1. WHAT ARE WE DEALING WITH?
Whilst all Muslims regard the Qur’ān as God’s word, in practice Muslims adopt a variety of approaches in the way they respond to the Qur’ān.
Some Muslims view the Qur’ān as a clear communication from God and take all its statements at face-value. Others, by contrast, seem to view it as a book of symbols requiring almost a secret system of interpretation. Most pick and mix in practice. The reply given to inquiry seems to depend a lot on on who is being spoken with at the time.
Scientific statements in the Qur’ān?
There are some statements in the Qur’ān which appear superficially to relate to present-day scientific statements. Some Muslims see such statements as tools which can be utilized with the aim of da‘wah, that is: inviting nonMuslims to embrace Islām.
In order to utilize these statements for this purpose, it is necessary to find some correspondence between the statements in the Qur’ān and some piece of scientific research which bears a superficial resemblance to the text. But this does not answer the following puzzle.
If the text is to be understood as relating to modern scientific thought, it implies that God intended this to be the meaning when the text was first given. But if the text is written in “cosmic language”, as some Muslims believe, then there can be no correspondence between the text and modern science. Believing that the Qur’ān’s language is “cosmic” implies that it is not a communication to people and, therefore, not intended to be understood by human beings.
So should people expect to understand the message of the Qur’ān, or should they see it as a text which has no meaning for human beings, but simply as an abstract position-statement by God? This is the dilemma raised by attempts to use the Qur’ān as a proof that it predicted present-day trends in scientific thought. . . .
CONTENTS
1. What are we dealing with? 4
Scientific statements in the Qur’ān? …………………………. 4-5
A case in point: the 7 heavens …………………………. 5-8
Endnotes …………………………. 8-9
2. Distorting the Qur’ān’s meaning 10
The origin of the universe …………………………. 10-11
The Earth’s flattened poles …………………………. 11-12
Continental drift and tectonic plates …………………………. 12-15
The creation of people …………………………. 15-16
The gender of bees …………………………. 16-18
Endnotes …………………………. 18-19
3. Exploiting “broad” language in the Qur’ān 20
All things created in counterparts or pairs? …………………… 20-37
Endnotes ……………………………. 37-40
4. More examples of “broad” language 41
The Big Bang …………………………. 41
Initial gaseous mass before the creation of galaxies …………. 41-42
The light of the moon is reflected …………………………. 42-48
The sun rotates on its own axis …………………………. 48-49
The sun will eventually cease to shine …………………. 49-51
Interstellar matter …………………………. 51-53
The existence of subatomic particles ………………………… 53-55
Mountains as “pegs” – “firmly fixed”? …………………. 55-57
Do winds impregnate clouds? …………………………. 57-59
The proportion of rain …………………………. 59-60
The mystery of iron …………………………. 60-61
Humans: created from what? …………………………. 61-66
Waves upon waves? …………………………. 66
Endnotes …………………………. 67-70
5. The Bible was there first 71
The creation of the universe …………………………. 71
The expanding universe …………………………. 71-79
The sky as a “protected roof” …………………………. 79-81
Sky not visibly supported …………………………. 81
The water-cycle …………………………. 82-86
The “returning sky” …………………………. 86-90
Endnotes …………………………. 91-95
6. What we can see: Lessons from human observation 96
Planets in orbit …………………………. 96-98
The Earth is not flat …………………………. 98-101
Rain sent down in due measure ………….………………… 101-102
Two types of water …………………………. 102-104
Darkness in the ocean …………………………. 104-105
Hail and lightning …………………………. 105-106
Do all animals and birds live in communities? ………… 106-107
Bird-flight …………………………. 107-108
The bee …………………………. 108-109
The spider’s web a fragile home …………………………. 109-110
Lifestyle and communication of ants …………………………. 110-111
Healing properties of honey …………………………. 111-112
The production of milk …………………………. 112-114
Embryonic stages …………………………. 114-118
The “three veils of darkness” …………………………. 118-119
Endnotes …………………………. 119-121
7. “Heads I win, tails you lose!” …………………………. 122
Bone and muscle in embryonic development .………… 122-126
Endnotes …………………………. 126
8. Concluding reflections …………………………. 127
The aim of this study is to show that claims made for the Qur’ān are often wrong and indeed discredit those who use such claims for its promotion. The need for a study like this is evident from the way in which statements about “the seven heavens”. These statements are often interpreted as if they were describing seven layers of
atmosphere surrounding the planet which God created for us to inhabit.
As reviewed in this study, almost all the claims for scientific miracles in the Qur’ān fit into the following categories:
1. Cases which involve distorting the Qur’ān’s meaning;
2. Cases which involve exploiting the elasticity of Qur’ānic language;
3. Phenomena which were known long before the Qur’ān was assembled;
4. Phenomena which could be deduced from human observation.
The remaining case, which concerns the parallel development of bone and muscle before the birth of a baby, involves defining terms in such a way as to suit the desired conclusion.
It is to be expected that other cases will be brought forward. But the reader who has absorbed the lessons which this study presents will be able to discern which category such cases fit.
The overall aim of this study is to help readers of the Qur’ān to apply more commonsense to their understanding of it. Problems like the ones highlighted in this study arise only if people try to take all its statements hyper-literally.
Provided it is understood that the Qur’ān is written largely in a poetic style and that a poetic style allows for non-literal statements. If that is
accepted, then most of the problems arising from possible contrast with modern discoveries evaporate. . .
Continue reading the whole article by clicking here: Science in the Quran March 2025
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