Universe was Created in Six Days

12-2-2020 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum.
In the Qur'an, it states that the universe was created in six days. But science tells us that the universe is billions of years old.
How do we reconcile between these two facts?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad, is His slave and Messenger.

If we assume that the statement which claims that the universe is billions of years old is true, then there is no contradiction between that and what is revealed in the Quran, that Allah, The Exalted, created the heavens and the earth in six days. This is because these six days were the length of time during which the universe was created, not the time that had passed since its creation. There is a difference between saying, “I made this device in an hour,” and saying, “I made this device an hour ago.” In the first sentence, you are talking about the length of time it took you to make the device, while in the second you are talking about the length of time that has passed since you made it. The difference between the two is quite clear.

Allah knows best.