1. Earth made as a
carpetThe question refers to
a verse from the Qur’an in Surah
Nuh:
"And Allah has
made the earth for you as a
carpet (spread out)."
But the sentence in the
above verse is not complete. It continues in the next verse, explaining the previous
verse. It says:
"That ye may go about
therein, in spacious roads."
A similar message is
repeated in Surah TaHa:
"He Who has made for
you the earth like a carpet spread out; has enabled you to go about therein by roads (and
channels)...."
The surface of the earth
i.e. earth’s crust is less than 30 miles in thickness and is very thin as compared to
the radius of the earth which is about 3750 miles. The deeper layers of the earth are very
hot, fluid and hostile to any form of life. The earth’s crust is a solidified shell
on which we can live. The Qur’an rightly refers to it like a carpet spread out, so
that we can travel along its roads and paths.
2. Carpet can also be
spread on other than an absolute flat surfaceNot a single verse
of the Qur’an says that the earth is flat. The Qur’an only compares the
earth’s crust with a carpet. Some people seem to think that carpet can only be put on
an absolute flat surface. It is possible to spread a carpet on a large sphere such as the
earth. It can easily be demonstrated by taking a huge model of the earth’s globe
covering it with a carpet.
Carpet is generally
put on a surface, which is not very comfortable to walk on. The Qur’an describes the
earth crust as a carpet, without which human beings would not be able to survive because
of the hot, fluid and hostile environment beneath it. The Qur’an is thus not only
logical, it is mentioning a scientific fact that was discovered by geologists centuries
later.
3. Earth has been
spread out Similarly, the
Qur’an says in several verses that the earth has been spread out.
"And We have spread
out the (spacious) earth: how excellently We do spread out!"
Similarly the Qur’an
also mentions in several other verses that the earth is an expanse:
"Have We not made the
earth as a wide expanse"
"And the mountains as pegs?"
None of these verses of the
Qur’an contain even the slightest implication that the earth is flat. It only
indicates that the earth is spacious and the reason for this spaciousness of the earth is
mentioned. The Glorious Qur’an says:
"O My servants who
believe! truly. spacious is My Earth: therefore serve ye Me –(And Me alone)!"
Therefore none can give the
excuse, that he could not do good and was forced to do evil because of the surroundings
and circumstances.
4. Earth is geospherical in
shapeThe Qur’an mentions
the actual shape of the earth in the following verse:
"And we have made the
earth egg shaped".
The Arabic word Dahaha
means egg shaped. It also means an expanse. Dahaha is derived from Duhiya
which specifically refers to the egg of an ostrich which is geospherical in shape, exactly
like the shape of the earth.
Thus the Qur’an and modern established
science are in perfect harmony.