Timelessism Theory

 Timelessism Theory

Beyond the arguments about time and the illusion of time, including positions on presentism and eternalism, I posit timelessism. Timelessism is the study of time as a creation. From a cosmological perspective, time emanated from the absence of time; meaning there must have been a period of existentiality that time did not exist. Time is primarily beneficial to the creation confined within creation – man within a spatial environment. Time is a continuous process that measures existence in the past, present and future. Universal time is calculated based on planet Earth's rotation in relation to distant celestial bodies crossing the meridian – a great circle on the surface of the earth passing through the poles (North and South). Historically, time has been measured in units of seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, decades, centuries, millennia, and in certain cases, eras, epochs and aeons. Without the measurement of time, then time cannot be calculated and without the existence of creations – terrestrial and celestial, then there will be no time. Furthermore, the geological time scale, comprising the Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic and Phanerozoic, would be impossible to calculate without the existence of natural elements.  Essentially, time as an entity, is a creation dependent on the existence of other creations, created by The Creator. 

He has ˹also˺ subjected for you the sun and the moon, both constantly orbiting, and has subjected the day and night for you. – Quran 14:33 

There are varying time zones existing concurrently within and without the universe. To buttress this point, a day to Allah is not the same as to humans – earthly time. Time within the human realm is confined to the limitations of creation and rather different from time outside the realm of creation – The Creator's description of time. In certain situations, the Quran describes days for specific events, which can be understood as periods or phases outside the human realm of time. The specificity of the Quran on certain events is highlighted in some instances, where a day in the human realm is compared in the thousands. 

It is Allah Who has created the heavens and the earth and everything in between in six Days,then established Himself on the Throne. You have no protector or intercessor besides Him. Will you not then be mindful? He conducts every affair from the heavens to the earth, then it all ascends to Him on a Day whose length is a thousand years by your counting.  – Quran 32:4-5 

Evidently, the "six days" mentioned in the above cited verse is beyond human comprehension and different from the daily twenty-four hours, by earthly standards. In the subsequent verse, a day is compared to one thousand years for ease of human decipherment. Also, in a related verse, a day is used analogously to describe another specific event that is fifty thousand years.  

The angels and the Spirit [i.e., Gabriel] will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years. – Quran 70:4 

The specificity with days in the Quran is intriguing. For instance, the analogy expressing a day as a thousand years primarily discusses the ascension of "every affair", whilst the analogy that describes a day as fifty thousand years is specifically discussing the ascension of "angels and the Spirit".

An important point to highlight is that the similitude of a thousand or thousands of years to explain a day, may not be earthly time oriented as well; it may be a time zone mankind is yet to encounter or apprehend.  Another instance of specificity with days, involves the creation process.  The standard six days for the creation of the heavens and earth are equally portioned into two-day segments – two, four, and six. Two days for the heavens and four days for the earth and its sustenance: total six days. 

Ask ˹them, O Prophet˺, "How can you disbelieve in the One Who created the earth in two Days? And how can you set up equals with Him? That is the Lord of all worlds. He placed on the earth firm mountains, standing high, showered His blessings upon it, and ordained ˹all˺ its means of sustenance—totaling four Days exactly—for all who ask. Then He turned towards the heaven when it was ˹still like˺ smoke, saying to it and to the earth, 'Submit, willingly or unwillingly.‘ They both responded, 'We submit willingly.' So He formed the heaven into seven heavens in two Days, assigning to each its mandate. And We adorned the lowest heaven with ˹stars like˺ lamps ˹for beauty˺ and for protection. That is the design of the Almighty, All-Knowing." – Quran 41:9-12 

In another verse about the creation of the earth, the "six days" duration is specifically delineated from the perspective of fatigue: 

Indeed, We created the heavens and the earth and everything in between in six Days,and We were not ˹even˺ touched with fatigue. – Quran 50:38

The usage of "days" must not be misconstrued as the typical human days that comprises 24 hours and could be a representation of eras or aeons. The contextuality of days is a similitude based on limited human capacity and understanding of the divine. The matter had to be broken down to the human level of comprehension. Furthermore, the statement can be appreciated as an emphatic clarification of the Judeo-Christian position that God "rested" on the "seventh day" as stated in Genesis 2:2, Genesis 2:3 and Exodus 31:17, respectively. It must be emphasized that Allah does not need any rest; He only needs to say “Be” and whatever He wills is created. 

Though the Quran mentions the process of creation using days as an analogy, the Quran does not however, reveal when exactly this creation event occurred – primarily because it is not contextually relevant. So, the creation event described may have occurred millions, billions or trillions of years ago. From a scientific prism, the latest research estimates that the universe is at least 13.8 billion years old, whilst the earth is at least 4.5 billion years old.  

Islamic exegesis details events that defy human logic and underpin why humans are the creation and Allah is The Creator. The Quran mentions a few examples about these extraordinary events that defy earthly time. 

There is an intriguing story mentioned in Quran 2:259 about a man who wandered through a derelict township and wondered how Allah resurrects things that were dilapidated or dead. It is noteworthy to highlight that exegetes, such as Ibn Kathir, have linked the story of the man in the story to Uzair; which is associated with Ezra in the Judeo-Christian tradition. However, as it is with many other Quranic stories, the Quran did not explicitly mention the man's name. The primary reason for not mentioning is because it is not as important as the crux of the message.

Or, (do you not know) the example of the one who passed through a town that had collapsed on its roofs. He said: "How shall Allah revive this after it is dead?" So, Allah made him dead for a hundred years, then raised him saying: "How long did you remain (in this state)?" He said: "I remained for a day or part of a day". Said He: "Rather, you remained (dead) for a hundred years. Just look at your food and your drink; it has not spoiled. Now look at your donkey. (We did) this to make you a sign for people! Look at the bones, how We raise them, then dress them with flesh." So, when it was clear to him, he said: "I know that Allah is Powerful over everything." – Quran 2:259 

This is a really fascinating story with many lessons. Basically, the man who wanted to understand resurrection got a practical lesson on the subject. He was made to die for a century and when he was resurrected intact, the man assumed he had been in that state for a day or less. Even more intriguing is that, whilst his food and drink were kept in a pristine condition, the man witnessed the resurrection of his decomposed donkey. This particular scenario had different realms operating concurrently – the earthly time of hundred years continued unaffected, the man's edibles were imperishable for that period, the decomposed donkey and the man's intact resurrection to witness the entire phenomena. The Quran addresses the matter of resurrection in many other instances, such as Surah Qiyamah – The Resurrection (Quran 75), Abraham and the four birds (Quran 2:260), Jesus' resurrection miracle (Quran 3:49), and the slain man resurrected during Moses' era in the story of The Cow (Quran 2:73). 

In a detailed response to doubters of the possibility of resurrection, the Quran reveals the process of creation with mesmerizing references. The scientific world is still trying to comprehend some of these resurrection phenomena many centuries later.

O humanity! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then ˹know that˺ We did create you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then ˹developed you into˺ a clinging clot ˹of blood˺, then a lump of flesh—fully formed or unformed—in order to demonstrate ˹Our power˺ to you. ˹Then˺ We settle whatever ˹embryo˺ We will in the womb for an appointed term, then bring you forth as infants, so that you may reach your prime. Some of you ˹may˺ die ˹young˺, while others are left to reach the most feeble stage of life so that they may know nothing after having known much. And you see the earth lifeless, but as soon as We send down rain upon it, it begins to stir ˹to life˺ and swell, producing every type of pleasant plant. – Quran 22:5

In a related story – admittedly one of my best stories, resurrection is presented in a way that is not only mind-boggling, but in a manner that arouses the intellect about the concept of time. 

The Companions of The Cave: The companions of the cave aka the sleepers of the cave, existed during the era of an idolatrous king, who subjected the people to idol worship. It was the official duty of the king and his minions to persecute anyone who refused idol worship. This persecution policy made a particular group of believing youth – believers in Allah who refused to be idolaters – escape to the outskirts of town. As they migrated beyond the clutches of their persecutors, the companions, accompanied by a dog, decided to take refuge in a particular cave. Whilst inside the cave, the companions prayed to Allah to protect them from their persecutors and prevalent disbelief. Following this, the companions fell asleep inside the cave, and so did their dog, by the cave's entrance. After the companions awakened, they were unsure if they had slept for a day or part of a day.  

To relieve their famishment, they nominated one among them to recce the area for any persecutors and stealthily go into town to purchase edibles. As the chosen companion made his way, he noticed the environment was unusual. At the marketplace, a commotion ensued after the nominated companion presented an ancient currency in exchange for food items. Then the wandering companion realised they were living in a completely different era and dispensation. As word spread, the companions became revered by the people. The township was under a new king, who was fortunately not an idolater, but a believer in the oneness of God. The Quran describes the companions' paranormal sleep process and how they were turned on alternate sides, including their positioning in relation to orbital motions – Earth rotation around the Sun.   

And [had you been present], you would see the sun when it rose, inclining away from their cave on the right, and when it set, passing away from them on the left, while they were [lying] within an open space thereof. That was from the signs of Allah. He whom Allah guides is the [rightly] guided, but he whom He sends astray - never will you find for him a protecting guide. And you would think them awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them to the right and to the left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. If you had looked at them, you would have turned from them in flight and been filled by them with terror. – Quran 18:17-18 

Also, the Quran reveals the companions spent over three hundred years in the cave asleep (some miraculous form of sleep). 

And they remained in their cave for three hundred years and exceeded by nine. Say, "Allah is most knowing of how long they remained. He has [knowledge of] the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. How Seeing is He and how Hearing! They have not besides Him any protector, and He shares not His legislation with anyone." – Quran 18:25-26 

The phenomenal incident of the cave sleepers can be described as time freeze in effect, or from a science fiction prism – time inversion meets time travel. A miraculous sleep lasting over three hundred years is beyond average human comprehension, but for the Creator of everything that exists – which includes time itself – anything is possible. This spectacular incident is one of many signs from The Creator – Allah. The Quran contains many other extraordinary stories that seemingly leave science playing catch-up. A good example of the time manipulation sequences mentioned in the Quran is the transportation – quantum teleportation – of the Queen of Sheba's throne by one of the courtiers of Sulaiman (Solomon). The preface to this remarkable story starts with a missing bird (hoopoe) among the assembly of birds for formation during a routine parade. Sulaiman was gifted with an army of human beings, jinn, and animals, and had the ability to communicate with various creatures. The Quran mentions how a particular individual gifted with a certain type of scriptural knowledge – esoteric – teleported the throne instantly. 

He said: "O chiefs! Which of you can bring me her throne before they come to me surrendering themselves in obedience?" An Ifrit (strong) from the jinns said: "I will bring it to you before you rise from your place (council). And verily, I am indeed strong, and trustworthy for such work." One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: "I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!" then when [Sulaiman (Solomon)] saw it placed before him, he said: "This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his ownself, and whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for the loss of his ownself). Certainly! My Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful." – Quran 27:38-40 

This extraordinary episode affirms certain creations, including humans, have special gifts, at least from an historical prism. More importantly, all exceptional feats are only made possible by The Creator – The Initiator and Owner of time.  

By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. – Quran 103:1-3

Excerpt from pgs 34-42 of P.R.I.S.M: Primal Religious Instruction Serving Mankind by M.B.O Owolowo ©️