You see the earth barren and lifeless, but when Wepour down water on it, it vibrates, it swells and puts forthevery kind of beautiful growth in pairs.  Quran ( 22-The Pilgrimage, 5  )

 

 

It is general knowledge that there is no life without air and water.Does it ever occur to anyone that soil also is a prerequisite to life?

 

The soil is in continuous development. Throughout thousands of years,especially by the effect of water, it has undergone transformation by erosion of the Lithosphere. As the rate of this erosion is 0.01 mm peryear in hard rocks, this transformation is imperceptible (This rate risesup to 20 mm in warmer regions). In this transition process, the earthrises from the inorganic world of minerals to an organic sphere. In afertile section of earth 1 m3 there are some 30 million bacteria.The above verse refers to reactions that occur in series after rainfall.The vibrating and swelling of soil were at first believed to be literaryexpressions. But Robert Brown’s discovery of the earth’s shaking referred to as “Brownian movement” was another proof of theQuran’s miraculous insight.

 

 

 

Three stages are mentioned in the Quran, namely:1) Earth’s vibrating2) Earth’s swelling and3) Earth’s products in pairs.

 

 

1) In the first stage, particles in the soil begin moving upon the fall of rainwater. Raindrops falling on the earth at random move in every direction. The particles are ionized. They are positively ionized as there is a fall in the electrical charge and negatively ionized as there is a rise in the electrical charge. With the arrival of water the ionized molecules begin vibrating. Robert Brown, who discovered this phenomenon in 1828, called this movement: “Brownian movement.”

 

2) The second point refers to the growth in size of the earth’s particles as they absorb water. Soil particles are composed of joint layers. Between any two layers, there are spaces that allow water particles and dissolved ions to enter. When water and the nourishing elements dissolve in it, they diffuse between layers, resulting in the swelling of the size of the soil particles. The soil’s property of holding water prevents its penetration any deeper, and thus provides for organisms and plants to live.

 

 

3) The third stage refers to the germination of seeds. As the verse points out, the fertilization process has started. The soil that seemed dead comes to life with water, giving in turn life to vegetation that begins to sprout. There are many references to the creation of plants. Parallels are drawn between the creation and restoration to life of plants and the resurrection raising from the dead. The period when a plant begins to sprout is likened to youth, and the period when the plant ripens to adolescence, and then to maturity. Just like a man gets weaker and frailer as he grows older and wrinkles appear on his skin, so do plants dry and lose their luster. When they die, they mix with the soil, just like the corpse of a man. As plants grow again, so will man rise from the dead. God, who causes plants to die every year and regenerates them, so will He raise men from the dead. 33- One sign for them is the dead land. We revive it and produce from it grains which they eat.  36-Ya-Seen, 33

 

 

 

 

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Anyone who looks attentively at the creatures of god especially plants that gives us food , should be astonished by the way these plants grows ,also he or she  may wonder if he or she knows that the basic material  in all plants is water. 

 

When rains fall down on the ground it mixed with soil which produce an attraction and pushing forces between water atoms and soil atoms. As a result of that volume of soil increases.

 

Today, this is a very clear scientific fact, but no one knew anything about this fact at the time of revelation of Qur'an , but this noble book told us accurately  about these phases  in a scientific sequence , god be he exalted says :( O mankind! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then verily We have created you (i.e. Adam) from dust, then from a Nutfah (mixed drops of male and female sexual discharge i.e. the offspring of Adam), then from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood) then from a little lump of flesh - some formed and some unformed (as in the case of miscarriage) - that We may make (it) clear to you (i.e. to show you Our Power and Ability to do what We will). And We cause whom We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed term, then We bring you out as infants, then (give you growth) that you may reach your age of full strength. And among you there is he who dies (young), and among you there is he who is brought back to the miserable old age, so that he knows nothing after having known. And you see the earth barren, but when we send down water (rain) on it, it is stirred (to life), and it swells and puts forth every lovely kind (of growth)) (AL- Hajj- verse 5).

 

 

We have to look at the precise expression in the word (barren) as there is a continuous movement in the dry land and soil atoms moves but its movement is barren which means that it is so weak. But when water fall down, soil atoms starts to vibrate (and then it stores a large number of water to secure the needed food for plants.  

 

God be he exalted put the expansion and water storing features in soil and without this feature life wouldn't be able to continue. Also the noble verse talked preciously in a scientific way about germination phases starting from sending water down, mixing water with soil atoms, vibration of soil atoms and expansion of the volume of soil.

 

After that the grains in the soil starts to absorb water and also it expands and grow to start the germination process. Qur'an summarized all these phases in only three words (stirred, swells, growth). 

 

 

 

God's mercy put an important characteristic in the soil which is the ability to store water and also its atoms vibrates when it mixed with water which helps plant to grow.

 

Also there is another important characteristic which is the ability to store grains and to keep it without being spoiled for a long time. Without this feature earth would be a desert with no life on it.  Thanks god for these graces.

    

The existence of this scientific fact in a book revealed 1400 year ago is evidence that this book is sincere. Therefore we can say that expressions of Qur'an are very accurate from the scientific and linguistic point of view which testifies that this great book is miraculous. God says : ( it is an honorable well-fortified respected Book. Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it: (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise (Allah) (Fussilat- verse 41-42).

 

 

 

 

 

Source:

 

1- Ganeri, Anita. Earth Science, Macmillan, 1993.

2- Growth of the Soil, ."Britannica Student Library. 2008.

3- Devonshire, Hilary, and Kline, Marjory, eds. Water, Watts, 1992.

4- Haken, C., and Wolf, H.C. The Physics of Atoms and Quanta: Introduction to Experiments and Theory, 3rd. ed, Springer-Verlag, 1993.