THE HOLY QURAN AND SCIENCE .
. Heavens and the Earth created simultaneously
The Qur’an describe the creation of the universe in several places, sometimes
it says the heavens and the earth (7:54, 10:3, 11:7, 25:59, 32:4,
50:38, 57:4) while in other places it says earth and
the heaven (49:9-12, 2:29, 20:4) thus further supplementing
the verse of Surah Al Ambiya chapter 21 verse 30 which
speaks about the Big-Bang and that the heavens and the earth were created
simultaneously.
Similarly in Surah Al-Baqara chapter 2 verse 29
"It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; Then He
turned to
the heaven and made them into seven firmaments. And of all things He hath
perfect knowledge."
[Al-Qur’an 2:29]
"It is who has created for you all things on the earth summa simultaneously
made the heaven into seven firmaments".
Here also if you wrongly translate summa as ‘then’ only then would this verse contradict the Big-bang theory and other verses of the Qur’an. Therefore the correct translation of the word summa is ‘moreover’ or ‘simultaneously’.
15.
IS
MAN CREATED FROM SPERM OR DUST?
Question:
At one place the Qur’an mentions that man is created from sperm and in
another place it mentions that man is created from dust. Are these two
verses not contradicting? How can you scientifically prove that man is
created from dust?
Answer:
1.
Man created from sperm and dust
The Qur’an refers to the lowly beginnings of a human being from a drop of sperm, in several verses including the following verse from Surah Al-Qiyamah:
"Was
he not a drop of sperm emitted (in lowly form)"?
[Al-Qur’an 75:37]
The Qur’an also mentions in several places that human beings were created
from dust. The following verse makes a reference to the origin of human
beings:
"(Consider) that We created you out of dust".
[Al-Qur’an 22:5]
We now know that all the elements present in the human body (i.e. the constituent elements of the human body), are all present in the earth in small or great quantities. This is the scientific explanation for the Qur’anic verse that says that man was created from dust.
In certain verses, the Qur’an says that man was created from sperm, while in certain other verses it says that man was created from dust. However this is not a contradiction. Contradiction means statements, which are opposite or conflicting and both cannot be true simultaneously.
2. Man created from water
In certain places the Qur’an also says that man was created from water. For instance in Surah Al-Furqan it says:
"It
is He Who has created man from water".
[Al-Qur’an 25:54]
Science has proved all the three statements to be correct. Man has been created from sperm, dust as well as water.
WE DO NOT DEPEND ON SCIENCE FOR CONFIRMATION OF OUR FAITH . OUR FAITH IS BASED ON FOOLPROOF INTERNAL EVIDENCES PROVIDED BY THE QURAN AND SUNNAH. THEY ARE INBUILT IN THEM AND DO NOT REQUIRE ANY EXTERNAL PROOFS-
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT WHAT WE CALL THE
LATEST DISCOVERIES TODAY WERE KNOWN TO AN
UNLETTERED -UNEDUCATED MAN 1400 YEARS AGO ?
THE
CHOSEN ONE WHO CHANGED THE WORLD IN 23 YEARS
?
THESE VERSES ARE QUOTED ONLY FOR NON-MUSLIMS
WHO
CALL THEMSELVES SO " MODERN AND
DEVELOPED " THAT THEY DO NOT
BELIEVE IN ANYTHING UNLESS IT
IS PROVED SCIENTIFICALLY BUT THERE
IS MUCH IN THE QURAN WHICH IS DISCOVERED
RECENTLY OR LONG BACK AND IT ALSO CONTAINS
EVERYTHING WHICH IS PROBABLY
YET TO BE DISCOVERED BY HIS
SLAVES - HUMANS ,IF HE
WILLS .
3.
It is not a Contradiction but a Contradistinction
Suppose I say that in order to make a cup of tea one needs water. One also
needs tea-leaves or tea powder. The two statements are not contradictory
since both water and tea leaves are required in order to make
a cup of tea. Furthermore if I want sweet tea I can even add
sugar.
Thus there i no contradiction in the Qur’an when it says that man is created
from sperm, dust and water. It is not a contradiction but a contradistinction.
Contradistinction means speaking about two different concepts on the same
subject without conflict. For instance if I say that the man is always
truthful and a habitual liar, it is a contradiction,
but if I say that a man is always honest, kind and loving,
then it is a contradistincTion.
16.
ALLAH IS THE LORD OF TWO EASTS AND TWO WESTS
Question:
It is mentioned in one verse of the Qur’an that Allah is the Lord of two
Easts and two Wests. How can you explain this verse of the
Qur’an scientifically?
Answer:
1. Qur’an mentions Allah
is the Lord of two Easts and two Wests
The verse of the Qur’an which refers to Allah being the Lord of two easts and two wests is the following verse from Surah Ar-Rahman:
"(He
is) Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests:"
[Al-Qur’an 55:17]
In the original Arabic script, the words east and west have been used in
the dual form. It implies that Allah is the Lord of two
easts and two wests.
2. Allah is the Lord of
both the extremes of East and West
The science of geography tells us that the sun rises from the east, but
the point of sunrise keeps sHifting throughout the year.
Only on two days of the year known as ‘equinox’, does the sun
rise exactly from due east. On the remaining days, it rises
either from a little north or a little south of due east. During
summer solstice the sun rises from one extreme of the east and during winter
solstice it rises from the other extreme. Similarly, the sun sets in one
extreme of the west in summer solstice. It sets in the other
extreme of the west in winter solstice. This phenomenon
can be easily seen in Bombay or any other city, by
people living in certain areas, or in tall skyscraper buildings, from where
the rising or setting of sun can be seen. They are able to
notice that during the summer solstice the sun rises from one
extreme of east and during winter solstice it rises from the other
extreme of east. In short, through out the year, the sun keeps rising
from different points of the east and sets on different points of
the west. Thus when the Qur’an refers to Allah as the Lord of two easts
and two wests, it means that Allah is the Lord of both the
extremes of east and both the extremes of west.
3.
Allah is the Lord of all the points of the East and West
Arabic language has two types of plurals. One is the dual plural i.e. the
plural that implies the existence of two. The other is
the plural for more than two, i.e. three and above. In Surah
Rahman verse 17 the Arabic words used are mashriqaini
and magribaini which are in dual plural and therefore imply two
easts and two wests. Consider the following verse of
the Qur’an:
"Now I do call to witness the Lord of all points in the East and the West."
[Al-Qur’an 70:40]
The Arabic words for east and west used in this verse are mashaariqi and
magharibi’ which are plurals that imply the existence of more than two.
We can thus conclude that the Qur’an refers to Allah being the Lord of
all the points in the east and all the points of
the west, as well as the Lord of both the
extreme points of east and both the extreme points of west.
17.
ONE DAY IN THE SIGHT OF ALLAH IS 1,000 OR 50,000 YEARS
Question:
A
particular verse of the Qur’an says that one day in the sight of Allah
is equal to 1000 years. In another verse of the
Qur’an it says that one day is equal to 50,000
years.
Isn’t the
Qur’an contradicting itself?
Answer:
1.
Time of Allah is incomparable to earthly time
The Qur’an says in two verses, (22:47 and 32:5), that the measure of one
day in the sight of Allah is equal to 1,000 years
of our reckoning. In another verse (70:4) it says
that the measure of one day in the sight of Allah is equal to
50,000 years of our reckoning.
These verses generally mean that the time of Allah (swt) is incomparable
to the earthly time. The examples given are of one thousand
years and fifty thousand years of the earthly time.
In other words thousands of years or a very, very long
time
of the earth a day in the sight of Allah is equal to:
2.
Yaum also means Period
The Arabic word used in all these three verses is yaum, which, besides
meaning a day also means a long period, or an epoch.
If you translate the word yaum correctly as ‘period’
there will be no confusion.
a)
The verse from Surah Hajj reads as:
"Yet they ask thee to hasten on the Punishment! but Allah will not fail in His promise. Verily a Day in the sight of thy Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning".
[Al-Qur’an 22:47]
When the unbelievers asked to hasten the punishment the Qur’an says Allah will not fail in His promise. Verily a period in the sight of Allah is like a thousand years of your reckoning.
b) The verse from Surah
Al-Sajdah says:
"He rules (all) affairs from the heavens to the earth: in the end will
(all affairs) go up? To Him, on a Day, the space
whereof will be (as) a thousand years of your reckoning".
[Al-Qur’an 32:5]
This verse indicates that a period required for all the affairs to go up to Allah (swt), is a thousand years of our reckoning.
c)
A verse from Surah al-Maarij says:
"The
angels and the spirit ascend unto Him in a Day the measure whereof is
(as) fifty thousand years".
[Al-Qur’an 70:4]
This verse means that the period required for angels and the spirits to ascend unto Allah (swt) is fifty thousand years.
d)
The period for two different acts need not be the same. For example the
period required for me to travel to destination ‘A’ say Vashi is one hour
and the period required for me to travel to destination
‘B’ i.e. Kashmir is 50 hours. This does not
indicate
that I am making two contradictory statements.
Thus the verses of the Qur’an not only do not contradict each other, they are also in perfect harmony with established modern scientific facts.
18. IBLIS - ANGEL OR JINN?
Question:
The Qur’an in several places says that Iblis was an angel, but in Surah
Kahf it says that Iblis was a Jinn. Isn’t
this a contradiction in the Qur’an?
Answer:
1. Incidence of Iblis and
Angels mentioned in the Qur’an
The story of Adam and Iblis is mentioned in the Qur’an in various places
in which Allah (swt) says,
"We said
to the angels bow down to Adam: and they
bowed down: not so Iblis".
This is mentioned in:
Surah Al Baqarah chapter 2 verse 43
Surah Al ‘Araf chapter 7 verse 17
Surah Al Hijr chapter 15 verses 28-31
Surah Al Isra chapter 17 verse 61
Surah Ta Ha chapter 20 verse 116
Surah Sad chapter 38 verses 71-74
But in Surah Al Kahf chapter 18 verse 50 the Qur’an says:
"Behold! We said to the angels, "Bow down to Adam." they bowed down except
Iblis He was one of the Jinns."
[Al-Qur’an 18:50]
2.
Arabic Rule Of Tagleeb
The English translation of the first part of the verse ‘We said to the
angels bow down to Adam: they bowed down except
Iblis’, gives us the impression that Iblis was
an angel. The Qur’an was revealed in Arabic. In Arabic grammar there
is a rule known as Tagleeb, according to which, if the majority is addressed,
even the minority is included. If for example, I address a class containing
100 students of whom 99 are boys and one is a girl,
and if I say in Arabic that the boys should stand
up, it includes the girl as well. I need not mention her
seperately.
Similarly in the Qur’an, when Allah addressed the angels, even Iblis was
present, but it is not required that he be mentioned separately. Therefore
according to that sentence Iblis may be an angel or may not be an angel,
but we come to know from Surah Al Kahf chapter 18 verse 50
that Iblis was a Jinn. No where does the Qur’an say Iblis was
an angel.
Therefore there is no contradiction in the Qur’an.
3.
Jinns have free will and can disobey Allah
Secondly, Jinns have a free will and may or may not obey Allah, but angels have no free will and always obey Allah. Therefore the question of an angel disobeying Allah does not arise. This further supplements that Iblis was a Jinn and not an angel.
19. AUTHOR OF THE QUR’AN DOES NOT KNOW MATHEMATICS
Question:
According
to Arun Shourie (indian critic)there is a mathematical error in the Qur’an.
In chapter 4 verses 11 and 12 when you add
up the different parts of inheritance given
to the heirs, it is more than one. Therefore the author of the Qur’an does
not know mathematics.
Answer:
The Qur’an mentions about inheritance in many places, in
Surah Al Baqarah chapter 2 verse 180
Surah Al Baqarah chapter 2 verse 240
Surah Al Nisa chapter 4 verses 7 to 9
Surah Al Nisa chapter 4 verses19 and 33
Surah Al Ma‘idah chapter 5 verses 105 and 108
Regarding the share of inheritance it is clearly given in Surah Nisa chapter
4
verse 11, 12 and 176.
Let us examine the verses quoted by Arun Shourie, i.e. Surah Nisa chapter
4
verses 11 and 12:
"Allah (swt) (thus) directs you as regards your children’s(inheritance):
to the male, a portion equal to that of two
females: if only daughters, two or more, their
share is two-thirds of the inheritance; if only one, hr share is a half.
For parents, a sixth share of the inheritance to each, if the deceased
left children; if no children, and the parents
are the (only) heirs, the mother has a third; if
the deceased left brothers (or sisters) the mother has a sixth. (The
distribution in all cases is) after the payment of legacies and debts.
Ye know
not whether your parents or your children are nearest to you in benefit.
These are settled portions ordained by Allah; and Allah
is All-Knowing, All-Wise."
"In what your wives leave, your share is a half, if they leave no child;
but if they leave child, ye get a fourth; after payment
of legacies and debts. In what ye leave, their share
is a fourth, if ye leave no child; but if ye leave a child, they get
an eighth; after payment of legacies and debts."
[Al-Qur’an 4:11-12]
Islam explains the law of inheritance in great detail. The broad and basic
outline is given in the Qur’an and the minute details
are given in the Ahadith i.e. the tradition and
sayings of the Prophet (pbuh).
A person can spend his full life only on the research of the Islamic law
of inheritance with its various permutations and
combinations. Arun Shourie
expects to know the law only by superficially reading two verses of the
Qur’an
without knowing the criteria.
It is similar to a person who wants to solve a mathematical equation but does not know the basic rule of mathematics, i.e. BODMAS which says that in a mathematical equation, irrespective of which mathematical sign appears first, you will first solve BODMAS: 1st
Brackets Off, 2nd Division, 3rd Multiplication, 4th Addition and 5th Subtraction.
If Arun Shourie does not know mathematics and first does multiplication
then subtraction, then brackets off, then
division and finally addition, the answer that
he will obtain is bound to be wrong.
Similarly, when the Qur’an mentions the law of inheritance in Surah Nisa
chapter 4 verses 11 and 12, even though the children’s share is mentioned
first and then that of the parents and spouses,
according to the law of inheritance in Islam
after paying off the debts and liabilities first, the share is given to
the
spouses and the parents depending on whether the deceased has left children
or not, and whatever portion of wealth is remaining is divided between
the sons and the daughters according to their respective shares.
So where does the question arise of the total coming to more than one?
So it is not
Allah who does not know mathematics but it is Arun Shourie himself who
is ignorant about mathematics.
20.
IS ALLAH FORGIVING OR REVENGEFUL?
Question:
The
Qur’an says several times that Allah is most Merciful and Forgiving but
also says many times that He gives severe
punishment.
Is He Forgiving or Revengeful?
Answer:
1.
Allah
is most Merciful
The
Qur’an says several times that Allah is the most Merciful. In fact all
the 114 Surahs i.e. chapters of the Glorious
Qur’an
except for Surah Taubah chapter 9, begin with the beautiful formula, Bismillah-hir-Rahman-nir-Rahim,
which
means,
"In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful".
2.
Allah is Forgiving
The
Glorious Qur’an mentions in several verses including Surah Nisa, chapter
4 verse 25 and Surah Maidah, chapter 5
verse
74:
"And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
3.
Allah gives severe punishment to the deserving
Allah
besides being Merciful and Forgiving is also strict in giving punishment
to the deserving. The Qur’an mentions in several verses that Allah
will give severe punishment to the unbelievers and rejecters of faith.
He will give punishment to
all
those who disobey Him. Several verses of the Qur’an describe the various
types of severe punishment that Allah will
give
in hell to all those who disobey.
"Those
who reject our Signs, we shall soon cast into the Fire; as often as their
skins Are roasted through, we shall change them for fresh skins,
that they may taste the penalty: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise".
[Al-Qur’an 4:56]
4.
Allah is Just
The
question is, whether Allah is forgiving or revengeful? An important point
to be noted is that Allah besides being
Merciful
and Forgiving, He also has to give severe punishment to the deserving wicked
or evil people, because He is
also
Just. The Qur’an mentions in Surah Nisa:
"Allah
is never unjust in the least degree".
[Al-Qur’an 4:40]
It
is further mentioned in Surah Al-Ambiya:
"We
shall set up scales of justice for the day of Judgement, so that not a
soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least. And if there be (no more
than) the weight of a mustard seed, we will bring it (to account): and
enough are we to take account".
[Al-Qur’an 21:47]
5.
Example: Teacher forgives a student who copies
in the examination
If
during an examination, a student copies and the teacher who supervises
in the examination catches the student
red-handed,
the teacher says that he is very merciful and kind and forgives him and
allows him to continue copying.
Those
students who have worked hard for the examination will not call the teacher
merciful and kind but will call him
unjust.
This merciful act of the teacher will encourage the other students to also
copy. If all the teachers are merciful
and
kind and allow the students to copy then no student will ever study for
examinations and all will pass with flying
colours
by copying. The theoretical results of the examinations will be excellent
in which all the students will pass with
first
class and distinction but practically these students will be a failure
in life. The whole purpose of the examination
would
be defeated.
6.
This Life is a Test for the Hereafter
The
life in this world is a test for the Hereafter. The Qur’an says in Surah
Al Mulk:
"He
who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed;
and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving".
[Al-Qur’an 67:2]
7. If Allah forgives all and punishes none, who will obey him?
If Allah (swt) forgives each and every human being and punishes no one, then why should the human beings obey the command of Allah (swt)? I do agree that no one will go to hell, but this world would become hell to live in. If all human beings are going to go to heaven then what is the purpose and use of the human beings to come to this world, this life cannot be called a test for the hereafter.
8. Allah only forgives if a person repents
Allah (swt) only forgives if a person repents. The Qur’an says in Surah Al-Zumar, chapter 39 verse 53-55:
"Say:
‘O my servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of
the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all
sins
for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
"Turn
ye to your Lord (in repentance) and bow to His (will), before the penalty
comes on you - after that ye shall not be
helped."
"And
follow the best of (the courses) revealed to you from your Lord, before
the penalty comes on you - of a sudden,
while
ye perceive not!"
[Al-Qur’an 39:53-55]
There
are four criteria for repentance: First, agree that the act is wrong. Secondly,
stop it immediately. Thirdly, never do it again in future. And lastly,
compensate for the loss if caused to anyone.
| HOW IS THE QURAN DIVINE? | THE MIRACLE IN NATURAL TREES |
| SCIENCE IN THE QURAN ? | QURAN AND THE BIBLE ! |
| PROPHET IN THE BIBLE . | PROPHET IN HINDU SCRIPTURES |