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Template:QuranRelated

See Scientific foreknowledge in sacred texts for the belief that the Qur'an scriptural foreknowledge prophesied scientific theories and discoveries - known as Ijaz al-Qur'an

The Qur'an has been interpreted as encouraging of scientific investigation. According to the Qur'an, natural phenomena comprise a large portion of the divine signs; nature itself praises Allah , and Allah proclaims that he will show humankind his signs on the furthest horizons as well as deep within themselves . The scientific signs claimed to be in the Qur'an exist in different subjects, including astronomy, the animal and plant kingdoms, and human reproduction. Scientific investigation is viewed as the process of discovering these signs.

Scientific exegesis of the Qur'an

Scientific exegesis of the Qur'an is the assumption that many findings of the modern natural sciences have been anticipated in the Qur'an and that many references to these can be discovered in its verses. Many Islamic authors, classical and modern, believe that all the sciences are contained in the Qur'an. The practise of tafsir 'ilmi, or scientific exegesis, which was almost forgotten, has been revived in modern times; the classical attempt to incorporate all streams of human knowledge into the Qur'an has been updated with a special focus on the natural sciences.

Some authors have criticised this method of scientific interpretation . Some classical Muslim commentators and scientists, notably al-Biruni, assign to the Qur'an a separate and autonomous realm of its own and hold that the Qur'an "does not interfere in the business of science nor does it infringe on the realm of science." These medieval scholars argued for the possibility of multiple scientific explanation of the natural phenomena, and refused to subordinate the Qur'an to the laws of science.

Embryology

In the Qur’an reference is made to fetal development and growth, explanations of these verses express the view that "semen" and "safe lodging" refer to sperm within the uterus, corresponding to the modern terms used to explain mammalian reproduction: spermatozoon, ovum, fertilisation and zygote.

The Qur'an says: “Man We did create From a quintessence (of clay); Then We placed him As (a drop of) sperm In a place of rest, firmly fixed; Then We made the sperm Into a clot of congealed blood; Then of that clot We made A (foetus) lump; then We Made out of that lump Bones and clothed the bones With flesh; then We developed Out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, The Best to create!”

Prior to fertilization, sperm bind to the zona pellucida or outer covering of the ovum. Following such lines of interpretation, clot could be a reference to this, i.e. to sperm clinging to the ovum. However, clot is also interpreted by some exegetes as blood clot and taken to refer to "something that clings" to the uterus. For those modern commentators who then extrapolate this interpretation scientifically, the blood clot could be taken to represent the fertilized ovum or early embryo implanting itself in the endometrium or uterine lining. Some modern interpreters combine these verses with , seeing in the reference to the “three veils of darkness” a reflection of the three anatomical layers that protect the fetus — the abdominal wall, the uterus wall and amniotic sac.

Creation and evolution

The Qur'an contains many verses describing creation of the universe; God created heavens and earth in six heavenly days (approx. six millennium on earth), the earth was created in two days, and in two other days (into a total of four) God furnished the creation of the earth with mountains, rivers and fruit-gardens . Then heavens and earth formed from an integrated disk-shaped mass which had to be split , the seven heavens were created from smoke , forming layers, one above the other . The angels inhabit the seventh heavens. The lowest heaven is adorned with lights , the sun and the moon (which follow a regular path) , the stars and the constellations of the Zodiac .

Expansion of Universe

Verse says in one translation "And the sky was built by Us with might; and indeed We are the expanders" , and in another "We will continue to expand it." Some have interpreted it to be a reference to what is now know as the metric expansion of space. However, the clause is more commonly translated as "for it is We Who create the vastness of space", or "We it is Who make the vast extent (thereof)", or "We are the makers of things ample."

Criticisms of consistency

Not all thinkers agree that the Qur'an really contains many of the alleged scientific discoveries. Taner Edis, author of An Illusion of Harmony: Science and Religion in Islam, describes this point. He argues that Muslims are more likely to view the Qur'an as the direct word of God, and so it must be reconciled with their growing respect for science and technology. Edis suggests that Muslims often have a vested interest in finding passages whose interpretation can be stretched to describe modern understanding. He warns that reading into books like this can be misleading, since the method can be used to support any number of contradictory facts. Russel Glasser (a Skeptic from the "The Atheist Experience" TV show with Matt Dillahunty and Jeff Dee) likewise suggests that reading into the Qur'an like this amounts to cherry picking and risks simply confirming the biases of the investigator.

See also

• Ahmadiyya views on evolution
• Qur'an and miracles
• Maurice Bucaille
• Zaghloul El-Naggar
• Islamic creationism
• Criticism of the Qur'an
• Relationship between religion and science

References

1. ^ Ahmad Dallal, Encyclopedia of the Qur'an, Quran and science
2. Ian Richard Netton, Nature as Signs, Encyclopedia of the Qur'an
3. ^ Wielandt, Rotraud. "Exegesis of the Qurʾān: Early Modern and Contemporary ." Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān.
4. ^ Jansen, J. J. G. (1974). The Interpretation of the Koran in Modern Egypt. Brill Archive. p. 35.
5. E.H. Waugh , Blood and Blood Clot, Encyclopedia of the Qur'an
6. Abul Fadi Mohsin Ebrahim, Biology as the Creation and Stages of Life, Encyclopedia of the Qur'an
7. Agwan, A. R., N. K. Singh. L - O. Volume 3 of Encyclopaedia of the Holy Qurʼân. Global Vision Publishing Ho, 2000. ISBN(9788187746003) p. 243
8. Angelika Neuwirth , Cosmology, Encyclopedia of the Qur'an
9. Khalifa, Rashad. Quran: The Final Testament, Authorized English Version. Suleman Imdad, 1992. ISBN(0979345901)
10. http://www.amazon.com/Illusion-Harmony-Science-Religion-Islam/dp/1591024498
11. Reasonable Doubts Podcast: Islam, Science and Modernity
12. The Atheist Experience, on "the Quran and the Speed of Light", quote:"A contemporary person who knows some science can make passages of the Quran superficially resemble scientific insights by manipulating verses that have nothing to do with science and trying to pigeonhole them into something resembling contemporary knowledge."

External links

• Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from May 2011
• Qur'an
• Islam and science
• Miracles