The Quran and the Cosmos: Islam at the Frontiers of Astrophysics

Featured image with Arabic Script from the Holy Quran's Surah An-Nur (24:35), “Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.”

Introduction

From the ink of revelation to the arcs of planetary motion, there is a whisper that echoes between the verses of the Quran and the formulas of physics—a murmur suggesting that the cosmos was never mute, but scripted.

For Muslims, the Quran has long stood not only as a moral compass but as a mirror held up to nature, reflecting truths that modern instruments would only later detect.

This essay walks the starlit path between the metaphysical and the empirical, drawing constellations between the language of God and the discoveries of astronomers—poets in their own right—who dared to ask what lies beyond.

We will explore how Quranic verses anticipate or resonate with key developments in astrophysics and cosmology, including Newton’s law of gravitation, Einstein’s general relativity, limitations of the calculus and differential geometry of geodesics, string theory, M-theory, and the Λ-term in Einstein's field equations that represent dark energy. It examines the expansion of the universe through Hubble’s Law, the paradoxes of black holes, and the unresolved tension between quantum mechanics and gravity.

You will learn about the Planck scale, the structure of the cosmos, and phenomena such as stellar collapse, dark matter, gravitational lensing, and atmospheric shielding. 

Throughout, you will find the centrality of Quranic descriptions on the expanding heavens, descending stars, unseen forces, and layered creation—not as accidental poetry, but as windows of truths that science has only recently begun to uncover.

1: The Celestial Dance — Orbits and Eternal Motion

“And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming.”
— Surah Al-Anbiya (21:33)

Quranic Vision vs. Ancient Cosmology

In the 7th century CE, when the Quran was revealed, nearly all known scientific traditions—Greek, Roman, Persian, and Indian—adhered to geocentrism. The dominant model, inherited from Claudius Ptolemy’s Almagest (2nd century CE), placed the Earth at the center of the universe. The Sun, Moon, and stars were thought to orbit the Earth in perfect circular paths, with elaborate epicycles constructed to “save the appearances” of retrograde planetary motion.

This Ptolemaic view was not fringe—it was scientific orthodoxy in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds, and it persisted for nearly 1,400 years until Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler overturned it in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Now consider the language of the Quran, revealed in this very world:

Surah Ya-Sin (36:40):

"It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit."

Surah Al-Anbiya (21:33):

"And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [the celestial bodies] swim along, each in an orbit."

The Quran revealed that the universe is remarkably non-geocentric. The Sun and Moon are described as moving independently, with no reference to the Earth as the center of their motion. Instead of assigning stationary positions or mythological chariots to these celestial objects, the Quran paints a dynamic system—fluid, balanced, and in motion. No epicycles. No crystal spheres. Just a universe swimming through space.

Newtonian Gravity and the Mechanics of Orbit

Over one-thousand years after the Quran's revelation to humankind, Isaac Newton mathematically described orbits using his universal law of gravitation:

F = G * (m₁ * m₂) / r²

Where:

• F is the gravitational force,
• G is the gravitational constant (6.674 × 10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg²),
• m₁ and m₂ are the two masses, and
• r is the distance between their centers.

Newton showed that orbits are the result of gravitational pull and inertia: a celestial balancing act. The planets, including Earth, move in elliptical orbits around the Sun, not the other way around.

Einstein’s Spacetime: Orbits Reimagined

In 1915, Einstein gave us an even deeper model: General Relativity, where gravity is not a force but the warping of spacetime by mass. Celestial bodies “fall” along curved paths in this fabric, creating what we perceive as orbits.

Rμν − ½Rgμν + Λgμν = (8πG / c⁴) Tμν

This formalism shows that motion through space is influenced by geometry itself—again resembling the Quranic image of “swimming” through an unseen medium.

Complexities of Modern Orbital Mechanics

Orbits today are known to involve:

• Perturbations from other celestial bodies

• Orbital resonances (like Jupiter’s moons in a 1:2:4 rhythm)

• Precession (as with Mercury’s orbit, explained by relativity)

• Inclinations and eccentricities, creating a cosmic ballet

The Quran’s simplicity—“each in orbit swims”—is not simplistic. It describes the fundamental principle without over-specifying, leaving room for increasingly complex and accurate models to emerge.

Historical Uniqueness

Compare the Quran to other texts of the era:

• The Bible describes the Sun standing still over Gibeon (Joshua 10:13), implying it normally moves around Earth.

• Greek cosmology personified the Sun and Moon as divine chariots.

• Zoroastrian texts portrayed the sky as a physical dome.

Only the Quran spoke of individual, sustained, unseen orbits—a concept not even articulated in scientific language until over a millennium later.

The verse in Al-Anbiya 21:33 captures, in the language of the 7th century, a concept that would not be mathematically formulated until Newton and not geometrically explained until Einstein: that celestial objects move continuously in calculated, balanced orbits, not fixed to Earth, and not static in the sky.

What’s most astonishing is not just what the verse says—but what it refuses to say: there is no mythology, no outdated science, no Earth-centric presumption. Just a whisper from a deeper truth, waiting patiently for the tools to finally hear it.

2: A Universe Ever-Growing — The Expansion of the Heavens

“And the heaven We constructed with might, and indeed, We are [its] expander.”
— Surah Adh-Dhariyat (51:47)

 

Quranic Nuance and Tafsir

In this verse, the Arabic “wa inna la-musiʿun” (وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ) uses the present participle form of the verb wasiʿa, indicating a continuous, dynamic action: “We are expanding it.” 

Tafsir (scholarly explanation of the Quran) scholars like Ibn Kathir understood this as referring to Allah's power to make the heavens vast and full of signs. But even these scholars could not have imagined the full scientific depth of this phrase.

This single word—musi'un—described the expansion of the universe more than 1,300 years before modern science discovered it in the 20th century through telescopes, redshift measurements, and Einstein’s equations. The Quran, in a single verse, pointed to a cosmic reality that was completely unknown to any scientific framework of its time.

This makes the Quranic claim not just poetic, but profoundly prescient—impossible to attribute to any human knowledge of the 7th century. Neither Greek philosophers nor Indian cosmologists proposed such a dynamic, expanding universe. The Quran’s insight predates Hubble, Einstein, and the entire modern cosmological model by over a millennium. If one is honest, the sole reasonable explanation is that this knowledge did not originate from the mind of a human, but from the One who created the universe it describes.

Hubble’s Law and Redshift: The Discovery of Expansion

In 1929, Edwin Hubble published data showing that distant galaxies were moving away from Earth, their light stretched toward the red end of the spectrum. This phenomenon, known as redshift, indicated that space itself was expanding—not just that galaxies were moving through space.

The key equation, known as Hubble’s Law, is:

v = H₀ × d

Where:

• v = recessional velocity of the galaxy
• H₀ = Hubble constant (~70 km/s/Mpc)
• d = distance to the galaxy

This equation implies a linear relationship between distance and velocity, meaning that the universe is not static but expanding in all directions. This was not merely a local phenomenon—it was cosmic in scale. And it was entirely unknown to any civilization, philosophy, or religion at the time and even prior to the 20th century.

Yet the Quran, over 13 centuries earlier, declared about the universe: “We are expanding it.” The astonishing precision of this verse is difficult to overstate. No mythological cosmogony in history envisioned an expanding universe. On the contrary, most ancient views—Aristotelian, Hindu, or even Biblical—imagined a fixed, eternal, or cyclic universe. The Quran stood alone in its portrayal of a universe in continuous growth.

This alone invites a deeper reflection: how could such a statement emerge from 7th-century Arabia without access to telescopes, mathematics, or modern physics? The match between the Quranic wording and Hubble’s later data is not vague or coincidental—it is conceptually exact.

Beyond Hubble’s data, this finding also corrected Einstein’s original model. Initially, Einstein had introduced a “cosmological constant” to maintain a static universe—a value he later called his “greatest blunder” after Hubble’s discovery forced Einstein to accept that General Relativity naturally predicts expansion. It is humbling to note that where Einstein hesitated, the Quran had already spoken.

So in one poetic phrase—delivered before optics, physics, or calculus even existed—the Quran captured the essence of what would become one of the most foundational concepts in all of cosmology: that the heavens are not still, but forever unfurling.

 

Inflation Theory: A Quantum Beginning

Modern cosmology holds that the universe began with a Big Bang approximately 13.8 billion years ago. Within a fraction of a second after the initial singularity, the universe underwent inflation—an exponential expansion far faster than the speed of light, driven by quantum fields.

This rapid growth set the initial conditions for galaxy formation, gravitational clumping, and even the cosmic microwave background. The Quran’s description of expansion—long before telescopes or particle accelerators—is uncannily compatible with this now-standard model.

“Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We split them apart?” — Surah Al-Anbiya (21:30)

This may allude to the singularity or the cosmic unity before inflation. And, though we tread carefully to avoid overreach, it is undeniable that no ancient cosmology spoke of a continually expanding universe, let alone hinted at such dynamic motion.

The Quran’s Break from Ancient Cosmologies

While Greek philosophers like Aristotle believed in an eternal, static universe, and Ptolemaic cosmology viewed the heavens as fixed crystalline spheres, the Quran broke with this static tradition. It spoke of:

• Heavens built with strength (i.e., structure and law)
• Continuous expansion (not merely one-time creation)
• Dynamic processes rather than fixed celestial scaffolds
  

This is not only theologically distinct—it is scientifically accurate. That such language emerged from a desert society in the 7th century remains one of the most provocative examples of scientific foreknowledge in religious scripture.

 

From Einstein to Modern Observatories

As described above, Einstein’s General Relativity, when applied to the whole universe, yielded models that naturally expanded—but Einstein initially resisted, inserting the “cosmological constant” $\Lambda$ (lambda) to force a static universe. It was only after Hubble’s discovery that Einstein admitted his “greatest blunder".

$\mathrm{\Lambda }$

Modern versions of Einstein’s field equations include this Λ term to account for dark energy, the mysterious force driving the universe’s accelerated expansion today:

$$R_{\mu \nu }-\frac{1}{2}R{g}_{\mu \nu }+\mathrm{\Lambda }{g}_{\mu \nu }=\frac{8\pi G}{c^4}{T}_{\mu \nu }$$

This equation describes how mass and energy (Tμν) tell spacetime (the geometry on the left side) how to curve — and how that curvature determines the motion of matter and light. The Λ term represents a built-in, natural tendency of space itself to expand, even in the absence of matter. It’s our best mathematical description of dark energy, which now makes up about 68% of the universe’s energy content, and it drives expansion in ways that are still poorly understood. 

And yet, more than 1,400 years ago, the Quran described the universe as being constructed with strength and continually expanding. The Quran’s language—compact, accessible, and open-ended—speaks with confidence of expansion, but not with the rigidity that would make it obsolete, such as seen in Einstein's later-regretted "static" universe. That is the hallmark of timeless revelation.

As the Quran states:

“And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [still] expanding it.”
— Surah Adh-Dhariyat (51:47)

In a world that believed the sky was static or even domed and layered, the Quran spoke of a cosmos not only created but expanding. It did not borrow this idea from Greek, Hindu, or Persian cosmologies. It introduced it. And science took 1,300 years to catch up.

The verse in Surah Adh-Dhariyat is more than poetic—it is prophetic. A glimpse through time, wrapped in divine speech, waiting for redshifts, spectrographs, and radio telescopes to reveal its full scope.

3: The Collapse of Laws — Where Science Breaks and Revelation Stands

“So I swear by the retreating stars — those that run and disappear.”

— Surah At-Takwir (81:15–16)

The Paradox of Black Holes

In modern astrophysics, few phenomena are as mesmerizing—or as confounding—as the black hole. It represents a region where the known laws of physics and mathematics begin to break down, where the very frameworks we’ve built to understand the universe collapse under their own weight. At the core of this lies a gravitational singularity (a point of infinite density and zero volume), where the curvature of spacetime becomes infinite (space and time are bent so severely that the geometry itself breaks down), and our mathematical equations yield nonphysical results (like dividing by zero or producing infinities that make no sense physically) and mathematical nonsense.

Einstein’s General Relativity (our current best theory of gravity and large-scale structure) predicts that black holes form when massive stars collapse under their own gravity. This collapse compresses all the mass into an infinitely small point where density and spacetime curvature become infinite—a point known as a singularity. 

Surrounding the singularity is the event horizon, the boundary of the black hole beyond which nothing—not even light—can escape. Inside this boundary, classical physics (the physics that describes motion, gravity, and light in everyday terms) fails to make meaningful predictions. 

The Schwarzschild radius—the mathematical distance from the center of a non-rotating black hole to its event horizon—defines this as the edge of no return.

Even more disturbing is the behavior of time and space near the singularity. Time may slow to a stop or behave unpredictably (meaning past and future lose their normal order), and space becomes infinitely compressed (packed into an unimaginably small point). This introduces not just infinite density, but also what physicists call the infinitely small — scales where length, width, and volume lose meaning entirely (often referred to as the Planck scale, the smallest scale at which our current physical laws can operate). 

At this point, the geometry of spacetime becomes so warped that geodesics—mathematically defined paths that objects follow through curved spacetime—terminate abruptly. These are not metaphors, but solutions to complex equations from differential geometry and advanced calculus, describing how matter and light move when untouched by external forces. The fact that these paths break down at the singularity—a phenomenon called geodesic incompleteness—is one of the formal definitions of a black hole in general relativity. It means the universe itself stops offering a script. Spacetime no longer answers the question: what happens next?

This breakdown of spacetime geometry is not just a mathematical anomaly — it reveals a deeper boundary in our understanding of the universe. The two most successful scientific theories of the modern age, general relativity (which explains the universe in large scales, such as planets, stars, black holes, and galaxies) and quantum mechanics (which explains the universe in tiny scales, such as atoms, particles, fields), are incompatible in this extreme environment of the black hole. 

Each describes the universe with breathtaking accuracy, yet they collapse into contradiction when brought to the edge of a black hole. This tension has haunted physicists for decades — not because the math is wrong, but because the known tools of science reach their limit. And it is precisely here, at this threshold of silence, that the Qur’an speaks.

At the same time, quantum mechanics (the incredibly accurate theory that governs particles and forces on the smallest scales) cannot be reconciled with the warped spacetime predicted by relativity in this extreme environment. This conflict has led to a long-standing gap in physics: we have no unified theory that can describe both quantum phenomena and gravity in the context of black holes. 

The very presence of infinities in our equations is a signal that our theories are incomplete.

Where Physics Breaks

The crisis is not minor. The very bedrock of scientific understanding collapses when:

• Singularities render space and time meaningless
• (At the heart of a black hole, gravity compresses matter to an infinite density, where our concepts of time and space stop functioning.)
• Information paradoxes violate conservation laws
• (According to quantum theory, information can’t be destroyed — yet black holes seem to erase it, challenging one of physics' most sacred principles.)
• Quantum field theory cannot handle gravitational curvature
• (Our best theory for particles fails in the warped spacetime near black holes, where gravity becomes extreme.)
• Entropy and Hawking radiation suggest black holes can evaporate — yet we cannot explain how
• (Stephen Hawking showed black holes slowly lose mass and vanish, but the exact mechanism and implications remain unresolved.)

Even Stephen Hawking, who dedicated his life to black hole research, admitted that we are missing a “theory of everything” — a bridge between quantum mechanics and general relativity. 

As such, black holes represent the limits of what science is capable of explaining.

Where the best of our science halts before the veil of the unknown, Islam has long invited us to contemplate mystery not as a failure of understanding, but as a feature of reality itself. The Quran does not offer mathematical models or equations, but it does speak—centuries before relativity or quantum theory—of realms beyond perception, of forces unseen, of a cosmos in motion, and of a Creator who “knows what is hidden and what is more hidden still” (Surah Taha 20:7).

The Quran affirms that knowledge has limits and that human beings, however advanced in intellect, must still approach the fabric of existence with awe, humility, and reverence.Where our equations collapse into infinity, the Qur’an offers the language of the unseen (or the realms of the unseen, described as "al-ghayb" in the Quran), not as a vague unknown, but as a divinely structured reality: ordered, vast, and eternally beyond the grasp of full human mastery.

Quranic Foreshadowing: “Retreating Stars”

Surah At-Takwir — the 81st chapter of the Qur’an — makes a startling claim:

“I swear by the stars that retreat, those that run and disappear.”

The actual Arabic terms used in this verse are al-khunnas (الْخُنَّسِ), meaning “those that withdraw or slink back,” and al-jawar al-kunnas (الْجَوَارِ الْكُنَّسِ), meaning “the flowing ones that sweep or vanish.” 

These words describe objects that move swiftly through space yet vanish from sight, almost as if ducking behind a cosmic veil. Classical scholars interpreted this as poetic imagery. But in light of modern astronomy—where we now know of celestial bodies like black holes, which race through space yet cannot be seen—these phrases take on a shocking relevance.

Black holes are exactly that: celestial objects that run (they move across the sky as all objects do) and retreat or vanish — they are invisible because their gravity traps all light. Today, we detect them indirectly through X-rays from accretion disks or the gravitational waves they emit when merging. But their core quality remains: they disappear from observation.

Modern cosmology has only recently come to understand black holes as fundamental to galaxy formation and structure. They are not anomalies; they are central nodes of cosmic architecture. Yet the Quran, in a single oaths-laden verse, described a category of objects whose properties align uncannily with this most mind-bending of discoveries.

The Qur’an makes another striking statement in Surah An-Najm (53:1):

“By the star when it descends.”

The Quran's Arabic term used for “descends” is hawa (hawa), which connotes more than just a gentle settling — it implies a fall, a collapse, or a violent plunge. Classical commentators often interpreted this verse metaphorically, as referring to the setting of a star or the fall of a great figure. 

But modern astrophysics gives it an astonishing literal dimension: stars do in fact collapse when they exhaust their nuclear fuel. If massive enough, they don’t simply dim — they implode, creating black holes, where gravity becomes so extreme that not even light can escape. Others collapse into neutron stars, ultra-dense remnants of once-luminous suns. 

Suddenly, the Qur’an’s image of a descending star evokes not just poetry — but a remarkably accurate depiction of stellar death and gravitational collapse, only understood in the past century.

When Equations Fail, Revelation Endures

What does it mean that our most powerful equations collapse in black holes, yet revelation seems to reach calmly into that chaos and describe it in terms that now resonate scientifically?

It reveals a humbling truth: there are boundaries to human reasoning, even when guided by the most sophisticated mathematics. The Qur’an does not over-explain. It hints, it gestures — but what it offers remains conceptually intact where physics begins to stutter.

No other text from the ancient world spoke of unseeable celestial objects, marked by motion, disappearance, and gravitational dominance. That the Qur’an did — without myth or error — is a sign not of poetry alone, but of truth beyond the human horizon. In the very places where science reaches its edge, revelation continues — not with formulas, but with a clarity that withstands time, theory, and the deepening gaze of the telescope.

4: The Protective Atmosphere — Earth’s Shield in the Heavens

“And We made the sky a protected ceiling, but they turn away from its signs.”
— Surah Al-Anbiya (21:32)

This verse captures a profound truth—one that modern astrophysics and atmospheric science have only recently begun to understand in its full depth. The phrase “protected ceiling” (saqfan mahfuẓan, سَقْفًا مَحْفُوظًا) refers to something that not only shelters but actively guards what lies beneath. 

Today, we know that Earth’s atmosphere plays a crucial role in preserving life. It shields the planet from ultraviolet radiation, lethal cosmic rays, and the fiery impact of meteors—functions that echo precisely the Quran’s language.

Atmospheric Layers and Radiation Shielding

The Earth’s stratosphere contains the ozone layer, which absorbs the vast majority of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV-B and UV-C) radiation. Without this invisible barrier, DNA-damaging radiation would reach the surface in deadly intensities. Even more remarkable is the magnetosphere—an invisible magnetic shield generated by Earth’s iron core. This field deflects solar wind (a stream of charged particles from the sun) and cosmic rays that would otherwise strip away the atmosphere and irradiate life.

This protection is not passive. When solar particles slam into the magnetosphere, they are redirected toward the poles, creating auroras. These brilliant displays are beautiful, yes—but they are also visual evidence of the sky shielding Earth in real time.

Meteoroid Vaporization and the Heavenly Guard

Another verse reinforces this protective function:

“And We adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and made them [as] missiles against the devils…”

— Surah Fussilat (41:12)

“And We have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with stars and have made them [what is thrown] at the devils…”
— Surah Al-Mulk (67:5)

Early tafsir (scholarly explanation) of the Quran, including that of Ibn Kathir, interpreted these verses as referring to shooting stars or meteoric flashes seen at night, described in metaphysical terms as projectiles cast against jinn or devils. Today, modern science observes a near-constant bombardment of Earth by meteoroids—yet most disintegrate and vaporize harmlessly in the atmosphere due to friction with the mesosphere.

In other words, the fiery streaks we see in the sky are not stars themselves, but rather high-speed rocks vaporizing as they hit our atmosphere. What’s remarkable is that the Quran describes these flashes as part of a protective act from the lowest heaven—a vision that aligns perfectly with the real-time defense mechanism of Earth's upper atmosphere.

The Sky That "Returns" — Atmospheric Recycling

“By the sky which returns.”

— Surah At-Tariq (86:11)

This cryptic but poetic phrase intrigued classical scholars. Ibn Kathir interpreted “returns” as referring to rainfall—the cycle of evaporation, cloud formation, and rain returning to Earth. Others broadened it to include general recurring phenomena from the sky.

In a modern astrophysical context, this verse may hint at deeper layers of understanding: the atmosphere’s ability to reflect or return various forms of radiation and particles. For instance:

• Thermal radiation is trapped and redirected by greenhouse gases.

• Radio waves can reflect off the ionosphere and “return” to Earth.

• Magnetic storms caused by solar flares are largely deflected or absorbed and redirected by the magnetosphere.

The returning sky, then, is not just a poetic turn of phrase—it’s a description of the cyclical and responsive behaviors of Earth's atmospheric layers, all of which serve life-sustaining roles.

The Quran’s description of the heavens as a “protected ceiling”, of stars serving as missiles, and of the sky that returns, is not only spiritually resonant but scientifically verified. These verses were revealed in a world that had no knowledge of atmospheric chemistry, solar winds, or meteoroid vaporization.

And yet they describe them—compactly, precisely, and evocatively.

They show that the Quran does not merely observe the heavens in beauty, but speaks of their function, purpose, and structure in ways that continue to astonish 1,400 years later.

5: The Invisible Forces — Gravity, Dark Matter, and the Unseen in the Quran

 

“It is Allah who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see…”

— Surah Ar-Ra’d (13:2)

“He created what you do not know.”

— Surah An-Nahl (16:8)

In an age when the celestial world was imagined as resting on mythical beasts or crystalline spheres, the Quran made a revolutionary claim: the heavens are held aloft (up into the air) without pillars that you can see. Not without pillars, but without visible ones to you. This phrasing, subtle yet deliberate, suggests the presence of unseen forces—entities that structure the cosmos invisibly, imperceptibly, and yet decisively.

Modern astrophysics would take over a thousand years to discover what the Quran hinted at with poetic precision: that the vast framework of the universe is shaped and governed by forces that are real, but invisible.

Gravity: The First of the Invisible Forces

In the 17th century, Isaac Newton formalized the concept of gravity—an invisible force pulling objects toward one another—via his famous equation:

F = G × (m₁ × m₂) / r²

This invisible force explained everything from falling apples to planetary orbits, bringing celestial and terrestrial physics under the same law. 

But what was gravity itself? 

Newton did not know. It worked, but it was invisible—and he admitted as much.

Centuries later, Einstein reframed gravity not as a force, but as spacetime curvature. Massive objects bend the fabric of space, and other objects follow these curves. Gravity, then, is geometry. This deeper understanding added elegance and predictive power, but the force remained fundamentally unseen—a hidden structure holding the universe together.

The Quran, in Surah Ar-Ra’d, spoke of “unseen pillars” holding up the heavens. Einstein’s gravitational fabric and Newton’s attractive force are, in essence, exactly that: non-material columns of cosmic order, invisible yet inescapable.

Dark Matter: The Missing Mass of the Cosmos

If gravity is the invisible force we do understand, dark matter is the one we do not.

In the 20th century, astronomers like Fritz Zwicky and later Vera Rubin observed something inexplicable: galaxies were rotating far too fast to be held together by their visible matter alone. There had to be something else—an unseen presence exerting gravitational pull, yet emitting no light or radiation.

This “something” is now called dark matter, and it’s believed to make up around 27% of the total mass-energy content of the universe. 

That number derives from the ΛCDM model—the standard framework of modern cosmology—which states that the universe is composed of approximately 68% dark energy, 27% dark matter, and only 5% ordinary, visible matter. 

This means that everything we can see with telescopes (visible matter)—stars, galaxies, gas, dust—accounts for just a tiny fraction of reality. 

The vast majority of the cosmos is made up of unseen components: one that drives the universe’s accelerated expansion (dark energy) and one that gives galaxies their structure and gravitational cohesion (dark matter). 

This staggering imbalance affirms a central Quranic truth: that creation is far greater than what is visible, and that what lies beyond perception—al-ghayb—is not only real, but foundational.

Dark matter is not made of atoms. It does not interact with electromagnetic radiation. We cannot see it, but we know it’s there—precisely because of the way it bends the paths of galaxies, shapes the cosmic web, and governs motion on a colossal scale.

“He created what you do not know.”
(Quran 16:8)

A simple verse—profound in implication. The Quran acknowledges that creation is not exhausted by what is visible. And in a field like astrophysics, where over 90% of the universe is composed of invisible matter and energy (including dark energy), this becomes startlingly prescient.

Gravity Lensing: Seeing the Unseen Through Curved Light

Perhaps the most haunting proof of these unseen forces lies in gravitational lensing. When light from a distant galaxy bends around an invisible mass (such as dark matter or a black hole), we detect its distortion—but not the object itself. The light has been curved by gravity, and the unseen becomes indirectly seen.

These lenses are the fingerprints of the invisible—evidence not only of mass but of order. 

And so, the concept of invisible supports throughout the universe, as stated in Qur’an 13:2, which says Allah raised the heavens “bi-ghayri ʿamadin tarawnaha” — “without pillars that you can see”—  is not mere metaphor, but instead reflects the precise nature of what modern science has confirmed. The "invisible supports" are unseen forces or mechanisms, namely gravity and dark matter, that hold up the structure of the universe.

From the Ghayb to the Galaxies

The Quran introduces a powerful concept called the ghayb—the unseen, as described above. It refers to realities beyond the reach of the senses but not beyond the reach of existence. In cosmic terms, dark matter and gravity fall squarely into this domain: real, consequential, but imperceptible to the naked eye.

The sky is not held by hands. It is held by law.

Not by structures, but by spacetime curvature, invisible mass, and unseen order.

It is as if the Quran asks: how do you not reflect on this?

Fourteen centuries before the dawn of gravitational physics, the Quran quietly declared that the universe was suspended without visible supports—and that Allah had created far more than what humans yet understood.

Today, astrophysics agrees. The universe stands on what we cannot see:

Invisible mass, hidden geometry, unknown forces.

And the Quran named them not by formulae, but by truth.

6: The Cosmic Veil — Layers of the Universe in the Quran and Multilayered Cosmology

 

“He who created seven heavens in layers. You do not see any disharmony in the creation of the Most Merciful. So look again: do you see any flaw?”

— Surah Al-Mulk (67:3)

“Do you not see how Allah created seven heavens in layers, and made the moon therein a light and made the sun a lamp?”
— Surah Nuh (71:15–16)

“It is He who created for you all of that which is on the Earth. Then He directed Himself to the heaven and made them seven heavens, and He is Knowing of all things.”

— Surah Al-Baqara (2:29)

The Quran’s repeated references to the “seven heavens” have long fascinated scholars. Were these poetic metaphors? Layers of spiritual reality? Cosmic spheres? For centuries, interpretations hovered at the edge of mystery — that is, until modern cosmology began to uncover the stratified structure of the universe itself.

Unlike the simplistic vision of a flat or dome-like sky, the Quran insists on a multilayered architecture of the cosmos—“heavens” stacked, ordered, and free of flaw. It dares the reader to look again. And look again. And only recently have we developed telescopes, satellites, and mathematical models powerful enough to appreciate the possibility that these “layers” were not metaphysical poetry alone—but descriptions of cosmic hierarchy far ahead of their time.

The Large-Scale Structure of the Universe

Zooming out from individual galaxies, the all-encompassing universe is not an evenly spread sea of stars. It is structured in layers upon layers:

• Stars form galaxies

• Galaxies form clusters

• Clusters form superclusters

• These superclusters are woven into filaments and sheets—massive structures spanning hundreds of millions of light-years

• Between them lie great voids, unimaginably vast spaces of almost nothing

This layered structure, sometimes called the “cosmic web”, looks like a neural network or a woven fabric, which is quite fitting imagery given the Quran’s use of the word ṭibaq (طِبَاق), meaning layers, strata, or stacked tiers in Surah Nuh 71:15, as quoted above.

Even the most atheistic cosmologist cannot deny: the universe is stratified—a cathedral of scale and symmetry. Just as the Quran describes it.

Seven Heavens: Literal Count or Symbolic Perfection?

The number seven in the Quran often connotes completeness, divine order, or sacred layering (e.g., seven earths, seven doors of hell, seven circuits around the Kaaba). Some tafsir scholars like Ibn Kathir noted that the “seven heavens” were real and distinct—each with its own realm, angels, and governance—but ultimately beyond human access.

From a cosmological perspective, some have speculated whether “seven heavens” could align with:

• Seven large cosmic epochs (inflation, recombination, galaxy formation, etc.)

• Seven spatial dimensions beyond the 4D spacetime we know

• Seven branes or membranes in higher-dimensional physics models

• Seven-layered universes in multiverse or “bubble universe” hypotheses

While we avoid overreaching, the Quran’s firm emphasis on stratification invites us to consider models where creation is layered by design—not random, not chaotic.

Brane Cosmology and the Higher-Dimensional Veil

In string theory, superstring theory, and M-theory, physicists propose that our entire 3D universe may be a “brane” (short for membrane) floating in higher-dimensional space. Other branes may exist parallel to ours, separated by dimensions we cannot yet access. These could be entirely different “heavens”—unreachable, but just as real.

Imagine seven membranes suspended in a higher-dimensional fabric—each isolated but created by the same architect. 

The Quran’s words would suddenly feel less symbolic, and more literal than once assumed.

In such models, gravity may leak between branes, explaining why it is so much weaker than the other fundamental forces. If this theory is correct, then the Quran’s vision of multiple ordered realms would be eerily resonant with the cutting edge of physics.

The Veil and the Unseen

The Quran repeatedly urges us to recognize the limits of our perception:

“You have been given but little knowledge.” 

— Surah Al-Isra (17:85)

“Beyond them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.” 

— Surah Al-Mu’minun (23:100)

These verses reinforce the idea that reality extends beyond visible light and physical reach. Whether it’s the cosmic web, parallel branes, or higher dimensions, astrophysics is finally beginning to acknowledge a universe far richer—and more layered—than we ever imagined.

Long before physicists proposed layered multiverses or higher-dimensional membranes, the Quran spoke of seven heavens in layers—order without flaw, stratified majesty above our reach. These heavens were not metaphor, but a structural reality, both physical and spiritual.

And once again, modern science stands at the threshold of truths the Quran declared in the 7th century:

That the universe is tiered, veiled, and perfect in its layers.

Conclusion: When the Cosmos Whispers Revelation

From the first falling apple to the furthest dying star, science has sought to decipher the architecture of reality through equations, observation, and theory. And it has revealed wonders: galaxies dancing to gravity’s pull, black holes where time distorts, and unseen forces shaping the vastness we once thought empty.

Yet the deeper we look, the more we encounter the limits of knowing. Our formulas break at singularities. Light bends around objects we cannot see. Most of the universe is made of matter and energy we cannot touch. Even our best theories—relativity and quantum mechanics—cannot speak the same language when it matters most. At the edge of understanding, science stares into silence.

But revelation does not.

Long before telescopes, the Quran spoke of a universe in motion, of descending stars, of a cosmos expanding, of structures upheld by forces we cannot see. It described realities not just metaphorically, but with a precision that now brushes against the language of modern physics. It did not reduce the cosmos to allegory, nor did it chase what science would later find—it simply revealed what the human mind was not yet ready to measure.

And yet, in modern times, it has become fashionable—especially in scientific circles—to wear atheism like a badge of intellectual superiority. Some, armed with equations but starved of wonder, scoff at religion as backward, irrational, primitive. Islam and Muslims become easy targets for ridicule, dismissed as clinging to old books in a world of particle colliders. 

But here, in this essay, in the quiet marriage of Quranic verse and cosmic law, we find that it is not Islam that flinches from reason—but reason that kneels before revelation. 

The Quran spoke of truths long before scientists gave them names. And when discovery finally arrived, it found the Quran already waiting.

And so, we return full circle: the Quran is not a science textbook, nor does it pretend to be. But it is something far more enduring. It is a divine lens through which even the mysteries of black holes and dark energy find coherence—not through calculation, but through meaning.

Where our knowledge collapses into paradox, the Quran stands firm. Where space and time unravel, revelation remains whole. And where the universe grows silent, the verses continue to speak.

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