Author: Mufti Noor Mohammad Mohebbi
The Quran: A Miracle Beyond Time- A Study of Its Miraculous Nature (Part 18)
The Returning Sky and the Split Earth
The Holy Quran, the book of guidance for man, in addition to its messages of faith and morality, contains profound and surprising references to natural phenomena and cosmic structures. Among them are two verses in the blessed Surah “Al-Tariq” that describe the earth and the sky in a miraculous way: (وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلرَّجۡعِ 11 وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ ذَاتِ ٱلصَّدۡعِ 12) Translation: “By the returning sky (radio waves and water vapor in the form of snow and rain) and by the split earth (against the power of movement of plants and their rooting, or due to other factors)”. [1]
In this section, by examining these two short expressions; we will discuss the scientific miracle hidden in them and clarify the amazing connection between the words of revelation and contemporary scientific findings.
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The sky, a wonderful returner
The word«الرَّجْع» literally means returning and repeating movement in the previous path. The Quran describes the sky with this characteristic. At first, this interpretation may seem simple; but as human science has expanded in the fields of celestial physics, astronomy, and climatology, it has become clear how accurate, comprehensive, and inspiring this description is.
A: Reciprocal movements in celestial systems
All celestial bodies move in specific orbits, and these movements are reciprocating and reversible.
The moon revolves around the Earth in an orbit, changing its position in the sky, and returning to its starting point. This cycle repeats itself every 29.5 days.
The sun also, contrary to the old belief, has a movement in the Milky Way galaxy. It moves in an orbit around the center of the galaxy and completes its path once every 225 million years.
Comets such as “Hall” [2] are also in recurrent orbits. Halley’s comet passes near the Earth once every 76 years and returns.
Everything in the sky – whether stars, planets, moons or other objects – is rotating, returning and repeating. The Quran has expressed this pattern with a single word: «ذات الرّجع» that is, the sky whose “essence” and nature is to return.
B: Recurrent cycles in the Earth’s atmosphere
The sky has the characteristic of returning not only at the cosmic level, but also at the atmospheric level:
Water cycle: Water vapor rises from the Earth’s surface to the sky and there turns into clouds; then returns to the Earth in the form of rain.
The cycle of gases: Humans breathe oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Plants take in this gas and convert it back into oxygen through photosynthesis.
Electromagnetic waves: Today, all telecommunication, radio and satellite systems rely on the principle of reflection of waves from the atmospheric layers. The waves sent to the sky are reflected and returned to another point.
All these systems show a “returning order” in the sky. Yes, Allah has rightly said: «وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ» Translation: “And the sky is a returning one” [Al-Tariq: 11].
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The earth, the land of cracks and ruptures
In the next verse, Allah describes the earth as follows: «وَالْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ» Translation; “And the earth with its cracks” [Al-Tariq: 12] meaning: a cracked earth, a disintegrating earth, a land with cracks and separations.
This expression, like «ذات الرّجع» also expresses profound truths.
A: Faults and Continental Breaks
The theory of plate tectonics has proven that the continents were originally a single landmass and have drifted apart over time. The boundaries between these plates are seen as active faults (breaks). Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and crustal fissures are all manifestations of cracks (rifts) in the Earth.
B: The Earth’s Layered Structure
Scientists have described the Earth’s internal structure as an egg:
The outer layer (crust) is hard and rocky.
The middle layer (mud) is semi-solid and sticky.
The inner core is a hot, molten liquid that is churning.
As we go deeper into the Earth, the hardness decreases and the temperature increases. At the center of the Earth, a fiery, fluid substance is in a state of “Mur”, that is, turbulence and anxiety. The Holy Quran refers to this scientific fact: (ءَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَن يَخۡسِفَ بِكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ) Translation: “Do you feel secure from Him who is in the heaven that He will not command the earth to split open and swallow you, and then it will shake, move and move?” [Surah Al-Molk: 16]
This verse beautifully and accurately describes the fluid, turbulent state inside the Earth with the word “Tamur”.
Conclusion
The two words «الرَّجْع» and «الصّدع» contain a world of meaning and knowledge. Allah Almighty has described the heavens because of their reversible nature and the earth because of its discrete and stratified nature. These descriptions are not only true from a literary perspective, but also from a scientific and astrophysical perspective.
The further humanity advances in understanding the universe, the more it comes to the point that the Quran is not the word of human; rather, it is the divine word from the Creator of the worlds: (أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَۚ وَلَوۡ كَانَ مِنۡ عِندِ غَيۡرِ ٱللَّهِ لَوَجَدُواْ فِيهِ ٱخۡتِلَٰفٗا كَثِيرٗا) Translation: “Will they not reflect on the Quran? If it had been from other than Allah, they would have found in it many contradictions and differences.” [Al-Nisa: 82]
So who informed the Ummi Prophet (peace be upon him) that there is a fiery and unstable substance deep within the earth?
Is this Quran not the word of Allah, the Most High? [3]
Continues…
References:
- Translation with additions between the brackets from Tafsir Nour of Dr. Mustafa Khoramdel.
- Halley’s Comet is one of the best-known periodic comets in the solar system, visible to the naked eye. It is named after Edmond Halley, the English astronomer who predicted its return.
- Summary of the article of the Encyclopedia of Scientific Miracles in the Qur’an and Sunnah (2/1-2).
