Monday 27 June 2016

Islam 101 - Lesson 6 (Part 3) : REVELATION - QURAN & SCIENCE

By Sister Mary

The Quran contains various statements and descriptions about “natural” phenomena which were recorded over 1400 years ago, at a time when little was known about them. Since then, advancement in science and technology has allowed man to uncover the mysteries behind them and the findings have proven consistent with the statements in the Quran. Not only has the Quran withstood the test of time, it has humbled many into accepting it to be word of God in the absence of any other plausible explanation.
THE QURAN ON HUMAN EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT
Dr. E. Marshall Johnson, Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Thomas Jefferson University said: “The Quran describes not only the development of external form, but emphasizes also the internal stages, the stages inside the embryo, of its creation and development, emphasizing major events recognized by contemporary science... As I gave the example before, if I were to transpose myself into that era, knowing what I knew today and describing things, I could not describe the things which were described. I see no evidence for the fact to refute the concept that this individual, Muhammad, had to be developing this information from some place. So I see nothing here in conflict with the concept that divine intervention was involved in what he was able to write.”
Professor Emeritus Keith L. Moore, one of the world’s most prominent scientists in the fields of anatomy and embryology said: “It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Quran about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammad must have been a messenger of God.” To a question of whether he believed that the Quran is the word of God, he replied: “I find no difficulty in accepting this.”
THE QURAN ON THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE
“Have not those who disbelieved known that the heavens and the earth were one connected entity, then We separated them?...” (Quran, 21:30) Dr. Alfred Kroner, one of the world’s renowned geologists, said: “Thinking where Muhammad came from… I think it is almost impossible that he could have known about things like the common origin of the universe, because scientists have only found out within the last few years, with very complicated and advanced technological methods, that this is the case… Somebody who did not know something about nuclear physics fourteen hundred years ago could not, I think, be in a position to find out from his own mind, for instance, that the earth and the heavens had the same origin.”
THE QURAN ON IRON
"We sent down Iron with its great inherent strength and its many benefits for humankind" (Quran 57:25). God uses the words ‘sent down’ for Iron. It is clear from the verse that Iron is not an earthly material, but was sent down for the benefit of humanity. It was only in early 20th century that science caught up. "When the supernova explodes, it shoots out carbon, oxygen, and iron atoms all over the Universe, and eventually gravity sucks these atoms into new planets like Earth. All of the iron on Earth was originally inside stars." http://quatr.us/chemistry/atoms/iron.htm
THE QURAN ON MOUNTAINS
Some 1400 years ago, the Quran said this of mountains: “Have We not made the earth as a bed, and the mountains as pegs?” (Quran, 78:6-7) Modern earth sciences have proven that mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground which can reach several times their elevations above the surface of the ground. So the most suitable word to describe mountains on the basis of this information is the word ‘peg,’ since most of a properly set peg is hidden under the surface of the ground. The theory of mountains having deep roots was introduced only in the latter half of the 19th century. Mountains also play an important role in stabilizing the crust of the earth. They hinder the shaking of the earth. “And He has set firm mountains in the earth so that it would not shake with you...”(Quran, 16:15) Likewise, the modern theory of plate tectonics holds that mountains work as stabilizers for the earth. This knowledge about the role of mountains as stabilizers for the earth has just begun to be understood in the framework of plate tectonics since the late 1960’s.
THE QURAN ON SEAS AND RIVERS
Modern science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier that divides them so that each has its own temperature, salinity, and density. An example of this is when the Mediterranean sea water enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill. Although there are large waves, strong currents, and tides in these seas, they do not mix or transgress this barrier. This phenomenon was mentioned in the Quran. “He has set free the two seas meeting together. There is a barrier between them. They do not transgress.” (Quran, 55:19-20)
THE QURAN ON DEEP SEAS AND INTERNAL WAVES
“...in a deep sea. It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds....” (24:40).
These “waves above which are waves” have been recently discovered to be internal waves which “occur on density interfaces between layers of different densities.” The internal waves cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because the deep waters have a higher density than the waters above them. Internal waves act like surface waves. They can also break, just like surface waves. Internal waves cannot be seen by the human eye, but they can be detected by studying temperature or salinity changes at a given location.
All this from an illiterate man (peace be upon him) who lived his entire life in the desert!
FURTHER READING
As it’s simply not possible to condense this topic into a 3-minute lesson, I’ve merely extracted and summarised some instances of recent scientific discoveries confirming the revelations in the Quran to be accurate. I strongly recommend you read this full text for a more detailed description (complete with diagrams) http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-ch1-1-h.htm
[Islam 101 is specially brought to you by sister Mary, Vice President of MRM]

Resource : From Facebook
27 June 2016 (22 Ramadhan 1437H)

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