The document discusses evidence that the parting of the Red Sea described in the Quran may have been caused by a tsunami, based on scientific understanding of tsunamis. It notes that the Arabic word used can mean "to divide or separate," and details how tsunamis cause large shifts of water that can expose shallow seabeds. The document compares the waters parting like towering cliffs to the shape of tsunami waves, and says the Quran's description is consistent with modern knowledge about the massive scale and power of tsunamis. It concludes the story of Moses demonstrates Allah's help for believers.

1. BASED ON THE WORKS OF HARUN YAHYA WWW.HARUNYAHAY.COM and others
PREPARED BY fereidoun.dejahang@ntlworld.com
Dr F.Dejahang, BSc CEng, BSc (Hons) Construction Mgmt, MSc, MCIOB, .MCMI, PhD

2. The Holy
Qur'an is the
Word of Allah

3. SuratAsh-
Shu'ara‘-63
• So We revealed to Moses, 'Strike the sea with
your staff.' And it split in two, each part like a
towering cliff. (Surat Ash-Shu'ara‘- 63)
THETSUNAMI
EFFECT
• The Egyptian monarchs known as the pharaohs
regarded themselves as divine in the
polytheistic, superstitious religion of ancient
Egypt.

4. 1
• Allah sent the Prophet Moses (pbuh) as an envoy to
the people of Egypt at a time when they preferred
their own superstitious beliefs to the true faith and
when they had enslaved the Israelites.
2
• Despite the Prophet Moses (pbuh)'s invitation to the
true faith, the ancient Egyptians and Pharaoh and
his court in particular, refused to abandon their
pagan beliefs.

5. The Prophet Moses (pbuh) told
Pharaoh and his court the things they
ought to avoid and warned them of
the wrath of Allah.
But they rebelled and falsely
accused the Prophet Moses (pbuh)
of madness, sorcery and mendacity.

6. Although various tribulations were inflicted on
Pharaoh and his people, they still did not submit
to Allah; they refused to accept Allah as the one
and only God.
They even held the Prophet Moses (pbuh)
responsible for what had befallen them and sought
to exile him from Egypt. At this,Allah told the
Prophet Moses (pbuh) and those with him to leave
where they were:

7. We revealed to Moses: 'Travel with Our slaves by
night.You will certainly be pursued.' Pharaoh sent
marshals into the cities: 'These people are a small
group and we find them irritating and we
constitute a vigilant majority.' We expelled them
from gardens and springs, from treasures and a
splendid situation. So it was! And We bequeathed
them to the tribe of Israel. So they pursued them
towards the east. (Surat Ash-Shu'ara', 52-60)

8. As revealed in the Qur'an, when the two
peoples came together at the end of this
chase, Allah rescued the Prophet Moses
(pbuh) and the believers with him by
parting the sea, while destroying
Pharaoh and his people. Allah's
assistance to the believers is revealed as
follows in the Qur'an:

9. So We revealed to Moses, 'Strike the sea with
your staff.' And it split in two, each part like a
towering cliff. And We brought the others right
up to it. We rescued Moses and all those who
were with him.ThenWe drowned the rest.
There is certainly a Sign in that yet most of
them are not believers.Truly your Lord is the
Almighty, the Most Merciful. (Surat Ash-
Shu'ara', 63-68)

10. The Arabic word "idrib," translated as
"strike" in verse 63 of Surat ash-Shuara,
also means "to open, divide or separate."
In the light of this expression and what
happened subsequently, the verse may
be a reference to the formation of
tsunami waves. (Allah knows best.)

11. Since tsunami
waves cause
large amounts of
water to shift
and thus give
way to the
emergence of
earth on shallow
grounds.
In the time of the
Prophet Moses
(pbuh), as with the
tsunami waves the
waters might have
pulled back some
hundreds of meters
and this might have
caused the parting of
the sea. (Allah
knows best.)

13. In addition, the
waters are compared
to mountains in the
above verse.
The waters collected
in a tsunami form a
giant peak1

14. and resemble a
mountain seen
from below.
As with mountains,
the base of the
tsunami is very
broad and strong.

15. In tsunamis, the depth
of the water declines
while the mass of the
wave expands and rises
in height.
Tsunamis may
be up to 30m
high.2

16. It is therefore very
significant how the
waters are likened
to a mountain.

17. Tsunamis are very
different to the waves
we are familiar with, and
are a movement of the
entire depth of water.
This is not generally
restricted to the surface,
and may stretch for
several kilometers.

18. They thus possess
high levels of energy
and move very fast.3
Scientific
statements say this
about tsunamis:

19. • In fact the tsunami crest is just the very tip of a vast
mass of water in motion
• Wind-driven waves and swells are confined to a
shallow layer near the ocean surface, a tsunami
extends thousands of feet deep into the ocean
• Survivors of tsunami attacks describe them as dark
"walls" of water.
• Impelled by the mass of water behind them, the
waves bulldoze onto the shore and inundate the coast

20. The contours of the seafloor and coastline have a profound
influence on the height of the waves -- sometimes with
surprising and dangerous results.
During the 1993 tsunami attack on Okushiri, Japan, the wave
"run up" on the coast averaged about 15 to 20 meters (50 - 65
feet).
But in one particular spot, the waves pushed into aV-shaped
valley open to the sea, concentrating the water in a tighter
and tighter space.
In the end, the water ran up to 32 meters (90 feet) above sea
level, about the height of an 8-story office building. 4

21. The way the waters parted when the Prophet Moses
(pbuh) and his companions needed to cross and how they
closed again over the heads of Pharaoh and his army are
clear instances of the way Allah assists believers.
The way that the past events described in the Qur'an are
in complete agreement with present-day historic
evidence and scientific advances, is without doubt one of
the great miracles of the Qur'an.

22. And when the two hosts came into sight of one
another Moses's companions said, 'We will surely be
overtaken!' He said, 'Never! My Lord is with me and
He will guide me.' (Surat Ash-Shu'ara', 61-62)
Indeed, the Prophet Moses (pbuh) displayed an
excellent example of proper moral values by trusting in
Allah in that most difficult moment:

24. Stage 1—Beginning: If the tsunami acts like an earthquake, the
sea floor is moved up or down. As a result the mass of water
moves up or down.

25.  Stage 2 —Separation:Within a few minutes, the tsunami
that starts to form divides in two, one part moving toward
the depths of the ocean, the other reaching the coast.

26.  Stage 3—Elevation:The tsunami wave
reaching the shore rises up like a huge wave
when it reaches the land.

27.  Stage 4- Wave impact: The leading wave
becomes pointed and appears to rise even
higher.The first part of the wave to hit the
land is convex in shape, which is why the
water initially seems to be pulling away from
the land.