The Amazing Quran (part 3 of 9)

Rating:
Font size:
A- A A+

Description: A series of articles compelling the reader to ponder over the marvels of the Quran.  Part 3: Two examples of scientific facts mentioned in the Quran.

  • By Dr.Gary Miller (edited by www.islamhouse.com)
  • Published on 17 Dec 2012
  • Last modified on 04 Dec 2014
  • Printed: 360
  • Viewed: 40,067 (daily average: 10)
  • Rating: 2.4 out of 5
  • Rated by: 62
  • Emailed: 1
  • Commented on: 0
Poor Best

AskThoseWhoHaveKnowledge

AnotherinterestingattitudethatexistsintheQuranrepeatedly dealswithitsadvicetothe readerTheQuraninformsthereaderaboutdifferentfactsand thengivestheadvice:“Ifyou wanttoknowmoreaboutthisorthat,orifyoudoubtwhatissaid,thenyoushouldask those whohaveknowledge.  ThistooisasurprisingattitudeItisnotusualtohaveabook thatcomes fromsomeonewithouttrainingingeography,botany,biology,etc.,whodiscussesthese subjectsandthenadvisesthereadertoaskmenofknowledgeifhedoubtsanything.  Yetin everyagetherehavebeenMuslimswhohavefollowed theadviceoftheQuranandmade surprisingdiscoveriesIf onelookstotheworksofMuslimscientistsofmanycenturiesago,one willfindthemfullofquotationsfrom theQuranTheseworksstatethattheydidresearchin such aplace,lookingfor something.  And they affirmthatthereasonthey lookedin suchandsucha placewasthattheQuranpointedtheminthatdirection.

Forexample,theQuranmentionsmansoriginand thentellsthereader,“Researchit!Itgives thereaderahintwheretolookand then statesthatoneshouldfind outmoreaboutitThisis thekindofthingthatMuslimstoday largely seem tooverlook-butnotalways,asillustratedin thefollowingexample.

Embryology

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

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

I had thepleasureofinterviewingDrKeithMooreforatelevisionpresentation,andwetalkeda greatdealaboutthis-itwasillustratedbyslidesandsoonHementionedthatsomeof the thingsthattheQuran statesaboutthegrowthofthehumanbeingwerenotknownuntilthirty yearsagoInfact,hesaidthatoneiteminparticular-theQuransdescriptionofthehuman beingasaleech-likeclot(alaqah)[Quran40:67]-wasnewtohim;butwhenhecheckedonit,hefoundthatitwastrue,andsohe addedittohisbook.  Hesaid,“I neverthoughtof thatbefore,”andhewenttothezoology departmentandaskedforapictureofaleechWhenhefound 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.

SkepticsReaction

DrMoorealsowroteabook onclinicalembryology,andwhenhepresentedthisinformation inToronto,itcausedquiteastirthroughoutCanada.  Itwasonthefrontpagesofsomeofthe newspapersacrossCanada,andsomeof theheadlineswerequitefunnyForinstance,one headlineread:“SURPRISINGTHINGFOUNDINANCIENTPRAYER BOOK!Itseemsobviousfrom thisexamplethatpeopledonotclearlyunderstandwhatitisallaboutAsamatteroffact,one newspaperreporterasked ProfessorMoore,“Dontyouthink thatmaybetheArabsmighthave knownaboutthesethings-thedescriptionof theembryo,itsappearanceandhowitchanges andgrowsMaybethey 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 picturestakenthroughamicroscopeHesaid,Itdoesnotmatterifsomeonehadtried to discoverembryologyfourteencenturiesagoTheycouldnothaveseenit!

Allof thedescriptionsintheQuranof theappearanceof theembryoareof theitem whenitis stilltoosmalltoseewiththeeye;therefore,oneneedsamicroscopetoseeit.  Sincesucha devicehadonly beenaroundforlittlemorethantwohundredyears,DrMooretaunted, Maybefourteencenturiesagosomeonesecretly hadamicroscopeanddid thisresearch, makingnomistakesanywhereThenhesomehowtaughtMuhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him,and convincedhim toputthisinformationinhisbook.  Thenhedestroyedhisequipmentandkeptitasecret forever.  DoyoubelievethatYoureally shouldnotunlessyoubringsomeproofbecauseitis sucharidiculoustheory.Infact,whenhewasasked,Howdoyouexplainthisinformationin theQuran?Dr.  Mooresreplywas,“Itcouldonlyhavebeendivinely revealed!

Geology

OneofProfessorMoorescolleagues,MarshallJohnson,dealsextensively withgeology atthe University ofTorontoHebecameveryinterestedinthefactthattheQuransstatementsabout embryologyareaccurate,andsoheaskedMuslimstocollecteverythingcontainedinthe QuranwhichdealswithhisspecialtyAgainpeoplewereverysurprisedatthe accuracy of the findings.  Since thereareavastnumber of subjectsdiscussedintheQuran,itwould certainly requirealarge amountoftimetoexhausteach subjectItsufficesforthepurposeof thisdiscussiontostate thattheQuranmakesveryclearand concise and correctstatementsaboutvarioussubjectswhile simultaneouslyadvisingthereadertoverify theauthenticity of thesestatementswithresearch by scholarsinthosesubjectsAndasillustratedby thepreviousexamplesofembryologyand geology,theQuranhasclearlyemergedauthentic

Poor Best

Parts of This Article

View all parts together

Add a comment

  • (Not shown to the public)

  • Your comment will be reviewed and should be published within 24 hours.

    Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

Other Articles in the Same Category

Most Viewed

Daily
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
Total
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)

Editor’s Pick

(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)

List Contents

Since your last visit
This list is currently empty.
All by date
(Read more...)
(Read more...)

Most Popular

Highest rated
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
Most emailed
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
Most printed
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
Most commented on
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)
(Read more...)

Your Favorites

Your favorites list is empty. You may add articles to this list using the article tools.

Your History

Your history list is empty.