Skeptics once claimed that the Quran was mistaken when it mentioned that the days on Earth are getting longer. This claim was based on the assumption that a day has always been and will always be 24 hours. However, scientific research confirms that Earth's rotation is indeed slowing down, which results in days becoming gradually longer.

The Earth's rotation is not constant. Due to tidal friction caused by the Moon's gravitational pull, Earth's rotation is gradually slowing down. This phenomenon is known as "tidal braking." As a result, a day today is slightly longer than it was in the past. In fact, atomic clocks have shown that each modern day is about 1.7 milliseconds longer than a century ago. Over long periods of time, this slowdown accumulates, leading to a gradual increase in the length of a day. This change is subtle, with the Earth’s rotation slowing down by approximately 2.3 milliseconds per century since the 8th century BCE. While this change is not immediately noticeable, it has been confirmed by scientists using precise measurements, such as astronomical records and atomic clocks.

Surprisingly, the Quran alludes to this gradual change in the length of the day, though this would have been impossible to detect 1,400 years ago. The verse Quran 7:54 says:

The key phrase in this verse is "Yatlubuhu hatheethan يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا", which means "asks for it persistently." This can be interpreted as a reference to the gradual extension of both day and night. The idea of the day and night growing longer over time aligns with the scientific understanding that Earth's rotation is slowing, leading to the gradual lengthening of days. Whilst these verses might not necessarily reference the scientific findings mentioned here, they clearly showcase how the guidance mentioned in the Quran are very much scientifically possible.