Cosmology in the Muslim world
description of the universe in Islam
Cosmology in the Muslim world is the cosmology of Islamic societies. Islamic cosmology is not a single unitary system, but is inclusive of a number of cosmological systems, including Quranic cosmology, the cosmology of the Hadith collections, as well as those of Islamic astronomy and astrology. Broadly, cosmological conceptions themselves can be divided into thought concerning the physical structure of the cosmos (cosmography) and the origins of the cosmos (cosmogony).
In Islamic cosmology, the fundamental duality is between Creator (God) and creation.
Quranic cosmology
Overview
In Quranic cosmography, the cosmos is primarily constituted of seven heavens and earth. Above them is the Throne of God, a solid structure. Some interpretations state the Quran indicates a flat earth, calling the earth "stretched" or "spread out" (Qur'an 2:22; 13:3; 15:19; 50:7; 51:48; 79:30; 88:20; 91:6) and comparing its structure to a "bed" (Qur'an 20:53; 43:10) or a "carpet" (71:19), though these verses may highlight a metaphorical concept or referring explicitly to the 'land'(al-ard) from our perspective. The Quran also explicitly refers to wrapping "night over the day" and vice versa (Qur'an 39:5) with connotations of a continuous, spherical cycle, like the wrapping of a turban, derived from "يُكَوِّرُ" [/ju.kaw.wi.ru/ , yukawwiru, "He wraps"].Possibly referring to a globe-shaped Earth.This view was adopted by scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim and several other contemporary scholars such as Ibn Baz .Though some classical literalist viewpoints of "flat Earth" remain
Heavens and the earths
The most important and frequently referred to constitutive features of the Quranic cosmos are the heavens and the earth:The most substantial elements of the qurʾānic universe/cosmos are the (seven) heavens and the earth. The juxtaposition of the heavens (al-samāʾ; pl. al-samāwāt) and the earth (al-arḍ; not in the plural form in the Qurʾān) is seen in 222 qurʾānic verses.
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