Eye Pupil Miracle In The Quran

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The Quran doesn't talk about eye pupils at all.

The "miracle"

Humans cannot control the size of their pupils, it is totally involuntary. When lying it dilates:

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulates bodily functions that occur without conscious control (involuntary actions). This system is divided into two branches: The sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system; each can be described by a short general statement, as follows: The sympathetic system is more active in a "fight or flight" situations, and the parasympathetic system is more active in a "rest and digest" state. In other words, the sympathetic nervous system adjusts your body to deal with some kind of threat to your safety, whereas the parasympathetic nervous system adjusts your body to conserve energy and be efficient when resting (i.e. good sleep, good digestion etc.)

Now, lying usually involves some level of tension or anxiety (unless you are a very good liar), because you might be worried to a certain degree that the lie will be revealed. This tension subconsciously triggers the sympathetic nervous system, which will cause certain effects throughout your body. Sympathetic stimulation to the eye will cause contraction of the radially oriented pupillary dilator muscle fibers in the iris and will result in mydriasis (dilation of the pupil). An opposite effect is achieved when the eye receives parasympathetic stimulation (i.e. when you are calmer, maybe after confessing the truth...), and the pupil undergoes miosis (constriction).

In short, since lying usually involves tension, and tension is associated with increased sympathetic activity, the pupil will dilate following sympathetic stimulation.

Medical Science, Why do pupils dilate when someone says a lie? Other physical symptoms when someone is lying?, 2016

In short pupils dilate when humans lie. Liars can manipulate their body language but they cannot control their pupils. Their pupils give them away.

However 1400 years ago this was portrayed in the Quran:

Quran 40.19 He knows the betrayal of the eyes, and what the hearts conceal.

"Betrayal of the eyes" today we know that pupils betray the liars and give them away.

How could an illiterate man who lived 1400 years ago have known that your pupils will betray you when you lie?


The verse

The verse doesn't talk about pupils:

He knows the betrayal of the eyes, and what the hearts conceal.


Since it doesn't mention pupils, let alone dilation of pupils, the miracle claim is false. And the verse didn't even clearly say "lying". "betrayal of the eyes" (خائنة الأعين, khaa'inat al-a'aeen) could mean that something external betrays the eyes. We can see that the verse is not clear from variability in translations:

Sahih International: He knows that which deceives the eyes and what the breasts conceal.

Muhsin Khan: Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal.

Yusuf Ali: (Allah) knows of (the tricks) that deceive with the eyes, and all that the hearts (of men) conceal.

Pickthall: He knoweth the traitor of the eyes, and that which the bosoms hide.


See also