In this analysis, we look at direct references to the shape of the Earth in the Qur'an. Verse 88:20 is particularly worth highlighting for its use of a word that was deeply associated with flat surfaces.
Arabic word definitions in English are from Lane's Lexicon of classical Arabic (not to be confused with modern Arabic). Note that the Arabic word al-ard can mean the land or the Earth. However, it is perfectly obvious from the context that in the verses below al-ard means the entire Earth, not a local area of land.
The section after this one discusses indirect evidence that the Qur'an supports a flat Earth model, and perhaps contains even stronger evidence than the direct statements below.
Qur'an 2:22 - firashan (thing spread to sit or lie upon)
ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ فِرَٰشًاوَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Allathee jaAAala lakumu alarda firashan
[He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling and sent down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him].
Quran 2:22
فِرَٰشًا = firashan = a thing that is spread upon the ground, a thing that is spread for one to sit or lie upon.
[4]
Qur'an 15:19 - madad (extend, stretch out)
والارض مددناهاوالقينا فيها رواسي وانبتنا فيها من كل شئ موزون
Waal-arda madadnaha waalqayna feeha rawasiya waanbatnafeeha min kulli shay-in mawzoonin
And the earth We have spread out (like a carpet); set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance.
Quran 15:19
مَدَدْ = madad = extend by drawing or pulling, stretch out, expand
[5]
Qur'an 20:53 - mahdan (bed)
الذي جعل لكم الارض مهداوسلك لكم فيها سبلا وانزل من السماء ماء فاخرجنا به ازواجا من نبات شتى
Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-arda mahdan wasalaka lakum feeha subulan waanzala mina alssama-imaan faakhrajna bihi azwajan min nabatinshatta
He Who has, made for you the earth like a carpet spread out; has enabled you to go about therein by roads (and channels); and has sent down water from the sky." With it have We produced diverse pairs of plants each separate from the others.
Quran 20:53
مَهْدًا = mahdan = cradle or bed; a plain, even, or smooth expanse
[6]
Qur'an 43:10 - mahdan (bed)
الذي جعل لكم الارض مهداوجعل لكم فيها سبلا لعلكم تهتدون
Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-arda mahdan wajaAAala lakum feeha subulan laAAallakum tahtadoona
(Yea, the same that) has made for you the earth (like a carpet) spread out, and has made for you roads (and channels) therein, in order that ye may find guidance (on the way);
Quran 43:10
مَهْدًا = mahdan = cradle or bed; a plain, even, or smooth expanse
[7]
Qur'an 50:7 - madad (expand, stretch out)
والارض مددناهاوالقينا فيها رواسي وانبتنا فيها من كل زوج بهيج
Waal-arda madadnaha waalqayna feeha rawasiya waanbatnafeeha min kulli zawjin baheejin
And the earth- We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)-
Quran 50:7
مَدَدْ = madad = extend by drawing or pulling, stretch out, expand
[8]
Qur'an 51:48 - farasha (spread out) mahidoon (spreaders)
والارض فرشناها فنعم الماهدون
Waal-arda farashnaha faniAAma almahidoona
And the earth have We laid out, how gracious is the Spreader (thereof)!
Quran 51:48
فَرَشَْ = farasha (see also 2:22 above for the noun) = spread or expand, spread a bed or carpet
[9]
الْمَهِدُونَ = mahidoon from مهد = make plain, even, smooth, spread a bed
[10]
There is also a hadith in which the plural noun
furushaat is used, meaning "beds":
It was narrated from Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “I see what you do not see, and I hear what you do not hear. The heaven is creaking and it should creak, for there is no space in it the width of four fingers but there is an angel there, prostrating to Allah. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, and you would never enjoy women in your
beds (الْفُرُشَاتِ,
al-furushaat), and you would go out in the streets, beseeching Allah.’”
Sunan Ibn Majah 5:37:4190
Qur'an 71:19 - bisaatan (carpet)
والله جعل لكم الارض بساطا
WaAllahu jaAAala lakumu al-arda bisatan
And Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet (spread out),
Quran 71:19
بِسَاطًا = bisaatan = A thing that is spread or spread out or forth, and particularly a carpet (from the same root we also have بَسَاطٌ = bisaatun = Land, expanded and even; and wide or spacious)
[11]
This word is also used in a hadith in At-Tirmidhi:
... Then he came to hug the Prophet (s.a.w) and uttered that his father and mother should be ransomed for him. Then he went to grove of his
and he spread out a mat for them (فَبَسَطَ لَهُمْ بِسَاطًا,
fa-basata la-hum bisaatan, literally "and-(he)spread for-them a-mat"). Then he went to a date-palm and returned with a cluster of dates which he put down. ...
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2369
So the derived verb
basata refers to spreading out (thus flattening) a carpet.
Qur'an 78:6-7 - mihadan (bed)
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِهَٰدًا وَٱلْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا
Alam najAAali al-arda mihadan Waaljibala awtadan
Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, And the mountains as pegs?
Quran 78:6-7
مِهَٰدًا (same as مَهْدًا mahdan) = cradle or bed; a plain, even, or smooth expanse
[12]
Qur'an 79:30 - daha (spread out or ostrich egg?)
Many Islamist apologists attempt to deflect criticism that the Qur'an promotes the mistaken belief of a flat earth by the word دَحَىٰهَآ (dahaha) used in Qur'an 79:30, commonly translated as ‘He spread it’ or ‘He stretched it’.
Arabic:والارض بعد ذلك دحاها
Transliteration: Waal-arda baAAda thalika dahaha
Literal: And the earth/Planet Earth after that He stretched/spread it.
[13]
Quran 79:30
Word by word:
In this analysis, we look at direct references to the shape of the Earth in the Qur'an. Verse 88:20 is particularly worth highlighting for its use of a word that was deeply associated with flat surfaces.
Arabic word definitions in English are from Lane's Lexicon of classical Arabic (not to be confused with modern Arabic). Note that the Arabic word al-ard can mean the land or the Earth. However, it is perfectly obvious from the context that in the verses below al-ard means the entire Earth, not a local area of land.
The section after this one discusses indirect evidence that the Qur'an supports a flat Earth model, and perhaps contains even stronger evidence than the direct statements below.
Qur'an 2:22 - firashan (thing spread to sit or lie upon)
ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ فِرَٰشًاوَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Allathee jaAAala lakumu alarda firashan
[He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling and sent down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him].
Quran 2:22
فِرَٰشًا = firashan = a thing that is spread upon the ground, a thing that is spread for one to sit or lie upon.
[4]
Qur'an 15:19 - madad (extend, stretch out)
والارض مددناهاوالقينا فيها رواسي وانبتنا فيها من كل شئ موزون
Waal-arda madadnaha waalqayna feeha rawasiya waanbatnafeeha min kulli shay-in mawzoonin
And the earth We have spread out (like a carpet); set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance.
Quran 15:19
مَدَدْ = madad = extend by drawing or pulling, stretch out, expand
[5]
Qur'an 20:53 - mahdan (bed)
الذي جعل لكم الارض مهداوسلك لكم فيها سبلا وانزل من السماء ماء فاخرجنا به ازواجا من نبات شتى
Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-arda mahdan wasalaka lakum feeha subulan waanzala mina alssama-imaan faakhrajna bihi azwajan min nabatinshatta
He Who has, made for you the earth like a carpet spread out; has enabled you to go about therein by roads (and channels); and has sent down water from the sky." With it have We produced diverse pairs of plants each separate from the others.
Quran 20:53
مَهْدًا = mahdan = cradle or bed; a plain, even, or smooth expanse
[6]
Qur'an 43:10 - mahdan (bed)
الذي جعل لكم الارض مهداوجعل لكم فيها سبلا لعلكم تهتدون
Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-arda mahdan wajaAAala lakum feeha subulan laAAallakum tahtadoona
(Yea, the same that) has made for you the earth (like a carpet) spread out, and has made for you roads (and channels) therein, in order that ye may find guidance (on the way);
Quran 43:10
مَهْدًا = mahdan = cradle or bed; a plain, even, or smooth expanse
[7]
Qur'an 50:7 - madad (expand, stretch out)
والارض مددناهاوالقينا فيها رواسي وانبتنا فيها من كل زوج بهيج
Waal-arda madadnaha waalqayna feeha rawasiya waanbatnafeeha min kulli zawjin baheejin
And the earth- We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)-
Quran 50:7
مَدَدْ = madad = extend by drawing or pulling, stretch out, expand
[8]
Qur'an 51:48 - farasha (spread out) mahidoon (spreaders)
والارض فرشناها فنعم الماهدون
Waal-arda farashnaha faniAAma almahidoona
And the earth have We laid out, how gracious is the Spreader (thereof)!
Quran 51:48
فَرَشَْ = farasha (see also 2:22 above for the noun) = spread or expand, spread a bed or carpet
[9]
الْمَهِدُونَ = mahidoon from مهد = make plain, even, smooth, spread a bed
[10]
There is also a hadith in which the plural noun
furushaat is used, meaning "beds":
It was narrated from Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “I see what you do not see, and I hear what you do not hear. The heaven is creaking and it should creak, for there is no space in it the width of four fingers but there is an angel there, prostrating to Allah. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, and you would never enjoy women in your
beds (الْفُرُشَاتِ,
al-furushaat), and you would go out in the streets, beseeching Allah.’”
Sunan Ibn Majah 5:37:4190
Qur'an 71:19 - bisaatan (carpet)
والله جعل لكم الارض بساطا
WaAllahu jaAAala lakumu al-arda bisatan
And Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet (spread out),
Quran 71:19
بِسَاطًا = bisaatan = A thing that is spread or spread out or forth, and particularly a carpet (from the same root we also have بَسَاطٌ = bisaatun = Land, expanded and even; and wide or spacious)
[11]
This word is also used in a hadith in At-Tirmidhi:
... Then he came to hug the Prophet (s.a.w) and uttered that his father and mother should be ransomed for him. Then he went to grove of his
and he spread out a mat for them (فَبَسَطَ لَهُمْ بِسَاطًا,
fa-basata la-hum bisaatan, literally "and-(he)spread for-them a-mat"). Then he went to a date-palm and returned with a cluster of dates which he put down. ...
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2369
So the derived verb
basata refers to spreading out (thus flattening) a carpet.
Qur'an 78:6-7 - mihadan (bed)
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِهَٰدًا وَٱلْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا
Alam najAAali al-arda mihadan Waaljibala awtadan
Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, And the mountains as pegs?
Quran 78:6-7
مِهَٰدًا (same as مَهْدًا mahdan) = cradle or bed; a plain, even, or smooth expanse
[12]
Qur'an 79:30 - daha (spread out or ostrich egg?)
Many Islamist apologists attempt to deflect criticism that the Qur'an promotes the mistaken belief of a flat earth by the word دَحَىٰهَآ (dahaha) used in Qur'an 79:30, commonly translated as ‘He spread it’ or ‘He stretched it’.
Arabic:والارض بعد ذلك دحاها
Transliteration: Waal-arda baAAda thalika dahaha
Literal: And the earth/Planet Earth after that He stretched/spread it.
[13]
Quran 79:30
Word by word:
- وَٱلْأَرْضَ
- وَ - wa - and
- ٱلْ - al - the
- أَرْضَ - ard- Earth
- بَعْدَ - ba'ada - after
- ذَٰلِكَ - dhalika - that
- دَحَىٰهَآ
- دَحَىٰ - dahaa- (he) spread
- هَآ - ha- her
- or "it" in the English translation, referring to the Earth.
دَحَىٰهَآ is a verb with a suffixed pronoun, so it cannot mean a noun "ostrich egg". In the apologist interpretation the verb would have to mean "he made it in a shape of an ostrich egg". It is absurd to think that such a little word could mean something so complex.
The هَا (
-ha) suffix pronoun meaning literally "her" is also repeated in the surrounding verses as a literary device:
