The inimitability of the Quran is manifested in one of the following Ayaat:
Dear noble brothers, one of the evidences of the inimitability of the Noble Quran is that it foretells the future. In fact, what Allah the Almighty foretells comes true. For example, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ The Romans have been defeated* In the [lowest part of the earth or the] nearer land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious* Within three to nine years. The decision of the matter, before and after (these events) is only with Allah, (before the defeat of Romans by the Persians, and after, i.e. the defeat of the Persians by the Romans). And on that Day, the believers (i.e. Muslims) will rejoice (at the victory given by Allah to the Romans against the Persians) ﴿
What we are concerned with in the above Ayaat is "In the [lowest part of the earth or the] nearer land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine)", so what does Allah, Glory be to Him, mean by such words?! Which is the lowest (and nearest) part of the earth?!
Beyond a shadow of doubt, the earth is spherical, and hence all the lines on its surface are solid and continuous. Furthermore, the circle is the only geometrical shape whose lines are infinite, and it is the only shape that has no edges. In other Ayaat, Allah the Almighty also refers to the spherical shape of the earth when He the Almighty says:
﴾ And the earth We spread out... ﴿
[ Al-Hijr, 19 ]
There is a reference to the fact that the lines on the earth's surface are solid and endless. In other words, if you go northwards up to the Arctic, you will go southwards down to the Antarctic, and then back to the point from which you have started. This is the meaning of Allah's Words:
﴾ And the earth We spread out... ﴿
But what does "In the [lowest part of the earth or the] nearer land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine)", mean? In Arabic the word is "Adna", and it has two meanings: The lowest and the nearest. If we rule out the second meaning, i.e. the nearest, because the earth is round, the other meaning we still have is the lowest. Actually, all scholars of the interpretation of the Noble Quran confirm that the battle that the Ayaat speak about between the Romans and Persians took place in a spot called al-Aghwar (i.e. that part of the Syrian graben which constitutes the Jordan valley in Palestine). When Muslim scholars inquired about altitude of that place, they were informed by the most learned and well-known Western geologists that it was located in the very lowest part of the land. If those geologists had been asked about the lowest part on the planet of the earth (including both the land and the sea) they would have said, "The Mariana Trench", which is 11.034 meters (36,201 feet) deep. Well, at the time when the Ayah was revealed to Allah's Messenger PBUH, it was not possible for mankind to know which part of the world was the lowest and deepest, for they did not have adequate equipment that we have today. Nevertheless, Allah the Almighty mentions in the Noble Quran that the Romans were defeated:
﴾ The Romans have been defeated* In the [lowest part of the earth or the] nearer land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious ﴿
They were defeated in the very lowest part of the world. The book of history confirm what Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, mentions in the Ayah, referring to the Jordan valley of Palestine as the lowest part of the earth. Verily, as Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "In the Noble Quran there are Ayaat that have not been yet interpreted". To this effect, Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their ownselves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Qur'an) is the truth. ﴿
Indeed, it is the Book of Allah, the All-Knowing, Who knows which point is the lowest in the whole world!
Another Ayah from a different Surah which proves the same point:
Dear brothers, I would like to mention another Ayah, which also refers to the same meaning in one way or another:
﴾ They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj). ﴿
Another verse that has a related meaning:
Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, does not say: They will come from every distant way, but rather He says:
﴾ They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj). ﴿
If the earth were not spherical, using the word distant alone would be more adequate than using it with the word deep. However, since the earth has a spherical shape, the further you go away from a certain point on its surface, the more bent and deep the line is. Therefore, places that are far away from Makkah are better described as being deep than only distant:
﴾ They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj). ﴿
