Cataracts Miracle in the Quran

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The verse 12:84 says that the eyes of Joseph became white because of his sorrow. But sorrow doesn't cause cataract so the verse is scientifically wrong.

Supposed "miracle"

Cataracts is the clouding of the eye.

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye which leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble with bright lights, and trouble seeing at night. This may result in trouble driving, reading, or recognizing faces. Poor vision caused by cataracts may also result in an increased risk of falling and depression.
Wikipedia, Cataract, 2019

In older adults cataracts is linked to depression.

Cataracts in older adults may be linked to symptoms of depression, according to a new study published in a journal by Optometry and Vision Science. Worldwide, cataract is the number one cause of vision loss... According to the Mayo Clinic, almost half of all Americans in their 60s have some degree of cataracts. Depression, though it can be experienced by people of all ages, is becoming more prevalent in older adults...

Vesan Health, Cataracts In Older Adults Linked To Depression, 2017

Cataracts are linked to depression in the elderly. However this was portrayed in the Quran 1400 years before it was discovered. In the story of Joseph, his father's eyes turned white from sorrow while depressed.

[Quran 12:84] Then he turned away from them, and said, "My bitterness for Joseph." And his eyes turned white from sorrow, and he became depressed.

When his eyes turned white from sorrow he was an old man.

How could an illiterate man who lived 1400 years ago have known that cataracts are linked to depression in the elderly?


The verse

Apologetic translation

Then he turned away from them, and said, "My bitterness for Joseph." And his eyes turned white from sorrow, and he became depressed.


Quran 12:84, translated by miracles-of-quran.com [1]

The verse talks about one instance in history where this happened. It does not say that it is a trend among older people in general, so the miracle claim is false.

  • When the Quran says that Moses split the Red Sea, does it mean that it is a trend among older people to split the Red Sea?

The verse also says that the cause of the whitening (the cataract) is his sorrow. Here are causes of cataracts:

Causes

Most cataracts develop when aging or injury changes the tissue that makes up your eye's lens.

Some inherited genetic disorders that cause other health problems can increase your risk of cataracts. Cataracts can also be caused by other eye conditions, past eye surgery or medical conditions such as diabetes. Long-term use of steroid medications, too, can cause cataracts to develop.


No mention of sorrow. So the Quran's claim that the sorrow caused the cataract is unscientific.

And there's nothing scientifically miraculous about the mention that Joseph became depressed, because it's common sense that if a person partially loses his sight, he will be sad about it.

Actual translation

Muhsin Khan: And he turned away from them and said: "Alas, my grief for Yusuf (Joseph)!" And he lost his sight because of the sorrow that he was suppressing (كظيم).

Pickthall: And he turned away from them and said: Alas, my grief for Joseph! And his eyes were whitened with the sorrow that he was suppressing.

Sahih International: And he turned away from them and said, "Oh, my sorrow over Joseph," and his eyes became white from grief, for he was [of that] a suppressor.

Yusuf Ali: And he turned away from them, and said: "How great is my grief for Joseph!" And his eyes became white with sorrow, and he fell into silent melancholy.


The last word كظيم (kazeem) is not usually translated as "depression", but "suppression". He was suppressing the sorrow. And the verse says that the sorrow leads to the cataract and not that the cataract leads to the sorrow.

See also

References