Islam and Modern Science
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most
Merciful
INTRODUCTION
ver since the dawn of human life on this
planet, Man has always sought to understand Nature, his own place in the scheme of Creation and the
purpose of Life itself. In this quest for Truth, spanning many centuries and
diverse civilizations, organized religion has shaped human life and determined to a large extent, the
course of history. While some religions have been based on books, claimed by their adherents to be
divinely inspired, others have relied solely on human experience.
Al-Qur’aan, the main source of the
Islamic faith, is a book believed by Muslims, to be of completely Divine
origin. Muslims also believe that it contains guidance for all mankind. Since
the message of the Qur’aan is believed to be for all times, it should be
relevant to every age. Does the Qur’aan pass this test? In this booklet, I intend to give
an objective analysis of the Muslim belief regarding the Divine origin of the Qur’aan, in the
light of established scientific discoveries.
There was a time, in the history
of world civilization, when ‘miracles’, or what was perceived to be a miracle, took precedence over
human reason and
logic. But how do we define the term ‘miracle’? A miracle is anything that takes place out of the normal
course of life and for which humankind has no explanation. However, we must be careful before we
accept something as a miracle.
An article in ‘The Times of India’ Mumbai, in 1993 reported that ‘a saint’ by the name ‘Baba Pilot’
claimed to have stayed continuously submerged under water in a tank for three
consecutive days and nights. However, when reporters wanted to examine the base
of the tank of water where he claimed to have performed this ‘miraculous’ feat,
he refused to let them
do so. He argued by asking as to how one could examine the womb of a mother that gives birth to a child. The ‘Baba’ was
hiding something. It was a gimmick simply to gain publicity. Surely, no modern man with even the slightest inkling towards rational
thinking would accept such a ‘miracle’. If such false miracles are the tests of divinity, then we
would have to accept Mr. P. C. Sorcar, the world famous magician known for his ingenious magical
tricks and illusions, as the best God-man.
A book, claiming Divine origin, is in effect, claiming to
be a miracle. Such a claim should be easily verifiable
in any age, according to the standards of that age. Muslims believe, that the Qur’aan is the last and final revelation
of God, the miracle
of miracles revealed as a mercy to mankind. Let us therefore investigate the
veracity of this belief.
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THE CHALLENGE OF THE QUR’AAN
Literature and poetry have been
instruments of human expression and creativity, in all cultures. The world also witnessed an
age when literature and poetry
occupied pride of position, similar to that now enjoyed by science and technology.
Muslims as well as non-Muslims
agree that Al-Qur’aan is Arabic literature par excellence - that it is the best
Arabic literature on the face of the earth. The Qur’aan, challenges mankind in
the following verses:
“And if ye are in doubt As to what
We have revealed From time to time to Our Servant, then produce a Soorah Like
thereunto; And call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, If
your (doubts) are true. But if ye cannot –And of a surety you cannot. hen fear the Fire
Whose fuel is Men and Stones – Which is prepared for those Who reject Faith.” [Al-Qur’aan 2:23-24] 1
The same notation is followed
throughout the book. References and translation of the Qur’aan are from the translation of the
Qur’aan by Abdullah
Yusuf Ali, new revised edition, 1989, published by Amana Corporation, Maryland,
USA.
The challenge of the Qur’aan, is to produce a single Soorah (chapter) like the Soorahs it
contains. The same challenge is repeated in the Qur’aan several times. The challenge to produce a Soorah, which, in beauty, eloquence, depth and meaning is at least somewhat
similar to a Qur’aanic Soorah remains
unmet to this day. A modern rational man, however, would never accept a
religious scripture, which says, in the best possible poetic language, that the
world is flat. This is because we live in an age, where human reason, logic and
science are given primacy. Not many would accept the Qur’aan’s extraordinarily beautiful
language, as proof of its Divine origin. Any scripture claiming to be a divine revelation
must also be acceptable on the strength of its own reason and logic.
According to the famous physicist
and Nobel Prize winner, Albert Einstein, “Science without religion is lame. Religion without
science is blind.”
Let us therefore study the Qur’aan, and
analyze whether The Qur’aan and Modern Science are compatible or
incompatible?
The Qur’aan is not a book of
science but a book of ‘signs’, i.e. ayats. There are more than six thousand
‘signs’ in the Qur’aan of which more than a thousand deal with science. We all
know that many a times Science takes a ‘U-turn’. In this book I have considered only established
scientific facts and
not mere hypotheses and theories that are based on assumptions and are not
backed by proof.
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1 Al-Qur’an 2:23-24 indicates Soorah or
Chapter No. 2 and Ayaat or Verses 23 and 24.
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I. ASTRONOMY
CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE: ‘THE BIG BANG’
The creation of the universe is explained by
astrophysicists in a widely accepted phenomenon, popularly known as the ‘Big Bang’. It is supported
by observational and
experimental data gathered by astronomers and astrophysicists for decades. According to the ‘Big
Bang’, the whole universe was initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then there was a ‘Big Bang’
(Secondary Separation) which resulted in the formation of Galaxies. These then
divided to form stars, planets, the sun, the moon, etc. The origin of the
universe was unique and the probability of it occurring by ‘chance’ is zero.
The Qur’aan contains the following verse, regarding the origin of the universe:
“Do not the Unbelievers see That the heavens and the earth Were joined
together (as one Unit of Creation), before We clove them asunder?” [Al-Qur’aan
21:30]
The striking congruence between
the Qur’aanic verse and the ‘Big Bang’ is inescapable! How could a book, which first appeared in the
deserts of Arabia
1400 years ago, contain this profound scientific truth?
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THERE WAS AN INITIAL GASEOUS MASS
BEFORE THE
CREATION OF GALAXIES
Scientists say that before the
galaxies in the universe were formed, celestial matter was initially in the
form of gaseous matter. In short, huge gaseous matter or clouds were present
before the formation of the galaxies. To describe initial celestial matter, the
word ‘smoke’ is more appropriate than gas. The following Qur’aanic verse refers to this state of
the universe by the
word dhukhan which means smoke.
“Moreover, He Comprehended In His
design the sky, And it had been (as) smoke: He said to it And to the earth:
‘Come ye together, Willingly or unwillingly.’ They said: ‘We do come (Together), in
willing obedience.’” [Al-Qur’aan 41:11]
Again, this fact is a corollary to
the ‘Big Bang’ and was not known to the Arabs during the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). What
then, could have been
the source of this knowledge?
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THE SPHERICAL SHAPE OF THE EARTH
In early times, people believed
that the earth is flat. For centuries, men were afraid to venture out too far, lest they should
fall off the edge. Sir Francis Drake was the first person who proved that the
earth is spherical when he sailed around it in 1597. Consider the following
Qur’aanic verse regarding the alternation of day and night: “Seest thou not
that Allah merges Night into Day And He merges Day into Night?” [Al-Qur’aan
31:29]
Merging here means that the night
slowly and gradually changes to day and vice versa. This phenomenon can only
take place if the earth is spherical. If the earth was flat, there would have been a sudden change
from night to day and
from day to night.
The following verse also alludes
to the spherical shape of the earth: “He created the heavens And the earth
In true (proportions): He makes the Night Overlap the Day, and the Day Overlap
the Night.” [Al-Qur’aan 39:5]
The Arabic word used here is Kawwara meaning ‘to overlap’ or ‘to coil’– the way a turban is wound around the head. The
overlapping or coiling of the day and night can only take place if the earth is spherical.
The earth is not exactly round
like a ball, but geo-spherical i.e. it is flattened at the poles. The following
verse contains a description of the earth’s shape:
“And the earth, moreover, Hath He made egg shaped.” 2 [Al-Qur’aan 79:30]
The Arabic word for egg here is dahaha,
which means an ostrich-egg. The shape of an ostrich-egg resembles the
geo-spherical shape of the earth. Thus the Qur’aan correctly describes the
shape of the earth, though the prevalent notion when the Qur’aan was revealed
was that the earth is flat.
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THE LIGHT OF THE MOON IS REFLECTED LIGHT
It was believed by earlier
civilizations that the moon emanates its own light. Science now tells us that
the light of the moon is reflected light. However this fact was mentioned in
the Qur’aan 1,400 years ago in the following verse:.
“Blessed is He Who made Constellations in the skies, And
placed therein a Lamp And a Moon giving light.” [Al-Qur’aan 25:6 1]
The Arabic word for the sun in the Qur’aan, is shams. It is
referred to as siraaj, which means a ‘torch’ or as wahhaaj which
means ‘a blazing lamp’ or as diya which means ‘shining glory’. All three
descriptions are appropriate to the sun, since it generates intense heat and
light by its internal combustion. The Arabic word for the moon is qamar and
it is described in the Qur’aan as muneer, which is a body that gives nur
i.e. light. Again, the Qur’aanic description matches perfectly with the
true nature of the moon, which does not give off light itself and is an inert
body that reflects the light of the sun. Not once in the Qur’aan, is the moon
mentioned as siraaj, wahhaaj or diya or the sun as nur or muneer.
This implies that the Qur’aan recognizes the difference between the nature
of sunlight and moonlight.
Consider the following verses
related to the nature of light from the sun and the moon: “It is He who made
the sun To be a shining glory And the moon to be a light (Of beauty).” [Al-Qur’aan
10:5]
“See ye not How Allah has created
The seven heavens One above another, “And made the moon A light in their midst,
and made the sun As a (Glorious) Lamp?” [Al-Qur’aan 71:15-16]
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2 The Arabic word dahaha has
been translated by A. Yusuf Ali as “vast expanse”, which also is correct. The word dahaha also means an ostrich-egg.
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THE SUN ROTATES
For a long time European
philosophers and scientists believed that the earth stood still in the centre of the
universe and every other body including the sun moved around it. In the West, this geocentric
concept of the universe was prevalent right from the time of Ptolemy in the second century B.C. In
1512, Nicholas
Copernicus put forward his Heliocentric Theory of Planetary Motion, which
asserted that the sun is motionless at the centre of the solar system with the
planets revolving around it.
In 1609, the German scientist
Yohannus Keppler published the ‘Astronomia Nova’. In this he concluded that not only do the planets move
in elliptical orbits around the sun, they also rotate upon their axes at
irregular speeds. With this knowledge it became possible for European
scientists to explain correctly
many of the mechanisms of the solar system including the sequence of night and day.
After these discoveries, it was
thought that the Sun was stationary and did not rotate about its axis like the Earth. I remember
having studied this fallacy from Geography books during my school days. Consider
the following Qur’aanic verse: “It is He Who created The Night and the Day,
And the sun and the moon: All (the celestial bodies) Swim along, each in its
Rounded course.” [Al-Qur’aan 21:33]
The Arabic word used in the above
verse is yasbahûn . The word yasbahûn is derived from
the word sabaha. It carries with it the idea of motion that comes from any moving body. If you use
the word for a man on the ground, it would not mean that he is rolling but would mean he is walking
or running. If you use the word for a man in water it would not mean that he is
floating but would mean that he is swimming.
Similarly, if you use the word yasbah for a celestial body such as the
sun it would not mean that it is only flying through space but would mean that
it is also rotating as it goes through space. Most of the school textbooks have
incorporated the fact
that the sun rotates about its axis. The rotation of the sun about its own axis can be proved
with the help of an equipment that projects the image of the sun on the table top so that one can
examine the image of the sun without
being blinded. It is noticed that the sun has spots which complete a circular motion once every 25 days i.e. the sun
takes approximately 25 days to rotate around its axis.
In fact, the sun travels through
space at roughly 150 miles per second, and takes about 200 million years to complete one revolution
around the center of
our Milky Way Galaxy.
“It is not permitted To the Sun to
catch up The Moon, nor can The Night outstrip the Day: Each (just) swims along
In (its own) orbit (According to Law).” [Al-Qur’aan 36:40]
This verse mentions an essential
fact discovered by modern astronomy, i.e. the existence of the individual
orbits of the Sun and the Moon, and their journey through space with their own
motion. The ‘fixed place’ towards, which the sun travels, carrying with it the
solar system, has been located exactly by modern astronomy. It has been given a name, the Solar Apex.
The solar system is
indeed moving in space towards a point situated in the constellation of
Hercules (alpha Layer) whose exact location is firmly established.
The moon rotates around its axis
in the same duration that it takes to revolve around the earth. It takes
approximately 29½ days to complete one rotation. One cannot help but be amazed
at the scientific accuracy of the Qur’aanic verses. Should we not ponder over the question: “What was
the source of knowledge contained in the Qur’aan?”
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THE SUN WILL EXTINGUISH AFTER A
CERTAIN PERIOD
The light of the sun is due to a
chemical process on its surface that has been taking place continuously for the past five billion
years. It will come to an end at some point of time in the future when the sun will be totally
extinguished leading to extinction of all life on earth. Regarding the
impermanence of the sun’s existence the Qur’aan says: “And the Sun Runs its
course For a period determined For it; that is The decree of (Him) The exalted
in Might, The All-Knowing.” [Al-Qur’aan 36:38] 3
The Arabic word used here is mustaqarr, which means a place or time that
is determined. Thus the Qur’aan says that the sun runs towards a determined
place, and will do so only up to a pre-determined period of time – meaning that
it will end or extinguish.
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THE PRESENCE OF INTERSTELLAR
MATTER
Space outside organized
astronomical systems was earlier assumed to be a vacuum . Astrophysicists later
discovered the presence of bridges of matter in this interstellar space. These
bridges of matter are called plasma, and consist of completely ionized gas
containing equal number of free electrons and positive ions. Plasma is
sometimes called the fourth state of matter (besides the three known states
viz. solid, liquid and gas). The Qur’aan mentions the presence of this
interstellar material in the following verse: “He Who created the heavens
And the earth and all That is between.” [Al-Qur’aan 25:59]
It
would be ridiculous, for anybody to even suggest that the presence of interstellar
galactic material was known 1400 years ago.
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3- A similar message is conveyed in the Qur’an in 13:2, 35:13, 39:5 and
39:21.
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THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE
In 1925, an American astronomer by
the name of Edwin Hubble, provided observational evidence that all galaxies are receding from
one another, which implies that the universe is
expanding. The expansion of the universe is now an established scientific fact. This is what
Al-Qur’aan says regarding the nature of the universe: “With the power and skill
Did We construct The Firmament: For it is We Who create The vastness of Space.” [Al-Qur’aan 5 1:47]
The Arabic word mûsi ‘ûn is correctly translated as
‘expanding it’, and it refers to the creation of the expanding vastness of the
universe. Stephen Hawking, in his book, ‘A Brief History of Time’, says, “The
discovery that the
universe is expanding was one of the great intellectual revolutions of the 20th century.”
The Qur’aan mentioned the
expansion of the universe, before man even learnt to build a telescope! Some may say that the presence of astronomical
facts in the Qur’aan
is not surprising since the Arabs were advanced in the field of astronomy. They are correct in
acknowledging the advancement of the Arabs in the field of astronomy. However they fail to realize
that the Qur’aan was revealed
centuries before the Arabs excelled in astronomy. Moreover many of the scientific facts mentioned above regarding
astronomy, such as the origin of the universe with a Big Bang, were not known to the Arabs even at the
peak of their scientific advancement. The scientific facts mentioned in the
Qur’aan are therefore not due to the Arabs’ advancement in astronomy. Indeed,
the reverse is true. The Arabs advanced in astronomy, because astronomy
occupies a place in the Qur’aan.
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II. PHYSICS
THE EXISTENCE OF SUBATOMIC PARTICLES
In ancient times a well-known
theory by the name of ‘Theory of Atomism’ was widely accepted. This theory was
originally proposed by the Greeks, in particular by a man called Democritus,
who lived about 23 centuries ago. Democritus and the people that came after him, assumed
that the smallest unit
of matter was the
atom. The Arabs used to believe the same. The Arabic word dharrah most commonly meant an atom. In recent times modern
science has discovered that it is possible to
split even an atom. That the atom can be split further is a development of the 20th century.
Fourteen centuries ago this concept would have appeared unusual even to an Arab. For him the dharrah was the limit beyond which one could not go. The following
Qur’aanic verse however, refuses to acknowledge
this limit: “The Unbelievers say, ‘Never to us will come The Hour’: say, ‘Nay!
But most surely, By my Lord, it will come Upon you – by Him Who knows the
unseen – From Whom is not hidden The least little atom In the Heavens or on
earth: Nor is there anything less Than that, or greater, but Is in the Record
Perspicuous.’” [Al-Qur’aan
34:3] 4
This verse refers to the Omniscience of God, His knowledge
of all things, hidden or apparent. It then goes further and says that God is
aware of everything,
including what is smaller or bigger than the atom. Thus the verse clearly shows that it is possible for something
smaller than the atom to exist, a fact discovered only recently by modern science.
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4- A similar message is conveyed in
the Qur’an in 10:6 1.
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III.
GEOGRAPHY
THE WATER CYCLE
In 1580, Bernard Palissy was the
first man to describe the present day concept of ‘water cycle’. He described how water
evaporates from the oceans and cools to form clouds. The clouds move inland
where they rise, condense and fall as rain. This water gathers as lakes and
streams and flows back to the ocean in a continuous cycle. In the 7th century
B.C., Thales of Miletus believed that surface spray of the oceans was picked up
by the wind and carried inland to fall as rain. In earlier times people did not
know the source of
underground water. They thought the water of the oceans, under the effect of winds, was thrust towards the interior of the
continents. They also believed that the water
returned by a secret passage, or the Great Abyss. This passage is connected to the oceans and
has been called the ‘Tartarus’, since Plato’s time. Even Descartes, a great thinker of the
eighteenth century, subscribed to this view. Till the nineteenth century, Aristotle’s
theory was prevalent. According
to this theory, water was condensed in cool mountain caverns and formed underground lakes that fed
springs. Today, we know that the rainwater that seeps into the cracks of the
ground is responsible for this.
The water cycle is described by
the Qur’aan in the following verses: “Seest thou not that Allah Sends down
rain from The sky, and leads it Through springs in the earth? Then He causes to grow,
Therewith, produce of various Colours.” [Al-Qur’aan 39:21]
“He sends down rain From the sky
And with it gives life to The earth after it is dead: Verily in that are Signs
For those who are wise.” [Al-Qur’aan 30:24]
“And We send down water From the
sky according to (Due) measure, and We cause it To soak in the soil; And We
certainly are able To drain it off (with ease).” [Al-Qur’aan 23:18]
No other text dating back 1400 years ago gives such an
accurate description of the water cycle. ....................................................................................................................................................................
WINDS IMPREGNATE THE CLOUDS
“And We send the fecundating
winds, Then cause the rain to descend From the sky, therewith providing You
with water (in abundance).” [Al-Qur’aan 15:22]
The Arabic word used here is lawâqih, which is the plural of laqih from laqaha, which means to impregnate or
fecundate. In this context, impregnate means that the wind pushes the clouds
together increasing the condensation that causes lightning and thus rain. A
similar description is found in the Qur’aan: “It is Allah Who sends The
Winds, and they raise The Clouds: then does He Spread them in the sky As He
wills, and break them Into fragments, until thou seest Raindrops issue from the midst
Thereof: then when
He has Made them reach such Of His servants as He wills, Behold, they do
rejoice!” [Al-Qur’aan
3 0:48]
The Qur’aanic descriptions are
absolutely accurate and agree perfectly with modern data on hydrology. The
water cycle is described in several verses of the Glorious Qur’aan, including
3:9, 7:57, 13:17, 25:48- 49, 36:34, 50:9-11, 56:68-70, 67:30 and 86:11.
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IV. GEOLOGY
MOUNTAINS ARE LIKE PEGS (STAKES)
In Geology, the phenomenon of
‘folding’ is a recently discovered fact. Folding is responsible for the
formation of mountain ranges. The earth’s crust, on which we live, is like a
solid shell, while the deeper layers are hot and fluid, and thus inhospitable
to any form of life. It is also known that the stability of the mountains is
linked to the phenomenon of folding, for it was the folds that were to provide
foundations for the reliefs that constitute the mountains. Geologists tell us
that the radius of the Earth is about 3,750 miles and the crust on which we
live is very thin, ranging between 1 to 30 miles. Since the crust is thin, it
has a high possibility of shaking. Mountains act like stakes or tent pegs that hold the
earth’s crust and give it stability. The Qur’aan contains exactly such a description in the
following verse: “Have We not made The earth as a wide Expanse, And the
mountains as pegs?” [Al-Qur’aan 78:6-7]
The word awtad means stakes or pegs (like those
used to anchor a tent); they are the deep foundations of geological folds. A
book named ‘Earth’ is considered as a basic reference textbook on geology in
many universities around
the world. One of the authors of this book is Frank Press, who was the President of the Academy of
Sciences in the USA for 12 years and was the Science Advisor to former US
President Jimmy Carter. In this book he illustrates the mountain in a
wedge-shape and the mountain itself as a small part of the whole, whose root is
deeply entrenched in the ground.5 According to Dr. Press, the
mountains play an important role in stabilizing the crust of the earth.
The Qur’aan clearly mentions the function of the mountains
in preventing the earth from shaking: “And We have set on the earth
Mountains standing firm, Lest it should shake with them.” [Al-Qur’aan 21:3
1]
The Qur’aanic descriptions are in perfect agreement with
modern geological data.
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5- Earth, Press and Siever, p. 435. Also see Earth Science, Tarbuck and Lutgens, p. 157.
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MOUNTAINS FIRMLY FIXED
The surface of the earth is broken into many rigid plates
that are about 100 km in thickness. These plates float on a partially molten
region called aesthenosphere. Mountain formations occur at the boundary of the
plates. The earth’s crust is 5 km thick below oceans, about 35 km thick below
flat continental surfaces and almost 80 km thick below great mountain ranges.
These are the strong foundations on which mountains stand. The Qur’aan also
speaks about the strong mountain foundations in the following verse: “And
the mountains Hath He firmly fixed.” [Al-Qur’aan 79:32]
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6- A similar message is contained in the Qur'an in 88:19, 31:10 and 16:15
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V. OCEANOLOGY
BARRIER BETWEEN SWEET AND SALT WATERS
Consider the following Qur’aanic
verses: “He has let free the two bodies Of
flowing water, Meeting together: Between them is a Barrier Which they do not transgress.” [Al-Qur’aan 55:19-20]
In the Arabic text the word barzakh means a barrier or a partition. This barrier is not a physical partition. The Arabic word maraja literally means ‘they both meet and mix with each other’. Early commentators
of the Qur’aan were unable
to explain the two opposite meanings for the two bodies of water, i.e. they meet and mix, and at the
same time, there is a barrier between them. Modern Science has discovered that
in the places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier
divides the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity and density. 7 Oceanologists are now in a better position to explain this verse. There is a slanted unseen
water barrier between the two seas
through which water from one sea passes to the other.
But when the water from one sea
enters the other sea, it loses its distinctive characteristic and becomes
homogenized with the other water. In a way this barrier serves as a
transitional homogenizing area for the two waters. This scientific phenomenon
mentioned in the Qur’aan was also confirmed by Dr. William Hay who is a
well-known marine scientist and Professor of Geological Sciences at the
University of Colorado, U.S.A. The Qur’aan mentions this phenomenon also in the
following verse: “And made a separating bar between the two bodies Of
flowing water?” [Al-Qur’aan 27:61]
This phenomenon occurs in several places, including the
divider between the
Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean at Gibralter. But when the Qur’aan speaks
about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of “a forbidding partition” with the barrier. “It
is He Who has Let free the two bodies Of flowing water: One palatable and
sweet, And the other salty and bitter; Yet has He Made a barrier between them,
And a partition that is forbidden To be passed.” [Al-Qur’aan 25:53]
Modern science has discovered that
in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt-water meet, the situation is
somewhat different from that found in places where two seas meet. It has been
discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is
a “pycnocline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two
layers.” 8 This partition (zone of separation) has salinity
different from both the fresh water and the salt water. 9
This phenomenon occurs in several places, including Egypt,
where the river Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
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7- Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93.
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DARKNESS IN THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN
Prof. Durga Rao is an expert in
the field of Marine Geology and was a professor at King Abdul Aziz University
in Jeddah. He was asked to comment on the following verse: “Or (the
Unbelievers’ state) Is like the depths of darkness In a vast deep ocean,
Overwhelmed with billow Topped by billow, Topped by (dark) clouds: Depths of
darkness, one Above another: if a man Stretches out his hand, He can hardly see
it! For any to whom Allah Giveth not light, there is no light!” [Al-Qur’aan
24:40]
Prof. Rao said that scientists have only now been able to confirm, with
the help of modern equipment that there is darkness in the depths of the ocean.
Humans are unable to dive unaided underwater for more than 20 to 30 meters, and
cannot survive in the deep oceanic regions at a depth of more than 200 meters.
This verse does not refer to all seas because not every sea can be described as having accumulated darkness layered one over
another. It refers especially to a deep sea or deep ocean, as the Qur’aan says,
“darkness in a vast deep ocean”. This layered darkness in a deep ocean is the
result of two causes:
A light ray is
composed of seven colours. These seven colours are Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow,
Orange and Red (VIBGYOR). The light ray undergoes refraction when it hits
water. The upper 10 to 15 metres of water absorb the red colour. Therefore if a diver is 25 metres
under water and gets
wounded, he would not be able to see the red colour of his blood, because the
red colour does not reach this depth. Similarly orange rays are absorbed at 30
to 50 metres, yellow at 50 to 100 metres, green at 100 to 200 metres, and
finally, blue beyond 200 metres and violet and indigo above 200 metres. Due to
successive disappearance of colour, one layer after another, the ocean progressively becomes
darker, i.e. darkness takes place in layers of light. Below a depth of 1000 meters there is
complete darkness. 10
The sun’s rays are absorbed by clouds, which in
turn scatter light rays thus causing a layer of darkness under the clouds. This
is the first layer of darkness. When light rays reach the surface of the ocean
they are reflected by
the wave surface giving it a shiny appearance. Therefore it is the waves which reflect light and cause darkness. The
unreflected light penetrates into the depths of the ocean. Therefore the ocean has two parts. The
surface characterized by light and warmth and the depth characterized by
darkness. The surface is further separated from the deep part of the ocean by
waves. The internal
waves cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because the deep waters have a higher density than the waters above
them. The darkness begins below the
internal waves. Even the fish in the depths of the ocean cannot see; their only source of light is
from their own bodies.
The Qur’aan rightly mentions: “Darkness in a vast deep
ocean overwhelmed with waves topped by waves”.
In other words, above these waves
there are more types of waves, i.e. those found on the surface of the ocean. The Qur’aanic verse
continues, “topped by
(dark) clouds; depths of darkness, one above another.”
These clouds as explained are barriers one over the other
that further cause darkness by absorption of colours at different levels.
Prof. Durga Rao concluded by
saying, “1400 years ago a normal human being could not explain this phenomenon in so much detail. Thus
the information must have come from a supernatural source”.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8- Oceanography, Gross, p. 242. Also see Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, pp. 300-301.
9- Oceanography, Gross, p. 244 and Introductory
Oceanography, Thurman, pp. 300-301.
10- Oceans, Elder and
Pernetta, p. 27. 24
========================================================================
========================================================================
VI. BIOLOGY
EVERY LIVING THING IS MADE OF WATER
Consider the following Qur’aanic
verse: “Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were
joined together (as one Unit of Creation), before We clove them asunder? We
made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?” [Al-Qur’aan 21:30]
Only after advances have been made
in science, do we now know that cytoplasm, the basic substance of the cell is
made up of 80% water. Modern research has also revealed that most organisms
consist of 50% to 90% water and that every living entity requires water for its existence. Was it
possible 14 centuries ago for any human-being
to guess that every living being was made of water? Moreover would such a guess be conceivable by a
human being in the deserts of Arabia where there has always been scarcity of
water? The following
verse refers to the creation of animals from water: “And Allah has created Every animal from water.” [Al-Qur’aan 24:45]
The following verse refers to the
creation of human beings from water: “It is He
Who has Created man from water: Then has He established Relationships of lineage And
marriage: for thy Lord Has power (over all things).” [Al-Qur’aan 25:54]
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VII. BOTANY
PLANTS CREATED IN PAIRS, MALE AND FEMALE
Previously humans did not know
that plants too have male and female gender distinctions. Botany states that every plant has a male
and female gender. Even the plants that are unisexual have distinct elements of
both male and female. “‘And has sent Down water from the sky.’ With it have
We produced Diverse pairs of plants Each separate from the others.” [Al-Qur’aan
20:53]
....................................................................................................................................................................
FRUITS CREATED IN PAIRS, MALE AND
FEMALE
“And fruit Of every kind He made In pairs, two and two.” [Al-Qur’aan 13:3]
Fruit is the end product of
reproduction of the superior plants. The stage preceding fruit is the flower, which has male and
female organs (stamens and ovules). Once
pollen has been carried to the flower, they bear fruit, which in turn matures and frees its seed.
All fruits therefore imply the existence of male and female organs; a fact that
is mentioned in the Qur’aan.
In certain species, fruit can come
from non-fertilized flowers (parthenocarpic fruit)
e.g. bananas, certain types of pineapple, fig, orange, vine, etc. They also have definite sexual
characteristics.
....................................................................................................................................................................
EVERYTHING MADE IN PAIRS
“And of everything
We have created pairs.” [Al-Qur’aan 51:49]
This refers to things other than
humans, animals, plants and fruits. It may also be referring to a phenomenon like electricity in
which the atoms consist of negatively – and positively – charged electrons and
protons.
“Glory to Allah, Who created In
pairs all things that The earth produces, as well as Their own (human) kind And (other)
things of which They have no knowledge.” [Al-Qur’aan 36:36]
The Qur’aan here says that everything is created in
pairs, including things that the humans do not know at present and may discover later.
========================================================================
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VIII. ZOOLOGY
ANIMALS AND BIRDS LIVE IN COMMUNITIES
“There is not an animal (That
lives) on the earth, Nor a being that flies On its wings, but (forms Part of)
communities like you.” [Al-Qur’aan 6:38]
Research has shown that animals and birds live in
communities, i.e. they organize, and live and work together. ....................................................................................................................................................................
THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS
Regarding the flight of birds the
Qur’aan says: “Do they not look at The birds, held poised In the midst of
(the air And) the sky? Nothing Holds them up but (the power Of) Allah. Verily in this Are Signs
for those who believe.”
[Al-Qur’aan
16:79]
A similar message is repeated in
the Qur’aan in the verse: “Do they not observe The birds above them,
Spreading their wings And folding them in? None can uphold them Except (Allah)
Most Gracious: Truly it is He That watches over all things.” [Al-Qur’aan
67:19]
The Arabic word amsaka literally means, ‘to put one’s
hand on, seize, hold, hold
someone back,’ which expresses the idea that Allah holds the bird up in His power. These verses stress
the extremely close dependence of the birds’ behaviour on Divine order. Modern
scientific data has shown the degree of perfection attained by certain species of birds with
regard to the programming of their
movements. It is only the existence of a migratory programme in the genetic code of the birds that
can explain the long and complicated journey that very young birds, without any
prior experience and without any guide, are able to accomplish. They are also able to return to
the departure point on a definite date.
Prof. Hamburger in his book ‘Power
and Fragility’ gives the example of ‘mutton-bird’ that lives in the Pacific with its journey
of over 15,000 miles in the shape of figure ‘8’. It makes this journey over a period of 6 months
and comes back to its departure point with a maximum delay of one week. The highly complicated instructions
for such a journey have to be contained in the birds’ nervous cells. They are definitely
programmed. Should we not reflect on the identity of this ‘Programmer’?
....................................................................................................................................................................
THE BEE
“And thy Lord taught the Bee To
build its cells in hills, On trees, and in (men’s) habitations; Then to eat
of all The produce (of the earth), And find with skill the spacious Paths of
its Lord.” [Al-Qur’aan 16:68-69]
Von-Frisch received the Nobel
Prize in 1973 for his research on the behaviour and communication of the bees. The bee, after
discovering any new
garden or flower, goes back and tells its fellow bees the exact direction and
map to get there, which is known as ‘bee dance’. The meanings of this insect’s movements that are
intended to transmit information between worker bees have been discovered scientifically using
photography and other methods. The Qur’aan mentions in the above verse how the
bee finds with skill the spacious paths of its Lord.
The worker bee or the soldier bee
is a female bee. In Soorah Al-Nahl chapter no. 16, verses 68 and 69 the gender used for the bee is
the female gender (fa ’slukî and kulî), indicating that the bee that
leaves its home for gathering food is a
female bee. In other words the soldier or worker bee is a female bee. In fact, in Shakespeare’s play,
“Henry the Fourth”, some of the characters speak about bees and mention that
the bees are soldiers and that they have a king. That is what people thought in Shakespearean times.
They thought that the worker bees are male bees and
they go home and are answerable to a king bee.
This, however, is not true. The worker bees are females and they do not report to a king bee but to a
queen bee. But it took modern investigations in the last 300 years to discover
this.
....................................................................................................................................................................
SPIDER’S WEB / HOME IS FRAGILE
The Qur’aan mentions in Soorah
Al-‘Ankabût, “The parable of those who Take protectors other than Allah Is
that of the Spider, Who builds (to itself) A house; but truly The flimsiest of houses Is the
Spider’s house – If they but knew.” [Al-Qur’aan 29:41]
Besides giving the physical
description of the spider’s web as being very flimsy, delicate and weak, the
Qur’aan also stresses on the flimsiness of the relationship in the spider’s house, where the
female spider many a times kills its mate, the male spider.
....................................................................................................................................................................
LIFESTYLE AND COMMUNICATION OF
ANTS
Consider the following Qur’aanic
verse: “And before Solomon were marshaled His hosts – of Jinns and men And
birds, and they were all Kept in order and ranks. “At length, when they came To a
(lowly) valley of
ants, One of the ants said: ‘O ye ants, get into Your habitations, lest Solomon And his hosts crush you
(Under foot) without knowing it.’” [Al-Qur’aan 27:17-18]
In the past, some people would
have probably mocked at the Qur’aan, taking it to be a fairy tale book in which ants talk to each
other and communicate sophisticated messages. In recent times, research has
shown us several facts about the lifestyle of ants, which were not known
earlier to humankind. Research has shown that the animals or insects whose
lifestyle is closest in resemblance to the lifestyle of human beings are the
ants. This can be seen from the following findings regarding ants:
(a) The ants bury their
dead in a manner similar to the humans.
(b) They have a
sophisticated system of division of labour, whereby they have managers,
supervisors, foremen, workers, etc.
(c) Once in a while they
meet among themselves to have a ‘chat’.
(d) They have an
advanced method of communication among themselves.
(e) They hold regular
markets wherein they exchange goods.
(f)
They store grains for long periods in winter and if the
grain begins to bud, they cut the roots, as
if they understand that if they
leave it to grow,
it will rot. If the grains stored by them get wet
due to rains, they take these grains out into the
sunlight to dry, and once these are dry, they take
them back inside as though
they know that humidity will cause development of root systems and
thereafter
rotting of the grain.
========================================================================
========================================================================
IX. MEDICINE
HONEY HAS HEALING PROPERTIES
The bee assimilates juices of
various kinds of flowers and fruit and forms within its body the honey, which it stores in its
cells of wax. Only a couple of centuries ago
man came to know that honey comes from the belly of the bee. This fact was mentioned in the
Qur’aan 1,400 years ago in the following verse: “There
issues From within their bodies A drink of varying colours, Wherein is healing for men.” [Al-Qur’aan 16:69]
We are now aware that honey has a
healing property and also a mild antiseptic property. The Russians used honey to cover
their wounds in World
War II. The wound would retain moisture and would leave very little scar tissue. Due to the density of
honey, no fungus or bacteria would grow in the wound. A person suffering from an allergy of a particular plant may be
given honey from that
plant so that the person develops resistance to that allergy. Honey is rich in fructose and
vitamin K. Thus the knowledge contained in the Qur’aan regarding honey, its origin and properties, was far ahead of the
time it was revealed.
========================================================================
========================================================================
X. PHYSIOLOGY
BLOOD CIRCULATION AND THE PRODUCTION OF MILK
The Qur’aan was revealed 600 years
before the Muslim scientist Ibn Nafees described the circulation of the blood
and 1,000 years before William Harwey brought this understanding to the Western
world. Roughly thirteen centuries before it was known what happens in the
intestines to ensure that organs are nourished by the process of digestive
absorption, a verse in the Qur’aan described the source of the constituents of
milk, in conformity with these notions.
To understand the Qur’aanic verse
concerning the above concepts, it is important to know that chemical reactions
occur in the intestines and that, from there, substances extracted from food
pass into the blood stream via a complex system; sometimes by way of the liver,
depending on their chemical nature. The blood transports them to all the organs
of the body, among which are the milk-producing mammary glands.
In simple terms, certain
substances from the contents of the intestines enter into the vessels of the
intestinal wall itself, and these substances are transported by the blood stream
to the various organs.
This concept must be fully
appreciated if we wish to understand the following verse in the Qur’aan: “And
verily in cattle there is A lesson for you. We give you to drink Of what is
inside their bodies, Coming from a conjunction Between the contents of the
Intestine and the blood, A milk pure and pleasant for Those who drink it.” [Al-Qur’aan
16:66] 11
“And in cattle (too) ye Have an instructive
example: From within their bodies We produce (milk) for you To drink; there
are, in them, (Besides), numerous (other) Benefits for you; And of their (meat) ye
eat.” [Al-Qur’aan
23:2 1]
The Qur’aanic description of the production of milk in
cattle is strikingly similar to what modern physiology has discovered.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11- Translation
of this Qur’anic verse is from the book “The Bible, the Qur’an and Science” by Dr. Maurice Bucaille.
========================================================================
========================================================================
XI.
EMBRYOLOGY
MAN IS CREATED FROM ALAQ
A LEECH-LIKE
SUBSTANCE
A few years ago a group of Arabs
collected all information concerning embryology from the Qur’aan, and followed
the instruction of the Qur’aan: “If ye realise this not, ask Of those who
possess the Message.” [Al-Qur’aan 16:43 & 21:7]
All the information from the
Qur’aan so gathered, was translated into English and presented to Prof. (Dr.) Keith Moore, who was
the Professor of Embryology and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy at the
University of Toronto, in Canada. At present he is one of the highest
authorities in the field of Embryology. He was asked to give his opinion
regarding the information
present in the Qur’aan concerning the field of embryology. After carefully examining the translation of the Qur’aanic
verses presented to him, Dr. Moore said that most of the information concerning embryology mentioned in the Qur’aan is in
perfect conformity with modern discoveries in the field of embryology and does not conflict with them in any way. He
added that there were however a few
verses, on whose scientific accuracy he could not comment. He could not say whether the
statements were true or false, since he himself was not aware of the
information contained therein.
There was also no mention of this
information in modern writings and studies on embryology. One such verse is: “Proclaim! (or
Read!) In the name Of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created – Created man, out of
A (mere) clot Of congealed blood.” [Al-Qur’aan 96:1-2]
The word alaq besides meaning a congealed clot
of blood also means something that clings, a leech-like substance. Dr. Keith
Moore had no knowledge whether an embryo in the initial stages appears like a
leech. To check this
out he studied the initial stage of the embryo under a very powerful microscope in his laboratory and compared what he
observed with a diagram of a leech
and he was astonished at the striking resemblance between the two!
In the same manner, he acquired more information on
embryology that was hitherto not known to him, from the Qur’aan. Dr. Keith
Moore answered about eighty questions dealing with embryological data mentioned
in the Qur’aan and
Hadith. Noting that the information contained in the Qur’aan and Hadith was in full agreement with
the latest discoveries in the field of embryology, Prof. Moore said, “If I was
asked these questions thirty years ago, I would not have been able to answer
half of them for lack of scientific information”
Dr. Keith Moore had earlier
authored the book, ‘The Developing Human’. After acquiring new knowledge from
the Qur’aan, he wrote, in 1982, the 3rd edition of the same book, ‘The
Developing Human’. The book was the recipient of an award for the best medical
book written by a single author. This book has been translated into several
major languages of the world and is used as a textbook of embryology in the
first year of medical studies.
In 1981, during the Seventh
Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Moore said, “It has been a great pleasure for me to
help clarify statements in the Qur’aan about human development. It is clear to me that these
statements must have come to Muhammad from God or Allah, because almost all of
this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me
that Muhammad must have been a messenger of God or Allah.” 12
Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, Chairman of the Department of
Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, U.S.A.,
proclaims: “...these Hadiths, sayings of Muhammad (pbuh) could not have been
obtained on the basis of the scientific knowledge that was available at the time of the writer (7th century). It follows that not
only is there no conflict between genetics and religion (Islam) but in fact religion (Islam) may
guide science by adding revelation to some of the traditional scientific
approaches… there exist statements in the Qur’aan shown centuries later to be valid which support knowledge in the Qur’aan having
been derived from God.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12- The reference for this statment is the video tape titled "This is the truth". For a copy of this video tape contact
theIslamic Research Foundation.
....................................................................................................................................................................
MAN CREATED FROM A DROP EMITTED
FROM BETWEEN THE BACK BONE
AND THE RIBS
“Now let man but think From what
he is created! He is created from A drop emitted – Proceeding from between The
back bone and the ribs.” [Al-Qur’aan 86:5-7]
In embryonic stages, the
reproductive organs of the male and female, i.e. the testicles and the ovaries,
begin their development near the kidney between the spinal column and the
eleventh and twelfth ribs. Later they descend; the female gonads (ovaries) stop
in the pelvis while the male gonads (testicles) continue their descent before
birth to reach the scrotum through the inguinal canal. Even in the adult after
the descent of the reproductive organ, these organs receive their nerve supply
and blood supply from the Abdominal Aorta, which is in the area between the
backbone (spinal column) and the ribs. Even the lymphatic drainage and the
venous return goes to the same area.
....................................................................................................................................................................
HUMAN BEINGS CREATED FROM NUTFAH
(Minute
Quantity of Liquid)
The Glorious Qur’aan mentions no
less than eleven times that the human being is created from nutfah, which means a minute quantity of
liquid or a trickle of liquid which remains after emptying a cup. This is
mentioned in several verses of the Qur’aan including 22:5 and 23:13. 13
Science has confirmed in recent times that only one
out of an average of three million sperms is required for fertilising the ovum.
This means that only a 1/three millionth part or 0.00003% of the quantity of
sperms that are emitted is required for fertilisation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13-
The same is also
mentioned in the Qur’an in 16:4, 18:37, 35:11, 36:77, 40:67, 53:46, 75:37, 76:2 and 80:19.
....................................................................................................................................................................
HUMAN BEINGS CREATED FROM SULALAH
(Quintessence
of liquid)
“And made his progeny From a quintessence Of the nature of
A fluid despised.” [Al-Qur’aan 32:8]
The Arabic word sulâlah means quintessence or the best part of a whole. We have come to know now that only one single
spermatozoon that penetrates the ovum is required for fertilization, out of the several
millions produced by man. That one spermatozoon out of several millions, is
referred to in the Qur’aan as sulâlah. Sulâlah also means gentle extraction from
a fluid. The fluid
refers to both male and female germinal fluids containing gametes. Both ovum and sperm are gently
extracted from their environments in the process of fertilization. ....................................................................................................................................................................
MAN CREATED FROM NUTFATUN AMSHAAJ
(Mingled
liquids)
Consider the following Qur’aanic verse: “Verily We
created Man from a drop Of mingled sperm.” [Al-Qur’aan 76:2]
The Arabic word nutfatin amshaajin means mingled liquids. According
to some commentators of the Qur’aan, mingled liquids refers to the male or female agents or liquids. After
mixture of male and female gamete, the zygote still remains nutfah. Mingled
liquids can also refer to spermatic fluid that is formed of various secretions
that come from various glands.
Therefore nutfatin amsaj, i.e. a minute quantity of mingled
fluids refers to the
male and female gametes (germinal fluids or cells) and part of the surrounding
fluids.
....................................................................................................................................................................
SEX DETERMINATION
The sex of a fetus is determined
by the nature of the sperm and not the ovum. The sex of the child, whether female or male, depends on
whether the 23rd pair of chromosomes is XX or XY respectively. Primarily sex
determination occurs at fertilization and depends upon the type of sex
chromosome in the sperm that fertilizes an ovum. If it is an ‘X’ bearing sperm
that fertilizes the ovum,
the fetus is a female and if it is a ‘Y’ bearing sperm then the fetus is a male. “That He did create In pairs – male and female, From a seed when lodged (In its place).” [Al-Qur’aan 53:45-46]
The Arabic word nutfah means a minute quantity of liquid
and tumnâ means ejaculated or planted. Therefore nutfah specifically refers to sperm because it is ejaculated. The Qur’aan says: “Was
he not a drop of sperm emitted (In lowly form)? “Then did he become A clinging
clot; Then did (Allah) make And fashion (him) In due proportion. “And of him He
made Two sexes, male And female.” [Al-Qur’aan 75:37-39]
Here again it is mentioned that a
small quantity (drop) of sperm (indicated by the word nutfatan min maniyyin) which comes from the man is responsible for the sex of the fetus.
Mothers-in-law in the Indian
subcontinent, by and large prefer having male grandchildren and often blame their
daughters-in-law if the child is not of the desired
sex. If only they knew that the determining factor is the nature of the male sperm and not the female
ovum! If they were to blame anybody, they should blame their sons and not their daughters-in-law
since both the Qur’aan
and Science hold that
it is the male fluid that is responsible for the sex of the child!
....................................................................................................................................................................
FOETUS PROTECTED BY THREE VEILS
OF DARKNESS
“He makes you, In the wombs of your mothers, In stages,
one after another, In three veils of darkness.” [Al-Qur’aan 39:6]
According to Prof. Keith Moore these three veils of
darkness in the Qur’aan refer to:
(i)
anterior abdominal wall of the mother
(ii)
the uterine wall
(iii)
the amnio-chorionic membrane.
....................................................................................................................................................................
EMBRYONIC STAGES
“Man We did create From a
quintessence (of clay); Then We placed him As (a drop of) sperm In a place of
rest, firmly fixed; Then We made the sperm Into a clot of congealed blood; Then
of that clot We made A (foetus) lump; then We Made out of that lump Bones and
clothed the bones With flesh; then We developed Out of it another creature. So
blessed be Allah, The Best to create!” [Al-Qur’aan 23:12-14]
In this verse Allah states that
man is created from a small quantity of liquid which is placed in a place of rest, firmly fixed (well
established or lodged) for which the Arabic word qarârin makîn is used.
The uterus is well protected from
the posterior by the spinal column supported firmly by the back muscles. The embryo is
further protected by the amniotic sac containing the amniotic fluid. Thus the foetus has a well
protected dwelling place. This small quantity of fluid is made into ala qah, meaning something which clings.
It also means a leech-like substance. Both descriptions are scientifically acceptable as in the very
early stages the foetus clings to the wall and also appears to resemble the leech in shape. It
also behaves like a
leech (blood sucker) and acquires
its blood supply from the mother through the placenta. The third meaning of the
word ala qah is a blood clot. During
this ala qah stage, which spans the third and
fourth week of pregnancy, the blood clots within closed vessels. Hence the embryo acquires the
appearance of a blood
clot in addition to acquiring the appearance of a leech. In 1677, Hamm and
Leeuwenhoek were the first scientists to observe human sperm cells (spermatozoa)
using a microscope. They thought that a sperm cell contained a miniature human
being which grew in the uterus to form a newborn. This was known as the
perforation theory. When scientists discovered that the ovum was bigger than
the sperm, it was thought by De Graf and others that the foetus existed in a miniature
form in the ovum. Later, in the 18th century Maupertuis propagated the theory of biparental
inheritance. The ala
qah is
transformed into mudghah
which means ‘something
that is chewed (having teeth marks)’ and also something that is tacky and small
which can be put in the mouth like gum. Both these explanations are
scientifically correct. Prof. Keith Moore took a piece of plaster seal and made it into the
size and shape of the early stage of foetus and chewed it between the teeth to make it into a
‘Mudgha’. He compared this with the photographs of the early stage of foetus.
The teeth marks resembled the ‘somites’ which is the early formation of the
spinal column.
This mudghah is
transformed into bones (izâm). The bones are clothed with intact
flesh or muscles (lahm). Then Allah makes it into another
creature.
Prof. Marshall Johnson is one of
the leading scientists in US, and is the head of the Department of Anatomy and
Director of the Daniel Institute at the Thomas Jefferson University in
Philadelphia in US. He was asked to comment on the verses of the Qur’aan dealing with
embryology. He said that the verses of the Qur’aan describing the embryological stages cannot be
a coincidence. He said it was probable that Muhammad (pbuh) had a powerful
microscope. On being reminded that the Qur’aan was revealed 1400 years ago, and
microscopes were invented centuries after the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh),
Prof. Johnson laughed and admitted that the first microscope invented could not
magnify more than 10 times and could not show a clear picture. Later he said:
“I see nothing here in conflict with the concept that Divine intervention was
involved when Muhammad (pbuh) recited the Qur’aan.”
According to Dr. Keith Moore, the
modern classification of embryonic development stages which is adopted
throughout the world, is not easily comprehensible, since it identifies stages
on a numerical basis i.e. stage I, stage II, etc. The divisions revealed in the
Qur’aan are based on distinct and easily identifiable forms or shapes, which
the embryo passes through. These are based on different phases of prenatal
development and provide elegant scientific descriptions that are comprehensible
and practical.
Similar embryological stages of
human development have been described in the following verses: “Was he not a
drop Of sperm emitted (In lowly form)? Then did he become a clinging clot; Then
did (Allah) make and fashion (him) In due proportion. And of him He made Two
sexes, male and female.” [Al-Qur’aan 75:37-39]
“Him Who created thee, fashioned
thee in due proportion, And gave thee a just bias; In whatever Form He wills, Does He put
thee together.” [Al-Qur’aan
82:7-8]
....................................................................................................................................................................
EMBRYO PARTLY FORMED AND PARTLY UNFORMED
At the mugdhah stage, if an incision is made in
the embryo and the internal organ is dissected, it will be seen that most of
them are formed while the others are not yet completely formed.
According to Prof. Johnson, if we
describe the embryo as a complete creation, then
we are only describing that part which is already created. If we describe it as an incomplete creation, then we are only
describing that part which is not yet created. So, is it a complete creation or an
incomplete creation? There is no better description of this stage of
embryogenesis than the Qur’aanic description, “partly formed and partly
unformed”, as in the following verse: “We created you Out of dust, then out
of Sperm, then out of a leech-like Clot, then out of a morsel Of flesh, partly formed And partly
unformed.” [Al-Qur’aan
22:5]
Scientifically we know that at
this early stage of development there are some cells which are differentiated and there are some
cells that are undifferentiated – some organs are formed and yet others
unformed.
....................................................................................................................................................................
SENSE OF HEARING AND SIGHT
The first sense to develop in a
developing human embryo is hearing. The foetus can hear sounds after the 24th week. Subsequently,
the sense of sight is
developed and by the 28th week, the retina becomes sensitive to light.
Consider the following Qur’aanic
verses related to the development of the senses in the embryo: “And He gave
You (the faculties of) hearing and sight and feeling (And understanding).” [Al-Qur’aan
32:9]
“Verily We created Man from a drop
Of mingled sperm, In order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts), Of Hearing
and Sight.” [Al-Qur’aan
76:2]
“It is He Who has created For you
(the faculties of) Hearing, sight, feeling And understanding: little thanks It is ye give!” [Al-Qur’aan 23:78]
In all these verses the sense of
hearing is mentioned before that of sight. Thus the Qur’aanic description matches with the
discoveries in modern embryology.
========================================================================
========================================================================
XII. GENERAL SCIENCE
FINGERPRINTS
“Does man think that We Cannot
assemble his bones? Nay, We are able to put Together in perfect order The very tips of his
fingers.” [Al-Qur’aan 75:3-4]
Unbelievers argue regarding
resurrection taking place after bones of dead people have disintegrated in the
earth and how each individual would be identified on the Day of Judgement. Almighty Allah answers
that He can not only
assemble our bones but can also reconstruct perfectly our very fingertips.
Why does the Qur’aan, while
speaking about determination of the identity of the individual, speak specifically about
fingertips? In 1880, fingerprinting became the scientific method of
identification, after research done by Sir Francis Golt. No two persons in the
world can ever have exactly the same fingerprint pattern. That is the reason
why police forces worldwide use fingerprints to identify the criminal. 1400
years ago, who could have known the uniqueness of each human’s fingerprint?
Surely it could have been none other than the Creator Himself! ....................................................................................................................................................................
PAIN RECEPTORS PRESENT IN THE
SKIN
It was thought that the sense of
feeling and pain was only dependent on the brain. Recent discoveries prove that
there are pain receptors present in the skin without which a person would not
be able to feel pain. When a doctor examines a patient suffering from burn
injuries, he verifies the degree of burns by a pinprick. If the patient feels
pain, the doctor is happy, because it indicates that the burns are superficial
and the pain receptors are intact. On the other hand if the patient does not feel any pain, it
indicates that it is a deep burn and the pain receptors have been destroyed. The Qur’aan gives an
indication of the existence of pain receptors in the following verse: “Those
who reject Our signs, We shall
soon Cast into the Fire; As often as their skins Are roasted through, We
shall change them For fresh skins, That they may taste The Penalty: for Allah
Is Exalted in Power, Wise.” [Al-Qur’aan 4:56]
Prof. Tagatat Tejasen, Chairman of
the Department of Anatomy at Chiang Mai University in Thailand, has spent a
great amount of time on research of pain receptors. Initially he could not believe that the
Qur’aan mentioned this
scientific fact 1,400 years ago. He later verified the translation of this
particular Qur’aanic verse. Prof. Tejasen was so impressed by the scientific
accuracy of the Qur’aanic verse, that at the 8th Saudi Medical Conference held in Riyadh on the Scientific
Signs of Qur’aan and Sunnah he proclaimed in public: “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad (pbuh)
is His Messenger.”
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CONCLUSION
To attribute the presence of
scientific facts in the Qur’aan to coincidence would be against common sense
and a true scientific approach. The Qur’aan invites all humans to reflect on
the Creation of this universe in the verse: “Behold! In the creation Of the
heavens and the earth, And the alternation Of Night and Day – There are indeed
Signs For men of understanding.” [Al-Qur’aan 3:190]
The scientific evidences of the
Qur’aan clearly prove its Divine Origin. No human could have produced a book,
fourteen hundred years ago, that would contain profound scientific facts, to be
discovered by humankind centuries later. The Qur’aan, however, is not a book of
Science but a book of ‘Signs’. These signs invite Man to realize the purpose of his existence on earth,
and to live in harmony with Nature. The
Qur’aan is truly a message from Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. It contains the
same message of the Oneness
of God, that was preached by all prophets, right from Adam, Moses, Jesus to Muhammad (peace be upon
them).
Several detailed tomes have been
written on the subject of Qur’aan and modern science and further research in this field is on.
Inshallah, this research will help mankind to come closer to the Word of the Almighty. This
booklet contains only a few of the scientific facts present in the Qur’aan. I
cannot claim to have done full justice to the subject. Prof.
Tejasen accepted Islam on the
strength of just one scientific ‘sign’ mentioned in the Qu’ran. Some people may require ten signs
while some may require hundred signs to be convinced about the Divine Origin of the Qur’aan.
Some would be
unwilling to accept the Truth even after being shown a thousand signs. The
Qur’aan condemns such a closed mentality in the verse: “Deaf, dumb and
blind, They will not return (To the path).” [Al-Qur’aan 2:18]
The Qur’aan contains a complete
code of life for the individual and society. Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), the Qur’aanic
way of life is far superior to the ‘isms’ that modern man has invented out of sheer ignorance. Who can
give better guidance than the Creator Himself?
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