As'salamu Alaikum akhi Ramihs,

Here are my responses to your points above:



Noble Verse 51:48:

1-  ‏51:48 والارض فرشناها فنعم الماهدون

FARASHNAHA فرشناها is derived from FARASHA فرش, which means:

1.  To spread out.
2.  To clothe.  As in farasha al-sareer (placing the cover on the bed).  Farasha al-sareer also means prepared the bed, as in made it neat and ready.

الماهدون MAAHIDOON is derived from MAHD, which means:

1.  Make comfortable.
2.  Cradle.  As in from cradle to grave (Mina al-madh المهد ila al-lahd لحد).

So basically earth is a PREPARED BED for us.  But this bed is also a rocking one as Allah Almighty Said in:

78:6 الم نجعل الارض مهادا

[078:006] Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse rocking cradle  مهادا,

Notice the following:

  

مهد means bed.

مهادا means a rocking bed.

  

The relationship and balance between مهد and مهادا in Arabic is like:

1-  حرث (harth), tilth, and حراث (hiraath), plowing the earth.

2-  قتل (qatl), kill, and قتال (qitaal), fighting.

3-  جهد (juhd), effort, and جهاد (jihaad), struggling. 

So مهد is bed.  مهادا is a bed in action.


Let us now look at our planet earth's "Axial Tilt" that makes it look like a cradle:



www.answering-christianity.com/detailed_meanings_of_scientific_words_in_verses.htm#geology_moving_earth_rain




Noble Verse 84:3:

This is a future Prophecy regarding the streching of earth that had been scientifically confirmed.  It is a STUNNING one and I have written an article on it with detailed Western scientific references and also videos proving this:

www.answering-christianity.com/end_of_times_volcanoes_caused_by_stretching_of_earth.htm




Noble Verse 21:44:

There are two scientifically proven answers for this Noble Verse:

1-  The actual planet earth is shrinking.  This had been confirmed by NASA and other Scientific agencies:

www.google.com/search?q=earth+is+shrinking


2-  The rising seas (a Quranic Prophecy) are reducing the livable lands that we live on.  Entire towns will drowned by the sea:

www.google.com/search?q=sea+levels+are+rising

The rising seas before the Hour is an End-of-Times Prophecy in the Glorious Quran;

[052:001]  By the Mount (of Revelation);
[052:002]  By a Decree inscribed
[052:003]  In a Scroll unfolded;
[052:004]  By the much-frequented Fane;
[052:005]  By the Canopy Raised High;
[052:006] And by the Ocean filled with Swell;-
[052:007]  Verily, the Doom of thy Lord will indeed come to pass;-
[052:008]  There is none can avert it;-
[052:009]  On the Day when the firmament will be in dreadful commotion.
[052:010]  And the mountains will fly hither and thither.
[052:011]  Then woe that Day to those that treat (Truth) as Falsehood;-

‏52:1 والطور
‏52:2 وكتاب مسطور
‏52:3 في رق منشور
‏52:4 والبيت المعمور
‏52:5 والسقف المرفوع
‏52:6 والبحر المسجور
‏52:7 ان عذاب ربك لواقع
‏52:8 ماله من دافع
‏52:9 يوم تمور السماء مورا
‏52:10 وتسير الجبال سيرا
‏52:11 فويل يومئذ للمكذبين

By the way, the atmosphere being our raised and protective roof is also mentioned in several Noble Verses in the Glorious Quran:

www.answering-christianity.com/ozone_layer_protecting_earth.htm


As to "sides", the spherical earth does still have boundaries.  Lands on earth are divided into sections.  Perhaps this is even referring to the continents after they broke off from each others as the earth expanded:

‏13:4 وفي الارض قطع متجاورات وجنات من اعناب وزرع ونخيل صنوان وغير صنوان يسقى بماء واحد ونفضل بعضها على بعض في الاكل ان في ذلك لايات لقوم يعقلون

[013:004] And in the earth are neighbouring tracts وفي الارض قطع متجاورات, and gardens of vines, and green crops (fields etc.), and date-palms, growing out two or three from a single stem root, or otherwise (one stem root for every palm ), watered with the same water, yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat. Verily, in these things, there are Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs) for the people who understand.



This is explained in more details in the following sub-section.

Also, the Glorious Quran supports this through the The land-sea ratio Miracle - Mentioned in the Glorious Quran and confirmed by Science.  Please visit:

www.answering-christianity.com/land_sea_ratio_miracle.htm







The earth expanded spherically:

Also, if you read in my material, you will find that Allah Almighty Said that He has expanded the earth spherically:

1-  To push.

2-  To throw.

دحا   (daha):  دفعه و رمى به (dafa'aahu wa ramaa bih) Caused it to move, pushed it, or threw it.

دحا الصبي المِدحاةَ أي دفع الصبي المِدحاةَ   Daha the boy the rolling toy, means the boy pushed the rolling toy.


3-  To make something roll, as in DAHA the barrel from the top of the hill, which means he rolled it down from the top of the hill.  Also, this is where the Arabic word DAHRAJA is derived from, which means to make something roll down.

4-  To make something round.  I used several examples for ROUND AND BULGED TUMMY, and making round objects.  I even used a Hadith from Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, when he said:

In Prophet Muhammad's Hadith: كان لأسامة بطننٌ مُندحٌ اي متسع   Osama had a round and big tummy.

Also the dictionary says:
الدحداح هو المستدير الململم    The dahdaah is the person who is ROUND and STOCKY.

و بطنٌ مُنداحُ أي خارخٌ مُدوّر  His tummy is mun-daahun means it is OUT THERE AND ROUND مُدوّر.



So when Allah Almighty DAHA THE EARTH, it means that Allah Almighty EXPANDED IT SPHERICALLY through rotating it around itself and moving it in its orbit in space.  And this is why Allah Almighty Said after that (after He DAHAHA), He brought forth from it its water and pasture.  Science has proven this to be 100% accurate and True:


1-  Water was brought forth from the earth - Science confirmed it and the Holy Quran claimed it 1400 years ago:




2-  Our earth expanded and produced its own water:



And





So اطراف (sides) can refer to either the entire earth shrinking, or the lands that we live on shrinking and sinking.  And Allah Almighty Always Knows Best.  Please visit:

www.answering-christianity.com/detailed_meanings_of_scientific_words_in_verses.htm#geology_moving_earth_rain
www.answering-christianity.com/bringing_forth_its_waters.htm
www.answering-christianity.com/egg-shaped_earth.htm
https://www.answering-christianity.com/ac20.htm#links

The doomed-to-Hell infidels have nothing but noise on Islam.

Take care,
Osama Abdallah

  

---

The Earth Spread out Spherically, and its Waters came out from it:

Allah Almighty Said:

Noble Verse(s) 79:30-79:31

Arabic (Read from right to left.  Also, all png image files: [1] [2].  Quran Moral Code (100s of them)]): ‏79:30 والارض بعد ذلك دحاها ‏79:31 اخرج منها ماءها ومرعاها Khalifa: (why is he here?) [079:030]  He made the earth egg-shaped. [079:031]  From it, He produced its own water and pasture.

   
Below in this article, we'll see the ample proofs that the earth was indeed SPREAD OUT SPHERICALLY.  And Scientists have proven that water does indeed originate from its planets when they're hot enough and are located in the Goldilocks Zone when orbiting their sun.

As thoroughly detailed in this detailed article, I thoroughly demonstrated using 7 encyclopedic dictionaries that DAHA دحاها  means:

1-  To push.

2-  To throw.

دحا   (daha):  دفعه و رمى به (dafa'aahu wa ramaa bih) Caused it to move, pushed it, or threw it.

دحا الصبي المِدحاةَ أي دفع الصبي المِدحاةَ   Daha the boy the rolling toy, means the boy pushed the rolling toy.

3-  To make something roll, as in DAHA the barrel from the top of the hill, which means he rolled it down from the top of the hill.  Also, this is where the Arabic word DAHRAJA is derived from, which means to make something roll down.

4-  To make something round.  I used several examples for ROUND AND BULGED TUMMY, and making round objects.  I even used a Hadith from Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, when he said:

In Prophet Muhammad's Hadith: كان لأسامة بطننٌ مُندحٌ اي متسع   Osama had a round and big tummy.

Also the dictionary says:
الدحداح هو المستدير الململم    The dahdaah is the person who is ROUND and STOCKY.

و بطنٌ مُنداحُ أي خارخٌ مُدوّر  His tummy is mun-daahun means it is OUT THERE AND ROUND مُدوّر.

  

So when Allah Almighty DAHA THE EARTH, it means that Allah Almighty EXPANDED IT SPHERICALLY through rotating around itself and moving in its orbit in space.  And this is why Allah Almighty Said after that (after He DAHAHA), He brought forth from it its water and pasture.  Science has proven this to be 100% accurate and True:


1-  Water was brought forth from the earth - Science confirmed it and the Holy Quran claimed it 1400 years ago:

Note:  In Article #3'S video in the article, the collision of the iron-planet made 
our earth EGG-SHAPED, according to the Scientists and the video.

   
2-  Our earth expanded and produced its own water:

And

For ample more details, please visit:  

www.answering-christianity.com/egg-shaped_earth.htm
  

www.answering-christianity.com/earth.htm  (Iron was sent down from space according to the Glorious Quran, and it was confirmed by science).

www.answering-christianity.com/ac20.htm#links

www.answering-christianity.com/ac20.htm#geology

www.answering-christianity.com/ac20.htm#main_sections

www.answering-christianity.com/detailed_meanings_of_scientific_words_in_verses.htm

https://www.answering-christianity.com/detailed_meanings_of_scientific_words_in_verses.htm#geology_moving_earth_rain

  

  

The sun never ceases nor disappears [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]:

(Play video file: [1] [2])

Prophet Muhammad: The sun is in constant orbit always rising on people while setting on others (See also Isaiah 1:9-17: Yahweh called Israel Sodom, because it spreads evil and is unjust).

عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم سئل :هذه المغارب اين تغرب ؟ وهذه المطالع اين تطلع ؟ فقال صلى الله عليه وسلم هي على رسلها لا تبرح ولا تزول , تغرب عن قوم وتطلع على قوم ,وتغرب عن قوم وتطلع , فقوم يقولون غربت ,وقوم يقولون طلعت

"Ibn Abbas narrated on Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that the Prophet was asked: Where does the sun go after all of these sunsets? And where does it come from after all of these sunrises? The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied: It is in constant motion. It doesn't stop nor disappear. It sets on people and rises on others, and it sets on people and rises on others (See also Isaiah 1:9-17: Yahweh called Israel Sodom, because it spreads evil and is unjust). So people would say it has risen while others say it has set."

Sources:

1- Jami'a Al-Usool li-ibn Al-Atheer.
جامع الأصول لابن الأثير

2- Musnad Al-Imam Abi Is'haq Al-Hamadani
مسند الامام ابي اسحاق الهمداني

3- Al-Ijaz Al-Ilmi Fe Al-Sunna Al-Nabawiyyah, Dr. Zahloul Al-Najjar, Page 132.
  

Allah Almighty in the Glorious Quran said that earth is:        -  Spherical: "egg-shaped" [1].        -  Is rotating around itself.        -  Is moving in space in curvy orbits [2].        -  Is in constant motion.        -  Is suspended in space.        -  Is swimming in space.        -  Is traveling through the constantly expanding universe [3].        -  The sunsetless North Pole miracle in the Glorious Quran [4].  At the top of the North Pole, the sun never sets [4], and I showed the video for that, and also quoted the scientific sources for that. Also in the lands near by, it almost never sets either, and I quoted sources for that as well, and also showed pictures of the "polar night" skies on these lands that are near the sunsetless North Pole.    (Click to play clip by physicist, Brian Cox) They also spoke almost unintelligibly (18:93), the Glorious Quran says.  They hardly spoke intelligibly (18:93).  Historians have proven that the Barbarians of the North used to speak unintelligibly.  The actual meaning of the word "Barbarian" is someone who speaks unintelligibly.       He saw the Aurora Lights covering: Aurora Lights Hadith    Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, saw the aurora lights covering the horizons of space above the earth when he was taken up to Heaven: Narrated Abdullah: "Regarding the Verse: “Indeed he (Muhammad) did see. Of the Signs of his Lord, The Greatest!” (Quran 53.18) That the Prophet had seen a green carpet spread all over the horizon of the sky قَالَ رَأَى رَفْرَفًا أَخْضَرَ سَدَّ أُفُقَ السَّمَاء." (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 456) Also visit: Islamic proof that the sun prostrates to Allah Almighty when it is above Mecca.    Regarding Dhil-Qarnayn (literally means "man of two horns"), Allah Almighty said this about his journey to the farthest northern lands and people: ‏18:90 حتى اذا بلغ مطلع الشمس وجدها تطلع على قوم لم نجعل لهم من دونها ستر "Until he reached near حتى اذا بلغ where the sun is up مطلع الشمس, he found it above وجدها تطلع على people قوم whom We made no cover for them from it لم نجعل لهم من دونها ستر.  (The Noble Quran, 18:90)" Noble Verse(s) 18:91 Rodwell: [018:091]  Thus it was. And we had full knowledge of the forces that were with him. Arabic (Read from right to left.  Also, all png image files: [1] [2].  Quran Moral Code (100s of them)]): ‏18:91 كذلك وقد احطنا بما لديه خبرا     Prophet Muhammad "did see" (Quran 53.18) the Aurora Lights covering the horizons above the earth from space.  Dhil-Qarnayn went up to the farthest northern lands where the sun is up, and "Thus it was", Allah Almighty completed the "full knowledge" regarding Dhil-Qarnayn's mission.  This further supports the story below about Dhil-Qarnayn's journey to the farthest northern lands and people (The sunsetless [4] North Pole Quran-miracle).  They also spoke almost unintelligibly (18:93), the Glorious Quran says.  They hardly spoke intelligibly (18:93).  For example, can you read or say this: "Vaðlaheiðarvegavinnuverkfærageymsluskúrslyklakippuhringurinn" ??  This is an actual word. Historians have proven that the Barbarians of the North used to speak unintelligibly.  The actual meaning of the word "Barbarian" is someone who speaks unintelligibly.  The description of the people of the North, whose North Pole is truly sunsetless (see ample pictures), perfectly fits the Barbarians of the Vikings in the Scandinavian and other Barbarians in the near by lands: The early Muslims believed that Dhil Qarnayn reached the people of the farthest norths of the earth.  The following is a map of Al-Sharif Al-Idrisi in year 1154 giving the geographic location of where Dhil Qarnayn went according to the understanding of the early Muslims of Noble Verses 18:83-100: Dhil-Qarnayn literally means "man of two horns" Dhil = One who has. قرنين Qarnayn = two horns.  Qarnayn is a dual plural of Qarn (horn). Three or more horns is Quroon, in Arabic.    Noble Verses 53:18 and 18:91 are also prophetically linked together; that Prophet Muhammad also saw what Dhil-Qarnayn ذي القرنين  saw.  Also visit:  Aurora Lights Hadith    Other pronunciations to "Dhil Qarnayn"ذي القرنين  name:  Zul-qarnain, Dhul Qurnain, Dhu'l Qarnain, Zulqarnain, Dhu'l-Qarneyn, Dhu'lkarnein, Dhul-Qarnain, Dhu'l Qarnain, Dhool Karnain, Zul-Qarnain, Dhoulkarnain.   (Video from NASA filming the Green Carpet Aurora Lights from space) Again, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, saw the aurora lights covering the horizons of space above the earth when he was taken up to Heaven: Narrated Abdullah: "Regarding the Verse: "Indeed he (Muhammad) did see. Of the Signs of his Lord, The Greatest!" (Quran 53.18) That the Prophet had seen a green carpet spread all over the horizon of the sky قَالَ رَأَى رَفْرَفًا أَخْضَرَ سَدَّ أُفُقَ السَّمَاء."(Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 456) Also visit: Islamic proof that the sun prostrates to Allah Almighty when it is above Mecca.        -  The Glorious Quran also speaks about many earths [5] and not just earth.        -  The Glorious Quran predicts 11 planets in our solar system [6].    In the end, Allah Almighty uses the Glorious Quran to "...Thus doth God leave to stray whom He pleaseth, and guide whom He pleaseth..." (74:31).  The infidels misuse the Glorious Quran to find "scientific errors".  The Glorious Quran is Allah Almighty's Perfect Divine Holy Book.  It contains no scientific error.  Visit the following example and the link to see 1000s of Numerical and Scientific Miracles: 1-  The root for message and all of its derivatives, such as messenger and others occurs 513 times throughout the Glorious Quran.  The Prophets' and Messengers', peace be upon them, actual names (Muhammad, Moses, Noah, Abraham, Lot etc....) were also all combined mentioned 513 times in the Glorious Quran.  The detailed breakdown of all of this is thoroughly listed here. Coincidence?  See 1,000s of examples! [1]. (zip file). Quran's Stunning Numerical & Scientific Miracles. Stunning Prophecies [2] [3]

www.answering-christianity.com/egg-shaped_earth.htm

  

Question:

Did Prophet Muhammad know think that the earth was spherical or flat?

Answer:

In this Hadith, above, he certainly seems to have known this fact very well.  And this Hadith is even older than Sahih Bukhari.  It is important to know that Imam Bukhari and others have declared that they have discarded thousands of Hadiths:

www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/bukhari.html

"The two sahih collections did not gather the totality of the authentic ahadith as proved by al-Bukhari's testimony: "I have not included in my book al-Jami` but what is authentic, and I left out among the authentic for fear of [excessive] length."
  

"... Bukhari, collected twenty thousand of them, of which he rejected ten thousand, accounting them untrue. Of the remaining ten thousand he accepted only 7,275, declaring the rest to be untrustworthy. Abu Da'ud accepted as authentic only 4,800 rules out 50,000."

   
This is to keep their volumes as simple and manageable as possible.  So it is quite possible that the Prophet spoke about the earth being spherical, and the Glorious Quran certainly did, and people just dismissed them as nonsense.  I have covered your question in great details at:

www.answering-christianity.com/egg-shaped_earth.htm

  

  

Other Articles:

Also, ample proofs for several of the Glorious Quran's Arabic words' definitions, from my Arabic-English and English-Arabic dictionaries, that prove that the earth is indeed spherical, rotating around its axle, and is suspended in space, are provided in the following important link:

Detailed Analysis from Lisan Al-Arab (this alone is 10 big books) and 7 other dictionaries proving the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Quran in Great Details.
  

Evidence from the Quran that Allah Almighty Created the 7 Heavens and all of their Earths from Cloning.

 

Also Visit:

Was Adam 90 feet tall?  Science supports Islam's claims.

Mankind multiplied via cloning from Adam, not incest:  Evidence that Allah Almighty created the People of Adam through Cloning.  (html backup).  Another STUNNING Scientific Claim from Islam.

Earth Cloning:  Evidence from the Quran that Allah Almighty Created the 7 Heavens and all of their Earths from Cloning.

See also Islam's End of Times Prophecy about world-wide movements to corrupt the women, and also gender alteration and creation alteration Islamic Prophecy:

  

Detailed rebuttal about the shape of the Earth in the Glorious Quran.  Detailed discussion about SUTIHAT.
  

The formation of continents and spherical expansion of earth in the Glorious Quran.  Noble Verse [013:004] And in the earth are neighbouring tracts وفي الارض قطع متجاورات and many others are discussed.
  

Continents formation and reducing land from its sides (اطرافها) in the Glorious Quran.
  

Also visit the Rebuttals Section below for detailed interactions and challenges.

  

 

The Miracle of the Plate Tectonics, mountains' formation, and the earth's Spherical Expansion:

My detailed proofs about the earth spread out spherically are listed here:

www.answering-christianity.com/egg-shaped_earth.htm
www.answering-christianity.com/detailed_meanings_of_scientific_words_in_verses.htm#geology_moving_earth_rain 
www.answering-christianity.com/ac20.htm#links

Detailed Rebuttals:
www.answering-christianity.com/blog/index.php/topic,2243.msg10156.html#msg10156
www.answering-christianity.com/blog/index.php/topic,2270.msg10136.html#msg10136
www.answering-christianity.com/blog/index.php/topic,2275.msg10214.html#msg10214 
www.answering-christianity.com/blog/index.php/topic,2380.msg10759.html#msg10759

Now, in Noble Verses 79:30-32, Allah Almighty Says:

And the earth after that He has spherically expanded
Brought forth from it its water and pasture
and the MOUNTAINS HE SET FIRMLY.

Indeed, scientists have proven that:

1-  The earth has spherically expanded.

2-  The earth produced its water and pasture on a large scale as a result.  I have posted a Scientific Video from History Channel proving this:

  

3-  The mountains due to this expansion were formed; due to the plate tectonics movements, which caused for land to be pushed on top of each other, which formed mountains and hills.  You can learn about this at:

https://www.google.com/search?q=mountains+formed+through+plate+tectonics

Read all of the details at my article:

For ample more Noble Verses on mountains and the geology of earth, please visit:

www.answering-christianity.com/detailed_meanings_of_scientific_words_in_verses.htm#geology_moving_earth_rain