“Flat Earth vs. Round Earth"
Quran, Bible & Scholars Say

Quran & Bible

Shape of the Earth

Early Scholars & Round Earth

Observations Before Islam
(Over 2,000 Years Ago)

Long before telescopes, careful observers noticed clues:

• When a ship comes toward shore, the mast appears first, then the sails, then the deck, then the hull.

• When it sails away, the hull disappears first, then the deck, then the mast.

This is only possible if the surface is curved, not flat.

• Aristotle (384–322 BCE) recorded this in his book On the Heavens.

• Eratosthenes (276–194 BCE) measured the Earth’s circumference using shadows in Egypt — he was only off by about 1%.

By 300 BCE, Greek thinkers had evidence of a spherical Earth.

Muslim Scholars Perfected This

(1,400 Years Ago)

When Islam spread, Muslim scholars absorbed earlier knowledge and refined it with mathematics and new methods:

• Al-Farghani (Alfraganus) (9th century): Calculated Earth’s circumference, later used by Columbus.

• Al-Biruni (973–1050 CE): Developed a method using trigonometry and mountain observations to measure Earth’s radius precisely.

• Ibn Hazm (d. 1064 CE): Declared Earth is spherical based on Qur’an and reason.

• Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328 CE): Wrote that all Muslim scholars agreed on the Earth’s roundness.

They took the observations of ships and stars (already known from Greek times) and backed them with mathematical proofs and Qur’anic references.

Why This Matters

• The mast-first phenomenon of ships was one of the earliest “natural experiments” proving Earth’s curvature.

• Muslims didn’t just copy; they refined, measured, and published the most accurate values for Earth’s size up to that time.

• This blending of observation, reason, and revelation gave Islamic civilization a massive head start in geography, astronomy, and navigation.

Muslim scholars proved the earth is ROUND. They were the first to give clear scientific proofs in line with the Quran. 

Muslims confirmed, from the Quran, and advanced the knowledge already hinted at by earlier civilizations.

Muslims were not the first ones to consider the roundness of the Earth — they PROVED IT!

Allah tells us:

“He created the heavens and the earth in true proportion. He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night…”

The Arabic word “yukawwir” (to wrap/roll) is like wrapping a turban — proof the Earth is round.

Early Scholars Of Islam

• Al-Farghani (Alfraganus) (d. 860 CE): Measured the circumference of the Earth very accurately, later used by Columbus.

• Al-Biruni (973–1050 CE): Gave one of the first scientific methods to calculate Earth’s radius using trigonometry and mountain observation. His estimate was off by less than 1% of today’s accepted value.

• Ibn Hazm (d. 1064 CE): Declared openly that the Earth is spherical, based on both reason and Qur’an.

• Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328 CE): Confirmed Muslim consensus that Earth is round.

What Muslims Believed

By the 9th century, Muslims already agreed Earth is round. For example, Imam Ibn Hazm said (translated from Arabic):

“The proof that the Earth is round is, the sun is seen at different times in different places…”

And Imam Ibn Taymiyyah wrote:

“The scholars all agree the Earth is spherical.”

The ancient Greeks first suggested it, without solid evidence. The Muslims were the first to universally prove it, calculate it accurately, and connected it with Revelation from The Creator.

Muslims measured it, and explained it, centuries before Europeans admitted it.

✨ Muslims did not “discover” earth is round — THEY PROVED IT!

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            More details about the "Flat Earth" . . .

“Flat Earth vs. Round Earth"

What the Quran, Bible & Scholars Really Say

🌍 1. Introduction — Why This Topic Matters

The shape of the Earth has fascinated people for thousands of years. Today, the “Flat Earth” debate resurfaces online, with claims that religion or ancient texts support a flat model. However, a closer look at history, science, and scripture tells a different story.

🕋 2. The Quran and the Shape of the Earth

The Quran never explicitly calls the Earth “flat.” Instead, it uses descriptive, human-scale language about the Earth’s surface being spread out or made comfortable for living.
Examples:

• Quran 78:6: “Have We not made the Earth as a resting place?” (ReciteQuran.com/78:6)

• Quran 88:20: “And at the earth – how it was spread out?” (ReciteQuran.com/88:20)

Classical Muslim scholars (like Al-Biruni, Ibn Hazm, and others) explained these verses as describing how the Earth appears to humans, not its actual shape. Many even wrote explicitly about the Earth being a sphere.

Al-Biruni (973–1048 CE) calculated the Earth’s circumference very accurately (less than 1% error) centuries before modern Europe.
Ibn Taymiyyah (1263–1328 CE) also stated: “The Earth is round by agreement of the scholars.”

✝️ 3. The Bible and the Shape of the Earth

Certain Bible verses are sometimes cited by flat-Earth believers:

These are figures of speech, not scientific statements. The same Bible also speaks of the Earth as a “circle” (Isaiah 40:22) — which some interpret as round. Early Christian theologians like Augustine also taught a spherical Earth.

📜 4. History of the Earth’s Shape — Key Milestones

• Ancient Greece (500–300 BCE): Pythagoras and Aristotle described the Earth as spherical. Aristotle noted that during lunar eclipses, Earth’s shadow on the Moon is always round.

• Eratosthenes (c. 240 BCE): Measured Earth’s circumference using shadows in Syene and Alexandria.

• Islamic Golden Age (8th–13th century): Scholars like Al-Biruni refined these measurements and produced globe models.

• Medieval Europe: Many thinkers accepted a round Earth long before Columbus.

🚢 5. “Ship Disappearing Over the Horizon” — A Simple Proof

For over 2,000 years sailors have observed:

• When a ship approaches, first you see the mast, then the deck, then the hull.

• When it sails away, the hull disappears first, then the deck, then the mast.

This only happens on a curved surface. On a truly flat Earth, you’d see the entire ship shrink uniformly.

🔬 6. Science vs. Religion — Do They Clash?

In Islam, knowledge is sacred. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

“Seeking knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.” (Sunan Ibn Majah)

The Quran encourages observation and reflection (ReciteQuran.com/3:190).
Thus, historically, Muslim scholars integrated science and faith—not opposed them.

Modern science confirms the Earth is an oblate spheroid (slightly flattened at the poles), consistent with what Muslim scholars and many Christians already accepted centuries ago.

✅ 7. Conclusion — The Big Picture

• No major scripture explicitly teaches a flat Earth; human-scale descriptions are often misread as literal cosmology.

• Both historical science and Islamic scholarship overwhelmingly point to a round Earth.

• Observations like ships disappearing, time zones, and satellite images are practical, everyday proofs of curvature.