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. Interestingly, 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.
{{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. In the 19 Interestingly, 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.


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.
==History of the scientific miracles movement and statements by Western Scientists==
{{Main|Bucailleism}}
In 1976 the book ''The Quran, the Bible, and Science'', by Dr. Maurice Bucaille was published. It purports to prove that the Qur'an, in contrast to the [[Taurat|Bible]], has always been in agreement with modern scientific discoveries. It was immensely popular "across the Muslim world" where it "sold millions of copies" and was "translated into several languages." <ref name="SubvHoodb"> [http://www.zmag.org/ZMag/articles/oct01hoodbhoy.htm When Science Teaching Becomes A Subversive Activity By Pervez Hoodbhoy]</ref>
During the 1980's and 1990's a Muslim scholar named [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Majeed_al-Zindani Abdul Majeed al-Zindani] organized various events to which scientists from around the world (mainly the west) were invited to talk. The ultimate result of these events was a documentary by Zindani, This is the Truth, in which some of these scientists were shown to be confirming the miraculous nature of the Quran, or were quoted as making statements off camera. This documentary was followed up in 1998 by a book of the same name, authored by Abdullah M al-Rehaili, which is now in its 3rd edition.
In a 2002 ''Wall Street Journal'' article and further interviews posted on Youtube in 2011, some of these scientists explained that they had been misled and manipulated by Zindani and do not endorse the Quran as scientifically accurate (see main article as well as the external links section of this article).


The most popular Islamic voices who have argued for the existence of scientific miracles in the Quran in the West include [[Harun Yahya]], [[Zakir Naik]], I.A. Ibrahim, and Hamza Tzortzis. Notably, in 2013, Hamza Tzortzis published an essay withdrawing his case for scientific miracles in the Quran and stating that the entire endeavor to prove such miracles "has become an intellectual embarrassment for Muslim apologists" and "has exposed the lack of coherence in the way they have formulated" their arguments, noting that "many Muslims who converted to Islam due to the scientific miracles narrative, have left the religion".<ref>{{Citation|author=Hamza Andreas Tzortzis|url=https://www.hamzatzortzis.com/does-the-quran-contain-scientific-miracles-a-new-approach/|publication-date=8/21/2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416194024/https://www.hamzatzortzis.com/does-the-quran-contain-scientific-miracles-a-new-approach/|chapter=Does the Quran contain scientific miracles?}}</ref> Zakir Naik's preaching has been banned in India, Bangladesh, Canada, the UK, and Malaysia under anti-terrorism and anti-hate laws.<ref name="lmzn2">{{cite web|work=Livemint|title=Zakir Naik's colourful, controversial past|url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/nEgC4RcrRkydW33OMxbvdN/Zakir-Naiks-controversial-past.html|accessdate=16 July 2016|date=7 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710003129/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/nEgC4RcrRkydW33OMxbvdN/Zakir-Naiks-controversial-past.html|archive-date=10 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=NDTV|title=Foreign Media On Zakir Naik, 'Doctor-Turned-Firebrand Preacher'|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/foreign-media-on-zakir-naik-doctor-turned-firebrand-preacher-1431875|accessdate=16 July 2016|date=15 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716133126/http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/foreign-media-on-zakir-naik-doctor-turned-firebrand-preacher-1431875|archive-date=16 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> On January 11th, 2020, Harun Yahya was sentenced to 1,075 years in prison for, among other charges, operating a sex cult, sexual assault, blackmail, and money laundering.<ref>{{Citation|chapter=Turkish court sentences TV preacher to more than 1,000 years in jail - state media|newspaper=Reuters|publication-date=1/11/2021|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/turkey-court-preacher-idUSL4N2JM23C|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131004740/https://www.reuters.com/article/turkey-court-preacher-idUSL4N2JM23C|editor=Reuters Staff}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-11/turkey-sex-cult-chief-sentenced-to-more-than-1-000-years-in-jail|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111124141/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-11/turkey-sex-cult-chief-sentenced-to-more-than-1-000-years-in-jail|publication-date=1/11/2021|newspaper=Bloomberg|author=Taylan Bilgic|chapter=Turkey Sex Cult Chief Sentenced to More Than 1,000 Years in Jail}}</ref>
The most popular Islamic voices who have argued for the existence of scientific miracles in the Quran in the West include [[Harun Yahya]], [[Zakir Naik]], I.A. Ibrahim, and Hamza Tzortzis. Notably, in 2013, Hamza Tzortzis published an essay withdrawing his case for scientific miracles in the Quran and stating that the entire endeavor to prove such miracles "has become an intellectual embarrassment for Muslim apologists" and "has exposed the lack of coherence in the way they have formulated" their arguments, noting that "many Muslims who converted to Islam due to the scientific miracles narrative, have left the religion".<ref>{{Citation|author=Hamza Andreas Tzortzis|url=https://www.hamzatzortzis.com/does-the-quran-contain-scientific-miracles-a-new-approach/|publication-date=8/21/2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416194024/https://www.hamzatzortzis.com/does-the-quran-contain-scientific-miracles-a-new-approach/|chapter=Does the Quran contain scientific miracles?}}</ref> Zakir Naik's preaching has been banned in India, Bangladesh, Canada, the UK, and Malaysia under anti-terrorism and anti-hate laws.<ref name="lmzn2">{{cite web|work=Livemint|title=Zakir Naik's colourful, controversial past|url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/nEgC4RcrRkydW33OMxbvdN/Zakir-Naiks-controversial-past.html|accessdate=16 July 2016|date=7 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710003129/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/nEgC4RcrRkydW33OMxbvdN/Zakir-Naiks-controversial-past.html|archive-date=10 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=NDTV|title=Foreign Media On Zakir Naik, 'Doctor-Turned-Firebrand Preacher'|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/foreign-media-on-zakir-naik-doctor-turned-firebrand-preacher-1431875|accessdate=16 July 2016|date=15 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716133126/http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/foreign-media-on-zakir-naik-doctor-turned-firebrand-preacher-1431875|archive-date=16 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> On January 11th, 2020, Harun Yahya was sentenced to 1,075 years in prison for, among other charges, operating a sex cult, sexual assault, blackmail, and money laundering.<ref>{{Citation|chapter=Turkish court sentences TV preacher to more than 1,000 years in jail - state media|newspaper=Reuters|publication-date=1/11/2021|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/turkey-court-preacher-idUSL4N2JM23C|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131004740/https://www.reuters.com/article/turkey-court-preacher-idUSL4N2JM23C|editor=Reuters Staff}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-11/turkey-sex-cult-chief-sentenced-to-more-than-1-000-years-in-jail|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111124141/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-11/turkey-sex-cult-chief-sentenced-to-more-than-1-000-years-in-jail|publication-date=1/11/2021|newspaper=Bloomberg|author=Taylan Bilgic|chapter=Turkey Sex Cult Chief Sentenced to More Than 1,000 Years in Jail}}</ref>
==Methodology of Islamic theologians==
==Methodology of Islamic theologians==
A variety of theological methods are employed by modern Islamic scholars in making the case for any given scientific miracle in the Quran. These methods include what can be described and categorized as dehistoricization, pseudo-correlation, reinterpretation, disambiguation, elective literalism, elective esotericism, and data mining. While there exist any number of alternative approaches and combinations thereof to making the case for any given scientific miracle, the aforementioned methods are, in roughly descending order, the most common. These methods are not mutually exclusive and tend to employed in conjunction with one another in order to strengthen the case being made.
A variety of theological methods are employed by modern Islamic scholars in making the case for any given scientific miracle in the Quran. These methods include what can be described and categorized as dehistoricization, pseudo-correlation, reinterpretation, disambiguation, elective literalism, elective esotericism, and data mining. While there exist any number of alternative approaches and combinations thereof to making the case for any given scientific miracle, the aforementioned methods are, in roughly descending order, the most common. These methods are not mutually exclusive and tend to employed in conjunction with one another in order to strengthen the case being made.
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==Purported scientific miracles==
==Purported scientific miracles==
Below are the most-often discussed of the many so-called scientific miracles of the Quran
Below are the most-often discussed of the many so-called scientific miracles of the Quran
===Quranic Miracle: Universe is steadily expanding===
 
===The Big Bang===
Many modern Islamic scholars have argued that {{Quran|21|30}} too describes the Big Bang. Historians, by contrast, have shown that the first verse describes a version of world egg creation myth which was widely believed in earlier times through much of the world. According to the archetype of the myth, the Earth and heavens both existed in an egg-shaped structure which split (or hatched) to become the separate Earth and heaven, ushering in the era of mankind.
 
{{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?}}
 
The verse states that "We clove them" (dual pronoun 'huma'), not "We clove it", thereby indicating that the Earth and heavens are two distinct entites after the cloving, and the next verse speaks of mountains being placed on Earth. This conflicts with the modern scientific understanding that the Earth only began to form from material within the emerging solar system, 9 billion years after the big bang.
 
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}}).
 
{{Quote|{{Quran|50|38}}|
And verily We created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in six Days, and naught of weariness touched Us.}}
 
The same pre-scientific cosmology was already present in other near eastern cultures before Islam:
 
{{Quote|[https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/epic/hd_epic.htm Mesopotamian Creation Myths]<BR>Ira Spar, Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art|A Sumerian myth known today as “Gilgamesh and the Netherworld” opens with a mythological prologue. It assumes that the gods and the universe already exist and that once a long time ago the heavens and earth were united, only later to be split apart}}
 
This view persisted into the age of Greek civilization:
 
{{Quote|A. Seidenberg (1969) [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1259101 The Separation of Sky and Earth at Creation (II)], Folklore 80(3), 188-196|Euripides the Greek Tragedian (Born 480 BC) - "And the tale is not mine, but from my mother, how sky and earth were one form and when they separated apart from each other they bring forth all things, and give them up into light; trees, birds, beasts, the creatures nourished by the salt sea, and the race of mortals"}}
 
===A universe from smoke===
{{Main|Quran and a Universe from Smoke}}Many modern Islamic scholars and popular voices, such as Harun Yahya and I. A. Ibrahim, have argued that {{Quran|41|11}} contains an accurate account of the early phases of the Universe when matter was in a gaseous state. Critics have pointed out that the phrasing is extremely vague and that in the context where the verse is found, a chronology of creation is described that in no way aligns with the history of the universe. They point to two main problems:
1) The Earth is described as being created first in the preceeding verses ({{Quran-range|41|9|10}}), along with all that is present on its surface, and only thereafter is the starry sky created.
2) Moreover, they point out, the Earth is addressed by Allah in the verse in question as distinct from the heaven, which alone is described as smoke but not the earth too. Several other criticisms have also been made, described in the main article.
 
{{Quote|{{quran-range|41|11|12}}|Then He directed (Himself) towards the heaven while it (was) smoke, and He said to it and to the earth, "Come both of you willingly or unwillingly." They both said, "We come willingly." So He completed them as seven firmaments in two Days, and He assigned to each heaven its duty and command. And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge.}}
 
===The universe is steadily expanding===


Some modern Muslims scholars are of the opinion that the Quran had already told that universe has been constantly expanding even before this was discovered by modern science.   
Some modern Muslims scholars are of the opinion that the Quran had already told that universe has been constantly expanding even before this was discovered by modern science.   
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20th century.” The Qur’aan mentioned the expansion of the universe, before man even learnt to build a telescope!}}
20th century.” The Qur’aan mentioned the expansion of the universe, before man even learnt to build a telescope!}}


====Criticism====
====Mistranslation====
Critics point out that the term “lamūsi‘ūn 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‘ūn وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ” means "God is the Expander", and not "the Universe is Expanding").
Critics point out that some modern Quran translations have altered the meaning of 51:47 in three ways:
 
*They have translated the Quranic word “heaven سَّمَاءَ” as “universe”, which is not correct.
*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.
 
With these three 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").


Thus the earlier Quran translators translated it as:
Thus the earlier Quran translators translated it as:


{{Quote|[https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/51/47/default.htm Quran 51:47]|'''Yusuf Ali:''' With power and skill did We construct the Firmament: '''''for it is We Who create the vastness of space'''''. </br>
{{Quote|{{Quran|51|47}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' With power and skill did We construct the Firmament: '''for it is We Who create the vastness of space'''. </br>
 
'''Sahih International:''' And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, '''We are [its] expander.'''</br>
'''Sahih International:''' And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, '''We are [its] expander.'''</br>
'''Muhammad Taqi Uthmani:''' And the sky was built by Us with might; and indeed We are the expanders.}}
'''Pickthall:''' We have built the heaven with might, and '''We it is Who make the vast extent (thereof).'''}}  


Moreover, the root word of لَمُوسِعُونَ (lamūsiʿūna) is و س ع (waw-sin-ayn).<ref name="LexiconExpanders" /> However in the Quran, this word and its derivatives have been used in the meanings of "'''Encompassing"'''.
Moreover, the root word of لَمُوسِعُونَ (lamūsiʿūna) is و س ع (waw-sin-ayn), which Lane's lexicon of classical Arabic explains as to make ample room or width.<ref name="LexiconExpanders">وسع awsa'a - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000306.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 3052 [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000307.pdf and page] 3053</ref> In the Quran, this word and its derivatives have elsewhere been used in the meanings of "'''Encompassing"'''.


This is seen in the following verses:
This is seen in the following verses:
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Critics also point out that exactly the same grammar has been used in the next verse 51:48.
Critics also point out that exactly the same grammar has been used in the next verse 51:48.
{{Quote|{{Quran|51|48}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' And We have spread out the (spacious) earth: ''How excellently We do spread out!''}}
{{Quote|{{Quran|51|48}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' And We have spread out the (spacious) earth: ''How excellently We do spread out!''}}
{{Quote|{{Quran|51|48}}|'''Pickthall:''' And the earth have We laid out, how gracious is the Spreader (thereof)!}}


In this verse, the word الْمَاهِدُونَ (spreader/smoother) has exactly the same grammar <ref>Active Participle Form I [https://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=51&verse=48 Corpus Quran] Verse 51:48</ref> as the word لَمُوسِعُونَ (i.e. expander) in the previous verse, but no one translated it as "earth is steadily spreading out".  
In this verse, the word الْمَاهِدُونَ l-māhidūna (spreader/smoother) has exactly the same grammar <ref>Active Participle Form I male plural noun [https://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=51&verse=48 Corpus Quran] Verse 51:48</ref> as the word لَمُوسِعُونَ lamūsiʿūna (i.e. expander) in the previous verse, but no one translated it as "earth is steadily spreading out". It is from the root mahada مهد which means to make plain, even, smooth, spread a bed<ref>مهد mahada - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000267.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 2739</ref>. Also from this root is the noun mahdan, meaning a bed or even expanse, which appears in other verses about the creation of Earth where it was made a bed in the past tense. The tense is clear in those verses to mean a past event rather than an ongoing process ({{Quran|20|53}},{{Quran|43|10}} and {{Quran-range|78|6|7}}).
 
Critics point out that some modern Quran translations have altered the meaning of 51:47 in three ways:


*They have translated the Quranic word “heaven سَّمَاءَ” as “universe”, which is not correct.
====Universe consists of "Space", while the Quranic heaven is a solid canopy which could not expand====
*They have taken the Arabic noun “We are the expander”, 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.
 
With these three 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.
 
====Universe consists of "Space", while Quranic heaven is a solid canopy which could not expand====
Critics also point out that according to science, the universe consists of space and galaxies are travelling away from each other in this space and thus it is considered as an expansion of the universe.  
Critics also point out that according to science, the universe consists of space and galaxies are travelling away from each other in this space and thus it is considered as an expansion of the universe.  


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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.
===The Big Bang===
Many modern Islamic scholars have argued that {{Quran|21|30}} and {{Quran|51|47}} describes the Big Bang. Historians, by contrast, have shown that the first verse describes a version of world egg creation myth which was widely believed in earlier times through much of the world. According to the archetype of the myth, the Earth and heavens both existed in an egg-shaped structure which split (or hatched) to become the separate Earth and heaven, ushering in the era of mankind. In many versions, the first man appears as this earth-heaven structure 'hatches' open. The verse states that "We clove them" (dual pronoun 'huma'), not "We clove it", thereby indicating that the Earth and heavens are two distinct entites after the cloving, and the next verse speaks of mountains being placed on Earth. The other verse uses the Arabic word mūsiʿūna, which means makers of ample room or of width.<ref name="LexiconExpanders">وسع awsa'a - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000306.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 3052 [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000307.pdf and page] 3053</ref> The identical verb form and grammar is used for the last word in the next verse, the spreaders (al mahidoon الْمَهِدُونَ), which is from the root mahada مهد which means to make plain, even, smooth, spread a bed<ref>مهد mahada - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000267.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 2739</ref>. Also from this root is the noun mahdan, meaning a bed or even expanse, which appears in other verses about the creation of Earth where it was made a bed in the past tense. The tense is clear in those verses to mean a past event rather than an ongoing process ({{Quran|20|53}},{{Quran|43|10}} and {{Quran-range|78|6|7}}).
{{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?}}
{{Quote|{{Quran-range|51|47|48}}|We have built the heaven with might, and We it is Who make the vast extent (thereof). And the earth have We laid out, how gracious is the Spreader (thereof)!}}
===A universe from smoke===
{{Main|Quran and a Universe from Smoke|l1=Qur'an and a Universe from Smoke}}Many modern Islamic scholars and popular voices, such as Harun Yahya and I. A. Ibrahim, have argued that {{Quran|41|11}}contains an accurate account of the formation of stars and early phases of the Universe. Critics have pointed out that the phrasing is extremely vague and that in the context where the verse is found, a chronology of creation is described that in no way aligns with the history of the universe: the Earth is described as being created first, along with all that is present on its surface, and only thereafter is the starry sky created. Only the heaven, but not the Earth are described as being smoke. Moreover, they point out, the Earth is addressed by Allah in the verse in question as distinct from the heaven, which alone is described as smoke. Several other criticism, described in the main article, have also been made.{{Quote|{{quran|41|11}}|Then He directed (Himself) towards the heaven while it (was) smoke, and He said to it and to the earth, "Come both of you willingly or unwillingly." They both said, "We come willingly."}}


===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;-}}
===The speed of light===
===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').{{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.}}
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.}}
 
===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 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}}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 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'. Similar descriptions have also been found among the even more ancient people of Mesopotamia.
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Some Islamic scholars have also argued that the occurrence of the word 'iron' in the 26th verse of the surah is miraculous, given that Iron's atomic number is 26. Critics have argued that this nothing more than a coincidental product of numerological datamining and have asked why the surah number could not also have been 55 or 56, rather than 57, to also match Iron's atomic weight, which is 55.845.{{Quote|{{quran|57|25}}|Certainly We sent Our Messengers with clear proofs and We sent down with them the Scripture and the Balance that may establish the people justice. And We sent down [the] iron, wherein (is) power mighty and benefits for the people, and so that Allah may make evident (he) who helps Him and His Messengers, unseen. Indeed, Allah (is) All-Strong All-Mighty.}}
Some Islamic scholars have also argued that the occurrence of the word 'iron' in the 26th verse of the surah is miraculous, given that Iron's atomic number is 26. Critics have argued that this nothing more than a coincidental product of numerological datamining and have asked why the surah number could not also have been 55 or 56, rather than 57, to also match Iron's atomic weight, which is 55.845.{{Quote|{{quran|57|25}}|Certainly We sent Our Messengers with clear proofs and We sent down with them the Scripture and the Balance that may establish the people justice. And We sent down [the] iron, wherein (is) power mighty and benefits for the people, and so that Allah may make evident (he) who helps Him and His Messengers, unseen. Indeed, Allah (is) All-Strong All-Mighty.}}
===Chest-tightening in hypoxic environments===
===Chest-tightening in hypoxic environments===
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 stabilize the Earth===
{{Main|The Quran and Mountains}}Many modern Islamic scholars have argued that the Quran's description of mountains as 'pegs' that have been 'cast down' into the Earth's surface in order to 'stabilize' it contains a scientifically-sound insight related to the phenomenon of isostasy. Relevant verses include {{Quran|31|10}}, {{Quran-range|78|6|7}}, and {{Quran|15|19}}. Isostasy is the phenomenon where some mountain exist atop a similar accumulation of crust underground. Both the mountain and the underground accumulation of crust 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.
{{Main|The Quran and Mountains}}Many modern Islamic scholars have argued that the Quran's description of mountains as 'pegs' that have been 'cast down' into the Earth's surface in order to 'stabilize' it contains a scientifically-sound insight related to the phenomenon of isostasy. Relevant verses include {{Quran|31|10}}, {{Quran-range|78|6|7}}, and {{Quran|15|19}}. Isostasy is the phenomenon where some mountain exist atop a similar accumulation of crust underground. Both the mountain and the underground accumulation of crust 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. Critics also point out that there is no sense to the idea that mountains have been 'cast down' into the Earth as 'pegs', for mountains have not descended from the sky. However, they continue, this formulation does make sense in the context of [[Cosmology|Islamic cosmology]], which holds that the Earth is just the top-most of seven terrestrial disks stacked atop the back of what is known as [[The Islamic Whale|the Islamic Whale]]. The instability of the non-stationary whale, it is said, causes the terrestrial disks to be unstable, which must then be fastened to the back of the whale using mountain-pegs.{{Quote|{{quran|31|10}}|He created the heavens without pillars that you see and has cast in the earth firm mountains lest it (might) shake with you, and He dispersed in it from every creature. And We sent down from the sky water then We caused to grow therein of every kind noble.}}{{Quote|{{quran-range|78|6|7}}|'''Corpus:''' Have not We made the earth a resting place? And the mountains (as) pegs,<br>'''Daryabadi:''' Have We not made the earth an expanse. And the mountains as stakes?<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, And the mountains as pegs?}}{{Quote|{{quran|15|19}}|'''Corpus:''' And the earth, We have spread it and [We] cast therein firm mountains and [We] caused to grow therein of every thing well-balanced.<br>'''Daryabadi:''' And the earth! We have stretched it out and have cast thereon mountains firm, and We have caused to spring up thereon everything weighed.<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' And the earth We have spread out (like a carpet); set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance.}}
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. Critics also point out that there is no sense to the idea that mountains have been 'cast down' into the Earth as 'pegs', for mountains have not descended from the sky. However, they continue, this formulation does make sense in the context of [[Cosmology|Islamic cosmology]], which holds that the Earth is just the top-most of seven terrestrial disks stacked atop the back of what is known as [[The Islamic Whale|the Islamic Whale]]. The instability of the non-stationary whale, it is said, causes the terrestrial disks to be unstable, which must then be fastened to the back of the whale using mountain-pegs.{{Quote|{{quran|31|10}}|He created the heavens without pillars that you see and has cast in the earth firm mountains lest it (might) shake with you, and He dispersed in it from every creature. And We sent down from the sky water then We caused to grow therein of every kind noble.}}{{Quote|{{quran-range|78|6|7}}|'''Corpus:''' Have not We made the earth a resting place? And the mountains (as) pegs,<br>'''Daryabadi:''' Have We not made the earth an expanse. And the mountains as stakes?<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, And the mountains as pegs?}}{{Quote|{{quran|15|19}}|'''Corpus:''' And the earth, We have spread it and [We] cast therein firm mountains and [We] caused to grow therein of every thing well-balanced.<br>'''Daryabadi:''' And the earth! We have stretched it out and have cast thereon mountains firm, and We have caused to spring up thereon everything weighed.<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' And the earth We have spread out (like a carpet); set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance.}}
===Diminishing land===
===Diminishing land===
Some Islamic scholars and authorities, including Dr. Al Zeiny, PhD, have argued that {{Quran|13|41}} and {{Quran|21|44}} contain a scientifically-sound insight in their supposed implication that the quantity of land is continually diminishing due to the movement of tectonic plates. Critics have pointed out that there is no scientific evidence that suggests the ongoing diminishment of the quantity of land. They point out, for instance, that over the past billion or so years, land has not diminished, and that, for instance, whereas 29.1% of the Earth's surface is presently land, 200 million years ago, at the end of the Permian Period, the supercontinent Pangea covered only about a quarter of the Earth's surface. Historians have also objected and argued that these verses should not be read literally and that they should only be understood in their historical context and in their plain sense where what is described is simply the reduction of the territory possessed by Muhammad's opponents due to his ongoing conquests.{{Quote|{{quran|13|41}}|'''Corpus:''' Did not they see that We come (to) the land, reducing it from its borders? And Allah judges; (there is) no adjuster (of) His Judgment. And He (is) Swift (in) the reckoning.<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' See they not that We gradually reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders? (Where) Allah commands, there is none to put back His Command: and He is swift in calling to account.}}{{Quote|{{quran|21|44}}|'''Daryabadi:''' Aye! We let these people and their fathers enjoy until there grew long upon them the life. Behold they not that We come unto the land diminishing it by the borders thereof? Shall they then be the victors?<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' Nay, We gave the good things of this life to these men and their fathers until the period grew long for them; See they not that We gradually reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders? Is it then they who will win?}}
Some Islamic scholars and authorities, including Dr. Al Zeiny, PhD, have argued that {{Quran|13|41}} and {{Quran|21|44}} contain a scientifically-sound insight in their supposed implication that the quantity of land is continually diminishing due to the movement of tectonic plates. Critics have pointed out that there is no scientific evidence that suggests the ongoing diminishment of the quantity of land. They point out, for instance, that over the past billion or so years, land has not diminished, and that, for instance, whereas 29.1% of the Earth's surface is presently land, 200 million years ago, at the end of the Permian Period, the supercontinent Pangea covered only about a quarter of the Earth's surface. Historians have also objected and argued that these verses should not be read literally and that they should only be understood in their historical context and in their plain sense where what is described is simply the reduction of the territory possessed by Muhammad's opponents due to his ongoing conquests.{{Quote|{{quran|13|41}}|'''Corpus:''' Did not they see that We come (to) the land, reducing it from its borders? And Allah judges; (there is) no adjuster (of) His Judgment. And He (is) Swift (in) the reckoning.<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' See they not that We gradually reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders? (Where) Allah commands, there is none to put back His Command: and He is swift in calling to account.}}{{Quote|{{quran|21|44}}|'''Daryabadi:''' Aye! We let these people and their fathers enjoy until there grew long upon them the life. Behold they not that We come unto the land diminishing it by the borders thereof? Shall they then be the victors?<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' Nay, We gave the good things of this life to these men and their fathers until the period grew long for them; See they not that We gradually reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders? Is it then they who will win?}}
===Clay humans===
===Clay humans===
{{Main|Creation of Humans from Clay}}Some Islamic scholars and voices, such as Harun Yahya, have argued that the Quran's statement regarding the creation of Adam, the first man, from clay contains a scientifically-sound insight regarding the chemical composition of the human body. Relevant verses include {{Quran-range|38|71|72}}, {{Quran|37|11}}, and {{Quran|23|12}}. Critics and historians have argued that where the Quran describes the formation of the first man from clay, it is merely repeating the common ancient myth widespread throughout the Earth well before Islam. Critics have also argued that the description in the Quran is not scientifically-sound because whereas the Quran says that the first human was made from clay, modern science holds that clay only 'match-makes' the RNA and membrane vesicles involved in the production of living organisms and does not form a building block.{{Quote|{{quran-range|38|71|72}}|When said your Lord to the Angels, "Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of my spirit, then fall down to him prostrating."}}{{Quote|{{quran|37|11}}|Then ask them, "Are they a stronger creation or (those) whom we have created?" Indeed, we created them from a clay sticky.}}{{Quote|{{quran|23|12}}|'''Corpus:''' And indeed, We created the humankind from an essence of clay.<br>'''Daryabadi:''' And assuredly We created man of an extract of clay.<br>'''Pickthall:''' Verily We created man from a product of wet earth;<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' Man We did create from a quintessence (of clay);}}
{{Main|Creation of Humans from Clay}}Some Islamic scholars and voices, such as Harun Yahya, have argued that the Quran's statement regarding the creation of Adam, the first man, from clay contains a scientifically-sound insight regarding the chemical composition of the human body. Relevant verses include {{Quran-range|38|71|72}}, {{Quran|37|11}}, and {{Quran|23|12}}. Critics and historians have argued that where the Quran describes the formation of the first man from clay, it is merely repeating the common ancient myth widespread throughout the Earth well before Islam. Critics have also argued that the description in the Quran is not scientifically-sound because whereas the Quran says that the first human was made from clay, modern science holds that clay only 'match-makes' the RNA and membrane vesicles involved in the production of living organisms and does not form a building block.{{Quote|{{quran-range|38|71|72}}|When said your Lord to the Angels, "Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of my spirit, then fall down to him prostrating."}}{{Quote|{{quran|37|11}}|Then ask them, "Are they a stronger creation or (those) whom we have created?" Indeed, we created them from a clay sticky.}}{{Quote|{{quran|23|12}}|'''Corpus:''' And indeed, We created the humankind from an essence of clay.<br>'''Daryabadi:''' And assuredly We created man of an extract of clay.<br>'''Pickthall:''' Verily We created man from a product of wet earth;<br>'''Yusuf Ali:''' Man We did create from a quintessence (of clay);}}
===Semen production===
===Semen production===
{{Main|Quran and Semen Production|l1=Qur'an and Semen Production}}Many modern Islamic scholars, including particularly Zakir Naik, have argued the Quran's description of the production of semen 'from between' the ''sulb'' (spine) and ''tara'ib'' (ribs) in {{Quran-range|86|6|7}} contains a scientifically-sound insight. Very diverse explanations, all mutually exclusive although nearly all depending upon a rereading of ''sulb'' to mean 'loins' rather than 'ribs', have been advanced by Islamic scholars explaining how this is the case. Interestingly, classical scholars continually argued over the meaning the words contained in this verse as well. For instance, Ibn Kathir describes ''tara’ib'' as a female organ, while other classical tafsirs argue that it belongs to the male. Critics argue that there is no singular, cogent interpretation of this verse whereby it can be said to be scientifically sound. It appears, they argue, that this verse is simply repeating Hippocrates' theory regarding the production of sperm from between the backbones and ribs from the 5th century which had become popular in the region by the advent of Islam. Hippocrates taught that semen comes from all the fluid in the body, diffusing from the brain into the spinal marrow, before passing through the kidneys and via the testicles into the penis.<ref>Hippocratic Writings (Penguin Classics, 1983) pp. 317-318</ref> Critics and linguists have also pointed out that there is no reasonable linguistic case to be made for the rereading of ''sulb'', which incontrovertibly meant 'ribs' in the 7th century, as 'loins'.{{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:}}
{{Main|Semen Production in the Quran}}
Many modern Islamic scholars, including particularly Zakir Naik, have argued the Quran's description of the production of semen 'from between' the ''sulb'' (backbone) and ''tara'ib'' (ribs) in {{Quran-range|86|6|7}} contains a scientifically-sound insight. Very diverse explanations, all mutually exclusive although nearly all depending upon a rereading of ''sulb'' to mean the Englist word 'loins' in its euphemistic sense (the male reproductive area) rather than its literal meaning (literally, the 'loins' are the lower back), have been advanced by Islamic scholars. Interestingly, classical scholars continually argued over the meaning the words contained in this verse as well. For instance, Ibn Kathir describes ''tara’ib'' as a female organ, while other classical tafsirs argue that it belongs to the male. Critics argue that there is no singular, cogent interpretation of this verse whereby it can be said to be scientifically sound. It appears, they argue, that this verse is simply repeating Hippocrates' theory regarding the production of sperm from between the backbones and ribs from the 5th century which had become popular in the region by the advent of Islam. Hippocrates taught that semen comes from all the fluid in the body, diffusing from the brain into the spinal marrow, before passing through the kidneys and via the testicles into the penis.<ref>Hippocratic Writings (Penguin Classics, 1983) pp. 317-318</ref>  
 
Critics and linguists have also pointed out that ''sulb'' incontrovertibly meant 'backbone' in the 7th century, supported further by hadith evidence and other verses directly relevant to this context.
 
{{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:}}
 
===Embryology===
===Embryology===
{{Main|Embryology in the Quran|l1=Embryology in the Qur'an}}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}}.
{{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.}}
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.}}


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*[https://www.answering-islam.org/authors/katz/haman/bucaille.html AnsweringIslam: The Haman Hoax]
*[https://www.answering-islam.org/authors/katz/haman/bucaille.html AnsweringIslam: The Haman Hoax]


*[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)
*[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)


==References==
==References==
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