Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, the Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

The Quran contains numerous verses that resonate with the cosmological argument, emphasizing God as the transcendent Creator of the universe. Below are key Quranic verses that align with the principles of the Kalam Cosmological Argument, particularly the idea that the universe began to exist and requires a necessary, uncaused Cause:

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1. The Big Bang and Cosmic Origin

Quran 21:30
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا
“Do the disbelievers not see that the heavens and the earth were [once] a closed-up mass, then We split them apart?”
This verse mirrors the Big Bang theory, describing a primordial singularity (“closed-up mass”) that was “split apart” to form the cosmos, supporting Premise 2 of the Kalam argument (the universe had a beginning).

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2. Creation from Non-Existence

Quran 52:35-36
أَمْ خُلِقُوا مِنْ غَيْرِ شَيْءٍ أَمْ هُمُ الْخَالِقُونَ . أَمْ خَلَقُوا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۚ بَل لَّا يُوقِنُونَ
“Were they created from nothing? Or are they themselves the creators? Did they create the heavens and the earth? No! They have no certainty.”
This rhetorical question challenges the idea of self-creation or uncaused existence, affirming Premise 1: whatever begins to exist (like the universe) must have a cause.

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3. God as the Uncaused Cause

Quran 6:101
بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ صَاحِبَةٌ ۚ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
“He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He has no consort? He created all things, and He has knowledge of all things.”
The term بَدِيعُ (Badi’, “Originator”) implies creation ex nihilo (from nothing), reinforcing God’s role as the transcendent, uncaused Cause.

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4. Temporal Creation

Quran 11:7
وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ
“It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His Throne was upon the water.”
The mention of creation “in six days” (symbolizing divine phases) indicates a temporal beginning, contradicting an eternal universe.

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5. Sustaining the Created Order

Quran 35:41
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُمْسِكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ أَن تَزُولَا ۚ وَلَئِن زَالَتَا إِنْ أَمْسَكَهُمَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِهِ
“Indeed, God holds the heavens and the earth, lest they cease. And if they should vanish, no one could hold them back after Him.”
This underscores God’s ongoing role as Sustainer, linking creation and contingency to a necessary Being.

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6. The Universe as Contingent

Quran 27:60
أَمَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَنبَتْنَا بِهِ حَدَائِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ
“Is He who created the heavens and the earth and sends down rain from the sky…? Say, ‘Is [your god] other than God?’”
The verse contrasts contingent creation (dependent on God) with God’s self-sufficiency.

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7. Purposeful Creation

Quran 44:38
وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا لَاعِبِينَ
“We did not create the heavens and the earth and all that is between them for sport.”
The universe is intentional, not accidental, implying a purposeful Creator (aligning with the Kalam’s “personal cause”).

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8. The Necessity of a Creator

Quran 29:19-20
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَيْفَ يُبْدِئُ اللَّهُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
“Do they not see how God originates creation, then repeats it? Indeed, that is easy for God.”
This emphasizes God’s power to initiate creation, addressing both its beginning and recreation.

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9. The Absurdity of Self-Creation

Quran 56:57-59
نَحْنُ خَلَقْنَاكُمْ ۖ فَلَوْلَا تُصَدِّقُونَ . أَفَرَأَيْتُم مَّا تُمْنُونَ . أَأَنتُمْ تَخْلُقُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الْخَالِقُونَ
“We created you, so why do you not believe? Have you seen what you emit? Is it you who create it, or are We the Creator?”
This rhetorical argument against self-creation applies equally to the universe’s origin.

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10. God’s Timelessness and Sovereignty

Quran 57:3
هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
“He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and He has knowledge of all things.”
God’s attribute as الْأَوَّلُ (al-Awwal, “the First”) confirms His precedence over creation, satisfying the Kalam’s requirement for a timeless Cause.

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Conclusion

These Quranic verses consistently affirm:

1. The universe had a beginning (Premise 2 of Kalam).
2. Its existence requires a transcendent, uncaused Creator (Conclusion).
3. God is self-sufficient, eternal, and purposeful (aligning with Craig’s “personal agent”).

As the Quran states in 2:117:
بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ
“He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.”
This encapsulates the cosmological argument’s essence: a command (kun!) from a timeless, volitional Creator.