Gravitational Waves in Quran Miracle

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Gravitational waves are mentioned nowhere in the Quran.

"Miracle"

Gravitational waves are disturbances in the curvature (fabric) of spacetime, generated by accelerated masses, that propagate as waves outward from their source at the speed of light...

Gravitational-wave astronomy is a branch of observational astronomy that uses gravitational waves to collect observational data about sources of detectable gravitational waves such as binary star systems composed of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes; and events such as supernovae, and the formation of the early universe shortly after the Big Bang.
Wikipedia, Gravitational Wave, 2019

These are actual waves in spacetime. However they were portrayed in the Quran 1400 years before they were discovered.

[Quran 52:9] On the Day when the heaven vibrates in waves.

"Maur in Arabic مَور" means waves. "Tamur تَمُورُ" means vibrates and is also found in Quran 67:16 describing the vibrations of an earthquake. This verse says that the heaven will vibrate in waves. Today we know that gravitational waves are actual waves, however when a gravitational wave passes through an object it stretches and contracts it in a specific way:

A gravitational wave stretches and contracts an object in its place (does not toss it around like the waves at the beach). This is described in the Quran by "Tamur تَمُورُ" which means vibrates. The Quran is describing vibrations caused by waves, today we know that gravitational waves stretch and contract an object in its place.

When a star moves it generates gravitational waves in spacetime similar to when a ship moves it generates waves in water.

This was only known recently, however this was portrayed in the Quran 1400 years before it was discovered.

[Quran 21:33] It is He who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, everything swimming in an orbit.

Yasbahoon يَسْبَحُونَ means swimming. Today we know why the Quran used this word "swimming" because they are generating waves in spacetime.

How could an illiterate man who lived 1400 years ago have known about gravitational waves?


The verses

The word "Day" is written with a capital D even in the apologetic translation. This is an admission that the verse is not about our world today, but about the Day of Judgement:

On the Day when the heaven vibrates (تمور) in waves.


Quran 52:9, translated by [1]

The context also clearly indicates that it is about the Day of Judgement:

52:7 Indeed, the punishment of your Lord will occur.

52:8 Of it there is no preventer.

52:9 On the Day the heaven will sway with circular motion

52:10 And the mountains will pass on, departing -

52:11 Then woe, that Day, to the deniers,

52:12 Who are in [empty] discourse amusing themselves.

52:13 The Day they are thrust toward the fire of Hell with a [violent] thrust, [its angels will say],

52:14 "This is the Fire which you used to deny.


Quran 52:7-9, Sahih International

So the "vibration" is a (probably supernatural) event that will happen on the Day of Judgement and therefore the verse is not about gravitational waves that currently happen in this universe.

Most translations indicate that the whole heaven will shake, not that there will be small waves within the heaven. Also they don't use the word "vibration":

Dr. Ghali: The Day when the heaven whirls with (awful) whirling.

Muhsin Khan: On the Day when the heaven will shake with a dreadful shaking,

Pickthall: On the day when the heaven will heave with (awful) heaving,

Sahih International: On the Day the heaven will sway with circular motion

Yusuf Ali: On the Day when the firmament will be in dreadful commotion.


In the Arabic original it says تمور السماء مورا (tamooru samaa'a mawraa), the words tamooru and mawraa are from the same root مور [2]. So translations that the heavens (samaa'a) "shake with shaking" or "whirl with whirling" are closer to the original, rather than those that use different words, like "vibrates in waves".

Then there is the verse 21:33, which uses an unscientific word "swimming" for movement of celestial bodies:

It is He who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, everything swimming in an orbit.
21:33, translated by miracles-of-quran.com
  • The verse mentions the night, the day, the sun and the moon. Then the verse adds that everything (the night, the day, the sun and the moon) swims in an orbit.
  • The verse doesn't mention that the swimming causes waves. Let alone gravitational waves.

The miracle was supposed to be about "gravitational waves", but none of the verses mentioned gravitation.

See also

References