The Quran and Mountains: Difference between revisions

Many skeptics have already refuted the claim that the Qur'an is validated by the geological science about mountains. This article adds to this by addressing several new points that [[apologists]] are adopting to justify their claim or to squirm from the scientific facts provided to them.  

It is also our observation that their tactics are as follows:

#They will switch from the ‘literal’ to ‘metaphorical’ case whenever convenient. A sure sign of loss will be when they claim that the Qur'an is not a book of Science but [[Islam and Scripture|Scripture]], despite previously or concurrently promulgating the validity of ‘Qur'anic Science’.

{{Quote|{{Qtt|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.  

The most pertinent verse is 16:15 transliterated as follows:  

Also note that the word ‘tameeda’ is claimed to refer to shaking or disturbance, as opposed to ‘zalzala’ which means ‘earthquake.’ A further dissection of this term will be given later.  

'''Asad:''' And We have set up firm mountains on Earth lest it sway with them...}}

{{Quote|{{Qtt|20|105}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' They ask thee concerning the Mountains: say, "My Lord will uproot them and scatter them as dust;  

'''Transliteration:''' Wayas-aloonaka AAani aljibali faqul yansifuha rabbee nasfan}}  

==Discussion==

===Mountains have deep roots thus they resemble ‘pegs’===  

On the ‘surface’ it would seem they have a point here. Verse 78:6-7 says, “Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, And the mountains as pegs?”  

{{Quote||"Modern geologists describe the folds in the Earth as giving foundations to the mountains, and their dimensions go roughly one mile to roughly 10 miles. The stability of the Earth's crust results from the phenomenon of these folds."}}  

   

The author of this proposition seems to have confused Cause with Effect. In his example of continental-collisional type mountains, he failed to see that mountains are caused by tectonic plate collision and do not effect plate stabilization.  

{{Quote||The sea-deep roots stabilize the continental masses (or plates), as plate motions are almost completely halted by their formation, especially when the mountain mass is finally entrapped within a continent as an old craton.<ref name="El Naggar">Dr. Zaghlool El-Naggar PhD - [{{Reference archive|1=http://www.elnaggarzr.com/en/main.php?id=54|2=2011-10-02}} The Mountains as Stabilizers for the Earth] - September 24, 2002</ref>}}

In his enthusiasm to validate the Qur'an with modern geology, Professor El Naggar also seems to have confused Cause and Effect. Plate motions are almost completely halted not by collisional-type mountain formation (effect) but by the opposing plates.  

{{Quote|1=|2=The stabilization of lithospheric plates by mountains is effected by their sinking deeply into the zone of weakness of the Earth (the asthenosphere) as wooden pegs sink into the ground to stabilize the corners of a tent. Such a process of stabilization cannot take place without the presence of a viscous, plastic material under the outer rocky cover of the Earth, into which the mountains "roots" can float. In as much as the ship casts its anchor into the anchorage of a port to avoid the dangers of rolling and swaying by winds and waves, the Glorious Quran uses the term "Rawasi" (=moorings or firm anchors) to describe mountains. Such firm anchors do not only stabilize the lithospheric plates, but also the whole planet in its spinning around its own axis (nutation, recession, etc.).<ref name="El Naggar"></ref>}}

Again, this is Professor El Naggar’s opinion and a confusion of cause and effect. We await a Muslim to provide the scientific evidence derived by Professor El Naggar or anyone else to prove Mountains actually stabilize the lithospheric plates.  

===Mountains prevent earthquakes===

As early as the 1920s, scientists noted that earthquakes are concentrated in very specific narrow zones (Wadati-Benioff zones). In 1954, French seismologist J.P. Rothé published this map showing the concentration of earthquakes along the zones indicated by dots and cross-hatched areas.<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/zones.html|2=2011-10-02}} Earthquake zones] - U.S. Geological Survey</ref>  

===Mountains stabilize the earth through isostacy===

This is a classical misconception of George Airy’s model of Isostacy and the logical fallacy of “Composition” (i.e. generalization of the specific case to the general). Just because the mountains are themselves stabilized by isostacy does not mean that the mountains stabilize the earth or the crust by isostacy. Every element in the earth’s crust is governed by the same physical laws – in fact the crust ‘floats’ on the upper mantle and is thus self-stabilizing according to its own isostacy, not that of mountains.  

When shown evidence that collisional-type mountains are associated with earthquakes some Muslims will then claim that the Qur'anic verses do not refer to earthquakes at all. They will claim that tameeda also means stagger, roll, sway, or tilt, and that there's significant difference between them and the short sharp shock of an earthquake (i.e. tameeda refers to some phenomenon, assumed to be associated with geological timescale, that is presently unknown to and undefined by our present understanding of geological science).  

The relevant verses are as follows:  

The stabilization is over a geological timescale because of the term ‘tameeda’ as opposed to ‘zalzala’.  

For the same reason as the previous section, the term ‘stabilize’ must mean ‘prevent earthquakes’ as tameeda cannot be associated with geological timescales.