Earth’s sky a Quran miracle

Spherical construction of Atmosphere a Quran Miracle-

Our precious Atmosphere (the blue Sky) is unique to planet Earth. It is now a consensus in science that even Mars in its early formation had an Atmosphere and water is found to have channelled turning pebbles to aline like the rivers force them to as we notice here on Earth which was picked up by Mars rover as evidence pointing to its possibility. Atmosphere is such a big thing that life wouldn’t be possible due to its absence. Centuries ago Almighty God, Allah has revealed this information in the Quran at a time when we could barely reflect on these details. While is describes it as a canopy supporting life in surah 2.22 is nearly not a claim in itself in this article. Perhaps it may sound like I might be reading way too  much into the vague text as some have argued. But, if Quran has informed of a technical details it will be the hard bit which I would like to use to nail the wail arguers. Its spherical construction is a sign to modern generations such that we acknowledge God though His book the Quran as the Chief Creator of all the wonders.

In Quran  79.27-29 ءَأَنتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقاً أَمِ السَّمَآءُ بَنَـهَا رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَـهَا -What! Are you the more difficult to create or the Sky (Atmosphere) that [Allah] has constructed? On high has He raised its spherical boundary, and He has given it order and perfection. Its night does He endow with darkness, and its (splendorous glow) does He extract as day-. God in this verse brings our attention to a rhetorical question asking ‘who is the difficult to create you or the Sky that I have constructed’? By virtue of our great learning we confirm to it positively. It is humbling that this Atmosphere in altitude stretches approximately from 0-600 kms about where the auroras light up at the poles then fades off into space at approximately 10,000 kms which is called as the exosphere forming the outermost layer of our Atmosphere. The molecules of gas in denser regions of this Atmosphere are primarily responsible for refraction of white light glowing the horizon to splendour in blue halo. The Sky, according to the Quran is not a singular entity technically it has several layers which Quran refers to as independent skies. In summation he informs us that he made it like an envelope in the manner of pigeons swelling breast.  The use of the select word informs us that samkaha (its spherical boundary) the Atmosphere of the Sky, He perfected it to merge with space as a seamless design.

Spherical construction of atmosphere in Quran

In the above verse we learn samkaha (سَمْكَهَا, spherical boundary of atmosphere) as one of the most important findings of contemporary scientific observation. Samkaha comes from the root which is samaka which means a pouter puffed up, like which of a breed of pigeon that enlarge their crop until their breast is puffed out.  This specific description explains not only the shape of the atmosphere as being spherical but simply renders the planet earth as its implicit spherical entity. In the traditional translations of Quran you can see it as being simply translated to mean a ‘canopy’ raised high. Due to the subtle limitations in languages translations face obvious challenges for the special task where intricate interpretations are inferred. The point worth a note is no other meaning of the root samaka can be applied to fulfil the need as demands in this context. The relative pronoun ha (هَا) refers to the atmosphere which can not be a fish or any other possibility of meaning but the breast of the pigeon puffed up describes it accurately of how the atmosphere is spread across the planet earth.

Conclusion

This clearly makes it more than obvious to us today that this factual information couldn’t have been understood or document 14 centuries ago. Which makes spherical construction of Atmosphere a Quran miracle indeed.