The Holy Quran, as a profound ocean of divine knowledge, contains verses that serve not only as guidance for mankind in spiritual and ethical matters but also as an unparalleled source for scientific and cosmic understanding of the universe. Verse 117 of Surah Al-Baqarah, emphasising the Badee al-Samawt wal-Ar (Innovator of the heavens and the earth), depicts the unique divine creativity in the creation of the heavens and the earth. This exegesis, adopting a scientific and forward-looking approach, examines the attributes and characteristics of the earth and heavens in the Holy Quran. The objective is to elucidate the reality that the Quranic verses possess scientific and practical capacities beyond current human comprehension, which will be fully revealed with the advancement of knowledge. The structure of this treatise, with systematic division and detailed analyses, is designed for researchers and scholarly audiences to create a bridge between religious and modern sciences whilst preserving the authenticity of Quranic meanings.
In verse 117 of Surah Al-Baqarah, the Holy Quran introduces God as the Badee of the heavens and the earth. This term refers to the unparalleled divine creativity, manifest not only in the initial creation but also in the order and dynamic characteristics of the earth and heavens. These descriptions, ranging from cosmic layers to geological processes, indicate the depth of Quranic knowledge that necessitates scientific analysis for uncovering its dimensions.
The Holy Quran, in multiple verses, alludes to events before Resurrection and the End Times. These verses, describing great transformations in the earth and heavens, speak of epistemological horizons that contemporary humanity cannot fully comprehend due to the limitations of current knowledge. This perspective presents the Quran as a timeless scripture whose meanings will become clearer with the progression of science.
The common conception that the present time is the End Times is not consistent with Quranic criteria. The End Times, as a period proximate to Resurrection and Return, is significantly distant from the present era, potentially by decades or centuries. This critique emphasises the necessity for precise understanding of Quranic concepts and cautions against hastily correlating the verses with contemporary times.
The first section, stressing the comprehensiveness of Quranic verses in describing earth and heavens, demonstrated that the Holy Quran is an unparalleled source for scientific and metaphysical understanding of the universe. The verses related to the End Times indicate the Qurans futurism and invite researchers to discover the meanings of these verses with a scientific approach in the future.
Many Quranic verses, particularly those addressing the characteristics of the earth and heavens, due to their complexity and epistemic depth, are not fully comprehensible at present. These verses, like hidden treasures, await the advancement of human science for their meanings and applications to be revealed.
Contemporary utilisation of the Holy Quran is often confined to literary, ethical, and social aspects, with limited exploitation of its scientific capacities. This limitation resembles utilising a vast ocean solely to adorn the shore, obstructing the discovery of the profoundness of Quranic knowledge.
Humanity, in the future, with scientific advancements, will be capable of harnessing the attributes of the earth and heavens described in the Quran. These verses, like a light in darkness, will guide future scientific discoveries.
The Quranic verses, analogous to a robust tree, yield different epistemic fruits in various historical periods. These verses were revealed for the early Islamic era, the present time, and the future of humanity, with their utilisation divided according to the temporal and epistemic context of each era.
Current human knowledge, like a child in the presence of the Qurans grandeur, is incapable of fully understanding the verses. Many verses remain shrouded in ambiguity due to the absence of advanced scientific tools.
The distinction between the concept and the truth of the verses is analogous to the difference between a map and the land. Present-day humanity holds a general map of the verses but exploring their truth requires advanced scientific tools.
This section, emphasising the temporality of understanding the verses, demonstrated that human knowledge limitations prevent full exploitation of the Holy Quran. Nonetheless, the Qurans futurism promises the discovery of deeper meanings through scientific progress.
Modern scientific advances, such as celestial exploration, demonstrate the feasibility of realising concepts once deemed impossible. The Holy Quran, with its descriptions of the earth and heavens, offers guidance for such explorations.
Future technologies, like utilisation of celestial bodies, will be as accessible to all as current tools such as computers. This prediction, akin to forecasting the blossoming of flowers in spring, heralds universal access to Quranic knowledge.
