Question:
(Quran 15:19) And the earth We have spread out (like a CARPET); ...
(Quran 20:53) He Who has, made for you the earth like a CARPET spread out; ...
(Quran 43:10) Who has made for you the earth (like a CARPET) spread out,...
(Quran 50:7) And the earth- We have spread it out, ...
(Quran 51:48) And We have spread out the (spacious) earth: How EXCELLENTLY We do spread out!
(Quran 71:19) And Allah has made the earth for you as a CARPET (spread out)
all the verses above use the word 'madad', 'mahdan', 'firasya', 'bisatan' which means SPREAD OUT / FLATTERN. and the last verse:
(Quran 79:30) And the earth, moreover, hath He extended (to a wide expanse);
'daha' = spread out , level off , level. but the muslims translate it into shape of an ostrich-egg.
Answer (by Dr. Zakir Naik):
Q. Does the Quran say that the Earth is Flat?
Qur’an says that Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet. This gives an indication that the earth is flat. Does this not contradict established modern science?
A. 1. Earth made as a carpet
The 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).” [Al-Qur’an 71:19]
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.” [Al-Qur’an 71:20]
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)....” [Al-Qur’an 20:53]
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 surface
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 Quran 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!” [Al-Qur’an 51:48]
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?” [Al-Qur’an 78:6-7]
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)!” [Al-Qur’an 29:56]
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 geo-spherical in shape
The Qur’an mentions the actual shape of the earth in the following verse:
“And we have made the earth egg shaped”. [Al-Qur’an 79:30]
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.
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