Why do muslims think the quran was the first book to speak of the earth being round?

Question

as early as 5th century b.c.e. pythagoras and other mathematicians and astronomers had already theorized that the earth was round. so why do muslims feel that the quran is inspired by allah just because it refers to the earth as being egg-shaped? the quran came nearly 1000 years after pythagoras had theorized this already. do you think people tended to think that just because the earth hadn't been circumnavigated until much later, and thus proving that the earth was round, that the idea of a round earth hadn't already been conceived?

What makes you think Muhammad did not copy pythagoras' theory?

Answer 1

Adnan

I think Muslims see it as important because at the time the Qur'an was revealed, many people in the Arabian peninsula believed the earth was flat, and the Qur'an spoke a truth.

There is nothing wrong with that!

Answer 2

the quran was PROOF that the earth is round. It is not the first to theorize it but because it said so in the Quran, it was Proof.

Roar :)

Answer 3

I never heard this before. Have a star!

Answer 4

I've never claimed the Qur'an was the first book to state that. Some people use some arguments to claim that the Qur'an says the earth is flat and only then we explain that the Qur'an says the earth is round. I don't think many Muslims would use the argument you mentioned.

And I wonder how Muhammad (pbuh) got his hands on Pythagoras' works.

When was it proven before the Qur'an? Wasn't it about 500 years ago that they thought the earth was flat?

What? If you are saying that I choose the interpretation arbitrarily, I don't think that's correct. You collect all the verses on the subject and examine them.

I think you need to differentiate between THEORY and PROOF.

Great, now you're mixing a scientific theory with speculation. I know that scientific theory weighs higher than normal theories. The ancient scientists SPECULATED that the earth was round by they had no proof.

You probably haven't seen my other answers on evolution. I never said I reject everything in evolution nor ever said things happen by chance.

Answer 5

The only Muslims who claim that the Quran was the first book to speak of the earth being round are ignorant ones, no offense. There is a verse in the Bible that speaks of the earth being circle-shaped (see Isaiah 40:22).

As for verse 79:30 in which the earth is spoken to be "egg-shaped", the same word "dahaha" also translates to: spread out, expanded. The translation for "egg-shaped" is a relatively new one compared to "spread out" and "expanded".

Verse 55:17 suggests that the earth is round:

"رب المشرقين ورب المغربين"

"Lord of the two sunrises and Lord of the two sunsets"

Now, going back to your question, I doubt Muhammad (pbuh) could have gotten his hands on or even heard of Aristotle's theory that the earth was round. Remember that this was still a theory and had not been proven until 1520 when Hernando de Magallanes who attempted to sail the entire Earth. Muhammad (pbuh) lived during the 6th century. The earth was not proven round until 1520, and most people believed that the earth was flat, except of course our friend Aristotle. I doubt that people at the prophet's time in Makkah even bothered of thinking whether the earth was round or flat, they were too busy worshiping idols and the moon.

This probably didn't answer your question. But, if you're asking why Muslims think that the Quran was the first to suggest the earth was round, then no. At least I don't. But I definitely don't believe that Muhammad (pbuh) copied off anything or even wrote the book. It is the word of Allah. I have much more things to be amazed by than something people already theorized about, like the development of the human embryo. Now that, along with a few other things, are quite impressive to be scientifically accurate coming from a book that is over 1400 years old.

Answer 6

Sigh...

We don't. Who told you this?

Remember Galileo? He was threatened with death in the 1600's because he wanted to prove the Earth was round.

Most people, including Mohammed's followers (it's mentioned in the Hadiths) thought the Earth was flat in his time

Answer 7

Well wow, really? I didnt know it's like that.

Answer 8

What we are trying to say is that..

Prophet Mohammed PBUH did not know before revelation of Quran that earth is round.

There were many more theories about universe at his time, but why did Prophet Mohammed PBUH picked only correct threories?

Edit: Happy Happily why did God reveal it to Muhammad if it was already thought of and proven?

Answer: It was not thouhght to be proven at that time.

Answer 9

No, it isn't. It just stressing out the fact so as to clear any doubt there is.

Answer 10

"What makes you think Muhammad did not copy pythagoras' theory?"

This is the PROOF that why did Muhammad(pbuh) copied THEORIES???

Why was Christian Church against the roundness of the earth if they knew that the world was round from these theories??

Thank You For Proving My Point

Answer 11

they dont.

@Adnan

sometimes you are very funny,

do you  really imagine the Prophet reading Pythagoras theories and putting them into Quran? did he have time for trigonometry?

@Adnan

prove what? you cant just guess and ask people to prove that your guess is wrong.

and if you have such critical information, you can post all what you want here, that's what this forum is for i guess.

@Adnan

is it the real you or is it a clone? i thought you were more reasonable than this !

the Prophet went to universities and got degrees in politics, science, law, sociology, anthropology, theology... all that while he was doing Shepard work and trading... whatever man....

and why did you hide the big guns all this time?

just post whatever you have here? whats wrong with that?

and i never claimed that i can answer all your questions, but i actually learn from your questions, no seriously, im not making fun.