The Qur'an on the Barrier Between the Seas
And it is He who has released [simultaneously] the two seas, one fresh and
sweet and one salty and bitter, and He placed between them a barrier and prohibiting
The fact that the waters of the oceans do
not mix with each other has only been discovered
lately by oceanographers. This is
due to the physical force called “surface
tension,” wherein waters of neighboring
seas do not mix. It is caused by the difference
in the density of their waters. Surface
tension prevents them from mingling
with one another, just as if a thin wall were
between them. The Amazon River’s water
pours into the Atlantic Ocean and yet preserves
its traits even after it goes out 200
meters into the ocean.
The Qur'an on Darkness in the Seas and Internal
Or [they are] like layers of darkness within an unfathomable sea which is covered
by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds – layers of darkness, some
of them upon others. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly see it. And
he to whom Allah has not granted light - for him there is no light
It is well-known and affirmed scientifically that at extreme depths
of the ocean there is no light, only darkness. The cause for this is
that sunrays cannot reach it, for oceans range from being a few
hundred meters deep to being 10994 meters deep. The darkness
in the deep seas and oceans
is found to begin at around a
depth of 200 meters and below.
At this depth, there is almost no
light. Below a depth of 1000 meters
there is absolutely no light
penetration. Therefore, most of
the sun’s rays are absorbed by
the water at 100 meters. This
portion of the sea is known as
the luminous portion. Thereafter
1% of the sun’s rays are visible
at 150 meters, and 0.01%
of the rays at 200 meters.
The ozone layer in the atmosphere reflects most of the ultra-
violet rays, whereas the clouds reflect 30% and absorb
19% of these rays. Only 51% of these rays reach the sea.
Between 3% and 30 % of the sunlight is reflected at the
sea surface. Then almost all of the seven colors of the light
spectrum are absorbed one after another in the first 200 meters,
except the blue wavelength.
The Qur'an on Internal Waves:
Scientists have also recently discovered that there are
internal waves which “occur on density interfaces between
layers of different densities.” The internal waves
cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because the
deep waters have a higher density than the waters above
them. Internal waves act like surface waves. They can
also break, just like surface waves. Internal waves cannot be seen by the
human eye, but they can be detected by studying temperature or salinity
changes at a given location.
For example, the Mediterranean Sea’s
water is warm, saline, and less dense,
compared to the Atlantic Ocean’s water.
When Mediterranean water enters the
Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill, it moves
several hundred kilometers into the Atlantic
at a depth of about 1000 meters
with its own warm, saline, and less dense characteristics. The Mediterranean
water stabilizes at this depth. Although there are large waves, strong currents,
and tides in these seas, they do not mix or transgress this barrier.
This information has only been known to us in this age, with the
advanced technology and equipment available to detect these
events. The Prophet lived in a desert climate far from the ocean,
and he did not travel across any oceans. The fact that the Quran
mentions this phenomenon indicates the veracity of the Quran.