If God created the universe, then why did He make it so vast—with all the stars and planets?

This misconception stems from the atheists’ tendency to anthropomorphize God—that is, to attribute human characteristics to Him—exalted is He and high above what they say by great sublimity. Due to human limitations and scarcity of resources, Man naturally seeks to achieve the greatest outcome with the least possible expenditure. Atheists, projecting this mindset onto the Divine, ask: why is the universe so vast? The answer is simple: even if Allāh were to create billions upon billions of universes, each the size of our own, it would not diminish His infinite treasures in the slightest. In reality, the vastness of creation is a reflection of His boundless power and perfect wisdom. A more meaningful question, then, would be: are these stars and planets of any benefit to us? And to begin with, we are not alone in the universe. Allāh says: {And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and all living beings He dispersed throughout both} (Qurʾān 42:29). Besides, not knowing the benefit of something does not mean it is without purpose. In fact, the most common elements essential to life—such as carbon and nitrogen—are produced in the cores of stars, where lighter elements like hydrogen and helium are fused. The heaviest elements, such as iron, are formed only in massive stars that end their lives in supernova explosions, while other elements are generated in the extreme conditions of the explosions themselves. Indisputably, without supernovae, life as we know it would not be possible. For example, the iron in our blood—contained in hemoglobin—is essential for our ability to breathe.

We also need oxygen in our atmosphere to breathe, and nitrogen to enrich the soil of our planet. In short, supernovae not only produce elements but also disperse them. As scientists explain, the elements formed both within the star and in the intense heat of the supernova explosion are ejected into the interstellar medium. These elements are the building blocks of stars, planets, and everything on Earth—including ourselves. Except for hydrogen and some helium produced during the Big Bang, all the matter that makes up our bodies and the Earth around us was forged in stars through sustained nuclear fusion or in the aftermath of supernova explosions.¹ The point is that Earth itself would be a vastly different place without the elements created in stars and supernova explosions. Most significantly, inertia—delicately balanced on a razor’s edge, and without which matter would lack the electric forces necessary to form its current structure—is determined by the mass of the universe as a whole. We learn the principle of inertia early in life, as we instinctively understand that a force is required to set something in motion, change its direction, or bring it to a stop. This intuitive grasp of inertia allows us to exercise a degree of control over the physical world around us. Put simply, without external physical forces, a car would continue moving in a straight line indefinitely. Likewise, it takes energy to overcome the car’s inertia and move it out of a stationary parking spot. Changing direction—whether to round a corner or make a U-turn—also requires additional energy. Inertia is why a car does not come to a halt the instant the brakes are applied. Similarly, if a person is not wearing a seatbelt and the car stops suddenly, the body continues moving forward—demonstrating the natural tendency of objects in motion to remain in motion. Interestingly, calculations show that if the force of inertia were even slightly weaker, a mere breeze could move rocks, exposing us to a constant bombardment of flying objects. Conversely, if it were slightly stronger, we would not be able to move even a finger.² Indeed, inertia is the force that holds the universe together; without it, everything would quite literally fall apart. As Peter and Neal Garneau explain, “If it were possible to flick a switch and turn off inertia, the universe would collapse in an instant to a clump of matter.”³ Surprisingly, physicists have discovered that the mass of the Milky Way—the galaxy that contains our solar system—contributes to the control of inertia at a rate of 0.1 per million, whereas the mass of the Earth influences inertia at a mere 0.001 per million.

In a nutshell, without the law of inertia—which ensures that particles do not accelerate uncontrollably—life would likely be impossible. The finely balanced inertia that allows us to carry out all our daily activities is, in fact, a product of the total energy of the universe. Allāh says: {We have not created the heavens and earth and everything in between without purpose—as the disbelievers think. So woe to the disbelievers because of the Fire!} (Qurʾān 38:27). Undoubtedly, science continues to uncover new dimensions of the cosmos’s extraordinary fine-tuning—offering, by far, the most compelling contemporary argument for the existence of God.