QURAN AND SCIENCE
THE QUR'AN AND MODERN SCIENCE
Extracted from the Book
The Bible, The Qur'an and Science
Maurice Bucaille
THE CREATION OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH
Differences from and Resemblance to the Biblical Description
In contrast to the Old Testament, the Qur'an does not provide a unified description of the Creation. Instead of a continuous narration, there are passages scattered all over the Book which deal with certain aspects of the Creation and provide information on the successive events marking its development with varying degrees of detail. To gain a clear idea of how these events are presented, the fragments scattered throughout a large number of Suras have all to be brought together.
This dispersal throughout the Book of references to the same subject is not unique to the theme of the Creation. Many important subjects are treated in the same manner in the Qur'an: earthly or celestial phenomena, or problems concerning man that are of interest to Scientists. For each of these themes, the same effort has been made here to bring all the verses together.
For many European commentators, the description of the Creation in the Qur'an is very similar to the one in the Bible and they are quite content to present the two descriptions side by side. I believe this concept is mistaken because there are very obvious differences. On subjects that are by no means unimportant from a scientific point of view, we find in the Qur'an statements whose equivalents we search for in vain in the Bible. The latter contains descriptions that have no equivalent in the Qur'an.
The obvious resemblances between the two texts are well known; among them is the fact that, at first glance, the number given to the successive stages of the Creation is identical: the six days in the Bible correspond to the six days in the Qur'an. In fact however, the problem is more complex than this and it is worth pausing to examine it.
The Six Periods of The Creation
There is absolutely no ambiguity whatsoever in the Biblical description of the Creation in six days followed by a day of rest, the Sabbath, analogous with the days of the week. It has been shown how this mode of narration practiced by the priests of the Sixth century BC served the purpose of encouraging the people to observe the Sabbath. All Jews were expected to rest on the Sabbath as the Lord had done after he had labored during the six days of the week.
The way the Bible interprets it, the word 'day' means the interval of time between two successive sunrises or sunsets for an inhabitant of the earth. When defined in this way, the day is conditioned by the rotation of the Earth on its own axis. It is obvious that logically speaking there can be no question of 'days' as defined just now, if the mechanism that causes them to appear - i.e. the existence of the Earth and its rotation around the Sun - has not already been fixed in the early stages of the Creation according to the Biblical description. This impossibility has already been emphasized in the first part of the present book.
When we refer to the majority of translations of the Qur'an, we read that - analogous with the Biblical description - the process of the Creation for the Islamic Revelation also took place over a period of six days. It is difficult to hold against the translators the fact that they have translated the Arabic word by its most common meaning. This is how it is usually expressed in translations so that in the Qur'an, verse 54, Surah 7 reads as follows:
Your Lord is God Who created the heavens and the earth in six days.
There are very few translations and commentaries of the Qur'an that note how the word 'days' should really be taken to mean 'periods'. It has moreover been maintained that if the Qur'anic texts on the Creation divided its stages into 'days', it was with the deliberate intention of resuming beliefs held by all the Jews and Christians at the dawn of Islam and of avoiding a head-on confrontation with such a widely-held belief.
Without in any way wishing to reject this way of seeing it, one could perhaps examine the problem a little more closely and scrutinize in the Qur'an itself, and more generally in the language of the time, the possible meaning of the word that many translators themselves still continue to translate by the word 'day': yaum, plural ayyam in Arabic.
Its most common meaning is 'day' but it must be stressed that it tends more to mean the diurnal light than the length of time that lapses between one day's sunset and the next. The plural ayyam can mean, not just 'days', but also 'long lengths of time', an indefinite period of time (but always long). The meaning 'period of time' that the word contains is to be found elsewhere in the Qur'an. Hence the following:
- Surah 32, verse 5:
..in a period of time (yaum) whereof the measure is a thousand years of your reckoning.
(It is to be noted that the Creation in six periods is precisely what the verse preceding verse 5 refers to).
- Surah 70, verse 4:
..in a period of time (yaum) whereof the measure is 50,000 years
The fact that the word 'yaum' could mean a period of time that was quite different from the period that we mean by the word 'day' struck very early commentators who, of course, did not have the knowledge we possess today concerning the length of the stages in the formation of the universe. In the Sixteenth century A.D. for example, Abu al Su'ud, who could not have had any idea of the day as defined astronomically in terms of the Earth's rotation, thought that for the Creation a division must be considered that was not into days as we usually understand the word, but into 'events' (in Arabic nauba).
Modern commentators have gone back to this interpretation. Yusuf Ali (1934), in his commentary on each of the verses that deals with the stages in the Creation, insists on the importance of taking the word, elsewhere interpreted as meaning 'days', to mean in reality 'very long Periods, or Ages, or Aeons'.
It is therefore possible to say that in the case of the Creation of the world, the Qur'an allows for long periods of time numbering six. It is obvious that modern science has not permitted man to establish the fact that the complicated stages in the process leading to the formation of the universe numbered six, but it has, clearly shown that long periods of time were involved compared to which 'days' as we conceive them would be ridiculous.
One of the longest passages of the Qur'an, which deals with the Creation, describes the latter by juxtaposing an account of earthly events and one of celestial events. The verses in question are verses 9 to 12, Surah 41:
(God is speaking to the Prophet)
Say: Do you disbelieve Him Who created the earth in two periods? Do you ascribe equals to Him. He is the Lord of the Worlds. He set in the (earth) mountains standing firm. He blessed it. He measured therein its sustenance in four periods, in due proportion, in accordance with the needs of those who ask for (sustenance? or information?). Moreover (thumma) He turned to heaven when it was smoke and said to it and to the earth: come willingly or unwillingly! They said: we come in willing obedience. Then He ordained them seven heavens in two periods, and He assigned to each heaven its mandate by Revelation. And We adorned the lower heaven with luminaries and provided it a guard. Such is the decree of the All Mighty, the Full of Knowledge.
These four verses of Surah 41 contain several points to which we shall return the initially gaseous state of celestial matter and the highly symbolic definition of the number of heavens as seven. We shall see the meaning behind this figure. Also of a symbolic nature is the dialogue between God on the one hand and the primordial sky and earth on the other: here however it is only to express the submission of the heavens and earth, once they were formed, to divine orders.
Critics have seen in this passage a contradiction with the statement of the six periods of the Creation. By adding the two periods of the formation of the earth to the four periods of the spreading of its sustenance to the inhabitants, plus the two periods of the formation of the heavens, we arrive at eight periods. This would then be in contradiction with the six per mentioned above.
In fact however, this text, which leads man to reflect on divine Omnipotence, beginning with the earth and ending with the heavens, provides two sections that are expressed by the Arabic word 'thumma', translated by 'moreover', but which also means 'furthermore' or 'then'. The sense of a 'sequence' may therefore be implied referring to a sequence of events or a series of man's reflections on the events mentioned here. It may equally be a simple reference to events juxtaposed without any intention of bringing in the notion of the one following the other. However this may be, the periods of the creation of the heavens may just as easily coincide with the two periods of the earth's creation. A little later we shall examine how the basic process of the formation of the universe is presented in the Qur'an and we shall see how it can be jointly applied to the heavens and the earth in keeping with modern ideas. We shall then realize how perfectly reasonable this way is of conceiving the simultaneous nature of the events here described.
There does not appear to be any contradiction between the passage quoted here and the concept of the formation of the world in six stages that is to be found in other texts in the Qur'an.
The Qur'an Does Not Lay Down a Sequence for the Creation of the Earth and Heavens
In the two passages from the Qur'an quoted above, reference was made in one of the verses to the creation of the heavens and the earth (Surah 7, verse 54), and elsewhere to the creation of the earth and the heavens (Surah 41, verses 9 to 12). The Qur'an does not therefore appear to lay down a sequence for the creation of the heavens and the earth.
The number of verses in which the earth is mentioned first is quite small, e.g. Surah 2, verse 29 and Surah 20, verse 4, where reference is made to . Him Who created the earth and the high heavens. The number of verses where the heavens are mentioned before the earth is, on the other hand, much larger: (Surah 7, verse 54; Surah 10 verse 3; 5ura 11, verse 7; Surah 25, verse 59; Surah 32, verse 4; Surah 50 verse 38; Surah 57, verse 4; Surah 79, verses 27 to 33; Surah 91, verse 5 to 10).
In actual fact, apart from Surah 79, there is not a single passage in the Qur'an that lays down a definite sequence; a simple coordinating conjunction (wa) meaning 'and' links two terms, or the word thumma which, as has been seen in the above passage, can indicate either a simple juxtaposition or a sequence.
There appears to me to be only one passage in the Qur'an where a definite sequence is plainly established between different events in the creation. It is contained in verses 27 to 33, Surah 79:
Are you the harder to create or is it the heaven that (God) built? He raised its canopy and fashioned it with harmony. He made dark the night and he brought out the forenoon. And after that (ba'da thalika) He spread it out. Therefrom he drew out its water and its pasture. And the mountains He has fixed firmly. Goods for you and your cattle.
This list of earthly gifts from God to man, which is expressed in a language suited to farmers or nomads on the
The Basic Process of the Formation of the Universe and the Resulting Composition of the Worlds
The Qur'an presents in two verses a brief synthesis of the phenomena that constituted the basic process of the formation of the Universe.
- Surah 21, verse 30:
Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We clove them asunder and We got every living thing out of the water. Will they not then believe?
- Surah 41, verse 11: God orders the Prophet to speak after inviting
him to reflect on the subject of the earth's creation:
Moreover (God) turned to the Heaven when it was smoke and said to it and to the earth...
There then follow the orders to submit, referred to above.
We shall come back to the aquatic origins of life and examine them along with other biological problems raised by the Qur'an. The important things to remember at present are the following:
a) The statement of the existence of a gaseous mass with fine particles, for this is how the word 'smoke' (dukhan in Arabic) is to be interpreted. Smoke is generally made up of a gaseous substratum, plus, in more or less stable suspension, fine particles that may belong to solid and even liquid states of matter at high or low temperature;
b) The reference to a separation process (fatq) of a primary single mass whose elements were initially fused together (ratq). It must be noted that in Arabic 'fatq' is the action of breaking, diffusing, separating, and that 'ratq' is the action of fusing or binding together elements to make a homogenous whole.
This concept of the separation of a whole into several parts is noted in other passages of the Book with reference to multiple worlds. The first verse of the first Surah in the Qur'an proclaims, after the opening invocation, the following:
In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful, Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.
The terms 'worlds' reappears dozens of times in the Qur'an. The heavens are referred to as multiple as well, not only on account of their plural form, but also because of their symbolic numerical quantity: 7.
This number is used 24 times throughout the Qur'an for various numerical quantities. It often carries the meaning of 'many' although we do not know exactly why this meaning of the figure was used. The Greeks and Romans also seem to have used the number 7 to mean an undefined idea of plurality. In the Qur'an, the number 7 refers to the heavens themselves (samawat), it alone is understood to mean 'heavens'. The 7 roads of the heavens are mentioned once:
- Surah 2, verse 29:
(God) is the One Who created for you all that is on the earth.. Moreover He turned to the heaven and fashioned seven heavens with harmony. He is Full of Knowledge of all things.
- Surah 23, verse 17:
And We have created above you seven paths: We have never been
unmindful of the Creation
- Surah 67, verse 3:
(God) is the One Who created seven heavens one above another. Thou canst see no fault in the creation of the Beneficent. Turn the vision again! Canst thou see any rift?
- Surah 71, verses 15 and 16:
Did you see how God created seven heavens one above another and made the moon a light therein and made the sun a lamp?
- Surah 78, verses 12 and 13:
We have built above you seven strong (heavens) and placed a blazing lamp
Here the blazing lamp is the Sun.
The commentators of the Qur'an are in agreement on all these verses: the number 7 means no more than plurality.
There are therefore many heavens and earths, and it comes as no small surprise to the reader of the Qur'an to find that earths such as our own may be found in the universe, a fact that has not yet been verified by man in our time.
Verse 12 of Surah 65 does however predict the following:
God is the One Who created seven heavens and of the earth (ard) a similar number. The Command descends among them so that you know that God has power over all things and comprehends all things in His knowledge
Since 7 indicates an indefinite plurality (as we have seen), it is possibleto conclude that the Qur'anic text clearly indicates the existence of more than one single earth, our own earth (ard); there are others like it in the universe.
Another observation which may surprise the Twentieth century reader of the Qur'an is the fact that verses refer to three groups of things created, i.e.
- things in the heavens
- things on the earth
- things between the heavens and the earth
Here are several of these verses:
- Surah 20, verse 6:
To Him (God) belongs what is in the heavens, on earth, between them and beneath the soil
- Surah 25, verse 59:
...the One who created the heavens, the earth and what is between them in six periods.
- Surah 32, verse 4:
God is the One Who created the heavens, the earth and what is between them in six periods.
- Surah 50, verse 38:
We created the heavens, the earth and what is between them in six periods, and no weariness touched Us.
The reference in the Qur'an to "what is between the heavens and the earth" is again to be found in the following verses: Surah 21, verse 16; Surah 44, verses 7 and 38; Surah 78, verse 37; Surah 15, verse 85; Surah 46, verse 3; Surah 43, verse 85.
This creation outside the heavens and outside the earth, mentioned several times, is a priori difficult to imagine. To understand these verses, reference must be made to the most recent human observations on the existence of cosmic extra-galactic material and one must indeed go back to ideas established by contemporary science on the formation of the universe, starting with the simplest and proceeding to the most complex. These are the subject of the following paragraph.
Before passing on to these purely scientific matters however, it is advisable to recapitulate the main points on which the Qur'an gives us information about the Creation. According to the preceding quotations, they are as follows:
1. Existence of six periods for the Creation in general.
2. Interlocking of stages in the creation of the heavens and the earth.
3. Creation of the universe out of an initially unique mass forming a block that subsequently split up.
4. Plurality of the heavens and of the earths.
5. Existence of an intermediary creation "between the heavens and the earth".
Some Modern Scientific Data Concerning the Formation of the Universe
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
The Earth and planets rotating around the Sun constitute an organized world of dimensions which, to our human scale, appear quite colossal. The Earth is, after all, roughly 93 million miles from the Sun. This is a very great distance for a human being, but it is very small in comparison to the distance separating the Sun from the furthermost planet from it in the solar system (Pluto); in round numbers it is 40 times the distance from the Earth to the Sun, i.e. approximately 3,672 million miles away. This distance, when doubled, represents the largest dimension of our solar system. The Sun's light takes nearly 6 hours to reach Pluto, and yet the journey is made at the terrifying speed of over 186,000 miles per second. The light coming from stars on the very confines of the known celestial world therefore takes billions of years to reach us.
THE GALAXIES
The Sun, of which we are a satellite like the other planets surrounding it, is itself an infinitesimally small element among a hundred billion stars that form a whole, called a galaxy. On a fine summer night, the whole of space is seen to be filled with stars that make up what is known as the Milky Way. This group has extremely large dimensions. Whereas light could cross the solar system in units of one hour, it would require something like 90,000 years to go from one extreme to the other of the most compact group of stars that make up our galaxy.
The galaxy that we belong to however, even though it is so incredibly huge, is only a small part of the heavens. There are giant agglomerates of stars similar to the Milky Way that are outside our galaxy. They were discovered a little over fifty years ago, when astronomy was able to make use of an optical instrument as sophisticated as the one that made possible the construction of the Mount Wilson telescope in the United States. Thus a very large number indeed of isolated galaxies and masses of galaxies have been discovered that are so far away that it was necessary to institute a special unit of light-years, the 'parsec' (the distance light travels in 3.26 years at 186,000 miles per second).
FORMATION AND EVOLUTION 0F GALAXIES, STARS AND PLANETARY SYSTEMS
What was there originally in the immensely large space the galaxies now occupy? Modern science can only answer this question as of a certain period in the evolution of the universe; it cannot put into numbers the length of time that separates this period from us.
At the earliest time it can provide us with, modern science has every reason to maintain that the universe was formed a gaseous mass principally composed of hydrogen and a certain amount of helium that was slowly rotating. This nebula subsequently split up into multiple fragments with very large dimensions and masses, so large indeed, that specialists in astrophysics are able to estimate their masses from 1 to 100 billion times the present mass of the Sun (the latter represents a mass that is over 300,000 times that of the Earth). These figures give an idea of the large size of the fragments of primary gaseous mass that were to give birth to the galaxies.
A new fragmentation was to form the stars. There then followed the intervention of a condensing process where gravitational forces came into play (since these bodies were moving and rotating more and more quickly), along with pressures and the influence of magnetic fields and of radiation. The stars became shiny as they contracted and transformed the gravitational forces into thermal energy. Thermonuclear reactions came into play, and heavier atoms were formed by fusion at the expense of others that were lighter; this is how the transition was made from hydrogen to helium, then to carbon and oxygen, ending with metals and metalloids. Thus the stars have a life of their own and modern astronomy classifies them according to their present stage of evolution. The stars also have a death; in the final stage of their evolution, the violent implosion of certain stars has been observed so that they become veritable . corpses. .
The planets, and in particular the Earth, also come from a separation process starting from an initial constituent that in the beginning was the primary nebula. A fact that has no longer been contested for over twenty-five years is that the Sun condensed inside the single nebula and that the planets did the same inside the surrounding nebular disc. One must stress - and this is of prime importance for the subject in hand - that there was no sequence in the formation of the celestial elements such at the Sun nor in the formation of an earthly element. There is an evolutionary parallelism with the identity of origin.
Here, science can give us information on the period during which the events just mentioned took place. Having estimated the age of our galaxy at roughly ten billion years, according to this hypothesis, the formation of the solar system took place a little over five billion years later. The study of natural radio activity makes it possible to place the age of the Earth and the time the Sun was formed at 4.5 billion years ago, to within a present-day accuracy of 100 million years, according to some scientists' calculations. This accuracy is to be admired, since 100 million years may represent a long time to us but the ratio 'maximum error/total time-to-be-measured' is 0.1/10.5, i.e. 2.2 %.
Specialists in astrophysics have therefore attained a high degree of knowledge concerning the general process involved in the formation of the solar system. It may be resumed as follows: condensing and contraction of a rotating gaseous mass, splitting up into fragments that leave the Sun and planets in their places, among them the Earth. The knowledge that science has gained on the primary nebula and the way it split up into an incommensurable quantity of stars grouped into galaxies leaves absolutelno doubt as to the legitimacy of a concept of the plurality of worlds. It does not however provide any kind of certainty concerning the existence in the universe of anything that might, either closely or vaguely, resemble the Earth.
THE CONCEPT OF THE PLURALITY OF THE WORLDS
In spite of the above, modern specialists in astrophysics consider it highly likely that planets similar to Earth are present in the universe As far as the solar system is concerned, nobody seriously entertains the possibility of finding general conditions similar to those on Earth on another planet in this system. We must therefore seek for them outside the solar system. The likelihood of their existing outside it is considered quite probable for the following reasons:
It is thought that in our galaxy half of the 100 billion stars must, like the Sun, have a planetary system. The fifty billion stars do indeed, like the Sun, rotate very slowly; a characteristic which suggests that they are surrounded by planets that are their satellites. These stars are so far away that the possible planets are unobservable but their existence is thought to be highly probable on account of certain trajectory characteristics; a slight undulation of the star's trajectory indicates the presence of a companion planetary satellite. Thus the Barnard Star probably has at least one planetary companion with a mass greater than that of Jupiter and may even have two satellites. As P. Guerin writes: "All the evidence points to the fact that planetary systems are scattered in profusion all over the universe. The solar system and the Earth are not unique." And as a corollary: "Life, like the planets that harbor it, is scattered throughout the universe, in those places where the physio-chemical conditions necessary for its flowering and development are to be found."
INTERSTELLAR MATERIAL
The basic process in the formation of the universe therefore lay in the condensing of material in the primary nebula followed by its division into fragments that originally constituted galactic masses. The latter in their turn split up into stars that provided the sub-product of the process, i.e. the planets. These successive separations left among the groups of principle elements what one might perhaps call 'remains'. Their more scientific name is 'interstellar galactic material'. It has been described in various ways; there are bright nebulae that reflect the light received from other stars and are perhaps composed of 'dusts' or 'smokes', to use the terminology of experts in astrophysics, and then there are the dark nebulae that are less dense, consisting of interstellar material that is even more modest, known for its tendency to interfere with photometric measurements in astronomy. There can be no doubt about the existence of 'bridges' of material between the galaxies themselves. Although these gases may be very rarefied, the fact that they occupy such a colossal space, in view of the great distance separating the galaxies, could make them correspond to a mass possibly greater than the total mass of the galaxies in spite of the low density of the former. A. Boichot considers the presence of these intergalactic masses to be of prime importance which could "considerably alter ideas on the evolution of the universe". We must now go back to the basic ideas on the creation of the universe that were taken from the Qur'an and look at them in the light of modern scientific data.
Confrontation with the Data in the Qur'an Concerning the Creation
We shall examine the five main points on which the Qur'an gives information about the Creation.
1. The Six periods of the creation of the heavens and the earth covered, according to the Qur'an, the formation of the celestial bodies and the earth, and the development of the latter until (with its . sustenance. ) it became inhabitable by man. In the case of the Earth, the events described in the Qur'an happened over four periods. One could perhaps see in them the four geological periods described by modern science, with man's appearance, as we already know, taking place in the quaternary era. This is purely a hypothesis since nobody has an answer to this question. It must be noted however, that the formation of the heavenly bodies and the Earth, as explained in verses 9 to 12, Surah 41 (see page 142) required two phases. If we take the Sun and its sub-product the earth as an example (the only one accessible to us), science informs us that their formation occurred by a process of condensing of the primary nebula and then their separation. This is exactly what the Qur'an expresses very clearly when it refers to the processes that produced a fusion and subsequent separation starting from a celestial 'smoke'. Hence there is complete correspondence between the facts of the Qur'an and the facts of science.
2. Science showed the interlocking of the two stages in the formation of a star (like the Sun) and its satellite (like the Earth). This interconnection is surely very evident in the text of the Qur'an examined.
3. The existence at an early stage of the universe of the 'smoke' referred to in the Qur'an, meaning the predominantly gaseous state of the material that composes it, obviously corresponds to the concept of the primary nebula put forward by modern science.
4. The plurality of the heavens, expressed in the Qur'an by the number 7, whose meaning we have discussed, is confirmed by modern science due to the observations experts in astrophysics have made on galactic systems and their very large number. On the other hand the plurality of earths that are similar to ours (from certain points of view at least) is an idea that arises in the text of the Qur'an but has not yet been demonstrated to be true by science; all the same, specialists consider this to be quite feasible.
5. The existence of an intermediate creation between 'the heavens' and 'the earth' expressed in the Qur'an may be compared to the discovery of those bridges of material present outside organized astronomic systems.
Although not all the questions raised by the descriptions in the Qur'an have been completely confirmed by scientific data, there is in any case absolutely no opposition between the data in the Qur'an on the Creation and modern knowledge on the formation of the universe. This fact is worth stressing for the Qur'anic Revelation, whereas it is very obvious indeed that the present-day text of the Old Testament provides data on the same events that are unacceptable from a scientific point of view. It is hardly surprising, since the description of the Creation in the Sacerdotal version of the Bible was written by priests at the time of the deportation to
Answers to Certain Objections
It is quite indisputable that resemblances exist between narrations dealing with other subjects, particularly religious history, which are to be found in the Bible and in the Qur'an. It is moreover interesting to note from this point of view how nobody holds against Jesus the fact that he resumes the same sort of facts and Biblical teachings. This does not, of course, stop people in the West from accusing Muhammad (peace be upon him) of referring to them in his teachingwith the suggestion that he is an imposter because be presents them as a Revelation. As for the proof that Muhammad (peace be upon him) reproduced in the Qur'an what he had been told or dictated by the rabbis, it has no more substance than the statement that a Christian monk gave him a sound religious education. One would do well to re-read what R. Blachere in his book, The Problem of Muhammad (Le Probleme de Mahomet), has to say about this 'fable'.
A hint of a resemblance is also advanced between other statements in the Qur'an and beliefs that go back a very long way, probably much further than the time the Bible appeared.
More generally speaking, the traces of certain cosmogonic myths have been sought in the Holy Scriptures; for example the belief held by Polynesians in the existence of primeval waters that were covered in darkness until they separated when light appeared; thus Heaven and Earth were formed. This myth is compared to the description of the Creation in the Bible, where there is undoubtedly a resemblance. It would however be superficial to then accuse the Bible of having copied this from the cosmogonic myth.
It is just as superficial to see the Qur. anic concept of the division of the primeval material constituting the universe at its initial stage a concept held by modern science - as one that comes from various cosmogonic myths in one form or another that express something resembling it.
It is also superficial to see the Qur. anic concept of the division closely. Often an initial idea appears among them which is reasonable in itself, and is in some cases born out by what we today know (or think we know) to be true, except that fantastic descriptions are attached to it in the myth. This is the case of the fairly widespread concept of the Heavens and the Earth originally being united then subsequently separated.
When, as in
In other countries, the idea of a plant is associated with it; the plant grows and in so doing raises up the sky and separates the Heavens from the Earth. Here again, the imaginative quality of the added detail lends the myth its very, distinctive character. Nevertheless a common characteristic remains, i.e. the notion of a single mass at the beginning of the evolutionary process leading to the formation of the universe which then divided to form the various 'worlds' that we know today.
The reason these cosmogonic myths are mentioned here is to underline the way they have been embroidered by man's imagination and to show the basic difference between them and the statements in the Qur'an on the same subject. The latter are free from any of the whimsical details accompanying such beliefs; on the contrary, they are distinguished by the sober quality of the words in which they are made and their agreement with scientific data.
Such statements in the Qur'an concerning the Creation, which appeared nearly fourteen centuries ago, obviously do not lend themselves to a human explanation.
Mother’s Milk
A Miracle of the Quran
http://www.islamonline.net/english/Quran/2004/12/article02.shtml
By Harun Yahya
Fourteen centuries ago, Allah sent down the Quran to mankind as a book of guidance. He called upon people to be guided to the truth by adhering to this book. Allah refers to the Quran in one of His verses in this way:
[Mankind! Admonition has come to you from your Lord and also healing for what is in the breasts, and guidance and mercy for the believers.] (Quran: Yunus 10:57)
From the day of its revelation to the Day of Judgment, this last divine book will remain the sole guide for humanity.
The Quran has a clear language easily understandable by people of all ages who lived from the day of its revelation. Allah refers to this attribute of the Quran in the verse
[We have made the Quran easy to remember.] (Quran: Al-Qamar 54:52)
The matchless style of the Quran and the superior wisdom in it are definite evidence that it is the word of Allah.
In addition, the Quran has many miraculous attributes proving that it is a revelation from Allah. One of these attributes is the fact that a number of scientific truths that we have only been able to uncover by the technology of the 20th century were stated in the Quran 1,400 years ago.
Of course the Quran is not a book of science. However, many scientific facts that are expressed in an extremely concise and profound manner in its verses have only recently been discovered in the 20th century. These facts could not have been known at the time of the revelation of the Quran, and this is still more proof that the Quran is the word of Allah. One of the scientific miracles hinted at in the Quran is the special creation of mother’s milk.
Mother’s milk is an incomparable mixture created by Allah, not only to meet all the baby’s nutritional needs, but also to protect it from possible infection. The balance of food substances in mother’s milk is at the ideal level and in the best possible form for the still-growing baby’s physical systems. At the same time, mother’s milk is very rich in nutrients that promote brain growth and nervous system development. Baby foods produced with today’s technology simply cannot compete with this miraculous foodstuff.
Every day reveals a new benefit that mother’s milk bestows on babies. Research has revealed that babies fed on mother’s milk are better protected from respiratory and digestive infections. That is because the antibodies in mother’s milk provide a direct defense against infection. Other anti-infective properties of mother’s milk are that it constitutes an obstacle to bacteria, viruses, and parasites, while establishing a friendly environment for “good” bacteria, known as “normal flora.” It has furthermore been established that elements of mother’s milk regulate the immune system and allow it to work more effectively against contagious diseases.
Since mother’s milk has been specially designed for babies, it is the most easily digestible food they can eat. As well as being rich in nutrients, it is easily digested by the baby’s sensitive system. Since the baby thus expends less energy on digestion, the energy saved can go to other bodily activities: growth and organ development.
There is more fat, protein, and the minerals sodium, chloride, and iron in the milk of mothers who have had premature babies. In fact, it has been established that premature babies fed on mother’s milk score better in intelligence tests and that their visual functions develop better.
One of the facts that science has discovered about mother’s milk is that suckling for up to two years after birth is very beneficial. Allah gave us this important information—which was discovered by science only very recently—14 centuries ago with the verse
[And We have enjoined upon man goodness towards his parents: his mother bore him by bearing strain upon strain, and his weaning was in two years: (hence, O man,) be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the eventual coming.] (Quran: Luqman 31:14)
All that we have seen so far shows us that this provides clear evidence that the Quran is the word of Allah, Who is the Originator of everything and encompasses all things in His knowledge.
In one verse in the Quran, Allah says:
[If it had been from other than Allah, they would have found many inconsistencies in it.] (Quran: An-Nisaa’ 4:82)
Not only are there no inconsistencies in the Quran, but every piece of information it contains reveals the miracle of this divine book more and more each day.
What falls to man is to hold fast to this divine book revealed by Allah, and to receive it as the one and only guide. In one of the verses, Allah calls out to us
[This Qur’an could never have been devised by any besides Allah. Rather it is confirmation of what came before it and an elucidation of the Book which contains no doubt from the Lord of all the worlds. Do they say, “He has invented it?” Say: “Then produce a chapter like it and call on anyone you can besides Allah if you are telling the truth.”] (Quran: Yunus 10:37-38)
The Water Cycle and the Seas
When the verses of the Qur'an concerning the role of water in man's existence are read in succession today, they all appear to us to express ideas that are quite obvious. The reason for this is simple: in our day and age, we all, to a lesser or greater extent, know about the water cycle in nature.
If however, we consider the various concepts the ancients had on this subject it becomes clear that the data in the Qur'an do not embody ideas from the mythical concepts current at the time of the Revelation. These had been developed more according to philosophical speculation than observed phenomena. Although it had been possible empirically to acquire, on a modest scale, the useful practical knowledge necessary, for the improvement of the irrigation of the soil, the concepts held on the water cycle in general would hardly be acceptable today.
Thus it would have been easy to imagine that underground water could have come from the infiltration of precipitations in the soil.
In ancient times however, this idea, held by Vitruvius Polio Marcus in
In their entry in the Universalis Encyclopedia (Encyclopedia Universalis) under the heading Hydrogeology (Hydrogeologie), two specialists on this subject, G. Castany and B. Blavoux, give an edifying history of this problem which reads as follows:
"In the Seventh century B.C., Thales of Miletus held the theory whereby the waters of the oceans, under the effect of winds, were thrust towards the interior of the continents; so the water fell upon the earth and penetrated into the soil. Plato shared these views and thought that the return of the waters to the oceans was via a great abyss, the 'Tartarus'. This theory had many supporters until the Eighteenth Century, one of whom was Descartes. Aristotle imagined that the water vapor from the soil condensed in cool mountain caverns and formed underground lakes that fed springs. He was followed by Seneca (1st century A.D.) and many others until 1877, among them O. Volger... The first clear formulation of the water cycle must be attributed b Bernard Palissy in 1580: he claimed that underground water came from rainwater infiltrating into the soil. This theory was confirmed by E. Mariotte and P. Perrault in the Seventeenth century."
In the following passages from the Qur'an, there is no trace of the mistaken ideas that were current at the time of Muhammad (peace be upon him):
- Surah 50, verses 9 to 11:
. We sent down from the sky blessed water whereby We caused to grow gardens, grains for harvest, tall palm-trees with their spathes, piled one above the other --- sustenance for (Our) servants. Therewith We gave (new) life to a dead land. So will be the emergence (from the tombs)..
- Surah 23, verses 18 and 19:
. We sent down water from the sky in measure and lodged it in the ground. And We certainly are able to withdraw it. Therewith for you We gave rise to gardens of palm-trees and vineyards where for you are abundant fruits and of them you eat.
- Surah 15, verse 22:
. We sent forth the winds that fecundate. We cause the water to descend from the sky. We provide you with the water --- you (could) not be the guardians of its reserves
There are two possible interpretations of this last verse. The fecundating winds may be taken to be the fertilizers of plants because they carry pollen. This may, however, be a figurative expression referring by analogy to the role the wind plays in the process whereby a non-rain-carrying cloud is turned into one that produces a shower of rain. This role is often referred to, as in the following verses:
- Surah 35, verse 9:
. God is the One Who sends forth the winds which raised up the clouds. We drive them to a dead land. Therewith We revive the ground after its death. So will be the Resurrection.
It should be noted how the style is descriptive in the first part of the verse, then passes without transition to a declaration from God. Such sudden changes in the form of the narration are very frequent in the Qur'an.
- Surah 30, verse 48:
. God is the One Who sends forth the winds which raised up the clouds. He spreads them in the sky as He wills and breaks them into fragments. Then thou seest raindrops issuing from within them. He makes them reach such of His servants as He wills. And they are rejoicing.
- Surah 7, verse 57:
. (God) is the One Who sends forth the winds like heralds of His Mercy. When they have carried the heavy-laden clouds, We drive them to a dead land. Then We cause water to descend and thereby bring forth fruits of every kind. Thus We will bring forth the dead. Maybe you will remember.
- Surah 25, verses 48 and 49:
. (God) is the One Who sends forth the winds like heralds of His Mercy. We cause pure water to descend in order to revive a dead land with it and to supply with drink the multitude of cattle and human beings We have created.
- Surah 45, verse 5:
. ... In the provision that God sends down from the sky and thereby He revives the ground after its death and in the change (of direction) of winds, there are Signs for people who are wise"
The provision made in this last verse is of the water sent down from the sky, as the context shows. The accent is moreover on the change of the winds that modify the rain cycle.
- Surah 13, verse 17:. (God) sends water down from the sky so that the rivers flow according to their measure. The torrent bears away an increasing foam.
- Surah 67, verse 30. God commands the Prophet:
. Say: Do you see if your water were to be lost in the ground, who then can supply you with gushing water?.
- Surah 39, verse 21:
. Hast thou not seen that God sent water down from the sky and led it through sources into the ground? Then He caused sown fields of different colors to grow.
- Surah 36, verse 34:
. Therein We placed gardens of palm-trees and vineyards and We caused water springs to gush forth.
The importance of springs and the way they are fed by rainwater conducted into them is stressed in the last three verses. It is worth pausing to examine this fact and call to mind the predominance in the Middle Ages of views such as those held by Aristotle, according to whom springs were fed by underground lakes. In his entry on hydrology (Hydrologie) in the Universalis Encyclopedia (Encyclopedia Universalis), M.R. Remenieras, a teacher at the French National School of Agronomy (Ecole nationale du Genie rural, des Eaux et Forets), describes the main stages of hydrology and refers to the magnificent irrigation works of the ancients, particularly in the Middle East. He notes however that an empirical outlook ruled over everything, since the ideas of the time proceeded from mistaken concepts. He continues as follows: "It was not until the Renaissance (between circa 1400 and 1600) that purely philosophical concepts gave way to research based on the objective observation of hydrologic phenomena. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) rebelled against Aristotle's statements. Bernard Palissy, in his . Wonderful discourse on the nature of waters and fountains both natural and artificial. (Discours admirable de la nature des eaux et fontaines tant naturelles qu'artificielles [
This last statement is surely exactly what is mentioned in verse 21, Surah 39 describing the way rainwater is conducted into sources in the ground.
The subject of verse 43, Surah 24 is rain and hail:
. Hast thou not seen that God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them a heap. And thou seest raindrops issuing from within it. He sends down from the sky mountains of hail, He strikes therewith whom He wills and He turns it away from whom He wills. The flashing of its lightning almost snatches away the sight.
The following passage requires some comment:
- Surah 56, verses 68-70:
. Have you observed the water you drink? Do you bring it down from the rain-clouds? Or do We? Ifit were Our will, We could make it salty. Then why are you not thankful?.
This reference to the fact that God could have made fresh water salty is a way of expressing divine Omnipotence. Another means of reminding us of the same Omnipotence is the challenge to man to make rain fall from the clouds. In modern times however, technology has surely made it possible to create rain artificially. Can one therefore oppose the statement in the Qur'an to man's ability to produce precipitations?
The answer is no, because it seems clear that one must take account of man's limitations in this field. M. A. Facy, an expert at the French Meteorological Office, wrote the following in the Universalis Encyclopedia (Encyclopedia Universalis) under the heading Precipitations (Precipitations): "It will never be possible to make rain fall from a cloud that does not have the suitable characteristics of a rain-cloud or one that has not yet reached the appropriate stage of evolution (maturity)." Man can never therefore hasten the precipitation process by technical means when the natural conditions for it are not present. If this were not the case, droughts would never occur in practice --- which they obviously do. To have control over rain and fine weather still remains a dream therefore.
Man cannot willfully break the established cycle that maintains the circulation of water in nature. This cycle may be outlined as follows, according to modern ideas on hydrology:
The calories obtained from the Sun's rays cause the sea and those parts of the Earth's surface that are covered or soaked in water to evaporate. The water vapor that is given off rises into the atmosphere and, by condensation, forms into clouds. The winds then intervene and move the clouds thus formed over varying distances. The clouds can then either disperse without producing rain, or combine their mass with others to create even greater condensation, or they can fragment and produce rain at some stage in their evolution. When rain reaches the sea (70 % of the Earth's surface is covered in sea), the cycle is soon repeated. When rain falls on the land, it may be absorbed by vegetation and thus aid the latter's growth; the vegetation in its turn gives off water and thus returns some water to the atmosphere. The rest, to a lesser or greater extent, infiltrates into the soil, whence it is either conducted through channels into the sea, or comes back to the Earth's surface network through springs or resurgence.
When one compares thc modern data of hydrology to what is contained in the numerous verses of the Qur'an quoted in this paragraph, one has to admit that there is a remarkable degree of agreement between them.
THE SEAS
Whereas the above verses from the Qur'an have provided material for comparison between modern knowledge about the water cycle in nature, this is not the case for the seas. There is not a single statement in the Qur'an dealing with the seas leading to a confrontation with scientific data per se. This does not diminish the necessity of pointing out however that none of the statements in the Qur'an on the seas refers to the beliefs, myths or superstitions prevalent at the time of its Revelation.
A certain number of verses deal with the seas and navigation. As subjects for reflection, they provide indications of divine Omnipotence that arise from the facts of common observation. The following verses are examples of this:
- Surah 14, verse 32:
. (God) has made the ship subject to you, so that it runs upon the sea at His Command.
- Surah 16, verse 14:
. (God) is the One Who subjected the sea, so that you eat fresh meat from it and you extract from its ornaments which you wear.. Thou seest the ships plowing the waves, so that you seek of His Bounty. Maybe, you will be thankful.
- Surah 31, verse 31:
. Hast thou seen that the ship runs upon the sea by the Grace of God, in order to show you His signs. Verily in this are Sing for all who are persevering and grateful.
- Surah 55, verse 24:
. His are the ships erected upon the sea like tokens.
- Surah 36, verse 41-44:
. A sign for them is that We bore their offspring in the loaded
The reference here is quite clearly to the vessel bearing man upon the sea, just as, long ago, Noah and the other occupants of the vessel were carried in the
Another observed fact concerning the sea stands out, because of its unusual nature, from the verses of the Qur'an devoted to it: three verses refer to certain characteristics shared by great rivers when they flow out into the ocean.
The phenomenon is well known and often seen whereby the absence of an immediate mixing of salty seawater and fresh river-water occurs. The Qur'an refers to this in the case of what is thought to be the estuary of the Tigris and Euphrates where they unite to form what one might call a 'sea' over 100 miles long, the Shatt Al-Arab. At the inner parts of the gulf, the effect of the tides is to produce the welcome phenomenon of the reflux of freshwater to the interior of the dry land, thus ensuring adequate irrigation. To understand the text correctly, one has to know that the English word 'sea' conveys the general meaning of the Arabic word bahr which designates a large mass of water and is equally used for both the sea and the great rivers; the Nile, Tigris and
The following are the three verses that describe this phenomenon:
- Surah 25, verse 53:
. (God) is the One Who has let free the two seas, one is agreeable and sweet, the other salty and bitter. He placed a barrier between them, a partition that it is forbidden to pass.
- Surah 35, verse 12:
. The two seas are not alike. The water of one is agreeable, sweet, pleasant to drink. The other salty and bitter. You eat fresh meat from each and you extract from each ornaments which you wear.
- Surah 55, verses 19, 20 and 22:
. He has loosed the two seas. They meet together. Between them there is a barrier which they do not transgress. Out of them come pearls and coral.
In addition to the description of the main fact, these verses refer to what may be obtained from fresh water and seawater: fish, personal adornment, i.e. coral and pearls. With regard to the phenomenon whereby the river water does not mix with seawater at the estuary, one must understand that this is not peculiar to the Tigris and
ASTRONOMY IN THE QUR'AN
The Qur'an is full of reflections on the heavens. In the preceding chapter on the Creation, we saw how the plurality of the heavens and earths was referred to, as well as what the Qur'an calls an intermediary creation 'between the heavens and the earth': modern science has verified the latter. The verses referring to the Creation already contain a broad idea of what is to be found in the heavens, i.e. of everything outside the earth.
Apart from the verses that specifically describe the Creation, there are roughly another forty verses in the Qur'an which provide information on astronomy complementing what has already been given. Some of them are not much more than reflections on the glory of the Creator, the Organizer of all the stellar and planetary systems. These we know to be arranged according to balancing positions whose stability
The first verses to be quoted here hardly furnish much material for scientific analysis: the aim is simply to draw attention to God's Omnipotence. They must be mentioned however to give a realistic idea of the way the Qur'anic text described the organization of the Universe fourteen centuries ago.
These references constitute a new fact of divine Revelation. The organization of the world is treated in neither the Gospels nor the Old Testament (except for a few notions whose general inaccuracy we have already seen in the Biblical description of the Creation). The Qur'an however deals with this subject in depth. What it describes is important, but so is what it does not contain. It does not in fact provide an account of the theories prevalent at the time of the Revelation that deal with the organization of the celestial world theories that science was later to show were inaccurate. An example of this will be given later. This negative consideration must however be pointed out.
A. General Reflections Concerning the Sky
- Surah 50, verse 6.
Do they not look at the sky above them, how We have built it and adorned it, and there are no rifts in it
- Surah 31, verse 10:
(God) created the heavens without any pillars that you can see...
- Surah 13, verse 2:
God is the One Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see, then He firmly established Himself on the throne and He subjected the sun and moon...
These last two verses refute the belief that the vault of the heavens was held up by pillars, the only things preventing the former from crushing the earth.
- Surah 55, verse 7:
. the sky (God) raised it....
- Surah 22, verse 65:
. (God) holds back the sky from falling on the earth unless by His leave....
It is known how the remoteness of celestial masses at great distance and in proportion to the magnitude of their mass itself constitutes the foundation of their equilibrium. The more remote the masses are the weaker the force is that attracts one to the other. The nearer they are, the stronger the attraction is that one has to the other: this is true for the Moon, which is near to the Earth (astronomically speaking) and exercises an influence by laws of attraction on the position occupied by the waters of the sea, hence the phenomenon of the tides. If two celestial bodies come too close to one another, collision is inevitable. The fact that they are subjected to an order is the sine qua non for the absence of disturbances.
The subjection of the heavens to divine order is often referred to as well:
- Surah 23, verse 86: God is speaking to the Prophet.
. Say: Who is lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the tremendous throne?.
We have already seen how by 'seven heavens' what is meant is not 7, but an indefinite number of heavens.
- Surah 45, verse 31:
. For you (God) subjected all that is in the heavens and on the earth, all from Him. Behold! In that are signs for people who reflect.
- Surah 55, verse 5:
. the sun and moon (are subjected) to calculations.
- Surah 6, verse 96:
. (God) appointed the night for rest and the sun and the moon for reckoning.
- Surah 14, verse 33:
. For you (God) subjected the sun and the moon, both diligently pursuing their courses. And for you He subjected the night and the day.
Here one verse completes another: the calculations referred to result in the regularity of the course described by the heavenly bodies in question, this is expressed by the word da'ib, the present participle of a verb whose original meaning was 'to work eagerly and assiduously at something'. Here it is given the meaning of 'to apply oneself to something with care in a perseverant, invariable manner, in accordance with set habits'.
Surah 36, verse 39: God is speaking:
. And for the moon We have appointed mansions till she returns like an old shriveled palm branch.
This is a reference to the curled form of the-palm branch which, as it shrivels up, takes on the moon's crescent. This commentary will be completed later.
- Surah 16, verse 12:
. For you (God) subjected the night and the day, the sun and the moon; the stars are in subjection to His Command. Verily in this are signs for people who are wise.
The practical angle from which this perfect celestial order is seen is underlined on account of its value as an aid to man's travel on earth and by sea, and to his calculation of time. This comment becomes clear when one bears in mind the fact that the Qur'an was originally a preaching addressed to men who only understood the simple language of their every day lives. This explains the presence of the following reflections:
- Surah 6, verse 97:
. (God) is the One Who has set out for you the stars, that you may guide yourselves by them through the darkness of the land and of the sea. We have detailed the signs for people who know.
- Surah 16, verse 16:
. (God sets on the earth) landmarks and by the stars (men) guide themselves
- Surah 10, verse 5:
. God is the One Who made the sun a shine and the moon a light and for her ordained mansions, so that you might know the number of years and the reckoning (of the time). God created this in truth. He explains the signs in detail for people who know.
This calls for some comment. Whereas the Bible calls the Sun and Moon 'lights', and merely adds to one the adjective 'greater' and to the other 'lesser', the Qur'an ascribes differences other than that of dimension to each respectively. Agreed, this is nothing more than a verbal distinction, but how was one to communicate to men at this time without confusing them, while at the same time expressing the notion that the Sun and Moon were not absolutely identical 'lights'?
CLOUDS IN QUR’AN
Scientists have studied cloud types and have realized that rain clouds are formed and shaped according to definite systems and certain steps connected with certain types of wind and clouds.
One kind of rain cloud is the cumulonimbus cloud associated with thunderstorms (See Figure 18.1). Meteorologists have studied how cumulonimbus clouds are formed and how they produce rain, hail, and lightning. They have found that cumulonimbus cloud go through the following steps to produce rain:
1. The clouds are pushed by the wind: Cumulonimbus clouds begin to form when wind pushes some small pieces of clouds (cumulus) to an area where these clouds converge.
2. Joining: Then the small clouds join together forming a larger cloud.
3. Stacking: When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase. The updrafts near the center of the cloud are stronger than those near the edges. These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow vertically, so the cloud is stacked up. This vertical growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler regions of the atmosphere where drops of water and hail formulate and begin to grow larger and larger. When these drops of water and hail become too heavy for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall from the cloud as rain, hail, etc.
Allah
said in the Qur'aan:
Have you not seen how Allah makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it...? [Qur'aan 24:43]
Meteorologists have only recently come to know these details of cloud formation, structure, and function by using advanced equipment like planes, satellites, computers, balloons, and the like to study winds and its direction, to measure humidity and its variations, and to determine the levels and variations of atmospheric pressure.
The preceding verse, after mentioning clouds and rain, speaks about hail and lightning:
And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky, and He strikes with it whomever He wills, and turns it from whoever He wills. The vivid flash of its lightning nearly blinds the sight. [Qur'aan 24:43]
Meteorologists have found that these cumulonimbus clouds, that shower hail, reach a height of 25,000 to 30,000 feet (4.7 to 5.7 miles), like mountains, as the Qur'aan said: And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky...(Qur'an 24:43)
This verse may raise a question. Why does the verse say ...its lightning in reference to the hail?
Does this mean that hail is the major factor in producing lightning? Let us see what the book entitled Meteorology Today, says on this. It says that clouds become electrified as hail falls through a region in the cloud of super cooled droplets and ice crystals. As liquid droplets collide with hail, they freeze on contact and release latent heat. This keeps the surface of the hail warmer than that of the surrounding ice crystals.
When the hail comes in contact with an ice crystal, an important phenomenon occurs. Electrons flow from the colder object toward the warmer object. Hence, the hail becomes negatively charged. The same effect occurs when super cooled droplets come in contact with a piece of hail and tiny splinters of positively charged ice break off. These lighter, positively charged particles are then carried to the upper part of the cloud by updrafts. The hail, left with a negative charge, fall toward the bottom of the cloud, thus the lower part of the cloud becomes negatively charged. These negative charges are then discharged to the ground as lightning. We conclude from this that hail is the major factor in producing lightning.
This information on lightning was discovered only recently. Until 1600 A.D., Aristotle's ideas on meteorology were dominant. For example, he said that the atmosphere contains two kinds of exhalation, moist and dry. He also said that thunder is the sound of the collision of the dry exhalation with the neighboring clouds, and lightning is the inflaming and burning of the dry exhalation with a thin and faint fire. These are some of the ideas on meteorology that were dominant at the time of the Qur'aan's revelation, fourteen centuries ago.
Quran: A Teacher to Modern Scientists
Ours is an era of space probes, computer chips, laser surgeries and cloning. If we were to label any book as a revelation from God, we couldn't help but to scrutinize this Scripture using modern scientific knowledge. It could not be that a revelation, proclaiming itself from God, could constitute aspects contradicting established scientific facts. How could we assume otherwise, when God is the one who created the universe and the laws operating within it.
The Quran was revealed 1400 years ago to the last Prophet of God, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a guidance for all humanity. The entire Quran has been committed to memory by millions of Muslims around the world and has been preserved by God from any interpolations, for continuing guidance. Although the Quran is a religious book with a total of about 6600 plus verses dealing with many aspects of a person's life, about 1000 of those verses are of scientific nature, none contradicting established scientific facts.
Dr. T.V.N. Persaud [1], professor of Anatomy, says: "You have an illiterate person (Prophet Muhammad) making profound statements that are amazingly accurate, of a scientific nature...I personally can't see how this could be mere chance, there are too many accuracies and like Dr. Moore, I have no difficulty in my mind reconciling that this is a divine inspiration or revelation which lead him to these statements".
Besides providing guidelines in personal, social, moral and spiritual spheres of humanity, the Quran touches upon diverse scientific topics like astronomy, geology, embryology, genetics, biology, archeology etc. Some of these are mentioned below to prove the Quran's Divine origin.
The Big Bang !
Currently, the Big Bang model of the origin of the universe is the cosmological paradigm most widely accepted by astronomers. It holds that about 15 billion years ago the universe began with the explosive expansion of a single, extremely dense matter, the primordial mass. Only after the development of radio telescopes in 1937 that, the necessary observational precision was achieved in order for astronomers to arrive at the above conclusion. What does the Quran say about our universe's origin?
"Do not the unbelievers see that the Heavens and the earth were joined together, then We split them apart." (21:30)
Expanding Universe
In 1925, Edwin Hubble (after whom the Hubble Space telescope is named) provided the observational evidence for the expansion of the universe. Stephen Hawking (author of 'A Brief History of Time') states: "The universe is not static, as had previously been thought, it is expanding". So what did God reveal in the Quran, 1400 years ago?
"And the firmament, We constructed with power and skill and verily We are expanding it" (51:47) ("We" is the Arabic plural of respect, not the Christian plural of 'trinity")
The Existence of Sun's Orbit
Ancient people use to believe that the Sun revolves around the earth. Later, Nicholas Copernicus in 1512, laid his Heliocentric Theory of Planetary motion, which placed the sun motionless in the center of the solar system with all the planets revolving around it. Modern science tells us now that the sun too is not still, but is in motion.
The sun traveling at roughly 150 miles per second takes about 200 million years to complete one revolution around the center of our Milky Way Galaxy and 25 days to make one complete rotation around its own axis. See how beautifully and accurately God revealed this phenomenon in the Quran:
"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 orbit with its own motion." (21:33)
Conquest of Space by Human
Human exploration and the conquest of space began with the launching of the Russian Satellite, Sputnik I on Oct. 4, 1957. Then followed the launching of humans into space, which eventually led to a manned space flight to the Moon on July 20th, 1967. Thus the dream of humanity since the dawn of civilization to go beyond the earth to the heavens was realized.
The Quran, 1400 years ago, clearly predicted human's advancement and the possibility of space flight.
"O assembly of Jinns and humans, if you can penetrate the regions of the heavens and the earth, then penetrate them! You will not penetrate them save with a power (of God)." (55:33)
The Protective Atmosphere
Earth is constantly bombarded by meteoroids that disintegrate upon the atmosphere and by lethal rays emitted by the sun. This UV radiation is absorbed by the Ozone layer forming the outer fringe of our atmosphere. Thus our atmosphere along with its Ozone layer is a protective covering for us. Life possibly could not have existed without it. How meticulously, does our Lord sustain and protect us against this atmospheric destruction.
"And We have made the atmosphere a protective roof, yet do they turn away from the Signs which these things point to." (21:32)
Embryology
The Dutch naturalist Anthony van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) produced lenses powerful enough to prove that many tiny creatures are not spontaneously generated but are produced from eggs. The science of Embryology as we know it today did not discover many of the detailed aspects of human embryonic development until the 1970s, using powerful microscopes, ultra sound and fiber optics technology. See how the Quran described the stages of embryonic development.
"God fashioned man from a small quantity (of sperm)" (16:4) Fertilization takes place with only one sperm among several tens of million produced by man.
"Then We placed him as a drop in a place of rest" (23:13) Implantation of the blastocyst in the uterus.
"Then We made the drop into a leech like structure..." (23:14) This resemblance of the human embryo to a leech is an appropriate description of the human embryo from days 7-24, when it clings to the endometrium of the uterus.
"And He (God) gave you hearing and sight and feeling and understanding." (32:9) The internal ears appear before the eyes, and the brain (the sight of understanding) differentiates last.
Dr. E. Marshall Johnson [2] Professor of Anatomy, concluded after studying verses from Quran: "The Quran describes not only the development of external form but emphasizes also the internal stages - the stages inside the embryo of its creation and development, emphasizing major events recognized by contemporary science... so I see nothing in conflict with the concept that divine intervention was involved..."
Gender Determination
The concept of "Gender Determination" as being described by geneticists, is one of the outstanding informations revealed to us in the Quran. This information is now a known fact, that sperms are the deciding factors in determining the type of gender (male or female) in the new embryo. This determination through the male sperm is due to the fact that sperms have an X and Y chromosomes, while the female ovum has only X Chromosomes (X, X). Through the Quran, The Almighty informs us that it is the male sperms that determine the type of gender for the new offspring:
"Does man think that he will be left uncontrolled (without purpose)? Was he not a drop of sperm emitted (in humble form)? Then did (God) make and fashion (him) in due proportion. And of him He made two sexes, male and female..." (75:36-40)
Existence of Pairs in All Creation
Before the dawn of the modern era, humans conceived that only animal life was divided into two genders, male and female. Then the discovery was made that this phenomenon was present in plants and vegetation too. We have found this reality existing in every creation, animate as well as inanimate, though in different forms. In electricity, these two genders can be classified as positive and negative. North and south pole describe it in magnetism, electron and proton in atoms, matter and antimatter etc. Even bacteria could be positive or negative, while the truth is, this creation is made of pairs. At the time the Holy Quran was being revealed in the 7th century C.E., we knew of pairing in animals and plants only, but the Quran describes the phenomenon in the most lucid manner:
"Hallowed is He, Who created pairs in all things, those that grow from the earth and of themselves, and what they know not." (36:36)
The Quranic statement:
"...And what they know not" is as true today, as it was when Holy Quran was revealed. Though we have discovered that every created thing exists in pair, we have yet to discover many things that exist.
We have expounded scientific marvels from the Holy Quran to convince sincere seekers of truth that it is the infallible Word of God. No mortal being can ever speak with such authority, finality, knowledge, perfection, and precision coupled with exotic beauties of expression, as does God in the Quran.
By realizing these Truths about the Quran and the religion of Islam revealed by our Creator and Sustainer, many modern scientists are turning towards it.
Dr. Keith Moore [3], Professor of Embryology, after analyzing the verses of the Quran for three years comments: "It has been a pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Quran 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"
Dr. Maurice Bucaille [4], French Physician, after studying Quran and comparing it with modern science, addressed the
Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson [5], Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, proclaims: "...These Hadiths (sayings of Muhammad) 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 Quran shown centuries later to be valid which support knowledge in the Quran having been derived from God".
Dr. Tejatet Tejasen [6], Professor of Anatomy, attending the Eighth Saudi Medical Conference, stood up and likewise announced: "From my studies and what I have learnt at this conference, I believe that everything that has been recorded in the Quran 1400 years ago must be true. That can be proved the scientific way".
These men of knowledge, in their unbiased studies of the Quran, all proclaimed its truthfulness as a Revelation of Almighty God.
"Soon we will show them Our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth) and in their own soul, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth..." (41:53)
Guidance to humanity proclaimed in the Quran is complete and applicable to all societies and all times. Whether we are living in the Stone Age or the Space Age, riding in horse pulled carriages or flying in Space Shuttles, we haven't changed a bit. We still possess physical and emotional desires, we live in societies, interact with one another, establish social, political and economic systems; thus the relevant need for guidance by our Creator in all these spheres of our life. Islam is the only religion which is totally compatible with scientific facts and provides complete, explicit and clear guidance in all spheres of life.
The Quran was revealed in Arabic, but translation of its meaning are available in English and other languages for non-Arabs. Likewise Islam is not restricted to people of the east or Arabs, it is a universal religion revealed for all of mankind.
We invite all sincere humans to study Islam with an open mind. Don't blindly follow the whims and paganistic influences of the environment around us. God bestowed upon us this superb mind to seek and live the truth; for we all will be accountable on the Day of Judgment for our beliefs and deeds. Don't delay your salvation. Welcome to Islam!
References:
1) Dr. T.V.N. Persaud, Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy,
2) Dr. E. Marshall Johnson, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, and the Director of the Daniel Baugh Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA
3) Dr. Keith Moore, Professor of Embryology, Department of Anatomy,
4) Dr. Maurice Bucaille, French Physician, Author of 'The Bible, the Quran and Science, Seghers, Paris, 1987.
5) Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and the President of the American Fertility Society.
6) Dr. Tejatet Tejasen, Professor and Head of Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine,
Suggested
1. The Holy Quran Abdullah Yusuf Ali (trans.)
2. The Life of Muhammad By Hayykal
3. Towards Understanding Islam By
4. Jesus: A Prophet of Islam. By. M. Ataur Rahim
5. The Bible, The Quran and Science By Maurice Bucaille
THE EARTH
As in the case of the subjects already examined, the verses of the Qur'an dealing with the Earth are dispersed throughout the Book. It is difficult to classify them, and the scheme adopted here is a personal one.
To explain them more clearly, one might begin by singling out a certain number of verses that deal with more than one subject at a time. These verses are largely general in their application and constitute an invitation extended to men to reflect on divine Beneficence by pondering on the examples provided.
Other groups of verses may be singled out which deal with more specific subjects, as follows:
- the water cycle and the seas.
- the Earth's relief.
- the Earth's atmosphere.
A. Verses Containing General Statements
Although these verses provide arguments intended to lead man to meditate on the Beneficence of God towards His creatures, here and there they contain statements that are interesting to compare with modern science. From this point of view however, they are perhaps especially revealing by virtue of the fact that they do not express the varied beliefs concerning natural phenomena that were current to men living at the time of the Qur'anic Revelation. These beliefs were later to be shown by scientific knowledge to be mistaken.
On the one hand, these verses express simple ideas readily understood by those people to whom, for geographical reasons, the Qur'an was first directed: the inhabitants of
Since there is apparently no classification of such verses in the Qur'an, they are presented here in the numerical order of the Suras:
- Surah 2, verse 22:
. (God) is the One who made the earth a couch for you and the heavens an edifice, and sent down water from the sky. He brought forth therewith fruits for your sustenance. Do not join equals with God when you know.
- Surah 2, verse 164:
. Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, In the disparity of night and day, In the ship which runs upon the sea for the profit of mankind, In the water which God sent down from the sky thereby reviving the earth after its death, In the beasts of all kinds He scatters therein, In the change of the winds and the subjected clouds between the sky and earth, Here are Signs for people who are wise.
- Surah 13, verse 3:
. (God) is the One who spread out the earth and set therein mountains standing firm and rivers. For every fruit He placed two of a pair. He covers the day with the night. Verily in this there are Signs for people who reflect.
- Surah 15, verses 19 to 21. God is speaking:
. The earth, We spread it out and set thereon mountains standing firm. We caused all kind of things to grow therein in due balance. Therein We have provided you and those you do not supply with means of subsistence and there is not a thing but its stores are with Us. We do not send it down save in appointed measure.
- Surah 20, verses 53 and 54:
. (God is) the One Who has made for you the earth like a cradle and inserted roads into it for you. He sent water down from the sky and thereby We brought forth pairs of plants, each separate from the other. Eat! Pasture your cattle! Verily in this are Signs for people endued with intelligence.
- Surah 27, verse 61:
. He Who made the earth an abode and set rivers in its interstices and mountains standing firm. He placed a barrier between the two seas. Is there any divinity besides God? Nay, but most people do not know.
Here a reference is made to the general stability of the Earth's Crust. It is known that at the early stages of the Earth's existence before its crust cooled down, the latter was unstable. The stability of the Earth's crust is not however strictly uniform, since there are zones where earthquakes intermittently occur. As to the barrier between the two seas, it is an image which signifies that the waters of the great rivers and the waters of the sea do not mix at the level of certain large estuaries.
- Surah 67, verse 15:
. (God is) the One Who made the earth docile to you. So walk upon its shoulders! Eat of His sustenance! Unto Him will be the Resurrection.
- Surah 79, verses 30-33:
. After that (God) spread the earth out. Therefrom He drew out its water and its pasture. And the mountains He has firmly fixed. Goods for you and your cattle.
In many such verses, emphasis is laid upon the importance of water and the practical consequences of its presence in the earth's soil, i.e. the fertility of the soil. There can be no doubt that in desert countries, water is the most important element governing man's survival. The reference in the Qur'an however goes beyond this geographical detail. According to scientific knowledge the character the Earth has of a planet that is rich in water is unique to the solar system, and this is exactly what is highlighted in the Qur'an. Without water, the Earth would be a dead planet like the Moon. The Qur'an gives first place to water among the natural phenomena of the Earth that it refers to. The water cycle is described with remarkable accuracy in the Qur'an
The Earth's Atmosphere
In addition to certain statements specifically relating to the sky, examined in the preceding chapter, the Qur'an contains several passages dealing with the phenomena that occur in the atmosphere. As for the comparison between them and the data of modern science, it is to be noted here, as elsewhere, that there is absolutely no contradiction between today's modern scientific knowledge and the phenomena described.
ALTITUDE
It is in fact a highly commonplace reflection on the discomfort experienced at high altitude, which increases the higher one climbs, that is expressed in verse 125, Surah 6:
. Those whom Allah (in His plan) willeth to guide, He openeth their breast to Islam; those whom He willeth to leave straying, He maketh their breast close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies: thus doth Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe. .
Some commentators have claimed that the notion of discomfort at high altitude was unknown to the Arabs of Muhammad's time. It appears that this was not true at ail: the existence on the Arabian peninsula of peaks rising over two miles high makes it extremely implausible that they should not have known of the difficulty of breathing at high altitude. Others have seen in this verse a prediction of the conquest of space, an opinion that appears to require categorical denial, at least for this passage.
ELECTRICITY IN THE ATMOSPHERE
Electricity in the atmosphere and the consequences of this, i.e. lightning and hail, are referred to in the following verses:
- Surah 13, verses 12-13:
. (God) is the One Who shows you the lightning, with fear and covetousness. He raised up the heavy clouds. The thunder glorifies His Praise and so do the angels for awe. He sends the thunderbolts and strikes with them whom He wills white they are disputing about God. He is All Mighty in His Power.
- Surah 24, verse 43 (already quoted in this chapter):
. Hast thou not seen that God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them a heap. And thou seest raindrops issuing from within it. He sends down from the sky mountains of hail, He strikes therewith whom He wills and He turns it away from whom He wills. The flashing of its lightning almost snatches away the sight
In these two verses there is the expression of an obvious correlation between the formation of heavy rain-clouds or clouds containing hail and the occurrence of lightning: the former, the subject of covetousness on account of the benefit it represents, and the latter, the subject of fear because, when it falls, it is at the will of the Almighty. The connection between the two phenomena is in agreement with present-day knowledge of electricity in the atmosphere.
SHADOWS
The phenomenon of shadows and the fact that they move is very simply explained today. It forms the subject of the following observations:
- Surah 16, verse 81:
. Out of the things He created, God has given you shade....
- Surah 16, verse 48:
. Have (the Unbelievers) not observed that for all the things God created, how their shadow shifts right and left, prostrating themselves to God while they are full of humility.
- Surah 25, verses 45 and 46:
. Hast thou not seen how thy Lord has spread the shade. If He willed, He could have made it stationary. Moreover We made the sun its guide and We withdraw it towards Us easily.
Apart from the phrases dealing with the humility before God of all the things He created, including their shadow, and the fact that God can take back all manifestations of His Power, as He wills, the text of the Qur'an refers to the relationship between the Sun and the shadows. One must bear in mind at this point the fact that in Muhammad's day, it was believed that the way a shadow moved was governed by the movement of the Sun from east to west. This principle was applied in the case of the sundial to measure the time between sunrise and sunset. In this instance, the Qur'an speaks of the phenomenon without referring to the explanation of it that was current at the time of the Revelation. It would have been readily accepted for many centuries by those who came after Muhammad (peace be upon him). In the end however, it would have been shown to be inaccurate. The Qur'an only talks moreover of the function the Sun has as an indicator of shadow. The absence is to be noted here of any disagreement between the way the Qur'an describes shadow and what we know of this phenomenon in modern times.
THE ANIMAL
AND VEGETABLE KINGDOMS
Numerous verses describing the origins of life have been assembled in this chapter, along with certain aspects of the vegetable kingdom and general or specific topics relating to the animal kingdom. The grouping of verses scattered throughout the Book into a rational order would seem to afford a general view of the data the Qur'an contains on these subjects.
In the case of the subject of this and the following chapter, the examination of the Qur'anic text has sometimes been particularly delicate on account of certain difficulties inherent in the vocabulary. These have only been overcome through the fact that scientific data which have a bearing on the subject have been taken into consideration. It is particularly so in the case of living beings, i.e. animal, vegetable and human, where a confrontation with the teachings of science is shown to be indispensable in the search for the meaning of certain statements on these topics contained in the Qur'an.
It will become clear that numerous translations of these passages in the Qur'an, made by men of letters, must be deemed inaccurate by the scientist. The same holds true for commentaries made by those who do not possess the scientific knowledge necessary for an understanding of the text
A. The Origins of Life
This question has always preoccupied man, both for himself and for the living things around him. It will be examined here from a general point of view. The case of man, whose appearance on earth and reproduction-processes are the subject of lengthy exposes, will be dealt with in the next chapter.
When the Qur'an describes the origins of life on a very broad basis, it is extremely concise. It does so in a verse that also mentions the process of the formation of the universe, already quoted and commented on:
-Surah 21, verse30:
. Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We clove them asunder and We got every living thing out of the water. Will they then not believe?.
The notion of 'getting something out of something' does not give rise to any doubts. The phrase can equally mean that every living thing was made of water (as its essential component) or that every living thing originated in water. The two possible meanings are strictly in accordance with scientific data. Life is in fact of aquatic origin and water is the major component of all living cells. Without water, life is not possible. When the possibility of life on another planet is discussed, the first question is always: does it contain a sufficient quantity of water to support life?
Modern data lead us to think that the oldest living beings must have belonged to the vegetable kingdom: algae have been found that date from the pre-Cambrian period, i.e. the time of the oldest known lands. Organisms belonging to the animal kingdom probably appeared slightly later: they too came from the sea.
What has been translated here by 'water' is the word ma' which means both water in the sky and water in the sea, plus any kind of liquid. In the first meaning, water is the element necessary to all vegetable life:
-Surah 20, verse 53:
. (God is the One who) sent water down from the sky and thereby We brought forth pairs of plants each separate from the other.
This is the first reference to the notion of a pair in the vegetable kingdom. We shall return to this later.
In the second meaning, a liquid without any further indication of what kind, the word is used in its indeterminate form to designate what is at the basis of the formation of all animal life :
-Surah 24, verse 45.
. God created every animal from water.
We shall see further on how this word may also ho applied to seminal fluid.
Whether it deals therefore with the origins of life in general, or the element that gives birth to plants in the soil, or the seed of animals, all the statements contained in the Qur'an on the origin of life are strictly in accordance with modern scientific data. None of the myths on the origins of life that abounded at the lime the Qur'an appeared are mentioned in the text.
The Vegetable Kingdom
It is not possible to quote in their entirety all the very numerous passages in the Qur'an in which divine Beneficence is referred to concerning the salutary effects of the rain which makes vegetation grow. Here are just three verses on this subject:
-Surah 16, verses 10 and 11:
. (God) is the One Who sends water down from the sky. For you this is a drink and out of it (grow) shrubs in which you let (Cattle) graze freely. Therewith for you He makes sown fields, Olives, palm-trees, vineyards and all kinds of fruit grow.
-Surah 6, verse 99:
. (God) is the One Who sent water down from the sky. Therewith We brought forth plants of all kinds and from them the verdure and We brought forth from it the clustered grains, and from the palm-tree its spathes with bunches of dates (hanging) low, the gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates similar and different. Look at their fruit, when they bear it, and their ripening. Verily, in that there are signs for people who believe.
-Surah 50, verses 9-11:
. We sent down from the sky blessed water whereby We caused to grow gardens, grains for harvest, tall palm-trees with their spathes, piled one above the other -sustenance for (Our) servants. There with We give (new) life to a dead land. So will be the emergence (from the tombs).
The Qur'an adds to these general data others that refer to more specialized subjects:
BALANCE IN THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM
-Surah 15, verse 19:. The earth... We caused all kinds of things to grow therein in due balance,.
THE DIFFERENT QUALITIES OF VARIOUS FOODS
-Surah 13, verse 4:. On the earth are adjacent parts; vineyards, sown fields, palm-trees, similar and not similar, watered with the same water. We make some of them more excellent than others to eat and verily in this are signs for wise people.
It is interesting to note the existence of these verses because they show the sober quality of the terms used, and the absence of any description that might highlight the beliefs of the times, rather than fundamental truths. What particularly attracts our attention however, are the statements in the Qur'an concerning reproduction in the vegetable kingdom.
REPRODUCTION IN THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM
One must bear in mind that there are two methods of reproduction in the vegetable kingdom: one sexual, the other asexual. It is only the first, which in fact deserves the term . reproduction. , because this defines a biological process whose purpose is the appearance of a new individual identical to the one that gave it birth.
Asexual reproduction is quite simply multiplication. It is the result of the fragmentation of an organism which has separated from the main plant and developed in such a way as to resemble the plant from which it came. It is considered by Guilliermond and Mangenot to be a 'special case of growth'. A very simple example of this is the cutting: a cutting taken from a plant is placed in suitably watered soil and regenerated by the growth of new roots. Some plants have organs specially designed for this, while others give off spores that behave like seeds, as it were (it should be remembered that seeds are the result of a process of sexual reproduction).
Sexual reproduction in the vegetable kingdom is carried out by the coupling of the male and female parts of the generic formations united on a same plant or located on separate plants. This is the only form that is mentioned in the Qur'an.
-Surah 20, verse 53:
. (God is the One Who) sent water down from the sky and thereby We brought forth pairs of plants each separate from the other.
'One of a pair' is the translation of zauj (plural azwaj) whose original meaning is: 'that which, in the company of another, forms a pair'; the world is used just as readily for a married couple as for a pair of shoes.
-Surah 22, verse 5:
. Thou seest the grounds lifeless. When We send down water thereon it shakes and grows and puts forth every magnificent pair (of plants).
-Surah 31, verse 10:
. We caused to grow (on the earth) every noble pair (of plants).
-Surah 13, verse 3:
. Of all fruits (God) placed (on the earth) two of a pair.
We know that fruit is the end-product of the reproduction process of superior plants which have the most highly developed and complex organization. The stage preceding fruit is the flower, which has male and female organs (stamens and ovules). The latter, once pollen has been carried to them, bear fruit which in turn matures and frees its seeds. All fruit therefore implies the existence of male and female organs. This is the meaning of the verse in the Qur'an.
It must be noted that for certain species, fruit can come from non-fertilized flowers (parthenocarpic fruit), e.g. bananas, certain types of pineapple, fig, orange, and vine. They can nevertheless also come from plants that have definite sexual characteristics.
The culmination of the reproductive process comes with the germination of the seed once its outside casing is opened (sometimes it is compacted into a fruit-stone). This opening allows roots to emerge which draw from the soil all that is necessary for the plant's slowed-down life as a seed while it grows and produces a new plant.
A verse in the Qur'an refers to this process of germination:
-Surah 6, verse 95:
. Verily, God splits the grain and the fruit-stone.
The Qur'an often restates the existence of these components of a pair in the vegetable kingdom and brings the notion of a couple into a more general context, without set limits:
-Surah 36, verse 36:
. Glory be to Him Who created the components of couples of every kind: of what the ground causes to grow, of themselves (human beings) and of what they do not know.
One could form many hypotheses concerning the meaning of the things men did not know' in Muhammad's day. Today we can distinguish structures or coupled functions for them, going from the infinitesimally small to the infinitely large, in the living as well as the non-living world. The point is to remember these clearly expressed ideas and note, once again, that they are in perfect agreement with modern science.
HUMAN REPRODUCTION
From the moment ancient human writings enter into detail (however slight) on the subject of reproduction, they inevitably make statements that are inaccurate. In the Middle Ages - and even in more recent times - reproduction was surrounded by all sorts of myths and superstitions. How could it have been otherwise, considering the fact that to understand its complex mechanisms, man first had to possess a knowledge of anatomy, the discovery, of the microscope had to be made, and the so-called basic sciences had to be founded which were to nurture physiology, embryology, obstetrics etc.
The situation is quite different in the Qur'an. The Book mentions precise mechanisms in many places and describes clearly defined stages in reproduction, without providing a single statement marred by inaccuracy. Everything in the Qur'an is explained in simple terms which are easily understandable to man and in strict accordance with what was to be discovered much later on.
Human reproduction is referred to in several dozen verses of the Qur'an, without any apparent order. It is explained through statements which deal with one or more specific points. They must be assembled to give a general idea of the verses as a whole, and here, as for the other subjects already examined, the commentary is in this way made easier.
Reminder of Certain Basic Concepts
It is imperative to recall certain basic concepts which were unknown at the time of the Qur'anic Revelation and the centuries that followed human reproduction is effected by a series of processes which we share in common with mammals. The starting point is the fertilization of an ovule which has detached itself from the ovary. It takes place in the Fallopian tubes half-way through the menstrual cycle. The fertilizing agent is the male sperm, or more exactly, the spermatozoon, a single fertilizing cell being all that is needed. To ensure fertilization therefore, an infinitely small quantity of spermatic liquid containing a large number of spermatozoons (tens of millions at a time) is required. This liquid is produced by the testicles and temporarily stored in a system of reservoirs and canals that finally lead into the urinary tract; other glands are situated along the latter which contribute their own additional secretions to the sperm itself.
The implantation of the egg fertilized by this process takes place at a precise spot in the female reproductive system: it descends into the uterus via a Fallopian tube, and lodges in the body of the uterus where it soon literally implants itself by insertion into the thickness of the mucosa and of the muscle, once the placenta has been formed and with the aid of the latter. If the implantation of the fertilized egg takes places, for example, in the Fallopian tubes instead of in the uterus, pregnancy will be interrupted.
Once the embryo begins to be observable to the naked eye it looks like a small mass of flesh at the center of which the appearance of a human being is at first indistinguishable. It grows there in progressive stages which are very well known today; they lead to the bone structure, the muscles, the nervous system, the circulation, the viscera, etc.
These notions will serve as the terms of reference against which the statements in the Qur'an on reproduction are to be compared.
Human Reproduction in the Qur'an
It is not easy to gain an idea of what the Qur'an contains on this subject. The first difficulty arises from the fact already mentioned, i.e. that the statements dealing with this subject are scattered throughout the Book. This is not however a major difficulty. what is more likely to mislead the inquiring reader is, once again, the problem of vocabulary.
In fact there are still many translations and commentaries in circulation today that can give a completely false idea of the Qur'anic Revelation on this subject to the scientist who reads them. The majority of translations describe, for example, man's formation from a 'blood clot' or an 'adhesion'. A statement of this kind is totally unacceptable to scientists specializing in this field. In the dealing with the implantation of the egg in the maternal uterus, shall see the reasons why distinguished Arabists who lack a scientific background have made such blunders.
This observation implies great the importance of an association between linguistic and scientific knowledge is when it comes to grasping the meaning of Qur'anic statements on reproduction.
The Qur'an sets out by stressing the successive transformations uterus
-Surah 82, verses 6 to 8:
. O Man! Who deceives you about your Lord the Noble, Who created you and fashioned you in due proportion and gave you any form He willed.
-Surah 71, verse 14:
. (God) fashioned you in (different) stages.
Along with this very general observation, the text of the Qur'an draws attention to several points concerning reproduction which might be listed as follows:
1) fertilization is performed by only a very small volume of liquid;
2) the constituents of the fertilizing liquid;
3) the implantation of the fertilized egg;
4) the evolution of the embryo.
1. FERTILIZATION IS PERFORMED BY ONLY A VERY SMALL VOLUME OF LIQUID
The Qur'an repeats this concept eleven times using the following expression:
-Surah 16, verse 4:
. (God) fashioned man from a small quantity (of sperm).
The Arabic word nutfa has been translated by the words 'small quantity (of sperm)' because we do not have the terms that are strictly appropriate. It must be stated that this word comes from a verb signifying 'to dribble, to trickle', it is used to describe what remains at the bottom of a bucket that has been emptied out. It therefore indicates a very small quantity of liquid, here it is sperm because the word is associated in another verse with the word sperm,
-Surah 75, verse 37:
. Was (man) not a small quantity of sperm which has been poured out?.
Here the Arabic word mani signifies sperm.
Another verse indicates that the small quantity in question is put in a 'firmly established lodging' (qarar) which obviously means the genital organs.
-Surah 23, verse 13. God is speaking:
. Then We placed (man) as a small quantity (of sperm) in a safe lodging firmly established.
It must be added that the adjective which in this text refers to the 'firmly established lodging' makin is, I think, hardly translatable. It expresses the idea of a firmly established and respected place. However this may be, it refers to the spot where man grows in the maternal organism. It is important moreover to stress the concept of a very small quantity of liquid needed in the fertilization process, which is strictly in agreement with what we know on this subject today.
2. THE CONSTITUENTS OF THE FERTILIZING LIQUID
The Qur'an describes the liquid enabling fertilization to take place in terms which it is interesting to examine:
a) 'sperm', as has been stated precisely (Surah 75, verse 37).
b) 'a liquid poured out':
. Man was fashioned from a liquid poured out. (Surah 86,verse 6).
c) 'a despised liquid' (Surah 32, verse 8 and Surah 77, verse 20).
The adjective 'despised' (mahin) would, it seems, be interpreted not so account of the nature of the liquid itself, as more the fact that it is emitted through the outlet of the urinary tract, using the canals that are employed for passing urine.
d) 'Mixtures' or 'mingled liquids' (amshaj):
. Verily, we fashioned man from a small quantity of mingled liquids.
(Surah 76, verse 2).
Many commentators, like professor Hamidullah, consider these liquids to be the male and female agents. The same view was shared by older commentators, who could not have had any idea of the physiology of fertilization, especially its biological conditions in the case of the woman. They thought that the word simply meant the unification of the two elements.
Modern authors however, like the commentator of the Muntakhab edited by the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Cairo, have corrected this view and note here that the 'small quantity of sperm' is made up various of 'component parts'. The commentator in the Muntakhab does not go into detail, but in my opinion it is a very judicious observation.
What are the component parts of sperm?
Spermatic liquid is formed by various secretions which come from the following glands:
a) the testicles: the secretion of the male genital gland contains spermatozoons, which are elongated cells with a long flagellum; they are bathed in a sero-fluid liquid.
b) the seminal vesicles: these organs are reservoirs of spermatozoons and are placed near the prostate gland; they also secrete their own liquid but it does not contain any fertilizing agents.
c) the prostate gland: this secretes a liquid which gives the sperm its creamy texture and characteristic odor.
d) the glands annexed to the urinary tract: Cooper's or Mery's glands secrete a stringy liquid and Littre's glands give off mucous.
There the origins of the 'mingled liquids' which the Qur'an would appear to refer to. There is, however, more to he said on this subject. When the Qur'an talks of a fertilizing liquid composed of different components, it also informs us that man's progeny will be maintained by something which may be extracted from this liquid. This is the meaning of verse 8, Surah 32:
. (God) made his progeny from the quintessence of a despised liquid.
"The Arabic word, translated here by the word 'quintessence', is sulala. It signifies 'something which is extracted, the issue of something else, the best part of a thing'. In whatever way it is translated, it refers to a part of a whole.
Fertilization of the egg and reproduction are produced by a cell that is very elongated: its dimensions are measured in ten thousandths of a millimeter. In normal conditions, only one single cell among several tens of millions produced by a man will actually penetrate the ovule; a large number of them are left behind and never complete the journey which leads from the vagina to the ovule, passing through the uterus and Fallopian tubes. It is therefore an infinitesimally small part of the extract from a liquid whose composition is highly complex which actually fulfills its function.
In consequence, it is difficult not to be struck by the agreement between the text of the Qur'an and the scientific knowledge we posses today of these phenomena.
3. THE IMPLANTATION OF THE EGG IN THE FEMALE GENITAL ORGANS
Once the egg has been fertilized in the Fallopian tube, it descends to lodge inside the uterus; this is called the 'implantation of the egg'. The Qur'an names the womb where the fertilized egg lodges:
-Surah 22, verse 5:
. We cause whom we will to rest in the womb for an appointed term.
The implantation of the egg in the uterus (womb) is the result of the development of villosities, veritable elongation of the egg, which, like roots in the soil, draw nourishment from the thickness of the uterus necessary to the egg's growth. These formations make the egg literally cling to the uterus. This is a discovery of modern times. The act of clinging is described five different times in the Qur'an.
Firstly in verses 1 and 2 of Surah 96:
. Read, in the name of thy Lord Who fashioned, Who fashioned man from something which clings.
'Something which clings' is the translation of the word `alaq. It is the original meaning of the word. A meaning derived from it, 'blood clot', often figures in translation; it is a mistake against which one should guard: man has never passed throuthe stage of being a 'blood clot'. The same is true for another translation of this term, 'adhesion' which is equally inappropriate. The original sense of 'something which clings' corresponds exactly to today's firmly established reality.
This concept is recalled in four other verses which describe successive transformations from the small quantity of sperm through to the end:
-Surah 22, verse 5:
. We have fashioned you from... something which clings.
-Surah 23, verse 14:
. We have fashioned the small quantity (of sperm) into something which clings.
-Surah 40, verse 67:
. (God) fashioned you from a small quantity (of sperm), from something which clings.
-Surah 75, verses 37-38:
. Was (man) not a small quantity of sperm which has been poured out? After that he was something which clings; then (God) fashioned him in due proportion.
The organ which harbors the pregnancy is qualified in the Qur'an by a word which, as we have seen, is still used in Arabic to signify the uterus. In some Surahs, it is called a 'lodging firmly established' (Surah 23, verse 13, quoted above and Surah 77, verse 21).
4. EVOLUTION OF THE EMBRYO INSIDE THE UTERUS
The Qur'anic description of certain stages in the development of the embryo corresponds exactly to what we today know about it, and the Qur'an does not contain a single statement that is open to criticism from modern science.
After 'the thing which clings' (an expression which is well-founded, as we have seen) the Qur'an informs us that the embryo passes though the stage of 'chewed flesh', then osseous tissue appears and is clad in flesh (defined by a different word from the preceding which signifies 'intact flesh').
-Surah 23, verse 14:
. We fashioned the thing which clings into a chewed lump of flesh and We fashioned the chewed flesh into bones and We clothed the bones with intact flesh.
'Chewed flesh' is the translation of the word mudgha; 'intact flesh' is lahm. This distinction needs to be stressed. The embryo is initially a small mass. At a certain stage in its development, it looks to the naked eye like chewed flesh. The bone structure develops inside this mass in what is called the mesenchyma. The bones that are formed are covered in muscle; the word lahm applies to them.
It is known how certain parts appear to be completely out of proportion during embryonic development with what is later to become the individual, while others remain in proportion.
This surely is the meaning of the word mukhallaqa which signifies 'shaped in proportion' as used in verse 5, Surah 22 to describe this phenomenon.
. We fashioned... into something which clings... into a lump of flesh in proportion and out of proportion.
The Qur'an also describes the appearance of the senses and the viscera:
-Surah 32, verse 9:
. (God) appointed for you the sense of hearing, sight and the viscera.
It refers to the formation of the sexual organs:
-Surah 53, verses 45-46:
. (God) fashioned the two of a pair, the male and the female, from a small quantity (of sperm) when it is poured out.
The formation of the sexual organs is described in Surah 35, verse 11 and Surah 75, verse 39.
As has already been noted, all statements in the Qur'an must be compared with today's firmly established concepts: the agreement between them is very clear. It is however very important to compare them with the general beliefs on this subject that were held at the time of the Qur'anic Revelation in order to realize just how far people were in those days from having views on these problems similar to those expressed here in the Qur'an. 'There can be no doubt that they Would have been unable to interpret the Revelation in the way we can today because we are helped by the data modern knowledge affords us. It was, in fact, only during the Nineteenth century that people had a slightly clearer view of this question.
Throughout the Middle Ages, unfounded myths and speculations were at the origin of the most diversified doctrines: they persisted for several centuries after this period. The most fundamental stage in the history of embryology was
More than a thousand years before our time, at a period when whimsical doctrines still prevailed, men had a knowledge of the Qur'an. "The statements it contains express in simple terms truths of primordial importance which man has taken centuries to discover.
The Qur'an and Sex Education
Our epoch believes that it has made manifold discoveries in all possible fields. It is thought that great innovations have been made in the field of sex education, and the knowledge of the facts of life which has been opened up to young people is regarded as an achievement of the modern world. Previous centuries were noted for their deliberate obscurity on this point and many people say that religion -without stating which religion- is the cause of it
The information set out above is proof however that fourteen centuries ago theoretical questions (as it were) on human reproduction were brought to man's attention. This was done as far as was possible, taking into account the fact that the anatomical and physiological data needed for further explanations were lacking. One should also remember that, to be understood, it was necessary to use simple language suited to the level of comprehension of those who listened to the Preaching.
Practical considerations have not been silently ignored. There are many details in the Qur'an on the practical side of life in general, and the way man should behave in the many situations of his existence. His sex life is no exception.
Two verses in the Qur'an deal with sexual relations themselves. They are described in terms which unite the need for precision with that of decency. When translations and explanatory commentaries are consulted however, one is struck by the divergences between them. I have pondered for a long time the translation of such, verses, and am indebted to Doctor A.K. Giraud, Former Professor at the Faculty of Medicine,
-Surah 86, verses 6 and 7
. (Man) was fashioned from a liquid poured out. It issued (as a result) of the conjunction of the sexual area of the man and the sexual area of the woman.
The sexual area of the man is indicated in the text of the Qur'an by the word sulb (singular). The sexual areas of the woman are designated in the Qur'an by the word tara'ib (plural).
This is the translation which appears to be most satisfactory. It is different from the one that is often given by English and French translators, i.e. "(Man) has been created by a liquid poured out which issues from between the vertebral column and the bones of the breast." This would seem more to be a interpretation than a translation. It is moreover hardly very comprehensible.
The behavior of a man in his intimate relationships with his wife is stated explicitly. There is the order concerning the menstruation period contained in verses 222 and 223, Surah 2; God gives the following command to the Prophet:
-Surah 2, verses 222 and 223:
. They (the Believers) question thee concerning menstruation. Say: This is an evil. Keep away from women during menstruation and do not approach them until they are clean. When they have purified themselves, go to them, as God ordered it to you. Verily, God loves the repentants and loves those who purified themselves. Your wives are a tilth. Go to your tilth as you will. Do (some good act) for your souls beforehand.
The beginning of this passage is very clear in meaning it formally forbids a man to have sexual contact with a woman who has her period. The second part describes the process of tilling which the sower performs before sowing the seed which is to germinate and produce a new plant. Through this image therefore, stress is indirectly laid on the importance of hearing in mind the final purpose of sexual contact, i.e. reproduction. The translation of the final phrase is by R. Blachere: it contains an order which seems to refer to the preliminaries before sexual contact.
The orders given here are of a very general kind. The problem of contraception has been raised with regard to these verses: neither here, nor anywhere else, is reference made to this subject.
Nor is provoked abortion referred to. The numerous passages quoted above on the successive transformations of the embryo make it quite clear, however, that man is considered to be constituted as of the stage described by the existence of 'something which clings'. This being so, the absolute respect of the individual human being, which is referred to so often in the Qur'an, brings with it a total condemnation of provoked abortion. This attitude is today shared by all monotheistic religions.
Sexual relations are permitted at night during the Fast in the month of Ramadan. the verse concerning Ramadan is as follows:
-Surah 2, verse 187:
. Permitted to you, on the night of the fast, is to break chastity with your wives. They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them. So hold intercourse with the and seek what God has ordained for you.
In contrast to this, no exception to the rule is made for pilgrims in
-Surah 2, verse 197:
. For whom undertakes (the duty of) the Pilgrimage in its time, no wooing and no license.
This prohibition is formal, as is the fact that other activities are forbidden, e.g. hunting, fighting, etc. Menstruation is again mentioned in the Qur'an in connection with divorce. The Book contains the following verse:
-Surah 65, verse 4:
. For your wives who despair of menstruation, if you doubt about them, their period of waiting will be three months. For those who never have their monthly periods and those who are pregnant their period will be until they lay down their burden.
The waiting period referred to here is the time between the announcement of the divorce and the time it comes into effect. Those women of whom it is said 'they despair of menstruation' have reached the menopause. A precautionary period of three months is envisaged for them. Once this period is completed, divorced women who have reached the menopause may remarry.
For those who have not yet menstruated, the pregnancy period has to be awaited. For pregnant women, divorce only comes into effect once the child is born. All these laws are in perfect agreement with physiological data. One can, furthermore, find in the Qur'an the same judicious legal provision in the texts dealing with widowhood.
Thus, for theoretical statements dealing with reproduction, as for the practical instructions on the sex life of couples, one may note that none of the observations recorded here is in opposition to the data we have from modern knowledge, nor with anything that can be logically derived from it.
QUR'AN AND SCIENCE:
ALL THINGS IN PAIR
Website: http://WWW.IRFI.ORG
INTRODUCTION
Islam is a religion of truth and it is a rational religion. The Glorious Qur'an denounces irrational religion as religion evidently false. Again and again the Qur'an urges men to use their reason, to ponder and to reflect. While the West thinks there is conflict between religion and science, but for Muslims there is no conflict between Islam and Science. According to Dr. George Sarton, former Professor of History of Science at Harvard University Islam is responsible for the meteoric rise of sciences during the middle ages while Europeans lived in the dark ages. This is because both the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad (S.A.S) extolled the Muslims to learn, to seek education and knowledge. In Islam there is no distinction between secular education and religious education.
The Noble Qur'an is not a scientific treatise. It is a book of guidance, a book of wisdom. However there are more than 1200 verses (Ayath) which can be interpreted in the light of modern science. The Qur'an gave a great impetus to learning, particularly in the field of natural sciences. The Qur'an Majid may be called the cause of modern scientific and material progress.
PAIRS IN LIVING THINGS
One of the most recent of all scientific discoveries is that everything in the universe exists in pairs such as male and female among living things. Now we find that rock crystals also have pairs.
The Qur'an says:
And of everything We have created pairs: That ye may receive Instruction.
Surah Zariyat, 51: 49 A. Yusuf All in note 5025 item (3) says " All things are in twos: sex in plants and animals, by which one individual is complementary to another; in the subtle forces of nature. Day and Night, positive and negative electricity, forces of attraction and repulsion: and numerous other opposites, each fulfilling its purpose, and contributing to the working of God's Universe; and in the moral and spiritual world. Love and Aversion, Mercy and Justice, Striving and Rest, and so on;-all fulfilling their functions according to the Artistry and wonderful Purpose of God. Everything has its counterpart, or pair, or complement. God alone is One, with none like Him, or needed to complement Him. These are noble things to contemplate. And they lead us to a true understanding of God's Purpose and Message."
Surah TA HA 20: 53
Sex in plants was discovered in the 1890s. The knowledge that plants have life, their male and female characteristics, pollination and fertilization is found in the Qur'an which was revealed 1400 years ago.
PAIRS OF WHICH THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE
The most astounding fact of all is that pairs exist at the atomic (nuclear particles, electrons) and subatomic particles levels. The Qur'an very clearly states:
Surah YASEEN 36: 36
In note 3981 Yusuf Ali says "The mystery of sex runs through all creation, -in man, in animal life, in vegetable life, and possibly in other things of which we have no knowledge. Then there are pairs of opposite forces in nature, e.g., positive and negative electricity, etc. The atom itself consists of positively charged nucleus or proton, surrounded by negatively charged electrons. The constitution of matter itself is thus referred to pairs of opposite energies."
The purpose of this article is to reflect and interpret in detail the Qur'anic statement " And (other) things of which they have no knowledge." Man had no knowledge of the structure of the atom until the early part of the twentieth century. Scores of subatomic particles have been discovered recently and many are yet to be discovered. Nick Herbert says in his book "FASTER THAN LIGHT" (published by New American Library,
"Today the physicists have generalized Dirac's result and predict that all elementary particles come in pairs, the existence of a certain particle implied that a corresponding antiparticle also exists."
In 1930, British Theoretical Physicist and Nobel Laureate in Physics P.A.M. Dirac based on mathematical equations predicted the existence of antielectron, reverse electron or positron. This is the first "electron-positron" pair at the elementary particle level postulated then. In 1932 Carl Anderson using a particle detector called cloud chamber detected the positron in Cosmic rays which flood the entire universe including the earth.
As we know the nucleus of an atom contains positively charged particles called protons and neutrons with no charge but have the same mass as protons. The electron revolves around the nucleus. This is the structure of an atom. The nucleon (proton or neutron) is quite heavy compared to the mass of an electron. The mass of a nucleon is 1836 times the mass of an electron. The particles whose mass is between the mass of an electron and the mass of a nucleon are called mesons (intermediate). Muons are 207 times as massive as electrons. Pions are 270 times as massive as electrons. There are three kinds of Pions: positively charged, neutral, and negatively charged. A photon or a neutrino has zero charge and zero mass. A nucleon (proton or neutron) consists of three quarks. The following definitions will be helpful to the readers in understanding the Tables listing the subatomic particles in pairs.
Baryon: a heavy particle
Nucleon: a proton or neutron
Hyperon: a baryon that is heavier than a nucleon
Meson: a particle of medium mass (between an electron and a nucleon)
Hadron: any particle that can take part in a strong interaction (such as baryons and mesons)
Lepton: a particle of low or zero mass that can experience electromagnetic forces or the weak force.
The masses of the particles are expressed in energy units called MeV (million electron Volts). The mass of an electron is expressed as 0.511 MeV and the mass of a nucleon is equal to 938 MeV. A particle whose mass is between 0.511 MeV and 1000 MeV is a meson. A particle whose mass is greater than 1000 MeV is a Hyperon.
Particle and antiparticle constitutes a pair. Electron and positron is a pair. Proton and antiproton is a pair. Neutron and antineutron is a pair. The details of the stable and semistable particles along with their counter particles are shown in the Tables.
About Rain in the Quran
The article, "About Rain in the Quran", attempts to convince us that the Qur'an contains statements of scientific fact concerning clouds and rain. The author reaches his conclusions by simply searching for Suras which mention rain then attempts to attach scientific meaning to these passages through a great deal of extrapolation.
The article cites three Quranic passages which, the author [Harun Yahya] believes, is proof that the Quran contains statements of scientific facts which were unknown 14 centuries ago. The first passage provides us with an excellent example of how several fairly elaborate concepts can be extrapolated, from a single term, by pouring a variety of meanings and interpretations into the term, without regard for the author's original intent. In other words, the term means whatever we wish. However, the main purpose of science is to explain and predict natural phenomena. Mr. Yahya is not using the methodology of science - he simply throws out a number of textbook explanations whose definitions he then attempts to force into a single phrase in order to prove his claims.
The second passage is an example of how some Muslim apologists attempt to attach elaborate scientific theories to statements which are no more than observations which any reasonably intelligent human could have easily made 14 centuries ago.
The interpretation of the third passage is simply incorrect, contradicting the author's initial premise.
The article begins:
Rain, which carries great importance for all living things including human beings, is mentioned in various verses of the Qur'an where substantial information is given about the formation of rain, its proportion and effects. The fact that it was not possible for any of this information to have been discovered at the time of the revelation of the Qur'an shows us that the Qur'an is the word of Allah.
Rain is important for all societies on this planet. Water is especially valuable in the arid regions of the world, such as Arabia, therefore, it is not surprising that the Qur'an, which was written in
I. The Proportion of Rain
In the eleventh verse of
"And He who sends down (from time to time) water from the sky in due measure, and We raise to life therewith a land that is dead. Even so will you be raised (from the dead) (
This "measure" mentioned in the verse has to do with a couple of characteristics of rain.
Now the elusive search for the "meaning" of "measure" begins.
Measure 1 : The Water Cycle
First of all, the amount of rain that falls on the earth is always the same. It is estimated that in one second, 16 million tones of water evaporates from the earth. This number is equal to the amount of water that drops on the earth in one second. This means that water continuously circulates in a balanced cycle according to a "measure".
No, the amount of precipitation varies, and has varied, throughout history. As the earth becomes warmer, precipitation increases globally, as does evapo-transpiration.
In respect to the water cycle, if the Qur'an were scientifically accurate, it would say:
"And He who sends down water from the sky in due measure, is equal to evapo-transpiration minus the precipitation that is stored as frozen on the ground"
Clearly, the Qur'an does not say this and this meaning does not fit the idea which this passage is attempting to convey.
Measure 2 : The Speed of a Raindrop
Another measure related with rain is about its falling speed. The minimum altitude of rain clouds is 1200 meters. When dropped from this height, an object having the same weight and size as a rain drop, would continuously accelerate and fall on the ground with a speed of 558 km/h........
Once again, Mr. Yahya is trying to impose his ideas on the text of the Qur'an. This passage is not talking about the speed on a raindrop, or the damage that it would cause if at fell at a faster speed!
Measure 3 (In case you are not convince by 1 or 2) : A Super-cooled Liquid at 400C ?!!
This is not all about the "measures" of rain. For instance, in the atmospheric layers where it starts to rain, the temperature may fall so low as 400 C degrees. Despite this, rain drops never turn into ice particles*. (This would certainly mean a fatal threat for the living things on the earth). The reason is that the water in the atmosphere is pure water. As known, pure water hardly freezes even in very low temperatures.
Yet again, the author attempts to impose his meaning on the text! How can we derive the idea of a super-cooled liquid from this passage? In other words, is the Qur'an telling us:
"And He who sends down water from the sky as a super-cooled liquid [due measure],"?
Also, if rain were 400 C, it would not be a super-cooled liquid, it would be super-heated steam!
II The Formation of Rain
How rain forms remained a great mystery for people for a long time. Only after air radars were discovered, could it have been possible to learn by which stages rain formed. The formation of rain takes place in three stages: First, the "raw material" of rain rises up in the air. Later, clouds are formed and lastly, rain drops appear. These stages are clearly defined in the Qur'an in which precise information was given about the formation of rain centuries in advance;
"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 you see rain-drops issue from the midst thereof: then when He has made them reach such of his servants as He wills behold, they do rejoice!"
Mr. Yahya continues by cutting and pasting textbook explanations of how rain clouds form, however, the Qur'an says nothing of the sort. The passage presented to us is nothing more than a human observation. The Arabs were, and are, an intelligent people who were aware of the environment around them. I am certain that the scarcity of precipitation in
III Pure water from the sky?
" We send down pure water from the sky. That with it We may give life to a dead land, and slake the thirst of things We have created,- cattle and men in great numbers.
Salts that fall with rain are small examples of some fertilizers (calcium, magnesium, potassium etc.) used for increasing fertility. The heavy metals found in these types of aerosols, on the other hand, are other elements that increase fertility in the development and production of plants. Forests also develop and are fed with the help of these sea-originated aerosols. In this way, 150 million tons of fertilizer falls on the total surface of lands every year. If there was not a natural fertilization like this, there would be very little vegetation on the earth, and the ecological balance would be damaged. What is more interesting is that this truth, which could only be discovered by modern science, was informed by Allah in the Qur'an centuries ago.
The problem with this explanation is that it contradicts what the Qur'an tells us. According to this passage, God is sending pure water, yet the author claims that this water contains impurities, including heavy metals! The author is correct that rain water does indeed contain impurities, therefore, we can conclude that the Qur'an makes a scientific error when it claims that rain water is "pure".
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