The Quran mentions the phenomenon of land caving in, which aligns with modern geological understanding of landslides. Skeptics previously argued that landslides were limited to sand dunes, commonly seen in the Arabian Peninsula. However, contemporary science has established that landslides can also occur in rocky mountain regions, a fact consistent with Quranic descriptions.

In Surah Al-Isra (17:68), Allah says:

The term "cave in beneath you" can be understood as describing landslides or ground collapse, a phenomenon observed in both sandy and rocky terrains.

Landslides refer to the downward movement of soil, rock, and debris under the influence of gravity. They occur in various terrains, from sandy dunes to steep rocky mountains. Rocky landslides often involve the dislocation of large masses of bedrock, especially during events like earthquakes or heavy rainfall.

Erosion and Weathering: Continuous weathering weakens rocks, making them prone to collapse. Seismic Activity: Earthquakes frequently trigger landslides in mountainous regions, causing massive dislocations of land. Rain and Water Saturation: Intense rainfall infiltrates rock crevices, destabilizing slopes.

The 2015 Nepal Earthquake triggered numerous landslides in the Himalayas, displacing massive sections of rocky terrain. The Vaiont Dam Disaster in Italy (1963) saw a mountain landslide displace 260 million cubic meters of rock, demonstrating the scale of such occurrences.

Arabian Perspective in 7th Century CE: At the time of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Arabs were familiar with collapses in sand dunes but had limited or no exposure to landslides in rocky terrains, as such landscapes were rare in Arabia. Scientific Precision in the Quran: The Quran's description does not restrict the phenomenon to sandy deserts but broadly refers to the land caving in, a scientifically accurate depiction applicable to diverse terrains, including rocky mountains.

The Quran's reference to land caving beneath a person in Surah Al-Isra aligns with modern geological insights about landslides, which can occur in rocky mountains. This alignment highlights the Quran’s description of natural phenomena with accuracy far beyond the scientific knowledge of the 7th century.