The question of how the universe began is among the oldest that humanity has asked. The Qur'an, revealed in 7th-century Arabia, addresses it in several remarkable verses — describing a beginning to the cosmos, a primordial unity that was then torn apart, and a sky in continual expansion.
The Heavens and Earth Were Once Joined
In one of its most discussed verses, the Qur'an describes the heavens and the earth as having originally been a single, joined entity that God then separated:
"Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them, and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?"
(Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:30)
Muslims note the striking picture this paints: a single mass, then a separation from which the cosmos as we know it emerged. For a book delivered to an unlettered man among a people with no cosmology beyond myth, believers regard this description as far ahead of its time.
A Sky That Is Expanding
Elsewhere, the Qur'an describes the heaven not as a fixed dome — the common picture in the ancient world — but as something God built with power and is expanding:
"And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are its expander."
(Surah Adh-Dhariyat, 51:47)
The idea of a static, unchanging cosmos dominated human thought for most of history. The Qur'an's image of a heaven that is being "expanded" stands out against that backdrop, and Muslims have long reflected on the depth of this description.
Creation in Stages, Not by Accident
The Qur'an consistently presents the universe as the deliberate work of a wise Creator, ordered and purposeful — not the product of chance. It describes the shaping of the heavens and the earth as unfolding in measured stages ("days," a word the Qur'an also uses for long periods):
"It is Allah who created the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them in six days."
(Surah As-Sajdah, 32:4)
And it points to the precision and balance of the cosmos as evidence of a single, wise hand behind it:
"Who created seven heavens in layers. You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any inconsistency. So return your vision to the sky — do you see any breaks? Then return your vision twice again; your vision will return to you humbled while it is fatigued."
(Surah Al-Mulk, 67:3–4)
Everything Made from Water
The same verse that speaks of the separation of the heavens and earth adds another statement — that God made "from water every living thing" (21:30). The Qur'an returns to this theme repeatedly, presenting water as the origin and sustainer of all life:
"And Allah has created every living creature from water."
(Surah An-Nur, 24:45)
The Purpose Behind the Cosmos
For the Qur'an, the origin of the universe is never merely a scientific curiosity. It is an argument: that such vastness, order, and beauty did not arise on its own, and that reflecting upon it should lead the honest observer back to its Creator.
"And He it is who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; each floating in an orbit."
(Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:33)
In Summary
The Qur'an describes a universe with a beginning — once joined, then separated — built with power, expanding, ordered in stages, and founded upon water as the source of life. Muslims read these verses as signs that the One who spoke the Qur'an is the same One who fashioned the heavens, inviting every reader to look up and reflect.
Part of The Complete Guide to Understanding Islam. Next: Embryology in the Qur'an.