Cosmology of the Quran: Difference between revisions

The Qur'anic universe comprises "the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them". In many verses it makes statements concerning various elements of and within this picture, without going into great detail. Overall, a picture emerges of a flat earth (probably seven), above which are seven heavenly firmaments of uncertain shape (commonly assumed to be domed, though some have argued that the Qur'anic heavens are flat) and held up by invisible pillars. Celestial bodies circulate in the lowest of these heavens. Above this creation Allah sits on his throne. Academic work has situated this picture within the context of earlier cosmological ideas, while noting its own distinctive identity.

Tabataba'i and Mirsadri note that the Quran "takes for granted" the flatness of the earth, a common motif among the scientifically naive people at that time<ref>Mohammad Ali Tabatabaʾi and Saida Mirsadri, ''The Qurʾānic Cosmology, as an Identity in Itself'' p. 211</ref> (though the ancient Greeks and certain Christian scholars of the 6th century, in dispute with their counterparts in the east, believed in its sphericity, as noted by van Bladel<ref>Van Bladel, Kevin, ''Heavenly cords and prophetic authority in the Qur’an and its Late Antique context'' pp. 224-226</ref>). Damien Janos in another paper on Qur'anic cosmography has similarly noted that while the exact shape of its boundaries are not described, "what is clear is that the Qurʾān and the early Muslim tradition do not uphold the conception of a spherical earth and a spherical universe. This was a view that later prevailed in the leaned circles of Muslim society as a result of the infiltration Of Ptolemaic astronomy".<ref>Damien Janos, "Qurʾānic cosmography in its historical perspective: some note on the formation of a religious wordview", Religion 42(2), 2012, pp. 217-218</ref>

Repeatedly, the authors of the Qur'an use various Arabic terms that convey a flat earth, spread out like a carpet. For a much more comprehensive complilation of verses, see [[Islamic Views on the Shape of the Earth]].

As Tabataba'i and Mirsadri also note<ref>Ibid. p. 211</ref>, the mountains are heavy masses described as pegs to [[The Quran and Mountains|prevent the earth from shaking]].

Janos notes that Sumerian incantations dated to the 1st millenium BCE mention both the seven heavens and seven earths (citing Wayne Horowitz, who translated them as "the heavens are seven, the earths are seven").<ref>Ibid. p. 221</ref>

===The Heavens and their Denizens===

As seen from the earth, the dome of the innermost heaven extends overhead, although in actuality they are more correctly described as seven concentric domes with the disk of the earth at their base.

And finally, the heavens are apparently heavy enough to require physical supports of some sort. Contrary to some claims, the Qur'an acknowledges that such supports are required, but also explains that they are invisible.