وإلى الأرض كيف سطحت
And the earth - how it is spread out?
Qur'an 88:20
I have read many articles where different people have tried to explain that the Quran is describing a flat earth, this is one of the most common fallacy, and yet, the weakest one
The reason is because they selectively chose major Quranic Exegesis such as Tafsir al-Jalalayn disregarding other Tafsir books
Interpretation given in Al-Jalalayn:
And the earth, how it was laid out flat?, and thus infer from this the power of God, exalted be He, and His Oneness? As for His words sutihat, ‘laid out flat’, this on a literal reading suggests that the earth is flat, which is the opinion of most of the scholars of the [revealed] Law, and not a sphere as astronomers (ahl al-hay’a) have it, even if this [latter] does not contradict any of the pillars of the Law.
Here is what they've concluded:
commentators are well informed about the scientific conclusion that the earth is a globe, but the scientists are considered to be laymen in regard to understanding the meaning of the Qur'an.
Because revelation has primacy over science, the Qur'an is the decisive basis for the commentators to insist that the earth is flat.
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Debunking this fallacy
Instead of going into full details and explanations, the following will Suffice to debunk this misconception including by the same book
The verse came up with other three verses:
- Then do they not look at the camels - how they are created?
- And at the sky - how it is raised?
- And at the mountains - how they are erected?
- And at the earth - how it is spread out?
By consulting the same Tafsir book Al-Jalalayn:
The commencing with the [mention of] camels is because they are closer in contact with it [the earth] than any other [animal].
It's clear, if you think that we need satellite intervention, read what Ibn Katheer said:
They [Arabs] are reminded of this because the most common domestic animal of the Arabs was the camel. Shurayh Al-Qadi used to say, "Come out with us so that we may look at the camels and how they were created, and at the sky and how it has been raised
أفلم ينظروا إلى ٱلسمآء فوقهم كيف بنينها وزينها وما لها من فروج
Have they not looked at the heaven [above them], how we have made it and adorned it and there are no rifts on it?
(And at the earth, how it is outspread) meaning, how it has been spread out, extended and made smooth. Thus, He directs the bedouin to consider what he himself witnesses. His camel that he rides upon, the sky that is above his head, the mountain that faces him, and the earth that is under him, all of this is proof of the power of the Creator and Maker of these things.
Scholars such Fakhr al-Din al-Razi
سطحاً بتمهيد وتوطئة، ومن الناس من استدل بهذا على أن الأرض ليست بكرة وهو ضعيف، لأن الكرة إذا كانت في غاية العظمة يكون كل قطعة منها كالسطح
[ Sutihat ] means spread out, there are people who infer from this verse that the earth isn't globe (flat), which is a weak claim, because when a sphere is huge, each section of it appears to be like a flat surface
You may object saying that the view of these scholars is influenced by Greeks, read the Ta'weel of the verse by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi who hold the same point of view as other scholars with regards to the context of the verse:
كانت أسفارهم في أكثر الأمر على الإبل، فكانوا كثيراً ما يسيرون عليها في المهامة والقفار مستوحشين منفردين عن الناس، ومن شأن الإنسان إذا انفرد أن يقبل على التفكر في الأشياء، لأنه ليس معه من يحادثه، وليس هناك شيء يشغل به سمعه وبصره، وإذا كان كذلك لم يكن له بد من أن يشغل باله بالفكرة، فإذا فكر في ذلك الحال وقع بصره أول الأمر على الجمل الذي ركبه، فيرى منظراً عجيباً، وإذا نظر إلى فوق لم ير غير السماء، وإذا نظر يميناً وشمالاً لم ير غير الجبال، وإذا نظر إلى ما تحت لم ير غير الأرض
They use camels in most of their journeys across deserts, lonely and withdrawn from people, therefore this would lead him to reflect on these things, because there is no one to chat with, there is nothing that can distract him, so if he start reflecting, that first thing that would catch his eyes is the camel, if he look above he will see nothing but the sky, if he turn and look around, he will see nothing but the mountains, and if he look underneath he will not see nothing but the earth
