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Quran: A Teacher to Modern Scientists Ours is an era of space probes, computer chips, laser surgeries and cloning. If we were to label any book as a revelation from God, we couldn't help but to scrutinize this Scripture using modern scientific knowledge. It could not be that a revelation, proclaiming itself from God, could constitute aspects contradicting established scientific facts. How could we assume otherwise, when God is the one who created the universe and the laws operating within it.
The Quran was revealed 1400 years ago to the last Prophet of God, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a guidance for all humanity. The entire Quran has been committed to memory by millions of Muslims around the world and has been preserved by God from any interpolations, for continuing guidance. Although the Quran is a religious book with a total of about 6600 plus verses dealing with many aspects of a person's life, about 1000 of those verses are of scientific nature, none contradicting established scientific facts.
Dr. T.V.N. Persaud [1], professor of Anatomy, says: "You have an illiterate person (Prophet Muhammad) making profound statements that are amazingly accurate, of a scientific nature...I personally can't see how this could be mere chance, there are too many accuracies and like Dr. Moore, I have no difficulty in my mind reconciling that this is a divine inspiration or revelation which lead him to these statements".
Besides providing guidelines in personal, social, moral and spiritual spheres of humanity, the Quran touches upon diverse scientific topics like astronomy, geology, embryology, genetics, biology, archeology etc. Some of these are mentioned below to prove the Quran's Divine origin.
The Big Bang !
Currently, the Big Bang model of the origin of the universe is the cosmological paradigm most widely accepted by astronomers. It holds that about 15 billion years ago the universe began with the explosive expansion of a single, extremely dense matter, the primordial mass. Only after the development of radio telescopes in 1937 that, the necessary observational precision was achieved in order for astronomers to arrive at the above conclusion. What does the Quran say about our universe's origin?
"Do not the unbelievers see that the Heavens and the earth were joined together, then We split them apart." (21:30)
Expanding Universe
In 1925, Edwin Hubble (after whom the Hubble Space telescope is named) provided the observational evidence for the expansion of the universe. Stephen Hawking (author of 'A Brief History of Time') states: "The universe is not static, as had previously been thought, it is expanding". So what did God reveal in the Quran, 1400 years ago?
"And the firmament, We constructed with power and skill and verily We are expanding it" (51:47) ("We" is the Arabic plural of respect, not the Christian plural of 'trinity")
The Existence of Sun's Orbit
Ancient people use to believe that the Sun revolves around the earth. Later, Nicholas Copernicus in 1512, laid his Heliocentric Theory of Planetary motion, which placed the sun motionless in the center of the solar system with all the planets revolving around it. Modern science tells us now that the sun too is not still, but is in motion.
The sun traveling at roughly 150 miles per second takes about 200 million years to complete one revolution around the center of our Milky Way Galaxy and 25 days to make one complete rotation around its own axis. See how beautifully and accurately God revealed this phenomenon in the Quran:
"It is He who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, all (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its orbit with its own motion." (21:33)
Conquest of Space by Human
Human exploration and the conquest of space began with the launching of the Russian Satellite, Sputnik I on Oct. 4, 1957. Then followed the launching of humans into space, which eventually led to a manned space flight to the Moon on July 20th, 1967. Thus the dream of humanity since the dawn of civilization to go beyond the earth to the heavens was realized.
The Quran, 1400 years ago, clearly predicted human's advancement and the possibility of space flight.
"O assembly of Jinns and humans, if you can penetrate the regions of the heavens and the earth, then penetrate them! You will not penetrate them save with a power (of God)." (55:33)
The Protective Atmosphere
Earth is constantly bombarded by meteoroids that disintegrate upon the atmosphere and by lethal rays emitted by the sun. This UV radiation is absorbed by the Ozone layer forming the outer fringe of our atmosphere. Thus our atmosphere along with its Ozone layer is a protective covering for us. Life possibly could not have existed without it. How meticulously, does our Lord sustain and protect us against this atmospheric destruction.
"And We have made the atmosphere a protective roof, yet do they turn away from the Signs which these things point to." (21:32)
Embryology
The Dutch naturalist Anthony van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) produced lenses powerful enough to prove that many tiny creatures are not spontaneously generated but are produced from eggs. The science of Embryology as we know it today did not discover many of the detailed aspects of human embryonic development until the 1970s, using powerful microscopes, ultra sound and fiber optics technology. See how the Quran described the stages of embryonic development.
"God fashioned man from a small quantity (of sperm)" (16:4) Fertilization takes place with only one sperm among several tens of million produced by man.
"Then We placed him as a drop in a place of rest" (23:13) Implantation of the blastocyst in the uterus.
"Then We made the drop into a leech like structure..." (23:14) This resemblance of the human embryo to a leech is an appropriate description of the human embryo from days 7-24, when it clings to the endometrium of the uterus.
"And He (God) gave you hearing and sight and feeling and understanding." (32:9) The internal ears appear before the eyes, and the brain (the sight of understanding) differentiates last.
Dr. E. Marshall Johnson [2] Professor of Anatomy, concluded after studying verses from Quran: "The Quran describes not only the development of external form but emphasizes also the internal stages - the stages inside the embryo of its creation and development, emphasizing major events recognized by contemporary science... so I see nothing in conflict with the concept that divine intervention was involved..."
Gender Determination
The concept of "Gender Determination" as being described by geneticists, is one of the outstanding informations revealed to us in the Quran. This information is now a known fact, that sperms are the deciding factors in determining the type of gender (male or female) in the new embryo. This determination through the male sperm is due to the fact that sperms have an X and Y chromosomes, while the female ovum has only X Chromosomes (X, X). Through the Quran, The Almighty informs us that it is the male sperms that determine the type of gender for the new offspring:
"Does man think that he will be left uncontrolled (without purpose)? Was he not a drop of sperm emitted (in humble form)? Then did (God) make and fashion (him) in due proportion. And of him He made two sexes, male and female..." (75:36-40)
Existence of Pairs in All Creation
Before the dawn of the modern era, humans conceived that only animal life was divided into two genders, male and female. Then the discovery was made that this phenomenon was present in plants and vegetation too. We have found this reality existing in every creation, animate as well as inanimate, though in different forms. In electricity, these two genders can be classified as positive and negative. North and south pole describe it in magnetism, electron and proton in atoms, matter and antimatter etc. Even bacteria could be positive or negative, while the truth is, this creation is made of pairs. At the time the Holy Quran was being revealed in the 7th century C.E., we knew of pairing in animals and plants only, but the Quran describes the phenomenon in the most lucid manner:
"Hallowed is He, Who created pairs in all things, those that grow from the earth and of themselves, and what they know not." (36:36)
The Quranic statement:
"...And what they know not" is as true today, as it was when Holy Quran was revealed. Though we have discovered that every created thing exists in pair, we have yet to discover many things that exist.
We have expounded scientific marvels from the Holy Quran to convince sincere seekers of truth that it is the infallible Word of God. No mortal being can ever speak with such authority, finality, knowledge, perfection, and precision coupled with exotic beauties of expression, as does God in the Quran.
By realizing these Truths about the Quran and the religion of Islam revealed by our Creator and Sustainer, many modern scientists are turning towards it.
Dr. Keith Moore [3], Professor of Embryology, after analyzing the verses of the Quran for three years comments: "It has been a pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Quran about Human Development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God or Allah because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later"
Dr. Maurice Bucaille [4], French Physician, after studying Quran and comparing it with modern science, addressed the French Academy of Medicine in 1976 proclaimed: "Our knowledge of these disciplines is such, that it is impossible to explain how a text produced at the time of the Quran could have contained ideas that have only been discovered in modern times".
Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson [5], Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, proclaims: "...These Hadiths (sayings of Muhammad) could not have been obtained on the basis of the scientific knowledge that was available at the time of the writer (7th century)...It follows that not only is there no conflict between genetics and religion (Islam) but in fact religion (Islam) may guide science by adding revelation to some of the traditional scientific approaches... There exist statements in the Quran shown centuries later to be valid which support knowledge in the Quran having been derived from God".
Dr. Tejatet Tejasen [6], Professor of Anatomy, attending the Eighth Saudi Medical Conference, stood up and likewise announced: "From my studies and what I have learnt at this conference, I believe that everything that has been recorded in the Quran 1400 years ago must be true. That can be proved the scientific way".
These men of knowledge, in their unbiased studies of the Quran, all proclaimed its truthfulness as a Revelation of Almighty God.
"Soon we will show them Our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth) and in their own soul, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth..." (41:53)
Guidance to humanity proclaimed in the Quran is complete and applicable to all societies and all times. Whether we are living in the Stone Age or the Space Age, riding in horse pulled carriages or flying in Space Shuttles, we haven't changed a bit. We still possess physical and emotional desires, we live in societies, interact with one another, establish social, political and economic systems; thus the relevant need for guidance by our Creator in all these spheres of our life. Islam is the only religion which is totally compatible with scientific facts and provides complete, explicit and clear guidance in all spheres of life.
The Quran was revealed in Arabic, but translation of its meaning are available in English and other languages for non-Arabs. Likewise Islam is not restricted to people of the east or Arabs, it is a universal religion revealed for all of mankind.
We invite all sincere humans to study Islam with an open mind. Don't blindly follow the whims and paganistic influences of the environment around us. God bestowed upon us this superb mind to seek and live the truth; for we all will be accountable on the Day of Judgment for our beliefs and deeds. Don't delay your salvation. Welcome to Islam!
References:
1) Dr. T.V.N. Persaud, Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy, University of Manitoba, Canada, received in 1991 the most distinguished award presented in the field of Anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grand Award.
2) Dr. E. Marshall Johnson, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, and the Director of the Daniel Baugh Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA
3) Dr. Keith Moore, Professor of Embryology, Department of Anatomy, Univ. of Toronto, Canada, recipient of numerous awards and honors, including in 1984, the J.C.B. Grand Award, which is the highest honor granted by the Canadian Association of Anatomists.
4) Dr. Maurice Bucaille, French Physician, Author of 'The Bible, the Quran and Science, Seghers, Paris, 1987.
5) Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and the President of the American Fertility Society.
6) Dr. Tejatet Tejasen, Professor and Head of Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chiang, Thailand
Suggested Readings
1. The Holy Quran Abdullah Yusuf Ali (trans.) 2. The Life of Muhammad By Hayykal 3. Towards Understanding Islam By Abul Ala Maududi 4. Jesus: A Prophet of Islam. By. M. Ataur Rahim 5. The Bible, The Quran and Science By Maurice Bucaille
Searching for scientific facts in the Qur'an: Islamization of knowledge or a new form of scientism?
Over the past decades, numerous Muslim and non-Muslim scholars have recognized that scientific knowledge is not necessarily neutral and objective, but instead carries values and concepts that are specific to modern Western civilization. This has led to a concerted effort by Muslim scholars to "Islamize Knowledge" but the focus of this effort has been on social sciences. Concurrently, some Muslim scholars working in biomedical and other natural sciences are attempting to show that the Qur'an contains "scientific facts". This article examines these assertions and their implications. It argues that these assertions are often inconsistent with the principles of Islamization of Knowledge and instead may, in fact, even foster a new form of scientism. The paper also discusses approaches to study natural sciences from Islamic perspectives which may be more consistent with the framework of Islamization of Knowledge.
Introduction
Some of the key events in recent Muslim history have been linked to imperialism. The abolition of Western colonialism resulted in varying degrees of political freedom for the Muslim world. In addition to the political freedom gained by the fall of direct imperialism, however, Muslim scholars have also been striving to gain intellectual freedom. This endeavor has produced the recognition that modern knowledge or modern sciences have been strongly influenced by Western ideas and values. In some ways, achieving intellectual independence appears to be even more difficult than political independence. One reason for this difficulty may be that, unlike political colonialism, intellectual subjugation is much more difficult to identify. Nevertheless, these efforts to regain intellectual freedom have given rise to a quasi intellectual moment, sometimes called, "Islamization of Knowledge" or "Dewesternization of Knowledge". (1)
Muslim and non-Muslim scientists working in the fields of the natural sciences, such as physics, chemistry or biomedical sciences, frequently operate with the tacit assumption that the methods in the natural sciences have an objective validity that is independent of culture and religion. Therefore, methods in the natural sciences are less likely to be critically evaluated and practitioners of these sciences may be even more susceptible to intellectual colonialism than their colleagues in social sciences. The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), Herndon, VA, USA, was founded to further these intellectual endeavors. It has published numerous books on the topic of "Islamization of Knowledge", including a summary of its basic principles entitled Islamization of Knowledge: General Principles and Work Plan.2 One of the key points in this monograph is that scientific knowledge as well as scientific methods by which knowledge is obtained should undergo "Islamization" and critical evaluation by Muslim scholars. However, when it comes to discussing how to implement these principles, this and similar publications focus only on the Islamization of the social sciences.
The fact that very few publications exist on how to proceed with the Islamization of natural sciences does not, however, mean that scientists working in various disciplines of natural sciences are not interested in the subject of interface between Islam and modern science. The publication of The Bible, The Qur'an and Science by Maurice Bucaille3 in 1976 may be seen as a watershed in the history of publications on the relationship between Islam and modern natural sciences. This, and many other publications on the subject are, however, directed towards the lay Muslim audience, and one common aspect of these publications is their use of verses of the Qur'an to "prove" that the Qur'an foretold modern scientific discoveries. (4) This paper analyzes these attempts to "find" modern scientific facts in the Qur'an and examines their foundational principles in the context of principles established to Islamize Knowledge. the Muslim world.
Science and Scientism
Philosophers of science have debated the exact definition of science for decades. (5) One of the more popular modern definitions of science or "demarcation of science from non-science" is due to Popper who required that scientific statements be empirically falsifiable. (6) The exact discussion of this definition is beyond the scope of this article, however even critics of Popper, who feel that his definition puts too high a burden on scientists, have reached a consensus that scientific statements have to be at the minimum empirically verifiable or testable. Statements which cannot be empirically tested are, therefore, relegated to the realm of non-science. This need for empiric testability in the field of modern science has resulted in an exclusively materialist Weltanschauung, wherein all natural phenomena have to be explained in materialist-naturalist terms. Popper emphasized that a field of knowledge may be of great value to humankind, even if it is not scientific according to his definition.
The ideology of "scientism", in contrast to Popper's view, considers modern science to be the most valuable or the only valuable part of human learning. (7) Scientism has blossomed in the West during the last three centuries. Among the reasons for its popularity are the marked advances in the fields of health, agriculture and other areas where broad-based applications of natural sciences have produced remarkable results. Another important reason for the growth of scientism is the unshakable belief in the universality, objectivity and validity of modern natural sciences.
Secular humanism, as a political and philosophical ideology, propagates scientism. Many prominent secular humanists have clearly identified the modern scientific method as the superior way of seeking knowledge and have emphasized the universal validity of modern science. (8) They also claim that only materialist-naturalist explanations of phenomena should be accepted as valid.
This faith in the scientific method was shaken by philosophers of science like Feyerabend in the latter half of the twentieth century. Feyerabend showed flaws in the definitions of science and the scientific method that had been proposed by previous philosophers, including Popper. (9) He suggested that there was no such thing as a universally valid objective scientific method, and that all sciences, including the natural sciences like physics or biology, had to be interpreted in the light of history and culture. In many ways, the Feyerabend view of science is close to that of the Muslim scholars who propagate the "Islamization of Knowledge". However, Feyerabend goes further by showing that the relativism of scientific knowledge even extends to natural sciences like physics or biology.
Attempts to Identify Scientific Facts in the Qur'an
A number of recent books directed towards the lay Muslim audience claim to identify "facts" in the Qur'an that are consistent with the findings of natural sciences.
For example, Abbas quotes the translation of the Qur'an: God created (all of) you from a single person and then created a mate of like nature. He sent down for you eight heads of cattle in pairs. He forms you in three veils of darkness, one after the other, while you are in your mother's womb. Such is God, your Lord and Cherisher. To Him belongs (all) dominion, and there is no god but He. Why then, do you turn away? (10) This passage is interpreted by Abbas as follows:
The fetus creation is said to occur in 'three darknesses'. This may refer to the three fetal membranes covering the fetus during its development (the amnion, the chorion, the decidua) or to the fetal membranes as one chamber, the uterus as the second, and the abdominal cavity as the third. The first explanation is the generally accepted. (11)
This, or similar, interpretations of this Qur'anic verse can also be found in numerous other books and papers. (12) This illustrates how the Qur'anic passages containing the concept of "three veils of darkness", which could signify spiritual darkness or physical darkness, are interpreted exclusively in a manner that attempts to make them compatible with modern science while spiritual explanations are neglected.
Another example of how the Qur'anic verses are interpreted from a predominantly materialist scientific perspective is to be found in the interpretation of Two (guardian angels), one sitting on the right and the other on the left, are appointed to view and note down (what one does). He cannot utter a word without the sentinel by him (standing) ready (to record it). (13)
Abbas' interprets this verse as follows:
In an amazing two-word sentence, God mentions the two receivers (al-mutalaqqiyan) who will receive yatalaqqa). He describes them as angels sitting on the right and left. In the light of modern science, we can appreciate how easily God could record human thoughts and deeds. If receivers are present on either side of the brain's cerebral hemispheres, they can record thoughts and what has been said or done. This could happen in the subconscious. God could program one part of the brain to act as a memory bank of one's actions and thoughts without his awareness. (14)
This interpretation not only ignores any possiblity of a spiritual interpretation, it also implies that modern neuroscience may allow us to understand Divine Action. This is taken even further when Abbas discusses the birth of Prophet Jesus and implies that Divine Action follows modern scientific laws:
God's creation of the Prophet Jesus in his mother is reminiscent of the process recognized as parthenogenesis (reproduction without sexual union). Parthenogenesis occurs in some birds, reptiles, insects and plants.... A report from Scotland shows that the genes of the white cells from a child are almost identical to its mother and not its father (Bonthron D.T. et al. 1995). It should not be difficult for God to create a child from the ovum of its mother without sexual union. (15)
The attempts to explain Qur'anic verses in the light of modern science range from explanations of the flood in Prophet Noah's time as a melting of ice caps to diseases associated with the consumption of pork and alcohol. Many of these authors have the best intentions and often believe that showing correlations between the Qur'an and modern science produces Islamization of science. However, the manner in which this is done does not conform to the principles of Islamization. One of the most important aspects of the process of Islamization of science is to critically evaluate the methods by which knowledge is obtained and see whether the methods are indeed Islamic. These writers, who are so eager to correlate scientific facts with the Qur'an, do not make any attempts to evaluate scientific data and the methods by which it is obtained. Instead, modern scientific data, especially from the biomedical sciences, which is based on an exclusively materialist ideology, is used to interpret verses of the Qur'an. Thus, instead of an "Islamization of science", these writers may be fostering a "scientification of Islam". It should be mentioned that some of these writers do state that they are not trying to prove a validity for the Qur'an through science but, in spite of this disclaimer, the manner in which they use scientific data may foster scientism.
Furthermore, the Qur'an contains an enormous amount of knowledge that cannot be analyzed with empiric testing and, therefore, it follows that this data is not "scientific" and hence of "lesser" certainty. These attempts to show compatibility of modern science with the Qur'an not only fail to conform to the principles of Islamization of Knowledge, they may even be incompatable with basic Islamic beliefs. One danger of such attempts to correlate modern science with the Qur'an is that it makes a linkage between the perennial wisdom and truth of the Qur'an with the transient ideas of modern science and the man-made ideology of scientism. At some level, all religions are faced with this challenge of scientism.
Alternate Ways of Evaluating the Relationship between Islam and Science
A number of Muslim scholars have identified problems that come with the exclusive materialism of modern science and have made some suggestions for understanding modern scientific knowledge from Islamic perspectives. (16) Their main emphasis is on critically evaluating methods in science, and to extend the process of Islamization to natural sciences. Nasr suggests searching for a form of "Sacred Science" which does not limit itself to a purely materialist interpretation of natural phenomena but takes into consideration metaphysical knowledge bestowed by revelation. One example of the kind of scientific knowledge that flourished in the Muslim world prior to the advent of modern materialist science is that of traditional medicine and alchemy.17 Evaluation of these disciplines can allow insights into the nature of knowledge that is currently rejected by scientific dogma. Through this investigation, Muslim scholars and biomedical scientists would find a niche for practicing and researching medical sciences from a metaphysical foundation.
Jalees Rehman is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, where he heads a research laboratory that investigates the growth of blood vessels and the biology of stem and progenitor cells. He is also a cardiologist at the University of Chicago Medical Center. In addition to his scientific work, Jalees is a German Muslim with an interest in the philosophy of science and religion. Furthermore, he is studying the effect of postmodern and existentialist thought on interfaith dialogue in our contemporary society.Posts: 3587 | Registered: Mar 2006
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Talking Ants and Shrinking Humans: An Analysis of Muhammad's Scientific Blunders
If Prophet Muhammad was a true prophet of God, then statements he made on scientific matters should check out. But do they?
By David Wood
Due to renewed interest in Islam in the West, the historical Muhammad is finally starting to come into public view. Muhammad was an extraordinary man, but he was nevertheless flawed. He was often ruthless towards his adversaries, he commanded his followers to assassinate those who insulted him, and he beheaded hundreds of Jews. Although his revelations permitted other men to have only four wives, Muhammad had at least nine wives at one time, and more than thirteen throughout his life. One of these wives was a nine-year-old girl; another was the divorced wife of his adopted son. Further, Muhammad showed signs of mental and spiritual instability. His first impression of his encounter with the angel Gabriel was that he was under demonic attack. Even after he became Allah’s Apostle, Muhammad believed that he was the victim of magic spells.
All of these facts call Muhammad’s reliability into question. Muslims can no longer turn to Muhammad’s “flawless” character as evidence for their faith, for history shows that Muhammad had numerous flaws. Hence, Muslims must defend their religion by other means. The most popular method is currently to argue for the “miraculous” scientific accuracy of the Qur’an. Muslim reverence for Muhammad’s scientific brilliance can hardly be exaggerated:
"It was [Muhammad] who turned the course of human thought away from superstition, the unnatural and the unexplainable, towards a logical approach illustrating a love for truth and a balanced worldly life. . . . It was he who, in the place of baseless speculation, led man to use logic and reasoning on the basis of observation, experimentation and research. He was the one who clearly defined the limits and functions of sense perception, reason and intuition.
It is inconceivable that many of the statements in the Qur’an which are connected with science could have been the work of a man. It is, moreover, perfectly legitimate, not only to regard the Qur’an as the expression of a Revelation, but also to award it a very special place on account of the guarantee of authenticity it provides and the presence in it of scientific statements which, when studied today, appear as a challenge to human explanation."
Muhammad’s supposed scientific precision is notorious for being singularly unimpressive to anyone who isn’t already a committed Muslim. The tactic employed by Muslim apologists is (1) to read a simple verse from the Quran, (2) to twist and stretch the interpretation as far their imaginations will take them, (3) to insert a bunch of scientific terminology into the interpretation, and (4) to proclaim that there is absolutely no way an illiterate, seventh-century leader could have revealed all these scientific insights without the help of God. After hearing such arguments, Muslims typically stand in awe. Others stand there wondering, “Where did the verse say that?”
The purpose of this article is not to respond to the many supposed instances of scientific accuracy in the Qur’an. Instead, I hope to show that the Muslim approach is unpromising, for the argument from scientific accuracy cuts both ways. That is, one cannot reasonably point to Muhammad’s scientific insights while at the same time turning a blind eye to his numerous scientific inaccuracies. As it turns out, this is exactly what Muslims do. Yet such a method could be used to prove the prophetic authority of people throughout history.
For instance, Thales of Miletus was able to predict a solar eclipse in 585 B.C. One could use this to argue that he must have been inspired by God. However, Thales also proclaimed that everything is composed of water, an idea that now seems absurd. Similarly, in the fourth century B.C. Democritus correctly suggested that everything is composed of atoms. Yet no one considers this to be evidence of divine inspiration, for the atomic theory of Democritus was almost completely inaccurate.
We run into a similar problem when we come to Muhammad. While Muhammad’s proclamations aren’t nearly as impressive as the atomism of Democritus, Muslims have put forth a number of arguments for Muhammad’s scientific intuitions. However, the following examples of Muhammad’s scientific blunders should be sufficient to convince an unbiased examiner that Muslims have overstated their case.
I must note here that I do not believe that it is necessary for all of a prophet’s statements (i.e. statements not intended as revelation) to be in line with modern science. Prophets are, after all, human, and as humans they may believe in superstitions and fables. However, when a prophet proclaims a message from God, it must be accurate. Thus, some of the popular critiques of Muhammad are somewhat misplaced. For example, consider the following claims, which have provided Islam’s critics with much ammunition:
A Fly In Your Drink
The Prophet (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “If a house fly falls in the drink of any one of you, he should dip it (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease.”
Here Muhammad proposes a rule for living: If a fly lands in your Pepsi, you should dunk the fly all the way into the drink. He also provides us with a reason for his rule: One of the fly’s wings has a disease, but the other wing has the remedy for the disease. His reason is, of course, completely false. A fly may indeed be carrying bacteria that it contracted while feeding, but the idea that flies carry antidotes on their wings would be universally rejected by microbiologists. Muhammad’s rule for living is unwise, and his reason for proclaiming it is false. But notice that this command isn’t said to have come from a divine revelation. Muhammad, then, may have simply been passing on an old wives’ tale that he had appropriated at some point during his life. Taken alone, this doesn’t cast much doubt on his prophethood (though it does cast doubt on Mawdudi’s claim that Muhammad “turned the course of human thought away from superstition”).
How Tall Was Adam?
The Prophet (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits [i.e. 90 feet] tall. . . . People have been decreasing in stature since Adam’s creation.”[5]
Allah’s Apostle (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The first group of people who will enter Paradise, will be glittering like the full moon, and those who follow them, will glitter like the most brilliant star in the sky. . . . All of them will look alike and will resemble their father Adam (in stature), sixty cubits tall.”[6]
Muhammad repeatedly proclaimed that Adam was ninety feet tall, and that people have been shrinking ever since Adam. If this were true, we would expect paleontologists to find fossils of extraordinarily large femurs and skulls. But they don’t. Once again, Muhammad seems to be asserting fables. Nevertheless, just as in the case of the fly, this doesn’t disqualify Muhammad as a prophet, for he doesn’t claim that the story is from God.
Other passages, however, are much more problematic. Muhammad made numerous scientific statements that he claimed to have received from God through the angel Gabriel, and many of these revelations are clearly at odds with modern scientific knowledge. These claims cast doubt not only on his scientific accuracy, but on his status as a prophet. Two of the most striking examples of scientific blunders are Muhammad’s revelations concerning astronomy and human reproduction.
Muhammad On Astronomy
Muhammad clearly believed that it is the sun, not the earth, that is moving:
Abu Tharr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “The Prophet (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) asked me at sunset: ‘Do you know where the sun goes (at the time of sunset)?’ I replied: ‘Allah and His Apostle know better.’ He said: ‘It goes (i.e. travels) till it prostrates itself underneath the Throne, and takes the permission to rise again, and it is permitted and then (a time will come when) it will be about to prostrate itself but its prostration will not be accepted, and it will ask permission to go on its course, but it will not be permitted, but it will be ordered to return whence it has come and so it will rise in the west.’”[7]
I would be willing to accept this passage as another example of Muhammad’s understandable belief in myths if it weren’t for the rest of the passage, which says that this hadith provides the interpretation of a particular passage in the Qur’an:
And the Sun Runs its course For a period determined For it; that is The decree of (Him), The exalted in Might, The All-Knowing. And the Moon—We have measured for it Mansions (to traverse) Till it returns Like the old (and withered) Lower part of a date stalk. It is not permitted To the Sun to catch up The Moon, nor can The Night outstrip the Day: Each (just) swims along In (its own) orbit (According to Law).[8]
The Qur’an, then, declares that the celestial bodies swim along in their orbits. We could stretch the interpretation to mean that the universe is a sphere and that everything is “swimming” in it, or that Muhammad is really talking about the orbits of the planets and moons. However, Muhammad seems to have both the moon and the sun in mind:
It is [Allah] Who created The Night and the Day, And the sun and the moon: All (the celestial bodies) Swim along, each in its Rounded course.[9]
Further, Muhammad’s belief about the sun’s motion is clear from the interpretation in the hadith: The sun is moving around or above the earth, and it travels under God’s throne when it sets. If we decide to reinterpret Muhammad’s explanation so that it conforms to our knowledge of astronomy, we will be giving an interpretation of an interpretation. The only option for Muslims is to conclude that Muhammad must have been speaking figuratively (i.e. he is merely using metaphorical language to show that God has power over the heavenly bodies). Such a conclusion seems desperate, however, especially when we combine these passages with Muhammad’s other statements on astronomy.
The following report, taken from the Qur’an, claims that a man (thought by many Muslims to be Alexander the Great) once reached the place where the sun sets:
They ask thee concerning Dhu al Qarnayn. Say, “I will rehearse to you Something of his story.” Verily We established his power On earth, and We gave him The ways and the means To all ends. One (such) way he followed, Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, He found it set In a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People.[10]
This verse states that the sun is small enough to set in a pool of murky water on earth. Indeed, many of the stars we see are at least small enough to be flung at demons whenever they overstep their bounds:
And We have (From of old), Adorned the lowest heaven With Lamps, and We Have made such (Lamps) (As) missiles to drive Away the Evil Ones, And have prepared for them The Penalty Of the Blazing Fire.[11]
It is We Who have set out The Zodiacal Signs in the heavens, And made them fair-seeming To (all) beholders; And (moreover) We have guarded them From every evil spirit accursed: But any that gains a hearing By stealth, is pursued By a flaming fire, bright (to see).[12]
We have indeed decked The lower heaven with beauty (In) the stars—(For beauty) and for guard Against all obstinate Rebellious evil spirits, (So) they should not strain Their ears in the direction Of the Exalted Assembly But be cast away From every side, Repulsed, for they are Under a perpetual penalty, Except such as snatch away Something by stealth, and they Are pursued by a flaming Fire, of piercing brightness.[13]
It is difficult to give this strange doctrine a favorable figurative interpretation. This difficulty is compounded by similar references in the Hadith:
Abu Qatada mentioning Allah’s saying: “And we have Adorned the nearest Heaven with lamps” (67:5) said: “The creation of these stars is for three purposes, i.e. as decoration of the sky, as missiles to hit the devils, and as signs to guide travelers. So, if anybody tries to find a different interpretation, he is mistaken and just wastes his efforts and troubles himself with what is beyond his limited knowledge.”[14]
As we were sitting during the night with Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him), a meteor shot gave a dazzling light. Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: “What did you say in the pre-Islamic days when there was such a shot (of meteor)?” They said: “Allah and His Messenger know best (the actual position), but we, however, used to say that that very night a great man had been born and a great man had died,” whereupon Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: “(These meteors) are shot neither at the death of anyone nor on the birth of anyone. Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, issues Command when He decides to do a thing. Then (the Angels) supporting the Throne sing His glory, then sing the dwellers of heaven who are near to them until this glory of God reaches them who are in the heaven of this world. Then those who are near the supporters of the Throne ask these supporters of the Throne: ‘What your Lord has said?’ And they accordingly inform them what He says. Then the dwellers of heaven seek information from them until this information reaches the heaven of this world. In this process of transmission (the jinn snatches) what he manages to overhear and he carries it to his friends. And when the Angels see the jinn they attack them with meteors.”[15]
It is easy to see how Muhammad would have come to this view. He could see the stars in the sky, but he would also occasionally see a “shooting star.” But what are these stars shooting at? They must be shooting at demons. The problem with Muhammad’s position is that he proclaimed it, not as a hypothesis, but as an authoritative revelation from God. Astronomical observations have shown that Muhammad’s revelation from God was false.
Yet Muhammad’s astronomical difficulties don’t stop there. The Qur’an also implies that the lowest heaven (the sky) is some sort of tangible substance that would fall on us if God didn’t hod it up:
Do you not see that Allah has made subservient to you whatsoever is in the earth and the ships running in the sea by His command? And He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except with His permission; most surely Allah is Compassionate, Merciful to men.[16]
Do they not then consider what is before them and what is behind them of the heaven and the earth? If We please We will make them disappear in the land or bring down upon them a portion from the heaven.[17]
Putting the data together, we are able to get a glimpse of Muhammad’s picture of the universe. Everything, including the sun, travels around the earth. The sun doesn’t travel completely unhindered, however, for it sets in a pool of murky water. The sky is a solid or liquid object over the earth that must be held up by Allah, so that it doesn’t fall on us. This explains why Muhammad described celestial objects as “swimming”; the sun and the moon must swim through the substance of the sky. Nevertheless, pieces of the sky may occasionally flake off and hit us. The stars are potential missiles to be used by angels whenever the demons try to steal information from heaven, and shooting stars are missiles that have been activated in defense of God’s message. That this picture of the universe is far from accurate goes without saying.
Muhammad On Human Reproduction
The Qur’an and the Hadith give us a detailed description of Muhammad’s view of human reproduction. To his credit, Muhammad recognized the importance of sperm in this process (though this had been noted long before Muhammad):
Verily We created Man from a drop Of mingled sperm, In order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts), Of Hearing and Sight.[18]
Unfortunately, Muhammad’s scientific accuracy stops there, for the Qur’an states that semen comes from an area between the ribs and the backbone (quite a way from the testicles, where semen is produced):
Now let man but think From what he is created! He is created from A drop emitted—Proceedings from between The backbone and the ribs.[19]
Muhammad adds in the Hadith that women have a discharge analogous to the semen in men (though women have no discharge similar to male semen):
Man’s discharge (i.e. sperm) is thick and white and the discharge of woman is thin and yellow.[20]
Umm Salama said: “O Allah’s Apostle! Allah does not refrain from saying the truth! Is it obligatory for a woman to take a bath after she gets nocturnal discharge?” He said: “Yes, if she notices the water (i.e. discharge).” Umm Salama smiled and said: “Does a woman get discharge?” Allah’s Apostle (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Then why does a child resemble (its mother)?”[21]
According to Islam, reproduction begins when the thick, white discharge of a man mixes together with the thin, yellow discharge of a woman. Muhammad claims to have received knowledge of this from the angel Gabriel, who told him that discharge priority (i.e. which parent has the discharge first) will determine the appearance of the offspring:
Allah’s Apostle (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Gabriel has just now told me of their answers” [to the questions he had been asked]. . . . As for the resemblance of the child to its parents: If a man has sexual intercourse with his wife and gets discharge first, the child will resemble the father, and if the woman gets discharge first, the child will resemble her.” On that Abdullah bin Salam said: “I testify that you are the Apostle of Allah.”[22]
A child’s appearance can also be determined based on which parent’s semen rises to the top when they are mixed:
[Muhammad said:] “I adjure you by God and His favours towards the children of Israel, do you not know that a man’s semen is white and thick while a woman’s is yellow and thin, and the likeness goes with that which comes to the top?”[23]
Muslims have gone out of their way to justify these passages, but their attempts, on closer examination, all fail. One of the most common strategies is to add words that suggest a scientific significance in Muhammad’s words. For instance, in Abdul Siddiqi’s translation of Sahih Muslim, he adds parenthetical comments meant to give the passage the appearance of scientific accuracy:
[Muhammad] said: The reproductive substance of man is white and that of woman (i.e. ovum central portion) yellow, and when they have sexual intercourse and the male’s substance (chromosomes and genes) prevails upon the female’s substance (chromosomes and genes), it is the male child that is created by Allah’s Decree, and when the substance of the female prevails upon the substance contributed by the male, a female child is formed by the Decree of Allah.[24]
Siddiqi claims that Muhammad’s references to a woman’s “reproductive substance” refer to the substance inside the egg. This interpretation is clearly false, for, as we have already seen, the woman occasionally secretes this substance during nocturnal emissions. It is a visible discharge, so it can’t refer to the substance inside the egg. Additionally, Siddiqi’s fanciful additions to the text fail to rescue it from absurdity, for the passage states that a child will be male if the substance contributed by the man prevails, but female if the substance contributed by the woman prevails. This is also false; the sex of a child, whether male or female, is determined by the sperm contributed by the man. It has nothing to do with “the female’s substance.”
Returning to Muhammad’s stance on reproduction, once the male sperm mixes with the female sperm, development takes place rather slowly. The developing human spends a full forty days as a collection of sperm, then spends another forty days as a clot of blood. This view is supported by both the Qur’an and the Hadith:
(Consider) that We created you Out of dust, then out of Sperm, then out of a leech-like Clot, then out of a morsel Of flesh, partly formed And partly unformed, in order That we may manifest (Our Power) to you.[25]
It is He Who has Created you from dust, Then from a sperm-drop, Then from a leech-like clot; Then does He get you Out (into the light) As a child.[26]
[Muhammad said]: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has appointed an angel as the caretaker of the womb, and he would say: My Lord, it is now a drop of semen; my Lord, it is now a clot of blood; my Lord, it has now become a lump of flesh, and when Allah decides to give it a final shape, the angel says: My Lord, would it be male or female or would he be an evil or a good person?[27]
Allah’s Apostle (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him), the true and truly inspired said: “(The matter of the Creation of) a human being is put together in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period.[28]
[Muhammad said]: When the drop of (semen) remains in the womb for forty or fifty (days) or forty nights, the angel comes and says: My Lord, will he be good or evil? And both these things would be written. Then the angel says: My Lord, would he be male or female? And both these things are written.[29]
[Muhammad said]: When forty nights pass after the semen gets into the womb, Allah sends the angel and gives him the shape. Then he creates his sense of hearing, sense of sight, his skin, his flesh, his bones, and then says: My Lord, would he be male or female? And your Lord decides as He desires and the angel then puts down that also.[30]
These passages yield numerous insights. First, the first stage of human development is the sperm stage, which lasts for a period of forty to fifty days. Second, the next stage is the blood-clot stage, which also lasts around forty days. Third, the sex of the child is determined after the first stage and after the developing person has been given hearing, sight, etc. All of these statements are false. Sperm can survive up to a week once they have been released, but they certainly don’t last for forty days. There is no such thing as a blood-clot stage, let alone one that represents a significant portion of early embryonic development. Further, a child’s sex is determined genetically as soon as the sperm enters the egg.
Muhammad’s view of reproduction, as we have seen, is terribly flawed. Muhammad believed that semen is produced between the ribs and the backbone, that women produce a similar substance, that a child’s appearance is based on which parent’s semen is secreted first, that the sperm-stage lasts for forty days, that the developing embryo then becomes a clot of blood, and that the child’s sex is determined more than a month after fertilization. Perhaps the only miracle here is that Muhammad’s modern defenders now use his ideas on human development as one of their main proofs for the divine authority of his message!
Assessment
Since Muhammad’s life and character provide strong evidence that he is not a credible source of divine teachings, any argument for the authority of the Qur’an will have to be especially strong. Without sufficient evidence to overcome the overwhelming evidence against Islam, an honest investigator’s only reasonable option is to conclude that Muhammad was not a prophet of God, and that the Qur’an has no authority over man.
In order to overcome the obvious shortcomings of their prophet, Muslim apologists argue that Muhammad’s scientific accuracy proves his status as a prophet. Yet we have seen that Muhammad made numerous false statements, many of which were claimed to have come from God. We covered two broad categories of scientific problems in the Qur’an and Hadith, but there are a number of other difficulties that haven’t been addressed. For instance, the Qur’an reports that Solomon once overheard a short speech given by an ant and afterwards listened as a bird gave an account of its whereabouts.[31] The Qur’an also states that nothing holds birds in the air except Allah,[32] whereas air surely has something to do with flight. These verses are problematic for the Muslim apologist. Nevertheless, Muslims continue to proclaim Islam’s scientific heritage as evidence for its validity. They can only do this, however, by employing a peculiar method of investigation. This method requires only two steps:
(1) Find anything that can possibly be interpreted as an accurate scientific statement, dress it up, add a few scientific terms, and declare it to be a miracle.
(2) Ignore any obviously inaccurate scientific claims or insist that they are merely figurative statements.
Such a technique makes sense for Muslims, since they have been taught that the Qur’an is perfect. However, to use this method in an argument is an entirely different story. Muslims can’t expect everyone to interpret Muhammad’s statements in the most favorable light imaginable when his reliability as a prophet is what is being investigated. The Muslim argument is meant to prove that Muhammad was a true prophet, but in order to prove their point, Muslims have to assume that Muhammad was a true prophet and that he therefore couldn’t have made any errors. This makes the Muslim method of scriptural interpretation a classic example of circular reasoning. Indeed, as stated above, Muslim logic could be used to justify any position in history. For instance, if I were to use Muslim tactics in defending Thales’ position that everything is made of water, I could make the following argument:
The Prophet Thales claimed that everything is made of water. That’s obviously not true, but Thales was a prophet, so he couldn’t have been wrong. So what could he have meant? Well, consider the composition of water. It is made of hydrogen and oxygen. Most of the mass in the universe is in the form of hydrogen, and all living things use oxygen in some way. Thus, we have in Thales’ statement a full description of the universe, the non-living, predominantly hydrogen part, and the living, oxygen-using part! But how could Thales have known these things unless God revealed them to him?
This sort of reasoning will seem almost comical to anyone who isn’t a committed Muslim, but it is almost universally accepted as valid in the Islamic world. We can picture the following conversation taking place:
Muslim: “There is only one God, and Muhammad is his prophet!”
Questioner: “I have my doubts about that second part. Why should I accept it?”
Muslim: “You should accept the fact that Muhammad is God’s prophet because Muhammad said that he was God’s prophet!”
Questioner: “You’re assuming that everything Muhammad says was true, but how can I know that?”
Muslim: “You can know it because of the amazing scientific accuracy of the Qur’an!”
Questioner: “But what about talking ants, stellar missiles that hit demons, the sun setting in the ocean, and man forming from a blood-clot? What about all these passages?”
Muslim: “Those passages are metaphorical!”
Questioner: “But how do you know they’re metaphorical? Muhammad didn’t say that he was using figurative language when he said those things. Indeed, he seems to take them quite literally.”
Muslim: “Muhammad couldn’t have meant those verses to be taken literally.”
Questioner: “Why not?”
Muslim: “Because he’s God’s greatest prophet, and a prophet would never believe such things!”
If there were some compelling reason for us to regard Muhammad as a prophet, perhaps we would be justified in interpreting his statements as completely accurate, as Muslims do. For example, if Muhammad had risen from the dead (as Jesus did), we would have God’s stamp of approval on his message. But we have nothing of the sort. In the absence of strong evidence, we must take Muhammad’s statements for what they appear to be: the sometimes accurate, mostly erroneous speculations of an intelligent but superstitious man.
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Bukhari - Volume 4, Book 54, Number 537: Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said "If a house fly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease."
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