’s matter?
To answer this, the theory of “Dark Energy” was proposed.

✦ The Role of Dark Energy and Einstein’s Constant​

Scientists argued that Einstein mistakenly considered his constant to be a blunder. Had he not introduced this constant, we might not have been able to estimate the magnitude of dark energy.

◉ The Universe’s Future and the Quest for Dark Energy​

It is now acknowledged that the universe is continuously expanding, and dark energy is causing it to expand even faster. If this expansion continues, a time will come when galaxies will drift so far apart that they will become invisible to each other, and the universe will transform into a silent, dark night.

❖ Searching for Dark Energy and Dark Matter​

The existence of dark energy and dark matter remains purely theoretical. To detect them, various experiments are being conducted — among them, experimental plates installed 70 kilometers deep in an abandoned gold mine in Africa. This depth was chosen to minimize interference from other radiations and matter, in hopes that one day, a particle of dark matter or dark energy might strike these plates and confirm their existence.