Qur’an 16:48 and Modern Science
Qur'an 16:48 and Modern Science: “Have they not considered how the shadows of everything Allah has created incline to the right and the left, prostrating to Allah in humility?” This verse literally describes a daily physical phenomenon: the movement of shadows across the Earth’s surface. Modern astronomy, geometry, and optics provided a detailed explanation of this process. When examined carefully, the wording corresponds totally with how shadows behave in reality 1. The Physics of Shadow Formation A shadow forms when an opaque object blocks light from a source. In the case of Earth, the primary light source is the Sun. The position and length of a shadow depend on: the height of the object the angle of incoming sunlight the position of the observer When the Sun moves across the sky, the angle θ constantly changes, causing the shadow to continuously shift position. This stuff produces the observable phenomenon mentioned in the verse: shadows inclining from one side to anothe...