Qur’an and Science
Professor Seyed E. Hasnain
(www.seyedehasnain.org)
Molecular Infection and Functional Biology Laboratory
School of Biological Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi;
and
Dr Reddy’s Institute of Life Sciences
University of Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, India
More than 1400 years ago Allah revealed Qu'ran
to his messenger Muhammad (S.A.W.)
It is a book of pure guidance and wisdom sent
down to help all human beings realize the true
purpose and meaning of life.
From the day of its
revelation to the day of
judgement this last divine
book will remain as the sole
guide for humanity.
Ever since the Quran was revealed, it has possessed
countless scientific, mathematical and historical
miracles
It also contains many prediction which have been
proven true
The divine knowledge is contained in the “Mother of the
Book” (Ummul Kitab) and “Tablet Preserved” (Lohul
Mahfooz):
“Nay, this is a Glorious Quran (inscribed) in a Tablet
Preserved” [The Holy Quran 85:21-22]
The Quran is not a book of science but a book of 'signs'
Let us therefore analyze whether the Qur'an and Modern Science are compatible or incompatibl
The world in which we live today:
Physical world, and the
Bio World
Both are interconnected and impact each other
The Physical world
According to the 'Big Bang', the whole universe was
initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then there was
a 'Big Bang' (Secondary Separation) which resulted in
the formation of Galaxies. These then divided to form
stars, planets, the sun, the moon, etc. The origin of
the universe was unique and the probability of it
occurring by 'chance' is zero.
The Quran contains the following verse, regarding the origin of the
universe:
"Do not the Unbelievers see That the heavens
and the earth Were joined together (as one Unit
of Creation), before We clove them asunder?"
[Al-Qu'an 21:30]
The striking congruence between the Quranic verse and the 'Big Bang' is
inescapable!
Scientists say that before the galaxies in the
universe were formed, celestial matter was
initially in the form of gaseous matter. In
short, huge gaseous matter or clouds were
present before the formation of the galaxies.
To describe initial celestial matter, the word
'smoke' is more appropriate than gas.
The following Qur'anic verse refers to this state of the universe by the word
dhukhan which means smoke:
"Moreover, He Comprehended In 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-Qur'an
41:11]
Again,
this fact
is a corollary to the 'Big Bang' and was not known to the
Arabs during the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
What then, could have been the source of this knowledge?
The Spherical Shape of the Earth
Consider the following Qur'anic verse regarding the alternation
of day and night:
"Seest thou not that Allah merges Night into
Day And He merges Day into Night?"
[Al-Qur'an 31:29]
Merging here means that the night slowly and gradually changes to day
and vice versa. This phenomenon can only take place if the earth is
spherical. If the earth was flat, there would have been a sudden change
from night to day and from day to night.
"He created the heavens And the earth In true
(proportions): He makes the Night Overlap the
Day, and the Day Overlap the Night."
[Al-Qur'an 39:5]
The Arabic word used here is Kawwara meaning 'to overlap' or 'to coil'–
the way a turban is wound around the head. The overlapping or coiling
of the day and night can only take place if the earth is spherical.
The Spherical Shape of the Earth
The earth is not exactly round like a ball, but geo-spherical i.e. it is
flattened at the poles. The following verse contains a description of the
earth's shape:
"And the earth, moreover, Hath He made egg
shaped."
[Al-Qur'an 79:30]
The Arabic word for egg here is dahaha, which means an ostrich-egg. The shape of
an ostrich-egg resembles the geo-spherical shape of the earth. Thus
the Qur'an correctly describes the shape of the earth, though the prevalent notion
when the Qur'an was revealed was that the earth is flat.
The Light of the Moon is Reflected Light
Science tells us that the light of the moon is reflected light. However this fact
was mentioned in the Qur'an 1,400 years ago in the following verse:
"Blessed is He Who made Constellations in the skies,
And placed therein a Lamp And a Moon giving light.“
[Al-Qur'an 25:61]
Consider the following verses related to the
nature of light from the sun and the moon:
"It is He who made the sun To be a
shining glory And the moon to be a
light (of beauty)."[Al-Qu'an 10:5]
"See ye not How Allah has created The
seven heavens One above another, And
made the moon A light in their midst,
and made the sun As a (Glorious)
The Protected Roof miles above Earth
"And We made the sky a protected ceiling,
but they, from its signs, are turning away."
(Quran 21:32)
In 20th century modern science proved hat the atmosphere surrounding
the earth plays an important role in protecting earth from small and big
meteors causing destruction of earth and living things
Scientific news
University of Colorado Boulder
(November 26, 2014): Star Trek-like
invisible shield found thousands of miles
above Earth
Barrier between Sweet and Salt Waters
"He has let free the two bodies of
flowing water, meeting together:
between them is a barrier which
they do not transgress." [Al-Qur'an
55:19-20]
Early commentators of the Qur'an were unable to
explain the two opposite meanings for the two bodies
of water, i.e. they meet and mix, and at the same
time, there is a barrier between them. Modern Science
has discovered that in the places where two different
seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This
barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its
own temperature, salinity and density. [Principles of
Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93]
Barrier between Sweet and Salt Waters
This scientific phenomenon mentioned in the Qur'an was also confirmed by
Dr. William Hay who is a well-known marine scientist and Professor of
Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado, USA.
The Qur'an mentions this phenomenon also in the following verse:
"And made a separating bar between the two bodies of
flowing water?" [Al-Qur'an 27:61]
When the Qur'an speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it
mentions the existence of "a forbidding partition" with the barrier.
"It is He Who has let free the two bodies of flowing water:
one palatable and sweet, and the other salty and bitter; Yet
has He made a barrier between them, and a partition that is
forbidden to be passed." [Al-Qur'an 25:53]
This phenomenon occurs in several places, including Egypt, where the river
Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
The world in which we live today:
Physical world, and the
Bio World
Both are interconnected and impact each other
The Biological world
Plants Created in Pairs - Male and Female
"And has sent down water from the sky. With it
have We produced diverse pairs of plants each
separate from the others." [Al-Qur'an 20:53]
Fruits Created in Pairs - Male and Female
"And fruit of every kind He made in pairs, two and two."
[Al-Qur'an 13:3]
Once pollen has been carried to the flower, they bear fruit, which in turn
matures and frees its seed. All fruits therefore imply the existence of male
and female organs; a fact that is mentioned in the Qur'an.
"And of everything We have created
pairs.“ [Al-Qur'an 51:49]
Honey has Healing Properties
A couple of centuries ago man came to know that honey comes from
the belly of the bee. This fact was mentioned in the Qur'an 1,400
years ago in the following verse:
"There issues from within their bodies a drink of varying
colours, wherein is healing for men." [Al-Qur'an 16:69]
The Russians used honey to cover their
wounds in World War II. Honey is rich in
fructose and vitamin K. The knowledge
contained in the Qur'an regarding honey, its
origin and properties, was far ahead of the
time it was revealed.
Fingerprints
"Does man think that We cannot assemble his bones? Nay, We are
able to put together in perfect order the very tips of his fingers."
[Al-Qur'an 75:3-4]
In 1880, fingerprinting became the scientific method of
identification, after research done by Sir Francis Golt.
2015- Genome Editing: CRISPR Cas9
BIOLOGY HAS COME A LONG
WAY ... ...
2014- 100,000 human genomes
2012–Personalized human
genome sequencing !!
2001– Completion of a, "rough
23andYou
draft," of the human genome
1997- Ian Wilmut :
Cloning of a sheep
1973- Stanley Cohen:
Produced first recombinant DNA organism
1955- Frederick Sanger:
Complete sequence of insulin
1953- James Watson , Francis Crick:
solve structure of DNA
1944- Avery, MacLeod, McCarty:
DNA is the genetic materia
1910-1920: Morgan
established the basis of
modern genetics
1866- Gregor Mendel:
Phenotype determined by
inheritable units
. ... ... YET, MANY MORE MILES TO GO
1862- Louis Pasteur:
Microorganisms responsible for
contamination, heating kills
microorganisms
1859- Charles Darwin:
“The Origin of Species”
1735- Carl Linnaeus: classification
of species
1676- van Leeuwenhoek: described single celled
organisms
Molecular Biology Overview
Cell
Nucleus
Chromosome
Protein
Gene (mRNA),
single strand
Gene (DNA)
The molecule of life: DNA
MIFBL
The “blueprints” (genetic information) for making
proteins is stored within our DNA. It is the job of
DNA to control the order in which these 20 different
amino acids are put together.
The DNA of every human being on the planet is
99.9% the same.
It is the 0.1% that makes all the difference!
Any type of organism can be identified by
examination of DNA sequences which is unique
to that species.
“The molecule is so beautiful. Its glory was reflected on
Francis and me.”
- James Watson on DNA
Today DNA is one of the most amazing molecule
MIFBL
DNA unifies, DNA diversifies
How can the differential arrangement of ATGC make such a huge difference?
Genetic Diversity…
• Different arrangements of
NUCLEOTIDES in a nucleic acid
(DNA) provides the key to
DIVERSITY among living
organisms
COMPARTIVE GENOMICS:
Find the differences and similarities in DNA of related organisms
MIFBL
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms
(SNPs)
0.1% frequency in the human genome
Bases at the
polymorphic site
Drug
metabolism
Efficiency of
medication
TACGTGG
Fast
High
TACATGG
Slow
Low
e. g. Cyp 2D6 locus vis-a-vis codein metabolism
MIFBL
Primary Congenital Glaucoma
(PCG)
is a severe form of childhood blindness causes by
developmental defect(s) of the trabecular meshwork and
anterior chamber angle of the eye
Onset : present at birth or early childhood
The Central Dogma of Life
Translation
DNA makes RNA makes Protein
Transcription
•DNA as gene
•The Double Helix Structure of DNA: Inspired by
Nature;:everything is in pair!!
The Development Of Embryo
In Qu'ran Allah Almighty spoke about the development of an embryo in
the following way:
“….We made the drop into an Alaqah (leech-like structure),
and then We changed the Alaqah into a Mudghah (chewed-like
substance), then We changed the Mudghah into Idhaam (bones,
skeleton), then We clothed the Idhaam with Lahm (flesh,
muscles), then We caused him to grow and come into being as
another creation.” (23:14)
Figure 1: External Structure of a Leech
compared to the Embryo
Figure 2: Internal Structure of a Leech compared to the
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-Qur'an 39:6]
According to Prof. Keith Moore
these three veils of darkness in
the Qur'an refer to:
•anterior abdominal wall of
the mother
•the uterine wall
•the amnio-chorionic
membrane.
The single cell transforms itself in nine months to
become a child with three trillion cells
MIFBL
Limbal Cells: The LVPEI experience
Programmed cell death
Apoptosis in development
Sydney Brenner, H. Robert Horvitz and John E. Sulston
”Genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death"
Nobel Prize 2002
Brain marvels: can we beat nature?
...our brain consists of about 100 billion
neurons!
That's about 166 times the number of people on
the planet!
...the number of internal thought pathways that
our brain is capable of producing is: one
followed by 10.5 million kilometers of standard
typewritten zero's!
...information travels at different speeds within
different types of neurons. Transmission can
be as slow as 0.5 meters/sec or as fast as 120
meters/sec.
...our brain can have more ideas than the number of atoms in the known universe!
...the power used by our brain is that used to light a 10-watt bulb.
….the brain has no pain. There are no nerves that register pain within the brain itself,
neurosurgeons can probe the brain while a patient is conscious. They can then use
feedback from the patient to identify important regions, such as those used for speech.
…. Our brain continues to produce new neurons throughout our lives, and it does so in
response to stimulation (exercise). This is referred to as brain plasticity or neuroplasticity, and it is one of the most encouraging of these "brain facts."
Nature’s most efficient pump: The Heart
Our heart beats about 80,000 to 100,000 times
in one day and about 35 million times in a year.
During an average lifetime (70-90 years), human
heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times.
Our body has about 5.6 l of blood. This 5.6 liters
of blood circulates through the body
thrice/min.
In one day, the blood travels a total of 19,000
km (12,000 miles)-- that's more than the distance
across the world..
The heart pumps about 1 million barrels of
blood during an average lifetime--that's enough
to fill more than 3 super tankers.
Microbiota: More than our own DNA
MIFBL
A microbiota is “the ecological community of
commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms
that literally share our body space”
The human body contains over 10 times more microbial
cells than human cells
Singh et al Gut Pathogens, 2013
Role of Microbiota in different diseases
MIFBL
The human microbiome may have a role in diseases like
Diabetes
Asthma
Rheumatoids arthritis
Muscular dystrophy
Multiple Sclerosis
Fibromyalgia
Cancer
Obesity
Depression
Neuro-chemical imbalances
How do we define a living form ?
What constitutes life?
• Reproduction (Ability to replicate, giving origin to similar
kinds )
• Growth (i.e., reduction of internal entropy at the expense of
environmental entropy)
• Metabolism (i.e., capacity of maintaining lower internal
entropy)
FIVE ELEMENTS: C, H, O, N, P, S
So, How did Life Begin?
“An honest man, armed with all the knowledge available to
us now, could only state that in some sense, the origin of
life appears at the moment to be almost a miracle, so
many are the conditions which would have had to have
been satisfied to get it going”
Francis Crick, Nobel Laureate
[Life Itself: Its Origin and Nature, Simon and Schuster, p88, New York]
Living Organism is a “natural biocomputer”:
with hardware and software
IS DNA EVERYTHING?
On a genetic level, humans and apes are nearly
identical sharing > 96 % of their DNA. So what makes us
different? It is where, when and how intensely our
genes are expressed. It is the Genetic programming.
Chemical structure carries a particular “chemical
information” which determines its properties.
Assemble the DNA strictly as a chemical entity entity: It
will not show any life (biological) properties because
the chemical structure does not encode any biological
information.
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY: Creating Life in a test tube
MIFBL
A major issue raised by the critics of this technology is that if the synthesized
products are subjected to natural selection and potentially gene flow, the
mutations in the genome of the synthetic organisms could produce
unexpected interactions with the environment and other living, natural
organisms.
The other major concern is that if scientists can create life ‘at will’ it will
have huge societal impact.
and Allah further Says “When I have fashioned him (in due
proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit…”[The
Holy Quran 15:29]
It is Allah who creates you and takes your souls at death;
and of you there are some who are sent back to a feeble
age, so that they know nothing after having known
(much): for Allah is All-Knowing, All Powerful. [The Holy
Quran 16:70]
“Allah does blot out (delete) or confirm (retain) what He
pleases: With Him is the Mother of the Book” [The Holy
Quran 13:39]
Life and Death
When one dies, the ‘hardware’ remains but ‘software’ is
deleted.
The biological software is known only to Allah
Living Organism is a “natural biocomputer”: with hardware
and software
The divine knowledge base with all the softwares is
contained in the “Mother of the Book” (Ummul Kitab) and
“Tablet Preserved” (Lohul Mahfooz):
“Nay, this is a Glorius Quran (inscribed) in a Tablet
Preserved” [The Holy Quran 85:21-22]
Conclusion
There are more than six thousand 'signs' in the Qur'an
of which more than a thousand deal with science.
A totally objective examination of the Qur’an, in the
light of modern knowledge, leads us to recognize the
agreement between the two, as has already been noted
on repeated occasions throughout this presentation.
“It is the only book revealed by
God that has not changed (not a
single word) from the time it has
been revealed”
Thank
You
“Quran encourages seeking of knowledge and the modern
science is not something that is out of Islam or that is
discouraged in the religion that so dearly encourages the
spirit of enquiry and contemplation over things”
I am grateful to the ALMIGHTY ALLAH, and am
indebted to...
I dedicate this lecture to the loving memory of
my late parents
Professor Syed Mohammad Hasnain
and
Dr Naushaba Hasnain