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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
1. INTRODUCTION
Ever s ince th e daw n of human l i fe on t his pla net ,
Man ha s a lwa ys t r i ed to unders t and Na ture , h isown pla ce in th e scheme of Crea tion a nd t he purpose
of Life itself. In t his quest for Trut h, span ning ma ny
centuries and d iverse c iv i l i za t ions , organized
re l ig ion has shaped human l i f e and , to a l a rge
extent , ha s determ ined th e course of history. While
some rel ig ions have been based on wri t ten text ,
claimed by t heir followers t o be divinely inspired,
others h a ve relied solely on hum a n experience.
Al-Quran , th e ma in source of th e Isla mic fait h, is
a book believed by it s followers, t he Muslims, t o be
completely of Divine origin. Muslims also believe
tha t i t conta ins guida nce for a l l humankind. Since
the message of the Quran is believed to be for all
times, it should be releva nt t o every a ge. But does
the Qura n pass this test?
In th is booklet, I int end to give an objective a na lysis
of the Muslim belief regarding the Divine origin of
the Quran, pa rt icula rly in t he l ight of esta bl ished
scientific discoveries.
There wa s a time, in th e history of w orld civilizat ion,when miracles , or what were perceived to be
mira cles, took precedence over huma n rea son an d
logic. Of course, t he norm a l defina tion of mira cle is
simply, any thing t ha t t a kes pla ce out of the norma l
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course of l i fe and for which humankind has no
explanation.
However , we must be careful before accept ing
something as a miracle. In 1993, The Times of
India , Mumbai, report ed tha t a sa int by the nam eB a ba P i lot cla imed t o ha ve s ta yed cont inuously
submerged under wa ter in a t ank for th ree
consecut ive days and n ights . However , when
report ers wa nted to exa mine the bott om of the ta nk
of w a ter in w hich he cla imed to have performed his
mira culous fea t , he refused to let t hem do so. H e
a rgued by a sking as t o how one could examine th e
womb o f a mother tha t g ives b i r th to a ch i ld .
Obviously t he sa int ha d something t o conceal! H is
c la im was a g immick s imply to ga in publ ic i ty .
Sur ely , no modern person wit h even the s l ightestinkling towa rds ra tiona l thinking would a ccept such
a mira cle. I f such fa lse miracles a re th e tes ts of
d iv in i ty , then w e would have to accept a l l world
famous magic ians known for their ingenious
magical tricks and illusions, as genuine God-men!
A book, cla iming to be of Divine origin, is in effect,
c la iming to be a mira cle . Such a cla im sh ould be
eas i ly ver i f i ab le in any age , according to the
s ta nda rds of tha t a ge . Mus lims be lieve, tha t t he
Qura n is the last a nd f inal revela t ion of God, themira cle of mira cles, revealed a s a m ercy to ma nkind.
Let us therefore inves t iga te the veraci ty of th is
belief.
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____________________________________________________________1Al-Qur an 2:23-24 indica tes Surah or Chapt er No. 2 an d Aayaator Verses 23 an d 24. The sa me nota t ion is fo l lowed thr oughoutth is book. References and t ransla t ion of the Qur an are f romthe t ra nsla tion of the Quran by Abdullah Yusuf Ali , new revisededition, 1989, published by Ama na Corpora tion, Maryla nd, U SA.
THE CHALLENGE OF THE QURAN
Li tera t ure a nd poe t ry ha ve been ins t ruments o fhuma n express ion a nd creat iv ity , in a l l cul tures .The world a lso wi tnessed a n a ge when l i tera t ure
a nd poetry occupied pride of position, similar to t ha tnow enjoyed by science a nd t echnology.
Even non-Muslim scholars agree that the Quran isAra bic litera tur e pa r excellence tha t it is the bestAra bic literat ure on th e face of th e eart h. The Qura nchallenges ma nkind to produce th e likes of it:
And if ye are in doubtas to what We have revealedfrom 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]1
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The challenge of the Quran, is to produce a single
Surah (chapter) like the Surahs it cont a ins. The samechallenge is repeated in the Quran several times.
The challenge to produce a Surah, which, in beaut y,eloquence, depth and meaning is at least somewhat
similar to a Quranic Surah remains unmet to this day.
A modern rational man, however, would never accept
a religious scripture which says, in the best possible
poetic language, that the world is flat. This is because
we live in an a ge, where huma n reason, logic and science
are given primacy. Not ma ny w ould accept t he Qurans
extra ordina rily beautiful langua ge, a s proof of its
Divine origin. Any scripture claiming to be a divine
revela tion must a lso be acceptable on the strength of its
own rea son and logic.
According to the famous physicist and Nobel Prize
winner, Albert Einstein, Science without religion is
lame. Religion without science is blind. Let us therefore
study the Quran, a nd ana lyze whether t he Quran and
Modern Science are compatible or incompatible?
The Quran is not a book of Science but a book of
Signs, i.e. Aayaats. There are more tha n six thousandS igns in the Qura n of w hich more tha n a thousan d
deal with hard core Science.
We all know tha t many a times Science ta kes a U-turn.
In th is book I ha ve considered only esta blished scient ific
facts a nd not hypotheses and t heories ba sed on m er e
assumptions and not ba cked by proof.
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2. ASTRONOMY
CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE:
THE BIG BANG
The creation of the universe is explained byastrophysicists as a widely accepted phenomenon,
popularly known as The Big Bang. It is supported
by observat iona l and experimental da ta gat hered by
as tronomers and as trophys ic is ts for decades .
According to The B ig B a ng, t he w hole universe w a s
initia lly one big ma ss (P rima ry Nebula ). Then th ere
was a B ig B ang (Secondary Separa t ion) wh ich
resulted in th e forma tion of Ga laxies . These then
divided to form st a rs , planets , t he sun, the moon,
etc. The origin of the universe wa s unique a nd t he
probability of it ha ppening by cha nce is nil.
The Quran cont a ins t he follow ing verse rega rding
th e origin of the un iverse:
Do not the Unbelievers see
that the heavens and the earth
were joined together (as oneunit of Creation), before
We clove them asunder?
[Al-Quran 21:30]
The str iking simila rity betw een t he Qura nic verse
a nd The B ig B a ng is inescapa ble! H ow could a book,
which first appeared in the deserts of Arabia 1400
years a go, conta in t his profound scientif ic trut h?
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________________________________________________________
1Musl ims a lso send salut a t ions upon a l l the previous div inely
insp ir ed P r ophe t s on t a k ing the i r nam es .
INITIAL GASEOUS MASS BEFORE
CREATION OF GALAXIES
Sc ien t i s t s agree tha t be fore the ga l ax ies in the
universe were formed, celes t ia l mat ter was
in i t i a l ly in th e form of gaseous ma t t er . In short ,huge gaseous mat ter or c louds were present
before t he forma tion of th e ga la xies . To describe
in i t i a l ce les t ia l m a t t er , the w ord smoke i s more
appropriate than gas. The following Quranic verse
refers to th is s ta te of the universe by the word
dukhaan w hich mea ns smoke.
Moreover, He Comprehendedin 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]
Aga in, this fact is a corolla ry t o th e B ig Ba ng a nd
w a s not know n t o an yone before t he prophetehood of
Muha mma d (P eace be upon him)1. Wha t th en, couldha ve been t he source of this know ledge?
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SHAPE OF THE EARTH IS SPHERICAL
In ea rly t imes, people believed tha t t he ea rth w a s
flat . For centur ies, men were afra id to ventur e out
too fa r , for fea r of fal l ing of f the edge! Sir Fr a ncis
Dra ke wa s the f ir s t person w ho proved tha t t heeart h is spherica l w hen he sa iled a round it in 1597.
Consider the follow ing Qura nic verse regard ing th e
a l ternation of day and n ight :
Seest thou not that Allah
merges Night into Day
and He merges Day into Night?[Al-Quran 31:29]
Merg ing here means tha t the n igh t s lowly andgradual ly changes to day and v ice versa . This
phenomenon can only take place i f the ear th i s
spherica l . I f the ea r th wa s f la t , th ere w ould have
been a sudden cha nge from night to day a nd from
day t o night .
The fol lowing verse also al ludes to the spherical
sha pe of the eart h:
He created the heavens and
the earth in true (proportions):He makes the Nightoverlap the Day,
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____________________________________________________________
1The Arabic word dahaahaah a s b een t r a ns l a ted b y A . Y usu fAli as vast expan se , which a lso is correct . This w ord also mea ns
a n ostr ich-egg.
and the Day
overlap the Night.[Al-Quran 39:5]
The Arabic w ord used h ere is Kawwa ramean ing
to overla p or to coil the w a y a tu rba n is w ounda round t he hea d. The overla pping or coiling of t he
day a nd n igh t can on ly t ake p lace if the ea r t h i s
spherical.
The ear th i s not exact ly round l ike a ba l l , but
geo-spherical, i .e. i t is f lattened at the poles. The
follow ing verse conta ins a description of th e ea rt hs
shape:
And the earth, moreover,hath He made egg shaped.
[Al-Quran 79:30]
The Ara bic word for egg h ere is dahaahaa1whichmea ns a n ostr ich-egg. The sha pe of a n ostr ich-egg
resembles the geo-spherical sha pe of th e ea rt h.
Thus t he Quran correctly describes t he sha pe of t he
eart h, though th e prevalent notion w hen the Qura n
wa s revealed wa s tha t the ear t h wa s fl a t .
MOONLIGHT IS REFLECTED LIGHT
It w a s believed by ea rlier civiliza tions tha t t he mooneman a tes its own light. Science now t ells us
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th a t t he light of the moon is reflected light . However
this fact was mentioned in the Quran 1,400 years
a go in the following 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 Ara bic w ord for t he sun in t he Quran, is shams.It is also referred to a s siraajw hich mea ns a torchor a s wahhaajmeaning a blazing lamp or as diyawhich means shining glory. All three descriptions
are appropria te to the sun, s ince i t genera tes
intense heat a nd l ight by i ts interna l combustion.The Arabic word for the moon is qamar a n d i ti s descr ibed in the Qur an a s muneer which is abody th a t gives noor i .e. reflected light. Again, t heQuranic description mat ches perfectly wit h t he tru e
na tu re of th e moon w hich does not give off light by
itself a nd is an ina ctive body th a t reflects the light
of the sun. Not once in th e Qur a n , i s t he moon
mentioned a s siraaj ,wahhaajor diyanor the sun a snoor or muneer. This impl ies tha t the Qur anrecognizes the d i f ference between the nature of
sunlight a nd moonlight.
The fol low ing verses relat e to the na tu re of l ight
from the sun a nd t he 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 nothow Allah has created
the seven heavensone above another,
And made the moona light in their midst,
and made the sun
as a (Glorious) Lamp?[Al-Quran 71:15-16]
The G lorious Qur'a n a nd m odern science, ar e thu s
in perfect a greement a bout th e di fferences in the
na tur e of sunlight a nd moonlight.
THE SUN ROTATES
For a long t ime Eur opean philosophers a nd scient ists
believed tha t t he eart h stood still in the centr e of the
universe and every other body including the sun
moved ar ound it. I n t he West, t his geocentr ic conceptof the universe wa s prevalent right from the time of
P tolemy in th e second centur y B .C. I n 1512, Nicholas
Copernicus put forward his Heliocentric Theory of
P laneta ry Motion, which a sserted tha t t he sun is
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motionless a t t he centre of the sola r syst em wit h th e
planets r evolving a round it.
In 1609, th e Germ a n scient is t Yohan nus K epplerpubl ished the Ast ronomia Nova . In th is he
concluded tha t not only do the planets move inel lip t ica l orbi ts a round the sun, th ey a lso rota teupon their axes a t i r regular speeds . With th isknowledge it became possible for E uropean scientist sto explain correctly ma ny of the m echa nisms of thesola r syst em, including the sequence of night a ndday .
After th ese discoveries, i t wa s thought t ha t t he Sun
wa s sta t iona ry a nd did not rota te about i ts axis like
the Ea rth . I remember having studied this fal lacy
from G eogra phy books during m y school da ys.
Consider t he follow ing Qur a nic verse:
It is He Who createdthe Night and the Day,
and the sun and the moon:
All (the celestial bodies)swim along, each in itsrounded course.
[Al-Quran 21:33]
The Arabic word used in the above verse isyasbahoon . This word is derived from the wordsabaha. I t car r ies w i th i t t he idea of mot ion tha tcomes from a ny m oving body. If you use this w ord
for a person on th e ground, it w ould not mean t ha t
he is rolling but w ould imply t ha t h e is wa lking or
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running. If you use this word for a person in wa ter,
i t w ou ld not mea n t ha t h e i s fl oa t ing bu t w ould
imply tha t he is swimm ing.
Similar ly, if you use the word yasbahfor a celestia l
body such as th e sun, it w ould not only mean t ha t itis flying through space but w ould a lso mean t ha t it
i s rota t ing a s i t goes through spa ce. Most school
textbooks have now incorporat ed the fact tha t t he
sun rota tes a bout i ts a xis . The rota t ion of the sun
a bout it s ow n a xis ca n be proved with t he help of an
equipment t ha t projects t he image of the sun on th e
top of a ta ble, so th a t one ca n examine th e image of
the sun w ithout being blinded. It is noticed tha t t he
sun h a s spots w hich complete a circular motion once
every 25 days i .e. th e sun t a kes approximat ely 25
days t o rota te round i ts a xis .
The sun t ra vels t hrough spa ce at roughly 240 km
per second, a nd t a kes about 200 mi ll ion yea rs t o
complete one revolution a round t he centre of our
Milky Wa y Ga laxy.
It is not permittedto the Sun to catch up the Moon,
nor can the Night outstrip the Day:
Each (just) swims alongin (its own) orbit(according to Law).
[Al-Quran 36:40]
This verse ment ions a n essentia l fact discovered
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only recent ly by modern as tronomy, i .e . the
existence of th e individual orbits of the S un a nd t he
Moon, and t heir journey through space with their
own motion.
The f ixed place tow a rds w hich t he sun t ra vels ,carrying with it the solar system, has been located
preirsely by modern a stronomy. It ha s been given a
name, the Solar Apex. The solar system is indeed
moving in space towa rds a poin t s i tua ted in the
const ella tion of Hercules (a lpha Lyr a e) w hose exa ct
location is now firmly established.
The moon rota tes around i ts axis in the same
dura tion tha t i t t a kes to revolve a round the ea rth.
I t ta kes approximately 29 day s to complete one
rotat ion.
One cannot help but be amazed a t the sc ient i f ic
accuracy of the Qur anic verses . Should we not
ponder over t he quest ion: Wha t is t he source of
knowledge contained in the Quran?
THE SUN WILL EXTINGUISH
The light of the sun is due t o a chemica l process on
its surfa ce tha t h a s been t a king pla ce continuously
for the pa st five billion yea rs. It w ill come to a n end
a t some point of t ime in the future, w hen th e sun
w ill be tota lly extin guished, leading t o extinction of
a ll life on ea rt h. Regar ding the imperma nence of th e
suns existence, the Quran says:
And the Sun runs its course
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____________________________________________________________
1A similar message is conveyed in the Quran in 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]1
The Arabic word used here is mustaqar r, whichmean s a place or t ime tha t is determined. Thus th e
Qura n says th a t th e sun runs towa rds a determined
place, an d w il l do so only up t o a pre-determin ed
period of t ime meaning tha t i t wi l l end or
extinguish.
INTERSTELLAR MATTER
Spa ce outside organized ast ronomica l systems wa s
ear l ier a ssumed to be a va cuum. Astr ophys icis ts
later discovered the presence of bridges of matter
in t his interst ellar space. These bridges of ma tt er
a re called pla sma , a nd consist of completely ionized
gas containing equal number of free electrons and
positive ions. P lasm a is sometimes called th e fourth
s t a te o f ma t te r (bes ides the t h ree known s t a tes
viz. sol id , l iquid and gas) . The Quran refers to
the presence of th is in ters te l lar mater ia l in the
following verse:
He Who created the heavens
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and the earth and all
that is between.[Al-Quran 25:59]
I t w ould be ridiculous for a nyone to even suggest
tha t the presence of in ters te llar ga la ct ic mat er ia lw a s known 1400 years a go!
THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE
In 1925, American as tronomer Edwin Hubble ,
provided observational evidence that al l galaxies
a re moving a w a y from one a nother, which implies
th a t th e universe is expa nding. The expa nsion of the
universe is n ow a n esta blished scientific fa ct. This iswha t th e Qur an sa ys regarding the nat ure of the
universe:
With power and skilldid We constructthe Firmament:
For it is We Who createthe vastness of Space.
[Al-Quran 51:47]
The Ara bic word musioonis correctly tr a nslat ed asexpanding i t , and i t refers to the creation of theexpa nding va stness of the un iverse.
One of the greates t as t rophys ic is t S tephenH a w king, in his book, A Br ief Hist ory of Time,
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sa ys, The discovery t ha t t he universe is expa ndingw a s one of th e great intellectua l revolutions of the20th cent ury. The Quran ment ioned t he expansionof the universe, before man even learnt to build atelescope!
Some may say tha t the presence of as tronomicalfacts in the Quran is not surprising since the Arabsw ere adva nced in t he field of ast ronomy. They a recorrect in acknowledging the advancement of theAra bs in the field of a str onomy. H owever they fa ilto rea l ize tha t t he Qur a n w a s revea led centur iesbefore t he Ara bs excelled in a str onomy. Moreoverma ny of th e scientific facts ment ioned a bove, sucha s the origin of the universe with a B ig Ba ng, werenot known t o the Ara bs even a t the peak of theirscienti f ic advancement. The scienti f ic facts
mentioned in t he Qura n a re therefore not due to theArabs advancement in as tronomy. Indeed , thereverse i s t rue : they advanced in as tronomy,beca use a str onomy occupies a pla ce in th e Qura n.
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3. PHYSICS
ATOMS CAN BE DIVIDED
In an cient t imes a well-known theory by t he na me
of Theory of Atomism w a s w idely a ccepted. This
theory w a s or ig ina l ly proposed by th e G reeks , in
par ticular by a scholar called Democritu s, wh o lived
about 23 centuries ago. Democritus and the people
tha t came after him, a ssumed tha t the smallest unit
of ma tt er wa s the a tom. The ancient Arabs used to
believe the same. The Arabic word za r r ah mostcommonly meant a n a tom. In recent t imes modern
science ha s discovered t ha t i t is possible to split
even a n a tom. Tha t t he at om ca n be split further is
a development of the 20th century . Fourteencent uries a go th is concept w ould ha ve appeared
unusua l even to a n Ara b. For him th e zar rahw a sthe l imit beyond which one could not go. The
fol lowing Quranic verse however, refuses to
a cknowledge th is limit:
The Unbelievers say,
Never to us will comeThe 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 lessthan that, or greater, but
is in the Record Perspicuous.[Al-Quran 34:3]1
This verse also refers to the Omniscience of God,
His knowledge of all th ings, hidden or a ppa rent. It
then goes fur ther and s a ys tha t G od i s a wa re of
everything, including wha t is smaller or bigger t ha n
the a tom. Thus t he verse clear ly shows t ha t i t i s
poss ib le for something smal ler than the a tom toexis t , a f a c t d iscovered only r ecent ly by modern
science.
____________________________________________________________
1A s imi lar m essage i s conveyed in t he Qur an in 10:61.
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4. HYDROLOGY
THE WATER CYCLE
In 1 580, B ernard P a l is sy wa s the f i r s t person t o
describe th e present da y concept of w a ter cycle. H edescr ibed how w a ter evapora t es f rom th e ocea ns
a nd cools t o form clouds. The clouds m ove inlan d
where they r ise , condense and fa l l as ra in . This
wa ter gat hers a s lakes and streams a nd f lows ba ck
to th e ocea n in a continu ous cycle. In t he 7th cent ury
B .C., Tha les of Miletus believed t ha t surfa ce spray
of the oceans w a s picked up by t he wind a nd carr ied
inla nd to fal l as r ain.
In ear lier times people did not know t he source of
underground w a ter. They thought the w a ter of the
oceans, under the effect of winds, wa s thrust towa rdsth e interior of the cont inents . They a lso believed t ha t
the wa ter returned by a secret passage or the G reat
Abyss. This pa ssa ge is connected t o the ocean s a nd
ha s been ca l led t he Ta rt a rus , s ince Pla tos t ime.
Even Descart es , a gr eat thinker of th e eighteenth
century, subscribed to this view. Till the nineteenth
century, Aristotles theory was s t i l l prevalent .
According to th is theory, w a ter w a s condensed in cool
mountain caverns and formed underground lakes
th a t fed springs. Today, w e have come to know th a t
the ra inwater tha t seeps in to the cracks of the
ground is responsible for th is.
This is described by the Quran in the fol lowing
verses:
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Seest thou not that Allah
sends down rainfrom the sky,
and leads it throughsprings in the earth?
then He causes to grow,therewith, produce ofvarious colours.
[Al-Quran 39:21]
He sends down rainfrom the sky
and with it gives life tothe earth after it is dead:
Verily in that are Signsfor those who are wise.
[Al-Quran 30:24]
And We send down waterfrom the sky
according to (due) measure,and We cause itto soak in the soil;
and We certainly are ableto drain it off (with ease).
[Al-Quran 23:18]
No oth er text d a ting ba ck 1400 yea rs a go gives such
a n a ccurat e description of the w a ter cycle.
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EVAPORATION
By the Firmamentwhich returns (in its round),
[Al-Quran 86:11]
WINDS IMPREGNATE CLOUDS
And We send thefecundating winds,
then cause the rain todescend from the sky,
therewith providing youwith water (in abundance).
[Al-Quran 15:22]
The Ara bic word u sed here is l awaaq ihw hich isthe plura l o f l a q i h f rom l aqaha, wh ich meansto impregnate or fecundate . In th is context ,
impregna te means t ha t t he wind pushes the clouds
together increas ing th e condensat ion t ha t ca uses
l ightn ing a nd t hus ra in . A s imi lar descr ipt ion is
found in th e follow ing verses of the Quran :
Seest thou not that Allahmakes the clouds move
gently, then joins them
together, then makes theminto a heap?then wilt thousee rain issue forthfrom their midst. And Hesends down from the sky
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mountain masses (of clouds)wherein is hail: He strikestherewith whom He pleasesand He turns it away
from whom He pleases.the vivid flash of His lightningwell-nigh blinds the sight.
[Al-Quran 24:43]
It is Allah Who sends the Winds,
and they raise the Clouds:
then does He spread themin the sky as He wills,
and break them into fragments,
until thou seest raindropsissue from the midst thereof:
then when He has made themreach such of His servants asHe wills,
behold, they do rejoice![Al-Quran 30:48]
Modern da ta on H ydrology a grees perfectly w ith t heQur'an ic description on t he sa me subject.
The w a ter cycle is described in severa l other verses
of th e G lorious Qur a n, in cluding 7:57, 13:17, 25:48-
49, 35:9, 36:34, 45:5, 50:9-11, 56:68-70 a nd 67:30.
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5. GEOLOGY
MOUNTAINS ARE LIKE TENT PEGS
In geology, t he phenomenon of folding, is a recently
discovered fact . Folding is responsible for the
forma tion of mount a in ra nges. The ear ths crust, on
w hich w e live, is like a solid shell, while th e deeper
layers a re hot a nd f lu id , and thus inhospi ta ble to
a ny form of l ife. I t is also known t ha t t he sta bi li ty
of the mountains is l inked to the phenomenon of
fold ing , for it w a s the fo lds th a t w ere to provide
foundat ions for the re l ie fs tha t cons t i tu te the
mountains .
G eolog i st s t e ll us tha t t he rad ius of the Ea r th i s
a bout 6,035 km a nd t he crust on w hich we l ive isvery th in, ra nging betw een 2 to 35 km. Since the
crus t i s th in , i t ha s a h igh poss ibi l ity of sha king .
Mounta ins ac t l ike s t akes or ten t pegs tha t hold
th e ea rt hs crust a nd give it s t a bi l ity . The Qura n
contains exactly such a description:
Have We not madethe earth as a wide expanse,
and the mountains as pegs?
[Al-Quran 78:6-7]
The word awtaad means s takes or pegs ( l ikethose used to anchor a tent) ; they are the deep
founda tions of geological folds.
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A book ent i t led Ear th i s regarded as a bas ic
reference textbook on geology in ma ny u niversit ies
a round th e world. One of the a ut hors of this book is
Dr . F rank Press , who was the Pres iden t o f the
Academy of Sciences in the USA for 12 years and
w a s th e Science Advisor t o former US P res ident
J immy Ca r te r . In t h i s book , he i llus t ra tes the
mounta in in a w edge-sha pe a nd the mounta in itself
a s a sma ll pa rt of th e whole, wh ose root is deeply
entrenched in the ground.1According to D r. P ress,
the mounta ins play a n importa nt role in sta bilizing
the crust of the ea rth .
The Quran c lear ly ment ions t he funct ion of t he
mounta ins in preventing the eart h from sha king:
And We have set on the earthmountains standing firm,
lest it should shake with them.[Al-Quran 21:31]2
The Quran ic descriptions a re in perfect a greement
w ith modern geologica l dat a .
MOUNTAINS FIRMLY FIXED
The surfa ce of the eart h is broken int o man y rigid
plates that are about 100 km in thickness. These____________________________________________________________
1Ear th, Press and Siever, p. 435. Also see Ear th Science,Ta rbuck a nd L utgens, p. 1572A similar messa ge is conta ined in th e Qru'a n in 31:10 and 16:15
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____________________________________________________________
1 A s imi lar message i s contained in the Qur an in 88:19.
pla tes f loa t on a par t ia l ly mol ten region ca l led
aesthenosphere.
Mounta in forma tions occur a t t he bounda ry of the
plat es. The ea rt hs crust is 5 km th ick below ocean s,
a bout 35 km thick below f lat cont inenta l surfa cesand a lmost 80 km th ick below great mounta in
ra nges. These are t he strong foundat ions on w hich
mounta ins s ta nd. The Qura n refers to the strong
mounta in foundat ions in the follow ing verse:
And the mountainshath He firmly fixed.
[Al-Quran 79:32]1
Thus, t he in forma t ion cont a ined in th e G lor ious
Qur'a n a bout t he na tur e of mounta ins, is in perfect
a greement w ith r ecent discoveries in geology.
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____________________________________________________________
1Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93.
6. OCEANOLOGY
BARRIER BETWEEN SWEET AND SALT
WATERS
He has let free the two bodiesof flowing water, meeting together:
Between them is a Barrierwhich they do not transgress.
[Al-Quran 55:19-20]
In the Arab ic tex t the word barzakh m e a n s aba rrier or a pa rt ition. This bar rier, however, is not a
physical pa rt ition. The Ara bic w ord mara jalitera llymean s they both meet a nd mix w i th ea ch other .
Ea rly commenta tors of the Qura n w ere una ble toexpla in the two opposi te meanings for the two
bodies of wa ter, i .e . they meet a nd mix, and a t t hesam e time there is a ba rrier betw een them. Modern
Science ha s discovered t ha t in th e pla ces where t w odi f ferent seas meet , there i s a barr ier between
them. This bar rier divides the t w o sea s so tha t ea chsea ha s i ts own t emperature, sal inity a nd density .1
Ocea nologists a re now in a better position t o expla inthis verse. There is a sla nted unseen wa ter ba rrier
betw een the tw o seas thr ough w hich w a ter from onesea pa sses to the other.
B ut w hen the wa ter from one sea enters the other
sea, it loses its distinctive chara cteristic an d
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becomes homogenized w ith th e other w a ter. In a wa y
this ba rrier serves as a tra nsi t iona l homogenizinga rea for the two wa ters .
This phenomenon is a lso mentioned in t he following
verse of th e Qur'a n:
And made a separating barbetween the two bodiesof flowing water?
[Al-Quran 27:61]
This phenomenon occurs in severa l pla ces, includingthe d iv ider between the Medi terranean and theAtlan tic Ocean a t G ibra lter. A white ba r can a lso beclea rly seen a t C a pe P oint , C a pe P eninsula, South
Africa wh ere the Atla ntic Ocean meets t he India n
Ocean.
B u t when the Qur an speaks abou t the d iv iderbe tween f resh and s a l t wa ter , i t men t ions the
existence of a forbidding part ition w ith t he bar rier.
It is He Who haslet free the two bodies
of flowing water:
one palatable and sweet,
and the other salty and bitter;
yet has Hemade a barrier between them,
and a partition that is forbiddento be passed.
[Al-Quran 25:53]
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____________________________________________________________
1Oceanograph y, G ross, p. 242. Also see I nt rodu ctory Oceanograph y,Thurman, pp. 300-301.2Oceanograph y, Gross, p. 244 and I ntr oductory Oceanograph y,Thurman, pp. 300-301.
Modern science has discovered that in estuaries ,
where f resh ( swee t ) and s a l t wa ter meet , thesi tuat ion is somewh at di fferent from tha t found in
pla ces where tw o sal t wa ter seas meet. I t ha s beendiscovered tha t wh at distinguishes fresh wa ter from
sa lt w a ter in estua ries is a pycnocline zone with amarked dens i ty d iscont inui ty separa t ing the two
layers . 1This pa rt i t ion (zone of separa tion) ha s asa linity different from both t he fresh wa ter a nd the
sa l t water .2
This ph enomenon occurs in severa l pla ces, including
Egypt , where the r iver Ni le f lows in to theMediterra nean Sea .
These scient ific phenomena ment ioned in t he Quranwas a lso conf i rmed by Dr . Wil l iam Hay , a wel l-
known marine scientist and Professor of GeologicalSciences a t th e U niversity of Colora do, U.S.A.
DARKNESS IN DEPTHS OF OCEAN
P rof. Durga Ra o is a world renowned expert in the
field of Mar ine Geology a nd w a s a professor a t K ingAbdul Aziz University in J eddah. He w a s a sked tocomment on th e follow ing 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]
P rof. Ra o sa id tha t scient is ts h a ve only now been
a ble to confirm, w ith t he help of modern equipment,that there is darkness in the depths of the ocean.
Huma ns a re unable to dive unaided underwa ter for
more tha n 20 to 30 metres , an d cann ot survive in
the deep oceanic regions at a depth of more than
200 metres . This verse does not r efer to a l l seas
beca use not every sea can be described as h a ving
a ccumulated da rkness layered one over an oth er. It
refers especia lly to a deep sea or deep ocea n, a s th e
Qura n sa ys, da rkness in a va st deep ocea n. This
lay ered dar kness in a deep ocean is t he result of tw o
causes:
1. A l ight ray i s composed of seven colours seen
in t he ra inbow . These seven colours a re Violet,
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____________________________________________________________
1Ocean s, Elder and Pernetta , p. 27.
Indigo, B lue , Green, Yel low, Orange and Red
(VIBGYOR). The l ight ray undergoes
refraction wh en it hit s w a ter. The upper 10 to
15 metres of water absorb the red colour .
Therefore, if a diver is 25 metr es under w a ter
a nd gets w ounded, he would not be a ble to see
th e red colour of his blood, beca use t he red
colour does not rea ch th is depth . S imi lar ly ,
ora nge ra ys a re absorbed a t 30 to 50 metres ,
yellow a t 50 to 100 met res, gr een a t 100 t o 200
metr es , an d f ina l ly , blue beyond 200 metres
a nd violet a nd indigo a bove 200 metr es. Due to
successive disappearance of colour, one layer
a fter a nother, t he ocean progressively becomes
da rker, i .e. da rkness ta kes place in layers of
l ight . B elow a depth of 1000 meters t here is
complete da rkness.1
2. The suns rays are absorbed by clouds which in
turn scatt er light ra ys thus causing a layer of
darkness under the clouds. This is the f irs t
layer of darkness. When l ight ra ys reach th e
surfa ce of th e ocea n t hey a re reflected by the
wa ve sur f ace g iv ing it a sh iny appea ra nce.
Therefore, it is the waves which reflect light
and cause darkness . The unref lected l ight
penetra tes int o the depths of the ocea n. Thus,
the ocean has two par ts . The surfacech a r a ct e r iz ed b y l ig h t a n d w a r m t h a n d t h e
depth chara cterized by da rkness. The surfa ce
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is further separa ted from the deep part of the ocean
by wa ves.
The interna l wa ves cover th e deep wa ters of
seas a nd oceans beca use the deep w a ters ha ve
a higher density t ha n the w at ers above them.The da rkness begins below th e int erna l wa ves.
Even t he fish in the depths of the ocean cann ot
see; their only source of light is from t heir own
bodies.
The Quran d escribes this a ptly:
Da rkness in a vast deep ocean overw helmed with
w a ves topped by wa ves.
In other w ords, a bove these w a ves there are more
types of waves, i .e . those found on the surface ofthe ocean. The Quranic verse continues, topped
by (dark) clouds; depths of darkness, one above
another.
These clouds a s expla ined a re ba rr iers one over t he
other that further cause darkness by absorption of
colours a t different levels.
Prof. Durga Rao concluded by saying, 1400 years
a go a normal huma n being could not expla in t h is
phenomenon in so much detai l . Thus the
informa t ion must ha ve come f rom a superna tura lsource.
_____________________________________________________________
1The reference for th is sta tment is the video tape titled This is theTruth . For a copy of this video tape conta ct the Is lam ic ResearchFoundation.
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It is He Who has
Created man from water:
then has He establishedrelationships of lineage
and marriage:
for thy Lord has power
(over all things).[Al-Quran 25:54]
Wa s i t poss ib le 14 cent uries a go for a ny huma n
being to guess tha t every l iv ing being wa s ma de
from water? Moreover would such a guess be
conceivable by a human being in the deser ts of
Ara b i a w here there ha s a lwa ys been sca rc ity o f
wa ter?
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8. BOTANY
PLANTS HAVE MALE AND FEMALE
P revious ly , huma ns d id not know t ha t p lant s too
ha ve male an d female gender dist inctions. Botan ys t a t e s t h a t e v e r y p l a n t h a s a m a l e a n d f e m a l e
gender . Even the p l an ts t ha t a re un i sexua l ha ve
distinct elements of both ma le and fema le.
And has sent downwater from the sky.
With it have We produceddiverse pairs of plants
each separate from the others.
[Al-Quran 20:53]
FRUITS HAVE MALE AND FEMALE
And fruit of every kindHe made
in pairs, two and two.[Al-Quran 13:3]
Frui t i s the end product of reproduct ion of the
superior p la nt s . The s ta ge preceding f rui t i s t he
flow er, which has ma le a nd female orga ns (sta mens
and ovules) . Once pollen has been carried to the
f lower, they bear frui t , which in turn ma tures an d
frees i ts seed. All frui ts therefore imply the
existence of ma le a nd female orga ns; a fact t ha t is
mentioned in t he Qura n.
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In cert a in species, fruit ca n come from non-fert ilized
flow ers (part henocarpic fruit) e.g. ban a na s, cert a in
ty pes of pineapple, fig, ora nge, vine, etc. They a lso
ha ve definite sexua l chara cteristics.
EVERYTHING MADE IN PAIRS
And of everything
We have created pairs.[Al-Quran 51:49]
This verse lays emphasis on everything. Besides
huma ns, anima ls , plan ts a nd fruits , i t ma y a lso be
referring t o electricity in w hich the a toms consist of
negat ively a nd positively charged electrons a nd
protons. And ma ny m ore th ings!
Glory to Allah, Whocreated in pairs
all things that theearth produces,
as well as their own(human) kind
and (other) things of whichthey have no knowledge.
[Al-Quran 36:36]
The Qura n here says t ha t everything is created in
pa i r s , inc lud ing th ings tha t the humans do no t
know at present a nd ma y discover la ter.
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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 flieson its wings,
but (forms part of)communities like you.
[Al-Quran 6:38]
Research has shown t hat a nimals and birds l ive in
commun ities, i.e. they orga nize, and live and w ork
together.
THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS
Do they not look atthe birds, held poisedin the midst of (the airand) the sky?
Nothing holds them upbut (the power of) Allah.
Verily in this are Signsfor those who believe.
[Al-Quran 16:79]
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Another verse a lso touches on birds:
Do they not observethe birds above them,
spreading their wingsand folding them in?
None can uphold themexcept (Allah) Most Gracious:
truly it is Hethat watches over all things.
[Al-Quran 67:19]
The Arabic word amsakal i tera l ly means , to putones hand on, seize, hold, hold someone back,
w hich expresses the idea th a t Allah holds th e bird
up in H is pow er. These verses stress t he extremely
close dependence of t he birds beha viour on D ivine
law . Modern scientific dat a ha s shown t he degree of
perfection a tt a ined by cert a in species of birds w ith
regar d to the progra mming of their movements. It is
only t he existence of a migra tory programm e in the
genetic code of th e birds t ha t ca n expla in th e long
and compl ica ted journey tha t very young birds ,
w ithout a ny prior experience a nd w ithout a ny guide,
a re a ble to accomplish. They a re a lso a ble to retu rn
to the depa rtu re point on a definite dat e.P rof. Ha mburger in his book P ow er an d Fra gi li ty
gives the example of mutton-bird that lives in the
P a cif ic w ith i ts journey of over 24,000 km in t he
sha pe of figure 8. It ma kes th is journ ey over a
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period of 6 months a nd comes ba ck to its depa rt ure
point w ith a ma ximum dela y of one w eek. The highly
complica ted inst ructions for such a journey h a ve to
be contained in the birds nervous cells. They are
definitely progra mmed. Therefore, should w e not a t
least reflect on th e identit y of th is P rogra mmer?
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 skillthe spacious paths of its Lord.
[Al-Quran 16:68-69]
Von-Fr isch received t he Nobel P rize in 1973 for his
research on the behaviour a nd communicat ion of the
bees. The bee, after discovering any new garden or
flow er, goes ba ck and tells its fellow bees the exact
direction and m a p to get t here, wh ich is know n a s
bee da nce. The mea nings of this insects m ovement s
tha t a re intended to transmit informa tion betweenworker bees have been discovered scientifically
using photogra phy a nd other methods. The Qura n
mentions in t he a bove verses how the bee with i ts
skill, finds t he spacious pa th s of its Lord.
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The gender used for the bee in the above verses is
th e fema le gender (faslukand ku l), indicat ing tha tth e bee th a t leaves its home for ga th ering food is a
female bee. In other words the soldier or worker bee
is a fema le bee.
In fact, in Shakespeares play, Henry the Fourth,
some of the characters speak about bees and
ment ion th a t the bees a re sold ie rs and t ha t they
have a king . That i s what people thought in
Shakespearean t imes . They though t tha t the
w orker bees a re ma le bees a nd t hey go home and
are answerable to a king bee. This, however, is not
tr ue. The w orker bees ar e fema les and th ey do not
report to a king bee but t o a queen bee. B ut it took
modern inves t iga t ions in the las t 300 years to
discover t his.
SPIDERS WEB, THE FRAGILE HOME
The parable of those whotake 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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B esides giving t he physical description of t he spiders
web a s being very f l imsy , delica te a nd w eak, the
Quran also s tresses on the f l imsiness of the
relat ionship in t he spiders house, where t he female
spider ma ny a times kills its ma te, the ma le spider.
The parable also has reference to the weakness of
such rela tionship of th e people who seek protection
for t his w orld a nd for the hereaft er from t hose other
tha n Allah.
LIFESTYLE AND COMMUNICATION OF
ANTS
And before Solomon weremarshalled his hosts
of Jinns and men and birds,
and they were all keptin order and ranks.
At length, when they cameto a (lowly) valley of ants,
one of the ants said :O ye ants, get intoyour habitations,
lest Solomon and his hostscrush you (under foot)without knowing it.
[Al-Quran 27:17-18]
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In the past , some people would have probablymocked at th e Qura n, ta king it t o be a book of fairyta les in which ants ta lk to each other andcommunicate sophisticated messages. In recent
times however, research has shown us several facts
a bout the l ifestyle of ant s , which were not knownearlier to huma nkind. Resea rch has shown t ha t theanimals or insects whose l i festyle is closest inresembla nce to the lifestyle of huma n beings a re thea nt s. This can be seen from t he follow ing findings
regarding ants:
(a ) The an ts bury their dead in a manner s imil a rto the humans.
(b) They ha ve a sophis t ica t ed sys tem of d iv is ionof l abour , whereby they have managers ,
supervisors, foremen, w orkers, etc.(c) Once in a w hile they meet among themselves
to ha ve a cha t .
(d ) Th ey h a v e a n a d va n ced m et h od ofcommunication among themselves.
(e) Th e y h ol d r e gu la r m a r k et s w h e r e t h e y
excha nge g oods.
(f ) They s tore gra in for long periods in winter a ndif the gra in begins to bud, they cut t he roots, a sif they understa nd tha t if they lea ve it t o grow,
it w ill rot. If the gra in stored by th em gets wetdue to rains, th ey ta ke it out into th e sunlightto dry , a nd once dry , they t a ke it ba ck inside
as though they know tha t humidity w ill ca usedevelopment of root systems which will causethe gra in to rot .
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10. MEDICINE
HONEY: HEALING FOR HUMANKIND
The bee assimilates juices of various kinds of
f lowers a nd fruit a nd forms honey w ithin i ts body,w hich it st ores in it s cells of w a x. Only a couple of
cen tur ies a go humans came t o know tha t honey
comes from t he belly of th e bee. But th is fact w a s
ment ioned in the Qur an 1 ,400 years ago in the
following verse:
There issues fromwithin their bodies
a drink of varying colours,wherein is healing for men.
[Al-Quran 16:69]
We are on ly now aware tha t honey has hea l ing
properties and is a lso a mi ld ant isept ic . The
Russia ns w ould use honey to cover t heir w ounds inWorld War II . The wound would retain moisture
a nd w ould lea ve very l i t t le sca r t issue. Due to thedensity of honey, no fungus or ba cteria could grow
in the wound.
Dramat ic improvements were v is ib le in 22
incurable chest and Alzheimer's disease patients at
nurs ing Homes in Eng land wh o w ere t rea ted byS i s te r Ca ro le , a n un , w i th propol is , a subs tancew hich bees produce to seal hives aga inst ba cteria .1______________________________________________________________1The reference for th is sta tment is the video ta pe titled This is theTruth . For a copy of this video tape conta ct the Is lam ic ResearchFoundation.
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A person suffering from a n a l lergy of a par t icular
pla nt ma y be g iven honey f rom th a t p lant so tha t
the person develops res is tance to tha t a l lergy .
Honey is also rich in fructose a nd vita min K.
The knowledge contained in the Quran regardinghoney , i t s or ig in a nd propert ies, w a s d iscovered
cent uries aft er its revelation.
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11. PHYSIOLOGY
BLOOD CIRCULATION AND MILK
The Quran was revealed 600 years before the
Musl im scient is t Ibn Nafees descr ibed thecirculat ion of the blood and 1,000 years before
William H a rw ey brought this understa nding to the
Western w orld. Roughly th irt een centu ries before it
was known wha t happens in the in tes t ines to
ensure tha t orga ns a re nourished by th e process of
digestive absorption, a verse in th e Qura n described
th e source of th e constit uent s of milk, in conformity
w ith t hese notions.
To understa nd t he Quranic verse concerning t he
above concepts , i t i s important to know thatchemica l reactions occur in the intestines a nd t ha t,
from there, substa nces extra cted from food pa ss into
th e blood strea m via a complex system; sometimes
by w a y of the l iver , depending on th eir chemica l
na tur e. The blood tra nsports them t o all the organ s
of the body, a mong w hich a re t he milk-producing
mamma ry g lands .
In s imple terms, cer ta in subs tances f rom the
contents of the intestines enter into the vessels of
the intestinal w al l i tself , and t hese substances aret ranspor ted by the b lood s t ream to the va r ious
organs.
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This physiologica l concept must be fully appreciated if we
wish to understa nd the following verses of the Quran:
And verily in cattle there isa lesson for you.
We give you to drinkof what is inside their bodies,
coming from a conjunctionbetween 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 bodiesWe 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]
____________________________________________________________1Tra nsla tion of this Quranic verse is from th e book The B ible, th e
Quran a nd Science by Dr. Mau rice B ucaille.
The 1400 year old Quranic description of the
production of milk in cat tle is str ikingly simila r to wha t
modern physiology has discovered in recent times
_____________________________________________________________
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12. EMBRYOLOGY
MUSLIMS SEEK ANSWERS
A group of Muslim S chola rs, un der t he direction of
a n eminent Yema ni Schola r, Sh eikh Abdul MajidAzzindani , col lected information concerning
embryology1a nd other sciences in t he Qur'a n a nd
undisputed H a dith2an d tra nslated i t into English.
They t hen follow ed t he Qur 'a nic a dvice:
If ye realise this not,
ask of those who possessthe Message.
[Al-Quran 16:43 & 21:7]
All the in format ion f rom the Qur an and the
undisputed Hadi th concerning embryology so
gat hered , a f ter being t ra ns la ted in to Engl ish an d
presented to Prof. (Dr.) Keith Moore, Professor of
Embryo logy a nd Cha i rman o f the Depar tment o f
Ana tomy a t t he Universi ty of Toronto, in Can a da .
At present h e is one of th e highest a ut horities in the
field of E mbry ology.
He was asked to g ive h is opinion regarding the
mater ia l presented to h im. Af ter careful ly
exa mining it , Dr. Moore said th a t most of the
_____________________________________________________________
1Em bryology is th e study of huma n development before birth.2 Hadi th or Sunnah means the sayings or ac t ions of Prophet
Muha mmed (pbuh).
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informa tion concerning embryology ment ioned in
the Quran a nd t he undisputed H a dith is in perfect
conformit y w ith modern discoveries in th e field of
embryology a nd does not conflict w ith them in a ny
way . He added tha t there were a f ew verses
how ever, on w hose scientific accura cy he could notcomment. He could not sa y wheth er the sta tements
w ere true or fa lse, since he wa s himself una w a re of
the information contained therein. There was also
no mention of this informa tion in modern w ritings
and studies on embryology.
One such verse is:
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 Ara bic word alaq,besides mean ing a congealedclot of blood, a lso mea ns something t ha t clings, a
leech-like substance.
Dr . Kei th Moore had no knowledge whether an
embryo in the initia l sta ges appea rs like a leech. To
check th is out h e s tudied the in i t i a l s t a ge of theembryo under a very powerful microscope and
compa red wha t he observed w ith th e dia gra m of a
leech . He was as ton i shed a t the s t r ik ing
resemblance betw een t he tw o!
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In t he same ma nner, he acquired more informa tion
on embryology, tha t w a s hitherto not known to him,
from t he Qura n.
Dr . Keith Moore an sw ered a bout eighty q uestions
deal ing wit h embryologica l dat a mentioned in theQur a n a nd Ha d i th . Not ing tha t t he in forma t ion
con ta ined in the Qur an and Had i th was in fu l l
a greement w ith t he lat est discoveries in t he field of
embryology, P rof. Moore sa id, If I w a s asked thesequestions thirt y year s ago, I would not ha ve been
a ble to answ er ha l f of th em for la ck of scient i f ic
information.1
In 1981, during th e Sevent h Medica l Conference in
Da mma m, Sa ud i Ara b ia , Dr . Moore s a id , I t ha s
been a grea t p leasure for me to help c lar i fy
sta tements in the Qura n a bout huma n development.I t i s clea r to me tha t t hese s ta tements must ha ve
come to Muha mma d f rom G od or Allah , beca use
almost a l l o f th is knowledge was not d iscovered
unt i l many centuries la ter . This proves to metha t Muha mma d mus t ha ve been a messenger o f
G od or Allah .2
Dr. Kei th Moore had ear l ier authored the book,
The Developing Human. After acquiring new
knowledge from t he Quran, he w rote, in 1982, t he
3rd edit ion of the s a me book, The D eveloping_____________________________________________________________1xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx2The reference for th is s ta tment i s the v ideo tape t i t led T h i sis the Tr uth . For a copy of th is v ideo ta pe conta c t the Is la micResearch Foundat ion .
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Hum a n. The book wa s t he recipient of an a wa rd for
the best medical book wri t ten by a s ingle author.
This book ha s been t ra nsla ted int o severa l ma jor
langua ges of the w orld a nd is used as a textbook of
embryology in th e first yea r of medical stu dies.
Dr. J oe Leigh Simpson, Cha irma n of the Depart ment
of Obstetrics and G yna ecology, a t t he B a ylor Collegeof Medicine, Houston, U.S.A., proclaims: . . . these
Ha diths , sa yings of Muham ma d (pbuh), could nothave been obtained on the basis of the scienti f icknowledge tha t was ava i lab le a t the t ime of thewriter (implying in the 7th century). It follows that
not only is there no conflict between genetics andreligion (implying Islam) but in fact religion (Islam)
ma y guide science by a dding revelat ion t o some of the
tr a dit ional scienti f ic a pproa ches . . . th ere existsta tements in the Qura n shown centu ries lat er to bevalid wh ich support knowledge in th e Qura n ha ving
been derived from G od.
DROP EMITTED FROM BETWEEN THE
BACK BONE AND THE RIBS
Now let man but thinkfrom what he is created!
He is created from
a drop emitted
Proceeding from betweenthe back bone and the ribs.
[Al-Quran 86:5-7]
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In embryonic sta ges, the reproductive orga ns of themale and female, i .e. the testicles and the ovaries,begin t heir development nea r t he kidney betw eenthe spinal column a nd t he eleventh a nd t welfth ribs.
La ter th ey descend; the fema le gona ds (ova ries) stop
in the pelv is whi le the male gonads ( tes t ic les)cont inue their descent before b i r th to reach thescro tum through the ingu ina l cana l . Even inadul thood a f ter the descent of the reproduct iveorga ns, th ese orga ns receive th eir nerve supply and
blood supply from t he Abdomina l Aorta , w hich is inthe a rea between t he ba ckbone (spina l column) a nd
the r ibs . The lymphat ic dra inage a nd t he venousreturn a lso go to the same a rea.
NUTFAH MINUTE QUANTITY OF
LIQUID
The G lorious Qura n m entions no less tha n eleven
times tha t t he huma n being is creat ed from nut fah,w hich mean s a minute qua ntity of liquid or a trickleof liquid that remains after emptying a cup. This isment ioned in several verses of th e Qura n including
22:5 and 23:13.1
Science has confirmed in recent times t ha t only oneout of a n a vera ge of thr ee million sperms is required
for fert i l is ing the ovum. This means that only 1/3
milliont h pa rt or 0.00003%of th e qua nt ity of spermstha t a re emitt ed is required for fertilisation._____________________________________________________________
1The sa me is a lso ment ioned in th e Quran in 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 progenyfrom a quintessence
of the nature ofa fluid despised.[Al-Quran 32:8]
The Ara bic word sulaalahmea ns quint essence or thebest part of a w hole. We ha ve come to know now tha tonly one single sperma tozoon tha t penetra tes theovum is required for fertiliza tion, out of th e severa lmillion produced by ma n. Tha t one sperma tozoon outof severa l million, is referred to in th e Qura n a ssulaalah. We ha ve also come to know now t ha t onlyone ovum is fert i l ized out of the tens of thousa nd
produced by t he fema le. Tha t one ovum out of tensof thousand is a lso refered to in the Qur 'an asSulaalah. This word also means gentle extractionfrom a f lu id . The f lu id re fers to both male andfemale germina l f luids cont a ining ga metes. B othovum a nd sperm are gent ly extra c ted f rom theirenvironment s in th e process of fertiliza tion.
NUT FATUN AMSHAAJ MINGLED
LIQUIDS
Verily We created manfrom a drop of mingled sperm.
[Al-Quran 76:2]
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The Ara bic word nut fat in amshaaj i nmean s mingledliquids . According to some comm ent a tors of t heQuran , mingled liquids refers to th e male or fema lea gents or liquids. After mixture of male a nd female
ga mete , the zygote s t i ll remains nut fah. Mingled
l iquids can a lso refer to spermat ic f lu id tha t i sformed of var ious secretions t ha t come from va riousglands.
Therefore, nut fat i n amshaaj, i .e . a minute qua nti tyof mingled f lu ids re fers to the male and female
ga metes (germina l f luids or cel ls) a nd pa rt of th esurrounding fluids.
SEX DETERMINATION
The sex of a foetus is determ ined by th e na tu re of
th e sperm a nd n ot of the ovum. The sex of th e child,w hether female or ma le, depends on w hether th e23rd pa ir of chromosomes is XX or XY respectively.
P rima rily, sex determinat ion occurs a t fertilizat iona nd d epends u pon t he t ype of sex chromosome inthe sperm that fer t i l i zes an ovum. I f i t i s an X
bearing sperm tha t fert i l izes th e ovum, the foetusis a female and i f i t i s a Y bear ing sperm then
the foetus is a ma le.
That He did create
in pairs male and female,from a seed when lodged(in its place).
[Al-Quran 53:45-46]
The Ara bic word nut fahmeans a minute quant i ty ofliquid a nd t umnaamean s eja cula ted or pla nted.
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Therefore nu t f ah specif ical ly refers to spermbecause it is ejaculated.
The Quran sa ys:
Was he not a drop
of sperm emitted(in lowly form)?
Then did he becomea clinging clot;then did (Allah) makeand fashion (him)in due proportion.
And of him He made
two sexes, male
and female. [Al-Quran 75:37-39]
Here aga in i t i s men t ioned tha t a sma l l quan t i t y
(drop) of sperm (indicat ed by t he w ord nut fa tan mi nmaniyy in) w hich comes from t he ma n is r esponsiblefor th e sex of th e foetus.
Mothers-in-law in t he In dian subcont inent, usua lly
prefer having male grandchildren and often blameth eir dau ght ers-in-law i f the child is not a boy. I fonly they knew t ha t the determining fac tor i s thena tur e of the ma le sperm a nd not t he fema le ovum!
If they w ere to blame an ybody, they should ra therblam e th eir sons, not th eir da ught ers-in-la w , since
both t he Qura n a nd Science hold tha t it is the ma lefluid th a t is r esponsible for t he sex of th e child!
Therefore nu t f ah specif ical ly refers to spermbecause it is ejaculated.
The Quran sa ys:
Was he not a drop
of sperm emitted(in lowly form)?
Then did he becomea clinging clot;then did (Allah) makeand fashion (him)in due proportion.
And of him He made
two sexes, male
and female. [Al-Quran 75:37-39]
Here aga in i t i s men t ioned tha t a sma l l quan t i t y
(drop) of sperm (indicat ed by t he w ord nut fa tan mi nmaniyy in) w hich comes from t he ma n is r esponsiblefor th e sex of th e foetus.
Mothers-in-law in t he In dian subcont inent, usua lly
prefer having male grandchildren and often blameth eir dau ght ers-in-law i f the child is not a boy. I fonly they knew t ha t the determining fac tor i s thena tur e of the ma le sperm a nd not t he fema le ovum!
If they w ere to blame an ybody, they should ra therblam e th eir sons, not th eir da ught ers-in-la w , since
both t he Qura n a nd Science hold tha t it is the ma lefluid th a t is r esponsible for t he sex of th e child!
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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]
According t o P rof. Keith Moore, t hese th ree veils of
da rkness in the Qura n refer to:
(i ) ant er ior a bdominal w al l of the mother
(i i) the uter ine wa l l
(iii) the amnio-chorionic membrane.
EMBRYOLOGICAL STAGES
Man We did createfrom a quintessence (of clay);
then We placed himas (a drop of) sperm
in a place of rest, firmly fixed;
then We made the sperminto a clot of congealed blood;
then of that clot We madea (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]
According t o P rof. Keith Moore, t hese th ree veils of
da rkness in the Qura n refer to:
(i ) ant er ior a bdominal w al l of the mother
(i i) the uter ine wa l l
(iii) the amnio-chorionic membrane.
EMBRYOLOGICAL STAGES
Man We did createfrom a quintessence (of clay);
then We placed himas (a drop of) sperm
in a place of rest, firmly fixed;
then We made the sperminto a clot of congealed blood;
then of that clot We madea (foetus) lump;
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then We made out of thatlump 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]
In t his verse Allah sta tes tha t m an is created froma sma ll quan tity of liquid which is placed in a pla ceof rest, fir mly fixed (w ell esta blished or lodged) forw hich t he Ara bic w ord qaraar i n mak een is used.The ut erus is w ell protected from t he poster ior byth e spina l column support ed f i rmly by t he ba ck
muscles . The embryo is further protected by thea mniot ic sac conta in ing t he a mniot ic flu id . Thusthe foetus ha s a w ell protected dwelling pla ce.
This sma l l qua nt i t y of f lu id i s ma de in to a laqah,meaning something which c l ings . I t a l so meansa leech-l ike subs tance . Both descr ipt ions arescientifically accepta ble a s in th e very ea rly sta gesthe foe tus cl ings to the w a l l and a l so appea rs t oresemble th e leech in sh a pe. It a lso behaves like aleech (blood s ucker) a nd a cquires it s blood s upplyfrom th e mother t hrough the pla centa .
The th i rd mea ning of the w ord a laqah is a bloodclot . During th is a laqah s t age , wh ich spans theth ird a nd fourt h w eek of pregna ncy, the blood clotsw ithin closed vessels . H ence th e embryo a cquires
the a ppeara nce of a blood clot in a ddition t o
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a cquiring th e appea ra nce of a leech. Compare th ereadi ly a va i lab le Qur 'a nic knowledge wi th Man 'sstruggle with scientific findings:
In 1677, Hamm and Leeuwenhoek were the
f i rs t sc ient is ts to observe human sperm cel ls(sperma tozoa) th rough a microscope. They t hought
tha t a sperm ce l l con ta ined a min i a ture human
being w hich grew in t he uterus to form a newborn.
This was known as the perforation theory. When
scientists discovered th a t t he ovum w a s bigger t ha n
the sperm, it w a s thought by scientists like De Gra f
a nd others tha t t he foetus existed in a minia t ure
form in the ovum. Later , in the 18th century ,
Mauper tu i s propaga ted t he theory o f b ipa ren ta l
inheritance.
The a laqah i s t rans formed in to mudghah whichmeans something tha t i s chewed (having teeth
ma rks) a nd a lso something tha t is ta cky a nd sma ll
w hich can be put in t he mouth like gum. Both these
explanations are scientifically correct. Prof. Keith
Moore took a piece of plast er seal a nd ma de it int o
the size and sha pe of the ear ly s ta ge of foetus a nd
chewed i t between the teeth to make i t in to a
mudghah. He compared this with the photographsof the ear ly s tage of foetus . The teeth marks
resembled t he somites w hich is the ear ly forma tion
of the spina l column .
This mudghah i s t r a ns formed in t o bones (izm).The bones a re cloth ed w ith inta ct f lesh or muscles(l ahm). Then Allah m a kes it into an other creat ure.
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P rof. Mar sha l l J ohnson w ho is one of the leadingscient is ts in the USA, and is the head of theDepart ment of Ana tomy a nd Director of the D a nielIns t i t u te a t t he Thomas J efferson U nivers i ty in
P hiladelphia in t he U SA, wa s a sked to comment on
th e verses of the Quran dealing w ith embryology. Atfirst he sa id tha t t he verses of the Qura n describingth e embryological st a ges cannot be a coincidence. Itwa s probable that Muham ma d (pbuh) ha d a powerfulmicroscope. On being reminded tha t t he Qura n w a s
revealed 1400 years ago, and microscopes wereinvented many centuries after the time of Prophet
Muha mma d (pbuh), P rof. J ohnson la ughed anda dmit ted t ha t t he first microscope invent ed could notma gnify more tha n 10 times a nd could not show aclea r pictu re.
La ter he sa id: I see nothing here in confl ict w iththe concept that Divine intervention was involvedw hen Muha mma d (pbuh) recited th e Qura n.1
According to Dr. Keith Moore, the modern
classi f icat ion of embryonic development s tageswhich is adopted throughout the world , i s noteasi ly comprehensible, s ince i t identi f ies s tageson a nu merical ba sis i.e. sta ge 1, sta ge 2, etc. On t he
other ha nd, the divisions revealed in the Qura n a rebased on dist inct and easi ly identi f iable forms or
shapes, which the embryo passes through. Theseare based on d i f ferent phases of pre-nata ldevelopment_____________________________________________________________
1The reference for this sta tm ent is the video ta pe titled Thi s is the Tr uth.For a copy of this video ta pe contact the I slamic Research Foundat ion.
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a nd provide elegant scientific descriptions t ha t a recomprehensible and practical.
E mbryologica l s ta ges of huma n development ha ve
a lso been described in th e follow ing verses:
Was he not a drop
of sperm emitted(in lowly form)?
Then did he becomea clinging clot;then did (Allah) makeand fashion (him)in due proportion.
and of him He made
two sexes, maleand 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 th e mudghahsta ge, if a n incision is ma de in theembryo and t he interna l orga n is dissected, it w ill be
seen tha t mos t o f them are formed wh i le therema ining a re not yet completely formed.
According to P rof . J ohnson, i f w e describe the
embryo as a complete crea t ion , th en w e ar e only
descr ib ing tha t par t wh ich i s a l ready c rea ted .
I f w e descr ibe i t a s a n incomplete crea t ion , t hen
w e are only descr ib ing tha t pa r t wh ich is not yet
creat ed. So, is it a complete crea tion or a n incomplete
creat ion? There is no bett er description of this st a ge
of embryogenesis than the Quranic description,
par t l y f o rmed and par t l y un formed , a s in thefollowing verse:
We created youout 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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Sc ien t i f i ca l l y we know tha t a t th i s ea r l y s t age
of development there are some cel ls which are
d i ff eren t i a t ed and there a r e some ce ll s tha t a re
undifferentia ted some orga ns a re formed a nd yet
others unformed.
SENSE OF HEARING AND SIGHT
The first sense to develop in a developing humanembryo is hearing. The foetus can hea r sounds a fter
th e 24th w eek. Subsequent ly, the sense of sight isdeveloped a nd by t he 28th w eek, th e retina becomessensitive to light.
The Qur'an explains it th us:
And He gave
you (the faculties of) hearing
and sight and feeling
(and understanding).[Al-Quran 32:9]
Verily We created manfrom 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 createdfor you (the faculties of)
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hearing, sight, feeling and
understanding:
little thanks it is ye give![Al-Quran 23:78]
In a ll these verses th e sense of hear ing is mentionedbefore t ha t of sight . Thus t he Quran ic description
ma tches perfectly w ith th e discoveries in modernembryology.
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13. GENERAL SCIENCE
FINGERPRINTS
Does man think that We
cannot assemble his bones?
Nay, We are able to puttogether in perfect orderthe very tips of his fingers.
[Al-Quran 75:3-4]
U nbelievers ar gue regarding r esurrect ion ta king
place aft er bones of dead people ha ve disint egra ted
in the ea r th and how each ind iv idua l would be
identified on t he Da y of J udgement. Almighty Allah
a nsw ers tha t H e ca n not only assemble our bonesbut can a lso recons truct perfect ly our very
fingertips.
Why does the Qur an , whi le speaking about
determinat ion of the ident i ty of the indiv idual ,
speak specif ical ly about f ingertips? In 1880,
f ingerprin t ing became the sc ient i f ic method of
ident i f ica t ion , a f ter r esea rch done by Sir Fra ncis
G olt . No tw o persons in the w orld ca n ever ha ve
exact ly the same f ingerprin t pa t tern , not even
identica l tw ins. Tha t is t he rea son wh y police forcesw orldwide use fingerprints t o identify crimina ls.
Fourt een hund red yea rs a go, who could have know n
th e uniqueness of each huma ns fingerprint? Surely it
could ha ve been none other th a n th e Crea tor H imself!
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PAIN RECEPTORS IN THE SKIN
I t w a s thought tha t t he sense of feeling and pa inw a s dependent only on t he bra in. Recent discoveries
however prove tha t t here ar e pa in receptors present
in the skin , wi th out wh ich a person would not bea ble to feel pain.
When a doctor exam ines a pa tient suffering from
burn injuries, he verifies the degr ee of burns by apinprick. I f the pat ient feels pa in , the doctor i shappy , because i t ind ica tes tha t the burns a resuperficial a nd t he pain receptors a re inta ct. On the
other ha nd, if the pat ient does not feel any pain, itind ica tes tha t i t i s a deep burn and the pa in
receptors ha ve been destr oyed.
The Quran gives a clear indicat ion of th e existenceof pa in receptors in th e follow ing verse:
Those who rejectour signs,
We shall sooncast into the Fire;
as often as their skinsare roasted through,We shall change them
for fresh skins,that they may tastethe Penalty:
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for Allah is Exaltedin Power, Wise.
[Al-Quran 4:56]
P rof. Ta ga ta t Teja sen, Chairma n of the Depa rtm ent
of Anatomy at Chiang Mai University in Thailand,ha s spen t a g rea t a mount of t ime on resea rch of
pain receptors . Ini t ial ly h e could not bel ieve tha t
the Quran mentioned this scienti f ic fact 1 ,400
years a go. He lat er veri f ied the tra nslat ion of this
par t icular Qur anic verse . Prof . Tejasen was so
impressed by th e scientific a ccura cy of th e Qura nic
verse , tha t a t the 8 th S aud i Med ica l C on ference
held in Riyadh on t he Scientific Signs of Qura n a nd
Su nna h, he proudly procla imed in public:
There is no God but Allah a nd
Muhammad (pbuh) is His Messenger.
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14. CONCLUSION
To attribute the presence of scientific facts in theQuran to coincidence would be against commonsense and a tr ue scientific approa ch.
Ind eed the scient ific a ccura cy of th e Qur'anic versesconfirm t he Qur'an's open declar a tion.
Soon will We show themOur Signs in the (furthest)regions (of the earth), andin their own souls, untilit becomes manifest to them
that this is the Truthit is not enough that
Thy Lord doth witnessall things?
[Al-Quran 41:53]
The Quran invi tes a l l humans to re f lect on theCrea tion of this universe in t he verse:
Behold! In the creationof the heavens and the earth,
and the alternationof Night and Day
there are indeed Signsfor men of understanding .
[Al-Quran 3:190]
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The scientific evidences of the Quran clearly prove
its D ivine origin. No huma n could ha ve produced a
book, fourteen hundred years ago, tha t would
cont a in such profound scientific facts.
The Qur a n, h owever, is not a book of Science but abook of Sig ns. These signs in vite Ma n t o rea lize the
purpose of his existence on earth, and to l ive in
harmony wi th Na ture . The Qur an i s t ru ly a
message from Alla h, the Crea tor a nd Sust a iner of
the universe. I t conta ins the sa me Messa ge of the
Oneness of God, tha t w a s preached by a ll prophets,
r i gh t f rom Ada m, Moses, J esus to Muham ma d
(pea ce be upon th em).
Severa l deta i led tomes have been wri t ten on the
subject of Qura n a nd m odern science and furth erresea rch in this field is on. Insha llah, t his resea rch
w ill help ma nkind t o come closer t o the Word of the
Almighty. This booklet contains only a few of the
scientific fa cts present in t he Qura n. I cann ot claim
to ha ve done full justice to t he subject.
P rof. Teja sen a ccepted Isla m on the st rengt h of just
one scientific sign mentioned in t he Qura n. S ome
people may require ten s igns whi le some may
require hundr ed s igns to be convinced a bout th e
Div ine or ig in of the Qur an . Some would beunwi l l ing to accept the Truth even a f ter being
shown a th ousand signs. The Qura n condemns such
a closed menta lity in t he verse:
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