1. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims
  2. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

29 Questions

Are there any credible sources that mention intelligent extraterrestrial life and the existence of anything prior to our universe through tangible evidence?
Amina Inloes

It depends what you mean by 'credible sources'.

From a scientific perspective, this is a scientific question, and can be approached through scientific sources. (What one considers 'credible' about extraterrestrial life may vary from person to person.)

From the perspective of the study of the Qur'an and hadith, some ayat of the Qur'an have been interpreted (past and present) to suggest that there is extraterrestrial life. Some hadith also speak of life on other "earths". In particular, there are a number of Shi'i hadith on this theme, which one can find in sources like Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 55. One can also interpret the Qur'an and hadith to speak of life before/after this universe.

The following works in English may be useful:

* Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life (book)
*Shīʿī Imāmī Thought on Existence, Life, and Extraterrestrials (article)
* A Broader Perspective on “Humans”: Analysis of Insān in Twelver Shīʿī Philosophy and Implications for Astrotheology (article)

This is a talk by myself in which I go through some of these ayat and hadith: https://www.youtube.com/live/nIcwpfkSbGw?si=Xp5S9o2lZ5j7cPBo
How do Islamic interpretations reconcile Quran 10:3's mention of Allah creating the heavens and the earth in six days with the scientific understanding of the universe's development over billions of years?
Rebecca Masterton

In both Hebrew and Arabic, the word 'yawm' means 'a period of time', not only 'a day' consisting of twenty-four hours.

In Semitic languages, numbers are also symbolic. E.g. 'Seventy' means 'many'.

'Six days' therefore really means 'a number of periods of time', or 'a number of stages'.

There is also a verse in the Qur'an that says that 'one day for your Lord is as 1000 years in the time that you count.' (22:47)

https://www.islamweb.net/en/article/134278/relativity-in-the-quran
When discussing the creation of the universe with non-Muslims, they often ask who created Allah (SWT). How should I answer them?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

The question of : Who created God is based on a misunderstanding which mixes between the creatures and The Creator. Every creature needs a creator. If you want to claim a creator who created The Creator, you will face the same question of: Who created that creator? Then who creator him and will continue to no end. You have no way but to submit to the fact that there must be A Creator Who was never been Created but He Created every creature.

'The reason leads that there must be a creator who was never been created.

Wassalam.
When discussing the creation of the universe with non-Muslims, they often ask who created Allah (SWT). How should I answer them?
Amina Inloes

The nature of Allah, or God, is such that Allah always existed and did not have a creator. However, all (other) things are created and non-eternal. This is why God is sometimes referred to as the "First Cause".

Jews and Christians share this belief.

As for other prominent religions today, I am not sure of their views about the nature of ultimate divinity, but it would be an interesting conversation topic. 

Infinity can be difficult for the mind to grasp. However, the idea that God existed eternally is not more difficult to grasp than the idea that the universe existed eternally without a creator, which is held by some atheists.