Presented by Zia H Shah MD

Audio summary

Abstract

The nature of time constitutes one of the most profound enigmas facing the intersection of theology, philosophy, and physical science. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the video “The Mystery of Time,” synthesizing the arguments of key intellectual figures regarding the origin of the universe and the temporal agency of the Divine. Central to this investigation is the challenge posed by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz regarding the timing of creation—the “Why not sooner?” objection—which interrogates the rationality of a God creating a universe at a specific moment within an eternal void.

This philosophical inquiry is subsequently harmonized with a rigorous exegetical study of Islamic scripture, specifically Surah 103 (Al-Asr) of the Quran. The report elucidates how the divine oath by “Time” serves not merely as a rhetorical device, but as a metaphysical proof of Allah’s perpetual creativity and the efficacy of His Word. Furthermore, drawing upon extensive research from ‘thequran.love’ and classical tafsir, the document explores the cosmic oaths—swearing by the solar furnace, the atmospheric distributors, and the stellar pathways—as empirical testimonies to a purposive Creator. The analysis bridges the gap between the abstract “sufficient reason” of 18th-century rationalism and the existential urgency of the Quranic worldview, concluding that time is the created medium through which the Divine Will manifests against the entropy of material existence.

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Part I: The Philosophical Interrogation of Time and Origin

The question of when and how the universe began is not merely a matter of chronology but of theology. If God is eternal, immutable, and perfect, why would He choose to create a temporal, changing universe at a specific point? Why did He not create it sooner? Or later? This section dissects these questions through the lens of the interviewees and historical figures featured in the analysis of “The Mystery of Time.”

1.1 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: The Principle of Sufficient Reason and the Critique of Absolutism

The intellectual architecture of the debate on God and time is fundamentally shaped by the German polymath Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. His contributions, particularly found in his correspondence with Samuel Clarke (who effectively served as a proxy for Isaac Newton), provide the most rigorous critique of “absolute time.”

The Argument from Sufficient Reason

Leibniz’s philosophical system rests on the Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR), which posits that for every fact, event, or state of affairs, there must be a sufficient reason why it is so and not otherwise. Nothing occurs arbitrarily in a rational universe governed by a wise Creator.

Leibniz applies this principle to the Newtonian concept of absolute time—the idea that time exists as a uniform, infinite container, flowing independently of the objects or events contained within it. If we accept the Newtonian premise, we must imagine an infinite void of time existing prior to the creation of the universe. In this scenario, every moment in the void is identical to every other moment; moment $T_1$ is qualitatively indistinguishable from moment $T_2$.

This indistinguishability leads to a theological absurdity for Leibniz. If God chose to create the world at $T_1$ rather than $T_{100}$, He must have had a reason. However, since the moments are identical in an absolute void, there can be no internal reason to prefer one over the other. Consequently, a God who acts without a reason acts arbitrarily, violating the Principle of Sufficient Reason and diminishing Divine Wisdom.

The Rejection of Absolute Time

To rescue God from the charge of arbitrariness, Leibniz argues that the premise—absolute time—must be false. He concludes that time is not a substantive container but a relational concept. Time is merely the order of succession of co-existent phenomena. “Time” does not exist without “events.” Therefore, the question “Why didn’t God create the universe sooner?” is conceptually flawed because “sooner” implies a temporal predecessor that cannot exist in the absence of a created universe. For Leibniz, God created time with the universe, not the universe in time.

This relational view anticipates modern relativistic physics, suggesting that spacetime is a manifold generated by the distribution of matter and energy, rather than a stage upon which matter performs.

1.2 Samuel Clarke and Isaac Newton: The Liberty of the Divine Will

Defending the Newtonian position, Samuel Clarke engages Leibniz in a high-stakes theological duel. For Clarke and Newton, denying absolute time was akin to denying a facet of God’s nature.

Time as a Divine Attribute

Clarke argues that space and time are not merely relationships between finite objects but are “emanative effects” or attributes of the Necessary Being. Newton famously described absolute space as the sensorium of God. In this view, time is the duration of God’s eternal existence. To say time does not exist without matter (as Leibniz did) would imply that if God annihilated the material universe, He would also annihilate time, and thus limit His own eternal duration.

The Defense of Liberty

In response to the “Why not sooner?” objection, Clarke asserts the primacy of Divine Liberty over Leibniz’s rational necessity. Clarke argues that the “sufficient reason” for creating at a specific moment need not be external to God. The Divine Will itself is the sufficient reason. God, possessing absolute sovereignty, can choose a moment simply because it pleases Him to do so. To demand a reason beyond the Divine Will is to subject God to fatalistic necessity, reducing Him to a machine that can only act when external variables force a decision.

Clarke further posits that Leibniz’s relational view leads to absurdities. If the material universe were moved linearly through absolute space, or created at a different time, the internal relations between objects would remain identical. For Leibniz, this means the two scenarios are the same; for Clarke, they are distinct states, distinguishable only by God’s absolute knowledge of His own sensorium.

1.3 Saint Augustine: The Resolution of Creation Cum Tempore

Long before the Leibniz-Clarke correspondence, Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) wrestled with the same dilemma in his Confessions (Book XI). His insights provide the theological foundation that Leibniz would later refine.

The Manichean Challenge

Augustine faced a challenge from Manichean dualists who asked: “What was God doing before He made heaven and earth?” The implication was that if God suddenly decided to create after an eternity of idleness, it would signify a change in His will. Since God is perfect and immutable, He cannot change; therefore, the act of creation seemed to introduce a contradiction in the Divine nature.

The Psychological and Created Nature of Time

Augustine’s solution was radical and profound. He argued that it is invalid to ask what God was doing “before” creation because “before” is a temporal concept, and time itself is a creature of God.

• Creation Cum Tempore: God created the world with time, not in time. There was no “time” before the beginning, so God was never “idle” in a temporal sense. He dwells in an eternal “now” that encompasses all moments but is subject to none.
• Psychological Time: Augustine also explored time as a “distension” of the soul (distentio animi). The past exists only in memory, the future only in expectation, and the present is a vanishingly thin point of existence. This emphasizes that time is a construct of created consciousness and physical change, further separating the eternal Creator from the temporal stream.

1.4 J.R. Lucas and John Polkinghorne: Symmetry Breaking and Process

Contemporary philosophers of science featured in the discourse, such as J.R. Lucas and John Polkinghorne, revisit Leibniz’s dilemma through the lens of quantum mechanics and evolutionary cosmology.

The “Buridan’s Ass” Counter-Argument

J.R. Lucas addresses Leibniz’s concern that a lack of sufficient reason would leave God paralyzed—like Buridan’s ass, a donkey that starves to death between two identical piles of hay because it has no reason to choose one over the other. Lucas argues that this analogy fails when applied to a conscious Agent. While the moments in absolute time might be symmetrical (identical), the act of creation breaks this symmetry. If the goal is to create a universe, God must choose a moment. The rationality lies in the decision to create, not in the specific timestamp. The choice of a specific time, even if arbitrary in relation to the void, is necessary to actualize the Divine intent.

Evolutionary Time and Divine Patience

John Polkinghorne expands the discussion to the “biological time line.” He argues that the immense age of the universe (13.8 billion years) is not a waste of time but a necessity for the emergence of complexity.

• The Necessity of Process: In a universe governed by physical laws (which Polkinghorne views as expressions of God’s fidelity), carbon-based life requires generations of stars to live and die (nucleosynthesis) to produce the heavy elements needed for biology.
• Creation as Continuous: This view shifts the focus from a single “moment” of creation to a continuous unfolding. God is not merely the “First Cause” who pushed the button at $t=0$; He is the sustainer of the process. The “Why not sooner?” question dissolves because the process itself defines the timeline required for the emergence of “creatures who can know and love their Creator”.

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Part II: The Quranic Oath on Time — Proof of Divine Creativity

While Western philosophy dissects the logic of time, the Quran elevates time to the status of a divine witness. Surah 103, Al-Asr (The Time/The Declining Day), offers a concise yet metaphysically dense response to the problem of time, human existence, and divine proof.

2.1 The Linguistics of Al-Asr: The Squeezing of Epochs

The Surah opens with the oath: “By Time” (Wal-Asr). In Quranic rhetoric, when the Divine swears by a created object, it serves to highlight the object’s immense significance as a sign (ayah) pointing to the Creator.

The Etymology of Urgency

The Arabic root ‘Ayn-Sad-Ra implies “pressing” or “squeezing.”

• The Squeezed Day: Asr primarily refers to the late afternoon, the time when the day is ending, and the light is fading. It evokes a sense of urgency—the workday is over, and the opportunity to act is vanishing.
• The Juice of History: Linguistically, it relates to ‘aseer (juice), implying that time is the essence squeezed from the movement of the universe. It is the distillate of history.
• The Witness: By swearing by Asr, Allah invokes the entirety of human history as a witness. Time has seen the rise and fall of civilizations, the arrogance of Pharaohs, and the patience of Prophets. It stands as an impartial judge, testifying that all who ignored the moral law ended in ruin.

2.2 Khusr and Entropy: The Universal Law of Loss

The oath is followed by the verdict: “Indeed, mankind is in loss” (Inna al-insana lafee khusr).

The Metaphysics of Attrition

The Quran defines the default state of humanity not as neutral, but as a state of active loss.

• The Ice Seller Parable: Classical commentators liken human life to an ice seller in a hot market. His capital (ice) is melting every second. He must sell it immediately to get value; if he waits, he does not just fail to make a profit—he loses his initial capital entirely. Time is the melting capital of the human soul.
• Thermodynamic Correlation: This Quranic concept parallels the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the concept of entropy. In a closed system, order inevitably decays into disorder; energy dissipates. The “arrow of time” points toward heat death and dissolution. The Quran acknowledges this physical and spiritual reality: without active intervention, the human condition is one of decay and loss.

2.3 Perpetual Creativity and the Word of Allah

The user’s request emphasizes Surah 103 as proof of “Allah’s creativity and His word.” This link is established through the exception clause in the Surah.

“Except those who have faith, do righteous deeds, enjoin truth, and enjoin patience.”

Reversing Entropy through Creativity

If the flow of time is a river dragging everything toward destruction (Khusr), then the “righteous deeds” (Amilussalihat) represent the creative act of swimming upstream.

• Creation vs. Inertia: Inertia is the path of least resistance (loss). Righteousness is the path of creation. To do good is to create value where there was none. It is to impose order (Truth) and stability (Patience) onto a chaotic world.
• The Divine Word as Catalyst: The “Truth” (Haqq) mentioned in the Surah is identified with the Divine Word (Revelation). It is the intrusion of the Eternal into the Temporal. Just as God created the universe through His Creative Word (“Be,” Kun), the believer recreates their own soul through adherence to that Word.
• Occasionalism and Continuous Creation: This connects to the Ash’arite theological view (championed by Al-Ghazali) of “continuous creation.” Time does not flow on its own; it is the succession of moments created perpetually by God. The “mystery of time” is that it flows only because of Allah’s act of perpetual creativity. Every millisecond is a new creation, a fresh opportunity to escape loss.

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Part III: Cosmic Witnesses — The Quranic Oaths and Scientific Exegesis

The research from ‘thequran.love’ provides a trove of data linking Quranic oaths to specific natural phenomena. These oaths serve as the empirical evidence supporting the theological claims about time and the Creator. They answer the “Why?” of creation by pointing to the “How”—the intricate design and immense power inherent in the cosmos.

3.1 The Solar Oath: The Furnace of Existence

In Surah Ash-Shams (91:1) and Surah Ad-Duha (93:1), Allah swears by the Sun and its brightness.

The Scientific Reality of the “Blazing Lamp”

The Quran describes the sun as a siraj wahhaj (blazing lamp). Modern astrophysics reveals the terrifying majesty behind this term :

• Nuclear Fusion: The sun is a G2V yellow dwarf star acting as a colossal fusion reactor. In its core, temperatures reach 15 million °C.
• Mass-Energy Conversion: Every second, the sun converts approximately 4.26 million tons of matter into pure energy ($E=mc^2$). This means the sun is literally “burning” its own mass to sustain the solar system.
• Hydrostatic Equilibrium: The sun exists in a precarious balance between the crushing inward force of gravity and the explosive outward pressure of nuclear fusion. This stability, maintained for billions of years, allows for the “time” required for life on Earth.

Theological Implication

By swearing by this celestial furnace, the Quran redirects awe from the object to the Architect. The sun, despite its power, is a “servant” subject to laws. Its “brightness” (Duha) is used as a metaphor for revelation—just as the sun illuminates the physical world, the Word of God illuminates the spiritual landscape. The regularity of the sun’s motion answers Leibniz: the universe is not random; it follows a precise, rational order established by the Creator.

3.2 The Atmospheric Oaths: The Distributors of Sustenance

Surah Ad-Dhariyat (51:1-4) opens with oaths by the winds and clouds, described as “scatterers” and “bearers of load.”

The Physics of the “Scatterers” (Adh-Dhariyat)

The oath “By the scatterers that scatter” refers to the winds. Modern environmental science uncovers the global significance of this mechanism :

• Intercontinental Transport: Winds lift approximately 182 million tons of nutrient-rich dust from the Saharan Bodélé Depression annually.
• The Amazon Connection: This dust is transported across the Atlantic Ocean and deposited in the Amazon rainforest. The phosphorus in the desert dust replaces what is washed away by rain in the jungle. The “scatterers” are literal distributors of fertilizer, linking the world’s driest desert to its lushiest forest.

The “Bearers of Load” (Al-Hamilat)

The Quran swears by “those that bear the heavy load,” interpreted as rain clouds.

• The Weight of Water: While clouds appear fluffy and weightless, a typical cumulus cloud (1 km³) weighs approximately 1.1 million pounds (500,000 kg).
• The Miracle of Suspension: The oath invites reflection on how millions of pounds of water are suspended against gravity and transported inland.

Table 1: Scientific Correlation of Quranic Oaths in Surah Ad-Dhariyat

Quranic Term	Phenomenon	Scientific Context	Function (Theological)
Adh-Dhariyat	Winds	Global circulation; Jet streams; Aeolian transport.	“Distributors” of seeds, pollen, and essential nutrients (Phosphorus).
Al-Hamilat	Clouds	Hydro-meteorology; Cloud physics.	“Bearers” of heavy loads (1.1M lbs per cloud) for irrigation.
Al-Jariyan	Ships/Planets	Buoyancy; Orbital mechanics.	“Gliders” moving with ease through fluids or vacuum (Space).
Al-Muqassimat	Angels/Forces	Ecological balance; Thermodynamics.	“Dividers” of command; executing the laws of nature by Divine Will.

3.3 The Stellar Oaths: The Fabric of the Cosmos

Surah Ad-Dhariyat (51:7) swears by “The heaven full of pathways” (Dhat al-Hubuk).

The Cosmic Web

The term Hubuk implies a woven fabric or tracks.

• Orbital Mechanics: This refers to the precise orbits of planets and stars.
• The Cosmic Web: Modern cosmology visualizes the universe as a “cosmic web” of dark matter filaments connecting galaxies. The universe is not an amorphous void but a structured “fabric” of spacetime.
• Exegesis: Ibn Abbas interpreted Hubuk as the “splendorous arrangement” of the stars. This structural integrity serves as a counter-proof to the chaos of disbelief. The Quran argues: Look at the order above you; why is there disorder (disbelief) within you?.

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Part IV: Synthesis — The Solution to the Mystery

This section harmonizes the rational inquiries of Western philosophy with the revealed wisdom of the Quran.

4.1 Resolving Leibniz’s Dilemma through Quranic Theology

The Quranic model resolves the “Why not sooner?” paradox by redefining the relationship between God and Time.

• God as Al-Awwal (The First) and Al-Akhir (The Last): God envelops time. He is not “waiting” in linear time to create.
• The Concept of Ajal Musamma (Appointed Term): The Quran repeatedly states that every creation has an “appointed term.” The universe was created at its specific moment not because of an external “sufficient reason” (which Leibniz sought in the void), but because of the internal “Divine Measure” (Qadar).
• The Will (Mashiyyah): As Al-Ghazali argued against the philosophers, the specificity of creation is the ultimate proof of Volition. A machine acts uniformly; a Will chooses specificity. The fact that the universe began then and not elsewhere proves that the First Cause is a conscious Chooser, not a mechanical principle.

4.2 Time as the Stage for the “Word”

The user’s query links Time to the “Word of Allah.” In Islamic theology, the created universe is a manifestation of the Creative Command (Kun – “Be”).

• The Oath as Authentication: When Allah swears by Time in Surah 103, He is authenticating the “Word” (the message of the Surah). The logic follows: The One who controls the epochs of history and the burning of the sun is the same One sending this Revelation.
• The Creativity of the Believer: The “Word” (Quran) enters time to transform “Loss” (Khusr) into “Success” (Falah). The believer, by adopting the Word, becomes a co-creator of value in the universe. They take the raw material of Time (which is decaying) and sculpt it into “Righteous Deeds” (which are eternal).

4.3 The Mystery of Time Revealed

The “Mystery” alluded to in the video and the Surah is that Time is simultaneously a destroyer and a creator.

• The Destroyer: Physically, it brings entropy, death, and the “squeezing” of the day.
• The Creator: Spiritually, it is the only dimension in which moral growth is possible. Without time, there is no patience (Sabr). Without time, there is no struggle to uphold truth (Haqq).
• The Proof: Thus, Time is the proof of Allah’s creativity because it provides the canvas upon which the moral drama of the universe is painted. A static, eternal universe (as envisioned by absolute time proponents) would be a frozen tableau. A temporal universe allows for the “Perpetual Creativity” described in the research.

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Thematic Epilogue: The Oath of the Eternal on the Transient

The intellectual journey from the salons of 18th-century Europe to the desert revelations of 7th-century Arabia reveals a startling convergence on the subject of Time. Leibniz, in his rigorous pursuit of “Sufficient Reason,” dismantled the idol of Absolute Time, revealing it to be a relationship between things—a construct of the created order. Augustine, centuries earlier, had already placed Time within the created universe, stripping the Divine of temporal constraints.

The Quran, however, takes this philosophical conclusion and ignites it with existential fire. In Surah Al-Asr, Time is not merely a relational concept; it is a witness for the prosecution. The “Mystery of Time” is that it is the most precious and perilous commodity in existence. It is the melting ice of the merchant.

The divine oaths by the Sun, the Winds, and the Stars serve as the cosmic evidence for this reality. They testify to a universe that is dynamic, heavy with purpose, and structurally woven with laws (“pathways”). These are not the random fluctuations of a quantum vacuum, but the “Distributors by Command.”

Ultimately, the “Why not sooner?” question is answered by the purpose of the delay. The universe unfolds over billions of years, and the sun burns through millions of tons of matter, to set the stage for the moment when a human being, trapped in the flow of Khusr, chooses to believe. The delay was for the sake of that choice. The creativity of Allah is not just in the making of the stars, but in the making of the time that allows the human heart to find Him.

As the sun sets (Al-Asr) and the day is squeezed away, the believer does not despair at the loss of time, but rejoices in the Truth that transcends it. The oath holds: Time is fleeting, but the Word is everlasting.

Table 2: Comparative Synthesis of Philosophical and Theological Perspectives on Time

Figure/Source	Concept of Time	The “Why Not Sooner?” Resolution	Key Implication
G.W. Leibniz	Relational: Order of succession; does not exist without objects.	Invalid Question: “Sooner” is meaningless before creation. God creates time with the world.	Rejection of Absolute Time; upholds PSR.
Samuel Clarke	Attribute of God: “Sensorium” of the Divine; flows absolutely.	Divine Liberty: God’s Will is the sufficient reason. He can choose any moment arbitrarily.	Upholds Divine Freedom over Rational Necessity.
St. Augustine	Created (Cum Tempore): A creature; a “distension” of the soul.	God is Eternal: God acts from an eternal “Now.” No temporal “before” existed.	Separation of Creator (Eternal) and Creature (Temporal).
Al-Ghazali	Atomic/Occasional: Moments created continuously by Will.	Particularization (Takhsis): The ability to choose a specific time proves Volition.	Proof of a conscious Agent vs. mechanical nature.
Surah Al-Asr	Witness & Capital: A resource subject to loss (Khusr) and entropy.	Moral Necessity: Time exists as a test/market for human deeds.	Time is a tool for spiritual profit or loss.
Modern Science	Spacetime Manifold: Bound up with matter/energy (General Relativity).	Symmetry Breaking: Creation breaks the symmetry of the void (Lucas/Polkinghorne).	Physical laws require deep time for biological evolution.

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