By S. Arshad, New Age Islam
30 September 2020
According to geologists, the planet earth is over 4 billion years old. Science does not say what will happen to the earth or the universe in near or far future. But religious scriptures have their own ideas or theories about the creation and dissolution of the universe. The Hindu scriptures, particularly the Shwetaswar Upanishad Stotra 5/7 says that the process of creation and dissolution of the universe has been going on for time immemorial. According to the Hindu scriptures, the formless Supreme Being (Brahman) first created Its material incarnation Hiranyagarbha (Brahma) from which the universe came into being. Hiranyagarbha lives for a certain period. After that it dissolves into the Supreme Being Brahman.
Swami Bhaskaranand writes in his book “Essentials of Hinduism":
"As a created being, no matter how glorified or endowed with power, Hiranyagarbha has limited longevity. One day of his life, called a Kalpa is equal to 4, 32, 000, 000 human years. And Hiranyagarbha lives for 100 years according to this time scale........When Hiranyagarbha goes to sleep after his day's work, there is cosmic dissolution or Pralay. This is called Naimittika Pralay. When he wakes up, the creation of the world starts all over again. This process of alternate creation and dissolution continues until Hiranyagarbha dies at the end of the Maha-Kalpa. When Hiranyagarbha dies, he merges into God and becomes one with Him"(page 175)
The Quran also deals with the repetition of the creation but we focus on the fact that after Qayamat men and women will be destined to either heaven or hell where they will remain for ever that we do not give much thought on the verses that say that God will roll up the universe and will repeat the process. In a number of verses the Quran like the Upanishads says that God will roll up or wind up the universe and repeat the process of creation.
"We have created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in real and for a specified term."(Al Ahqaf: 3)
"Allah has not created the heavens and the earth and what is between them except for real and for a specified term."(Rum: 8)
"Allah begins creation; then He will repeat it."(Rum: 11)
"Say Allah begins creation and then repeats it."(Yunus: 34)
"Have they not considered how Allah begins creation and repeats it?"(Al Ankabut: 19)
"As we began the first creation We shall repeat it."(Al Anbiyaa: 104)
The above quoted verses corroborate the view of the Upanishads that God has created the universe for a fixed period of time and repeats the process of creation and dissolution.
The Hindu belief that Hiranyagarbha's one day is equal to 4, 32,000,000 human years is corroborated by the findings of the geologists that the earth is around 4.25 billion years old.
The Quran also says that after a specific period, God will roll up the universe:
"The Day when we shall roll up the heavens as a recorder rolleth up a written scroll."(Al Anbiyaa: 104)
The theory of Big Bang and Cosmic Egg is corroborated by both the Upanishads and the Quran.
The Upanishad says:
"In the beginning this world was in a formless, nameless unmanifest state. Afterwards, as plant grows from its seed, the world gradually came into the manifest state. Firstly, it assumed the form of an egg (Cosmic Egg). It remained in that state for one year. After that the egg was divided into two parts (Big Bang). ----- One part was silvery and the other was golden. (Chhandogya Upanisjad :( 3.19.1)
The Quran reiterates the stand of the Upanishad which was corroborated by modern science.
"Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece (Cosmic Egg), then We parted them (caused the Big Bang).
Therefore, a close comparative study of the Upanishads and the Quran reveals the fact that Man is only a casual passer-by in this universe. The universe existed billions of years before man was created and the universe will continue to be created and dissolved according to the scheme of God for aeons.
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