Published on 4th September, 2001

The Qur'an- The Two Seas
 and New Zealand's Giant Squid

"A Discussion on Sea Barriers and the Deep Sea in al-Qur'an"

By Zaynab El-Fatah and undisclosed
Acknowledgements to IFSA for the diagrams

The Two Seas

And Allah (swt) says in the Holy Quoran:

"He has made the two seas to flow freely (so that) they meet together: Between them is a barrier which they cannot pass"
(55: 19-20)

Jacques Cousteau is quoted as having said:

"I swear, that this Qu'oran, from which the modern science lags behind on 1400 years, cannot be speech of the person. It is true speech of Almighty"- Jacque Cousteau.

In France, Islam is very quickly spreading among people who are well known in the many different fields of knowledge and activity.  Today, the number of people who have left Christianity for Islam has already reached the hundred thousands. Archbishop Parisian, the supreme ecclesiastic of the French Catholic Church, officially confirms these figures. Among those who preferred Islam among the native French are the working classes and civil servants, but there are also some very outstanding people.

Jacques Cousteau Died as a Muslim

The great French scientist, oceanographer, initiator of research of the sea and ocean depths, inventor of an aqualung, underwater house, the device called diving saucer, author of many popular books and films, Jacque IV Cousteau is known in the entire world. But very few people know, that scientific research carried out by him and the reflection in the Qu'oran of many scientific signs, led him to accept Islam and he died as a Muslim. 

Investigating open water spaces in Strait of Gibraltar, he discovered the surprising fact not explained by science: the existence of two water layers which do not mix with each other. They as if are divided by a film and have among themselves precise borders. Each of them has its own temperature, salt structure, animal and flora. These are waters of the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean meeting each other in Strait of Gibraltar.

"In 1962", - tells Jacque Cousteau, - "German scientists found out, that in Bab el Mandeb, where the waters of Gulf of Aden and the Red sea converge, the waters of the Red sea and the Indian ocean do not mix together. Following the example of colleagues, we began to find out whether waters of Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea mix up."

"First, we investigated water of Mediterranean Sea - its natural level of salinity, density and forms of life inherent in it. We made the same in Atlantic Ocean. These two weights of water meet in Strait of Gibraltar already thousand years and it would be logical to assume, that these two huge water weights for a long time should get mixed up - their salinity and density should become identical, or, at least, similar. But even in places, where they converge closely, each of them keeps its properties. In other words, in places of merge of two weights of water, water curtain does not allow them to mix up".

On detecting this blatant though improbable fact, the scientist was extremely surprised.

"I long rested on laurels at this surprising phenomenon which is not explained by laws of physics and chemistry", - writes Cousteau.

But the scientist had an even greater surprise and admiration when he found out that this had written in Qu'oran for more than 1400 years. He learned about it from the French Doctor Moris Bukay (Maurice Bucaille), who had already accepted Islam.

And Allah swt says in the Holy Quoran:

"He has made the two seas to flow freely (so that) they meet together: 
Between them is a barrier which they cannot pass"
(55: 19-20)

"When I told him about my discovery, he sceptically told me, that it has been told 1400 years back in the Qu'oran. It was for me as thundering during a clear sky. And really, so it appeared when I looked at translations of Qu'oran. Then I exclaimed: 'I swear, that this Qu'oran from which the modern science lags behind on 1400 years, can not be speech of person. It is true speech of Almighty'. After that I accepted the Islam and each day I was amazed by truth, justice, ease, utility of this religion. I am indefinitely grateful that He opened my eyes for Truth", - writes Cousteau.

The Giant Squid

Modern Science had viewed the Giant Squid as seafaring fiction, however the Qur'an was well versed with life in the depths of the ocean. Well known to the whole world, Jacques Cousteau, researcher of the underwater environment declared that the choice of accepting Islam was the most correct decision of his life. In a series of telecasts "Alive Sea", Captain Cousteau uncovered surprising phenomenon of the underwater world of the seas, rivers and oceans to show the people.

And Allah (swt) says in the Holy Quran:

" And (as for) those who disbelieve, their deeds are like the mirage in a desert, 
which the thirsty man deems to be water; until when he comes to it he finds it to be naught,
 and there he finds Allah, so He pays back to him his reckoning in full; 
and Allah is quick in reckoning;

"Or like utter darkness in the deep sea: there covers it a wave above which is another wave, 
above which is a cloud, (layers of) utter darkness one above another; 
when he holds out his hand, he is almost unable to see it; 
and to whomsoever Allah does not give light he has no  light."
Surah 24: 39-40
Shakir Translation

The elusive giant squid is alive and well and living in large numbers off the coast of New Zealand's South Island. Scientists at the Wellington National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) estimate that  there are thousands of the creatures, making up two breeding populations off the South Island coasts and providing the ideal opportunity to investigate one of the true remaining mysteries of the deep.

Prompting renewed interest in the existence of the squids, the NIWA has revealed it has collected more specimens in the past three weeks than have been found worldwide in a decade. Niwa scientist Dr Steve O'Shea, who has been studying the giant squid for the past 18 months, told AFP his organisation that he had received 12 of the creatures which weigh up to 300kg, with 5.5 metre long tentacles in the past three weeks.

Museum Exhibits

Caught accidentally in nets by commercial fishermen hunting off the island's west Coast, the sought after squid are destined to become museum exhibits with institutes in Bermuda, France, Germany, and the United States keen to obtain specimens, it was reported.

Of the dozens of species of large squid in the world's oceans, none comes close to the giant in size which has never been seen alive and had been in the realm of nightmares as they have been demonised in literature such as Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea".

Cephalopoda

The largest invertebrate on the planet, the giant squid is a member of the class Cephalopoda, which includes octopus, nautilus, and extinct ammonites. As well as eight arms and two tentacles, the boneless wonder has two large parrot-like beaks, equipped with small teeth and a razor-sharp file for reducing its prey who are usually small fish . They then finely grind it to a pulp in order to swallow food down its exceptionally small gullet.

The giant squid has a five millimetre wide throat which, passes through the middle of its tiny eight gram, ring doughnut-shaped brain.

"It can't afford to eat anything large or sharp because of the risk of piercing its brain," O'Shea explains.

He doubts that giant squid are very intelligent, given the brain size in relation to body size and weigh. It has the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, at around 15 centimetres across. Niwa scientists believe the creature has good visual focus and tentacle control to catch the small fish with light organs it eats, as autopsies have revealed.

O'Shea is currently trying to determine how long a giant squid lives, and thinks it may be no more than about three years. He is analysing rings in the ear bones, which are thought to signify age in the same way tree rings do. He believes the giant squid die after they have mated once. What fascinates him above all is in trying to fathom how the giant squid grows from a presumably tiny creature to a giant in 18 months to three years. He said they would presumably have to feed constantly to grow, given the restrictions of having a small throat and being to ingest small amounts of food. O'Shea said Niwa's freezers were full to overflowing with the marine mammoths, with the latest arrivals adding to 10 that were already in stock. About 60 giant squid have come into Niwa in the last six years.

Depths of New Zealand

An international project to descend to the depths of New Zealand waters with film equipment where the giant squid lives is underway.

The giant squid  are inedible due to the high portion of ammonia and other poisonous chemicals in their tissue which enable them to stay neutrally buoyant at great depths.

Reference

Shakir Translation of the Holy Quoran

Editors Note:

Whether it's true or not that Jacques Cousteau was Muslim, we also however, don't accept the work of the enemy of Islam who stated that he was not - he also says other very erroneous things- ..as one might expect but there are Muslims who agree about this too- (Jacques Cousteau - and even some who say that Maurice Bucaille himself was not Muslim- and Allahu 'alam)