Miracles of The Qur’an Prepared & presented by Jamal M. Ashraff Miracles of the Qur’an Introduction Speaking about scientific miracles has become a necessity these days, as knowledge has made great & rapid strides that cannot be stopped even for a moment. What is the Qur’an ? Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the very word of God Almighty; which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (S) over the period of 23 years. The Qur’an is the principle source of every Muslim’s faith & practice. Miracles of the Qur’an Introduction What is Science ? Science is the intellectual practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure & behavior of the physical & natural world through observation & experiment. Source: Wikipedia What is a Miracle ? A surprising & welcome event that is not explicable by nature or scientific laws & is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency. Source: Wikipedia Miracles of the Qur’an Intellectual Test Any scripture claiming divine intervention must be put to a test & the test is as follows: 1. the scripture must clearly state who is God, & what is not God. 2. the scripture must stand the “Test of Time”. Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an? If it had been from (any) other than Allah (God), they would have found within it much contradiction. Ch. 4 V. 82 Miracles of the Qur’an Qur’an in Focus There are scientific & historical facts found in the Qur’an which were unknown to the people at the time, & have only been discovered recently. The Qur’an came in a unique style of language that cannot be replicated, this is known as the “Inimitability of the Qur’an”. 1. Miracle of the Unseen 2. Historical Inimitability 3. Legislative Miracle 4. Numerical Miracles 5. Illustrative Miracles Miracles of the Qur’an Qur’an in Focus Qur’an is not a book of SCIENCE but it is a book of SIGNS. It clearly states a number of scientific truths that were uncovered only with the help of modern technology in the 20th century. Therefore, we will use science as a yardstick to measure the accuracy of the statements in Qur’an. “Science without Religion is lame and Religion without Science is blind”. Albert Einstein – A Physicist & a Noble Price Winner Miracles of the Qur’an Proportion of Rain Every year, the amount of water that evaporates & that falls back to the earth in the form of rain is “constant”. And who send down rain from the sky in measured amounts, and We revive thereby a dead land – thus will you be brought forth. Noble Qur’an Ch. 43 V.11 This measured quantity in rain has been discovered by modern research. It is estimated that in one second, approximately 16 million tons of water evaporates from the Earth. i.e. equivalent to 513 trillion tons of water per year even if people used all the available technology in the world, they would not be able to reproduce this cycle artificially. A minor deviation in this equilibrium would rise a major ecological imbalance that would be about the end of life on earth. Miracles of the Qur’an Darkness in the Seas Or (they are) like the darkness within an unfathomable sea which is covered by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds – darknesses, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand (therein), he can hardly see it. And he to whom Allah (God) has not granted light – for him there is not light. Noble Qur’an Ch. 24 V. 40 Miracles of the Qur’an Darkness in the Seas The darkness in deep seas & oceans is found around a depth of 200 meters & below. Measurements made with today’s technology have revealed that between 3 & 30 percent of the sunlight is reflected at the surface of the sea. Then, almost all of the seven colours of the light spectrum are absorbed, one after another, in the first 200 meters, except for blue light. Below a depth of 1,000 meters, there is no light at all. human beings are not able to dive more than 40 meters down without the aid of special equipment. today we know about the general structure of the sea, the characteristics of the living things in it, it’s salinity, as well as the amount of water it contains, it’s surface area & depth. Submarines & special equipment, enabled scientist to obtain this information. Elder, danny and john pernetta 1991. Oceans, London, Mitchell Beazley Publishers. P. 27 Miracles of the Qur’an Bee & Honey Then eat from all the fruits & follow the ways of your Lord laid down (for you). There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought. Noble Qur’an Ch. 16 V. 69 Miracles of the Qur’an Bee & honey Nowadays, Apiculture & bee products have opened a new branch of research in scientifically advanced parts of the world. Benefits of Honey 1. Easily Digested - Because sugar molecules in honey can convert into other sugars (fructose to glucose), honey is easily digested by the most sensitive stomachs, despite its high acid content. It helps kidneys & intestines to function better. 2. Rapidly diffuses through the blood - Honey diffuses into the bloodstream in 7 minutes & is a quick energy source. Brain functions better since the brain is the largest consumer of sugar. 3. Recent Research shows this unique mixture is most effective in removing fatigue & increase athletic performance. 4. Support blood formation – Honey provides the energy needed by the body for blood circulation & helps in cleansing the blood. Miracles of the Qur’an Dr. Peter Molan, a leading researcher into honey for the last 20 years & a professor of biochemistry at New Zealand’s University of Walkato, says this about the antimicrobial properties of honey: “Randomized trials have shown that honey is more effective in controlling infection in burn wounds than silver sulphadiazine, the antibacterial ointment most widely used on burns in hospitals.” Source: Honey Against infected skin Lesions, “www.apitherapy.com/honeysk.htm The antibacterial & anti-inflammatory properties of honey were revealed as a result of clinical observations & research. Honey is exceedingly effective in painlessly cleaning up infection & dead cells in these regions & in the development of new tissues. Honey is anti-bacterial & Antioxidant. Vitamins & mineral depot. Treatment of wounds – present day, doctors & scientists are rediscovering the effectiveness of honey in the treatment of wounds. Sources : “Honey a source of Antioxidants,” Journal of Apicultural Research, 1998, 37:221-225 / “Honey As Medicine – Australia Products A world’s First! “ San Diego Earth Times, January 2000 Miracles of the Qur’an Birth of a Human Being & it’s stages We are often reminded how man came into the world, which stages he has passed through & what his essence is: We have created you, so why do you not believe? Have you seen that which you emit? Is it you who creates it, or are We the Creator? Noble Qur’an Ch.56 V.57-59 The miracle of man’s creation is emphasized in many verses. Some of the information within these verses is so detailed that it was impossible for anyone living in the 7th century to have known it. Examples of these are as follows: 1. Man is not created from the entire semen, but only a very small portion of it (sperm). 2. It is not the male that determines the sex of the baby. 3. The human embryo adheres to the mother’s uterus like a leech. 4. The embryo develops in the three dark regions in the uterus. Miracles of the Qur’an How could Muhammad (S) have possibly known all this 1400 years ago, when scientists have only recently discovered this using advanced equipment and powerful microscopes which did not exist at that time? Hamm and Leeuwenhoek were the first scientists to observe human sperm cells (spermatozoa) using an improved microscope in 1677 (more than 1000 years after Muhammad (S) ). They mistakenly thought that the sperm cell contained a miniature preformed human being that grew when it was deposited in the female genital tract. And Allah (God) has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful. Noble Qur’an Ch. 16 V.78 Miracles of the Qur’an Professor Emeritus Keith L. Moore:1. One of the world’s most prominent scientist in the fields of anatomy & embryology & is the author of the book entitled “The Developing Human” translated into 8 languages. 2. He was the Professor Emeritus of Anatomy & Cell Biology at University of Toronto, Canada. 3. He was Associate Dean of Basic Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine & for 8 years was the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy. Miracles of the Qur’an 4. In 1984, he received the most distinguished award presented in the filed of anatomy in Canada. 5. He has directed many international associations, such as the Canadian & American Association of Anatomists & the Council of the Union of Biological Sciences. Testimony of Acknowledgement In 1981, during the 7th Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Professor Moore said: Source: Developing Human, 5th Edition P.9, & Extract from Video called “This is the Truth” Miracles of the Qur’an Conclusion ''The above observation makes the hypothesis advanced by those who see Muhammad as the author of the Quran untenable. How could a man, from being illiterate, become the most important “author”, in terms of literary merits, in the whole of Arabic literature? How could he then pronounce truths of a scientific nature that no other human being could possibly have developed at that time, and all this without once making the slightest error in his pronouncement on the subject? Maurice Bucaille, The Bible, the Quran and Science, 1978, p. 125 ''A totally objective examination of it (the Quran) in the light of modern knowledge, leads us to recognize the agreement between the two, as has been already noted on repeated occasions. It makes us deem it quite unthinkable for a man of Muhammad's time to have been the author of such statements, on account of the state of knowledge in his day. Such considerations are part of what gives the Quranic Revelation its unique place, and forces the impartial scientist to admit his inability to provide an explanation which calls solely upon materialistic reasoning. ” Maurice Bucaille, The Quran and Modern Science, 1981. p. 18. Miracles of the Qur’an Further reading