Scientific Miracles in the Quran: Difference between revisions

{{QualityScore|Lead=4|Structure=4|Content=4|Language=4|References=4}}In recent times, many Muslim scholars have interpreted certain [[Qur'an|Quranic]] verses as being miraculously predictive of modern scientific discoveries and have presented these interpretations as evidence of the Quran's divine origin. Tellingly, no verse contained in the Quran has ever prompted a scientific discovery, and modern Muslim scholars have also generally not tried to argue that this has ever been the case. As such, all the purported instances of miraculous scientific foreknowledge in the Quran have been identified as such ''only'' ''after'' the science they are alleged to describe has been discovered by independent and unrelated means. Critics have pointed out this weakness and generally hold these so-called scientific miracles to be the product of theological sophistry whereby science is ''read back into'' the Quran upon discovery. Critics also maintain that there is no instance in the Quran where a scientific subject has been described with sufficient clarity, specificity, and accuracy as to qualify as anything Miraculous.

''Astronomy and medicine (two fields that are particularly relevant to 'scientific miracles') were relatively advanced for their time (especially astronomy) during the Islamic Empire's, which scientists never credited the Qur'an with prompting discoveries.''</ref> classical Islamic scholars/exegetes on the Quran aware of these facts never put forward theories of scientific foreknowledge.<ref>[https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300177718/islam-science-and-the-challenge-of-history/ ''Islam, Science, and the Challenge of History (The Terry Lectures Series)''.] Dallal, Ahmad. Yale University Press. 2012. Kindle Edition. ''See Kindle locations 1958 - 1972.  And Chapter 'The Quran and Science' locations 2618 - 2723 covering this issue.''</ref> Instead when science is inevitably discussed in verses relating to the natural world, they either confirm incorrect scientific worldviews at the time, and/or provide counter re-interpretations as new theories gain traction, ''and never before''. In fact, in many cases the Quran has been cited directly as the reason to support traditional unscientific views against those of e.g. astronomers,<ref>For example, in the debate between traditionalists and non-traditionalists on whether the Earth was flat, see: [https://www.academia.edu/93485940/Against_Ptolemy_Cosmography_in_Early_Kal%C4%81m_2022_ ''Against Ptolemy? Cosmography in Early Kalām (2022).''] Omar Anchassi. Journal of the American Oriental Society, 142(4), 851–881. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.7817/jaos.142.4.2022.ar033</nowiki>

In the eyes of historians, the Quran's author(s) almost certainly made no pretensions about predicting modern science. In support of this perspective, there is no Islamic scripture that actually claims that the Quran (or Islamic scripture in general) contain allusions to future scientific discoveries. Consequently, where the Quran makes mention of what are today perceived as topics of scientific interest (such as the wonders of the day and night sky, fauna and flora, or the human spirit), historians suggest that these passages were originally intended to simply inspire awe in their audience by orienting that audience's attention towards the world's many marvels and especially those marvels accessible to individuals living in the harsh, arid, and rocky environment of early 7th century Arabia.

 

In 1976 the book ''The Quran, the Bible, and Science'', by Dr. Maurice Bucaille was published. It purports to prove that the Qur'an, in contrast to the [[Taurat|Bible]], has always been in agreement with modern scientific discoveries. It was immensely popular "across the Muslim world" where it "sold millions of copies" and was "translated into several languages." <ref name="SubvHoodb"> [http://www.zmag.org/ZMag/articles/oct01hoodbhoy.htm When Science Teaching Becomes A Subversive Activity By Pervez Hoodbhoy]</ref>

 

During the 1980s and 1990s a Muslim scholar named [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Majeed_al-Zindani Abdul Majeed al-Zindani] organized various events to which scientists from around the world (mainly the west) were invited to talk. The ultimate result of these events was a documentary by Zindani, This is the Truth, in which some of these scientists were shown to be confirming the miraculous nature of the Quran, or were quoted as making statements off camera. This documentary was followed up in 1998 by a book of the same name, authored by Abdullah M al-Rehaili, which is now in its 3rd edition.

 

The most popular Islamic voices who have argued for the existence of scientific miracles in the Quran in the West include [[Harun Yahya]], [[Zakir Naik]], I.A. Ibrahim, and Hamza Tzortzis. Notably, in 2013, Hamza Tzortzis published an essay withdrawing his case for scientific miracles in the Quran and stating that the entire endeavor to prove such miracles "has become an intellectual embarrassment for Muslim apologists" and "has exposed the lack of coherence in the way they have formulated" their arguments, noting that "many Muslims who converted to Islam due to the scientific miracles narrative, have left the religion".<ref>{{Citation|author=Hamza Andreas Tzortzis|url=https://www.hamzatzortzis.com/does-the-quran-contain-scientific-miracles-a-new-approach/|publication-date=8/21/2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416194024/https://www.hamzatzortzis.com/does-the-quran-contain-scientific-miracles-a-new-approach/|chapter=Does the Quran contain scientific miracles?}}</ref> Zakir Naik's preaching has been banned in India, Bangladesh, Canada, the UK, and Malaysia under anti-terrorism and anti-hate laws.<ref name="lmzn2">{{cite web|work=Livemint|title=Zakir Naik's colourful, controversial past|url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/nEgC4RcrRkydW33OMxbvdN/Zakir-Naiks-controversial-past.html|accessdate=16 July 2016|date=7 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710003129/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/nEgC4RcrRkydW33OMxbvdN/Zakir-Naiks-controversial-past.html|archive-date=10 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=NDTV|title=Foreign Media On Zakir Naik, 'Doctor-Turned-Firebrand Preacher'|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/foreign-media-on-zakir-naik-doctor-turned-firebrand-preacher-1431875|accessdate=16 July 2016|date=15 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716133126/http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/foreign-media-on-zakir-naik-doctor-turned-firebrand-preacher-1431875|archive-date=16 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> On January 11th, 2020, Harun Yahya was sentenced to 1,075 years in prison for, among other charges, operating a sex cult, sexual assault, blackmail, and money laundering.<ref>{{Citation|chapter=Turkish court sentences TV preacher to more than 1,000 years in jail - state media|newspaper=Reuters|publication-date=1/11/2021|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/turkey-court-preacher-idUSL4N2JM23C|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131004740/https://www.reuters.com/article/turkey-court-preacher-idUSL4N2JM23C|editor=Reuters Staff}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-11/turkey-sex-cult-chief-sentenced-to-more-than-1-000-years-in-jail|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111124141/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-11/turkey-sex-cult-chief-sentenced-to-more-than-1-000-years-in-jail|publication-date=1/11/2021|newspaper=Bloomberg|author=Taylan Bilgic|chapter=Turkey Sex Cult Chief Sentenced to More Than 1,000 Years in Jail}}</ref>

 

A variety of theological methods are employed by modern Islamic scholars in making the case for any given scientific miracle in the Quran. These methods include what can be described and categorized as dehistoricization, pseudo-correlation, reinterpretation, disambiguation, elective literalism, elective esotericism, and data mining. While there exist any number of alternative approaches and combinations thereof to making the case for any given scientific miracle, the aforementioned methods are, in roughly descending order, the most common. These methods are not mutually exclusive and tend to employed in conjunction with one another in order to strengthen the case being made.

While modern Islamic theologians have employed the various methods discussed here in order to develop cases of scientific miracles in the Quran, philosophical and/or religious justification for the employment of these methods has been scant if at all forthcoming. Critics who have pointed out the problems inherent in the use of some/all of these methods have generally not been responded to or taken seriously by establishment theologians.

In many cases the scientific miracles simply involve mistranslations from Arabic to English, or from Classical Arabic to Modern Arabic. For example, the claim that daḥā/daḥāhā دَحَا /دَحَاهَا means ostrich-egg-shaped, used to make the claim that the author of the Qur'an knew the state the Earth is an oblate sphere, showing it's divinity - when it actually means 'spreading' the earth out, and can also be used for the (flat spread-out) place where an ostrich makes a nest in the ground, but not it's eggs<ref>Lane's Lexicon dictionary on [https://ejtaal.net/aa/#hw4=h328,ll=900,ls=h5,la=h1338,sg=h375,ha=h210,br=h325,pr=h55,aan=h185,mgf=h296,vi=h142,kz=h686,mr=h221,mn=h391,uqw=h509,umr=h357,ums=h289,umj=h236,ulq=h696,uqa=h130,uqq=h102,bdw=h298,amr=h220,asb=h280,auh=h558,dhq=h175,mht=h276,msb=h79,tla=h48,amj=h229,ens=h1,mis=h633 daḥā دَحَا]</ref> (''the shape of an ostrich egg is also not like that of the earth, see: [[Islamic Views on the Shape of the Earth]])''. Or that yasbaḥoona / يَسْبَحُونَ  means 'rotating on it's own axis' (applied to the sun in e.g. verse 21:33), of which there is no such meaning (it simply means 'swimming').<ref>[https://quranx.com/Dictionary/Lane/%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%AD Yasbahoona / سبح] Lane's Lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary (quranx.com)</ref> Or that sulb / ﺻُﻠﺐ (which means backbone)<ref>[https://quranx.com/Dictionary/Lane/%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%AD sulb ' ﺻُﻠﺐ] - Lane's Lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary</ref> or tara'ib / تَّرَآئِب (rib or other chest bones)<ref>[https://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000338.pdf Tara'ib تَّرَآئِب] -  Lane's Lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary</ref> means sexual areas of the man or women as to not contradict modern embryology (''see: [[Semen Production in the Quran]]'').   

The most common practice in making the case for a scientific miracle in the Quran is dehistoricization. Dehistoricization is the process whereby a historical event (in this case a verse of the Quran) is removed from its historical context. Since no Islamic scripture claims to be predictive of modern science, the great majority of scientific miracle cases require a degree of dehistoricization. [[Muhammad]] did not, after all, appeal directly to his companions by telling them he could forecast scientific discoveries that would be made more than a thousand years hence, in a future they would not live to see. Similarly, Muhammad did not appeal to his companions by forecasting historical events would be uncovered by future archaeological research. If he had done either, the miracle would have been ineffective and gone over the heads of his contemporaries who would not have known what Muhammad was talking about. Indeed, if his contemporaries could have verified the scientific or historical remark made by Muhmmad, it would not have been a miracle (as this would mean that Muhammad could also have learned of the fact through similar means).

As a result, verses have to be dehistoricized and subsequently reframed as forecasts of future scientific (or archaeological) discoveries. For instance, when the Quran states the Earth has been 'spread out' as a 'bed' and that mountains have been cast down upon the Earth as stabilizing 'stakes', it intends to inspire its contemporary audience's awe by directing its attention to a common mythological notion that this audience held to be true. Islamic theologians thus take this and similar verses and reframe them as predictions.

In cases where the scientific or historical fact to which Muhammad is alluding is described accurately, modern Islamic theologians are required to engage in a double dehistoricization: firstly, the description must be reconceived as a prediction, and, secondly, the possibility of Muhammad acquiring the relevant fact through other than divine means must be precluded.

To achieve the latter, Islamic theologians will variously argue that the relevant fact was not known to anyone in the 7th century, that Arabia was prohibitively isolated from global currents of knowledge, that Muhammad in particular was isolated from knowledge in general, that Muhammad was illiterate and therefore incapable of accessing knowledge even if it were available to him, and/or that the mental capabilities of ancient persons were significantly less than those of modern persons.

Another common practice employed by Islamic theologians in making the case for scientific miracles in the Quran is drawing what are best described as pseudo-correlations between the Quran and scientific fact. This is achieved through: the use of decontextualized quotations from scientific publications, scientific and grammatical jargon in a confounding manner, metaphorical interpretations of science, equating the common historical observation of a phenomenon with its modern scientific explanation, as well as inaccurate or incorrect understandings of the relevant scientific fact.

In the case of the Quran 'predicting the stabilizing role of mountains', for instance, Islamic theologians suppose that the thickened continental crust or "roots" beneath mountain ranges in some sense stabilize the Earth's crust, whereas modern science does not hold this to be the case.

It is also generally necessary for Islamic theologians to flout interpretive tradition (classical [[Tafsir|tafsirs]]) in their reading of the portion of the verse said to describe a scientific fact. The interpretations flouted sometimes include those provided by Muhammad himself and, much more frequently, those provided by [[Sahabah|Muhammad's companions (the Sahabah)]].

The verses that appear to be best suited as candidates for scientific miracles are those verses comprised of words and phrases whose meaning is opaque and cryptic or whose meaning has simply been lost to time. Islamic theologians have most often used verse of this variety in order to make cases for scientific miracles in the Quran.

Critics have argued that these purported miracles draw on the laws of probability and reveal nothing supernatural about the Quran.

A situation slightly different from standard cases of scientific miracles arises on occasion where the Quran describes a scientific phenomenon in relatively clear terms, albeit incorrectly. While these situations are not frequently attended to by modern Islamic theologians, they have at times insisted that while the apparent meaning of the verse may appear incorrect, they are in fact true in some esoteric sense. Despite being of an evidently lower caliber, these cases are also at times advanced as scientific miracles.

 

 

 

 

*Additionally, it may be that none of the above criteria can be established regarding any scientific statement because: (1) language is inherently ambiguous, (2) it is impossible to prove something is not an accident, and (3) history is fundamentally inaccessible. Nonetheless, one can and probably will disregard the skepticism necessitated by this last bullet point in their analysis.

1) The Earth is described as being created first in the preceeding verses ({{Quran-range|41|9|10}}), along with all that is present on its surface, and only thereafter is the heaven made to be seven heavens and the lowest adorned with stars (see also {{Quran|2|29}}).<BR>  

2) Moreover, they point out, the Earth is addressed by Allah in the verse in question as distinct from the heaven, which alone is described as smoke but not the earth too. Several other criticisms have also been made, described in the main article.

====Universe consists of "Space", while the Quranic heaven is a solid canopy which could not expand====

Critics also point out that according to science, the universe consists of space and galaxies are travelling away from each other in this space and thus it is considered as an expansion of the universe.  

However, the Quran heaven is a solid canopy: {{Quote|{{Quran|2|22}}| الذي جعل لكم الارض فراشا والسماء بناء وانزل من السماء ماء فاخرج به من الثمرات رزقا لكم فلا تجعلوا لله اندادا وانتم تعلمون </br>Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith Fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals unto Allah when ye know (the truth). }}The word translated as canopy is binaa or binaan ( بِنَاء ). This word means "building"<ref>بِنَاء binaa - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000298.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 261</ref>. In {{Quran|67|4}} and {{Quran|71|15}}, the heavens are described as layers. There are seven layers or stories to this building called the heavens. The heavens are built on a foundation called "the earth". The tafsir of Ibn Kathir, among others, elaborates this<ref>[https://tafsir.app/2/22 Tafsirs 2:22]</ref>:{{quote |[http://tafsir.com/default.asp?sid&#61;2&tid&#61;1494 Tafsir Ibn Kathir]| These Ayat indicate that Allah first created the earth, then He made heaven into seven heavens. This is how building usually starts, with the lower floors first and then the top floors}}

The Jewish apocryphal book 2 Esdras (1st / 2nd century CE) contains the same concept when describing the days of creation. It is not quite as general as the later Quranic version, as verse 53 states that on the 6th day cattle, beasts and creeping things were brought forth from the earth.

Just as with the above [[Scientific Miracles in the Quran#The Big Bang|big bang alleged miracle]], it is worth noting that Q21:30 assumes that these ideas (all living things being made from water, and the Earth and skies being split) are already accepted by the (pre-scientific) pagan Arabs, somewhat negating the idea that this is a scientific miracle.<ref name=":0" /> Rather, the polemical point being made here is that given God can do these things then why would they question God's power for e.g. resurrection, not disputing the common motifs themselves.

Some modern Islamic scholars and popular voices, particularly Harun Yahya, have argued that the {{Quran|77|8}} and {{Quran-range|86|1|3}} contain an accurate description of black holes and pulsars. {{Quran|77|8}} speaks of the stars being "obliterated" or "effaced" and {{Quran-range|86|1|3}} speaks of a star of speaks of a night visitor, a piercing star. Critics point out that {{Quran|77|8}} is not describing a regular phenomenon but rather occurs in an eschatological context, the next few verses mentioning the destruction of the heavens and mountains. Regarding {{Quran-range|86|1|3}}, critics note that while the word al ṭāriq ٱلطَّارِقُ is derived from a root meaning to beat or knock (which Yahya connects with the "pulsing" of pulsars), Lane's lexicon gives many examples from classical Arabic dictionaries of its use in astronomical and other contexts to mean simply one who comes by night, "because he who comes by night [generally] needs to knock at the door",<ref>taraqa طَّارِقُ - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000131.pdf Lane's Lexicon page 1846] and [https://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000135.pdf page 1850]</ref> and this is how it is explained even by modern Quran translators and commentators such as Muhammad Asad. Those verses likely refer to Venus (a planet which rises like a very bright star soon after nightfall), or to shooting stars, or to some particularly bright star.

{{Main|Science and the Seven Earths|Cosmology of the Quran}}Some modern Islamic scholars have argued that {{Quran|65|12}} contains a scientifically-sound insight in its statement that there exist seven heavens and seven entities 'like' the Earth. Various interpretations to this effect include the reading of the 'seven heavens' as descriptive of atmospheric layers and the reading of the 'seven earths' as descriptive of the layers of the Earth's surface or the number of continents. Critics have pointed out that the lowest of the seven heavens is said to contain the stars (see {{Quran|41|12}} and {{Quran|37|6}}); that no classification of the layers of the Earth's atmosphere holds there to be seven layers; that no classification of the Earth's layers holds there to be seven layers; that the seven-count of continents is moreso a cultural/historical artifact than anything grounded in geographical or geological fact (with Eurasia, for instance, being a more geologically-sound candidate for a continent); and that the 'seven earths' spoken of in the Quran in all likelihood reference the seven stacked disks of which Earth is the top-most that are described extensively in many places scattered throughout hadith literature and the sayings of Muhammad's companions.{{Quote|{{quran|65|12}}|Allah (is) He Who created seven heavens and of the earth, (the) like of them. Descends the command between them that you may know that Allah (is) on every thing All-Powerful. And that, Allah indeed, encompasses all things (in) knowledge.}}

Critics have pointed out that this is a clear case of 'elective literalism'. The term used to describe the 'descent' of Iron is '''anzala''<nowiki/>', which is frequently used elsewhere in the Quran where it describes cattle, garments, food, and even the [[People of the Book|people of the book (Jews and Christians)]] as being 'sent down' by some deity. In all these cases and many others, ''anzala'' is not taken as literally meaning descent from outer space.

Some Islamic scholars have also argued that the occurrence of the word 'iron' in the 26th verse of the surah is miraculous, given that Iron's atomic number is 26. Critics have argued that this nothing more than a coincidental product of numerological datamining and have asked why the surah number could not also have been 55 or 56, rather than 57, to also match Iron's atomic weight, which is 55.845.{{Quote|{{quran|57|25}}|Certainly We sent Our Messengers with clear proofs and We sent down with them the Scripture and the Balance that may establish the people justice. And We sent down [the] iron, wherein (is) power mighty and benefits for the people, and so that Allah may make evident (he) who helps Him and His Messengers, unseen. Indeed, Allah (is) All-Strong All-Mighty.}}

The Quran describes mountains as pegs or stakes and as having been cast into the earth lest it shift with its inhabitants. In early or pre-Islamic poetry (see main article), mountains anchor the earth, and the Quranic verses too most straightforwardly seem to refer to mountains stabilizing the earth as a whole. Many modern Islamic scholars have argued that the Quran's description of mountains as 'pegs' accurately depicts their physical nature in terms of the scientifically known phenomenon of isostasy, and that verses stating that mountains were 'cast' into the Earth's surface in order to prevent it shifting refers to some role in preventing earthquakes. Isostasy is the phenomenon where some mountains exist atop a similar accumulation of crust underground. Both the mountain and thickened continental crust beneath them form when tectonic plates collide, with some crust matter being propelled upward (becoming the visible mountain) and, sometimes, a similar quantity of crust matter being propelled downward.  

Fourthly, critics also point out that there is no sense to the idea that mountains have been 'cast' into the Earth as 'pegs', for mountains are a byproduct of a larger process (usually, plate tectonics). Indeed, critics note that mountains continue to rise and erode away to this day, unlike the Quranic description of a one off event during the first four days of creation. In [[Cosmology|Islamic cosmology]], the Earth is just the top-most of seven terrestrial disks, which in one tradition are in turn stacked atop the back of [[The Islamic Whale|a giant whale]]. In one version of this tradition, the instability of the non-stationary whale causes the earth to be unstable, which must then be fastened to the back of the whale using mountain-pegs.

{{Main|Embryology in the Quran}}Many modern Islamic scholars have argued that the presentation of Embryology found in the Quran is both scientifically-sound and predictive of modern science. In this domain, Islamic scholars and authorities, including Dr. Al Zeiny, Dr. Zakir Naik, Dr. Ibrahim Syed, Dr. Sharif Kaf Al-Ghazal, Hamza Tzortzis, and Harun Yahya, have all drawn on the works of the Western doctors, particularly [[Dr. Keith Moore]] (lecturer and researcher at King Abdulaziz University; alongside his co-author Abdul Majeed al-Zindani) and [[Bucailleism|Dr. Maurice Bucaille]] (personal physician to the family of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia), who were collectively sponsored with millions of dollars by the Saudi government and who produced science publications which purported that Islamic scriptures contained scientifically sound information. Relevant verses include {{Quran|22|5}}, {{Quran-range|23|12|14}}, and {{Quran|40|67}}.

Critics have time and again responded to the various attempts made by Islamic scholars and doctors sponsored by the Saudi government to reconcile modern science with Islamic scriptures. ''The Daily Telegraph'' reported in 2010 that Bucaille's "assertions have been ridiculed by scientists".<ref>Sameer Rahim (8 October 2010). [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8048372/Pathfinders-The-Golden-Age-of-Arabic-Science-by-Jim-al-Khalili-review.html "Pathfinders: The Golden Age of Arabic Science by Jim al-Khalili: review"]. ''The Telegraph''.</ref> Beyond the various scientific errors within Islamic scriptures compared to the findings of modern science that critics have pointed out, historians have generally accepted that the incorrect embryological ideas present in the Quran largely derive from ancient sources including, most prominently, the works of Galen, a 2nd century Greek physician whose ideas had widespread and lasting influence.{{Quote|{{quran|22|5}}|O Mankind! if ye be in doubt respecting the Resurrection, then We have created you of the dust, then of a drop, then of clot, then of a piece of flesh, formed and unformed, that We might manifest unto you Our power. And We settle in the wombs that which We will until a term determined. Then We bring you forth as babes, then We let you reach your maturity. And of you is he who dieth, and of you is he who is brought back to the most abject age, so that after knowing he knoweth not aught. And thou beholdest the earth withered up, and when We send down thereon water, it stirreth and swelleth, and it groweth every luxuriant kind of growth.}}{{Quote|{{quran-range|23|12|14}}|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.}}{{Quote|{{quran|40|67}}|He it is Who created you of dust, and thereafter of a drop, and thereafter of a clot, and thereafter He bringeth you forth as an infant, and thereafter He ordaineth that ye attain your full strength and thereafter that ye become old men-though some of you die before-and that ye attain the appointed term, and that haply ye may reflect.}}

{{Main|Creation of Humans from Clay}}Some Islamic scholars and voices, such as Harun Yahya, have argued that the Quran's statement regarding the creation of Adam, the first man, from clay contains a scientifically-sound insight regarding the chemical composition of the human body. Relevant verses include {{Quran-range|38|71|72}}, {{Quran|37|11}}, and {{Quran|15|26}}. Critics and historians have argued that where the Quran describes the formation of the first man from clay, it is merely repeating the common ancient myth widespread throughout the Earth well before Islam. Critics have also argued that the description in the Quran is not scientifically-sound because whereas the Quran says that the first human was made from clay, modern science holds that clay only 'match-makes' the RNA and membrane vesicles involved in the production of living organisms and does not form a building block.{{Quote|{{quran-range|38|71|72}}|When said your Lord to the Angels, "Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of my spirit, then fall down to him prostrating."}}{{Quote|{{quran|37|11}}|Then ask them, "Are they a stronger creation or (those) whom we have created?" Indeed, we created them from a clay sticky.}}{{Quote|{{Quran|15|26}}|

Critics and linguists have also pointed out that ''sulb'' incontrovertibly meant 'backbone' or 'lower back' in the 7th century, supported further by hadith evidence and other verses directly relevant to this context.

Many modern Islamic scholars, all drawing on the work of Saudi-financed researcher and lecturer at King Abdulaziz University Dr. Keith Moore, have argued that the {{Quran|96|16}}'s mention of a 'lying, sinful forelock' contains a scientifically-sound insight regarding the area of the brain that is employed in the activity of lying, namely, it is said, the prefrontal cortex (which lies below one's forelock).  

Historians and linguists, by contrast, do not view this passage in the Quran as making any pretensions about predicting modern science. They view the phrase 'lying, sinful forelock' as a simple metaphorical and metonymic reference to the individual described in the preceding verse who is being dragged by his forelock rather than a reference to the portion of the brain it resides on top of - the intent of this usage, they suggest, is not that the forelock is literally lying (which is evidently impossible) but simple to say that the person, of whom this forelock is a part, is lying.  

Critics have also pointed out that there is plenty of modern research utilizing fMRI technology which militates against the idea that lying takes place in the pre-frontal cortex, including the work of Professor Jia-Hong Gao of Peking University (trained at Yale and MIT), Professor Scott H. Faro, Professor Frank A. Kozel (trained at Yale), Professor Daniel D. Langleben of the University of Pennsylvania, and Professor Stephen M. Kosslyn of Harvard University (trained at Stanford). This research shows that the portion of the brain responsible for lying may in fact be the anterior cingulate gyrus, which lies in the medial portion of the brain in frontal-parietal area and not beneath the forelock.{{Quote|{{quran-range|96|15|16}}|Nay! If not he desists, surely We will drag him by the forelock, A forelock lying, sinful.}}Furthermore, the word for 'forelock' is used elsewhere in the Quran as shown on [https://corpus.quran.com/search.jsp?q=con%3Aforelock Quran Corpus], including:

Many modern Islamic scholars argue that {{Quran|25|53}} contains a scientifically-sound insight regarding the 'separation' of fresh and salt water in estuaries, where fresh water rivers meet the salty ocean. Critics and historians argue that this verse is merely stating what any person viewing the convergence of a river and ocean with their unaided eye would observe - namely, that the two bodies of water maintain distinct coloration. The additional proposition made in the verse regarding the existence of some sort of barrier that causes the maintenance of this difference in coloration, they continue, is simply what a premodern person inclined to believe in metaphysical entities might hypothesize as the cause. Critics point out that there is, in fact, no such 'barrier' present in estuaries and that the persistent distinction between the two bodies of water is due a difference in the density of fresh and salt water - even this distinction, however, can be compromised when other factors, such as wind and stronger tidal forces, are at play which cause the bodies of water to mix with one another at a greater rate.

 

In any case, the Quran appears to be referring to two mythological seas, one salty and one of fresh water.

Whether the two seas mentioned in the Qur'an referred to these mythological seas or a more general inviolable barrier between bodies of salt and fresh water, critics argue that the verse in question is scientifically wrong.