Collection: Deep Waters

Modern Scientific Discovery:

Scientists have discovered that sunlight does not penetrate deep into the ocean beyond a certain depth. The deeper one goes into the ocean’s abyss, the less light exists, until complete darkness is reached.

🔬 Key Scientific Facts:

• Sunlight penetration in water:
  • 0 - 200 meters → Sunlight zone (light is present).
  • 200 - 1,000 meters → Twilight zone (dim light, not enough for vision).
  • Below 1,000 meters → Midnight zone (total darkness, no light reaches here).
• Deep-sea creatures in the Midnight Zone rely on bioluminescence instead of sunlight.
• Internal waves in deep water are caused by different densities, acting as "waves beneath waves."

These facts about the darkness of deep oceans and internal waves were only discovered with modern submarines and deep-sea exploration equipment, but the Qur’ān described them over 1400 years ago.

Qur’ānic Revelation:

أَوْ كَظُلُمَـٰتٍۢ فِى بَحْرٍۢ لُّجِّىٍّۢ يَغْشَىٰهُ مَوْجٌۭ مِّن فَوْقِهِۦ مَوْجٌۭ مِّن فَوْقِهِۦ سَحَابٌۭ ۚ ظُلُمَـٰتٌۭ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَآ أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُۥ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَىٰهَا ۗ وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ ٱللَّهُ لَهُۥ نُورًۭا فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن نُّورٍۢ

English Translation:

"Or like the depths of darkness in a vast deep ocean, overwhelmed with waves topped by waves, topped by clouds—depths of darkness, one above another. If a man stretches out his hand, he will hardly be able to see it! And for whoever Allah does not grant light, there is no light for them."
📖 (Qur’ān 24:40)

Scientific Explanation:

This verse accurately describes two key scientific phenomena:

✅ "Depths of darkness, one above another" → Modern oceanography confirms that light progressively fades as one descends, until total darkness is reached in deep waters.
✅ "Waves topped by waves, topped by clouds" → Scientists have discovered that the ocean has two types of waves:

• Surface waves caused by wind.
• Deep internal waves caused by density differences between water layers.

At the time of revelation, no one had explored deep oceans or knew about internal waves or the complete darkness at great depths. This knowledge was only possible with modern deep-sea exploration and submarines.

Conclusion:

The darkness of deep waters and the existence of internal waves were only discovered in recent centuries, yet the Qur’ān precisely described these facts over 1400 years ago. This verse is yet another remarkable sign of divine knowledge, demonstrating how the Qur’ān contains insights far beyond the knowledge available at the time of its revelation.