There’s a moment in the movie Paul where Paul, an extra terrestrial, says something to the effect of “My existence alone disproves every Abrahamic religion.” If there was ever a moment in my life for a Spock-like eyebrow raise, that was it. The assumption the screenwriters of Paul made is that if it turns out we are not alone in the universe, that other intelligent beings exist in the cosmos, then religion—God, even— will become obsolete. However, this simply isn’t true.

One of the things that drew me into Islam is that it is a religion based not on blind faith, but on proof. After all, if anything is to be considered “true” then it must have evidence. The Qur’an is abound with numerous scientific facts that we’ve only begun to discover in our past century. And the more we learn about our world, the more apparent these “scientific miracles” become.

And so, let’s say that we discover extraterrestrials knocking on our atmosphere, and hopefully they would be more E.T. than Independence Day (I’d even settle with District 9).

Would the mere existence of these aliens bring Islam to a screeching halt, as Paul would suggest? Not really.

For starters, here is this verse in the Qur’an:

“And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the living creatures that He has scattered through them: and He has power to gather them together when He wills.”  (42:29)

As explained in this article, the Arabic term used for the phrase “through them” is fihima, which can only mean the living creatures can exist both within the heavens and on Earth. One could interpret the “living creatures” to be angels, since the term “heaven” used here is often used to denote the realm of God. There are two problems with this interpretation, however. First, there is another verse in the Qur’an where God makes a clear distinction between “living beings” and angels:

“And to Allah doth obeisance all that is in the heavens and on earth, whether moving (living) creatures or the angels: for none are arrogant (before their Lord).” (16:49)

Second is that the term used for “heaven” in Arabic (sama) is not synonymous with Paradise (jannah), as is common in English terminology. As the scholar Muhammad Asad explains in his translation, The Message of the Qur’an:

“The term sama (“heaven” or “sky”) is applied to anything that is spread like a canopy above any other thing. Thus, the visible skies which stretch like a vault above the earth and form, as it were, its canopy, are called sama: and this is the primary meaning of this term in the Qur’an; in a wider sense, it has the connotation of “cosmic system”.”

It’s also worth noting that the first chapter of the Qur’an, the one that all Muslims recite in their prayers, contains the verse “Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds,” (1:2). Notice the plural of “worlds”. The meaning here is that God is the creator, sustainer, and master of all worlds in our universe—and, inevitably, any inhabitants within those worlds. Yusuf Ali, whose translation of the Qur’an is one of the most widely read in the world, also comments on this, saying that “It is reasonable to suppose that Life in some form or another is scattered through some of the millions of heavenly bodies scattered through space.”

The existence of extraterrestrial beings is not outside the bounds of Islamic thought, and so it falls upon proof, not conjecture (and vague, grainy footage), to confirm or deny their existence.

However, it’s also important to note that in the preceding verse, the plural “worlds” does not necessarily apply to celestial bodies alone.

The advent of quantum mechanics and string theory have given rise to the insight that our physical universe is made up of more than our observable four dimensions. Initially, scientists believed that space and matter consisted of four dimensions: width, height, length, and time. But with the discovery of dark matter, and the fact that our universe is expanding*, scientists have found that other dimensions beyond our comprehension exist. Or, as Einstein discovered, space is not nothing. Furthermore, string theory posits the existence of multiple—or parallel—universes. Should these possibilities hinder Islamic thought? Not at all.

Muslims have been acquainted with multiple dimensions and parallel worlds long before such terms were even coined. Jinn is an Arabic term used in the Qur’an to describe beings that live beyond our perception. As Asad points out, the term is popularly attributed to “genies” or “demons”, when its actual meaning has a far wider implication than that. The term Jinn is derived from the Arabic verb janna, which is best described as something that is “veiled from sight” and “can thus be applicable to all kinds of invisible beings or forces.” The fact that Jinn are concealed from our senses implicate that they live in dimensions beyond our perception. In fact, developments in quantum mechanics suggest that our universe could be made up with as many as eleven separate dimensions. The Qur’an often refers to “the realm which is beyond the reach of human perception” and so it’s entirely possible that, as we live in our own observable four-dimensional space, the remaining dimensions beyond our perception host their own denizens as well.

Furthermore, it’s entirely possible that our universe is merely one of many “multiverses”**.

Michio Kaku is one of the leading physicists in the world today (and, I’d say, the most entertaining). In this video he succinctly explains how the multiverse theory works. He likens it to our universe being an expanding bubble, with other bubbles being an offshoot of it. These other universes could be at varying stages of development, some beginning, some ending, and some developing side-by-side with ours (here if you want the short version and here if you want to blow your mind). The prospect of many universes existing separate from each poses no problem in Islamic thought. As Muslims, we see it not as a refutation of God’s power, but as an even greater magnification of His limitless abilities, that He has the power to create and manage the minute and massive details in all universes, while never being wearied by doing so.

The process of creation is ongoing. As mentioned in the above video, it’s entirely possible that other universes parallel to ours are being created as we speak. There are several verses in the Qur’an that mention this ongoing process of creation:

“Say: “It is Allah Who originates creation and repeats it: then how are ye deluded away (from the truth)?”” (10:34)

“Or, Who originates creation, then repeats is, and who gives you sustenance from heaven and earth?” (27:64)

“See they not how Allah originates creation, then repeats it: truly that is easy for Allah.” (29:19)

The term “creation” could be broad enough to encompass both the creation and reproduction of mankind and also the creation and reproduction of multiple universes at large. The Qur’an also mentions, in many places, “seven heavens”:

“He it is who has created for you all that is on earth, and has applied His design to the heavens and fashioned them into seven heavens; and He alone has full knowledge of everything.” (2:29)

It is important to note here that the Qur’an was revealed in Arabic, and so any attempt at translating it into English or any other language results in a loss of many metaphors and idioms common in Arabic. One such idiom, as Asad points out, is that “in Arabic usage – and apparent in other Semitic languages as well – the number “seven” is often synonymous with “several”…just as “seventy” or “seven hundred” often means “many” or “very many”… This, taken together with the accepted linguistic definition that “every sama is a sama with regard to what is below it” (sama meaning heaven or sky) may explain the “seven heavens” as denoting the multiplicity of cosmic systems.”

The possibility of life on other planets—in other universes even—has always been considered to be in the realm of Star Trek and Stargate. However, the more we learn about our universe the more we have seen that science fiction is becoming science fact. Sadly, many people fret and fray that such things would either be blasphemous or, as Paul asserts, would somehow extinguish belief in God. But as we’ve seen, both claims simply aren’t true. The existence of aliens and parallel universes must stand on its own merits and scientific proofs. And if such things do exist, then so be it; the Islamic faith would remain unchanged, undisturbed, by them.

Muhammad Asad beautifully sums up the Islamic position on extraterrestrial life, multiple universes and dimensions in the following passage:

“The Qur’an refers often to “the realm which is beyond the reach of human perception” (al-ghayb), while God is frequently spoken of as “the Sustainer of all the worlds” (rabb al-alamin): and the use of the plural clearly indicates that side by side with the “world” open to our observation there are other “worlds” as well – and, therefore, other forms of life, different from ours and presumably from one another, and yet subtly interacting and perhaps even permeating one another in a manner beyond our ken.”

 And, as always, God knows best.

*For an Islamic perspective on the expansion of the universe, read here.

**For a more detailed look into the Islamic perspective of the multiverse (and other scientific theories as well), read and here.