Does the Qur'an Say Mountains Were Thrown Into the Earth?
Question:
Assalamualykum,
I have a question regarding Surah 16 ayah 15 which states "And He has thrown into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you, and [made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided,".
The word in the Quran is alqa which according to the word by word dictionary of the Quran literally means to throw. The problem is according to geologists mountains where not thrown into the ground but they where created by earthquakes and other natural events.
Answer:
Assalamu Alaykum,
وَ أَلْقَى فىِ الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسىَِ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَ أَنهَْارًا وَ سُبُلًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تهَتَدُون
(16:15)
The answer is hidden in the translation that you provided. For translation you quoted:
And He has thrown into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you, and [made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided
The word ‘made’ in the translation is in brackets. The reason is that it is not in the verse! Whatever the word ‘Alqa’ in the verse means also applies to rivers and roads. Now we know for sure that the addressees of the prophet (pbuh) did not think that roads were ‘thrown’ on the earth! So the word ‘Alqa’ for sure cannot be translated as ‘thrown’ in this verse otherwise it would have been seen as a big error by its addressees.
Alqa comes from Liqa (لقا) literally meaning two things meeting each other. Now depending on the context, the associated words and the pronouns, this ‘meeting’ can be by ‘throwing one on the other’ or it can be by ‘making one on the other’, or ‘reaching one to the other’, ‘passing one to the other’, etc.
Here are some examples from the Qur’an:
… لا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ أَلْقى إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلامَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنا …
… do not say to one who passes Salam to you, ‘you are not a believer’ … (4:94)
قالُوا يا مُوسى إِمَّا أَنْ تُلْقِيَ وَ إِمَّا أَنْ نَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقى
They said O Musa, would you throw first or shall we be the ones that throw first (20:65)
And then we have the verse that you referred to:
وَ أَلْقَى فىِ الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسىَِ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَ أَنهْارًا وَ سُبُلًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تهَتَدُون
And (He) made on the Earth mountains lest it (i.e. the Earth) may unstable you and rivers and paths so that you may be guided (16:15)
As you can see a meaning of the word is used here that can equally be applied to mountains, rivers and paths, that is, ‘made’. Therefore Alqa here is in the same meaning as Ja’ala (جعل).
To further substantiate the above, look at the following verse that refers to the mountains again as stabilisers of the Earth and check that this time a family of the verb Ja’ala is used:
أَ لَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهاداً وَ الْجِبالَ أَوْتادا
Did we not make the Earth (like) a cradle and mountain (like) pegs (78:6, 7)
(note, rawasi in 16:15 and jibal in 78:7 are both referring to mountains).
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December 2013
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Related Topics:
- A Supplementary Comment
Assalamualykum,
I have a question regarding Surah 16 ayah 15 which states "And He has thrown into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you, and [made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided,".
The word in the Quran is alqa which according to the word by word dictionary of the Quran literally means to throw. The problem is according to geologists mountains where not thrown into the ground but they where created by earthquakes and other natural events.
Answer:
Assalamu Alaykum,
وَ أَلْقَى فىِ الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسىَِ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَ أَنهَْارًا وَ سُبُلًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تهَتَدُون
(16:15)
The answer is hidden in the translation that you provided. For translation you quoted:
And He has thrown into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you, and [made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided
The word ‘made’ in the translation is in brackets. The reason is that it is not in the verse! Whatever the word ‘Alqa’ in the verse means also applies to rivers and roads. Now we know for sure that the addressees of the prophet (pbuh) did not think that roads were ‘thrown’ on the earth! So the word ‘Alqa’ for sure cannot be translated as ‘thrown’ in this verse otherwise it would have been seen as a big error by its addressees.
Alqa comes from Liqa (لقا) literally meaning two things meeting each other. Now depending on the context, the associated words and the pronouns, this ‘meeting’ can be by ‘throwing one on the other’ or it can be by ‘making one on the other’, or ‘reaching one to the other’, ‘passing one to the other’, etc.
Here are some examples from the Qur’an:
… لا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ أَلْقى إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلامَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنا …
… do not say to one who passes Salam to you, ‘you are not a believer’ … (4:94)
قالُوا يا مُوسى إِمَّا أَنْ تُلْقِيَ وَ إِمَّا أَنْ نَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقى
They said O Musa, would you throw first or shall we be the ones that throw first (20:65)
And then we have the verse that you referred to:
وَ أَلْقَى فىِ الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسىَِ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَ أَنهْارًا وَ سُبُلًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تهَتَدُون
And (He) made on the Earth mountains lest it (i.e. the Earth) may unstable you and rivers and paths so that you may be guided (16:15)
As you can see a meaning of the word is used here that can equally be applied to mountains, rivers and paths, that is, ‘made’. Therefore Alqa here is in the same meaning as Ja’ala (جعل).
To further substantiate the above, look at the following verse that refers to the mountains again as stabilisers of the Earth and check that this time a family of the verb Ja’ala is used:
أَ لَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهاداً وَ الْجِبالَ أَوْتادا
Did we not make the Earth (like) a cradle and mountain (like) pegs (78:6, 7)
(note, rawasi in 16:15 and jibal in 78:7 are both referring to mountains).
----------
December 2013
---------
Related Topics:
- A Supplementary Comment
