Allah says in the Qur’an:

﴿وَجَعَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ سَقْفًا مَّحْفُوظًا وَهُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهَا مُعْرِضُونَ﴾

(Surah Al-Anbiya’, 21:32)

Translation:

“And We made the sky a protected ceiling, yet they turn away from its signs.”

The Qur’an describes the sky as a “protected ceiling” (saqfan maḥfūẓan).

Modern science has shown that Earth’s atmosphere plays a crucial protective role:

• It shields life from harmful ultraviolet and cosmic radiation

• It burns up most meteors before they reach the Earth’s surface

• The ozone layer protects living organisms from deadly solar rays

To people in the early centuries, the sky appeared only as an open space above them.

Describing it as a protective structure—without visible pillars—invites deep reflection in light of modern atmospheric science.