Dr Abdur Rahman Bhutta, Germany
Section 1: The analysis of the creation story (Genesis 1 to 2:4)
The book opens with an account of the ‘creation’ of the universe. The account is complex and complicated and offers many difficulties to the careful and candid reader. Let us examine the creation story critically.
(1a) How were the first three days and nights created?
It is said that God separated the light from the darkness, thus creating the first day, night, morning and evening. But the source of this light is not mentioned. The only source of light that creates day and night in our universe is the sun, and this source of light was not there when the ‘first day’ came into existence. According to Genesis, the sun and the moon (the two great lights) were made on the ‘fourth day’. How the first three days and nights came to be there without the sun, is not clear. (Genesis 1:3-6, 14-19)
The suggestion put forward by a certain Bible commentary that the sun was there in heaven but its light did not reach the earth before ‘day one’, does not solve the problem. The creation story says that it was on the ‘fourth day’ that “God made the two great lights” and then “God set them in the firmament of heavens to give light upon the earth”. Since these ‘two great lights were made and set in the firmament of heavens’ only on ‘day four’, they could not have been there in heaven during the first three days. (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, Aid to Bible Understanding, 1971, under ‘Creation’, New York, USA, p. 391)
So the problem remains: How were these ‘first three days’ created when the sun and moon were ‘made and set in the firmament of heaven’ only on the ‘fourth day’?
(1b) How did plant life grow without sunlight?
Further, we read in the story that the vegetation, plants and fruits grew out of the earth on the ‘third day’ when the sun was not yet there in heaven. Now, modern science tells us that no vegetation or plant life can grow without sunlight. Since the sun (the greater light to rule the day) was made only on the ‘fourth day’, there could be no sunlight on the ‘third day’, and consequently, there could be no vegetation or plant life on that third day, as claimed in the creation story. (Genesis 1:11-13, 16-19)
To solve this contradiction, the same commentary has suggested that the sun, moon and stars, were there ‘long before Day Four’ but their light did not reach the Earth. It goes on to explain that it was not the creation of the sun that happened on the ‘fourth day’; rather, on that day, the sun was ‘made to shine through the water canopy surrounding the earth’ and its ‘light reached the earth surface’ as the ‘murkiness in the atmosphere cleared’. (Ibid. p. 391)
However, this explanation is not tenable because it is mentioned in the story that the sun and moon were “made and set on the firmament” on the ‘fourth day’. So when there was no sun on the ‘third day’, there could be no sunlight on that ‘third day’ that could shine through the “canopy of water and murkiness” in the atmosphere. Without sunlight, vegetation and plant life could not grow on the ‘third day’.
It is not the mere existence of the sun somewhere in the universe that is enough for the growth of vegetation, fruits and plant life on Earth; it is the actual presence of the sunlight on Earth that is required for their growth. Hence, if, on the ‘third day,’ the light of the sun did not reach the earth because of the so-called ‘canopy of water’ and ‘murkiness in the atmosphere’, then there could be no vegetation on earth in that ‘third day period.
It could only be on ‘day four’, or afterwards, when ‘the greater luminary had begun to shine through the canopy of water’, that the vegetation, fruit trees and plant life could grow on earth. Since on the ‘third day’ there was no sun (and sunlight), there could be no vegetation or plant life on that day, as is claimed in the creation story.
The confession of the commentary that these ‘greater and lesser lights’ (sun and moon) were there in heaven ‘long before Day Four’, proves our point that there is contradiction in the story. According to the story, it was after the completion of the ‘third day’, that “God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heavens to separate the day from the night […] and for seasons, days and years”. And then “God made two lights […] and set them in the firmament of heavens,” thus completing ‘day four’. Now, it cannot be said, as far as this narration goes, that ‘these lights’ were there in the firmament of heaven before ‘day four’. (Genesis 1:14-19)
(1c) The whole creation story is turned upside down
In the creation story, we are told that the ‘vegetation, plants and the fruit trees’ were created on the ‘third day’, while the ‘swarms of living creatures in the water’ and ‘the birds flying above the earth’ were created on the fifth day. And then it is said that on the ‘sixth day’, God first created ‘cattle, creeping things and the beasts’, and last of all ‘God created man in His own image’ so that he could ‘have dominion over fish […] birds […] and every living thing’. (Genesis1:20-28)
Having read this order of creation, one is surprised to read a few verses later, “In the day that the Lord made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up, then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:5-7)
This narrative turns the whole sequence of events upside down. Here the creation of man is said to be, not on the ‘sixth day’ as mentioned earlier, but much before the ‘third day’, ‘when no plant or herb had yet sprung up on the earth’. In fact, man is shown here in these verses to have been created on the very ‘first day’, when ‘the Lord had just begun by making heaven and earth’. (Genesis 1:1; 2:5)
Again, the same commentary has tried to solve the contradiction by suggesting that this second statement is ‘the parallel account’ of the first account of the creation of man. But it does not solve the contradiction between the ‘days’ on which the man is said to have been created. The first account tells us that the man was made on the ‘sixth day’ while the second puts his creation before the ‘third’, and even as early as the ‘first day’. These two statements could not be ‘parallel accounts’ of the creation of the same ‘man’.
(1d) The creation story could not be God’s word
All the above-mentioned scientific errors and contradictory statements clearly show that the account of creation, as we have it in Genesis, could not be the inspired Word of God nor could it be the original word of Mosesas. This story of creation, like many other stories of Genesis, was compiled by the priests and scribes of Israel centuries after Mosesas. By that time, many of the myths and legends of the nations living around them had crept into the rites, rituals and traditions of Israel. On this issue, Peake’s Commentary on the Bible explains that:
“One of the most important results of this study has been the recognition that the various Canaanite sanctuaries which were taken over by the Israelites during their settlement in Canaan became centres of tradition in which the early episodes in the history of ancestors of Israel and of Israel’s own experiences took the form of cult legends which were recited at the various sanctuaries. Such cult legends, together with the written sources, referred to above, formed the material which was finally woven together into the book of Genesis as we have it now.” (Arthur Peake, Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, under Genesis, cultic traditions, sec. 143e, p. 176)
“The next point we have to bear in mind is that, either by direct contact with the Babylonian civilisation before their entry into Canaan, or indirectly through Canaanite civilisation after their entry into Canaan, the Hebrew people had taken over into their own body of traditions a number of myths.
“What the editor of Genesis did with them and with what intention, we shall inquire later; but for the present, it may suffice to point out that none of the myths in this section of Genesis has been shown to be of distinctively Hebrew origin, while most of them, the Flood story in particular, are of Mesopotamian origin”. (Ibid., sec. 144d, p. 177)
(1e) The creation of the universe in ‘six days’
The story tells us that the world has been created in ‘six days’. Biblical scholars are quick to explain that ‘the day’ mentioned here is not our 24-hour day; and that it means ‘a creative day’ and refers to a very long span of time. (Aid to Bible Understanding by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, New York, USA, ed. 1971, under ‘Length of Creative Days’, p. 392).
No doubt, the word ‘day’ can be used to point out different long periods but in that case, one would not use the word ‘night’ with it, nor divide ‘the day’ into ‘mornings and evenings’ as is done in Genesis.
A ‘day’ of God can be of any length of time. We are told in the Bible as well as in the Holy Quran that a day of God is equal to our one thousand years. The Holy Quran even says that a day of God can be equal to our fifty thousand years. (Psalms 90:4: 2 Peter 3:8; Surah al-Hajj, Ch.22: V.48; Surah al-Ma‘arij, Ch.70: V.5) The other (creative) days of God could be much longer and might extend into millions of years. Therefore, the creation of the universe in ‘six days’ reflects six very long periods or stages of creation.
In the Holy Quran too, the creation of the universe is mentioned to be in ‘six days’ but there, the days are not broken up into mornings, evenings and nights. It does, however, mention that the sun, moon, water and air were there before man, or any other type of life came into existence. It goes on to say that all these natural agents are created to serve man and sustain his life. (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.165; Surah al-A‘raf, Ch.7: V.55; Surah Yunus, Ch.10: V.4; Surah Hud, Ch.11: V.8; Surah al-Furqan, Ch.25: V.4)
Most probably, the information about the creation of the world revealed to Mosesas was also on the same lines as we find it in the Holy Quran, but the Scribes of Israel must have found the original text too brief and obscure. And in their attempt to show themselves “more loyal, and learned, than the King”, they tried to elaborate the story by adding various details, which are now found to be incorrect and contradictory.
(1f) Did God need to ‘rest’ after work?
Then the creation story goes on to conclude that:
“Thus the heaven and earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the ‘seventh day’, God finished His work which He had done, and He rested on the ‘seventh day’ from all His work which He had done”. (Genesis 2:2)
Here we are told that, having finished the creation “of heaven, earth and the host of them”, God stopped working and “rested from all His work” on the ‘seventh day’. ‘Resting from work’ after working for ‘six days’, gives a clear impression of some degree of fatigue on the part of God. In the Holy Quran, however, God has categorically rejected this notion. He says:
“And verily, We created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six periods, and no weariness touched us”. (Surah Qaf, Ch.50: V.39)
Moreover, the Holy Quran also dispels the idea that, having created the heaven and the earth, God ‘rested from His work’. Rather, it goes on to reveal something different. It says that:
“Verily, your Lord is Allah Who created the heaven and the earth in six periods, then He settled Himself on the Throne; He governs everything”. (Surah Yunus, Ch.10: V.4)
(1G) Did God ‘desist from earthly creative work’ after ‘six days’?
In the creation story, we are told that “on the seventh day, God finished His work” and that “He rested on the Seventh day from all His work”. This concluding part of the story is again explained by that commentary of the Bible as follows:
“The inspired Record tells of six creative periods called ‘days’ and of seventh period or ‘seventh day’ in which time God desisted from earthly creative works and proceeded to rest”. (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, Aid to Bible Understanding, New York, USA, 1971, under Creation, p. 391)
Further, it says that:
“After the sixth creative period or ‘day’ Jehovah ceased from earthly creative work. But that does not mean that God’s activity having to do with the invisible realm came to an end”. (Ibid., under ‘New Creation’, p. 393)
(1h) An attempt to confuse the issue
The above-mentioned statements in the commentary are only an attempt to confuse the issue and mislead the readers. Let us read the very opening verse of Genesis and see that:
“In the beginning, God created heaven and earth”. (Genesis 1:1)
We can see clearly that the ‘creative work’ that God had embarked upon ‘in the beginning’, was not only earthly but also heavenly. We have also seen that during the six days (periods), God had created not only the vegetation, animals and man on the earth but also the sun, moon, stars and “all the host of them” in the heavens (Genesis .2:1).
It is, therefore, obvious that the ‘work’ that God had completed and ‘finished’ on the ‘sixth day’, included not only the ‘earthy creative work’ but also the ‘heavenly creative work’. And if God had “rested, desisted or ceased from work” on the ‘seventh day’, it must be from both, the earthly as well as the heavenly, creative works. There is nothing to suggest that, although God had finished the creation of heaven and earth, He had ‘desisted or ceased’ only from the ‘earthly creative work’.
For the commentary to say that God had desisted or ceased from the “earthly creative work”, is to confess that God had continued with His ‘heavenly creative work’ even after the ‘sixth day’. And if we accept that God had continued with His creative work in the universe, then we can be sure that He could not have ceased from His work here on earth too, because our earth is also a part of the same universe.
The fact is that from a human point of view, God’s creative activities are extremely slow and gradual, extending over millions of years; and such a slow creative activity occurring over a very short span of only a few thousand years of human history, could not be perceived by the tiny humans, and that gave them the impression as if God has ceased to work. Nevertheless, scientists do record changes and creative activities on the earth too, as they do record such activities in the universe.
(1i) God’s activities never end, be they ‘visible or invisible’
In the reference cited above, it is also said that although Jehovah has ceased from the ‘earthly creative work’, “that does not mean that God’s activity having to do with the invisible realm came to an end”.
Here again, the impression given is very misleading. It is argued that God’s earthly creative work was ‘visible’, and this work had come to an end on the ‘sixth day’ of creation, but God’s activity in the ‘invisible realm’ continues. Now the problem is that the visibility of man keeps on changing. How can man, with his poor, unstable and changing visibility, draw a line between the visible and invisible activities of God and decide which one has ceased and when?
It is common knowledge that as the physical and intellectual ‘visibility’ of man grows, many a divine activity belonging to the ‘invisible realm’ keeps changing its position and enters into the ‘visible realm’. And this change from the invisible to the visible realm continues as science advances. Now, modern man knows many secrets of God’s works that were unknown and invisible to him in the past. Now man is getting more and more convinced that God’s activities, heavenly or earthly, never end, be they in the visible realm or in the invisible.
(1j) The Jewish Sabbath is not based on ‘God’s rest day’
To keep the ‘Sabbath’ was strictly enjoined upon the people of Israel. It is usually thought that they were commanded not to work on Sabbath day because God had ‘rested from work’ on the ‘seventh day’. The two verses quoted in this regard are from Exodus and they read:
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord, your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, your sons, for in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth and rested on the seventh day; therefore, the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it”. (Exo. 20:8-11)
And the other verse reads:
“Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on Sabbath day shall be put to death. […] It is a sign for ever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed”. (Exo. 31:15-17)
According to the above-mentioned verses, God had enjoined upon the people of Israel not to work on the seventh day of the week and observe it as the ‘Holy Sabbath day’ because “in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed”.
Now, God had ‘rested from work’ because He had finished His work, but the situation of the people of Israel was different. The work of Israel was not finished; they had to work to earn their daily bread to feed themselves and their children. How could God stop Israel from working on a particular day simply because He Himself did not have anything to do on that day and was ‘resting’?
Obviously, therefore, we will have to find some other rational and relevant reason for imposing all those hard and harsh restrictions on the people of Israel that stopped them from doing one type of work on sabbath day but, at the same time, bade them to do the other.
(1j-i) The real reason for imposing the Sabbath on Israel
We know that to ‘keep the Sabbath’ was one of the Ten Commandments that were revealed to Moses at Mount Sinai when he was leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. (Exo.20:1-17)
We also know that in Egypt, these ‘children of Israel’ had been leading a very miserable life as slaves for a very long time. For centuries, they were subjected to hard labour ‘seven days’ a week. And for many generations, they could find no time to attend to their religious obligations and to teach and train their children in religious and moral fields. Consequently, they had gradually lost all their religious values and had adopted evil ways and immoral manners under the influence of the godless Egyptian society. (Exo. 2:23-25; 18:7-9)
Now, when they had been freed by Moses from that sad situation of slavery and suffering, and were on their way to lead their lives as free men and the ruling class, they desperately needed to regain their lost moral and spiritual values. They urgently need to rebuild their shattered religious and social set-up and revive their demoralised society. Hence an immediate God’s call to Moses to come to Mount Sinai, where he was handed out a bitter, but very effective, prescription for the ills of his people in the form of the ‘Ten Commandments’. One of these Ten Commandments was the strict observance of the Sabbath, under a very severe penalty for anyone who did not. (Ex.35:2)
(1j-ii) The Sabbath was not really a ‘work-free rest day’ for Israel
According to this commandment, they were forbidden to indulge in their worldly pursuits on Saturday, the seventh day of their week. It is clear from the above-mentioned context that the aim of these restrictions was to force the people of Israel, to have at least one day reserved for learning their religious teachings and for improving the moral and spiritual values of their families and the society at large.
On sabbath day, they were required to go to their places of worship in large numbers and concentrate on their religious teachings and practices; and, as a Jewish saying goes, “There is no Sabbath in the sanctuary”. So we see that, after all, the Sabbath was not a ‘work-free rest day’ for the people of Israel. They were forced to serve God and work for Him on that ‘rest day’.
(1k) Sabbath, a day to thank God for deliverance from slavery
It is narrated in Exodus as well as in Deuteronomy, that the people of Israel had been serving as slaves in Egypt and they had suffered there so badly as if they were in an ‘iron furnace’ (Dt. 4:20). The Gracious God heard their groaning and delivered them from that agonising situation in Egypt, defeating and destroying their enemies. He had guided and helped them at every step during their arduous journey to freedom in the ‘promised land of Canaan’. (Exo. 2:23,24; Dt. 6:21-25)
As they wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, Mosesas had reminded them, time and again, that they should always remember how they suffered in Egypt and how God, by His mighty hand, had delivered them from the bondage of Pharaoh and his people. Mosesas had advised them strongly to remember their God gratefully, love Him wholeheartedly and obey His commands sincerely so that they could benefit from the blessings which God had promised to their forefathers. (Dt.11:1-11; 30:15-20)
In order to help them fulfil their moral and religious obligations, God reserved for them the ‘sabbath day’ so that, at least once a week, they could revive their faith, remember their God, and thank Him for His favours, paying full attention to Him without indulging in worldly affairs. Let us read the real basis and background of the Sabbath in the words of Mosesas. He is reported to have summoned all the people of Israel and advised them:
“Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak to your hearing this day, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us who are all of us here alive this day.
“The Lord spoke to you face to face at the mountain […] He said, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other god besides me […]’
“Observe the Sabbath, to keep it holy, as the Lord God has commanded you. Six days you shall labour, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it, you shall not do any work, you or your sons. You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out thence with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore, the Lord, your God, commanded you to keep the Sabbath”. (Dt. 5:1-15)
(1l) Why the reason for keeping the Sabbath is different in Exodus?
In the version of the Ten Commandments, recorded in Deuteronomy, Mosesas mentions “the deliverance from the slavery in Egypt”, as the basis for keeping the Sabbath. No mention is made in Deuteronomy of “God resting on the seventh day” as the reason for observing the sabbath day. In fact, the dogma that ‘God rested from work on the seventh day’ does not appear anywhere in the whole of Deuteronomy.
But in the version of the Ten Commandments that appears in Exodus, the reason given for observing the ‘sabbath day’ reads:
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth and rested on the seventh day; therefore, the Lord blessed the sabbath day”. (Exo. 20:8-11)
Then, we see that the only other place where Sabbath is linked to ‘God’s rest day’, again happens to be in Exodus. There God is shown to be not only resting but also refreshing on the sabbath day. It reads:
“Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the sabbath […] It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed”. (Exo. 31:16-17)
So we can see that the reason given in the book ‘Exodus’ for keeping the sabbath is quite different from the reason mentioned in Deut., where it reads, “Remember you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out thence; therefore, the Lord […] commanded you to keep the Sabbath.” (Dt.5:15)
Now the question is: Why does the Book of Exodus link the ‘sabbath day’ with ‘God’s rest day’ instead of deliverance from slavery in Egypt as mentioned by Mosesas?
The obvious reason for this change is that during the centuries following Mosesas, when the people of Israel had become rich and prosperous, they found their slavery and suffering in Egypt as the basis of their Sabbath day very embarrassing for themselves. They felt very small and ashamed to have that poor, humble and humiliating past of their national history linked to their ‘holy and happy rest day’.
So the Scribes of Israel tempered with the book of ‘Exodus’ and did away with this “deliverance from the slavery and suffering in Egypt” as the reason for their Sabbath, mentioned by Mosesas. They devised the idea of “God resting and refreshing on the seventh day” and introduced it in the book Exodus as the reason for keeping the Sabbath.
Now they could proudly go around with a prestigious and sacred basis for their ‘sabbath rest day’. This noble ground for their ‘rest day’ looked quite appropriate and relevant to their social status as the ‘rich, righteous and chosen people of God’. So instead of thanking God for their delivery from slavery, they began to preach to their masses that they were ‘resting on Sabbath’ because God too, was observing it as ‘His rest day’.
We thank God that the document on which the book ‘Deuteronomy’ is based, was not available to these Scribes in the early centuries after Mosesas, otherwise, they would have expunged from it too, the reason given by Mosesas for keeping the Sabbath. This document was discovered almost six hundred years after Mosesas, in the seventh century, in a temple in Jerusalem during the reign of Josia. And by that time, it was too late for them to temper with it and remove from it the real reason given by Mosesas for keeping the Sabbath. (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 2 Kings: 22:8-13, ed. 1962, under ‘Introduction to Pentateuch’, sec. 137a, p. 169)
(1m-i) Israel is punished for ignoring the real basis of the Sabbath
By ignoring the real basis of their ‘holy sabbath day’, the people of Israel had contravened another command of God; and for this disobedience and perjury, they were made to suffer again in Babylon the same misery and misfortune which they had suffered in Egypt. They had been warned not to forget the blessings and favours of their Lord, which He had bestowed upon them by delivering them from the bondage in Egypt and by granting them progress and prosperity in the world. Mosesas had warned them:
“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord our God has commanded you?’, then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; and the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes that he might bring us in and give this land […] And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as at this day. And it will be righteous for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God”. (Dt. 6:20-25)
(1m-ii) Quranic version of Israel’s neglect of God’s favours and covenant
At this stage, we cannot help quoting a few relevant verses from the Holy Quran regarding Israel’s neglect of God’s favours, His covenant and His commandments. Addressing the ‘Children of Israel’, God reminds them of His favours and the covenant; and reprimands them for neglecting His commandments. God says:
يٰبَنِيۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ اذۡکُرُوۡا نِعۡمَتِيَ الَّتِيۡۤ اَنۡعَمۡتُ عَلَيۡکُمۡ وَاَوۡفُوۡا بِعَہۡدِيۡۤ اُوۡفِ بِعَہۡدِکُمۡ ۚ وَاِيَّايَ فَارۡہَبُوۡنِ وَاٰمِنُوۡا بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلۡتُ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَکُمۡ وَلَا تَکُوۡنُوۡۤا اَوَّلَ کَافِرٍۭ بِہٖ ۪وَلَا تَشۡتَرُوۡا بِاٰيٰتِيۡ ثَمَنًا قَلِيۡلًا ۫ وَّاِيَّايَ فَاتَّقُوۡنِ وَلَا تَلۡبِسُوا الۡحَقَّ بِالۡبَاطِلِ وَتَکۡتُمُوا الۡحَقَّ وَاَنۡتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ اَتَاۡمُرُوۡنَ النَّاسَ بِالۡبِرِّ وَتَنۡسَوۡنَ اَنۡفُسَکُمۡ وَاَنۡتُمۡ تَتۡلُوۡنَ الۡکِتٰبَ ؕ اَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُوۡنَ يٰبَنِيۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ اذۡکُرُوۡا نِعۡمَتِيَ الَّتِيۡۤ اَنۡعَمۡتُ عَلَيۡکُمۡ وَاَنِّيۡ فَضَّلۡتُکُمۡ عَلَي الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ وَاِذۡ نَجَّيۡنٰکُمۡ مِّنۡ اٰلِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ يَسُوۡمُوۡنَکُمۡ سُوۡٓءَ الۡعَذَابِ يُذَبِّحُوۡنَ اَبۡنَآءَکُمۡ وَيَسۡتَحۡيُوۡنَ نِسَآءَکُمۡ ؕ وَفِيۡ ذٰلِکُمۡ بَلَآءٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّکُمۡ عَظِيۡمٌ وَاِذۡ فَرَقۡنَا بِکُمُ الۡبَحۡرَ فَاَنۡجَيۡنٰکُمۡ وَاَغۡرَقۡنَاۤ اٰلَ فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَاَنۡتُمۡ تَنۡظُرُوۡنَ
“O children of Israel! remember My favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant with Me, I will fulfil My covenant with you, and Me alone should you fear. And believe in what I have sent down which fulfils that which is with you, and be not the first to disbelieve therein, and barter not My Signs for a paltry price, and take protection in Me alone. And confound not truth with falsehood nor hide the truth, knowingly. And observe Prayer and pay the Zakat, and bow down with those who bow. Do you enjoin others to do what is good and forget your own selves, while you read the Book? Will you not then understand? And seek help with patience and Prayer; and this indeed is hard except for the humble in spirit, Who know for certain that they will meet their Lord, and that to Him will they return. O children of Israel! remember My favour which I bestowed upon you and that I exalted you above the peoples. And fear the day when no soul shall serve as a substitute for another soul at all, nor shall intercession be accepted for it; nor shall ransom be taken from it; nor shall they be helped. And [remember the time] when We delivered you from Pharaoh’s people who afflicted you with grievous torment, slaying your sons and sparing your women; and in that there was a great trial for you from your Lord. And [remember the time] when We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh’s people, while you looked on. And [remember the time] when We made Moses a promise of forty nights; then you took the calf [for worship] in his absence and you were transgressors.” (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.41-52)
(1n) The Quranic concept of the creation of the universe
From the Islamic point of view, God’s works never finish, nor does He ever desist from His work for any reason whatsoever. He cannot be devoid of His attributes even for a fraction of a second, and ‘to create’ is His very prominent and permanent attribute, which remains in operation forever.
With regards to the creation of the universe, we quote a few verses from the Holy Quran that speak of very fundamental facts about the creation of the universe.
(1n-i) The universe: created out of ‘nothingness’ and is not eternal
God says in the Holy Quran:
بَدِيۡعُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ ؕ وَاِذَا قَضٰۤي اَمۡرًا فَاِنَّمَا يَقُوۡلُ لَہٗ کُنۡ فَيَکُوۡنُ
“[He is] the Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a thing, He does only say to it, ‘Be!’ and it is.”. (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.118)
Here we are told that God did not create the universe by using some already existing raw material. He created it out of ‘nothingness’ by His decree. And that also means that our universe is not eternal; it has its beginning and, therefore, it must have an end.
(1n-ii) The ‘Big Bang’ and the ‘black hole’ theories in the Holy Quran.
The beginning of the universe is described by God as follows:
اَوَلَمۡ يَرَ الَّذِيۡنَ کَفَرُوۡۤا اَنَّ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضَ کَانَتَا رَتۡقًا فَفَتَقۡنٰہُمَا ؕ وَجَعَلۡنَا مِنَ الۡمَآءِ کُلَّ شَيۡءٍ حَيٍّ ؕ اَفَلَا يُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ
“Do not the disbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were [a] closed-up [mass], then We opened them out? And We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?”. (Surah al-Anbiya’, Ch.21: V.31)
Here God has explained that the material created to make the universe was rolled up into a big mass and then it was made to spin and explode with such a great force that its pieces flung out into space and took the form of various planets, stars and other heavenly bodies. The flight of these ‘pieces turned bodies’ was naturally controlled by God and each of them was stationed where it was meant to serve the purpose of its creation. The ‘splinters’ of the left-over mass still roam the space as meteorites of varying sizes, which sometimes enter and get burnt in the atmosphere of the earth and are seen as ‘shooting stars’. However, some bigger ones do escape being burnt completely and fall to the earth.
This phenomenon of the ‘explosion of the mass’, used in the creation of the universe, is now accepted by modern science as the ‘Big Bang’. The scientists have also discovered that the universe so created eventually ends up in what is now known as a ‘black hole’; and it is inspiring to know that the Arabic word translated as ‘clove asunder’ also means ‘total darkness’. So in this one Arabic word is described, the beginning and the end of the universe. (Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh, under ‘Quran and Cosmology’, ed. 1998, pp. 304-305)
(1n-iii) ‘Expansion of the universe’, in the Holy Quran
It has been relatively recently discovered that the universe is expanding. This fact is also mentioned in the Holy Quran. God says:
وَالسَّمَآءَ بَنَيۡنٰہَا بِاَيۡٮدٍ وَّاِنَّا لَمُوۡسِعُوۡنَ
“And We have built the heaven with [Our own] hands, and verily We have vast powers.”. (Surah adh-Dhariyat, Ch.51: V.48)
This very short verse of the Holy Quran, revealed more than fourteen hundred years ago, mentions a deep secret of the universe which has recently been discovered by cosmologists. It is now accepted that our universe is expanding. The explosive force of the ‘Big Bang’ which created the heavenly objects and made them fly into space, is still acting on these objects, pushing them further away. (Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh, under ‘Quran and Cosmology’, ed. 1998, pp. 303)
(1n-iv) The end of the universe and its re-creation.
The following verse mentions how the universe, once created, ends up, and how the new universe is created again by the Lord. It says:
يَوۡمَ نَطۡوِي السَّمَآءَ کَطَيِّ السِّجِلِّ لِلۡکُتُبِ ؕ کَمَا بَدَاۡنَاۤ اَوَّلَ خَلۡقٍ نُّعِيۡدُہٗ ؕ وَعۡدًا عَلَيۡنَا ؕ اِنَّا کُنَّا فٰعِلِيۡنَ
“[Remember] the day when We shall roll up the heavens like the rolling up of written scrolls by a scribe. As We began the first creation, so shall We repeat it — a promise [binding] upon Us; We shall certainly perform it.” (Surah al-Anbiya’, Ch. 21:105)
This verse describes that sometime in the very distant future, the heavenly objects will be rolled up like the rolling up of a scroll. And surprisingly, the scientific descriptions about the ultimate destruction of the universe, making a ‘black hole’ are similar to the one mentioned in this verse. The scientists say that the explosive force that keeps the universe expanding, will gradually become so weak that it will be overcome by the gravitational pull of these objects; and all these planets will merge together again, making a big revolving mass.
And then, under its own tremendous gravitational and electromagnetic force, this revolving mass will get pressed into a sheet, which will get rolled up like a scroll. The inward gravitational force of this mass will grow so powerful that it will cause the other stars to collapse and pull them into itself. As this mass grows, its immense inward pull will even pull the radiation and light into it, causing total darkness, the so-called ‘black hole’.
Once a ‘black hole’ is created, it grows rapidly because it devours even very distant stars; and it is estimated that in our galaxy there exists a ‘black hole’ of two million solar masses. According to some other calculations, many black holes in the universe could be as big as three thousand million solar masses. Following the eventual collapse of the universe into a ‘black hole’, there emerges from that singularity a ‘white hole’ with a new Big Bang, and a new beginning of another universe. And so the cycle of creation goes on. (Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh, under ‘Quran and Cosmology’, ed. 1998, pp. 304-307)
(1n-v) The motion of heavenly bodies mentioned in the Quran long ago
Until recently, it was thought that the sun is stationary but the Holy Quran declared as early as fourteen hundred years ago that:
وَالشَّمۡسُ تَجۡرِيۡ لِمُسۡتَقَرٍّ لَّہَا ؕ ذٰلِکَ تَقۡدِيۡرُ الۡعَزِيۡزِ الۡعَلِيۡمِ
“And the sun is moving on the course [prescribed] for it. That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing God.” (Surah Ya Sin, Ch.36: V.39)
The Holy Quran had, in fact, mentioned long ago that all the heavenly bodies are in a state of motion, a fact that has been discovered by scientists only recently. It says:
“And He it is Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, each gliding along in its orbit”. (Surah al-Anbiya’, Ch.21: V.34)
Again it says:
اَللّٰہُ الَّذِيۡ رَفَعَ السَّمٰوٰتِ بِغَيۡرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوۡنَہَا ثُمَّ اسۡتَوٰي عَلَي الۡعَرۡشِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمۡسَ وَالۡقَمَرَ ؕ کُلٌّ يَّجۡرِيۡ لِاَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّي ؕ يُدَبِّرُ الۡاَمۡرَ يُفَصِّلُ الۡاٰيٰتِ لَعَلَّکُمۡ بِلِقَآءِ رَبِّکُمۡ تُوۡقِنُوۡنَ
“Allah is He Who raised up the heavens without any pillars that you can see. Then He settled Himself on the Throne. And He pressed the sun and the moon into service: each pursues its course until an appointed term. He regulates it all. He clearly explains the Signs, that you may have a firm belief in the meeting with your Lord.” (Surah ar-Ra‘d, Ch.13: V.3)
(1n-vi) The creation of the universe in ‘six days’.
The Holy Quran also mentions, like the Bible, that the heaven and earth were created in six ‘days’ but it does not divide the day into the ‘night’, ‘morning’ or ‘evening’ as the Bible does. The verse reads:
اِنَّ رَبَّکُمُ اللّٰہُ الَّذِيۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضَ فِيۡ سِتَّةِ اَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسۡتَوٰي عَلَي الۡعَرۡشِ يُدَبِّرُ الۡاَمۡرَ
“Verily, your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods, then He settled Himself on the Throne; He governs everything.” (Surah Yunus, Ch.10: V.4)
We have already discussed that the ‘day of God’ could be of a very long period of time; and that the ‘six days’ stand for the six periods or six stages of creation. The Holy Quran does not mention, like the Bible, that ‘God rested’ after six days; rather, it says that, having created the heaven and earth, ‘God settled on His Throne’ and continued to govern the universe.
(1n-vii) Some other facts about the creation
The following four verses of the Holy Quran are quite comprehensive and throw more light on the creation of the universe. They read:
قُلۡ اَئِنَّکُمۡ لَتَکۡفُرُوۡنَ بِالَّذِيۡ خَلَقَ الۡاَرۡضَ فِيۡ يَوۡمَيۡنِ وَتَجۡعَلُوۡنَ لَہٗۤ اَنۡدَادًا ؕ ذٰلِکَ رَبُّ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ وَجَعَلَ فِيۡہَا رَوَاسِيَ مِنۡ فَوۡقِہَا وَبٰرَکَ فِيۡہَا وَقَدَّرَ فِيۡہَاۤ اَقۡوَاتَہَا فِيۡۤ اَرۡبَعَةِ اَيَّامٍ ؕ سَوَآءً لِّلسَّآئِلِيۡنَ ثُمَّ اسۡتَوٰۤي اِلَي السَّمَآءِ وَہِيَ دُخَانٌ فَقَالَ لَہَا وَلِلۡاَرۡضِ ائۡتِيَا طَوۡعًا اَوۡ کَرۡہًا ؕ قَالَتَاۤ اَتَيۡنَا طَآئِعِيۡنَ فَقَضٰہُنَّ سَبۡعَ سَمٰوَاتٍ فِيۡ يَوۡمَيۡنِ وَاَوۡحٰي فِيۡ کُلِّ سَمَآءٍ اَمۡرَہَا ؕ وَزَيَّنَّا السَّمَآءَ الدُّنۡيَا بِمَصَابِيۡحَ ٭ۖ وَحِفۡظًا ؕ ذٰلِکَ تَقۡدِيۡرُ الۡعَزِيۡزِ الۡعَلِيۡمِ
“Say: ‘Do you really disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two days? And do you set up equals to Him?’ That is the Lord of the worlds. He placed therein firm mountains rising above its [surface], and blessed it [with abundance], and provided therein its foods in proper measure in four days — alike for [all] seekers. Then He turned to the heaven while it was [something like] smoke, and said to it and to the earth: ‘Come ye both of you, willingly or unwillingly.’ They said, ‘We come willingly.’ So He completed them into seven heavens in two days, and He revealed to each heaven its function. And We adorned the lowest heaven with lamps for [light] and for protection. That is the decree of the Mighty, the All-Knowing. (Surah Ha Mim as-Sajdah, Ch.41: V.10-13)
In these verses, a lot of information has been given with regard to the creation of the earth and heaven. It is said that the earth was created in ‘two days’ (periods or stages), and then, it is said that in the next ‘four days’ the earth was blessed with mountains, treasures and many other capabilities, necessary for providing ‘food for all seekers alike’ according to their requirement. So this makes the creation of the earth complete in ‘six days’.
Then it is mentioned that the heaven was created and decorated with various ‘lamps’ (stars, sun and moon) in ‘two days’. Now, this does not mean that the heaven was created after the creation of “earth, mountains and the food for all seekers”. The earth could not have produced all the provisions necessary to sustain and feed ‘all the seekers of food’ if the ‘heaven’ had not been there already. So the fact is that the heaven with its lamps was created during the same first two days (periods) when the earth was being created. Therefore the total number of ‘days’ that the creation of the earth and heaven took, remains the same six; and not eight as it apparently looks. (Tafsir-e-Kabir by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, Vol. 3, Surah Yunus, Ch.11: V.4, ed. 1986, London, p. 20-21)
A divergent view stands corrected
Some Muslim scholars have suggested that the ‘first two days’, in which the earth was created, are also included in the ‘four days’ in which the mountains and the provisions are said to have been created. And then, they say, after the complete creation of the earth with its mountains and provisions in ‘four days’, the heaven was created in the ‘next two days’, thus making the total number of days six.
But this, as we have already mentioned, is not possible; and modern science too has established that all these heavenly objects, including our earth, were created at the same time, i.e., in the first two ‘days’ or stages. And then, in the next ‘four stages’, the earth developed its mountains and other capabilities to produce living creatures and their nourishment, under the influence of this ‘heaven’. (Ibid.)
The world’s population cannot outgrow the feeding capacity of the earth
These verses also highlight the fact that the earth has the full capacity to “provide proper food to all those creatures living on it who try to get it according to the laws of nature.” So the fear that the earth may not someday be able to grow sufficient food for the fast-increasing population of the world is groundless. According to agriculture experts, the earth can provide food for ten times the present population of the world; and the food supply of the world grows twice as fast as its population. (Five Volume Commentary of Holy Quran, Surah Ha Mim as-Sajdah, Ch.41: V.1-12, sec. 3563-3564)
Lastly, we may explain that the expression used in the verse that the ‘heaven and earth said we come willingly’, signifies that everything in this universe is subject to certain divine laws. It obeys and works according to those laws of nature. Only man has been given the choice to obey or to defy the divine laws, and unfortunately, man often uses this choice and freedom to his own detriment. (Ibid., p. 303)