THE QURAN ON MOUNTAINS

THE QURAN ON MOUNTAINS

“ Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse And the mountains

as PEGS?” (78:6-7)

“That Mountains have underlying

roots.”

“Modern earth sciences have

proven that

”

mountains have

deep roots under the surface

of the ground

“ And he has set firmmountains in the earth so that it would not SHAKE

with you; and rivers and roads: that ye may guide yourselves” (16:15)

“The mountains play an important role in stabilizing the crust of the earth.”

“Likewise the Modern theory of plate tectonics holds that mountains work as

stabilizers for the earth has just begun to be understood in the framework of plate tectonics since the late 1960’s”

We placed firmly embedded mountains on the Earth, so that it would not move under them. (Surah Al-Anbyia 31)

The Quran draws attention to a very important geological function of mountains.

As noticed it is stated in the verse that the mountains has the function of preventing shocks on the Earth. This fact was not known by any one at the time the Quran was revealed. It was in fact brought to light recently as a result of the finding of modern geology. According to these findings mountains emerge as a result of the movement and collision of massive plates forming the earth crust. When two plates collide, the stronger one slides under the other. The one on top bends and forms the heights the mountains. The layer beneath proceeds under the ground and makes a deep extension downward. That means that mountains have a portion stretching downwards as large as the visible portion on the earth. In a scientific text the structure of mountains is described this follows. Where continent are thicker as in mountain ranges the crust sinks deeper in to the mountain. In a verse this role of the mountains is pointed out through comparison with pegs. Have we not made the earth as a bed and the mountain is pegs? Mountains, in other words, clings the plates in the earth crust together by extending above and beneath the earth surface at the conjunction points of these plates. In this way they fix the earth crust and prevent it from drifting over the magnet strengths or among its plates. Briefly, we may liken the mountains to nails that keep wood pieces together. This fixing function of the mountains is defined in scientific literature with the term “Isostasy”.

This vital role of mountains that was discovered by the modern geology and science research was revealed in the Quran centuries ago as an example of supreme wisdom in God’s creation: