Quranic cosmology

Quranic cosmology is the understanding of the universe and its creation as described in the Quran. Quranic cosmology can be divided into the Quran's description of the physical landscape (cosmography) of the cosmos, including its structures and features, as well as its creation myth describing how the cosmos originated (cosmogony). The Quran's cosmology is theological, and is often related back to notions of the vastness and orderliness of the cosmos, as well as concepts of purpose, divine will, and the emphasis on the structuring of the world for the existence of human beings.

Cosmographically, the landscape of the Quranic cosmos is described as being primarily constituted into the heavens and the earth. There are seven heavens and possibly seven earths. Each heaven may be alternatively described as a firmament, or a physical edifice that separates the earth from the cosmic ocean above it. Each heaven and earth is flat, with the heavens being superimposed one upon each other, analogous to a stack of plates. Above the highest heaven is the Throne of God, a solid structure. Cosmogonically, the Quran describes God creating the heavens and the earth using a six-day creation formula, with the earth originating first.[1][2]

  1. ^ Decharneux 2019.
  2. ^ Anchassi 2022, p. 855–857.