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Scientific Miracles in the Quran: Difference between revisions
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[[Category:Miracles]] | [[Category:Miracles]] | ||
[[Category:Islam and Science]] | [[Category:Islam and Science]] | ||
{{QualityScore|Lead=4|Structure=3|Content=3|Language=4|References=3}}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. | {{QualityScore|Lead=4|Structure=3|Content=3|Language=4|References=3}}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. | ||
Even when the Islamic empires led the world in science in parts of the middle ages,<ref>''[https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/30/science/how-islam-won-and-lost-the-lead-in-science.html How Islam Won, and Lost, the Lead in Science.]'' Dennis Overbye. 2001. New York Times. | |||
''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> | |||
(''This period covers the first five centuries of Islam, though examples of Islamic scholars quoting the Quran. Many more going beyond that period can be found in this Wordpress article: [https://theislamissue.wordpress.com/2019/03/22/scholarly-consensus-of-a-round-earth/ Scholarly Consensus of a Round Earth])''</ref> (which hardly matches the idea of a book of scientific foreknowledge) and is still being used today to deny established scientific facts.<ref>For example: | |||
'''Geo-centrism''' has been supported by Sheikh Bandar al-Khaibari, covered in this ''Daily Mail [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2957414/Saudi-cleric-online-laughing-stock-telling-student-sun-rotates-Earth-planes-not-able-fly.html article].'' And Sheik al-Fawzan, which can be seen in this [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvG-606KqwU&t=694s ''YouTube video''] at 12:48. | |||
'''Creationism''' has large support over evolution in the Muslim world among Islamic scholars, as we see in this ''Telegraph'' [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/evolution/6587642/Muslim-scholars-rejecting-Darwins-theory-of-evolution-as-unproven.html ''article''] | |||
The prominent modern Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr rejects evolution on religious grounds [https://jis.cis-ca.org/on-the-question-of-biological-origins.html ''Journal of Islam & Science, Vol. 4 (Winter 2006) No. 2''], who is one of many.</ref> | |||
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 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. | ||
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===Methodology=== | ===Methodology=== | ||
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. | 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. | ||
==== Mistranslations ==== | |||
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]]''). | |||
====Dehistoricization==== | ====Dehistoricization==== | ||
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 | 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 | 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. | 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. | ||
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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. | 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 | 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. | ||
Critics suggest that where the science correlated to Quranic verses by Islamic theologians has been misunderstood, misapplied, or misrepresented, the case made for the scientific miracle is invalid. | Critics suggest that where the science correlated to Quranic verses by Islamic theologians has been misunderstood, misapplied, or misrepresented, the case made for the scientific miracle is invalid. | ||
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The word translated "joined together" is ratqan (رَتْقًا)<ref>[http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000193.pdf Lane's Lexicon p. 1027 رَتْقًا] </ref> meaning closed up or sewn up, also used metaphorically in terms of reconciling people, but does not imply a homogenous mass or state. | The word translated "joined together" is ratqan (رَتْقًا)<ref>[http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000193.pdf Lane's Lexicon p. 1027 رَتْقًا] </ref> meaning closed up or sewn up, also used metaphorically in terms of reconciling people, but does not imply a homogenous mass or state. | ||
The separation of the heavens and earth can be read in the context of verses that mention something "between" their fully formed state (which seems to be occupied by the clouds {{Quran|2|164}} and birds {{Quran|24|41}}). | The separation of the heavens and earth can be read in the context of verses that mention something "between" their fully formed state (which seems to be occupied by the clouds {{Quran|2|164}} and birds {{Quran|24|41}}). Tafsirs stated that it did not rain until the heavens and earth were separated, which also makes sense of the end of the verse where it says Allah made from water every living thing. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|50|38}}| | {{Quote|{{Quran|50|38}}| | ||
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====Mistranslation==== | ====Mistranslation==== | ||
Critics point out that some modern Quran translations have altered the meaning of 51:47 in | Critics point out that some modern Quran translations have altered the meaning of 51:47 in four ways: | ||
*They have translated the Quranic word “heaven سَّمَاءَ” as “universe”, which is not correct. | *They have translated the Quranic word “heaven سَّمَاءَ” as “universe”, which is not correct ''(see analysis and issues in [[Science and the Seven Earths]])''. | ||
*They have taken the Arabic noun “We are the expanders”, but turned it into the verb “The Universe is expanding,” | *They have taken the Arabic noun “We are the expanders”, but turned it into the verb “The Universe is expanding,” | ||
*And then they added the entirely superfluous adverb “steadily” in an attempt to insert into the Quran additional ideas that are not actually there. | *And then they added the entirely superfluous adverb “steadily” in an attempt to insert into the Quran additional ideas that are not actually there. | ||
*In any case the meaning of the word most like means vast or strong (as was understood in tafsirs) | |||
With these | With these four translational liberties, they have completely changed the meaning of this verse from a simple description of Allah’s creation of the heavens into a scientific statement of Hubble’s expanding universe that is not actually contained in the Quran. | ||
Critics point out that the term “lamūsi‘ūna لَمُوسِعُونَ ” in this verse is a noun and not a verb, and it describes "God" and not the "heaven" (i.e. the term “wa-innā lamūsi‘ūna وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ” means "God is the Expander", and not "the Universe is Expanding"). | Critics point out that the term “lamūsi‘ūna لَمُوسِعُونَ ” in this verse is a noun and not a verb, and it describes "God" and not the "heaven" (i.e. the term “wa-innā lamūsi‘ūna وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ” at best means "God is the Expander", and not "the Universe is Expanding"). | ||
Thus the earlier Quran translators translated it as: | Thus the earlier Quran translators translated it as: | ||
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And according to the tradition in {{Bukhari|4|56|557}}, prophets are residing upon these solid heavens along with their nations, and solid things don't expand. | And according to the tradition in {{Bukhari|4|56|557}}, prophets are residing upon these solid heavens along with their nations, and solid things don't expand. | ||
===Every living thing from water=== | |||
In two verses the Quran states that Allah created every living thing from water: | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|21|30}}|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?}} | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|24|45}}|Allah has created every [living] creature from water. And of them are those that move on their bellies, and of them are those that walk on two legs, and of them are those that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.}} | |||
The key to understanding the meaning is the context apparent in the first verse, 21:30, which is about the creation of the world. Gabriel Said Reynolds notes in his academic commentary on the Quran an earlier parallel taught by the Syriac church father Ephrem (d. 373 CE). He writes, "[...] Ephrem, who explains that God created everything through water: 'Thus, through light and water the earth brought forth everything.' Ephrem, ''Commentary on Genesis'', 1:1-10)."<ref>Gabriel Said Reynolds, "The Quran and Bible:Text and Commentary", New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2018 p. 553. This is regarding {{Quran|24|45}}, though on p. 508 Reynolds cross references the same parallel regarding the other verse, {{Quran|21|30}}, which is more clearly a statement in the context of the Genesis creation story, like Ephrem's comment.</ref> Ephrem's comment is in the context of the Genesis creation story, much like the first Quranic verse, 21:30. Ephrem says that when heaven and earth were created there were no trees or vegetation as it had not yet rained, so a fountain irrigated the earth. Tafsirs say that when the heaven and earth were separated rain fell so that plants could grow. There is also a similarity with Ephrem in the other verse (24:45), which mentions creatures that move on two, four or no legs. Ephrem explains that as well as the "trees, vegetation and plants", the "Scripture wishes to indicate that all animals, reptiles, cattle and birds came into being as a result of the combining of earth and water".<ref>[https://faberinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ephrem-the-Syrian-Commentary-on-Genesis-2-3-Brock.pdf Ephrem's commentary on Genesis] - Faber Institute.com</ref> For many more parallels between the Quran and Syriac Christian literature see [[Parallelism_Between_the_Qur%27an_and_Judeo-Christian_Scriptures|this article]]. | |||
Critics of the miracle claim sometimes also point out that the ancient Greek philosophers Thales believed that life originated from water,<ref>''[https://teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/1980/5/80.05.11.x.html#:~:text=One%20of%20Thales'%20contributions%20was,died%20when%20deprived%20of%20it. The Origin of Life: A History of Ancient Greek Theories.] Man and the Environment.'' Curricular Resources > 1980 Volume V > Unit 11 (80.05.11) > Section 1. Joyce Puglia. Yale-New Heaven Teachers Institute</ref> and Anaximander proposed that the first living creatures were made from evapourated water.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anaximander Anaximander] - Britannica.com</ref> | |||
===Black holes and pulsars=== | ===Black holes and pulsars=== | ||
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'''Daryabadi:''' So when stars are effaced.}}{{Quote|{{quran-range|86|1|3}}|By the Sky and the Night-Visitant (therein);- And what will explain to thee what the Night-Visitant is?- (It is) the Star of piercing brightness;-}} | '''Daryabadi:''' So when stars are effaced.}}{{Quote|{{quran-range|86|1|3}}|By the Sky and the Night-Visitant (therein);- And what will explain to thee what the Night-Visitant is?- (It is) the Star of piercing brightness;-}} | ||
===Seven heavens, seven earths=== | ===Seven heavens, seven earths=== | ||
{{Main|Science and the Seven Earths}}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.}} | {{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.}} | ||
===The descent of Iron=== | ===The descent of Iron=== | ||
Some modern Islamic scholars and voices, including Harun Yahya, have argued that {{Quran|57|25}} provides a scientifically-sound description of the origin of the iron that is present on Earth. Historians have pointed out that the myth regarding the heavenly-descent of iron vastly predates Abrahamic scriptures and can be found some three millennia prior to the advent of Islam among the ancient Egyptians who describe Iron as '''ba-en-pet''<nowiki/>' or 'metal from heaven'. Similar descriptions have also been found among the even more ancient people of Mesopotamia. | Some modern Islamic scholars and voices, including Harun Yahya, have argued that {{Quran|57|25}} provides a scientifically-sound description of the origin of the iron that is present on Earth. Historians have pointed out that the myth regarding the heavenly-descent of iron vastly predates Abrahamic scriptures and can be found some three millennia prior to the advent of Islam among the ancient Egyptians who describe Iron as '''ba-en-pet''<nowiki/>' or 'metal from heaven'.<ref>[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-ancient-egyptians-had-iron-because-they-harvested-fallen-meteors-86153874/ The Ancient Egyptians Had Iron Because They Harvested Fallen Meteors] - Smithsonian Institution, 13 May 2013</ref> Similar descriptions have also been found among the even more ancient people of Mesopotamia. | ||
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 literally. | 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 literally. | ||
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Many modern Muslims scholars have argued that {{Quran|6|125}} contains a scientifically accurate description of Hypoxia, altitude sickness, or the general phenomenon of lower oxygen levels in the air (thus called 'hypoxic air') at higher altitudes. Critics have pointed out that any Arab living in the general vicinity of Muhammad would have been familiar with the difficulty involved in breathing at higher altitudes, and that Muhammad particularly would have been aware of this phenomenon if accounts of his regularly climbing mountains just prior to proclaiming himself a prophet are to be trusted. Critics have also argued that if one takes the verse literally, the description provided is inaccurate, as the difficulty breathing at higher altitudes is not due to the constriction of one's chest, although this is what one may think based on the sensation of shortened breath which is experienced in hypoxic environments. Indeed, in the lower air pressure of higher altitudes, gasses and air actually expand, and it is also the case that one's chest would expand a very small amount in this environment as there is less atmospheric compression being applied to your body (as opposed to someone, say, at the bottom of the sea, who would instantly be crushed). Persons born and raised in higher altitudes have actually been recorded to have enlarged chests which compensate for the hypoxic environment by allowing the individual to breath in larger quantities of air in order to acquire the necessary quantity of oxygen.{{Quote|{{quran|6|125}}|'''Corpus:''' So whoever wants Allah that He guides him - He expands his breast to Islam; and whoever He wants that He lets him go astray He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he (were) climbing into the sky. Thus places Allah the filth on those who (do) not believe.<br>'''Daryabadi:''' So whomsoever Allah willeth that he shall guide, He expoundeth his breast for Islam; and whomsoever He willeth that he shall send astray, He maketh his breast strait, narrow, as if he were mounting up into the sky, thus Allah layeth the abomination on those who believe not.}} | Many modern Muslims scholars have argued that {{Quran|6|125}} contains a scientifically accurate description of Hypoxia, altitude sickness, or the general phenomenon of lower oxygen levels in the air (thus called 'hypoxic air') at higher altitudes. Critics have pointed out that any Arab living in the general vicinity of Muhammad would have been familiar with the difficulty involved in breathing at higher altitudes, and that Muhammad particularly would have been aware of this phenomenon if accounts of his regularly climbing mountains just prior to proclaiming himself a prophet are to be trusted. Critics have also argued that if one takes the verse literally, the description provided is inaccurate, as the difficulty breathing at higher altitudes is not due to the constriction of one's chest, although this is what one may think based on the sensation of shortened breath which is experienced in hypoxic environments. Indeed, in the lower air pressure of higher altitudes, gasses and air actually expand, and it is also the case that one's chest would expand a very small amount in this environment as there is less atmospheric compression being applied to your body (as opposed to someone, say, at the bottom of the sea, who would instantly be crushed). Persons born and raised in higher altitudes have actually been recorded to have enlarged chests which compensate for the hypoxic environment by allowing the individual to breath in larger quantities of air in order to acquire the necessary quantity of oxygen.{{Quote|{{quran|6|125}}|'''Corpus:''' So whoever wants Allah that He guides him - He expands his breast to Islam; and whoever He wants that He lets him go astray He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he (were) climbing into the sky. Thus places Allah the filth on those who (do) not believe.<br>'''Daryabadi:''' So whomsoever Allah willeth that he shall guide, He expoundeth his breast for Islam; and whomsoever He willeth that he shall send astray, He maketh his breast strait, narrow, as if he were mounting up into the sky, thus Allah layeth the abomination on those who believe not.}} | ||
===Mountains stabilize the Earth=== | ===Mountains as pegs, cast down to stabilize the Earth=== | ||
{{Main|The Quran and Mountains}}Many modern Islamic scholars have argued that the Quran's description of mountains as 'pegs' that | {{Main|The Quran and Mountains}} | ||
Critics have pointed out that while there is at times an underground accumulation of crust-matter below mountains, scientists have pointed out that this phenomenon does not in any way stabilize the Earth's surface. Indeed, modern science has discovered that mountains (and their underground underbellies) are in fact a direct product of the instability of the Earth's surface, which form when tectonic plates collide and generate destructive earthquakes. | 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. | ||
Critics have pointed out that while there is at times an underground accumulation of crust-matter below mountains, scientists have pointed out that this phenomenon does not in any way stabilize the Earth's surface. Indeed, modern science has discovered that mountains (and their underground underbellies) are in fact a direct product of the instability of the Earth's surface, which form when tectonic plates collide and generate destructive earthquakes. | |||
Secondly, critics point out that unlike pegs which are objects placed into something else, mountains caused by plate tectonics are of continuous material as the surrounding crust, albeit of a different or contorted shape due to geological processes. This shape is also nothing like a peg, since the thickening which occurs when continental plates collide extends all along the length of the resulting mountain range. Moreover, they do not peg anything to something else since the thickened crust beneath mountain ranges merely protrudes deeper than the surrounding crust into the Earth's mantle, which is molten and not a solid object. Far more substantial downward protrusions into the mantle are the subducted edges of tectonic plates and craton keels. | |||
Thirdly, continental crust thickening (sometimes called 'crustal roots' or 'mountain roots', terms which refer to the crust beneath entire mountain ranges rather than individual mountains) does not occur during the formation of other types of mountain, such as karsk mountains, plateau mountains, fault-block mountains, and lava dome mountains. | |||
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. | |||
A number of other criticisms are set out in the main article. | |||
{{Quote|{{quran|16|15}}|And He has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you, and [made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided,}} | |||
{{Quote|{{quran-range|78|6|7}}|Have We not made the earth a resting place And the mountains as stakes?}} | |||
{{Quote|{{quran-range|41|8|12}}|Say, "Do you indeed disbelieve in He who created the earth in two days and attribute to Him equals? That is the Lord of the worlds." And He placed on the earth firmly set mountains over its surface, and He blessed it and determined therein its [creatures'] sustenance in four days without distinction - for [the information] of those who ask. 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." And He completed them as seven heavens within two days and inspired in each heaven its command. And We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and as protection. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.}} | |||
===Embryology=== | |||
{{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.}} | |||
===All things in pairs=== | |||
Some Islamic scholars have argued that {{Quran|51|49}}, {{Quran|36|36}}, and similar verses contain a scientifically-sound insight regarding the existence of all living things in male and female pairs. Critics and historians have pointed out that the idea that all living things and things in general (as implied by {{Quran|51|49}}) exist in pairs simply draws on the widespread ancient motif of the duality of all things in nature. The most prominent example of this motif is perhaps the ancient Chinese Yin-Yang principle of duality, with similar concepts being described in the Rig-Veda and elsewhere. Critics have also pointed out that modern science has revealed that it is not the case that all living things exist in pairs. Exceptions, they argue, include the schizophyllum commune and the various and numerous asexual, hermaphroditic, and parthenogenetic organisms that populate the Earth.{{Quote|{{quran|51|49}}|And of every thing We have created pairs, so that you may remember.}}{{Quote|{{quran|36|36}}|Exalted is He who created all pairs - from what the earth grows and from themselves and from that which they do not know.}} | |||
===Female honey bees=== | |||
It is sometimes claimed that {{Quran-range|16|68|69|}} correctly identifies female bees as the builders and collectors of honey in the hive because verse 68 uses the feminine verb ittakhidhī when it says Allah inspired the bees to "Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct". | |||
The claim has a number of problems. Firstly, the verb for "build" is not used here. It simply seems to describe the locations where bees should live. Both male and female bees have to live somewhere. Secondly, the use of a female verb in Arabic does not have to mean that the subject is actually female, especially when applied to certain types of objects. Nahl (bee) is a kind of noun called Ismul Jins Jam'ee (اسم جنس جامع), a collective, or mass noun of species and has nothing to do with the gender of the insects, and according to some Muslim commentators, in the Hijaz dialect is grammatically feminine. The Quran also says in the same surah, ({{Quran|16|79}}) that birds are controlled in the air using a verb in the feminine gender, yet this clearly does not refer only to female birds. The Quran also uses a verb in the feminine gender in {{Quran|30|2}} "The Romans have been defeated". Clearly, the Quran is not referring only to female Romans. For further explanation, see [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6jiI367cmM this video]. Critics often further point out regarding verse 69 that while bees do sometimes eat fruit, primarily they need to eat nectar from flowers. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran-range|16|68|69}}|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.}} | |||
===Diminishing land=== | ===Diminishing land=== | ||
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{{Quote|{{quran-range|86|6|7}}|'''Corpus:''' He is created from a water, ejected, Coming forth from between the backbone and the ribs. <br>'''Sahih Intl:''' He was created from a fluid, ejected, Emerging from between the backbone and the ribs. <br>'''Pickthall:''' He is created from a gushing fluid That issued from between the loins and ribs.<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' He is created from a drop emitted- Proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs:}} | {{Quote|{{quran-range|86|6|7}}|'''Corpus:''' He is created from a water, ejected, Coming forth from between the backbone and the ribs. <br>'''Sahih Intl:''' He was created from a fluid, ejected, Emerging from between the backbone and the ribs. <br>'''Pickthall:''' He is created from a gushing fluid That issued from between the loins and ribs.<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' He is created from a drop emitted- Proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs:}} | ||
=== | ===Lying forelocks=== | ||
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: | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|55|41}}|The criminals will be known by their marks, and they will be seized by the forelocks and the feet.}} | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|11|56}}|Indeed, I have relied upon Allah , my Lord and your Lord. There is no creature but that He holds its forelock. Indeed, my Lord is on a path [that is] straight."}} | |||
However seizing, dragging, or holding someone by the 'prefrontal cortex' would be an odd statement to make. | |||
===Fresh water-salt water barriers=== | ===Fresh water-salt water barriers=== | ||
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.{{Quote|{{quran|25|53}}| | 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. | |||
{{Quote|{{quran|25|53}}|And it is He who has released [simultaneously] the two seas, one fresh and sweet and one salty and bitter, and He placed between them a barrier and prohibiting partition.}} | |||
{{Quote|{{quran|27|61}}|Is He [not best] who made the earth a stable ground and placed within it rivers and made for it firmly set mountains and placed between the two seas a barrier? Is there a deity with Allah? [No], but most of them do not know.}} | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran-range|55|19|22}}|He released the two seas, meeting [side by side]; Between them is a barrier [so] neither of them transgresses. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny? From both of them emerge pearl and coral.}} | |||
Another reference to "the two seas" (bahrayn) is found in the story of Moses and his servant. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran-range|18|60|61}}|And [mention] when Moses said to his servant, "I will not cease [traveling] until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period." But when they reached the junction between them, they forgot their fish, and it took its course into the sea, slipping away.}} | |||
The story of Moses and his servant is one of four stories in Surah al-Kahf. Modern academic scholarship has identified antecedants of each story in the lore of late antiquity. This particular story is almost unanimously considered to derive from a legend about Alexander the Great and his search for the water of life. For details see the section on the four stories in Surah al-Kahf in the article [[Parallels Between the Qur'an and Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature]]. | |||
It may further be compared to the ancient Akkadian myth of the Abzu, the name for a fresh water underground sea that was given a religious quality in Sumerian and Akkadian mythology. Lakes, springs, rivers, wells, and other sources of fresh water were thought to draw their water from the Abzu underground sea, while the Ocean that surrounded the world was a saltwater sea. This underground sea is called Tehom in the Hebrew Bible. For example, Genesis 49:25 says, "blessings of the heavens above, and Tehom lying beneath".<ref>Wensinck, Arent Jan (1918). "The Ocean in the Literature of the Western Semites". Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen te Amsterdam. Afdeeling Letterkunde. Nieuwe reeks. dl. 19. no. 2. page 14</ref> Wensinck explains, "Thus it appears that the idea of there being a sea of sweet water under our earth, the ancient Tehom, which is the source of springs and rivers, is common to the Western Semites".<ref>ibid. page 17</ref> Similarly in Greek mythology, the world was surrounded by Oceanus, the world-ocean of classical antiquity. Oceanus was personified as the god Titan, whose consort was the aquatic sea goddess Tethys. It was also thought that rainfall was due a third ocean above the "Firmament of the Sky" (a vast reservoir above the firmament of the sky is also described in the Genesis creation narrative). | |||
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. | |||
===The speed of light=== | |||
Some modern Islamic scholars and voices, particularly Dr. Mansour Hassab-Elnaby, have argued that {{Quran|32|5}} contains the information or is in some distinct manner cognizant of the fact that light in one day travels a distance roughly equal to 12,000 lunar orbits. Hassab-Elnaby's case is developed using abstruse mathematical calculations that employ various figures including the thousand-year period described in the verse and the distance the moon could be said to travel about the Earth if the Earth were stationary. Critics have argued that this case is a textbook example of numerological obscurantism whereby any text in existence can be taken and 'shown to be of divine origin' on the basis of various 'rare' numeric patterns which inevitably appear in any sufficiently complex data and limited set (similar techniques when applied to works such as Shakespearean plays and Virgil's Georgics, for instance, have revealed similarly 'dazzling coincidences'). | |||
Critics further note that while the speed of light is constant, both the length of an Earth day and lunar orbit distance are increasing, but the ratio between them is not constant and increases over time. This is a simple consequence of Kepler's 3rd law of planetary motion and tidal torque (see [https://archive.wikiislam.net/wiki/Speed_of_Light_in_the_Quran#Parameters here] for details). | |||
{{Quote|{{quran|32|5}}|He disposeth every affair from the heaven unto the earth; thereafter it shall ascend unto Him in a Day the measure whereof is one thousand years of that which ye compute.}} | |||
==Purported historical miracles== | ==Purported historical miracles== | ||
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===Title of Malik (King) vs Pharaoh in the stories of Joseph and Moses=== | ===Title of Malik (King) vs Pharaoh in the stories of Joseph and Moses=== | ||
In the Quranic stories of Moses, the leader of the Egyptians is called Pharaoh (Firaun). However, in the Quranic stories of Joseph, the Egyptian ruler is always called "the king" (al-malik). In this way the Qur'an is said to avoid an anachronism of the Biblical parallels, in which the book of Genesis calls the ruler Pharaoh even in the story of Joseph set hundreds of years earlier. | In the Quranic stories of Moses, the leader of the Egyptians is called Pharaoh (Firaun). However, in the Quranic stories of Joseph in Surah Yusuf, the Egyptian ruler is always called "the king" (al-malik). In this way the Qur'an is said to avoid an anachronism of the Biblical parallels, in which the book of Genesis calls the ruler Pharaoh even in the story of Joseph set hundreds of years earlier. | ||
Critics point out that the most obvious reason for the different Quranic titles is that the author thought Pharaoh was the actual name of the Egyptian ruler and not a title borne by many rulers in Egyptian history. In every case he is simply called Firaun without the definite article, "al-". In contrast, the | Critics point out that the most obvious reason for the different Quranic titles is that the author thought Pharaoh was the actual name of the Egyptian ruler and not a title borne by many rulers in Egyptian history. In every case he is simply called Firaun without the definite article, "al-". In contrast, the dozen instances mentioning the ruler in Surah Yusuf use the definite article, al-malik (the king). | ||
While the pharaoh at the time of the exodus story is traditionally believed to be Rameses II, it is unclear exactly when Joseph is supposed to have lived (secular historians generally consider neither Joseph nor Moses to be historical figures). Sometime during the era of the New Kingdom, Second Intermediate Period, the pharaoh title became the form of address for a person who was king. The [[w:Pharaoh#Etymology|earliest confirmed usage]] of pharaoh as a title is for Akhenaten (reigned c. 1353–1336 BCE), or possibly Thutmose III (c. 1479–1425 BCE). | While the pharaoh at the time of the exodus story is traditionally believed to be Rameses II, it is unclear exactly when Joseph is supposed to have lived (secular historians generally consider neither Joseph nor Moses to be historical figures). Sometime during the era of the New Kingdom, Second Intermediate Period, the pharaoh title became the form of address for a person who was king. The [[w:Pharaoh#Etymology|earliest confirmed usage]] of pharaoh as a title is for Akhenaten (reigned c. 1353–1336 BCE), or possibly Thutmose III (c. 1479–1425 BCE). | ||
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*[[Islam and Science]] | *[[Islam and Science]] | ||
[[Category:Prophecies|Islamic Prophecies]] | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC0D4187BE2661850 The Rationalizer: Top scientists comment on the Quran] (video playlist, Interviews with quote-mined scientists who supposedly approved the so-called scientific miracles: Alfred Kroner, William Hay, Allison Palmer, Tom Armstrong) | *[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC0D4187BE2661850 The Rationalizer: Top scientists comment on the Quran] (video playlist, Interviews with quote-mined scientists who supposedly approved the so-called scientific miracles: Alfred Kroner, William Hay, Allison Palmer, Tom Armstrong) | ||
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3ewI1YXc-c Sherif Gaber - Zakir Naik - The Wizard of Scientific Miracles] - ''YouTube Video'' | |||
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvG-606KqwU&t=35s The Masked Arab: Scientific miracles in the Quran? Analysis of Zakir Naik's claims] - ''YouTube video'' | |||
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyqaohY3gKY Hassan Radwan - Guide to Scientific Miracles in the Qu'ran] - ''YouTube video'' | |||
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6jiI367cmM Hassan Radwan - Qu'ran's Miracle of Female Honey Bees] - ''YouTube video'' | |||
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyUGc8SGBfQ Hassan Radwan - The Qu'ran's Miracle of Haman] - ''YouTube video'' | |||
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS1Mn90T2Bc CaptainDisguise: Miracle of the Pharaoh & Maurice Bucaille - Why do we laugh at Dawahgandists? #Dawahganda] - ''YouTube video'' | |||
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Voh0xLLUw islamwhattheydonttellyou164 - Waters that Never Mix: The Honest Truth], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_M-7qh2bko Underwater Waves] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-w3Nxh-r8c&t=1360s The Quran and Science] - ''YouTube videos'' | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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[[Category:Reproductive sciences]] | [[Category:Reproductive sciences]] | ||
[[Category:Modern movements]] | [[Category:Modern movements]] | ||
[[ar:الإعجاز_العلمي_في_القرآن]] | |||