WikiIslam

The Quran and Mountains: Difference between revisions

Page Discussion

The Quran and Mountains (view source)

Revision as of 20:44, 18 October 2021

5,898 bytes added ,  18 October 2021
m
no edit summary
[checked revision][unchecked revision]
No edit summary
mNo edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
{{QualityScore|Lead=3|Structure=3|Content=4|Language=4|References=3}}
{{QualityScore|Lead=3|Structure=3|Content=4|Language=4|References=3}}
The [[Qur'an|Quran]] has a particular conception of the nature of mountains, their formation, and the geological role they play that is is referenced in multiple verses and several [[Hadith|hadiths]]. In recent times, many Islamic scholars have argued that this conception is both scientifically sound and and instance of [[Scientific Miracles in the Quran|miraculous scientific foreknowledge]] on the part of the Quran which, they argue, could not have arrived at the conception it holds without divine insight. Individuals key to the popularization of this idea include the [[Apologists|apologists]] I. A. Ibrahim and [[Zakir Naik]], Professor Zaghloul Raghib El Naggar (a geologist specializing in biostratification), and the Saudi-financed surgeon [[Bucailleism|Dr. Maurice Bucaille]].
Modern Islamic Scholars claim that modern science has proved that roots of mountains go inside the earth like pegs, therefore it is a miracle of Quran to tell it correctly 1400 years ago.  


Parties advocating the description of mountains found in the Quran as a scientific miracle identify two key claims made in the scripture: (1) that Mountains can be described as 'pegs' and (2) that mountains play some role in 'stabilizing the Earth' - these two ideas, advocates hold, are evidence of a miraculous scientific insight. Critics problematize the miracle claim by arguing that its advocates: (1) rely on arbitrarily specific definitions of ambiguous words, (2) rely on arbitrarily specific interpretations of ambiguous phrases, (3) rely on readings that are arbitrarily literal or metaphorical, and (4) reference their own authority as the basis of their correctness while failing to provide adequate argumentation. These tactics, critics suggest, are commonly employed in the presentation of any number of scientific miracles claimed on the part of the Qur'an or other Islamic scripture.
While the critics not only deny it to be a miracle of Quran, but also claim that Quran made two scientific mistakes about the mountains.  


==Key verses and terms==
===Advocate's claim: Quran rightly told 1400 years ago that mountains works as pegs/anchors in order to stabilize the otherwise shaking earth===
Key Arabic terms in the discussion surrounding the proposed miracle include ''awtad,'' meaning 'pegs/bulwarks/stabilizers/projections'<ref name="Zakir Naik">Dr. Zakir Naik - [{{Reference archive|1=http://www.ediscoverislam.com/Quran-Islam-and-Science/Islam-Quran-and-Science/the-holy-quran-and-modern-science|2=2011-10-02}} The Quran and Modern Science: Compatible Or Incompatible?] - Islamic Research Foundation</ref>, ''rawasiya'', meaning 'mountains', and ''tameeda'', meaning 'tumble/shake/quake/convulse/sway'<ref name="Campbell">Dr. William Campbell - [{{Reference archive|1=http://answering-islam.org./Campbell/s4c2a.html|2=2011-10-02}} The Qur'an and the Bible in the light of history and science] - PP. 170 - 182</ref>.
They quote the following verses as a proof.  
{{Quote|[https://quranx.com/78.7 Quran 78:7]|وَٱلْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا</br>
And the mountains as '''pegs'''?}}{{Quote|[https://quranx.com/21.31 Quran 21:31]|وجعلنا في الأرض رواسي أن تميد بهم </br>


The word ''rawasiya'' comes from the root ''arsa'', the same root used for the Arabic 'anchor'. To 'throw out' or 'cast' 'the anchor' is ''alqa al-mirsah''. Using these terms, similar to the phrase "cast the anchor to keep the ship from moving", one can say "cast the mountains to keep the earth from shaking."<ref name="Campbell" /> Dr. [[Zakir Naik]] translates ''awtad'' as 'stakes' or 'pegs' (like those used to anchor a tent).<ref name="Zakir Naik" />
And We made on the Earth stabilisers (i.e. Mountains), so that it would not tumble with you.}}
Please also see the verses [https://quranx.com/15.19 15:19], [https://quranx.com/16:15 16:15], and [https://quranx.com/31.10 31:10]
==The idea of Mountains being Pegs had already existed among the Arabs before Muhammad==
The idea of mountains being pegs even existed among the Arabs before Muhammad. For example, Ka’ab was one of the ancestor of Muhammad. This Ka’ab also declared mountains to be pegs long before Muhammad.


===15:19===
{{Quote|[http://web.archive.org/web/20170921141119/http://islamport.com/d/3/tkh/1/78/1963.html History of Ya'qubi]|فأما كعب بن لؤي، فكان أعظم ولد أبيه قدرا، وأعظمهم شرفا، وكان أول من سمي يوم الجمعة بالجمعة، وكانت العرب تسميه عروبة، فجمعهم فيه، وكان يخطب عليهم، فيقول: اسمعوا، وتعلموا، وافهموا، واعلموا أن الليل ساج، والنهار ضاح، والأرض مهاد، والسماء عماد، '''''والجبال أوتاد'''''، والنجوم أعلام، </br>
{{Quote|{{Quran|15|19}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' And the earth We have spread out (like a carpet); set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance.
Ka'ab Bin Lowy was a man of great honour among his ancestors and progeny. He was the first person who gave the name of Friday to the day of Friday. Arabs used to call him 'Aroba. He gathered them and advised them to hear, learn and understand,  and to know that night is deserted and silent, while day is full of sunlight, and earth is a cradle while sky is a support, '''and mountains are pegs''', and stars are signs, ...}}


'''Pickthal:''' And the earth have We spread out, and placed therein firm hills, and caused each seemly thing to grow therein.
Similarly, other civilizations also had the concept of mountains having roots. For example, we find this concept in bible too.  
'''Shakir:''' And the earth -- We have spread it forth and made in it firm mountains and caused to grow in it of every suitable thing.  


'''Transliteration:''' ''Waal-arda madadnaha waalqayna feeha rawasiya waanbatna feeha min kulli shay-in mawzoonin''}}
{{Quote|1=[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jonah%202%3A6&version=NIV (Bible: John 2:6)]|2='''To the roots''' of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.}}Thus, the critics point out that it could not be a miracle of Quran, but it recorded only an old concept.


===16:15===
==There are 2 Scientific mistakes in Quran regarding the creation of mountains==
{{Quote|{{Quran|16|15}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' And He has set up on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you; and rivers and roads; that ye may guide yourselves;
Moreover, the critics claim that the writer of Quran made two scientific mistakes regarding the creation of mountains.


'''Pickthal:''' And He hath cast into the earth firm hills that it quake not with you, and streams and roads that ye may find a way.  
==='''First Mistake''': Allah 'placed جعل' the Mountains 'from above '''من فوقها'''<nowiki/>' into the earth according to the Quran===
According to the modern science, mountains are formed  when two plates tectonic collide with each other, and thus the mountains rise '''from within''' the earth.


'''Shakir:''' And He has cast great mountains in the earth lest it might be convulsed with you, and rivers and roads that you may go aright,
But the Quranic verse 41:10 claimed that Allah 'placed' the mountains 'from above' into the earth.


'''Transliteration:''' ''Waalqa fee al-ardi rawasiya an tameeda bikum waanharan wasubulan laAAallakum tahtadoona''}}{{Quran|16|15}} uses the word ''ard'' which can be used to describe the Earth, its surface, or the ground in general. Critics argue that the ambiguity of this word is critical to the advocates' argument, as it can be and is adapted to variously refer to anything from the Earth, the crust, the lithosphere, the mantle or any combination of the above, as needed.
وَ'''جَعَلَ''' فِيهَا رَوَٰسِىَ '''مِن فَوْقِهَا'''  


Advocates [[The Quran and Mountains#Earthquakes and the meaning of tameeda|sometimes argue]] that the Quran deliberately uses in these contexts the word ''tameeda'', which means 'shaking' or 'disturbance', instead of the word ''zalzala,'' which is used elsewhere in the Quran and means ‘earthquake’, to make it clear that the phenomenon the mountains are said to prevent is not, in fact, earthquakes. Instead, they suggest, it must refer to an unobserved geological phenomenon which takes place on geological timescales (rather than earthquakes, which occur in a much shorter and human timescale). This argument is generally presented in response to the correlation of mountain ranges with earthquakes across the globe (due to the regular and related occurrence of both at tectonic fault-lines). Critics suggest in response that critics are arbitrarily obscuring the meaning of a word and verse whose general meaning, especially when considered in context, is quite clear.  
And He '''placed''' (Arabic: جعل) in it stabilisers (i.e. mountains) '''from above''' (Arabic: من فوقها).([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm Quran Word by Word Translation by Quran Corpus])


===21:31 & 20:105===
And He '''placed''' therein firmly-set mountains '''from above it.''' ([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm Word for Word Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh])
{{Quote|{{Quran|21|31}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' And We have set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with them, and We have made therein broad highways (between mountains) for them to pass through: that they may receive Guidance.  


'''Pickthal:''' And We have placed in the earth firm hills lest it quake with them, and We have placed therein ravines as roads that haply they may find their way.  
And He made in it mountains '''above its surface.''' ([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm Shakir])


'''Shakir:''' And We have made great mountains in the earth lest it might be convulsed with them, and We have made in it wide ways that they may follow a right direction.
And He made on it firm mountains '''from above it.''' ([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar])


'''Transliteration:''' ''WajaAAalna fee al-ardi rawasiya an tameeda bihim wajaAAalna feeha fijajan subulan laAAallahum yahtadoona''}}Other interpretations of {{Quran|21|31}} are as follows:{{Quote|{{Qtt|21|31}}|'''Bewley:''' We placed firmly embedded mountains on the Earth so it would not move under them...  
He has '''placed''' in it (the earth) firm mountains '''from above it.''' ([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm Abdul Hye])


'''Daryabadi:''' And We have placed in the Earth firm mountains lest it should move away with them...  
And He '''placed''' therein firm mountains '''from above it.''' ([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm Dr. Kamal Omar])


'''Hilali & Khan:''' And We have placed in the Earth firm mountains lest it should shake with them...
And He made therein anchorages (i.e., mountains) '''from above it.''' ([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali]):  
'''Al-Muntakhab:''' And We furnished the Earth with firm stays, mountains placed in a certain setting, fixed as with an anchor, to stabilize it lest it should sway you from side to side or in all directions..}}Another verse used to evidence the idea that mountains have roots is {{Quran|20|105}}. Although the verse makes no reference to the word 'root', a number of translators include this interpretation in their translations. Advocates use such translations, including those of Yusuf Ali and al-Muntakhab, to buttress their argument. Critics argue that such evidence is vacuous, as the word 'root' no where appears in the verse, and the advocates of the miracle are simply referencing those specific translators who both already concur with them and have taken the liberty to insert that interpretation into their respective translations.{{Quote|{{Qtt|20|105}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' They ask thee concerning the Mountains: say, "My Lord will uproot them and scatter them as dust;


'''Pickthal:''' They will ask thee of the mountains (on that day). Say: My Lord will break them into scattered dust.  
And He '''placed''' on the earth firmly set mountains '''over its surface.''' ([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm Sahih International])


'''Shakir:''' And they ask you about the mountains. Say: My Lord will carry them away from the roots.  
And He '''placed''' in it stabilizers '''from above it.''' ([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm The Monotheist Group])


'''Transliteration:''' ''Wayas-aloonaka AAani aljibali faqul yansifuha rabbee nasfan''}}
And He made/put in it anchors/fixtures/mountains from above it. ([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm Muhammad Ahmed - Samira]) 


===31:10===
And in it He '''placed''' mountains as anchors '''from above it.''' ([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm Faridul Haque]) 
{{Quote|{{Quran|31|10}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' He created the heavens without any pillars that ye can see; He set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you; and He scattered through it beasts of all kinds. We send down rain from the sky, and produce on the earth every kind of noble creature, in pairs.  


'''Pickthal:''' He hath created the heavens without supports that ye can see, and hath cast into the earth firm hills, so that it quake not with you; and He hath dispersed therein all kinds of beasts. And We send down water from the sky and We cause (plants) of every goodly kind to grow therein.
He '''placed''' therein (i.e. the earth) firm mountains '''from above it.''' ([https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/41/10/default.htm Mohsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali])  


'''Shakir:''' He created the heavens without pillars as you see them, and put mountains upon the earth lest it might convulse with you, and He spread in it animals of every kind; and We sent down water from the cloud, then caused to grow therein (vegetation) of every noble kind.
Similarly, verse 16:15 is also telling the same thing that Allah CASTE the mountains into the earth.
{{Quote|[https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/16/15/default.htm Quran 16:15]|وألقى في الأرض رواسي أن تميد بكم </br>
(Sahih International) And He has '''cast''' into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you,}}
The word 'he has cast' is ''alqa'' (lam-qaf-ya), which in this form (Arabic verb form IV) is frequently used elsewhere in the Quran to mean throw or cast. It is the same word as is used in [https://quranx.com/3.44 Quran 3:44] when lots are cast using pens (it would be easy to imagine that mountains were similarly scattered), and [https://quranx.com/12.10 Quran 12:10] when the prophet Yusuf is cast down into the well, and in [https://quranx.com/20.20 Quran 20:20] when Moses casts down his staff, which becomes a snake.


'''Transliteration:''' ''Khalaqa alssamawati bighayri AAamadin tarawnaha waalqa fee al-ardi rawasiya an tameeda bikum wabaththa feeha min kulli dabbatin waanzalna mina alssama-i maan faanbatna feeha min kulli zawjin kareemin''}}
According to the modern science, mountains are not 'placed'/'cast' over earth's surface, but they are formed when two plates tectonics collide with each other (i.e. when earthquake takes place), then crust of one plate goes upwards and forms a mountain, while the crust of other plate goes downwards.


===78:6-7===
And then this process of colliding of plates tectonics (i.e. earthquakes) continues for millions of years, and with each collision mountains keep on rising high little by little. And when the plates tectonics start to move away from each other, then these high mountains start  to erode and after millions of years, they completely disappear.
{{Quote|{{Quran|78|6-7}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, And the mountains as pegs?


'''Pickthal:''' Have We not made the earth an expanse, And the high hills bulwarks?
For example, there existed no Mount Everest 250 million years ago. But then two plates tectonics collided with each other, and a small Mount Everest came into being due to that. Then it kept on gaining height with each collision of the plates tectonics. Today it is the highest mountain. It will keep on gaining even more height, but then a time will come, when it will start eroding and will disappear completely.


'''Shakir:''' Have We not made the earth an even expanse? And the mountains as projections (thereon)?
Moreover, there are other type of mountains too, which are formed when Lava comes out from inside the earth. When this lava cools down, it forms high and big mountains, which are known as [http://www.universetoday.com/29833/how-mountains-are-formed/ Volcanic Mountains].
==='''Second Mistake''': Allah had already made the mountains on the day of Sunday at time of the creation of the universe===
Quran claims that Allah had already created the mountains on the 2nd day of creation.
{{Quote|1=[https://quranx.com/41.9?context=4 Quran 41:9-11]|2=Say, "Do you indeed disbelieve in He who created '''the earth in two days''' and attribute to Him equals? That is the Lord of the worlds. '''And He placed on the earth firmly set mountains over its surface''', and He blessed it and determined therein its [creatures'] sustenance in (next) four days without distinction - for [the information] of those who ask. Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, "Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion." They said, "We have come willingly."}}
And Hadith made it more clear that 2nd day of creation was Sunday, when the mountains were created by Allah. {{Quote|[http://sunnah.com/muslim/52/10 Sahih Muslim]|Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger took hold of my hands and said:


'''Transliteration:''' ''Alam najAAali al-arda mihadan Waaljibala awtadan''}}
Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, created the clay on Saturday and He created the mountains on Sunday and He created the trees on Monday and He created the things entailing labour on Tuesday and created light on Wednesday and lie caused the animals to spread on Thursday and created Adam (peace be upon him) after 'Asr on Friday; the last creation at the last hour of the hours of Friday, i.e. between afternoon and night.}}
But according to the modern science<ref>[https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a34910714/why-mount-everest-and-swiss-alps-are-getting-taller/ Popular Mechanics]</ref><ref>[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/mountains#:~:text=How%20Are%20Mountains%20Formed%3F,in%20a%20head-on%20collision. National Geographic]</ref>: 
 
*Mountains had not already been created on the 2nd day of creation of the heavens (universe) and the earth.
*But earth came into being 9 billion years after the heavens (universe).
*And the earth initially consisted of gases and molten surface only. It took billions of more years to come into solid form.
*And even after earth had already come into solid state, still it took billions of years more in the formation of plates tectonics and then mountains.
*And older mountains erode and disappear with time, and new mountains start forming.  
 
==== Islam advocates: The days of creation with Allah were different than days on the Earth and are of 'unspecified' period of time ====
Islam advocates claim<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201103111946/https://www.dar-alifta.org/Foreign/ViewFatwa.aspx?ID=8031]</ref>:
 
* The days of creation  with Allah are different than the earth.
* Thus those 6 days were of '''unspecified''' period of time.
* Allah didn't tell the length of that period, as humans are unable to '''comprehend''' it.
 
The Critics of Islam answer that claim of "unspecified time" is false, as the writer of the Quran  described the '''specified time''' in the following verses:
{{Quote|[https://quranx.com/22.47 Quran 22:47]|Yet they ask thee to hasten on the Punishment! But Allah will not fail in His Promise. '''Verily a Day in the sight of thy Lord is like a thousand years of YOUR RECKONING'''.}}{{Quote|[https://quranx.com/32.5 Quran 32:5]|He rules (all) affairs from the heavens to the earth: in the end will (all affairs) go up to Him,''' on a Day, the space whereof will be (as) a thousand years of YOUR RECKONING'''.}}
Thus Sahaba (i.e. companions) believed in it that one day of creation was equal to 1000 years of our reckoning.
 
Ibn Kathir writes under the commentary of this verse 22:47:
{{Quote|1=[https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=1&tTafsirNo=7&tSoraNo=22&tAyahNo=47&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1 Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Verse Quran 22:47]|2=قال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا الحسن بن عرفة، حدثني عبدة بن سليمان عن محمد بن عمرو عن أبي سلمة عن أبي هريرة أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال " يدخل فقراء المسلمين الجنة قبل الأغنياء بنصف يوم خمسمائة عام " ورواه الترمذي والنسائي من حديث الثوري عن محمد بن عمرو به، وقال الترمذي حسن صحيح. وقد رواه ابن جرير عن أبي هريرة موقوفاً، فقال حدثني يعقوب، حدثنا ابن علية، حدثنا سعيد الجريري عن أبي نضرة عن سمير بن نهار قال قال أبو هريرة يدخل فقراء المسلمين الجنة قبل الأغنياء بمقدار نصف يوم، قلت وما مقدار نصف يوم؟ قال أو ما تقرأ القرآن؟ قلت بلى، قال { وَإِنَّ يَوْماً عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ }. وقال أبو داود في آخر كتاب الملاحم من سننه حدثنا عمرو بن عثمان، حدثنا أبو المغيرة، حدثنا صفوان عن شريح بن عبيد عن سعد بن أبي وقاص عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال " إني لأرجو أن لا تعجز أمتي عند ربها أن يؤخرهم نصف يوم " قيل لسعد وما نصف يوم؟ قال خمسمائة سنة. وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا أحمد بن سنان، حدثنا عبد الرحمن بن مهدي عن إسرائيل عن سماك، عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس { وَإِنَّ يَوْماً عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ } قال من الأيام التي خلق الله فيها السموات والأرض. ورواه ابن جرير عن ابن بشار عن ابن المهدي، وبه قال مجاهد وعكرمة، ونص عليه أحمد بن حنبل في كتاب الرد على الجهمية، وقال مجاهد هذه الآية كقوله{ يُدَبِّرُ ٱلاَْمْرَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ إِلَى ٱلاَْرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ } السجدة 5.
 
 
Rasool Allah told that the poor people will enter in the paradise half a day before the rich people, '''means 500 years before the rich people (while whole day is equal to 1000 years of people's reckoning)'''. al-Tirmidhi and al-Nisai etc recorded it and al-Tirmidhi said that this tradition is 'Hasan Sahih' (i.e. authentic according to al-Tirmidhi). In another tradition, it was asked from Abu Hurayrah, '''how long is this half day'''? He replied: "Didn't you read Quran?" I said: "Yes." '''Upon that he recited me verse 22:47''' ... Companion S'ad was asked: "'''How long is this half day'''." He replied: "'''500 years'''". Ibn Abbas recited this verse and said that '''this is the length of those 6 days, in which Allah created the heavens and the earth''' (Ibn Jarir). While Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal described it in more clear words in his book "Refutation of al-Jahmia". Mujjahid said that this verse is similar to verse  5 of Surah al-Sajdah [(Quran 32:5) He rules (all) affairs from the heavens to the earth: in the end will (all affairs) go up to Him, '''on a Day, the space whereof will be (as) a thousand years of your reckoning.''']}}
But modern science told us that creation of universe took billions of years. Therefore, even if we consider 1 day of Allah is equal to 1000 years of our reckoning, still 6 days make only 6000 years of creation, which stays contradictory the modern science.<br />


==Discussions regarding the proposed miracle==
==Discussions regarding the proposed miracle==
Lehrasap
177

edits

Retrieved from "http://wikiislamica.net/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/133520"