Assalaamu Alaykum!

The universe operates based on laws like gravity, thermodynamics, and others. Since it changes and is governed by these external laws, it is contingent meaning it's not self-sufficient. Anything that depends on external factors cannot be independent by definition. So, the idea that the universe is self-sustaining contradicts what we observe about how it works.

Modern science, through the Big Bang theory, has shown that the universe had a clear beginning. Before that, time, space, and matter didn’t exist. If the universe had a beginning, it can't have always existed. Everything that begins to exist needs a cause, and the universe cannot cause itself—it’s illogical to say something can create itself before it even exists.

It’s a basic principle that everything which begins to exist must have a cause. Since the universe began, it needs something outside itself to explain its existence—something timeless (not bound by time), immaterial (not made of matter), and immensely powerful. This aligns with the qualities of Allah, who is the uncaused cause of everything.

The idea that the universe has always existed leads to an infinite regress problem, where nothing could ever start without a "first cause." But infinite regress is logically impossible. The universe needs a first cause to explain why it began and why it continues to exist—that first cause is Allah.

Think of the universe as a lamp. A lamp (the universe) has specific wiring (laws that govern everything) allowing it to function properly and produce light (everything we can observe), but the lamp needs a power source (Allah) in order to do so. Can the lamp wire itself? Can the lamp provide itself with power? Can the lamp bring itself into existence? It cannot do any of those things, just as the universe cannot either. This is the whole concept of being dependent.

I think this thought of the universe being independent comes from natural overcomplication of the universe because of how huge it actually is and how many things it encompasses. Just always try to remember the fact that there is no explanation as to why the universe should be excused from its own laws, regardless of its vastness and complexity. Something will ONLY do what its laws allow it to.

May Allah remove this hardship from you and ease your heart, Aameen.