Epigraph:

الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا ۖ مَّا تَرَىٰ فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ مِن تَفَاوُتٍ ۖ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَىٰ مِن فُطُورٍ

ثُمَّ ارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ يَنقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ الْبَصَرُ خَاسِئًا وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ

He is the Mighty, the Forgiving; Who created the seven heavens, one above the other. You will not see any flaw in what the Lord of Mercy creates. Look again! Can you see any flaws? Look again! And again! Your sight will turn back to you, weak and defeated. (Al Quran 67:3-4)

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

Below is a list of observations from cosmology, physics, and biology that highlight the fine-tuning in our universe. Each point includes a notable quote (from scientists or religious texts) and a brief explanation of how it suggests an intelligent Designer or God behind the cosmos.

1. A One-of-a-Kind, Balanced Universe – Modern astronomy reveals that the universe’s birth and basic conditions were precisely set for life. As Nobel laureate Arno Penzias remarked, “Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life, and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural’) plan.”​ ucolick.org This delicate balance of initial conditions (for example, the right density and expansion rate) implies the cosmos was purposefully calibrated – an idea consistent with a divine creation plan rather than random chance.
2. Precise Physical Constants for Life – The fundamental constants of nature (like the strengths of forces and particle masses) appear finely tuned. As physicist Steven Weinberg stated, “Life as we know it would be impossible if any one of several physical quantities had slightly different values.”​ ucolick.org In other words, if constants such as the speed of light, gravity’s strength, or the charge of an electron were even a bit larger or smaller, stable matter, stars, or planets could not exist. This striking coincidence of values suggests the constants were set “just right” – much as they would be if chosen by an intelligent Creator to allow life.
3. The Universe “Balanced on a Knife-Edge” – Many scientists have noted how fragile the universe’s life-permitting setup is. Physicist Paul Davies observes that “the entire universe is balanced on a knife-edge, and would be total chaos if any of the natural constants were off even slightly. …[T]he universe seems unreasonably suited to the existence of life – almost contrived – you might say a put-up job.” ​ucolick.org Even minute deviations in values (for example, a tiny change in the nuclear force or electromagnetic force) would render the universe lifeless. The odds of everything being in the narrow life-friendly range by accident are astronomically low, lending weight to the idea of a cosmic fine-tuner designing this “knife-edge” balance.
4. Fine-Tuned Cosmic Expansion – The rate at which the universe expanded from the Big Bang had to be extraordinarily precise. Stephen Hawking illustrates this with a famous example: “If the rate of expansion one second after the Big Bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, the universe would have recollapsed before it ever reached its present size.” ​phys.org Had the initial expansion been even slightly slower, gravity would have caused a premature collapse; slightly faster, and matter would have dispersed too quickly for galaxies and stars to form. This exact tuning of the expansion rate suggests the universe’s beginning was “set” with an almost unbelievable accuracy, consistent with intentional design.
5. Extraordinary Precision of Initial Entropy – Not only physical constants, but the early conditions of the universe were fine-tuned. The universe began in an incredibly ordered, low-entropy state. Mathematician Roger Penrose calculated the odds of this initial order occurring by chance to be essentially zero, noting: “This now tells how precise the Creator’s aim must have been, namely to an accuracy of one part in 10^10^123. This is an extraordinary figure.” ​allaboutphilosophy.org (1 in 10^(10^123) is a number with trillions of trillions of zeros!). Such an absurdly small probability is tantamount to impossibility by random processes – implying that the universe’s Creator “aimed” the initial conditions deliberately to allow a cosmos that could develop life.
6. Stellar Alchemy and the “Coincidence” of Carbon – Life is built on carbon, which is formed in stars through a finely tuned nuclear reaction. In fact, the nuclear energy levels of carbon and oxygen have to line up “just so” for enough carbon to be produced. Famed astronomer Fred Hoyle, who discovered this resonance, was struck by the apparent design: “A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super‑intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question.”​ ucolick.org Hoyle’s point is that the laws of nuclear physics appear “deliberately designed” to enable the creation of life-essential elements like carbon ​ucolick.org. Such a “fortunate coincidence” in the stars makes more sense if a Designer set it up on purpose.
7. An Improbable Origin of Life – Fine-tuning isn’t only in physics; the very emergence of life from non-life required a highly specific environment and ingredients. Biochemist Francis Crick (co-discoverer of DNA) acknowledged how astonishing this is: “An honest man, armed with all the knowledge available to us now, could only state that in some sense, the origin of life appears at the moment to be almost a miracle, so many are the conditions which would have had to have been satisfied to get it going.” ​todayinsci.com From the precise properties of water and carbon chemistry, to the narrow temperature and pH ranges, countless factors had to align for the first cell to form. The “miraculous” appearance of life’s origin suggests that it was not a fluke, but rather the result of a purposeful arrangement – consistent with the work of a divine Designer ensuring all the right conditions for life were in place.
8. “Formed to Be Inhabited” (Religious Perspective) – Ancient religious writings affirmed the purposeful arrangement of the world for life long before modern science. For example, the Bible teaches that God intentionally shaped Earth to support living beings: “He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited.” ​biblegateway.com (Isaiah 45:18). This perspective dovetails with what we see in fine-tuning: the universe and our planet are no accident, but were crafted for the purpose of hosting life. The striking hospitality of Earth – its ideal distance from the sun, stable climate, and rich chemistry – reflects exactly what we would expect if, as religious traditions hold, a Creator designed nature as a home for living creatures.
9. Orderly Solar System (Newton’s Observation) – The precise configuration of our solar system also hints at design. Sir Isaac Newton marveled at how well our sun and planets are arranged, concluding that “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.”​ ucolick.org Indeed, the planets’ nearly circular orbits and the stability of the solar system over billions of years are conducive to life on Earth. Such order is highly unlikely to result from chaos alone. Newton’s inference was that the elegant mechanics of the heavens point to an intelligent Planner. In modern terms, one could say the solar system’s stability and life-friendly layout were not guaranteed by physics alone – they underscore the work of a guiding intelligence (God) setting the stage for life.
10. Science Points to a “Physicist” God – Many contemporary scientists see the fine-tuning as suggestive of a Creator. Geneticist Francis Collins (who led the Human Genome Project) has said, “God must also be an incredible physicist… there is this phenomenal fine-tuning of the universe that makes complexity and, therefore, life possible.” ​en.wikiquote.org Collins highlights that the exact physical laws making complex life possible are not something science can easily explain away – instead, they fit the idea of a Creator with a scientific mind, setting the cosmos in motion with precise values. In sum, the remarkable convergence of all these life-permitting factors is seen as strong evidence of a deliberate Designer. The fine-tuning across cosmology, physics, and biology inspires awe and convinces many that behind the universe’s perfect setup is the hand of God.