This
write up explains the reasons why Islam is the truth.
Ever
since the dawn of mankind, we have sought to understand nature and our place in
it. In this quest for the purpose of life many people have turned to religion.
Most religions are based on books claimed by their followers to be divinely
inspired, without any proof. Islam is different because it is based upon reason
and proof.
There
are clear signs that the book of Islam, the Quran, is the word of God and we
have many reasons to support this claim:
- There are scientific and historical facts found in the Quran which were unknown to the people at the time, and have only been discovered recently by contemporary science.
- The Quran is in a unique style of language that cannot be replicated, this is known as the ‘Inimitability of the Quran.’
- There are predictions made in the Quran and by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) which have come to be pass.
This
article lays out and explains the scientific facts that are found in the Quran,
centuries before they were ‘discovered’ in contemporary science. It is
important to note that the Quran is not a book of science but a book of
‘signs’. These signs are there for people to recognize God’s existence and
affirm His revelation. As we know, science sometimes takes a ‘U-turn’ where
what once scientifically correct is false a few years later. In this article
only established scientific facts are considered, not just theories or
hypothesis.
Scientific
Facts in the Quran
The
Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the 7th
century.
Science
at the time was primitive, there were no telescopes, microscopes or anything
even close to the technology we have today. People believed that the sun
orbited the earth and that the sky was held up by big pillars at the corners of
a flat earth. Within this backdrop the Quran was revealed, and it contains many
scientific facts on topics ranging from astronomy to biology, geology to
sociology.
Some
people may claim that the Quran was changed as new scientific facts were
discovered but this cannot be the case because it is a historically documented
fact that the Quran is preserved in its original language. The Quran was
written down and memorized by people during the lifetime of the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh). One of the copies of the Quran which was written a few years
after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is preserved in a museum in
Uzbekistan. This copy is over 1400 years old and is exactly the same as the
Arabic Quran that we have today.
The
following are nine scientific facts found in the Quran:
1.
Origin of Life
Water
is essential for all living things. We all know that water is vital to life but
the Quran makes a very unusual claim:
We
made every living thing from water? Will they not believe? [21:30]
In
this verse water is pointed out as the origin of all life. All living things
are made of cells. We now know that cells are mostly made up of water . For
example, 80% of the cytoplasm (basic cell material) of a standard animal cell
is described as water in biology textbooks.
The
fact that living things consist mostly of water was discovered only after the
invention of the microscope. In the deserts of Arabia, the last thing someone
would have guessed is that all life came from water.
2.
Iron
Iron
is not natural to the earth. It did not form on the earth but came down to
earth from outer space. This may sound strange but it’s true. Scientists have
found that billions of years ago the earth was stuck by meteorites. These meteorites
were carrying Iron from distant stars which had exploded.
The
Quran says the following on the origin of Iron:
We
sent down Iron with its great inherent strength and its many benefits for
humankind [57:25]
God
uses the words ‘sent down’ for Iron. It is clear from the verse that Iron is
not an earthly material, but was sent down for the benefit of humanity. The
fact that Iron came down to earth from outer space is something which could not
be known by the primitive science of the 7th century.
3.
Sky’s Protection
The
sky plays a crucial role in protecting the earth. The sky protects the earth
from the lethal rays of the sun. If the sky did not exist then the sun’s
radiation would have killed off all life on earth. It also acts like a blanket wrapped
around the earth, to protect it from the freezing cold of space. The
temperature just above the sky is approximately -270oC. If this temperature was
to reach earth then the planet would freeze over instantly. The sky also
protects life on earth by warming the surface through heat retention
(greenhouse effect), and reducing temperature extremes between day and night. These
are some of the many protective functions of the sky.
The
Quran asks us to consider the sky in the following verse:
We
made the sky a protective ceiling. And yet they are turning away from our
signs! [21:32]
The
Quran points to the sky’s protection as a sign of God. The protective
properties of the sky were discovered by scientific research conducted in the
20th century.
4.
Mountains
The
Quran draws our attention to a very important characteristic of mountains:
Did
We not make the earth a resting place? And the mountains as stakes? [78:6-7]
The
Quran indicates that mountains have deep roots by using the word stakes to
describe them. In fact mountains do have deep roots, and the word stakes is an
accurate description for them. A book titled ‘Earth’ by Geophysicist Frank
Press explains that mountains are like stakes, and are buried deep under the
surface of the earth .Mount Everest, the height of which is approximately 9 km
above ground, has a root deeper than 125 km.
The
fact that mountains have deep ‘stake’ like roots was not known, until after the
development of the theory of plate tectonics in the beginning of the 20th
century.
5.
Expansion of the Universe
At
a time when the science of Astronomy was still primitive, the expansion of the
universe was described in Quran:
And
it is We who have built the Universe with [Our creative] power and keep
expanding it. [51:47]
The
fact that the universe is expanding was discovered in the last century. The
physicist Stephen Hawking in his book ‘A Brief History of Time’ writes, “The
discovery that the universe is expanding was one of the great intellectual
revolutions of the 20th century.”
The
Quran mentioned the expansion of the universe even before the invention of the
telescope!
6. Sun’s Orbit
In 1512 the astronomer Nicholas Copernicus put forward his theory that the Sun is motionless at the centre of the solar system, and that the planets revolve around it. The belief that the Sun is stationary was widespread amongst astronomers until the 20th century. It is now a well-established scientific fact that the Sun is not stationary, but is moving in an orbit around the centre of our Milky Way galaxy.
In 1512 the astronomer Nicholas Copernicus put forward his theory that the Sun is motionless at the centre of the solar system, and that the planets revolve around it. The belief that the Sun is stationary was widespread amongst astronomers until the 20th century. It is now a well-established scientific fact that the Sun is not stationary, but is moving in an orbit around the centre of our Milky Way galaxy.
The
Quran mentions the orbit of the Sun:
It
is He who created night and day, the Sun and the Moon, each floating in its
orbit. [21:33]
The
Quran would have been wrong according to astronomers just a couple of decades
ago. But we now know that the Quranic account of the Sun’s motion is consistent
with modern Astronomy.
7.
The Ocean
The Quran uses imagery to covey its
deep meanings, here it describes the state of the unbelievers as:
Darkness out in a deep ocean which is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds, layers of darkness, one upon the other. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly see it. Those God gives no light to, they have no light. [24:40]
Darkness out in a deep ocean which is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds, layers of darkness, one upon the other. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly see it. Those God gives no light to, they have no light. [24:40]
It
is commonly thought that waves only occur on the surface of the ocean. However
oceanographers have discovered that there are internal waves that take place
below the surface of the ocean. These waves are invisible to the human eye, and
can only be detected by specialist equipment. The Quran mentions darkness in a
deep ocean above which are waves, above which are waves, then clouds above
that. This description is not only remarkable because it describes the internal
waves in the ocean, but also because it describes darkness deep in the ocean. A
human being can dive no more than 70 metres without breathing equipment. Light
is present at that depth, but if we go down 1000 metres it is completely dark.
1400 years ago there were no submarines or specialist equipment to discover internal
waves or the darkness deep inside the oceans.
8.
Lying and Movement
There
was a cruel oppressive tribal leader named Abu Jahl who lived during the time
of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). God revealed a verse of the Quran to warn him:
No
Indeed! If he does not stop, We will seize him by the forehead, his lying,
sinful forehead. [96:15-16]
God
does not call this person a liar, but calls his forehead (the front part of the
brain) ‘lying’ and ‘sinful’, and warns him to stop.
This
verse is significant for two reasons. The first is that the front part of our
brain is responsible for voluntary movement. This is known as the frontal lobe.
A book titled ‘Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology’ which includes the results
of research on the functions of this area states: The motivation and the
foresight to plan and initiate movements occur in the anterior portion of the
frontal lobes, the prefrontal area. The part of the brain that is responsible
for movement is said to be seized if the man does not stop.
Secondly,
numerous studies have shown that this same region (frontal lobe) is responsible
for the lying function of the brain.One such study at the University of
Pennsylvania in which volunteers were asked questions during a computerized
interrogation, it was found that when the volunteers were lying there was
significantly increased activity in the prefrontal and premotor cortices
(frontal lobe region).
The
front part of the brain is responsible for movement and lying. The Quran links
movement and lying to this area. These functions of the frontal lobe were
discovered with medical imaging equipment which was developed in the 20th
century.
9. Pain Receptors
For a long time it was thought that the sense of feeling and pain was dependent on the brain. However it has been discovered that there are pain receptors present in the skin. Without these pain receptors, a person would not be able to feel pain.
For a long time it was thought that the sense of feeling and pain was dependent on the brain. However it has been discovered that there are pain receptors present in the skin. Without these pain receptors, a person would not be able to feel pain.
Consider
the following verse on pain:
We
shall send those who reject Our revelations to the (Hell) Fire. When their
skins have been burned away, We shall replace them with new ones so that they
may continue to feel the pain: God is Almighty, All-Wise. [4:56]
God
tells the people who reject his message that when they are in Hell and their
skins are burnt off (so they can’t feel any pain), he will give them new skins
so that they continue to feel the pain.
The
Quran makes it clear that pain is dependent upon on the skin. The discovery of
pain receptors in the skin is a fairly recent discovery for Biology.
Conclusion
These
are just some of the many scientific facts found in the Quran. It is important
to note that the Quran is not a book of science, but that it is consistent
with science. To claim that scientific facts in the Quran are due to
coincidence would be irrational. The best explanation is that God revealed this
knowledge to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Just
like the Quran contains knowledge about the natural world, it also contains
information about the inner dimensions of our souls. It relates to our
feelings, wants and needs. The Quran informs us that we have a purpose in life,
and that following God’s guidance will lead us to inner peace in this life, and
Paradise in the hereafter. And that rejection of his message will lead to
depression in this life and Hellfire after death.
We
shall show them Our signs in the Universe and within themselves, until it
becomes clear to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that your Lord
is the witness of all things? [Quran 41:53]
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