Monday, December 5, 2011

The Four Imaams: Leaders in Tolerance

The Four Imams: Leaders of a Third Way instead of “You are either with us or against us.”

Sheikh Salmaan al-'Awdah
Tue, 03/29/2011

If we look back on the lives of the four imams – Abu Hanifah, Malik b. Anas, al-Shafi`i, and Ahmad b. Hanbal – we find that they were extremely tolerant people. They were respectful of their contemporaries, predecessors and the earlier generations of Muslims, whether they agreed with their views or not. Indeed, they followed the example of their predecessors in being tolerant of differences.

Allah says: “And those who came (into the faith) after them say: Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who were before us in the faith, and place not in our hearts any rancour toward those who believe. Our Lord! You are full of kindness, most merciful.” [Surah al-Hashr: 10]

The four imams -- the leading scholars who founded the four canonical schools of Islamic Law -- never allowed past disagreements to cause them to disparage or raise suspicions about the people of an earlier generation who held divergent views. Likewise, they never called for an inquest of their contemporaries who disagreed with them and they never got involved in their affairs except in a positive way.

The four imams certainly disagreed with one another and with other jurists of their day, but they always maintained their calm in debate and disagreed respectfully. They never permitted others who spread their ideas to use their teachings as a source of conflict or as a means to cause division.

It could possibly be that the principle they developed of coexistence in the face of changing political and social circumstances came as a result of their engaging with the substantial societal changes they witnessed during the era in which they lived. They recognized a need to develop a clear and precise approach to respond to such changes.

It can be observed that none of the four imams ever accepted an official political post, not as judge nor magistrate nor anything else. At the same time, they also never constituted themselves as a political opposition. They never gave their support to the government’s political opponents, even though all four imams times suffered government persecution on account of accusations that they did. However, a close examination of the imams’ historical circumstances shows that such accusations were baseless. Instead, they were victims of the old idea: “You are either with us or against us.”

Their insistence on intellectual autonomy is what brought such suspicion upon them, along with how unscrupulous people would sometimes manipulate their statements and interpret their juristic verdicts for various political ends.

In truth, the four imams represented a third way: neither aligning themselves with the interests of those in power nor with the political opposition. This allowed them to carry out a vital leadership role of their own in maintaining social stability in a society made up of a number of contending factions: between the ruling class and the populace, as well as between a bewildering array of ideological factions and intellectual movements, not to mention ethnic and tribal differences. After all this, we can understand how they were so good at tolerating the disagreements of their colleagues among the various schools of Islamic jurisprudence!

They all kept a measured distance from the various contending elements in society while remaining fully connected to society. This made it possible for them to be a point of stability and balance, which protected Islamic civilization from a great deal of conflict, strife, and social disintegration.

The role they played in their times is all the more needed today with our widening social and class disparity and a weakened culture of tolerance, conditions that promote conflict whenever conditions are ripe for it.

The presence of an autonomous knowledge-based mediating authority is needed to act as a a source of strength for the weak and a moderating influence on the strong, to arbitrate in matters, and to impart to society the vales of tolerance and mutual understanding. There is a need for those who can speak out for justice and the inalienable rights that are needed to ensure peace and security in any country, and which can prevent violent factions and extremist movements of whatever persuasion from developing.

The world contains nations where you find a strong government and an equally strong civil society. They are held together by organizing principles and their vital, political, social, and charitable institutions. This is what makes the government strong through its people and the people strong through their government.

Most Muslim countries do not enjoy this balancing of institutional power, essential for stability and continuity, which comes from the presence of mediating institutions that are widely recognized and accepted on both an official and popular level, institutions whose role is often only appreciated when their loss leads to the erosion of society.

Ideological and partisan disagreements, religious differences, and other potential sources of division do not inevitably lead to conflict and strife. Allah says in the Qur’an: “It is He who has spread out the Earth for all His creatures.” [Surah al-Rahman: 10]

Within the sphere Islam, matters are referred back to universal principles and the legitimate life needs that Islam upholds. When such a reference becomes impracticable due to the severity of the disagreement tor disparity of the parties involved and the matter cannot be brought to a resolution through dialogue, there still remains a broader circle for coexistence: the one of: “knowing one another” referred to in the verse: “O humankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that you may come to know one another.” [Surah al-Hujurat: 13]

This coming to know one another, this mutual and reciprocal knowledge of the other, is the foundation for social relationships necessitating goodwill, justice, and kindness.

It is possible that through such relationships you will realize your own best interests as well as those of the people you disagree with at one and the same time. We see this in so many aspects of life: commercial dealings, in public administration, health, development, and industry.

Returning to the four imams, it needs to be pointed out that the disagreements between them in Islamic Law were nothing compared to the disagreements that existed among the Companions and Successors. Moreover, they introduced through their own juristic efforts a number of opinions that were new to their generation. Therefore, it is wrong for anyone to claim that their views abrogate the views of their predecessors and exclude all views other than theirs.

The later scholars who worked within the framework of one of the four schools of law, though they did not usually go off in an entirely independent direction, never ceased to engage in choosing between different opinions and deducing new rulings on the basis of precedent. I have studied the legal preferences of the preeminent Hanbali jurist Ibn Qudamah, and found that he sometimes adopted a position that was at variance to what was adopted by all four schools of thought. He did so after acknowledging and discussing all of their received opinions His judgments in these cases are often quite erudite and impressive.

We can find similar cases among the jurists of all four schools of law. This is because the views of the Companions, Successors, and other jurists are no less important than the views of the four imams. They were also from the earliest Muslim generations and theirs is a rich and valuable legacy which has been preserved for us in works like the Musannaf of `Abd al-Razzaq, the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah, and the writings of Ibn Mundhir.

When we look at the magnitude of the changes taking place in the world today, we can appreciate the value of there being such a broad spectrum of opinion during the earliest days of Islam. Their contributions should not be ignored, since they enrich our understanding of Islamic Law. Though there may have been times in the history of Muslim civilization that such a plurality of opinion was unnecessary for society to function, our present age is certainly not one of those times.

--

The School of Hadith vs. The School of Opinion

In the early development of Islamic Law, two broad schools developed, one was the “School of Hadith” exemplified by the early jurists of Western Arabia and later by Mālik, and then by al-Shāfiʿī and Ahmad b. Hanbal. The other was the “School of Opinion” exemplified by the early jurists of Iraq and later by Abū Hanīfah, Abū Yūsuf, and Muhammad al-Shaybānī.

Both schools recognized the authority of the Qur’an and Sunnah as the primary sources for Islamic teachings. They differed in how far personal opinion and juristic discretion could play a role in formulating Islamic Law. This led at times to bitter rivalry between the two schools, but this rivalry was overcome in a remarkable synthesis that left all the Islamic legal schools more robust than they were before. How did this happen?

The School of Hadith developed in the cradle of Islam, where the statements of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were well preserved, society had changed little since the Prophet’s time, culture was more homogeneous, and there was far less confusion and political turbulence

The primary figure in the School of Opinion was Abū Hanīfah based in Kufah. He made the greatest contribution to this approach to Law. He was responding to the people’s needs in his locality where there were numerous new developments and a scarcity of reliable hadīth knowledge. This demanded an increased emphasis on original thinking and juristic analogy (qiyās).

This brought him a fair share of criticism from people who were less broadminded than him and those who did not have to cope with the same kinds of problems. However, once the school was firmly established and its principles were clearly outlined, many of its detractors were won over. Even those who were not convinced were willing to concede that it was a viable approach. The vitriol that the school used to invoke almost ceased being heard. When we look at history, we see that this is the case with most new ideas. The same resistance took place in other academic disciplines, like legal theory, and even grammar.

Moreover, we should not underestimate Abū Hanīfah’s regard for the Prophet’s hadith. Abū Hanīfah said: “Whatever reaches us from Allah’s Messenger we accept without reservation. What reaches us from the Companions, we choose from it and do not depart from their opinions. As for what reaches us from the Successors, they are men like us. As for anything else, no reproach should be heard about it.”

Al-Hasan b. Ziyād al-Lu’lu’ī relates that he heard Abū Hanīfah say: “When we assert an opinion and declare it as such, this means that it is the best we were able to determine about the matter. If anyone else comes along with a better opinion, then it is more appropriate to regard his opinion as correct.”

Yahyā b. Durays heard a man tell Sufyān al-Thawrī that Abū Hanīfah described his methodology to him as follows:
I take what I find in Allah’s Book. If I do not find anything there, then I refer to the Sunnah of Allah’s messenger. If I do not find anything in eutehr Allah’s Book or the Sunnah of Allah’s messenger, then I turn to the opinions of the Companions. I adopt from those opinions what I wish and leave aside what I wish, but I do not leave off their opinions altogether for the opinion of someone else. If I find nothing, or if I only have the opinions of (Successors) like Ibrāhīm, al-Sha`bī, Ibn Sīrīn, al-Hasan al-Basrī, `Atā’, and Sa`īd b. al-Musayyib, then these are counted as regular men. They exercised their best judgement, and I likewise do the same.
These, then, were the primary sources of law for Abū Hanīfah. He was quite clear about the fact that his principle sources were two: the Quran and Sunnah. We understand that he also accepted any opinion that the Companions were unanimously agreed upon, but when they differed, he adopted the opinion that he deemed best, but he never departed from their opinions altogether.

On the other hand, when all he had were the opinions of the Successors, he was as qualified as they were to exercise his judgement. One of the Successors he mentioned in his statement above was Ibrāhīm al-Nakha`ī who had been the teacher of his own teacher Hammād b. Abī Salamah.

Al-Hasan b. Sālih b. Hayy said: “Al-Nu`mān b. Thābit was erudite, discerning, and well-grounded in his knowledge. Once he ascertained the authenticity of a hadīth from the Prophet, he would not set it aside for anything else.”

This is what we have to assume about him and any other imam of his stature. They never disagreed about the Qur’an or about its clear meanings. They exercised their own judgement only in issues that required them to do so, where Allah has commanded us to do so. An inevitable consequence people exercising their judgement, of course, is a multiplicity of opinions. This is why `Umar b. `Abd al-`Azīz said: “I do not wish that the Prophet’s Companions had never disagreed. If that had been the case, there would be no leeway in the religion. They were leaders in faith for us to follow, and if a man adopts the opinion of any one of them, he is within his rights to do so.”

May Allah bless Ahmad b. Hanbal for saying: “We used to curse the ‘School of Opinion’ and they used to curse us, and this remained the way things were until al-Shāfi`ī came along and brought us together.”

Al-Qadī `Iyād explains Ahmad’s statement as follows:
He means that he used to adhere strictly to authentic textual narrations and use them exclusively. Then al-Shāfī`ī showed them that they needed to exercise their opinion through the use of juristic reasoning and adopt legal rulings on that basis. Using qiyās to make an analogy between a ruling established by textual evidence and an unprecedented case is actually a way to us the text and apply it to a new situation. He showed them how to determine the rationale behind the existing ruling and identify where it could be found in various new legal questions. In this way, the adherents of the school of hadīth learned that sound opinion is in the service of textual sources.

Likewise, he showed the School of Opinion that since the exercise of legal reasoning is dependent upon the textual basis, there can be no opinion without it. The Sunnah and authentic narrations have to be given precedence.
Ishāq al-Rāhawayh and others admitted that what Ahmad said had been the case for them as well, until they found themselves adopting Abū Hanīfah’s views on a number of issues. This is the way of fair-minded people. When the truth becomes clear to them, they admit it and adopt it without hesitation.

When al-Shāfi`ī wrote the first-ever work on legal theory, al-Risālah, laying out the principles and approaches to legal reasoning and sound deduction, he cleared up a lot of confusion for everybody. He also put to rest a lot of the hostility and bickering that was taking place between the many and diverse legal schools which existed at the time.

The plurality of schools – which had arisen in various parts of the Muslim world like Western Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, and Transoxiana – was a good thing in and of itself, making Islamic law more vigorous, responsive, and comprehensive.

Circumstances varied in different parts of the Muslim world. Some areas were affluent while others were poor. Some were politically strong while others were weak. Some were cosmopolitan centres of knowledge while others were provincial and insular. Factors like these had an unmistakable affect on the thinking of the jurists who lived in those areas. They had to face different kinds of problems and had to address those problems within differing social contexts. as the Caliph `Umar b. `Abd al-`Azīz astutely observed: “People have problems and issues to the extent that they engage in wrongful activities.”

http://en.islamtoday.net/artshow-416-4671.htm

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

How Muslim Inventors Changed the World

February 28, 2010 by TMO

From coffee to cheques and the three-course meal, the Muslim world has given us many innovations that we take for granted in daily life. As a new exhibition opens, Paul Vallely nominates 20 of the most influential- and identifies the men of genius behind them

1) The story goes that an Arab named Khalid was tending his goats in the Kaffa region of southern Ethiopia, when he noticed his animals became livelier after eating a certain berry. He boiled the berries to make the first coffee. Certainly the first record of the drink is of beans exported from Ethiopia to Yemen where Sufis drank it to stay awake all night to pray on special occasions. By the late 15th century it had arrived in Mecca and Turkey from where it made its way to Venice in 1645. It was brought to England in 1650 by a Turk named Pasqua Rosee who opened the first coffee house in Lombard Street in the City of London. The Arabic qahwa became the Turkish kahve then the Italian caffé and then English coffee.
2) The ancient Greeks thought our eyes emitted rays, like a laser, which enabled us to see. The first person to realise that light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, was the 10th-century Muslim mathematician, astronomer and physicist Ibn al-Haitham. He invented the first pin-hole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters. The smaller the hole, the better the picture, he worked out, and set up the first Camera Obscura (from the Arab word qamara for a dark or private room). He is also credited with being the first man to shift physics from a philosophical activity to an experimental one.
3) A form of chess was played in ancient India but the game was developed into the form we know it today in Persia. From there it spread westward to Europe – where it was introduced by the Moors in Spain in the 10th century – and eastward as far as Japan. The word rook comes from the Persian rukh, which means chariot.
4) A thousand years before the Wright brothers a Muslim poet, astronomer, musician and engineer named Abbas ibn Firnas made several attempts to construct a flying machine. In 852 he jumped from the minaret of the Grand Mosque in Cordoba using a loose cloak stiffened with wooden struts. He hoped to glide like a bird. He didn’t. But the cloak slowed his fall, creating what is thought to be the first parachute, and leaving him with only minor injuries. In 875, aged 70, having perfected a machine of silk and eagles’ feathers he tried again, jumping from a mountain. He flew to a significant height and stayed aloft for ten minutes but crashed on landing – concluding, correctly, that it was because he had not given his device a tail so it would stall on landing. Baghdad international airport and a crater on the Moon are named after him.
5) Washing and bathing are religious requirements for Muslims, which is perhaps why they perfected the recipe for soap which we still use today. The ancient Egyptians had soap of a kind, as did the Romans who used it more as a pomade. But it was the Arabs who combined vegetable oils with sodium hydroxide and aromatics such as thyme oil. One of the Crusaders’ most striking characteristics, to Arab nostrils, was that they did not wash. Shampoo was introduced to England by a Muslim who opened Mahomed’s Indian Vapour Baths on Brighton seafront in 1759 and was appointed Shampooing Surgeon to Kings George IV and William IV.
6) Distillation, the means of separating liquids through differences in their boiling points, was invented around the year 800 by Islam’s foremost scientist, Jabir ibn Hayyan, who transformed alchemy into chemistry, inventing many of the basic processes and apparatus still in use today – liquefaction, crystallisation, distillation, purification, oxidisation, evaporation and filtration. As well as discovering sulphuric and nitric acid, he invented the alembic still, giving the world intense rosewater and other perfumes and alcoholic spirits (although drinking them is haram, or forbidden, in Islam). Ibn Hayyan emphasised systematic experimentation and was the founder of modern chemistry.
7) The crank-shaft is a device which translates rotary into linear motion and is central to much of the machinery in the modern world, not least the internal combustion engine. One of the most important mechanical inventions in the history of humankind, it was created by an ingenious Muslim engineer called al-Jazari to raise water for irrigation. His 1206 Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices shows he also invented or refined the use of valves and pistons, devised some of the first mechanical clocks driven by water and weights, and was the father of robotics. Among his 50 other inventions was the combination lock.
8) Quilting is a method of sewing or tying two layers of cloth with a layer of insulating material in between. It is not clear whether it was invented in the Muslim world or whether it was imported there from India or China. But it certainly came to the West via the Crusaders. They saw it used by Saracen warriors, who wore straw-filled quilted canvas shirts instead of armour. As well as a form of protection, it proved an effective guard against the chafing of the Crusaders’ metal armour and was an effective form of insulation – so much so that it became a cottage industry back home in colder climates such as Britain and Holland.
9) The pointed arch so characteristic of Europe’s Gothic cathedrals was an invention borrowed from Islamic architecture. It was much stronger than the rounded arch used by the Romans and Normans, thus allowing the building of bigger, higher, more complex and grander buildings. Other borrowings from Muslim genius included ribbed vaulting, rose windows and dome-building techniques. Europe’s castles were also adapted to copy the Islamic world’s – with arrow slits, battlements, a barbican and parapets. Square towers and keeps gave way to more easily defended round ones. Henry V’s castle architect was a Muslim.
10) Many modern surgical instruments are of exactly the same design as those devised in the 10th century by a Muslim surgeon called al-Zahrawi. His scalpels, bone saws, forceps, fine scissors for eye surgery and many of the 200 instruments he devised are recognisable to a modern surgeon. It was he who discovered that catgut used for internal stitches dissolves away naturally (a discovery he made when his monkey ate his lute strings) and that it can be also used to make medicine capsules. In the 13th century, another Muslim medic named Ibn Nafis described the circulation of the blood, 300 years before William Harvey discovered it. Muslim doctors also invented anaesthetics of opium and alcohol mixes and developed hollow needles to suck cataracts from eyes in a technique still used today.
11) The windmill was invented in 634 for a Persian caliph and was used to grind corn and draw up water for irrigation. In the vast deserts of Arabia, when the seasonal streams ran dry, the only source of power was the wind which blew steadily from one direction for months. Mills had six or 12 sails covered in fabric or palm leaves. It was 500 years before the first windmill was seen in Europe.
12) The technique of inoculation was not invented by Jenner and Pasteur but was devised in the Muslim world and brought to Europe from Turkey by the wife of the English ambassador to Istanbul in 1724. Children in Turkey were vaccinated with cowpox to fight the deadly smallpox at least 50 years before the West discovered it.
13) The fountain pen was invented for the Sultan of Egypt in 953 after he demanded a pen which would not stain his hands or clothes. It held ink in a reservoir and, as with modern pens, fed ink to the nib by a combination of gravity and capillary action.
14) The system of numbering in use all round the world is probably Indian in origin but the style of the numerals is Arabic and first appears in print in the work of the Muslim mathematicians al-Khwarizmi and al-Kindi around 825. Algebra was named after al-Khwarizmi’s book, Al-Jabr wa-al-Muqabilah, much of whose contents are still in use. The work of Muslim maths scholars was imported into Europe 300 years later by the Italian mathematician Fibonacci. Algorithms and much of the theory of trigonometry came from the Muslim world. And Al-Kindi’s discovery of frequency analysis rendered all the codes of the ancient world soluble and created the basis of modern cryptology.
15) Ali ibn Nafi, known by his nickname of Ziryab (Blackbird) came from Iraq to Cordoba in the 9th century and brought with him the concept of the three-course meal – soup, followed by fish or meat, then fruit and nuts. He also introduced crystal glasses (which had been invented after experiments with rock crystal by Abbas ibn Firnas – see No 4).
16) Carpets were regarded as part of Paradise by medieval Muslims, thanks to their advanced weaving techniques, new tinctures from Islamic chemistry and highly developed sense of pattern and arabesque which were the basis of Islam’s non-representational art. In contrast, Europe’s floors were distinctly earthly, not to say earthy, until Arabian and Persian carpets were introduced. In England, as Erasmus recorded, floors were “covered in rushes, occasionally renewed, but so imperfectly that the bottom layer is left undisturbed, sometimes for 20 years, harbouring expectoration, vomiting, the leakage of dogs and men, ale droppings, scraps of fish, and other abominations not fit to be mentioned”. Carpets, unsurprisingly, caught on quickly.
17) The modern cheque comes from the Arabic saqq, a written vow to pay for goods when they were delivered, to avoid money having to be transported across dangerous terrain. In the 9th century, a Muslim businessman could cash a cheque in China drawn on his bank in Baghdad.
18) By the 9th century, many Muslim scholars took it for granted that the Earth was a sphere. The proof, said astronomer Ibn Hazm, “is that the Sun is always vertical to a particular spot on Earth”. It was 500 years before that realisation dawned on Galileo. The calculations of Muslim astronomers were so accurate that in the 9th century they reckoned the Earth’s circumference to be 40,253.4km – less than 200km out. The scholar al-Idrisi took a globe depicting the world to the court of King Roger of Sicily in 1139.
19) Though the Chinese invented saltpetre gunpowder, and used it in their fireworks, it was the Arabs who worked out that it could be purified using potassium nitrate for military use. Muslim incendiary devices terrified the Crusaders. By the 15th century they had invented both a rocket, which they called a “self-moving and combusting egg”, and a torpedo – a self-propelled pear-shaped bomb with a spear at the front which impaled itself in enemy ships and then blew up.
20) Medieval Europe had kitchen and herb gardens, but it was the Arabs who developed the idea of the garden as a place of beauty and meditation. The first royal pleasure gardens in Europe were opened in 11th-century Muslim Spain. Flowers which originated in Muslim gardens include the carnation and the tulip.

“1001 Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in Our World”

http://muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/?p=5860

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Islam and the Environment

by Gar Smith

"While both the Ecological and Socio-ecological theories talk about change and development as natural occurring events from birth to death, indigenous people refer to sustainable living in the environment and being in harmony with nature in regards to all living and non-living things. People who live at the seashores have different characteristics to those living near rivers, as urban and rural life would differ to forest, desert and inland living (Toyer Farrath)."

Despite the apocalyptic premise of Samuel Huntington's book, The Clash of Civilizations (which prophesies an inevitable war between the armies of the God and the armies of Allah), Islam and Christianity have much in common. In their view of the natural world, both the Bible and the Qur'an share many of the same stories, heroes and ethical concepts. But there are some differences. The Qur'an might even be said to be the "greener" of the two holy books.

The world "Earth" (ard) appears no less than 485 times in the holy book of the Qur'an. Shari'a, the word for Islamic Law, literally means "source of water."

One familiar story from the life of the Prophet recounts how, during a journey, one of Muhammad's companions removed a baby pigeon from a nest. Muhammad confronted the thief and gently returned the bird to its nest. "For charity shown to each creature with a wet heart, there is a reward," the Prophet declared.

In the words of Allah, "There is not an animal in the earth, nor a creature flying on two wings, but they are nations like you." (6:38)

Islamic cleric Mufty Imam Tajuddin H. Alhilaly, argues that all living things "are partners to man in existence and they deserve their own respect."

As befits a faith born in the desert, water is honored as "the secret of life." Islam forbids the wastage of water "and the usage thereof without benefit.... The preservation of water for the drinking of mankind, animal life, bird life and vegetation is a form of worship which gains the pleasure of Allah."

Imam Alhilaly infers from this passage that Islam also forbids "factory outpours to go to waterways or to the ocean, as this would pollute the water and threaten marine life.

"Air is the property of Allah the Exalted," the imam states. "Hence, contaminating the air with smoke is an encroachment on nature and a threat to the life of mankind and all other living things."

The Qur'an does, however, endorse the transformation of wilderness into agriculture and cattle pastures. The Qur'an proclaims that it is Allah who "sends down water from the sky, and therewith we bring forth buds of every kind. We bring forth the green blade from which we bring forth the thick-clustered grain; and from the date-palm, from the pollen thereof, spring pendant bunches, and gardens of grapes, and the olive and the pomegranate."

"The earth is our first mother," says Imam Alhilaly. "Therefore it has certain rights over us. One of these rights is making it come alive with green vegetation and other plant life.

"The Prophet said that he who is kind and merciful towards animals, Allah will be kind and merciful towards him.... We must deal with animals with utmost beneficence and compassion and strive to ensure the preservation of the different species,"Imam Alhilaly instructs. "It is forbidden in Islam to kill a animal for mere play. Islam has forbidden wastage of animals and plants in peacetime and in wartime."

Tradition has it that if someone kills a bird for amusement, the bird will demand justice from that man on judgment day.

In an essay on the "Significance of Environment in Islam" in the April 1998 issue of the Islamic Voice , Akhtar Mahmood, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Punjab, notes that "Islam discourages luxurious and lavish living." Muslims see the
existence of luxury as "an expression of social injustice, as few can afford luxurious items at the expense of the deprived masses."

In an article posted on www.Islamicwell.com , F. Kamal notes that the two fundamental books of Muslim faith - the Qur'an (the Holy Book) and the Hadith (the parables and examples from the life of the Prophet) - both teach that kindness to animals is an "article of faith for Muslims." The Prophet advised people never to curse beasts of burden and commanded his followers to treat these animals with gentleness and kindness.

The Muslim holy books tell of a woman who "was tortured and was put in Hell because of a cat which she had kept locked till it died of hunger." In another tale, a prostitute's sins are washed away because she gave drinking water to a thirsty dog.

Kamal observes with some pride that these stories were recorded "1,400 years ago - long before it became fashionable or 'politically correct' to care about animal rights."

In the centuries following Muhammad's passing, Islamic scholars introduced the idea of hima - a protected zone. Many Islamic countries now set aside certain wild areas that cannot be developed or cultivated. These have become modern wildlife reserves.

"Much of the foundations of modern science are built on Muslim scientific roots," Kamal states. But Islamic science, Kamal noted, was not "a cold pursuit devoid of any ethical considerations. It was not a confrontation against nature but a search for Allah's signs, limitless bounty and mercy.

"One of the most destructive causes of pollution is consumer waste," Kamal writes, citing the Qur'an (17:27): "Lo! the squanderers were ever brothers of the devils and the devil was ever an ingrate to his Lord." Devout Muslims, Kamal says, "do not disorder their world... in search of self-gratification, greed, waste and ingratitude to their Lord."

In his article "Islam and the Environment," Arafat El Ashi, director of the Muslim World League in Canada, [191 The West Mall, Suite 1018, Etobicoke, Ontario M9C 5KB, Canada, (416) 622-2184, www.al-muslim.org ] observes that "Human life is sacred in the sight of Islam. No one is permitted to take the life of another person except as life-for-life. Suicide is a crime in Islam."

Under Islam, El Ashi states, "it [is] incumbent on every Muslim to contribute his/her share in improving greenery. Muslims should be active in growing more trees for the benefit of all people." Even during battle, Muslims are required to avoid cutting trees that are useful to people.

The Prophet instructed the faithful that any Muslim who plants a crop that feeds another person, animal or bird, will receive a reward in paradise. Cutting down trees is seen as an abomination.

How important is the planting of trees? In the words of the Prophet: "When doomsday comes, if someone has a palm shoot in his hands, he should plant it."

Resources:
* Environmental Protection in Islam, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia [www.islamnet.com]

* The Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Science (at Harvard University's Center for the Study of World Religions) offers information ranging from religious instruction to organic gardening and solar energy. [www.hds.harvard.edu/cswr]

* Islam and Vegetarianism [501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510, www.islamveg.org]


Copyright Earth Island Journal


http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/new_articles.cfm?articleID=578&journalID=64

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Muslim Discoveries

Astronomy

The most precise solar calendar, superior to the Julian, is the Jilali, devised under the supervision of Umar Khayyam.

The Quran contains many references to astronomy:

"And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming."
[Noble Quran 21:33]

These references, and the injunctions to learn, inspired the early Muslim scholars to study the heavens. They integrated the earlier works of the Indians, Persians and Greeks into a new synthesis.

Ptolemy's Almagest (the title as we know it today is actually Arabic) was translated, studied and criticized. Many new stars were discovered, as we see in their Arabic names - Algol, Deneb, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Aldebaran. Astronomical tables were compiled, among them the Toledan tables, which were used by Copernicus, Tycho Brahe and Kepler.

Also compiled were almanacs - another Arabic term. Other terms from Arabic are zenith, nadir, Aledo, azimuth.

Muslim astronomers were the first to establish observatories, like the one built at Mugharah by Hulagu, the son of Genghis Khan, in Persia, and they invented instruments such as the quadrant and astrolabe, which led to advances not only in astronomy but in oceanic navigation, contributing to the European age of exploration.

Geography

Muslim scholars paid great attention to geography. In fact, the Muslims' great concern for geography originated with their religion.

The Quran encourages people to travel throughout the earth to see God's signs and patterns everywhere. Islam also requires each Muslim to have at least enough knowledge of geography to know the direction of the Qiblah (the position of the Ka'bah in Makkah) in order to pray five times a day.

Muslims were also used to taking long journeys to conduct trade as well as to make the Hajj and spread their religion. The far-flung Islamic empire enabled scholar-explorers to compile large amounts of geographical and climatic information from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Among the most famous names in the field of geography, even in the West, are Ibn Khaldun and Ibn Batuta, renowned for their written accounts of their extensive explorations.

In 1166, Al-Idrisi, the well-known Muslim scholar who served the Sicilian court, produced very accurate maps, including a world map with all the continents and their mountains, rivers and famous cities. Al-Muqdishi was the first geographer to produce accurate maps in color.

Spain was ruled by Muslims under the banner of Islam for over 700 years. By the 15th century of the Gregorian calendar the ruler-ship of Islam had been seated in Spain and Muslims had established centers of learning which commanded respect all over the known world at that time. There were no "Dark Ages" such the rest of Europe experienced for the Muslims in Spain and those who lived there with them. In January of 1492 Muslim Spain capitulated to Catholic Rome under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. By July of the same year, Muslims were instrumental in helping navigate Christopher Columbus to the Caribbean South of Florida.

It was, moreover, with the help of Muslim navigators and their inventions that Magellan was able to traverse the Cape of Good Hope, and Da Gamma and Columbus had Muslim navigators on board their ships.

Humanity

Seeking knowledge is obligatory in Islam for every Muslim, man and woman. The main sources of Islam, the Quran and the Sunnah (Prophet Muhammad's traditions), encourage Muslims to seek knowledge and be scholars, since this is the best way for people to know Allah (God), to appreciate His wondrous creations and be thankful for them.

Muslims have always been eager to seek knowledge, both religious and secular, and within a few years of Muhammad's mission, a great civilization sprang up and flourished. The outcome is shown in the spread of Islamic universities; Al-Zaytunah in Tunis, and Al-Azhar in Cairo go back more than 1,000 years and are the oldest existing universities in the world. Indeed, they were the models for the first European universities, such as Bologna, Heidelberg, and the Sorbonne. Even the familiar academic cap and gown originated at Al-Azhar University.

Muslims made great advances in many different fields, such as geography, physics, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, pharmacology, architecture, linguistics and astronomy. Algebra and the Arabic numerals were introduced to the world by Muslim scholars. The astrolabe, the quadrant, and other navigational devices and maps were developed by Muslim scholars and played an important role in world progress, most notably in Europe's age of exploration.

Muslim scholars studied the ancient civilizations from Greece and Rome to China and India. The works of Aristotle, Ptolemy, Euclid and others were translated into Arabic. Muslim scholars and scientists then added their own creative ideas, discoveries and inventions, and finally transmitted this new knowledge to Europe, leading directly to the Renaissance. Many scientific and medical treatises, having been translated into Latin, were standard text and reference books as late as the 17th and 18th centuries.

Mathematics

Muslim mathematicians excelled in geometry, as can be seen in their graphic arts, and it was the great Al-Biruni (who excelled also in the fields of natural history, even geology and mineralogy) who established trigonometry as a distinct branch of mathematics. Other Muslim mathematicians made significant progress in number theory.

It is interesting to note that Islam so strongly urges mankind to study and explore the universe. For example, the Noble Quran states:

"We (Allah) will show you (mankind) Our signs/patterns in the horizons/universe and in yourselves until you are convinced that the revelation is the truth." [Noble Quran 41:53]

This invitation to explore and search made Muslims interested in astronomy, mathematics, chemistry, and the other sciences, and they had a very clear and firm understanding of the correspondences among geometry, mathematics, and astronomy.

The Muslims invented the symbol for zero (The word "cipher" comes from Arabic sifr), and they organized the numbers into the decimal system - base 10. Additionally, they invented the symbol to express an unknown quantity, i.e. variables like x.

The first great Muslim mathematician, Al-Khawarizmi, invented the subject of algebra (al-Jabr), which was further developed by others, most notably Umar Khayyam. Al-Khawarizmi's work, in Latin translation, brought the Arabic numerals along with the mathematics to Europe, through Spain. The word "algorithm" is derived from his name.

Medicine

In Islam, the human body is a source of appreciation, as it is created by Almighty Allah (God). How it functions, how to keep it clean and safe, how to prevent diseases from attacking it or cure those diseases, have been important issues for Muslims.

Ibn Sina (d. 1037), better known to the West as Avicenna, was perhaps the greatest physician until the modern era. His famous book, Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, remained a standard textbook even in Europe, for over 700 years. Ibn Sina's work is still studied and built upon in the East.

Prophet Muhammad himself urged people to "take medicines for your diseases", as people at that time were reluctant to do so. He also said,

"God created no illness, except that He has established for it a cure, except for old age. When the antidote is applied, the patient will recover with the permission of God."

Since the religion did not forbid it, Muslim scholars used human cadavers to study anatomy and physiology and to help their students understand how the body functions. This empirical study enabled surgery to develop very quickly.

Al-Razi, known in the West as Rhazes, the famous physician and scientist, (d. 932) was one of the greatest physicians in the world in the Middle Ages. He stressed empirical observation and clinical medicine and was unrivalled as a diagnostician. He also wrote a treatise on hygiene in hospitals. Kahaf Abul-Qasim Al-Sahabi was a very famous surgeon in the eleventh century, known in Europe for his work, Concession (Kitab al-Tasrif).

Other significant contributions were made in pharmacology, such as Ibn Sina's Kitab al-Shifa' (Book of Healing), and in public health. Every major city in the Islamic world had a number of excellent hospitals, some of them teaching hospitals, and many of them were specialized for particular diseases, including mental and emotional. The Ottomans were particularly noted for their building of hospitals and for the high level of hygiene practiced in them.

http://www.scienceislam.com/muslims_science.php

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Big Bang Theory...Evolution or Creation?

Where Did Everything Come From? What is the proof?

Islam tells us Allah is both The Creator & The Evolver, of all that exits, and Muslims know that all things are from Allah.

If there is a creation, there must be a Creator.

If there is a Creator, He must be the Sustainer.

The Creator Cannot Create Himself.

If He is the sole Creator/Sustainer -- He must be ONE.

There is a popular theory referred to as the 'Big Bang' theory. It tries to explain the existence of the universe in an evolutionary manner having an initial beginning with an immense explosion of some gases or solid mass. Some say there first was a void or ’nothingness’, or perhaps, some gases which exploded then from this everything in the universe simply began to evolve to the stage that we see now. There has never really been any solid evidence for this idea of 'something out of nothing' concept. Nor for that matter, the evolutionary theory itself.

We would like to explore the idea of creation from a purely logical standpoint using simple terminology without religious hype, emotional pre-convictions or superstitions.

What if someone called a 'scientist' tells you his 'theory' of how cars are made is like this:

A salvage yard on the south side of town blows up and all the metal pieces fly into the air and fall back down in one place forming a brand new Chevrolet Caprice automobile.. with no left over parts.. and the motor is running..

Or what if his theory for how a chair is made is:

An explosion occurs in a forest and the trees go flying into the air and then suddenly they combine with some flying cloth to make a beautiful chair... and then it lands in a furniture showroom complete with matching table and lamp...

He further explains that:

An earthquake in California's 'Silicon Valley' causes the computer chips and circuit boards and other various parts to fall out of their boxes and off of their shelves and just come in place together as they are rolling around on the floor and form the most advanced technical computers existing on the earth?...

Or what of his 'Medicine Theory'? He now claims that:

A gas leak in a pharmacy warehouse causes a terrific explosion. All the different chemicals and substances just smash into each other in exactly the correct amounts to produce a miracle drug which cures everything form cancer to heart and liver disease, old age and warts?...

Wait... there's more to this one:

It is all in one formula, packaged in the bottles with labels and ready to sell with no mess left on the floor?...

Now after all this exploding and excitement this 'scientist' tells you of a great place to relax and have something to eat. It is his favorite place and he calls it: "Burger Blast"! He says:

You just go in and sit down and suddenly a 'blast' from the kitchen occurs and immediately a burger lands right in front of you with all the trimmings.. just the way you like it complete with fries, a drink and even your favorite dessert?...

AND...

No one works at "Burger Blast", it just runs itself, automatically cleaning itself and as you leave it scans your billfold for a valid credit card and charges your bank account for what you have eaten?...

Now the question is: "Are you really going to accept any of this as 'fact'?"

Of course not!

We wouldn't believe a new car is made from flying junk; chairs don't fall down from exploding trees; earthquakes do not produce computers and blasting burgers don't rain down on us from above.

Question: So how come we don't challenge a theory of something coming from nothing and then colliding in the cosmos to make the universe? Is it because of its tremendous magnitude that we have so little comprehension about it, that we are willing to accept any theory from a few telescope 'peeping Toms' to tell us that it came from 'nothingness'? Or just some gases colliding and then... 'Poof'!? Instant Universe? How?

Let us now come to our main subject:

Creation or Explosion?

We can turn our attention to the earth and the heavens and make observations on our own without a 'genius' scientist telling us what we are seeing. And then the idea that nothing is sustaining the heavens and the earth! - 'It just runs itself'? How?

Think about the stars, the sun, the moon and the countless solar systems and galaxies in the universe.
Who or What created them in the first place?
They continue to function and move with the utmost precision and accuracy.
Who does this? Who keeps them gliding along on their courses and orbits preordained for them?

http://www.scienceislam.com/bigbang.php

The Quran on the Origin of the Universe

The science of modern cosmology, observational and theoretical, clearly indicates that, at one point in time, the whole universe was nothing but a cloud of 'smoke' (i.e. an opaque highly dense and hot gaseous composition). This is one of the undisputed principles of standard modern cosmology. Scientists now can observe new stars forming out of the remnants of that 'smoke'. The illuminating stars we see at night were, just as was the whole universe, in that 'smoke' material. God said in the Quran:

Then He turned to the heavens when it was smoke...
[Noble Quran 41:11]

Because the earth and the heavens above (the sun, moon, stars, planets, galaxies, etc.) have been formed from this same 'smoke' we conclude that the earth and the heavens were one connected entity. Then out of this homogeneous 'smoke', they formed and separated from each other. God said in the Quran:

Have not those who disbelieved known that the heavens and the earth were one connected entity, then We separated them?.. [Noble Quran 21:30]

Professor Alfred Kroner is one of the world's well-known geologists. He is a Professor of the Department of Geosciences, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany. He said, "Thinking where Muhammad came from .. I think it is almost impossible that he could have known about things like the common origin of the universe, because scientists have only found out within the last few years with very complicated and advance technological methods that this is the case." (From 'This is the Truth' [video]). Also he said, "Somebody who did not know something about nuclear physics fourteen hundred years ago could not, I think, be in a position to find out from his own mind, for instance, that the earth and the heavens had the same origin."

The Quran on Clouds

Look closer to the heaven surrounding the earth. We call it the 'sky'. Notice the clouds? What are they?

According to the scientists today:

"Water vaporizes from the oceans and rivers forming tiny clouds. The small clouds join together and the updrafts within the larger cloud increase. The updrafts closer to the center are stronger, because they are protected from the cooling effects by the outer portion of the cloud. These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow vertically, so the cloud is stacked up. This vertical growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler regions of the atmosphere where drops of water and hail formulate and begin to grow larger and larger. When these drops of water and hail become too heavy for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall from the cloud as rain, hail, etc." [From "The Atmosphere" p. 269 and "Elements of Meteorology" pp. 141-142]

- Now just for the sake of argument, let us see what the "Muslim scientists" used to formulate their understandings centuries ago based on the revelation of the Quran (revealed 1400 years ago):

Have you not seen how God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it...
[Noble Quran 24:43]

Meteorologists have only recently come to know these details of cloud formation, structure, and function by using advanced equipment like planes, satellites, computers, balloons, and other equipment to study wind and its direction, to measure humidity and its variations, and to determine the levels and variations of atmospheric pressure.

The preceding verse, after mentioning clouds and rain, Quran speaks about hail and lightning:

... And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky, and He strikes with it whomever He wills, and turns it from whomever He wills. The vivid flash of its lightning nearly blinds the sight. [Noble Quran 24:43]

Meteorologists have found that these cumulonimbus clouds, that shower hail, reach a height of 25,000 to 30,000 ft. (4.7 to 5.7 miles) like mountains, as the Quran says;

...And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky... [Noble Quran 24:43]

Now this verse may raise the question: "Why does the verse say "its lightning" while referring to hail? This seems to indicate that hail is a major factor in producing lightning. Looking to a book on the subject (Meteorology Today) we find that it says:

"Clouds become electrified as hail falls through a region in the cloud of super cooled droplets and ice crystals. As liquid droplets collide with the hail they freeze on contact and release latent heat. This keeps the surface of the hail warmer than that of the surrounding ice crystals. When the hail comes in contact with an ice crystal, an important phenomenon occurs: electrons flow from the colder object toward the warmer object. So, the hail becomes negatively charged. The same effect occurs when super cooled droplets come in contact with a piece of hail and tiny splinters of positively charged ice break off. These lighter, positively charged particles are then carried to the upper part of the cloud by updrafts. The hail, left with a negative charge, falls toward the bottom of the cloud, so the lower part of the cloud becomes negatively charged. These negative charges are then discharged to the ground as lightning. [Meteorology Today p. 437]

This information on lightning was discovered recently. Until 1,600 A.D., Aristotle's ideas on meteorology were dominant in the non-Muslim countries. For example, he said that the atmosphere contains two kinds of exhalation, moist and dry. He also said that thunder is the sound of the collision of the dry exhalation with the neighboring clouds, and lightning is the inflaming and burning of the dry exhalation with a thin and faint fire. [Works of Aristotle Translated into English pp. 369 a&b]

These are some of the ideas on meteorology that were dominant at the time of the Quran's revelation, fourteen hundred years ago.

The Quran on Mountains

Let us now bring our gaze a bit closer to earth. Consider the mountains and their majesty. Is there anything about these massive formations that may give us a clue as to the origin of creation?

A book entitled "Earth" is considered a basic reference text in many universities around the world. One of the authors of this book is Frank Press. He is currently the President of the Academy of Sciences in the USA. Previously, he was the science advisor to former USA President Jimmy Carter. His book says that mountains have underlying roots [p. 435]. These roots are deeply embedded in the ground. So mountains have a shape like a peg as is seen in an example on page 220 in the same book. Another illustration shows how the mountains are peg-like in shape, due to their deep roots [p. 158].

This is how the Quran described mountains. God said in the Quran:

Have We not made the earth as a bed, and the mountains as pegs? [Noble Quran 78:6-7]

Modern earth sciences have proven that mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground and that these roots can reach several times their elevations above the surface of the ground. So the suitable word to describe mountains on the basis of this information is the word 'peg', since most of a properly set peg is hidden under the surface of the ground. The history of science tells us that the theory of mountains having deep roots was introduced only in the latter half of the nineteenth century. [Geological Concept of Mountains p.5]

Mountains also play an important role in stabilizing the crust of the earth. [Geological Concept of Mountains pp. 44-45]. They hinder the shaking of the earth. God said in the Quran:

And He has set firm mountains in the earth so that it would not shake with you... [Noble Quran 16:15]

Likewise the modern theory of plate tectonics holds that mountains work as stabilizers for the earth. This knowledge about the role of mountains as stabilizers for the earth has just begun to be understood in the framework of plate tectonics since the late 1960's
[Geological Concept of Mountains p. 5].

Could anyone during the time of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) have known of the true shape of mountains? Could any one imagine that the solid massive mountain which he sees before him, actually extends deep into the earth and has a root, as scientists assert? A large number of books of geology when discussing mountains, only describe that part which is above the surface of the earth. This is because these books were not written by specialists in geology. However, modern geology has confirmed the truth of the Quran's verses.

Layers of the Sea

Allah said in the Quran:

Or (the unbelievers' state) is like the darkness in a deep sea. It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds. Darkness, one above another. If a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it... [Noble Quran 24:40]

This verse mentions the darkness found in deep seas and oceans, where if a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it. The darkness in deep seas and oceans is found around a depth of 200 meters and below. At this depth, there is almost no light. Below a depth of 1,000 meters there is no light at all [Oceans Elder and Pernetta p.27].

Human beings are not able to dive more than forty meters without the aid of submarines or special equipment. Human beings cannot survive unaided in the deep dark part of the oceans, such as at a depth of 200 meters.

Scientists have recently discovered this darkness by means of special equipment and submarines that have enabled them to dive into the depths of the oceans.

We can also understand from the following sentences in the previous verse, "..in a deep sea. It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds,..." that the deep waters of seas and oceans are covered by waves, and above these waves are other waves.

It is clear that the second set of waves are the surface waves that we see, because the verse mentions that above the second waves there are clouds. But what about the first waves? Scientists have recently discovered that there are internal waves which "occur on density interfaces between layers of different densities." [Oceanography, Gross, p. 205].

The internal waves cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because the deep waters have a higher density than the waters above them. Internal waves act like surface waves. They can also break just like surface waves. Internal waves cannot be seen by the human eye, but they can be detected by studying temperature or salinity changes at a given location.

The Quran on Seas and Rivers

Water covers so much of the earth and even mixes with the land in rivers and streams. Yet is there something keeping it from mixing with itself? What is contained in this mystery of separation of waters?

What about the water covering the earth? Is there another clue hiding beneath the seas?

Modern Science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity, and density.
[Principles of Oceanography - Davis, pp. 92-93]

For example, Mediterranean Sea water is warm, saline and less dense, compared to Atlantic Ocean water. When Mediterranean Sea water enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill, it moves several hundred kilometers into the Atlantic at a depth of about 1,000 meters with its own warm, saline and less dense characteristics.
The Mediterranean water stabilizes at this depth.
[Principles of Oceanography p. 93]

The Mediterranean Sea water as it enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill with its own warm, saline and less dense characteristics, because of the barrier that distinguishes between them. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius (C).

Even in depths (indicated here by darker colors) up to 1,400 meters and at distances ranging from a minus -100 to +2,500 meters, we find that both bodies of water maintain their individual temperatures and salinity.

Although there are large waves, strong currents, and tides in these seas, they do not mix or transgress this barrier.

The Holy Quran mentioned that there is a barrier between two seas that meet and that they do not transgress. God said:

He has let free the two seas meeting to gather. There is a barrier between them. They do not transgress.
[Noble Quran 55:19-20]

But when the Quran speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of "a forbidding partition" with the barrier.

God said in the Quran:

He is the one who has let free the two bodies of flowing water, one sweet and palatable, and the other salty and bitter. And He has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition. [Noble Quran 25:53]

On may ask, why did the Quran mention the partition when speaking about the divider between fresh and salt water, but did not mention it when speaking about the divider between the two seas?
Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the situation is somewhat different from what is found in places where two seas meet. It has been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a "pycnocline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers."
[Oceanography p. 242]

This partition (zone of separation) has a different salinity from the fresh water and from the salt water
[Oceanography p. 244 and Introductory Oceanography pp. 300-301]

This information has been discovered only recently using advanced equipment to measure temperature, salinity, density, oxygen dissolubility, etc. The human eye cannot see the difference between the two seas that meet, rather the two seas appear to us as one homogeneous sea. Likewise the human eye cannot see the division of water in estuaries into the three kinds: the fresh water, the salt water, the partition (zone of separation).

The Quran on Human Embryonic Development

What about us? Are we a part of creation? How did we begin? What develops us and causes us to live and die? How are we sustained?

Think about the humans. How did we all get here? What is the nature of mankind? What causes us to act as we do? Are we ungrateful to the One who created us and sustains us? What is this clue? Think about yourself. Did you create yourself?

In the Holy Quran, God speaks about the stages of man's embryonic development, 1,400 years before modern day scientists 'discovered' important information on creation of man and his development:

We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement, firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an alaqah (leech, suspended thing, and blood clot), then We made the alaqah into a mudghah (chewed-like substance)... [Noble Quran 23:12-14]

Literally the Arabic word alaqah has 3 meanings:

leech
suspended thing
blood clot

1. "In comparing a leech to the embryo at the alaqah stage, we find similarity between the two." [The Developing Human p.8].
"Also, the embryo as this stage obtains nourishment from the blood of the mother, similar to the leech which feeds on the blood of others." [Human Development as Described in Quran and Sunnah p.36].

2. The second meaning of the word alaqah is 'suspended thing'. The suspension of the embryo, during the alaqah stage, in the womb of the mother very appropriately fits this description.

3. The third meaning of the word alaqah is 'blood clot'. We find that the external appearance of the embryo and its sacs during the alaqah stage is similar to that of a blood clot. This is due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo during this stage. Also during this stage the blood in the embryo does not circulate until the end of the third week. So the embryo at this stage is like a clot of blood.

By examining a diagram of the primitive cardiovascular system in an embryo during the alaqah stage we would notice the external appearance of the embryo and its sacs is similar to that of a blood clot due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo [The Developing Human, p. 65]

So the three meanings of the word alaqah correspond accurately to the descriptions of the embryo at the alaqah stage.

The next stage mentioned in the verse is the mudghah stage. The Arabic word mudghah means "chewed-like substance." If one were to take a piece of gum and chew it in his mouth, and then compare it with the embryo at the mudghah stage, we would conclude that they would be almost identical because of the somites at the back of the embryo that 'somewhat resemble teeth marks in a chewed substance.'

How could Muhammad (peace be upon him) have possibly known all this 1,400 years ago when scientists have only recently discovered this using advanced equipment and powerful microscopes which did not exist at that time? Hamm and Leeuwenhoek were the first scientists to observe human sperm cells using an improved microscope in 1677 A.D. (more than 1,000 years after Muhammad, peace be upon him]. They mistakenly thought that the sperm cell contained a miniature preformed human being that grew when it was deposited in the female genital tract [The Developing Human, p.9]

Professor Keith Moore is one of the world's prominent scientists in the fields of anatomy and embryology and is the author of the book entitled the "Developing Human", which has been translated into eight languages. This book is considered a scientific reference work and was chosen by a special committee in the United States as the best book authored by on person. Dr. Keith Moore is a Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. In 1984, he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grant Award from the Canadian Association of Anatomists. He has directed many international associations, such as the Canadian and American Association of Anatomists and the Council of the Union of Biological Sciences.

In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Professor Moore said; "It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Quran about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God, or Allah, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammad must have been the messenger of God, or Allah [The reference for this statement is on 'This is the Truth' (video tape). For a copy of this video tape please contact us].

Consequently, Professor Moore was asked the following question, "Does this mean that you believe that the Quran is the Word of God?" He replied; "I find no difficulty in accepting this."

During one conference, Professor Moore stated, "... because the stagein of human embryos is complex, owing to the continuous process of change during development, it is proposed that a new system of classification could be developed using the terms mentioned in the Quran and the Sunnah (sayings of Muhammad, peace be upon him). The proposed system is simple, comprehensive, and conforms with present embryological knowledge. The intensive studies of the Quran and Hadith (reliably transmitted sayings and reports of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) in the last four years have revealed a system of classifying human embryos that is amazing since it was recorded in the 7th century A.D. Although Eric Statle, the founder of the science of embryology, realized that chick embryos developed in stages from his studies of hen's eggs in the fourth century B.C., he did not give any details about these stages. As far as it is known from the history of embryology, little was known about the stagein and classification of human embryos until the twentieth century. For this reason, the descriptions of the human embryo in the Quran cannot be based on scientific knowledge in the 7th century A.D. The only reasonable conclusion is that these descriptions were revealed to Muhammad from God. He could not have known such details because he was an illiterate man with absolutely no scientific training." [This is the Truth -video tape]


The Quran on the Cerebrum (forehead area of the brain in humans)

Who or What created all this? Who is sustaining everything? How do organisms reproduce themselves? How can a tree grow up out of a seed?

Think about the humans. How did we all get here? What is the nature of mankind? What causes us to act as we do? Are we ungrateful to the One who created us and sustains us? What is this clue? Think about yourself. Did you create yourself?

God said in the Quran about one of the evil unbelievers who forbade the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from praying at the Ka'bah (Holy Mosque):

Let him beware! If he does not stop, We will take him by the Naseyah (front of the head), a lying, sinful Naseyah (from of the head)! [Noble Quran 96:15-16]

Why did the Quran describe the front of the head as being lying and sinful? Why didn't the Quran say that the person was lying and sinful? What is the relationship between the front of the head and lying and sinfulness?

If we look into the skull at the front of the head, we will find the prefrontal area of the cerebrum, in the area we call the forehead. What does physiology tell us about the function of this area? A book entitled Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology says about this area, "The motivation and the foresight to plan and initiate movements occur in the anterior portion of frontal lobes, the prefrontal area. This is a region of association cortex.." Also the book says, "In relation to its involvement in motivation, the prefrontal area is also thought to be the functional center for aggression..."

So, this area of the cerebrum is responsible for planning, motivating, and initiating good and sinful behavior, and is responsible for the telling of lies and the speaking of truth. So, it is proper for the telling of lies and the speaking of truth. So, it is proper to describe the front of the head as lying and sinful when someone lies or commits a sin, as the Quran says:

...A lying, sinful Naseyah (from of the head)! [Noble Quran 96:16]

Scientists have only discovered these functions of the prefrontal area in the last sixty years, according to Professor Keith L. Moore. [Scientific Miracles in the Front of the Head p. 41]

---

For the Muslim there is no need for separation between religion and science. It is understood from the Quran, revealed over 1,400 years ago, that there is both; "Creation" and "Evolution." And in both instances, it is only Allah who is "Able to do all things." In fact, it was the Muslim scientists, more than 1,000 years ago, who set the stage for the advancement of learning, technology and disciplines in science that we know today.

Allah has explained how He created everything in the universe and brought all life out of water. He created humans from earth (not monkeys) and there is no need to attempt fabrications of "links" to the animal world in Islam.

The Christian Bible says that Adam & Eve were both created here on Earth, less than 10,000 years ago. The Quran says that Adam & Eve were created in Heaven, and NOT on Earth. When they disobeyed God, He expelled them from Heaven, down to Earth.

Muslims believe that souls are assigned to humans 40 days after the human inception. The Quran says that angels retrieve human souls on two occasions. One occasion is when humans die. The other occasion is every time humans fall asleep. When humans wakeup, the angels release those souls back to them:

It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that did not die, during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back, but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed. Verily in this are Signs for those who reflect.
[Noble Quran 39:42]

And Allah has Created every animal from water; of them are some creeping on their bellies; some walk on two legs; and some on four. Allah Creates what He wills: for sure Allah has Power over all things.
[Noble Quran 24:45]

The Quran has set a precedent 14 centuries before modern science, explaining in simple and direct terms about his "creation" of animals and their various functions and then assures us it is He who has the Power over everything. This statement includes the fact Allah can if He Wills, reshape and alter his creation as He Chooses. There is clear evidence within many species of alteration and changes within the species. However, there is no concrete evidence to support a cross over in development from one type to another, such as reptiles turning into birds or alligators turning into cows. The statements made in Quran are quite clear when Allah tells us of having brought forth other life forms and then destroying or replacing them with others. This again, does not imply evolution in the sense of one type becoming or changing into another.

Allah tells us He is Al-Bari, (The Shaper or Evolver) but once again, this does not mean He has a need to bring about each individual life form all from one kind. Actually, while reading the Quran you learn He has brought many types and shapes and sizes as He Wills. Changes within species occur even as quickly as one or two seasons, not even taking a whole year, much less millions as was supposed by Darwin.

Speaking of Charles Darwin, he was only an armature naturalist and had only observed the finches (birds) on the Galapagos Islands for the first time in the mid 1850s. He noticed that on each island the birds had different shaped beaks according to the type of food available on their particular island. For this reason, he assumed, the birds had progressed over millions of years and only the hardiest of the species had survived the climate and vegetation changes. However, this is totally inaccurate and was dismissed as a mere humor in a TV series on the educational channel in October of 1998. According to the scientists’ discoveries in that very same year, the effects of the weather phenomenon known as El Nino, the climate on these same exact islands had drastically changed in a single year within a number of months. And to their surprise, the eggs of the finches on each island hatched open producing birds with beaks already altered to accommodate the changes of their environment.

The commentator even said this shoots Darwin's theory completely down and he laughed.

There is no DNA research pointing to a connection between apes and humans as was supposed by the scientists and those who had financed them over the years. In fact, the barnyard pig is closer to humans in many aspects, than a monkey or a gorilla. Consider the fact, doctors use the skin from pigs to replace needed tissue on burn victims and the famous movie actor, John Wayne had a pig's heart valve installed in his own heart in a 1977 operation to save his life. It worked, too - until his smoking caused him to die of cancer.

The rational approach to the whole subject is rather simple. Just as He is able to Create the universe and bring forth life, it is simple also for Him to produce as many different types of forms of life as He Wills. No problem for Him, after all - He is the Creator and He is the Shaper. And most important, He can change anything as He Wills - even today.

http://www.scienceislam.com/evolution_creation.php

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Islam and Science

“Never judge a religion by its people, judge a religion by its scripture”


*Note: This page contains some of the scientific discoveries from Shaukat Ameen’s book “Islam, A scientifically proven religion”. The whole book can be read at http://www.cometoislam.com/science/science.htm


Chapter 1: Discoveries in Nature & Earth
(i) Creation of the Universe
(ii) More than one world
(iii) The expansion of the universe
(iv) Sky, without any support
(v) Orbits
(vi) Different nature of the sun and the moon
(vii) The proportion of Rain
(viii) The Mountains
(ix) The seas not mingling with one another
(x) The Miracle in the Iron
(xi) Presence of sub-atomic particles

Chapter 2: Discoveries in Human Beings
(i) The part that controls our movements
(ii) Fingerprints

Chapter 3: Discoveries in Human Embryonic Development
(i) Stages of embryonic growth
(ii) Three stages of the baby in the womb
(iii) The determination of the sex of the baby

Chapter 4: Other Discoveries
(i) Living-things and water
(ii) A lesson in cattle
(iii) Opposite pairs in creation

Chapter 5: Miracle of the Quran
(i) Protection and memorization of the Quran


“We shall show them our signs on the farthest horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth” (Quran 41:53).

“If the Holy Quran is not the book of Allah then it is impossible to explain how a text produced 1400 years ago could have contained ideas that have only been discovered in modern times.”


CHAPTER – I
DISCOVERIES IN NATURE & EARTH

(i) Creation of the Universe

The formation of the universe is described in the Quran in the following verse:

“He is the Originator of the heavens and
the earth.” (6:101)

The information given in the Quran is in full agreement with the findings of modern science. The conclusion that astrophysics has reached today is that the entire universe was created as a result of great explosion that occurred in no time. This event, known as “The Big Bang” proved that the entire universe was created from nothingness as a result of the explosion of a single point. Modern scientists agree that the Big Bang is the only rational and plausible explanation of the beginning and how the universe came into being. Before the Big Bang, there was no such thing as matter. So, we come to the conclusion that matter, time, and energy were created and didn’t exist since infinite.

“Then turned He to the heaven when it was smoke,
and said unto it and unto the earth: Come both
of you, willingly or not. They said: We come,
obedient.” (The Quran, 41:11)


Didn’t the Quran say that the Heaven was smoke before its creation? Modern science has every reason to maintain that the universe was formed from a gaseous mass principally composed of hydrogen and a certain amount of helium that was slowly rotating. We, therefore, see no contradiction in the Quranic use of the Arabic word “dukhan” (translated smoke) and a modern interpretation of that word as “a gaseous mass with fine particles” when speaking of the formation of the universe.

“Have they not who disbelieve seen that the heavens and earth were joined together (as one piece), then We parted them.” (21:30)


The Quran describes the phenomenon of the creation of the universe by using two specific words:

“rataq” translated as: mixed in each ; blended.

“fataqa” is the verb in Arabic and implies that something comes into being by tearing apart or destroying the structure of “rataq”.


As the earth and the heavens above (the sun, the moon, stars, planets, galaxies, etc.) have been formed from this same ‘smoke’, we conclude that the earth and the heavens were once a connected entity. Then out of this homogenous ‘smoke’, they evolved into different forms and separated from each other.

Hence, the verse reveals that the heavens and earth at the beginning were joined together, and that subsequently they were separated. Recent advance-ments in astronomy especially the Big Bang theory of the creation of the universe corroborate with this statement in the Quran. The Big Bang theory holds that about 20,000,000,000 (twenty billion) years ago the universe began with an explosive expansion of a single extremely condensed state of matter. This is what the Quran states in this verse: “the heavens and earth were joined together”. The Noble prize for Science in 1977 was awarded for this discovery.

These facts, only recently discovered by modern science, were disclosed in the Quran 1,400 years ago.

*****
(ii) More than one world

The very first verse of the first chapter of the Quran is a miracle. It says:

“Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.”
(The Quran, 1:1)


At a time when, perhaps, scientific knowledge was not even at the nascent stage, the Quran revealed about the presence of worlds other than the earth and testified to the fact that, “Allah is the Lord of the worlds”. As a matter of fact, the words, “the Lord of the worlds”, appear in the Quran a total of 73 times. With scientific advancement and use of sophisticated telescopes now we know that there are other planets and multitude of galaxies besides earth. And all this was disclosed to us by the God Almighty through his prophet Mohammad ( P.B.U.H ) 14 centuries ago.

*****

(iii) The expansion of the universe

According to the Holy Quran:

“And it is We who have constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it.” (51:47)

The word “heaven”, as stated in this verse, is used in various places with the meaning of space and universe. Here again, the word is used with this meaning.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian physicist Alexander Friedmann and the Belgian cosmologist Georges Lemaitre theoretically calculated that the universe is in constant motion and that it is expanding.

From the moment of the Big Bang, the universe has been constantly expanding at a great speed. Scientists compare the expanding universe to the surface of a balloon that is inflated. Observing the sky in 1929 with a telescope also proved this fact. Edwin Hubble, the American astronomer, discovered that the stars and galaxies were constantly moving away from each other. These observations tell us that when everything in the universe moves away from each other, it is considered to be a constantly expanding universe. This fact was revealed in the Quran when no one knew about the expansion of the universe 1,400 years ago. This is because the Quran is the word of Allah, the Creator and the Ruler of the entire universe.

*****

(iv) Sky, without any support

Due to lack of knowledge, Arab society, 1400 years ago, had many superstitious beliefs regarding the earth and the sky.

They thought that the earth was flat and that the mountains were supporting the sky above. They thought that there were high mountains at both the ends of the world, working as pillars and those pillars held the sky hanging above. However, all these superstitious beliefs were eliminated with the advent of the Quran. The Quran says:

“God is He who raised up the heavens without any support…..” (Surah ar-rad, 2)

thereby invalidating the belief that the sky remained suspended above because of the mountains. How did the author of the Quran know about this fact 1400 years ago? Indeed, Quran is the book of Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

*****

(v) Orbits

We learn from the Quran that:

“By the sky full of paths and orbits.”
(The Quran, 51:7)

The entire universe is full of paths and orbits. The Quran also tells us that:

“(Allah is the) One who created the night , and the day, and the sun and the moon, swim along, each in its (own) orbit.” (21:33)


“It is not permitted to the sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night outsrip the day, each swims along in its (own) orbit.” (36:40)


While referring to the Sun and the Moon in the Quran, it is emphasized that each moves in a certain orbit. There are about 200 billion galaxies in the universe, consisting of nearly 200 billion stars in each. All celestial bodies including planets, satellites of these planets, stars and even galaxies swim along their own orbits.

It is mentioned in another verse, too, that the Sun is not static but moves in a definite orbit.

“The sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed); that is the decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.” (Yaseen 36:38)

According to the calculations of experts on astronomy, the Sun is travelling at an enormous speed of 150 miles per second. It means that the sun travels roughly 12,960,000 miles a day!

The fact that this information was present in the Quran long before it was discovered by the mankind is yet another testimony that Allah, the All-Knowing, and the All-Wise is the source of this knowledge.

*****

(vi) Different nature of the sun and the moon

“Allah is the One who made the sun a shining object and the moon as a light, and measured out (their) stages, that you may know the number of years and the count (of time), Allah did not create this but in truth; He (thus) explains His signs in detail, for those who understand.” (The Quran, 10:5)


“We have built above you seven strong (heavens) and placed therein a blazing lamp.” (78:12-13)


“Do you not see how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another; And made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun a lamp.” (71:15-16)


“Blessed is He who made constellations in the skies and placed therein a lamp (sun) and a moon giving light.” (25:61)


The Quran uses two different words for the sun and the moon. When it refers to the moon, the word is “NOOR” (light) and when it refers to the sun, the word is “SIRAJ” or “ZIA” (lamp). We also learn from the second verse given above that the sun is the only source of light for our solar system. The Quran also tells us that the moon only reflects the sun’s light. These facts are in perfect harmony with discoveries made in astronomy in not very distant past. The Quran had disclosed these facts 14 centuries ago.

*****
(vii) The proportion of Rain

The Quran, in the following verse, tells us that the rain is sent down to earth in due measure:

“It is He who sends down water in due measure
from the sky by which He brings a dead land
back to life. That is how you too will be raised
(from the dead).” (43:11)


The modern science has discovered the measured quantity in rain. They have estimated that in one second, approximately 16 million tons of water evaporates from the earth, i.e., 513 trillion tons of water in one year. This number is equal to the amount of rain that falls on the Earth in a year. This means that water constantly circulates in a balanced cycle, in a “measure”.

The rain keeps falling every year in exactly the same quantity as revealed in the Quran. This is yet another great miracle of the Quran and a “food for thought” for the non-Muslims.

*****
(viii) The Mountains

Allah says in the Holy Quran:

“Have We not made the earth as a bed, and the mountains as pegs?” (78:6-7)


Geologists tell us that mountains have underlying roots. These roots are deeply embedded in the ground, thus, mountains have a shape like a peg. Geologists have proven that mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground and that these roots can reach several times their elevations above the surface of the ground. So, the most suitable word to describe mountains on the basis of this information is the word ‘peg’. Didn’t the Quran use the word ‘peg’ in the verse above?

The history of science tells us that the theory of mountains having deep roots was introduced only in the latter of the 19th century. The modern geology has thus confirmed the truth of the Quranic verse.

*****

(ix) The seas not mingling with one another

“He has set free the two seas meeting together. There is a barrier between them. They do not transgress.” (The Quran, 55:19-20)

Modern science has discovered that at places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each has its own temperature, salinity and density.

But when the Quran speaks about the divider between the fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of a “forbidding partition” with the barrier. Allah says in the Quran:


“He is the one who set free the two kinds of water,
one sweet and palatable, and the other salty and
bitter. And He has made between them a barrier
and a forbidding partition.” (25:53)


One may ask, why did the Quran mention the partition when speaking about the divider between sweet and salt water, but did not mention it when speaking about the divider between the two seas??

Modern science has discovered that in estuaries [where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet] the situation is somewhat different from what is found in places where two seas meet. Scientists have discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a “pycnocline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers.”[1] This partition (zone of separation) has a different salinity from the fresh water and from the salt water. This information has been discovered only recently, using advanced equipment to measure temperature, salinity, density, oxygen dissolubility, etc. The human eye cannot see the difference between the two seas that meet. Likewise, the human eye cannot see the division of water in estuaries[2] into three kinds: fresh water, salt water, and the partition (zone of separation).

The interesting side to this is that during a period when people had no knowledge of physics or oceanography, this fact was revealed in the Quran.

*****

(x) The Miracle in the Iron

“Indeed We have sent Messengers with clear proofs, and sent down with them the Book and Balance, that mankind may observe justice; And We sent down iron, in which is (material for) mighty power, as well as many benefits for mankind, that Allah may test who it is that will help, unseen, Him and His Messengers, for Allah is full of strength, exalted in might.” (The Quran, 57:25)


The Quran tells us that the iron was sent down to earth. Scientists have, only recently, come to discover the relevant facts about the formation of iron. Geologists believe that the entire energy of our solar system is not sufficient to produce even one atom of iron. Moreover, they state that four times as much energy as that of our solar system would be required to make one atom of iron on the surface of the earth. The geologists thus conclude that iron is an extraterrestrial material that was sent down to earth from some other planet.

Who besides Allah could have such absolute knowledge which excels and encompasses all levels of human knowledge??

*****

(xi) Presence of sub-atomic particles


Recent discoveries in Physics have shown that an atom can be broken into smaller units. According to the Holy Quran:

“The unbelievers say: Never to us will come the Hour (the day of Judgment); Say: Nay! By my Lord! It will surely come upon you by Him, who knows the unseen, not an atom’s weight, or less than or greater (than atom), escapes Him in the heavens and/or in the earth, but it is in a clear record.” (34:3)


The Arabic word used in this verse is “Zarrah”. Abdullah Yousef Ali, Mohsin Khan, and Marmaduke Pickthal have translated Zarrah as an atom. At the time this verse was revealed, a Zarrah was the smallest known particle to mankind. The Quran testifies to the presence of particles smaller than Zarrah or an atom. The discovery of splitting of an atom into smaller units does not relate to a very distant past while the Quran had acknowledged this fact 1400 years ago.

*****

CHAPTER – II
DISCOVERIES IN HUMAN BEINGS

(i) The part that controls our movements


“No indeed! If he does not stop, We will grab him by the forelock, a lying, sinful forelock.” (96:15-16)

Why did the Quran describe the front of the head as being lying and sinful? Why didn’t the Quran say that the person was lying and sinful? Is there a relationship between the front of the head and lying & sinfulness?

The expression “the lying, sinful forelock” in the above verse is most interesting. Research carried out in recent years revealed that the prefrontal area, which is responsible for the management of particular functions of the brain, lies in the frontal part of the skull. What does physiology tell us about the functions of this area? A book entitled, “Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology”[3] says about this area:

The motivation and the foresight to plan and initiate movements occur in the anterior portion of the frontal lobes, the prefrontal area. This is a region of association cortex …………………

The book further says:

In relation to its involvement in motivation, the prefrontal area is also thought to be the functional center for aggression….


So, this area of the cerebrum is responsible for planning, motivation and initiating good and sinful behavior, and is responsible for telling lies and speaking the truth.

It is clear that the statement, “the lying, sinful lock” corresponds completely to the above explanations. Allah in the Quran stated this fact, which scientists have only discovered in the last 60 years, centuries ago.

*****


(ii) Fingerprints


While it is stated in the Quran that it is easy for God to bring man back to life after death, people’s fingerprints are particularly emphasized:

“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.” (The Quran, 75:3-4)


This emphasis on fingerprints has a very special meaning. It is now an established fact that each human being has his own unique fingerprints. Everyone who is alive or has ever lived in this world, including identical twins, has a set of unique fingerprints. This is why fingerprints are used as a source of identification around the world. In other words, people’s identities are coded at their fingertips. This coding system may also be compared to the barcode system that is used today.

Before the discovery of the fingerprints people thought of them as ordinary curves without any meaning or importance. In the Quran, Allah points to the fingertips and calls our attention to their significance. This is yet another miracle of the Quran that was only finally understood in our days.

*****

CHAPTER – III
DISCOVERIES IN HUMAN EMBROYNIC DEVELOPMENT

(i) Stages of embryonic growth


“We created man from an extract of clay, We later placed him as a mixed drop in a place of settlement, firmly fixed, later We made the mixed drop into a leech-like structure, and then We changed the leech-like structure into a chewed-like substance, then out of the chewed-like substance We made the skeleton/ bones, then we clothed the skeleton with muscles/ flesh, later We caused him to grow and come into as another creation, So, blessed be Allah, the best of Creators.” (The Quran, 23:12-14)


The Quran in the above verses uses two words for “then”. “fa” in the Arabic language refers to an immediate action while the word “thumma” refers to a delayed action. In the above verses, Quran used the word thumma three times, showing that there are three different stages of human development in the embryo. (You may check these 3 stages in “The three stages of the baby in the womb” on pages 32-33 of this book.)

Embryology is the branch of science that studies the development of the embryo in the mother’s womb. Until very recently, embryologists assumed that the bones and muscles in an embryo developed at the same time. For this reason, for a long time, some people claimed that these verses conflicted with science. Yet, advanced microscopic research conducted by virtue of new technological developments has confirmed that the revelation of the Quran is word for word correct.

Who besides Allah could have revealed such minute and specific information 1400 years ago??

*****

(ii) Three stages of the baby in the womb

The Quran tells us that man is created in a three-stage process in the mother’s womb.

“He creates you stage by stage in your mothers’ wombs in a threefold darkness. That is God, your Lord. Sovereignty is His. There is no god but Him. So what made you deviate?” (The Quran, 39:6)


As we learn from this verse of the Quran that a human being is created in three different stages in the mother’s womb. Today, in all the embryology text books studied in the faculties of medicine, this subject is taken as an element of basic knowledge. We learn from the modern biology that : “The life in the uterus has three stages: pre-embryonic; first two and a half weeks, embryonic; until the end of the 8th week, and fetal; from the 8th week to labor.”

Pre-embryonic stage: In this first phase, the zygote grows by division, and when it becomes a cell cluster, it buries itself in the wall of the uterus. While they continue growing, the cells organize themselves in three layers.

Embryonic stage: The second phase lasts for five and a half weeks during which the baby is called an “embryo”. In this stage, the basic organs and systems of the body start to appear from the cell layers.

Fetal stage: From this stage on, the embryo is called a “foetus”. This phase begins at the 8th week of gestation and lasts until the moment of birth. The distinctive character of this stage is that the foetus looks just like a human being, with its face, hands and feet. Although it is only 3 cm. long initially, all of its organs have become apparent. This phase lasts for about 30 weeks and development continues until the week of delivery.


Is it not amazing that 1400 years ago when Biology and medical science had not achieved the present day perfection, the Quran had revealed what was discovered by the Scientists only recently? Is it not clear evidence that the Quran is not the word of man, but the word of Allah?

*****

(iii) The determination of the sex of the baby


Until fairly recently, it was thought that a baby’s sex was determined by the mother’s cells. That was why, in many cultures, women were blamed when they gave birth to girls. However, this belief was negated with the arrival of the Quran where it is stated that masculinity or femininity is created out of “a drop of semen which has been ejected”.

“He has created both sexes, male and female from a drop of semen which has been ejected.” (The Quran, 53:45-46)


With the development of genetics science and molecular biology in the 20th century, Scientists have validated the accuracy of this information given by the Quran. It is now understood that the sex is determined by the sperm cells from the male, and that the female does not play the main role in this process.


Chromosomes are the main elements in determining sex. Two of the 46 chromosomes that determine the structure of a human being are identified as sex chromosomes. These two chromosomes are called “XY” in males, and “XX” in females, because the shapes of the chromosomes resemble these letters. The Y chromosome carries characteristics of masculinity, while the X chromosome carries those of femininity. In the mother’s egg, there is only the X chromosome, which determines female characteristics. In the semen from the father, there are sperms that includes either X or Y chromosomes. Therefore, the sex of the baby depends on whether the sperm fertilizing the mother’s egg (ovum) contains an X or Y chromosome. For example, if an X chromosome from the female unites with a sperm that contains X chromosomes, then the baby is a female. If it unites with the sperm that contains a Y chromosome, the baby is male. In other words, as stated in the verse, the factor determining the sex of the baby is the semen which comes from the father. This knowledge, which could not have been known at the time when the Quran was revealed, is evidence to the fact that the Quran is the word of God.

*****

CHAPTER – IV
OTHER DISCOVERIES

(i) Living-things and water

The scientists tell us that billions of years ago primaeval matter in the sea began to generate protoplasm[4] out of which came the amoeba; and out that mire in the sea came all living things. In one word ALL LIFE came from the sea, i.e., Water !!

When we ask them that no man of learning, no philosopher or poet could ever have guessed your biological discovery fourteen centuries back, could he?? They tell us “No, never!”. Well, then, just see what the Quran has to say:

“And we made from water every living thing; will they (the unbelievers, the atheists, and the agnostics) then not believe?” (The Quran, 21:30)


The above statement is further elaborated in the Quran as:
“And Allah created every animal from water, of them there are some that creep on their bellies, some that walk on two legs, and some that walk on four legs; Allah creates what He wills, for verily Allah has power over all things.” (The Quran, 24:45)


It is clear that this fact could not have been scientifically known when the Quran was revealed. This testifies to the fact that the Quran is the book of Allah, most gracious, most merciful.

*****

(ii) A lesson in cattle

In the field of physiology, there is one verse in the Holy Quran which appears extremely significant. One thousand years before the discovery of the blood circulatory system, and roughly thirteen centuries before it was determined that the internal organs were nourished by the process of digestive absorption, a verse in the Quran described the source of the constituents of milk in conformity with scientific facts.

“Verily in cattle, there is lesson for you; We give you to drink of what is inside their bellies coming from a conjunction between the contents (of the intestine) and blood, a milk, pure and pleasant for those who drink it.” (The Quran, 16:66)

The initial event, which sets the whole process in motion, is the conjunction of the contents of the intestine and blood at the level of the intestinal wall, which produces milk. This specific knowledge was unknown to mankind at the time when the Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H).

*****

(iii) Opposite pairs in creation

“Glory be to Him Who created all the pairs; from what the earth produces and from themselves and from things unknown to them.” (The Quran, 36:36)

Although the concept of “pair” or “couple” commonly stands for male and female, the statement : “from things unknown to them” has wider implications. Today, one of the implications of the verse has been revealed. With the advanced technology and research, scientists have found out that even matter is created in pairs. British scientist, Paul Dirac, who proposed that matter is created in pairs, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933, while the Quran told us about the pairs 1400 years ago. This discovery is called “parite”. This fact is stated in a scientific manner as follows:

“…every particle has its antiparticle of opposite charge………and the uncertainty relation tells us that pair in creation and pair annihilation happens in the vacuum at all times, in all places."


Recent advancements in science have shown that not only all animals, plants, and matters but bacteria also have an opposite pair or strain. In plants, now we know, there are male and female seeds and male and female trees. A male date tree looks different from a female tree.

This verse, which clearly states a fact about “pairs of unknown” that was not known to previous generations, and has been recently discovered, could have only come from the All-Knowing Allah.

*****

CHAPTER—V
MIRACLE OF THE QURAN


Protection and memorization of the Quran


“We (Allah) without any doubt sent down the Message (the Quran), and We will assuredly guard againt it (from any corruption).” (The Quran, 15:9)


“And We (Allah) have made the Quran easy to understand and remember, then is there any that will receive admonition.” (The Quran, 54:17,22,32,40)


One of the ways by which Allah has assured the protection of the Quran is the fact that He made it easy for the true Believers to memorize His book. As a matter of fact, the Quran is the only religious book that is memorized by its true followers. The one who memorizes the Quran is called a Hafiz. They don’t only memorize the entire text of the Quran, but also the punctuation and diatrical marks of each and every word and verse of the Quran. Allah promised to protect the Quran and thus gave the power of memorization to its true followers. The protection of the Quran from corruption and its memorization by its true believers is an open challenge to mankind.

*****

[1] Gross, M. Grant. 1993. Oceanography, a View of Earth. 6th ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc. p.242.
[2] Estuary: (noun): the wide lower tidal part of a river.
[3] Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology by Seeley Rod R., Trent D. Stephens; and Philip Tate, 1996, 2nd Ed. St. Louis: Mosby-Year Book, Inc. p.211.
[4] Protoplasm is the basis of all living matter, and “the vital power of protoplasm seems to depend on the constant presence of water”.

http://www.cometoislam.com/IslamandScience.htm