Every verse of the Quran is a miracle. Today, the miracle being discussed is related to the decrease in the amount of land on earth, which the modern science is discovering now, but was stated in the holy Quran about 14 centuries earlier.

Decrease in the Amount of Land:

Allah informs us some of His secrets about His creation in the Quran that He sent down 14 centuries ago. Those secrets both prove that the Quran is the word of Allah and paves the way for the development in natural sciences.

“See they not that We gradually reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders?“ (Surah ar-Rad: 41)

“See they not that we gradually reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders?” (Surah al-Anbiya: 44)

These two verses of the Qur’an mention that the surface of earth has been reduced and diminished from its outlying borders.

Has the surface of earth been reducing from its outlying borders really? What can be the meaning of this reducing? What do scientists say about this subject?

According to the information of NASA, while the Earth’s equatorial radius is 6378,5 km, its polar radius is 6357 km. This means a difference of 0.3%. Here, there is an indication of this flattening at poles with the following statements of the Qur’an; “We reduce the land from its outlying borders” and “We diminish the land from its outlying borders”. Besides, we also point out to the following issue that there is a statement in the verse as “we gradually reduce” instead of “we reduced”

From this statement, we understand that the process of reducing still continues. If there were a statement in the verse as “we reduced”, we could understand that the earth was created in the same shape as it is today. The statement “we gradually reduce” informs us about a formation after a definite process. That is, reducing is still continuing. The following two points which stem from this verse of the Qur’an are in complete conformity with the discoveries of the creation of the earth:

1- There is a reducing at the edges of the earth. In fact, the earth is flattened at poles and bulge at equators. And this reducing still continues as it is stated in the verses.

2- The present earth is different than its first state. There has been a gradual flattening from its edges in the course of time after a process. This occurs as result of the rotation of the earth around its own axis.

The conclusion that stems from the verses of the Qur’an of which we have analyzed is in complete coherence with the scientific discoveries. There is a reference for other scientific truths in the verses apart from these findings.

One of them is that there is a loss of matter around the earth though very little as a result of earth’s rotation around its own axis. The statements in the verses as “we reduce” and “we diminish” indicate this loss of matter round the earth. Scientists confirmed this indication of the Qur’an and approved that there is a constant loss of matter around the earth though very little.

Here these verses are also related to the decrease of land from another aspect. The scientists of Goddard Space Science Institute of Manhattan discovered that the level of water had been increasing as a result of the melting of ice sheets at poles. The increased level of water also covers more land. As the coasts of are covered with water, the total surface area or the quantity of land also diminishes. So the statements of the verses as “we reduce” and “we diminish” also indicate the coasts’ being covered with water and reducing of land on the earth.

Now, let us think about this matter: It was not possible for the people who lived in the age of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to know these scientific truths that are informed in the verses. You can even see that you cannot receive any answer from the people who are not really interested in physics when you ask them subjects such as whether a matter is flattened from its poles when it turns around its axis or not or about the diminishing of land on the earth; flattening of the poles and the loss of matter of the earth. This information is hardly known by any people except those who have a special interest in physics or the formation of earth nowadays.

So, how can you explain that this information exists in the Qur’an which was revealed 14 centuries ago? If we attribute this book to an illiterate person, then what will we say about the scientific discoveries of this book? Did this person discover these scientific facts which have recently been discovered in our age on his own 14 centuries ago? Was he a time traveller?

Then, is there any other option than the Qur’an is the word of Allah? No way!. The discovery of the Qur’an’s scientific miracles in our age is an aid and support of Allah to believers against the increased attacks on religion.