The Quran Verse
Surah 13:2:
It is Allah who raised the heavens without pillars that you see; then He established Himself above the Throne...
Critics and scientists argue this reflects an ancient Near Eastern understanding of a solid "firmament." The phrase "without pillars that you can see" is ambiguous. Does it mean there are invisible pillars, or no pillars at all?
If the heavens were understood as empty space, the concept of "pillars" would be irrelevant. By mentioning pillars—even to say they aren't visible—the text betrays a 7th-century view that the sky is a physical roof (saqf) that would typically require support. This mirrors the biblical and Babylonian cosmology of a vaulted dome over a flat earth.