The Holy Quran is truly a collection of miracles. Everything that is happening now or yet to be discovered, has already been explained by Quran more than 1400 years ago. One such miracle that is amazingly described by Quran hundreds of years ago is about the mountains.
The Holy Quran on Mountains
A book entitled Earth is a basic reference textbook in many universities around the world. One of its two authors is Professor Emeritus Frank Press. He was the Science Advisor to former US President Jimmy Carter, and for 12 years was the President of the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC. His book says that mountains have underlying roots. These roots are deeply embedded in the ground, thus, mountains have a shape like a peg (shown in the figures below).
This is how the Qur’an has described mountains. Allah has said in the Holy Quran:
“Have We not made the earth as a bed, and the mountains as pegs?” – (Qur’an, 78:6-7)
The figure below shows Mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground.
The next figure is a schematic section of mountains. The mountains, like pegs, have deep roots embedded in the ground.
Another illustration shows how the mountains are peg-like in shape, due to their deep roots.
Modern earth sciences have proven that mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground (as shown in the last figure above) and that these roots can reach several times their elevations above the surface of the ground. So the most suitable word to describe mountains on the basis of this information is the word ‘peg’. Because most of a properly set peg is hidden under the surface of the ground.
The history of science tells us that the theory of mountains having deep roots was introduced only in 1865 by the Astronomer Royal, Sir George Airy. Mountains also play an important role in stabilizing the crust of the earth. They hinder the shaking of the earth. Allah has said in the Holy Qur’an:
And He has set firm mountains in the earth so that it would not shake with you.
(Qur’an, 16:15)
In other places in Quran, following verses are used to describe the role of mountain as
“it may not quake with you” (Surah Luqman: 11)
“lest it should quake with them” (Surah Al- Anbiya‟: 32)
“lest it quake with you” (Surah An-Nahl: 16).
Likewise, the modern theory of plate tectonics holds that mountains work as stabilizers for the earth. This knowledge about the role of mountains as stabilizers for the earth has just begun to be understood in the framework of plate tectonics since the late 1960s.
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Mountains in Quran – Final Words
Could anyone during the time of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ have known of the true shape of mountains? Could anyone imagine that the solid massive mountain which he sees before him actually extends deep into the earth and has a root, as scientists affirm?
Modern geology has confirmed the truth of the Qur’anic verses.
References
- The Geological Concept of Mountains in the Qur’an, El-Naggar
- Earth, Press and Siever
