Time & Space

Time & Space

Keywords: Time, Space, Space Time, Space-Time Continuum

In the Quran, the concepts of time and space are not described as absolute constants, but as relative dimensions created by Allah.

1. The Relativity of Time (Time Dilation)

The Quran describes in several places how time passes completely differently depending on the frame of reference:

The divine standard: “And they urge you to hasten the punishment… And a day with your Allah is like a thousand years according to your reckoning.” (Quran 22:47)

The celestial spheres: “The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in a day whose length is fifty thousand years.” (Quran 70:4)

2. Time Travel and Temporal Perception (Time Curvature)

The Companions of the Cave (Ashab-ı Kehf): They slept in a cave for 309 years (space curvature/protection from the ravages of time). When they awoke, they thought only one day had passed: “They said, ‘We lingered for a day or part of a day.’” (Quran 18:19)

“They said, ‘We lingered for a day or part of a day.’” (Quran 18:19)

The man who slept for 100 years: He died for a century while his food remained untouched (different time periods in the same room): “He (Allah) said, ‘How long did you linger?’ He said, ‘I lingered for a day or part of a day.’ He (Allah) said, ‘No, you lingered for a hundred years…’” (Quran 2:259)

“He (Allah) said, ‘How long did you linger?’ He said, ‘I lingered for a day or part of a day.’ He (Allah) said, ‘No, you lingered for a hundred years…’” (Quran 2:259) “You remained for a hundred years…” (Quran 2:259)

3. Space and Time as Created Dimensions

The Quran emphasizes that Allah is above space and time, as He first brought them into existence:

The creation of space: “It is He (Allah) who created the heavens and the earth in six days…” (Quran 7:54) – where “days” are understood here as epochs or indefinite periods of time (ayyam).

Allah as ruler over space: “To Allah belongs the east and the west; so wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah.” (Quran 2:115)

Jan Klein | bit.rf.gd