Our approach
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًۭى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ٢
This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off (evil).
وَفِى ٱلْأَرْضِ قِطَعٌۭ مُّتَجَٰوِرَٰتٌۭ وَجَنَّٰتٌۭ مِّنْ أَعْنَٰبٍۢ وَزَرْعٌۭ وَنَخِيلٌۭ صِنْوَانٌۭ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍۢ يُسْقَىٰ بِمَآءٍۢ وَٰحِدٍۢ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ فِى ٱلْأُكُلِ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَعْقِلُونَ ٤
And in the Earth are neighbouring tracts, vineyards and ploughed lands, and date-palms, like and unlike, which are watered with one water. And we have made some of them to excel others in fruit. Lo! herein verily are portents for people who have sense.
The Quran's references to nature are given as signs (ayat) for reflection, not as science lessons. Muslim scholars differ on how far they should be linked to scientific findings. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606 AH / 1209 CE) discussed astronomy and natural philosophy at length in his commentary. Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi (d. 790 AH / 1388 CE) cautioned that the Quran addressed the Arabs in terms they understood, and that later sciences should not be read into it. In the 20th century, Tantawi Jawhari wrote an extensive scientific commentary, while others criticised the trend.
- We quote the verse first, then explain its key Arabic words.
- We give the classical understanding, so readers can see what the verse meant to its first audience and its commentators.
- We describe the scientific observation accurately and say where the parallel is debated or limited.
- We never change a verse's meaning to fit a theory, and we do not claim that the Quran “predicted” something unless the wording clearly supports it.
The heavens and earth were joined
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًۭا فَفَتَقْنَٰهُمَا ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْمَآءِ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ حَىٍّ ۖ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ٣٠
Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, then We parted them, and we made every living thing of water? Will they not then believe?
- رَتْقًا ratqan
- Joined, sewn together, a closed-up mass.
- فَفَتَقْنَٰهُمَا fa-fataqnahuma
- “then We split them apart”.
Classical reading
Commentators reported several views. One is that the heavens and earth were a single mass and then separated. Another, attributed to Ibn 'Abbas, is that the sky was “closed” and gave no rain and the earth was “closed” and grew no plants, and then each was opened.
Modern observation
Modern cosmology describes a universe that expanded from an extremely hot, dense early state. Water is essential to every known form of life, and it makes up most of the mass of living cells.
A note of caution
The verse does not describe the physics of the Big Bang, and cosmological models continue to develop. The parallel lies in the image of an original unity followed by separation.
“We it is Who make the vast extent”
وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بَنَيْنَٰهَا بِأَيْي۟دٍۢ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ ٤٧
We have built the heaven with might, and We it is Who make the vast extent (thereof).
- لَمُوسِعُونَ la-musi'un
- From awsa'a: to make wide or vast, or to be wealthy and capable. It can mean “We are expanding it” or “We possess vast power”.
Classical reading
Most classical commentators understood the phrase as “We are capable” or “We are the Ones of vast power and wealth”.
Modern observation
Since the work of Georges Lemaître (1927) and Edwin Hubble (1929), astronomers have known that the universe is expanding.
A note of caution
Both meanings are linguistically valid. The expanding-universe reading is a modern understanding of the word, which some translators have adopted.
Each floating in an orbit
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ ٣٣
And He it is Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They float, each in an orbit.
وَٱلشَّمْسُ تَجْرِى لِمُسْتَقَرٍّۢ لَّهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْعَلِيمِ ٣٨ وَٱلْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَٰهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَٱلْعُرْجُونِ ٱلْقَدِيمِ ٣٩ لَا ٱلشَّمْسُ يَنۢبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تُدْرِكَ ٱلْقَمَرَ وَلَا ٱلَّيْلُ سَابِقُ ٱلنَّهَارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ ٤٠
38And the sun runneth on unto a resting-place for him. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Wise. 39And for the moon We have appointed mansions till she return like an old shrivelled palm-leaf. 40It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor doth the night outstrip the day. They float each in an orbit.
- فَلَكٍ falak
- A rounded course, orbit or sphere.
- يَسْبَحُونَ yasbahun
- “they swim/float”, implying continuous motion of their own.
Modern observation
The Moon orbits the Earth. The Sun is not fixed either: it moves through the Milky Way, completing one circuit of the galactic centre in roughly 230 million years.
A note of caution
Classical scholars also understood these verses as describing the movement of the sun and moon, within the astronomy of their time. The Quran states the movement without giving a model.
The sun a lamp, the moon a light
وَجَعَلَ ٱلْقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورًۭا وَجَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ سِرَاجًۭا ١٦
And hath made the moon a light therein, and made the sun a lamp?
تَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ بُرُوجًۭا وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَٰجًۭا وَقَمَرًۭا مُّنِيرًۭا ٦١
Blessed be He Who hath placed in the heaven mansions of the stars, and hath placed therein a great lamp and a moon giving light!
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءًۭ وَٱلْقَمَرَ نُورًۭا وَقَدَّرَهُۥ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا۟ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ ۚ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ يُفَصِّلُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَعْلَمُونَ ٥
He it is Who appointed the sun a splendour and the moon a light, and measured for her stages, that ye might know the number of the years, and the reckoning. Allah created not (all) that save in truth. He detaileth the revelations for people who have knowledge.
The Quran consistently uses different words for the two bodies. The sun is a siraj (lamp) and its light is diya' (radiance). The moon is nur (light) and munir (giving light). Many readers see in this difference a fit with the fact that the sun produces its own light while the moon reflects it. The verses do not, however, explicitly say that the moon's light is reflected.
Night wrapped around day
خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ يُكَوِّرُ ٱلَّيْلَ عَلَى ٱلنَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ ٱلنَّهَارَ عَلَى ٱلَّيْلِ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ ٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّۭ يَجْرِى لِأَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّى ۗ أَلَا هُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفَّٰرُ ٥
He hath created the heavens and the earth with truth. He maketh night to succeed day, and He maketh day to succeed night, and He constraineth the sun and the moon to give service, each running on for an appointed term. Is not He the Mighty, the Forgiver?
- يُكَوِّرُ yukawwiru
- To wind or wrap around, as a turban (kawr) is wound around the head. Pickthall: “maketh night to succeed day”.
Modern observation
On a rotating, round Earth, night and day are always present together and continually wind around the globe, one taking the place of the other. The image of winding something around a rounded object fits this well.
A note of caution
The roundness of the Earth was already known to Greek astronomers, and several classical Muslim scholars, such as Ibn Hazm (d. 456 AH / 1064 CE), argued that it is spherical. The point is not that the verse revealed a new fact, but that its choice of word fits the reality well.
The sky as a protected roof
وَجَعَلْنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ سَقْفًۭا مَّحْفُوظًۭا ۖ وَهُمْ عَنْ ءَايَٰتِهَا مُعْرِضُونَ ٣٢
And we have made the sky a roof withheld (from them). Yet they turn away from its portents.
The atmosphere protects life on Earth. It absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation (mainly in the ozone layer), and most meteoroids burn up in it. The Earth's magnetic field deflects much of the solar wind. Classical commentators understood the verse as describing the sky held up and protected from falling.
Mountains as pegs
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِهَٰدًۭا ٦ وَٱلْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًۭا ٧
6Have We not made the earth an expanse, 7And the high hills bulwarks?
وَأَلْقَىٰ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ رَوَٰسِىَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَأَنْهَٰرًۭا وَسُبُلًۭا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ ١٥
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.
- أَوْتَادًا awtadan
- Pegs or stakes, like those that hold a tent firm. Pickthall: “bulwarks”.
- رَوَٰسِىَ rawasi
- Firmly anchored things. The Quran's usual word for mountains.
Modern observation
Mountain ranges have deep “roots” of crust extending far down into the mantle beneath them, a principle known as isostasy, first proposed in the 1850s. In shape, a mountain is like a peg: most of its bulk lies hidden below.
A note of caution
Geology does not show that mountains prevent earthquakes, and claims that they do should not be attributed to the Quran. Classical scholars understood Quran 16:15 as describing how God made the earth stable and fit for human life.
“And He sent down iron”
لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ وَأَنزَلْنَا مَعَهُمُ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ لِيَقُومَ ٱلنَّاسُ بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۖ وَأَنزَلْنَا ٱلْحَدِيدَ فِيهِ بَأْسٌۭ شَدِيدٌۭ وَمَنَٰفِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُۥ وَرُسُلَهُۥ بِٱلْغَيْبِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَوِىٌّ عَزِيزٌۭ ٢٥
We verily sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance, that mankind may observe right measure; and He revealed iron, wherein is mighty power and (many) uses for mankind, and that Allah may know him who helpeth Him and His messengers, though unseen. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty.
- وَأَنزَلْنَا ٱلْحَدِيدَ wa anzalna al-hadid
- “And We sent down iron”. Anzala means to send down, and also to bestow or provide.
Modern observation
Iron is formed by nuclear fusion in the cores of massive stars and scattered by supernova explosions. The iron in the Earth, and in our blood, was made in stars long before the solar system formed. Iron also reaches the Earth in meteorites.
A note of caution
The Quran also says God “sent down” (anzala) cattle for people (Quran 39:6), where the word means “provided”. Reading 57:25 as a reference to iron's cosmic origin is a modern reflection, not the only meaning of the word.
The barrier between the two seas
مَرَجَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ ١٩ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌۭ لَّا يَبْغِيَانِ ٢٠
19He hath loosed the two seas. They meet. 20There is a barrier between them. They encroach not (one upon the other).
۞ وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى مَرَجَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ هَٰذَا عَذْبٌۭ فُرَاتٌۭ وَهَٰذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌۭ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخًۭا وَحِجْرًۭا مَّحْجُورًۭا ٥٣
And He it is Who hath given independence to the two seas (though they meet); one palatable, sweet, and the other saltish, bitter; and hath set a bar and a forbidding ban between them.
- بَرْزَخٌ barzakh
- A barrier or partition between two things.
Modern observation
Where bodies of water with different salinity, temperature or density meet, as in estuaries or at the Strait of Gibraltar where the saltier Mediterranean flows into the Atlantic beneath the surface, they form sharp transition layers (haloclines and pycnoclines). Across these layers the waters keep their distinct properties over long distances.
A note of caution
The waters do mix slowly across these zones. The “barrier” is a boundary of gradual exchange, not a wall. Quran 25:53 explicitly pairs sweet and salt water, the situation of an estuary.
Darkness upon darkness in the deep sea
أَوْ كَظُلُمَٰتٍۢ فِى بَحْرٍۢ لُّجِّىٍّۢ يَغْشَىٰهُ مَوْجٌۭ مِّن فَوْقِهِۦ مَوْجٌۭ مِّن فَوْقِهِۦ سَحَابٌۭ ۚ ظُلُمَٰتٌۢ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَآ أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُۥ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَىٰهَا ۗ وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ ٱللَّهُ لَهُۥ نُورًۭا فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن نُّورٍ ٤٠
Or as darkness on a vast, abysmal sea. There covereth him a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. Layer upon layer of darkness. When he holdeth out his hand he scarce can see it. And he for whom Allah hath not appointed light, for him there is no light.
- بَحْرٍ لُّجِّىٍّ bahrin lujjiyy
- A vast, deep, fathomless sea.
Modern observation
Sunlight fades quickly with depth: most of it is absorbed in the top 200 metres, and below about 1,000 metres the ocean is in permanent darkness. Oceanographers also describe internal waves, which move along boundaries between layers of water of different density beneath the surface waves. They were first studied scientifically in the early 20th century.
A note of caution
The verse is a parable for the darkness of disbelief, not an oceanography lesson. Readers note that the Prophet ﷺ lived in a desert city and never travelled by sea, yet the image is both vivid and accurate.
Water from the sky, stored in the earth
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ فَسَلَكَهُۥ يَنَٰبِيعَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِۦ زَرْعًۭا مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَٰنُهُۥ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصْفَرًّۭا ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُۥ حُطَٰمًا ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ ٢١
Hast thou not seen how Allah hath sent down water from the sky and hath caused it to penetrate the earth as watersprings, and afterward thereby produceth crops of divers hues; and afterward they wither and thou seest them turn yellow; then He maketh them chaff. Lo! herein verily is a reminder for men of understanding.
The verse describes rain soaking into the ground and flowing out again as springs. This is the basic principle of groundwater recharge. For much of history, some influential theories held instead that springs were fed mainly by sea water flowing through underground channels.
The sky that returns
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلرَّجْعِ ١١
By the heaven which giveth the returning rain,
- ذَاتِ ٱلرَّجْعِ dhati al-raj'
- “possessing return”. Pickthall: “which giveth the returning rain”.
Classical commentators, beginning with Ibn 'Abbas, explained al-raj' as rain, which returns again and again. In modern terms this is the water cycle: water evaporates from the earth, rises, and returns as rain. Some modern readers also note that the atmosphere sends back much of what reaches it, reflecting part of the sun's radiation into space and returning heat to the surface. That wider reading is a reflection, but the classical meaning (rain that returns) fits the water cycle directly.
Winds that fertilise
وَأَرْسَلْنَا ٱلرِّيَٰحَ لَوَٰقِحَ فَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ فَأَسْقَيْنَٰكُمُوهُ وَمَآ أَنتُمْ لَهُۥ بِخَٰزِنِينَ ٢٢
And We send the winds fertilising, and cause water to descend from the sky, and give it you to drink. It is not ye who are the holders of the store thereof.
- لَوَٰقِحَ lawaqih
- Fertilising or impregnating: from laqaha, to pollinate or make pregnant.
Classical reading
Early commentators, as reported by Ibn Kathir, explained that the winds “fertilise” the clouds so that they carry and release rain, and that they also fertilise trees.
Modern observation
Many plants, including grasses, cereal crops and most conifers, are pollinated by the wind. Rain itself depends on winds carrying moisture and tiny airborne particles around which cloud droplets form.
A note of caution
The Arabs already knew about pollination, since they pollinated date palms by hand. The verse's main subject is rain sent down to drink, and the fit with wind pollination is a reflection on the word lawaqih, not a new discovery.
Clouds piled up like mountains, with hail
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُزْجِى سَحَابًۭا ثُمَّ يُؤَلِّفُ بَيْنَهُۥ ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُۥ رُكَامًۭا فَتَرَى ٱلْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلَٰلِهِۦ وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن جِبَالٍۢ فِيهَا مِنۢ بَرَدٍۢ فَيُصِيبُ بِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَصْرِفُهُۥ عَن مَّن يَشَآءُ ۖ يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرْقِهِۦ يَذْهَبُ بِٱلْأَبْصَٰرِ ٤٣
Hast thou not seen how Allah wafteth the clouds, then gathereth them, then maketh them layers, and thou seest the rain come forth from between them; He sendeth down from the heaven mountains wherein is hail, and smiteth therewith whom He will, and averteth it from whom He will. The flashing of His lightning all but snatcheth away the sight.
- رُكَامًا rukaman
- Heaped up, piled one on another. Pickthall: “layers”.
- مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِنۢ بَرَدٍ min jibalin fiha min barad
- “from mountains wherein is hail”.
Modern observation
Storm clouds (cumulonimbus) form as clouds gather and grow upwards into towering, mountain-like masses that can reach more than ten kilometres high. Strong updrafts inside them produce hail, and they are the clouds that produce lightning. The sequence in the verse (driven, gathered, heaped up, rain, hail, lightning) follows this closely.
A note of caution
Commentators differed on “mountains”. Some took it as a description of the clouds themselves, which tower like mountains, and others more literally. The match is with what storm clouds look like and do, which careful observers can see. The striking point is how precise and well ordered the description is.
All things created in pairs
وَمِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقْنَا زَوْجَيْنِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ ٤٩
And all things We have created by pairs, that haply ye may reflect.
سُبْحَٰنَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْأَزْوَٰجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنۢبِتُ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٣٦
Glory be to Him Who created all the sexual pairs, of that which the earth groweth, and of themselves, and of that which they know not!
The verses speak of pairs in what grows from the earth, in human beings, and in “that which they know not”. Sexual reproduction in plants was described scientifically only in the 17th and 18th centuries, and pairing is found throughout nature, from male and female to positive and negative charge. Classical scholars also read “pairs” more broadly, as opposites such as night and day or land and sea.
The stages of the embryo
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مِن سُلَٰلَةٍۢ مِّن طِينٍۢ ١٢ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَٰهُ نُطْفَةًۭ فِى قَرَارٍۢ مَّكِينٍۢ ١٣ ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا ٱلنُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةًۭ فَخَلَقْنَا ٱلْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةًۭ فَخَلَقْنَا ٱلْمُضْغَةَ عِظَٰمًۭا فَكَسَوْنَا ٱلْعِظَٰمَ لَحْمًۭا ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَٰهُ خَلْقًا ءَاخَرَ ۚ فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ ٱلْخَٰلِقِينَ ١٤
12Verily We created man from a product of wet earth; 13Then placed him as a drop (of seed) in a safe lodging; 14Then fashioned We the drop a clot, then fashioned We the clot a little lump, then fashioned We the little lump bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, and then produced it as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators!
- نُطْفَةً nutfah
- A small drop or quantity of fluid.
- قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ qararin makin
- A firm, secure resting place.
- عَلَقَةً 'alaqah
- Something that clings or hangs. The word is also used for a leech and for clotted blood. Pickthall: “a clot”.
- مُضْغَةً mudghah
- A chewed lump, a morsel.
- عِظَٰمًا ... لَحْمًا 'izaman ... lahman
- Bones ... then flesh clothing them.
Classical reading
Classical commentators described these as successive stages in the womb, often understanding 'alaqah as a clot of blood. A hadith (Sahih al-Bukhari 3208, below) speaks of the stages unfolding over set periods.
Modern observation
About a week after fertilisation the embryo begins to implant, attaching itself to and burrowing into the wall of the uterus. By the fourth week it has a curved, leech-like shape, and a row of segments (somites) gives it a “chewed” look. A cartilage skeleton forms, and muscles then develop around it.
A note of caution
Bone and muscle tissues develop in overlapping phases from the same embryonic layer, so the order in the verse is best read as a description of what each stage looks like, not as a precise histological timeline. What stands out is the vivid, accurate visual vocabulary from a time before microscopes.
Three layers of darkness in the womb
خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ ثَمَٰنِيَةَ أَزْوَٰجٍۢ ۚ يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِى بُطُونِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمْ خَلْقًۭا مِّنۢ بَعْدِ خَلْقٍۢ فِى ظُلُمَٰتٍۢ ثَلَٰثٍۢ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ ٱلْمُلْكُ ۖ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُصْرَفُونَ ٦
He created you from one being, then from that (being) He made its mate; and He hath provided for you of cattle eight kinds. He created you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, in a threefold gloom. Such is Allah, your Lord. His is the Sovereignty. There is no Allah save Him. How then are ye turned away?
- فِى ظُلُمَٰتٍ ثَلَٰثٍ fi zulumatin thalath
- “in three darknesses”. Pickthall: “in a threefold gloom”.
Classical reading
Ibn Kathir reports from Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and other early authorities that the three darknesses are the darkness of the belly, of the womb, and of the membrane enclosing the child (al-mashimah).
Modern observation
The developing child lies behind three distinct layers: the mother's abdominal wall, the wall of the uterus, and the amniotic and chorionic membranes that enclose it. Little light reaches it.
A note on agreement
Here the classical explanation, given more than a thousand years ago, and the modern anatomical description agree closely. Nothing needs to be read into the verse.
Restoring even the fingertips
أَيَحْسَبُ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ أَلَّن نَّجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُۥ ٣ بَلَىٰ قَٰدِرِينَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّسَوِّىَ بَنَانَهُۥ ٤
3Thinketh man that We shall not assemble his bones? 4Yea, verily. We are Able to restore his very fingers!
- بَنَانَهُۥ bananahu
- His fingertips: the ends of the fingers.
Classical reading
The verse answers those who doubted resurrection. God is able not only to gather the bones, but to restore even the finest detail, the fingertips.
Modern observation
The ridge patterns of the fingertips are unique to each person. This was established scientifically in the late 19th century and is the basis of fingerprint identification.
A note of caution
The verse does not mention fingerprints. Many readers find the choice of the fingertips, now known to carry each person's individual signature, a fitting reflection.
Skins replaced so they may taste the pain
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا سَوْفَ نُصْلِيهِمْ نَارًۭا كُلَّمَا نَضِجَتْ جُلُودُهُم بَدَّلْنَٰهُمْ جُلُودًا غَيْرَهَا لِيَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًۭا ٥٦
Lo! Those who disbelieve Our revelations, We shall expose them to the Fire. As often as their skins are consumed We shall exchange them for fresh skins that they may taste the torment. Lo! Allah is ever Mighty, Wise.
Pain receptors (nociceptors) are concentrated in the skin. In full-thickness (third-degree) burns, the nerve endings in the skin are destroyed, and the burned area itself can lose sensation. The verse ties the experience of punishment to the renewal of the skin.
A chest made narrow, as if climbing into the sky
فَمَن يُرِدِ ٱللَّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُۥ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُۥ لِلْإِسْلَٰمِ ۖ وَمَن يُرِدْ أَن يُضِلَّهُۥ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُۥ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًۭا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَجْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلرِّجْسَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ١٢٥
And whomsoever it is Allah's will to guide, He expandeth his bosom unto the Surrender, and whomsoever it is His Will to send astray, He maketh his bosom close and narrow as if he were engaged in sheer ascent. Thus Allah layeth ignominy upon those who believe not.
Modern observation
As altitude increases, air pressure and available oxygen fall, and climbers and unpressurised flyers feel tightness of the chest and breathlessness (hypoxia).
A note of caution
Classical commentators read the image as one of strain and impossibility, someone attempting something beyond their power. The verse is a simile for the heart that refuses guidance.
The lying, sinful forelock
كَلَّا لَئِن لَّمْ يَنتَهِ لَنَسْفَعًۢا بِٱلنَّاصِيَةِ ١٥ نَاصِيَةٍۢ كَٰذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٍۢ ١٦
15Nay, but if he cease not We will seize him by the forelock - 16The lying, sinful forelock -
- نَاصِيَةٍ nasiyah
- The forelock: the front of the head and the hair on it.
Classical reading
To be seized by the forelock was a sign of complete humiliation. Calling the forelock “lying, sinful” is understood as a description of its owner, Abu Jahl, by naming the part for the whole.
Modern observation
The front of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, lies behind the forehead and plays a central part in planning, decision-making and controlling behaviour, including choosing to tell the truth or to lie.
A note of caution
Neuroscience does not place lying in a single brain region, and the classical meaning stands on its own. The link to the frontal lobes is a modern reflection, and we present it only as that.
The bee and its healing drink
وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى ٱلنَّحْلِ أَنِ ٱتَّخِذِى مِنَ ٱلْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًۭا وَمِنَ ٱلشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ ٦٨ ثُمَّ كُلِى مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ فَٱسْلُكِى سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًۭا ۚ يَخْرُجُ مِنۢ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌۭ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَٰنُهُۥ فِيهِ شِفَآءٌۭ لِّلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ٦٩
68And thy Lord inspired the bee, saying: Choose thou habitations in the hills and in the trees and in that which they thatch; 69Then eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of thy Lord, made smooth (for thee). There cometh forth from their bellies a drink divers of hues, wherein is healing for mankind. Lo! herein is indeed a portent for people who reflect.
In Arabic the commands to the bee, ittakhidhi (“choose”), kuli (“eat”) and usluki (“follow”), are all in the feminine form. In a honeybee colony, the workers that build the comb, forage for nectar and make honey are all female. The drink comes “from their bellies”: bees carry nectar in a honey stomach and turn it into honey. Honey's antibacterial properties are well documented, and medical-grade honey is used in wound care today.
Arabic grammar can use the feminine for non-human plurals and collective nouns, and al-nahl (bees) is a collective noun. So the feminine verbs are linguistically natural, and they also happen to fit what biology has found. Both points are worth knowing.
The spider's house
مَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْلِيَآءَ كَمَثَلِ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ٱتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًۭا ۖ وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ ٱلْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ۖ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ٤١
The likeness of those who choose other patrons than Allah is as the likeness of the spider when she taketh unto herself a house, and lo! the frailest of all houses is the spider's house, if they but knew.
The verb for building the house, ittakhadhat (“she taketh”), is feminine. In the familiar web-building spiders, the webs that serve as homes are mostly built and kept by females, while adult males of many species stop building webs and wander in search of mates. Spider silk is extremely strong for its weight, yet a web gives no protection from wind, rain or predators: as a home, it is the frailest of houses.
The Arabic word for spider, 'ankabut, is grammatically feminine, so a feminine verb is natural whichever spider is meant. The verse's point is a parable: those who rely on anything other than Allah rely on something as flimsy as a web.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Quran contain scientific miracles?
Many Muslims see the Quran's descriptions of nature, such as the embryo's stages (23:12–14), the barrier between seas (55:19–20) and darkness in the deep sea (24:40), as remarkable signs. Scholars differ on “scientific interpretation”. A careful approach states the verse, its classical meaning, the scientific fact, and where the parallel is limited, and never stretches a verse to fit a theory.
Does the Quran mention the Big Bang?
Quran 21:30 says the heavens and the earth were “of one piece (ratq), then We parted them”. Many readers see a parallel with modern cosmology's hot, dense early universe. Classical commentators also offered other meanings, such as the sky opening with rain and the earth with plants.
Does the Quran say the universe is expanding?
Quran 51:47 contains la-musi'un, which can mean “We are expanding it” or “We are vast in power”. Most classical commentators chose the second meaning. Some modern translators choose the first, which parallels the expansion of the universe discovered in the 1920s.
Do mountains stop earthquakes, according to the Quran?
The Quran calls mountains pegs (78:7) and says they were cast so the earth would not shake with people (16:15). Geology confirms that mountains have deep roots, but it does not show that mountains prevent earthquakes, and that claim should not be attributed to the Quran.
Sources & further reading
- Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Mafatih al-Ghayb (al-Tafsir al-Kabir); Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi, al-Muwafaqat; Tantawi Jawhari, al-Jawahir fi Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Karim.
- Keith L. Moore, T. V. N. Persaud & Mark G. Torchia, The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology (Elsevier), on implantation, somites and the formation of the skeleton and muscles.
- NOAA Ocean Service, “How far does light travel in the ocean?” Link
- NASA, “Stars” (stellar nucleosynthesis and the origin of heavy elements). Link
All Quran verses: Tanzil Uthmani text, Pickthall translation, cross-checked with Quran.com. See methodology.