1400 years ago, people primarily used the stars for navigation, unaware of the ability of some animals to sense the Earth's magnetic field. The Quran states that God created everything and then provided guidance to each of His creations. Skeptics argue that animals don’t need any form of guidance, but today we know that many living organisms, from bacteria to birds, reptiles, and even certain mammals, have the ability to sense Earth's magnetic field and use it for orientation and navigation.

Magnetoreception is the ability of an organism to detect magnetic fields in order to navigate, orient themselves, or perceive their location. This phenomenon is found across a wide range of species, including bacteria, arthropods, mollusks, and vertebrates. For example, birds are known to use the Earth’s magnetic field to guide their migrations, while some bacteria can sense the Earth's magnetic field for their movement. This sense is typically detected through specific proteins, like cryptochrome, in certain animals' eyes. Human beings, however, do not have this magnetic sense, although there is some evidence that cryptochromes in our eyes might help with some rudimentary form of magnetic sensitivity. The ability of animals to navigate using Earth's magnetic field was only fully recognized in recent years, but it was alluded to in the Quran 1400 years ago.

In Surah 20:50, it is stated:

The phrase "then guided it" refers to the guidance provided to all creatures, not just humans. This includes the ability to detect and respond to the Earth's magnetic field, which modern science has confirmed in many species. The Quran's mention of guidance to all living beings aligns with the concept of magnetoreception, which was only recently discovered.

At the time of the Quran’s revelation, the scientific understanding of navigation was rudimentary, relying mostly on stars, landmarks, and the environment. The concept of animals using the Earth's magnetic field for guidance was not known until very recently. This raises the question: how could an unlettered man from 1400 years ago have known about magnetoreception? The only plausible explanation is that this knowledge came from a source beyond human capability.