Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD

Abstract

Recent astronomical discoveries have dramatically expanded our estimate of the universe’s scale – from the “billions” of galaxies once imagined to as many as 6–20 trillion galaxies today bigthink.com. Modern telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed an ever-growing cosmos, detecting countless faint and distant galaxies that earlier instruments missed bigthink.com. Intriguingly, the Quran spoke of an expanding universe nearly 14 centuries ago thequran.love, a notion far ahead of its time. Moreover, the Quran describes Paradise (Jannah) in at least two verses (Quran 3:133 and 57:21) as a “garden whose width is as vast as the heavens and the earth,” linking the concept of heaven’s expanse to the entire cosmos. This article provides a comprehensive commentary on these themes – weaving together cosmological science, philosophical reflections on extra dimensions, and classical as well as contemporary Islamic exegesis – to explore how an expanding universe and the Quranic vision of Paradise converge. We examine Dr. Zia H. Shah MD’s insights on higher dimensions where Paradise might reside beyond our perceptual reach, and we draw on classical commentators and scripture (Quran, Hadith, and even Biblical allusions) regarding the enormous expanse of Paradise. Finally, we reflect on Quran 3:134, which immediately ties the promise of this cosmic-scale Paradise to ethical virtues like generosity and forgiveness – suggesting that compassionate living is the key to inheriting a reality currently hidden from us. Through a scientific, philosophical, and theological lens, we aim to show that the Quran’s imagery of an ever-expanding universe and an unimaginably vast Paradise invites both awe at creation’s scale and a deep moral introspection about our place within it.

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The Ever-Expanding Universe: Modern Discoveries and Quranic Allusions

Humanity’s understanding of the cosmos has grown by leaps and bounds in the last century. In the early 20th century, astronomer Edwin Hubble’s observations revealed that galaxies are receding from us – implying the universe is expanding. At that time, we only knew of a few nearby galaxies, but soon realized the universe contained “hundreds of billions” of galaxies (as famously popularized by Carl Sagan) bigthink.com. Using the Hubble Space Telescope’s deepest surveys, scientists around 2010 estimated around 170 billion galaxies in the observable universe bigthink.com. This itself was astonishing. However, a theoretical analysis in 2016 (accounting for galaxies too faint or too distant to be seen by Hubble) suggested the true number was far higher – on the order of 2 trillion galaxies bigthink.com.

Now, thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (launched 2021), our cosmic inventory has expanded even further. JWST’s infrared eyes can see smaller, fainter, and more distant galaxies that were previously invisible. Indeed, “with JWST’s eyes, we’ve discovered even more galaxies, as many that were too faint or too redshifted to be seen with Hubble have now come into view.” bigthink.com. Recent studies suggest that even the 2-trillion estimate was too conservative – there may be between 6 and 20 trillion galaxies in the observable universe bigthink.com. In other words, the cosmos is teeming with far more galaxies than we ever imagined. Each galaxy, in turn, contains billions or trillions of stars, along with untold numbers of planets. Such a vast universe challenges the limits of human comprehension.

Crucially, this immense scale is coupled with continuous expansion. The space between galaxies is stretching, an observation first made by Hubble in 1929 and now a cornerstone of cosmology. Every moment, the universe’s fabric expands, carrying galaxies farther apart (on large scales). The Quran appears to allude to this expansion in a remarkable verse revealed in the 7th century: “And We have built the heavens with might, and indeed We are expanding it.” (Quran 51:47). Many modern translators and scholars interpret the Arabic phrase “wa innā la-mūsiʿūn” as meaning that God is continuously expanding the sky or universe thequran.love islam.stackexchange.com. Dr. Zia H. Shah notes that “modern cosmology now suggests” an ever-growing cosmos with trillions of galaxies, aligning strikingly with this Quranic assertion thequran.love thequran.love.

It is worth appreciating how extraordinary this statement is in historical context. In antiquity and the medieval era, the dominant view (across various cultures) was of a static, finite cosmos. For example, the Bible’s Book of Genesis describes a “firmament” – a solid dome separating the heavens and earth thequran.love – reflecting an ancient belief that the sky was a fixed canopy. Likewise, Greek astronomers for centuries assumed the stars were attached to crystal spheres encircling a stationary earth thequran.love. Change or expansion on a cosmic scale was inconceivable in those paradigms. Yet the Quranic text broke from these prevailing notions with an image of dynamic expansion. As Zia Shah emphasizes, the fact that the Quran spoke of an expanding heaven in the 7th century – a fact only empirically confirmed in the 20th century – is, at the very least, an intriguing coincidence in the dialogue between scripture and science thequran.love. It’s no wonder that many contemporary Muslim thinkers see Quran 51:47 as a foreshadowing of modern cosmology islam.stackexchange.com.

In summary, science today portrays a universe of mind-boggling vastness and growth: trillions of galaxies and ongoing expansion. The Quran not only contains a verse that resonates with the notion of cosmic expansion, but as we discuss next, it uses the vast heavens as a point of comparison to convey the immensity of another promised reality – Paradise.

“A Garden as Wide as the Heavens and Earth” – Quranic Description of Paradise

Amidst the Quran’s rich descriptions of the afterlife, two verses stand out for their cosmic imagery. In Surah Āl ʿImrān (3:133) God beckons believers: “Hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and to a Garden [Paradise] whose width is as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the righteous.” thequran.love. Similarly, Surah Al-Ĥadīd (57:21) proclaims: “Race one another to forgiveness from your Lord and to a Garden as vast as the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believe in God and His messengers…” thequran.love. In both verses, Paradise (the Garden) is described in terms of the “heavens and earth” – essentially the entire universe – to indicate its tremendous expanse. Just as the observable heavens stretch far beyond our sight, so too is Paradise unfathomably large. Notably, only the “width” (or breadth) is mentioned, implicitly suggesting that if the width of Paradise spans the cosmos, its length or depth must be even greater or likewise immense islamweb.net.

Classical Muslim commentators understood this wording as a deliberate metaphor for immensity. Al-Baghawī (12th century), for instance, wrote that God mentioned the width “as an exaggeration (to signify vastness), because the length of anything is usually greater than its width. If Paradise’s width is [like] the heavens and earth, imagine its length!” islamweb.net. He quoted the early scholar Az-Zuhrī as saying that only Paradise’s width was described, “as for its length, only God knows.” islamweb.net In other words, the Quran is not defining Paradise’s exact geometry, but conveying that it is inconceivably vast – “as wide as what you imagine the total expanse of the seven heavens and seven earths to be” islamweb.net. Similarly, Al-Jalālayn’s tafsīr notes that “breadth denotes ampleness” – by saying Paradise’s breadth equals the combined breadth of heaven and earth, the Quran emphasizes its spaciousness and capacity surahquran.com surahquran.com.

Yet some early Muslims also took these verses in a literal cosmographical sense, pondering how Paradise relates to the physical universe. A report from the Prophet’s companion Anas ibn Mālik indicates he was asked whether Paradise is located in the heavens or on earth. Anas replied, “What heaven or earth could ever contain Paradise?!” When pressed “where is it then?”, he answered, “Above the seven heavens, beneath the Throne (of God).” islamweb.net. This reflects a common cosmology in Islamic tradition: the universe consists of seven heavens (layers of skies), and Paradise lies above them, under the divine Throne, while Hell is below the seven earths – effectively placing Paradise and Hell in realms beyond the observable cosmos. In this view, Paradise truly spans “the heavens and earth” because it exists at the pinnacle of creation, enveloping or capping the entire cosmic structure.

Ibn Kathīr (14th century), in his renowned commentary, combines both the figurative and literal interpretations. He remarks that describing Paradise’s width as the heavens and earth “draws attention to the spaciousness of Paradise” surahquran.com. He then cites an opinion that “Paradise is as wide as it is long, for it is a dome under the Throne; the width and length of a dome (or circle) are the same.” surahquran.com. In other words, Paradise could be conceived as a vast spherical or circular realm beneath God’s Throne, with the “heavens and earth” perhaps contained within it like a hemisphere. Ibn Kathīr supports this by quoting a hadith: “When you ask God for Paradise, ask Him for Al-Firdaws (the highest Paradise), for it is the highest and best part of Paradise, from it spring the rivers of Paradise, and above it is the Throne of the All-Merciful.” surahquran.com. Thus, the apex of Paradise (Al-Firdaws) touches the divine Throne, reinforcing the idea that Paradise covers the uppermost reaches of reality, beyond the furthest galaxies.

Such cosmological placements raised an interesting question: If Paradise is so enormous – “as wide as the heavens and earth” – then where is Hell in relation to it? This very question was posed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ according to several historical reports. Ibn Kathīr records that a man once asked the Prophet, “Paradise, the width of which is as the heavens and earth (Q.3:133) – where is the Fire (Hell) then?” surahquran.com. The Prophet responded with a profound analogy: “When the night comes and overtakes everything, where is the day?” surahquran.com. The man answered, “It is wherever God wills it to be.” The Prophet said, “Likewise, the Fire is wherever God wills it to be.” surahquran.com. In another version, the Prophet’s rejoinder is phrased: “Glory be to God! Where is the night when the day comes?” thequran.love.

This reply has been understood in two complementary ways. First, it suggests that just because one reality is present (daylight) does not mean the other (night) ceases to exist – it may simply be veiled or in a different sector of the world surahquran.com. At noon one might say “night is nowhere to be seen,” yet it still exists on the opposite side of the globe or will come later. By analogy, Paradise and Hell can coexist in different realms: the existence of a vast Paradise does not negate Hell’s existence, but Hell may be in a different “location” or dimension of reality, unseen to those in Paradise surahquran.com. Ibn Kathīr explains, “when we do not see the night during the day, it does not mean the night is not somewhere else, even though we cannot see it. Such is the case with Hell-fire.” surahquran.com.

The second understanding is that the coming of one thing displaces the other: when day “covers” one side of the Earth, night retreats to the other side surahquran.com. Likewise, in the eternal order, Paradise is positioned “in the utmost heights above the heavens, under the Throne” while Hell is “in the lowest of lows” surahquran.com. They occupy different planes of existence – one in the highest heights and one in the deepest depths – so there is no overlap or competition for space. Thus, the Quran’s comparison of Paradise to the breadth of the universe does not imply that Paradise physically displaces our universe or leaves no room for Hell. Rather, each may exist in its own realm beyond our ordinary perception.

This classical discourse reveals an important point: pre-modern Muslim scholars were open to multiple layers of meaning – metaphorical and literal – when grappling with Quranic cosmology. They took Paradise’s vastness seriously, yet ultimately acknowledged that these are matters of the unseen (al-ghayb) best left to God’s knowledge islamweb.net. As the Quran itself says, “No soul knows what delights of the eyes are kept hidden for them – as a reward for what they used to do” (Q.32:17), suggesting Paradise is currently “hidden” from us. Interestingly, the Prophet also remarked, “Paradise is closer to one of you than the strap of his sandal, and so is the Hellfire.” thequran.love. This famous hadith (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6488) indicates that the afterlife is not a distant fairy-tale, but interwoven with our very existence – potentially just a veil or dimension away, as near to us as our own shoes. Only our perception (and the decree of time) separates us from it.

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