THE QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE
The Qur’an And Science
For many centuries, humankind was unable to study certain data contained
in the verses of the Qur’an because they did not possess sufficient scientific
means. It is only today that numerous verses of the Qur’an dealing with natural
phenomena have become comprehensible. A reading of old commentaries on the
Qur’an, however knowledgeable their authors may have been in their day, bears
solemn witness to a total inability to grasp the depth of meaning in such
verses. I could even go so far as to say that, in the 20th century, with
its compartmentalization of ever-increasing knowledge, it is still not easy
for the average scientist to understand everything he reads in the Qur’an
on such subjects, without having recourse to specialized research. This means
that to understand all such verses of the Qur’an, one is nowadays required
to have an absolutely encyclopedic knowledge embracing many scientific disciplines.
I should like to stress, that I use the word science to mean knowledge which
has been soundly established. It does not include the theories which, for
a time, help to explain a phenomenon or a series of phenomena, only to be
abandoned later on in favor of other explanations. These newer explanations
have become more plausible thanks to scientific progress. I only intend to
deal with comparisons between statements in the Qur’an and scientific knowledge
which are not likely to be subject to further discussion. Wherever I introduce
scientific facts which are not yet 100% established, I will make it quite
clear.
There are also some very rare examples of statements in the Qur’an which
have not, as yet, been confirmed by modern science. I shall refer to these
by pointing out that all the evidence available today leads scientists to
regard them as being highly probable. An example of this is the statement
in the Qur’an that life has an aquatic origin ( “And I created every living
thing out of water” Qur’an, 21:30 ).
These scientific considerations should not, however, make us forget that
the Qur’an remains a religious book par excellence and that it cannot be
expected to have a scientific purpose per se. In the Qur’an, whenever humans
are invited to reflect upon the wonders of creation and the numerous natural
phenomena, they can easily see that the obvious intention is to stress Divine
Omnipotence. The fact that, in these reflections, we can find allusions to
data connected with scientific knowledge is surely another of God’s gifts
whose value must shine out in an age where scientifically based atheism seeks
to gain control of society at the expense of the belief in God. But the Qur’an
does not need unusual characteristics like this to make its supernatural
nature felt. Scientific statements such as these are only one specific aspect
of the Islamic revelation which the Bible does not share.
Throughout my research I have constantly tried to remain totally objective.
I believe I have succeeded in approaching the study of the Qur’an with the
same objectivity that a doctor has when opening a file on a patient. In other
words, only by carefully analyzing all the symptoms can one arrive at an
accurate diagnosis. I must admit that it was certainly not faith in Islam
that first guided my steps, but simply a desire to search for the truth.
This is how I see it today. It was mainly the facts which, by the time I
had finished my study, led me to see the Qur’an as the divinely-revealed
text it really is.
AUTHENTICITY OF QUR’AN
Before getting to the essence of the subject, there is a very important point
which must be considered: the authenticity of the Qur’anic text.
It is known that the text of the Qur’an was both recited from memory, during
the time it was revealed, by the Prophet and the believers who surrounded
him, and written down by designated scribes among his followers. This process
lasted for roughly twenty-three years during which many unofficial copies
were made. An official copy was made within one year after the Prophet’s
death at the instruction of Caliph Abu Bakr.
Here we must note a highly important point. The present text of the Qur’an
benefited in its original preparation from the advantage of having its authenticity
cross-checked by the text recited from memory as well as the unofficial written
texts. The memorized text was of paramount importance at a time when not
everyone could read and write, but everybody could memorize. Moreover, the
need for a written record was included in the text of the Qur’an itself.
The first five verses of chapter al-‘Alaq, which happen to constitute the
first revelation made to the Prophet (S), express this quite clearly:
“Read: In the name of your Lord who created. Who created man from a clinging
entity. Read! Your Lord is the most Noble, Who taught by the pen. Who taught
man what he did not know.” Qur’an, 96:1-5
These are surely words in “praise of the pen as a means of human knowledge”,
to use Professor Hamidullah’s expression.
Then came the Caliphate of ‘Uthman (which lasted from the twelfth to the
twenty-fourth year following Muhammad’s death). Within the first two years
of Caliph ‘Uthman’s rule, seven official copies were reproduced from the
official text and distributed throughout a large area of the world which
had already come under Islamic rule. All unofficial copies existing at that
time were destroyed and all future copies were made from the official seven
copies.
In my book, The Bible, the Qur’an and Science, I have quoted passages from
the Qur’an which came from the period prior to the Hijrah (the Prophet’s
emigration from Makkah to Madeenah in the year 622) and which allude to the
writing of the Qur’an before the Prophet’s departure from Makkah.
There were, moreover, many witnesses to the immediate transcription of the
Qur’anic revelation.
Professor Jacques Berque has told me of the great importance he attaches
to it in comparison with the long gap separating the writing down of the
Judeo-Christian revelation from the facts and events which it relates. Let
us not forget that today we also have a number of manuscripts of the first
written versions of the Qur’an which were from a time period very close to
the time of revelation.
I shall also mention another fact of great importance. We shall examine statements
in the Qur’an which today appear to merely record scientific truth, but of
which men in former times were only able to grasp the apparent meaning. In
some cases, these statements were totally incomprehensible. It is impossible
to imagine that, if there were any alterations to the texts, these obscure
passages scattered throughout the text of the Qur’an, were all able to escape
human manipulation. The slightest alteration to the text would have automatically
destroyed the remarkable coherence which is characteristic to them. Change
in any text would have prevented us from establishing their total conformity
with modern knowledge. The presence of these statements spread throughout
the Qur’an looks (to the impartial observer ) like an obvious hallmark of
its authenticity.
The Qur’an is a revelation made known to humans in the course of twenty-three
years. It spanned two periods of almost equal length on either side of the
Hijrah. In view of this, it was natural for reflections having a scientific
aspect to be scattered throughout the Book. In a study, such as the one we
have made, we had to regroup the verses according to subject matter, collecting
them chapter by chapter.
How should they be classified? I could not find any indications in the Qur’an
suggesting any particular classification, so I decided present them according
to my own personal one.
It would seem to me, that the first subject to deal with is Creation. Here
it is possible to compare the verses referring to this topic with the general
ideas prevalent today on the formation of the Universe. Next, I divided up
verses under the following general headings: Astronomy, the Earth, the Animal
and Vegetable Kingdoms, Humans, and Human Reproduction in particular. Furthermore,
I thought it useful to make a comparison between Qur’anic and Biblical narrations
on the same topics from the point of view of modern knowledge. This has been
done in the cases of Creation, the Flood and the Exodus. The reason that
these topics were chosen is that knowledge acquired today can be used in
the interpretation of the texts.
CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
From an examination of creation as described in the Qur’an, an extremely
important general concept emerges: The Qur’anic narration is quite different
from the Biblical narration. This idea contradicts the parallels which are
often wrongly drawn by Western authors to emphasize the resemblance between
the two texts. To stress only the similarities, while silently ignoring the
obvious dissimilarities, is to distort reality. There is, perhaps, a reason
for this.
When talking about creation, there is a strong tendency in the West to claim
that Muhammad copied the general outlines mentioned in the Qur’an from the
Bible. Certainly it is possible to compare the six days of creation as described
in the Bible, plus an extra day for rest on God’s Sabbath, with this verse
from chapter al-A‘raaf.
“Your Lord is God who created the heavens and the earth in six days.” Qur’an,
7:54
However, it must be pointed out that modern commentators stress the interpretation
of the Arabic word ayyaam, (one translation of which is ‘days’), as meaning
‘long periods’ or ‘ages’ rather than periods of twenty-four hours.
What appears to be of fundamental importance to me is that, in contrast to
the narration contained in the Bible, the Qur’an does not lay down a sequence
for creation of the earth and heavens. It refers both to the heavens before
the earth and the earth before the heavens, when it talks of creation in
general, as in this verse of chapter Taa Haa:
“(God) who created the earth and heavens above." Qur’an, 20:4
In fact, the notion derived from the Qur’an is one of a parallelism in the
celestial and terrestrial evolutions. There are also basic pieces of information
concerning the existence of an initial gaseous mass ( dukhaan ) which are
unique to the Qur’an. As well as descriptions of the elements which, although
at first were fused together ( ratq ), they subsequently became separated
(fatq). These ideas are expressed in chapters Fussilat and al-Anbiyaa:
“God then rose turning towards the heaven when it was smoke” Qur’an, 41:11
“Do the disbelievers not see that the heavens and the earth were joined together,
then I split them apart?” Qur’an, 21:30
According to modern science, the separation process resulted in the formation
of multiple worlds, a concept which appears dozens of times in the Qur’an.
For example, look at the first chapter of the Qur’an, al-Faatihah:( “Praise
be to God, the Lord of the Worlds.” Qur’an, 1:1 ). These Qur’anic references
are a11 in perfect agreement with modern ideas on the existence of primary
nebula (galactic dust), followed by the separation of the elements which
resulted in the formation of galaxies and then stars from which the planets
were born. Reference is also made in the Qur’an to an intermediary creation
between the heavens and the earth, as seen in chapter al-Furqaan:
“God is the one who created the heavens, the earth and what is between them...”
Qur’an, 25:59
It would seem that this intermediary creation corresponds to the modern discovery
of bridges of matter which are present outside organized astronomical systems.
This brief survey of Qur’anic references to creation clearly shows us how
modern scientific data and statements in the Qur’an consistently agree on
a large number of points. In contrast, the successive phases of creation
mentioned in the Biblical text are totally unacceptable. For example, in
Genesis 1:9-19 the creation of the earth (on the 3rd day) is placed before
that of the heavens (on the 4th day). It is a well known fact that our planet
came from its own star, the sun. In such circumstances, how could anyone
claim that Muhammad, the supposed author of the Qur’an, drew his inspiration
from the Bible. Such a claim would mean that, of his own accord, he corrected
the Biblical text to arrive at the correct concept concerning the formation
of the Universe. Yet the correct concept was reached by scientists many centuries
after his death.
ASTRONOMY
Whenever I describe to Westerners the details the Qur’an contains on certain
points of astronomy, it is common for someone to reply that there is nothing
unusual in this since the Arabs made important discoveries in the field of
astronomy long before the Europeans. But, this is a mistaken idea resulting
from an ignorance of history. In the first place, science developed in the
Arab World at a considerable time after the Qur’anic revelation had occurred.
Secondly, the scientific knowledge prevalent at the highpoint of Islamic
civilization would have made it impossible for any human being to have written
statements on the heavens comparable to those in the Qur’an. The material
on this subject is so vast that I can only provide a brief outline of it
here.
The Sun and Moon.
Whereas the Bible talks of the sun and the moon as two lights differing only
in size, the Qur’an distinguishes between them by the use of different terms:
light (noor) for the moon, and lamp (siraaj) for the sun.
"Did you see how Allah created seven heavens, one above the other, and made
in them the moon a light and the sun a lamp?" Qur’an, 78:12-13
The moon is an inert body which reflects light, whereas the sun is a celestial
body in a state of permanent combustion producing both light and heat.
Stars and Planets
The word ‘star’ (najm) in the Qur’an ( 86:3 ) is accompanied by the adjective
thaaqib which indicates that it burns and consumes itself as it pierces through
the shadows of the night. It was much later discovered that stars are heavenly
bodies producing their own light like the sun.
In the Qur’an, a different word, kawkab, is used to refer to the planets
which are celestial bodies that reflect light and do not produce their own
light like the sun.
“We have adorned the lowest heaven with ornaments, the planets.” Qur’an,
37:6
Orbits
Today, the laws governing the celestial systems are well known. Galaxies
are balanced by the position of stars and planets in well-defined orbits,
as well as the interplay of gravitational forces produced by their masses
and the speed of their movements. But is this not what the Qur’an describes
in terms which have only become comprehensible in modern times. In chapter
al-Ambiyaa we find:
“(God is) the one who created the night, the day, the sun and the moon. Each
one is traveling in an orbit with its own motion.” Qur’an,21:33
The Arabic word which expresses this movement is the verb yasbahoon which
implies the idea of motion produced by a moving body, whether it is the movement
of one’s legs running on the ground, or the action of swimming in water.
In the case of a celestial body, one is forced to translate it, according
to its original meaning, as ‘to travel with its own motion.’
In my book, The Bible, The Qur'an and Science, I have given the precise scientific
data corresponding to the motion of celestial bodies. They are well known
for the moon, but less widely known for the sun.
The Day and Night
The Qur’anic description of the sequence of day and night would, in itself,
be rather commonplace were it not for the fact that it is expressed in terms
that are today highly appropriate. The Qur’an uses the verb kawwara in chapter
az-Zumar to describe the way the night ‘winds’ or ‘coils’ itself around the
day and the day around the night.
“He coils the night upon the day and the day upon the night.” Qur’an, 39:5
The original meaning of the verb kis to coil a turban around the head. This
is a totally valid comparison; yet at the time the Qur’an was revealed, the
astronomical data necessary to make this comparison were unknown. It is not
until man landed on the moon and observed the earth spinning on its axis,
that the dark half of the globe appeared to wind itself around the light
and the light half appeared to wind itself around the dark.
The Solar Apex
The notion of a settled place for the sun is vividly described in chapter
Yaa Seen of the Qur’an:
"The sun runs its coarse to a settled place That is the decree of the Almighty,
the All Knowing.” Qur’an, 36:38
“Settled place” is the translation of the word mustaqarr which indicates
an exact appointed place and time. Modern astronomy confirms that the solar
system is indeed moving in space at a rate of 12 miles per second towards
a point situated in the constellation of Hercules ( alpha lyrae ) whose exact
location has been precisely calculated. Astronomers have even give it a name,
the solar apex.
Expansion of the Universe
Chapter ath-Thaariyaat of the Qur’an also seems to allude to one of the most
imposing discoveries of modern science, the expansion of the Universe.
“I built the heaven with power and it is I, who am expanding it.” Qur’an,51:47
The expansion of the universe was first suggested by the general theory of
relativity and is supported by the calculations of astrophysics. The regular
movement of the galactic light towards the red section of the spectrum is
explained by the distancing of one galaxy from another. Thus, the size of
the universe appears to be progressively increasing.
Conquest of Space
Among the achievements of modern science is the “conquest” of space which
has resulted in mans journey to the moon. The prediction of this event surely
springs to mind when we read the chapter ar-Rahmaan in the Qur’an:
“O assembly of Jinns and men, if you can penetrate the regions of the heavens
and the earth, then penetrate them! You will not penetrate them except with
authority.”
Qur’an,55:33
Authority to travel in space can only come from the Creator of the laws which
govern movement and space. The whole of this Qur’anic chapter invites humankind
to recognize God’s beneficence.
GEOLOGY
Let us now return to earth to discover some of the many amazing statements
contained in Qur’anic reflections about our own planet. They deal, not only
with the physical phenomena observed here on earth, but also with details
concerning the living organisms that inhabit it.
As in the case of everything we have discussed so far, we shall see that
the Qur’an also expresses concepts in the field of geology that were way
ahead of those current at the time of its revelation.
At this point, we must ask ourselves the following question: How could an
uneducated man in the middle of the desert accurately tackle so many and
such varied subjects at a time when mythology and superstition reigned supreme?
How could he so skillfully avoid every belief that was proven to be totally
inaccurate many centuries later?
Water Cycle
The verses dealing with the earthly systems are a case in point. I have quoted
a large number of them in my book, The Bible, The Qur’an and Science, and
have paid special attention to those that deal with the water cycle in nature.
This is a topic which is well known today. Consequently, the verses in the
Qur’an that refer to the water cycle seem to express ideas that are now totally
self-evident. But if we consider the ideas prevalent at that time, they appear
to be based more on myth and philosophical speculation than on observed fact,
even though useful practical knowledge on soil irrigation was current at
that period.
Let us examine, for example, the following verse in chapter az-Zumar:
“Have you not seen that Allah sent rain down from the sky and caused it to
penetrate the ground and come forth as springs, then He caused crops of different
colors to grow...” Qur’an,39:21
Such notions seem quite natural to us today, but we should not forget that,
not so long ago, they were not prevalent. It was not until the sixteenth
century, with Bernard Palissy, that we gained the first coherent description
of the water cycle. Prior to this, people believed that the waters of the
oceans, under the effect of winds, were thrust towards the interior of the
continents. They then returned to the oceans via the great abyss, which,
since Plato’s time was called the Tartarus .In the seventeenth century, great
thinkers such as Descartes still believed in this myth. Even in the nineteenth
century there were still those who believed in Aristotle’s theory that water
was condensed in cool mountain caverns and formed underground lakes that
fed springs. Today, we know that it is the infiltration of rain water into
the ground that is responsible for this. If one compares the facts of modern
hydrology with the data found in numerous verses of the Qur’an on this subject,
one cannot fail to notice the remarkable degree of agreement between the
two.
Mountains
In geology, modern science has recently discovered the phenomenon of folding
which formed the mountain ranges. The earth’s crust is like a solid shell,
while the deeper layers are hot and fluid, and thus inhospitable to any form
of life. It has also been discovered that the stability of mountains is linked
to the phenomenon of folding. The process of mountain formation by folding
drove the earth’s crust down into the lower layers and provided foundations
for the mountains.
Let us now compare modern ideas with one verse among many in the Qur’an that
deals with this subject. It is taken from chapter an-Naba’:
“Have We not made the earth an expanse and the mountains stakes?”
Qur’an, 78:6-7
Stakes ( awtaad ), which are driven into the ground like those used to anchor
a tent, are the deep foundations of geological folds.
Here, as in the case of all the other topics presented, the objective observer
cannot fail to notice the absence of any contradiction to modern knowledge.
BIOLOGY
More than anything else, I was struck by statements in the Qur’an dealing
with living things, both in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, especially
with regard to reproduction. We should really devote much more time to this
subject, but, due to the limited scope of this presentation, I can only give
a few examples.
I must once again stress the fact that it is only in modern times that scientific
progress has made the hidden meaning of some Qur’anic verses comprehensible
to us. Numerous translations and commentaries on the Qur’an have been made
by learned men who had no access to modern scientific knowledge. It is for
this reason that scientists find some of their interpretations
unacceptable.
There are also other verses whose obvious meanings are easily understood,
but which conceal
scientific meanings which are startling, to say the least. This is the case
of a verse in chapter al-Ambiyaa, a part of which has already been quoted:
“Do the unbelievers not realize that the heavens and the earth were joined
together,
then I clove them asunder and I made every living thing out of water. Will
they still not believe?” Qur’an, 21:30
This is a dramatic affirmation of the modern idea that the origin of life
is aquatic.
Botany
Progress in botany at the time of Muhammad (S) was not advanced enough in
any country for scientists to know that plants have both male and female
parts. Nevertheless, we may read the following in the chapter Taa Haa:
“(God is the One who) sent down rain from the sky and with it brought forth
a variety of plants in pairs.” Qur’an, 20:53
Today we know that fruit comes from plants that have sexual characteristics
even when they come from unfertilized flowers, like bananas. In the chapter
ar-Ra‘d we read the following:
“... and of all fruits (God) placed (on the earth) two pairs.” Qur’an, 13:3
Physiology
In the field of physiology, there is one verse which appears extremely significant
to me. One thousand years before the discovery of the blood circulatory system,
and roughly thirteen centuries before it was determined that the internal
organs were nourished by the process of digestive , a verse in the Qur’an
described the source of the constituents of milk, in conformity with scientific
facts.
To understand this verse, it must first be known that chemical reactions
occur between food and enzymes in the mouth, the stomach and the intestines
releasing nutrients in molecular form which are then absorbed into the circulatory
system through countless microscopic projections of the intestinal wall called
villi. Blood in the circulatory system then transports the nutrients to all
the organs of the body, among which are the milk-producing mammary glands.
This biological process must be basically understood, if we are to understand
a verse in the Qur’an which has for many centuries given rise to commentaries
that were totally incomprehensible.
Today it is not difficult to see why! This verse is taken from the chapter
an-Nahl:
“Verily, in cattle there is a lesson for yon. I give you drink from their
insides, coming from a conjunction between the digested contents ( of the
intestines ) and the blood, milk pure and pleasant for those who drink it.”
Qur’an, 16:66
The constituents of milk are secreted by the mammary glands which are nourished
by the product of food digestion brought to them by the bloodstream. The
initial event which sets the whole process in motion is the conjunction of
the contents of the intestine and blood at the level of the intestinal wall
itself.
This very precise concept is the result of the discoveries made in the chemistry
and physiology of the digestive system over one thousand years after the
time of Prophet Muhammad (S).
EMBRYOLOGY
There are a multitude of statements in the Qur’an on the subject of human
reproduction which constitute a challenge to the embryologist seeking a human
explanation for them. It was only after the birth of the basic sciences which
contributed to our knowledge of biology and the invention of the microscope,
that humans were able to understand the depth of those Qur’anic statements.
It was impossible for a human being living in the early seventh century to
have accurately expressed such ideas. There is nothing to indicate that people
in the Middle-East and Arabia knew anything more about this subject than
people living in Europe or anywhere else. Today, there are many Muslims,
possessing a thorough knowledge of the Qur’an and natural sciences, who have
recognized the amazing similarity between the verses of the Qur’an dealing
with reproduction and modern scientific knowledge.
I shall always remember the comment of an eighteen-year-old Muslim, brought
up in Saudi Arabia, commenting on a reference to human reproduction as described
in the Qur’an. He pointed to the Qur’an and said, “This book provides us
with all the essential information on the subject. When I was at school,
my teachers used the Qur’an to explain how children were born. Your books
on sex-education are a bit late on the scene!”
If I were to spend as long on all the details of reproduction contained in
the Qur’an, as the subject merits, this pamphlet would become a book. The
detailed linguistic and scientific explanations I have given in The Bible,
The Qur’an and Science are sufficient for the person who does not speak Arabic
nor know much about embryology to be able to understand the meaning of such
verses in the light of modern science in more depth.
It is especially in the field of embryology that a comparison between the
beliefs present at the time of the Qur’an’s revelation and modern scientific
data, leaves us amazed at the degree of agreement between the Qur’an’s statements
and modern scientific knowledge. Not to mention the total absence of any
reference in the Qur’an to the mistaken ideas that were prevalent around
the world at the time.
Fertilization
Let us now isolate, from all these verses, precise ideas concerning the complexity
of the semen and the fact that an infinitely small quantity is required to
ensure fertilization. In chapter al-Insaan the Qur’an states:
“Verily, I created humankind from a small quantity of mingled fluids.” Qur’an,
76:2
The Arabic word nutfah has been translated as "small quantity”. It comes
from the verb meaning ‘to dribble, to trickle’ and is used to describe what
remains in the bottom of a bucket which has been emptied. The verse correctly
implies that fertilization is performed by only a very small volume of liquid.
On the other hand, mingled fluids ( amshaaj ) has been understood by early
commentators to refer to the mixture of male and female discharges. Modern
authors have corrected this view and note that the sperm is made up of various
components.
When the Qur’an talks of a fertilizing fluid composed of different components,
it also informs us that human progeny will be formed from something extracted
from this liquid. This is the meaning of the following verse in chapter as-Sajdah:
“Then He made [ man’s ] offspring from the essence of a despised fluid.”
Qur’an, 32:8
The Arabic word translated by the term ‘essence’ is sulaalah which means
‘something extracted, the best part of a thing’. In whatever way it is translated,
it refers to part of a whole. Under normal conditions, only one single cell,
spermatozoon, out of over 50 million ejaculated by a man during sexual intercourse
will actually penetrate the ovule.
Implantation
Once the egg has been fertilized in the fallopian tube, it descends to lodge
itself inside the uterus. This process is called the ‘implantation of the
egg’. Implantation is a result of the development of villosities, which,
like roots in the soil, draw nourishment from the wall of the uterus and
make the egg literally cling to the womb. The process of implantation is
appropriately described in several verses by the word ‘alaq, which is also
the title of the chapter in which one of the verses appears:
“God fashioned humans from a clinging entity.” Qur’an, 96:2
I do not think there is any reasonable translation of the word ‘alaq other
than to use it in its original sense. It is a mistake to speak of a ‘blood
clot’ here, which is the term Professor Hamidullah uses in his translation.
It is a derivative meaning which is not as appropriate in this context.
Embryo
The evolution of the embryo inside the maternal uterus is only briefly described,
but the description is accurate, because the simple words referring to it
correspond exactly to fundamental stages in its growth. This is what we read
in a verse from the chapter al-Mu’minoon:
“I fashioned the clinging entity into a chewed lump of flesh and I fashioned
the chewed flesh into bones and I clothed the bones with intact flesh.” Qur’an,
23:14
The term ‘chewed flesh’ (mudghah) corresponds exactly to the appearance of
the embryo at a certain stage in its development.
It is known that the bones develop inside this mass and that they are then
covered with muscle. This is the meaning of the term ‘intact flesh’ (lahm).
The embryo passes through a stage where some parts are in proportion and
others out of proportion with what is later to become the individual. This
is the obvious meaning of a verse in the chapter al-Hajj, which reads as
follows:
“I fashioned (humans) a clinging entity, then into a lump of flesh in proportion
and out of proportion.” Qur’an, 22:5.
Next, we have a reference to the appearance of the senses and internal organs
in the chapter as-Sajdah:
“... and (God) gave you ears, eyes and hearts.” Qur’an, 32:9
Nothing here contradicts today’s data and, furthermore, none of the mistaken
ideas of the time have crept into the Qur’an. Throughout the Middle Ages
there were a variety of beliefs about human development based on myths and
speculations which continued for several centuries after the period. The
most fundamental stage in the history of embryology came in 1651 with Harvey’s
statement that “all life initially comes from an egg”. At that time, when
science had benefited greatly from the invention of the microscope, people
were still arguing about the respective roles of the egg and spermatozoon.
Buffon, the great naturalist, was one of those in favor of the egg theory.Bonnet,
on the other hand, supported the theory of ‘the ovaries of Eve’, which stated
that Eve, the mother of the human race, was-supposed to have had inside her
the seeds of all human beings packed together one inside the other.
BIBLE, QUR’AN AND SCIENCE
We have now come to the last subject I would like to present in this short
pamphlet: it is the
comparison between modern knowledge and passages in the Qur’an that are also
referred to in the Bible.
Creation
We have already come across some of the contradictions between scripture
and science regarding the creation of the universe. When dealing with that
topic, I stressed the perfect agreement between modern knowledge and verses
in the Qur’an, and pointed out that the Biblical narration contained statements
that were scientifically unacceptable. This is hardly surprising if we are
aware that the narration of the creation contained in the Bible was the work
of priests living in the sixth century BC, hence the term ‘sacerdotal’ (
priestly ) narration is officially used to refer to it. The narration seems
to have been conceived as the theme of a sermon designed to exhort people
to observe the Sabbath. The narration was constructed with a definite end
in view, and as Father de Vaux (a former head of the Biblical School of Jerusalem)
has noted, this end was essentially legalist in character.
The Bible also contains a much shorter and older narration of Creation, the
so-called ‘Yahvist’ version, which approaches the subject from a completely
different angle. They are both taken from Genesis, the first book of the
Pentateuch or Torah. Moses is supposed to have been its author, but the text
we have today has undergone many changes.
The sacerdotal narration of Genesis is famous for its whimsical genealogies,
that go back to Adam, and which nobody takes very seriously. Nevertheless,
such Gospel authors as Matthew and Luke have reproduced them, more or less
word-for-word, in their genealogies of Jesus. Matthew goes back as far as
Abraham, and Luke to Adam. These writings are scientifically unacceptable,
because they set a date for the age of the world and the time humans appeared
on Earth, which most definitely contradicts what modern science has firmly
established. The Qur’an, on the other hand, is completely free of dates of
this kind.
Earlier on, we noted how perfectly the Qur’an agrees with modern ideas on
the formation of the Universe. On the other hand, the Biblical narration
of primordial waters is hardly, nor is the creation of light on the first
day before the creation of the stars which produce this light; the existence
of an evening and a morning before the creation of the earth; the creation
of the earth on the third day before that of the sun on the fourth; the appearance
of beasts of the earth on the sixth day after the appearance of the birds
of the air on the fifth day, although the former came first. All these statements
are the result of beliefs prevalent at the time this text was written and
do not have any other meaning.
Age of the Earth
As for the Biblical genealogies which form the basis of the Jewish calendar
and assert that today the world is 5738 years old, these are hardly admissible
either. Our solar system may well be four and a quarter billion years old,
and the appearance of human beings on earth, as we know him today, may be
estimated in tens of thousands of years, if not more. It is absolutely essential,
therefore, to note that the Qur’an does not contain any such indications
as to the age of the world, and that these are specific to the Biblical text.
The Flood
There is a second highly significant subject of comparison between the Bible
and the Qur’an; descriptions of the deluge. In actual fact, the Biblical
narration is a fusion of two descriptions in which events are related differently.
The Bible speaks of a universal flood and places it roughly 300 years before
Abraham.
According to what we know of Abraham, this would imply a universal cataclysm
around the twenty-first or twenty-second century BC This story would be untenable,
in view of presently available historical data. How can we accept the idea
that, in the twenty-first or twenty-second century BC, all civilization was
wiped off the face of the earth by a universal cataclysm, when we know that
this period corresponds, for example, to the one preceding the Middle Kingdom
in Egypt, at roughly the date of the first Intermediary period before the
eleventh dynasty? It is historically unacceptable to maintain that, at this
time, humanity was totally wiped out. None of the preceding statements is
acceptable according to modern knowledge. From this point of view, we can
measure the enormous gap separating the Bible from the Qur’an.
In contrast to the Bible, the narration contained in the Qur’an deals with
a cataclysm that is limited to Noah’s people. They were punished for their
sins, as were other ungodly peoples. The Qur’an does not fix the cataclysm
in time. There are absolutely no historical or archaeological objections
to the narration in the Qur’an.
The Pharaoh
A third point of comparison, which is extremely significant, is the story
of Moses, and especially the Exodus from Egypt of the Hebrews. Here I can
only give a highly compressed account of a study on this subject that appears
in my book. I have noted the points where the Biblical and Qur’anic narrations
agree and disagree, and I have found points where the two texts complement
each other in a very useful way.
Among the many hypotheses, concerning the historical time-frame occupied
by the Exodus in the history of the pharaohs, I have concluded that the most
likely is the theory which makes Merneptah, Ramesses II’s successor, the
pharaoh of the Exodus. The comparison of the data contained in the Scriptures
with archeological evidence strongly supports this hypothesis. I am pleased
to be able to say that the Biblical narration contributes weighty evidence
leading us to situate Moses in the history of the pharaohs. Moses was probably
born during the reign of Ramesses II. Biblical data. are therefore of considerable
historical value in the story of Moses. A medical study of the mummy of Merneptah
has yielded further useful information on the possible causes of this pharaoh’s
death. The fact that we possess the mummy of this pharaoh is one of paramount
importance. The Bible records that pharaoh was engulfed in the sea, but does
not give any details as to what subsequently became of his corpse. The Qur’an,
in chapter Yoonus, notes that the body of the pharaoh would be saved from
the waters:
“Today I will save your dead body so that you may be a sign for those who
come after you.” Qur’an, 10:92
A medical examination of this mummy, has, shown that the body could not have
stayed in the water for long, because it does not show signs of deterioration
due to prolonged submersion. Here again, the comparison between the narration
in the Qur’an and the data provided by modern knowledge does not give rise
to the slightest objection from a scientific point of view.
Such points of agreement are characteristic of the Qur’anic revelation. But,
are we throwing the Judeo-Christian revelation into discredit and depriving
it of all its intrinsic value by stressing the faults as seen from a scientific
point of view? I think not because the criticism is not aimed at the text
as a whole, but only at certain passages. There are parts of the Bible which
have an undoubted historical value. I have shown that in my book, The Bible,
The Qur’an and Science, where I discuss passages which enable us to locate
Moses in time.
The main causes which brought about such differences as arise from the comparison
between the Holy Scriptures and modern knowledge is known to modern scholars.
The Old Testament constitutes a collection of literary works produced in
the course of roughly nine centuries and which has undergone many alterations.
The part played by men in the actual composition of the texts of the Bible
is quite considerable.
The Qur’anic revelation, on the other hand, has a history which is radically
different. As we have already seen, from the moment it was first commto humans,
it was learnt by heart and written down during Muhammad’s own lifetime. It
is thanks to this fact that the Qur’an does not pose any problem of authenticity.
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 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 Qur’anic revelation
its unique place among religious and non-religious texts, and forces the
impartial scientist to admit his inability to provide an explanation based
solely upon materialistic reasoning.
Such facts as I have had the pleasure of exposing to you here, appear to
represent a genuine challenge to human explanation leaving only one alternative:
the Qur’an is undoubtedly a revelation from God.
Home>>>>>>