Science in Islam
"We (God) shall show them Our signs in the Universe and within themselves, =
until it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth." Quran 41:53
The Quran, the book of Islam, is the final book of revelation from God to h=
umanity and the last in the line of revelations given to the Prophets.
Although the Quran (revealed over 1400 years ago), is not primarily a book =
of science, it does contain scientific facts that have only been discovered=
recently through the advancement of technology and scientific knowledge. I=
slam encourages reflection and scientific research because understanding th=
e nature of creation enables people to further appreciate their Creator and=
the extent of His power and wisdom.
The Quran was revealed at a time when Science was primitive; there were no =
telescopes, microscopes or anything close to today's technology. People bel=
ieved that the sun orbited the earth and the sky was held up by pillars at =
the corners of a flat earth. Against this backdrop the Quran was revealed, =
containing many scientific facts on topics ranging from astronomy to biolog=
y, geology to zoology.
Some of the many scientific facts found in the Quran include:
Fact #1 - Origin of Life
"And We (God) made every living thing from water. Will they not believe?"
Quran 21:30
Water is pointed out as the origin of all life. All living things are made =
of cells and we now know that cells are mostly made of water. This was disc=
overed only after the invention of the microscope. In the deserts of Arabia=
, it would be inconceivable to think that someone would have guessed that a=
ll life came from water.
Fact #2 - Human Embryonic Development
God speaks about the stages of man's embryonic development:
"We (God) created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop i=
n a place of settlement, firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an alaqah=
[leech, suspended thing, and blood clot], then We made the alaqah into a m=
udghah [chewed substance]..."
Quran, 23:12-14
The Arabic word "alaqah" has three meanings: a leech, a suspended thing and=
a blood clot. "Mudghah" means a chewed substance. Embryology scientists ha=
ve observed that the usage of these terms in describing the formation of th=
e embryo is accurate and in conformity with our current scientific understa=
nding of the development process.
Little was known about the staging and classification of human embryos unti=
l the twentieth century, which means that the descriptions of the human emb=
ryo in the Quran cannot be based on scientific knowledge from the seventh c=
entury.
Fact #3 - Expansion of the Universe
At a time when the science of Astronomy was still primitive, the following =
verse in the Quran was revealed:
"And the heaven We (God) constructed with strength, and indeed, We (God) ar=
e [its] expander."
Quran 51:47
One of the intended meanings of the above verse is that God is expanding th=
e universe (i.e. heavens). Other meanings are that God provides for, and ha=
s power over, the universe - which are also true.
The fact that the universe is expanding (e.g. planets are moving further aw=
ay from each other) was discovered in the last century. Physicist Stephen H=
awking in his book 'A Brief History of Time' writes, "The discovery that th=
e universe is expanding was one of the great intellectual revolutions of th=
e twentieth century."
The Quran alludes to the expansion of the universe even before the inventio=
n of the telescope!
Fact #4 - Iron Sent Down
Iron is not natural to earth, as it came to this planet from outer space. S=
cientists have found that billions of years ago, the earth was struck by me=
teorites which were carrying iron from distant stars which had exploded.
"We sent down iron with its great inherent strength and its many benefits f=
or humankind."
Quran 57:25
God uses the words 'sent down'. The fact that iron was sent down to earth f=
rom outer space is something which could not be known by the primitive scie=
nce of the seventh century.
Fact #5 - Sky's Protection
The sky plays a crucial role in protecting the earth and its inhabitants fr=
om the lethal rays of the sun, as well as the freezing cold of space.
God asks us to consider the sky in the following verse:
"We (God) made the sky a protective ceiling. And yet they are turning away =
from Our signs!"
Quran 21:32
The Quran points to the sky's protection as a sign of God, protective prope=
rties which were discovered by scientific research conducted in the twentie=
th century.
Fact #6 - Mountains
God draws our attention to an important characteristic of mountains:
"Did We not make the earth a resting place, and the mountains as stakes?"
Quran 78:6-7
The Quran accurately describes the deep roots of mountains by using the wor=
d "stakes". Mount Everest, for example, has an approximate height of 9km ab=
ove ground, while its root is deeper than 125km!
The fact that mountains have deep 'stake'-like roots was not known until af=
ter the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the beginning of th=
e twentieth century. God also says in the Quran (16:15), that the mountains=
have a role in stabilising the earth "...so that it would not shake," whic=
h has just begun to be understood by scientists.
Fact #7 - Sun's Orbit
In 1512, astronomer Nicholas Copernicus put forward his theory that the Sun=
is motionless at the centre of the solar system and the planets revolve ar=
ound it. This belief was widespread amongst astronomers until the twentieth=
century. It is now a well established fact that the Sun is not stationary =
but is moving in an orbit around the centre of our Milky Way galaxy.
"It is He who created night and day, the Sun and the Moon, each floating in=
its orbit."
Quran 21:33
Fact #8 - Internal Waves in the Ocean
It was commonly thought that waves only occur on the surface of the ocean. =
However, oceanographers have discovered that there are internal waves that =
take place below the surface which are invisible to the human eye and can o=
nly be detected by specialised equipment.
The Quran mentions:
"... a deep ocean which is covered by waves, above which are waves, above w=
hich are clouds, layers of darkness, one upon the other..."
Quran 24:40
This description is amazing because 1400 years ago there was no specialist =
equipment to discover the internal waves deep inside the oceans.
Fact #9 - Lying & Movement
There was a cruel oppressive tribal leader who lived during the time of Pro=
phet Muhammad (peace be upon him). God revealed a verse to warn him:
"No Indeed! If he does not stop, We will seize him by the forehead; his lyi=
ng, sinful forehead."
Quran 96:15-16
God does not call this person a liar, but calls his forehead (the front par=
t of the brain) 'lying' and 'sinful', and warns him to stop. Numerous studi=
es have found that the front part of our brain (frontal lobe) is responsibl=
e for both lying and voluntary movement, and hence sin. These functions wer=
e discovered with medical imaging equipment which was developed in the twen=
tieth century.
Fact #10 - The Two Seas that do not Mix
Regarding the seas, our Creator says:
"He has let loose the two seas, converging together, with a barrier between=
them which they do not break through."
Quran 55:19-20
A physical force called surface tension prevents the waters of neighbouring=
seas from mixing, due to the difference in the density of these waters. It=
is as if a thin wall were between them. This has only very recently been d=
iscovered by oceanographers.
Couldn't Muhammad Have Authored the Quran?
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was known in history to be illiter=
ate; he could not read nor write and was not educated in any field that cou=
ld account for the scientific accuracies in the Quran.
Some may claim that he copied it from learned people or scientists of his t=
ime. If it was copied, we would have expected to see all the incorrect scie=
ntific assumptions of the time also being copied. Rather, we find that the =
Quran does not contain any errors whatsoever - be they scientific or otherw=
ise.
Some people may also claim that the Quran was changed as new scientific fac=
ts were discovered. This cannot be the case because it is a historically do=
cumented fact that the Quran is preserved in its original language - which =
is a miracle in itself
Just a Coincidence?
"We (God) will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their own selves=
, until it becomes manifest to them that this Quran is the truth."
Quran 41:53
While this pamphlet has only focused on scientific miracles, there are many=
more types of miracles mentioned in the Quran: historical miracles; prophe=
cies that have come true; linguistic and literary styles that cannot be mat=
ched; not to mention the moving effect it has on people. All these miracles=
cannot be due to coincidence. They clearly indicate that the Quran is from=
God, the Creator of all these laws of science. He is the one and same God =
who sent all the Prophets with the same message - to worship the one God on=
ly and to follow the teachings of His Messenger.
The Quran is a book of guidance that demonstrates that God did not create h=
umans to simply wander aimlessly. Rather, it teaches us that we have a mean=
ingful and higher purpose in life - to acknowledge God's complete perfectio=
n, greatness and uniqueness, and obey Him
It is up to each person to use their God-given intellect and reasoning abil=
ities to contemplate and recognise God's signs - the Quran being the most i=
mportant sign. Read and discover the beauty and truth of the Quran, so that=
you may attain success!
http://islamicpamphlets.com/science-in-islam/
Thank you