Ours is an era of space probes,
computer chips, laser surgeries and cloning. If we were to label any
book as a revelation from God, we couldn't help but to scrutinize this
Scripture using modern scientific knowledge. It could not be that a
revelation, proclaiming itself from God, could constitute aspects
contradicting established scientific facts. How could we assume
otherwise, when God is the one who created the universe and the laws
operating within it.
The Quran was revealed 1400
years ago to the last Prophet of God, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) as a guidance for all humanity. The entire Quran has been committed
to memory by millions of Muslims around the world and has been
preserved by God from any interpolations, for continuing guidance.
Although the Quran is a religious book with a total of about 6600 plus
verses dealing with many aspects of a person's life, about 1000 of those
verses are of scientific nature, none contradicting established
scientific facts.
Dr. T.V.N. Persaud [1],
professor of Anatomy, says: "You have an illiterate person (Prophet
Muhammad) making profound statements that are amazingly accurate, of a
scientific nature...I personally can't see how this could be mere
chance, there are too many accuracies and like Dr. Moore, I have no
difficulty in my mind reconciling that this is a divine inspiration or
revelation which lead him to these statements".
Besides providing
guidelines in personal, social, moral and spiritual spheres of humanity,
the Quran touches upon diverse scientific topics like astronomy,
geology, embryology, genetics, biology, archeology etc. Some of these
are mentioned below to prove the Quran's Divine origin.
The Big Bang !
Currently, the Big Bang
model of the origin of the universe is the cosmological paradigm most
widely accepted by astronomers. It holds that about 15 billion years ago
the universe began with the explosive expansion of a single, extremely
dense matter, the primordial mass. Only after the development of radio
telescopes in 1937 that, the necessary observational precision was
achieved in order for astronomers to arrive at the above conclusion.
What does the Quran say about our universe's origin?
"Do not the unbelievers see that the Heavens and the earth were joined together, then We split them apart." (21:30)
Expanding Universe
In 1925, Edwin Hubble
(after whom the Hubble Space telescope is named) provided the
observational evidence for the expansion of the universe. Stephen
Hawking (author of 'A Brief History of Time') states: "The universe is
not static, as had previously been thought, it is expanding". So what
did God reveal in the Quran, 1400 years ago?
"And the firmament, We
constructed with power and skill and verily We are expanding it" (51:47)
("We" is the Arabic plural of respect, not the Christian plural of
'trinity")
The Existence of Sun's Orbit
Ancient people use to
believe that the Sun revolves around the earth. Later, Nicholas
Copernicus in 1512, laid his Heliocentric Theory of Planetary motion,
which placed the sun motionless in the center of the solar system with
all the planets revolving around it. Modern science tells us now that
the sun too is not still, but is in motion.
The sun traveling at
roughly 150 miles per second takes about 200 million years to complete
one revolution around the center of our Milky Way Galaxy and 25 days to
make one complete rotation around its own axis. See how beautifully and
accurately God revealed this phenomenon in the Quran:
"It is He who created the
night and the day, and the sun and the moon, all (the celestial bodies)
swim along, each in its orbit with its own motion." (21:33)
Conquest of Space by Human
Human exploration and the
conquest of space began with the launching of the Russian Satellite,
Sputnik I on Oct. 4, 1957. Then followed the launching of humans into
space, which eventually led to a manned space flight to the Moon on July
20th, 1967. Thus the dream of humanity since the dawn of civilization
to go beyond the earth to the heavens was realized.
The Quran, 1400 years ago, clearly predicted human's advancement and the possibility of space flight.
"O assembly of Jinns and
humans, if you can penetrate the regions of the heavens and the earth,
then penetrate them! You will not penetrate them save with a power (of
God)." (55:33)
The Protective Atmosphere
Earth is constantly
bombarded by meteoroids that disintegrate upon the atmosphere and by
lethal rays emitted by the sun. This UV radiation is absorbed by the
Ozone layer forming the outer fringe of our atmosphere. Thus our
atmosphere along with its Ozone layer is a protective covering for us.
Life possibly could not have existed without it. How meticulously, does
our Lord sustain and protect us against this atmospheric destruction.
"And We have made the atmosphere a protective roof, yet do they turn away from the Signs which these things point to." (21:32)
Embryology
The Dutch naturalist Anthony
van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) produced lenses powerful enough to prove
that many tiny creatures are not spontaneously generated but are
produced from eggs. The science of Embryology as we know it today did
not discover many of the detailed aspects of human embryonic development
until the 1970s, using powerful microscopes, ultra sound and fiber
optics technology. See how the Quran described the stages of embryonic
development.
"God fashioned man from a
small quantity (of sperm)" (16:4) Fertilization takes place with only
one sperm among several tens of million produced by man.
"Then We placed him as a drop in a place of rest" (23:13) Implantation of the blastocyst in the uterus.
"Then We made the drop into
a leech like structure..." (23:14) This resemblance of the human embryo
to a leech is an appropriate description of the human embryo from days
7-24, when it clings to the endometrium of the uterus.
"And He (God) gave you
hearing and sight and feeling and understanding." (32:9) The internal
ears appear before the eyes, and the brain (the sight of understanding)
differentiates last.
Dr. E. Marshall Johnson [2]
Professor of Anatomy, concluded after studying verses from Quran: "The
Quran describes not only the development of external form but emphasizes
also the internal stages - the stages inside the embryo of its creation
and development, emphasizing major events recognized by contemporary
science... so I see nothing in conflict with the concept that divine
intervention was involved..."
Gender Determination
The concept of "Gender
Determination" as being described by geneticists, is one of the
outstanding informations revealed to us in the Quran. This information
is now a known fact, that sperms are the deciding factors in determining
the type of gender (male or female) in the new embryo. This
determination through the male sperm is due to the fact that sperms have
an X and Y chromosomes, while the female ovum has only X Chromosomes
(X, X). Through the Quran, The Almighty informs us that it is the male
sperms that determine the type of gender for the new offspring:
"Does man think that he
will be left_inner uncontrolled (without purpose)? Was he not a drop of
sperm emitted (in humble form)? Then did (God) make and fashion (him) in
due proportion. And of him He made two sexes, male and female..."
(75:36-40)
Existence of Pairs in All Creation
Before the dawn of the
modern era, humans conceived that only animal life was divided into two
genders, male and female. Then the discovery was made that this
phenomenon was present in plants and vegetation too. We have found this
reality existing in every creation, animate as well as inanimate, though
in different forms. In electricity, these two genders can be classified
as positive and negative. North and south pole describe it in
magnetism, electron and proton in atoms, matter and antimatter etc. Even
bacteria could be positive or negative, while the truth is, this
creation is made of pairs. At the time the Holy Quran was being revealed
in the 7th century C.E., we knew of pairing in animals and plants only,
but the Quran describes the phenomenon in the most lucid manner:
"Hallowed is He, Who
created pairs in all things, those that grow from the earth and of
themselves, and what they know not." (36:36)
The Quranic statement:
"...And what they know not"
is as true today, as it was when Holy Quran was revealed. Though we
have discovered that every created thing exists in pair, we have yet to
discover many things that exist.
We have expounded
scientific marvels from the Holy Quran to convince sincere seekers of
truth that it is the infallible Word of God. No mortal being can ever
speak with such authority, finality, knowledge, perfection, and
precision coupled with exotic beauties of expression, as does God in the
Quran.
By realizing these Truths
about the Quran and the religion of Islam revealed by our Creator and
Sustainer, many modern scientists are turning towards it.
Dr. Keith Moore [3],
Professor of Embryology, after analyzing the verses of the Quran for
three years comments: "It has been a pleasure for me to help clarify
statements in the Quran about Human Development. It is clear to me that
these statements must have come to Muhammad from God or Allah because
almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries
later"
Dr. Maurice Bucaille [4],
French Physician, after studying Quran and comparing it with modern
science, addressed the French Academy of Medicine in 1976 proclaimed:
"Our knowledge of these disciplines is such, that it is impossible to
explain how a text produced at the time of the Quran could have
contained ideas that have only been discovered in modern times".
Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson [5],
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, proclaims: "...These Hadiths
(sayings of Muhammad) could not have been obtained on the basis of the
scientific knowledge that was available at the time of the writer (7th
century)...It follows that not only is there no conflict between
genetics and religion (Islam) but in fact religion (Islam) may guide
science by adding revelation to some of the traditional scientific
approaches... There exist statements in the Quran shown centuries later
to be valid which support knowledge in the Quran having been derived
from God".
Dr. Tejatet Tejasen [6],
Professor of Anatomy, attending the Eighth Saudi Medical Conference,
stood up and likewise announced: "From my studies and what I have learnt
at this conference, I believe that everything that has been recorded in
the Quran 1400 years ago must be true. That can be proved the
scientific way".
These men of knowledge, in
their unbiased studies of the Quran, all proclaimed its truthfulness as a
Revelation of Almighty God.
"Soon we will show them Our
Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth) and in their own soul,
until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth..." (41:53)
Guidance to humanity
proclaimed in the Quran is complete and applicable to all societies and
all times. Whether we are living in the Stone Age or the Space Age,
riding in horse pulled carriages or flying in Space Shuttles, we haven't
changed a bit. We still possess physical and emotional desires, we live
in societies, interact with one another, establish social, political
and economic systems; thus the relevant need for guidance by our Creator
in all these spheres of our life. Islam is the only religion which is
totally compatible with scientific facts and provides complete, explicit
and clear guidance in all spheres of life.
The Quran was revealed in
Arabic, but translation of its meaning are available in English and
other languages for non-Arabs. Likewise Islam is not restricted to
people of the east or Arabs, it is a universal religion revealed for all
of mankind.
We invite all sincere
humans to study Islam with an open mind. Don't blindly follow the whims
and paganistic influences of the environment around us. God bestowed
upon us this superb mind to seek and live the truth; for we all will be
accountable on the Day of Judgment for our beliefs and deeds. Don't
delay your salvation. Welcome to Islam!
References:
1) Dr. T.V.N. Persaud,
Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy, University of Manitoba,
Canada, received in 1991 the most distinguished award presented in the
field of Anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grand Award.
2) Dr. E. Marshall Johnson,
Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Developmental
Biology, and the Director of the Daniel Baugh Institute, Thomas
Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA
3) Dr. Keith Moore,
Professor of Embryology, Department of Anatomy, Univ. of Toronto,
Canada, recipient of numerous awards and honors, including in 1984, the
J.C.B. Grand Award, which is the highest honor granted by the Canadian
Association of Anatomists.
4) Dr. Maurice Bucaille, French Physician, Author of 'The Bible, the Quran and Science, Seghers, Paris, 1987.
5) Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson,
Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at
the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and the President of
the American Fertility Society.
6) Dr. Tejatet Tejasen, Professor and Head of Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chiang, Thailand
No comments:
Post a Comment