FAULTS ON THE EARTH?S SURFACE

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FAULTS ON THE EARTH?S SURFACE

12- By the fractured earth. 
86-The Knocker, 12 

In the verse preceding the above verse (The Knocker, verse 11), the returning 
property of the sky was stressed; this refers to phenomena unknown to men 1400 
years ago (Chapter 20 of the present book). In the above verse there are also 
factual implications that the public during the Prophet?s time did not know. As 
faults had not yet been discovered, the verse was believed to refer to the 
opening of the earth for the sprouting of vegetation. 

In the post-Second World War years, scientists intensified submarine research 
activity with a view to having access to precious metals and minerals. During 
this research work, they came across something quite unexpected; the bottom of 
the seas were covered with fissures that came to be called ?faults? or ?cracks.? 
If we draw an analogy between the period that has elapsed since the second world 
war until today with the period that has elapsed from the time of the descent of 
the Quran 1400 years ago, when there was reference to this information in the 
Quran, we can better appreciate the value of this reference.

EVERYTHING IS INTERCONNECTED
The Quran now draws our attention to the sky, now to the earth, displaying the 
hidden mysteries and inciting us to inquire into them. As is the case with the 
sky, so it is with the depths of the earth-endless mysteries waiting to be 
unraveled. The ?fractured earth? referred to in the verse is of towering 
importance from the point of view of establishing a connection between the magma 
under the ground and the surface. These cracks also play a decisive role in the 
formation of the submarine topography. 

Information about the faults is also important as it provides us with detailed 
knowledge about earthquakes. Big earthquakes occur along the fault lines on the 
crust. Differentiated movements in the huge masses of substrata form a strain 
along the fault line. The rocks on each side of the cracks try to resist it 
before the crust gives way. 

In any single earthquake, the amount of slip, in other words the relative 
displacement of the two fault surfaces, may be a few inches, it is so even in 
big earthquakes. Studies have been carried out on faults to map out the regions 
likely to suffer greater damages, the requirements for the construction of 
edifices to resist the tremor. 

The greatest fault upon the earth is the one that stretches from Greenland?s 
offshore to Antarctica. The second largest one stretches along the Pacific Ocean 
along the Western shore of North and South America. The third important fault 
lies in the depths of the Asian continent under the Himalayas and follows the 
South Asian direction. Along with these greater ones there are shorter ones as 
well. The Quran directs our attention to places where earthquakes can be 
expected to take place. If we give up our custom of reciting the Quran merely 
for the souls of those who have departed, and take it as a guide for our life, 
we can reach the truth hidden in it. 

89- We have sent down to you a Book explaining all things, a guide, a mercy and 
glad tidings for those who submit. 
16-The Honeybee, 89

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