The Quran mentions sudden ground collapses that swallow entire structures, aligning with modern understanding of sinkholes. Geologists now recognize sinkholes as natural depressions that can form suddenly and engulf buildings, sometimes with catastrophic consequences.

The Quran describes such an event:

This verse narrates the sudden collapse of the earth beneath a person and their home, similar to the modern understanding of sinkholes.

- Definition: Sinkholes are depressions or holes in the ground caused by the collapse of a surface layer. They vary in size, from a few meters to over 600 meters in diameter and depth, and can form gradually or suddenly. - Examples: In 2018, a sinkhole in Guatemala City swallowed a three-story building and a house following heavy rainSinkholes occur globally, from small soil depressions to large bedrock chasms, often triggered by water erosion, human activity, or natural disasters . - Sinkholes form when underground rock dissolves or erodes, creating voids that the surface layer eventually collapses into. This sudden collapse aligns with the description in the Quran.

At the time of the Quran’s revelation 1400 years ago, sudden collapses of the earth were likely attributed to mythological or animal causes, as skeptics argued. The Quran’s precise depiction of the earth collapsing beneath a home parallels modern geological findings about sinkholes, suggesting an understanding far beyond the knowledge of the time.

The Quran’s description of ground collapses aligns with today’s scientific understanding of sinkholes. This consistency with modern geology raises compelling questions about the knowledge conveyed in the Quran long before such phenomena were studied scientifically.