Earth Science
The seven layers of the Earth’s atmosphere
Are the seven layers of the Earth’s atmosphere - the same as the seven skies the noble Koran talked about? Through this article, we will correct this misunderstanding.
Scientists have found that the Earth’s atmosphere consists of layers positioned on top of each other, and that these layers differ in their density. Hence, scientists have identified seven different layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. Moreover, the number “7” occurs many times in the Koran and in the Prophet’s sayings (peace and blessings be upon him).
However, some scientists agree that these layers are the same as the seven skies the Koran has mentioned about. God the Almighty said (meaning), “And we adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps to be as an adornment as well as to guard. Such is the Decree of Him, the All Mighty, the All- Knower.” (Sura Fussilat, ayah 12) Here lamps refer to the stars which, as we know, are located external to the Earth’s atmosphere and even external to our solar system. The closest star is 4.3 light years distant from us.
When visualising the galaxies in the universe, we find that they consist of billions of stars, which decorate the skies. We can say that the stars and the galaxies we see are in the nearest sky because God Almighty says (meaning), “We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps to be as an adornment.” (Sura Al-Mulk, ayah 5). This means that these stars decorate the first sky that is closest to us and that God Almighty is the only One who knows regarding the rest of the skies.
In conclusion, the Earth’s atmospheric layers, our solar system and all the galaxies are located in the first sky. However, the second sky, the third, the forth, even the seventh have not yet been seen. But scientists may discover the secrets of these skies in the future.
The atmosphere falls on earth!
Do you know what the weight of the atmosphere is? Can it fall on Earth? What makes it stable and attached to the Earth? It is gravity and the sickness of the atmosphere.
My dear reader, to understand the word “sky” which is mentioned in the Koran, we have to know that the atmosphere is our sky. In the Arabic language, “anything above you is your sky”. It contains clouds which are the source of rain and God says (meaning), “And we sent down from the sky water (rain) in (due) measure, and we gave it lodging in the earth, and verily, we are able to take it away.” (Sura Al-Mu’minun, ayah 18).
The sky (Heaven) extends to billions of light years and all seen galaxies and cosmic dust are in the heaven of the world but the Koran told us about the possibility that the sky could fall down on our heads.
At the time of the descending of Koran, no one received the knowledge that the atmosphere is so heavy and no one knew that the elimination of that atmosphere may cause many dangers. The Koran told us about this reality in a great ayah in which God reminds us with His graces and how He the Almighty keeps that cover from elimination.
At the time of the descending of the Koran no one knew that the air has a weight and if we calculated how much we find that it is up to 5 billion kilograms! Therefore, the atmosphere, which is our sky, is so heavy.
Imagine, what might happen should a stone weighing 5 billion kilograms fell down on earth? The one who holds that atmosphere is God as He exploited the rules by His unlimited power, for example if the density of the atmosphere where less than it is, it might evaporate and escape into space and, if gravity was less than it is the earth might not be able to hold up the atmosphere. Hence, God Almighty selected the right size and weight for the Earth to keep the atmosphere tenaciously in place. Because of that, we can understand the holy ayah (meaning), “He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except by His leave. Verily, Allah is, for mankind, Full of Kindness, Most Merciful.” (Sura Al-Hajj, ayah 65). We can understand this ayah in two ways with no contradiction between science and Koran:
If we understand the sky (Heaven) as the atmosphere it will be right, as God Almighty by His power keeps it from falling on us because, if it did, life would be terminated.
If we understand that the sky (Heaven) is the outer space it will be right as the collision of any space rocks or meteors will cause a destructive disaster. The scientists say that the possibility of any object colliding with the Earth is high. However, the power of God Almighty preserves the Earth from both outer and inner dangers.
We can only say, thank you God for Your graces: “Verily, Allah is, for mankind, Full of Kindness, Most Merciful.” (Sura Al-Hajj, ayah 65).
Meteors and Clouds
Scientific facts indicate that a fall of a huge meteor on the Earth is preceded by the formation of dense clouds before the collision of meteors with the Earth.
As appears in the above picture, a cloud was formed before a meteor fell in Russia. Scientists say that such a view which we witnessed today about which no one knew before was revealed in the Holy Koran; God the Exalted says (meaning): “Were they to see a piece of the sky (kesaf) falling (on them), they would (only) say: ‘Clouds gathered in heaps!’” (Sura At-Tur, ayah 44)
The word kesaf in Arabic means pieces of stones and such stones cannot be seen when meteors fall, but we can see the clouds that result from the friction of the stones with the atmospheric and the burning of parts of them: thus smoky clouds appear first and this is exactly what the Holy Koran describes.
