Mention of Existence of Alien life in the Quran

    In this article, I have written about the verse of the Holy Quran which mentions the Existence of Alien life. I have also written views of different Muslim scholars on existence of Alien life.

Translation of Verse 29 of Surah Ash-Shura

And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and all living beings(Daabah) He dispersed throughout both. And He is Most Capable of bringing all together whenever He wills.

Explanation 

                       The above-mentioned verse of the Holy Quran very eloquently describes some of the signs of Allah Almighty's power and greatness. One of his signs is the creation of heavens and the earth and all living beings he has spread in both of them. If you read again then there is the Arabic word 'Daabah' which means living creatures. In my last article I explained how this word could mean extra terrestrial life that could be present in the vast expanse of our universe. Some could argue that this word Daabah is only used for living creatures residing in our planet earth. This isn't the case because if you read again then this verse also says 'He spread throughout both' which can mean that this verse talks not only about the Daabah(living creatures) living on our planet but it also talks about living creatures living on other Earths and other Heavens. If you read the Arabic text of this verse then not only will you find the word 'Daabah' but you will also find the words 'As-Samawat' and 'Al-Ard' which means Heavens and Earths respectively.

In one of my previous articles I explained the meanings of the Words 'Al-Ard' and 'As-Samawat'. If you want to read that article then you can click the link of that article given below. 

Meaning of the word 'Al-Ard' and 'As-Samawat'

     In the last part of this verse, Allah Almighty says, 'And He is Most Capable of bringing all together whenever He wills.' This part of the verse is very crucial because it indirectly mentions the Day of Judgement when Allah will bring all his creations together, whether they are in the heavens or on the earth. On the Day of Judgement, each and every one of us will be accountable in front of Allah Almighty for our deeds that we committed in this world. If most of the deeds we commit during our life are good, then with Allah's blessings, we will enter Paradise, and if most of our deeds committed are evil or bad, then we will enter Hell unless Allah forgives us. Since we would be held accountable on the day of Judgement, we should try our best to please Allah Almighty in this world. In order to appease Allah, we should refrain from indulging in those acts which can make Allah angry at us. Instead we should be involved in those acts with which we can please him. We should not follow the path of those people that disobeyed Allah, after which his wrath fell upon them, but we should follow the path of the Prophets and their companions, whom Allah is pleased with. We should read and understand the Quran so that we can fully grasp and act upon the commandments of Allah Almighty. If we act upon these commandments, then Allah would surely be pleased with us, and we will succeed not only in this life but in the life hereafter as well. We as Muslims should have faith in Allah that even if we do not succeed in this life, then Allah, the most merciful, will surely grant us success on the Day of Judgement, and with his blessings, we would enter Paradise on the condition that we act upon his commandments. Another important thing which we should keep in mind is that if we do a misdeed which can cause Allah's displeasure, then that deed would also be held accountable on the day of judgement. If we are not punished for our misdeeds in this life, then we would surely be held accountable for it on the Day of Judgement, so we should fear Allah and constantly seek forgiveness from him for our wrongdoings. We should act upon what Allah has ordered us to do in the Quran and refrain from those acts which could cause his displeasure so he showers his blessings upon us on the Day of Judgement and we would enter Paradise.

Views of Muslim Scholars on Alien life

      Fakharuddin Razi was a 12th century Islamic scholar and scientist who wrote extensively on Physics, Medicine, Cosmology, Theology and Jurisprudence etc. In his classical Exegesis of the Quran 'Al-Tafsir al-Kabir' he wrote "It is not impossible that in the heavens there are species of animals that move just like humans walk on the earth.”

      Allama Husayn Tabatabai (1903-1981) is one of the most prominent scholars in modern Shia Islam and is mostly known for his Exegesis of the Quran Al-Mizan. While interpreting verse 29 of Surah ash-Shura he states: "The apparent meaning of this verse is that there are living creatures (Dawab) in the heavens similar to those on earth…”." (Al-Mizan – Volume 18, Page 58).

    Another modern modern  Shia-Muslim scholar Abdullah Yusuf Ali(1872-1953) was an Indian barrister who wrote multiple books in Islam and an Exegesis of the Quran which is one of the best English translation of the Quran. He while commenting on Verse no.29 of Surah ash-Shura writes that: “Life is not confined to our one little planet. ….it is reasonable to suppose that life in some form or other is scattered through some of the millions of heavenly bodies scattered through space."

   In this article I quoted three Muslim scholars from different eras Fakharuddin Razi who was from the medieval era while Allama Tabatabai and Abdullah Yusuf Ali were from modern eras. It shows that the idea of existence of extraterrestrial life or the possibility of the existence of the extraterrestrial life within the Muslim scholarly class is not new but it has always existed and all of these scholars base these ideas referencing the Holy Quran.

If you want to read my previous article then click the link below.

Mention of the Existence of Life beyond Earth in the Quran

If you want to read my next article than click the link below.

Verse of the Holy Quran in which there is Mention of Atoms and the views of Muslim scholars on atoms

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Mention of the Existence of Life beyond Earth in the Quran

       In this blog, I have written about the verse of the Quran which talks about the mention of Extraterrestrial life. In addition to this I have also written about the views of Zakaria al Qazwini and Ibn Taymiyyah on existence of life beyond Earth.

Translation of Verse no.49 of Surah An-Nahl

And to Allah, ˹alone˺ bows down ˹in submission˺ whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth of living creatures(Daabah), as do the angels who are not too proud ˹to do so˺.

Explanation:

                       In this verse of the Holy Quran, it is said that Every living being, whether it is in the heavens or in the Earth, bows down to Allah Almighty. This verse of the Quran mentions a concept that is quite popular nowadays, which is the existence of aliens or extraterrestrial beings besides those living on our planet Earth. There is some confusion on whether Aliens do exist or not. Some question their existence, while some believe that they are somewhere out there in the far corners of the Universe. The possibility of finding Alliens in the future is as much as the possibility of not finding any trace of Allien's life out there in the vastness of space. This all depends on Allah's will, but as Muslims, we should not be surprised even if humanity can contact aliens or find any trace of alien life in outer space. The verse that I have mentioned above is one of those verses that mentions Aliens. 

       The reason why this verse is proof of Alien or Extraterrestrial life is that there is mention of the word 'Daabah,' which means living creatures in Arabic. Now, some of you can say that it only means the living creatures of Earth, but if you look closely, then the verse refers separately to the Heavens and Earth. This clearly means that Allah has referred separately to the living creatures of Earth and the living creatures of Heavens, i.e., Aliens. There can also be an argument that this verse refers to angels residing in the other heavens besides our first heaven but it also says 'as do the angels' which means that Allah has mentioned separately to the angels and the angels along with all the living creatures of Earth and the Heavens bow down to Allah in submission. Another argument could be that this verse could mean the existence of Jinns, but in the Quran, the Arabic word 'Jinn' is used separately to mention Jinns and Allah knows best. 

      If you read the verse, then the first part of this verse says, 'And to Allah alone bows down in submission'. This means that there is no other being or deity worthy enough to bow down in submission to accept Allah. He is the only one, the Almighty, the supreme, the merciful, and the only one who we can seek guidance and help from. If the whole world wants to harm you, then no one can help you except Allah Almighty, and if Allah wants to harm you, then the whole world can not do anything to help you. One thing to keep in mind is that there can be various other explanations for this verse, and Allah only knows what is the correct explanation.

This is one of the many verses of the Holy Quran which talk about the existence of Aliens in outer space. It is a clear proof of the great wisdom and knowledge hidden in the Quran. This and many other verses inspire us to read the Quran not only to gain knowledge but to guide ourselves to the right path. One thing that should be kept in mind is that even though various verses of the Quran describe various scientific facts, the main purpose of the Holy Quran is not to address science but to guide mankind to the right path to succeed in this life and in the life hereafter. 

Views of Muslim Scholars on Extraterrestrial Life 

Zakaria al Qazwini is a 13th-century Persian astronomer, geographer, and proto-science fiction writer. It is said that he was descended from the companion of Prophet Muhammad PBUH Anas ibn Malik(May Allah be pleased with him). He wrote a futuristic sci-fi novel Arabic novel entitled Awaj bin Anfaq. The novel is about an Alien visiting Earth from a distant planet to examine Human behaviour. This was probably one of the first sci-fi novels in the world. 

    Ibn Taymiyyah(May Allah have mercy on him) was a 13th-century Sunni Islamic theologian who also recognized the existence of Aliens. He suggested that the term 'Khalaq'(The creator), which is one of Allah's names, clearly means that Allah Almighty can create continuously and thus rejects the view that the creation of other life forms stopped with the advent of Humans.

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Meaning of the word 'Al-Ard' and 'As-Samawat'

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Mention of Existence of Alien life in the Quran

Mention of Multiple Universes in the Quran

     In this blog, I have written about the mention of multiple universes in the Quran and the translation of Surah al-Fatiha.

Translation of First verse of Surah al-Fatiha

"All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin(Universes)."

Explanation:

                        The above-mentioned verse of the Quran, which is the first verse of the Holy Quran, talks about an idea that is very popular now a days and that is the idea of exisistence of multiple or parallel universes. In the start of this verse it is also mentioned that All praises and thanks to Allah and then at the emd of this this verse its is mentioned that he is the Lord of all worlds/Alamin/universes. This concept of parallel universes, which Physics has proposed just recently, has been mentioned in the Quran 1400 years ago. This enables us to think about the greatness and wisdom of Allah. Although the concept of parallel universe can be argued on rather it exists or not but as Muslims we should know that eventhough if science can not prove this theory  we should stick to what has been mentioned in the Quran because Science can be right or wrong but what Allah has written in the Quran can never be wrong. It is possible that we may never be able to discover parallel universes, but we as Muslim should know that the creation of such universes is not difficult for Allah.

    A major reason for us to be unable to discover those other universes up till now can be the fact that may be at present our knowledge and our technology are limited to a certain level while the wisdom of Allah has no boundary. It is possible in the future that our knowledge expands, and we may be able to discover those other universes while there is an equal possibility for us not to be able to do this. One thing will remain certain and that whatever facts science has been able to prove till know or it will prove in the near future. Allah mentioned the signs of these facts in the Quran quite precisely 1400 years ago. It gives a clear proof that the Holy Quran is the book of Allah because no one at that time could know these scientific facts at that time but only Allah. Even though there are many scientific facts mentioned in the Quran but the main purpose of the Quran is to guide humanity to the right path. The mention of these scientific facts is only so that we can ponder upon the wisdom and greatness of Allah Almighty. 

     One thing to keep in mind is that there can be various others explanations of this verse and only Allah Almighty knows what is the correct explanation.

Translation of Surah Al-Fatiha

  Besides the first verse of Surah al-Fatiha we should also focus on what has been written in the rest of this Surah because it forms the basis of our belief in the onenes of Allah as he is the one we worship and seek help fromwhich. It is also written in this surah that Allah is all merciful, the Lord of the day of Judgment. Below is the translation of Surah Al-Fatiha from verse no.2 till verse no.6. The translation of the first verse is written at the start of this blog.

the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,[1:2]

Master of the Day of Judgment.[1:3]

You ˹alone˺ we worship and You ˹alone˺ we ask for help.[1:4]

Guide us along the Straight Path,[1:5]

the Path of those You have blessed—not those You are displeased with, or those who are astray.[1:6]

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Relativistic time mentioned in the Quran

      

Shape of the Earth mentioned in the Quran

      In my previous blog, I wrote about the explanation of Verse 5 of Surah Az-Zumar which mentions how day changes to night and how night changes to day. The only 2 ways for this to be possible is that the Earth rotate around its axis which I wrote about in my previous blog and the second possibility is that the Earth is spherical. In this blog, I will discuss about the spherical shape of the Earth.

Translation of Verse 30 of Surah al-Naziat

He made the earth egg-shaped.

Explanation:

                        This verse of the Quran mentions that the Earth is shaped like an egg. Some people say that the Earth is round but in reality, it is not completely round. It is flat at the poles and bulging from the equator. If you compare the image of the Earth which we got from the pictures taken from the satellites with an egg. You will get to know that the shapes of the Earth and an egg are in quite resemblance to one another.

      All this is described in the Quran 1400 years ago which is clear proof that the Quran is the word of Allah. It has been sent to the Prophet Muhammad SAW for our guidance on our right path. While the Quran does have many scientific facts but this doesn't make the Quran a book of Science but it is the book of guidance so that we can succeed in this life and the life hereafter. These scientific facts are mentioned in the Quran only so that the People can ponder upon the greatness of Allah Almighty. 

       One thing to keep in mind is that there can be various others explanations of this verse and only Allah Almighty knows what is the correct explanation.

Views of Muslim Scholars 

                       These facts which the Quran described 1400 years ago were proved scientifically a few centuries ago. Although the concept of round earth was common among Greek Astronomers like Aristotle and many other Greek scientists there was still debate among the scholars for the accuracy of this claim. In the medieval Muslim era as well this concept of the Earth being spherical was common knowledge due to this and many other verses of the Quran. Muslim scholars such as Ibn-al-Hazm and Fakharuddin Razi proved scientifically that the Earth is spherical. 

   Al-Biruni was the first scientist to measure the radius of the earth which differed by only 16.8km from the current value of 6356.7km. All Muslim scientists believed not only in the accuracy of the Quran but also in their own Mathematics. Theologians like Ibn-Tayimiah also agreed with Ibn-Hazm and many other Muslim scientists of that time. Imam Ghazali, a 14th-century Muslim philosopher went as far as to say that those who deny the fact of a spherical earth is mocking Islam. Even the first 3 centuries of Muslims which were the best people in understanding Islam according to a Hadith of Prophet Muhammad SAW “The best people are those of my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.” [Bukhari 6065] They also believed the earth as spherical. Muslim geographer Ibn Khordadbeh (died 912 A.D), also argued about the spherical shape of the Earth in his Book of Roads and Kingdoms which mentions various import trade routes of that era. Ibn Abbas who was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad SAW and probably among the companions with the most knowledge also believed the Earth to be spherical in shape. The map given below by the 12th-century Muslim Geographer Muhammad al Idris also depicts the Earth as spherical.

     The idea of the spherical earth was proposed in the West by scientists like Galileo and Copperenicus but they were met with severe criticism and opposition from the Church. Unlike, in the Muslim world where both the Theologians and Scientists agreed upon the spherical shape of the Earth.

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Earth being 'Spread out' mentioned in the Quran

Description of the Rotation of the Earth and the mention of the Orbit of the Moon and Sun in the Quran.

     In this blog, I have written about the description of the Rotation of the Earth and the mention of the Orbit of the Moon and Sun in the Quran.

Translation of Verse 5 of Surah Az-Zumar

He created the heavens and the earth for a purpose. He wraps the night around the day, and wraps the day around the night. And He has subjected the sun and the moon, each orbiting for an appointed term. He is truly the Almighty, Most Forgiving.

Explanation 

                      In this verse of Surah, Az-Zumar Allah has told us how night changes into day and how day changes to night. If you look at the sky just around the time of sunset you would perceive it as night wrapping around day and at just around the time of sunrise day wrapping around night. The only 2 ways for this to be possible are that the Earth should rotate along its axis and that the Earth is spherical in shape. Now today we know that Earth takes one day(24 hours) to complete its rotation along its axis and this is how night transforms into day and day transforms into night. In the Muslim world, this fact was scientifically proven by a 10th-century scientist named Al-Buruni(973-1048 CE). Other scientists of the Muslim world such as Ibn Yunus(950-1059 CE) and Nasir al-Din Tusi(1201-1274 CE) also wrote on this but the main credit goes to Al-Biruni. In the West Copperenicus(1473-1573) was the first to prove the rotation of Earth.

          This verse also mentions that the moon and sun are also orbiting. As the moon orbits the earth the sun is also orbiting the earth. The fact that the moon orbits the earth was discovered by a 2nd-century Roman Egyptian astronomer Claudius Ptolemy. However, his model had some errors which were corrected by a 14th-century Muslim scientist Ibn-Shatir who along with many other Muslim scientists had a great influence on Copernicus and other Western scientists. Below is the image of Ibn-Shatir's Lunar model.

   Another thing which this verse mentions is that the sun is also orbiting a supermassive black hole named Sagittarius A which is located at the centre of our home galaxy the Milky Way. The speed with which our sun and solar system orbit the supermassive black hole is around 500,000 miles an hour (800,000 km/hr). The credit for the discovery of these scientific facts can be given to several scientists such as Vera Rubin(1928-2016), Jacobus Kapteyn (1851-1922) and many other such scientists etc. These facts were discovered by scientists just recently while the Quran told these facts 1400 years ago. It is a clear proof that the Quran is the word of Allah. Although it contains many scientific facts with great accuracy but the Quran is not a book of science it is the book of guidance. These scientific facts are mentioned only so that we can ponder upon the greatness of Allah Almighty.

    One thing to keep in mind is that there can be various others explanations of this verse and only Allah  knows what is the correct explanation.

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Quran on the Beginning of the Universe

In my next blog, I will write about the mention of the shape of the earth in the Quran.

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Shape of the Earth mentioned in the Quran