QUR'ANIC VERSES WITH IMPORTANT GEOLOGICAL CONNOTATIONS

By: Dr. / Zaghloul El-Naggar



As mentioned above, the Glorious Qur’an is basically a book of
guidance, revealed by The Creator (all glory be to Him) to man in
areas that cannot be answered by the human intellect such as the
essence of faith, the acts of worship, the moral code and the rules
and regulations that govern the various transactions between human
beings. Besides this guidance, the Glorious Qur’an refers to the
cosmos (the earth and the heavens, as well as to many of their
components, inhabitants and phenomena) in numerous verses, that exceed
1000 in number. Such references come in the context of testifying for
the unlimited might, knowledge and wisdom of The Creator Who has
brought this universe into being, and is capable of this annihilation
and of its recreation. Consequently, the Qur’anic cosmic verses are
not meant to be pieces of scientific information per se, as scientific
knowledge has been left for man to gain (through observation and
conclusion or experimentation, observation and conclusion) over a long
span of time. This is simply due to the limitations of the human
senses and the cumulative nature of the scientific knowledge. Yet, the
illustrious Qur’an, being the word of The Creator, and hence, the
absolute truth, Qur’anic verses with cosmic reflections must convey a
number of absolute facts about the universe. Of these verses, a large
number speaks of the earth, which is mentioned 461 times throughout
the Glorious Qur’an to describe the whole planet, its outer rocky
layer or the soil section that covers its rocky surface. Verses of
geological interest amongst these amount to more than 110, and can be
grouped into 11 categories as follows:



1- One verse that instructs man to travel through the earth, make his
own observations and use such surveillances to reflect on how creation
was originated

"Say: "Travel in the land and see how (Allah) originated creation, and
then Allah will bring forth (resurrect) the creation of the Hereafter
(i.e. resurrection after death). Verily, Allah is Able to do all
things."

(Surat Al-'Ankabut (The Spider): 20).

2- A group of verses that refer to the shape of the earth

" And it is He Who spread out the earth, and placed therein firm
mountains and rivers and of every kind of fruits He made Zawjain
Ithnain (two in pairs-may mean two kinds or it may mean: of two
varieties, e.g. black and white, sweet and sour, small and big).He
brings the night as a cover over the day. Verily, in these things,
there are Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.) for people
who reflect."

(Surat Ar-Ra'd (The Thunder): 3);

"And the earth We have spread out, and have placed therein firm
mountains, and caused to grow therein all kinds of things in due
proportion."

(Surat Al-Hijr (The Rocky Tract): 19);

"{Musa (Moses)} said: "Lord of the east and the west, and all that is
between them, if you did but understand!"

(Surat Ash-Shu'ara (The Poets):28);



"He has created the heavens and the earth with truth. He makes the
night to go in the day and makes the day to go in the night. And He
has subjected the sun and the moon. Each running (on a fixed course)
for an appointed term. Verily, He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-
Forgiving."

(Surat (Az-Zumar (The Groups): 5) ;



"And the earth! We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains
standing firm, and have produced therein every kind of lovely growth
(plants)."

(Surat Qaf: 7);



"(He is) the Lord of the two easts (places of sunrise during early
summer and early winter) and the Lord of the two wests (places of
sunset during early summer and early winter)."

(Surat Ar-Rahman (The Most Gracious):17);



"It is Allah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like
thereof (i.e. seven). His Command descends between them (heavens and
earth), that you may know that Allah has power over all things, and
that Allah surrounds (comprehends) all things in (His) Knowledge."

(Surat At-Talaq (The Divorce):12);



"Who has created the seven heavens one above another; you can see no
fault in the creation of the Most Gracious. Then look again: "Can you
see any rifts?"

(Surat Al-Mulk (Dominion):3);



"So I swear by the Lord of all the (three hundred and sixty (360))
points of sunrise and sunset in the east and the west that surely We
are Able, To replace them by (others) better than them; and We are not
to be outrun."

(Surat Al-Ma'arij (The Ways of Ascent):40-41);



Its motions "And He it is Who has created the night and the day, and
the sun and the moon, each in an orbit floating."

(Surat Al-Anbiya' (The Prophets):33);



"It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night
outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit."

(Surat Ya-Sin: 40);



"And you will see the mountains and think them solid, but they shall
pass away as the passing away of the clouds. The Work of Allah, Who
perfected all things, verily! He is Well-Acquainted with what you do."

(Surat An-Naml (The Ants): 88);



"And it is He Who spread out the earth, and placed therein firm
mountains and rivers and of every kind of fruits He made Zawjain
Ithnain (two in pairs-may mean two kinds or it may mean: of two
varieties, e.g. black and white, sweet and sour, small and big).He
brings the night as a cover over the day. Verily, in these things,
there are Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.) for people
who reflect."

(Surat Ar-Ra'd (The Thunder): 3);

"And by the sun and its brightness; By the moon as it follows it (the
sun); By the day as it shows up (the sun's) brightness; By the night
as it conceals it (the sun);"

(Surat Ash-Shams (The Sun):1-4);

"By the night as it envelops. By the day as it appears in
brightness;" (Surat Al-Lail (The Night): 1-2);



"He it is Who has appointed for you the night that you may rest
therein, and the day to make things visible (to you). Verily, in this
are Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations,
etc.) for a people who listen (i.e. those who think deeply)."

(Surat Yunus (Jonah):67);



"And have made the night as a covering (through its darkness), And
have made the day for livelihood."

(Surat An-Naba' (The Great News): 10-11);



"If you were to ask them: "Who has created the heavens and the earth
and subjected the sun and the moon?" They will surely reply: "Allah."
How then are they deviating (as polytheists and disbelievers)?"

(Surat Al-Ankabut (The Spider):61);



"See you not (O Muhammad (pbuh)) that Allah merges the night into the
day (i.e. the decrease in the hours of the night are added in the
hours of the day), and merges the day into the night (i.e. the
decrease in the hours of day are added in the hours of night), and has
subjected the sun and the moon, each running its course for a term
appointed; and that Allah is All-Aware of what you do."

(Surat Luqman: 29);



"He merges the night into the day (i.e. the decrease in the hours of
the night is added to the hours of the day), and He merges the day
into the night (i.e. the decrease in the hours of day is added to the
hours of night). And He has subjected the sun and the moon: each runs
its course for a term appointed. Such is Allah, your Lord; His is the
kingdom. And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him, own
not even a Qitmir (the thin membrane over the date-stone)."

(Surat Fatir (The Originator of Creation, or The Angels):13);



"He merges night into day (i.e. the decrease in the hours of the night
is added into the hours of the day), and merges day into night (i.e.
the decrease in the hours of the day is added into the hours of the
night), and He has full knowledge of whatsoever is in the breasts."

(Surat Al-Hadid (Iron): 6);



"And a sign for them is the night. We withdraw therefrom the day, and
behold, they are in darkness."

(Surat Ya-Sin: 37);



"Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the
alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea
with that which is of use to mankind, and the water (rain) which Allah
sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its
death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has
scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are
held between the sky and the earth, are indeed Ayat (proofs,
evidences, signs, etc.) for people of understanding."

(Surat Al-Baqarah (The Cow):164);



"Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the
alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of
understanding."

(Surat Al-'Imran (The Family of Imran):190);



"Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day and in all that
Allah has created in the heavens and the earth are Ayat (proofs,
evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) for those people
who keep their duty to Allah, and fear Him much."

(Surat Yunus (Jonah): 6);



"And it is He Who gives life and causes death, and His is the
alternation of night and day. Will you not then understand?"

(Surat Al-Mu'minun (The Believers):80);



"And in the alternation of night and day, and the provision (rain)
that Allah sends down from the sky, and revives therewith the earth
after its death, and in the turning about of the winds (i.e. sometimes
towards the east or north, and sometimes towards the south or west
sometimes bringing glad tidings of rain etc., and sometimes bringing
the torment), are signs for a people who understand."

(Surat Al-Jathiyah (The Kneeling):5);





And its origin "Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens
and the earth were joined together as one united piece, then We parted
them? And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not
then believe?"

(Surat Al-Anbiya' (The Prophets):30);



Where both the earth and the heavens are clearly described to have
constituted (in their distant past) a single entity (the initial
singularity~ primordial body) before they split apart (or the so-
called Big Bang). Such group also includes verses that emphasize the
vastly distant positions of stars



"So I swear by the setting of the stars. And verily that is indeed a
great oath, if you but know. "

(Surat Al-Waqi'ah (The Event):75-76);



The expanding nature of the universe



"With power did We construct the heaven. Verily, We are Able to extend
the vastness of space thereof." (Surat Adh-Dhariyat (The Winds that
Scatter):47) ~ The smoky nature of the early sky (universe)"Then He
rose over (Istawa) towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to
it and to the earth: "Come both of you willingly or unwillingly." They
both said: "We come willingly. Then He completed and finished from
their creation (as) seven heavens in two Days and He made in each
heaven its affair. And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with
lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to guard (from the devils
by using them as missiles against the devils). Such is the Decree of
Him the All-Mighty, the All-Knower."

(Surat Fussilat (They are explained in detail):11-12),



The existence of the interstellar matter



"Surely, in disbelief are they who say that Allah is the Messiah, son
of Maryam (Mary). Say (O Muhammad (pbuh)): "Who then has the least
power against Allah, if He were to destroy the Messiah, son of Maryam
(Mary), his mother, and all those who are on the earth together?" And
to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all
that is between them. He creates what He wills. And Allah is Able to
do all things. And (both) the Jews and the Christians say: "We are the
children of Allah and His loved ones." Say: "Why then does He punish
you for your sins?" Nay, you are but human beings of those He has
created, He forgives whom He wills and He punishes whom He wills. And
to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all
that is between them; and to Him is the return (of all)."

(Surat Al-Maidah (The Table spread with Food): 17-18);



"If you ask them (about this), they decla "We were only talking
idly and joking." Say: "Was it at Allah (ÚÒ æ Ìá), and His Ayat
(proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His
Messenger (pbuh) that you were mocking?"

(Surat At-Taubah (The Repentance): 65);



"And let not their speech grieve you (O Muhammad (pbuh)), for all
power and honour belong to Allah. He is the All-Hearer, the All-
Knower."

(Surat Yunus (Jonah):65);



"Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in
six Days. Then He Istawa (rose over) the Throne (in a manner that
suits His Majesty). The Most Beneficent (Allah)! Ask Him (O Prophet
Muhammad SAW), (concerning His Qualities, His rising over His Throne,
His creations, etc.), as He is Al-Khabeer (The All-Knower of
everything i.e. Allah)."

(Surat Al-Furqan (The Criterion):59);



"{Musa (Moses)} said: "The Lord of the heavens and the earth, and all
that is between them, if you seek to be convinced with
certainty." (Surat Ash-Su'ara (The Poets):24);



"Do they not think deeply (in their ownselves) about themselves (how
Allah created them from nothing, and similarly He will resurrect
them)? Allah has created not the heavens and the earth, and all that
is between them, except with truth and for an appointed term. And
indeed many of mankind deny the Meeting with their Lord."

(Surat Ar-Rum (The Romans) ;



"Allah it is He Who has created the heavens and the earth, and all
that is between them in six Days. Then He rose over (Istawa) the
Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). You (mankind) have none,
besides Him, as a Wali (protector or helper) or an intercessor. Will
you not then remember (or receive admonition)?"

(Surat As-Sajdah (The Prostration):4);



"So he looked down and saw him in the midst of the Fire."

(Surat As-Saffat (Those Ranged in Ranks): 55);



"Or is it that the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that
is between them is theirs? If so, let them ascend up with means (to
the heavens)!"

(Surat Sad: 10);



"The Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them,
the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving."

(Surat Sad: 66);



"And Blessed is He to Whom belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the
earth, and all that is between them, and with Whom is the knowledge of
the Hour, and to Whom you (all) will be returned."

(Surat Az-Zukhrf (The Gold Adornments):85);



"We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them
except with truth, and for an appointed term. But those who disbelieve
turn away from that whereof they are warned."

(Surat Al-Ahqaf (The Curved Sand-hills):3);



"And indeed We created the heavens and the earth and all between them
in six Days and nothing of fatigue touched Us."

(Surat Qaf: 38);



And the concentric nature of both heavens and the earth (the universe)
{"See you not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above
another,"

(Surat Nuh (Noah):15);



"It is Allah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like
thereof (i.e. seven). His Command descends between them (heavens and
earth), that you may know that Allah has power over all things, and
that Allah surrounds (comprehends) all things in (His) Knowledge."

(Surat At-Talaq (The Divorce): 12) ;}.

3- One verse that emphasizes the extraterrestrial origin of iron in
our planet



"Indeed We have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs, and revealed
with them the Scripture and the Balance (justice) that mankind may
keep up justice. And We brought forth iron wherein is mighty power (in
matters of war), as well as many benefits for mankind, that Allah may
test who it is that will help Him (His religion), and His Messengers
in the unseen. Verily, Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty."

(Surat Al-Hadid (Iron):25).



4- One verse that describes the deeply fractured (faulted) nature of
the earth and reflects on the relationship between such fractures
(faults) and the recurrence of earthquakes



"And the earth which splits (with the growth of trees and plants),"

(Surat At-Tariq (The Night-Comer):12).



5- A group of verses that describe some of the most recently
discovered oceanographic phenomena such as:



(a) The superheated nature of the bottoms of certain seas
and oceans (implying intensive submarine volcanic activity associated
with sea-floor spreading)



"Verily, the Torment of your Lord will surely come to pass," (Surat At-
Tur (The Mount): 6).



(b) The complete separation of different bodies of water
(fresh and saline, as well as saline waters of different compositions)
that do not mix completely or immediately due to the constant presence
of impassable barriers in between



"And it is He Who has let free the two seas (kinds of water), one
palatable and sweet, and the other salt and bitter, and He has set a
barrier and a complete partition between them."

(Surat Al-Furqan (The Criterion):53);



"He has let loosed the two seas (the salt water and the sweet) meeting
together."

(Surat Ar-Rahman (The Most Gracious):19).



6- One verse that describes mountains as pegs or pickets



"And the mountains as pegs?" (Surat An-Naba' (The Great News):7),
emphasizing their relatively small, above-ground elevations, compared
to their much more deeply hurried parts (roots), and their role in the
fixation of continental masses as well as of the whole planet. This
fact is emphasized in ten other verses that also ascribe more
functions to mountains such as their part in the process of
precipitation of rain and in the formation of natural heads for
running streams



" And it is He Who spread out the earth, and placed therein firm
mountains and rivers and of every kind of fruits He made Zawjain
Ithnain (two in pairs-may mean two kinds or it may mean: of two
varieties, e.g. black and white, sweet and sour, small and big). He
brings the night as a cover over the day. Verily, in these things,
there are Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.) for people
who reflect."

(Surat Ar'Ra'd (The Thunder):3);



"And the earth We have spread out, and have placed therein firm
mountains, and caused to grow therein all kinds of things in due
proportion." (Surat Al-Hijr (The Rocky Tract): 19);

"And He has affixed into the earth mountains standing firm, lest it
should shake with you; and rivers and roads, that you may guide
yourselves."

(Surat An-Nahl (The Bees):15);



"And We have placed on the earth firm mountains, lest it should shake
with them, and We placed therein broad highways for them to pass
through, that they may be guided."

(Surat Al-Anbiya (The Prophets):31);



"Is not He (better than your gods) Who has made the earth as a fixed
abode, and has placed rivers in its midst, and has placed firm
mountains therein, and has set a barrier between the two seas (of salt
and sweet water).Is there any ilah (god) with Allah? Nay, but most of
them know not."

(Surat An-Naml (The Ants):61);



"And the earth! We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains
standing firm, and have produced therein every kind of lovely growth
(plants)."

(Surat Qaf: 7);



"And the mountains He has fixed firmly;"

(Surat An-Nazi'at (Those Who Pull Out):32).



In the twelfth verse of this group, the Qur’an asks the human beings
to contemplate on a number of observations in the universe including
how mountains are made to stand up on the surface of the earth" And at
the mountains, how they are rooted (and fixed firm)?"

(Surat Al-Ghashiyah (The Overwhelming):19).



Such speculation has led to the formulation of the concept of isostacy
which is currently used to explain such phenomenon. In another verse
of this group



"See you not that Allah sends down water (rain) from the sky, and We
produce therewith fruits of various colors, and among the mountains
are streaks white and red, of varying colors and (others) very black."

(Surat Fatir (The Originator of Creation, or The Angels):27);



The Qur’an describes mountains as being composed of white and red
tracts of various shades of colors and of others that are black and
intense in hue. This is probably referring to both acidic mountains
(which are dominantly granitic in composition, with overwhelming white
and red colors of various shades) and basic to ultra basic mountains
(which are dominantly basaltic I gabbroic in composition with black
colored ferromagnesian minerals). Each of these major primary rock
groups have its specific chemical and mineralogical composition as
well as its specific temperature of separation from its mother magma.
Their dominant colors are also reflected in their secondary and or
tertiary products of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, and hence, the
Importance of these three principal colors (white, red and black) in
the classification of igneous rocks and of their derivatives.



7- A group of verses that reflect on the earth’s hydrosphere and
atmosphere, which are both clearly stated to have been out gassed from
within the earths a fact that is only very recently discovered



"And after that He spread the earth; And brought forth therefrom its
water and its pasture;"

(Surat An-Nazi'at (Those Who Pull Out):30-31).



Other verses in this group comment on the protective nature of the
atmosphere for life on earth" And We have made the heaven a roof, safe
and well guarded. Yet they turn away from its signs (i.e. sun, moon,
winds, clouds, etc.)."

(Surat Al-Anbiya (The Prophets):32);



"By the sky (having rain clouds) which gives rain, again and again."

(Surat At-Tariq (The Night-Comer):11),



The absolute darkness of the outer space



"And even if We opened to them a gate from the heaven and they were to
keep on ascending thereto (all the day long). They would surely say
(in the evening): "Our eyes have been (as if) dazzled (we have not
seen any angel or heaven). Nay, we are a people bewitched." (Surat Al-
Hijr (The Rocky Tract), the reduction of atmospheric pressure with
elevation" And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to
Islam; and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast
closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky. Thus Allah
puts the wrath on those who believe not." (Al-An'am (The Cattle):125)
and the glowing nature of the early nights of our planet before the
formation of its protective atmospheric layers

"And We have appointed the night and the day as two Ayat (signs etc.).
Then, We have obliterated the sign of the night (with darkness) while
We have made the sign of the day illuminating, that you may seek
bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the number of the years
and the reckoning. And We have explained everything (in detail) with
full explanation."

(Surat Al-Isra' (The Journey by Night):12).



8- A group of verses that emphasize the thinness of the earth’s crust



"And Allah has made for you the earth a wide expanse."

(Surat Nuh (Noah):19),



The constant leveling and degradation of the earth’s surface and the
gradual change in the geographic dimensions of continental masses, and
even the contraction of the whole planet and the deformation of its
surface" See they not that We gradually reduce the land (of the
disbelievers, by giving it to the believers, in war victories) from
its outlying borders. And Allah judges, there is none to put back His
Judgment and He is Swift at reckoning."

(Surat Ar-Ra'd (The Thunder):41);



"Nay, We gave the luxuries of this life to these men and their fathers
until the period grew long for them. See they not that We gradually
reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders? Is it
then they who will overcome." (Surat Al-Anbiya' (The Prophets):44);



"Have We not made the earth as a bed,"

(Surat An-Naba' (The Great News):6).



9- Verses emphasizing the fact that Groundwater is generated from
rain, thus reflecting on the hydro geological cycle



"And We sent down from the sky water (rain) in (due) measure, and We
gave it lodging in the earth, and verily, We are Able to take it
away."

(Surat Al-Mu'minun (The Belivers):18),

And others relating life on earth to water

"Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth
were joined together as one united piece, then We parted them? And We
have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?"

(Surat Al-Anbiya' (The Prophets):30);



"Allah has created every moving (living) creature from water. Of them
there are some that creep on their bellies, and some that walk on two
legs, and some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills. Verily,
Allah is Able to do all things." (Surat An-Nur (The Light):45) or
reflecting on the possibility of classifying life forms" Have they not
seen how many a generation before them We have destroyed whom We had
established on the earth such as We have not established you? And We
poured out on them rain from the sky in abundance, and made the rivers
flow under them. Yet We destroyed them for their sins, and we created
after them other generations."

(Surat Al-An'am (The Cattle):38).



10- Verses emphasizing the fact that the process of creation took
place in successive stages over tremendously long spans of time



"Say (O Muhammad (pbuh)):" Do you verily disbelieve in Him Who created
the earth in two Days? And you set up rivals (in worship) with Him?
That is the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, Jinn and all that exists).
He placed therein (i.e. the earth) firm mountains from above it, and
He blessed it, and measured therein its sustenance (for its dwellers)
in four Days equal (i.e. all these four days were equal in the length
of time) for all those who ask (about its creation). Then He rose over
(Istawa) towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to
the earth: "Come both of you willingly or unwillingly." They both
said: "We come willingly." Then He completed and finished from their
creation (as) seven heavens in two Days and He made in each heaven its
affairs. And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars)
to be an adornment as well as to guard (from the devils by using them
as missiles against the devils). Such is the Decree of Him the All-
Mighty, the All-Knower."

(Surat Fussilat (They are explained in detail):9-12);



"And they ask you to hasten on the torment! And Allah fails not His
Promise. And verily, a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of
what you reckon."

(Surat Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage):47);



"He manages and regulates (every) affair from the heavens to the
earth; then it (affair) will go up to Him, in one Day, the space
whereof is a thousand years of your reckoning (i.e. reckoning of our
present world's time)."

(Surat As-Sajdah (The Prostration):5), etc.)



11- Verses that describe the end of our planet and of the whole
universe by reversing the process of its creation (the so-called Big
Crunch)



"And (remember) the Day when We shall roll up the heavens like a
scroll rolled up for books. As We began the first creation, We shall
repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon Us. Truly, We shall do
it." (Surat Al-Anbiya' (The Prophets):104), after which the eternal
universe will be created" On the Day when the earth will be changed to
another earth and so will be the heavens, and they (all creatures)
will appear before Allah, the One, the Irresistible."

(Surat Ibrahim (Abraham):48).



Such knowledge was not available before the turn of the present
century, and most of it has just started to be understood through the
painstaking analysis of massive amounts of scientific observations.
The Qur’anic precedence with such precise and comprehensive knowledge
points to only one of the multifarious miraculous nature of this
Glorious Book, being the last Divine Message, and the only one that
has been kept intact with exactly the same language of revelation word
to word and letter to letter for more than 14 centuries. From the
above mentioned discussion it is obvious that Qur’anic verses with
geological notions exceed 110 in number and need voluminous texts to
explain. Consequently, the present paper concentrates on verses which
represent established facts and concepts in the area of Earth Sciences
and are only given as examples of the miraculous nature of the
Glorious Qur’an as follows:



A- The Fractured earth. And by the Earth which has its own fault "
And the earth which splits (with the growth of trees and plants),"

(Surat At-Tariq (The Night-Comer):12)



This Qur’anic verse comes in the context of an oath, while Allah (all
glory be to Him) is definitely above giving such a pledge.
Consequently, this is understood as an emphasis for the special
significance of the matter by which the oath is given. Now, what is
the special significance of the faults of our planet? Early
commentators on the Glorious Qur’an saw this significance in the
fracturing of the soil by the sprouting plants, which is very true.
Once you place a seed in the soil and water it properly, it starts to
germinate and a green shoot starts to penetrate the soil and grow into
a fully developed plant, bearing beautiful flowers, delicious fruits
and / or magnificent wood. However, Earth Scientists have recently
discovered that the Earth’s outer rocky sphere (Lithosphere; which is
about 65- 70 km thick under the oceans and 120-150 km thick under
continents) is broken up by a network of deep faults (or rift systems)
into 12 main rigid plates, added to a number of small ones (micro
plates or platelets). These plates float on a semi-molten plastic
layer known as the asthenosphere (the sphere of weakness) and move
freely away from or towards each other, and past one another. At one
boundary of each plate (or micro plate) molten rock (magma) rises to
form strips of new ocean floor, and at the opposite boundary, the
plate collides with the adjacent plate and moves to sink underneath
it, to be gradually consumed in the underlying uppermost mantle layer
(the asthenosphere) at exactly the same rate of sea-floor spreading at
the opposite side. An ideal rectangular asthospheric plate would thus
have one edge growing at a mid-oceanic rift system (divergent
boundary), an opposite edge being gradually consumed into the
asthenosphere below the over-riding or colliding plate (convergent
boundary) and other two edges sliding past the edges of adjacent
plates along a system of transform faults (transcurrent or transform,
fault boundaries). In this way, the lithospheric plates are constantly
shifting around the globe, despite their rigidity, and as they are
carrying continents with them, such continents are also constantly
drifting away or towards each other. As a lithospheric plate is forced
under another plate and melts, viscous magmas are intruded and
squeezed between the colliding plates, while lighter and more fluid
ones are extruded at the opposite edge to form island-arcs. These
eventually grow into subcontinents and continents, are plastered to
the margins of nearby continents or squeezed between two colliding
continents. Such divergence, convergence and sliding of lithospheric
plates are not confined to ocean basins, but are also found along the
margins, as well as within and in between continents. Both the Red Sea
and the Gulf of California troughs (which are extensions of oceanic
rifts) are currently widening at the rate of 3 cm/year in the former
and 6 cm/year in the latter case. On the other hand, the collision of
the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate resulted in the formation of
the Himalayan Chain, with the highest peaks on the surface of the
Earth. Fault planes traversing the outer rocky sphere of the Earth for
tens of thousands of kilometers across the globe, running in all
directions for a depth of 65-150 km are among the most salient
features of our planet. These came to human notice only after the
Second World War and were only understood within the framework of the
concept of plate tectonics which was finally formulated in the late
sixties and the early seventies of this century. These lithospheric
faults are a globe - encircling system of prominent fracture zones
(65-150 km deep and tens of thousand km long) along which lithospheric
plates are displaced with respect to one another divergently,
convergently or sliding past each other. They are also passageways
through which the trapped heat below the lithosphere is steadily
released, and different maginas are steadily outpouring. Molten magmas
in hot spots, deep in the mantle, being less dense, tend to rise in
the farm of hot plumes that create convection currents which simulate
conveyor belts that carry lithospheric plates and move with them
across the globe. During the early history of the Earth, its interior
was much hotter (due to the greater amount of residual heat of
accumulation and the much greater amounts of radioactive isotopes such
as 235 U and 40 K) and hence convection was much faster and so were
all the phenomena associated with it {such as volcanic activity,
earthquakes, plate movements, mountain-building movement and
continental build-ups, (or the so-called ocean - continent cycle or
the geosynclinal / mountain - building cycle), etc.}. During these
processes, both the atmosphere and the hydrosphere of the Earth were
out gassed, the continents were constructed as positive areas above
the ocean basins ( through the accretion of volcanic island arcs into
sub-continents and continents) and mountains were built. About 500
million years ago the early continents were dispersed across the
surface of the Earth, in positions much different than the ones
occupied by the continents of today. Convection currents then
operating in the mantle ended up by pushing all the early continents
together around 200 million years ago, into a single super continent
(Pangea) above a single super ocean (Panthalassa). The huge landmass
of Pangea acted as a hot lid, impeding heat flow from inside the
Earth. The trapped beat produced a welt right in the middle of the
mother continent. The welt cracked, and the crack propagated along the
axis of the welt both northward (separating North America from North
Africa about 180 million years ago and from Europe about 150 million
years ago) and southward (separating South America from Africa bout
110 million years ago). The last cut was the separation of Greenland
from Norway (about 65 million years ago), when Iceland began forming.
When this break-up of Pangea began, a westward waterway from the
mother ocean (Panthalassa) in the form of a broad gulf (called Tethys)
encroached gradually over Pangea, breaking it into a northern
continent (Laurasia) and a southern one (Gondwana). Further
fragmentation produced the present continental masses which are
currently undergoing more breaking up. The original welt is now the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge, whose axis is still an active site of basaltic
outpourings similar to many other fracture zones along which current
sea-floor spreading is taking place. More than 64,000 km of mid-ocean
rift valleys have been pouring out fresh basaltic material on both
sides of such ruptures in the Earth’s crust, since the very early days
of their formation. The youngest oceanic crust will always be around
the deep rift valleys and will steadily push older crusts away from
it. The oldest existing oceanic crust does not exceed the Mesozoic in
age (about 200 million years old), and is currently being consumed at
the convergent edges of the plates with rates almost equivalent to the
rate of producing new oceanic crust. Few volcanic mountains are also
found on the continents such as the isolated peaks of Mount Ararat
(5100 in), Etna (3300m), Vesuvius (1300m), Kilimanjaro (5900 m) and
Kenya (5100m). These are associated with intra-cratonic, deep rift
systems that traverse the whole thickness of the lithosphere, and
communicate with the uppermost mantle (the asthenosphere), and hence
are currently fragmenting existing continents into smaller landmasses.
From the above mentioned discussion, it becomes obvious that the
magnificent network of deep fault systems (65-150 km deep) that
encircle the globe for tens of thousands of kilometers in all
directions {breaking its outer rocky layer (the lithosphere) into
major, lesser and minor plates, micro plates (or platelets), plate
fragments and remnants} is one of the most striking realities of our
planet. Without these deep fault systems the Earth could not possibly
have been inhabitable. This is simply because of the fact that it is
through such deep faults that the atmosphere, hydrosphere and
lithosphere have been created and are constantly rejuvenated,
continents are steadily built and destroyed, mountains are
constructed, the crust is periodically enriched with new minerals,
lithospheric plates are moved, the accumulating internal heat of the
Earth is gradually and steadily released and the whole dynamics of our
planet are achieved. Consequently, such an established fact of the
Earth is so vital for its existence as well as for our own survival on
its surface that it becomes well deserving to be mentioned in the
Glorious Qur’an as one of the signs of The Creator. However, such fact
did not attract the attention of Earth Scientists until after the
Second World War, and was not fully understood until the late sixties
and the early seventies of this century. The Qur’anic precedence with
such an established salient feature of the Earth more than 14
centuries ago, is one of numerous signs that clearly testify for the
Divine nature of this illustrious Book, and for the truthfulness of
the Prophecy of Muhammad (pbuh).
http://www.elnaggarzr.com/en/index.p...tName=Universe

What possible interest does geology have to people who have had their
heads buried in the sand for several millennia? What interest is a
work of complete fiction on geology to amateur astronomers? Isn't it
true that you are only posting here to get the attention of Western
Muslims so you can radicalise them?

Prophets are lucky guessers remembered only for their most successful
guesses. Arthur C Clarke was a remarkable modern prophet but we don't
worship him. We certainly don't kill and maim people who don't believe
every word he is ever supposed to have uttered. Perhaps we will
by ..er... 3308AD when his thoughts have been corrupted so many times
that any interpretation can be put on them. By literally anybody
desperate for a cause. Any cause as long as they can wield their
little bit of power over others. If the Muslim countries were free and
tolerant then Islam would now be a fading memory.