Page 120 - Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

And you see the earth dead and barren. Then, when We send down water
onto it, it quivers and swells and sprouts with luxuriant plants of every
kind. (Qur'an, 22:5)

The Arabic word for "quivers" is "ihtazzat," meaning "to set in
motion, come alive, quiver, move, stir; the movement and stretching of a
plant." The word "rabat," translated as "swells," bears the meanings "to
increase, grow in number, swell, grow, develop, rise (of a plant), provi-
sion, fill with air." These words describe in the most appropriate manner
the changes that occur in the molecular structure of soil during rain.
The motion described in the verse is different from the movement of
Earth's crust, such as when a portion of it moves to produce an earth-

quake, for it is only the soil particles that are moving. These particles are
composed of layers, each of which is on top of the other. When water
penetrates the layers, it causes the swelling of mud particles. The stages
referred to in the verse can be scientifically explained as follows:
1. Quivering of the soil: The electrostatic charge on the particle sur-
face that appears after the water falls on the soil in sufficient amount
would cause its instability and quivering movements. This movement is
stabilized only after this charge has been neutralized with an opposing
one. The soil particle's moving and quivering is also due to its collision
with water particles. Since the water particles move in no specific direc-
tion, the soil particles move as they are struck from all sides. Robert
Brown, a Scottish botanist, discovered in 1827 that when raindrops fall on

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