Scientific Accuracy of Quran amazes you
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This message is based on an article titled “Highlights of Human
embryology in the Qur’an and Haidth” by Dr.Keith Moore, Professor of
Anatomy and Chairman of the Department, Faculty of Medicine, at the
University of Toronto.Dr. Moore points out that the study of how the
human embryo develops in the mother’s womb could not progress
significantly without the use of microscopes. Microscopes were not
invented until the 17th century C.E., and were not used in this field
of study until the 18th century. Therefore, when Dr. Moore studied
certain statements in the Qur’an on this subject, he remarked, “ I was
amazed at the scientific accuracy of these statements which were made
in the 7th century C.E.,”
The Qur’an in 39:6 states that God made us in the wombs of our mothers
in stages. Dr. Moore comments: “The realization that the embryo
develops in stages in the uterus was not proposed until the1940’s, and
the stages used nowadays were not adopted worldwide until the 19th
century C.E.”Furthermore, he says: “The idea that development results
from a genetic plan contained in the chromosomes, of the zygote was
not discovered until the end of the 19th century C.E. The verse from
the Qur’an [80:18] clearly implies that the nutfa (i.e.
the initial drop of fluid) contains the plan or blueprint for the
future characteristics and features of the developing human being.”The
Qur’an 23: 12-16 indicates that there is a lag or a gap between two of
the early stages of growth. How does that compare with modern
scientific knowledge? Remarkably! Says
Dr. Moore: “It is well established that there is a lag or a delay in
the development of
the embryo during the implantation… The agreement between the lag or
gap in development mentioned in the Qur’an and the slow rate of change
occurring during the second or third weeks is amazing. These details
of human development were not described until about 40 years
ago.”Finally,
Dr. Moore concludes by saying that the agreement he has found in the
Qur’anic statements ‘may help to close the gap between science and
religion which has existed for so many years.”The above evidence shows
that the Qur’an must be from God as it claims. The Qur’an says that
you and every human being should consider this book with care: {Had it
been from anyone other than God, you would have found much discrepancy
in it} [Qur’an 4:82]
The Scientific Facts
One of the more popular aspects of the i'jaaz (the miraculous nature)
of the Qur'aan in these times concerns its comments on aspects of
science that the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and his
people could not have known about. There are a number of books written
about this topic, perhaps the most popular being Maurice Bucaille's
The Bible, Qur'an, and Science1 It should be remembered however, that
the Qur'aan is not meant to be a book primarily devoted to a
discussion of 'science', but rather a book that is meant for the
guidance of mankind. As such, any references to subjects of a
scientific nature are typically brief and not very descriptive. The
i'jaaz, however appears in the fact that even in these limited
descriptions, the Qur'aan conforms exactly to modern science, and
imparts knowledge that was unknown during the lifetime of the Prophet
(sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam). These descriptions are free from
retroactive ideas that plagued humanity from the earliest of times,
such as the concept that the Earth is stationary, and all the other
planets and stars rotate around it.
There are numerous examples of such verses, such as the description of
the formation of human life. The sperm of man is referred to as a
'mixture of liquids' (76:2), since the sperm is composed of various
secretions from the testicles, the seminal vesicles, the prostate and
other glands. From the literally millions of sperms produced and
ejaculated, only one sperm is actually used in the fertilization
process - a very small quantity. This is referred to in a number of
verses by the word 'nutfah' (75:37) which signifies a small quantity
of mixed fluid. the sperm then hoins the female egg and forms the
zygote.
This occurs in the mother's womb, a 'safe lodging' (23:13). (see
Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6 - Web Ed.). ...During the delivery process, the
passage of the baby from the mother's womb to the outside world occurs
through the birth canal. Typically, this canal is extremely narrow and
tight. However, shortly before the birth, certain changes occur,
including the release of certain hormones, the contractions of the
uterus, and the breakage of the 'bag of water' surrounding the baby,
all of which contribute to making the canal loose.
This is referred to in 80:20, "then We made the passage (though the
birth canal) easy."Perhaps the best way to appreciate the beauty of
the above verses is to see pictures of the human embryo as it goes
through the various stages of development...(see Chapters 3, 4, 5 and
6 - Web Ed)The vivid yet simple descriptions given in these verses
(i.e. 22:5) were unknown to the people of the Prophet's pbuh time,
demonstrating the i'jaaz of the Qur'aan in Science.Other facts that
are given in the Qur'aan include the description of the formation of
milk (16:66), the notion of orbits for the planes (21:33 and 36:40),
and the description of the water cycle (15:22, 35:9 and more). Every
verse that discusses nature and the creation falls into this category.
In many verses, Allah Himself commands mankind to ponder over the
creation, and mentions these as an indication of His Existence and
Power. (3:190-191)One final note on the concept of science as an
i'jaaz of the Qur'aan:
There can never be a real contradictions between the Qur'aan and the
Laws of Allah concerning the creation (i.e. actual science). The
Qur'aan is the Book of Allah, and since it is from Allah "there is no
doubt in it" (2:1)Likewise, the laws that govern the creation are also
from Allah. What is studied as 'science', on the other hand, is the
attempt by man to understand the creation and laws of Allah. Therefore
it is possible fro a scientific assumption to be incorrect, and this
is clearly demonstrated by historically scientific 'facts' as the
Earth being flat, or the orbiting of the Sun around the Earth. These
concepts were believed to in so strongly by the 'scientists' of their
time that, on occasion, those who opposed them were harassed and even
killed.
Yet, later scientists discovered the inaccuracy of these
concepts.Therefore, when there is a conflict between the meaning of a
clear, explicit verse (meaning qat'ee ad-dalaalah) of the Qur'aan and
'modern' science. a Muslim must take the verse of the Qur'aan -
without hesitation - over any scientific 'fact'. A rejection of such a
verse, or even the apparent meaning of such a verse, would be
tantamount to a rejection of Allah's knowledge. For example, the
theory of evolution is, for the most part, agreed upon by the majority
of non-Muslim scholars.
Whether there is strong proof to back up the theory or not is
irrelevant - the Qur'aan is clear that Allah created Adam from His own
Hands, and "From him He created his mate, and from these two He spread
forth many men and women" (4:1)Therefore a Muslim can never believe in
the theory that men are descendants of apes, no matter what "proof"
might seem to exist.2 Neither is it allowed, as some Muslim
rationalists have done, to try to interpret clear Qur'aanic texts to
suit modern theories. Following the above example, to try to interpret
the story of the creation of Adam and Eve as actually having been the
creation of some Neanderthal neo-human species is almost as
blasphemous as rejecting the verse in the first place!It is possible,
however, for there to be an apparent conflict between a verse and a
scientific fact, when no such conflict exists.
This occurs when some scholars take one of the possible linguistic
meanings of a vers, such that this meaning conforms with the verse,
but is not the only meaning that may be derived from it (basically,
the verse is dhannee ad-dalaalah). For example some scholars have
understood certain verses of the Qur'aan (e.g., "And it is He who has
spread out the Earth" (13:3), and (15:9)) to indicate that the Earth
is flat, since the phrase 'madd' occurs, which means 'to spread out'.
However, this verse is not explicit in stating taht the Earth is flat,
and to conclude this from the above verse requires a degree of
interpretation.
Since there exists clear proof that the Earth is not flat, this
interpretation must be rejected. The meaning of the verse, therefore,
is that Allah has created this Earth as a very vast place for mankind,
and not that the Earth is flat (This principle may also apply to the
verse 'baynas sulbi wat taraaib" in soorah At-Taariq referring to
semen and interpreted as "coming forth from between the backbone and
the ribs or breastbone" - Web Ed).
Also, it is essential that scientific facts are not read in where they
do not exist. Unfortunately, this has become an all too common trend
among 'modernistic' Muslims who have specialised in science, but are
not very familiar with the interpretation of the Qur'aan.3 Once again,
the Qur'aan "...is a book of guidance...and not a book of science, nor
a mine of cryptic notes on scientific facts."4For example, many people
interpret the following verse as a prediction of space travel by man:
O assembly of Men and Jinns! If you have opower to pass through the
zones of the Heavens and Earth - then pass! But you will never be able
to pass them except with authority (from Allah) (55:33) However, a
look at the next verse, and the authentic tafseers of Ibn Katheer and
At-Tabaree, will show that this verse is in reference to the jinns
listening to the whispers of the angels in the Heaven (or to the
Resurrection of the creation on the Day of Judgment), and not to inter-
galactic travel!
In conclusion, although the scientific aspect of the Qur'aan is one of
the aspects of it's i'jaaz, it must be put in its proper place, and a
proper methodology needs to be followed in order to extract examples
of such verses. It does more harm than good when certain verses int he
Qur'aan are 'bent over backwards,' so as to say, to seek to prove that
they contain certain implied scientific facts. One only needs to read
works in which this methodology was followed to see how ludicrous the
conclusions are. (For example, Muhammad Rasheed Ridaa (d. 1935), one
of the founders of the 'Modernist' movement, claimed that the 'Jinns'
that the Qur'aan was referring to actually alluded to the discovery of
disease-arraying microbes!) When such facts are clear and explicit
from the verse, they should be mentioned (such as the examples quoted
above - and in this book, inshaa-allah), but when they go against the
intent and meaning of the verse, they should be abandoned.Edited
excerpt from "An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'aan" by Abu
Amaar Yasir Qhadhi
Western thought today is in the midst of a raging battle between
religion and science. It is almost impossible for a western thinker
today to accept the fact that there may be a meeting ground between
religion and science. The Bible, in which the Christians believe,
states that the tree from which the Prophet Adam (‘alaihi salaam) was
forbidden to eat was the tree of knowledge. Thus, after he ate from
it, he gained certain knowledge that he had not had before. For this
reason,Europe spent two centuries arguing whether or not to accept
scientific knowledge coming fromMuslims.
The Church ruled that the pursuit of such scientific knowledge was the
cause for the original sin. The bishops drew their evidence from the
Old Testament, where it is mentioned that when Adam ate of the tree
and gained some knowledge, Allah was displeased with him and denied
him mercy.Scientific knowledge was therefore rejected entirely by the
Church as a taboo.Finally, when the free thinkers and scientists of
the West were able to overcome the power of the Church, they took
revenge by going in the opposite direction and suppressing any power
of the religion.
They went to all possible extremes in order to overcome the power of
the Church and reduce its influence into a narrow and a confined
corner.Therefore, if you discuss the issue of religion and science
with a westerner, he readily goes into sheer wonderment. They do not
know Islam. They do not know that Islam accords a very high status to
knowledge and men of knowledge, regarding them as witnesses, after the
angels, to the fact that there is no god worthy of worship in truth
butAllah, as Allah Himself has told us in the Qur'aan: There is no
Allah but He: That is the witness of Allah, His angels and those
endued with knowledge. (Qur'aan 3:18)
And Allah , may He be exalted and Glorified has also told us: Know,
therefore, that there is no true deity but Allah. (Qur'aan 47:19) It
is known from the Qur'aan that Adam (‘alaihi salaam) was favored over
the angels by virtue of the knowledge given to him by Allah. The
Qur'aanic story contradicts that of the Bible which Muslims hold to
have been distorted. According to the Qur'aan, the fact that Adam was
given knowledge is a mark of honor, and not the cause of his expulsion
from Paradise. Hence, if one discusses Islam and science with Western
thinkers, they tend to expect an argument similar to what they have in
their own religious and cultural context.
That is why they react with surprise when they are presented with the
crystal clear facts of the Qur'aan and Sunnah.Among those who were
taken by surprise is Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson,Chairman of the Department
of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Professor of Molecular and Human
Genetics at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. When we first met
him, Professor Simpsoninsisted on verifying the Qur'aan and the
Sunnah. We were able, however, to remove his suspicion. We presented
to him the text outlining the development of the embryo.
We proved to him that the Qur'aan informs us that the hereditary and
the chromosomal make-upof the new being take place only after a
successful union between the sperm and the ovum. As we know, these
chromosomes contain all the characteristics which the new human being
will have such as the color of the eyes, skin, hair, etc.Hence, many
of the details in the human being’s make-up are determined in his
chromosomes. These chromosomes begin to form during the early nutfah
stage of embryonic development. In other words, the distinguishing
features of the new human being are determined from the very beginning
at the nutfah stage.
Allah, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorified, has stated this fact in
the Qur'aan: Woe to man! What has made him reject Allah? From what
stuff has He created him? From a sperm-drop: He has created him, and
then molded him in due proportion. (Qur'aan 80:17-19) During the first
40 days of gestation, all the body parts and organs are completely,
though consecutively formed. We can notice in Figure 2.1 that the
organs begin to be formed, assembled, and the fetus appears twisted.
The Prophet Muhammad, (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), has informed us
in a hadeeth that: In every one of you, all components of your
creation are gathered together in your mothers’ womb by 40 days.
(Narrated in Saheeh Muslim and Al-Bukhaari).
In another Hadeeth, Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)
said: When forty-two nights have passed over the drop (nutfah), Allah
sends an angel to it, who shapes it and makes its ears, eyes, skin,
flesh and bones. Then he says, “O Lord, is it male or female?” and
your Lord decides what he wishes. (Muslim).Professor Simpson studied
these two hadeeths extensively, noting that the first 40 days
constitute a clearly distinguishable stage of embryo genesis. He was
particularly impressed by the absolute precision and accuracy of those
hadeeths. Then during one of the conferences which he attended he gave
the following opinion: "So that the two hadeeths that have been noted
can provide us with a specific time table for the main embryological
development before 40 days. Again, the point had been made repeatedly
by other speakers this morning that these hadeeths could not have been
obtained on the basis of the scientific knowledge that was available
at the time of their recording."Professor Simpson says that religion
can successfully guide the pursuit of knowledge.
The West, as we said, has rejected this. Here is an American scientist
who says that religion, namely Islam, can achieve this with success.
By analogy, if you go to a factory and have with you the operation
manual of the factory, then you will be able to easily understand the
kind of operation that goes on in that factory, thanks to that manual
by the factory designer and builder. If you do not have this manual
with you, chances are much less that you will have good understanding
of the various processes there.Professor Simpson said: "It follows, I
think, that not only is there no conflict between genetics and
religion, but in fact religion can guide science by adding revelation
to some traditional scientific approaches.
That there exist statements in the Qur'aan shown by science to be
valid, which supports knowledge in the Qur'aan having been derived
from Allah."This is true. Certainly, the Muslims can lead the way in
the pursuit of knowledge and that they can accord knowledge in its
proper status. Moreover, Muslims know how to use knowledge as a proof
of the existence of Allah, May Allah be Exalted and Glorified, and to
affirm the Messenger ship of Muhammad (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam).
Allah said in the Qur'aan: 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. Is it not enough that
thy Lord does witness all things? (Qur'aan 41:53). After having
realized through examples of scientific miracles in the Qur'aan as
well as knowing the related comments of the objective scientists on
them, let us ask ourselves these questions:
1. Could it be a coincidence that all this recently discovered
scientific information from different fields was mentioned in the
Qur'aan which was revealed 14 centuries ago?
2. Could this Qur'aan have been authored by Muhammad (sallAllahu
'alaihi wa sallam) or by any other human being?The only possible
answer to that is that the Qur'aan must be the literal word of God
(Allah) revealed by Him. The Qur'aan is the literal word of Allah
which He revealed to HisProphet Muhammad (sallAllahu 'alaihi wa
sallam) through the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel). It was memorized by
Muhammad (sallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam) who then dictated it to his
companions.
They in turn memorized it, wrote it down, and reviewed it with the
Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam).Moreover, the Prophet
Muhammad (sallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam) reviewed the Qur'aan with the
Angel Jibreel once every Ramadhan (the month of fasting) and twice in
the last year of his life in the same Islamic calendar. Since the
Qur'aan was revealed, up until today, there has always been a huge
number of Muslims who have memorized all of the Qur'aan, letter by
letter. Some of them have been able to memorize all of the Qur'aan by
the age of ten. Thus, it is not surprising to note that not one letter
of the Qur'aan has been changed for centuries up to now.The Qur'aan
which was revealed 14 centuries ago mentioned facts that are only
recently discovered by proven scientists.
This proves without doubt that the Qur'aan must be the literal word
of Allah, revealed by Him to theProphet Muhammad (sallAllahu 'alaihi
wa sallam) and it also proves that Muhammad (sallAllahu 'alaihi wa
sallam) is truly a Messenger and Prophet sent by Allah. It is beyond
reason that anyone fourteen hundred years ago would have known these
facts discovered or proven very recently with advanced equipment and
sophisticated methods.
If you wish to know more about Islam, we prefer to visit the
following websites:
http://www.islamhouse.com/s/9661
http://www.quran-m.com/firas/en1
http://www.rasoulallah.net/v2/index.aspx?lang=e
http://www.thetruereligion.org
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran
http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran
http://www.prophetmuhammed.org