AskThoseWhoHaveKnowledge

AnotherinterestingattitudethatexistsintheQuranrepeatedly dealswithitsadvicetothe reader.  TheQuraninformsthereaderaboutdifferentfactsand thengivestheadvice:“Ifyou wanttoknowmoreaboutthisorthat,orifyoudoubtwhatissaid,thenyoushouldask those whohaveknowledge.”  Thistooisasurprisingattitude.  Itisnotusualtohaveabook thatcomes fromsomeonewithouttrainingingeography,botany,biology,etc.,whodiscussesthese subjectsandthenadvisesthereadertoaskmenofknowledgeifhedoubtsanything.  Yetin everyagetherehavebeenMuslimswhohavefollowed theadviceoftheQuranandmade surprisingdiscoveries.  If onelookstotheworksofMuslimscientistsofmanycenturiesago,one willfindthemfullofquotationsfrom theQuran.  Theseworksstatethattheydidresearchin such aplace,lookingfor something.  And they affirmthatthereasonthey lookedin suchandsucha placewasthattheQuranpointedtheminthatdirection.

Forexample,theQuranmentionsman’soriginand thentellsthereader,“Researchit!”Itgives thereaderahintwheretolookand then statesthatoneshouldfind outmoreaboutit.  Thisis thekindofthingthatMuslimstoday largely seem tooverlook-butnotalways,asillustratedin thefollowingexample.

Embryology

Afewyearsago,agroupofmeninRiyadh,SaudiArabia collectedalloftheversesinthe Quran whichdiscussembryology -thegrowthofthehumanbeinginthewomb.  Theysaid, “HereiswhattheQuran says.  Isitthetruth?”Inessence,they tooktheadviceof theQuran:“Ask themenwhoknow.”Theychose,asithappened,anon-Muslimwhoisaprofessorof embryologyattheUniversity ofToronto.  HisnameisKeithMoore,andheistheauthorof textbooksonembryology -aworld expertonthesubject.  TheyinvitedhimtoRiyadhandsaid, “ThisiswhattheQuran saysaboutyour subject.  Isittrue?  Whatcanyoutellus?”

WhilehewasinRiyadh,they gavehimallthehelpthatheneededintranslationandallofthe cooperationforwhichheasked.  Andhewassosurprisedatwhathefound thathechanged histextbooks.  Infact,inthesecondeditionofoneofhisbooks,calledBeforeWeAreBorn... in thesectionaboutthehistoryofembryology,heincludedsomematerialthatwasnotinthefirst editionbecauseof whathefoundintheQuranwasaheadofitstimeandthatthosewho believeintheQuranknowwhatotherpeopledonotknow.

I had thepleasureofinterviewingDr.  KeithMooreforatelevisionpresentation,andwetalkeda greatdealaboutthis-itwasillustratedbyslidesandsoon.  Hementionedthatsomeof the thingsthattheQuran statesaboutthegrowthofthehumanbeingwerenotknownuntilthirty yearsago.  Infact,hesaidthatoneiteminparticular-theQuran’sdescriptionofthehuman beingasa“leech-likeclot”(‘alaqah)[Quran40:67]-wasnewtohim;butwhenhecheckedonit,hefoundthatitwastrue,andsohe addedittohisbook.  Hesaid,“I neverthoughtof thatbefore,”andhewenttothezoology departmentandaskedforapictureofaleech.  Whenhefound thatitlookedjustlikethe humanembryo,hedecided toincludebothpicturesinoneofhistextbooks.

Althoughtheaforementionedexampleofmanresearchinginformationcontainedinthe Qurandealswithanon-Muslim,itisstillvalidbecauseheisoneofthosewhoisknowledgeable inthesubjectbeingresearched.  Hadsomelaymanclaimed thatwhattheQuran saysabout embryology istrue,thenonewouldnotnecessarily havetoaccepthisword.  However, becauseof thehighposition,respect,andesteemmangives to scholars,onenaturally assumes thatif they researchasubjectandarriveata conclusionbasedonthatresearch,thenthe conclusion isvalid.

Skeptic’sReaction

Dr.  Moorealsowroteabook onclinicalembryology,andwhenhepresentedthisinformation inToronto,itcausedquiteastirthroughoutCanada.  Itwasonthefrontpagesofsomeofthe newspapersacrossCanada,andsomeof theheadlineswerequitefunny.  Forinstance,one headlineread:“SURPRISINGTHINGFOUNDINANCIENTPRAYER BOOK!”Itseemsobviousfrom thisexamplethatpeopledonotclearlyunderstandwhatitisallabout.  Asamatteroffact,one newspaperreporterasked ProfessorMoore,“Don’tyouthink thatmaybetheArabsmighthave knownaboutthesethings-thedescriptionof theembryo,itsappearanceandhowitchanges andgrows?  Maybethey werenotscientists,maybetheydid some crude dissections on theirown-carveduppeopleand examined thesethings.”Theprofessorimmediately pointedout tohim thathe[i.e.,thereporter] hadmissedavery importantpoint-allof theslidesof the embryothathadbeen shownandthathadbeenprojectedinthefilm had comefrom picturestakenthroughamicroscope.  Hesaid,“Itdoesnotmatterifsomeonehadtried to discoverembryologyfourteencenturiesago.  Theycouldnothaveseenit!”

Allof thedescriptionsintheQuranof theappearanceof theembryoareof theitem whenitis stilltoosmalltoseewiththeeye;therefore,oneneedsamicroscopetoseeit.  Sincesucha devicehadonly beenaroundforlittlemorethantwohundredyears,Dr.  Mooretaunted, “Maybefourteencenturiesagosomeonesecretly hadamicroscopeanddid thisresearch, makingnomistakesanywhere.  ThenhesomehowtaughtMuhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him,and convincedhim toputthisinformationinhisbook.  Thenhedestroyedhisequipmentandkeptitasecret forever.  Doyoubelievethat?  Youreally shouldnotunlessyoubringsomeproofbecauseitis sucharidiculoustheory.”Infact,whenhewasasked,“Howdoyouexplainthisinformationin theQuran?”Dr.  Moore’sreplywas,“Itcouldonlyhavebeendivinely revealed!”

Geology

OneofProfessorMoore’scolleagues,MarshallJohnson,dealsextensively withgeology atthe University ofToronto.  HebecameveryinterestedinthefactthattheQuran’sstatementsabout embryologyareaccurate,andsoheaskedMuslimstocollecteverythingcontainedinthe Quranwhichdealswithhisspecialty.  Againpeoplewereverysurprisedatthe accuracy of the findings.  Since thereareavastnumber of subjectsdiscussedintheQuran,itwould certainly requirealarge amountoftimetoexhausteach subject.  Itsufficesforthepurposeof thisdiscussiontostate thattheQuranmakesveryclearand concise and correctstatementsaboutvarioussubjectswhile simultaneouslyadvisingthereadertoverify theauthenticity of thesestatementswithresearch by scholarsinthosesubjects.  Andasillustratedby thepreviousexamplesofembryologyand geology,theQuranhasclearlyemergedauthentic.