51:47
With power and skill did We construct the Firmament: for it is We Who create the vastness of pace
The concept of an expanding universe has been discussed by some modern writers in relation to Qur’anic cosmology. Abdul Rashid Khan interprets Qur’an 51:47 as referring to the creation of the heavens with power and to the ongoing expansion of space, suggesting that the Arabic term ayd (power or might) symbolizes divine agency in cosmic expansion (Khan, n.d.). According to this interpretation, the discovery of galactic redshift by Edwin Hubble in 1929—demonstrating that distant galaxies are moving away from one another—is viewed as consistent with earlier scriptural descriptions of vastness and expansion. Such readings present the verse as a theological reflection on cosmological processes rather than a literal scientific statement.
Modern astrophysics attributes the accelerating expansion of the universe primarily to dark energy, a concept introduced in 1998 following observations of distant supernovae. Current cosmological models estimate that dark energy constitutes roughly 68% of the universe’s total mass-energy density, while dark matter accounts for approximately 27%, leaving only a small fraction composed of ordinary visible matter. Dark energy is understood to drive the accelerated expansion of space, influencing large-scale cosmic structure and the redshift observed in distant galaxies. Some speculative cosmological scenarios propose that if cosmic density conditions change, gravitational forces could eventually halt expansion and lead to a contraction phase sometimes referred to as a “Big Crunch,” although this remains theoretical.
Within interpretive literature linking cosmology and scripture, the phenomenon of redshift has occasionally been compared metaphorically to the Qur’anic imagery of cosmic “strings” or ordered structures (Qur’an 51:7–8). These analogies are typically presented as symbolic reflections rather than empirical scientific claims. Contemporary astrophysics continues to investigate the nature of dark matter and dark energy, which remain among the most significant unresolved questions in modern cosmology.
References:
Al-Ali, Muneer. A Scientific Tafsir of Qur’anic Verses; Interplay of Faith and Science (Third Edition)
(pp. 118-120). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform -Amazon. Kindle Edition.
Watson, Yasmin; Val Baker, Dr. Amira. Science in the Qur’an – A Young Person’s Guide: Discovering Scientific Secrets in the Holy Qur’an (Page 56). . Kindle Edition.