By Ömer Çelakıl

The word “land” appears 13 times in the Qur’an, while “sea” appears 32 times.

The ratio of the appearances of the words “sea” and “land” in the Qur’an is identical to the ratio between sea and land in modern science. The continents had not yet been discovered at the time the Qur’an was sent down, and it was impossible to determine the ratio between the land and sea. Even such a large continent as America was only discovered in the 15th century.

The word “land” appears 13 times in the Qur’an, while “sea” appears 32 times. These numbers total 45. If we divide the number of references to land in the Qur’an, 13, by 45, the result is 28.8888888889%. When we divide the number of references to sea in the Qur’an, 32, by 45, the result is 71.1111111111%. These ratios are the exact ones that apply between water and dry land on Earth.

The repetition of these words in the Qur’an may be an indication that the Earth is 71% covered in water and 29% in dry land. (Allah knows the truth.) It has only been possible to arrive at this ratio in the present day, thanks to satellite photos and computer calculations.

Number of times the word “land” appears in the Qur’an = 13

Number of times the word “sea” appears in the Qur’an = 32

Proportion of dry land to sea covering the Earth = 13/45 = 29%

Proportion of sea to dry land on Earth = 32/45 = 71%

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Taken with slight editorial modifications from Ömer Çelakıl’s Kur’an-ı Kerim’in Sırları [Merkez Gazete Dergi Basım Press, 2003] and Kur’an-ı Kerim’in Şifresi [Sınır Ötesi Press 2002].