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Scientific Errors in the Quran: Difference between revisions
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→Zoology: Best arguments moved higher up in the section and animals in communities verse further debunked.
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Lightyears (talk | contribs) (→Zoology: Best arguments moved higher up in the section and animals in communities verse further debunked.) |
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{{Quote|{{Quran-range|27|18|19}}| | {{Quote|{{Quran-range|27|18|19}}| | ||
At length, when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants, '''one of the ants said: "O ye ants, get into your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you (under foot) without knowing it." So he smiled, amused at her speech;''' and he said: "O my Lord! so order me that I may be grateful for Thy favours, which thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may work the righteousness that will please Thee: And admit me, by Thy Grace, to the ranks of Thy righteous Servants." }} | At length, when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants, '''one of the ants said: "O ye ants, get into your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you (under foot) without knowing it." So he smiled, amused at her speech;''' and he said: "O my Lord! so order me that I may be grateful for Thy favours, which thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may work the righteousness that will please Thee: And admit me, by Thy Grace, to the ranks of Thy righteous Servants." }} | ||
===Only Four / Eight Types of Cattle=== | |||
While the Qur'an states that there are eight kinds of cattle for use by humans, In fact there are more than a dozen kinds of cattle. The word "cattle" in 39:6 is [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000289.pdf al-ana'ami], meaning pasturing (i.e. grazing) animals. The word [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume3/00000432.pdf azwajin] ("kinds" in the translation of 39:6 below) generally means mate or member of a pair. {{Quran|6|143-144}} clarifies that these refer to male and female pairs of sheep, goats, oxes and camels, so in fact the author of the Qur'an is aware only of four kinds of cattle useful for humans. This neglects other types of cattle from the regions outside of Arabia such as reindeer, which are important to people in northern latitudes. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|39|6}}| | |||
He created you from one being, then from that (being) He made its mate; and He hath provided for you of '''cattle eight kinds'''. He created you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, in a threefold gloom. Such is Allah, your Lord. His is the Sovereignty. There is no Allah save Him. How then are ye turned away}} | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|6|142-144}}|'''And of the cattle (He produceth) some for burdens, some for food.''' Eat of that which Allah hath bestowed upon you, and follow not the footsteps of the devil, for lo! he is an open foe to you. '''Eight pairs: Of the sheep twain, and of the goats twain.''' Say: Hath He forbidden the two males or the two females, or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Expound to me (the case) with knowledge, if ye are truthful. '''And of the camels twain and of the oxen twain.''' Say: Hath He forbidden the two males or the two females, or that which the wombs of the two females contain; or were ye by to witness when Allah commanded you (all) this? Then who doth greater wrong than he who deviseth a lie concerning Allah, that he may lead mankind astray without knowledge. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.}} | |||
===Horses Created as Transportation=== | ===Horses Created as Transportation=== | ||
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{{Quote|{{Quran|16|8}}| | {{Quote|{{Quran|16|8}}| | ||
And (He has created) horses, mules, and donkeys, for you to ride and use for show; and He has created (other) things of which ye have no knowledge.}} | And (He has created) horses, mules, and donkeys, for you to ride and use for show; and He has created (other) things of which ye have no knowledge.}} | ||
===All Animals Live in Communities=== | |||
The Qur'an is emphatic that ''all'' animals live in communities. Some animals such as the jaguar or leopard are well known for being solitary creatures, rarely meeting in pairs and only to mate. They do not live in communities and routinely fight each other over territory. | |||
There are also species even whose young are not raised as a family, which lay eggs and abandon them before hatching. Sea Turtles bury their eggs on a beach and leave them. When an egg hatches the baby turtle must dig to the surface and make a sprint to the sea or perish. Some reptiles behave similarly. An even better example is the Carolina anole, which is a lizard species. They lay just a single egg every 2 weeks, around 10 in total, each taking 5 to 7 weeks to hatch. Anole hatchlings much fend for themselves and are by nature solitary creatures from birth. | |||
One translation attempts to interpret umamun (community / nation) to mean genus (group of species, plural: genera). Even supposing this to be the correct interpretation, it would represent the pre-scientific understanding in which every creature can be neatly categorised, ignorant of the on-going process in which sub-groups of many species are diverging and gradually evolving into new species. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|6|38}}| | |||
'''There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book''', and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.}} | |||
===Bird Flight is a Miracle=== | ===Bird Flight is a Miracle=== | ||
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{{Quote|{{Quran|16|79}}| | {{Quote|{{Quran|16|79}}| | ||
Do they not look at the birds, held poised in the midst of (the air and) the sky? Nothing holds them up but (the power of) Allah. Verily in this are signs for those who believe}} | Do they not look at the birds, held poised in the midst of (the air and) the sky? Nothing holds them up but (the power of) Allah. Verily in this are signs for those who believe}} | ||
===Birth Defects and Imperfections=== | ===Birth Defects and Imperfections=== | ||
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===Poisonous Sea Life is Edible=== | ===Poisonous Sea Life is Edible=== | ||
A number of sea creatures are deadly and fatal to humans if consumed. This includes the [[w:puffer fish|puffer fish]], [[w:poison dart frog|poison dart frong]], marbled cone snail, [[w:blue ringed octopus|blue ringed octopus]] and [[w:stonefish|stonefish]]. The Qur'an, however, makes no prohibition against eating | A number of sea creatures are deadly and fatal to humans if consumed. This includes the [[w:puffer fish|puffer fish]], [[w:poison dart frog|poison dart frong]], marbled cone snail, [[w:blue ringed octopus|blue ringed octopus]] and [[w:stonefish|stonefish]]. The Qur'an, however, makes no prohibition against eating l-ṣayda l-baḥri (game of the sea) even though it goes into lengthy detail forbidding the consumption of pigs, which are safe for humans to eat. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|5|96}}| | {{Quote|{{Quran|5|96}}| | ||
Lawful to you is the pursuit of water-game and its use for food,- for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel; but forbidden is the pursuit of land-game;- as long as ye are in the sacred precincts or in pilgrim garb. And fear Allah, to Whom ye shall be gathered back. }} | Lawful to you is the pursuit of water-game and its use for food,- for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel; but forbidden is the pursuit of land-game;- as long as ye are in the sacred precincts or in pilgrim garb. And fear Allah, to Whom ye shall be gathered back. }} | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||