Surah Al-Hijr (15) — Ayah 19

(Ayah19) ➊ {وَ الْاَرْضَ مَدَدْنٰهَا:} Now the earth and the things created upon it are being mentioned as evidence for monotheism. {’’مَدَدْنٰهَا ‘‘ ’’مَدَّ يَمُدُّ ‘‘} (n) means to stretch, to spread out. When we observe the vastness and expanse of the earth, it is such that there is no difficulty in walking, living, farming, building houses or roads upon it, but the eyes cannot see its end, no matter how far one travels. This expanse and extension is proof that Allah Almighty has made the earth round; otherwise, if it were square or of any other shape, this expanse would end at some point. Now, even pictures of the round earth have come, and this reality has also been proven by experience. Despite this, its curvature is so strange that it is neither visible nor does it affect the principle that "water keeps its surface level." Yet, hundreds of years ago, only He who created and spread it could have described this reality.

➋ {وَ اَلْقَيْنَا فِيْهَا رَوَاسِيَ: ’’ رَوَاسِيَ ‘‘ ’’ رَاسِيَةٌ ‘‘} is the plural of {’’ رَسَا يَرْسُوْ ‘‘} (n), which is an active participle meaning something heavy that is embedded. What is meant are mountains, most of which are inside the earth and the rest outside. From this, another reality is also proven: that the earth has been made to move, and for this reason, heavy mountains have been embedded in it to maintain balance during the earth's rotation, so that despite its high speed, no shaking or trembling occurs—just as pieces of iron, etc., are attached at various places on a vehicle's wheels as needed to maintain their balance. This indication is also present in another verse: «{وَ تَرَى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَّ هِيَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ }» [ النمل : ۸۸] "And you will see the mountains, you think them solid, but they will be moving like the movement of clouds."

➋ {وَ اَنْۢبَتْنَا فِيْهَا مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَّوْزُوْنٍ:’’ فِيْهَا ‘‘} That is, everything was grown and produced on the earth as much as was needed; nothing was created without need, nor was anything allowed to exceed a certain limit. In {’’ فِيْهَا ‘‘}, the pronoun can also refer to the mountains, meaning that within the mountains, everything—such as minerals, etc.—was created in full measure. (Shawkani)

The exegesis of this verse has been done along with the previous verse.

19. And We spread out the earth and placed firm mountains upon it, and caused to grow in it every suitable [10] thing.

[10]
The Creation and Growth of Everything Can Only Happen According to Allah’s Decreed Measure:

Current research has shown that every species of plant possesses such a tremendous power of reproduction that if only one plant were given the opportunity to grow and flourish on earth, then within a few years, plants of that species would spread all over the earth and there would be no space left for any other kind of plant. It is only the well-thought-out measure of the All-Wise, All-Knowing, and All-Powerful that countless types of plants are growing on this earth, and the production of each species stops after reaching a specific limit. Furthermore, the production of each species is created according to the needs of that region and the temperament of its people. The same is the case with the human sperm. In a single ejaculation, there are so many sperm cells that they could fertilize all the women of the world. It is only Allah’s wisdom that as many humans as He wants to create, only that many are created. Then, everything grows and flourishes by obtaining nourishment from the earth, but even that stops after reaching a specific limit. For example, nowadays, humans are generally five to six feet tall, so it is not possible that a person could become twelve feet tall by eating double the food. The same is the case with other creatures, whether they are from the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, or humans. In short, whether living or non-living, Allah has set limits for every aspect of everything, which they cannot exceed.