The Holy Qur’an and its miraculous nature

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
Have you ever thought why the underground aquifers are located in the vicinity of the sea, the sea saltwater does not penetrate the underground aquifers? Surely you know that if this happens the underground aquifers will become undrinkable. The existence of boundary between the saltwater and freshwater in seas is another scientific miracle of the holy Qur’an.
All of you are aware of the importance of water as the source of life for human and all other living creatures. Hence, Islam calls water the symbol of life, purity, and cleanliness since water removes all traces of pollution, besides quenching the thirst. The term “water” has been mentioned 59 times in the holy Qur’an. In several ayahs, water has been considered as the source of life. In Ayah 30 of Surah Anbiya, God says: “And We have made of water everything living”
Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) considers water as the best form of drink in the world and in afterlife. His 8th Infallible Heir, Imam Reza (AS) has called the taste of water as the taste of life. Freshwater and saltwater are defined by the science of hydrology. Reference to this fact in the holy Qur’an has attracted the attention of thinkers. In ayah 53 of Surah Furqan we read: “ And He it is Who has made two seas to flow freely, the one sweet that subdues thirst by its sweetness, and the other salt that burns by its saltness; and between the two He has made a barrier and inviolable obstruction”
Many of the points which the holy Qur’an has raised about seas were not known to mankind for centuries and no attention was paid to them. Ayah 61 of Surah Naml by referring to the boundary between the saltwater and freshwater considers it the sign of the absolute power of God, saying: “Or, Who made the earth a resting-place, and made in it rivers, and raised on it mountains, and placed between the two seas a barrier. Is there a god with Allah? Nay! Most of them do not know!”
In ayah 12 of Surah Fatir, we read: “And the two seas are not alike: the one sweet, that subdues thirst by its excessive sweetness, pleasant to drink; and the other salt, that burns by its saltness; yet from each of them you eat fresh flesh and bring forth ornaments which you wear; and you see the ships cleave through it that you may seek of His bounty and that you may be grateful”
With the progress of science mankind came to know that freshwater aquifers are found along the seashores, without being affected by the sea’s saltwater. Since the weight of the freshwater is less than that of the saltwater, in the coastal regions freshwater is found at a higher level than saltwater and there is a boundary between them. It is on the shores and in the coastal areas as well as below the sea surface that biodiversity is found in various forms as is evident by the presence of a variety of living creatures.
Since the penetration of sunshine into seawaters is 200 meters at its maximum depth, different types of creatures including algae, mollusks and fish are found in large numbers, thus providing vital source of food for human beings.
Moreover, the coastal regions are rich in terms of sediments, iron, manganese, aluminum and other salts and metals. The various bodies of saltwater have specific characteristics of their own, and they are boundaries between them, delineating the extent of each sea.
An example in this regard is the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, which is an extension of the Indian Ocean. The Red Sea’s salt and heat is more than that of the Arabian Sea. Each sea, although it is part of a vast ocean, has its own peculiarities, in terms of density, temperature, composition and environmental conditions, separated from each other with a delicate line in the waters.
In the 20th century, scientists started discovering this fact with the development of photography and advanced satellites for mapping seas and oceans. Oceanographers by observing the different colour of the seas and oceans realized that these are linked to each other through delicate lines of separation in the overlapping waters.
French thinker Dr. Maurice Buccaile points out in his book titled The Qur’an, the Bible and Modern Science that the ayahs of the holy Qur’an which were revealed almost a millennium and a half ago, are in remarkable harmony with the discovery of modern science. For instance, he says, the ayahs describing oceans and seas are indeed signs of God and worth pondering upon. An evident example, he says is the description of saltwater and freshwater bodies that never mix with each other despite the fact that the freshwater rivers pour into the saltwater seas. This is undoubtedly one of the miracles of the holy Qur’an which draws the attention of mankind to the corals, pearls and the other ornaments of the seas.
According to the exegetes of the holy Qur’an the evident borderline between freshwater and saltwater, indicates the line of difference between believers and a disbelievers, who although live in the same society, are never alike. In other words, like freshwater the believer enjoys a pure nature and strives towards eternal prosperity through good deeds, while the disbeliever by deviating from innate human nature becomes as bitter as saltwater. Although the two share many commonalities and enjoy divine blessings, their deeds have made them differ greatly from each other.
In ayah 39 of Surah Nour, God Almighty likens the deeds of the infidels to a mirage. The thirsty person imagines the mirage as water, but when he rushes towards it he finds nothing. Likewise, the disbelievers who deprive themselves of the blessing of faith live a life of illusions in darkness. Ayah 40 of Surah Nour has likened the darkness in which infidels live to the darkness of the depth of oceans. It is to be noted that in the depth of oceans, layers of water prevent sunshine from penetrating and thus create a pitch dark atmosphere. These ayahs say: “And (as for) those who disbelieve, their deeds are like the mirage in a desert, which the thirsty man deems to be water; until when he comes to it he finds it to be naught, and there he finds Allah”
“Or like utter darkness in the deep sea: there covers it a wave above which is another wave, above which is a cloud, (layers of) utter darkness one above another”
The point which has amazed modern thinkers is the reference of God Almighty to the existence of two kinds of waves in seas. With the progress in technology and dispatch of advanced submarines to the depth of oceans, scientists have begun to realize that due to the density of the waters in the depth of seas, two kinds of waves are found, that is the surface waves that are visible and the undersea waves that are dark and cannot be seen.
German oceanographer Professor Garrote had once said that with the progress of science there is no need for religion, but when he listened to the ayahs of Surah Nour, he felt amazed, and admitted that it is impossible for these words to be the words of human beings. These ayahs are another firm indication of the miracle of the holy Qur’an. Now this question should be asked: Could a man who lived 1400 years ago on the dry and burning Arabian Desert, speak of surface water in the depth of oceans without inspiration of Divine knowledge? Here one should submit to the holy Qur’an and its miraculous nature and ponder on ayah 190 of Surah Aal-e Imran that says: “Most surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day there are signs for men who understand.”