Islam and Science

CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE: ‘THE BIG BANG’ :

s. According to the ‘Big Bang’, the whole universe was initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then there was a ‘Big Bang’ (Secondary Separation) which resulted in the formation of Galaxies. These then divided to form stars, planets, the sun, the moon, etc. The origin of the universe was unique and the probability of it occurring by ‘chance’ is zero.

 The Qur’aan contains the following verse, regarding the origin of the universe: “Do not the Unbelievers see That the heavens and the earth Were joined together (as one Unit of Creation), before We clove them asunder?” [Al-Qur’aan 21:30] 

The striking congruence between the Qur’aanic verse and the ‘Big Bang’ is

inescapable! How could a book, which first appeared in the deserts of Arabia 1400 years ago, contain this profound scientific truth?

THE SPHERICAL SHAPE OF THE EARTH


The earth is not exactly round like a ball, but geo-spherical i.e. it is flattened
at the poles. The following verse contains a description of the earth’s shape:

“And the earth, moreover, Hath He made egg shaped.”
[Al-Qur’aan 79:30] 

The Arabic word for egg here is dahaha, which means an ostrich-egg. The
shape of an ostrich-egg resembles the geo-spherical shape of the earth. Thus
the Qur’aan correctly describes the shape of the earth, though the prevalent
notion when the Qur’aan was revealed was that the earth is flat.

THE SUN ROTATES 

For a long time European philosophers and scientists believed that the earth 

stood still in the centre of the universe and every other body including the sun 

moved around it.

In 1512, Nicholas Copernicus put forward his Heliocentric Theory of Planetary 

Motion, which asserted that the sun is motionless at the centre of the solar 

system with the planets revolving around it. 

In 1609, the German scientist Yohannus Keppler published the ‘Astronomia 

Nova’. In this he concluded that not only do the planets move in elliptical 

orbits around the sun, they also rotate upon their axes at irregular speeds. 

With this knowledge it became possible for European scientists to explain 

correctly many of the mechanisms of the solar system including the sequence 

of night and day.

After these discoveries, it was thought that the Sun was stationary and did not 

rotate about its axis like the Earth.Consider the following 

Qur’aanic verse:

 “It is He Who created The Night and the Day, And the 

sun and the moon: All (the celestial bodies) Swim along, each in its 

Rounded course.” [Al-Qur’aan 21:33]

The Following  verse mentions an essential fact discovered by modern astronomy, i.e.the existence of the individual orbits of the Sun and the Moon, and their journey through space with their own motion. 

“It is not permitted To the Sun to catch up The Moon, nor can The Night 

outstrip the Day: Each (just) swims along In (its own) orbit (According to 

Law).” [Al-Qur’aan 36:40]

THE WATER CYCLE

In 1580, Bernard Palissy was the first man to describe the present day concept 

of ‘water cycle’.

The water cycle is described by the Qur’aan in the following verses:

 “Seest thou not that Allah Sends down rain from The sky, and leads it Through 

springs in the earth? Then He causes to grow, Therewith, produce of 

various Colours.” [Al-Qur’aan 39:21]

“He sends down rain From the sky And with it gives life to The earth 

after it is dead: Verily in that are Signs For those who are wise.”  [AlQur’aan 30:24] 

“And We send down water From the sky according to (Due) measure, 

and We cause it To soak in the soil; And We certainly are able To drain 

it off (with ease).” [Al-Qur’aan 23:18]

No other text dating back 1400 years ago gives such an accurate description 

of the water cycle.

MOUNTAINS ARE LIKE PEGS (STAKES) 

Geologists today tell us that the radius of the Earth is about 3,750 miles 

and the crust on which we live is very thin, ranging between 1 to 30 miles. 

Since the crust is thin, it has a high possibility of shaking. Mountains act like 

stakes or tent pegs that hold the earth’s crust and give it stability. The Qur’aan 

contains exactly such a description in the following verse: 

 “Have We not made The earth as a wide Expanse, And the mountains as pegs?”  [AlQur’aan 78:6-7]

Some more facts discovered now and were mentioned in Quran 1400 years back

EVERY LIVING THING IS MADE OF WATER:


Consider the following Qur’aanic verse: 
 “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?” 
[Al-Qur’aan 21:30]


The following verse refers to the creation of animals from water:


 “And Allah has created Every animal from water.” [Al-Qur’aan 24:45]


The following verse refers to the creation of human beings from water:
 “It is He Who has Created man from water: Then has He established
Relationships of lineage And marriage: for thy Lord Has power (over all
things).” [Al-Qur’aan 25:54]

PLANTS AND FRUITS CREATED IN PAIRS, MALE AND FEMALE :

Previously humans did not know that plants too have male and female gender distinctions. Botany states that every plant has a male and female gender. Even the plants that are unisexual have distinct elements of both male and female.  
“‘And has sent Down water from the sky.’ With it have We produced Diverse pairs of plants Each separate from the others.”  [AlQur’aan 20:53]

“And fruit Of every kind He made In pairs, two and two.”  [Al-Qur’aan 13:3]

“Glory to Allah, Who created In pairs all things that The earth produces, 

as well as Their own (human) kind And (other) things of which They 

have no knowledge.” [Al-Qur’aan 36:36]

PAIN RECEPTORS PRESENT IN THE SKIN :

It was thought that the sense of feeling and pain was only dependent on the 

brain. Recent discoveries prove that there are pain receptors present in the 

skin without which a person would not be able to feel pain. When a doctor 

examines a patient suffering from burn injuries, he verifies the degree of 

burns by a pinprick. If the patient feels pain, the doctor is happy, because it 

indicates that the burns are superficial and the pain receptors are intact. On 

the other hand if the patient does not feel any pain, it indicates that it is a deep burn and the pain receptors have been destroyed. The Qur’aan gives an 

indication of the existence of pain receptors in the following verse:

“Those who reject Our signs, We shall soon Cast into the Fire; As often as their skins Are roasted through, We shall change them For fresh skins, That they may taste The Penalty: for Allah Is Exalted in Power, Wise.”  [AlQur’aan 4:56]



FINGERPRINTS 


“Does man think that We Cannot assemble his bones? Nay, We are able 
to put Together in perfect order The very tips of his fingers.” [Al-Qur’aan 
75:3-4]

Unbelievers argue regarding resurrection taking place after bones of dead 
people have disintegrated in the earth and how each individual would be 
identified on the Day of Judgement. Almighty Allah answers that He can not 
only assemble our bones but can also reconstruct perfectly our very 
fingertips.

Why does the Qur’aan, while speaking about determination of the identity of 
the individual, speak specifically about fingertips? In 1880, fingerprinting 
became the scientific method of identification, after research done by Sir 
Francis Golt. No two persons in the world can ever have exactly the same 
fingerprint pattern. That is the reason why police forces worldwide use 
fingerprints to identify the criminal. 1400 years ago, who could have known 
the  uniqueness of each human’s fingerprint? Surely it could have been none 
other than the Creator Himself!