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QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE -CONFLICT OR CONCILIATION? –
PART I 9.5.09 Islamic Research Foundation An International Resource Centre
For Understanding And Clarification, On Islam And Comparative Religion. Islamic
Research Foundation Provides For Free Hire And (Azan Continued….) (Dr. Mohammed) Bismillah Hirrahman Nirraheem. We begin today’s programme, with a qiraat by brother Ashraf Mohammedy. (Ashraf Mohammedy) (Arabic)…The Translation – Surah ‘Man, We did create from a quintessence of clay, then We placed him as a drop of sperm in a place of rest firmly fixed. Then, We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood. Then, of that clot We made a fetus lump. Then, We made out of that lump, bones, and clothed the bones with flesh. Then, We developed out of it, another creature. So blessed be Allah! The best to create. After that, at length you will die. Again on the day of Judgement will you be raised up, and we have made above you seven tracks and we are never unmindful of our creation, and we send down water from the sky according to due measure and We cause if to soak in the soil and we certainly are able to drain it off with ease. With it we grow for you, gardens of date palms, and wine. In them, have you abundant fruit, and of them you eat and have enjoyment. Also, a tree springing out of Mount Sinai, which produce oil and relish for those who use it for food. And in cattle too, you have an instructive example. From within their bodies, We produce milk for you to drink. There are in them besides, numerous other benefit for you of their meat, you eat, and on them as well as in ships you ride. Verily Allah has spoken the truth’. (Silence) (Dr. Mohammed) Distinguished Guests of honour, respected
elders, Scholars and Scientists present today, our guests from out of Mumbai,
our guests from foreign countries, brothers and sisters. I welcome you all with
the Islamic greetings, as well as a global integration and humanitarian
greetings: Assalamu Alaikum – May peace be on you. I am your host and
co-ordinator for today’s programme. The Islamic Research Foundation strives for
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and It is proper teachings amongst people. The IRF Video Cassette Library has
been quite popular among the people of (Silence)… (Arabic)… My respected elders and my dear brothers and sisters – I welcome all of you with the Islamic greetings - Assalaamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh – May peace, blessings and mercy of Almighty Allah be on all of you. The topic of this evening’s talk is, ‘Qur’an and Modern Science – Conflict or Conciliation?’. The Holy Qur’an is the last and final revelation of Allah Subhanu WaTaala, which was revealed to the last and final messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). For any book to claim that It is a revelation from Allah Subhana WaTala – for any book to claim, It is a word of Almighty God, it should stand the test of time – It should prove itself to be the word of God in all the ages. Previously it was the age of Miracles, ‘Moujaza’. A ‘Miracle’ is any unusual event, for which the human beings do not have any explanation. It is any unusual event which is attributed to a Super Natural Power or Almighty God. The Holy Qur’an is the ‘Miracle of Miracles’. But for a modern man to accept any Miracle, he will first analyze and verify it. Alhamdulillah, the Holy Qur’an proved itself to be aword of God 1400 years ago. Even today it can be analyzed and verified, and even in future, and it will always prove It itself to be a word of Almighty God – It is a Miracle of all times. Suppose a person says that he has done a Miracle – I would like to give an example of Baba Pilot who said, ‘that he stayed underwater in a tank, for three days’. And when the reporters, when they wanted to examine, the base of the tank, he said… ‘how can you examine the womb of the mother, which gives birth to the child?’ – And He prevented the reporters, from examining the base of the tank. Will a modern man accept such Miracles? . If such Miracles are the tests, then he has to agree with me, that P. C. Sorcar who happens to be one of the leading magicians of the world, he will be considered as the best god-man alive today. Later on, came the age of literature and poetry – Muslims and non-Muslims alike – they acclaim the Holy Qur’an to be the best Arabic literature available on the face of the earth. And the Holy Qur’an gives a challenge in Surah Al-Baqara, Ch. No. 2, Verse No. 23, and 24, where it says… (Arabic)… ‘And if you are in doubt, as what we have revealed to our servant from time to time…. (Arabic)… then produce a Surah some what similar to it. (Arabic)… and call forth your witnesses and helpers if there are any besides Allah, but if your doubts are truthful… (Arabic) …and if ye cannot. (Arabic) … and of a surety you cannot. (Arabic)… then fear the fire which is prepared for those who reject faith whose fuel shall be men and stones’. For any one to try and accept this challenge – but natural the Surah they produce should be in Arabic. There are certain Surahs which are hardly three verses hardly three sentences. The Surah they produce should be in Arabic – The language should be as divine as that of the Holy Qur’an as noble as the Holy Qur’an. The language of the Holy Qur’an is miraculous, is unsurpassable, intelligible, it has the highest rhetoric and at the same time it is very rhythmic. When any one wants to praise a person or wants to glorify anyone, he deviates away from reality – and the best example you can see is in the Hindi movies when the hero praises the heroine, and he tries to please her and says ‘Main tumhare liye chand tod ke leke aounga, mai tomhare liye sitare tod ke leke aounga’ ‘I will get for you the Moon I will get for you the star’. The more you try and praise a person, the more you deviate away from reality. Alhamdulillah, though the Qur’an is rhythmic it does not deviate from reality. There were many people who tried to produce a Surah like the
Qur’an, but they failed miserably. No one has been able to do it so far, and no
one InshaAllah will be able to do it till eternity. But suppose if I tell you
that there is a religious scripture who says in a very poetic fashion that ‘the
world is flat’ – Will a modern man today believe?. But natural no, because
today is not the age of literature and poetry – Today is the age of science and
technology. Let as analyze today the Holy Qur’an and modern science – whether
they conflict or conciliate? The Qur’an and modern science whether they
contradict or they are compatible? According to the famous physicist, Albert
Einstein, who had got the Nobel prize, he said – ‘Science without religion is
lame, and religion without science is blind’. I would like to repeat it –
Albert Einstein said that ‘Science without religion is lame and religion
without science is blind’. I would like to remind you that the Holy Qur’an is
not a ‘book of Science’… S-C-I-E-N-C-E; but it’s a book of Signs… S-I-G-N-S;
it’s a book of Ayaats – and there are more than 6000 Signs or 6000 Ayats, out
of which more than a thousand speak about Science. There are some people who
would be satisfied just by acquiring one sign. Some people require 10 signs to
accept the truth. Some may require a hundred, while the others even after you
produce a thousand signs to them yet they will not accept the truth. As far as
my talk today will be concerned, I will only be speaking about those scientific
facts which have been established. I will not be speaking about theories which
are based on assumptions and hypothesis, because we know very well that many a
times science based on theories and hypothesis it takes U-turns. In the field
of Astronomy – if you ask a scientist that how was our universe formed? – How
did it come into existence? He will tell you about the Big Bang Theory – that
initially the whole universe was one ‘Primary Nebula’. Then there was a
secondary separation which gave rise to galaxies, which further split to form
things such as our solar system, which gave rise to planets, the Sun and the
present earth which we live in. I started my talk by quoting a verse of the
Holy Qur’an from Surah Al-Anbiya, Ch. No. 21, Verse No. 30, which says.
(Arabic)… ‘Do not the unbelievers see. (Arabic)… the heavens and the earth were
joined together, and We clove them asunder?’ This verse of the Holy Qur’an
speaks about the Big Bang Theory, in a nutshell. Imagine, what we came to know
today, the Holy Qur’an mentions 1400 years ago.And the Qur’an also says in
Surah Fussilat, Ch. No. 41, verse 11, that… ‘Moreover, in His design He
comprehended the sky, and it had been smoke. And He said to it and the earth,
come ye together willingly or unwillingly, and they said we come together in
willing obedience’. The Arabic word used here is ‘Dukhan’, which means ‘Smoke’.
If you ask a scientist, he will tell you that the, universe before it was
formed, the celestial matter, it was in the state of ‘gas’, and the Arabic word
‘Dukhan’ which means Smoke, is more scientifically correct than mere ‘gas’. And
according to Stephen Hawkins, who is a very famous scientist, he said – ‘the
discovery of bridges of matter in the space, is the biggest discovery of this
century which gives us indisputable evidence of the creation of the universe
and the Big Bang Theory’. Previously the people thought that the world we live
in – it is flat – and they were afraid to venture too far, lest they would fall
over. It was only in 1597, when Sir Francis Drake – when he sailed around the
earth he proved that the world was spherical. The Qur’an mentions in Surah
Luqman, Ch. No. 31, Verse 29… (Arabic)…‘It is Allah that merges the night unto
the day and merges the day unto the night’. Merging is a slow and gradual
process. The night slowly and gradually changes to day, and the day slowly and
gradually changes to night. This phenomena is only possible if the shape of the
earth is spherical – It is not possible if it is flat. If it was flat there
will be a sudden change. The Qur’an says in Surah Al Zumar, Ch. No. 39, Verse
No. 5, it says… (Arabic)…‘It is Allah who has created the heavens and the earth
in true proportion and he overlaps and coils the night unto the day and
overlaps or coils the day unto the night’. The Arabic word used is, ‘Kawwara’
which means overlapping or coiling. How you coil a turban around the head – How
you overlap a turban around the head. This phenomena of the night overlapping
and coiling over the day is only possible if the shape of the earth is
spherical. It is not possible if the shape of earth is flat – there will be a
sudden change. The Holy Qur’an further says in Surah Naziat, Ch. No. 79, Verse
No. 30…. It says. (Arabic)… ‘And thereafter, We have made the earth
egg-shaped’. The Arabic word ‘Dahaha’ comes from root word ‘Duhya’, meaning an
Egg-shape and it does not refer to any normal Egg. It specifically refers to
the Egg of an Ostrich – and today we know that the world is not completely
round like a ball- It is Geo Spherical. It is slightly flattened from the top
and bulging from the centre – It is Geo Spherical. And if you analyze the shape
of the Egg of an Ostrich – it too is Geo Spherical, slightly flattened from the
top and bulging from the centre. So the Holy Qur’an describes the exact ‘geo
spherical earth’ 1400 years ago. Previously we thought that the light of the
Moon, is its own light. It is recently we discovered, that the light of the
Moon is reflected light of the Sun. The Qur’an says in Surah Furqan, Ch. No.
25, Verse No. 61… ‘Blessed is He who has created the constellations in the sky,
and placed therein a lamp, and Moon having borrowed light’. The Qur’an says in
Surah Yunus, Ch. No. 10, Verse No. 5… ‘It is Allah who has created the Sun as a
shining glory and the Moon having a reflection of light’. The similar message
is repeated in Surah Nuh, Ch. No. 71, Verse No. 15 to 16. The Arabic word for
Sun is ‘Shams’. It’s always described either as ‘Siraj’ meaning a torch, or
‘Wahaj’ meaning a blazing lamp, or ‘Diya’ – ‘meaning a shining glory’. The Moon
– the Arabic word is ‘Qamar’. It’s always described as ‘Munir’, meaning
borrowed light or ‘Noor’, which is a reflection of light. Nowhere is the moon
light described as ‘Siraj’ or ‘Wahaj’ or ‘Diya’ – always as ‘Munir’ or ‘Noor’ –
that’s borrowed light or a reflection of light. The Qur’an says in Surah But Qur’an gives the indication – ‘No! the orbit of the Sun and the Moon, is different’. The question of catching up does not arise and each of them, the Sun and the Moon, they rotate as well as revolve. The Qur’an says in Surah Yasin, Ch. No. 36, Verse No. 38…(Arabic)… (Arabic)… ‘That the Sun is running its course to a place determined, for a period determined’. The Arabic word, ‘Mustakar’, means to a place determined, for a period determined. Today science has come to know that the Sun, along with the Solar system – it is going towards a point in the Universe – which the scientists call as the ‘Solar Apex’. And it’s moving at a speed of 12 miles per second, and it is going to a point – which they call as ‘a point in the constellation of Hercules’. This same message is repeated in Surah Rad, Ch. No. 13, Verse No. 2; in Surah Fatir, Ch. No. 35, Verse No. 13; in Surah Luqman, Ch. No. 31, Verse No. 29; as well as in Surah Al-Zumar, Ch. No. 39, Verse No. 5. It says that… ‘The Sun and the Moon runs its course for a period determined’. The Qur’an says in Surah Dhariat, Ch. No. 51, Verse No. 47 that, ‘It is We who have constructed with power and skill, the firmaments – and It is We who make the vastness, and the expanding universe’. The Arabic word: ‘Musioona’ means, expanding universe, the vastness of space. Edwin Aero, who is a famous scientist, he discovered and said that ‘the universe is expanding’. The galaxies are receding from one another which the Qur’an has mentioned 1400 years ago. There may be some people who say… ‘It is nothing great that the Holy Qur’an speaks about Astronomy, since the Arabs – they were very well advanced in the field of Astronomy’. I would like to bring to their notice that it was centuries after the Holy Qur’an was revealed that the Arabs became advanced in Astronomy. So it is from the Qur’an, that the Arabs learnt about Astronomy, and not the vice versa. (Silence)… In the field of Physics, there was a theory known as
‘Atomism’. That ‘atom’ is the smallest part of matter, which cannot be divided.
This theory was propounded by Democrats, the Greek, twenty-three centuries ago.
And it was also known to the Arabs – and the Arabic word for atom, is ‘Zarra’.
But today, after science has advanced, we have come to know that though ‘atom’
is the smallest particle of matter, having the characteristic of the element –
it yet can be divided, into electrons, protons, etc. So people may think that
the Qur’an is outdated. The Qur’an does speak about ‘Zarra’, and says It is a minute
particle, but nowhere does it say that it cannot be divided. In fact, the
Qur’an says in Surah Sabah, Ch. No. 34, Verse No. 3. It says that… ‘When the
unbelievers say that the hour will never come – tell them… it will surely come
with the permission of the Lord who has the knowledge of the unseen, who has in
His record, the minutest detail of an atom in the heaven and in the earth – and
in His record is perspicuous things, smaller and greater than the ‘atom’. The
Qur’an says therefore – ‘things smaller and greater than the atom’. So Qur’an
is not outdated… it is up to date. A similar message is repeated in Surah
Yunus, Ch. No. 10, Verse No. 61 that… ‘In Allah’s record is perspicuous things,
smaller and greater than the atom’. In the field of ‘Geography’, we learn in
school about the coherent water cycle. This was first described by Sir Bernard
Palestine, in 1580. And he said – how does water evaporate from the ocean,
forms clouds, the cloud move in the interior – how do they fall as rain, the
rain water flows into the ocean and the cycle is completed. Previously people
thought – in the 7th century BC Phase of Meletus – he said that ‘the spray of
the ocean was picked up by the wind and it fell into the interior as rain’.
People did not know – how did the underground water, the springs, where did
they come from. So they thought that due to the pressure of the winds on the
water, the thrust of the winds on the water – it fell into the interior as
rain, and this rain water seeped into the soil, and returned to the ocean
through a secret passage, ‘the Abyss’ which was known at the time of the Plato
as ‘Tartarus’. People believed in this theory of Descartes, even till as late
as 17th century. And philosophers like – Aristotle’s theory was believed till
as late as 19th century, that water vapor evaporated from the soil, it
condensed in mountain caverns, and these mountain caverns formed lakes which
fed the spring water. Today we know that the underground water, the springs, it
is due to the seepage of the rain water. And the Qur’an says that in Surah
Al-Zumur, Ch. No. 39, Verse No 21… ‘Sees’t thou not that it is Allah who sends
down rain from the sky, and seeps it in the sources in the ground – in the
springs in the earth, and causes sown seed of various colours to grow’. The
message is repeated in Surah Rum, Ch. No. 30, Verse No. 24… ‘Allah sends down
rain – and the dead earth… He brings it back to life’. The Qur’an says in Surah
Muminun, Ch. No. 23, Verse No 18, that… ‘It is Allah who sends down rain in due
measure, we are able to store it, and We are also able to easily drain it’. The
Qur’an says in Surah Al-Hijr, Ch. No. 15, Verse No 22, it says that… ‘We send
fecundating winds, winds impregnating, and cause rain to descend from the sky,
and give you water in due measure’. The Arabic word ‘Lawaaqi’ used here, is the
plural of ‘laqi’ derived from ‘laqaha’ which means ‘to impregnate or to
fecundate’. The winds carrying the pollen – they impregnate the cloud, and then
rain falls. The wind causes the clouds to merge – there is condensation – there
is lightning and rain falls from the clouds. The Qur’an describes the complete
water cycle – how does the water evaporate, how it forms clouds, how it moves
in the interior, how it falls down, how it flows back into the ocean in several
places. In Surah Nur, Ch. No. 24, Verse No. 43, in Surah Naba, Ch. No. 78,
Verse No 12 to 14, as well as in Surah Rum, Ch. No. 30, Verse No 48. The Holy
Qur’an says in Surah Nur, Ch. No. 24, Verse No 43, that… ‘We send mountain
masses of clouds’. What does the Qur’an mean by saying, ‘We send mountain
masses of clouds’? Today if anyone has been travelling in an Aeroplane, he will
realize that when the Aeroplane goes above the clouds, and he looks at the
clouds beneath, he will see that the clouds appear as mountain masses. Qur’an
has said this 1400 years ago. There wasn’t a Aeroplane 1400 years ago. Qur’an
describes ‘Hydrology’, and ‘Water cycle’ in several places in great detail.
It’s mentioned in Surah Al Imran, Ch. No. 3, Verse No 9, in Surah Araf, Ch. No.
7, Verse No 57; In Surah Rad, Ch. No. 13, Verse No 17; In Surah Furqan, Ch. No.
25, Verse No 48 to 49; In Surah Fatir, Ch. No. 35, Verse No 9; In Surah Yasin,
Ch. No. 36, Verse No 34; In Surah Jathiyah, Ch. No. 45, Verse No 5; In Surah
Qaf, Ch. No. 50, Verse No 9 to 10; In Surah Waqiah, Ch. No. 56, Verse No 68 to
70; as well as in Surah Mulk, Ch. No. 67, Verse No 30 – The Qur’an describes
the Hydrology and Water cycle, in great detail. Let us discuss the field of
Geology. Today the Geologists, they tell us that the earth we live on, the
outer crust it’s hard and solid, and the deeper layers they are hot and fluid
and inhospitable for the existence of living creatures. The Geologists, they
tell us that outer crust is very thin – hardly 1 to 10 miles – Less than one
percent of the radius of the earth, which is 3750 miles. And the outer crust is
very thin and there are high possibilities of it shaking. Today Geologists tell
us, it is due to the ‘folding phenomena’, which gives rise to mountain ranges –
and these mountains, they prevent the earth from shaking; they act as ‘pegs’ as
‘stakes’. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Naba, Ch. No. 78, Verse No. 6 and 7. It
says… ‘We have made the earth as an expanse’, (Arabic) … and the mountains as
stakes’. The Arabic word ‘Avtaad’, means ‘Stakes’, means ‘Pegs’ – which we have
discovered today. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Jashiya, Ch. No. 88, Verse No.
19, as well as in Surah Naziat, Ch. No. 79, Verse No 32. It says… (Arabic) …
‘We have made the mountain standing firm’. There is a book by the title ‘The
Earth’ which is a very famous book – an authority in this field, which is
referred by most of the universities throughout the world, in this subject. One
of It is authors, name is Frank Press, and he gives the illustration of the
mountain in this book called ‘Earth’, as wedge shaped, and he says… ‘the
function of the mountain is to stabilize the Earth’s Crust’. And Quran says
that. The same information in Surah Anbiya, Ch. No. 21, Verse No 31, as well as
in Surah Luqman, Ch. No. 31, Verse No 10, and Surah Nahl, Ch. No. 16, Verse No
15, that… ‘We have set on the earth mountains standing firm lest it would
shake. The Qur’an gives the functions of the mountain 1400 years ago, which we
discovered today. In the field of ‘Oceanology’, the Holy Qur’an says in Surah
Furqan, Ch. No. 25, Verse No 53, ‘It is Allah who has let free two bodies of
flowing water one sweet and palpable and the other salt and bitter, and between
them there is a ‘Barzakh’, a barrier, which is forbidden to be trespassed’. The
Qur’an repeats the message in Surah Rahman, Ch. No. 55, Verse No. 19 and 20,
(Arabic)… that ‘It is Allah who has let free two bodies of flowing water which
meet and between them there is a barrier which is forbidden to be trespassed’.
The Arabic word ‘Barzakh’ means ‘a barrier’ and the Arabic statement… (Arabic)
… means ‘the flowing bodies of water, they meet and mix’. Previously the
commentators, they could not understand the two opposite description of the two
bodies of flowing water. It says, ‘they meet and mix’, as well as it says…
‘there is a barrier between them’. The commentator of the Qur’an could not
understand, explain, what did this verse actually mean – It was confusing.
Today we have come to know, with the help of science, that there is a slanting
barrier between the two bodies of salt water and sweet water – between the salt
sea, and the sweet sea. And whenever water passes from one sea to the other
sea, it looses It’s characteristics and gets homogenized into the water it
flows. There is a barrier – but this barrier is called as ‘a transitional
homogenizing space or area’. Both the waters though they meet and mix, but
their characteristics yet remain the same. Salt water remains salt, the sweet
water remains sweet. And this phenomena can be seen in Cape Point, southern
most tip of Imagine! Qur’an speaks about the gender of the worker bee
1400 years ago, which we have discovered today. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah
Ankabut, Ch. No. 29, Verse No 41, that… ‘As to those who take for protectors,
anyone besides Allah (SWT) they build for themselves houses like that of the
spider – and verily, the house of the spider is fragile, it is delicate’.
Besides, the Qur’an saying, that anyone who takes for protectors anyone besides
Allah (SWT), the physical nature of their house will be like that of the spider
fragile, delicate, flimsy – it also gives a reference to their family life,
which we have to know today, that many a times, the female spider kills the
male spider. The Qur’an says in Surah Naml, Ch. No. 27, Verse No 17 and 18,
that… ‘before Solomon marched, the hosts of jinns, men and birds, and when they
reached a lowly valley of ants, one of the ants said ‘get ye into your
habitation, lest Solomon and his horses unknowingly will trample you beneath
the feet’. People will think… ‘What kind of a fairy tale book is the Holy
Qur’an? – This book the Holy Qur’an… It is speaking about ants – Ants talking
among themselves – It is a fairy tale book’. Today we have come to know, that
any animal or any insect which has the closest resemblance to that of the human
being… it is the ant. The ants bury the dead the same way as the human beings
do. They have a sophisticated method and division of labour, where they have
manager, supervisor, workers, etc. They very often meet to chat. They have a
sophisticated method of communication. They have market places where they
exchange goods. And when they store the grain in winter, and if the grain
begins to bud, the ants cut the bud as though they knew that budding will cause
rotting of the grain. And in Monsoon, if the grain gets wet, they bring it out
in the sunlight to dry. Surely you might have seen the ants carrying grain in
the sunlight to dry as though they knew that humidity will cause the
development of root system, which will cause rotting of the grain. So Qur’an
speaks about the advanced nature of the ants, 1400 years ago. In the field of Medicine,
the holy Qur’an says in Surah Nahl, Ch. No. 16, Verse No. 68 and 69, that…
‘From the belly of the bee you get a drink of varying colours, in which there
is healing for mankind’. It is recently we have come to know that the honey we
have is derived from the bee. It is the bee which is responsible for the honey
– We did not know about this before. And today we know honey has got high
nutritive values. It is rich in vitamin K, and Fructose and it has got mild
antiseptic properties. No wonder the Russian soldiers, they used honey to cover
up their wounds which prevented the evaporation of moisture and left very
little scar tissue. Any person suffering from an allergy of a particular plant
– if honey produced from that plant is given, that person starts developing
resistance to that allergy. In the field of ‘Physiology’, it was Ibne Nafees,
who 600 years after the revelation of the Holy Qur’an, described the blood
circulation. And 1000 years after the revelation of the holy Qur’an, that is
400 years after Ibne Nafees described the blood circulation William Harvey, he
made it famous to the Western World. The food that we eat, it enters the
stomach, it enters the intestine, from the intestine it goes into the blood
vessels of the intestine and enters the blood circulation – and the blood
circulation takes the foods substance to various organs including the mammary
glands which produce milk. The Qur’an speaks about the blood circulation, and
the production of milk in a nut shell, in Surah Nahl, Ch. No. 16, Verse No. 66,
where it says, that… ‘Verily in the cattle is a lesson for you’. We give you to
drink from what is within their bodies, coming from the conjunction of the
constituents, of the intestine and blood, milk which is pure and pleasant for
those who drink’. The Qur’an says in Surah Muminun, Ch. No. 23, Verse No. 21,
which was also recited by our Qari, brother Ashraf Mohammedy. It says that…
‘Verily in the cattle, is an instructive sign for you. We give you to drink
from what is within their bodies in which there is various benefit and of their
meat you can eat’. Qur’an describes the blood circulation and the production of
milk in a nut shell, 1400 years ago. In the field of ‘Embryology’, there were a
group of Arab students who collected all the matter in the Holy Qur’an, dealing
with ‘Embryology’. And they followed the guidance of the Holy Qur’an in Surah
Furqan, Ch. No. 25, Verse 59, which says… ‘if you are in doubt, ask the person
who knows – ask the person who is knowledgeable’. So they took all the data
given in the Holy Qur’an dealing with ‘Embryology’, and presented it to
Professor Keith Moore. Professor Keith Moore is the head and chairman of the
department of Anatomy, in the (Clapping). The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Tariq, Ch. No. 86, Verse No. 5 to 7… ‘Let now man think from what he is created – he is created from a drop, emitted from a space between the backbone and the ribs’. Today we have come to know, the genital organs – the testes, in the males, and the ovaries in the female, in the Embryonic stage – they develop from a space, where the kidney is present today, between the backbone and the 11th and 12th rib. Later on the testes they descend to the inguinal canal, into the scrotum – and the ovaries in the female to the true pelvis. But in the Embryonic stage, It is in the space which the Qur’an speaks about… ‘between the backbone, the spinal column and the 11th and 12th rib’. Even in the adult life after the Genital organs they descend – yet they receive the blood supply – the nerve supply and the lymphatic drainage from the same space between the spinal column and the 11th and 12th rib. The holy Qur’an mentions in Surah Muminun, Ch. No. 23, Verse No. 13, as well as Surah Al Hajj, Ch. No. 22, Verse No. 5 that… ‘We have created the human beings from a ‘Nutfah’ . The Arabic word ‘Nutfah’ – that the human beings have been created from ‘Nutfah’, is mentioned in the Qur’an no less than 11 times and the word ‘Nutfah’, is mentioned 12 times, but human beings created from ‘Nutfah’ is mentioned 11 times. The Arabic word ‘Nutfah’ means a minute quantity of liquid. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Sajdah, Ch. No. 32, Verse No. 8, that… ‘We have created the human beings from a quintessence of liquid’. The Arabic word is ‘Sulala’ meaning a minute quantity, or the best part of the whole. And today we have come to know, only one sperm actually – it penetrates the ovum, and only one sperm is required to fertilize the ovum, out of the tens of millions of sperms, which the man ejaculates. Qur’an refers to it as ‘Sulala’, the best part of the whole or ‘Nutfah’ a minute quantity. The Qur’an says in Surah Insaan, Ch. No. 76, Verse No. 2…(Arabic) … The word means ‘Nutfanmsaj’ means… ‘We have created the human being from a minute quantity of mingled fluids’. ‘Nutfanamsaj’, minute quantity of mingled fluids. This can refer to the male and female gametes – after they are formed… the ‘Zygote’ – it yet remains a ‘Nutfah’ – a minute quantity of liquid. It can also refer to the spermatic fluid, which contains several secretions from various glands, like the testis, the ‘Sero fluid’, which contains the ‘Spermatozoons’ – it also includes the secretions from the Seminal ‘Vessicles’, the seminal fluids, which is a reservoir of ‘Somatel Zoones’, but does not contain the fertilizing agent. Also it refers the secretion of the Prostatic glands, which gives the creamy texture and the characteristic odour to the sperm, as well as glands attached to the Urinary tract – the Coopers gland or the Litters gland, which gives the specific texture of mucous, to the sperm. The Qur’an refers to as ‘Nutfanamsaj’… to minute quantity of mingled fluid – male and female gametes surrounded by these fluids which are responsible, for the birth of the human being. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Al Zumur, Ch. No. 39, Verse No. 6… ‘We have created the human beings in the wombs of their mother, in stages – one after the other in three veils of darkness’. Professor Keith Moore said these three veils of darkness refers to the Anterior Abdominal wall of the mother, the Uterine wall, and the Amnio – Chodionic membrane. The Qur’an also speaks about ‘Genetics’. The Qur’an says… in Surah Najm, Ch. No. 53, Verse No. 45 and 46, that… ‘We have created the human beings and made them into male and female through minute quantity of liquid which is ejaculated’. But natural if it is ejaculated, it has to be a male fluid. Qur’an says it is the male which is responsible for the sex of the child. The Qur’an repeats this message in Surah Qiyamah, Ch. No. 75, Verse No. 37, and 39, that… ‘We have created the human beings from a minute quantity of sperm and then made it into an ‘Alaqa’ – a leech-like substance – then gave it due proportion, then made it into sex male – and female’. The Arabic word ‘Nutfatam Minmani Yumna’, means a minute quantity of sperm. Qur’an says a minute quantity of sperm is required for sex of the child. Today science has come to know that the sex of the child depends upon the 23rd pair of Chromosome, and it is the sperm which is responsible for deciphering the sex of the child. If it is ‘XX’… it is a female. If it is an ‘XY’… it is a male. Qur’an has mentioned this 1400 years ago. In a society, specially in the Indian society, for reasons known best to them, people prefer having a male child. And suppose the daughter in law, if she gives birth to a female child, the mother-in-law normally blames the daughter-in-law. If the mother-in-law has to blame anyone, she should blame the son, not the daughter-in-law… because the Holy Qur’an and science tells us, that it is the male which is responsible for the sex of the child and not the female. The Qur’an describes the various Embryological stages in great detail. In Surah Muminun, Ch. No. 23, Verse No 12 to 14, it says… ‘We have created the human beings from a quintessence of clay, then made it into a drop, placed it into ‘Qarare Makeen’ place of security, then made it into an ‘Alaqa’, something which clings, a leech like substance, made that ‘Alaqa’ into ‘Mudga’, a chewed like lump, made that ‘Mudga’, into ‘Izama’ bones, then clothed the ‘Izama’, bones with ‘Lahem’ that is flesh and then made it into a creature – Blessed is He, the best to create’. This verse of the Holy Qur’an, from 12 to 14 of Surah
Muminun, Ch. No. 23, describes the Embryological stages in great detail. It
starts with saying… ‘We have placed the ‘Nutfah’ the minute quantity into
‘Qaraare Makeen’, a place of security’. Today Embryology tells us, that the
Embryo is protected posteriorily by the back bone and the posterior muscles of
the mother – anteriorily by, the anterior abdominal wall, by the uterine wall
as well as the Amnochodianic membrane. It continues… ‘then we made it into an
‘Alaqa’, a leech like substance, something which clings’. The Arabic word
‘Alaqa’, has got 3 meanings: something which clings, a leech like substance, as
well as blood clot. Alhamdulillah, all three meanings are applicable here,
because the Embryo, in the initial stages – it clings to the uterine wall of
the mother. It looks like a ‘leech’, as confirmed by Professor Keith Moore. It
also behaves like a ‘leech’, it behaves like a blood sucker, it derives the
blood supply and the nutrition from the mother. And at this stage – if an
abortion takes place, the concept is, it looks like a blood clot. It looks like
a blood clot as well as a leech. So Qur’an, in one word it implies three
meanings, which all are applicable. Qur’an mentions this word ‘Alaqa’ no less
then six times. Twice in Surah Muminun, Ch. No. 23, Verse No. 12 to 14; Surah
Hajj, Ch. No. 22, Verse No 5; Surah Ghafir, Ch. No. 40, Verse 67; Surah
Qiyamah, Ch. No. 75, Verse 38; as well as in Surah Iqra, Ch. No. 96, Verse No
2. Six times it is mentioned. Previously, in the 17th century people thought
that the sperm, it walled a miniature human being. A miniature human being was
present in the head of the sperm, which later on developed into the uterus of
the mother, as a new born baby. This was believed by Swamadamm, who proposed
the ‘Perforation theory’. Later on, when they discovered that the ovum is
bigger than the sperm – De Graaf and others, they said it is not the sperm
which walls a miniature human being – It is the ovum which walls a miniature
human being. Later on, Mophartus in the eighteen century, he proposed the
‘Bi-parental theory’ – that both are responsible. As the Qur’an says, both the
sperm and the ovum is responsible for the birth of the child. Qur’an says, we
made that ‘Alaqa’, into a ‘Mudga’. ‘Mudga’ means ‘chewed like lump’, or
something tacky which can be put in the mouth. Professor Keith Moore said,
‘both these meanings are applicable, because it is something tacky which can be
put in the mouth’ – and later on he took a plaster seal and bit it between his
teeth, to look like a Mudga, ‘a chewed like lump’. And he was astonished that
the teeth marks resembled the ‘Somites’, from which develops the spinal column.
The Qur’an says, ‘We made that ‘Mudga’ into ‘Izama’… bones. We clothed the
‘Izaman’ with ‘lahem’… flesh, and muscles. Allah says… ‘Then, We create the
‘Al-Nasha’ stage, We create a new creature’. What does the Qur’an mean … ‘We
have created a new creature’? – Science today, tells us that the embryological
stages of development, before this stage, in the rabbit, in the fish, in the
other animals, it is similar to that of the human beings. It is only at this
stage of ‘Al-Nasha’, that the particular characteristics of the human beings
are seen – the head, the hands and the feet. The Qur’an says… ‘We have made a
new creature’, and ends by saying – ‘Blessed is He, who is the best to create’.
Imagine, Qur’an gives the various Embryological stages in great detail. There
was a person who put forward an argument – ‘It is nothing new; may be some Arab
– he opened up the abdomen of a pregnant woman and checked the shape and wrote
in the Qur’an’. He did not realise that all these stages, which the Qur’an
describes, it cannot be observed with the naked human eye – you require a very
powerful microscope. When Professor Marshall Johnson was asked to comment of
these Verses – He is the head of the department of ‘Anatomy’ in the Daniel
Institute, in Sir Thomas Jefferson’s hospital in (Clapping) The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Qiyamah, Ch. No. 75, Verse No.
3 and 4… ‘The unbelievers ask, that how will Allah (SWT) be able to reassemble
our bones’. Allah says… ‘We can not only reassemble the bones, We can even
reconstruct in perfect order the very finger tips’. When the unbelievers say…
‘After we are buried, after our bones have got disintegrated, how will Allah
(SWT) on the day of judgment, reassemble our bones’. So Allah says… ‘He will
not only be able to reassemble the bones, He can even reconstruct your very
fingertip in perfect order’. It is referring to the finger printing method,
which was discovered by Sir Francis Gold in 1880, and he said that – ‘No two
finger prints, of two individuals are equal even in a million people’. No
wonder the police, the CID, the CIA, the FBI – they use the finger printing
method to identify the culprit. Qur’an speaks about that 1400 years ago… ‘Allah
can not only reassemble the bones, he can even reconstruct in perfect order the
very finger tips’. Allah (SWT) is asking you in Surah Nisa, Ch. No. 4 Verse 82…
(Arabic)… ‘Do not you consider the Qur’an with care? – Do not you ponder over
the Qur’an with care? that if it had been from any one besides Allah, there
would have been many contradiction – there would have been many discrepancies’.
Qur’an is giving you a challenge – Here is the Holy Qur’an, try and take out a
single discrepancy – try and take out a single fault in the Holy Qur’an. It is
giving you a challenge, an open challenge…. ‘Why don’t you analyze the Qur’an
with care – had it been from anyone besides Allah, there would have been many
contradictions’. I would like to end my talk by giving the example of Professor
Tagata Tagashon. Previously, the doctors they thought that only the brain was
responsible for feeling of pain. It is now we have come to know that there are
certain receptors in the skin, called as ‘pain receptors’, which are also
responsible of feeling of pain. No wonder when a patient of burn injury comes
to a doctor, he takes a pin and he pricks it in that area. If the patient feels
pain, doctor is very happy – It means It is a superficial burn, the pain
receptors are intact. If he does not feel pain, It is a deep burn, the pain
receptors have been destroyed. The Qur’an says in Surah Nisa, Ch. No. 4, Verse
No. 56, ‘As to those who reject our signs, We shall cast them into the hell
fire, and as often as their skins are roasted, We shall give them fresh skins,
so that they shall feel the pain’. Qur’an says… ‘If your skin is roasted, We
shall give you fresh skin, so that you’ll feel the pain’. Giving an indication…
there is something in the skin which is responsible for the feeling of pain –
Indication is the pain receptor. When Professor Tagada Tagashon, who is the
head of the department of Anatomy, in (Clapping). (Glimpses of Question and Answer session) (Q). Assalaamalaikum – I am Kausar Shaikh, a product of (Q). Assalaamu Alaikum, Zakir Bhai – My name is Shakir, and I am a Mechanical Engineering student. I would like to ask you a question, that how can you prove to an Atheist scientifically the existence of God. (Dr. Zakir) The first thing I will do, is that I will congratulate that Atheist. I will congratulate him – You know why? If you look around us – he is a Hindu, because father is a Hindu – He is a Christian, because father is a Christian – Some Muslims, are Muslims because their fathers are Muslims. This person, though he may be coming from a religious background, he does not believe in the false god which his parents attribute to – So he does not believe in God. I am congratulating him because, he has accepted the first part of the ‘Shahadah’, the first part of the Islamic creed, ‘La Ilahaa’… ‘There is no God’. Now, my job is to prove ‘Illallah’… ‘but Allah’ – which I shall do InshAllah. (Q). At one place, the Holy Qur’an states that… ‘Man is created from sperm’, which is in conciliate with modern science – but at another place it also states that… ‘Man is made from dust’. Now isn’t the Holy Qur’an contradicting itself? – or is it conciliate with modern science? (Q). Qur’an in several places has mentioned that… ‘The heavens and the earth were created in six days’, but in Surah Fussilat, it says… ‘The heaven and the earth was created in eight days’ – Isn’t this a contradiction? In the same verse also says that… ‘The earth was created in six days, and then later on the heaven in two days’. This is against the Big Bang Theory that… ‘The heavens and earth were created simultaneously’. (Q). With regard to the evolution of Homo Sapiens – you have Charles Darwin in Science, giving an explanation that… ‘It is because of the process of natural selection, that the human beings have evolved’. Now this it seems to be in contradiction with the Islamic belief, that we have… we are the children of Adam Alaihissalaam – Now how can this be reconciled? (Dr. Zakir) I have not come across any book which says,
‘Fact of Evolution’. All the books say…‘Theory of Evolution’ – There is no book
I have come across saying ‘Fact of Evolution’. If I have to insult someone
that… ‘If you were present (Q). In the Qur’an, it is stated that ‘the hearts of the unbelievers are sealed’.But according to science it is the brain that thinks – and not the heart – Your comments please. (Q). When Qur’an speaks so much about Science, then how come the Muslims are so backward in the field of Science? (Dr. Zakir) I do agree with you – today… today the Muslims are getting backward in Science – You know why? The Europeans are being advanced – You know why? The Muslims are becoming backward, because they are going away from the Holy Qur’an – they are going away from the Religion. And do you know why the Europeans are getting advanced? They too are going away from their Religion. (Q). I am a student of Saboo Siddik – My name is Harsh Waghela. I want to ask a question that after the death of human being, dead body should be burnt out or should be buried? (Q). It is mentioned in one verse of …of the Qur’an that… ‘Allah is the Lord of the two Easts, and two Wests. How can you explain this verse of the Qur’an, scientifically? (Back Ground Azaan, By Brother Yusuf Islam) Islamic Research Foundation An International Resource Centre
For Understanding And Clarification, On Islam And Comparative Religion. Islamic
Research Foundation Provides For Free Hire And (Azan Continued….). http://islamicscienceinfluence.blogspot.com/2009/05/quran-and-modern-science-conflict-or_09.html |
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