Scientific Errors in the Qur'an (Response)
- This article expresses a pro-Islamic viewpoint. It is a response to: Scientific Errors in the Qur'an
In the name of Allah
Contents
Astronomy
Earth also moves
These verses show clearly that the brightness of the Sun, is the result of the movement of the Earth. It is not the movement of the Sun that is responsible for night and day. In other words, the Sun is immobile in terms of night and day. The information in the Qur’an refutes the thesis that the Earth is fixed while the Sun revolves around it.
Celestial Mythology
One of the most important reasons for the great equilibrium in the universe is the fact that celestial bodies follow specific paths. Stars, planets and satellites all rotate around their own axes and also rotate together with the system of which they are a part. The universe functions within a finely-tuned order, just like the wheels in a factory.
There are more than 100 billion galaxies in the visible universe and each small galaxy contains approximately 100 billion stars. Furthermore, each big galaxy contains more than a trillion. 16 Many of these stars have planets and many of those planets have satellites. All these celestial bodies follow the most finely calculated paths and orbits. For millions of years, each one has been moving in its own path in flawless harmony with all the others. In addition to these, there are also a great many comets moving along in their own pre-determined paths.
In addition, the paths in the universe are not restricted to a few celestial bodies. The Solar System and even other galaxies also exhibit considerable motion around other centres. Every year, Earth, and the Solar System with it, move some 500 million km from where they were the previous year. It has been calculated that even the slightest deviation from celestial bodies' paths could have drastic consequences which might spell the end of the entire system. For example, the consequences of the earth's deviating from its course by a mere 3 mm have been described in one source as follows:
While rotating around the sun, the earth follows such an orbit that, every 18 miles, it only deviates 2.8 millimetres from a direct course. The orbit followed by the earth never changes, because even a deviation of 3 millimetres would cause catastrophic disasters: If the deviation were 2.5 mm instead of 2.8 mm, then the orbit would be very large, and all of us would freeze. If the deviation were 3.1 mm, we would be scorched to death.
Another characteristic of heavenly bodies is that they also rotate around their own axes. The verse which reads
indicates this truth. Naturally, at the time when the Qur'an was revealed, people had no telescopes with which to study bodies millions of kilometres away in space, advanced observation technology or our modern knowledge of physics and astronomy. It was therefore impossible to establish that space had
as described in the verse. The Qur'an however, revealed at that time, provided clear information concerning that fact.
The Earth is not flat
The Arabic word which is translated as "to cover" in the above verse is "takwir." In English, it means "to make one thing lap over another, folded up as a garment that is laid away." For instance, in Arabic dictionaries this word is used for the action of wrapping one thing around another, in the way that a turban is put on. The information given in the verse about the day and the night wrapping each other up includes accurate information about the shape of the world. This can be true only if the Earth is round. This means that in the Quran which was revealed in the 7th century, the roundness of the world was hinted at.
There are black holes
Black holes absorb stars and even galaxies in regions of space where from which no entity, including light, can escape
Moreover, stars of great mass also cause warps to be perceived in space. Black holes, however, do not just cause warps in space but also tear holes in it. That is why these collapsed stars are known as black holes. This fact may be referred to in the verse about stars, and this is another important item of information.
The universe consists of 7 layers
The word "heavens," which appears in many verses in the {{Quran| is used to refer to the sky above the Earth, as well as the entire universe. Given this meaning of the word, within the Quran it is seen that the Earth's sky, or the atmosphere, is made up of seven layers.
Today, it is known that the world's atmosphere consists of different layers that lie on top of each other.
Where does the sun rise
The area where the ozone layer around the Earth is thinnest, where it protects least against solar radiation, is the poles. American scientists determined a rapid decrease in ozone concentration at the moment of sunrise – when there was no sign of any before. This phenomenon is particularly encountered in the North Pole (Arctic) region, and there is a serious loss of ozone for a few hours immediately after sunrise.
The Arabic word “matlia” in this verse, meaning the “rising place” of the Sun, may well be a reference to this scientific discovery about the ozone layer.
Sirius as a single star
The fact that the Arabic word "shiaara," the equivalent of the star Sirius, appears only in Surat an-Najm 49, meaning only "star," is particularly striking. Because, considering the irregularity in the movement of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, as their starting point, scientists discovered that it was actually a double star. Sirius is actually a set of two stars, known as Sirius A and Sirius B. The larger of these is Sirius A, which is also closer to the Earth and the brightest star that can be seen with the naked eye. Sirius B, however, cannot be seen without a telescope.
The Sirius double stars orbit in ellipses about one another. The orbital period of Sirius A & B about their common centre of gravity is 49.9 years...{citation needed}
The Moon reflects light
The word "light" is used for the Moon ("nooran" in Arabic) and the word "lamp" for the Sun "sirajan" in Arabic. The word used for the Moon refers to a light-reflecting, bright, motionless body. The word used for the Sun refers to a celestial body which is always burning, a constant source of heat and light.
Biology
Sperm comes from between the spine/backbone and ribs
These verses say nothing whatsoever about the creation of sperm or the creation of anything else. Consequently, they do not inform us of where the creation of sperm takes place. They merely say that the substances under discussion come out from the places being described. The word being used is “yakhruj” meaning “to exit, leave, come out, emerge”. It in no way implies anything related to creation or origination.
Secondly, the phrase “mâ’ dâfiq” (water pouring forth) is not restricted in meaning to sperm but is used in Arabic for both the sperm and the egg.
Thirdly, the words translated as “back” (sulb) and “ribs” (tarâ’ib) are not understood in Arabic to belong to the same person. Arabs understand the “sulb” to refer to a part of the male body and the “tarâ’ib” to a part of the female.
Ovum contributed by female is mentioned
These verse declares clearly that a blood-clot are created from both male and female.
Womb has 3 layers
The expression "fee thulumatin thalathin," translated into English as "a triple darkness," indicates three dark regions involved during the development of the embryo. These are: the darkness of the abdomen, the darkness of the womb, the darkness of the placenta
As we have seen, modern biology has revealed that the embryological development of the baby takes place in the manner revealed in the verse, in three dark regions. Moreover, advances in the science of embryology show that these regions consist of three layers each. {citation needed}
Bones are formed before flesh
The Qur'an elaborates that the bones are formed and wrapped up with flesh and that is true as it is described in a scientific publication titled Developing Human. {citation needed}
Milk comes from between excrement and blood
The basic materials which allow the nourishment of the body come about as a result of chemical changes in the digestive system. These digested substances then pass through the wall of the intestine into the blood stream. Due to the circulation of the blood, the nutriments reach the relevant organs.
Like the other bodily tissues, the milk glands are nourished by nutriments brought to them by the blood. The blood therefore plays a most important role in the collection of nutriments from foodstuffs. Milk is secreted by the milk glands after all these stages and its nutritional values are particularly high.
Geology
Different seas have an impenetrable barrier between them
The physical force called "surface tension," the waters of neighbouring seas do not mix. Caused by the difference in the density of their waters, surface tension prevents them from mingling with one another, just as if a thin wall were between them.
Earth is flat like a carpet
Here it is mentioned of the case of the earth in life after, which all things will be completely different than these life.
Earth is flatter without mountains
This verse describes the situation in life after too, not in this life.
Mountains prevent earthquakes
The verse states that mountains perform the function of preventing shocks in the Earth. {citation needed}
Allah does not dropped down/cast mountains
This verse describes the role of mountain and it is pointed out by a comparison with "as projections (thereon)", translated by Yusuf Ali as "pegs" Qur'an 78:6-7.
Chest contracts with increasing height
This verse indicates that physical truth - the changes that take place in the chest with increasing height.
Geography and Environment
Earthquakes and Hurricanes are not for non-muslims only
In these two verse Allah does not says that Earthquakes and Hurricanes are for non-muslims only. He here threats disbelievers only and that is very clear.
But here in this verse Allah describes what he did to some disbelievers, who insisted to deny their Prophet.
Zoology
The fate of animal in Lifeafter
In the lifeafter... العادل Allah will take the right of a weak animal from a strong animal which the second one earlier in this life hit the weak animal.
Another miracle in what do bees eat
In these verses, Allah says "kul althmrat-" because all of them have pollen, and bees eat pollen, also He says "min kul althmrat" here to insist that bees do not eat whole the fruit, but some of it. {citation needed} Because "min" in Arabic means "some".
Some roles of Horses are for our transportation and ,,,
In this verse, Allah does not talk about whether horses were created wild or not. He only talks about some roles of them in this life.
Qur'anic mentions some of classification of Allah 'creatures as samples
Persons must be aware of every single word written in the Holy {{Quran| so s/he may misunderstand it; e,g in this verse Allah says "of them" which means "some", also He says "Allah creates what He wills" which clearly means that His almighty mentions only some types of what He has created.
History / Archeology
Christians worship Mary
The Qur'an teaches Muslims that Christians worship Mary.
Pharaoh or Pharaohs
The holy Qur'an does not declare that there was only Pharaoh. In the following verse, Allah only narrates about the Pharaoh in Moses' era.
The story of Nuh
The beginning of the punishment is described as when “water came forth from the valley” The Arabic word translated as “tannoor” is “alttannooru.” This describes a kind of oven made by digging a hole in the ground, and therefore refers to the volcanic fire inside a mountain (Allah knows the truth.) The Arabic word “wafara” in the verse means “burned strongly, produced bubbles, boiled up, boiled over, produced a foam.” Therefore, the reference in the verse would seem to be to the flowing, molten lava in the mountain, and the other detail which are mentioned in other verses are in complete agreement with the scientific facts.
Destroyed cities which are mentioned in the Ho;y Qur'an are punishment from Allah
One must be aware that natural disaster itself is created by Allah, so He can send it to those disbelievers, or to whom he wants as a kind of test.
Humans sleep for 300 years
This story known in other religions, not only in Islam.
Humans living for a thousand years
"Nuh" in the Qur'an is in reference to the person Noah with the Torah and Bible.
This story is also mentioned in Judaism and Christianity.
Jews said Ezra is the son of Allah
New historical researches discovered that Israelis in old eras, when they travelled to Egypt, saw people who believed that "Uzair" (Ezra) was the son of Allah. They enjoyed this belief and did the same, but after some time all of them died, so in these days no Jews believe so.
Muhammad (pbuh) sees Al-Aksa Mosque
Muslims believe that there was the Al-Aksa Mosque during Muhammad's (pbuh) time. {citation needed}
Sociology
The existence of animal societies
We know that all animals and birds live in the form of separate societies. Lengthy and wide-ranging studies have shown that there is a rather systematic social order among animals. Ants can serve as an example to human beings in many areas: technology, collective labour, military strategy, an advanced communications network, a hierarchical order, discipline and flawless town planning. Ants live in societies known as colonies and in such order amongst themselves that one could even say that they have a civilisation similar to that of human beings
Allah asks who lives near Ka'ba here not to annoy and hurt the people in it
Allah asks who lives near Kaaba here not to annoy and hurt the people in it, so if they do, He will punish them. And one must know that Allah only protected Kaaba from Abraha, and after that He asks people to protect It.
Non-muslims are deaf, dumb, and blind
Yes, that is right, non-muslims are deaf, so they can not hear the right; dumb from saying the good thing, so they do not say it; blind from seeing the right path.
Allah creates means of transportation
Allah in his verse does not limit all kind of means of transportation. He only mentions some examples.
Islam is not only for people who speak Arabic
Allah made the Qur'an Arabic, but does not mean that it is only for them. It is for ALL
Miracles of Islam
Humans supernaturally transform into apes and pigs
This story is also mentioned in Judaism and Christianity .
The modern satellite GPS system failed to discover everything in the earth
The modern satellite GPS system failed to discover everything in the earth, and still now they discover new village from day to day...also you can go to youtube to check up, and see the village which were be discovered recently.
Delicious buffet magically appears from the sky
{{Quote|Qur'an 5:114|Isa the son of Marium said: O Allah, our Lord! send i down to us food from heaven which should be to us an ever-recurring happiness, to the first of us and to the last of us, and a sign from Thee, and grant us means of subsistence, and Thou art the best of the Providers.}
"Isa" and "Marium" refer to Jesus and Mary.
This is another story which was also mentioned in Judaism and Christianity.
A stick miraculously transforms into a serpent
This is an amazing miracle which is mentioned in the Qur'an as well as the Jews' and Christians' books.
Solomon with his army of genies and birds , can communicate with ant and can control the wind
"Sulaiman" and "Dawood" is referring to Solomon and David.
This story was mentioned in many different historical resources. {citation needed} Also as we are told of the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) in the last verse is mentioned, may be a reference to electromagnetic signals being transmitted as desired in the air thanks to the use of soft iron.
Jonah perform repentance prayer inside a fish
This is a story which was mentioned in more than Muslims' Holy Book.
Body parts can rebel against the host
Believe me or not, new research has shown that body parts can talk. {citation needed} It can also be explained that this particular events happen in the day of judgement. So in this example the defendants (human) can be allowed to defend him/herself for whatever good or bad deeds that he/she do when he/she was alive. But there is a twist, the means to defend is not by his/her own mouth but by using the record keep by every part of the body. In another terms it is called logs on every part of the body.
The ocean split into half
This incident was proven in the study which was published in the Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences. {citation needed}
A dead man testified against his killer
This miracle is in other religions, as well.
Magical Hand in the Qur'an
Allah gave this miracle to His Prophet Moses to prove His message.
Mountains and birds echo with Dawood
The word "awwibee" in verse 10 of Surah Saba', translated as "echoing" in the verse and meaning "the return or reiteration of sound," is reminiscent of echo-based radar technology.
People use the forehead to lie
New science shows that the specific part of brain which makes decision is forehead, and so if one lies, that will appear on it by using specific rays. Also if one takes other forehead, that second one will be not able to think. He will act as a five-year-old child. {citation needed}
The message of Islam is universal
Allah does not mention these fruit because they are from nearby regions around the Arabian Peninsula, but because they are the best in nutrition.
Allah knows about Water Cycle
The formation of rain takes place in three stages. First, the "raw material" of rain rises up into the air with the wind. Later, clouds are formed, and finally raindrops appear.
In this verse, Allah mentions these three stages exactly, the first stage is mentioned in "Allah is he Who sends forth the winds...", the second stage in ".... then He spreads it forth in the sky as He pleases, and He breaks it up...", and the third one in "then when He causes it to fall upon".
Space travel is possible only with science
The word "authority" here means science, not only with the consent of Allah.
Human was created from clay
In these previous verses, Allah declares that He created Humans from clay. Modern science tells us the fact that the same elements are employed in human creation as those found in soil. {citation needed}
The story of Adam and Eve is totally true
"Shaitan" is in reference to Satan.
The story of Adam and Eve, which is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an is believed by Muslims' and by others within the Abrahamic faiths.
How does the hail form?
In this verse, Allah describes exactly how the hail forms, and the modern science describes it the same. It says that a cloud becomes electrified as hail falls through a region in the cloud of supercooled droplets and ice crystals. Liquid droplets freeze and release latent heat as they collide with a hailstone. This keeps the surface of the hailstone warmer than that of the surrounding ice crystals. An important phenomenon occurs when the hailstone comes in contact with an ice crystal: Electrons flow from the colder object toward the warmer one. In this way, the hailstone becomes negatively charged. This effect also occurs when supercooled droplets come in contact with a hailstone and small pieces of positively charged ice break off. These particles, which are lighter and positively charged, are carried to the upper part of the cloud by currents of air. The hail has a negative charge now, and falls towards the bottom of the cloud, thus the lower part of the cloud becomes negatively charged. These negative charges are then discharged as lightning. {citation needed} It may be concluded from this that hail is the main factor in the formation of lightning.
Allah destroyed some ancient tribes
Allah destroyed some ancient tribes who were sent a messenger with miracles, and they were still disbelievers.
Allah did not left out poisonous sea creature in his dietary advice
Allah in this verse declares that hunting from sea is allowed, and also eating its food when one is in Hajj….one must noticed that Allah uses the word "food" which means everything people used to eat, and it is common that food is good material, not deadly one.
Allah is Perfect
Allah is Perfect, so he creates the world with opposites
He has created day and night, hot and cold, evil and goodness, health and illness
Also, Allah promises disabled people who are patient, that they will be given a lot of rewards in life after.
Mathematics
Hereditary laws
wife 1/8 = 3/24 daughters 2/3 = 16/24 father 1/6 = 4/24 mother 1/6 = 4/24 total = 27/24
Allah (thus) directs you as regards your Children's (Inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females: if only daughters, two or more, their share is two-thirds of the inheritance; if only one, her share is a half. For parents, a sixth share of the inheritance to each, if the deceased left children; if no children, and the parents are the (only) heirs, the mother has a third; if the deceased Left brothers (or sisters) the mother has a sixth. (The distribution in all cases ('s) after the payment of legacies and debts. Ye know not whether your parents or your children are nearest to you in benefit. These are settled portions ordained by Allah; and Allah is All-knowing, Al-wise.
In what your wives leave, your share is a half, if they leave no child; but if they leave a child, ye get a fourth; after payment of legacies and debts. In what ye leave, their share is a fourth, if ye leave no child; but if ye leave a child, they get an eighth; after payment of legacies and debts. If the man or woman whose inheritance is in question, has left neither ascendants nor descendants, but has left a brother or a sister, each one of the two gets a sixth; but if more than two, they share in a third; after payment of legacies and debts; so that no loss is caused (to any one). Thus is it ordained by Allah; and Allah is All-knowing, Most Forbearing.Response
The Qur'an is the guiding text which explain the general principles of things. However, it is the Apostle's duty to explain the finer details. This can be seen with Prayer for example. The Qur'an stresses the importance of prayer, but doesn't give the exact details of it. However, it points towards obedience to the Prophet and following what is revealed to him for guidance in all matters.
So in the case of inheritance the general principles are mentioned, but as there are a great many potential cases which may arise, they are not all covered under these. The hadith give further information about what to do in other cases.
The example you provided is already well known.
"Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (as) was once interrupted while he was delivering a sermon from the pulpit by someone who asked him how to distribute the inheritance of someone who had died leaving a wife, his parents and two daughters. Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (as) instantly answered:
"The wife's share becomes one ninth."
How?
This answer is in fact the result of a long analysis with a number of steps. Ordinarily, we have to decide on the original share of each of these heirs, in the following way:
The wife takes one eighth, in view of the presence of an inheriting child. [Noble Qur'an, 4:12] The deceased's father and mother take one sixth each. [Noble Qur'an, 4:11] The two daughters take two thirds of the inheritance. [Noble Qur'an, 4:11] So the total will be: 1/8 + 1/6 + 1/6 + 2/3 = 3/24 + 4/24 + 4/24 + 16/24 = 27/24
This means the share becomes less than 1/8 in view of the increase of the total of the shares which are so fixed and prescribed. So the one eighth, the original share due to the wife out of twenty-four total shares, has become three shares out of a total of twenty-seven, which is one ninth."
Therefore, it is not a lack of mathematical knowledge in the Qur'an, but in the one who does not know how to apply it.
If you disagree, consider how many cases and situations it covers. There is great wisdom behind the apportioned amounts for each category of inheritor, if you care to delve into it.
