Sign 4 of 12 · Sky and cosmos · Qur'an 88:17-20
The four looks
Look at how each was made, raised, set up and spread.
Signs · The four looks
“Do they not look at the camel, how it was created? And at the sky, how it was raised? And at the mountains, how they were set up? And at the earth, how it was spread out?” (88:17-20, our rendering).
The verse is an invitation in four shots, each asking how. Camels let their body temperature swing through the day and can survive heavy dehydration. The ancient commentator Ibn Kathir noticed something else: the camel is strong, yet a child can lead it.
Three faiths. “Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee” (Job 12:7, JPS 1917). “See the birds of the sky… Consider the lilies of the field” (Matthew 6:26-28, WEB).
Pause and ponder
Look again. What else have you looked past?
Wonder, not proof: we never say a verse “predicted” science. Why not? · Science: Astronomy · Index entry A00
