The expansion of the universe is indeed a fascinating topic in cosmology. It is true that the light from distant regions of the universe, such as the cosmic microwave background radiation, has taken a long time to reach us, allowing us to observe the afterglow of the Big Bang. However, it is important to understand that the expansion of space itself is not limited by the speed of light.
The concept of the expansion of the universe is based on the understanding that space itself is expanding, carrying galaxies and other celestial objects along with it. It is not that objects are moving away from us through space, but rather that the space between them is stretching. The expansion of the universe is described by the metric expansion of space, as described by the equations of general relativity.
During the early moments of the universe, the expansion rate was extremely rapid, a period known as cosmic inflation. However, it is crucial to note that during cosmic inflation, the expansion was not due to objects moving through space faster than light. Instead, it was the rapid expansion of space itself, causing regions of the universe to move away from each other at speeds greater than the speed of light. This is allowed within the framework of general relativity because it is the stretching of space that creates the apparent motion, rather than objects physically moving.
It's important to understand that the expansion of the universe does not violate the principle that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light within space. The expansion is happening on the scale of space itself, and it doesn't involve objects moving through space faster than light.
As a result, we are able to observe light that originated from the early universe because the expansion of space has allowed the light to travel across vast distances over billions of years, eventually reaching us.