Quran's Scientific Content Under Question

It is curious that many atheists scrutinize their position whereas many believers are comfortable with not thinking!

"Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would certainly have seen it falling down, splitting asunder because of the fear of Allah, and We set forth these parables to men that they may reflect." (59/21)

During these questionings, one of the things the atheists do is question the content of the divine books. For instance, they check whether the scientific content of these books, which claim to be the word of the creator of the universe, is correct. This is a logical move, since the creator must know the inner workings of things, and this knowledge must reflect itself in the communication sent by Him.

Quran, the last revelation by God and the only divine book that still preserves its original version, is also on the target of such efforts. As a result, it is claimed that the function of the mountains given in the Quran is not accurate according to the findings of the modern science of geology. In this blog, first, I would like to reflect on the issues surrounding this topic, and then, I would like to talk about whether there is such an inaccuracy.

First Climb:

Every book has its own genre. Some are scientific, some are novels, some are poems, etc. If you take a history book, it doesn't make sense to complain, saying "its content is subjective." Similarly, Quran is the address of the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and its purpose is not to teach science to people but to teach them the way of God. Therefore, it is not the proper approach to evaluate the whole of Quran based on the minor science-related content.

Second, every book has its own audience, and it must be understood by them. Although Quran is the final message of God until the end of time, its initial audience is the Arabic people in the 7th century. So, historically speaking, as long as the content of the Quran is understood and verified by the people of that time, even if they did not accept the ultimate invitation thereof, the content is acceptable. And that was the case, since the disbelievers at the time never refuted the Quran on grounds of fallacy. Nevertheless, by virtue of Quran's claim to be the guide for all humanity until the end of time, it must be understandable and acceptable by all times. That is why the objection of the modern atheists is a legitimate one.

Third point is that Quran presents itself as an "easy to understand book" (54/17). So, its content must not be clear only to some trained scholars but to the general reader with basic intellectual abilities and education. Therefore, the claim of some believers that "we should not talk about the content of the Quran, since we are not scholars" is lacking ground. However, at several places, Quran also emphasizes its Arabic language (e.g. 20/113). So, it is imperative to evaluate its content through the knowledge of the Arabic language, and not through its translations.

Fourth, the fact that something is not readily understandable in its fullest extent or seemingly incorrect does not mean that it is ultimately incorrect. For example, the expansion of the heavens (51/47), the oval shape of the earth and the escape of the hydrogen gas from the polar regions of the atmosphere (13/41) have been mentioned in the Quran, and they became literally "correct" only in the twentieth century. So, until then, the disbelievers could claim that the space is stationary (which was the governing scientific view of those times!), and that the claim of the Quran, therefore, is wrong. So, the proper approach in such cases is to take time and search for the truth God is conveying us.

"Verily, Allah is not ashamed to set forth a parable even of a mosquito or whatever beyond it (greater or smaller). And as for those who believe, they know that it is the Truth from their Lord, but as for those who disbelieve, they say: "What did Allah intend by this parable?" By it He misleads many, and many He guides thereby. And He misleads thereby only the transgressors." (2/26)

Quran's scientific content has become a focus of the believers especially with the advent of science and technology in the last two centuries. Suffering a dramatic demise, the Muslims needed a source of power to keep their faiths and hopes, and they found it in the book of God. "Although we are not perfect, the book of God is perfect, and we are its adherents; even if we are losing here at the moment, we are going to prosper in the afterlife", they could say Accompanying this notion were the explicit or implicit scientific facts embedded in the verses of the Quran. These facts even helped some non-Muslims enter Islam. Nevertheless, it must be kept in mind that the believers have faith in the Quran, not because of its scientific content but, because it is the message and guidance from the Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything in between (3/138, 20/6). Even if there was no scientific content, this fact is the real basis for the believers' attachment to the Quran.

One can do a similar psychological scrutiny to the case of the atheists in this matter. Of course not all of them is the same, and there probably are those who are objective in their thinking and analysis. However, there are, at the same time, those who have given their decision about the Quran before giving it a fair read and analysis. That is, when they are reading or evaluating its content, their intention is to find mistakes and inaccuracies; and so, if they are deliberately trying not to understand or misunderstand, human brain is the ultimate tool for it, and they have it.

On the other hand, it must be discomforting for an atheist to "not be able to disprove a scientific allusion" that was made 14 centuries ago, when no such knowledge was available. Still, that scientific or scientific-looking content and its accuracy/inaccuracy is not what really drives the atheist mind. And atheism is not just about science anyway! For a longer and more balanced approach on this matter, I suggest that you read this blog series about atheism (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5).

Second Climb:

Now let's go to the real matter, that is the apparent discrepancy between the Quranic description and the scientific findings. Before anything else, let's see the relevant verses.

And the earth - We have spread it and cast therein firmly set mountains (rawasiya) and caused to grow therein [something] of every well-balanced thing.(15/19)

And He has cast into the earth firmly set mountains (rawasiya), lest it shift with you, and [made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided,(16/15)

And We placed within the earth firmly set mountains (rawasiya), lest it should shift with them, and We made therein [mountain] passes [as] roads that they might be guided.(21/31)

He created the heavens without pillars that you see and has cast into the earth firmly set mountains (rawasiya), lest it should shift with you, and dispersed therein from every creature. And We sent down rain from the sky and made grow therein [plants] of every noble kind.(31/10)

Have We not made the earth a resting place (mihaada)?And the mountains (jibaal) as stakes (awtaada) ?(78/6-7)

He extracted from it its water and its pasture, And the mountains (jibaal) He set firmly (arsaaha) (79/31-32)

Here, I especially included the original Arabic of certain words, since they are going to be helpful in our analysis. As you see, except the last two, all verses above say rawasiya which literally means something firm. You can think that this could be a synonym for the mountains, but no, because there are many other verses where the word "mountain" is used explicitly (e.g. 2/260, 7/74, 7/143, 11/42-43, 15/82, 16/81, 17/37, 18/47). You have to keep in mind that any usage in the Quran is not mere accident or for the sake of art. Rather, every word is deliberate. So, regarding the verses with the word "rawasiya", it can be said that God has stabilized the earth's surface using firm things (not mountains!). Those firm things are studied by the scientists and are presented in the relevant literature for the interested. It is curious that in all of these verses, these firm things are said to be "in" the earth, not "on" the earth (fil ardi rawaasiya).

Looking at the last two where the word mountain (jibaal) is used literally, we are told that they have been made firm (arsaaha)! If something is made firm, that means that it was not firm in the beginning! Today, two major mechanisms by which mountains form are known as the motion of the tectonic plates along the fractures and the buckling of the plates. Both of these mechanisms use the weak spots to relieve the stress accumulated in the earth's crust, and those weak spots grow to become mountains over long periods of time. But the Quran implies that the weak spots were later made stronger; is that really the case? Yes, because as the mountain forms and grows above the surface, its increasing mass presses on the underlying layers, which makes them stronger in the face of internal forces pushing them. Furthermore, in case of an earthquake, change of direction of a vibration reduces its strength. So, as the mountains grow, the vibrations traveling in the crust must go through a bigger change direction, which again refers to "being made stronger" as the mountains grow.

Keep in mind that there are other occasions throughout the Quran, where other words are translated as mountains, but actually have different meanings. One of such cases is discussed in a previous blog, revealing the tectonic plates.

In the end, I am going to reiterate and emphasize two things. One, in understanding the Quran, referring to the Arabic original words is crucial, especially in case of controversial issues. Two, the appropriate attitude for believers towards the Quran is submitting to it. In that submission, it is important to keep in mind that they are submitting to the Quran, not to humans who are claiming to explain or scrutinize it.