From Ratq to Fatq: Grammar, Meaning, and the Limits of Cosmological Interpretation in Qur'an 21:30

Qur’an 21:30 is frequently cited in modern Qur’an–science discourse as evidence that the Qur’ananticipates contemporary cosmological theories, most notably the Big Bang. Such readings, however,often proceed by retrofitting modern scientific concepts into Qur’anic language without sufficientattention to the grammatical and semantic constraints of the Arabic text. This article proposes alanguage-first, grammar-governed analysis of Qur’an 21:30, arguing that the verse affirms divineagency and transformation while deliberately withholding specification of cosmological mechanism.Through close lexical analysis of the terms ratq and fatq, the study demonstrates that these lexemesdenote closure and opening in a broad, non-technical sense, insufficient to encode scientific process orphysical chronology. Grammatical analysis further reveals a deliberate shift from nominal description(ratqan) to verbal assertion (fataqnāhumā), marking a transition from state to divine action rather thanfrom one physical stage to another. The scope of reference is further constrained by the dual pronounhumā, which identifies the heavens and the earth as objects of divine intervention without exhaustingtheir referential or material composition.Engagement with classical tafsīr literature shows that early exegetes operated within these samelinguistic boundaries, offering diverse explanations while refraining from mechanistic cosmology. Bycontrast, many modern concordist readings exceed linguistic warrant by flattening grammaticaldistinctions and conflating analogy with textual entailment.The article concludes that Arabic grammar in Qur’anic discourse functions not merely as a vehicle ofmeaning but as a regulator of interpretation, delimiting what the text affirms while preservingtheological intent. This methodology offers a replicable model for analysing other Qur’anic versesdrawn into scientific debates and calls for renewed linguistic discipline in Qur’an–science engagement.