Photo - Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The waters seem to be separated by a film and have a clear boundary between them. Each of them has its own temperature, its salt composition, flora and fauna.
Earlier, in 1967, German scientists revealed the fact of non-mixing of water masses in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, the waters of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean converge. Following the example of his colleagues, Jacques Cousteau began to find out whether the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea mix. First, he and his team explored the waters of the Mediterranean - its natural salinity, density and life forms. The same was done in the Atlantic Ocean. These two masses of water have been meeting in the Strait of Gibraltar for thousands of years, and it would be logical to assume that these two huge water masses should have mixed long ago - their salinity and density should have become the same, or at least similar. But even in places where they converge closest, each of them retains its properties. In other words, at the confluence of two masses of water, the water curtain did not allow them to mix.
If you look closely, you can see different colors of the sea in the second photo, and different wavelengths in the first photo. And between them, as if, an impenetrable wall.
It's about surface tension.
Surface tension is one of the most important parameters of water. It determines the strength of adhesion between the molecules of the liquid, as well as the shape of its surface at the border with air. It is due to surface tension that a drop, puddle, jet, etc. is formed. The volatility (evaporation) of any liquid also depends on the adhesion forces of molecules. The lower the surface tension, the more volatile the liquid. Alcohols and other organic solvents have the lowest surface tension.
If water had a low surface tension, it would evaporate very quickly. But water, nevertheless, has a rather large value of surface tension.
Visually, surface tension can be represented as follows: if you slowly pour tea into a cup to the brim, then for some time it will not pour out through the rim. In transmitted light, you can see that a very thin film has formed above the surface of the liquid, which prevents the tea from pouring out. It swells as it is topped up and only, as they say, with the “last drop”, the liquid pours out over the edge of the cup.
So the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea are not able to mix. The magnitude of surface tension is determined by the varying degrees of density of sea water, this factor is like a wall that prevents the waters from mixing.
It is strange to see that the water seems to be separated by a film and has a clear boundary inside it. Each part of the water has its own temperature, its own unique salt composition, flora and fauna. Where is all this? In the Strait of Gibraltar, which connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
In 1967, scientists from Germany recorded the fact of non-mixing of water layers in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the waters of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea meet. Imitating his colleagues, Jacques Cousteau began to find out whether the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean mixed. First, the scientist and his team studied the water from the Mediterranean Sea - its normal level of density, salinity and its characteristic life forms. And they did the same in the Atlantic Ocean. Here, two huge masses of water have been interacting with each other in the Strait of Gibraltar for many thousands of years, and it would be quite logical to think that these two giant water masses should have been mixed long ago - their density and salinity should have been equal, or at least close ones. But even in those places where they come closest, each of the water masses retains its unique properties. In other words, in places where there should have been a confluence of two water layers, the water curtain did not allow them to mix.
If you look closely, in the second photo you can see that the sea has two different colors, and in the first photo - different wavelengths. And between the water, as if a wall that water can not overcome.
The reason is the surface tension of water: surface tension is one of the most important parameters of water. It sets the force with which the molecules of the liquid adhere to each other, as well as the shape of the surface on the verge with air. It is due to surface tension that a drop, jet, puddle, etc. is formed. The volatility (ie, evaporation) of any liquid substance also depends on the adhesion force of molecules. The lower the surface tension, the more volatile the liquid. Organic solvents (for example, alcohols) have the lowest surface tension.
If water had a low surface tension, it would evaporate very rapidly. But water, fortunately for us, has a rather large surface tension.
Visually, you can imagine surface tension in this way: if you slowly pour tea into a cup along the very edges, then for some time the tea will not pour out of the cup through the rim. In the light, you can see that an extremely thin film has formed above the surface of the water, which does not allow the tea to spill. It increases as it is topped up and only, as they say, with the “last drop”, the liquid flows out over the edge of the cup.
Likewise, the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean are not able to mix with each other. The magnitude of surface tension determines the different degrees of density of sea water, and this factor is like an impenetrable wall that prevents the mixing of waters.
I will not dive into the physical theory - it is quite difficult to understand. In short, it is simply a physical phenomenon. Not even a strange anomaly, but a simple whim of nature.
Miracle of the Qur'an: Seas that don't mix
Sura 55 "The Merciful":
19. He confused two seas that meet each other.
20. Between them there is a barrier that they cannot cross.
Sura 25 "Discrimination":
53. He is the One who mixed two seas (kinds of water): one is pleasant, fresh, and the other is salty, bitter. He placed between them a barrier and an insurmountable obstacle.
Exploring the expanses of water in the Strait of Gibraltar, Jacques Yves Cousteau discovered an amazing fact that cannot be explained by science: the existence of two water bodies that do not mix with each other. They seem to be separated by a film and have a clear boundary between them. Each of them has its own temperature, its salt composition, flora and fauna. These are the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in contact with each other in the Strait of Gibraltar.
“In 1962,” says Jacques Cousteau, “German scientists discovered that in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea converge, the waters of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean do not mix. Following the example of our colleagues, we began to find out whether the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea mix. We first explored the waters of the Mediterranean - its natural salinity, density and life forms. We did the same in the Atlantic Ocean. These two masses of water have been meeting in the Strait of Gibraltar for thousands of years, and it would be logical to assume that these two huge water masses should have been mixed long ago - their salinity and density should have become the same, or at least similar. But even in places where they converge closest, each of them retains its properties. In other words, at the confluence of two masses of water, the water curtain did not allow them to mix.”
Upon discovering this obvious and incredible fact, the scientist was extremely surprised. “I rested on my laurels for a long time at this amazing phenomenon, which cannot be explained by the laws of physics and chemistry,” writes Cousteau.
But the scientist experienced even greater surprise and admiration when he found out that this was written in the Koran 1400 years ago. He learned about it from Dr. Maurice Boukay, a Frenchman who converted to Islam.
“When I told him about my discovery, he told me skeptically that this was said in the Koran 1400 years ago. It was like a bolt from the blue for me. And indeed, it turned out that way when I looked at the translations of the Koran. Then I exclaimed: “I swear that this Koran, from which modern science lags behind by 1400 years, cannot be the speech of a person. This is the true speech of the Most High.” After that, I accepted Islam and every day I was amazed at the truth, justice, ease, usefulness of this religion. I am infinitely grateful that He opened His eyes to the Truth,” Cousteau writes further.
Options Listen Original Original text وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هَذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخًا وَحِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا Translit Wa Huwa A l-La dhī Maraja A l-Baĥrayni Hā dhā `A dh bun Furā tun Wa Ha dhā Milĥun "Ujā jun Wa Ja`ala Baynahumā Barza khāan Wa Ĥij rāan Maĥjūrāan He is the One Who mixed two seas (types of water): one is pleasant, fresh, and the other is salty, bitter. He placed between them a barrier and an insurmountable obstacle. And (only) He [Allah] is the One Who brought the two seas together: this is pleasant, fresh (for drinking), and that is salt, bitter (for drinking). And he made between them a barrier and an insurmountable obstacle (so that different waters do not mix). He is the One who mixed the two seas (types of water): one is pleasant, fresh, and the other is salty, bitter. He placed between them a barrier and an insurmountable obstacle. [[This refers to places where rivers flow into the seas and oceans. River waters are fresh, and the waters of the seas and oceans are salty, but each of them brings many benefits to the inhabitants of the earth, and therefore Allah erected a barrier and an insurmountable obstacle between them, thanks to which the waters of the seas and rivers do not change their qualities.]] Ibn Kathir
Allah's words: وَهُوَ الَّذِى مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هَـذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَـذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ ) And He is the one who made way for the two seas. This is pleasant, fresh, and that is salt, bitter - He created two types of water: fresh and salty. Fresh water is the water of rivers, springs and wells. This is the sea pleasant and fresh. Ibn Juraij thought so, and Ibn Jarir preferred the same opinion. For there is no doubt that there is no fresh stagnant sea. Almighty Allah here only informs about reality in order to draw the attention of His servants to this good, so that they are grateful. Fresh water is the one that is used by people. Almighty Allah divided it into rivers and springs on each land, and distributed it among people according to their needs for themselves and their lands.
Allah's words: وَهَـذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ ) And then - salt, bitter - that is. salty bitter water, unsuitable for drinking. This refers to the seas known in the East and West: the Atlantic Ocean and the straits flowing into it, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the China Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, etc. seas that do not flow, but ripple, storm and rage in winter with strong winds. They have their ebb and flow. At the beginning of each month, they overflow, and when the month is waning, they return to their shores. When a new month appears, they arrive until the fourteenth, i.e. full moon, and then they begin to decrease again. Almighty Allah - the Possessor of absolute strength and power, established this invariably for all stagnant seas. He created them salty so that they would not stink and spoil the air and the environment, and so that the land on which animals would die would not be spoiled. Therefore, sea water is salty, sea air is fresh, and sea carrion is suitable for food. Therefore, when the Messenger of Allah was asked about the permissibility of using sea water for ablution, he replied: “(Sea) water is pure, and its carrion (for eating)". The Imams of the Sunnah cite with a good isnad. [malik 1/22, ash-Shafi'i 1/19, Ahmad, Abu Dawud 83, at-Tirmidhi 69, an-Nasai 1/50, ibn Majah 386].
Allah's words: وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخاً وَحِجْراً ) And he set up between them a barrier and an indestructible barrier - i.e. between salt and fresh water; ( بَرْزَخاً ) Obstacle - i.e. a barrier from the earth's land; ( وَحِجْراً مَّحْجُوراً ) And an indestructible barrier - i.e. preventing one water from joining another. As it says in the words of Allah: مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ -بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لاَّ يَبْغِيَانِ فَبِأَيِّءَالآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ) He mixed two seas that meet each other. There is a barrier between them that they cannot cross. Which of the favors of your Lord do you regard as a lie? (
Modern Science has discovered that where two seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier separates the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity and density. For example, the water of the Mediterranean Sea is warm, salty and less dense than the water of the Atlantic Ocean. When the water of the Mediterranean Sea enters the Atlantic Ocean through the Gibraltar threshold, it flows several hundred kilometers into the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of about 1000 meters with its own warmth, salinity, and lower density. The water of the Mediterranean Sea stabilizes at this depth (see Fig. 13)
Fig.13 How the water of the Mediterranean Sea enters the Atlantic Ocean through the Gibraltar threshold with its own warmth, salinity, and less density, due to the barrier that separates them. Temperatures in degrees Celsius (Co).
Although these seas have large waves, strong currents, and ebbs and flows, they do not mix or overstep this barrier. The Holy Qur'an mentioned that there is a barrier between two seas that meet and do not cross.
The Lord established: Sura 55 "The Merciful" :
55(19). He mixed two seas that meet each other.
55(20). There is a barrier between them that they cannot cross.
But when he talks about the separation between fresh and salt water, he refers to the presence of an "impregnable border" with a barrier.
The Almighty said in the Quran: Sura 25 "Discrimination" 25(53):
He is the One who mixed two seas (kinds of water): one is pleasant, fresh, and the other is salty, bitter. He placed between them a barrier and an insurmountable obstacle.
One might ask why the Qur'an mentioned the border when talking about the division between fresh and salt water, but did not mention it when talking about the division between two seas?
Modern science has found that in estuaries where fresh (sweet) water and salt water meet, the situation between them is something different from what is found in places where two seas meet. It has been revealed that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is "a pycnocline zone with a marked discontinuity in density separating the two layers". The boundary (separation zone) has a different salinity from fresh water and from salt water (see Fig. 14).
Figure 14 Longitudinal section showing salinity (per thousand%) in an estuary. Here we can see the border (separation zone) between fresh and salt water.
This information has only recently been discovered using advanced equipment to measure temperature, salinity, density, oxygen solubility, etc. The human eye cannot distinguish between the two seas that meet, or rather, the two seas appear to us as one homogeneous sea. Moreover, the human eye cannot see the separation of water in estuaries in three ways: fresh water, salt water, and a boundary (separation zone).
