Geoids shape-Earth
079.030► وَالأرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ دَحَاهَا
After that He smoothed out the Earth. (Qur’an, An-Naziat -79:30)
In the above verse, the word “dahaa” is used in the original Arabic. It, translated as “smoothed out,” comes from the word “dahaw,” meaning “to spread.” Although the word “dahaw” also means to cover or to set out, the meaning of the verb is more than just a prosaic setting out, since it describes setting out in a circle.
The concept of roundness is also present in other words derived from “dahaw.” For example, the word “dahaw” also refers to children dropping a ball into a hole in the ground, games involving throwing stones into holes and games played with walnuts. Words derived from that root are also used for an ostrich making a nest, cleaning stones from where it is about to lie down, the place where it lays its eggs and the egg itself.
Indeed, the Earth is round, in a manner reminiscent of an egg. The slightly flattened spherical shape of the Earth is known as geoid. From that point of view, the use of the word “dahaa” contains important information about the shape that Allah has given to the Earth. For hundreds of years, people imagined the Earth to be completely flat and only learned the truth thanks to technology. Yet, this fact was revealed in the Qur’an fourteen centuries ago.
