Similar to the events associated with the big bang that gave rise of the universe, the events associated with Hajj are enactment of the start of humanity on earth and the rise of the Muslim nation.  

We are currently in the blessed days of Dhu Al-Hija during which the reward of doing good deeds such as given charity and performing rituals such as fasting, prayers and recitation of the Quran are multiplied.  There are many hadeath that support these benefits.  As example, the Prophet (PBUH) said:

روى ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: «مَا مِنْ أَيَّامٍ الْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ فِيهَا أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَيَّامِ» يَعْنِي أَيَّامَ الْعَشْرِ، قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، وَلَا الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ؟ قَالَ: «وَلَا الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ، إِلَّا رَجُلٌ خَرَجَ بِنَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ، فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ بِشَيْءٍ» أخرجه أبو داود وابن ماجه وغيرهما.

“There is no deed that is better in the sight of Allah or more greatly rewarded than a good deed done in the (first) ten days of Al-Adha”.

It was asked, “Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah?”

The Prophet (PBUH) replied, “Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah, unless a man goes out himself for Jihad taking his wealth with him and does not come back with anything.”

These days are associated with the Hajj and on this occasion, we are reminded of the migration of Prophet Ibrahim with his wife Hajar and infant son Ismael to Mecca and all what followed after.  This event represents a transformational event impacting religious, historical and human dimensions.   This event placed the first stone in foundation of Islam and the building of the Muslim nation.  

1. Muslims’ history started from Prophet Ismael.
2. The rebuilding of the Kabba was the beginning in formulating unity among Muslims by ensuring that all Muslims face one direction at least five time per day.
3. The story of the sacrifice sets the foundation of Islamic creed which is the total submission to Allah’s commands even if their outward conflict with our logic.

Anyone can claim that he/she is believer, but the claim and the reality are two different things. Belief is manifesting by our complete Trust in Allah.   Complete trust in Allah means that you should have faith that Allah knows what is best for your life and you should have no doubt that He will keep His promises, and help you when you face problems. 

Complete trust in Allah can only be demonstrated by our Full Obedience to Allah. Half-hearted commitment and partial obedience are not worthy of God.  These days are reminder of the example of full obedience.    On the command of Allah, Prophet Ibrahim left his infant and only son with his mother alone in the arid desert.  Then, later when his son grew to be an impressive young man, he proceeded with the process of sacrificing him.  Not only Prophet Ibrahim, but the example to us is also the reaction of wife and the son.

When Sayedna Ibrahim was leaving his wife Hajar and their infant son Ismael in the desert where there is no one, Hajar asked him: Did Allah ordered you to do this?  When he said, Yes, she said:  Then Allah will never abandon us. 

The reaction of the son, Ismael, is also compelling. When he was informed by his father of Allah’s command to sacrifice him; he said:

يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ َالصَّابِرِين

 “O my father! do as you are commanded: you will find me, if Allah so wills, among those who are patient.” (Al-Safat 37:102)

Full obedience means that you obey without objections or reservations and without asking for clarification.  Allah does not owe us any explanations and while understanding can wait, obedience cannot. 

During these days and we reflect on what they represent, we need to examine ourselves and check whether we truly trust Allah to obey his commands with hesitation. Use Prophet Ibrahim as your yard stick to measure your level of trust.

I mentioned the linkage between the big band and between the events of the Hajj.  The Hajj events are enactment of the dawn of establishing the Muslim nation.  The big bang represents the dawn of creation of the universe. 

The linkage between the two events is illustrated in the first 5 verses of Surah Al-Fajr (الفَجر) (The Dawn) (89:1-30)

وَٱلۡفَجۡرِ (١) وَلَيَالٍ عَشۡرٍ۬ (٢) وَٱلشَّفۡعِ وَٱلۡوَتۡرِ (٣) وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا يَسۡرِ (٤) هَلۡ فِى ذَٲلِكَ قَسَمٌ۬ لِّذِى حِجۡرٍ (٥)

By the Dawn (1) And by ten nights, (2) And by the Even and the Odd, (3) And by the night when it departs, (4) Aren’t these oaths enough for the one with brain. (Al-Fajr 89:1-5)

The Surah starts with 5 oaths and after the oaths Allah says that in these oaths is lessons to those who have brain to think.   The oaths are with:

The first oath is by Al-Fajr (ٱلۡفَجۡرِ) and the term means something that is ripped and torn or exploded.   One interpretation of Al-Fajr is Dawn because dawn tears the night and allows the light to come through. The dawn represents that the time of the day by which the life begins.  In the context of Hajj, it infers the tearing down of the darkness of kufr to bring the light of Islam. Another interpretation is that it refers to the tearing of the universe from its initial state of complete darkness when the heavens and earth were bonded together (i.e. big bang) as Allah says in Surat (Al-Anbia 21:30)

أَوَلَمۡ يَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ ڪَانَتَا رَتۡقً۬ا فَفَتَقۡنَـٰهُمَا‌ۖ وَجَعَلۡنَا مِنَ ٱلۡمَآءِ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ حَىٍّ‌ۖ أَفَلَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ (٣٠)

Did the disbelievers not observe that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We parted them? And We have made from water every living thing. Would they still not believe? (Al-Anbia 21:30)

The second oath is by ten nights.  Note that there is no definite article “Al” (the) before ten nights and thus the oath is not referring to specific ten nights and this means that the nights mentioned is not limited to just one set of ten nights.  The most common interpretation suggests that these ten nights refer to the blessed first ten days of Dhul Hijjah (i.e. the month in which Hajj takes place).  These interpretations are made because of the blessing of these ten days.   While the verse mention ten nights and not ten days, but in the Arabic language the night can be used to refer to the day.

If we consider the Oath of the Fajr refers to the tearing the heaven and the earth and the start of forming the universe, the ten night can refer to the ten nights after the big bang.  In Surat Al-Maarij (70:4), Allah reveals to us a different time scale

تَعۡرُجُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕڪَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيۡهِ فِى يَوۡمٍ۬ كَانَ مِقۡدَارُهُ ۥ خَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةٍ۬ (٤)

“The angels and the Ruh [Jibril] ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years.” (Al-Maarij 70:4)

Recognizing that at the early stage of the big band there was no light and all that exist is darkness, whole day was night.  If a day equal to 50,000 years, 10 days equal to 500,000 years.   We can search to find what happened in the universe 50,000 years after the big bang. 

The figure below depicts the progress in the universe formation from the big bang forward. What we need to focus on is what happened at 500,000 years which is reference to the 10 nights in the Surat. After 500,000 years, the universe cooled to 3000 K, and hydrogen and helium nuclei began to capture the free electrons and hydrogen and helium atoms formed.  At that time, the Universe was made out of about 92% hydrogen atoms and 8% helium atoms by number (or about 75-76% hydrogen and 24-25% helium by mass).

A helium atom consists of a nucleus containing two positively charged protons and two neutrons, encircled by two orbiting electrons which carry a negative charge. A hydrogen atom has just one proton and one electron. … The difference is that the nucleus is 4.1 times heavier than normal

The third and fourth oaths are with (وَٱلشَّفۡعِ وَٱلۡوَتۡرِ).  The term “shaf’ (شفع) means even or pair and the term “witr” (وَتۡرِ) means odd or singular. 

The most popular interpretation of these two oaths is that ash-shaf’ (شفع) alludes that Allah (swt) has created everything in in pairs e.g. darkness and light, male and female, the sun and the moon, the ocean and land as Allah says in Surat Al-Dhariyat:

وَمِن ڪُلِّ شَىۡءٍ خَلَقۡنَا زَوۡجَيۡنِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَذَكَّرُونَ

“And of everything We have created pairs, that you may remember.” (Al-Dhariyat 41:59).

The only thing that stands alone as singular, as one is only Allah.   Therefore, these two Oaths are the oath by the creation and an oath by the creator Himself.

Some interpreters suggest that (وَٱلشَّفۡعِ وَٱلۡوَتۡرِ) refer to every day of the month because every day is a pair containing both a day and a night except for the last day of the month, which contains no night as the night of that day fits into the new month.

Another interpretation is that the Odd is the sun and the even is the moon and earth.

Another interpretation is that the even refers to the pairing of the dunya to the akhira with the “witr “being the Final Day of Resurrection.

But we can look at another possibility.  After the 10 nights that corresponds to 500,000 years after the big bang, hydrogen and helium are formed.  The atomic number of hydrogen is 1 which is an odd number.  On the other hand, the atomic number of Helium is 2 which is an even number.    Could the oath with (وَٱلشَّفۡعِ وَٱلۡوَتۡرِ), the even and the odd refers to the formation of the first atoms from which the whole universe is formed.

The fifth oath is (وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا يَسۡرِ) “By the night as it departs”.  This oath has been interpreted as reference to the day of judgment when the world that is represented by the night, the state of darkness, will come to an end.

But, if we interpret the 0dd and even as the formation of hydrogen and helium, the departing of the night means the beginning of the formation of light since the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium powers the vast majority of stars illuminating the entire cosmos

Prior to 500,000 years, the universe was too hot and the particles and photons (light) were locked into an equilibrium in which the photons could not escape.  But after 500,000 years, the universe cooled to 3000 K, and at this stage, photons could not react with the electrons and the photons became free and light formed giving end to the absolute darkness, i.e. the departing of the night.

Summary:  The five oaths can be translated as follows:

وَٱلۡفَجۡرِ (١) وَلَيَالٍ عَشۡرٍ۬ (٢) وَٱلشَّفۡعِ وَٱلۡوَتۡرِ (٣) وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا يَسۡرِ (٤)

Traditional

By the Dawn (1) And by ten nights, (2) And by the Even and the Odd, (3) And by the night when it departs.  (Al-Fajr 89:1-4)

Hajj related:

By the tearing down of the darkness of kufr to bring the light of Islam.

By first ten days of Dhul Hijjah

By the creation and the Creator

By the day of judgment when the state of darkness of this world come to an end

Big Bang related:

By the tearing of the universe from its initial state when the heavens and earth were bonded together.

By the first ten days after the big bang.

By the helium and the hydrogen from which the whole universe is formed

By the freeing of the photons brining light formed giving end to the absolute darkness

The five oaths ended with the challenge that man must use his brain.

هَلۡ فِى ذَٲلِكَ قَسَمٌ۬ لِّذِى حِجۡرٍ (٥)

Aren’t enough for the one with brain. (Al-Fajr 89:1-5)

The word Hijr (حِجۡرٍ) refers to a boulder or large rock and in classical Arabic the word is used to refer to the human brain, intellect (‘aql) (عقل). The brain is the means for control and restraint that prevents one from doing something harmful.  So Allah (swt) is asking whether these oaths are enough as evidence for those people with a rock solid intellect. Allah (swt) is essentially saying don’t just read these verses but rather reflect on them if you have good intellect.

While the Surat started with the creation of the universe it ended with the Day of Judgment when the whole universe will be destroyed and a new world will be created, as Allah says”

 كَلَّآ إِذَا دُكَّتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ دَكًّ۬ا دَكًّ۬ا (٢١) وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَٱلۡمَلَكُ صَفًّ۬ا صَفًّ۬ا (٢٢) وَجِاْىٓءَ يَوۡمَٮِٕذِۭ بِجَهَنَّمَ‌ۚ يَوۡمَٮِٕذٍ۬ يَتَذَڪَّرُ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ (٢٣)

Nay, but when the earth is pounded to dust, pounded and pounded, (21) And Your  Lord came with angels standing rank on rank, (22) And hell is brought forward that day; It will be the day when man will remember, but what good will the remembrance be to him? (Al-Fajr 89:21-23)

Similar to the events associated with the big bang that gave rise of the universe, the events associated with Hajj are enactment of the start of humanity on earth and the rise of the Muslim nation.