Scientific Errors in the Hadith
Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination
| This article or section is being renovated. Lead = 2 / 4
Structure = 4 / 4
Content = 4 / 4
Language = 3 / 4
References = 3 / 4
|
A common criticism of the Hadith, as with the Quran, is that they contain numerous scientific and historical errors, with no obvious attempts to differentiate their understanding of the natural world and historical events from the common folklore and misconceptions of the people living in 7th century Arabia. Modern responses typically appeal to metaphor, alternative meanings, or phenomenological interpretations of such hadiths. They also argue that the wording needed to be acceptable to people of its time. Critics typically argue that an all-knowing, perfect communicator would nevertheless have been able to guide the avoidance of statements in the Hadith that reinforced misconceptions of the time, caused future generations to have doubts about its perfection, and on a scale that critics contend is an overwhelming weakness.
Archaeology
Adam was a 90 foot giant
Hadiths state that humans were created in the physical image of Allah, were at first 90 feet (60 cubits) tall, and have been decreasing in height ever since. The oldest human remains found in Ethiopia (Lucy and Ardi) are, however, shorter than modern humans.
[Islamic Science of Hadith]
Astronomy
The sun goes under Allah's chair
The sun prostrates
The sun rises between the horns of Satan
The sun sets in a muddy spring
The moon has light
Eclipses occur to scare humankind
There are giant goats in space
Narrated Al-Abbas ibn AbdulMuttalib: I was sitting in al-Batha with a company among whom the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) was sitting, when a cloud passed above them.
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) looked at it and said: What do you call this? They said: Sahab.
He said: And muzn? They said: And muzn. He said: And anan? They said: And anan. AbuDawud said: I am not quite confident about the word anan. He asked: Do you know the distance between Heaven and Earth? They replied: We do not know. He then said: The distance between them is seventy-one, seventy-two, or seventy-three years. The heaven which is above it is at a similar distance (going on till he counted seven heavens). Above the seventh heaven there is a sea, the distance between whose surface and bottom is like that between one heaven and the next. Above that there are eight mountain goats the distance between whose hoofs and haunches is like the distance between one heaven and the next. Then Allah, the Blessed and the Exalted, is above thatEarth rests on a cosmic whale
The following citation is taken from the Arabic version of Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir, since the English translation omits these traditions. Similar ideas are found in Tafsir Tabari, Al Qurtubi and in the tafsir attributed to Ibn Abbas.
Then Allah created the "Nun" and He caused steam to rise out of which the heavens were created and the Earth was then laid flat on nun’s back. Then the Nun became nervous and (as a result) the earth began to sway, but (Allah) fastened (the earth) with mountains lest the earth should move ...
It was narrated by Ibn Jarir, narrated by Ibn Hamid, narrated by Ata’a, narrated by Abu Al-Dahee, narrated by Ibn Abbas who stated, "The first thing my Lord created, may He be Exalted and Glorified, was the pen and He said to it, ‘Write.’ So the pen wrote all that will be until judgment day. Then Allah created the Nun (the whale) above the waters and he pressed the Earth into its back.
Al Tabarani narrated the same hadith above (from the prophet Muhammad) who narrated from Abu Habib Zaid Al-Mahdi Al Marouzi, narrated by Sa’id Ibn Yaqub Al-Talqani, narrated by Mu’amal Ibn Ismail, narrated by Hamad Ibn Zaid, narrated by Ata’a Ibn Al Sa’ib, narrated by Abu Al Dahee Muslim Ibn Subaih, narrated by Ibn Abbas who stated that the prophet – may peace and blessing be upon him and his family - said, "The first things Allah created were the pen and the whale and He said to the pen ‘Write.’ The pen asked, ‘What shall I write?’ Allah replied, ‘Everything that shall be until judgment day.’ Then He said ‘Nun. By the Pen and by what they write.’ So Nun is the whale and al-Qalam is the pen" ...
Ibn Abu Nujaih stated that Ibrahim Ibn Abu Bakir was informed by Mujahid who said, "It was said that Nun is the great whale who is underneath the seven Earths." Furthermore, Al-Baghawy – may Allah rest his soul - and a group of commentators stated that on the back of this whale there is a great rock whose thickness is greater than the width of the heavens and the earth and above this rock is a bull that has forty thousand horns. On the body of this bull are placed the seven earths and all that they contain, and Allah knows best.Biology
Saying "Allah willing" during sex guarantees a male child
Embryology
Stages of development
According to the hadith, the embryo spends 40 days as a drop of sperm, 40 days as a clot, and then 40 days as a piece of flesh. By contrast, modern science has revealed that by day 56 the fetus is essentially a complete, though tiny, human being with all organ systems in place, and all tissues developed.
Late sex assignment
The hadith also hold that the embryo is neither male nor female until after the clot phase is reached. By contrast, modern genetics has revealed that the gender of a baby is determined at the moment of conception.
Discharge order determines sex
The hadith state that the child will inherit the gender of that parent which 'discharges first' during intercourse. Modern genetics, by contrast, has revealed that the order of discharge does not affect the child's gender.
Narrated Anas: When 'Abdullah bin Salam heard the arrival of the Prophet at Medina, he came to him and said, "I am going to ask you about three things which nobody knows except a prophet: 1)What is the first portent of the Hour? 2)What will be the first meal taken by the people of Paradise? 3)Why does a child resemble its father, and why does it resemble its maternal uncle"
Allah's Apostle said, "Gabriel has just now told me of their answers." 'Abdullah said, "He (i.e. Gabriel), from amongst all the angels, is the enemy of the Jews." Allah's Apostle said, "The first portent of the Hour will be a fire that will bring together the people from the east to the west; the first meal of the people of Paradise will be Extra-lobe (caudate lobe) of fish-liver. As for the resemblance of the child to its parents: If a man has sexual intercourse with his wife and gets discharge first, the child will resemble the father, and if the woman gets discharge first, the child will resemble her."'Nobody knows what is in the womb'
The hadith state that 'nobody knows what is in the womb'. Modern technology, however, has enabled doctors to look into the womb in great detail.
Babies cry at birth because Satan touches them
Birth marks are caused by the evil eye
Yawning is from Satan
The hadith state that Satan causes people to yawn. By contrast, modern science has revealed that yawning occurs when one's blood contains an increased amount of carbon dioxide.
Satan sleeps in one's nose at night
Oversleeping is caused by Satan urinating in one's ear
Non-Muslims have and use seven intestines
Women are deficient in intelligence
The hadith maintain that women are less intelligent than men, the reason given or this is that as a punishment for Eve's transgressions in the garden and 'betrayal of her husband', Allah decided to make women menstruate, suffer pregnancy, and lose out on intelligence. Modern science, however, has revealed no such universal deficiency in women's intelligence. Indeed, some of the smartest and most accomplished people in the world are women (e.g. Patricia Crone).
Spinal bone does not decay
The hadith state that the 'spinal bone' does not decay. Modern science, by contrast, has revealed that where as the rate at which different types of bones decay differs, all bones do in fact decay.
Some translations of this hadith opt for "coccyx" instead of "spinal bone".
Different races are made of different types of earth
The hadith state that the different races are made of different types of earth. Modern science, by contrast, has revealed that racial differences arise from genetic differences. Modern science has also revealed that humans are not made of dirt or clay.
Coitus interruptus, the 'pull-out' method of contraception has no effect
These hadith state that men should not pull out of their slave/captive girls to prevent pregnancy, as God has already decided who will come into existence. While apologists might argue there is pre-destination in this (see: Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Predestination), this would essentially render all actions pointless in this context, including whether they pulled out or not. However this method (coitus interruptus) is a clearly statistically proven method of reducing the chances of pregnancy,[1] hence why it was recognised long before modern birth control methods, making this an erroneous statement that would not be accepted in modern medicine.
See also Sahih Bukhari 3:46:718, Sahih Bukhari 5:59:459, and Sahih Bukhari 9:93:506. More are listed in Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Al-'Azl
Meat would not decay if not for Bani Isra'il
Microbial growth, oxidation and enzymatic autolysis are the three basic mechanisms responsible for the spoilage of meat. In addition to lipid oxidation and enzyme reactions, meat spoilage is almost always caused by microbial growth, which has existed essentially since animals with 'meat' began[2] (this is hundred of millions of years before humans even appear,[3] let alone Jews, and completely unrelated to humans). Yet Muhammad states the cause of this is due to Israeli's/Jews.
The heart the literal place of belief
As the Qur'an affirms the ancient cardio-centric biological view (see: Scientific Errors in the Quran#Functions of the heart (cardiocentrism)), where the heart is the seat of the mind and soul, responsible for human understanding,[4] as did contemporary authors.[5] This idea seems to continue in the hadith with Muhammad reporting on his night journey (see: Buraq) that his heart was literally cut out of his body with a knife, then washed, and put back in with belief.
Geology and Meteorology
Nile and Euphrates flow from heaven
There is a mountain of gold under the river Euphrates that would soon be uncovered
See also: Sunan Abu Dawud 38:4299 and Jami` at-Tirmidhi 4:12:2569.
Thunder is an angel driving clouds
Mountains were planted to stabilize Earth
The heat of noon rises from Hell
No one knows when it will rain
The hadith maintain that no one knows when it will rain. Modern technology and meteorology, however, have enabled humans to predict the weather.
Najd earthquakes are accompanied by Satan's head
Health
There are no infectious diseases
Leprosy and Leukoderma only appear on Wednesdays
Looking at the sky during prayers causes blindness
Loving things causes deafness and blindness
Fever is caused by the heat of hell
Sinning blackens the heart
Water is not polluted by dead dogs, menstrual clothes, etc.
Cleansing with dirt
Chess is like the innards of swine
History
Prophecies about Muhammad
The hadith maintain that Muhammad was mentioned in the Torah and that Muhammad would not die until he made "straight the crooked people". However, Muhammad is not mentioned in the Torah, and crooked people appear to have persisted.
Plague in Medina
The hadith maintain that Medina is plague-proof. However, several plagues and pandemics have inflicted Medina. For instance, Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina were swept by the Third Plague Pandemic in 1898.[6]
Muslims are the last people to arrive on Earth
Failed eschatological predictions
These hadith state judgement day will fall at least within the generation after Muhammad's lifetime.
It would happen within a century.
The next hadith states it will not be established until Muslims fight the Jews, which appears to have happened since even during it's inception against the Jewish Tribe of Banu Qurayzah (see: The Massacre of the Banu Qurayzah), with more Islamic-Jewish violence throughout history, such as the 1033 Fez massacre, 1066 Granada massacre and 1834 looting of Safed. As well as ongoing Israel-Palestine battles - yet 'the hour' has not been established.
There are also indirect references in the following hadith with Muhammad telling his current followers that they will see Jesus (who is not killed but rather ascended into heaven in the Islamic version of the story (Quran 4:157-158)), return back to Earth, which is heavily associated with the end times in Islamic literature.[7]
See also Sahih Bukhari 3:43:656 and Sunan Abu Dawud 38:4310
Interesting a non-canonical Qu'ran variant also mentions Jesus's second coming as a sign of the hour. [8]
Year of the Elephant (and the battle's location)
The following hadith, rated sahih (authentic) by Darussalam, states that Muhammad's birth (in 570CE)[9] was in 'The Year of the Elephant', a year when the Ka'ba in Mecca was allegedly nearly attacked by King Abraha of Yemen (and miraculously stopped by God), along with other traditions.[10]
These traditions give context to the Qur'anic story found in surah 105, Surah of the Elephant,which by itself lacks basic details to understand what is being referred to, in such a way we can assume the initial audience was already familiar with the full story.[11]
This appears to be an distorted version of a real event with the dates changed to fit the hagiographical biography of the Islamic prophet, to 'foreshadow' and highlight the year as being important, as more contemporary and sound evidence places Abraha's expedition of Central Arabia notably earlier, and not to Mecca itself; as historian Glenn W. Bowersock notes:
An important but difficult inscription, which was discovered at Bir Murayghān and first published in 1951, gives the details of this expedition.10 It shows that one of Abraha’s armies went northeastward into the territory of the Ma‘add tribal confederacy, while another went northwestward towards the coast (Map 2). This two-pronged assault into the central peninsula is, in fact, the last campaign of Abraha known from epigraphy. It may well have represented an abortive attempt to move into areas of Persian influence, south of the Naṣrid capital at al Ḥīra. If Procopius published his history as late as 555, the campaign could possibly be the one to which the Greek historian refers when he says of Abraha, whom he calls Abramos in Greek, that once his rule was secure he promised Justinian many times to invade the land of Persia (es gēn tēn Persida), but “only once did he begin the journey and then immediately withdrew.”11 The land that Abraha invaded was hardly the land of Persia, but it was a land of Persian influence and of potentially threatening religious groups—Jewish and pagan. Some historians have been sorely tempted to bring the expedition of 552, known from the inscription at Bir Murayghān, into conjunction with a celebrated and sensational legend in the Arabic tradition that is reflected in Sura 105 of the Qur’an (al fīl, the elephant). The Arabic tradition reports that Abraha undertook an attack on Mecca itself with the aim of taking possession of the Ka‘ba, the holy place of the pagan god Hubal. It was believed that Abraha’s forces were led by an elephant, and that, although vastly superior in number, they were miraculously repelled by a flock of birds that pelted them with stones. The tradition also maintained that Abraha’s assault on the ancient holy place occurred in the very year of Muḥammad’s birth (traditionally fixed about 570). Even today the path over which Abraha’s elephant and men are believed to have marched is known in local legend as the Road of the Elephant (darb al fīl).
Obviously, the expedition of 552 cannot be the same expedition as the legendary one, if we are to credit the coincidence of the year of the elephant (‘Ām al fīl) with the year of the Prophet’s birth.12 But increasingly scholars and historians have begun to suppose that the Quranic date for the elephant is unreliable, since a famous event such as the Prophet’s birth would tend naturally, by a familiar historical evolution, to attract other great events into its proximity. Hence the attack on Mecca should perhaps be seen as spun out of a fabulous retelling of Abraha’s final and markedly less sensational mission. This is not to say that it might not also have been intended as a vexation for the Persians in response to pressure from Byzantium. But it certainly brought Abraha into close contact with major centers of paganism and Judaism in central and northwest Arabia.Medicine
Camel urine as medicine
Black cumin cures all diseases
The wing of a housefly can cure disease
Eating 7 dates can cure poison
Drinking honey cures diarrhea
Medicinal value in cupping
Scorpion stings can be cured by a spell
Spells cure acne
Truffle water cures eye disease
The hadith maintain that water from truffles cures eye diseases. A singular Muslim scientist has published a paper that concludes that "water of truffles prevents the occurrence of fibrosis in cases of eye trachoma".[12] There is no other scientific evidence that truffle water heals any number of eye diseases, of which there are more than a hundred known varieties, each having a different pathophysiology.[13]
Zoology
Monkeys stone adulterers
Black dogs are devils
The hadith maintain that black dogs are devils. Scientific research, by contrast, has shown that melanin, the pigment that causes darker shades of flesh, gives a foraging advantage, is heritable through a dominant gene, and is unrelated to anything having to do with demons.
Crowing and braying is caused by demons
Miscellaneous
Muslim graves widen, non-Muslim graves constrict
Gate to Heaven on Earth
Muhammad stated that Allah created a huge gate of repentance to the west (in the direction of Sham, or Syria) and that it will remain open till the Day of Judgement. Despite our near-universal mapping of the Earth's surface and detailed knowledge of the bodies in the solar system, no such gate has been discovered.
Humankind's sin blackened the Black Stone
See Also
References
- ↑ Pull Out Method (Withdrawal). WebMD article. Medically Reviewed by Traci C. Johnson, MD on August 08, 2022. Written by Stephanie Langmaid.
- ↑ Iulietto, M. F., Sechi, P., Borgogni, E., & Cenci-Goga, B. T. (2015). Meat Spoilage: A Critical Review of a Neglected Alteration Due to Ropy Slime Producing Bacteria. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.4081/ijas.2015.4011
- ↑ New Oxford study sheds light on the origin of animals. University of Oxford. 2023.
- ↑ qalb | Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (pp. 578 - 587). Princeton University Press.
- ↑ Decharneux, Julien. Creation and Contemplation: The Cosmology of the Qur'ān and Its Late Antique Background (Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East Book 47) (3.1 The role of the heart pp. 92 - 105 & pp. 67). De Gruyter. 2023.
- ↑ Welford, Mark. "6". Geographies of Plague Pandemics: The Spatial-Temporal Behavior of Plague to the Modern Day. Routledge. ISBN 1315307413, 9 April 2018.
- ↑ Did Jesus Come Back Down to Earth After he Was Taken up, or Not? 2000. IslamQA.com
- ↑ Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (pp. 299-300). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition. The mention of the death of Jesus (Q 19:33) may ultimately, in view of the middle Meccan verse group Q 43:59–61 in which Jesus figures as “sign of the [final] hour,”89 count not as a historical event but an eschatological one. (Ibid Kindle p p. 312) Footnote 89:. Instead of the canonical Qur’anic reading, ʿilmun li-l-sāʿati, “knowledge about the hour,” Jesus’s qualification should rather be read as ʿalamun li-l-sāʿati, “sign of the hour.” The non-canonical interpretation is ascribed to Ikrima; see Jeffery, Materials, 173.
- ↑ Muhammad | Britannica
- ↑ See for example: Tafsir Jalalayn on verse 105:1 (Al Jalalayn / Jalal ad-din al-Maḥalli and Jalal ad-din as-Suyuti. Published in 1505.) Or a much more in-depth look at the traditions in Tafsir Ma'arif al-quran (on surah 105) written by Pakistani Islamic scholar Mufti Muhammad Shafi (1897–1976).
- ↑ As noted by Angelika Neuwirth: On the basis of more recent studies, a concrete foreknowledge among the hearers can be assumed as certain: Uri Rubin (1984), on the basis of a critical assessment of the traditions, has pointed to the resonance in Q 105 of the defeat of Abraha, who was said to have been forced to withdraw from the area around Mecca achieving nothing, and leaving the sanctuary miraculously spared, a turning point in the position of the Meccans on the peninsula (on this, see also Sinai 2009: 59–74). Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an: Text and Commentary, Volume 1: Early Meccan Suras: Poetic Prophecy (p. 61). Yale University Press.
- ↑ Zaghloul El-Naggar, "Truffles Healing the Eye" (archived), http://www.elnaggarzr.com/en/main.php?id=19.
- ↑ See here