Signs & Science: Walls of Water

Saturday, January 14, 2023

Walls of Water

وَاِذۡ فَرَقۡنَا بِكُمُ الۡبَحۡرَ فَاَنۡجَيۡنٰکُمۡ وَاَغۡرَقۡنَآ اٰلَ فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَاَنۡتُمۡ تَنۡظُرُوۡنَ‏ ٥٠

And [recall] when We parted the sea for you and saved you and drowned the people of Pharaoh while you were looking on.

[Al-Quran 2:50, Translation: Saheeh International]

فَاَوۡحَيۡنَاۤ اِلٰى مُوۡسٰٓى اَنِ اضۡرِبْ بِّعَصَاكَ الۡبَحۡرَؕ فَانْفَلَقَ فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرۡقٍ كَالطَّوۡدِ الۡعَظِيۡمِۚ‏ ٦٣

Then We inspired to Moses, "Strike with your staff the sea," and it parted, and each portion was like a great towering mountain.

[Al-Quran 26:63, Translation: Saheeh International]

هُوَ الَّذِىۡ يُسَيِّرُكُمۡ فِى الۡبَرِّ وَالۡبَحۡرِؕ حَتّٰۤى اِذَا كُنۡتُمۡ فِى الۡفُلۡكِ ۚ وَ جَرَيۡنَ بِهِمۡ بِرِيۡحٍ طَيِّبَةٍ وَّفَرِحُوۡا بِهَا جَآءَتۡهَا رِيۡحٌ عَاصِفٌ وَّجَآءَهُمُ الۡمَوۡجُ مِنۡ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَّظَنُّوۡۤا اَنَّهُمۡ اُحِيۡطَ بِهِمۡ ۙ دَعَوُا اللّٰهَ مُخۡلِصِيۡنَ لَـهُ الدِّيۡنَۙ لَٮِٕنۡ اَنۡجَيۡتَـنَا مِنۡ هٰذِهٖ لَنَكُوۡنَنَّ مِنَ الشّٰكِرِيۡنَ‏ ٢٢

It is He who enables you to travel on land and sea until, when you are in ships and they sail with them by a good wind and they rejoice therein, there comes a storm wind and the waves come upon them from every place and they expect to be engulfed, they supplicate Allāh, sincere to Him in religion, "If You should save us from this, we will surely be among the thankful."

[Al-Quran 10:22, Translation: Saheeh International]

We have been reading of giant waves and walls of water in the scriptures.

Sailors, who lived to tell the tale, have been informing of giant, monstrous waves, also known as rogue waves, which they encountered at sea. Till only recently, such stories were considered exaggerations. Finally, there is some evidence of such phenomenon:

National Geographic

Earth Magazine