A Johannesburg-based diver says he has been blessed after a video he took of the Muslim Holy book, the Quraan on the ocean bed went viral.
Ian Haggerty, an avid scuba diver and photographer, was swimming off the shore of Mauritius searching for rays and octopuses when he spotted what he first thought was a magazine.
“For me to see it like that, lying there…that is what sort of attracted me to it in the first place. I thought someone had put it there and weighted it down, but it was just lying there in between the rocks. It was quite fascinating to find it like that.”
Haggerty says usually items will be swept away by the current and disintegrate, but in this case, the Quraan was still intact. The video shows the Holy book open and nestled on the seabed. Haggerty tried paging through the book to check the cover, but abandoned this effort after he felt the book may come apart.
The discovery was at a depth of 18 metres. It is unclear how long the Book had been there.
@ianhaggerty0 Found book 18 Meters deep. No idea where it came from or how long it's been down there.
♬ original sound - Ian Haggerty
Some social media users have tried to determine the page and verses on which the Quraan was open and draw possible significance to it.
Radio 786 has independently verified with a scholar of Quraan that the scripture was open on Chapter 7, Surah al-A’raaf with verses relating to Prophet Nuh or Noah [PBUH].
Sheikh Shauket Allie of the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) in Cape Town, explains that the verses discuss the warning to the people of Prophet Nuh (PBUH) and the generations of the future to heed the message of Allah (God) and not be mislead by blindly following the traditions of their forefathers. It goes on to demonstrate how the people of the time challenged the prophet to show them a sign of the warnings issued by Allah.
The account of Prophet Nuh as recorded in the Quraan and Bible is aptly linked to the oceans, as the Ark built by the messenger was salvaged in the great flood which caused the deniers of faith to perish.
Scuba diver, Ian Haggerty tells Radio 786 about his extraordinary find at a depth of 18metres off the coast of Mauritius
As of publication of this article, the original video on Tiktok has garnered almost 10 million views.
Haggerty says this is the highest viewer count he has received on a single post and his Tiktok follower base has grown exponentially. The 29 seconds video has certainly brought him rewards.
“I initially thought nothing of it, but I guess I have been blessed by this book, the Quraan.”
He is moved by the positive responses and reaction to the video and particular interest from Muslims.
Haggerty has not come across other such finds on the ocean floor. Through his company Ocean Spirit Scuba Diving in Mauritius, he is unaware of other divers making a similar discovery.
According to Islamic teachings, the Quraan is a Divine Book for all times and was revealed to the final Messenger Muhammed (PBUH) as a proof of Allah/God’s existence and guidance for all of mankind.
