The Quran and Modern Science
By Dr.
Maurice Bucaille
Edit e d by D r . A. A. B. Ph ilips
ED I TOR’S FOREW ORD
This booklet by Dr. Maurice Bucaille has been in circulat ion for t he
past ninet een years and has been a very effect ive t ool in present ing
I slam t o non- Muslim s as well as int roducing Muslim s t o aspect s of t he
scient ific m iracle of t he Quran. I t is based on a t ranscript ion of a
lect ure given by Dr. Bucaille in French. I n t his reprint , I decided t o
im prove it s present at ion by sim plifying t he language and edit ing t he
t ext from an oral form at t o a pam phlet form at . There were also
passing references m ade by t he aut hor t o m at erial in his book, The
Bible, t he Quran and Science, which needed explanat ion. I t ook t he
libert y of including explanat ory port ions from his book where m ore
det ail was necessary. A few foot not es were also added for clarit y and
a hadeet h which t he aut hor m ent ioned was replaced due t o it s
inaut hent icit y. There were also som e correct ions m ade t o t he
hist orical m at erial on t he com pilat ion of t he Quran. I t is m y hope t hat
t hese slight im provem ent s will m ake t his excellent work even m ore
effect ive in present ing t he final revelat ion of God t o m ankind.
D r . Abu Am e e n a h Bila l Ph ilips
D ir e ct or / I sla m ic I n for m a t ion Ce n t e r D uba i
U.A.E.
May, 1995
Table of Contents
Introduction
Religion And Science
The Quran And Science
Authenticity of Quran
Creation of The Universe
Astronomy
The Sun and Moon.
Stars and Planets
Orbits
The Day and Night
The Solar Apex
Expansion of the Universe
Conquest of Space
Geology
Water Cycle
Mountains
Biology
Botany
Physiology
Embryology
Fertilization
Implantation
Embryo
Bible, Quran And Science
Creation
Age of the Earth
The Flood
The Pharaoh
Introduction
On t he 9t h of Novem ber, 1976, an unusual lect ure was given at t he
French
Academ y
of
Medicine.
Its
t it le
was
“ Physiological
and
Em bryological dat a in t he Quran” . I present ed t he st udy based on t he
exist ence
of
cert ain
st at em ent s
concerning
physiology
and
reproduct ion in t he Quran. My reason for present ing t his lect ure was
because it is im possible t o explain how a t ext produced in t he sevent h
cent ury could have cont ained ideas t hat have only been discovered in
m odern t im es.
For t he first t im e, I spoke t o m em bers of a learned m edical societ y on
subj ect s whose basic concept s t hey all knew well, but I could, j ust as
easily, have point ed out st at em ent s of a scient ific nat ure cont ained in
t he Quran and ot her subj ect s t o specialist s from ot her disciplines.
Ast ronom ers, zoologist s, geologist s and specialist s in t he hist ory of
t he eart h would all have been st ruck, j ust as forcibly as m edical
doct ors, by t he presence in t he Quran of highly accurat e reflect ions
on nat ural phenom ena. These reflect ions are part icularly ast onishing
when we consider t he hist ory of science, and can only lead us t o t he
conclusion t hat t hey are a challenge t o hum an explanat ion.
There is no hum an work in exist ence t hat cont ains st at em ent s as far
beyond t he level of knowledge of it s t im e as t he Quran. Scient ific
opinions com parable t o t hose in t he Quran are t he result of m odern
knowledge. I n t he com m ent aries t o t ranslat ions of t he Quran t hat
have appeared in European languages, I have only been able t o find
scat t ered and vague references t o t hem . Nor do com m ent at ors
writ ing in Arabic provide a com plet e st udy of t he aspect s of t he Quran
t hat
deal
wit h
scient ific m at t ers.
This is why
t he idea
of
a
com prehensive st udy of t he problem appealed t o m e.
I n addit ion t o t his, a com parat ive st udy of sim ilar dat a cont ained in
t he Bible ( Old Test am ent and Gospels) seem ed desirable. Thus, a
research proj ect was developed from t he com parison of cert ain
passages in t he Holy Script ures of each m onot heist ic religion wit h
m odern scient ific knowledge. The proj ect result ed in t he publicat ion of
a book ent it led, The Bible, t he Qur'an and Science. The first French
edit ion appeared in May 1976. English and Arabic edit ions have since
been published.
Religion And Science
There is, perhaps, no bet t er illust rat ion of t he close links bet ween
I slam
and science t han t he Prophet
Muham m ad’s oft en- quot ed
st at em ent s:
“ Seeking knowledge is com pulsory on every Muslim .”
“ wisdom is t he lost propert y of t he believer.”
“ whoever follows a pat h seeking knowledge, Allah will m ake his pat h
t o paradise easy.”
These st at em ent s and m any ot hers are verit able invit at ions t o
hum anit y t o enrich t heir knowledge from all sources. I t com es as no
surprise, t herefore, t o learn t hat in I slam religion and science have
always been considered as t win sist ers and t hat t oday, at a t im e
when science has t aken such great st rides, t hey st ill cont inue t o be
associat ed. Nor is it a surprise t o learn t hat cert ain scient ific dat a are
used for t he bet t er underst anding of t he Quranic t ext . What is m ore,
in a cent ury where, for m any people, scient ific t rut h has dealt a
deat hblow t o religious belief, it is precisely t he discoveries of science
t hat , in an obj ect ive exam inat ion of t he I slam ic script ure, have
highlight ed t he supernat ural nat ure of revelat ion and t he aut hent icit y
of t he religion which it t aught .
When all is said and done, scient ific knowledge seem s, in spit e of
what m any people m ay say or t hink, t o be highly conducive t o
reflect ion on t he exist ence of God. Once we begin t o ask ourselves, in
an unbiased or unprej udiced way, about t he m et aphysical lessons t o
be derived from som e of t oday’s knowledge, ( for exam ple our
evolving knowledge of t he sm allest com ponent s of m at t er or t he
quest ions surrounding t he origin of life wit hin inanim at e m at t er) , we
indeed discover m any reasons for t hinking about God. When we t hink
about t he rem arkable organizat ion presiding over t he birt h and
m aint enance of life, it becom es clear t hat t he likelihood of it being t he
result of chance lessens quit e considerably.
As our knowledge of science in t he various fields expands, cert ain
concept s m ust seem increasingly unaccept able. For exam ple, t he idea
ent husiast ically expressed by t he recent French winner of t he Nobel
prize for m edicine, t hat living m at t er was self- creat ed from sim ple
chem ical elem ent s due t o chance circum st ances. Then from t his point
it is claim ed t hat living organism s evolved, leading t o t he rem arkably
com plex being called m an. To m e, it would seem t hat t he scient ific
advancem ent s m ade in underst anding t he fant ast ic com plexit y of
higher beings provides st ronger argum ent s in favor of t he opposit e
t heory:
t hat
t he
exist ence
of
an
ext raordinarily
m et hodical
organizat ion presiding over t he rem arkable arrangem ent of t he
phenom ena of life necessit at es t he exist ence of a Creat or.
I n m any part s of t he Book, t he Quran, encourages t his kind of
general reflect ion but also cont ains infinit ely m ore precise dat a which
are direct ly relat ed t o fact s discovered by m odern science. I t is
precisely t his dat a which exercise a m agnet ic at t ract ion for t oday’s
scient ist s.
The Quran And Science
For m any cent uries, hum ankind was unable t o st udy cert ain dat a
cont ained in t he verses of t he Quran because t hey did not possess
sufficient scient ific m eans. I t is only t oday t hat num erous verses of
t he
Quran
dealing
wit h
nat ural
phenom ena
have
becom e
com prehensible. A reading of old com m ent aries on t he Quran,
however knowledgeable t heir aut hors m ay have been in t heir day,
bears solem n wit ness t o a t ot al inabilit y t o grasp t he dept h of
m eaning in such verses. I could even go so far as t o say t hat , in t he
20t h
cent ury,
wit h
it s
com part m ent alizat ion
of
ever- increasing
knowledge, it is st ill not easy for t he average scient ist t o underst and
everyt hing he reads in t he Quran on such subj ect s, wit hout having
recourse t o specialized research. This m eans t hat t o underst and all
such verses of t he Quran, one is nowadays required t o have an
absolut ely
encyclopedic
knowledge
em bracing
m any
scient ific
disciplines.
I should like t o st ress, t hat I use t he word science t o m ean knowledge
which has been soundly est ablished. I t does not include t he t heories
which, for a t im e, help t o explain a phenom enon or a series of
phenom ena, only t o be abandoned lat er on in favor of ot her
explanat ions. These newer explanat ions have becom e m ore plausible
t hanks t o scient ific progress. I only int end t o deal wit h com parisons
bet ween st at em ent s in t he Quran and scient ific knowledge which are
not likely t o be subj ect t o furt her discussion. Wherever I int roduce
scient ific fact s which are not yet 100% est ablished, I will m ake it
quit e clear.
There are also som e very rare exam ples of st at em ent s in t he Quran
which have not , as yet , been confirm ed by m odern science. I shall
refer t o t hese by point ing out t hat all t he evidence available t oday
leads scient ist s t o regard t hem as being highly probable. An exam ple
of t his is t he st at em ent in t he Quran t hat life has an aquat ic origin (
“An d I cr e a t e d e ve r y livin g t h in g ou t of w a t e r ” Qu r a n 2 1 :3 0 ) .
These scient ific considerat ions should not , however, m ake us forget
t hat t he Quran rem ains a religious book par excellence and t hat it
cannot be expect ed t o have a scient ific purpose per se. I n t he Quran,
whenever hum ans are invit ed t o reflect upon t he wonders of creat ion
and t he num erous nat ural phenom ena, t hey can easily see t hat t he
obvious int ent ion is t o st ress Divine Om nipot ence. The fact t hat , in
t hese reflect ions, we can find allusions t o dat a connect ed wit h
scient ific knowledge is surely anot her of God’s gift s whose value m ust
shine out in an age where scient ifically based at heism seeks t o gain
cont rol of societ y at t he expense of t he belief in God. But t he Quran
does
not
need
unusual
charact erist ics
like
t his
to
m ake
it s
supernat ural nat ure felt . Scient ific st at em ent s such as t hese are only
one specific aspect of t he I slam ic revelat ion which t he Bible does not
share.
Throughout m y research I have const ant ly t ried t o rem ain t ot ally
obj ect ive. I believe I have succeeded in approaching t he st udy of t he
Quran wit h t he sam e obj ect ivit y t hat a doct or has when opening a file
on a pat ient . I n ot her words, only by carefully analyzing all t he
sym pt om s can one arrive at an accurat e diagnosis. I m ust adm it t hat
it was cert ainly not fait h in I slam t hat first guided m y st eps, but
sim ply a desire t o search for t he t rut h. This is how I see it t oday. I t
was m ainly t he fact s which, by t he t im e I had finished m y st udy, led
m e t o see t he Quran as t he divinely- revealed t ext it really is.
Authenticity of Quran
Before get t ing t o t he essence of t he subj ect , t here is a very im port ant
point which m ust be considered: t he aut hent icit y of t he Quranic t ext .
I t is known t hat t he t ext of t he Quran was bot h recit ed from m em ory,
during t he t im e it was revealed, by t he Prophet and t he believers who
surrounded him , and writ t en down by designat ed scribes am ong his
followers. This process last ed for roughly t went y- t hree years during
which m any unofficial copies were m ade. An official copy was m ade
wit hin one year aft er t he Prophet ’s deat h at t he inst ruct ion of Caliph
Abu Bakr.
Here we m ust not e a highly im port ant point . The present t ext of t he
Quran benefit ed in it s original preparat ion from t he advant age of
having it s aut hent icit y
cross- checked by t he t ext
recit ed from
m em ory as well as t he unofficial writ t en t ext s. The m em orized t ext
was of param ount im port ance at a t im e when not everyone could
read and writ e, but everybody could m em orize. Moreover, t he need
for a writ t en record was included in t he t ext of t he Quran it self. The
first five verses of chapt er al- ‘Alaq, which happen t o const it ut e t he
first revelat ion m ade t o t he Prophet ( S) , express t his quit e clearly:
“Re a d: I n t h e n a m e of you r Lor d w h o cr e a t e d. W h o cr e a t e d
m a n fr om a clin gin g e n t it y. Re a d! You r Lor d is t h e m ost N oble ,
W h o t a u gh t by t h e pe n . W h o t a u gh t m a n w h a t h e did n ot
k n ow .” Qu r a n , 9 6 :1 - 5
These are surely words in “ praise of t he pen as a m eans of hum an
knowledge” , t o use Professor Ham idullah’s expression.
Then cam e t he Caliphat e of ‘Ut hm an ( which last ed from t he t welft h t o
t he t went y- fourt h year following Muham m ad’s deat h) . Wit hin t he first
t wo years of Caliph ‘Ut hm an’s rule, seven official copies were
reproduced from t he official t ext and dist ribut ed t hroughout a large
area of t he world which had already com e under I slam ic rule. All
unofficial copies exist ing at t hat t im e were dest royed and all fut ure
copies were m ade from t he official seven copies.
I n m y book, The Bible, t he Quran and Science, I have quot ed
passages from t he Quran which cam e from t he period prior t o t he
Hij rah ( t he Prophet ’s em igrat ion from Makkah t o Madeenah in t he
year 622) and which allude t o t he writ ing of t he Quran before t he
Prophet ’s depart ure from Makkah.
There
were,
m oreover,
m any
wit nesses
to
t he
im m ediat e
t ranscript ion of t he Quranic revelat ion.
Professor Jacques Berque has t old m e of t he great im port ance he
at t aches t o it in com parison wit h t he long gap separat ing t he writ ing
down of t he Judeo- Christ ian revelat ion from t he fact s and event s
which it relat es. Let us not forget t hat t oday we also have a num ber
of m anuscript s of t he first writ t en versions of t he Quran which were
from a t im e period very close t o t he t im e of revelat ion.
I shall also m ent ion anot her fact of great im port ance. We shall
exam ine st at em ent s in t he Quran which t oday appear t o m erely
record scient ific t rut h, but of which m en in form er t im es were only
able t o grasp t he apparent m eaning. I n som e cases, t hese st at em ent s
were t ot ally incom prehensible. I t is im possible t o im agine t hat , if
t here were any alt erat ions t o t he t ext s, t hese obscure passages
scat t ered t hroughout t he t ext of t he Quran, were all able t o escape
hum an m anipulat ion. The slight est alt erat ion t o t he t ext would have
aut om at ically
dest royed
t he
rem arkable
coherence
which
is
charact erist ic t o t hem . Change in any t ext would have prevent ed us
from est ablishing t heir t ot al conform it y wit h m odern knowledge. The
presence of t hese st at em ent s spread t hroughout t he Quran looks ( t o
t he im part ial observer ) like an obvious hallm ark of it s aut hent icit y.
The Quran is a revelat ion m ade known t o hum ans in t he course of
t went y- t hree years. I t spanned t wo periods of alm ost equal lengt h on
eit her side of t he Hij rah. I n view of t his, it was nat ural for reflect ions
having a scient ific aspect t o be scat t ered t hroughout t he Book. I n a
st udy, such as t he one we have m ade, we had t o regroup t he verses
according t o subj ect m at t er, collect ing t hem chapt er by chapt er.
How should t hey be classified? I could not find any indicat ions in t he
Quran suggest ing any part icular classificat ion, so I decided present
t hem according t o m y own personal one.
I t would seem t o m e, t hat t he first subj ect t o deal wit h is Creat ion.
Here it is possible t o com pare t he verses referring t o t his t opic wit h
t he general ideas prevalent t oday on t he form at ion of t he Universe.
Next , I divided up verses under t he following general headings:
Ast ronom y, t he Eart h, t he Anim al and Veget able Kingdom s, Hum ans,
and Hum an Reproduct ion in part icular. Furt herm ore, I t hought it
useful t o m ake a com parison bet ween Quranic and Biblical narrat ions
on t he sam e t opics from t he point of view of m odern knowledge. This
has been done in t he cases of Creat ion, t he Flood and t he Exodus.
The reason t hat t hese t opics were chosen is t hat knowledge acquired
t oday can be used in t he int erpret at ion of t he t ext s.
Creation of The Universe
From an exam inat ion of creat ion as described in t he Quran, an
ext rem ely im port ant general concept em erges: The Quranic narrat ion
is quit e different from t he Biblical narrat ion. This idea cont radict s t he
parallels which are oft en wrongly drawn by West ern aut hors t o
em phasize t he resem blance bet ween t he t wo t ext s. To st ress only t he
sim ilarit ies, while silent ly ignoring t he obvious dissim ilarit ies, is t o
dist ort realit y. There is, perhaps, a reason for t his.
When t alking about creat ion, t here is a st rong t endency in t he West
t o claim t hat Muham m ad copied t he general out lines m ent ioned in t he
Quran from t he Bible. Cert ainly it is possible t o com pare t he six days
of creat ion as described in t he Bible, plus an ext ra day for rest on
God’s Sabbat h, wit h t his verse from chapt er al- A‘raaf.
“You r Lor d is God w h o cr e a t e d t h e h e a ve n s a n d t h e e a r t h in
six da ys.” Qu r a n , 7 :5 4
However, it m ust be point ed out t hat m odern com m ent at ors st ress
t he int erpret at ion of t he Arabic word ayyaam , ( one t ranslat ion of
which is ‘days’) , as m eaning ‘long periods’ or ‘ages’ rat her t han
periods of t went y- four hours.
What appears t o be of fundam ent al im port ance t o m e is t hat , in
cont rast t o t he narrat ion cont ained in t he Bible, t he Quran does not
lay down a sequence for creat ion of t he eart h and heavens. I t refers
bot h t o t he heavens before t he eart h and t he eart h before t he
heavens, when it t alks of creat ion in general, as in t his verse of
chapt er Taa Haa:
“( God) w h o cr e a t e d t h e e a r t h a n d h e a ve n s a bove ." Qu r a n ,
2 0 :4
I n fact , t he not ion derived from t he Quran is one of a parallelism in
t he celest ial and t errest rial evolut ions. There are also basic pieces of
inform at ion concerning t he exist ence of an init ial gaseous m ass (
dukhaan ) which are unique t o t he Quran. As well as descript ions of
t he elem ent s which, alt hough at first were fused t oget her ( rat q ) ,
t hey
subsequent ly
becam e
separat ed
( fat q) .
These
ideas
are
expressed in chapt ers Fussilat and al- Anbiyaa:
“God t h e n r ose t u r n in g t ow a r ds t h e h e a ve n w h e n it w a s
sm oke ” Qu r a n 4 1 :1 1
“D o t h e disbe lie ve r s n ot se e t h a t t h e h e a ve n s a n d t h e e a r t h
w e r e j oin e d t oge t h e r , t h e n I split t h e m a pa rt ?” Qu r a n 2 1 :3 0
According t o m odern science, t he separat ion process result ed in t he
form at ion of m ult iple worlds, a concept which appears dozens of
t im es in t he Quran. For exam ple, look at t he first chapt er of t he
Quran, al- Faat ihah: ( “Pr a ise be t o God, t h e Lor d of t h e W or lds.”
Qu r a n , 1 :1 ) . These Quranic references are a11 in perfect agreem ent
wit h m odern ideas on t he exist ence of prim ary nebula ( galact ic dust ) ,
followed by t he separat ion of t he elem ent s which result ed in t he
form at ion of galaxies and t hen st ars from which t he planet s were
born. Reference is also m ade in t he Quran t o an int erm ediary creat ion
bet ween t he heavens and t he eart h, as seen in chapt er al- Furqaan:
“God is t h e on e w h o cr e a t e d t h e h e a ve n s, t h e e a r t h a n d w h a t
is be t w e e n t h e m ...” Qu r a n 2 5 :5 9
I t would seem t hat t his int erm ediary creat ion corresponds t o t he
m odern discovery of bridges of m at t er which are present out side
organized ast ronom ical syst em s.
This brief survey of Quranic references t o creat ion clearly shows us
how m odern scient ific dat a and st at em ent s in t he Quran consist ent ly
agree on a large num ber of point s. I n cont rast , t he successive phases
of creat ion m ent ioned in t he Biblical t ext are t ot ally unaccept able. For
exam ple, in Genesis 1: 9- 19 t he creat ion of t he eart h ( on t he 3rd day)
is placed before t hat of t he heavens ( on t he 4t h day) . I t is a well
known fact t hat our planet cam e from it s own st ar, t he sun. I n such
circum st ances,
how
could
anyone
claim
t hat
Muham m ad,
t he
supposed aut hor of t he Quran, drew his inspirat ion from t he Bible.
Such a claim would m ean t hat , of his own accord, he correct ed t he
Biblical t ext t o arrive at t he correct concept concerning t he form at ion
of t he Universe. Yet t he correct concept was reached by scient ist s
m any cent uries aft er his deat h.
Astronomy
Whenever I describe t o West erners t he det ails t he Quran cont ains on
cert ain point s of ast ronom y, it is com m on for som eone t o reply t hat
t here is not hing unusual in t his since t he Arabs m ade im port ant
discoveries in t he field of ast ronom y long before t he Europeans. But ,
t his is a m ist aken idea result ing from an ignorance of hist ory. I n t he
first place, science developed in t he Arab World at a considerable
t im e aft er
t he Quranic revelat ion had occurred. Secondly, t he
scient ific knowledge prevalent at t he highpoint of I slam ic civilizat ion
would have m ade it im possible for any hum an being t o have writ t en
st at em ent s on t he heavens com parable t o t hose in t he Quran. The
m at erial on t his subj ect is so vast t hat I can only provide a brief
out line of it here.
The Sun and Moon.
Whereas t he Bible t alks of t he sun and t he m oon as t wo light s
differing only in size, t he Quran dist inguishes bet ween t hem by t he
use of different t erm s: light ( noor) for t he m oon, and lam p ( siraaj ) for
t he sun.
" D id you se e h ow Alla h cr e a t e d se ve n h e a ve n s, on e a bove t h e
ot h e r , a n d m a de in t h e m t h e m oon a ligh t a n d t h e su n a
la m p?" Qu r a n 7 8 :1 2 - 1 3
The m oon is an inert body which reflect s light , whereas t he sun is a
celest ial body in a st at e of perm anent com bust ion producing bot h
light and heat .
Stars and Planets
The word ‘st ar’ ( naj m ) in t he Quran ( 86: 3 ) is accom panied by t he
adj ect ive t haaqib which indicat es t hat it burns and consum es it self as
it pierces t hrough t he shadows of t he night . I t was m uch lat er
discovered t hat st ars are heavenly bodies producing t heir own light
like t he sun.
I n t he Quran, a different word, kawkab, is used t o refer t o t he planet s
which are celest ial bodies t hat reflect light and do not produce t heir
own light like t he sun.
“W e h a ve a dor ne d t h e low e st h e a ve n w it h or n a m e n t s, t h e
pla n e t s.” Qu r a n 3 7 :6
Orbits
Today, t he laws governing t he celest ial syst em s are well known.
Galaxies are balanced by t he posit ion of st ars and planet s in welldefined orbit s, as well as t he int erplay of gravit at ional forces
produced by t heir m asses and t he speed of t heir m ovem ent s. But is
t his not what t he Quran describes in t erm s which have only becom e
com prehensible in m odern t im es. I n chapt er al- Am biyaa we find:
“( God is) t h e on e w h o cr e a t e d t h e n igh t , t h e da y, t h e su n a n d
t h e m oon. Ea ch on e is t r a ve lin g in a n or bit w it h it s ow n
m ot ion.” Qu r a n 2 1 :3 3
The Arabic word which expresses t his m ovem ent
is t he verb
yasbahoon which im plies t he idea of m ot ion produced by a m oving
body, whet her it is t he m ovem ent of one’s legs running on t he
ground, or t he act ion of swim m ing in wat er. I n t he case of a celest ial
body, one is forced t o t ranslat e it , according t o it s original m eaning,
as ‘t o t ravel wit h it s own m ot ion.’
I n m y book, The Bible, The Qur'an and Science, I have given t he
precise scient ific dat a corresponding t o t he m ot ion of celest ial bodies.
They are well known for t he m oon, but less widely known for t he sun.
The Day and Night
The Quranic descript ion of t he sequence of day and night would, in
it self, be rat her com m onplace were it not for t he fact t hat it is
expressed in t erm s t hat are t oday highly appropriat e. The Quran uses
t he verb kawwara in chapt er az- Zum ar t o describe t he way t he night
‘winds’ or ‘coils’ it self around t he day and t he day around t he night .
“H e coils t h e n igh t u pon t h e da y a n d t h e da y u pon t h e n igh t .”
Qu r a n 3 9 :5
The original m eaning of t he verb kis t o coil a t urban around t he head.
This is a t ot ally valid com parison; yet at t he t im e t he Quran was
revealed, t he ast ronom ical dat a necessary t o m ake t his com parison
were unknown. I t is not unt il m an landed on t he m oon and observed
t he eart h spinning on it s axis, t hat t he dark half of t he globe
appeared t o wind it self around t he light and t he light half appeared t o
wind it self around t he dark.
The Solar Apex
The not ion of a set t led place for t he sun is vividly described in chapt er
Yaa Seen of t he Quran:
" Th e su n r u n s it s coa r se t o a se t t le d pla ce Th a t is t h e de cr e e
of t h e Alm igh t y, t h e All Kn ow in g.” Qu r a n 3 6 :3 8
“ Set t led place” is t he t ranslat ion of t he word m ust aqarr which
indicat es an exact appoint ed place and t im e. Modern ast ronom y
confirm s t hat t he solar syst em is indeed m oving in space at a rat e of
12 m iles per second t owards a point sit uat ed in t he const ellat ion of
Hercules ( alpha lyrae ) whose exact locat ion has been precisely
calculat ed. Ast ronom ers have even give it a nam e, t he solar apex.
Expansion of the Universe
Chapt er at h- Thaariyaat of t he Quran also seem s t o allude t o one of
t he m ost im posing discoveries of m odern science, t he expansion of
t he Universe.
“I bu ilt t h e h e a ve n w it h pow e r a n d it is I , w h o a m e x pa n din g
it .” Qu r a n 5 1 :4 7
The expansion of t he universe was first suggest ed by t he general
t heory
of
relat ivit y
and
is
support ed
by
t he
calculat ions
of
ast rophysics. The regular m ovem ent of t he galact ic light t owards t he
red sect ion of t he spect rum is explained by t he dist ancing of one
galaxy from anot her. Thus, t he size of t he universe appears t o be
progressively increasing.
Conquest of Space
Am ong t he achievem ent s of m odern science is t he “ conquest ” of
space which has result ed in m ans j ourney t o t he m oon. The
predict ion of t his event surely springs t o m ind when we read t he
chapt er ar- Rahm aan in t he Quran:
“ O assem bly of Jinns and m en, if you can penet rat e t he regions of t he
heavens and t he eart h, t hen penet rat e t hem ! You will not penet rat e
t hem except wit h aut horit y.”
Quran,55: 33
Aut horit y t o t ravel in space can only com e from t he Creat or of t he
laws which govern m ovem ent and space. The whole of t his Quranic
chapt er invit es hum ankind t o recognize God’s beneficence.
Geology
Let us now ret urn t o eart h t o discover som e of t he m any am azing
st at em ent s cont ained in Quranic reflect ions about our own planet .
They deal, not only wit h t he physical phenom ena observed here on
eart h, but also wit h det ails concerning t he living organism s t hat
inhabit it .
As in t he case of everyt hing we have discussed so far, we shall see
t hat t he Quran also expresses concept s in t he field of geology t hat
were way ahead of t hose current at t he t im e of it s revelat ion.
At t his point , we m ust ask ourselves t he following quest ion: How
could an uneducat ed m an in t he m iddle of t he desert accurat ely
t ackle so m any and such varied subj ect s at a t im e when m yt hology
and superst it ion reigned suprem e? How could he so skillfully avoid
every belief t hat was proven t o be t ot ally inaccurat e m any cent uries
lat er?
Water Cycle
The verses dealing wit h t he eart hly syst em s are a case in point . I
have quot ed a large num ber of t hem in m y book, The Bible, The
Quran and Science, and have paid special at t ent ion t o t hose t hat deal
wit h t he wat er cycle in nat ure. This is a t opic which is well known
t oday. Consequent ly, t he verses in t he Quran t hat refer t o t he wat er
cycle seem t o express ideas t hat are now t ot ally self- evident . But if
we consider t he ideas prevalent at t hat t im e, t hey appear t o be based
m ore on m yt h and philosophical speculat ion t han on observed fact ,
even t hough useful pract ical knowledge on soil irrigat ion was current
at t hat period.
Let us exam ine, for exam ple, t he following verse in chapt er azZum ar:
“H a ve you n ot se e n t h a t Alla h se n t r a in dow n fr om t h e sk y a n d
ca u se d it t o pe n e t r a t e t h e gr oun d a n d com e for t h a s spr in gs,
t h e n H e ca u se d cr ops of diffe r e n t color s t o gr ow ...” Qu r a n
3 9 :2 1
Such not ions seem quit e nat ural t o us t oday, but we should not forget
t hat , not so long ago, t hey were not prevalent . I t was not unt il t he
sixt eent h cent ury, wit h Bernard Palissy, t hat we gained t he first
coherent descript ion of t he wat er cycle. Prior t o t his, people believed
t hat t he wat ers of t he oceans, under t he effect of winds, were t hrust
t owards t he int erior of t he cont inent s. They t hen ret urned t o t he
oceans via t he great abyss, which, since Plat o’s t im e was called t he
Tart arus .I n
t he
sevent eent h
cent ury,
great
t hinkers such
as
Descart es st ill believed in t his m yt h. Even in t he ninet eent h cent ury
t here were st ill t hose who believed in Arist ot le’s t heory t hat wat er
was condensed in cool m ount ain caverns and form ed underground
lakes t hat fed springs. Today, we know t hat it is t he infilt rat ion of rain
wat er int o t he ground t hat is responsible for t his. I f one com pares t he
fact s of m odern hydrology wit h t he dat a found in num erous verses of
t he Quran on t his subj ect , one cannot fail t o not ice t he rem arkable
degree of agreem ent bet ween t he t wo.
Mountains
I n geology, m odern science has recent ly discovered t he phenom enon
of folding which form ed t he m ount ain ranges. The eart h’s crust is like
a solid shell, while t he deeper layers are hot and fluid, and t hus
inhospit able t o any form of life. I t has also been discovered t hat t he
st abilit y of m ount ains is linked t o t he phenom enon of folding. The
process of m ount ain form at ion by folding drove t he eart h’s crust
down int o t he lower
layers and provided
foundat ions for
t he
m ount ains.
Let us now com pare m odern ideas wit h one verse am ong m any in t he
Quran t hat deals wit h t his subj ect . I t is t aken from chapt er an- Naba’:
“H a ve W e n ot m a de t h e e a r t h a n e x pa n se a n d t h e m ou nt a in s
st a k e s?” Qu r a n , 7 8 :6 - 7
St akes ( awt aad ) , which are driven int o t he ground like t hose used t o
anchor a t ent , are t he deep foundat ions of geological folds.
Here, as in t he case of all t he ot her t opics present ed, t he obj ect ive
observer cannot fail t o not ice t he absence of any cont radict ion t o
m odern knowledge.
Biology
More t han anyt hing else, I was st ruck by st at em ent s in t he Quran
dealing wit h living t hings, bot h in t he anim al and veget able kingdom s,
especially wit h regard t o reproduct ion. We should really devot e m uch
m ore t im e t o t his subj ect , but , due t o t he lim it ed scope of t his
present at ion, I can only give a few exam ples.
I m ust once again st ress t he fact t hat it is only in m odern t im es t hat
scient ific progress has m ade t he hidden m eaning of som e Quranic
verses
com prehensible
to
us.
Num erous
t ranslat ions
and
com m ent aries on t he Quran have been m ade by learned m en who
had no access t o m odern scient ific knowledge. I t is for t his reason
t hat scient ist s find som e of t heir int erpret at ions unaccept able.
There are also ot her verses whose obvious m eanings are easily
underst ood, but which conceal scient ific m eanings which are st art ling,
t o say t he least . This is t he case of a verse in chapt er al- Am biyaa, a
part of which has already been quot ed:
“D o t h e u n be lie ve r s n ot r e a lize t h a t t h e h e a ve n s a n d t h e e a r t h
w e r e j oin e d t oge t h e r, t h e n I clove t h e m a su n de r a n d I m a de
e ve r y livin g t h in g ou t of w a t e r . W ill t h e y st ill n ot be lie ve ?”
Qu r a n 2 1 :3 0
This is a dram at ic affirm at ion of t he m odern idea t hat t he origin of life
is aquat ic.
Botany
Progress in bot any at t he t im e of Muham m ad ( S) was not advanced
enough in any count ry for scient ist s t o know t hat plant s have bot h
m ale and fem ale part s. Nevert heless, we m ay read t he following in
t he chapt er Taa Haa:
“( God is t h e On e w h o) se n t dow n r a in fr om t h e sk y a n d w it h it
br ough t for t h a va r ie t y of pla n t s in pa ir s.” Qu r a n , 2 0 :5 3
Today we know t hat fruit com es from plant s t hat have sexual
charact erist ics even when t hey com e from unfert ilized flowers, like
bananas. I n t he chapt er ar- Ra‘d we read t he following:
“... a n d of a ll fr u it s ( God) pla ce d ( on t h e e a r t h ) t w o pa ir s.”
Qu r a n 1 3 :3
Physiology
I n t he field of physiology, t here is one verse which appears ext rem ely
significant t o m e. One t housand years before t he discovery of t he
blood circulat ory syst em , and roughly t hirt een cent uries before it was
det erm ined t hat t he int ernal organs were nourished by t he process of
digest ive , a verse in t he Quran described t he source of t he
const it uent s of m ilk, in conform it y wit h scient ific fact s.
To underst and t his verse, it m ust first be known t hat chem ical
react ions occur bet ween food and enzym es in t he m out h, t he
st om ach and t he int est ines releasing nut rient s in m olecular form
which
are
t hen
absorbed
int o
t he
circulat ory
syst em
t hrough
count less m icroscopic proj ect ions of t he int est inal wall called villi.
Blood in t he circulat ory syst em t hen t ransport s t he nut rient s t o all t he
organs of t he body, am ong which are t he m ilk- producing m am m ary
glands.
This biological process m ust be basically underst ood, if we are t o
underst and a verse in t he Quran which has for m any cent uries given
rise t o com m ent aries t hat were t ot ally incom prehensible.
Today it is not difficult t o see why! This verse is t aken from t he
chapt er an- Nahl:
“Ve r ily, in ca t t le t h e r e is a le sson for yon . I give you dr in k
fr om t h e ir in side s, com in g fr om a con j un ct ion be t w e e n t h e
dige st e d con t e n t s ( of t h e in t e st in e s ) a n d t h e blood, m ilk pu r e
a n d ple a sa n t for t h ose w ho dr in k it .” Qu r a n 1 6 :6 6
The const it uent s of m ilk are secret ed by t he m am m ary glands which
are nourished by t he product of food digest ion brought t o t hem by
t he bloodst ream . The init ial event which set s t he whole process in
m ot ion is t he conj unct ion of t he cont ent s of t he int est ine and blood at
t he level of t he int est inal wall it self.
This very precise concept is t he result of t he discoveries m ade in t he
chem ist ry and physiology of t he digest ive syst em over one t housand
years aft er t he t im e of Prophet Muham m ad ( S) .
Embryology
There are a m ult it ude of st at em ent s in t he Quran on t he subj ect of
hum an reproduct ion which const it ut e a challenge t o t he em bryologist
seeking a hum an explanat ion for t hem . I t was only aft er t he birt h of
t he basic sciences which cont ribut ed t o our knowledge of biology and
t he
invent ion
of
t he
m icroscope,
t hat
hum ans
were
able
to
underst and t he dept h of t hose Quranic st at em ent s. I t was im possible
for a hum an being living in t he early sevent h cent ury t o have
accurat ely expressed such ideas. There is not hing t o indicat e t hat
people in t he Middle- East and Arabia knew anyt hing m ore about t his
subj ect t han people living in Europe or anywhere else. Today, t here
are m any Muslim s, possessing a t horough knowledge of t he Quran
and nat ural sciences, who have recognized t he am azing sim ilarit y
bet ween t he verses of t he Quran dealing wit h reproduct ion and
m odern scient ific knowledge.
I shall always rem em ber t he com m ent of an eight een- year- old
Muslim , brought up in Saudi Arabia, com m ent ing on a reference t o
hum an reproduct ion as described in t he Quran. He point ed t o t he
Quran and said, “ This book provides us wit h all t he essent ial
inform at ion on t he subj ect . When I was at school, m y t eachers used
t he Quran t o explain how children were born. Your books on sexeducat ion are a bit lat e on t he scene! ”
I f I were t o spend as long on all t he det ails of reproduct ion cont ained
in t he Quran, as t he subj ect m erit s, t his pam phlet would becom e a
book. The det ailed linguist ic and scient ific explanat ions I have given
in The Bible, The Quran and Science are sufficient for t he person who
does not speak Arabic nor know m uch about em bryology t o be able t o
underst and t he m eaning of such verses in t he light of m odern science
in m ore dept h.
I t is especially in t he field of em bryology t hat a com parison bet ween
t he beliefs present at t he t im e of t he Quran’s revelat ion and m odern
scient ific dat a, leaves us am azed at t he degree of agreem ent bet ween
t he Quran’s st at em ent s and m odern scient ific knowledge. Not t o
m ent ion t he t ot al absence of any reference in t he Quran t o t he
m ist aken ideas t hat were prevalent around t he world at t he t im e.
Fertilization
Let us now isolat e, from all t hese verses, precise ideas concerning t he
com plexit y of t he sem en and t he fact t hat an infinit ely sm all quant it y
is required t o ensure fert ilizat ion. I n chapt er al- I nsaan t he Quran
st at es:
“Ve r ily, I cr e a t e d h u m a nk in d fr om a sm a ll qu a n t it y of m in gle d
flu ids.” Qu r a n 7 6 :2
The Arabic word nut fah has been t ranslat ed as " sm all quant it y” . I t
com es from t he verb m eaning ‘t o dribble, t o t rickle’ and is used t o
describe what rem ains in t he bot t om of a bucket which has been
em pt ied. The verse correct ly im plies t hat fert ilizat ion is perform ed by
only a very sm all volum e of liquid.
On t he ot her hand, m ingled fluids ( am shaaj ) has been underst ood
by early com m ent at ors t o refer t o t he m ixt ure of m ale and fem ale
discharges. Modern aut hors have correct ed t his view and not e t hat
t he sperm is m ade up of various com ponent s.
When t he Quran t alks of a fert ilizing fluid com posed of different
com ponent s, it also inform s us t hat hum an progeny will be form ed
from som et hing ext ract ed from t his liquid. This is t he m eaning of t he
following verse in chapt er as- Saj dah:
“Th e n H e m a de [ m a n ’s ] offspr in g fr om t h e e sse n ce of a
de spise d flu id.” Qu r a n 3 2 :8
The Arabic word t ranslat ed by t he t erm ‘essence’ is sulaalah which
m eans ‘som et hing ext ract ed, t he best part of a t hing’. I n what ever
way it is t ranslat ed, it refers t o part of a whole. Under norm al
condit ions, only one single cell, sperm at ozoon, out of over 50 m illion
ej aculat ed by a m an during sexual int ercourse will act ually penet rat e
t he ovule.
Implantation
Once t he egg has been fert ilized in t he fallopian t ube, it descends t o
lodge it self inside t he ut erus. This process is called t he ‘im plant at ion
of t he egg’. I m plant at ion is a result of t he developm ent of villosit ies,
which, like root s in t he soil, draw nourishm ent from t he wall of t he
ut erus and m ake t he egg lit erally cling t o t he wom b. The process of
im plant at ion is appropriat ely described in several verses by t he word
‘alaq, which is also t he t it le of t he chapt er in which one of t he verses
appears:
“God fa sh ione d h u m a n s fr om a clin gin g e n t it y.” Qu r a n 9 6 :2
I do not t hink t here is any reasonable t ranslat ion of t he word ‘alaq
ot her t han t o use it in it s original sense. I t is a m ist ake t o speak of a
‘blood clot ’ here, which is t he t erm Professor Ham idullah uses in his
t ranslat ion. I t is a derivat ive m eaning which is not as appropriat e in
t his cont ext .
Embryo
The evolut ion of t he em bryo inside t he m at ernal ut erus is only briefly
described, but t he descript ion is accurat e, because t he sim ple words
referring t o it correspond exact ly t o fundam ent al st ages in it s growt h.
This is what we read in a verse from t he chapt er al- Mu’m inoon:
“I fa sh ion e d t h e clin gin g e n t it y in t o a ch e w e d lu m p of fle sh
a n d I fa sh ion e d t h e ch e w e d fle sh in t o bon e s a n d I clot h e d t h e
bon e s w it h in t a ct fle sh .” Qu r a n 2 3 :1 4
The t erm ‘chewed flesh’ ( m udghah) corresponds exact ly t o t he
appearance of t he em bryo at a cert ain st age in it s developm ent .
I t is known t hat t he bones develop inside t his m ass and t hat t hey are
t hen covered wit h m uscle. This is t he m eaning of t he t erm ‘int act
flesh’ ( lahm ) .
The em bryo passes t hrough a st age where som e part s are in
proport ion and ot hers out of proport ion wit h what is lat er t o becom e
t he individual. This is t he obvious m eaning of a verse in t he chapt er
al- Haj j , which reads as follows:
“I fa sh ion e d ( h u m a n s) a clin gin g e n t it y, t h e n in t o a lu m p of
fle sh in pr oport ion a n d out of pr opor t ion .” Qu r a n 2 2 :5 .
Next , we have a reference t o t he appearance of t he senses and
int ernal organs in t he chapt er as- Saj dah:
“... a n d ( God) ga ve you e a r s, e ye s a n d h e a r ts.” Qu r a n 3 2 :9
Not hing here cont radict s t oday’s dat a and, furt herm ore, none of t he
m ist aken ideas of t he t im e have crept int o t he Quran. Throughout t he
Middle Ages t here were a variet y of beliefs about hum an developm ent
based on m yt hs and speculat ions which cont inued for
several
cent uries aft er t he period. The m ost fundam ent al st age in t he hist ory
of em bryology cam e in 1651 wit h Harvey’s st at em ent t hat “ all life
init ially com es from an egg” . At t hat t im e, when science had
benefit ed great ly from t he invent ion of t he m icroscope, people were
st ill arguing about t he respect ive roles of t he egg and sperm at ozoon.
Buffon, t he great nat uralist , was one of t hose in favor of t he egg
t heory.Bonnet , on t he ot her hand, support ed t he t heory of ‘t he
ovaries of Eve’, which st at ed t hat Eve, t he m ot her of t he hum an race,
was- supposed t o have had inside her t he seeds of all hum an beings
packed t oget her one inside t he ot her.
Bible, Quran And Science
We have now com e t o t he last subj ect I would like t o present in t his
short pam phlet : it is t he
com parison bet ween m odern knowledge and passages in t he Quran
t hat are also referred t o in t he Bible.
Creation
We have already com e across som e of t he cont radict ions bet ween
script ure and science regarding t he creat ion of t he universe. When
dealing wit h t hat t opic, I st ressed t he perfect agreem ent bet ween
m odern knowledge and verses in t he Quran, and point ed out t hat t he
Biblical
narrat ion
cont ained
st at em ent s
t hat
were
scient ifically
unaccept able. This is hardly surprising if we are aware t hat t he
narrat ion of t he creat ion cont ained in t he Bible was t he work of
priest s living in t he sixt h cent ury BC, hence t he t erm ‘sacerdot al’ (
priest ly ) narrat ion is officially used t o refer t o it . The narrat ion seem s
t o have been conceived as t he t hem e of a serm on designed t o exhort
people t o observe t he Sabbat h. The narrat ion was const ruct ed wit h a
definit e end in view, and as Fat her de Vaux ( a form er head of t he
Biblical School of Jerusalem ) has not ed, t his end was essent ially
legalist in charact er.
The Bible also cont ains a m uch short er and older narrat ion of
Creat ion, t he so- called ‘Yahvist ’ version, which approaches t he
subj ect from a com plet ely different angle. They are bot h t aken from
Genesis, t he first book of t he Pent at euch or Torah. Moses is supposed
t o have been it s aut hor, but t he t ext we have t oday has undergone
m any changes.
The sacerdot al narrat ion of Genesis is fam ous for it s whim sical
genealogies, t hat go back t o Adam , and which nobody t akes very
seriously. Nevert heless, such Gospel aut hors as Mat t hew and Luke
have
reproduced
t hem ,
m ore
or
less
word- for- word,
in
t heir
genealogies of Jesus. Mat t hew goes back as far as Abraham , and
Luke t o Adam . These writ ings are scient ifically unaccept able, because
t hey set a dat e for t he age of t he world and t he t im e hum ans
appeared on Eart h, which m ost definit ely cont radict s what m odern
science has firm ly est ablished. The Quran, on t he ot her hand, is
com plet ely free of dat es of t his kind.
Earlier on, we not ed how perfect ly t he Quran agrees wit h m odern
ideas on t he form at ion of t he Universe. On t he ot her hand, t he
Biblical narrat ion of prim ordial wat ers is hardly, nor is t he creat ion of
light on t he first day before t he creat ion of t he st ars which produce
t his light ; t he exist ence of an evening and a m orning before t he
creat ion of t he eart h; t he creat ion of t he eart h on t he t hird day before
t hat of t he sun on t he fourt h; t he appearance of beast s of t he eart h
on t he sixt h day aft er t he appearance of t he birds of t he air on t he
fift h day, alt hough t he form er cam e first . All t hese st at em ent s are t he
result of beliefs prevalent at t he t im e t his t ext was writ t en and do not
have any ot her m eaning.
Age of the Earth
As for t he Biblical genealogies which form t he basis of t he Jewish
calendar and assert t hat t oday t he world is 5738 years old, t hese are
hardly adm issible eit her. Our solar syst em m ay well be four and a
quart er billion years old, and t he appearance of hum an beings on
eart h, as we know him t oday, m ay be est im at ed in t ens of t housands
of years, if not m ore. I t is absolut ely essent ial, t herefore, t o not e t hat
t he Quran does not cont ain any such indicat ions as t o t he age of t he
world, and t hat t hese are specific t o t he Biblical t ext .
The Flood
There is a second highly significant subj ect of com parison bet ween
t he Bible and t he Quran; descript ions of t he deluge. I n act ual fact ,
t he Biblical narrat ion is a fusion of t wo descript ions in which event s
are relat ed different ly. The Bible speaks of a universal flood and
places it roughly 300 years before Abraham .
According t o what we know of Abraham , t his would im ply a universal
cat aclysm around t he t went y- first or t went y- second cent ury BC This
st ory would be unt enable, in view of present ly available hist orical
dat a. How can we accept t he idea t hat , in t he t went y- first or t went ysecond cent ury BC, all civilizat ion was wiped off t he face of t he eart h
by a universal cat aclysm , when we know t hat t his period corresponds,
for exam ple, t o t he one preceding t he Middle Kingdom in Egypt , at
roughly t he dat e of t he first I nt erm ediary period before t he elevent h
dynast y? I t is hist orically unaccept able t o m aint ain t hat , at t his t im e,
hum anit y was t ot ally wiped out . None of t he preceding st at em ent s is
accept able according t o m odern knowledge. From t his point of view,
we can m easure t he enorm ous gap separat ing t he Bible from t he
Quran.
I n cont rast t o t he Bible, t he narrat ion cont ained in t he Quran deals
wit h a cat aclysm t hat is lim it ed t o Noah’s people. They were punished
for t heir sins, as were ot her ungodly peoples. The Quran does not fix
t he
cat aclysm
in
t im e.
There
are
absolut ely
no
hist orical
or
archaeological obj ect ions t o t he narrat ion in t he Quran.
The Pharaoh
A t hird point of com parison, which is ext rem ely significant , is t he
st ory of Moses, and especially t he Exodus from Egypt of t he Hebrews.
Here I can only give a highly com pressed account of a st udy on t his
subj ect t hat appears in m y book. I have not ed t he point s where t he
Biblical and Quranic narrat ions agree and disagree, and I have found
point s where t he t wo t ext s com plem ent each ot her in a very useful
way.
Am ong t he m any hypot heses, concerning t he hist orical t im e- fram e
occupied by t he Exodus in t he hist ory of t he pharaohs, I have
concluded t hat t he m ost likely is t he t heory which m akes Mernept ah,
Ram esses I I ’s successor, t he pharaoh of t he Exodus. The com parison
of t he dat a cont ained in t he Script ures wit h archeological evidence
st rongly support s t his hypot hesis. I am pleased t o be able t o say t hat
t he Biblical narrat ion cont ribut es weight y evidence leading us t o
sit uat e Moses in t he hist ory of t he pharaohs. Moses was probably
born during t he reign of Ram esses I I . Biblical dat a. are t herefore of
considerable hist orical value in t he st ory of Moses. A m edical st udy of
t he m um m y of Mernept ah has yielded furt her useful inform at ion on
t he possible causes of t his pharaoh’s deat h. The fact t hat we possess
t he m um m y of t his pharaoh is one of param ount im port ance. The
Bible records t hat pharaoh was engulfed in t he sea, but does not give
any det ails as t o what subsequent ly becam e of his corpse. The Quran,
in chapt er Yoonus, not es t hat t he body of t he pharaoh would be
saved from t he wat ers:
“Toda y I w ill sa ve you r de a d body so t h a t you m a y be a sign
for t h ose w h o com e a ft e r you .” Qu r an 1 0 :9 2
A m edical exam inat ion of t his m um m y, has, shown t hat t he body
could not have st ayed in t he wat er for long, because it does not show
signs of det eriorat ion due t o prolonged subm ersion. Here again, t he
com parison bet ween t he narrat ion in t he Quran and t he dat a provided
by m odern knowledge does not give rise t o t he slight est obj ect ion
from a scient ific point of view.
Such point s of agreem ent are charact erist ic of t he Quranic revelat ion.
But , are we t hrowing t he Judeo- Christ ian revelat ion int o discredit and
depriving it of all it s int rinsic value by st ressing t he fault s as seen
from a scient ific point of view? I t hink not because t he crit icism is not
aim ed at t he t ext as a whole, but only at cert ain passages. There are
part s of t he Bible which have an undoubt ed hist orical value. I have
shown t hat in m y book, The Bible, The Quran and Science, where I
discuss passages which enable us t o locat e Moses in t im e.
The m ain causes which brought about such differences as arise from
t he com parison bet ween t he Holy Script ures and m odern knowledge
is known t o m odern scholars. The Old Test am ent const it ut es a
collect ion of lit erary works produced in t he course of roughly nine
cent uries and which has undergone m any alt erat ions. The part played
by m en in t he act ual com posit ion of t he t ext s of t he Bible is quit e
considerable.
The Quranic revelat ion, on t he ot her hand, has a hist ory which is
radically different . As we have already seen, from t he m om ent it was
first com m t o hum ans, it was learnt by heart and writ t en down during
Muham m ad’s own lifet im e. I t is t hanks t o t his fact t hat t he Quran
does not pose any problem of aut hent icit y.
A t ot ally obj ect ive exam inat ion of t he Quran, in t he light of m odern
knowledge, leads us t o recognize t he agreem ent bet ween t he t wo, as
has already been not ed on repeat ed occasions t hroughout t his
present at ion.
I t m akes us deem it quit e unt hinkable for a m an of Muham m ad’s t im e
t o have been t he aut hor of such st at em ent s, on account of t he st at e
of knowledge in his day. Such considerat ions are part of what gives
t he Quranic revelat ion it s unique place am ong religious and nonreligious t ext s, and forces t he im part ial scient ist t o adm it his inabilit y
t o provide an explanat ion based solely upon m at erialist ic reasoning.
Such fact s as I have had t he pleasure of exposing t o you here, appear
t o represent a genuine challenge t o hum an explanat ion leaving only
one alt ernat ive: t he Quran is undoubt edly a revelat ion from God.
Links about Quran, I slam and Science :
Th e Am a zin g Qu r a n
ht t p: / / www.islam icm edicine.org/ am azing.ht m
Th e Scie n t if ic M ir a cle s I n Th e H oly Qu r a n
ht t p: / / www.islam - guide.com / frm - ch1- 1 .ht m
Th e Qu r a n , Kn ow le dg e , a n d Scie n ce
ht t p: / / cwis.usc.edu/ dept / MSA/ qu ran/ scislam .ht m l
Th e Qu r a n : A book you ca n be lie ve in
ht t p: / / www.discover- islam - online.com / art icle3.ht m
Som e Scie n t ist s D e cla r a t ion a bou t Th e H oly Qu r a n a n d
I sla m
ht t p: / / www.islam pedia.com / ij az/ Ht m l/ Scient ist _All/ I ndex.ht m
I t is Th e Tr u t h
ht t p: / / www.t hisist rut h.org/
Scie n ce Le a ds t o I sla m
ht t p: / / www.science4islam .com /
Som e Scie n t ific M ir a cle s in I sla m ( Ar a bic a n d En glish )
ht t p: / / www.geocit ies.com / rr_eem /
M or e lin k s a bou t I sla m a n d scie n ce
ht t p: / / www.m uslim t ent s.com / m uslim guide/ 1 - Science.ht m l