He created the heavens and the earth truthfully. He rolls the night over the day, and rolls the day over the night… (39:5)

VIEW OF THE WORLD FROM SPACE ABOVE

During the Prophet’s lifetime it was impossible to scientifically determine the correct view. The scientific demonstration of the statements of the Quran was only possible after the lapse of a millennium. Why were these scientific explanations in the Quran-beyond the comprehension of the Prophet’s contemporaries, contradicting the hypotheses prevalent at the time and likely to cause harm to their messenger, certainly being of no benefit to him? We see that the Quran’s objective is to tell the truth at all costs. The fact that these phenomena could be explained thanks to the advance of science one thousand years later testifies to the universal address of the Quran and its character; it addresses not only its own time, but also the entirety of humanity until the end of the world.

When the astronomers went to space, they bore witness to this statement of the Quran and took photographs. The face of the world facing the sun was day, while the other side was night. The rotation of the world around its own axis made the night and day alternate, and in some parts the transition from day to night took place simultaneously.

The phenomena related to the roundness of the world and the succession of days and nights are the sine qua non conditions of our life on earth. Had our world not been of a spherical shape, had night and day not succeeded each other thanks to its rotation, life on the face of the earth exposed to heat would be extinct and in the portion left in the shade vegetation would not thrive. God’s omniscience, omnipotence and art, His perfect design of everything, and the miraculous character of the Book are better understood as we contemplate them.

When you look at the mountains, you think that they are standing still. But they are moving like clouds. Such is the artistry of God, who disposes of all things in perfect order. He is indeed fully aware of what you do. (27:88)

This sign, beyond the grasp of the public contemporary with the Prophet, led people to believe that it was a premonitory sign foretelling the end of the world. Even someone who had no knowledge of the Arabic language could see that this interpretation was groundless and conflicting with the Quran. In the verse it is stated that men believe that the mountains are stationary, but this is an illusion. It is impossible to deduce from the mountains in motion that this is to take place at the end of the world.

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE EARTH DID ROTATE?

These false assumptions deduced during the first century after the Prophet may be condoned after we read the commentaries of Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz from Saudi Arabia. As late as the 1970s, he claimed that the earth did not move and that anyone who asserted the contrary was considered to have committed a blasphemy. The Saudi Sheikh spoke as follows: “Anyone who thinks otherwise would be considered to have gone astray and be called on to repent. If he does repent, so much the better, if not, he will be declared to have uttered a blasphemy and be put to death, his estate being forfeited by the treasury of the Muslim State. If the earth rotated as they asserted, lands, mountains, trees, rivers and seas would turn into an absolute chaos. The Western lands would have changed directions and shifted to the East. And the Eastern lands would shift to the West changing the direction of the Kýbla Mecca), henceforth impossible to determine. As none of these happenings are observed, the assertion that the world is in motion is a false statement for many reasons.”

We see that the opinions entertained about the stationary character of the earth were so firm that bigoted theologians disregarding the revelations of the Quran could utter that anyone who thought that the earth moved had to be subjected to capital punishment in the twentieth century! The Quran is full of miraculous revelations, but there is no end to the lies concocted in the name of religion. The people who took as their guide such concoctions and merely read the Quran as a textbook without understanding its meaning have done the greatest harm to religion. One must understand the reliability of the Quran and avoid all superstitions.

GALILEO’S ORDEAL

Though historically it is a rare and anecdotal reaction and not shared by many Muslim scholars, I mentioned the bigoted reaction of a scholar who railed against the idea of a rotating earth. The case of Galileo, however, is known all over the world. Galileo was an Italian astronomer and physicist, one of the founders of modern science; he believed that the universe was created by God. His empirical and observational scientific approach enabled him to be a pioneer in many fields of science. His ordeal is well known. His postulation that the earth rotated caused him to undergo terrible and painful experiences. The Church had adopted the views of Aristotle and Ptolemy on the universe and the world. This conception posited that the earth remained fixed while the sun revolved around the moon. The Church adopted this earth-centered view as its official credo. The Church propounded all its views as the reflection of God’s will; to oppose them was tantamount to taking a stand against God. We witness once more that one of the main sources of commentaries trying to show that religion and science are mutually exclusive were ignorant dogmatic bigots and the religious establishments under their domination. So has been the case with Islam.

Once man ceases to mix his own ideas with God’s, the problem will be solved. Otherwise, man will continue committing the sin of mixing his views with God’s revelations. Galileo Galilei, like Copernicus and Kepler, argued that the earth moved and the sun stood in the center. According to their contention, the earth had no central position. The Church was not as tolerant as it had been in the case of Copernicus and Kepler. Galileo’s adoption of the Copernican system was refuted by the Church, and under threat of torture from the Inquisition, he was forced to publicly recant his heretical views. This was not the end of the ordeal; he still had to face material and spiritual tortures. He was forced to spend the last eight years of his life under house arrest. The story of the Church and Galilei illustrates best the quarrel between “religion” and science. But the fact remains that the original religion as such was not to blame, but the so-called representatives of fabricated religion were. The Quran warns us against those people who will show up and present themselves as spokesmen of God’s religion as well as against the ignominies perpetrated for material gains.

O believers, many rabbis and priests devour the substance of men and hinder them from the way of God. (9:34)

We must beware of the class of the unenlightened and opportunistic who call themselves representatives of religion. True enlightenment is possible only by guiding ourselves by the precepts of the Quran. To adopt the Quran as our guide is the remedy against superstitions and the sine qua non of coming face to face with the truth.

MOUNTAINS IN MOTION

The verse we are studying in this chapter may have another sign, as well. The terrestrial crust moves as if floating on the mantle, which is denser. This was the reason why the continents, once a whole, were severed from each other. The ideas posited by German meteorologist and geologist Alfred Wegener in an article published in 1915 made him the first serious proponent of the theory of the continental drift. His theory was not espoused by most geologists of his time. It is, however, accepted now as correct in principle. The continental drift is the concept of continent formation by the fragmentation and movement of masses of land on the surface of the earth. The seas and lands are in collision with each other like floating rafts on a lake, sometime overlapping each other. Their speeds vary between 3cm and 15cm per year. Thus, the mountains, that appear stationary to us, are in fact in motion along with the earth, as well as with the continent of which they form a part.

The world we inhabit rotates around its axis and revolves about the sun in its rapid course in space along with the solar system; in addition, we must take into account the world’s movement in relation to the moon. We shall include also the gravitational force of other planets. Unconscious of all these phenomena, we sleep tightly, enjoy our meals with relish, and take pleasure in reading and doing sports. A car is considered super when it does not let us feel we are riding in it. Our world travels at an immense speed and follows extremely complex courses unpiloted, without our being consciously affected by them. The verse we analyzed at the beginning of this chapter is an evidence of the incontestable perfection of God’s design.

And the Moon when it is full (84:18)
You will surely ride from stage to stage (84:19)
So, why do they not believe? (84:20)

Throughout history the moon has been the symbol of the unattainable. All these features also existed at the time of the Prophet.

For 1400 years the meaning of the above quoted verses remained unraveled. In the Quran, the conjunction “and” (wa) is frequently used to stress a point; sometimes it is rendered in English by the preposition “by” when making serious promises, taking an oath or calling someone to witness. Commentators dealt differently with the “ride from stage to stage.” The reason was the inaccessibility of the moon at the time. Going to the moon was beyond imagination.

This “riding from stage to stage” had the association for some of spiritual ascension, symbolizing the passage from this world to the other world, the stages of development of man from an embryo to adolescence and senescence. Yet, the verse foresees that human beings will pass from stage to stage in the future. Spiritual ascension and man’s biological development were nothing new. Therefore, I am of the opinion that these interpretations of the past do not reflect reality. The context of the verse connotes the anticipation that a particular phenomenon will take place in the future and the verse questions the reason why the people do not believe when this event takes place. The Arabic word “tabaq” (stage) also mentioned in the sura 67, 3rd verse, and the sura 71, 15th verse, refers not to spiritual, but concrete things. The use of the word “ride” clearly connotes a journey.

Having thus explained the 19th verse in this fashion, the thing that our attention is drawn to, the moon in the 18th verse, supports the idea that “riding from stage to stage” is done by means of a shuttle from the earth to the moon.

WHY DO THEY NOT BELIEVE?

The Russian spacecraft Luna 2 was the first probe to hit the moon (September 12, 1959), and Luna 3 took the first photographs of the far side of the moon. But the most important event was the landing on the moon on July, 21, 1969 by Neil Armstrong and his companions aboard the Apollo 11. The scene of landing on the blurred TV screen was surely one of the most spectacular events in human history.

What had been thought impossible had come true. There were positivists, however, who pointed to this event as a scientific achievement and used it as an argument against religion. Certain bigoted scholars of Islam contended that it was a lie that there had been such an event, and that anybody who claimed that man was on the moon would be cursed.

The miraculous prediction had come true, showing once again God’s art and power. Photographs taken from the moon reflect once more the splendor of God’s design. The mass of the moon, the moon’s distance from the earth point to God’s splendid design. Had the mass of the moon been larger or had the moon been nearer the earth, the continents would be flooded following the tide, rendering our survival impossible.

Verse 20 that comes after verses 18 & 19 in which the journey to the moon is predicted, which reads: “So, why do they not believe?” may refer to the unbelievers and atheists who remained blind to God’s splendor and wisdom, considering this a victory of science over religion. This misconception accounts for the misinterpretation of God’s ways, namely the fact that science is nothing but the entirety of rules He infused into matter. They labor under the delusion that science and religion vie for supremacy. The origin of science and religion is God. Two things that emanate from God cannot be contradictory. Any contradiction may have been due either to scientific errors or to bigoted theologians who dared to make announcements in the name of God. Verse 21, coming after the verses that I have analyzed in this section, is as follows:

And when the Quran is read to them, they do not fall prostrate. (84:21)

THE MOON HAS SPLIT

The Hour has come closer and the moon has split (shaqqa). (54:1)

There is another indication in the Quran in the above verse referring to the landing on the moon. In order to have a better insight into this, let us dwell on the connotation of the Arabic word “shaqqa” which, among its multifarious meanings, signifies “rending asunder,” “splitting,” “fissuring;” it may also signify plowing the soil.

We pour forth water in abundance. (80:25)

And We split (shaqqa) the earth in fragments. (80:26)

As we see, to describe the fissures made by water on the earth’s soil, the same word “shaqqa” is used. One of the most important events that occasioned man’s visit to the moon was the sampling of the soil on the surface of the moon. The surface of the moon was fissured by man for the first time in history. The term “shaqqa” may refer to this cleavage. We have examined the 1st verse of the sura “The Moon.” The 2nd verse of the same sura addresses the wrongdoers who preferred to ignore the evidences of God.

Yet if they see a sign they turn away and they say, “A continuous sorcery!” (54:2)

O society of jinns and men, cross the diameters of the heavens and the earth, if you have the ability, then pass beyond them. But you cannot, unless you acquire an authorization. (55:33)

This verse is particularly important, as it refers to the geoidal structure of the world. Doubts about the spheroid structure of the world were dispelled by the law of gravitation of Newton (1642-1724). Previously it was believed that men, the living beings and the seas beneath the surface of the earth would have fallen down had the world been a sphere. Isaac Newton’s law of gravitation convinced men that their belief was false. Objections to the sphericity of the world were henceforth withdrawn, although many people still adhered to their former convictions. If you spoke of “diameters” of the earth, Newton would have corrected you saying: “the diameter of the earth.” A sphere can have but one diameter but in the geodesic sphere, which is the actual shape of the world, this is possible.

CONFINES OF SPACE

The mention in the verse of “the diameters of the heavens” is also significant. Until man took cognizance of the primeval explosion and the
expanding universe, many scientists believed space to be infinite. Space continuously expands and wherever it expands a new and still larger diameter is formed (this was explained in Ch. 1, 2 & 3). As a matter of fact, scientists have likened space to an inflating balloon in accord with the statement of the verse. Measurements taken at various spots in space would give different diametrical results, while even these measurements taken would change every instant. The use of the plural for the diameter of the heavens is of towering importance, since there is more than just one diameter and because the concept of infinite space is refuted.

The equatorial axes and the diameters in between the equatorial axis will be the longest, while the shortest diameter will be in the polar region. Other diameters will range in between. The diameter measured from the level of the poles to the end point of the atmosphere, the one drawn from the equator to the end point of the atmosphere, and the diameters in between differ also.

We should like to draw your attention to a point. In a good many translations of the Quran there are references to the confines of the earth and the heavens, to its periphery and contours and frontiers, and the word “diameters” is skipped. Indeed, the extremities of the diameter of an area give the contour, the limits and the periphery of that area. We draw the attention of translators to this subtle point.

He made the earth egg-shaped. (79:30)

Even the books written a few centuries after the descent of the Quran likened the shape of the earth to a tray. Beliefs according to which the earth rested on the horns of an ox or was supported by a fish reigned over mentalities in the Arabic peninsula and many believed that earthquakes occurred when the fish down below waved its tail. The Prophet had no ocean-going ship to cross the earth from one extremity to the other, that would have supplied him with evidence proving the spheroid shape of the earth, nor had he a spacecraft from which he could have had an overall view of our world that would have provided him a photographic image of it, as he was not equipped with a camera. Our knowledge of the sphericity of the earth, which seems to us as an established fact, was then beyond the comprehension and imagination of the majority. Therefore, the Quran’s statement to this effect failed to be grasped. Men believed that the verse referred to the plenitude of the earth, ignoring the sense of rotundity.

Thus, at a time when most of the people believed in the shape of earth’s figure as a tray supported by an ox or fish, the Quran had beautifully described its actual shape. The fact that ostriches abounded in the Arabian Peninsula at the time must have permitted those who inquired into this mystery to hold an ostrich egg in their hands and examine it. The geoidal form is a gentle indication of this. The subtlety of the Quran’s expressions provides men with evidence.

O people! Verily there has come to you an infallible proof from your Lord. We have sent unto you a manifest light. (4:174)

God is He who raised the heavens without any pillars… (13:2)

One of the facts that could not possibly be attained by observations and research at the time of the Prophet is given in the verse quoted above. However, this discovery is certainly not of recent date. But at the time of the descent of the Quran, there was no general consensus about this. Even after the time of the Quran’s descent there were still people who believed that the world abutted mountains at both extremities.

For instance, in the New American Bible, a picture is drawn to show how the authors of the Bible imagined the world. In that picture, the sky resembles an overturned bowl and is supported by columns (The New American Bible, St Joseph’s Medium Size Edition, and pp. 4-5). Ibn Abbas (d. 687 AD), Mujahid (d. 718 AD) and Ikrima (d. 733 AD) believed in the existence of pillars (mountains) supporting the sky, too. These persons asserted that the Quran’s verses referred only to what was visible and that in the portion of space invisible to the eye the pillars held up the sky. This had also been the contention of the Babylonians who believed that the sky abutted on mountains at its extremities. At the time of the Prophet, mankind did not know that the earth was spherical and that traveling in opposing directions led two people to the same spot. Therefore, the said subject of debate could not scientifically be accounted for at the time of the Prophet. Moreover, such a bold statement would have had deleterious effects on the Prophet’s credibility, and objections would not tarry to arrive. Those who claimed that Muhammad was the author of the Quran would not be in a position to account for such a statement.

To appreciate better the value of these statements in the Quran, our imagination must go back to the time of the Prophet and try to guess at the mentality of the people. The Quran was revealed at a time when the airplane and the automobile did not exist, when the actual shape of the earth was unknown, when there was no such thing as a world map and when the majority of Arabs were illiterate. This is to remind the persons who claim that the authorship of the Quran should be attributed to the Prophet or to other writers at the time of the Prophet. So, if one considers that the statements of the Quran had been revealed in such a situation, the miraculous character of the explanations may gain a different dimension.

HEAVEN’S SUPPORT

In the long history of the world, man benefited from the atmosphere’s characteristics and advantages without being cognizant of the mystery behind this boon. How did this mass of gases come into being then? How is it that its stability is maintained? The fact that the sky had a “well protected roof” (Ch 19), that it possessed returning and reflecting properties (Ch 20), that it was made of layers, each having its proper function (Ch 17) and that its maintenance was without pillars, all point to the glorious design of God.

Research conducted on planets of the solar system led us to conclude that none of them was surrounded by an atmosphere like the one that surrounds our world; and the way it is designed to make life on earth possible was a proof of the fact that God had decided that life thrives on earth.

The gas molecules upon the surface of the planet move at a tremendous speed. If the gravitational force of the planet overcomes this motion, the planet would attract the gas molecules and the surface of the planet would absorb the gas molecules. On the other hand, if the gas molecules moved rapidly and could escape the planet’s gravitational field, they would pursue their travel in space. So, both the atmosphere and the balances established took place at a stage after the creation of the earth. The expression in the Quran, “He raised the sky, and set the balance” (55-Gracious, 7) is in perfect accord with the formation of the sky and the establishment of balance in it after the creation of the world. The formation of gas molecules in the form of the atmosphere and its fixation was possible only by the establishment of a balance, a balance between the gravitational force of the sphere and the speed at which the gas molecules travel. God contrived a precise balance in order to raise the sky high without pillars.

However, this design had to be coupled with what was necessary for its perpetuity.

Verily, God is the One who holds the heavens and the earth, lest they cease. (35: 41)

The establishment of this balance depends on the synchronization of a variety of data. For instance, the heat balance of the surface of the earth depends on the position of the earth in relation to the sun, which, in turn, will affect the motion of gas molecules. The rotation of the earth is an important factor for the homogeneity of heat. If there is an increase in this speed, the atmosphere will scatter; if, on the other hand, this speed slows down, the homogeneity will be upset, for the atmosphere will be absorbed by the soil. For the maintenance of the atmosphere, the difference in temperature between the equator and the polar regions and the chains of mountains like the Himalayas, the Taurus Mountains and the Alps that forestall the terrible consequences that air currents would generate are also important. The chain of mountains contributes to the preservation of the balance by blocking the winds blowing upon the surface of our sphere and gathering the cold air at heights. The gases in the atmosphere also play an important role in the maintenance of the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, whose proportion in the atmosphere is insignificant, has the function of covering the earth as a blanket, thus preventing the loss of heat at night. From the raison d’être of the mountain range to the creation of carbon dioxide, from the magnitude of the earth to the position of the sun, from the balance of heat on the surface of the earth to the characteristics and speeds of gases in the atmosphere, everything has been designed with an unerring precision in perfect conformity. An atmosphere can function without adhering to the earth, without getting scattered in every possible direction, thanks to innumerable conditions.

Verily in these things there are signs for those who understand. (13: 4)

By the sky that returns (86: 11)

Once the layers of the atmosphere came to be differentiated, it was understood that the Troposphere, which is one of these layers, prevented the escape of vapor into space and contributed to the perpetuation of life on earth. This layer sends the condensed vapor back to earth in the form of precipitation.

Most of the phenomena that we have studied during our examination of the verse and in which the sky was likened to “a well protected roof” occur thanks to the sky’s return of certain things. The sky protects our world by sending back the radioactive particles, radiation and harmful ultraviolet rays coming from the space. While it reflects back to space what is harmful for man, it prevents the evaporated water necessary for life on earth from leaving the atmosphere. The Quran’s reference to this characteristic of sky, explored only in the last century, cannot be explained by the lore of the contemporaries of the Prophet.

UMBRELLA UNAFFECTED BY ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES

If the atmosphere had not been endowed with this capacity, the maintenance of a desired temperature to foster life on earth would be impossible. Life is possible only within a narrow temperature bracket. In the spectrum of heat ranging from the temperature in the sun to absolute zero, life thrives only in a span of less than 1%. Once attained, maintenance of this 1% span is difficult. A sudden fall and rise in temperatures would also be deadly. For instance, when we feel comfortable, say at an ambient temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, we witness a sudden increase of temperature, rising as high as 100 degrees Celsius or there is a sudden fall to -100 degrees Celsius, destruction would be imminent. The atmosphere’s returning power maintains stability.

The composition of the atmosphere is as follows: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% carbon dioxide plus other gases. These rates are ideal for life on earth. If, for instance, the proportion of oxygen rose from 21% up to 22%, the chance of lightning likely to start a forest fire would increase by 70%. Had the oxygen and nitrogen rates in the atmosphere been in excess of what they actually are, vital functions gaining momentum would be to the detriment of life. Had these been inferior, these vital functions would sensibly slow down again, causing great damage to living beings. The steady maintenance of these rates has been possible by a series of phenomena of which the atmosphere’s property of reflection is but one; but the lack of this one characteristic would be fatal. Who would claim that this perfect umbrella immune to all adverse circumstances was a fortuitous event? Who would assert that our being protected and well guarded is the result of happy coincidences that duly perform their duties in keeping for us the water and the air vital for our survival? Our Creator has beyond doubt designed everything to serve its purpose before infusing life to us. The Quran He has sent was meant to enable us to behold His wonderful creation.

Not without purpose did We create heaven and earth and all between! Such is the thinking of those who disbelieve. (38: 27)

And We made the sky a well protected roof. Still they turn away from its signs. (21: 32)

Despite its transparent structure, our atmosphere puts up a bold front against this meteorite bombardment like a steel shield. Had it not been for this feature, there would have been no life on earth, and our world would have been riddled with holes. We witnessed a sample of it when we landed on the moon. Meteor showers kept hitting the surface and the meteoric bodies of greater volume penetrated the crust of the moon, digging deep holes on it. Meteors strike the molecules in the atmosphere with a great speed, and the heat generated turns them into dust particles before disappearing in the air.

The atmosphere also has the function filtering the harmful rays of the sun, protecting life on earth against extinction. This ingenious design partially absorbs incident electromagnetic radiation. Thus, the atmosphere filters the rays harmful to life while letting the rays that foster life on earth pass through. The heavens perfectly perform the duties and functions apportioned to them by God, and unfold before the eyes of those able to discriminate intelligent and teleological creation.

The verse refers once more to the dogmatic disbelievers blind to these marvels. All these formations in the atmosphere show the design behind them, namely, the creation and perpetuation of life. The approximate temperature in space is -270 degrees Celsius. Our earth is protected against this cold thanks to the atmosphere. The atmosphere prevents the energy directed to the earth from going back to space. The atmosphere arranges an even distribution of heat on earth by meteorological phenomena. A hot air mass is thus carried to parts less warm in the atmosphere, establishing a balance between the overheated equatorial and the cold polar regions. Protection from the lethal cold and heat is secured thanks to the perfect design of the atmosphere. The Arabic word “sema” (meaning sky, heaven in addition to its signification of atmosphere) may have the connotation of the entirety of space and the phenomena taking place in it, as well.

VAN ALLEN BELTS

The Van Allen belts protect us against radiation bombardment. Had it not been for this, life on earth would have been impossible. The lethal cosmic rays coming from the stars other than the sun cannot penetrate this shield. These plasma clouds can reach 100 billion-fold the value of the atom bomb dropped over Hiroshima. Thanks to the Van Allen belts at a distance of 60,000 km from the world, the solar winds cannot penetrate the earth we live in. The “Well protected roof” in the verse 21:32 was the result of the speed of rotation of our world, its position in relation to the sun, the structure, the shape and thickness of atmospheric layers, the structure of the core of the earth, the proportion of the constituents in its composition and the perfect and harmonious combinations of a multitude of parameters have made this possible. The Author of all these prerequisites for our life cannot be other than the Creator Himself. Logic and conscience cannot accept that all these protective measures in the sky have come about fortuitously and that the Quran was the product of a human intellect and genius

The 12th verse of sura 65 mentions the seven heavens and as many layers in the earth. We already saw that the seven layers of the heavens were in perfect harmony with each other, each performing its duty impeccably. The 12th verse of the 65th sura establishes a similarity between the heavens and the earth.

It is God who created the seven heavens and of the earth the same number. The commands flow among them that you may know that God has power over everything and everything is held within the knowledge of God. (65:12)

Our earth is also stratified as the heavens are, and our life on earth depends on these layers. In the Arabic community of the Prophet’s time, the surface of the earth was an expanse full of mystery. The knowledge prevalent at the time did not permit man to have an inkling of the stratigraphy. The fact that the statement in the Quran of the atmospheric layers is almost a replica of this stratification of the earth is another miracle.

LIFE DEPENDENT ON TERRESTRIAL STRATA

As I have already pointed out in previous chapters, the Quran’s statements are not meant to be miracles as such. But the fact that these statements reflect at the same time actualities beyond the grasp of the scientific lore of the Prophet’s time points to announcements of miraculous dimensions. Our aim is not only to establish truths expressed therein, but rather to meditate upon the wonderful designs of God. Thanks to the matter forming the substance of the core that is one of the layers of our sphere, a magnetic field is produced around our world, making life on earth possible. Had the dynamo in the center of the earth been a little bit weaker, the magnetic field around the earth known as the Van Allen belts (belts of intense radiation in space about the earth formed by high-energy charged particles which are trapped by the geomagnetic field) would fail to form an obstacle sufficient enough to stop the lethal radiation threatening our world. The harmony in the concentration of such substances as nickel and iron in liquid form within the core of the earth renders possible the function of the Van Allen belts. All these minutely calculated designs are created in perfect order by our Creator in preparation for man’s emergence upon the earth.

It took our earth billions of years to cool (it is estimated that the earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago). Despite this fact, the core of the earth contains lava, the temperature of which is extremely high. The proportion of the upper crust of the earth, of the soil – on which we live – to the world, may be likened to the ratio of the peel of an apple to its mass. The proportion of the crust of the earth to the diameter of the world is less than 1%. We are far from being conscious of this fact as we read our book, go on a walk, eat and talk. The terrific phenomena occurring in the core of our earth have little unwanted effect on our condition upon the earth where we continue to live as if by the side of a calm lake. These occurrences we qualify as terrific because the high temperatures and magnetic phenomena are in actual fact necessary for our survival. Our existence depends on these phenomena without being adversely effected. The phenomena in question
are far from fortuitous and beyond our control. God is the Author of all these correlated phenomena. It is incumbent upon us to give thanks to our Creator in full consciousness of our human frailty for all the beauties and perfection we are witnessing.

NUMBER OF LAYERS

The earth is made of many different and distinct layers. The deeper layers are composed of heavier metals; they are hotter, denser and under much greater pressure than the outer limits. One of the layers is the Oceanic Crust (1), and another one is the Continental Crust (2). Beneath is the Upper Mantle (3). Another layer is the Asthenosphere (4) that exhibits plastic properties. Beneath is the Lower Mantle (5). The Outer Core (6) is underneath; its liquid content with the dynamo effect generated by the rotating of the earth forms the protective magnetic field around it. And the last layer is the Inner Core (7).

We see that our world is made of layers whose raw material and function vary. The figure 7 is again indicated in the Quran for the layers of the earth. If the two layers are integrated into a single layer for study purposes, changing the figure 7, then the meaning of 7 in the Arabic language must be taken as a plurality. A detailed examination of God’s wonderful world shows that God has power over all things and that God comprehends all things in His knowledge, as it is said in the verse which we examined in this chapter.

The statement in the Quran about seven heavens may be interpreted as seven different strata, seven different dimensions or seven different fields of attraction. A closer analysis of the atmosphere, which, to the naked eye may present uniformity, makes it clear that it is not actually so.

He created the seven heavens (skies) in layers. You do not see any imperfection in the creation by the Gracious. Turn your eyes again. Do you see any flaw? (67: 3)

The different layers of our atmosphere could not have been known at the time of the Prophet. This fact cannot have been established fortuitously. The Quran refers to different layers in the atmosphere in perfect accord with each other. One can also conjecture that such layers can exist in space. The creation of these harmonious layers is a phenomenon visible from the microcosm of the atom to the macrocosm of the universe. Let us remember the layers and orbits of the electron around the nucleus of the atom. The fact that the maximum number of orbits in the atom is seven may also be significant.

The number seven has special connotations in the Quran. As a matter of fact, “seven” in Arabic, also expresses a plurality; the expression “seven heavens,” may either mean the number seven as the actual number of heavens, or a plurality of heavens. This usage of “seven” in the Arabic has been commented upon throughout history by many exegetics. In the sura Luqmaan, 27th verse, the expression “seven seas” is used and in the sura Repentance, verse 80 states that: “Even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, God will not forgive them.” So, it is said that both “seven” and “seventy” express a plurality. A similar usage of the number “seven” expressing a plurality may also be seen in ancient Greek and Roman.

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE OBJECTIVES THEY SERVE

We know now that atmosphere is made of layers that make life on earth possible. The absence of any one of these layers would be the end of life on earth. God, whose flawless art is conspicuous everywhere, displays once again His design by drawing attention – in the Quran – to atmospheric layers. Each of these layers dutifully performs its function contributing to the perfect performance of the whole. The fact that the lifeless atoms of the atmosphere are in the service of man, as if forming a conscious entity, is a consequence of God’s compassion.

The atmosphere is divided into layers, of which the (1) Troposphere is the lowest layer, closest to the surface of the earth. The Troposphere, which is as low as six km, extends to a height of 12 km at the equator. Atmospheric phenomena take place within the portion of three to four kilometers from the surface. 75% of atmospheric gases are in this layer. Above the Troposphere is the (2) Stratosphere extending about 50 km up. The third is (3) the Ozonosphere, the ozone layer in other words, which is the protector from ultraviolet rays having lethal effects on living beings. Above lies the (4) Mesosphere which in turn, is topped by the (5) Thermosphere followed by the (6) Ionosphere, the upper layer reaching to a height of 500 km from the earth. Radio waves are reflected from this layer, rendering communication possible. Above 500 km lies the fringe region known as the (7) Exosphere, extending up to 10,000 km. The proportion of gases in this layer is very low and divided into ions. We can thus divide the atmosphere into 7 layers. The number 7 may change of course, if researchers prefer examining these layers by different groupings.

However it is interesting to find that the commonly agreed classification of atmospheric layers supports the Quranic information and it is beyond mere interest when we evaluate it together with all other scientific remarks in the Quran. Even if the reader does not find this classification persuasive, then he or she may subscribe to the alternative understanding that the figure seven expresses a plurality, without bringing any change in the miraculous significance of the verse. This double meaning of “seven layers” thus leaves no loopholes. Separating the atmosphere into harmonious layers is a modern discovery. The level of scientific knowledge at the time of the descent of the Quran did not permit making differentiation between the layers of atmosphere. Verse 12 of sura 41 reads: “So He ordained them seven heavens (skies) in two days (periods) and revealed in every heaven its affair…” making it clear that every layer served a different purpose, thanks to which life on earth was possible.