Science and the Seven Earths: Difference between revisions

This article analyzes the apologetic claim that the Qur'an correctly asserts that their are "seven earths".

Apologetic Claims

Analysis

Seven Layers of Earth's Atmosphere

There is only one atmosphere, but you can classify this one atmosphere by different criteria. If you partition it by temperature, you get 5 layers. By aerodynamical state 4 layers, by radiophysical state 3 layers and by chemical processes 2 layers. There is no classification into 7 layers.

To reach the needed "seven layers" different criteria are being mix to reach the desired number 7. For example, Earth's atmosphere is commonly divided into five main layers based on temperature. From highest to lowest, these layers are:

1. Exosphere
2. Thermosphere
3. Mesosphere
4. Stratosphere
5. Troposphere

Within the five principal layers which are largely determined by temperature, several secondary layers may be distinguished by other properties:

1. Ozone layer
2. Ionosphere
3. Homosphere and heterosphere
4. Planetary boundary layer

Apologists include all five principle layers in their count, then arbitrarily add the ozone layer (which is contained within the stratosphere) and the ionosphere (which forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere) to reach the desired number 7.

If two of the secondary layers are included in the total count, there is no logically viable reason to exclude the planetary boundary layer (the part of the troposphere that is closest to Earth's surface) or the homosphere and heterosphere (which are contained within all five principle layers).

Seven Layers of the Earth

Note the same dishonest approach taken to assign seven layers of the atmosphere - i.e. the double counting of layers.

The general scientific view is that the earth is composed of four or five major layers depending on whether one splits the mantle or not.^[1][2][3]

The five layers are as follows:

1. crust
2. upper mantle
3. lower mantle
4. outer core
5. inner core

There are two ways to classify the composition of the geosphere - chemically, into crust, mantle, and core, or functionally, in the case of the outer layers (crust and mantle) into lithosphere and asthenosphere.^[4][5]

From the evidence above, one can see the apologetic deceit because they double-count the lithosphere/asthenosphere while they also count the crust and upper mantle. Note that this is dishonest because these are alternative classifications. One cannot honestly count all lithosphere, asthenosphere, crust, and upper mantle together as one would be recounting the same rocks.

Recently new scientific hypotheses proposed by J. Marvin Herndon and Prof Xiaodong Song suggest the inner core may be further subdivided into four layers; the inner core, the innermost core, a sub-shell of fission material and decay products, and a subcore of uranium and plutonium forming the georeactor.^[6] If this new theory is accepted the number of layers of the earth rises from five to eight.

Seven Continents of the Earth

The same apologists try to hedge their bets by claiming it is either seven layers or seven continents.

The former explanation (seven layers) would seem more accurate as all translations refer to "earth" and not ground. Nevertheless, although the number of continents is traditionally considered seven, some geographers and scientists think there are only six as Europe and Asia are technically a single land mass (i.e. Eurasia) and on the same tectonic plate.^[7] Therefore, the traditional number of seven continents is more a cultural bias than an actual geographical/geological fact.

Seven Earths

There are Muslims who claim that Allah created seven earths.^[8] If we're not mistaken, this is another pseudo-scientific claim made by Maurice Bucaille.^[9] This is in fact the correct understanding of verse 65:12 supported by various hadiths and tafsir commentaries. However, we only know of one, our own, but no doubt future science will reveal the remaining six.

Conclusion

The scientific evidence do not support the claim that the Qur'anic verse 65:12 foretold the scientific accuracy of the seven layers of the earth when modern geology states that there are only four or five layers, or up to eight if the new hypotheses of the subcore georeactor are accepted.

And if these apologists cared to delve a little deeper into their own sources, they would discover that the seven earths being referred to in verse 65:12 are in fact flat islands, one under the other.^[10]

See Also

• A Qur’anic Understanding of the Universe
• Qur'an and the Descent of Iron Miracle

External Links

• Qur'an & Science Problem: The Seven Earths - Answering Islam

References