Mountains: "pegs" that stabilize the Earth

Surah An-Naba Verse 6-7 2026-09-01 19:29:22
Quranic verses

أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهَادًا. وَالْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا

Have We not made the earth a resting place? And the mountains as stakes?

Surah An-Naba (78:6-7)

Hadiths (Sunnah)

لَمَّا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الأَرْضَ جَعَلَتْ تَمِيدُ، فَأَثْبَتَهَا بِالْجِبَالِ

« When Allah created the earth, it began to sway, so He stabilized it with the mountains. »

Narrated by Anas ibn Malik — Sunan at-Tirmidhi n°3369 [Sahih]

In Surah An-Naba (78:6-7), the Quran declares:

"Have We not made the earth a resting place, and the mountains as pegs?"

The Arabic term "awtad" (pegs) evokes structures anchored deep in the ground, like tent pegs. This image corresponds strikingly to what modern geology has discovered: mountains have deep "roots" that extend into the Earth's mantle.

The phenomenon of isostasy, discovered in the 19th century, shows that mountains float on the Earth's mantle with deep roots, like icebergs. Modern seismological studies confirm that mountain ranges extend much deeper below the surface than they rise above it.

Scientific findings

  • The principle of isostasy (discovered in the 19th century) shows that mountains have deep roots
  • Seismological studies confirm that mountains extend deep into the mantle
  • Mountains play a role in stabilizing the Earth's crust

Scientific references

  • Earth — Frank Press & Raymond Siever (W.H. Freeman, 1986)
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