The Cow (2:164)
إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلَّتِى تَجْرِى فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ ٱلنَّاسَ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن مَّآءٍۢ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍۢ وَتَصْرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَـٰحِ وَٱلسَّحَابِ ٱلْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَعْقِلُونَ ١٦٤
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allāh has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and earth are signs for a people who use reason.
— Saheeh International
بے شک آسمانوں اور زمین کی بناوٹ میں اور رات اور دن کے آنے جانے میں اور ان کشتیوں میں جو انسانوں کے کام آنے والی چیزیں لے کر سمندر میں چلتی ہیں ، اور اس پانی میں جس کو اللہ نے آسمان سے اتارا پھر اس سے مردہ زمین کو زندگی بخشی اور اس نے زمین میں سب قسم کے جانور پھیلادئے اور ہواؤں کی گردش میں اور بادلوں میں جو آسمان اور زمین کے درمیان حکم کے تابع ہیں ، ان لوگوں کے ليے نشانیاں ہیں جو عقل سے کام لیتے ہیں
— Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
The dispersal of moving creatures is among the signs for those who use reason.
Dispersal of moving creatures across the Earth is clearly evident.
Annual migrations of some creatures is an observed and well-studied phenomenon.
Dispersal is the moving away of creatures from their place of birth, while migration involves the moving away and then return of the individual to its place of departure, or in some cases, generational return, for example monarch butterflies.
The Quran also mentions human movements across land and sea:
The Night Journey (17:70)
۞ وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَـٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَـٰهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍۢ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًۭا ٧٠
And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference.
— Saheeh International
اور ہم نے آدم کی اولاد کو عزت دی اور ہم نے ان کو خشکی اور تری میں سوار کیا اور ان کو پاکیزہ چیزوں کا رزق دیا اور ہم نے ان کو اپنی بہت سی مخلوقات پر فوقیت دی
— Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
So, studying the narratives in The Quran through the lens of travel, dispersal and migration of humans, the following are some examples:
In Surah Yusuf, we read about the childhood separation (natal dispersal?) of Joseph (Yusuf عليه السلام) from his family. Then, after several years, we read about the travel of the brothers to Egypt (adult dispersal?) in search of food during the years of famine. Eventually, we read about the migration of Jacob (Israel (Yaqub عليه السلام)) and all his sons (Bani Israel) and their entire family to Egypt.
From Genesis 47 29-30 and 49 29-32, we read about Jacob (Israel (Yaqub عليه السلام))'s request to be buried where his fathers are buried (Canaan). Similarly, in Genesis 50 25, we read about Joseph (Yusuf عليه السلام)'s request that his bones are carried off to be buried with his fathers, when Allah rescues the Bani Israel from bondage.
In Surah alQasas, and other places in The Quran, we read about Moses (Musa عليه السلام) being thrown in water (natal dispersal), and being taken up by the Pharaoh and his wife; his reunification with his mother; his migration from Egypt to Madyan (refugee, adult dispersal); his serving for eight to ten pilgrimages (annual seasonal migrations); his return to Pharaoh's court as Messenger of Allah (adult dispersal turning into migration, as in returning to the point of departure); we also read about the Exodus (mass migration) of the Bani Israel from Egypt towards Canaan.
In Surah atTawbah, we read about the migration of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companion Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه . In Surah alFath, we read about his temporary return to Makkah (place of departure).
In Surah alIsra, we read about Prophet Muhammad ﷺ travel (pilgrimage, migration) to beyond the seven skies to meet Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى , and his return to Earth. In other places in The Quran, we read about Adam et al being sent to Earth (dispersal), and Jesus (Isa عليه السلام) and Enoch (Idris عليه السلام) being raised up (dispersal). We believe that Jesus (Isa عليه السلام) will return, completing his migration. According to Christian sources, Enoch (Idris عليه السلام) and Elijah (Ilyas عليه السلام) will also return to Earth, both of whom had ascended into the skies alive.
In Surah alIsra, we read about Bani Israel being the seed of those carried (dispersed) with Prophet Noah (Nuh عليه السلام) in the Ark.
In Surah alIsra, we also read about Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى dispersing (exiling) the Bani Israel from the land that they were given; and the end-time promise of collecting the Bani Israel back in the land from where they were dispersed (Jewish migration).
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Related Posts:
Muhammad ﷺ – Ascension & Return
Detailed Guidance in Surah alKahf
External Links:
Video:
Migration throughout human history | Nobel Week Dialogue 2023 | The Future of Migration
UN Migration: IOM: Fundamentals of migration
Last updated on: October 9, 2025
