If you are not Muslim, how do you explain the science behind the Koran? ?

Question

Meaning when it talks about the clouds, mountains, and babies in the womb?? Science wasn't even really around then so how could the Koran state those things if they weren't true?

Answer 1

Great question sister.

One of the first Western scientists to make a serious study of this subject was Maurice Bucaille, who wrote a book called 'The Bible, the Koran and Science'. In this book, he compared the statements concerning natural and scientific data in the Bible and the Qur'an. He concluded:

"The Qur'an is not only free from contradictions in its narrations, the sign of the various human manipulations to be found in the gospels, but provides a quality all of its own for those who examine it objectively and in the light of science, i.e. its complete agreement with modern scientific data."

EDIT: I can give 1001 examples and scientific facts in the Qur'an, but I shall just give one, the answer to Trooper's misconception.

Embryology,, is one of the most remarkable areas of description in the Quran. The development of the foetus is mentioned in the Qur'an in some detail. The early stages of which could not have been known at the time of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh)  because the size of the foetus at these stages is too small to see with the naked eye, rather a microscope is needed.

The Qur'an states (what means): "What is [the matter] with you that you do not attribute to Allah [due] grandeur. While He has created you in stages?" [Quran 71:13-14] And also (what means): "And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay. Then We placed him as a sperm-drop (Nutfah) in a firm lodging [i.e., in the womb]. 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 Allaah, the best of creators." [Quran 23:12-14]

The use of the phrase (which means): "…Extract of clay…" means, in other words, that we are made from the earth.

The word: "…Nutfah…" literally means a 'small drop'.

The description of the next stage as a "…Clinging clot…" accurately represents the stage where the fertilised cell attaches itself to the innermost layer of the uterus by hair-like projections. Another meaning for the Arabic word 'Alaqah' which is used in the Qur'an, (other than 'clinging clot'), is 'leech like'. This describes the process of implantation in the first few days entirely correctly and is so concise as to use just one word.

The word 'Alaqah' has been also translated as ‘something that clings’.

This only identifies part of the descriptive accuracy of this word. The word has a number of meanings: its root meaning is from the Arabic verb 'Aliqa' which means: "To hang, be suspended, dangle; to stick, cling, cleave adhere to; to catch, get caught or stuck; to be attached, affixed, subjoined." Other forms of the verb have related meanings, such as to be affectionately attached to someone. (Dictionary definitions from Hans- Wehr)

The meanings apply ideally to the process through which the fertilised ovum becomes lodged in the womb.

The noun 'Alaqah' carries the meaning of 'medical leech' and 'blood clot'. The leech is an interesting little creature. The creature is a parasite, which lives on blood, which it sucks out of the body of its host. Not only is this a similar process to what happens to an embryo in the earliest stages, but also in the earliest stages of the embryo it looks remarkably like a leech.

The meaning of a clinging thing can easily be seen in this use of the verbal noun. As for blood clot, it is first necessary to point out that it is the process of clotting or coagulating which brings the idea of clinging to this word and not blood. When blood coagulates, the material is primarily known to be sticky which explains the use of 'Alaqah' for this material. What we have is also a living fluid half way to becoming a soft solid, which is an accurate description of the embryo as the cells which have multiplied until they form a fluid now begin to form tissue structures.

The description of the: "…lump [of flesh]…" 'Mudhghah' is the Arabic word, which also means (chewed flesh) implies something like teeth marks.

This accurately describes the Somite development. The Somites, as Hamilton, Boyd and Mossman say, "Are conspicuous features of embryos in the period under consideration and are readily seen in the surface contour. They are bases from which the greater part of the axial skeleton and musculature are developed".

The age of the embryo is referred to by the number of these Somites since "They form one of its characteristic external features". These features, along with the pharyngeal arches which also appear at this period (four weeks), give the embryo the clear appearance of a chewed lump in which the indentations of teeth are present.

The structure of the embryo, as it develops and gains its form, is primarily skeletal at and before five weeks. That is, what you see in pictures of embryos this age is the bones and a number of semi-translucent organs.

The bones at this stage have structure and form and are easily the most marked and visible feature of the embryo, but they are, of course, not fully calcified (many bones are still in the final calcifying stage into adulthood).

Over the next couple of weeks, a quite definite change takes place in the appearance of an embryo. Instead of bones and organs, all that can be seen now is (the flesh of) a naked body. The embryo begins to look much more human. It is a reference to this, which seems most fitting with the general tone and meaning of (this part of) the verse mentioned above (which means): "…And We covered the bones with flesh…"

EDIT: Anita, I think you've just blindly thumbs down my answer,  without even reading it, if you had read it, you would not have raised the argument with Aziz.   as for Trooper, I have thoroughly answered your misconception.

Answer 2

check this out

http://www.scienceislam.com/

Answer 3

Yeah I use this science to complete my Exam papers...it comes handy.

Nothing forms out of blood clots

Bones Donot form before flesh.

Who doesn't know there must be lump in the belly of a woman.

It would have been more interesting if the number of chromasomes and the gametes from BOTH man and woman were mentioned......sad but faith is stronger than reason.

Answer 4

Here's the thing, non-Muslims don't read the Koran, much less try to ponder its "scientific" merits.

Answer 5

I would be very interested to know which scientific misconceptions you are talking about in Quran "I lol too much" ?

Answer 6

I agree with first answerer... this was all stuff that was already known at the time. For example what it says about embryology... the Ancient Greeks said a similar thing.

How do you know for certain science wasn't around then?

Edit: *Aziz* I don't know if you are aware of this, but Mohammad did not actually physically write down the Qur'an himself.  It was passed on by word of mouth to his followers who then proceeded to write it down on anything they could find. So being 'illiterate' had nothing to do with it, he could easily have heard about the science which is in the Qur'an from some source. Also keep in mind that the first Qur'an was created decades after his death and Uthman Ibn Affan destroyed alot of what had been written down by Mohammad's original followers. So if that much of the original Qur'an had been changed, then who knows what else might have been added or modified? I'm not saying that what I am saying is right but I'm just giving another point of view on this subject.

And wow 12 thumbs downs... that's a new record for me! :p

Edit: *Aziz* fair enough you make some valid points which I will take into consideration. However, how can you be so sure that what you are saying is fact? Have you ever heard the saying… ‘what is history but a set of lies agreed upon?’

You go onto say Mohammad rejected inaccurate information, so why did he keep information like ‘created man, out of a mere clot of congealed blood’ (Qur’an 96:2) which is a major scientific error because a blood clot cannot grow into anything? With modern science we know that life starts from a fertilized embryo (a zygote). There is absolutely no stage during which the embryo consists of a clot. Also modern science tells us that, the formation of human embryo is a seamless continuation from conception to birth; hence there are no hard- and- fast boundaries of stages as Qur'an describes. Qur'an describes 4 stages, which matches exactly with Galenic description of development of human embryo (which was proven wrong by modern science).

So in that sense you are wrong when you say Prophet Mohammad ‘picked and chose the data that is scientifically sound and rejected inaccurate information’.

Finally you say ‘it would be more helpful if you could question your own arguments and weigh them against historical evidence before promoting them’…  well I would say the same thing back to you but I would replace the word ‘historical’ with the word ‘scientific’.

Edit: *Pakistani Chap* I didn't give you thumbs down, however after reading your answer I agree with *Trooper*... it's all smoke and mirrors (are you sure you're not another Zakir Naik in the making - he's quite good at all this smoke and mirrors stuff too). Anyway read my answer... it refutes what you are saying.

Answer 7

Who knows the creations better than the Creator?

In answer to some of the comments above, most of these things were not known during the Prophet's (p) time.  Even if they were, how did it reach the Prophet (p) in the Arabian desert?  Even if they did, how did he read them since he did not know how to read.  Even if he somehow managed, why did he pick and choose only those principles that are scientifically sound and reject the unscientific ones?

EDIT: Anita, while I welcome open and clear discussions on any topic, I find it hard to argue with your argument because they hyperbole completely from confirmed historical evidence and are misinformed.

There are several issues you have raised none of which are true.  First, a history lesson: I wonder if YOU are aware that all the verses of the Qur'an were written down on parchments and in the safe keeping of Ayesha and that before the Prophet passed away, he reviewed those parchments and arranged them in the order (not chronological) as they exist today.  After wars and strife killed many of those who had memorized the Quran, it was the third Caliph Othman who ordered the master copy stored with Ayesha to be compared to the incomplete parchments stored with the sahaba in various parts of the Arab, African and Persian world, had those incomplete ones destroyed and the complete version of the Quran was standardized throughout the Muslim empire.

If the Prophet (p) did indeed somehow learn about Aristotle and Hipocrates, why and how did he pick and choose the data that is closer to science and reject inaccurate information, like man is made of curdled cheese?  Check out the Bible in Job 10: 9, 10, ‘We have made the human beings from clay, like poured out milk and curdled cheese.’

I don't disrespect your endeavor in searching for the sources of the Quran which I know you doubt to be from God.  However it would be more helpful if you could question your own arguments and weigh them against historical evidence before promoting them.

Answer 8

Simple: creative misinterpretation and intellectual dishonesty. As far as mountains go, Mohammad said one of their functions is to keep the Earth from shaking. Almost all tectonic (earthquake) activity happens along mountain ranges. Greek scientists such as Galen, Hippocrates, and Aristotle talked about "babies in the womb" too, but they made several mistakes which curiously are repeated in the Quran. Now THAT is interesting. Allah passed along scientific misconceptions to Mohammad? NOT! Hopefully you'll educate yourself to the point where you see all these "science miracle" claims are complete and utter pigshit!

Answer 9

Doesn't sound like science to me when the Quran says that life is created in the womb from a blood clot!

Edit;

No amount of smoke and mirrors, and spinning can change the meaning of what was recorded.

"clot of congealed blood" means "BLOOD CLOT"!!

And modern science directly contradicts the Quran!

Answer 10

Some Muslims try to prove the Koran contains scientific information that was not known at the time it was written.  Their efforts depend upon distorting the meaning of the passages they site and/or misrepresenting scientific information.  The Koran does not contain scientific information beyond what was known at the time.