On that day We will fold the heaven, like the folding of a book. Just as We initiated the first creation, We will revert it. This is Our promise. We will certainly fulfill it. (21:104)

Do not these disbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were an integrated mass, which We then split, and from water We made all living things? Will they not believe even then? (21:30)

With power did We construct Heaven. Verily, We are expanding it. (51:47)

We deduce from the above two verses;
1- that the universe was separated from a whole, and
2- that the universe formed following this separation is expanding.
The extraordinary miracle in these verses of the Quran was examined in the first three chapters. Now if we may be allowed to go back to the verse we quoted in this chapter, if the universe is going to regress to its original state, then:

1- the expanding universe will have to contract, and
2- the expanding universe will return to its primordial unity.

Experts versed in astrophysics will take cognizance of the magnificence of this verse. We know today that the universe is expanding. We also know that this expansion is the consequence of the acceleration generated by the Big Bang. We are faced with two alternatives here. According to one of them, the expanding universe will spread out to a vast expanse, all the stars will have exhausted their energies, the temperature will fall and thus the end will be reached. Following the exhaustion of the energy of the stars and the coming to a standstill of all actions, all celestial bodies will break apart and escape from gravitational force. This is called the “Open Universe Model.” According
to a second alternative, the expanding universe will stop because of the mutual attraction of all bodies, and the universe will contract to return to its primordial state.

ONE MIRACLE AFTER ANOTHER

It seems that the Quran’s implication is inclined toward the second alternative. At a time when people believed that the earth stood on the horns of an ox or on a fish, the Quran’s description of the event was incredible. There is no way this fact could have been rendered from the scientific knowledge base of the day, or have been a product of fancy or flight of thought. The source of this knowledge is not scientific observation but God’s revelation. The verse under our scrutiny also gives an answer as to which of the two alternatives man should put faith in. The greatness of the Quran, which stated that the universe was created from the one primordial wholeness, that it expanded, and that it would shrink back -at a time when all scientific evidence was lacking- is understood better today with the advance of science and the discovery of the mystery of the universe.

The collapse of the universe is referred to as the “Closed Universe Model.” The power to realize this folding up is gravity. As we know, all matter is in mutual attraction. When something is thrown into the air, the object thrown cannot help falling back after some time because of gravity; matter that has scattered in every possible direction in space following the Big Bang will retrace its steps in a given time to be folded up. We must remember that at the time of the descent of the Quran, the notion of gravity did not exist and that it was to be known some one thousand years later, thanks to Newton’s discovery.

Once the expansion of the universe was established, scientists began to study whether the universe would continue to expand or come to a close by folding up. To this end, they tried to find out the critical density of matter in the universe and arrived at certain ratios that they called “Omega.” If the density in the universe is at a certain level, the process of folding up will begin before the scattering of matter into infinity…

Humans are born, live and die and eventually return to the dust of which they were made. The same thing holds true for beasts and plants. It appears that the law that governs all living creatures is also applicable in the case of the universe. In the verse we examined, this event is stressed with the word “revert.” Following are the verses in which this word is used.

And He is the One who first creates and then reverts it.

This is very easy for Him. And to Him belongs the most sublime similitude, in the heavens and the earth. And He is the Almighty, Wise. (30:27)

Say: “Can any of your idols initiate creation, then revert it?” say “It is God who initiates the creation, and then reverts it. Then, how could you deviate?” (10:34)

HEAVEN RENT ASUNDER AND THE RED ROSE

When the heaven will split asunder, and become rosy red like the dregs of anointing oil. (55:37)

The Quran speaks of the color of heaven on the day the solar system comes to an end. Heaven’s “split asunder” is also mentioned in other verses of the Quran.

When the heaven split asunder. (77:9)

When the heaven will crack and split asunder. That day it will be flimsy. (69:16)

I believe that these verses may be understood in two different ways. If we take heaven for the entire universe, one may think of the decay at the outer extremities of the universe in continuous expansion. (By this the decay in the vacuum structure of the universe may have been meant. However, I am not going to dwell on this long issue.) According to a second alternative, if we take heaven for the atmosphere of our earth, big earthquakes, activities on the surface of the earth will likely affect the atmosphere, which will be split asunder and the protective layer of the atmosphere will be peeled off. As a matter of fact, the atmosphere depends on the fine balance between the earth’s gravitational force and the movement of molecules in the atmosphere. Any alteration in this balance will likely affect the atmosphere. Either of these two alternatives, or both, for that matter, may have been meant by the verses.

SUDDEN ARRIVAL

They ask you about the Hour and when it will come to pass. Say, “The knowledge thereof is with my Lord. Only He reveals its time. Heavy it is, in the heavens and the earth. It will come to you suddenly.” They ask you as if you are well-informed of it. Say, “The knowledge thereof is with God. But most people do not know.” (7:187)

The Quran says that the process of the end of the world and the universe will begin all of a sudden, at a time which even the Prophet does not know. According to the theory of relativity, the fastest motion in the universe belongs to light, the speed of which is not surpassed by anything. The data we obtain from light-emitting objects and the reflection of light are the limits of our understanding of the phenomena taking place in the universe. If information about the time the Hour will take place is to be transmitted at the speed of light, we can never be informed of it before some time has elapsed. For instance, if the sun explodes this very moment and the beginning of the end has come, we will be aware of it only after the lapse of eight and a half minutes.

The same holds true for other phenomena that will likely occur, causing the destruction of the universe. If the process in question has started at some point in the universe, we cannot be aware of it for some time. A series of phenomena will occur before we are conscious of it, up until the time we are suddenly caught by it.

When the inevitable comes to pass. (56:1)
There can be no denying of its befalling. (56:2)
It will lower some, and raise others. (56:3)
When the earth will be shaken up. (56:4)

The end of the universe and of the world is the most serious event next to its formation. Riches, reputations, situations, families, beauty, ugliness, joy, distress will be no more; the entire universe will be transformed into a small unit. Superiority will no longer be measured by
riches, possessions and high offices. Now, “superiority” will depend on the sort of life man has led. From the scenery of the end of the universe and the world described in the Quran, there are lessons to draw in this life of ours. All these are not for the mere sake of knowing. What is communicated has as its objective to move people and guide them to God. We must bear in mind the third verse of the 56th sura:

It will lower some, and raise others. (56:3)

Expansion is the consequence of the acceleration generated by the Big Bang.

On that day We will fold the heaven, like the folding of a book. Just as We initiated the first creation, We will revert it. This is Our promise. We will certainly fulfill it.(104:21)

They will come out of the graves with downcast eyes like an expanding swarm of locusts. (54:7)

The resurrected are likened to locusts; why particularly locusts? Recent research benefiting from micro cameras conducted by a systematic observation of insects have given us an idea about the reason for the selection of locusts as an example. To begin with, swarms of locusts, billions of them together, give the impression of a vast rain cloud without end, a black mass stretching far and wide many kilometers! Locusts bury their eggs in the earth and their larvae spend some time under the ground before they eventually emerge to the surface.

Take for instance the locusts, part of the fauna of New England, USA; in the month of May of the year in which they attain their 17th year, these insects emerge from under the ground where they have been living for years and years. Suppose, you tell a man: “We’ll shut you up in a dark cell without a wristwatch and you’ll have no contact whatsoever with the outside world and you’ll be released at the end of the 17th day.” it is very doubtful that he will be able to know exactly the time when he will be let out. There is a similarity between the rebirth of locusts and man’s resurrection.

-After a long time
-Under the ground
-Altogether
-Densely crowded
-They rise to the surface of the earth

The parables and metaphors in the Quran are many. These figures of speech are to help us to understand better the meanings of the verses.

And such are the parables We set forth for the people, but only those understand them who have knowledge. (29:43)

We have put forth for the people every kind of parable in this Quran that they may take heed. (39:27)

THE MIRACLES CONTAINED IN THE QURAN ARE EVIDENCE PROVING THE COMING OF THE HEREAFTER

A great deal of space is reserved for the description of life Hereafter in the Quran. Next to the existence of God, the most important message is that there is an afterlife and that man will receive recompense or retribution there. 1400 years ago, the Quran elaborated on physics, embryology, geology and zoology. There was no inaccuracy or misreckoning in any of the information supplied in it. Everything is perfectly expressed in the most unambiguous way.

The greatest claim of the Quran is the declaration of God’s existence and the fact that no partner should be attributed to Him. The Quran reflects the Omnipotence and Omniscience and Artistry of God: the One, the Eternal and the Absolute. The messages it contains enables masses of people to choose the right path, the path of the chosen. It has saved many people from perdition, idolatry and atheism while confirming the Scriptures and prophets that preceded it. In short, those who comprehend the importance of the question whether God exists or not, will also appreciate the importance of the Quran, since it provides a conclusive answer to that question:

1- The Quran’s most important message is God’s uniqueness and oneness. The Quran has guided millions of people in the right path.
2- The predictions it contains have no precedent. This very fact proves that its original source is God, and confirms that its messages are true.

All these miracles and the mission that the Quran has assumed prove that it is the word of God and that one should put his complete trust in it. The Quran’s greatest message, next to that of the existence of God, is the existence of the Hereafter. Every miracle evidencing the reliability of the Quran is also a proof of the existence of the Hereafter and the Day of Judgment.

RE-CREATION

The evidence of a life after death or a Hereafter are many. One of the main signs is man’s aspiration for immortality. God has provided water for the thirsty and food for the hungry. If He did not want to give, then He would not give the desire to want. It is again He who has created in man the aspiration for immortality. Since He has done so, His promise shall be fulfilled. God’s promise is sure to be gratified.

The most important and self-contained evidence of the existence of the Hereafter is God’s promise. Is it possible that God would disappoint the believers who trust God, dedicate themselves to God and seek the Hereafter in their actions, while justifying disbelievers who deny the Hereafter, who disregard His messages, who fabricate lies about Him and mock those who are in the right path? Lies are a proof of imperfection, while everything is perfect with God.

Both during the Prophet’s time and thereafter there have been doubts about the possibility of the end of the universe and of the Hereafter. The Quran is categorical and explicit about this.

Does not the human being see that We created him from a tiny drop? Then he turns into a profound enemy. (36:77)
And he makes comparisons for Us and forgets his own creation. He says, “Who can resurrect the bones after they are rotten?” (36:78)
Say, “He who created them the first time. He has knowledge of every creation.” (36:79)

Creation of a life in the Hereafter is the easiest thing for God. To begin with, it is His promise. The very fact of creation should convince us that re-creation is not difficult for Him.

They said, “After we turn into bones and fragments, shall we be resurrected as a new creation?” (17:49)
Say, “Even if you turn into rocks or iron.” (17:50)
“Or any kind of creation that you deem impossible to resurrect.” They will then say, “Who will bring us back?” Say, “The one who created you in the first place.” (17:51)

The Hereafter is not a problem for God. In the first place, it has been promised by God. Moreover, we all have need of it. The Hereafter is repeatedly emphasized in the Quran. And it is clear that creation is a very simple act for God.

“What! When we die and become dust? This returning is most far-fetched.” (50:3)
We know what the earth consumes of them; with Us is a protected record. (50:4)

God has recorded even in a single DNA molecule all the information related to the human body. While the Quran gives us an impression of an afterlife through creation, it directs our attention to the process to which God had recourse in creating us. The cells in our body die and are immediately replaced by new ones. Today, the cells that constitute our body are not the same as those we were made of initially. The food we consume is continually transformed into a part of our system. The atoms of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorous flow in our body and are consumed, to finally return to dust. What remains unchanged is the essence we call “self” or “soul.” Even when we are of this world God creates us every moment anew. Since He has promised to re-create us there is no doubt that He will.

Do they not realize that God, Who created the heavens and the earth and did not tire creating them, is able to revive the dead? Yes, verily He has power over all things. (46:33)

Creations in endless space, the greatness in the number of species and creatures make it evident that re-creation for God is as easy as the creation.

The creation and resurrection of all of you is the same as that of one person. God is Hearer, Seer. (31:28)

LET’S GET READY TO DEPART

There are many subjects explicitly given in the Quran; however, the things that our five senses may fail to perceive are presented in metaphors (3- The Family of Imran, 7). In the description of paradise and hell, allegory is made to figures of speech (2- The Cow, 25). Blessings and rewards in the life Hereafter are described succinctly by metaphors. The exact rendering of the objects will take place when man is transferred there. Allegories made must not be taken fully literally. Bliss in heaven and remorse in hell are evident, although they will be understood in the Hereafter more clearly.

The scope of the account related to the Hereafter is far beyond what is said about paradise and hell. The description of a single province like the Bahamas would take a whole book thicker than the Quran itself. Had all the details of paradise and hell been given, they would have filled an encyclopedia of many volumes. Only the clues are given. The fact that only a few names of some fruits are mentioned does not mean that is all that paradise contains. The mere mention of the fact that everything that a human being may aspire to shall be there is enough. (21-The Prophets, 102; 42-Consultation, 22; 43- Vanity, 71; 50-Qaf, 35.)

In this brief earthly life of ours, the wisest act for us is to direct ourselves to God.

Every soul shall have to taste death, and you will get your recompense in full on the Day of The Resurrection. The one who is saved from the fire and admitted to paradise has attained a great triumph. The life of this world is no more than goods and chattels of deception. (3:185)

Those who disbelieved claim that they will not be resurrected! Yes indeed, by my Lord, you will be resurrected, and then informed of what you have done. And that is easy for God. (64:7)

When the stars are put out. (77:8)

When the planets are scattered. (82:2)

While the verses speak of the putting out of stars, the planets, not light sources, will scatter. The Arabic word for a star is “najm,” while “kavkab” is a planet. Given the fact that the planets are dependent on a central star, when this star is no more, the planets will necessarily scatter. (There have been translators who translated both words as stars without heeding the difference between them.) Planets are not light sources, therefore their extinction is out of question. The Quran displays its miraculous attribute in all its statements.

When the sun is rolled. (81:1)

The Arabic word “takwir” refers to the wrapping of the turban around the head in a spiral form; it also means the rolling or winding of a thing into a ball or round mass, or around something. The scene describes how the end of the sun will come. Like all the other stars, our sun also consumes hydrogen atoms by transforming them into helium atoms and releasing energy in the form of radiation, heat and light. The transformation of hydrogen into helium stops with the exhaustion of the hydrogen. Even without the effect of other potential causes, the sun will have to come to an end for this reason. Before their extinction, the stars, according to their sizes, pass through such phases as red giant, white dwarf or black hole. In view of its magnitude, our sun must turn first into a red giant before dying.

The sun has been a subject of worship in the history of mankind. People who did not believe in the end of the universe considered the sun itself to be an immortal divinity and thought that the universe and the earth would last eternally; there have been those who believed in the transmigration of souls everlastingly. Having eventually been convinced by scientific discoveries that the world was doomed to die one day, the minds that idolized the sun and the belief in the eternal reincarnation cycle lost their support. The belief in the Hereafter described in the Quran and the end of the universe are interconnected as the stages of a system. Taking cognizance of the fact that the end of the universe will eventually come has reinforced the belief in the Hereafter.

And verily the Hour is coming, no doubt about it, and that God will resurrect those who are dead. (22:7)

The description of the end of the universe in the Quran relating to the end of the sun and of the world is given in striking colors. What the people at the Prophet’s time knew about astronomy could not possibly have permitted them to describe such occurrences. Muslims who lived at the time of the revelation of the Quran believed in all these, not because of scientific deductions but because they had faith in the fact that it was easy for God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, to destroy them. All the statements of the Quran about the disappearance of the stars, the sun and the earth are corroborated today by scientific discoveries.

EARTHQUAKES WITH BOILING SEAS

When the earth will be shaken up. (56:4)

When the Hour comes, the entire earth will be shaken by a terrible earthquake. The Quran says that the tremor will cause mountains to be pulverized, and men will run to and fro in panic. As for the sea, we have the following indications:

When the seas boil. (81:6)

When the seas are suffered to burst forth. (82:3)

An earthquake will pulverize mountains, hot lava will burst forth from many corners of the earth. Volcanoes will erupt and lava will rise from the sea. It is unlikely that the depiction of the end of the world was an exaggeration of natural disasters that Muhammad experienced in his lifetime. The area where Muhammad lived was not on a major earthquake fault-line, and those who spent most of their lives in the middle of desert, most likely, never witnessed the eruption of a volcano in mid-ocean!

When the wild beasts are summoned. (81:5)

The Quran draws our attention to the herding together of animals. We know today that animals react to a tremor even before we, as human beings, realize it. For instance, in the zoo in Seattle Woodland, the odd movements of elephants and the restlessness of gorillas in their cages were observed before the earthquake was felt by human beings. This is a domain in which further research studies are being conducted. In view of this statement of the Quran, we think that this research should be intensified.

And when the earth is flattened out. (84:3)
And when it throws out whatever it contains and is empty. (84:4)

The contents of the earth, the magma, the molten rock, will rise to the surface as lava, as described in the verses quoted.

The Quran would like us to turn our attention to the most serious event of earth history to come. Advanced science has demonstrated that the end of the world and the universe is inevitable. No one can assert any longer that the stars and the sun will shine forever, and that the universe and the earth will abide to eternity.

Are they waiting until the Hour comes to them suddenly? Its signs have already appeared. How can they benefit then when it has come upon them? (47:18)

The contents of the earth, the magma, the molten rock, will rise to the surface as lava.

Those who disbelieved said, “There is no coming of the Hour for us.” Say, “No, by my Lord, the knower of the unseen, it will certainly come upon you.”(34:3)
If We give him a taste of mercy after suffering some adversity, he says, “This belongs to me. I do not think that the Hour will come. Even if I am returned to my Lord, I will find in Him better things.” Certainly We will inform the disbelievers of all their works and We will afflict them with severe retribution.(41:50)

It is man’s habit, confined in his own time bracket, to consider everything around him as constant and static. At the time of the Prophet, speaking of the end of the world, and especially of the universe, would be beyond conception. People ignorant of the fact that
the world was an object flying in space, considered it a safe and sound place under their feet. They could not have believed that the day would come when everything would vanish.

As the accumulation of knowledge increased, thanks to scientific discoveries, it became clear that the end of the universe and of our world was inevitable. No one of sound mind today would assert that the world will exist forever. Even if no other celestial phenomenon occurs, it is certain that once the energy of the sun is exhausted, the end of the world will become unavoidable. However, the way and the exact time of this occurrence cannot be predicted.

To give you an example, the laws of thermodynamics indicate that the end will come. A stove’s heating of a room; our leaving a cup of tea to cool down are subject to this law. Especially Rudolf Clausius’s studies have led to the adoption of a measure of the unavailable energy called entropy. The total entropy continuously increases in the universe. The sun’s heat flows toward the cold of the universe and this process is irreversible…

LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS SEEN UNDER THE LIGHT OF RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY

Will this process go on forever? The answer will be “No.” When heat reaches a constant temperature, there comes about a static state called “thermodynamic balance.” The flow of heat from the sun and from the multitude of stars may last for billions of years, but it is not inexhaustible.

At the end of a time bracket, the laws of thermodynamics will make the activities going on in the universe come to a standstill. Under the circumstances, we can make the following deductions:

1- That the universe had a beginning, and
2- That it will come to an end one day.

All religions that have expounded belief in one God throughout history have been defenders of these two arguments. The Quran had this to say about the beginning and end of the universe. (In the first three chapters we read the miraculous statements of the Quran about the beginning of the universe.) On the other hand, materialists claim that matter has existed since eternity and will continue to exist forever and ever. In other words, they deny the beginning that led to the idea of creation and the end of the world and the universe, the sine qua non of religion. (In the two verses quoted above we saw the objections raised at the time of the Prophet against him.) When, as a result of developments in astrophysics, it became clear that the universe did have in fact, a beginning and an end, some atheists tried to fit their theories to the new discoveries. However, it is evident that before this issue was scientifically established, the atheists were against this idea. Nevertheless, despite the data provided by scientific studies, there are still atheists who refuse to believe that the universe had a beginning and that it will have an end.

The laws of thermodynamics confirm the assertions of monotheistic religions. This is then the scientific evidence supporting the teachings of the three major monotheistic religions regarding the end of the world. Had the universe existed since eternity, according to the laws of thermodynamics, all actions in the entire universe would have come to a standstill by now (according to thermodynamic balance). The fact that there is still action in the universe shows that the universe had no eternal existence, but that it had a beginning. Given the fact that there is still action going on in the universe and that it had a beginning, the end of the universe must come- at least according to the laws of thermodynamics. However, it appears that we shall not have to wait for the consequence of the laws of thermodynamics (We shall come back to this point in Chapter 68 and 69).