The Scientific Miracles of the Holy Quran - Embryo Development

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The Scientific Miracles of the Holy Quran - Embryo Development



This article delineates the correlation between the most accepted
scientific explanation of the origin and expansion of the Universe,
and the description of its origin and expansion in the Quran.



Hubble’s Law

For thousands of years, astronomers wrestled with basic questions
concerning the universe. Until the early 1920’s, it was believed that
the universe had always been in existence; also, that the size of the
universe was fixed and not changing. However, in 1912, the American
astronomer, Vesto Slipher, made a discovery that would soon change
astronomers’ beliefs about the universe. Slipher, noticed that the
galaxies were moving away from earth at huge velocities. These
observations provided the first evidence supporting the expanding-
universe theory.[1]





Before the invention of the telescope in 1608, man could do little
more than wonder about the origin of the universe. (Courtesy: NASA)



In 1916, Albert Einstein formulated his General Theory of Relativity
that indicated that the universe must be either expanding or
contracting. Confirmation of the expanding-universe theory finally
came in 1929 in the hands of the well known American astronomer Edwin
Hubble.

By observing redshifts[2] in the light wavelengths emitted by
galaxies, Hubble found that galaxies were not fixed in their position;
instead, they were actually moving away from us with speeds
proportional to their distance from earth (Hubble's Law). The only
explanation for this observation was that the universe had to be
expanding. Hubble’s discovery is regarded as one of the greatest in
the history of astronomy. In 1929, he published the velocity-time
relation which is the basis of modern cosmology. In the years to
come, with further observations, the expanding-universe theory was
accepted by scientists and astronomers alike.





With the Hooker Telescope, Hubble discovered that the galaxies were
moving away us. Above are photos of known galaxies. (Courtesy: NASA)



Yet, astonishingly well before telescopes were even invented and well
before Hubble published his Law, Prophet Muhammad used to recite a
verse of the Quran to his companions that ultimately stated that the
universe is expanding.

“And the heaven We created with might, and indeed We are (its)
expander.” (Quran 51:47)

At the time of the revelation of the Quran, the word “space” was not
known, and people used the word “heaven” to refer to what lies above
the Earth. In the above verse, the word “heaven” is referring to
space and the known universe. The verse points out that space, and
thus the universe, happens to be expanding, just as Hubble’s Law
states.

That the Quran mentioned such a fact centuries before the invention of
the first telescope, at a time when there was primitive knowledge in
science, is considered remarkable. This is more so considering that,
like many people in his time, Prophet Muhammad happened to be
illiterate and simply could not have been aware of such facts by
himself. Could it be that he had truly received divine revelation
from the Creator and Originator of the universe?

The Big Bang Theory

Soon after Hubble published his theory, he went on to discover that
not only were galaxies moving away from the Earth, but were also
moving away from one another. This meant that the universe happened
to be expanding in every direction, in the same way a balloon expands
when filled with air. Hubble’s new findings placed the foundations
for the Big Bang theory.

The Big Bang theory states that around 12-15 billion years ago the
universe came into existence from one single extremely hot and dense
point, and that something triggered the explosion of this point that
brought about the beginning of the universe. The universe, since
then, has been expanding from this single point.

Later, in 1965, radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson made
a Noble Prize winning discovery that confirmed the Bing Bang theory.
Prior to their discovery, the theory implied that if the single point
from which the universe came into existence was initially extremely
hot, then remnants of this heat should be found. This remnant heat is
exactly what Penzias and Wilson found. In 1965, Penzias and Wilson
discovered a 2.725 degree Kelvin Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
(CMB) that spreads through the universe. Thus, it was understood that
the radiation found was a remnant of the initial stages of the Big
Bang. Presently, the Big Bang theory is accepted by the vast majority
of scientists and astronomers.




A microwave map of the leftover from the Big Bang that gave birth to
the universe. (Courtesy: NASA)



It is mentioned in the Quran:

“He (God) is the Originator of the heavens and the earth…” (Quran
6:101)

“Is not He who created the heavens and the earth Able to create the
likes of them? Yes; and He is the Knowing Creator. His command is
only when He intends a thing that He says to it, ‘Be,’ and it
is.” (Quran 36:81-82)

The above verses prove that the universe had a beginning, that God was
behind its creation, and all that God needs to do inorder to create is
to say “Be,” and it is. Could this be an explanation as to what
triggered off the explosion that brought about the beginning of the
universe?

The Quran also mentions:

“Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the
earth were a joined entity, then We separated them, and made from
water every living thing? Then will they not believe?” (Quran 21:30)

Muslim scholars who have explained the previous verse mention that the
heavens and earth were once one, and then God caused them to separate
and form into the seven heavens and Earth. Yet, due to the
limitations of science and technology at the time of the revelation of
the Quran (and for centuries to follow), no scholar was able to give
much detail about how exactly the heavens and earth were created.
What the scholars could explain was the precise meaning of each word
in Arabic in the verse, as well as the overall meaning of the verse.

In the previous verse, the Arabic words ratq and fataq are used. The
word ratqcan be translated into “entity” “sewn to” “joined together”
or “closed up”. The meaning of these translations all circulate
around something that is mixed and that has a separate and distinct
existence. The verb fataq is translated into “We unstitched” “We
clove them asunder” “We separated” or “We have opened them”. These
meanings imply that something comes into being by an action of
splitting or tearing apart. The sprouting of a seed from the soil is
a good example of a similar illustration of the meaning of the verb
fataq.

With the introduction of the Big Bang theory, it soon became clear to
Muslim scholars that the details mentioned with regards to the theory
go identically hand in hand with the description of the creation of
the universe in verse 30 of chapter 21 of the Quran. The theory
states that all the matter in the universe came into existence from
one single extremely hot and dense point; that exploded and brought
about the beginning of the universe, matches what is mentioned in the
verse that the heaven and Earth (thus the universe) where once joined
together, and then split apart. Once again, the only possible
explanation is that Prophet Muhammad had truly received divine
revelation from God, The Creator and Originator of the universe.



Footnotes:
[1] The First Three Minutes, a Modern View of the Origin of the
Universe, Weinberg.
[2] When the light an object emits is displaced toward the red end of
the spectrum. (http://bjp.org.cn/apod/glossary.htm)

http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1560/


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