Life & Society
Weird science
Published 21 August 2008
According to some Muslim scholars, everything from genetics to robotics and space travel is described in the Quran. What nonsense
Science has acquired a new meaning in certain Muslim circles. When classical Muslim scholars declared that "whosoever does not know astronomy or anatomy is deficient in the knowledge of God", they were emphasising the importance of the scientific spirit in Islam and encouraging the pursuit of empirical science. But today, to a significant section of Muslims, science includes the discovery of "scientific miracles" in the Quran.
The Quran does contain many verses that point towards nature, and constantly asks its readers to reflect on the wonders of the cosmos. "Travel throughout the earth and see how He brings life into being" (29:20) is a piece of advice we frequently find in the Muslim sacred text. "Behold," we read elsewhere, "in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding . . ." (3:190).
But these verses do not have any specific scientific content - they simply urge believers to study nature and reflect on the awe-inspiring diversity and complexity of the universe. The emphasis in many of these verses, such as "The sun and the moon follow courses (exactly) computed; and the stars and the trees both prostrate in adoration; and the heavens He has raised high, and He has set up the balance" (55:5-7), is on the general predictability of physical phenomena.
It requires considerable mental gymnastics and distortions to find scientific facts or theories in these verses. Yet, this height of folly is a global craze in Muslim societies, as is a popular literature known as ijaz, or "scientific miracles of the Quran". Islamic bookshops are littered with this literature, television preachers talk endlessly about how many different scientific theories can be found in the Quran, and numerous websites are devoted to explaining the phenomenon. It can seem as if ijaz literature has taken total control of the Muslim imagination.
"Almost everything, from relativity, quantum mechanics, Big Bang theory, black holes and pulsars, genetics, embryology, modern geology, thermodynamics, even the laser and hydrogen fuel cells, have been 'found' in the Quran," says Nidhal Guessoum, professor of astrophysics at the American University of Sharjah. Whereas centuries ago, Muslim mathematicians discovered algebra (and led the world in countless fields of knowledge), some of today's believers look to the Quran for equations to yield the value of the speed of light or the age of the universe, and other bewildering feats.
The tendency to read science in the Quran has a long history. In the 1950s, for example, when the US and the Soviet Union were competing to put a man in space, pamphlets appeared in India and Pakistan in which Quranic verses on the all-powerful nature of God were quoted to "prove" that manned space flight would never happen. However, for the current manifestation of ijaz, we need to thank not writers from the madrasas of the Middle East, but two western professors - neither man a Muslim.
It began in 1976, with the publication of The Bible, the Quran and Science by Maurice Bucaille, a French surgeon who had served the Saudi monarchy and acquired his basic knowledge of the Quran in the kingdom. He set out to examine "the holy scriptures in the light of modern knowledge", focusing on astronomy, the earth, and the animal and vegetable kingdoms. His conclusion was that "it is impossible not to admit the existence of scientific errors in the Bible". In contrast: "The Quran most definitely did not contain a single proposition at variance with the most firmly established modern knowledge." Many Muslims embraced Bucaille's thesis as proof of the divine origins of the Quran.
Ijaz literature received a further boost almost a decade later with the publication of the paper Highlights of Human Embryology in the Quran and the Hadith by Keith Moore, a Canadian professor of anatomy who was then teaching in Saudi Arabia. Moore illustrated certain verses from the Quran with clinical drawings and textbook descriptions. For example, the verse "We created man from a drop of mingled fluid" (76:2) is explained by Moore as referring to the mixture of a small quantity of sperm with the oocyte and its follicular fluid.
He was quite a performer, and stunned the gathering at the seventh Saudi Medical Meeting, held in 1982 in Dam mam. He read out the Quranic verses: "We have created man from the essence of clay, then We placed him as a drop of fluid in a safe place, then We made that drop into a clinging form, and made the form into a lump of flesh, and We made the lump into bones, and We clothed these bones with flesh, and We made him into other forms . . ." (23:12-14).
Moore then shaped some Plasticine to resemble an embryo at 28 days and dug his teeth into it. The chewed Plasticine, he claimed, was an exact copy of the embryo, with his teeth marks resembling the embryo's somites (the vertebral column and musculature). He displayed photographs to show that bones begin to form in the embryo at six weeks, and muscles attach to them. By the seventh week, the bones give a human shape to the embryo; ears and eyes begin to form by the fourth week and are visible by the sixth. All these developments, Moore claimed, fit the Quranic description exactly.
Both Bucaille and Moore played on the inferiority complex of influential Saudis, suggesting that the Quran was a scientific treatise and proof that Muslims were modern long before the modern world and modern science. The Saudi government poured millions into ijaz literature. The Commission on Scientific Signs in the Quran and Sunnah was established. The first international conference on the subject was held in Islamabad, in 1987. Moore's paper was included in an illustrated study: Human Development As Described in the Quran and Sunnah. The field has been growing exponentially ever since.
Guessoum, who is about to publish a book on ijaz literature, says that most works on scientific miracles follow a set pattern. They start with a verse of the Quran and look for concordance between scientific results and Quranic statements. For example, one would start from the verse "So verily I swear by the stars that run and hide . . ." (81:15-16) and quickly declare that it refers to black holes, or take the verse "[I swear by] the Moon in her fullness; that ye shall journey on from stage to stage" (84:18-19) and decide it refers to space travel. And so on. "What is meant to be allegorical and poetic is transformed into products of science," Guessoum says.
These days, the biggest propagator of ijaz literature is Harun Yahya (real name Adnan Oktar), a Turkish creationist. He has published scores of pamphlets and books that are heavily subsidised and sold very cheaply. The latest, Miracles of the Quran, explains the verses of the Quran "in such a way as to leave no room for doubt or question marks". The author suggests that the verse "We have sent down iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind" (57:25) is a "significant scientific miracle", because "modern astronomical findings have disclosed that iron found in our world has come from the giant stars in outer space". The verse "Glory be to Him Who created all the pair of things that the earth produces" (36:36) is claimed to predict anti-matter.
But these inanities are not limited to crackpots. "Even respected university professors believe this nonsense," Guessoum says. "In my own university, around 70 per cent of science professors subscribe to the view that the Quran is full of scientific content, facts as well as theories." Indeed, many respected scientists have contributed to the literature. Prime among these is The Geological Concepts of Mountains in the Quran (1991). Written by the Egyptian scientist Zaghloul el-Naggar, who held the chair of geology at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the book has gone through numerous editions. It was so successful that el-Naggar gave up teaching to become the chair of the Committee of Scientific Notions in the Glorious Quran, established by the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Cairo. Today, he lectures on "geology in the Quran" and CDs of his talks sell out.
The latest tome on the subject is The Computer Universe: a Scientific Rendering of the Holy Quran by P A Wahid, the former dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Kerala Agricultural University. In the book, he develops a model of science in the Quran and purports to explain the existence of angels ("intelligent robots in Allah's kingdom"), the Divine Master Plan, and how the Quran predicted the advent of chemistry and biology. Ehsan Masood, who writes on science in developing countries for Nature, recounts how he "once met a former chief scientist to a defence ministry who told me excitedly he was refining a research paper that would use mathematics to prove the existence of angels".
All their own creation
The underlying message of these books is that all the science you need is in the Quran - no need to get your hands dirty in a lab or work within mainstream theories. But there is an overt message, too: works such as those of Wahid and el-Naggar are aggressively anti-evolution. Many more Muslim scientists, says Guessoum, are "scientists by day and creationists by night".
Creationism is not at all a natural Muslim position. In the early 10th century, Muhammad al-Nakhshabi wrote in The Book of the Yield: "While man has sprung from sentient creatures, these have sprung from plants, and these in turn from combined substances." In Life of Hai by the 12th-century Andalusian philosopher ibn Tufayl, evolution is strongly emphasised. Hai is "spontaneously generated", emerges from the slime, evolves through various stages and discovers the power of reason to shape his world and to understand the universe. In contrast, creationism has taken hold over the past decade in Muslim societies - Turkey, for example, came last, just behind the US, in a recent survey of 34 countries on public acceptance of evolution.
Ijaz literature goes hand in hand with creationism, though Masood says that Muslim creationists are strongly influenced by their American Christian counterparts: "The two groups genuinely believe that the destiny of Islam and Christianity is to work together to defeat evolution and that this alliance is the answer to the clash of civilisations."
Yahya's lavishly illustrated tome Atlas of Creation is widely distributed. In Turkey, it anonymously turned up in numerous schools and libraries. Last year, it was sent unsolicited to schools across France, prompting the education ministry to proscribe the volume. The Atlas blames everything, from Nazism to terrorism, on evolution. "It contains lie upon lie upon lie," says Jean Staune, visiting lecturer in philosophy of sciences at the HEC School of Management in Paris, who has made a special study of Harun Yahya's works. "It denigrates the faith which it purports to support."
And we can say the same about all literature, popular or academic, that purports to discover "scientific miracles" in the Quran.
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64 comments from readers
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steve55
21 August 2008 at 10:38 This was very interesting to see that the verses in the Qur'an really contain details and information that our modern world has just found out in the last century. Islam is really a religion full of wisdom and thought, and I believe many people are at the moment reading works of Harun Yahya from the Internet at www.harunyahya.com. His books are all free to download and there are hundreds of them with illustrations, videos and audios online.
Christianity and Islam are very good partners in bringing light to the darkness of our day. We should all be a part of this rejoice! Thanks to God and Wait for Christ!
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Jaded
21 August 2008 at 11:21 Qur'an refers to all ages. It doesnt matter that the verses had descened years ago. Qur'an has the past and the future and there are many miracles may be the humanity havent been discover yet. Qur'an is completely excellent, for all across the board. We will see many other miracles in the future if God wills.
Harun Yahya has many books I have read some of them.They are really well arranged, effective and very easy to understand. Also the quality of the books are very high. I have learnt many things from the books.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 13:01 Nobody says Quran is a book of science. However Quran contains many scientific miracles compatible with recent scientific findings. And that proves Quran is word of Allah. Because only Allah can know these facts 1400 yrs ago.
Science means exploring nature and deriving conclusions from one's findings. If these findings lead to the conclusion that nature is created, science has to accept it. That is the duty of a true scientist; not defending impossible scenarios by clinging to the outdated materialist dogmas of the 19th century.
Darwinism is dead by new scientific findings and thanks to Harun Yahya with his 265 books.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 13:06 Different concepts may come to mind when the theory of evolution is mentioned. Some people, mainly materialists who think that it is a scientifically proven fact, fiercely support it and, equally fiercely, reject all ideas opposed to it.
A second group consists of people who are not well-informed about the theory of evolution's claims. They are not particularly interested in it, since they do not realize the harm that Darwinism has done to humanity over the last century and a half. They see no problem with how it is imposed on people and fiercely defended, despite its scientific invalidity, for they have closed their eyes to what is going on.
Even if they know that this theory has lost all scientific credibility, they cannot take seriously those who still find it important, because they themselves do not consider it important. They consider it unnecessary to explain the theory's invalidity or to publish books and hold conferences on the subject, for in their eyes the theory is already "old hat" or passé.
A third group consists of those who, under the influence of materialist suggestion and propaganda, view this theory as scientific fact and look for a "middle way" between it and belief in God. They accept Darwinism's account of the origin of life word for word, yet try to build a bridge between the theory of evolution and religious belief by maintaining that this account operates under God's control.
In reality, each of these views is mistaken, for the theory of evolution cannot reasonably be portrayed as scientific fact, passed off as unimportant, or adapted to religion. As we shall see throughout this book, the theory's ideological framework consists of anti-religious thought put forward to strengthen atheism and to give it a firm foundation. Moreover, it is fiercely defended by people who have been persuaded by materialism, for it is constructed on materialist philosophy and offers a materialist commentary on the world. From the time it was first put forward by Charles Darwin and right up to the present day, it has brought humanity nothing but conflict, exploitation, war, and degeneration. Given this, it is essential that we acquire a sound understanding of the subject and launch a serious fight against it on the ideological level.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 13:08 Believers should avoid defending this theory and its ideological meaning, for both contradict the truths of Islam. Some may support the theory because they are unaware of the disasters that it has visited upon humanity, that it is supported by people who hate religion, and that it rejects the fact of creation. That being the case, those Muslims who have only a little information on the subject should avoid going down that road, for as Allah tells the faithful in the Qur'an:
Do not pursue what you have no knowledge of. Hearing, sight and hearts will all be questioned. (Qur'an, 17: 36)
Exemplary Muslims should research the matter in all sincerity and behave according to the realization that:
... Those who have become Muslim are those who sought right guidance. (Qur'an, 72: 14)
As the above verse commands, Muslims who believe in the theory of evolution must consider this theory carefully, carry out wide-ranging research, and make their decision according to their consciences.
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david
21 August 2008 at 13:11 I am an engineer. When I read the book of Harun Yahya about miracles of Quran I am extremely impressed and started to read all the books of him. I advise all the people in the world to read all his books from internet. Since they are almost translated to all languages . Quran is the verse of Allah and Allah is the creator of everything. This is the truth and if you want to see the proof you have to read the books of Harun Yahya.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 13:11 Fourteen centuries ago, God sent down the Qur'an to mankind as a book of guidance. He called upon people to be guided to the truth by adhering to this book. From the day of its revelation to the day of judgement, this last divine book will remain the sole guide for humanity.
The matchless style of the Qur'an and the superior wisdom in it are definite evidence that it is the word of God. In addition, the Qur'an has many miraculous attributes proving that it is a revelation from God. One of these attributes is the fact that a number of scientific truths that we have only been able to uncover by the technology of the 20th century were stated in the Qur'an 1,400 years ago.
Of course the Qur'an is not a book of science. However, many scientific facts that are expressed in an extremely concise and profound manner in its verses have only been discovered with the technology of the 20th century. These facts could not have been known at the time of the Qur'an's revelation, and this is still more proof that the Qur'an is the word of God.
In order to understand the scientific miracle of the Qur'an, we must first take a look at the level of science at the time when this holy book was revealed.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 13:13 Some examples of scientific miracles from Quran:
THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE
In the Qur'an, which was revealed 14 centuries ago at a time when the science of astronomy was still primitive, the expansion of the universe was described like this:
”And it is We who have constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it.„
(The Qur'an, 51:47)
The word "heaven", as stated in this verse, is used in various places in the Qur'an with the meaning of space and universe. Here again, the word is used with this meaning. In other words, in the Qur'an it is revealed that the universe "expands". And this is the very conclusion that science has reached today.
Until the dawn of the 20th century, the only view prevailing in the world of science was that "the universe has a constant nature and it has existed since infinite time". The research, observations, and calculations carried out by means of modern technology, however, have revealed that the universe in fact had a beginning, and that it constantly "expands".
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian physicist Alexander Friedmann and the Belgian cosmologist Georges Lemaitre theoretically calculated that the universe is in constant motion and that it is expanding.
This fact was proved also by observational data in 1929. While observing the sky with a telescope, Edwin Hubble, the American astronomer, discovered that the stars and galaxies were constantly moving away from each other. A universe where everything constantly moves away from everything else implied a constantly expanding universe. The observations carried out in the following years verified that the universe is constantly expanding. This fact was explained in the Qur'an when that was still unknown to anyone. This is because the Qur'an is the word of God, the Creator, and the Ruler of the entire universe.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 13:22 Harun Yahya's 265 books about any topic you can think about (About Quran and faith, scientific refutation of Darwinism, Astronomy, biology, zoology, botanics, physics, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, embriology, biomimetics, sociology, pschology, politics, etc) are the best of the best. Go and read them and recommend to evrybody around you: Muslims, Christians, Jews, Atheists, Darwinists.. These books are changing the world. Darwinism and materilaism and atheism are collapsing because of Harun Yahya.
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lsra
21 August 2008 at 13:28 hi l am İsra and l am a palaeontologist. Do you know l couldn't beleive in my eyes.how can you say that?today everythıng says There is no god but Allah..and creation atlas say that:pertifactions say "we hadn't changed only Allah created us!"and rearly coudn't you see universe's miracles or you can look to your cell only one of cell meybe that time you can understand thıs truth meybe you can see an enourmus miracle ın yourbody and maybe you can say that:"yeah!l accept it Allah created me and everything and l bear witness that there is no god but Allah Muhammed is his servant and messenger"
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steve55
21 August 2008 at 13:41 LET US JOIN FORCES
As people who believe in God and follow His revelations, let us rally to a common formula - "faith". Let's love God, Who is our Creator and Lord, and follow His commands. And let us pray God to lead us to an even straighter path. When Muslims, Christians and Jews rally to a common formula this way; when they understand that they are friends not enemies, when they see that the real enemy is atheism and paganism, then the world will become a very different place. The fighting that has raged for ages, enmities, fears - and terrorist attacks - will come to an end, and a new civilization based on love, respect and peace will be established upon this "common formula".
by Harun Yahya
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DrJoseph
21 August 2008 at 13:51 There is no way to call it as coincidence if a book reveals an information that was impossible to be known 1400 years ago.
For example, Quran tells about a geographical fact that could not have been known by anyone at that time: that the Romans had been defeated in "the lowest region" of Earth.
In history, the Byzantines and the Persians actually fought at the Dead Sea basin, which is situated at the intersection point of the lands belonging to Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. Surprisingly at 399 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is the "lowest" place on Earth's surface.
This is just one proof for Quran to be the word of the Creator of all, who is Allah [Eluhim(in hebrew) or Allaha (in aramic)]
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steve55
21 August 2008 at 14:01 DARWINISM: THE GREATEST LIE IN HISTORY
The theory of evolution, which has been tried to be promoted everywhere as a scientific fact from the textbooks to the scientific publications for 150 years, is actually based on extremely rotten foundations. The evolutionists gave up proving their theory, however, they began to search for ways to keep the theory alive through propaganda, demagogy and eyewash methods. Their aims are not to defend a scientific fact, but to try to keep the so-called scientific fallacy alive in the cause of continuing their materialistic and atheist world view.
http://www.darwinismthegreatestlieinhistory.com/
by Harun Yahya
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steve55
21 August 2008 at 14:06 JESUS WILL RETURN
According to the historical records of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Jesus lived approximately 2,000 years ago. He was a chosen messenger of God and is held in honor both in the world and the Hereafter. The Gospel of Mathew states that he was born either during the reign of Herod l or in a period of the regime change (4 BCE). According to the Gospel of Luke, he was born during the reign of Emperor Augustus (27 BCE-14 CE) when a census was being conducted in Judea (6 CE). Such information cannot be verified. However, experts analyzing various sources believe that Jesus was born around 7-6 BCE.
The Qur'an reveals much about Jesus' birth, life, examples of his encounters with other people, the situation of those living around him, and many other subjects. The Qur'an relates the following words of Jesus:
"I come confirming the Torah I find already there, and to make lawful for you some of what was previously forbidden to you. I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. So fear God and obey me. God is my Lord and your Lord so worship Him. That is a straight path." (Qur'an, 3:50-51)
http://www.jesuswillreturn.com/
by Harun Yahya
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steve55
21 August 2008 at 14:09 MIRACLES OF THE QURAN
The unprecedented style and the superior wisdom inherent in the Qur'an is conclusive evidence confirming that it is the Word of God. Apart from this, there are a number of miracles verifying its Divine nature, one of them being that, 1,400 years ago, it declared a number of scientific facts that have only been established thanks to the technological breakthroughs of the 20th century. In this site, in addition to the scientific miracles of the Qur'an, you will also find messages regarding history and mathematics.
http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/
by Harun Yahya
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Sharif
21 August 2008 at 14:56 O dear, a word on Islam and suddenly so many comments. I have read quran as a young man; at the time I belonged to a conservative Muslim family. I read it again when I started having doubts. May I reply to some comments above. One guy asks that Islam knew what the world knows now. Implying the greatness of Islam. There is nothing further from truth.
In Quran there is mention of fruits that Allah has given us humans. It mentions the names of few. Surprisingly, there is no mention of Strawberries, Cherries or any fruit not known to Arabs at the time. One wonder why? A God must know such fruits exist and keeps quiet on mentioning them. May be it was written by a man from Arabia, who had traveled a lot, but not far enough to acquaint himself with such fruits.
Every month, Muslims are supposed to watch the moon to break fasting in the evening. Now we know that thee is system of sun rising and sun set. Why did God not tell his followers? And didn't HE know that there are countries where it is either cloudy or dark and no human can see the moon with his own eyes? The worst part is at the end of Ramadan. Eid is celebrated after people have sighted the moon. In most of the Muslim countries they celebrate on different days, because nobody has seen the moon. here in the west, even in one town they celebrate on 2 or 3 different day. Quran is silent on that. I can go on. But I think I have made my point.
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Jonty Stang
21 August 2008 at 16:14 Crikey, they're all coming out to play today, aren't they?
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 16:50 The wrapping of muscles over the bones
Another important aspect of the information given in the verses of the Qur'an is the developmental stages of a human being in the mother's womb. It is stated in the verses that in the mother's womb, the bones develop first, and then the muscles form which wrap around them.
”(We) then formed the drop into a clot and formed the clot into a lump and formed the lump into bones and clothed the bones in flesh; and then brought him into being as another creature. Blessed be God, the Best of Creators!„
(The Qur'an, 23:14)
Embryology is the branch of science that studies the development of the embryo in the mother's womb. Until very recently, embryologists assumed that the bones and muscles in an embryo developed at the same time. For this reason, for a long time, some people claimed that these verses conflicted with science. Yet, advanced microscopic research conducted by virtue of new technological developments has revealed that the revelation of the Qur'an is word for word correct.
These observations at the microscopic level showed that the development inside the mother's womb takes place in just the way it is described in the verses. First, the cartilage tissue of the embryo ossifies. Then muscular cells that are selected from amongst the tissue around the bones come together and wrap around the bones.
This event is described in a scientific publication titled Developing Human in the following words:
During the seventh week, the skeleton begins to spread throughout the body and the bones take their familiar shapes. At the end of the seventh week and during the eighth week the muscles take their positions around the bone forms.17
In short, man's developmental stages as described in the Qur'an are in perfect harmony with the findings of modern embryology.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 16:50 Three Stages of the Baby in the Womb
In the Qur'an, it is related that man is created in a three-stage process in the mother's womb.
”... He creates you stage by stage in your mothers' wombs in a threefold darkness. That is God, your Lord. Sovereignty is His. There is no god but Him. So what has made you deviate?„
(The Qur'an, 39:6)
As will be understood, it is pointed out in this verse that a human being is created in the mother's womb in three distinct stages. Indeed, modern biology has revealed that the baby's embryological development takes place in three distinct regions in the mother's womb. Today, in all the embryology textbooks studied in faculties of medicine, this subject is taken as an element of basic knowledge. For instance in Basic Human Embryology, a fundamental reference text in the field of embryology, this fact is stated as follows: "The life in the uterus has three stages: pre-embryonic; first two and a half weeks, embryonic; until the end of the eight week, and fetal; from the eight week to labor."18
These phases refer to the different developmental stages of a baby. In brief, the main characteristics of these developmental stages are as follows:
- Pre-embryonic stage
In this first phase, the zygote grows by division, and when it becomes a cell cluster, it buries itself in the wall of the uterus. While they continue growing, the cells organise themselves in three layers.
- Embryonic Stage
The second phase lasts for five and a half weeks, during which the baby is called an "embryo". In this stage, the basic organs and systems of the body start to appear from the cell layers.
- Fetal stage
From this stage on, the embryo is called a "foetus". This phase begins at the eighth week of gestation and lasts until the moment of birth. The distinctive characteristic of this stage is that the foetus looks just like a human being, with its face, hands and feet. Although it is only 3 cm. long initially, all of its organs have become apparent. This phase lasts for about 30 weeks, and development continues until the week of delivery.
Information on the development in the mother's womb became available only after observations with modern devices. Yet, just like many other scientific facts, these pieces of information are imparted in the verses of the Qur'an in a miraculous way. The fact that such detailed and accurate information was given in the Qur'an at a time when people had scarce information on medical matters is clear evidence that the Qur'an is not the word of man, but the word of God.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 16:51 The Clot Clinging to the Uterus
If we keep on examining the facts announced to us in the Qur'an about the formation of human beings, we again encounter some very important scientific miracles.
When the sperm of the male unites with the ovum of the female, the essence of the baby to be born is formed. This single cell, known as a "zygote" in biology, will instantly start to reproduce by dividing, and eventually become a "piece of flesh" called an embryo. This of course can only be seen by human beings with the aid of a microscope.
The embryo, however, does not spend its developmental period in a void. It clings to the uterus just like roots that are firmly fixed to the earth by their tendrils. Through this bond, the embryo can obtain the substances essential to its development from the mother's body.16
Here, at this point, a very significant miracle of the Qur'an is revealed. While referring to the embryo developing in the mother's womb, God uses the word "alaq" in the Qur'an:
”Recite: In the name of your Lord Who created man from alaq. Recite: And your Lord is the Most Generous.„
(The Qur'an, 96:1-3)
The meaning of the word "alaq" in Arabic is "a thing that clings to some place". The word is literally used to describe leeches that cling to a body to suck blood.
Certainly, the use of such an appropriate word for the embryo developing in the mother's womb, proves once again that the Qur'an is a revelation from God, the Lord of all the Worlds.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 16:52 A Drop of Semen
During sexual intercourse, 250 million sperms are emitted from the male at a time. The sperms undertake an arduous journey in the mother's body until they make it to the ovum. Only a thousand out of 250 million sperms succeed in reaching the ovum. At the end of this five-minute race, the ovum, half the size of a grain of salt, will let only one of the sperms in. That is, the essence of man is not the whole semen, but only a small part of it. This is explained in the Qur'an:
”Does man reckon he will be left uncontrolled (without purpose)? Was he not once a drop of ejected semen?„
(The Qur'an, 75:36-37)
As we have seen, the Qur'an informs us that man is made not from the entire semen, but only a small part of it. That the particular emphasis in this statement announces a fact only discovered by modern science is evidence that the statement is divine in origin.
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Sharif
21 August 2008 at 17:31 Scientist: where else will you find so much space for propaganda for nothing. You lucky devil. But of course I do not agree with your one sided sermon.
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Dr. GS Hurd
21 August 2008 at 18:47 I would like to thank Ziauddin Sardar for a very interesting set of observations. At the core of fundamentalist denial of science are two conflicts; the fundamentalist rejects the modern era and its ambiguity, and second the creationist wishes to wrap their literalist scriptural interpretations in the mantle of science.
Among educated scientists, literalism is defeated. But the general public knows little to nothing about the actual content or practice of the sciences. Such is the high regard of the sciences that creationists attempt to claim they have scientific support for their dogmas, that there are “more and more” scientists who have rejected science in favor of creationism, and that “true” science was long ago embedded in scripture.
We see this in the comments from HarHar’s followers below. They make false claims (eg “I am a paleontologist”) or adopt false and misleading anonymous nicknames like “scientist.” It is also contributory that the Islamic fundamentalist is in rejection of “westernism” while still wanting to enjoy its benefits. This is not much different from the radical Christian right-wing. The irony is that they would all rejoice in the destruction of the “other.”
There is no more telling example of what a fraud Harun Yahya's "Atlas of Creationis" is than the photographs on pages 244, and 282. There he proposes that there are living insects that are identical to ancient fossils. However, in these pages the photographs are of fishing lures complete with steel hooks.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 21:04 THE COMING OF THE UNIVERSE INTO EXISTENCE
The origin of the universe is described in the Qur'an in the following verse:
”He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth.„
(The Qur'an, 6:101)
This information given in the Qur'an is in full agreement with the findings of contemporary science. The conclusion that astrophysics has reached today is that the entire universe, together with the dimensions of matter and time, came into existence as a result of a great explosion that occurred in no time. This event, known as "The Big Bang" proved that the universe was created from nothingness as the result of the explosion of a single point. Modern scientific circles are in agreement that the Big Bang is the only rational and provable explanation of the beginning of the universe and of how the universe came into being.
Before the Big Bang, there was no such thing as matter. From a condition of non-existence in which neither matter, nor energy, nor even time existed, and which can only be described metaphysically, matter, energy, and time were all created. This fact, only recently discovered by modern physics, was announced to us in the Qur'an 1,400 years ago.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 21:10 False dr. Hurd
THE IDENTITY
IN THE FINGERPRINT
While it is stated in the Qur'an that it is easy for God to bring man back to life after death, peoples' fingerprints are particularly emphasized:
”Yes, We are able to put together in perfect order the very tips of his fingers.„
(The Qur'an, 75:3-4)
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ALIDAY
21 August 2008 at 21:12 I cannot understand why H.Yahya's "Atlas of Creation" is not accepted by the western philosophers! I mean who can say this is not true that the social Darwinism is the source of Terrorism? Look at the terrorism ideology that you can find it is main argument has social Darwinism background. Also You can see that the starvation is the outcome of Social Darwinist policies why because the teaching of social darwinism is saying that if you have power, potentiality never share them with poor and others, step on them, use them end if possible KILL them to take their potential sources. Why the westerns kill, and carry mıost of the blacks, Indians and Muslims during 19th and 20th century? And alos why capitalist continue to do that during now? ListenUSA pays 800 billion USD for military activities. ıf they pay 20 billion for starvation in the world no one dies because of that reason. If they pay near to this the dought problem will solved on Africa!!! Baby dies will stoped with only 1 billion USd n the world. I mean not only the Westerns but also Saudi Arabia Kuwait etc can do that but if you look at to them you also see that the same DARWINIST Mantality (to force people and control them) is seems in these country too. Shortly I read Harun Yahya books and I am looking differently to the existing problem of the world now. I am thinking that this problem will be solved together with Muslims, Christians and Jews who believe ONE GOD WHO IS THE OWNER OF QURAN AND TESTAMENTS. We should behave together against Social Darwinist movement for the worlds future.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 21:13 ORBITS
While referring to the Sun and the Moon in the Qur'an, it is emphasized that each moves in a definite orbit.
”It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They swim along, each in an orbit. „
(The Qur'an, 21:33)
It is mentioned in another verse, too, that the Sun is not static but moves in a definite orbit:
”And the sun runs to its resting place. That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing. „
(The Qur'an, 36:38)
These facts communicated in the Qur'an have been discovered by astronomical observations in our age. According to the calculations of experts on astronomy, the Sun is traveling at the enormous speed of 720,000 kilometers an hour in the direction of the star Vega in a particular orbit called the Solar Apex. This means that the sun travels roughly 17,280,000 kilometers a day. Along with the Sun, and all planets and satellites within the gravitational system of the Sun also travel the same distance. In addition, all the stars in the universe are in a similar planned motion.
That the entire universe is full of paths and orbits such as this one, is written in the Qur'an as follows:
”By the sky full of paths and orbits.„
(The Qur'an, 51:7)
There are about 200 billion galaxies in the universe, consisting of nearly 200 billion stars in each. Most of these stars have planets, and most of those planets have satellites. All of these heavenly bodies move in very precisely computed orbits. For millions of years, each has been "swimming" along in its own orbit in perfect harmony and order with all the others. Moreover, many comets also move along in the orbits determined for them.
The orbits in the universe do not only belong to celestial bodies. The galaxies also travel at enormous speeds in computed, planned orbits. During these movements, none of these celestial bodies cuts across another's path, or collides with another.
Surely at the time the Qur'an was revealed, mankind did not possess today's telescopes or advanced observation technologies to observe millions of kilometres of space, nor the modern knowledge of physics or astronomy. Therefore, at that time, it was not possible to determine scientifically that space is "full of paths and orbits" as stated in the verse. However, this was openly declared to us in the Qur'an that was revealed at that time:–because the Qur'an is the word of God.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 21:13 THE ROUNDNESS OF
THE EARTH
”He has created the Heavens and the Earth for Truth. He wraps the night up in the day, and wraps the day up in the night.„
(The Qur'an, 39:5)
In the Qur'an, the words used for describing the universe are quite remarkable. The Arabic word that is translated as "to wrap" in the above verse is "takwir". In English, it means "to make one thing lap over another, folded up as a garment that is laid away". (For instance, in Arabic dictionaries this word is used for the action of wrapping one thing around another, in the way that a turban is put on.)
The information given in the verse about the day and the night wrapping each other up includes accurate information about the shape of the world. This can be true only if the earth is round. This means that in the Qur'an, which was revealed in the 7th century, the roundness of the world was hinted at.
It should be remembered, however, that the understanding of astronomy of the time perceived the world differently. It was then thought that the world was a flat plane and all scientific calculations and explanations were based on this belief. The verses of the Qur'an, however, include information that we have learned only in the past century. Since the Qur'an is God's word, the most correct words were used in it when it comes to describing the universe.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 21:14 THE PROTECTED ROOF
In the Qur'an, God calls our attention to a very interesting attribute of the sky:
”We made the sky a preserved and protected roof yet still they turn away from Our Signs..„
(The Qur'an, 21:32)
This attribute of the sky has been proved by scientific research carried out in the 20th century.
The atmosphere surrounding the earth serves crucial functions for the continuity of life. While destroying many meteors big and small as they approach the earth, it prevents them from falling to earth and harming living things.
In addition, the atmosphere filters the light rays coming from space that are harmful to living things. Interestingly, the atmosphere lets only harmless and useful rays– visible light, near ultraviolet light, and radio waves pass through. All of this radiation is vital for life. Near ultraviolet rays, which are only partially let in by the atmosphere, are very important for the photosynthesis of plants and for the survival of all living beings. The majority of the intense ultraviolet rays emitted from the sun are filtered out by the ozone layer of the atmosphere and only a limited–and essential–part of the ultraviolet spectrum reaches the Earth.
The protective function of the atmosphere does not end here. The atmosphere also protects the earth from the freezing cold of the space, which is about minus 270o C.
It is not only the atmosphere that protects the Earth from harmful effects. In addition to the atmosphere, the Van Allen Belt, a layer caused by the magnetic field of the Earth, also serves as a shield against the harmful radiation that threatens our planet. This radiation, which is constantly emitted by the Sun and other stars, is deadly to living things. If the Van Allen belt did not exist, the massive outbursts of energy called solar flares that frequently occur in the Sun would destroy all life on Earth.
Dr. Hugh Ross has this to say on the importance of Van Allen Belts to our lives:
In fact, the Earth has the highest density of any of the planets in our Solar System. This large nickel-iron core is responsible for our large magnetic field. This magnetic field produces the Van-Allen radiation shield, which protects the Earth from radiation bombardment. If this shield were not present, life would not be possible on the Earth. The only other rocky planet to have any magnetic field is Mercury - but its field strength is 100 times less than the Earth's. Even Venus, our sister planet, has no magnetic field. The Van-Allen radiation shield is a design unique to the Earth.1
The energy transmitted in just one of these bursts detected in recent years was calculated to be equivalent to 100 billion atomic bombs similar to the one dropped on Hiroshima. Fifty-eight hours after the burst, it was observed that the magnetic needles of compasses displayed unusual movement and 250 kilometers above the earth's atmosphere, the temperature suddenly increased to 2,500o C.
In short, a perfect system is at work high above the Earth. It surrounds our world and protects it against external threats. Scientists only learned about it recently, yet centuries ago, God informed us in the Qur'an of the world's atmosphere functioning as a protective shield.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 21:16 THE RETURNING SKY
The verse 11 of Sura Tarik in the Qur'an, refers to the "returning" function of the sky.
”By Heaven with its cyclical systems.„
(The Qur'an, 86:11)
This word interpreted as "cyclical" in Qur'an translations also has meanings of "sending back" or "returning".
As known, the atmosphere surrounding the Earth consists of many layers. Each layer serves an important purpose for the benefit of life. Research has revealed that these layers have the function of turning the materials or rays they are exposed to back into space or back down to the Earth. Now let us examine with a few examples of this "recycling" function of the layers encircling the Earth.
The troposphere, 13 to 15 kilometers above the Earth, enables water vapor rising from the surface of the Earth to be condensed and turn back as rain.
The ozone layer, at an altitude of 25 kilometers, reflects harmful radiation and ultraviolet light coming from space and turns both back into space.
The ionosphere, reflects radio waves broadcast from the Earth back down to different parts of the world, just like a passive communications satellite, and thus makes wireless communication, radio, and television broadcasting possible over long distances.
The magnetosphere layer turns the harmful radioactive particles emitted by the Sun and other stars back into space before they reach the Earth.
The fact that this property of the atmosphere's layers, that was onlt demonstrated in the recent past was announced centuries ago in the Qur'an, once again demonstrates that the Qur'an is the word of God.
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Scientist
21 August 2008 at 21:16 THE LAYERS OF
THE ATMOSPHERE
One fact about the universe revealed in the verses of the Qur'an is that the sky is made up of seven layers.
”It is He Who created everything on the earth for you and then directed His attention up to heaven and arranged it into seven regular heavens. He has knowledge of all things.„
(The Qur'an, 2:29)
”Then He turned to heaven when it was smoke. In two days He determined them as seven heavens and revealed, in every heaven, its own mandate.„
(The Qur'an, 41:12)
The word "heavens", which appears in many verses in the Qur'an, is used to refer to the sky above the Earth, as well as the entire universe. Given this meaning of the word, it is seen that the Earth's sky, or the atmosphere, is made up of seven layers.
Indeed, today it is known that the world's atmosphere consists of different layers that lie on top of each other. Furthermore, it consists, just as is described in the Qur'an, of exactly seven layers. In a scientific source, the subject is described as follows:
Scientists have found that the atmosphere consists of several layers. The layers differ in such physical properties as pressure and the types of gasses. The layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth is called the TROPOSPHERE. It contains about 90% of the total mass of the atmosphere. The layer above the troposphere is called the STRATOSPHERE. The OZONE LAYER is the part of the stratosphere where absorption of ultraviolet rays occurs. The layer above the stratosphere is called the MESOSPHERE. The THERMOSPHERE lies above the mesosphere. The ionized gases form a layer within the thermosphere called the IONOSPHERE. The outermost part of Earth's atmosphere extends from about 480 km out to 960 km. This part is called the EXOSPHERE.2
If we count the number of layers cited in this source, we see that the atmosphere consists of exactly seven layers, just as stated in the verse.
1. Troposphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Ozonosphere
4. Mesosphere
5. Thermosphere
6. Ionosphere
7. Exosphere
Another important miracle on this subject is mentioned in the statement "(He) revealed, in every heaven, its own mandate.", in verse 12 of Sura Fussilet. In other words, in the verse, God states that He assigned each heaven its own duty. Truly, as seen in previous chapters, each one of these layers has vital duties for the benefit of human kind and all other living things on the Earth. Each layer has a particular function, ranging from forming rain to preventing harmful rays, from reflecting radio waves, to averting the harmful effects of meteors.
One of these functions, for example, is stated in a scientific source as follows:
Earth's atmosphere has 7 layers. The lowest layer is called troposphere. Rain, snow and wind only take place in the troposphere.3
It is a great miracle that these facts, which could not possibly be discovered without the technology of the 20th century, were explicitly stated by the Qur'an 1,400 years ago.
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Abny
21 August 2008 at 21:49 Scientist, please turn off your computer, put on your tin foil nightcap and go to sleep. We got your point and it is not very clever!
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Moroccan
21 August 2008 at 21:54 There is nothing scientific about the Quran. This book is about faith and guidance and not science. All these Ijaz nonsense have been refuted over and over again by Muslims themselves. Those who claim the scientific nature on some verses are delusional.
Anything that was mentioned in the Quran came from natural observations that anyone at the time of the prophet Mohammad could have made.
In regard to the verses (23:12-14) mentioned in the article above in relation to Embryology. How could it have missed an imperative part in the reproduction stages? I mean the role of the female ovum, that would have been a “miracle” for sure had it been written there when describing human embryology.
We as Muslims have an inferiority complex because we are so lagging behind the world in all domains and we have nothing left to be proud of other than the one book which was written in the Arabian desert 1400 years ago.
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MrSilly
21 August 2008 at 22:13 Anybody else thinking that steve55, Jaded, Scientist, David, Dr Joseph, Isra, and ALIDAY are all the same sad insecure person? Funny how they all have the same writing style. I guess they suffer for the same inferiority complex mentioned in the article.........
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Moroccan
21 August 2008 at 22:22 Dear Scientist,
Ctrl+A
Ctrl+C
Ctrl+V
Just links to the sites where you copied all your texts from could have served the purpose.
Please show some respect to the Newstateman readers and stop those nonsense posts.
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Baron Bodissey
22 August 2008 at 01:25 Obviously the forces of ignorance and superstition are at work in the Old World as well as the New.
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Dr. GS Hurd
22 August 2008 at 02:55 HarHar YaYa has many semiliterate followers who merely cut and paste screeds from their websites. "scientist," "steve55" and the rest are not really thinking, they are merely reacting. I am not even sure of their ability to read English fluently.
I do not read Arabic, so we are at an impasse.
This is the same behavior one encounters dealing with Christian fundamentalists. It is interesting to compare the nonsense at creationist websites maintained by the likes of Answers in Genesis Ministry, of Creationist Ministries International, The Institute of Creation Research, and the rest of these jerks.
ALIDAY, sadly you have little exposure to what so-called "social Darwinism" entailed. The term itself was post WWII. Earlier authors referred to "Eugenics" or literally "good birth." There are no valid connections between modern evolutionary biology and the eugenics movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s. This has not kept the creationists from making this false claim since the 1960s. But if reality is not of interest, then you can tell any lie you like.
Racism and bigotry are far older than Darwin, and older than the sciences. They have been justified by every sort of argument, mostly religious and nationalistic. These are often combined, a particularly germane example is the Irish Potato Famine.
"It is notable that this kind of thinking was instrumental in
exacerbating the Irish Potato Famine. Many in the British Government saw the "Invisible Hand" of Adam Smith at work and refused aid on the basis that the weak were being weeded out." The Catholic Church and the Great Irish Famine by the Rev. Donal Kerr, Emeritus Professor of Ecclesiastical History, St. Patrick's University, Maynooth, Ireland.
This was (1845-1849) pre-Origin of the Species (1859).
The German racial hygienists prior to the 1920s were not particularly concerned with "race" in the sense we use it today, but were concerned with their notion of race=national identity, and race=the totality of humankind. Ploetz (1895), for example, felt it necessary to explicitly state that his was not an anti-Semitic program, citing the achievements of Jesus, Spinoza and Marx in particular and rejected that there was any such thing as a "pure race" anywhere in the world. Similarly, he denied that interracial breeding was at all harmful, and referred to the notion of hybrid vigor; interbreeding of races was "a means of increasing fitness and as a source of good variations." Notably, Willhelm Schallmayer, winner of the 1900 Krupp Prize for his essay on evolution and political development of the state, urged that the singular Rassehygiene be used (rather then the plural Rassen-) to emphasize the focal unity of the human species.
None-the-less, Ploetz did maintain in 1895 that there were intellectual differences between the Caucasians and Negroes citing 1890 American studies of literacy rates! (The absurdity of this is patent, but even today there are similar arguments presented by radical conservatives). More sinisterly, Ploetz together with F. Wollny and Fritz Lenz, organized a secret Nordic division (Ring der Norda) within the Society for Race Hygiene from the very beginning. Fritz Lenz would become the leading Nazi racial theorist. His 1917 article "The Rebirth of Ethics" directly brought the thinking of Arthur Comte de Gobineau into German racial theories. Well before Darwin's "Origin," Gobineau published his "Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races" in 1853-1855 which proposed that "racial vitality" was the driving force of history, and that the "white" races were superior to the "colored" races.
Initially this work was only popular in the American slave states, following the biblical arguments of the Negro's bearing the "curse of Ham." American and European creationist theories of the "pre-Adamites" went so far as to claim that Negroes had been created on the Genesis fifth day with "other beasts of the field." Gobineau's claim that the German Volk represented the last pure Nordic population attracted Lenz who reintroduced Gobineau into German racist theories.
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Dr. GS Hurd
22 August 2008 at 03:34 ALIDAY, We share the same concern for the poor. Before effecting any "cure" we must understand the disease.
I want you to carefully consider these words written by Charles Darwin in his, “The Descent of Man; and Selection in Relation to Sex, 2nd Edition” 1874 (1998 imprint Prometheus Books)
Natural Selection as affecting Civilised (sic) Nations.—In the last and present chapters I have considered the advancement of man from a former semi-human condition to his present state as a barbarian. But some remarks on the agency of natural selection on civilised nations may be here worth adding. This subject has been ably discussed by Mr. W. R. Greg,10 and previously by Mr. Wallace and Mr. Galton.11 Most of my remarks are taken from these three authors. With savages, the weak in body or mind are soon eliminated; and those that survive commonly exhibit a vigorous state of health. We civilised men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination; we build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed, and the sick; we institute poor-laws; and our medical men exert their utmost skill to save the life of every one to the last moment. There is reason to believe that vaccination has preserved thousands, who from a weak constitution would formerly have succumbed to small-pox. Thus the weak members of civilized societies propagate their kind. No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man. It is surprising how soon a want of care, or care wrongly directed, leads to the degeneration of a domestic race; but excepting in the case of man himself, hardly any one is so ignorant as to allow his worst animals to breed.
The aid which we feel impelled to give to the helpless is mainly an incidental result of the instinct of sympathy, which was originally acquired as part of the social instincts, but subsequently rendered, in the manner previously indicated, more tender and more widely diffused. Nor could we check our sympathy, if so urged by hard reason, without deterioration in the noblest part of our nature. The surgeon may harden himself whilst performing an operation, for he knows that he is acting for the good of his patient; but if we were intentionally to neglect the weak and helpless, it could only be for a contingent benefit, with a certain and great present evil. Hence we must bear without complaining the undoubtedly bad effects of the weak surviving and propagating their kind; but there appears to be at least one check in steady action, namely the weaker and inferior members of society not marrying so freely as the sound; and this check might be indefinitely increased, though this is more to be hoped for than expected, by the weak in body or mind refraining from marriage."
10 'Fraser's Magazine,' Sept. 1868, p. 353. This article seems to have struck many persons, and has given rise to two remarkable essays and a rejoinder in the 'Spectator,' Oct. 3rd and 17th 1868. It has also been discussed in the 'Q. Journal of Science,' 1869, p. 152, and by Mr. Lawson Tait in the 'Dublin Q. Journal of Medical Science,' Feb. 1869, and by Mr. E. Ray Lankester in his 'Comparative Longevity,' 1870, p. 128. Similar views appeared previously in the 'Australasian,' July 13, 1867. I have borrowed ideas from several of these writers.
11 For Mr. Wallace, see 'Anthropolog. Review,' as before cited. Mr. Galton in 'Macmillan's Magazine,' Aug. 1865, p. 318; also his great work, 'Hereditary Genius,' 1870.
Darwin cannot be more clear, "Nor could we check our sympathy, if so urged by hard reason, without deterioration in the noblest part of our nature."
Now consider the words of Adolf Hitler,
"“For this, to be sure, from the child’s primer down to the last newspaper, every theater and every movie house, every advertising pillar and every billboard, must be pressed into the service of this one great mission, until the timorous prayer of our present parlor patriots:
‘Lord, make us free!’ is transformed in the brain of the smallest boy into the burning plea: ‘Almighty God, bless our arms when the time comes; be just as thou hast always been; judge now whether we be deserving of freedom; Lord, bless our battle!’ [“Mein Kampf”, Vol. 2 Chapter 13]
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Sharif
22 August 2008 at 07:26 Moroccan: I agree. I think we are going to reprint whole of Quran here. Except fro a few faithful, I don't think anybody is reading. It is like in the mosques, long monologues, singing the superiority. Signifying nothing.
We want jobs, schools and hospitals and for that we have to come west. I wish Quran helped us on that front, instead of bla bla. In Quran it also says: 'Kill those who believe in other gods' Obviously Muslims are following this advice worldwide.
I think New Statesman should limit the words for each post to 1000.
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nawawimohamad
22 August 2008 at 09:23 Whatever knowledge man can get from the holy Quran is less than a drop in the ocean. The Quran is the guide given by God to mankind. The guidance covers comprehensive aspects of mankind covering before mankind exists, born into this world, to its death and in the hereafter until eternity. But of course mankind is free to choose and it is all upto individuals to believe or not to believe. This is what we call faith. Obviously many of mankind do not have the faith thus following their own whimps and fancies thinking they are clever enough, so let them be. But please be reminded that the possibilities of the entire universe and all the systems manifested in it as concluded by science is impossible. In short the creation of the universe and its content can never be a coincidence or a matter of chance.
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DrJoseph
22 August 2008 at 10:35 Whether you accept scientific findings to be in accordance with the verses in Quran or not, this is a fact that has no explanation other than it is the revelation come from a sublime power who has all the knowledge covering all.
One would confront but can not change this fact. Because it is scientific. Science is a tool used by religion, for us to know the details in complex structures, how finely tuned systems we have in micro or macro systems, so as to know the Creator's sublime power, knowledge and will.
When you are reading my words, in every picoseconds millions of chemical reactions are being caried out in just one of the retina cells in your eyes. You do not have any power to determine these reactions, cause you have no knowledge about those and no power to change. God has created you and know you to your finest detail.
As I said it is no surprise to see that scientific findings and discoveries are confirming some of the verses in Quran. It is no discomfort for people who are away from biased opinions about religion and God, but a research topic who are willing to reach the truth.
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Scientist
22 August 2008 at 14:09 THE FUNCTION
OF MOUNTAINS
The Qur'an draws attention to a very important geological function of mountains.
”We placed firmly embedded mountains on the earth, so it would not move under them…„
(The Qur'an, 21:31)
As we have noticed, it is stated in the verse that mountains have the function of preventing shocks in the Earth.
This fact was not known by anyone at the time the Qur'an was revealed. It was in fact brought to light only recently as a result of the findings of modern geology.
According to these findings, mountains emerge as a result of the movements and collisions of massive plates forming the Earth's crust. When two plates collide, the stronger one slides under the other, the one on the top bends and forms heights and mountains. The layer beneath proceeds under the ground and makes a deep extension downward. That means that mountains have a portion stretching downwards, as large as their visible parts on the Earth.
In a scientific text, the structure of mountains is described as follows:
Where continents are thicker, as in mountain ranges, the crust sinks deeper into the mantle.4
In a verse, this role of the mountains is pointed out by a comparison with "pegs":
”Have We not made the earth as a bed and the mountains its pegs?„
(The Qur'an, 78:6-7)
Mountains, in other words, clench the plates in the Earth's crust together by extending above and beneath the Earth's surface at the conjunction points of these plates. In this way, they fix the Earth's crust, and prevent it from drifting over the magma stratum or among its plates. Briefly, we may liken mountains to nails that keep pieces of wood together.
This fixing function of the mountains is described in scientific literature by the term "isostasy". Isostasy means the following:
Isostasy: general equilibrium in the Earth's crust maintained by a yielding flow of rock material beneath the surface under gravitational stress.5
This vital role of mountains, that was discovered by modern geology and seismic research, was revealed in the Qur'an centuries ago as an example of the supreme wisdom in God's creation.
”We placed firmly embedded mountains on the earth, so it would not move under them...„
(The Qur'an, 21:31)
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Scientist
22 August 2008 at 14:09 THE MOVEMENT
OF MOUNTAINS
In one verse, we are informed that mountains are not motionless as they seem, but are in constant motion.
”You will see the mountains you reckoned to be solid going past like clouds.„
(The Qur'an, 27:88)
This motion of the mountains is caused by the movement of the Earth's crust that they are located on. The Earth's crust 'floats' over the mantle layer, which is denser. It was at the beginning of the 20th century when, for the first time in history, a German scientist by the name of Alfred Wegener proposed that the continents of the earth had been attached together when it first formed, but then drifted in different directions, and thus separated as they moved away from each other.
Geologists understood that that Wegener was right only in the 1980s, 50 years after his death. As Wegener pointed out in an article published in 1915, the land masses on the earth were joined together about 500 million years ago. As Wegener pointed out in a 1915 article, the land masses of the earth were joined together some 500 million years ago, and this large mass, called Pangaea, was located in the South Pole.
Approximately 180 million years ago, Pangaea divided into two parts, which drifted in different directions. One of these giant continents was Gondwana, which included Africa, Australia, Antarctica and India. The second one was Laurasia, which included Europe, North America and Asia, except for India. Over the next 150 million years following this separation, Gondwana and Laurasia divided into smaller parts.
These continents that emerged after the split of Pangaea have been constantly moving on the Earth's surface at several centimetres per year, in the meantime changing the sea and land ratios of the Earth.
Discovered as a result of the geological research carried out at the beginning of the 20th century, this movement of the Earth's crust is explained by scientists as follows:
The crust and the uppermost part of the mantle, with a thickness of about 100 kms., are divided into segments called plates. There are six major plates, and several small ones. According to the theory called plate tectonics, these plates move about on Earth, carrying continents and ocean floor with them. Continental motion has been measured at from 1-5 cm per year. As the plates continue to move about, this will produce a slow change in Earth's geography. Each year, for instance, the Atlantic Ocean becomes slightly wider.6
There is a very important point to be stated here: God has referred to the motion of mountains as a drifting action in the verse. Today, modern scientists also use the term "Continental Drift" for this motion. 7
Unquestionably, it is one of the miracles of the Qur'an that this scientific fact, which has recently been discovered by science, was announced in the Qur'an.
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mazbut
22 August 2008 at 17:21 It's not reasonable to view the holy Quran as a book of science. However, it does allude to many scientific phenomena in a broader context. For example, there is mention of 2 easts and 2 wests,
the number of tides per day; that there's is cure for everything; and many references to nature and natural elements. The Quran draws the attention of men to investigate (which he's doing) and try to benefit from his findings rather than take for granted the Quranic hints or references.
In the absence of today's scientific advancement does the writer think that he would have been able to comprehend the Quranic Scientific revelations 1400 years ago??
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Moroccan
22 August 2008 at 20:24 Is there a moderator here who could stop this “Scientist” from adding anymore posts?
I actually doubt that he or she is a Muslim. I guess his or her aim is to make some Muslims look more stupid than they already are.
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Moroccan
22 August 2008 at 20:59 Mazbut,
It’s true that the Quran asks us to investigate and explore things around us in order to appreciate the creations of god. However I’ll have to disagree with you on the science bit. Having mentioned something in the past that came to be proven true by scientists today is by no mean a proof of divinity. For example Leucippus the Greek philosopher was among the first to talk about the concept of Atom well over 2000 years ago. Does this make Leucippus divine and his discoveries miraculous?
I challenge you to come up with a clear scientific discovery foretold in the Quran which hasn’t been known to other civilizations before or at the time of Islam.
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mazbut
22 August 2008 at 22:42 Hmmmm....I am not here to challenge or to give a walk over on general discussion.and common sense. Thanks goodness that you agreed with me on a bit of my statement! Hurray!
You still do not seem to have got my point. I havn't tried to 'prove' the divinity of Quran which all Muslims unanimously agree to be divine. Debating on this issue would merely be a non issue. The point is not that either the Quran is based on science or Science is based on Quran, the point is that the Quran does bear certain references to modern scientific discoveries. In order to read them specifically I dont need to probe into the myriads of books and literature around eliciting the same. Here the question is that where does the Quran STOP you from inquiring further into the natural phenomena or doing research ? If the Quran says, for example , that all living things have a digestive system, does it stop men from finding out what digestive system consists of? No.
As for your question regarding citations from Quran on something which our posteriority hasnt mentioned before, I must draw your attention that none of the oldest folks new about many diseases of the day, for example AIDS, etc but Quran does hint at it by condemning sodomy f which is one of the basic causes for this disease!
Let us please not view the Quran as a science book but a code of life.
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Diavolo
23 August 2008 at 00:25 Good grief! How could so many people have misunderstood this article? Hellooooooo --- the author was making fun of the ignorance and fanaticism rampant in the Muslim world such that even "educated" believers force scientific interpretations into a text which contains none. The first five commentators to this article simply demonstrated the author's point. If anything, we can begin to understand why so few scientific, medical, or mathematical discoveries come from Muslim minds or why so few Nobel prizes are awarded to those who come from the Muslim world. Even the Muslim literati are to busy reading what they want to see rather than seeing the facts that are staring straight at them.
To be fair, certain Christian and Jewish populations also exhibit a significant degree of belief in "our text is the panacea to everything" syndrome, but given that scientists from those populations actually have real achievements to their credit, the ratio of crackpots to free-thinkers is probably not nearly as high as the debilitating ratio afflicting the Muslim world.
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Moroccan
23 August 2008 at 00:25 Mazbut,
So you aren’t trying to prove the divinity of the quran and yet you’ve so far made many scientific claims in just couple of posts (2 easts and 2 wests, the number of tides per day, a cure for everything, and many scientifically correct references to nature and the causes of AIDS). How many scientific claims like those do you have in your list?
If the quran states that the day precedes night or vice versa, that can hardly be a scientific claim especially that no explanation is provided to why it is so. We can’t credit the quran on such claim as it’s nothing but a simple observation that any human can make.
You're wrong about sodomy and AIDS. It’s not the basic or the main cause of the infection. In sub-Saharan Africa over 20 million people are infected with HIV many of whom are children. Have all these people been practicing sodomy? And yes practicing unprotected sodomy puts the person at higher risk but it’s not the basic or main cause.
That's right the quran is not a science book but a code of life. That’s what it meant to be and that what it should be, so I hope that many muslims would refrain from such none sense scientific claims.
Salam
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mazbut
23 August 2008 at 02:57 Moroccan
you seem to judge the greatness of a people from the successes that they have made. If that was the criteria then it is bound to change like destiny! The reason for the Muslims to have lagged behind in their contribution to modern science is nothing but laziness and lassitude. From history you will note that the days of scientific progress came to the Muslims in feudal times,,,,the feudals and tyrants encouraged scientific and other cultural pursuits . As the culture changed so did the outlook of Muslims towards work.
Mr/Ms Scientific has given enough examples of
Quranic scientific 'hints' ,,,,you can read them all again for better enlightenment or go through some good Islamic social and scientific history book.
I do not wish to argue just for the sake of argument, as i stated earlier and you conceded to that, that the Quran is not a book of science
but rather a code of life. If you do not find any specific reference to science it shouldn't be surprise for me!
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Scientist
23 August 2008 at 22:52 THE PAIRS IN CREATION
”Glory be to Him Who created all the pairs: from what the earth produces and from themselves and from things unknown to them.„
(The Qur'an, 36:36)
Although the concept of ''pair'' or "couple" commonly stands for male and female, the statement of ''from things unknown to them'' has wider implications. Today, one of the implications of the verse has been revealed. The British scientist Paul Dirac, who proposed that matter is created in pairs, was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 1933. This discovery, called ''parité'', maintains that matter is paired with its opposite: anti-matter. Anti-matter carries the opposite properties to matter. For instance, as opposed to matter, the electron of anti-matter is positively charged and its protons are negatively charged. This fact is stated in a scientific source in this way:
"...every particle has its antiparticle of opposite charge… …and the uncertainty relation tells us that pair creation and pair annihilation happen in the vacuum at all times, in all places."8
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Scientist
23 August 2008 at 22:52 THE RELATIVITY OF TIME
Today, the relativity of time is a proven scientific fact. This was revealed by Einstein's theory of relativity at the early years of the 20th century. Until then, people did not know that time was a relative concept, and that it could change according to the environment. Yet, the great scientist Albert Einstein openly proved this fact with the theory of relativity. He showed that time is dependent on mass and velocity. In the history of humanity, no one had expressed this fact clearly before.
With one exception though; the Qur'an included information about time's being relative! Some verses about the subject read:
”They ask you to hasten the punishment. God will not break His promise. A day with your Lord is equivalent to a thousand years in the way you count.„
(The Qur'an, 22:47)
”He directs the whole affair from heaven to earth. Then it will again ascend to Him on a Day whose length is a thousand years by the way you measure.„
(The Qur'an, 32:5)
”The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in a day whose length is fifty thousand years.„
(The Qur'an, 70:4)
In some verses, it is indicated that people perceive time differently and that sometimes people can perceive a very short period of time as a very lengthy one. The following conversation of people held during their judgement in the Hereafter is a good example of this:
”He will say, 'How many years did you tarry on the earth?' They will say, 'We tarried there for a day or part of a day. Ask those able to count!' He will say, 'You only tarried there for a little while if you did but know!„
(The Qur'an, 23:112-114)
The fact that the relativity of time is so clearly mentioned in the Qur'an, which started to be revealed in 610, is another evidence that it is a holy book.
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Scientist
23 August 2008 at 22:53 THE PROPORTION OF RAIN
One of the items of information given in the Qur'an about rain is that it is sent down to Earth in due measure. This is mentioned in Sura Zukhruf as follows;
”It is He who sends down water in due measure from the sky by which We bring a dead land back to life. That is how you too will be raised (from the dead).„
(The Qur'an, 43:11)
This measured quantity in rain has again been discovered by modern research. It is estimated that in one second, approximately 16 million tons of water evaporates from the Earth. This figure amounts to 513 trillion tons of water in one year. This number is equal to the amount of rain that falls on the Earth in a year. This means that water continuously circulates in a balanced cycle, in a "measure". Life on Earth depends on this water cycle. Even if people used all the available technology in the world, they would not be able to reproduce this cycle artificially.
Even a minor deviation in this equilibrium would very soon give rise to a major ecological imbalance that would bring about the end of life on Earth. Yet, this never happens, and rain keeps falling every year in exactly the same quantity just as revealed in the Qur'an.
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Scientist
23 August 2008 at 22:53 THE FORMATION OF RAIN
How rain forms remained a great mystery for a long time. Only after weather radar was invented was it possible to discover the stages by which rain is formed.
According to this, the formation of rain takes place in three stages. First, the "raw material" of rain rises up into the air with the wind. Later, clouds are formed, and finally raindrops appear.
The Qur'an's account of the formation of rain refers exactly to this process. In one verse, this formation is described in this way:
”It is God Who sends the winds which stir up clouds which He spreads about the sky however He wills. He forms them into dark clumps and you see the rain come pouring out from the middle of them. When He makes it fall on those of His slaves He wills, they rejoice„
(The Qur'an, 30:48)
Now, let us examine these three stages outlined in the verse more technically.
FIRST STAGE: " It is God Who sends the winds..."
Countless air bubbles formed by the foaming of the oceans continuously burst and cause water particles to be ejected towards the sky. These particles, which are rich in salt, are then carried away by winds and rise upward in the atmosphere. These particles, which are called aerosols, function as water traps, and form cloud drops by collecting around the water vapour themselves, which rises from the seas as tiny droplets.
SECOND STAGE: ".... which stir up clouds which He spreads about the sky however He wills. He forms them into dark clumps..."
The clouds are formed from water vapour that condenses around the salt crystals or dust particles in the air. Because the water droplets in these clouds are very small (with a diameter between 0.01 and 0.02 mm), the clouds are suspended in the air, and spread across the sky. Thus, the sky is covered in clouds.
THIRD STAGE: "…and you see the rain come pouring our from the middle of them"
The water particles that surround salt crystals and dust particles thicken and form raindrops, so, drops that become heavier than the air leave the clouds and start to fall to the ground as rain.
As we have seen, every stage in the formation of rain is related in the verses of the Qur'an. Furthermore, these stages are explained in exactly the right sequence. Just as with many other natural phenomena on the Earth, God gives the most correct explanation of this phenomenon as well, and made it known to people in the Qur'an centuries before it was discovered.
In another verse, the following information is given about the formation of rain:
”Have you not seen how God drives along the clouds, then joins them together, then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it? And He sends down from the sky mountain masses (of clouds) with cold hail in them, striking with it anyone He wills and averting it from anyone He wills. The brightness of His lightning almost blinds the sight.„
(The Qur'an, 24:43)
Scientists studying cloud types came across surprising results regarding the formation of rain clouds. Rain clouds are formed and shaped according to definite systems and stages. The formation stages of cumulonimbus, one kind of rain cloud, are these:
1.STAGE, Being driven along: Clouds are carried along, that is, they are driven along, by the wind.
2.STAGE, Joining: Then, small clouds (cumulus clouds) driven along by the wind join together, forming a larger cloud.9
3.STAGE, Stacking: When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase. The updrafts near the centre of the cloud are stronger than those near the edges. These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow vertically, so the cloud is stacked up. This vertical growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler regions of the atmosphere, where drops of water and hail formulate and begin to grow larger and larger. When these drops of water and hail become too heavy for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall from the cloud as rain, hail, etc.10
We must remember that meteorologists have only recently come to know these details of cloud formation, structure and function, by using advanced equipment like planes, satellites, computers etc. It is evident that God has given us a piece of information that could not have been known 1,400 years ago.
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mazbut
24 August 2008 at 02:07 here again,,,,,,,,,,
In the words of the author
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Techie
24 August 2008 at 02:49 No muslim scientist worth his salt has said,Quran contains all scientific miracles.The point they emphasize is QURAN is in perfect accordance with stablished scientiic theories and thery by wouldnt been a product of human imagination.
Mr.Sardar, How would you explain Quranic verse which says GOD has split heavens and earth asunder which was a single piece earlier!!
Either you dont belive in Big Bang theory or you dont belive in Quran,otherwise for any sensible beliver this refers to BIG BANG!!
How on earth could some one 1400 yrs ago imagine a scenario of every thing being clubbed together ?
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Rodger Lodger
24 August 2008 at 21:54 I first visited England in 1962. It was a great country.
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sweety
25 August 2008 at 02:27 Owen and Huxley must be turning in their graves!
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Rajeeve
25 August 2008 at 11:19 Look, beautiful example of an ijaz...from a who? Scientist...good..
FIRST STAGE: " It is God Who sends the winds..."
Countless air bubbles formed by the foaming of the oceans continuously burst and cause water particles to be ejected towards the sky. These particles, which are rich in salt, are then carried away by winds and rise upward in the atmosphere. These particles, which are called aerosols, function as water traps, and form cloud drops by collecting around the water vapour themselves, which rises from the seas as tiny droplets.
wow!! what a scientist...he could have said that the whole paragraph he had written (about cloud, salt, water, rain and all) were in the book, but edited and abrdiged later...would have made a more sensible argument...
i would never make my son a scientist..
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gnuneo
26 August 2008 at 04:07 GAIA preserve us!
first of all, the Qoran was NOT written to be a "scientific" book, it was written as a moral/social/religious book, a message from Allah through the Messenger of Gabriel to the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). Any Muslim who disputes this is already skating on the thin ice of apostasy - 'scientist', you have been warned.
That it also gives instructions upon observing Nature, and also gives observations ON Nature, even deeply inspired and highly accurate ones, in NO WAY makes the book a scientific book - this is like saying a book by Stephen Hawking is written in English, and English is a modern language, therefore Stephen Hawking's book is about modern languages. That the Qoran DOES have some frankly astounding observations upon the natural world that are only now being 'proved' by 'modern science', whilst giving much greater strength to those who believe that all Creation is divine, human created or not, God created or not, Goddess created or not, Nature created or not, or just good old random mutations, is definitely something that should make Muslims proud, just as the purity and simplicity of Siddharta's message makes Buddhists proud. (We will temporarily choose to forget that both religions actually regard pride as a negative - since when do mere humans ever live up to the ideals of that they scream loudest about?). But to attempt to reduce the Qoran to a mere 'scientific textbook', to attempt to prove the 'worth' of a religion by how its Holy Book mentions some natural phenomena - seriously, words fail.
'scientist': you stupid, blind qafir, i have one simple question - if you believe the Qoran to be worthy of adoration because it is "scientific" - why the blue blazes aren't you bowing to a bloody school physics textbook?!?
can you see the enormity of your mistake yet?
instead of all this meaningless babbling about 'science', why are you not meditating and focussing upon inner jihad? Why are you not supporting and helping your neighbours? Why are you not helping to end poverty in the world, WHY ARE YOU NOT TRYING TO SHOW THE WORK OF ISLAM THROUGH GOOD DEEDS, INSTEAD OF MEANINGLESS ARGUING THAT JUST PISSES PEOPLE OFF AND MAKES THEM DISLIKE ISLAM EVEN MORE???
who do you imagine you have convinced with this show of fanaticism, and bad dialogue skills? Do you see any other posters on this page saying "wow yeah, that 'scientist' has a point!"? And the irony is, you probably imagine that you are being quite 'devout', that you are a 'little more, a little better Muslim' than those around you.
i doubt you can even see the net of pride around you, Shaitan has you so strongly, you poor, poor boy.
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ziauddin: sometimes you are so on the ball - and then sometimes you are so NOT!! (like the UFO article - i still think that was the hottest roasting anyone got so far on the NS :) )
some of the specific phrases within the Qoran are *really* far beyond anything that could reasonably be expected, and in so many ways do poetically mirror almost the exact phrases used in 'modern' science, that it is not only disingenuous, but also somewhat insulting, to deny entirely these connections.
where you were right, is showing how this ijaz has stolen the language of science for the purposes of anti-science, to close down debate, to narrow enquiry, to stamp a rigid world-view/reality tunnel - in essence, to impose religion, just as the materialist-objectivists have, and are, trying to do.
the most obvious extension of this is the pernicious belief that 'evolution' was somehow created by Darwin - as though for thousands of years mankind was not adapting plants and animals through biological selection for their own purposes, as though groups were not aware of the problems of incest and created taboos to prevent it.
evolution has a far wider scope, enormously greater history, and much greater depth than the rather shallow and materialist approach of Darwin, - yet fundamentalists only ever attack Darwinian evolution, apparently in most cases in the honest belief that Darwin and evolution sink and swim together. Absolute poppycock, and evolution will still be around long after this Victorian's name has been forgotten.
but there was no need whatsoever to dismiss the connections as out-of-hand as you did, or (and i must admit, this notion makes me grin) is there some competition amongst NS writers about who can get the longest and most argumentative debates going in the comment sections? Because 2 paragraphs into it, i already know what was going to be flying in your direction... and you did too. :)
but aren't you playing with fire here? Some of the people you've offended are christian fundamentalists, who think nothing of invading and occupying an entire country to remove ONE person, killing some millions of innocents in the process. I mean, Muslims are bad enough, but you done get those Christians involved, you get the UK invaded and "bombed back the stone age" cos you ticked them off, and we're gonna be pretty riled at you, just warning! ;)
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KK
30 August 2008 at 06:46 It is well known that prior to Mohammed, Arabians had a well established maritime heritage and were astute navigators as well as astronomers. Mohammed, in all possibility, learned all these facts during his travels with caravans before he starting having visions. Just like half baked truths and full scale violence, Mohammed only spoke about things he had heard and half understood, leaving modern un-knowledgeable literates to draw conclusions in the form of ijaz. This is just one more example of believing things without understanding and putting your mouth where extra petro-dollar is. If I was paid millions by arabs to propagate ijaz, bucaille and moore would find that i can be more than a worthy proponent. If i was made chairman of a darkness spreading institution, i would put yahya to shame. It is all money, honey!! as it was in 630 AD, as it is in 2008 AD
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kereng
30 August 2008 at 14:09 Scientist wrote
»Earth's atmosphere has 7 layers. The lowest layer is called troposphere. Rain, snow and wind only take place in the troposphere«
You forgot the stars in the troposphere:
Koran 37:6 »Surely We have adorned the nearest heaven with an adornment, the stars,«
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gnuneo
30 August 2008 at 17:19 scientist: i apologise for the "qafir" remark, it was overly insulting, i am sorry, i have no foundation for criticising your devotion to Islam.
KK: the Qoran is NOT full of "half-baked truths", in fact is an extraordinary book that gave birth to an extraordinary culture, that in its day was quite superior to all the surrounding cultures. For example, women's rights in Islam are incomparably greater than those given by 'Christian' culture.
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sweetkaseh
09 September 2008 at 03:44 KK. me old muslim brother, it is well known that the Americans are astute navigators who have been to moon and beyond! Some Inmans tell their youngsters this is a lie. When you look at the new moon this Fitr rember the Yanks have been there , defacated there, up there! Was this written in the Koran?
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