Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth — Page 623
UNVEILING OF THE ‘UNSEEN' BY THE QURAN. A HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE !. And when the earth will spread out,. And will cast out all that she contains and become empty;. And will give ear to her Lord and this will be incumbent upon her. 13. The prophecy contained in verse 4 above was manifestly realized with the discovery of the 'New World' by the end of the fifteenth century, when on 12 October 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on an island in the. Bahamas. . That was the beginning of the end for the native. Americans. But a new seemingly endless beginning was made for the Americans to rise and dominate the rest of the old world. This is clearly implied in the prophecy contained in the next verse which speaks of the earth throwing up all its secrets and emptying itself. . The same issue is taken up again and further elaborated in some other chapters as well. For instance, verses 2 and 3 of Surah Al-Zilzal read: إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا * وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا * 3-99:2. When the earth is shaken with her violent shaking,. And the earth throws up her burdens. . It is predicted that the earth will go through a mighty shaking and will throw up its heavy metals and man will begin to wonder what indeed is happening to it. . The word athqāl (J) refers to everything which is heavy, so the throwing up by the earth of its heavy metals. will not be a forced extension of its meaning. Again it can also be translated as 'the earth will throw up its hidden treasures'. The tremendous scientific advancements which we have witnessed in this age could not become possible 585