INTELLECTUAL DIMENSIONS OF ISLAM

The Quran instructs Muslims to "contemplate the wonders of creation" (Quran 3:191).
The astrophysicist Nidhal Guessoum argues that the Quran has developed "the concept of
knowledge" that encourages scientific discovery.He writes:

"The Qur'an draws attention to the danger of conjecturing without evidence (And follow not that of
which you have not the (certain) knowledge of... (17:36) and in several different verses asks Muslims
to require proofs (Say: Bring your proof if you are truthful (2:111), both in matters of theological belief
and in natural science."

The philosopher Muhammad Iqbal considered the Quran's methodology and epistemology to be
empirical and rational.

There is, perhaps, no better illustration of the close links between Islam and science than the Prophet
Muhammad’s often-quoted statements:

“Seeking knowledge is compulsory on every Muslim.”

“Wisdom is the lost property of the believer.”

“Whoever follows a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make his path to paradise easy.”

In many parts of the Book, the Qur’an, encourages this kind of general reflection but also contains
infinitely more precise data which are directly related to facts discovered by modern science. It is
precisely this data which exercise a magnetic attraction for today’s scientists.
There are also some very rare examples of statements in the Qur’an which have not, as yet, been
confirmed by modern science.

ASTRONOMY
In the first place, science developed in the Arab World at a considerable time after the Qur’anic
revelation had occurred. Secondly, the scientific knowledge prevalent at the highpoint of Islamic
civilization would have made it impossible for any human being to have written statements on the
heavens comparable to those in the Qur’an. The material on this subject is so vast that We can only
provide a brief outline of it here.

Creation of the Universe

“Do the unbelievers not realize that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then I clove
them asunder and I made every living thing out of water. Will they still not believe?” Qur’an, 21:30

Planetary orbit
“(God is) the one who created the night, the day, the sun and the moon. Each one is traveling in an
orbit with its own motion.” Qur’an,21:33

The solar orbit

“The sun runs its coarse to a settled place That is the decree of the Almighty, the All Knowing.”
Qur’an, 36:38

Expansion of the universe

“I built the heaven with power and it is I, who am expanding it.” Qur’an,51:47

Conquest of Space
“O assembly of Jinns and men, if you can penetrate the regions of the heavens and the earth, then
penetrate them! You will not penetrate them except with authority.”
Qur’an,55:33

GEOLOGY
Let us now return to earth to discover some of the many amazing statements contained in Qur’anic
reflections about our own planet. They deal, not only with the physical phenomena observed here on
earth, but also with details concerning the living organisms that inhabit it.

Water cycle
“Have you not seen that Allah sent rain down from the sky and caused it to penetrate the ground and
come forth as springs, then He caused crops of different colors to grow…” Qur’an,39:21

“Have We not made the earth an expanse and the mountains stakes?”
Qur’an, 78:6-7

EMBRYOLOGY

Fertilization
“Verily, I created humankind from a small quantity of mingled fluids.” Qur’an, 76:2

"But He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him of His spirit. And He gave you
hearing, and sight, and understanding" (32:9).

Embryo
“We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement,
firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an alaqah (leech, suspended thing, and blood clot), then
We made the alaqah into a mudghah (chewed substance)…” (Quran 23:12-14)

Miscellaneous
Sky’s protection
The sky protects the earth from the lethal rays of the sun. If the sky did not exist then the sun’s
radiation would have killed off all life on earth. It also acts like a blanket wrapped around the earth, to
protect it from the freezing cold of space. The sky also protects life on earth by warming the surface
through heat retention.
“We made the sky a protective ceiling. And yet they are turning away from Our signs!” (Quran 21:32)
Iron
Iron is not natural to the earth. It did not form on the earth but came down to earth from outer space.
This may sound strange but it’s true. Scientists have found that billions of years ago the earth was
stuck by meteorites. These meteorites were carrying Iron from distant stars which had exploded (M.
E. Walrath, History of the Earth’s Formation)
“We sent down Iron with its great inherent strength and its many benefits for humankind.” (Quran
57:25)

CRITICAL THINKING IN ISLAM

Islam encouraged on the rational thinking not just the blind faith.
"But none will grasp the message except the men of intellect."2:269
Say: Bring your proof if you are truthful. (2:111)
Were there gods in them [earth and heaven] other than God, they would surely disintegrate ... (21:22)
Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts and minds may thus learn wisdom and their
ears may thus learn to hear ?Truly it is not the eyes are blind ,but their hearts which are in their
chests.(22:46)
“They follow nothing except conjecture, and what the self desires ... “(53:23)

CONCEPT OF SUCCESS IN LIFE

“He will indeed be successful who purifies his ownself, and he will indeed fail who corrupts his
ownself.” (Quran 91:9-10)

“And my success cannot come from any source besides God. I have put my trust in Him.” (Quran
11:88)

“Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full.
And whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The
life of this world is only a deceiving thing.” (Quran 3:185)

Couldn't Muhammad Have Authored the Quran? OR Why only The Quran is the word of God

1.The Quran, which he brought, has challenged all mankind with all their literary geniuses and scientists, from
the first day of its revelation to the Last Day, to produce a like of it or even a single chapter of it.

2.The Qur’an is beyond compare from the viewpoint of its styles and eloquence
3.The Qur’an contains at least the principles of all the branches of knowledge either in summary or detail and
not even a single piece of the knowledge it contains has ever been contradicted.

4.The Qur’an addresses and legislates for all in all times.

5.If Prophet Muhammad had written the Qur’an by himself, he should never have mentioned some incidents
concerning him.

6.It is another argument for the Divine authorship of the Quran that it refers to certain facts of creation recently
established by modern scientific methods.

7.The exact prophecies regarding the near future incidents are mentioned in The Quran such as such as the
foretelling of the Byzantines defeating the Persian Empire.

8.The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was known in history to be illiterate; he could not read nor
write and was not educated in any field that could account for the scientific accuracies in the Quran.
9.Some may claim that he copied it from learned people or Bible. If it was copied, we would have expected to
see all the incorrect scientific assumptions of the time also being copied. Rather, we find that the Quran does
not contain any errors whatsoever - be they scientific or otherwise.
10. It is a historically documented fact that the Quran is preserved in its original language - which is a miracle
in itself.