The Quran is meant to provide spiritual, not scientific guidance. The miraculous way of the Quranic speech, its description of the universe and nature made sense to the ancient people all the while maintaining sufficient flexibility and space so that when the intellect and knowledge of men reach its peak, then that same Book becomes a permanent evidence.
For example the verses 2:22,20:53,40:64 draw the image of a comfortable and protective tent with a sheltering binaa' above (the word is applied to tents and canopies and the like used by Bedouins). The ancients, just like us today, would firstly understand that the binaa' provides them with protection which in turn would ignite their God-consciousness and gratitude
88:18-20"And the heaven, how it is reared aloft, And the mountains, how they are firmly fixed, And the earth, how it is made a vast expanse".
This is the spiritual intent of the verses and if that is appreciated then the Quran has fully reached its objective. The readers and listeners can then go after the collateral, indirect and ambiguous meanings. They may inject their own erroneous views of nature onto the broad and ambiguous terms by equating binaa' with a solid physical canopy, just like we can blend our current scientific knowledge with the general words, so as to equate binaa'/structure with the protective atmosphere and upwards such as the magnetosphere. The Quran's ambiguous wording on the other hand would neither confirm nor negate any of the 2 interpretations. The only explicit stance of the Quran is as regards the spiritual portent of the verse, which both ancient and modern readers can grasp regardless of their understanding of nature.
It is worthy of note that although the Quran was revealed in the backward milieu of pre-Islamic Arabia, it nevertheless repeatedly calls its audience and readers upon reflection and observation of every aspect of creation, most often the universe, in order to increase in spirituality, not in scientific discovery. It is not one of the Quran’s goals to tell everything about the universe; its main goal is to guide its audience to the apparent significances that they can see with their eyes and feel. This is why the Quran only speaks of the apparent significances like the sky, earth, mountains, sun, moon, clouds and so on.
Whether we look at nature and the universe according to ancient beliefs or in light of the latest discoveries, our appreciation and awe of these phenomena, how they are regulated and preserved, is not diminished. Regardless of what we may call these laws, they continue to serve as evidence of the truth and of God’s power which is manifest in
3:190"the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the succession of night and day".This not only pertains to astronomy but other aspects of the observable nature, spoken of with just enough depth to be relevant spiritually, while maintaining a neutral wording so as to avoid either confirming or blatantly rejecting the scientific notions of the ancients. The Quran was not sent to clear their misunderstandings, rather to clear their ignorance of the higher realities of our existence, and which are present in every aspect of nature
2:115"so whichever way you turn, there is the Face of Allah".
It would have been counterproductive for the Quran to blatantly mention unknown science facts. It carried the risk of deflecting the audience's attention from the deeper message, confusing them further during the delicate process of spiritual reform. Early Muslims appreciated the spiritual portents of these verses but were then free to delve deeper into the unintended scientific aspect, interpreting it in accordance with their own views. We do the same today and others will continue after us, the more scientific advancements are made.
To the spiritually aware, for whom all observation of nature is seen through the prism of God-consciousness, these advancements are simply unravelling further God's might. Islamically, this is the correct approach to all scientific endeavor. When devoid of the spiritual angle, observation of nature only scratches the surface of reality
30:7-8"They know what is apparent of the worldly life, but they, of the Hereafter, are unaware. Do they not contemplate within themselves? Allah has not created the heavens and the earth and what is between them except in truth and for a specified term. And indeed, many of the people, in [the matter of] the meeting with their Lord, are disbelievers".
All Quranic facts are absolute, and non falsifiable which isnt the case for most scientific facts, because they are the evolutionary product of the human mind as it goes from the primitive to the complex. In the course of human search of knowledge, previous postulates evolved from a speck of truth, to half truth to certain truth then many times only to revert back to ignorance. Most of what we knew, know and will know as science facts always prove in the course of time to be transient.
That is why the modern trend of seeking science "fact" or "errors" in the Quran, while science itself is undergoing an evolutionary process through the human medium of reasoning, is a fundamental mistake in approaching the meanings of the Quran. This book doesnt need its “credibility” enhanced by means of technical, mathematical, or quantitative data. The Quran is an integrated and consolidated whole that is in no need of scientific confirmation, while science is in need of constant substantiation as it keeps moving from one theory to another. Finite man will never be able to produce infinite science; man will never be able to produce eternal facts.
Now as to 21:30, the Quran states the heavens and earth were closed, then pictures life coming forth by tearing its way, an imagery often employed in religious scriptures 1Kings8:35,2Chronicles7:13,Deut28:12.
It is to be firstly understood it doesnt say heavens and earth were closed or joined together, rather that each on their own were closed. It is a phenomenon the addressees are told to observe in order to substantiate the spiritual import of the verse. The implication of both heavens and earth opening is that rain showers down from heaven (from the clouds 13:17,16:65,18:45,24:43,30:48,35:9,43:11) and vegetation germinates from the earth after ripping it apart
"Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were closed up, but We have opened them/fataqnahum; and We have made of water everything living, will they not then believe?"86:11-12"I swear by the raingiving heavens, And the earth splitting (with plants)"80:25-26"We pour down the water, pouring (it) down in abundance, then We cleave the earth, cleaving (it) asunder".
The Quran often employs this image of God as the Almighty, giver of life and energy, causing life/action "to tear its way forth". The divine name "al-fatir" whose root meaning is "to split" is linked to that effect of creation through splitting 6:14.
It is narrated that Amr b. Ubayd once went to Muhammad al-Baqir (a descendant of the prophet through his grandsons) to test him through a question. He asked:
“May I be your ransom! What is the meaning of His words: Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were closed up, but We have opened them (21:30)? What does it mean to be ‘closed up’ and ‘opened up’?” Abu Jaʿfar (that is, al-Baqir) replied: “The heavens were closed up, not sending down rain; and the earth was closed up, not sprouting any plants. Thereafter God opened up the heaven with rain and opened up the earth with vegetation.” Given this answer, Amr b. ʿUbayd had nothing to say, could not find any objection, and went on his way".
6:95"Indeed Allah is the one who cracks open/faliq the seed and the fruit pit, including He makes the living come out of the dead and makes the dead come out of the living. This is Allah for you so how come you get mislead"
6:96"He is the Cleaver/faliq of the Daybreak"
113:1"I seek refuge with the Lord who breaks apart and brings forth everything/rabbil falaq"
Faliq from F-L-Q is used for something that cracks open and makes way for a new beginning or a new entity. It is used for example for the egg that hatches and brings about a new bird or as in the above instances with the cracking open of the seeds in order to have a new plant sprout. Because most things in nature come to existence after a former entity cracks open, the term F-L-Q is used for "creation" even when that creation does not necessarily include breaking a former entity, as illustrated in 6:96. Such verses come in the context of resurrection and are meant to show that it is easy for God to bring us back to life as He brings to life the heavens and the earth that were closed up/dead
16:65,25:49,30:19,32:27,35:9,36:32-3,41:39,50:9-11,43:11"And He Who sends down water from the cloud according to a measure, then We raise to life thereby a dead country, even thus shall you be brought forth".
One may argue that the seed is not necessarily dead but dormant or something like that. In Arabic, linguistically, and as demonstrated in the Quran, death is defined by inactivity and life is defined as activity. God has allowed this earth to be the cradle of the cyclic occurrence of life and death, the continuous repetition on a micro/macro scale, of activity and inactivity of every element on the earth, including the elements that make us, that will eventually return to their previous inactive state and then reintegrate the living 39:21,77:25 as a symbol of the resurrection
"Most surely there is a reminder in this for the men of understanding"
29:20"Travel in the earth and see how He makes the first creation, then Allah creates the latter creation; surely Allah has power over all things".
The Creator is perfectly aware of
34:2"what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it and what descends from the sky and what ascends into it".
Besides the refusal to accept ultimate accountability, it is the negation of that particular knowledge of God that led them to technically negate the concept of resurrection, the knowledge of the whereabouts of every atom composing a body when scattered throughout the earth and consequent capacity to gather them back
32:10"when we have become lost in the earth, shall we then certainly be in a new creation?"
Through several angles, the Quran answers this objection, the original creation of man from dispersed dust is no different than his recreation once he returns to scattered dust. In fact so comprehensive will the process be than even the conscience, the soul, is preserved from the moment of death 39:42. In the words of Muhammad Asad, this definition comprises things physical and spiritual: waters disappearing underground and reappearing; the metamorphosis of seed into plant, and of decaying plant into oil and coal; traces of old artifacts and entire civilizations buried in the earth and then reappearing within the sight and consciousness of later generations of men; the transformation of dead bodies of animals and men into elements of nourishment for new life; the ascent of earthy vapours towards the skies, and their descent as rain, snow or hail; the ascent towards the heavens of men’s longings, hopes and ambitions, and the descent of divine inspiration into the minds of men, and thus a revival of faith and thought and, with it, the growth of new artifacts, new skills and new hopes: in short, the endless recurrence of birth, death and re-birth which characterizes all of God’s creation.
We are thus in need of the One who put in place, and sustains this sytem, for spiritual guidance and life in this world as well as the hereafter regardless of whether we recognize Him and accept Him
35:15"O men, you are they who stand in need of Allah, and Allah is He Who is the Self-sufficient, the Praised One".The often repeated image of life splitting the earth appart 80:25-32 is metaphorically used in 13:31 for God's guidance, through the Quran, causing "the earth to be torn asunder".
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