The Miraculous Scientific Aspects Of The Holy QurÕŒn

And your Lord inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct. Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you]." There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought.

[Al-Qur’an 16:68-69]

Von-Frisch received the Nobel Prize in 1973 for his research on the behaviour and communication of the bees. The bee, after discovering any new garden or flower, goes back and tells its fellow bees the exact direction and map to get there, which is known as ‘bee dance’. The meanings of this insect’s movements that are intended to transmit information between worker bees have been discovered scientifically using photography and other methods. The Qur’an mentions in the above verses how the bee with its skill, finds the spacious paths of its Lord. The gender used for the bee in the above verses is the female gender (fa’slukî and kulî), indicating that the bee that leaves its home for gathering food is a female bee. In other words the soldier or worker bee is a female bee.

The example of those who take allies other than Allah is like that of the spider who takes a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew.

[Al-Qur’an 29:41]

Besides giving the physical description of the spider’s web as being very flimsy, delicate and weak, the Qur’an also stresses on the flimsiness of the relationship in the spider’s house, where the female spider many a times kills its mate, the male spider. The parable also has reference to the weakness of such relationship of the people who seek protection for this world and for the hereafter from those other than Allah.

The bee assimilates juices of various kinds of flowers and fruit and forms honey within its body, which it stores in its cells of wax. Only a couple of centuries ago humans came to know that honey comes from the belly of the bee. But this fact was mentioned in the Qur’an 1,400 years ago in the following verse: { There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought. }

[Al-Qur’an 16:69]

We are only now aware that honey has healing properties and is also a mild antiseptic. The Russians would use honey to cover their wounds in World War II. The wound would retain moisture and would leave very little scar tissue. Due to the density of honey, no fungus or bacteria could grow in the wound. Dramatic improvements were visible in 22 incurable chest and Alzheimer's disease patients at nursing Homes in England who were treated by Sister Carole, a nun, with propolis, a substance which bees produce to seal hives against bacteria. A person suffering from an allergy of a particular plant may be given honey from that plant so that the person develops resistance to that allergy. Honey is also rich in fructose and vitamin K. The knowledge contained in the Qur’an regarding honey, its origin and properties, was discovered centuries after its revelation.

The Qur’an was revealed 600 years before the Muslim scientist Ibn Nafees described the circulation of the blood and 1,000 years before William Harwey brought this understanding to the Western world. Roughly thirteen centuries before it was known what happens in the intestines to ensure that organs are nourished by the process of digestive absorption, a verse in the Qur’an described the source of the constituents of milk, in conformity with these notions

To understand the Qur’anic verse concerning the above concepts, it is important to know that chemical reactions occur in the intestines and that from there, substances extracted from food pass into the blood stream via a complex system; sometimes by way of the liver, depending on their chemical nature. The blood transports them to all the organs of the body, among which are the milk-producing mammary glands.

In simple terms, certain substances from the contents of the intestines enter into the vessels of the intestinal wall itself, and these substances are transported by the blood stream to the various organs.

This physiological concept must be fully appreciated if we wish to understand the following verses of the Qur’an: And indeed, for you in grazing livestock is a lesson. We give you drink from what is in their bellies - between excretion and blood - pure milk, palatable to drinkers.

[Al-Qur’an 16:66]1

And indeed, for you in livestock is a lesson. We give you drink from that which is in their bellies, and for you in them are numerous benefits, and from them you eat.

[Al-Qur’an 23:21]

{ Then He made his posterity out of the extract of a liquid disdained. }

[Al-Qur’an 32:8]

The Arabic word sulaalah means quintessence or the best part of a whole. We have come to know now that only one single spermatozoon that penetrates the ovum is required for fertilization, out of the several million produced by man. That one spermatozoon out of several million, is referred to in the Qur’an as sulaalah.

We have also come to know now that only one ovum is fertilized out of the tens of thousands produced by the female. That one ovum out of tens of thousands is also referred to in the Qur'an as Sulaalah.

This word also means gentle extraction from a fluid. The fluid refers to both male and female germinal fluids containing gametes. Both ovum and sperm are gently extracted from their environments in the process of fertilization.

{ So let man observe from what he was created. He was created from a fluid, ejected, Emerging from between the backbone and the ribs.}

[Al-Qur’an 86:5-7]

In embryonic stages, the reproductive organs of the male and female, i.e. the testicles and the ovaries, begin their development near the kidney between the spinal column and the eleventh and twelfth ribs.

Later they descend; the female gonads (ovaries) stop in the pelvis while the male gonads (testicles) continue their descent before birth to reach the scrotum through the inguinal canal. Even in adulthood after the descent of the reproductive organs, these organs receive their nerve supply an blood supply from the Abdominal Aorta, which is in the area between the backbone (spinal column) and the ribs. The lymphatic drainage and the venous return also go to the same area.

The Glorious Qur’an mentions no less than eleven times that the human being is created from nutfah, which means a minute quantity of liquid or a trickle of liquid that remains after emptying a cup

This is mentioned in several verses of the Qur’an including 22:5 and 23:13. Science has confirmed in recent times that only one out of an average of three million sperms is required for fertilizing the ovum. This means that only 1/3 millionth part or 0.00003% of the quantity of sperms that are emitted is required for fertilization.

{ Then He made his posterity out of the extract of a liquid disdained. }

[Al-Qur’an 32:8]

The Arabic word sulaalah means quintessence or the best part of a whole. We have come to know now that only one single spermatozoon that penetrates the ovum is required for fertilization, out of the several million produced by man. That one spermatozoon out of several million, is referred to in the Qur’an as sulaalah.

We have also come to know now that only one ovum is fertilized out of the tens of thousands produced by the female. That one ovum out of tens of thousands is also referred to in the Qur'an as Sulaalah. This word also means gentle extraction from a fluid. The fluid refers to both male and female germinal fluids containing gametes. Both ovum and sperm are gently extracted from their environments in the process of fertilization.

{ Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing.}

[Al-Qur’an 76:2]

The Arabic word nutfatin amshaajin means mingled liquids. According to some commentators of the Qur’an, mingled liquids refers to the male or female agents or liquids. After mixture of male and female gamete, the zygote still remains nutfah. Mingled liquids can also refer to spermatic fluid that is formed of various secretions that come from various glands. Therefore, nutfatin amshaaj, i.e. a minute quantity of mingled fluids refers to the male and female gametes (germinal fluids or cells) and part of the surrounding fluids.

The sex of a fetus is determined by the nature of the sperm and not of the ovum. The sex of the child, whether female or male, depends on whether the 23rd pair of chromosomes is XX or XY respectively. Primarily, sex determination occurs at fertilization and depends upon the type of sex chromosome in the sperm that fertilizes an ovum. If it is an ‘X’ bearing sperm that fertilizes the ovum, the fetus is a female and if it is a ‘Y’ bearing sperm then the fetus is a male.

{ And that He creates the two mates - the male and female - From a sperm-drop when it is emitted }

[Al-Qur’an 53:45-46]

The Arabic word nutfah means a minute quantity of liquid and tumnaa means ejaculated or planted. Therefore nutfah specifically refers to sperm because it is ejaculated. The Qur’an says: Had he not been a sperm from semen emitted? Then he was a clinging clot, and [ Allah ] created [his form] and proportioned [him] And made of him two mates, the male and the female

[Al-Qur’an 75:37-39]

Here again it is mentioned that a small quantity (drop) of sperm (indicated by the word nutfatan min maniyyin) which comes from the man is responsible for the sex of the fetus. Mothers-in-law in the Indian subcontinent, usually prefer having male grandchildren and often blame their daughters-in-law if the child is not a boy. If only they knew that the determining factor is the nature of the male sperm and not the female ovum! If they were to blame anybody, they should rather blame their sons, not their daughters-in-law, since both the Qur’an and Science hold that it is the male fluid that is responsible for the sex of the child!

{ He created you from one soul. Then He made from it its mate, and He produced for you from the grazing livestock eight mates. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, within three darknesses. That is Allah, your Lord; to Him belongs dominion. There is no deity except Him, so how are you averted? }

[Al-Qur’an 39:6]

According to Prof. Keith Moore, these three veils of darkness in the Qur’an refer to:

1. anterior abdominal wall of the mother
2. the uterine wall
3. the amnio-chorionic membrane.

EMBRYOLOGICAL STAGES

{ And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay. Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging. Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators.}

[Al-Qur’ an 23:12-14]

In this verse Allah states that man is created from a small quantity of liquid which is placed in a place of rest, firmly fixed (well established or lodged) for which the Arabic word qaraarin makeen is used. The uterus is well protected from the posterior by the spinal column supported firmly by the back muscles. The embryo is further protected by the amniotic sac containing the amniotic fluid. Thus the fetus has a well protected dwelling place. This small quantity of fluid is made into alaqah, meaning something which clings. It also means a leech-like substance. Both descriptions are scientifically acceptable as in the very early stages the fetus clings to the wall and also appears to resemble the leech in shape. It also behaves like a leech (blood sucker) and acquires its blood supply from the mother through the placenta. The third meaning of the word alaqah is a blood clot. During this alaqah stage, which spans the third and fourth week of pregnancy, the blood clots within closed vessels. Hence the embryo acquires the appearance of a blood clot in addition to acquiring the appearance of a leech. Compare the readily available Qur'anic knowledge with Man's struggle with scientific findings

Embryological stages of human development have also been described in the following verses:

{ Who created you, proportioned you, and balanced you? In whatever form He willed has He assembled you.}

[Al-Qur’an 82:7-8]

At the mudghah stage, if an incision is made in the embryo and the internal organ is dissected, it will be seen that most of them are formed while the remaining are not yet completely formed.

According to Prof. Johnson, if we describe the embryo as a complete creation, then we are only describing that part which is already created. If we describe it as an incomplete creation, then we are only describing that part which is not yet created. So, is it a complete creation or an incomplete creation? There is no better description of this stage of embryogenesis than the Qur’anic description, “partly formed and partly unformed”, as in the following verse:

{ O People, if you should be in doubt about the Resurrection, then [consider that] indeed, We created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed - that We may show you. And We settle in the wombs whom We will for a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then [We develop you] that you may reach your [time of] maturity. And among you is he who is taken in [early] death, and among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit [old] age so that he knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind.}

[Al-Qur’an 22:5]

Scientifically we know that at this early stage of development there are some cells which are differentiated and there are some cells that are undifferentiated – some organs are formed and yet others unformed.

The first sense to develop in a developing human embryo is hearing. The fetus can hear sounds after the 24th week. Subsequently, the sense of sight is developed and by the 28th week, the retina becomes sensitive to light.

The Qur'an explains it thus:

{ Then He proportioned him and breathed into him from His [created] soul and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful.}

[Al-Qur’an 32:9]

{ Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing.}

[Al-Qur’an 76:2]

{ And it is He who produced for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful.}

[Al-Qur’an 23:78]

In all these verses the sense of hearing is mentioned before that of sight. Thus the Qur’anic description matches perfectly with the discoveries in modern embryology

{ Does man think that We will not assemble his bones? Yes. [We are] Able [even] to proportion his fingertips. }

[Al-Qur’an 75:3-4]

Unbelievers argue regarding resurrection taking place after bones of dead people have disintegrated in the earth and how each individual would be identified on the Day of Judgement. Almighty Allah answers that He can not only assemble our bones but can also reconstruct perfectly our very fingertips.

Why does the Qur’an, while speaking about determination of the identity of the individual, speak specifically about fingertips? In 1880, fingerprinting became the scientific method of identification, after research done by Sir Francis Golt. No two persons in the world can ever have exactly the same fingerprint pattern, not even identical twins. That is the reason why police forces worldwide use fingerprints to identify criminals. Fourteen hundred years ago, who could have known the uniqueness of each human’s fingerprint? Surely it could have been none other than the Creator Himself!

It was thought that the sense of feeling and pain was dependent only on the brain. Recent discoveries however prove that there are pain receptors present in the skin, without which a person would not be able to feel pain. When a doctor examines a patient suffering from burn injuries, he verifies the degree of burns by a pinprick. If the patient feels pain, the doctor is happy, because it indicates that the burns are superficial and the pain receptors are intact. On the other hand, if the patient does not feel any pain, it indicates that it is a deep burn and the pain receptors have been destroyed.

The Qur’an gives a clear indication of the existence of pain receptors in the following verse:

{ Indeed, those who disbelieve in Our verses - We will drive them into a Fire. Every time their skins are roasted through We will replace them with other skins so they may taste the punishment. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted in Might and Wise.}

[Al-Qur’an 4:56]

Prof. Tagatat Tejasen, Chairman of the Department of Anatomy at Chiang Mai University in Thailand, has spent a great amount of time on research of pain receptors. Initially he could not believe that the Qur’an mentioned this scientific fact 1,400 years ago. He later verified the translation of this particular Qur’anic verse. Prof. Tejasen was so impressed by the scientific accuracy of the Qur’anic verse, that at the 8th Saudi Medical Conference held in Riyadh on the Scientific Signs of Qur’an and Sunnah, he proudly proclaimed in public: “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.

To attribute the presence of scientific facts in the Qur’an to coincidence would be against common sense and a true scientific approach. Indeed the scientific accuracy of the Qur'anic verses confirm the Qur'an's open declaration.

{ We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness? }

[Al-Qur’an 41:53]

The Qur’an invites all humans to reflect on the Creation of this universe in the verse:

{ Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.}

[Al-Qur’an 3:190]

The scientific evidences of the Qur’an clearly prove its Divine origin. No human could have produced a book, fourteen hundred years ago, that would contain such profound scientific facts.

The Qur’an contains a complete code of life for the individual and society. Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), the Qur’anic way of life is far superior to the ‘isms’ that modern man has invented out of sheer ignorance. Who can give better guidance than the Creator Himself?

Ever since the dawn of human life on this planet, Man has always tried to understand Nature, his own place in the scheme of Creation and the purpose of Life itself. In this quest for Truth, spanning many centuries and diverse civilizations, organized religion has shaped human life and, to a large extent, has determined the course of history. While some religions have been based on written text, claimed by their followers to be divinely inspired, others have relied solely on human experience.

There was a time, in the history of world civilization, when ‘miracles’, or what were perceived to be miracles, took precedence over human reason and logic.

A book, claiming to be of Divine origin, is in effect, claiming to be a miracle. Such a claim should be easily verifiable in any age, Muslims believe, that the Qur’an is the last and final revelation of God, the miracle of miracles, revealed as a mercy to mankind. Let us therefore investigate the veracity of this belief.

Even non-Muslim scholars agree that the Qur’an is Arabic literature par excellence – that it is the best Arabic literature on the face of the earth. The Qur’an challenges mankind to produce the likes of it:

{And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful. But if you do not - and you will never be able to - then fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers. }

[Al-Qur’an 2:23-24]

According to the famous physicist and Nobel Prize winner, Albert Einstein, “Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.” Let us therefore study the Qur’an, and analyze whether the Qur’an and Modern Science are compatible or incompatible?

The creation of the universe is explained by astrophysicists as a widely accepted phenomenon, popularly known as ‘The Big Bang’. It is supported by observational and experimental data gathered by astronomers and astrophysicists for decades. According to ‘The Big Bang’, the whole universe was initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then there was a ‘Big Bang’ (Secondary Separation) which resulted in the formation of Galaxies. These then divided to form stars, planets, the sun, the moon, etc. The origin of the universe was unique and the probability of it happening by ‘chance’ is nil. The Qur’an contains the following verse regarding the origin of the universe:

{ Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe? }

[Al-Qu’ran 21:30]

The striking similarity between the Qur’anic verse and ‘The Big Bang’ is inescapable! How could a book, which first appeared in the deserts of Arabia 1400 years ago, contain this profound scientific truth?

Scientists agree that before the galaxies in the universe were formed, celestial matter was initially in the form of gaseous matter. In short, huge gaseous matter or clouds were present before the formation of the galaxies. To describe initial celestial matter, the word ‘smoke’ is more appropriate than gas. The following Qur’anic verse refers to this state of the universe by the word dukhaan which means smoke.

{ Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, "Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion." They said, "We have come willingly." }

[Al-Qur’an 41:11]

Again, this fact is a corollary to the ‘Big Bang’ and was not known to anyone before the prophet hood of Muhammad (Peace be upon him)1. What then, could have been the source of this knowledge?

In early times, people believed that the earth was flat. For centuries, men were afraid to venture out too far, for fear of falling off the edge! Sir Francis Drake was the first person who proved that the earth is spherical when he sailed around it in 1597.

Consider the following Qur’anic verse regarding the alternation of day and night:

{ Do you not see that Allah causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term, and that Allah, with whatever you do, is Acquainted? }

[Al-Qur’an 31:29]

Merging here means that the night slowly and gradually changes to day and vice versa. This phenomenon can only take place if the earth is spherical. If the earth was flat, there would have been a sudden change from night to day and from day to night. The following verse also alludes to the spherical shape of the earth:

{ He created the heavens and earth in truth. He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term. Unquestionably, He is the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver.}

[Al-Qur’an 39:5]

The Arabic word used here is Kawwara meaning ‘to overlap’ or ‘to coil’– the way a turban is wound around the head. The overlapping or coiling of the day and night can only take place if the earth is spherical.

The earth is not exactly round like a ball, but geo-spherical, i.e. it is flattened at the poles. The following verse contains a description of the earth’s shape:

{ And after that He spread the earth.}

[Al-Qur’an 79:30]

The Arabic word for egg here is dahaahaa1 which means an ostrich-egg. The shape of an ostrich-egg resembles the geo-spherical shape of the earth. Thus the Qur’an correctly describes the shape of the earth, though the prevalent notion when the Qur’an was revealed was that the earth was flat.

It was believed by earlier civilizations that the moon emanates its own light. Science now tells us that the light of the moon is reflected light. However this fact was mentioned in the Qur’an 1,400 years ago in the following verse:

{ Blessed is He who has placed in the sky great stars and placed therein a [burning] lamp and luminous moon.}

[Al-Qur’an 25:61]

The Arabic word for the sun in the Qur’an, is shams. It is also referred to as siraaj which means a ‘torch’ or as wahhaaj meaning ‘a blazing lamp’ or as diya which means ‘shining glory’. All three descriptions are appropriate to the sun, since it generates intense heat and light by its internal combustion.

The Arabic word for the moon is qamar and it is described in the Qur’an as muneer which is a body that gives noor i.e. reflected light. Again, the Qur’anic description matches perfectly with the true nature of the moon which does not give off light by itself and is an inactive body that reflects the light of the sun.

The following verses relate to the nature of light from the sun and the moon:

{ It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time]. Allah has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know }

[Al-Qur’an 10:5]

{ Do you not consider how Allah has created seven heavens in layers And made the moon therein a [reflected] light and made the sun a burning lamp? }

[Al-Qur’an 71:15-16]

The Glorious Qur'an and modern science, are thus in perfect agreement about the differences in the nature of sunlight and moonlight.

For a long time European philosophers and scientists believed that the earth stood still in the centre of the universe and every other body including the sun moved around it. In the West, this geocentric concept of the universe was prevalent right from the time of Ptolemy in the second century B.C. In 1512, Nicholas Copernicus put forward his Heliocentric Theory of Planetary Motion, which asserted that the sun is motionless at the centre of the solar system with the planets revolving around it.

After these discoveries, it was thought that the Sun was stationary and did not rotate about its axis like the Earth. I remember having studied this fallacy from Geography books during my school days. Consider the following Qur’anic verse:

{ And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming.}

[Al-Qur’an 21:33]

The Arabic word used in the above verse is yasbahoon. This word is derived from the word sabaha. It carries with it the idea of motion that comes from any moving body. If you use this word for a person on the ground, it would not mean that he is rolling but would imply that he is walking or running. If you use this word for a person in water, it would not mean that he is floating but would imply that he is swimming. Similarly, if you use the word yasbah for a celestial body such as the sun, it would not only mean that it is flying through space but would also mean that it is rotating as it goes through space. Most school textbooks have now incorporated the fact that the sun rotates about its axis.

{ It is not allowable for the sun to reach the moon, nor does the night overtake the day, but each, in an orbit, is swimming.}

[Al-Qur’an 36:40]

This verse mentions an essential fact discovered only recently by modern astronomy, i.e. the existence of the individual orbits of the Sun and the Moon, and their journey through space with their own motion.

The ‘fixed place’ towards which the sun travels, carrying with it the solar system, has been located precisely by modern astronomy.The moon rotates around its axis in the same duration that it takes to revolve around the earth.

It takes approximately 29½ days to complete one rotation.

One cannot help but be amazed at the scientific accuracy of the Qur’anic verses.

Should we not ponder over the question: “What is the source of knowledge contained in the Qur’an?”

The light of the sun is due to a chemical process on its surface that has been taking place continuously for the past five billion years. It will come to an end at some point of time in the future, when the sun will be totally extinguished, leading to extinction of all life on earth. Regarding the impermanence of the sun’s existence, the Qur’an says:

{ And the sun runs [on course] toward its stopping point. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.}

[Al-Qur’an 36:38]

The Arabic word used here is mustaqarr, which means a place or time that is determined. Thus the Qur’an says that the sun runs towards a determined place, and will do so only up to a pre-determined period of time – meaning that it will end or extinguish.

The space outside organized astronomical systems was earlier assumed to be a vacuum. Astrophysicists later discovered the presence of bridges of matter in this interstellar space. These bridges of matter are called plasma, and consist of completely ionized gas containing equal number of free electrons and positive ions. Plasma is sometimes called the fourth state of matter (besides the three known states viz. solid, liquid and gas). The Qur’an refers to the presence of this interstellar material in the following verse:

{ He who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days and then established Himself above the Throne - the Most Merciful, so ask about Him one well informed.}

[Al-Qur’an 25:59]

It would be ridiculous for anyone to even suggest that the presence of interstellar galactic material was known 1400 years ago!

In 1925, American astronomer Edwin Hubble, provided observational evidence that all galaxies are moving away from one another, which implies that the universe is expanding. The expansion of the universe is now an established scientific fact. This is what the Qur’an says regarding the nature of the universe:

{ And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander.}

[Al-Qur’an 51:47]

The Arabic word musioon is correctly translated as ‘expanding it’, and it refers to the creation of the expanding vastness of the universe. One of the greatest astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, in his book, ‘A Brief History of Time’,says, “The discovery that the universe is expanding was one of the great intellectual revolutions of the 20th century.” The Qur’an mentioned the expansion of the universe, before man even learnt to build a telescope! Some may say that the presence of astronomical facts in the Qur’an is not surprising since the Arabs were advanced in the field of astronomy. They are correct in acknowledging the advancement of the Arabs in the field of astronomy. However they fail to realize that the Qur’an was revealed centuries before the Arabs excelled in astronomy. Moreover many of the scientific facts mentioned above, such as the origin of the universe with a Big Bang, were not known to the Arabs even at the peak of their scientific advancement. The scientific facts mentioned in the Qur’an are therefore not due to the Arabs’ advancement in astronomy. Indeed, the reverse is true: they advanced in astronomy, because astronomy occupies a place in the Qur’an.

In ancient times a well-known theory by the name of ‘Theory of Atomism’ was widely accepted. This theory was originally proposed by the Greeks, in particular by a scholar called Democritus, who lived about 23 centuries ago. Democritus and the people that came after him, assumed that the smallest unit of matter was the atom. The ancient Arabs used to believe the same. The Arabic word zarrah most commonly meant an atom. In recent times modern science has discovered that it is possible to split even an atom. That the atom can be split further is a development of the 20th century. Fourteen centuries ago this concept would have appeared unusual even to an Arab. For him the zarrahw as the limit beyond which one could not go. The following Qur’anic verse however, refuses to acknowledge this limit:

{But those who disbelieve say, "The Hour will not come to us." Say, "Yes, by my Lord, it will surely come to you. [ Allah is] the Knower of the unseen." Not absent from Him is an atom's weight within the heavens or within the earth or [what is] smaller than that or greater, except that it is in a clear register - }

[Al-Qur’an 34:3]

This verse also refers to the Omniscience of God, His knowledge of all things, hidden or apparent. It then goes further and says that God is aware of everything, including what is smaller or bigger than the atom. Thus the verse clearly shows that it is possible for something smaller than the atom to exist, a fact discovered only recently by modern science.

In earlier times people did not know the source of underground water. They thought the water of the oceans, under the effect of winds, was thrust towards the interior of the continents. They also believed that the water returned by a secret passage or the Great Abyss. This passage is connected to the oceans and has been called the ‘Tartarus’, since Plato’s time. Even Descartes, a great thinker of the eighteenth century, subscribed to this view. Till the nineteenth century, Aristotle’s theory was still prevalent. According to this theory, water was condensed in cool mountain caverns and formed underground lakes that fed springs. Today, we have come to know that the rainwater that seeps into the cracks of the ground is responsible for this. This is described by the Qur’an in the following verses:

{ Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky and makes it flow as springs [and rivers] in the earth; then He produces thereby crops of varying colors; then they dry and you see them turned yellow; then He makes them [scattered] debris. Indeed in that is a reminder for those of understanding.}

[Al-Qur’an 39:21]

{ And of His signs is [that] He shows you the lightening [causing] fear and aspiration, and He sends down rain from the sky by which He brings to life the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed in that are signs for a people who use reason.}

[Al-Qur’an 30:24]

{ And We have sent down rain from the sky in a measured amount and settled it in the earth. And indeed, We are Able to take it away. }

[Al-Qur’an 23:18]

No other text dating back 1400 years ago gives such an accurate description of the water cycle.

{ By the sky which returns [rain] }

[Al-Qur’an 86:11]

WINDS IMPREGNATE CLOUDS

{ And We have sent the fertilizing winds and sent down water from the sky and given you drink from it. And you are not its retainers.}

[Al-Qur’an 15:22]

The Arabic word used here is lawaaqih which is the plural of laqih from laqaha, which means to impregnate or fecundate. In this context, impregnate means that the wind pushes the clouds together increasing the condensation that causes lightning and thus rain. A similar description is found in the following verse of the Qur’an:

{ It is Allah who sends the winds, and they stir the clouds and spread them in the sky however He wills, and He makes them fragments so you see the rain emerge from within them. And when He causes it to fall upon whom He wills of His servants, immediately they rejoice }

[Al-Qur’an 30:48]

Modern data on Hydrology agrees perfectly with the Qur'anic description on the same subject. The water cycle is described in several other versesof the Glorious Qur’an, including 7:57, 13:17, 25:48-49, 35:9, 36:34, 45:5, 50:9-11, 56:68-70 and 67:30.

Animals, for example, were created for the benefit of man: he eats from their flesh, uses them as a source of dress and warm, to ride and carry weights, and to enjoy their beauty.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth – all from Him. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought. } Quran ( 45 : 13

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

Materialist theorists say that nature is eternal, it is inanimate, and do not acknowledge the eternity of God, the Creator, who manages this universe.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { Who perfected everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay. } Quran ( 32 : 7 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

God Almighty swears by what is characterized by qualities that completely coincide with the characteristics of black holes.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { So I swear by the retreating stars - Those that run [their courses] and disappear [i.e., set] And by the night as it closes in1 And by the dawn when it breathes [i.e., stirs] [That] indeed, it [i.e., the Quran] is a word [conveyed by] a noble messenger [i.e., Gabriel] } Quran ( 81 : 15 -19 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The texts of the Qur’an referred to the distinction between the star and the planet represented by the sun and the moon, the modern astronomers have reached this facts recently.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { Blessed is He who has placed in the sky great stars and placed therein a [burning] lamp and luminous moon. } Quran ( 25 : 61 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The Holy Quran has proved the fact that the chest becomes tight and one breathes with difficulty, when ascending into the layers of the air, and the state of hardship that precedes death asphyxiation.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { So whoever Allah wants to guide – He expands his breast to [contain] IsLam; and whoever He wants to send astray1 – He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky. Thus does Allah place defilement upon those who do not believe. } Quran ( 6 : 125 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

It has been proven that the atmosphere returns evaporated water as rain, returns meteorites, repels lethal radiation, and reflects radio waves.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { By the sky which sends back1 } Quran ( 86 : 11 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

Allah has shown that the skin is the part of the body that feels the pain, so he linked the skin with the pain.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { Indeed, those who disbelieve in Our verses – We will drive them into a fire. Every time their skins are roasted through, We will replace them with other skins so they may taste the punishment. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted in Might and Wise. } Quran ( 4 : 56 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The Qur’an singled out the forelock or the front of the head, excluding the rest of the body parts, with lies and errors, this fact was recently discovered.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { No! If he does not desist, We will surely drag him by the forelock1A lying, sinning forelock. } Quran ( 96 : 15 -16 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

A fluid, ejected is a descriptive term for semen because it is composed of multiple liquid drops, but its components flow and move actively.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { So let man observe from what he was created He was created from a fluid, ejected, Emerging from between the backbone and the ribs.. Indeed, He [i.e., Allah], to return him [to life], is Able. } Quran ( 86 : 5 - 8 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The Qur’an affirms that the human being is not created at once, this was the belief that prevailed since the reign of Aristotle until before the past century, but rather the Quran stated that the fetus is created in fixed stages.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { What is [the matter] with you that you do not attribute to Allah [due] grandeur While He has created you in stages?1 } Quran ( 71 : 13 -14 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The Qur’an forbade eating pork. The Quran described it as impure which indicates that it is dirty and will not bear but harm.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { Say, "I do not find within that which was revealed to me [anything] forbidden to one who would eat it unless it be a dead animal or blood spilled out or the flesh of swine – for indeed, it is impure – or it be [that slaughtered in] disobedience, dedicated to other than Allah.1 But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], then indeed, your Lord is Forgiving and Merciful." } Quran ( 6 : 145 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The Qur’an decided a geographical fact that the Byzantines lost the battle with the Persians In the nearest land., i.e. this is the lowest area on the surface of the earth .

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { The Byzantines have been defeated1 In the nearest land.1 But they, after their defeat, will overcome } Quran ( 30 : 2 - 3 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The Qur’an proved that one of the most prominent features of the earth’s crust is that it is divided by a network of deep faults into twelve major pieces.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { And [by] the earth which splits,1 } Quran ( 86 : 12 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The mountain resemble the wedge in shape and function, for a part of the wedge is visible on the surface of the earth, while another part of it is planted in the bottom of the earth's crust, its function is to keep it firm.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { And the mountains as stakes?1 } Quran ( 78 : 7 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The Qur’an proved the reality that the salty seas are a collection of different characteristics in terms of salinity, temperature and density.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { He released the two seas,1 meeting [one another]; Between them is a barrier so neither of them transgresses. } Quran ( 55 : 19 -20 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The Qur’an proved that the seas and the deep oceans are covered with dense clouds that block a great deal of sunlight and create levels of darkness.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { Or [they are] like darknesses within an unfathomable sea which is covered by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds – darknesses, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly see it. And he to whom Allah has not granted light – for him there is no light. } Quran ( 24 : 40 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The Qur’an proved that the universe at its beginning was a huge gas cloud, and then it gradually turned into millions of stars.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and then We separated them } Quran ( 21 : 30 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The Qur’an stated that any living creature consists of a high percentage of water, and if it lost 25 percent of the water, it will inevitably die.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe? } Quran ( 21 : 30 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

The Qur’an proved that the sky is constantly increasing in capacity.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { And the heaven We constructed with strength,1 and indeed, We are [its] expander. } Quran ( 51 : 47 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran

Modern science has proven that the sun travels at a speed of 43,200 miles per hour, this fact is proven by the Qur’an.

Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ) : { And the sun runs [on course] toward its stopping point. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing. } Quran ( 36 : 38 )

# The_scientific_miraculuos_aspects_of_the_Quran