Ontology
Ontology Studies
Big questions answered from the data: how many animals the Quran mentions and where, what it says about the heavens, stars, earth and water, the prophets, the unseen, places and the afterlife.
Animals in the Quran
The Quranic Arabic Corpus ontology names 25 animal concepts — beasts, birds, insects and the fish — mentioned 93 times in 77 verses. Most appear in parables, in the stories of the prophets and as signs to reflect on.
Plants, fruits and gardens
The ontology lists 13 plants, from the date palm to the lentil, mentioned 79 times; with grain and the two trees of the unseen (the Lote Tree and Zaqqūm) the study has 16 concepts and 93 mentions.
The heavens and the cosmos
The word samāʾ (sky, heaven) occurs 310 times; seven verses name the seven heavens outright. This study gathers what the Quran says about the heavens, the ʿālamīn (“worlds”), the Throne (ʿArsh) and the Footstool (Kursī), with the explanations of the classical commentators.
Sun, moon and stars
The sun (33 mentions), the moon (28), the stars (18), the constellations (3) and Sirius (1): 83 mentions in 58 verses. They are signs that run on a fixed course, measure time and guide travellers.
Earth, mountains, seas and rivers
The noun arḍ (earth) occurs 461 times; the ontology tags 409 of them as the concept Earth. Mountains (39), seas (41) and rivers (54) complete a picture of the earth as a bed, a home and a sign.
Water, rain, wind and clouds
The ontology's weather group has 4 concepts — cloud, rain, lightning and thunder — with 46 mentions. Water (63 times) and wind (29) complete the cycle: winds drive the clouds, rain revives dead land, and from water every living thing is made.
Prophets and messengers
Twenty-five prophets are named in the Quran, with 511 mentions in 398 verses across 50 surahs. Mūsā is named most often (136 times), and six surahs carry a prophet's name.
Angels and jinn: the unseen
The word for angel (malak) occurs 88 times, yet only a few angels are named. Jinn are created from fire, and Iblīs “was of the jinn” (18:50). The ontology's named unseen beings have 107 mentions.
Places in the Quran
Cities, lands, mountains and houses of worship: 22 named places with 51 mentions. The Sacred Mosque leads with 15, and three surahs carry a place name: Sabaʾ, al-Aḥqāf and al-Ṭūr.
The afterlife: Paradise and Hell
Twelve named places and days of the hereafter, from al-Firdaws to Saqar, with 262 mentions. With theme tags, 1,256 of the Quran's 6,236 verses speak of the hereafter.