The Quran and Modern Science

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ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION
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Authercd bq: Dr. Zakr Abdu/ Karm Nak
TBH qURAN AND M0DHRN S0IHN0H
00MPATIBLH 0R IN00MPATIBLH ?
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I n the Name of Al l ah, Most Graci ous, Most Merci ful
1. INTRODUCTION
Ever si nce the dawn of human l i fe on thi s pl anet,
Man has al ways tr i ed to under stand Natur e, hi s
own pl ace i n the scheme of Creati on and the purpose
of Li fe i tsel f. I n thi s quest for Truth, spanni ng many
centur i es and di ver se ci vi l i zati ons, or gani zed
r el i gi on has shaped human l i fe and, to a l ar ge
extent, has determi ned the course of hi story. Whi l e
some r el i gi ons have been based on wr i tten text,
cl ai med by thei r fol l ower s to be di vi nel y i nspi r ed,
others have rel i ed sol el y on human experi ence.
Al -Qur an, the mai n sour ce of the I sl ami c fai th, i s
a book bel i eved by i ts fol l owers, the Musl i ms, to be
compl etel y of Di vi ne or i gi n. Musl i ms al so bel i eve
that i t contai ns gui dance for al l humanki nd. Si nce
the message of the Qur an i s bel i eved to be for al l
ti mes, i t shoul d be r el evant to ever y age. But does
the Quran pass thi s test?
I n thi s bookl et, I i ntend to gi ve an objecti ve anal ysi s
of the Musl i m bel i ef regardi ng the Di vi ne ori gi n of
the Qur an, par ti cul ar l y i n the l i ght of establ i shed
sci enti fi c di scoveri es.
There was a ti me, i n the hi story of worl d ci vi l i zati on,
when mi r acl es, or what wer e per cei ved to be
mi r acl es, took pr ecedence over human r eason and
l ogi c. Of course, the normal defi nati on of mi racl e i s
si mpl y, anythi ng that takes pl ace out of the normal
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cour se of l i fe and for whi ch humanki nd has no
expl anati on.
However , we must be car eful befor e accepti ng
somethi ng as a mi r acl e. I n 1993, The Ti mes of
I ndi a, Mumbai , reported that a sai nt by the name
Baba Pi l ot cl ai med to have stayed conti nuousl y
submer ged under water i n a tank for thr ee
consecuti ve days and ni ghts. However , when
reporters wanted to exami ne the bottom of the tank
of water i n whi ch he cl ai med to have performed hi s
mi r acul ous feat, he r efused to l et them do so. He
argued by aski ng as to how one coul d exami ne the
womb of a mother that gi ves bi r th to a chi l d.
Obvi ousl y the sai nt had somethi ng to conceal ! Hi s
cl ai m was a gi mmi ck si mpl y to gai n publ i ci ty.
Sur el y, no moder n per son wi th even the sl i ghtest
i nkl i ng towards rati onal thi nki ng woul d accept such
a mi r acl e. I f such fal se mi r acl es ar e the tests of
di vi ni ty, then we woul d have to accept al l wor l d
famous magi ci ans known for thei r i ngeni ous
magi cal tri cks and i l l usi ons, as genui ne God-men!
A book, cl ai mi ng to be of Di vi ne ori gi n, i s i n effect,
cl ai mi ng to be a mi r acl e. Such a cl ai m shoul d be
easi l y ver i fi abl e i n any age, accor di ng to the
standar ds of that age. Musl i ms bel i eve, that the
Qur an i s the l ast and fi nal r evel ati on of God, the
mi racl e of mi racl es, reveal ed as a mercy to manki nd.
Let us ther efor e i nvesti gate the ver aci ty of thi s
bel i ef.
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Al -Qur an 2:23-24 i ndi cates Surah or Chapter No. 2 and Aayaat
or Ver ses 23 and 24. The same notati on i s fol l owed thr oughout
thi s book. Refer ences and tr ansl ati on of the Qur an ar e fr om
the tr ansl ati on of the Qur an by Abdul l ah Yusuf Al i , new r evi sed
edi ti on, 1989, publ i shed by Amana Cor por ati on, Mar yl and, USA.
THE CHALLENGE OF THE QURAN
Li ter atur e and poetr y have been i nstr uments of
human expr essi on and cr eati vi ty, i n al l cul tur es.
The wor l d al so wi tnessed an age when l i ter atur e
and poetry occupi ed pri de of posi ti on, si mi l ar to that
now enjoyed by sci ence and technol ogy.
Even non-Musl i m schol ar s agree that the Quran i s
Arabi c l i terature par excel l ence that i t i s the best
Arabi c l i terature on the face of the earth. The Quran
chal l enges manki nd to produce the l i kes of i t:
And if ye are in doubt
as to what We have revealed
from time to time to Our servant,
then produce a Surah like
thereunto;
and call your witnesses or helpers
(if there are any) besides Allah,
if your (doubts) are true.
But if ye cannot
and of a surety you cannot
then fear the Fire
whose fuel is Men and Stones
which is prepared for those
who reject Faith.
[Al-Quran 2:23-24]
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The chal l enge of the Quran, i s to produce a si ngl e
Surah (chapter) like the Surahs it contains. The same
chal l enge i s repeated i n the Quran several ti mes.
The chal l enge to produce a Surah, whi ch, i n beauty,
el oquence, depth and meani ng i s at l east somewhat
similar to a Quranic Surah remains unmet to this day.
A modern rational man, however, would never accept
a rel i gi ous scri pture whi ch says, i n the best possi bl e
poetic language, that the world is flat. This is because
we live in an age, where human reason, logic and science
are given primacy. Not many would accept the Qurans
extraordi nari l y beauti ful l anguage, as proof of i ts
Di vi ne ori gi n. Any scri pture cl ai mi ng to be a di vi ne
revelation must also be acceptable on the strength of its
own reason and logic.
Accordi ng to the famous physi ci st and Nobel Pri ze
wi nner, Al bert Ei nstei n, Sci ence wi thout rel i gi on i s
lame. Religion without science is blind. Let us therefore
study the Quran, and analyze whether the Quran and
Modern Science are compatible or incompatible?
The Quran i s not a book of Sci ence but a book of
Signs, i.e. Aayaats. There are more than six thousand
Si gns i n the Quran of whi ch more than a thousand
deal with hard core Science.
We all know that many a times Science takes a U-turn.
I n this book I have considered only established scientific
facts and not hypotheses and theori es based on mer e
assumptions and not backed by proof.
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2. ASTRONOMY
CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE:
THE BIG BANG
The cr eati on of the uni ver se i s expl ai ned by
astr ophysi ci sts as a wi del y accepted phenomenon,
popul arl y known as The Bi g Bang. I t i s supported
by observati onal and experi mental data gathered by
astr onomer s and astr ophysi ci sts for decades.
Accordi ng to The Bi g Bang, the whol e uni verse was
i ni ti al l y one bi g mass (Pri mary Nebul a). Then there
was a Bi g Bang (Secondar y Separ ati on) whi ch
r esul ted i n the for mati on of Gal axi es. These then
di vi ded to for m star s, pl anets, the sun, the moon,
etc. The ori gi n of the uni verse was uni que and the
probabi l i ty of i t happeni ng by chance i s ni l .
The Qur an contai ns the fol l owi ng ver se r egar di ng
the ori gi n of the uni verse:
Do not the Unbelievers see
that the heavens and the earth
were joined together (as one
unit of Creation), before
We clove them asunder?
[Al-Quran 21:30]
The str i ki ng si mi l ar i ty between the Qur ani c ver se
and The Bi g Bang i s i nescapabl e! How coul d a book,
whi ch fi r st appear ed i n the deser ts of Ar abi a 1400
years ago, contai n thi s profound sci enti fi c truth?
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Musl i ms al so send sal utati ons upon al l the pr evi ous di vi nel y
i nspi r ed Pr ophets on taki ng thei r names.
INITIAL GASEOUS MASS BEFORE
CREATION OF GALAXIES
Sci enti sts agr ee that befor e the gal axi es i n the
uni ver se wer e for med, cel esti al matter was
i ni ti al l y i n the for m of gaseous matter . I n shor t,
huge gaseous matter or cl ouds wer e pr esent
befor e the for mati on of the gal axi es. To descr i be
i ni ti al cel esti al matter , the wor d smoke i s mor e
appropri ate than gas. The fol l owi ng Qurani c verse
r efer s to thi s state of the uni ver se by the wor d
dukhaan whi ch means smoke.
Moreover, He Comprehended
in His design the sky,
and it had been (as) smoke:
He said to it and to the earth:
Come ye together,
willingly or unwillingly.
They said: We do come (together),
in willing obedience.
[Al-Quran 41:11]
Agai n, thi s fact i s a corol l ary to the Bi g Bang and
was not known to anyone before the prophetehood of
Muhammad (Peace be upon hi m)
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. What then, coul d
have been the source of thi s knowl edge?
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SHAPE OF THE EARTH IS SPHERICAL
I n ear l y ti mes, peopl e bel i eved that the ear th was
fl at. For centuri es, men were afrai d to venture out
too far , for fear of fal l i ng off the edge! Si r Fr anci s
Dr ake was the fi r st per son who pr oved that the
earth i s spheri cal when he sai l ed around i t i n 1597.
Consi der the fol l owi ng Qurani c verse regardi ng the
al ternati on of day and ni ght:
Seest thou not that Allah
merges Night into Day
and He merges Day into Night?
[Al-Quran 31:29]
Mer gi ng her e means that the ni ght sl owl y and
gr adual l y changes to day and vi ce ver sa. Thi s
phenomenon can onl y take pl ace i f the ear th i s
spher i cal . I f the ear th was fl at, ther e woul d have
been a sudden change fr om ni ght to day and fr om
day to ni ght.
The fol l owi ng ver se al so al l udes to the spher i cal
shape of the earth:
He created the heavens and
the earth in true (proportions):
He makes the Night
overlap the Day,
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The Ar abi c wor d dahaahaa has been tr ansl ated by A. Yusuf
Al i as vast expanse, whi ch al so i s cor r ect. Thi s wor d al so means
an ostr i ch-egg.
and the Day
overlap the Night.
[Al-Quran 39:5]
The Ar abi c wor d used her e i s Kawwara meani ng
to over l ap or to coi l the way a tur ban i s wound
ar ound the head. The over l appi ng or coi l i ng of the
day and ni ght can onl y take pl ace i f the ear th i s
spheri cal .
The ear th i s not exactl y r ound l i ke a bal l , but
geo-spher i cal , i .e. i t i s fl attened at the pol es. The
fol l owi ng verse contai ns a descri pti on of the earths
shape:
And the earth, moreover,
hath He made egg shaped.
[Al-Quran 79:30]
The Ar abi c wor d for egg her e i s dahaahaa
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whi ch
means an ostr i ch-egg. The shape of an ostr i ch-egg
resembl es the geo-spheri cal shape of the earth.
Thus the Quran correctl y descri bes the shape of the
earth, though the preval ent noti on when the Quran
was reveal ed was that the earth was fl at.
MOONLIGHT IS REFLECTED LIGHT
I t was bel i eved by earl i er ci vi l i zati ons that the moon
emanates i ts own l i ght. Sci ence now tel l s us
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that the l i ght of the moon i s refl ected l i ght. However
thi s fact was menti oned i n the Qur an 1,400 year s
ago i n the fol l owi ng verse:
Blessed is He Who made
Constellations in the skies,
and placed therein a Lamp
and a Moon giving light.
[Al-Quran 25:61]
The Arabi c word for the sun i n the Quran, i s shams.
I t i s al so referred to as siraaj whi ch means a torch
or as wahhaaj meani ng a bl azi ng l amp or as diya
whi ch means shi ni ng gl ory. Al l three descri pti ons
ar e appr opr i ate to the sun, si nce i t gener ates
i ntense heat and l i ght by i ts i nter nal combusti on.
The Ar abi c wor d for the moon i s qamar and i t
i s descr i bed i n the Qur an as muneer whi ch i s a
body that gi ves noor i .e. r efl ected l i ght. Agai n, the
Qurani c descri pti on matches perfectl y wi th the true
nature of the moon whi ch does not gi ve off l i ght by
i tsel f and i s an i nacti ve body that refl ects the l i ght
of the sun. Not once i n the Qur an, i s the moon
menti oned as siraaj, wahhaaj or diya nor the sun as
noor or muneer. Thi s i mpl i es that the Qur an
r ecogni zes the di ffer ence between the natur e of
sunl i ght and moonl i ght.
The fol l owi ng ver ses r el ate to the natur e of l i ght
from the sun and the moon:
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It is He who made the sun
to be a shining glory
and the moon to be a light
(of beauty).
[Al-Quran 10:5]
See ye not
how Allah has created
the seven heavens
one above another,
And made the moon
a light in their midst,
and made the sun
as a (Glorious) Lamp?
[Al-Quran 71:15-16]
The Gl ori ous Qur'an and modern sci ence, are thus
i n per fect agr eement about the di ffer ences i n the
nature of sunl i ght and moonl i ght.
THE SUN ROTATES
For a l ong ti me European phi l osophers and sci enti sts
bel i eved that the earth stood sti l l i n the centre of the
uni ver se and ever y other body i ncl udi ng the sun
moved around i t. I n the West, thi s geocentri c concept
of the uni verse was preval ent ri ght from the ti me of
Ptol emy i n the second century B.C. I n 1512, Ni chol as
Coper ni cus put for war d hi s Hel i ocentr i c Theor y of
Pl anetary Moti on, whi ch asserted that the sun i s
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moti onl ess at the centre of the sol ar system wi th the
pl anets revol vi ng around i t.
I n 1609, the Ger man sci enti st Yohannus Keppl er
publ i shed the Astronomia Nova. I n thi s he
concl uded that not onl y do the pl anets move i n
el l i pti cal or bi ts ar ound the sun, they al so r otate
upon thei r axes at i r r egul ar speeds. Wi th thi s
knowl edge i t became possi bl e for European sci enti sts
to expl ai n correctl y many of the mechani sms of the
sol ar system, i ncl udi ng the sequence of ni ght and
day.
After these di scoveri es, i t was thought that the Sun
was stati onary and di d not rotate about i ts axi s l i ke
the Ear th. I r emember havi ng studi ed thi s fal l acy
from Geography books duri ng my school days.
Consi der the fol l owi ng Qurani c verse:
It is He Who created
the Night and the Day,
and the sun and the moon:
All (the celestial bodies)
swim along, each in its
rounded course.
[Al-Quran 21:33]
The Ar abi c wor d used i n the above ver se i s
yasbahoon . Thi s wor d i s der i ved fr om the wor d
sabaha. I t car r i es wi th i t the i dea of moti on that
comes fr om any movi ng body. I f you use thi s wor d
for a person on the ground, i t woul d not mean that
he i s rol l i ng but woul d i mpl y that he i s wal ki ng or
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runni ng. I f you use thi s word for a person i n water,
i t woul d not mean that he i s fl oati ng but woul d
i mpl y that he i s swi mmi ng.
Si mi l arl y, i f you use the word yasbah for a cel esti al
body such as the sun, i t woul d not onl y mean that i t
i s fl yi ng through space but woul d al so mean that i t
i s r otati ng as i t goes thr ough space. Most school
textbooks have now i ncor por ated the fact that the
sun r otates about i ts axi s. The r otati on of the sun
about i ts own axi s can be proved wi th the hel p of an
equi pment that projects the i mage of the sun on the
top of a tabl e, so that one can exami ne the i mage of
the sun wi thout bei ng bl i nded. I t i s noti ced that the
sun has spots whi ch compl ete a ci rcul ar moti on once
ever y 25 days i .e. the sun takes appr oxi matel y 25
days to rotate round i ts axi s.
The sun tr avel s thr ough space at r oughl y 240 km
per second, and takes about 200 mi l l i on year s to
compl ete one r evol uti on ar ound the centr e of our
Mi l ky Way Gal axy.
It is not permitted
to the Sun to catch up the Moon,
nor can the Night outstrip the Day:
Each (just) swims along
in (its own) orbit
(according to Law).
[Al-Quran 36:40]
Thi s verse menti ons an essenti al fact di scovered
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onl y r ecentl y by moder n astr onomy, i .e. the
exi stence of the i ndi vi dual orbi ts of the Sun and the
Moon, and thei r jour ney thr ough space wi th thei r
own moti on.
The fi xed pl ace towar ds whi ch the sun tr avel s,
carryi ng wi th i t the sol ar system, has been l ocated
prei rsel y by modern astronomy. I t has been gi ven a
name, the Sol ar Apex. The sol ar system i s i ndeed
movi ng i n space towar ds a poi nt si tuated i n the
constel l ati on of Hercul es (al pha Lyrae) whose exact
l ocati on i s now fi rml y establ i shed.
The moon r otates ar ound i ts axi s i n the same
durati on that i t takes to revol ve around the earth.
I t takes appr oxi matel y 29 days to compl ete one
rotati on.
One cannot hel p but be amazed at the sci enti fi c
accur acy of the Qur ani c ver ses. Shoul d we not
ponder over the questi on: What i s the sour ce of
knowl edge contai ned i n the Quran?
THE SUN WILL EXTINGUISH
The l i ght of the sun i s due to a chemi cal process on
i ts surface that has been taki ng pl ace conti nuousl y
for the past fi ve bi l l i on years. I t wi l l come to an end
at some poi nt of ti me i n the futur e, when the sun
wi l l be total l y exti ngui shed, l eadi ng to exti ncti on of
al l l i fe on earth. Regardi ng the i mpermanence of the
suns exi stence, the Quran says:
And the Sun runs its course
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A si mi l ar message i s conveyed i n the Qur an i n 13:2, 35:13,
39:5 and 39:21.
for a period determined
for it; that is
the decree of (Him)
the exalted in Might,
the All-Knowing.
[Al-Quran 36:38]
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The Ar abi c wor d used her e i s mustaqarr, whi ch
means a pl ace or ti me that i s determi ned. Thus the
Quran says that the sun runs towards a determi ned
pl ace, and wi l l do so onl y up to a pr e-deter mi ned
per i od of ti me meani ng that i t wi l l end or
exti ngui sh.
INTERSTELLAR MATTER
Space outsi de organi zed astronomi cal systems was
ear l i er assumed to be a vacuum. Astr ophysi ci sts
l ater di scover ed the pr esence of br i dges of matter
i n thi s i nter stel l ar space. These br i dges of matter
are cal l ed pl asma, and consi st of compl etel y i oni zed
gas contai ni ng equal number of fr ee el ectr ons and
posi ti ve i ons. Pl asma i s someti mes cal l ed the fourth
state of matter (besi des the thr ee known states
vi z. sol i d, l i qui d and gas). The Qur an r efer s to
the pr esence of thi s i nter stel l ar mater i al i n the
fol l owi ng verse:
He Who created the heavens
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and the earth and all
that is between.
[Al-Quran 25:59]
I t woul d be r i di cul ous for anyone to even suggest
that the pr esence of i nter stel l ar gal acti c mater i al
was known 1400 years ago!
THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE
I n 1925, Amer i can astr onomer Edwi n Hubbl e,
pr ovi ded obser vati onal evi dence that al l gal axi es
ar e movi ng away fr om one another , whi ch i mpl i es
that the uni verse i s expandi ng. The expansi on of the
uni verse i s now an establ i shed sci enti fi c fact. Thi s i s
what the Qur an says r egar di ng the natur e of the
uni verse:
With power and skill
did We construct
the Firmament:
For it is We Who create
the vastness of Space.
[Al-Quran 51:47]
The Arabi c word musioon i s correctl y transl ated as
expandi ng i t, and i t r efer s to the cr eati on of the
expandi ng vastness of the uni verse.
One of the gr eatest astr ophysi ci st Stephen
Hawki ng, i n hi s book, A Bri ef Hi story of Ti me,
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says, The di scovery that the uni verse i s expandi ng
was one of the great i ntel l ectual revol uti ons of the
20th century. The Quran menti oned the expansi on
of the uni ver se, befor e man even l ear nt to bui l d a
tel escope!
Some may say that the pr esence of astr onomi cal
facts i n the Quran i s not surpri si ng si nce the Arabs
wer e advanced i n the fi el d of astr onomy. They ar e
cor r ect i n acknowl edgi ng the advancement of the
Ar abs i n the fi el d of astr onomy. However they fai l
to r eal i ze that the Qur an was r eveal ed centur i es
befor e the Ar abs excel l ed i n astr onomy. Mor eover
many of the sci enti fi c facts menti oned above, such
as the ori gi n of the uni verse wi th a Bi g Bang, were
not known to the Ar abs even at the peak of thei r
sci enti fi c advancement. The sci enti fi c facts
menti oned i n the Quran are therefore not due to the
Ar abs advancement i n astr onomy. I ndeed, the
r ever se i s tr ue: they advanced i n astr onomy,
because astronomy occupi es a pl ace i n the Quran.
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3. PHYSICS
ATOMS CAN BE DIVIDED
I n anci ent ti mes a wel l -known theory by the name
of Theor y of Atomi sm was wi del y accepted. Thi s
theor y was or i gi nal l y pr oposed by the Gr eeks, i n
parti cul ar by a schol ar cal l ed Democri tus, who l i ved
about 23 centuri es ago. Democri tus and the peopl e
that came after hi m, assumed that the smal l est uni t
of matter was the atom. The anci ent Arabs used to
bel i eve the same. The Ar abi c wor d zarrah most
commonl y meant an atom. I n recent ti mes modern
sci ence has di scover ed that i t i s possi bl e to spl i t
even an atom. That the atom can be spl i t further i s
a devel opment of the 20th centur y. Four teen
centur i es ago thi s concept woul d have appear ed
unusual even to an Ar ab. For hi m the zarrah was
the l i mi t beyond whi ch one coul d not go. The
fol l owi ng Qur ani c ver se however , r efuses to
acknowl edge thi s l i mi t:
The Unbelievers say,
Never to us will come
The Hour:
say, Nay! but most surely,
by my Lord,
it will come upon you
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by Him Who knows the unseen
from Whom is not hidden
the least little atom
in the Heavens or on earth:
nor is there anything less
than that, or greater, but
is in the Record Perspicuous.
[Al-Quran 34:3]
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Thi s ver se al so r efer s to the Omni sci ence of God,
Hi s knowl edge of al l thi ngs, hi dden or apparent. I t
then goes fur ther and says that God i s awar e of
everythi ng, i ncl udi ng what i s smal l er or bi gger than
the atom. Thus the ver se cl ear l y shows that i t i s
possi bl e for somethi ng smal l er than the atom to
exi st, a fact di scover ed onl y r ecentl y by moder n
sci ence.
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A si mi l ar message i s conveyed i n the Qur an i n 10:61.
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4. HYDROLOGY
THE WATER CYCLE
I n 1580, Ber nar d Pal i ssy was the fi r st per son to
descri be the present day concept of water cycl e. He
descr i bed how water evapor ates fr om the oceans
and cool s to for m cl ouds. The cl ouds move i nl and
wher e they r i se, condense and fal l as r ai n. Thi s
water gathers as l akes and streams and fl ows back
to the ocean i n a conti nuous cycl e. I n the 7th century
B.C., Thal es of Mi l etus bel i eved that surface spray
of the oceans was pi cked up by the wi nd and carri ed
i nl and to fal l as rai n.
I n earl i er ti mes peopl e di d not know the source of
underground water. They thought the water of the
oceans, under the effect of wi nds, was thrust towards
the i nteri or of the conti nents. They al so bel i eved that
the water returned by a secret passage or the Great
Abyss. Thi s passage i s connected to the oceans and
has been cal l ed the Tar tar us, si nce Pl atos ti me.
Even Descar tes, a gr eat thi nker of the ei ghteenth
century, subscri bed to thi s vi ew. Ti l l the ni neteenth
centur y, Ar i stotl es theor y was sti l l pr eval ent.
Accordi ng to thi s theory, water was condensed i n cool
mountai n caver ns and for med under gr ound l akes
that fed spri ngs. Today, we have come to know that
the r ai nwater that seeps i nto the cr acks of the
ground i s responsi bl e for thi s.
Thi s i s descr i bed by the Qur an i n the fol l owi ng
verses:
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sends down rain
from the sky,
and leads it through
springs in the earth?
then He causes to grow,
therewith, produce of
various colours.
[Al-Quran 39:21]
He sends down rain
from the sky
and with it gives life to
the earth after it is dead:
Verily in that are Signs
for those who are wise.
[Al-Quran 30:24]
And We send down water
from the sky
according to (due) measure,
and We cause it
to soak in the soil;
and We certainly are able
to drain it off (with ease).
[Al-Quran 23:18]
No other text dati ng back 1400 years ago gi ves such
an accurate descri pti on of the water cycl e.
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EVAPORATION
By the Firmament
which returns (in its round),
[Al-Quran 86:11]
WINDS IMPREGNATE CLOUDS
And We send the
fecundating winds,
then cause the rain to
descend from the sky,
therewith providing you
with water (in abundance).
[Al-Quran 15:22]
The Ar abi c wor d used her e i s lawaaqih whi ch i s
the pl ur al of l aqi h fr om laqaha, whi ch means
to i mpr egnate or fecundate. I n thi s context,
i mpregnate means that the wi nd pushes the cl ouds
together i ncr easi ng the condensati on that causes
l i ghtni ng and thus r ai n. A si mi l ar descr i pti on i s
found i n the fol l owi ng verses of the Quran:
makes the clouds move
gently, then joins them
together, then makes them
into a heap?then wilt thou
see rain issue forth
from their midst. And He
sends down from the sky
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mountain masses (of clouds)
wherein is hail: He strikes
therewith whom He pleases
and He turns it away
from whom He pleases.
the vivid flash of His lightning
well-nigh blinds the sight.
[Al-Quran 24:43]
It is Allah Who sends the Winds,
and they raise the Clouds:
then does He spread them
in the sky as He wills,
and break them into fragments,
until thou seest raindrops
issue from the midst thereof:
then when He has made them
reach such of His servants as
He wills,
behold, they do rejoice!
[Al-Quran 30:48]
Modern data on Hydrol ogy agrees perfectl y wi th the
Qur'ani c descri pti on on the same subject.
The water cycl e i s descri bed i n several other verses
of the Gl ori ous Quran, i ncl udi ng 7:57, 13:17, 25:48-
49, 35:9, 36:34, 45:5, 50:9-11, 56:68-70 and 67:30.
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5. GEOLOGY
MOUNTAINS ARE LIKE TENT PEGS
I n geol ogy, the phenomenon of fol di ng, i s a recentl y
di scover ed fact. Fol di ng i s r esponsi bl e for the
formati on of mountai n ranges. The earths crust, on
whi ch we l i ve, i s l i ke a sol i d shel l , whi l e the deeper
l ayer s ar e hot and fl ui d, and thus i nhospi tabl e to
any for m of l i fe. I t i s al so known that the stabi l i ty
of the mountai ns i s l i nked to the phenomenon of
fol di ng, for i t was the fol ds that wer e to pr ovi de
foundati ons for the r el i efs that consti tute the
mountai ns.
Geol ogi sts tel l us that the r adi us of the Ear th i s
about 6,035 km and the cr ust on whi ch we l i ve i s
ver y thi n, r angi ng between 2 to 35 km. Si nce the
cr ust i s thi n, i t has a hi gh possi bi l i ty of shaki ng.
Mountai ns act l i ke stakes or tent pegs that hol d
the ear ths cr ust and gi ve i t stabi l i ty. The Qur an
contai ns exactl y such a descri pti on:
Have We not made
the earth as a wide expanse,
and the mountains as pegs?
[Al-Quran 78:6-7]
The wor d awtaad means stakes or pegs (l i ke
those used to anchor a tent); they ar e the deep
foundati ons of geol ogi cal fol ds.
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A book enti tl ed Ear th i s r egar ded as a basi c
reference textbook on geol ogy i n many uni versi ti es
around the worl d. One of the authors of thi s book i s
Dr . Fr ank Pr ess, who was the Pr esi dent of the
Academy of Sci ences i n the USA for 12 year s and
was the Sci ence Advi sor to for mer US Pr esi dent
Ji mmy Car ter . I n thi s book, he i l l ustr ates the
mountai n i n a wedge-shape and the mountai n i tsel f
as a smal l par t of the whol e, whose r oot i s deepl y
entrenched i n the ground.
1
Accordi ng to Dr. Press,
the mountai ns pl ay an i mportant rol e i n stabi l i zi ng
the crust of the earth.
The Qur an cl ear l y menti ons the functi on of the
mountai ns i n preventi ng the earth from shaki ng:
And We have set on the earth
mountains standing firm,
lest it should shake with them.
[Al-Quran 21:31]
2
The Qurani c descri pti ons are i n perfect agreement
wi th modern geol ogi cal data.
MOUNTAINS FIRMLY FIXED
The sur face of the ear th i s br oken i nto many r i gi d
pl ates that are about 100 km i n thi ckness. These
____________________________________________________________
1
Earth, Press and Si ever, p. 435. Al so see Earth Science,
Tarbuck and Lutgens, p. 157
2
A si mi l ar message i s contai ned i n the Qru'an i n 31:10 and 16:15
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____________________________________________________________
1
A si mi l ar message i s contai ned i n the Qur an i n 88:19.
pl ates fl oat on a par ti al l y mol ten r egi on cal l ed
aesthenosphere.
Mountai n for mati ons occur at the boundar y of the
pl ates. The earths crust i s 5 km thi ck bel ow oceans,
about 35 km thi ck bel ow fl at conti nental sur faces
and al most 80 km thi ck bel ow gr eat mountai n
ranges. These are the strong foundati ons on whi ch
mountai ns stand. The Qur an r efer s to the str ong
mountai n foundati ons i n the fol l owi ng verse:
And the mountains
hath He firmly fixed.
[Al-Quran 79:32]
1
Thus, the i nfor mati on contai ned i n the Gl or i ous
Qur'an about the nature of mountai ns, i s i n perfect
agreement wi th recent di scoveri es i n geol ogy.
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____________________________________________________________
1
Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93.
6. OCEANOLOGY
BARRIER BETWEEN SWEET AND SALT
WATERS
He has let free the two bodies
of flowing water, meeting together:
Between them is a Barrier
which they do not transgress.
[Al-Quran 55:19-20]
I n the Ar abi c text the wor d barzakh means a
barri er or a parti ti on. Thi s barri er, however, i s not a
physi cal parti ti on. The Arabi c word maraja l i teral l y
means they both meet and mi x wi th each other .
Ear l y commentator s of the Qur an wer e unabl e to
expl ai n the two opposi te meani ngs for the two
bodi es of water, i .e. they meet and mi x, and at the
same ti me there i s a barri er between them. Modern
Sci ence has di scovered that i n the pl aces where two
di ffer ent seas meet, ther e i s a bar r i er between
them. Thi s barri er di vi des the two seas so that each
sea has i ts own temperature, sal i ni ty and densi ty.
1
Oceanol ogi sts are now i n a better posi ti on to expl ai n
thi s verse. There i s a sl anted unseen water barri er
between the two seas through whi ch water from one
sea passes to the other.
But when the water fr om one sea enter s the other
sea, i t l oses i ts di sti ncti ve characteri sti c and
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becomes homogeni zed wi th the other water. I n a way
thi s bar r i er ser ves as a tr ansi ti onal homogeni zi ng
area for the two waters.
Thi s phenomenon i s al so menti oned i n the fol l owi ng
verse of the Qur'an:
And made a separating bar
between the two bodies
of flowing water?
[Al-Quran 27:61]
Thi s phenomenon occurs i n several pl aces, i ncl udi ng
the di vi der between the Medi ter r anean and the
Atl anti c Ocean at Gi bral ter. A whi te bar can al so be
cl earl y seen at Cape Poi nt, Cape Peni nsul a, South
Afr i ca wher e the Atl anti c Ocean meets the I ndi an
Ocean.
But when the Qur an speaks about the di vi der
between fr esh and sal t water , i t menti ons the
exi stence of a forbi ddi ng parti ti on wi th the barri er.
It is He Who has
let free the two bodies
of flowing water:
one palatable and sweet,
and the other salty and bitter;
yet has He
made a barrier between them,
and a partition that is forbidden
to be passed.
[Al-Quran 25:53]
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____________________________________________________________
1
Oceanography, Gross, p. 242. Al so see I ntroductory Oceanography,
Thurman, pp. 300-301.
2
Oceanography, Gross, p. 244 and I ntroductory Oceanography,
Thurman, pp. 300-301.
Moder n sci ence has di scover ed that i n estuar i es,
wher e fr esh (sweet) and sal t water meet, the
si tuati on i s somewhat di fferent from that found i n
pl aces where two sal t water seas meet. I t has been
di scovered that what di sti ngui shes fresh water from
sal t water i n estuari es i s a pycnocl i ne zone wi th a
mar ked densi ty di sconti nui ty separ ati ng the two
l ayer s.
1
Thi s par ti ti on (zone of separ ati on) has a
sal i ni ty di fferent from both the fresh water and the
sal t water.
2
Thi s phenomenon occurs i n several pl aces, i ncl udi ng
Egypt, wher e the r i ver Ni l e fl ows i nto the
Medi terranean Sea.
These sci enti fi c phenomena menti oned i n the Quran
was al so confi r med by Dr . Wi l l i am Hay, a wel l -
known mari ne sci enti st and Professor of Geol ogi cal
Sci ences at the Uni versi ty of Col orado, U.S.A.
DARKNESS IN DEPTHS OF OCEAN
Prof. Durga Rao i s a worl d renowned expert i n the
fi el d of Mari ne Geol ogy and was a professor at Ki ng
Abdul Azi z Uni versi ty i n Jeddah. He was asked to
comment on the fol l owi ng verse:
Or (the Unbelievers state)
is like the depths of darkness
in a vast deep ocean,
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overwhelmed with billow
topped by billow,
topped by (dark) clouds:
depths of darkness,
one above another:
if a man stretches out his hand,
he can hardly see it!
For any to whom Allah
giveth not light,
there is no light!
[Al-Quran 24:40]
Pr of. Rao sai d that sci enti sts have onl y now been
abl e to confi rm, wi th the hel p of modern equi pment,
that ther e i s dar kness i n the depths of the ocean.
Humans are unabl e to di ve unai ded underwater for
mor e than 20 to 30 metr es, and cannot sur vi ve i n
the deep oceani c r egi ons at a depth of mor e than
200 metr es. Thi s ver se does not r efer to al l seas
because not ever y sea can be descr i bed as havi ng
accumul ated darkness l ayered one over another. I t
refers especi al l y to a deep sea or deep ocean, as the
Quran says, darkness i n a vast deep ocean. Thi s
l ayered darkness i n a deep ocean i s the resul t of two
causes:
1. A l i ght r ay i s composed of seven col our s seen
i n the rai nbow. These seven col ours are Vi ol et,
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____________________________________________________________
1
Oceans, El der and Pernetta, p. 27.
I ndi go, Bl ue, Gr een, Yel l ow, Or ange and Red
(VI BGYOR). The l i ght r ay under goes
refracti on when i t hi ts water. The upper 10 to
15 metr es of water absor b the r ed col our .
Therefore, i f a di ver i s 25 metres under water
and gets wounded, he woul d not be abl e to see
the r ed col our of hi s bl ood, because the r ed
col our does not r each thi s depth. Si mi l ar l y,
or ange r ays ar e absor bed at 30 to 50 metr es,
yel l ow at 50 to 100 metres, green at 100 to 200
metr es, and fi nal l y, bl ue beyond 200 metr es
and vi ol et and i ndi go above 200 metres. Due to
successi ve di sappear ance of col our , one l ayer
after another, the ocean progressi vel y becomes
dar ker , i .e. dar kness takes pl ace i n l ayer s of
l i ght. Bel ow a depth of 1000 meter s ther e i s
compl ete darkness.
1
2. The suns rays are absorbed by cl ouds whi ch i n
turn scatter l i ght rays thus causi ng a l ayer of
dar kness under the cl ouds. Thi s i s the fi r st
l ayer of dar kness. When l i ght r ays r each the
sur face of the ocean they ar e r efl ected by the
wave sur face gi vi ng i t a shi ny appear ance.
Ther efor e, i t i s the waves whi ch r efl ect l i ght
and cause dar kness. The unr efl ected l i ght
penetrates i nto the depths of the ocean. Thus,
the ocean has two par ts. The sur face
char acter i zed by l i ght and war mth and the
depth characteri zed by darkness. The surface
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i s further separated from the deep part of the ocean
by waves.
The i nter nal waves cover the deep water s of
seas and oceans because the deep waters have
a hi gher densi ty than the waters above them.
The darkness begi ns bel ow the i nternal waves.
Even the fi sh i n the depths of the ocean cannot
see; thei r onl y source of l i ght i s from thei r own
bodi es.
The Quran descri bes thi s aptl y:
Dar kness i n a vast deep ocean over whel med wi th
waves topped by waves.
I n other wor ds, above these waves ther e ar e mor e
types of waves, i .e. those found on the sur face of
the ocean. The Qur ani c ver se conti nues, topped
by (dar k) cl ouds; depths of dar kness, one above
another.
These cl ouds as expl ai ned are barri ers one over the
other that further cause darkness by absorpti on of
col ours at di fferent l evel s.
Pr of. Dur ga Rao concl uded by sayi ng, 1400 year s
ago a nor mal human bei ng coul d not expl ai n thi s
phenomenon i n so much detai l . Thus the
i nfor mati on must have come fr om a super natur al
source.
_____________________________________________________________
1
The reference for thi s statment i s the vi deo tape ti tl ed This is the
Truth. For a copy of thi s vi deo tape contact the I sl ami c Research
Foundati on.
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It is He Who has
Created man from water:
then has He established
relationships of lineage
and marriage:
for thy Lord has power
(over all things).
[Al-Quran 25:54]
Was i t possi bl e 14 centur i es ago for any human
bei ng to guess that ever y l i vi ng bei ng was made
fr om water ? Mor eover woul d such a guess be
concei vabl e by a human bei ng i n the deser ts of
Ar abi a wher e ther e has al ways been scar ci ty of
water?
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8. BOTANY
PLANTS HAVE MALE AND FEMALE
Pr evi ousl y, humans di d not know that pl ants too
have mal e and femal e gender di sti ncti ons. Botany
states that ever y pl ant has a mal e and femal e
gender . Even the pl ants that ar e uni sexual have
di sti nct el ements of both mal e and femal e.
And has sent down
water from the sky.
With it have We produced
diverse pairs of plants
each separate from the others.
[Al-Quran 20:53]
FRUITS HAVE MALE AND FEMALE
And fruit of every kind
He made
in pairs, two and two.
[Al-Quran 13:3]
Fr ui t i s the end pr oduct of r epr oducti on of the
super i or pl ants. The stage pr ecedi ng fr ui t i s the
fl ower, whi ch has mal e and femal e organs (stamens
and ovul es). Once pol l en has been car r i ed to the
fl ower, they bear frui t, whi ch i n turn matures and
fr ees i ts seed. Al l fr ui ts ther efor e i mpl y the
exi stence of mal e and femal e or gans; a fact that i s
menti oned i n the Quran.
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I n certai n speci es, frui t can come from non-ferti l i zed
fl owers (parthenocarpi c frui t) e.g. bananas, certai n
types of pi neappl e, fi g, orange, vi ne, etc. They al so
have defi ni te sexual characteri sti cs.
EVERYTHING MADE IN PAIRS
And of everything
We have created pairs.
[Al-Quran 51:49]
Thi s ver se l ays emphasi s on ever ythi ng. Besi des
humans, ani mal s, pl ants and frui ts, i t may al so be
referri ng to el ectri ci ty i n whi ch the atoms consi st of
negati vel y and posi ti vel y charged el ectrons and
protons. And many more thi ngs!
Glory to Allah, Who
created in pairs
all things that the
earth produces,
as well as their own
(human) kind
and (other) things of which
they have no knowledge.
[Al-Quran 36:36]
The Quran here says that everythi ng i s created i n
pai r s, i ncl udi ng thi ngs that the humans do not
know at present and may di scover l ater.
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9. ZOOLOGY
ANIMALS AND BIRDS LIVE IN
COMMUNITIES
There is not an animal
(that lives) on the earth,
nor a being that flies
on its wings,
but (forms part of)
communities like you.
[Al-Quran 6:38]
Research has shown that ani mal s and bi rds l i ve i n
communi ti es, i .e. they organi ze, and l i ve and work
together.
THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS
Do they not look at
the birds, held poised
in the midst of (the air
and) the sky?
Nothing holds them up
but (the power of) Allah.
Verily in this are Signs
for those who believe.
[Al-Quran 16:79]
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Another verse al so touches on bi rds:
Do they not observe
the birds above them,
spreading their wings
and folding them in?
None can uphold them
except (Allah) Most Gracious:
truly it is He
that watches over all things.
[Al-Quran 67:19]
The Ar abi c wor d amsaka l i ter al l y means, to put
ones hand on, sei ze, hol d, hol d someone back,
whi ch expresses the i dea that Al l ah hol ds the bi rd
up i n Hi s power. These verses stress the extremel y
cl ose dependence of the bi rds behavi our on Di vi ne
l aw. Modern sci enti fi c data has shown the degree of
perfecti on attai ned by certai n speci es of bi rds wi th
regard to the programmi ng of thei r movements. I t i s
onl y the exi stence of a mi gratory programme i n the
geneti c code of the bi r ds that can expl ai n the l ong
and compl i cated jour ney that ver y young bi r ds,
wi thout any pri or experi ence and wi thout any gui de,
are abl e to accompl i sh. They are al so abl e to return
to the departure poi nt on a defi ni te date.
Pr of. Hambur ger i n hi s book Power and Fr agi l i ty
gi ves the exampl e of mutton-bi rd that l i ves i n the
Paci fi c wi th i ts jour ney of over 24,000 km i n the
shape of fi gure 8. I t makes thi s journey over a
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peri od of 6 months and comes back to i ts departure
poi nt wi th a maxi mum del ay of one week. The hi ghl y
compl i cated i nstructi ons for such a journey have to
be contai ned i n the bi r ds ner vous cel l s. They ar e
defi ni tel y programmed. Therefore, shoul d we not at
l east refl ect on the i denti ty of thi s Programmer?
THE BEE AND ITS SKILL
And thy Lord taught the Bee
to build its cells in hills,
on trees, and in
(mens) habitations;
then to eat of all
the produce (of the earth),
and find with skill
the spacious paths of its Lord.
[Al-Quran 16:68-69]
Von-Fri sch recei ved the Nobel Pri ze i n 1973 for hi s
research on the behavi our and communi cati on of the
bees. The bee, after di scoveri ng any new garden or
fl ower, goes back and tel l s i ts fel l ow bees the exact
di r ecti on and map to get ther e, whi ch i s known as
bee dance. The meani ngs of thi s i nsects movements
that are i ntended to transmi t i nformati on between
wor ker bees have been di scover ed sci enti fi cal l y
usi ng photography and other methods. The Quran
menti ons i n the above ver ses how the bee wi th i ts
ski l l , fi nds the spaci ous paths of i ts Lord.
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The gender used for the bee i n the above ver ses i s
the femal e gender (fasluk and kul), i ndi cati ng that
the bee that l eaves i ts home for gatheri ng food i s a
femal e bee. I n other words the sol di er or worker bee
i s a femal e bee.
I n fact, i n Shakespear es pl ay, Henr y the Four th,
some of the char acter s speak about bees and
menti on that the bees ar e sol di er s and that they
have a ki ng. That i s what peopl e thought i n
Shakespear ean ti mes. They thought that the
wor ker bees ar e mal e bees and they go home and
are answerabl e to a ki ng bee. Thi s, however, i s not
true. The worker bees are femal es and they do not
report to a ki ng bee but to a queen bee. But i t took
moder n i nvesti gati ons i n the l ast 300 year s to
di scover thi s.
SPIDERS WEB, THE FRAGILE HOME
The parable of those who
take protectors other than Allah
is that of the Spider,
who builds (to itself) a house;
but truly the flimsiest of houses
is the Spiders house
if they but knew.
[Al-Quran 29:41]
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Besi des gi vi ng the physi cal descri pti on of the spi ders
web as bei ng ver y fl i msy, del i cate and weak, the
Qur an al so str esses on the fl i msi ness of the
rel ati onshi p i n the spi ders house, where the femal e
spi der many a ti mes ki l l s i ts mate, the mal e spi der.
The par abl e al so has r efer ence to the weakness of
such rel ati onshi p of the peopl e who seek protecti on
for thi s worl d and for the hereafter from those other
than Al l ah.
LIFESTYLE AND COMMUNICATION OF
ANTS
And before Solomon were
marshalled his hosts
of Jinns and men and birds,
and they were all kept
in order and ranks.
At length, when they came
to a (lowly) valley of ants,
one of the ants said :
O ye ants, get into
your habitations,
lest Solomon and his hosts
crush you (under foot)
without knowing it.
[Al-Quran 27:17-18]
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I n the past, some peopl e woul d have pr obabl y
mocked at the Quran, taki ng i t to be a book of fai ry
tal es i n whi ch ants tal k to each other and
communi cate sophi sti cated messages. I n r ecent
ti mes however, research has shown us several facts
about the l i festyl e of ants, whi ch wer e not known
earl i er to humanki nd. Research has shown that the
ani mal s or i nsects whose l i festyl e i s cl osest i n
resembl ance to the l i festyl e of human bei ngs are the
ants. Thi s can be seen fr om the fol l owi ng fi ndi ngs
regardi ng ants:
(a) The ants bury thei r dead i n a manner si mi l ar
to the humans.
(b) They have a sophi sti cated system of di vi si on
of l abour , wher eby they have manager s,
supervi sors, foremen, workers, etc.
(c) Once i n a whi l e they meet among themsel ves
to have a chat.
(d) They have an advanced method of
communi cati on among themsel ves.
(e) They hol d r egul ar mar kets wher e they
exchange goods.
(f) They store grai n for l ong peri ods i n wi nter and
i f the grai n begi ns to bud, they cut the roots, as
i f they understand that i f they l eave i t to grow,
i t wi l l rot. I f the grai n stored by them gets wet
due to rai ns, they take i t out i nto the sunl i ght
to dr y, and once dr y, they take i t back i nsi de
as though they know that humi di ty wi l l cause
devel opment of root systems whi ch wi l l cause
the grai n to rot.
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10. MEDICINE
HONEY: HEALING FOR HUMANKIND
The bee assi mi l ates jui ces of var i ous ki nds of
fl ower s and fr ui t and for ms honey wi thi n i ts body,
whi ch i t stor es i n i ts cel l s of wax. Onl y a coupl e of
centur i es ago humans came to know that honey
comes fr om the bel l y of the bee. But thi s fact was
menti oned i n the Qur an 1,400 year s ago i n the
fol l owi ng verse:
There issues from
within their bodies
a drink of varying colours,
wherein is healing for men.
[Al-Quran 16:69]
We ar e onl y now awar e that honey has heal i ng
pr oper ti es and i s al so a mi l d anti septi c. The
Russi ans woul d use honey to cover thei r wounds i n
Wor l d War I I . The wound woul d r etai n moi stur e
and woul d l eave ver y l i ttl e scar ti ssue. Due to the
densi ty of honey, no fungus or bacteri a coul d grow
i n the wound.
Dr amati c i mpr ovements wer e vi si bl e i n 22
i ncurabl e chest and Al zhei mer's di sease pati ents at
nur si ng Homes i n Engl and who wer e tr eated by
Si ster Car ol e, a nun, wi th pr opol i s, a substance
whi ch bees produce to seal hi ves agai nst bacteri a.
1
______________________________________________________________
1
The reference for thi s statment i s the vi deo tape ti tl ed This is the
Truth. For a copy of thi s vi deo tape contact the I sl ami c Research
Foundati on.
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A per son suffer i ng fr om an al l er gy of a par ti cul ar
pl ant may be gi ven honey fr om that pl ant so that
the per son devel ops r esi stance to that al l er gy.
Honey i s al so ri ch i n fructose and vi tami n K.
The knowl edge contai ned i n the Qur an r egar di ng
honey, i ts or i gi n and pr oper ti es, was di scover ed
centuri es after i ts revel ati on.
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11. PHYSIOLOGY
BLOOD CIRCULATION AND MILK
The Qur an was r eveal ed 600 year s befor e the
Musl i m sci enti st I bn Nafees descr i bed the
ci r cul ati on of the bl ood and 1,000 year s befor e
Wi l l i am Harwey brought thi s understandi ng to the
Western worl d. Roughl y thi rteen centuri es before i t
was known what happens i n the i ntesti nes to
ensure that organs are nouri shed by the process of
di gesti ve absorpti on, a verse i n the Quran descri bed
the source of the consti tuents of mi l k, i n conformi ty
wi th these noti ons.
To under stand the Qur ani c ver se concer ni ng the
above concepts, i t i s i mpor tant to know that
chemi cal reacti ons occur i n the i ntesti nes and that,
from there, substances extracted from food pass i nto
the bl ood stream vi a a compl ex system; someti mes
by way of the l i ver , dependi ng on thei r chemi cal
nature. The bl ood transports them to al l the organs
of the body, among whi ch ar e the mi l k-pr oduci ng
mammary gl ands.
I n si mpl e ter ms, cer tai n substances fr om the
contents of the i ntesti nes enter i nto the vessel s of
the i ntesti nal wal l i tsel f, and these substances are
tr anspor ted by the bl ood str eam to the var i ous
organs.
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This physiological concept must be fully appreciated if we
wish to understand the following verses of the Quran:
And verily in cattle there is
a lesson for you.
We give you to drink
of what is inside their bodies,
coming from a conjunction
between the contents of the
intestine and the blood,
a milk pure and pleasant for
those who drink it.
[Al-Quran 16:66]
1
And in cattle (too) ye
have an instructive example:
from within their bodies
We produce (milk)
for you to drink;
there are, in them,
(besides), numerous (other)
benefits for you;
and of their (meat) ye eat.
[Al-Quran 23:21]
____________________________________________________________
1
Transl ati on of thi s Qurani c verse i s from the book The Bi bl e, the
Quran and Sci ence by Dr. Mauri ce Bucai l l e.
The 1400 year ol d Qurani c descri pti on of the
production of milk in cattle is strikingly similar to what
modern physiology has discovered in recent times
_____________________________________________________________
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12. EMBRYOLOGY
MUSLIMS SEEK ANSWERS
A group of Musl i m Schol ars, under the di recti on of
an emi nent Yemani Schol ar , Shei kh Abdul Maji d
Azzi ndani , col l ected i nfor mati on concer ni ng
embr yol ogy
1
and other sci ences i n the Qur 'an and
undi sputed Hadi th
2
and transl ated i t i nto Engl i sh.
They then fol l owed the Qur'ani c advi ce:
If ye realise this not,
ask of those who possess
the Message.
[Al-Quran 16:43 & 21:7]
Al l the i nfor mati on fr om the Qur an and the
undi sputed Hadi th concer ni ng embr yol ogy so
gather ed, after bei ng tr ansl ated i nto Engl i sh and
pr esented to Pr of. (Dr .) Kei th Moor e, Pr ofessor of
Embr yol ogy and Chai r man of the Depar tment of
Anatomy at the Uni ver si ty of Tor onto, i n Canada.
At present he i s one of the hi ghest authori ti es i n the
fi el d of Embryol ogy.
He was asked to gi ve hi s opi ni on r egar di ng the
mater i al pr esented to hi m. After car eful l y
exami ni ng i t, Dr. Moore sai d that most of the
_____________________________________________________________
1
Embryol ogy i s the study of human devel opment before bi rth.
2
Hadi th or Sunnah means the sayi ngs or acti ons of Pr ophet
Muhammed (pbuh).
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i nfor mati on concer ni ng embr yol ogy menti oned i n
the Quran and the undi sputed Hadi th i s i n perfect
confor mi ty wi th moder n di scover i es i n the fi el d of
embryol ogy and does not confl i ct wi th them i n any
way. He added that ther e wer e a few ver ses
however, on whose sci enti fi c accuracy he coul d not
comment. He coul d not say whether the statements
were true or fal se, si nce he was hi msel f unaware of
the i nfor mati on contai ned ther ei n. Ther e was al so
no menti on of thi s i nformati on i n modern wri ti ngs
and studi es on embryol ogy.
One such verse i s:
Proclaim! (or Read!)
In the name of thy Lord
and Cherisher, Who created
Created man, out of a (mere)
clot of congealed blood.
[Al-Quran 96:1-2]
The Arabi c word alaq, besi des meani ng a congeal ed
cl ot of bl ood, al so means somethi ng that cl i ngs, a
l eech-l i ke substance.
Dr . Kei th Moor e had no knowl edge whether an
embryo i n the i ni ti al stages appears l i ke a l eech. To
check thi s out he studi ed the i ni ti al stage of the
embr yo under a ver y power ful mi cr oscope and
compar ed what he obser ved wi th the di agr am of a
l eech. He was astoni shed at the str i ki ng
resembl ance between the two!
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I n the same manner, he acqui red more i nformati on
on embryol ogy, that was hi therto not known to hi m,
from the Quran.
Dr . Kei th Moor e answer ed about ei ghty questi ons
deal i ng wi th embr yol ogi cal data menti oned i n the
Qur an and Hadi th. Noti ng that the i nfor mati on
contai ned i n the Qur an and Hadi th was i n ful l
agreement wi th the l atest di scoveri es i n the fi el d of
embryol ogy, Prof. Moore sai d, I f I was asked these
questi ons thi r ty year s ago, I woul d not have been
abl e to answer hal f of them for l ack of sci enti fi c
i nformati on.
1
I n 1981, duri ng the Seventh Medi cal Conference i n
Dammam, Saudi Ar abi a, Dr . Moor e sai d, I t has
been a gr eat pl easur e for me to hel p cl ar i fy
statements i n the Quran about human devel opment.
I t i s cl ear to me that these statements must have
come to Muhammad fr om God or Al l ah, because
al most al l of thi s knowl edge was not di scover ed
unti l many centur i es l ater . Thi s pr oves to me
that Muhammad must have been a messenger of
God or Al l ah.
2
Dr . Kei th Moor e had ear l i er author ed the book,
The Devel opi ng Human. After acqui r i ng new
knowl edge from the Quran, he wrote, i n 1982, the
3rd edi ti on of the same book, The Devel opi ng
_____________________________________________________________
1
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
2
The r efer ence for thi s statment i s the vi deo tape ti tl ed Thi s
is the Truth. For a copy of thi s vi deo tape contact the I sl ami c
Resear ch Foundati on.
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Human. The book was the reci pi ent of an award for
the best medi cal book wr i tten by a si ngl e author .
Thi s book has been tr ansl ated i nto sever al major
l anguages of the worl d and i s used as a textbook of
embryol ogy i n the fi rst year of medi cal studi es.
Dr. Joe Lei gh Si mpson, Chai rman of the Department
of Obstetri cs and Gynaecol ogy, at the Bayl or Col l ege
of Medi ci ne, Houston, U.S.A., pr ocl ai ms: ...these
Hadi ths, sayi ngs of Muhammad (pbuh), coul d not
have been obtai ned on the basi s of the sci enti fi c
knowl edge that was avai l abl e at the ti me of the
wri ter (i mpl yi ng i n the 7th century). I t fol l ows that
not onl y i s ther e no confl i ct between geneti cs and
rel i gi on (i mpl yi ng I sl am) but i n fact rel i gi on (I sl am)
may gui de sci ence by addi ng revel ati on to some of the
tr adi ti onal sci enti fi c appr oaches . . . ther e exi st
statements i n the Quran shown centuri es l ater to be
val i d whi ch support knowl edge i n the Quran havi ng
been deri ved from God.
DROP EMITTED FROM BETWEEN THE
BACK BONE AND THE RIBS
Now let man but think
from what he is created!
He is created from
a drop emitted
Proceeding from between
the back bone and the ribs.
[Al-Quran 86:5-7]
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I n embryoni c stages, the reproducti ve organs of the
mal e and femal e, i .e. the testi cl es and the ovar i es,
begi n thei r devel opment near the ki dney between
the spi nal col umn and the el eventh and twel fth ri bs.
Later they descend; the femal e gonads (ovari es) stop
i n the pel vi s whi l e the mal e gonads (testi cl es)
conti nue thei r descent befor e bi r th to r each the
scr otum thr ough the i ngui nal canal . Even i n
adul thood after the descent of the r epr oducti ve
organs, these organs recei ve thei r nerve suppl y and
bl ood suppl y from the Abdomi nal Aorta, whi ch i s i n
the area between the backbone (spi nal col umn) and
the r i bs. The l ymphati c dr ai nage and the venous
return al so go to the same area.
NUTFAH MINUTE QUANTITY OF
LIQUID
The Gl or i ous Qur an menti ons no l ess than el even
ti mes that the human bei ng i s created from nutfah,
whi ch means a mi nute quanti ty of l i qui d or a tri ckl e
of l i qui d that remai ns after emptyi ng a cup. Thi s i s
menti oned i n several verses of the Quran i ncl udi ng
22:5 and 23:13.
1
Sci ence has confi rmed i n recent ti mes that onl y one
out of an average of three mi l l i on sperms i s requi red
for fer ti l i si ng the ovum. Thi s means that onl y
1
/3
mi l l i onth part or 0.00003% of the quanti ty of sperms
that are emi tted i s requi red for ferti l i sati on.
_____________________________________________________________
1
The same i s al so menti oned i n the Qur an i n 16:4, 18:37, 35:11,
36:77, 40:67, 53:46, 75:37, 76:2 and 80:19.
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SULALAH QUINTESSENCE OF LIQUID
And made his progeny
from a quintessence
of the nature of
a fluid despised.
[Al-Quran 32:8]
The Arabi c word sulaalah means qui ntessence or the
best part of a whol e. We have come to know now that
onl y one si ngl e sper matozoon that penetr ates the
ovum i s requi red for ferti l i zati on, out of the several
mi l l i on produced by man. That one spermatozoon out
of several mi l l i on, i s referred to i n the Quran as
sulaalah. We have al so come to know now that onl y
one ovum i s fer ti l i zed out of the tens of thousand
produced by the femal e. That one ovum out of tens
of thousand i s al so r efer ed to i n the Qur 'an as
Sulaalah. Thi s wor d al so means gentl e extr acti on
fr om a fl ui d. The fl ui d r efer s to both mal e and
femal e ger mi nal fl ui ds contai ni ng gametes. Both
ovum and sper m ar e gentl y extr acted fr om thei r
envi ronments i n the process of ferti l i zati on.
NUTFATUN AMSHAAJ MINGLED
LIQUIDS
Verily We created man
from a drop of mingled sperm.
[Al-Quran 76:2]
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The Arabi c word nutfatin amshaajin means mi ngl ed
l i qui ds. Accor di ng to some commentator s of the
Quran, mi ngl ed l i qui ds refers to the mal e or femal e
agents or l i qui ds. After mi xture of mal e and femal e
gamete, the zygote sti l l r emai ns nutfah. Mi ngl ed
l i qui ds can al so r efer to sper mati c fl ui d that i s
formed of vari ous secreti ons that come from vari ous
gl ands.
Therefore, nutfatin amshaaj, i .e. a mi nute quanti ty
of mi ngl ed fl ui ds r efer s to the mal e and femal e
gametes (ger mi nal fl ui ds or cel l s) and par t of the
surroundi ng fl ui ds.
SEX DETERMINATION
The sex of a foetus i s deter mi ned by the natur e of
the sperm and not of the ovum. The sex of the chi l d,
whether femal e or mal e, depends on whether the
23rd pai r of chromosomes i s XX or XY respecti vel y.
Pri mari l y, sex determi nati on occurs at ferti l i zati on
and depends upon the type of sex chr omosome i n
the sper m that fer ti l i zes an ovum. I f i t i s an X
bear i ng sper m that fer ti l i zes the ovum, the foetus
i s a femal e and i f i t i s a Y bear i ng sper m then
the foetus i s a mal e.
That He did create
in pairs male and female,
from a seed when lodged
(in its place).
[Al-Quran 53:45-46]
The Arabi c word nutfah means a mi nute quanti ty of
l i qui d and tumnaa means ejacul ated or pl anted.
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Ther efor e nutfah speci fi cal l y r efer s to sper m
because i t i s ejacul ated.
The Quran says:
Was he not a drop
of sperm emitted
(in lowly form)?
Then did he become
a clinging clot;
then did (Allah) make
and fashion (him)
in due proportion.
And of him He made
two sexes, male
and female.
[Al-Quran 75:37-39]
Her e agai n i t i s menti oned that a smal l quanti ty
(drop) of sperm (i ndi cated by the word nutfatan min
maniyyin) whi ch comes from the man i s responsi bl e
for the sex of the foetus.
Mothers-i n-l aw i n the I ndi an subconti nent, usual l y
prefer havi ng mal e grandchi l dren and often bl ame
thei r daughter s-i n-l aw i f the chi l d i s not a boy. I f
onl y they knew that the deter mi ni ng factor i s the
nature of the mal e sperm and not the femal e ovum!
I f they wer e to bl ame anybody, they shoul d r ather
bl ame thei r sons, not thei r daughters-i n-l aw, si nce
both the Quran and Sci ence hol d that i t i s the mal e
fl ui d that i s responsi bl e for the sex of the chi l d!
Ther efor e nutfah speci fi cal l y r efer s to sper m
because i t i s ejacul ated.
The Quran says:
Was he not a drop
of sperm emitted
(in lowly form)?
Then did he become
a clinging clot;
and fashion (him)
in due proportion.
And of him He made
two sexes, male
and female.
[Al-Quran 75:37-39]
Her e agai n i t i s menti oned that a smal l quanti ty
(drop) of sperm (i ndi cated by the word nutfatan min
maniyyin) whi ch comes from the man i s responsi bl e
for the sex of the foetus.
Mothers-i n-l aw i n the I ndi an subconti nent, usual l y
prefer havi ng mal e grandchi l dren and often bl ame
thei r daughter s-i n-l aw i f the chi l d i s not a boy. I f
onl y they knew that the deter mi ni ng factor i s the
nature of the mal e sperm and not the femal e ovum!
I f they wer e to bl ame anybody, they shoul d r ather
bl ame thei r sons, not thei r daughters-i n-l aw, si nce
both the Quran and Sci ence hol d that i t i s the mal e
fl ui d that i s responsi bl e for the sex of the chi l d!
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FOETUS PROTECTED BY THREE VEILS
OF DARKNESS
He makes you,
in the wombs of your mothers,
in stages, one after another,
in three veils of darkness.
[Al-Quran 39:6]
Accordi ng to Prof. Kei th Moore, these three vei l s of
darkness i n the Quran refer to:
(i ) anteri or abdomi nal wal l of the mother
(i i ) the uteri ne wal l
(i i i ) the amni o-chori oni c membrane.
EMBRYOLOGICAL STAGES
Man We did create
from a quintessence (of clay);
then We placed him
as (a drop of) sperm
in a place of rest, firmly fixed;
then We made the sperm
into a clot of congealed blood;
then of that clot We made
a (foetus) lump;
FOETUS PROTECTED BY THREE VEILS
OF DARKNESS
He makes you,
in the wombs of your mothers,
in stages, one after another,
in three veils of darkness.
[Al-Quran 39:6]
Accordi ng to Prof. Kei th Moore, these three vei l s of
darkness i n the Quran refer to:
(i ) anteri or abdomi nal wal l of the mother
(i i ) the uteri ne wal l
(i i i ) the amni o-chori oni c membrane.
EMBRYOLOGICAL STAGES
Man We did create
from a quintessence (of clay);
then We placed him
as (a drop of) sperm
in a place of rest, firmly fixed;
then We made the sperm
into a clot of congealed blood;
then of that clot We made
a (foetus) lump;
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then We made out of that
lump bones and clothed
the bones with flesh;
then We developed
out of it another creature.
so blessed be Allah,
the Best to create!
[Al-Qur an 23:12-14]
I n thi s verse Al l ah states that man i s created from
a smal l quanti ty of l i qui d whi ch i s pl aced i n a pl ace
of rest, fi rml y fi xed (wel l establ i shed or l odged) for
whi ch the Ar abi c wor d qaraarin makeen i s used.
The uter us i s wel l pr otected fr om the poster i or by
the spi nal col umn suppor ted fi r ml y by the back
muscl es. The embr yo i s fur ther pr otected by the
amni oti c sac contai ni ng the amni oti c fl ui d. Thus
the foetus has a wel l protected dwel l i ng pl ace.
Thi s smal l quanti ty of fl ui d i s made i nto alaqah,
meani ng somethi ng whi ch cl i ngs. I t al so means
a l eech-l i ke substance. Both descr i pti ons ar e
sci enti fi cal l y acceptabl e as i n the very earl y stages
the foetus cl i ngs to the wal l and al so appear s to
r esembl e the l eech i n shape. I t al so behaves l i ke a
l eech (bl ood sucker ) and acqui r es i ts bl ood suppl y
from the mother through the pl acenta.
The thi r d meani ng of the wor d alaqah i s a bl ood
cl ot. Dur i ng thi s alaqah stage, whi ch spans the
thi rd and fourth week of pregnancy, the bl ood cl ots
wi thi n cl osed vessel s. Hence the embr yo acqui r es
the appearance of a bl ood cl ot i n addi ti on to
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acqui r i ng the appear ance of a l eech. Compar e the
r eadi l y avai l abl e Qur 'ani c knowl edge wi th Man's
struggl e wi th sci enti fi c fi ndi ngs:
I n 1677, Hamm and Leeuwenhoek wer e the
fi r st sci enti sts to obser ve human sper m cel l s
(spermatozoa) through a mi croscope. They thought
that a sper m cel l contai ned a mi ni atur e human
bei ng whi ch grew i n the uterus to form a newborn.
Thi s was known as the per for ati on theor y. When
sci enti sts di scovered that the ovum was bi gger than
the sperm, i t was thought by sci enti sts l i ke De Graf
and other s that the foetus exi sted i n a mi ni atur e
for m i n the ovum. Later , i n the 18th centur y,
Mauper tui s pr opagated the theor y of bi par ental
i nheri tance.
The alaqah i s tr ansfor med i nto mudghah whi ch
means somethi ng that i s chewed (havi ng teeth
marks) and al so somethi ng that i s tacky and smal l
whi ch can be put i n the mouth l i ke gum. Both these
expl anati ons ar e sci enti fi cal l y cor r ect. Pr of. Kei th
Moore took a pi ece of pl aster seal and made i t i nto
the si ze and shape of the ear l y stage of foetus and
chewed i t between the teeth to make i t i nto a
mudghah. He compared thi s wi th the photographs
of the ear l y stage of foetus. The teeth mar ks
resembl ed the somi tes whi ch i s the earl y formati on
of the spi nal col umn.
Thi s mudghah i s tr ansfor med i nto bones (izm).
The bones ar e cl othed wi th i ntact fl esh or muscl es
(lahm). Then Al l ah makes i t i nto another creature.
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Pr of. Mar shal l Johnson who i s one of the l eadi ng
sci enti sts i n the USA, and i s the head of the
Department of Anatomy and Di rector of the Dani el
I nsti tute at the Thomas Jeffer son Uni ver si ty i n
Phi l adel phi a i n the USA, was asked to comment on
the verses of the Quran deal i ng wi th embryol ogy. At
fi rst he sai d that the verses of the Quran descri bi ng
the embryol ogi cal stages cannot be a coi nci dence. I t
was probabl e that Muhammad (pbuh) had a powerful
mi croscope. On bei ng remi nded that the Quran was
r eveal ed 1400 year s ago, and mi cr oscopes wer e
i nvented many centuri es after the ti me of Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh), Pr of. Johnson l aughed and
admi tted that the fi rst mi croscope i nvented coul d not
magni fy more than 10 ti mes and coul d not show a
cl ear pi cture.
Later he sai d: I see nothi ng her e i n confl i ct wi th
the concept that Di vi ne i nter venti on was i nvol ved
when Muhammad (pbuh) reci ted the Quran.
1
Accor di ng to Dr . Kei th Moor e, the moder n
cl assi fi cati on of embr yoni c devel opment stages
whi ch i s adopted thr oughout the wor l d, i s not
easi l y compr ehensi bl e, si nce i t i denti fi es stages
on a numeri cal basi s i .e. stage 1, stage 2, etc. On the
other hand, the di vi si ons reveal ed i n the Quran are
based on di sti nct and easi l y i denti fi abl e for ms or
shapes, whi ch the embr yo passes thr ough. These
ar e based on di ffer ent phases of pr e-natal
devel opment
_____________________________________________________________
1
The reference for this statment is the video tape titled This is the Truth.
For a copy of this video tape contact the I slamic Research Foundation.
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and provi de el egant sci enti fi c descri pti ons that are
comprehensi bl e and practi cal .
Embr yol ogi cal stages of human devel opment have
al so been descri bed i n the fol l owi ng verses:
Was he not a drop
of sperm emitted
(in lowly form)?
Then did he become
a clinging clot;
and fashion (him)
in due proportion.
and of him He made
two sexes, male
and female.
[Al-Quran 75:37-39]
Him Who created thee,
fashioned thee in due proportion,
and gave thee a just bias;
in whatever Form He wills,
does He put thee together.
[Al-Quran 82:7-8]
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EMBRYO PARTLY FORMED AND
PARTLY UNFORMED
At the mudghah stage, i f an i nci si on i s made i n the
embryo and the i nternal organ i s di ssected, i t wi l l be
seen that most of them ar e for med whi l e the
remai ni ng are not yet compl etel y formed.
Accor di ng to Pr of. Johnson, i f we descr i be the
embr yo as a compl ete cr eati on, then we ar e onl y
descr i bi ng that par t whi ch i s al r eady cr eated.
I f we descr i be i t as an i ncompl ete cr eati on, then
we ar e onl y descr i bi ng that par t whi ch i s not yet
created. So, i s i t a compl ete creati on or an i ncompl ete
creati on? There i s no better descri pti on of thi s stage
of embr yogenesi s than the Qur ani c descr i pti on,
par tl y for med and par tl y unfor med , as i n the
fol l owi ng verse:
We created you
out of dust,
then out of sperm,
then out of a leech-like clot,
then out of a morsel of flesh,
partly formed
and partly unformed
that We may manifest
(Our Power) to you.
[Al-Quran 22:5]
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Sci enti fi cal l y we know that at thi s ear l y stage
of devel opment ther e ar e some cel l s whi ch ar e
di ffer enti ated and ther e ar e some cel l s that ar e
undi fferenti ated some organs are formed and yet
others unformed.
SENSE OF HEARING AND SIGHT
The fi r st sense to devel op i n a devel opi ng human
embryo i s heari ng. The foetus can hear sounds after
the 24th week. Subsequentl y, the sense of si ght i s
devel oped and by the 28th week, the reti na becomes
sensi ti ve to l i ght.
The Qur'an expl ai ns i t thus:
And He gave
you (the faculties of) hearing
and sight and feeling
(and understanding).
[Al-Quran 32:9]
Verily We created man
from a drop of mingled sperm,
in order to try him:
so We gave him (the gifts),
of Hearing and Sight.
[Al-Quran 76:2]
It is He Who has created
for you (the faculties of)
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hearing, sight, feeling and
understanding:
little thanks it is ye give!
[Al-Quran 23:78]
I n al l these verses the sense of heari ng i s menti oned
befor e that of si ght. Thus the Qur ani c descr i pti on
matches per fectl y wi th the di scover i es i n moder n
embryol ogy.
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13. GENERAL SCIENCE
FINGERPRINTS
Does man think that We
cannot assemble his bones?
Nay, We are able to put
together in perfect order
the very tips of his fingers.
[Al-Quran 75:3-4]
Unbel i ever s ar gue r egar di ng r esur r ecti on taki ng
pl ace after bones of dead peopl e have di si ntegrated
i n the ear th and how each i ndi vi dual woul d be
i denti fi ed on the Day of Judgement. Al mi ghty Al l ah
answer s that He can not onl y assembl e our bones
but can al so r econstr uct per fectl y our ver y
fi ngerti ps.
Why does the Qur an, whi l e speaki ng about
deter mi nati on of the i denti ty of the i ndi vi dual ,
speak speci fi cal l y about fi nger ti ps? I n 1880,
fi nger pr i nti ng became the sci enti fi c method of
i denti fi cati on, after r esear ch done by Si r Fr anci s
Gol t. No two per sons i n the wor l d can ever have
exactl y the same fi nger pr i nt patter n, not even
i denti cal twi ns. That i s the reason why pol i ce forces
worl dwi de use fi ngerpri nts to i denti fy cri mi nal s.
Fourteen hundred years ago, who coul d have known
the uni queness of each humans fi ngerpri nt? Surel y i t
coul d have been none other than the Creator Hi msel f!
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PAIN RECEPTORS IN THE SKIN
I t was thought that the sense of feel i ng and pai n
was dependent onl y on the brai n. Recent di scoveri es
however prove that there are pai n receptors present
i n the ski n, wi thout whi ch a per son woul d not be
abl e to feel pai n.
When a doctor exami nes a pati ent suffer i ng fr om
bur n i njur i es, he ver i fi es the degr ee of bur ns by a
pi npr i ck. I f the pati ent feel s pai n, the doctor i s
happy, because i t i ndi cates that the bur ns ar e
superfi ci al and the pai n receptors are i ntact. On the
other hand, i f the pati ent does not feel any pai n, i t
i ndi cates that i t i s a deep bur n and the pai n
receptors have been destroyed.
The Quran gi ves a cl ear i ndi cati on of the exi stence
of pai n receptors i n the fol l owi ng verse:
Those who reject
our signs,
We shall soon
cast into the Fire;
as often as their skins
are roasted through,
We shall change them
for fresh skins,
that they may taste
the Penalty:
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for Allah is Exalted
in Power, Wise.
[Al-Quran 4:56]
Prof. Tagatat Tejasen, Chai rman of the Department
of Anatomy at Chi ang Mai Uni versi ty i n Thai l and,
has spent a gr eat amount of ti me on r esear ch of
pai n r eceptor s. I ni ti al l y he coul d not bel i eve that
the Qur an menti oned thi s sci enti fi c fact 1,400
year s ago. He l ater ver i fi ed the tr ansl ati on of thi s
par ti cul ar Qur ani c ver se. Pr of. Tejasen was so
i mpressed by the sci enti fi c accuracy of the Qurani c
ver se, that at the 8th Saudi Medi cal Confer ence
hel d i n Ri yadh on the Sci enti fi c Si gns of Quran and
Sunnah, he proudl y procl ai med i n publ i c:
There i s no God but Al l ah and
Muhammad (pbuh) i s Hi s Messenger.
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14. CONCLUSION
To attr i bute the pr esence of sci enti fi c facts i n the
Qur an to coi nci dence woul d be agai nst common
sense and a true sci enti fi c approach.
I ndeed the sci enti fi c accuracy of the Qur'ani c verses
confi rm the Qur'an's open decl arati on.
Soon will We show them
Our Signs in the (furthest)
regions (of the earth), and
in their own souls, until
it becomes manifest to them
that this is the Truth
it is not enough that
Thy Lord doth witness
all things?
[Al-Quran 41:53]
The Qur an i nvi tes al l humans to r efl ect on the
Creati on of thi s uni verse i n the verse:
Behold! In the creation
of the heavens and the earth,
and the alternation
of Night and Day
there are indeed Signs
for men of understanding .
[Al-Quran 3:190]
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The sci enti fi c evi dences of the Quran cl earl y prove
i ts Di vi ne ori gi n. No human coul d have produced a
book, four teen hundr ed year s ago, that woul d
contai n such profound sci enti fi c facts.
The Quran, however, i s not a book of Sci ence but a
book of Si gns. These si gns i nvi te Man to real i ze the
pur pose of hi s exi stence on ear th, and to l i ve i n
har mony wi th Natur e. The Qur an i s tr ul y a
message fr om Al l ah, the Cr eator and Sustai ner of
the uni ver se. I t contai ns the same Message of the
Oneness of God, that was preached by al l prophets,
r i ght fr om Adam, Moses, Jesus to Muhammad
(peace be upon them).
Sever al detai l ed tomes have been wr i tten on the
subject of Qur an and moder n sci ence and fur ther
research i n thi s fi el d i s on. I nshal l ah, thi s research
wi l l hel p manki nd to come cl oser to the Word of the
Al mi ghty. Thi s bookl et contai ns onl y a few of the
sci enti fi c facts present i n the Quran. I cannot cl ai m
to have done ful l justi ce to the subject.
Prof. Tejasen accepted I sl am on the strength of just
one sci enti fi c si gn menti oned i n the Quran. Some
peopl e may r equi r e ten si gns whi l e some may
r equi r e hundr ed si gns to be convi nced about the
Di vi ne or i gi n of the Qur an. Some woul d be
unwi l l i ng to accept the Tr uth even after bei ng
shown a thousand si gns. The Quran condemns such
a cl osed mental i ty i n the verse:
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Deaf, dumb and blind,
They will not return
(To the path).
[Al-Quran 2:18]
The Quran contai ns a compl ete code of l i fe for the
i ndi vi dual and soci ety. Al hamdul i l l ah (Prai se be to
Al l ah), the Qurani c way of l i fe i s far superi or to the
i sms that moder n man has i nvented out of sheer
i gnor ance. Who can gi ve better gui dance than the
Creator Hi msel f?
I pray that thi s humbl e effort i s accepted by Al l ah,
to whom I pray for mercy and gui dance (Aameen).

The Quran and Modern Science

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