One fact about the universe revealed in the verses of the
Quran is that the sky is made up of seven layers:
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Al-Quran,
Chapter 2 Al-Baqara, Verse 29 |
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In
the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful |
It is He Who
created everything on the earth for you and then
directed His attention up to heaven and arranged it into
seven regular heavens. He has knowledge of all things. |
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Also in:
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Al-Quran,
Chapter 41 Ha-Mim, Verse 11-12 |
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In
the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful |
Moreover He
Comprehended in His design the sky and it had been (as)
smoke: He said to it and to the earth: "Come ye together
willingly or unwillingly." They said: "We do come (together)
in willing obedience."
So
He completed them as seven firmaments in two Days and He
assigned to each heaven its duty.... |
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The word "heavens," which
appears in many verses in the Quran, is used to refer to the
sky above the Earth, as well as the entire universe. Given
this meaning of the word, it is seen that the Earth's sky,
or the atmosphere, is made up of seven layers.
Today, it is known that the world's atmosphere consists of
different layers that lie on top of each other.19 Based on
the criteria of chemical contents or air temperature, the
definitions made have determined the atmosphere of the earth
as seven layers.20 According to the "Limited Fine Mesh Model
(LFMMII)," a model of atmosphere used to estimate weather
conditions for 48 hours, the atmosphere is also 7 layers.
(Figure 1)
The Quran says,
"He assigned to
each heaven its duty...." Truly, each one of
these layers has vital duties for the benefit of human kind
and all other living things on the Earth. Each layer has a
particular function, ranging from forming rain to preventing
harmful rays, from reflecting radio waves to averting the
harmful effects of meteors.
The verses below inform us about the appearance of the seven
layers of the atmosphere:
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Al-Quran,
Chapter 71 Nuh, Verse 15 |
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In
the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful |
See ye not how
Allah has created the seven heavens one above another |
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The atmosphere only lets rays required for life reach the
Earth. For example, ultraviolet rays make it to the world
only partially. This is the most appropriate range to allow
plants to make photosynthesis and eventually for all living
things to survive.
The Arabic word "tibaqan" in these verses, translated into
English as "layer" means "layer, the appropriate cover or
covering for something," and thus stresses how the top layer
is well suited to the lower. The word is also used in the
plural here: "layers." The sky, described in the verse as
being in layers, is without doubt the most perfect
expression of the atmosphere. It is a great miracle that
these facts, which could not possibly be discovered without
the technology of the 20th century, were explicitly stated
by the Qur'an 1,500 years ago.
Footnotes
19. Michael Pidwirny, “Atmospheric Layers,” 1996, http://royal.okanagan.bc.ca/mpidwirn/atmosphereandclimate/atmslayers.html.
20. “Numerical Prediction Models used by NWS,” Integrated
Publishing, www.tpub.com/weather3/4-27.htm. |
Figure 1: The Seven Layers of the Earths Atmosphere |
