In one of the verses of the Holy Quran, God calls upon His servants to reflect upon the mountains: And at the mountains—how are they erected? (88:19) And at the earth—how is it spread out? (88:20)
Questions that atheists must address regarding this reflection are as follows: Leaving aside the assumption of a universe as vast as this—where the Earth is not even the size of a grain of sand in comparison—can mountains of such immense size that exist on Earth truly result from mere formulas and physical laws on paper? And from where did the materials and raw substances for constructing all these mountains originate? If the universe were the product of a random accident, as atheists claim, based on physical laws, should it not be much smaller than this, without mountains of such magnitude? The grandeur of the mountains and the vastness of the universe serve as self-evident proofs of the existence of a Creator. If the universe were the result of mere chance, it would be less immense, and elements would not have accumulated to form massive structures like mountains. Precisely as with a factory: the smaller it is, the weaker its management appears; but the more developed and larger it becomes, the more it indicates a stronger manager behind the operation.
Undoubtedly, a larger and more developed factory must have a manager; its size and advancement are not merely due to the workers’ operational rules. Then, can the universe—with its vast scale and mountains of such proportions—be labeled as random?!
Now, let us also consider the scientific concept alluded to in the verse: The word “erected” or “set up” is used in the verse. No mountain has ever formed over time through wind or spontaneously; all mountains have arisen suddenly from the depths of the Earth due to the movement of the Earth’s layers and their collisions, or, in the Quran’s terminology, they have been “erected.” Now, turning to the subsequent verses, we also find reference to the movement of the Earth’s layers: And at the mountains—how are they erected? (19) And the earth—how is it spread out? (88:20)
The term “spread out” from a scientific perspective precisely alludes to the movement of the Earth’s layers, which accompanies the erection of mountains. These two scientific phenomena are related. If the Quran were devoid of scientific concepts, it might have simply stated “created” or “brought into existence,” but it employs highly precise scientific terms such as “erected” or “set up”!
The image below illustrates the formation of a mountain. The subsequent verse reveals that the collision of two Earth layers raises mountains from the Earth’s depths. Then, in accordance with the next verse, the Earth is spread out, meaning the two layers move in opposite directions—a matter that constitutes a profound scientific miracle for the Quran.
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