The expansion of the Universe is
the most imposing discovery of modern science. Today it is a firmly established
concept and the only debate centres around the way this is taking place.
It was first suggested by the
general theory of relativity and is backed up by physics in the examination of
the galactic spectrum; the regular movement towards the red section of their
spectrum may be explained by the distancing of one galaxy from another. Thus
the size of the Universe is probably constantly increasing and this increase
will become bigger the further away the galaxies are from us. The speeds at
which these celestial bodies are moving may, in the course of this perpetual
expansion, go from fractions of the speed of light to speeds faster than this.
The following verse of the Qur' an
(sura 51, verse 47) where God is speaking, may perhaps be compared with modern
ideas:
"The heaven, We have built it with power. Verily. We are expanding it." 'Heaven' is the translation of the word sama' and this is exactly the extra-terrestrial world that is meant.'We are expanding it' is the translation of the plural present participle musi'una of the verb ausa'a meaning 'to make wider, more spacious, to extend, to expand'.
Some translators who
were unable to grasp the meaning of the latter provide translations that appear
to me to be mistaken, e.g. "we give generously" (R. Blachère). Others
sense the meaning, but are afraid to commit themselves: Hamidullah in his
translation of the Qur'an talks of the widening of the heavens and space, but
he includes a question mark. Finally, there are those who arm themselves with
authorized scientific opinion in their commentaries and give the meaning stated
here. This is true in the case of the Muntakab, a book of commentaries
edited by the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Cairo. It refers to the
expansion of the Universe in totally unambiguous terms.
