Al Kahf Institute · Quranic Research

Space in the Quran
Signs across the heavens.

An illustrated research atlas of the Sun, Moon, heavens, stars, time and cosmic order. Read the original Arabic, explore English study notes and listen to conversations where revelation, language and scientific inquiry meet.

Explore the verse atlas → Watch & listen →

Webb imagery: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI. Infrared observations rendered in assigned colours. Illustrations accompany themes; they do not identify the objects intended by a verse.

The verse atlas

One sky. Many paths of inquiry.

Browse a curated selection across ten research themes. Some themes overlap; this atlas is a starting point, not an exhaustive inventory of every cosmological passage.


01

Sun & celestial motion

Shams · Sirāj · Falak · The Sun, celestial courses and the language of measured motion.

Solar Dynamics Observatory image of the Sun, assigned ultraviolet colours Yaseen · 36:38

The Sun and its course

وَٱلشَّمْسُ تَجْرِى لِمُسْتَقَرٍّۢ لَّهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْعَلِيمِ ۝
English study explanation

The passage describes the Sun proceeding to a mustaqarr. The term invites a study of destination, appointed limit and exegetical context.

Interpretation & research context +

Compare interpretations of mustaqarr before applying contemporary models of solar motion.

Primary text: Quran 36:38. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Solar Dynamics Observatory image of the Sun, assigned ultraviolet colours Al-Anbiyaa · 21:33

Each in a celestial course

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ ۝
English study explanation

Night, day, Sun and Moon are named together, followed by the image of each swimming in a falak.

Interpretation & research context +

The passage supports reflection on celestial order; it does not specify an orbital diagram.

Primary text: Quran 21:33. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Solar Dynamics Observatory image of the Sun, assigned ultraviolet colours Yaseen · 36:40

Sun, Moon and ordered motion

لَا ٱلشَّمْسُ يَنۢبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تُدْرِكَ ٱلْقَمَرَ وَلَا ٱلَّيْلُ سَابِقُ ٱلنَّهَارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ ۝
English study explanation

The Sun and Moon are presented within an ordered relation, with night and day following their appointed sequence.

Interpretation & research context +

Read the surrounding passage, 36:37–40, as a connected argument.

Primary text: Quran 36:40. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Solar Dynamics Observatory image of the Sun, assigned ultraviolet colours Nooh · 71:16

A lamp and a light

وَجَعَلَ ٱلْقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورًۭا وَجَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ سِرَاجًۭا ۝
English study explanation

The Moon is called a light and the Sun a lamp within a reflection on the heavens.

Interpretation & research context +

Compare nur and siraj in their Arabic and rhetorical contexts.

Primary text: Quran 71:16. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

02

Moon & measured cycles

Qamar · Manāzil · Ḥusbān · Phases, calendars and the relationship between light and time.

Galileo image of Earth and Moon; thematic illustration Yunus · 10:5

Phases and the reckoning of years

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءًۭ وَٱلْقَمَرَ نُورًۭا وَقَدَّرَهُۥ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا۟ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ ۚ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ يُفَصِّلُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَعْلَمُونَ ۝
English study explanation

The passage associates the Sun and Moon with illumination and phases through which people reckon years and calculate time.

Interpretation & research context +

A useful starting point for calendars and observational astronomy.

Primary text: Quran 10:5. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Galileo image of Earth and Moon; thematic illustration Yaseen · 36:39

The returning crescent

وَٱلْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَٰهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَٱلْعُرْجُونِ ٱلْقَدِيمِ ۝
English study explanation

The Moon is described through successive stations until it resembles an old curved date stalk.

Interpretation & research context +

Explore the observational imagery of manazil rather than a literal botanical comparison.

Primary text: Quran 36:39. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Galileo image of Earth and Moon; thematic illustration Ar-Rahmaan · 55:5

Calculation and order

ٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍۢ ۝
English study explanation

Sun and Moon are associated with husban, a language of reckoning and measured order.

Interpretation & research context +

Discuss measurement, predictability and the limits of an interpretive claim.

Primary text: Quran 55:5. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Galileo image of Earth and Moon; thematic illustration Al-Baqara · 2:189

Crescents as markers of time

۞ يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْأَهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلْ هِىَ مَوَٰقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَٱلْحَجِّ ۗ وَلَيْسَ ٱلْبِرُّ بِأَن تَأْتُوا۟ ٱلْبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلْبِرَّ مَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ ۗ وَأْتُوا۟ ٱلْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَٰبِهَا ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ۝
English study explanation

The response concerning crescent moons links them to timekeeping for people and pilgrimage.

Interpretation & research context +

Distinguish observational calendars from the theology and practice of worship.

Primary text: Quran 2:189. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

03

Sky & the heavens

Samāʾ · Samāwāt · Sky, seven heavens and the contextual range of Quranic language.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Mulk · 67:3

Seven heavens in layers

ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَٰوَٰتٍۢ طِبَاقًۭا ۖ مَّا تَرَىٰ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ مِن تَفَٰوُتٍۢ ۖ فَٱرْجِعِ ٱلْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَىٰ مِن فُطُورٍۢ ۝
English study explanation

The verse describes seven heavens in layers and invites the observer to look for disorder in creation.

Interpretation & research context +

Samawat should be studied through Arabic usage and tafsir, without assigning seven modern astronomical shells.

Primary text: Quran 67:3. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Mulk · 67:4

Looking again

ثُمَّ ٱرْجِعِ ٱلْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ يَنقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ ٱلْبَصَرُ خَاسِئًۭا وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌۭ ۝
English study explanation

Repeated observation is invited, with human sight portrayed as returning humbled and weary.

Interpretation & research context +

Use this passage to discuss observation, humility and the discipline of inquiry.

Primary text: Quran 67:4. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Fussilat · 41:11

The heaven as smoke

ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَهِىَ دُخَانٌۭ فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ ٱئْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًۭا قَالَتَآ أَتَيْنَا طَآئِعِينَ ۝
English study explanation

The language of dukhan appears in a passage about the formation and ordering of heaven and earth.

Interpretation & research context +

Comparisons with cosmic gas are interpretive; modern plasma physics is not stated in the verse.

Primary text: Quran 41:11. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration At-Talaaq · 65:12

Heavens and earth

ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَٰوَٰتٍۢ وَمِنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ يَتَنَزَّلُ ٱلْأَمْرُ بَيْنَهُنَّ لِتَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عِلْمًۢا ۝
English study explanation

Seven heavens and a corresponding expression concerning the earth appear within an account of divine knowledge and power.

Interpretation & research context +

Compare classical readings before proposing planets or parallel universes.

Primary text: Quran 65:12. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

04

Stars & constellations

Najm · Nujūm · Burūj · Guidance, oaths, celestial lights and the positions of stars.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-An'aam · 6:97

Stars as guides

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلنُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُوا۟ بِهَا فِى ظُلُمَٰتِ ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَعْلَمُونَ ۝
English study explanation

Stars are described as means of finding direction through darkness on land and sea.

Interpretation & research context +

Connect textual reflection with the documented history of celestial navigation.

Primary text: Quran 6:97. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Waaqia · 56:75

The positions of stars

۞ فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَٰقِعِ ٱلنُّجُومِ ۝
English study explanation

The oath draws attention to mawaqi al-nujum, a phrase discussed in relation to positions, settings and other exegetical readings.

Interpretation & research context +

Consult 56:76–82 for the wider rhetorical setting of the oath.

Primary text: Quran 56:75. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration At-Taariq · 86:3

The piercing star

ٱلنَّجْمُ ٱلثَّاقِبُ ۝
English study explanation

Al-najm al-thaqib completes the opening question about al-tariq with an image of penetrating brightness.

Interpretation & research context +

Pulsars are a modern comparison, not a settled identification of the Arabic expression.

Primary text: Quran 86:3. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Burooj · 85:1

A sky with buruj

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلْبُرُوجِ ۝
English study explanation

The opening oath names the sky possessing buruj, a word associated with prominent formations or celestial stations.

Interpretation & research context +

Study constellation language and the lexical history of buruj.

Primary text: Quran 85:1. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration An-Najm · 53:49

Sirius

وَأَنَّهُۥ هُوَ رَبُّ ٱلشِّعْرَىٰ ۝
English study explanation

The verse names al-Shira, commonly identified as Sirius, within a passage affirming divine lordship.

Interpretation & research context +

A specific star reference can be considered alongside its historical religious context.

Primary text: Quran 53:49. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

05

Creation & cosmic order

Ratq · Fatq · Mūsِiʿūn · Origins, vastness, order and the interpretation of cosmic imagery.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Anbiyaa · 21:30

Joined and opened

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًۭا فَفَتَقْنَٰهُمَا ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْمَآءِ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ حَىٍّ ۖ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ۝
English study explanation

The verse recalls heaven and earth as ratq, followed by fatq, and links living things to water.

Interpretation & research context +

Big Bang comparisons are modern interpretations; lexical and classical readings must remain visible.

Primary text: Quran 21:30. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Adh-Dhaariyat · 51:47

Strength and vastness

وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بَنَيْنَٰهَا بِأَيْي۟دٍۢ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ ۝
English study explanation

The passage describes the building of heaven with strength and uses the term musiʿūn.

Interpretation & research context +

Translations differ between vast capacity and expansion; cosmological expansion is a comparative discussion, not the only reading.

Primary text: Quran 51:47. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Qamar · 54:49

Creation with measure

إِنَّا كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقْنَٰهُ بِقَدَرٍۢ ۝
English study explanation

All things are described as created with qadar, a term encompassing measure and divine determination.

Interpretation & research context +

Explore order and proportion without turning the verse into a specific physical equation.

Primary text: Quran 54:49. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Ar-Rahmaan · 55:7

The heaven and balance

وَٱلسَّمَآءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ ٱلْمِيزَانَ ۝
English study explanation

The raising of heaven is paired with the placing of the balance, followed by an ethical call concerning fair measure.

Interpretation & research context +

Preserve the ethical context of mizan as well as discussions of cosmic order.

Primary text: Quran 55:7. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

06

Time & perception

Yawm · Sinīn · Duration · Divine reckoning, long durations and the experience of time.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Hajj · 22:47

A day and a thousand years

وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِٱلْعَذَابِ وَلَن يُخْلِفَ ٱللَّهُ وَعْدَهُۥ ۚ وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍۢ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ ۝
English study explanation

The verse contrasts divine reckoning with a thousand years counted by human beings in the context of the promised judgement.

Interpretation & research context +

This is not a specification of a velocity or gravitational field; compare theological and physical meanings of time.

Primary text: Quran 22:47. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration As-Sajda · 32:5

A different scale of reckoning

يُدَبِّرُ ٱلْأَمْرَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍۢ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥٓ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍۢ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ ۝
English study explanation

The ordering of affairs and their ascent are described through a day measured as a thousand human years.

Interpretation & research context +

Study the context of divine governance before drawing analogies with relativity.

Primary text: Quran 32:5. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Ma'aarij · 70:4

Fifty thousand years

تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍۢ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍۢ ۝
English study explanation

The ascent of angels and the Spirit is described within a day whose measure is fifty thousand years.

Interpretation & research context +

Classical readings and the judgement setting matter; do not derive a relativistic formula from the number.

Primary text: Quran 70:4. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Kahf · 18:19

How long did we remain?

وَكَذَٰلِكَ بَعَثْنَٰهُمْ لِيَتَسَآءَلُوا۟ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ قَالَ قَآئِلٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍۢ ۚ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ فَٱبْعَثُوٓا۟ أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَٰذِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَآ أَزْكَىٰ طَعَامًۭا فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍۢ مِّنْهُ وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا ۝
English study explanation

The companions awaken and question the length of their stay, estimating a day or part of a day.

Interpretation & research context +

A narrative about limited perception of elapsed time, not evidence of time dilation.

Primary text: Quran 18:19. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Kahf · 18:25

Three hundred years and nine

وَلَبِثُوا۟ فِى كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَٰثَ مِا۟ئَةٍۢ سِنِينَ وَٱزْدَادُوا۟ تِسْعًۭا ۝
English study explanation

The passage gives the duration of the companions’ stay as three hundred years with nine added.

Interpretation & research context +

Calendar comparisons may be explored, but they should be distinguished from what the wording explicitly states.

Primary text: Quran 18:25. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

07

Matter & quantum questions

Dharrah · Measure · Knowledge · A comparative inquiry into matter and measurement; not a claim of quantum equations in scripture.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Yunus · 10:61

Nothing smaller or greater escapes knowledge

وَمَا تَكُونُ فِى شَأْنٍۢ وَمَا تَتْلُوا۟ مِنْهُ مِن قُرْءَانٍۢ وَلَا تَعْمَلُونَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ إِلَّا كُنَّا عَلَيْكُمْ شُهُودًا إِذْ تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ ۚ وَمَا يَعْزُبُ عَن رَّبِّكَ مِن مِّثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍۢ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَلَآ أَصْغَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكْبَرَ إِلَّا فِى كِتَٰبٍۢ مُّبِينٍ ۝
English study explanation

The passage speaks of divine awareness of even a dharrah, and of what is smaller or greater, in heaven and earth.

Interpretation & research context +

Dharrah is not a technical statement about an atom, quark or quantum state.

Primary text: Quran 10:61. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Saba · 34:3

The smallest measure and divine knowledge

وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَا تَأْتِينَا ٱلسَّاعَةُ ۖ قُلْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّى لَتَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ عَٰلِمِ ٱلْغَيْبِ ۖ لَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْهُ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍۢ فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَلَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَآ أَصْغَرُ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكْبَرُ إِلَّا فِى كِتَٰبٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ ۝
English study explanation

The verse associates the coming Hour with knowledge that encompasses even the smallest and largest things.

Interpretation & research context +

Modern particle physics can accompany reflection, but the verse does not teach a Standard Model.

Primary text: Quran 34:3. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Az-Zalzala · 99:7

The weight of the smallest deed

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًۭا يَرَهُۥ ۝
English study explanation

The smallest measure of good is brought into the account of deeds and their consequences.

Interpretation & research context +

An ethical use of dharrah; preserve its moral context rather than re-labelling it quantum mechanics.

Primary text: Quran 99:7. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

08

Black holes & hidden skies

Khunnas · Jawār · Kunnas · Modern astronomical comparisons examined alongside Arabic usage and tafsir.

NASA illustration of the V404 Cygni black-hole system, not an observation At-Takwir · 81:15

The withdrawing ones

فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِٱلْخُنَّسِ ۝
English study explanation

The opening oath uses al-khunnas, an expression of withdrawing or retreating.

Interpretation & research context +

Classical celestial interpretations should be compared before discussing black holes as a modern proposal.

Primary text: Quran 81:15. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

NASA illustration of the V404 Cygni black-hole system, not an observation At-Takwir · 81:16

Running and concealing

ٱلْجَوَارِ ٱلْكُنَّسِ ۝
English study explanation

Al-jawari al-kunnas follows the previous oath with imagery of motion and concealment.

Interpretation & research context +

The text does not name an event horizon or a singularity; black-hole comparisons remain interpretive.

Primary text: Quran 81:16. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

09

Horizons & journeys

Āfāq · Sulṭān · Al-Kahf · The horizons of knowledge, passage and narrative journeys.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Ar-Rahmaan · 55:33

Beyond the regions of heavens and earth

يَٰمَعْشَرَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ إِنِ ٱسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَن تَنفُذُوا۟ مِنْ أَقْطَارِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ فَٱنفُذُوا۟ ۚ لَا تَنفُذُونَ إِلَّا بِسُلْطَٰنٍۢ ۝
English study explanation

The address to jinn and humankind challenges passage beyond the regions of heavens and earth except with sultan.

Interpretation & research context +

Sultan has a contextual range including authority or power; it is not automatically spacecraft technology.

Primary text: Quran 55:33. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Fussilat · 41:53

Signs in the horizons

سَنُرِيهِمْ ءَايَٰتِنَا فِى ٱلْءَافَاقِ وَفِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ شَهِيدٌ ۝
English study explanation

The passage speaks of signs in the horizons and within human selves leading toward recognition of truth.

Interpretation & research context +

A basis for reflection and inquiry, rather than a map of interstellar travel.

Primary text: Quran 41:53. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Kahf · 18:86

A journey to the setting of the Sun

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ مَغْرِبَ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُبُ فِى عَيْنٍ حَمِئَةٍۢ وَوَجَدَ عِندَهَا قَوْمًۭا ۗ قُلْنَا يَٰذَا ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ إِمَّآ أَن تُعَذِّبَ وَإِمَّآ أَن تَتَّخِذَ فِيهِمْ حُسْنًۭا ۝
English study explanation

Dhul-Qarnayn reaches a place where the Sun appears to set and encounters a people there.

Interpretation & research context +

Narrative perspective matters. A proposed cosmic reading must be identified as interpretation.

Primary text: Quran 18:86. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Kahf · 18:90

A journey to the rising of the Sun

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ مَطْلِعَ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَطْلُعُ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍۢ لَّمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُم مِّن دُونِهَا سِتْرًۭا ۝
English study explanation

The narrative continues with an arrival at the rising of the Sun and the people found there.

Interpretation & research context +

Read with 18:83–98; the passage does not provide measurable interplanetary coordinates.

Primary text: Quran 18:90. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

10

Cosmic transformation

Folding · Splitting · Scattering · Eschatological passages and the imagery of a transformed cosmos.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Anbiyaa · 21:104

The folding of the heaven

يَوْمَ نَطْوِى ٱلسَّمَآءَ كَطَىِّ ٱلسِّجِلِّ لِلْكُتُبِ ۚ كَمَا بَدَأْنَآ أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍۢ نُّعِيدُهُۥ ۚ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَآ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا فَٰعِلِينَ ۝
English study explanation

The heaven is likened to a rolled scroll in an eschatological account of renewed creation.

Interpretation & research context +

Do not equate this image with a proven Big Crunch model.

Primary text: Quran 21:104. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Al-Infitaar · 82:2

Stars scattered

وَإِذَا ٱلْكَوَاكِبُ ٱنتَثَرَتْ ۝
English study explanation

The scattering of celestial bodies belongs to a sequence describing the disruption of the familiar world.

Interpretation & research context +

Interpret within the surah’s account of judgement.

Primary text: Quran 82:2. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

Webb nebula or galaxy image; thematic illustration Ar-Rahmaan · 55:37

A transformed heaven

فَإِذَا ٱنشَقَّتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتْ وَرْدَةًۭ كَٱلدِّهَانِ ۝
English study explanation

The splitting heaven is described through vivid imagery of a rose and oil or leather, depending on translation.

Interpretation & research context +

Nebula photographs are thematic illustrations, not pictures of the event described.

Primary text: Quran 55:37. Read the surrounding verses and compare Arabic lexicons with classical tafsir, including al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. Images are thematic illustrations.

A comparative research laboratory

Time, quantum physics & the hidden cosmos.

Read across disciplines while keeping each claim traceable to its own kind of evidence.

Time & relativity

In relativity, elapsed time depends on motion and gravity. This is a physical result tested with clocks. Verses 22:47, 32:5 and 70:4 discuss different scales of reckoning in theological contexts; their numbers alone do not define an Einsteinian experiment.

Research question: how do measured duration, human perception and divine reckoning differ?

The orbit animation is decorative and not to scale.

Quantum states & measurement

Quantum theory describes states, probabilities, interference and entanglement. Dharrah in the Quran concerns extremely small measures in contexts of knowledge and accountability. It is not a technical name for a qubit or subatomic particle.

Research question: what can an analogy clarify, and where does it stop being evidence?

Black holes & event horizons

A black hole is an astronomical object with a region from which light cannot escape. The words khunnas and kunnas in 81:15–16 have established Arabic and exegetical histories. Identifying them with black holes is a modern interpretive proposal.

Research question: compare lexical meanings, early interpretations and observational astronomy before making an identification.

Cosmic origins & expansion

Modern cosmology studies an expanding universe using observations and mathematical models. Ratq, fatq and musiʿun invite linguistic and exegetical inquiry; a modern comparison should not erase alternative readings.

Research question: distinguish a verse, a translation choice, a theological reading and an observational model.

Watch · Listen · Reflect

Conversations beneath the same sky.

Short video, curated podcast excerpts and one full video podcast. Every selection opens here. Excerpts come from the same credited episode and retain the speaker’s context; they are not independent productions.

Cosmology in Islam video thumbnail
Short video

Cosmology in Islam

A short introduction to cosmological questions within an Islamic discussion.

Yaqeen Institute · DoubleTake short

The heavens in Quranic discourse video thumbnail
Short podcast excerpt · 06:37–08:19

The heavens in Quranic discourse

A focused excerpt from the conversation with astrophysicist Dr. Aycha Tammour.

Yaqeen Institute · DoubleTake S3 E12

Relativity and the limits of comparison video thumbnail
Short podcast excerpt · 27:33–28:57

Relativity and the limits of comparison

A brief exchange about physical time and the care needed when relating it to theological language.

Yaqeen Institute · DoubleTake S3 E12

James Webb Telescope: Muslims in Space video thumbnail
Video podcast · full episode

James Webb Telescope: Muslims in Space

The original long-form episode, presented in its official video player.

Yaqeen Institute · Aycha Tammour & Mohamad Zaoud

Creation and cosmological questions video thumbnail
Podcast excerpt · 20:12–24:42

Creation and cosmological questions

A selected part of the same episode. These are chapter selections, not separate recordings.

Yaqeen Institute · DoubleTake S3 E12

Space as a physics laboratory video thumbnail
Short podcast excerpt · 03:32–04:22

Space as a physics laboratory

A short passage around astrophysical objects and the researcher’s scientific journey.

Yaqeen Institute · DoubleTake S3 E12

Embedded playback uses the publisher’s YouTube player and depends on their embedding permissions and your browser settings. No automatic playback or external navigation is added. Podcast selections are video podcasts; no unofficial MP3 copies are provided.

Arabic vocabulary

A small lexicon for a vast subject.

Concise starting definitions. For interpretation, consult the full verse, morphology, usage and tafsir.


Samāʾ · سماء

Sky or heaven; meaning depends on context.

Samāwāt · سماوات

Heavens; the plural has cosmological and theological contexts.

Shams · شمس

The Sun.

Qamar · قمر

The Moon.

Najm · نجم

Star; examine the passage and lexical context.

Nujūm · نجوم

Stars; plural of najm.

Falak · فلك

A celestial course or orbit in the relevant passages.

Burūj · بروج

Prominent formations or celestial stations; translations vary.

Ṭāriq · طارق

The nightcomer; explained in 86:3 through the piercing star.

Ratq · رتق

Joined, closed or sewn together; compare classical interpretations.

Fatq · فتق

Opening or separation.

Dharrah · ذرة

An extremely small measure; not inherently a modern atom.

Khunnas · خنس

Withdrawing or retreating.

Jawār · جوار

Running or moving.

Kunnas · كنس

Concealing or retreating into a place of hiding.

Mīzān · ميزان

Balance; includes ethical contexts of fair measure.

Sources & editorial method

Every layer has its own evidence.

The Arabic verses are primary text. English explanations are original study notes. Scientific comparisons are identified as comparisons. Publisher names and provenance remain available without leaving this page.

Primary Arabic text

Uthmani text supplied by the AlQuran Cloud Quran edition. Verse references are shown on each card. Text is included in this HTML, so the reading atlas does not depend on a live API.

Arabic & classical tafsir

Research route: Quranic Arabic Corpus morphology and classical tafsir by al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir. The notes here are editorial prompts, not quotations from these authors.

Established astronomy

Scientific context: NASA Science resources on stars, cosmology and black holes. Decorative nebula photographs do not establish an interpretation.

Quantum information

Scientific context: IBM Quantum Learning, Basics of Quantum Information. Quantum mechanics is treated as an independent physical discipline.

Video & podcast provenance

Yaqeen Institute: Cosmology in Islam short; James Webb Telescope: Muslims in Space, DoubleTake S3 E12. Chapter selections are explicitly labelled.

Image provenance

Webb: Cosmic Cliffs, Stephan’s Quintet and Southern Ring Nebula (NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI). Sun: NASA / SDO. Earth–Moon: NASA / JPL / Galileo. Black-hole system: NASA Goddard illustration of V404 Cygni. These images are thematic, and assigned colours and illustrations are identified.

Media player