Redshifting In Quran

1400 years ago, the concept of redshift, where light from distant galaxies shifts toward the red end of the spectrum due to the expansion of the universe, was unknown. Today, we understand that as the universe expands, light waves stretch, making distant objects appear redder.

📖Quran 51:47
And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander.

📖Quran 55:37
˹How horrible will it be˺ when the heavens will split apart, becoming rose-red like ˹burnt˺ oil!

📖Quran 55:73
Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

📖Quran 21:104
The Day when We will fold the heaven like the folding of a [written] sheet for the records. As We began the first creation, We will repeat it. [That is] a promise binding upon Us. Indeed, We will do it.

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1. Expansion (Quran 51:47 → Redshift today)

• Allah describes the heavens as expanding.
• Modern science confirms this: galaxies recede from us, observed through redshift.
• This is the stage we live in now – the universe is stretching outward.
• Quran 55:37 first emphasizes expansion: the heavens splitting apart and spreading outward.
• The rose-red imagery reflects the visual effect of this expansion, similar to how redshift increases with distance in modern cosmology.
• The verse illustrates expansion in a visual, observable way: the farther the heavens stretch, the more the “red” appearance dominates, like distant galaxies appearing redder due to redshift.
• This is before any folding or collapse – the heavens expand like a rose spreading its petals, showing the stretching of space.
• The color itself (“rose-red”) is a metaphorical representation of the same physical principle: as space stretches, light shifts toward red, giving a natural visual analogy for expansion.

2. Reverse Expansion = Folding (Quran 21:104)

• When Allah begins to fold the heavens like a sheet, expansion reverses.
• Just as inflationary theory describes the universe as flat like a sheet, the Qur’an says it will be folded back.
• Instead of galaxies moving away (redshift), the cosmic fabric collapses.
• This means the universe that expanded outward (Big Bang + redshift) will be pulled back, returning to the point of origin – the same starting point where creation began.
• Science perspective: The reversal is theoretically possible as a Big Crunch, but current observations suggest expansion is accelerating. So this is beyond confirmed physics but aligns with the Qur’an’s divine certainty.

3. Splitting Apart = Rose-Red Sky (Quran 55:37, 55:73)

• During this folding, the heavens will split apart in a catastrophic collapse.
• The sky turns rose-red like molten oil, a terrifying visual.
• Link to redshift:

• • Redshift today = stretching of light as the universe expands.

  • When expansion reverses, the cosmic fabric tears and glows red – the ultimate, catastrophic form of redshift.

• Science perspective: Extreme collapse would produce high-energy events and glowing gases, but the Qur’anic description is more precise and visual than science can currently confirm.

• Redshift today is a sign of expansion (51:47).
• The rose-red sky in 55:37 initially illustrates expansion itself, spreading outward like a rose’s petals; the red color is linked to stretching of space and light (redshift).
• Important: the universe is not literally rose-shaped. The rose is used as a metaphor for how expansion occurs, while the actual universe is flat like a sheet (21:104).
• Later, during folding (21:104), the universe collapses, and the sky’s redness becomes the final, intense cosmic display.
• The Qur’an provides certainty about these stages, while science can describe expansion and theoretical collapse but cannot fully capture the visual and dramatic phenomenon described in the Qur’an.

Reference: Redshift

Additional Information

The Qur’an describes the cosmos in a way that remarkably aligns with modern observations, though it is not a science book and does not use scientific terminology. Allah says in Quran 51:47 that He is expanding the heavens, which today we observe as galaxies moving away, measurable as redshift. In Quran 55:37 and 55:73, the heavens are described as splitting apart and turning rose-red like molten oil – this imagery first illustrates the expansion itself, like a rose spreading its petals, with the red color metaphorically representing the stretching of light (redshift). On the Day of Judgment, as described in Quran 21:104, Allah will fold the heavens like a sheet, reversing the expansion so that the cosmic fabric collapses and returns to its point of origin, the same place where creation began. The combination of spreading (rose-red sky) and folding provides a complete visual analogy of the universe’s expansion and eventual collapse. Importantly, the Qur’an’s descriptions are final and unchanging, while scientific understanding evolves over time; science may revise models of expansion, collapse, or cosmic fate, but the Qur’an’s statements about the heavens expanding, spreading like a rose, and folding back remain absolute, providing a timeless description of the universe’s beginning, its current state, and its destined end.