THE SIX DAYS CREATION

THE SIX DAYS CREATION

Bismillah rahman roheem.

The Quran states that it took Allah (God) six ‘ ayyamin’ to create the universe. The word ayyamin, in the context of the universes creation, is usually incorrectly translated as days in most English translations of the Quran, thereby giving non-Arabic speakers the impression that it took Allah six (human / earthly) days to create the universe. But this, in my humble understanding, is incorrect. The word ‘yaum ‘ (period) can represent any number of years or earthly time. Therefore, the word ayyamin (as in 6 ayyamin) can mean six periods or epochs, and NOT six human / earthly days .

Gods’ command ( Be, and it is – Arabic: kun fayakun ) should not necessarily be seen as instantaneous or mutually exclusive from the concept of a periodic… cycle. It is merely a command that can be instituted as a precursor to a complete… process which may take aeons to complete. This is clear from the formation of the Heavens and the Earth:

Furthermore, God is not bound by human concepts of time. A ‘ yaum’ or period can represent any number of years or earthly time:

IT TOOK FOUR PERIODS TO CREATE EVERYTHING WITHIN THE EARTH

It is to be appreciated that out of a total of 6 periods (which could be any number of large epochs), it took four of them to create the Earth’s contents. This clearly does not indicate an instantaneous creation:
Please note in the above verse the mention of sustenance for all God’s creatures of all kinds and complexities. It is important to remember that one creature in the food web is often a means of sustenance for another within the animal kingdom. This whole process to create them took 4 periods out of the total of the 6 periods to create the universe.
One day in the sight of Allah is 1,000 or 50,000 years.

1. ” And they ask you to hasten on the punishment, and God will by no means fail in His promise, and surely a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of what you number ” [Quran 22:47]

2. ” To Him ascend the angels and the Spirit in a day the measure of which is fifty thousand years” [Quran 7:4]

1. “(The) Originator of the heavens and the Earth, and when He decrees an affair, He only says to it, Be, and it is ( Arabic: Kun Fayakun )” [Quran 2:117]

One example of the harmony between the Qur’an and modern science is the subject of the age of the universe. Cosmologists estimate the age of the universe as 16-17 billion years. The Qur’an states that the entire universe was created in six days. These two time frames, which may seem contradictory, are actually surprisingly compatible. In fact, both these figures concerning the age of the universe are correct. In other words, the universe was created in six days, as revealed in the Qur’an, and this period corresponds to 16-17 billion years in the way that we experience time.

In 1915 Einstein proposed that time was relative, that the passage of time altered according to space, the speed of the person travelling and the force of gravity at that moment. Bearing in mind these differences in the passage of time, the period of time in which the universe was created as revealed in seven different verses of the Qur’an is actually highly compatible with scientists’ estimations.

The six-day period revealed in the Qur’an can be thought of as six periods. Because, taking into account the relativity of time, a “day” refers only to a 24-hour period experienced on Earth under current conditions. Elsewhere in the universe, however, at another time and under other conditions, a “day” could refer to a much longer period of time. Indeed, the word ” ayyamin ” in the period of six days ( sittati ayyamin ) in these verses of the qur’an means not only “days,” but also “age, period, moment, term.”
Quran 7.54] And your Lord, Allah, who created the Heavens and the Earth in six days and then settled on the Throne…
Those six days are on the Throne; so the frame of reference for creation is the Throne, not Earth.

Indeed, your Lord is Allah , who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne, arranging the matter [of His creation]… Surah Yunus [10:3]

He who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days and then established Himself above the Throne – the Most Merciful, so ask about Him one well informed. Surah Al-Furqan [25:59] It is Allah who created the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them in six days ; then He established Himself above the Throne. You have not besides Him any protector or any intercessor; so will you not be reminded? Surah As-Sajdah [32:4]

And He placed on the earth firmly set mountains over its surface, and He blessed it and determined therein its [creatures’] sustenance in four days without distinction – for [the information] of those who ask. Surah Fussilat [41:10]

And We did certainly create the heavens and earth and what is between them in six days , and there touched Us no weariness. Surah Qaf [50:38] It is He who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He knows what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it and what descends from the heaven and what ascends therein; and He is with you wherever you are. And Allah , of what you do, is Seeing. Surah Al-Hadid [57:4]

In the first period of the universe, the passage of time took place much faster than that with which we are familiar today. The reason for this is that, at the moment of the Big Bang, our universe was compressed into a very small point. The expansion of the universe and increase in its volume ever since the moment of that explosion has extended the borders of the universe to millions of light years. Indeed, the stretching of space ever since that moment has had very important ramifications for universal time.

The energy at the moment of the Big Bang slowed down the flow of time
(one million million) times. When the universe was created the speed of universal time was higher up to a million million times, as time is experienced today. In other words, a million million minutes on Earth is the equivalent of just one minute in universal time.

When a six-day period of time is calculated according to the relativity of time, it equates to six million million (six trillion) days. That is because universal time flows a million million times faster than time on Earth. Calculated in terms of years, 6 trillion days equates to approximately 16.427 billion years. This is within the estimated range for the age of the universe.

6,000,000,000,000 days/365.25 = 16.427104723 billion years
Allah, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge save what He wills. His Footstool encompasses the heavens and the earth and their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent.
(Qur’an, 2:255)

On the other hand, each of the six days of creation equates to very different periods, as we perceive time. The reason for this is that the speed of the passage of time declines in proportion to the expansion of the universe. Ever since the Big Bang, as the size of the universe doubled, so the passage of time halved. As the universe grew, the speed at which the universe doubled increasingly slowed down. This rate of expansion is a scientific fact acknowledged the world over and described in the text book The Fundamentals of Physical Cosmology. When we calculate every day of creation in terms of Earth time, the following situation emerges:

This conclusion is one of the facts revealed by 21st century science. Science has once again confirmed a fact revealed in the Qur’an 1,400 years ago. This harmony between the Qur’an and science is one of the miraculous proofs that the Qur’an is the revelation of Allah, the Creator, the Omniscient.

Time is Relative – Age of Universe

Time is relative. We know from Einstein that my clock and your clock will not run at the same rate. Time (or rate of our clocks) depends on acceleration and/or gravity. If my clock accelerates and/or is in a strong gravitational field then it will run slower than your clock. Quran 22.47 compares time on Earth with time at Paradise/Hell (1 day vs 1000 years). While Quran 70.4 compares time on Earth with time in wormholes (1 day vs 50,000 years).

Muslims believe that Paradise and Hell are both much bigger and much more massive than Earth (but still much smaller than God’s Throne). The theory of general relativity says that time passes slower near an object more massive than Earth (clocks run slower in stronger gravitational fields). So according to general relativity, time should pass in Paradise/Hell much slower than on Earth. Muslims say that this is what Allah says. It is stated in the Quran that 1 day in Paradise/Hell measures a 1000 years on Earth:

[Quran 22.47] They challenge you to bring forth that torture [in Hell] and Allah will not break His promise; a day of your Lord [Paradise/Hell promise] is like a thousand years of what you count.

Here God promises those who do not believe in Hell and punishment that each day of their torture in Hell will measure a thousand years on Earth. So according to the Quran, time passes faster on Earth than in Paradise/Hell. But this agrees with the theory of general relativity which says that time passes slower near bigger mass. Paradise and Hell are much more massive than Earth and time should pass there much slower than on Earth.

Christians believe that God created the universe in 6 earthly days and rested on the 7th. Moslems believe that 6 days passed at God’s Throne but we experienced 13.7 billion years on Earth: Moslems believe that God is not bound to His Throne; rather He created it and set it as a reference. The Quran says that God’s Throne is even wider than the whole universe; so how about the mass of God’s Throne? God’s Throne is much more massive than Earth. Time should pass there much slower than on Earth:

Our solar system is 4.57 billion years old. Earth started accreting concurrently with the sun and our neighbouring planets 4.57 bln years ago. However the universe is 13.7 ± 0.2 bln years old. This places the age of Earth at one third the age of the universe (4.57 bln/13.7 bln = 1/3). Moslems say that this is what Allah says. The Quran says that in God’s Throne time Earth is 2 days old while the Heavens, Earth and everything in between are 6 days old (2/6 = 1/3):

May Almighty Allah grant us much understanding on the Deen…..Aamin

Credits:Xahra Hussain

Hassan Adam

Reference: Miracles of the Qur’an

Nafysah @ .Knowislam.com.ng