Re: The Consistency between Qur'an and Modern Science
- From: "Torpedo" <guest@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 09:03:52 +1100
....of explosives for suicide bombing.
"Saif Al-Islam" <la_ilaha_illa_lah@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1133698286.613527.84450@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> The Consistency between Qur'an and Modern Science
>
> The Qur'an is the last revelation, and a proof not only to the pagan
> Arabs one thousand four hundred years ago, but also to the scientists
> of today. Perhaps one of the most remarkable qualities of the Qur'an
> for those living nowadays is the complete consistency between the
> Qur'an and most of the discoveries of modern sciences.
>
> One of the first Western scientists to make a serious study of this
> subject was Maurrice Bucaille, who wrote a book called "The Bible, the
> Qur'an and Science". In this book, he compared the statements
> concerning natural and scientific data in the Bible and the Qur'an. He
> concluded: "The Qur'an follows on from the two Revelations that
> preceded it and is not only free from contradictions in its narrations,
> the sign of the various human manipulations to be found in the gospels,
> but provides a quality all of its own for those who examine it
> objectively and in the light of science, i.e. its complete agreement
> with modern scientific data.
>
> "What is more, statements are to be found in it (as has been shown)
> that are connected with science, and yet it is unthinkable that a man
> of Muhammad's time could have been the author of them. Modern
> scientific knowledge therefore allows us to understand certain verses
> of the Qur'an which, until now, it has been impossible to interpret.
>
> "The comparison of several Biblical and Qur'anic narrations of the same
> subject shows the existence of fundamental differences between the
> statements in the former, which are scientifically unacceptable, and
> declarations in the latter which are in perfect agreement with modern
> data: this was the case of the Creation and the Flood, for example.
>
> "An extremely important complement to the Bible was found in the text
> of he Qur'an on the subject of the history of the Exodus, where the two
> texts were very much in agreement with archaeological findings, in the
> dating of the time of Moses.
> Besides, there are major differences between the Qur'an and the Bible
> on other subjects: they serve to disprove all that has been
> maintained-without a scrap of evidence-concerning the allegation that
> Muhammad (peace be upon him) is supposed to have copied the Bible to
> produce the text of the Qur'an...
>
> "In view of the level of knowledge in Muhammad's day, it is
> inconceivable that many of the statements in the Qur'an which are
> connected with science could have been the work of a man. It is,
> moreover, perfectly legitimate, not only to regard the Qur'an as the
> expression of a Revelation, but also to award it a very special place,
> on the account of the guarantee of authenticity it provides and the
> presence in it of scientific statements which, when studied today,
> appear as a challenge to explanation in human terms."
>
> Some statements involving data confirmed by modern science are:
>
> 1. The Accurate Description of Embryonic and Fetal Development:
>
> At the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), prevalent theories included
> those of Aristotle who thought that a child was formed by the
> congealing of menstrual blood catalyzed by the male blood, as rennet
> does to cheese. In the Eighteenth Century, Hartsoeker claimed to have
> seen within the sperm a pre-formed human being through the primitive
> microscopes.
>
> The Qur'an reflected none of these, describing the development of the
> embryonic human with detailed accuracy: "We created man from a
> quintessence of clay, We then placed him as a drop (Nutfa) in a place
> of rest firmly fixed, then we made the drop into an Alaqah (leech-like)
> and then we changed the leech-like structure into a Mudghah,
> (chewed-like) and then We made out of that chewed-like substance bones,
> then We clothed the bones with flesh, then We caused him to grow and
> come into being and attain the definitive form. Blessed be Allah, The
> Perfect Creator. After that, at length you will die. Again, on the Day
> of Judgment, you will be raised up." (Holy Qur'an, 23:12-16)
>
> The Prophet (PBUH) further explained the meaning of Nutfa as meaning
> both the male sperm and female ovum. The word "alaqah" has three
> meanings in Arabic:
> 1) A thing that clings;
> 2) A blood clot; and
> 3) A leech-like thing.
> All three accurately describe the first stage of the developing embryo.
> After the fertilization of the egg, a blastocyst develops, which has on
> its exterior villocites which literally "cling" to the wall of the
> uterus. It then goes on to resemble a leech both in appearance and
> behaviour. It also goes on to resemble a blood clot.
>
> The next stage, when it becomes "chewed-like", is also accurate. It is
> also true that the bones precede the development of muscle and flesh.
> The Prophetic traditions state: "When forty-two nights have passed over
> the conceptus, Allah sends an Angel to it, who shapes it, 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 and then the angel
> records it." This accurate information gives the correct time for the
> recognizable growth of the features described, and the sex of the fetus
> cannot be definitely determined until just after forty-two days.
>
> This was not known until the invention of powerful microscopes only
> decades ago. I have mentioned this subject only briefly, and quoted a
> few of the verses and hadiths (Prophet Muhammad's sayings) concerning
> this topic. Keith Moore, Professor and Chairman, Department of Anatomy,
> University of Toronto, Canada, and author of The Developing Human, who
> is considered one of the leading embryologists, said concerning these
> statements in the Qur'an and authenticated hadeeth: "Until the 19th
> Century, nothing was known about classifying the stages of human
> development. A system of staging human embryos was developed around the
> end of the 19th Century based on alphabetical symbols.
>
> During the 20th century, numerals were used to describe 23 stages of
> embryonic development. This system of numbering the stages is not easy
> to follow and a better system would be based on the morphological
> changes. In recent years, the study of the Qur'an has revealed another
> basis for the classification of the stages of the developing embryo
> which is based on easily understood actions and changes in shape. It
> utilizes terms which were sent from God to Muhammad (PBUH) by the Angel
> Gabriel and recorded on the Qur'an... It is clear to me that these
> statements must have come to Muhammad (PBUH) from God because almost
> all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later.
> This proves to me that Muhammad (PBUH) must have been a Messenger of
> God."
>
> 2. Cosmology:
>
> "Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth
> were joined together as one united piece, then We parted them. And We
> have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?"
> (Holy Qur'an, 21:30). This verse clearly mentions the common origin of
> the universe, a fact that was not discovered until forty years ago with
> the advent of nuclear physics. The separation seems to refer to what
> the scientists call the "Big Bang." Also, all living things are
> composed of protoplasm, which consists of 80-85 percent water. "Then,
> He rose over towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and
> to the earth: 'Come willingly or unwillingly.' They both said: 'We come
> willingly.'" (Holy Qur'an, 41:11)
>
> The word smoke describes accurately the primeval state of the universe,
> which was composed of a hot gaseous mass, with particles moving
> vigorously, just as in smoke. From this the stars, planets and the
> earth were formed. "With power did We construct the heaven. Verily, We
> are Able to extend the vastness of space thereof." (Holy Qur'an, 51:47)
>
>
> It is an accepted fact that we are living in an expanding universe. "It
> is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip
> the day. They all float, each in an orbit" (Holy Qur'an, 36:40)
>
> The Arabic word referring to a movement with self-propelled motion is
> the verb yasbahuna (in the text). It implies a motion that comes from
> the body in question. If it takes place in water, it is to swim; it is
> to move by the action of one's own legs if it takes place on land. For
> movement that occurs in space it would mean, "to rotate."
>
> The sun is actually in orbit, not around the earth but around the
> centre of the galaxy, so there is no contradiction, since the Qur'an
> does not specify the Sun's orbit. "He coils the night upon the day and
> He coils the day upon the night." (Holy Qur'an, 39:5) To coil or to
> wind is the translation of the Arabic verb kawwarra. The original
> meaning of the verb is to coil a turban around the head.
>
> The process of perpetual coiling, including the interpenetration of one
> sector by another is expressed in the Qur'an just as if the concept of
> the Earth's roundness had already been conceived at the time, which is
> clearly not the case. "It is He who made the Sun a shining thing and
> the moon as a light, and measured out their stages..." (Holy Qur'an,
> 10:5) The Qur'an describes the Sun as a "siraj" which means a torch,
> generating its own heat and light whereas the Moon is described
> "an-nur" which is light originating from another source.
>
> 3. Geology:
>
> "Have We not made the earth as a bed; and the mountains as pegs?" (Holy
> Qur'an, 78:6-7) "And Allah has cast into the ground mountains standing
> firm so that it does not shake with you." (Holy Qur'an, 31:10)
>
> It has recently been discovered that mountains have roots that go into
> the earth's crust which is composed of seven tectonic plates. Their
> movement is the cause of earthquakes. It is thought that the roots and
> weight of the mountains play a vital role in stabilizing the earth's
> crust.
>
> 4. The Water Cycle:
>
> The Qur'an correctly describes the water cycle, and the origin of
> underground springs as being from rainwater. Obvious you may think, but
> the Greek philosophers did not get it right, suggesting that
> underground springs were produced by sea spray collecting in caves
> which fed a great underground sea through the 'abyss'! In fact the
> water cycle was not accurately propounded until the 18th century. The
> Qur'an, however, states: "Hast though not seen that Allah sent water
> down from the sky and led it through sources into the ground?" (Holy
> Qur'an, 39:21)
>
> For the sake of brevity, I have only mentioned a few of many statements
> and provided limited explanation of the statements contained in the
> Qur'an and traditions dealing with scientific subjects. The Qur'an is
> consistent with external realities, and it is also consistent
> internally. It is the nature of the works of men, be they scientists,
> philosophers, sages or mystics to contain inconsistencies and
> contradictions. This cannot be so with the Divine Revelation as the
> Qur'an states: "Do they not then consider the Qur'an carefully? Had it
> been from other than Allah, they would surely, have found therein many
> a contradiction." (Holy Qur'an, 4:82)
>
> http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/archive/article.php?lang=E&id=57749
>
.
- References:
- The Consistency between Qur'an and Modern Science
- From: Saif Al-Islam
- The Consistency between Qur'an and Modern Science
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