What Was Before the Big Bang?

A Trending Question:

What was before the Big Bang?
This question recently gained traction again on Twitter (X) after someone posed it to AI Grok (Elon Musks AI chatbot).
Groks answer, like most scientific models, speculated based on 200300 years of modern physics. It suggested:

Before the Big Bang, there may have been a quantum vacuum or singularity, or perhaps something our current understanding cant yet explain.

Thats fair science admits its limits.

But heres the amazing part:

More than 1400 years ago, the Quran and Hadith already addressed this profound question with clarity, metaphysical depth, and divine authority.

Part 1:The Quran Spoke of Cosmic Origins

One of the most striking verses is:

Surah Al-Anbiya (21:30):

Do not the disbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (رَتْقًا), then We split them apart (فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا)?

Ratq (رَتْقًا) a fused, unified mass
Fataq (فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا) tearing or separating them

Modern scientists call this theBig Bang:
A point in time when all matter and energy were compressed in a single singularity, then expanded creating space, time, and the cosmos.

This verse is a precise description of thecosmic inflation theory revealed centuries before Hubble, Einstein, or quantum physics.

Part 2:What Was Before the Universe?

Hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari (7418):

Allah was, and there was nothing besides Him. His Throne was upon the water.

This is a Sahih (authentic) narration that powerfully answers the pre-creation state:

No time
No space
No particles or light
No laws of physics

Only Allah the Eternal, Absolute existed.

Before what we call the Big Bang,there was nothing except Allah.

Part 3: The Mysterious Realm ofAmā (عَمَاء)

Another profound narration, from Abu Ruzayn al-Uqayli (رضي الله عنه), adds more depth:

Reported in Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi, Ahmad, and Bayhaqi:

I asked: O Messenger of Allah, where was our Lord before He created creation?
He replied: **He was in Amā no air above it, and no air beneath it. Then He created His Throne upon the water.

What is Amā?

From the Arabic root -m-y (ع‑م‑ي) meaning concealed, veiled, or obscure.
Not physical clouds rather a realm of obscurity, unknown to creation.
Described by scholars as a metaphysical veil, non-physical state, or pre-creation concealment.

In modern terms, this may be likened to astate beyond time and space, what physicists call pre-spacetime or a quantum foam.

Part 4: Classical Scholars on Amā

Ibn Taymiyyah:

Explains Amā as a non-physical realm, not implying any spatial limit. It signifies the inaccessibility of Allahs essence before creation.

Imam al-Khattabi:

Stresses that the hadith refers to a state, not a place. Asking how Allah existed is outside human comprehension.

Ibn al-Jawzi:

Clarifies that Amā is not to be taken literally as clouds, but rather a symbol of concealment and veiling, unlike anything in creation.

Modern Science vs. Revelation: A Comparison

Aspect	Science (AI Grok, Physics)	Islam (Quran + Hadith)
Big Bang	A singularity exploded to create space-time	"Heavens Earth were joined, then split" 21:30
Pre-Creation	Unknown / quantum fluctuations	Allah was, and nothing else was Bukhari
Before existence	Maybe vacuum / nothingness	"He was in Amā unknown realm" Ibn Majah
Source of origin	Theorized by models (Hawking, Penrose)	Confirmed in Revelation from the Creator

Final Lessons

Islamic cosmology predates scientific theories by more than a millennium and it remains timeless.
The Quran and Hadith dont just offer metaphors; they offer foundational metaphysical truths about reality.
Modern physics is catching up to what revelation stated clearly:
- The universe had a beginning
- It was created from nothing
- There was no time or space before it
- Only Allah existed, eternally and independently

Conclusion: Before Theories, There Was Revelation

While science is a tool to explore the physical world, revelation explains what lies beyond it.
The question What was before the Big Bang? is not new. It was asked and answered 1400+ years ago, with unmatched clarity.