5.1.1 THE CREATOR, al khaaliq

Everything in the universe was created. Allah is the sole creator of the universe and all its contents (what exists, what existed before and what will exist in the future). He existed before the universe and will outlive it. There is no associate with Allah in creation and no one else has the power of creation. Creation is a continuous process in biology (reproduction by mitosis and meiosis) and physics (fission and fusion of particles). The creation of the earth and heaven is inferior to that of humans.

5.1.2 THE UNIVERSE, al 'aalamiin

The universe consists of the earth, the sky, the space that encloses them both, and the space between them. It includes the stars, the planets, comets, galaxies, meteors, empty space, human and other all forms of life. It is subservient to Allah. Its creation lasted 6 days. The sky was created first as a vapor. It was followed by creation of time (night and day). Then the earth was created with water and mountains. After creation of the earth, the sky was divided into 7 skies. At one time the earth and the sky were together then they were separated. Astronomical knowledge has not yet explained the concepts of 7 skies and 7 earths. The throne, arsh, is above the universe. The chair, kursiy, envelopes both the earth and the sky. Part of the universe can be perceived by human senses and is called the world of the seen, ‘Aalam al shahadat is the universe perceived by human senses but ‘Aalam al ghaib is not. Paradise, jannat, and hell, jahannam, were created and are part of the universe.

5.1.3 THE EARTH

Known human history is about 7000 years but the duration of pre-history is unknown. What remains of the earth’s lifespan is like the time between salat al asr and salat al maghrib. The earth and its contents were created before creation of humans. Study of the earth reveals Allah’s signs that are a moral lesson and a reminder. The earth is wide and humans inhabit only a small portion of it. It is however very tiny compared to the size of the whole universe. The earth is standing on its own without pillars to give it firmament. It is dynamically stable being able to move by rotation on its axis, revolution around the sun, and movements of plate techtonics. All continents were one land mass (called Pangea) that broke up into several continents. The earth is a sphere flat in some places and mountainous in others. It is orderly and exerts gravitational force. Its surface is variable in topography, climate, and vegetation. About 70% of its surface covered with water. Only a very small part of the earth’s surface, called the biosphere (soil and atmosphere), supports life. The earth has many bounties that Allah put there for humans and other living things.

5.1.4 THE SKY, al samaau

The sky is very wide and expansive. Its inhabitants are humans and angels. The sun, the moon, and the stars are either below the sky or are attached to it. It is the roof of the earth. It has layers, doors, and guards. It is held in place and is orderly. The order will be destroyed on the last day. It contains life. It is subservient to the human. Stones, water, and food fall from the sky. The sky can cry. The sun is a source of light. It is stable. It also has precise movements. It rises and sets at a different place every day throughout the year. It prostrates at Allah’s throne and those who worship it are misguided. Day and night alternate with movements of the sun. At the start both the sun and the moon emitted light but later the moon lost its light and only reflected the sun’s light during the night. Stars are sources of electromagnetic energy. They are used for navigation. They are subservient and prostrate to Allah in worship. They move in definite positions. They will fall on the last day and will be obliterated. The moon is a satellite of the earth. Its movements and positions are used for reckoning time. It is a source of light. Its crescent is used as a symbol of Islam. It is subservient and prostrates in worship to Allah. The ignorant worship the moon instead of worshipping Allah. On the last day the moon will be split and will disappear.

5.1.5 OUTER SPACE, aafaaq

The term aafaaq refers to the far away space. It has Allah’s signs. It is wide with millions of galaxies. Each galaxy consists of stars and objects around them. Our galaxy is the milk-way. Our sun is an average-sized star being one of 100 billion stars in the milk-way galaxy. Stars are arranged in 88 different patterns called constellations. Outer space is dark. The blue colour seen from the earth is due to scattering, diffraction, of blue rays from the sun. The universe is expanding. The galaxies are moving away from one another at a speed of thousands of miles a second.