1400 years ago, the concept of gravitational waves—ripples in the fabric of spacetime—was unknown. However, the Quran contains descriptions that align with our modern understanding of these waves.

Gravitational waves are disturbances in spacetime caused by the acceleration of massive objects, such as black holes or neutron stars. These waves travel at the speed of light and are detected by observing how they stretch and contract objects in their path. This discovery in the 21st century has opened a new realm of astronomical observation.

In Quran 52:9, the text describes the sky vibrating in waves on the Day of Judgment: "On the Day when the heaven vibrates in waves." The Arabic term "maur" means "waves," and "tamur" refers to "vibrations" (also used to describe earthquakes in Quran 67:16). This verse predicts the effect of gravitational waves, which are ripples in spacetime that cause objects to stretch and contract. The Quran's description aligns with how gravitational waves behave today, where they do not toss objects around like ocean waves but instead stretch and compress them in place.

In Quran 21:33, God is described as the one who created the night, day, sun, and moon, with all of them "swimming" in orbits. The Arabic word "yasbahoon" (swimming) may seem odd in this context, but today, we understand it as a reference to the movement of celestial bodies in their orbits, which generate gravitational waves in spacetime. These "swimming" orbits of stars and planets, like a ship in water, disturb spacetime and create waves, much like how an object moving through a fluid generates ripples.

The Quran’s description of the universe includes phenomena that were only discovered centuries later, such as gravitational waves and the concept of objects generating ripples in spacetime. The use of "vibrations" and "waves" in the Quran offers a remarkable alignment with modern astrophysical concepts, demonstrating its advanced understanding of the universe. Whilst these verses might not necessarily reference the scientific findings mentioned here, they showcase how, even the most hard to imagine realities explained by the Quran, can be shown to be permissible with modern scientific discoveries.