The Quran explicitly states that the Earth was created before the stars. This is not a metaphorical or ambiguous claim — it is presented as a clear chronological sequence of creation.
Quran 41:9-12:
41:9: Ask ˹them, O Prophet˺, “How can you disbelieve in the One Who created the earth in two Days? … 41:10: He placed on the earth firm mountains, standing high, showered His blessings upon it, and ordained ˹all˺ its means of sustenance—totaling four Days exactly—for all who ask. 41:11: THEN (Arabic: ثم) He turned towards the heaven when it was ˹still like˺ smoke, saying to it and to the earth, ‘Submit, willingly or unwillingly.’ They both responded, ‘We submit willingly.’ 41:12: Then (Arabic: ف) He formed the heaven into seven heavens in two Days, assigning to each its mandate. And We adorned (only) the lowest (1st) heaven (i.e. the heaven of our Earth) with ˹stars like˺ lamps ˹for beauty˺ and for protection.”
This sequence makes several clear claims:
- The Earth was created first (in four days).
- The seven heavens were created after the Earth (using the Arabic word ثم meaning “then”).
- Stars were created later and placed only in the lowest heaven (the one closest to Earth) to adorn it and act as missiles against devils.
This directly contradicts modern astronomy. The Earth is approximately 4.54 billion years old, while many stars and galaxies existed billions of years before the Earth formed. Stars were not created after the Earth, nor were they placed under a “lowest heaven” to beautify it.
Islamic Apologists’ Excuses
Excuse 1: “ثم” does not mean “then” — it can mean “moreover”
Apologists claim the Arabic particle ثم (thumma) does not always indicate chronological order. However, in the context of these verses — which are explicitly describing the step-by-step process of creation — the word is clearly being used to denote sequence. The following verse also uses ف (fa), another particle that indicates order (“then”).
The Quran itself claims its verses are “clear”, “manifest”, and “easy to understand” for people who know Arabic (Quran 54:17, 27:1-2, 12:2, 41:3). There is no justification for twisting basic Arabic conjunctions just to escape a scientific error.
Excuse 2: Other verses also say the Earth was created first
Quran 2:29:
“He is the One Who created everything in the earth for you. Then (ثُمَّ) He turned towards the heaven, forming it into seven heavens.”
Again, the same word ثم is used.
Hadith Evidence That Muhammad Believed Stars Were Created After the Earth
Sahih Muslim 2789:
Abu Huraira reported that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) took hold of my hands and said: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, created the clay on Saturday and He created the mountains on Sunday and He created the trees on Monday and He created the things entailing labour on Tuesday and created light (النُّورَ) on Wednesday and He caused animals to spread on Thursday and created Adam after ‘Asr on Friday…
If light (which includes stars and the sun) was created on Wednesday, and the Earth was already created by then, this clearly places the creation of stars after the Earth.
Al-Tabari records similar narrations from Ibn Abbas, where Muhammad stated that the Earth was created first, and stars were created later on Friday.
Conclusion
The Quran and Hadith present a clear chronological order: Earth first, then the seven heavens, and then stars placed only in the lowest heaven. This is scientifically incorrect. Stars existed and were shining long before the Earth was formed.
This is not the knowledge of the Creator of the Universe. It is the limited cosmological understanding of a 7th-century Arab man who was repeating the ideas common in his time.
