Dr. Ergi delves into the issue of the age of the Universe, discussing scientific estimates and religious interpretations. He examines the Qur'ānic narrative of creation, proposing a calculation aligning with modern science.

The extant corpus of astronomical data indicates that the universe originated roughly 13.8 billion years ago, following an inexplicable event wherein the space-time continuum has experienced a continuous process of expansion. The estimation of the universe’s temporal duration is undertaken by astronomers through scrupulous examination of the most ancient stellar entities within the cosmos, coupled with the precise measurement of the rate of cosmic expansion originating from the primordial singularity, commonly referred to as the Big Bang.[1] The phenomenon of cosmic expansion represents a pivotal evidential foundation for ascertaining the age of the universe. In 1929, Edwin Hubble made his seminal observation that galaxies exhibit a mutual motion of recession, with the velocity of this recession being in direct proportion to the galaxies’ spatial separation observed from our vantage point. Hubble’s Law succinctly encapsulates this empirical relationship, which it expresses as v = H0D, where “v” denotes the velocity of galactic recession, “H0” designates the Hubble constant, signifying the prevailing rate of universal expansion, and “D” indicates the spatial distance of the galaxy under consideration with reference to our observational locus. An additional pivotal element of substantiating evidence is the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, whose original discovery is credited to Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, esteemed astronomers affiliated with Bell Telephone Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey. In the year 1965, this duo of scientists serendipitously made a momentous revelation while engaged in the examination of a radio antenna that had been initially devised for the purpose of satellite communication.[2] The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) represents a subtle and nearly homogeneous emanation of microwave radiation that permeates the entirety of the cosmos. The attributes of the CMB, including its discernible temperature fluctuations, serve as a means to define and refine the chronological age of our universe. This revelation of the CMB holds paramount significance within the cosmological framework, being regarded as one of the foremost evidentiary pillars substantiating the Big Bang theory and enhancing our comprehension of the emerging universe. In conjunction with the Hubble constant and the CMB, the spatial arrangement of galaxy clusters across the cosmos provides a substantive empirical resource and thus affords us invaluable insights into the temporal expanse of our universe. Notwithstanding the scientific consensus upon the emergence of our universe approximately 13.8 billion years, the religious texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam put forth another perspective, positing that the cosmos came into being over the course of a mere six days. This theological concept is prominently articulated in the Old Testament, most notably within the Book of Genesis.[3]   

In the sacred text of the Qur’ān, it is specified that the Almighty God orchestrated the creation of the celestial heavens and the terrestrial earth within a span of six days.[4] While the scientific community largely adheres to a stance of circumspection regarding religious texts, some scholars has ventured into an examination of the compatibility between the six-day creation account delineated in the sacred scriptures and the empirical purview of scientific knowledge. The chief bone of contention here is the question of one’s scholarly proficiency in linguistics and hermeneutics, as attempts at interpretating the divine scriptures give rise to several challenges. For instance, sometimes exegetes suggest that the term “days,” expounded in the Holy Scriptures, corresponds to the conventional 24-hour diurnal periods characteristic of earth’s rotation, and sometimes they suggest that the referent of the term is figurative.[5]  

Conversely, as far as the realm of the Arabic language and its lexical nuances is concerned, the term ayyāmīn (commonly translated as “days”) encompasses a broader semantic spectrum and implies meanings going beyond the conventional 24-hour diurnal unit. That is, in this linguistic context, ayyāmīn is appropriately defined as not only a singular day but also as an “era,” a distinct “period,” a developmental “stage,” and more generally, as a specific and demarcated “interval of time.”[6] To start with, it is impossible to assign a 24-hour day to the period of creation wherein the earth did not even exist. Therefore, the temporal span indicated by the term “six days” is contingent upon the specific contextual parameters applicable to the verse where. For example, “The angels and the spirit ascend to Him in a day (yawm), which is 50,000 years according to your days [earth days].”[7] The verse in question serves to establish a fundamental principle: the passage of time during an event is inherently linked to specific physical conditions, notably an increase in velocity. This concept aligns with the established tenets of special relativistic time dilation as postulated by Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. This theory posits that time undergoes a deceleration as the velocity of an object in motion increases, providing empirical support for the principle expounded in the verse.[8] Hence, the verse in question elucidates that, as the velocity of a traveler increases, time starts going by slower with her; as for an external observer, time maintains its standard progression. This assertion finds reinforcement in another verse from the holy Qur’ān which states that, “A day with your Lord is indeed like a thousand years by your counting [your earth days].”[9] This complementary verse serves to underscore the relativity of time and its dependence on the perspective and frame of reference of the observer or traveler, consistent with the principles of special relativity. Once more, in this particular verse, a divine day is delineated as an interval equivalent to 1,000 terrestrial years. This definition serves to underscore the notion that the term “days” within the Qur’ān signifies a distinctive period of time. The Qur’ānic verses collectively present a compelling argument that the temporal duration encompassed by the mentioned “days” is contingent upon the specific circumstances and context of the events transpiring within the narrative.

As for the scriptural reference to sittat ayyāmīn or “six days” in the context of the creation of the heavens and the earth, these six days might be said to represent distinctive “phases” or “stages,” each encompassing a discernible duration of time. Consequently, a pertinent query arises: can the time elapsed during these six phases of creation be computationally ascertained? To address this inquiry, a theoretical framework can be presented that enables one to calculate the temporal duration associated with each of the six stages as suggested by the Qur’ān. This proposed calculation is grounded upon specific evidence articulated in another Qur’ānic verse: “Say, do you indeed disbelieve in He who created the earth in two days…”[10] This particular verse conveys that the formation of the earth completed over a span of two days, whereas the antecedent verse alludes to the creation of the heavens and the earth in a total of six days, signifying the origination of the entire cosmos. Consequently, this outlines that the phase of the earth’s creation represents a proportion of 2/6 relative to the entire period of universal creation. Modern science approximates the age of the earth to be approximately 4.6 billion years. According to Ralph Harvey and Mott Greene, the age of the earth is determined by a process called radiometric dating.[11] Radiometric dating is a method employed to determine the chronological age of geological materials in units of years. This is achieved through the measurement of the abundance of radioactive elements with either a short half-life, such as carbon, or a long half-life element in conjunction with its decay product, as exemplified by potassium, argon, or uranium. According to Harvey and Green, “As the uranium decays, it emits particles and turns into lead at a constant rate. Measuring the uranium-to-lead ratio in the oldest rocks on earth gave scientists an estimated age of the planet of 4.6 billion years.”[12] Consequently, scientific data estimate the age of the earth to be 4.6 billion years, and the age of the universe 13.8 billion years. The Qur’ān, on the other hand, states that the creation of the earth took place over a course of two days (two equivalent periods), while the creation of the entire cosmos unfolded over six days (six equivalent periods). By dividing the 13.8 billion years, as postulated by contemporary scientific understanding, into these six distinct stages, there emerges an approximation of 2.3 billion years for each individual “day” (or “period”) of creation. The Qur’ān's reference to the earth’s creation unfolding over a span of two “days” (“periods”) permits a calculation of the earth’s age. This calculation entails summing two increments of 2.3 billion years each, resulting in a cumulative duration of 4.6 billion years. Remarkably, this calculated age aligns precisely with the age of the earth as determined by radiometric dating, thus corroborating the Qur’ānic account within the context of contemporary scientific estimation.[13] Given that contemporary scientific analysis posits the earth's age as constituting 2/6, or equivalently, one-third of the total age of the universe, it follows that the Qur’ānic narrative, as well as earlier scriptural accounts pertaining to the six “days” of creation signify six equivalent “periods,” each encompassing 2.3 billion years. This collective temporal expanse thus aggregates a total of 13.8 billion years, harmonizing with the estimated age of the universe as presented by modern scientific inquiry.

It is hence reasonable to infer that the Qur’ān’s portrayal of the six days of universal creation denotes six commensurate temporal epochs extending from the original Big Bang moment up to the emergence of the human species. This, in turn, substantiates the calculations posited herein which culminate in the proposition that human beings came into existence following six sequential stages of creation during which the fabric of space and time was shaped and the universe rendered habitable for humanity.