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In the Quran, it is mentioned that some oases turned into deserts. Skeptics claim that whoever wrote the Quran made a mistake, arguing that an oasis can never become a desert. However, today, meteorologists confirm that many oases have indeed turned into deserts over time due to environmental factors.
1400 years ago, people believed that the lost city of Ubar was buried deep in the desert. However, modern geologists have found evidence suggesting that Ubar once lay along the banks of a flowing river. This discovery came to light in 1992 through radar imaging and remote sensing technology, which revealed the city's location in southern Oman on the Arabian Peninsula. Archaeologists now believe Ubar existed from around 2800 BC to 300 AD, serving as an important outpost for caravans transporting frankincense across the desert. Today, this area is a desert, but evidence shows that it was once a thriving region with access to water, which eventually dried up.
In the Quran, the people of Aad are mentioned as having been blessed with "gardens and springs" before their area turned into a desert. The Quran describes this transformation:
Fear the One Who has provided you with ˹the good˺ things you know:26:132
He provided you with cattle, and children,26:133
and gardens, and springs.26:134
This aligns with modern findings, where scientists have discovered that Ubar was located near a river that eventually dried up, causing the land to turn into a desert. The Quran, written 1400 years ago, accurately described this phenomenon, even though such knowledge was not available at the time.
The Quran’s mention of gardens and springs reflects a natural truth that was not fully understood until modern archaeology and remote sensing revealed the lost city's location on the banks of a now-dried river. The drying up of the river and the transformation of the land into desert is a process that aligns perfectly with what is described in the Quran. There are no mistakes in the Quran. 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.