Scientific Errors in the Quran: Difference between revisions

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Scientific Errors in the Quran (view source)

Revision as of 06:47, 14 November 2013

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→‎Astronomy: Removed a few weaker claims, reorged the sun setting and rising sections, general cleanup
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(→‎Moon split in two: Beefed up comments. Added in Hadith.)
(→‎Astronomy: Removed a few weaker claims, reorged the sun setting and rising sections, general cleanup)
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==Astronomy==
==Astronomy==


===The sun set into the murky water===
===The Setting and Rising place of the Sun===
{{Main|Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Controversy in the Qur'an}}
{{Main|Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Controversy in the Qur'an}}


The Qur'an propagates a popular myth from that time and region that a man visited the places where the sun sets and rises and found that the sun goes into a muddy spring.  
The Qur'an assume a flat earth which has a fixed place where the sun sets and a fixed place where the sun rises again.  Since the earth is a rotating sphere, the sun doesn't set in any particular place and you can never travel to "the spot" where the sun sets nor a place where it rises; the sun appears to set or rise on the horizon no mater where you are on the planet. In these verses, the author propagates a popular legend from the 6th century of a man that visits the places where the sun sets and rises; here he finds the sun going down into a muddy spring and later rising on a tribe with no coverings.


{{Quote|{{Quran|18|86}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|18|86}}|
Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness."}}
Till, when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and found a people thereabout. We said: O Dhu'l-Qarneyn! Either punish or show them kindness. }}
 
{{Quote|{{Quran|18|90}}|
Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun. }}


=== Geocentricism===
=== Geocentricism===
Line 89: Line 92:
Except such as snatch away something by stealth, and they are pursued by a flaming fire, of piercing brightness.}}
Except such as snatch away something by stealth, and they are pursued by a flaming fire, of piercing brightness.}}


===How many planets in the solar system according to the Quran?===
===Seven Planets in the Universe===


This verse claims there are seven planets. However, according to astronomers, there are eight ordinary planets and five dwarf planets, which leaves the grand total at thirteen.  
This verse claims there are seven planets. However, according to astronomers, there are eight ordinary planets and five dwarf planets, which leaves the grand total at thirteen in our solar system. Modern astronomy also has found hundreds of other planets in other solar systems and Cosmologists estimate that hundred of billions of stars and planets exist in the universe.  The author of the Qur'an singling out such a small number of celestial objects only reaffirms his ignorance of the makeup of the universe.


{{Quote|{{Quran|65|12}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|65|12}}|
Allah is He Who created seven Firmaments and of the earth a '''similar number'''. Through the midst of them (all) descends His Command: that ye may know that Allah has power over all things, and that Allah comprehends, all things in (His) Knowledge. }}
Allah is He Who created seven Firmaments and of the earth a '''similar number'''. Through the midst of them (all) descends His Command: that ye may know that Allah has power over all things, and that Allah comprehends, all things in (His) Knowledge. }}


====Tafsir Ibn Abbas explains they are all flat planets====
The paternal cousin of Muhammad and conspicuous expert on [[tafsir]] (interpretation of the Qur'an) writes that Allah means that all 7 planets are flat planets.
 
The paternal cousin of Muhammad and conspicuous expert on [[tafsir]] (interpretation of the Qur'an) writes that Allah means that all 7 are flat planets.


{{Quote|Tafsir Ibn-Abass | Allah is He who created 7 heavens one above the other like a dome, and of the Earths, the like thereof, 7 planets but '''they are flat'''}}
{{Quote|Tafsir Ibn-Abass | Allah is He who created 7 heavens one above the other like a dome, and of the Earths, the like thereof, 7 planets but '''they are flat'''}}


===The Moon is further away than the stars===
===The Moon is Further from the Earth than the Stars===


The moon is located in the middle of the universe.
The Qur'an claims that the moon is located in the middle of the universe and stars are in the nearest/lowest part of the universe.  Clearly the Quranic author has no idea that many stars are billions upon billions of light-years away.


{{Quote|{{Quran|71|15-16}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|71|15-16}}|
See ye not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another,
See ye not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another,
'And made the moon a light in their '''midst''', and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp}}
'And made the moon a light in their '''midst''', and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp}}
But stars are in the nearest/lowest part of the universe.


{{Quote|{{Quran|37|6}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|37|6}}|
Surely We have adorned the nearest heaven with an adornment, the stars}}
Surely We have adorned the nearest heaven with an adornment, the stars}}


===Night time cold is caused by the Moon===
===The Emits Light===


The Qur'an's author assumed by what he observed because the Moon does not affect Earth's temperature in any manner.
The moon does not emit it's own light but simply reflects light coming from the Sun. The Arabic word for reflected (in`ikaas) does not appear in this Quranic verse that says the Moon is a "light". It instead uses the word "Noor" which is used to denote an entity that emits light
 
{{Quote|{{Quran|76|13}}|
Reclining in the (Garden) on raised thrones, they will see there neither the sun's (excessive heat) nor (the moon's) excessive cold. }}
 
===The moon is "Noor", which emits light too===
 
The moon does not emit light. The Arabic word for reflected (in`ikaas) does not appear in this sentence.


{{Quote|{{Quran|71|16}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|71|16}}|
And hath made the moon a light therein, and made the sun a lamp?}}
And hath made the moon a light therein, and made the sun a lamp?}}


The word "Noor" here also means an entity that emits light.
The word "Noor" is used in these verse to show that Allah is the "light" of the universe.  


{{Quote|{{Quran|24|35}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|24|35}}|
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{{Quote|{{Bukhari|4|56|831}}|Narrated Anas: "That the Meccan people requested Allah's Apostle to show them a miracle, and so he showed them the splitting of the moon."}}
{{Quote|{{Bukhari|4|56|831}}|Narrated Anas: "That the Meccan people requested Allah's Apostle to show them a miracle, and so he showed them the splitting of the moon."}}


===The universe, earth or its atmosphere consists of 7 layers===
===The 7 Heavens===
{{Main|Earth Made of Seven Layers}}
{{Main|Earth Made of Seven Layers}}


The universe consists of trillions of galaxies with billions of stars each. There is no such thing as seven layers to the universe.
The universe consists of hundreds of billions of galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars. There is no such thing as seven layers to the universe.  This myth of seven heavens was a common idea prevalent in the middle east during the time the Qur'an was revealed.


{{Quote|{{Quran|71|15}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|71|15}}|
Line 154: Line 146:


{{Quote|{{Quran|65|12}}|Allah is He Who created seven heavens, and of the earth the like of them; the decree continues to descend among them, that you may know that Allah has power over all things and that Allah indeed encompasses all things in (His) knowledge.}}
{{Quote|{{Quran|65|12}}|Allah is He Who created seven heavens, and of the earth the like of them; the decree continues to descend among them, that you may know that Allah has power over all things and that Allah indeed encompasses all things in (His) knowledge.}}
===The Sun is not a star===
According to Islam, the Sun and stars are two completely different things. Modern science tells differently:
{{Quote|{{Quran|7|54}}|
Your Guardian-Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and is firmly established on the throne (of authority): He draweth the night as a veil o'er the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession: He created the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) governed by laws under His command. Is it not His to create and to govern? Blessed be Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds! }}
=== Where does the sun rise?===
The sun rises equally upon every human on earth on a daily basis, except in the poles. However, the Qur'an advocates the geocentric idea and flat earth concept in the verse below:
{{Quote|{{Quran|18|90}}|
Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun. }}


===Earth created in six days===
===Earth created in six days===
{{Main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Creation}}
{{Main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Creation}}


The earth took billions of years to form after Big bang.
The earth first formed around 9 billion years after the Big Bang. The Qur'an, however, repeats the Jewish myth that the earth and universe were formed in six days. 


{{Quote|{{Quran|50|38}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|50|38}}|
We created the heavens and the earth and all between them in Six Days, nor did any sense of weariness touch Us}}
We created the heavens and the earth and all between them in Six Days, nor did any sense of weariness touch Us}}


===The earth existed before the universe===
The author of the Qur'an is also unaware that the material that made up the earth was first formed in stars.  Modern science has proposed that all the elements that make up the earth (Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon, Iron, etc.) came from debris expelled by exploding stars.  Yet the Qur'an describes the earth being formed before the stars and from "smoke" or material that pre-dates both stars and the earth.  Since all rocky and gaseous planets were formed after stars, the Qur'an singling out the earth being created only further highlights the authors ignorance of the history of the formation of the universe.


There was no planet during or before the Big Bang.
{{Quote|{{Quran|2|29}}|
He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth. Then turned He to the heaven, and fashioned it as seven heavens. And He is knower of all things. }}


{{Quote|{{Quran|21|30}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|21|30}}|
Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? }}
Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? }}
The earth was created prior to the heaven.
{{Quote|{{Quran|2|29}}|
He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth. Then turned He to the heaven, and fashioned it as seven heavens. And He is knower of all things. }}
===The Universe is contracting===
Firstly, inanimate objects can't speak. Secondly, we have recently come to know the universe is expanding, not contracting.


{{Quote|{{Quran|41|11}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|41|11}}|
Moreover He comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke: He said to it and to the earth: "Come ye together, willingly or unwillingly." They said: "We do come (together), in willing obedience." }}
Moreover He comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke: He said to it and to the earth: "Come ye together, willingly or unwillingly." They said: "We do come (together), in willing obedience." }}


===The sun is a flat disk===
===The sun is a flat disk===
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When the sun (with its spacious light) is folded up}}
When the sun (with its spacious light) is folded up}}


===Earth has invisible pillars keeping up the sky===
===Sky is a Tent/Dome===
 
A common myth at the time of the Quran's composition was that the sky or heavens were held up with pillars.  Many Bedouin people living in Arabia imagined the sky as a large tent covering, similar to the tents they used.  The author repeats this myth by describing the sky as being "raised" above the earth.


This originated from the ancient Greek myth.
{{Quote|{{Quran|2|22}}|
It is He Who made the Earth a couch for you, and the sky a dome.}} 


{{Quote|{{Quran|13|2}}|
{{Quote|{{Quran|13|2}}|
Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that ye can see}}
Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that ye can see}}


This shows a lack of knowledge of astronomy. There is nothing in the heavens or sky to "raise", with or without pillars.
===Sirius as a single star===


The singular form used in this verse negates the fact that Sirius is actually a double star.
===The sky is Impenetrable===
 
{{Quote|{{Quran|53|49}}|
And that He it is Who is the Lord of Sirius}}
 
===The sky is concrete and impenetrable===


The asteroid and meteorites penetrated the atmosphere to hit the earth throughout the course of history, there is no guardian whatsoever to prevent the incidents from happening.
The asteroid and meteorites penetrated the atmosphere to hit the earth throughout the course of history, there is no guardian whatsoever to prevent the incidents from happening.
Line 225: Line 192:
And We have made the heavens as a canopy well guarded: yet do they turn away from the Signs which these things (point to)}}
And We have made the heavens as a canopy well guarded: yet do they turn away from the Signs which these things (point to)}}


===There are no black holes===
===North and South Poles===
 
The evidence of Black Hole indicates certain degree of instability in the galaxy. Black holes absorb stars and even galaxies in regions of space where from which no entity, including light, can escape.
 
{{Quote|{{Quran|67|3}}|
Who created the seven heavens one above another; you see no incongruity in the creation of the Beneficent Allah; then look again, can you see any disorder? }}
 
===Allah is ignorant of the North and South Poles===
{{Main|The Ramadan Pole Paradox}}
{{Main|The Ramadan Pole Paradox}}


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It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor doth the night outstrip the day. They float each in an orbit. }}
It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor doth the night outstrip the day. They float each in an orbit. }}


===Thunder is an angel===
===Thunder is an Angel===


The Qur'an author was superstitious about thunder and regarded this natural phenomenon as an angel
The Qur'an author was superstitious about thunder and regarded this natural phenomenon as an angel
Line 247: Line 207:
And the thunder declares His glory with His praise, and the angels too for awe of Him; and He sends the thunderbolts and smites with them whom He pleases, yet they dispute concerning Allah, and He is mighty in prowess.}}
And the thunder declares His glory with His praise, and the angels too for awe of Him; and He sends the thunderbolts and smites with them whom He pleases, yet they dispute concerning Allah, and He is mighty in prowess.}}


====Tafsir Ibn Abbas====
Muslim sources which explain this verse clearly indicate that the author of the Qur'an believed that thunder wasn't an impersonal natural phenomenon, but an angel:
 
When we turn to the Muslim sources which explain this verse, it is rather apparent that the author of the Qur'an believed that thunder wasn’t simply an impersonal force, but an angel:
   
   
{{Quote|1=[http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=2&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=13&tAyahNo=13&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0 Tafsir Ibn-Abbas]|2=(The thunder hymneth His praise) by His command; '''it is an angel'''; it is also said: it is the voice of the sky (and (so do) the angels) and also the angels hymn His praise (for awe of Him) the angels have awe towards Allah. (He launcheth the thunder bolts) i.e. fire (and smiteth with them whom He will) He destroys by means of fire whoever He will, referring here to Zayd Ibn Qays whom Allah destroyed by fire, along with his friend ‘Amir Ibn al-Tufayl who was killed as a result of being stabbed in his waist (while they dispute (in doubt) concerning Allah) while they dispute with Muhammad (pbuh) concerning the Religion of Allah, (and He is mighty in wrath) His chastisement is severe }}
{{Quote|1=[http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=2&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=13&tAyahNo=13&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0 Tafsir Ibn-Abbas]|2=(The thunder hymneth His praise) by His command; '''it is an angel'''; it is also said: it is the voice of the sky (and (so do) the angels) and also the angels hymn His praise (for awe of Him) the angels have awe towards Allah. (He launcheth the thunder bolts) i.e. fire (and smiteth with them whom He will) He destroys by means of fire whoever He will, referring here to Zayd Ibn Qays whom Allah destroyed by fire, along with his friend ‘Amir Ibn al-Tufayl who was killed as a result of being stabbed in his waist (while they dispute (in doubt) concerning Allah) while they dispute with Muhammad (pbuh) concerning the Religion of Allah, (and He is mighty in wrath) His chastisement is severe }}
===What causes the movement of shadows?===
The Qur'an says its the Sun's movement. This is false. The earth revolves around the sun and cause the movement of shadow.
{{Quote|{{Quran|25|45}}|
Hast thou not turned thy vision to thy Lord?- How He doth prolong the shadow! If He willed, He could make it stationary! then do We make the sun its guide; }}


===The sky can fall down, the earth can swallow down===
===The sky can fall down, the earth can swallow down===
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{{Quote|{{Quran|34|9}}|See they not what is before them and behind them, of the sky and the earth? If We wished, We could cause the earth to swallow them up, or cause a piece of the sky to fall upon them. Verily in this is a Sign for every devotee that turns to Allah (in repentance).}}
{{Quote|{{Quran|34|9}}|See they not what is before them and behind them, of the sky and the earth? If We wished, We could cause the earth to swallow them up, or cause a piece of the sky to fall upon them. Verily in this is a Sign for every devotee that turns to Allah (in repentance).}}


===The Sky is made of rocky material===
===The Sky is made of solid material===


{{Quote|{{Quran|50|6}}|What, have they not beheld heaven above them, how We have built it, and decked it out fair, '''and it has no cracks'''? And the earth -- We stretched it forth, and cast on it firm mountains, and We caused to grow therein of every joyous kind }}
{{Quote|{{Quran|50|6}}|What, have they not beheld heaven above them, how We have built it, and decked it out fair, '''and it has no cracks'''? And the earth -- We stretched it forth, and cast on it firm mountains, and We caused to grow therein of every joyous kind }}
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