Destruction of Ozone Layer
By: Moulana Aneesur Rahman Nadvi
An important prophecy has been made in the Holy Qur’an at several places with regard to the sky in which it has been prophesized that it will be torn and ripped apart nearing the doomsday. The word Sama has been used to denote ‘sky’ in the Qur’an. The Qur’anic verse stated in this context is as follows:
‘When the heaven is split asunder.’ (Qur’an: 84:1)
‘When the sky is split asunder.’ (Qur’an: 82:1)
The Arabic words used in the first and the second ayah ‘inshaqqa’ and ‘infatara’ mean to tear apart or split asunder. The commentators of Holy Qur’an have regarded this phenomenon as one of the signs of doomsday. Before we move on to discuss the meaning of these words in detail, first we would like to explain the meaning of the word ‘Sama’, whose understanding is as important as understanding the meaning of words inshaqqa and infatara.
In Arabic language, the word sama is used to denote a wide range of meanings. In Arabic, the word sama is used to denote everything that lies above us. Hence almost all classical Arabic dictionaries use below phrase to define the word ‘sama’:
“Everything that is elevated and above is called sama.”
That is the word sama can be used to denote anything which is above our head. Even the roof of a house can be termed as sama. This lucid style doesn’t leave much scope for interpretation and drawing of inferences. Instead, the meanings of these words get revealed distinctly in their own context. Hence the word sama (plural samawat) has been used in the Qur’an and Hadith to mean clouds, atmosphere, ozone layer, exoplanets, outer space, asteroid belt, celestial objects and the entire universe, since they lie always overhead with respect to human beings. The word ‘sama’ has been used in the Qur’an in all these meanings.
What is Ozone Layer?
The ozone layer is a region in the earth’s atmosphere which lies at the height of 15-35Km (9-22 miles) above the earth’s surface. It contains high concentration of ozone molecules (O3). Approximately 90% of the atmospheric ozone occurs in this region. Hence it is also termed as ozonosphere. This layer absorbs almost 99% of sun’s ultraviolet and other harmful radiations which reach along with the sun’s rays. These radiations are capable of injuring or killing most of the living things on earth. The ozone layer was discovered in 1913 by the French physicists Charles Farby and Henri Buisson. More features of ozone layer will be discussed and explained later.
Importance of Ozone Layer in the Qur’an
The word ‘sama’ has been used in the Holy Qur’an to denote the ozone layer in several places. We will give a few of its example here. In the following ayah, the word ‘sama’ has not only been used to denote ozone layer but it has also described all of its characteristics and importance in a gist. The ayah is given below:
And We have made the sky a protected ceiling, and yet they are turning away from its signs. (Qur’an: 21: 32)
The characteristics of ‘sama’ being described in this verse completely corroborate with those of ozone layer present in the earth’s atmosphere. The Ozone layer serves as a two way robust roof for the earth and its inhabitants. It protects us from the harmful ultraviolet radiations of sun, meteorites and other extra-terrestrial hazards on the one hand, and on the other it prevents useful gases present in the atmosphere from escaping into the outer space. It prevents earth’s evaporated water from escaping into the outer space; and traps the heat of the sun in the atmosphere in order to maintain the heat required for the sustenance of life on earth. Therefore, this roof of the earth prevents the useful things from escaping into the outer space and getting wasted there and also protects life against the harmful gases by preventing its entry into the atmosphere. In the absence of this strong roof, life will not be able to sustain even for a while. Therefore the characteristics of ‘sama’ described in the Qur’an holds good for the ozone layer present in the atmosphere of the earth. Thus the word ‘sama’ in this verse is used to refer to the ozone layer.
The Second Description of Ozone Layer
The ozone layer has been eloquently described at yet another place in the Holy Qur’an. This ayah further explains the word ‘protected ceiling’ (saqaf e mahfooz) described in the above ayah in detail. This Qur’anic verse is as follows:
“By the sky which returns.” (Qur’an: 86:11)
This verse of the Holy Qur’an describes another quality of the word sama, that it returns or sends back. Classical commentators of the Holy Qur’an used to mean rain from it, i.e., the earth’s water which rises up into the atmosphere as water vapor, it is again brought back to the earth in the form of rain. Since the origin of rain water is the earth itself, so the Qur’anic notion of terming sama as the one who returns proves to be true. But the modern science has broadened the scope and significance of the characteristic ‘the one who returns’ beyond our imagination which has further led to the beautification of its meaning. The modern scientific discoveries have proved that this quality of sky ‘the one who returns’ is dual or a two sided process: internal as well as external. As described earlier, internally it safeguards the useful and vital gases from escaping into the outer space and externally it prevents harmful rays from entering into the atmosphere and turns them back. These internal and external elements are described further in short here:
- The water present on the surface of the earth in the form of oceans, rivers, lakes, glaciers etc. rises up into the atmosphere in the form of vapor; reaches a certain height, forms clouds and returns back to the earth in the form of rain.
- When the sun’s heat rises into the atmosphere after reflection from the surface of the earth, the ozone layer prevents it from escaping into the outer space and returns it back towards the earth. Due to this, the earth remains warm to an extent which is required for the survival of life on earth. If this doesn’t happen, the earth would turn into an ice ball, and the life will cease to exist.
- The Earth’s atmosphere is made up of various gases. Some of the important among these are 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon and 0.04% carbon dioxide. All the living organisms depend on these gases to breathe and survive. The ozone layer prevents these gases from escaping into the atmosphere. In the absence of ozone layer, all these gases would escape into the outer space and would be lost permanently bringing an end to the life on this beautiful planet.
- In the absence of these gases in the atmosphere, the sound system will also cease to exist; as a result we will not be able to hear anything because air is the medium through which the sound travels.
Similarly, ozone layer prevents harmful elements present in outer space from entering into the atmosphere and provides protection to the life on the earth. Some of these elements are listed below: - Ozone layer prevents harmful ultraviolet radiations of sun from entering into the atmosphere. These radiations cause skin cancer, sunburn and cataracts, which were projected to increase dramatically as a result of thinning of ozone layer. The ozone layer absorbs almost 97- 99% of ultraviolet radiations.
- Ozone layer protects the humans along with other forms of life from the cosmic rays which are likely to cause various genetic disorders. These cosmic rays when strike the ozone layer they get smashed and scattered into outer space.
- Ozone layer also protects the life on earth from the meteors. Usually most of the meteors burn up far above the ozone layer and those meteors survive that long then the ozone layer will help burn it.
In this way, ozone layer plays a crucial and dual role in the protection of earth and its inhabitants. The two verses of Qur’an stated above describe two of the important characteristics of ozone layer. One is the ‘protected ceiling’ and second is ‘the one who returns’. Therefore these two words are interpreting and explaining the meaning of each another and completely corroborating with the characteristics of ozone layer described above.
Meaning of ‘inshiqaq’ and ‘infitar’
This brief discussion of the word ‘sama’, made the meaning of sama clear on the one hand, and on the other, it has sufficiently shed the light on the importance of ozone layer both from scientific as well as Quranic perspective. Now let us come back to our main topic and once again analyze the above mentioned two Qur’anic verses which are as follows:
‘When the heaven is split asunder.’ (Qur’an: 84:1)
‘When the sky is split asunder.’ (Qur’an: 82:1)
Here, in the first ayah, the word infitar is used along with sama. The word infitar is derived from the word fatara which means breaking along the length.
“fatara means to tear along the length.”
The commentators of the Holy Qur’an have two explanations on infitar:
“It has two meanings. First (the sky will be) torn apart and second it will fall down.”
In the second ayah, the word inshiqaq has been used along with sama. The word inshiqaq is derived from the word shaqqa which means tearing away in the form of holes.
“Shaqqa means formation of holes in a thing.”
According to the above lexicographical definitions of inshaqqa and infatara, the first meaning of the word infitar is same as that of inshiqaq that is tearing away of the sky in the form of holes, whereas the second meaning of infitar means the falling down of the sky. Hence the meanings of the words ‘infitar’ and ‘inshiaqa’ according to the commentators of Holy Qu’ran may be summarized into two meanings: First is the tearing away of the sky in the form of holes and the second is the falling down of heavens. Now let us try to understand these two sayings of the commentators in the light of modern scientific investigations and discoveries. Both these sayings of the commentators seem to be in contradiction at first sight, whereas according to the modern scientific investigations, these two sayings are not contrary to each other rather they are related to two very important but different natural phenomena that will appear on their own time. Hence, the difference is about diversity and it is not about contradiction as was the case with regard to the diverse sayings of commentators with regard to the commentary of ‘tasjeer bihar’ (boiling away of oceans) which have been discussed earlier in detail.
The first phenomena of the two, i.e., tearing away of the sky in the form of holes is related to the earth’s ozone layer whereas the second phenomena that is falling down of the sky is related to our solar system. We have discussed the details about the doomsday events with regards to our solar system in the third volume of this book. Hence it can be referred there itself. Nevertheless, the phenomena of tearing away of sky in the form of holes is related to the climate change currently taking place on the planet earth. Hence we will discuss this phenomenon here.
References:
1- Al-Sihah fil-Lugah, Jowhari, P. 332; Lisanul Arab, Ibn Manzoor, V. 14, P. 397; Tajul Aroos, Zabidi, P. 8437; Mukhtar al-Sihah, P. 326.
2- Refer my article titled “Connotations of the words Arz and Sama and their scientific marvel”, Tahqiqat Islami, Aligarh.
3- Al-Mufradat fi Ghareebil Qur’an, Raghib Asfahani, P. 640.
4- Tafsir Al-Nukatu Wal-Uyoon, Abul Hasan Mawardi, V. 6, P. 220.
5- Al-Mufradat fi Ghareebil Qur’an, Raghib Asfahani, P. 459.