Wikiislam: Scientific Miracles

in the Quran

A PDF Version of the article:

“Scientific Miracles in the Quran”
By: Wikiislam

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Important Note!

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PDF may have changed in the original article, but the central point of the text
may most likely be the same.

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- Anonymous Critic of Islam

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Introduction:

In recent times, many Muslim scholars have interpreted certain Quranic verses
as being miraculously predictive of modern scientific discoveries and have
presented these interpretations as evidence of the Quran's divine origin.
Tellingly, no verse contained in the Quran has ever prompted a scientific
discovery, and modern Muslim scholars have also generally not tried to argue
that this has ever been the case. As such, all the purported instances of
miraculous scientific foreknowledge in the Quran have been identified as such
only after the science they are alleged to describe has been discovered by
independent and unrelated means. Critics have pointed out this weakness and
generally hold these so-called scientific miracles to be the product of theological
sophistry whereby science is read back into the Quran upon discovery. Critics
also maintain that there is no instance in the Quran where a scientific subject
has been described with sufficient clarity, specificity, and accuracy as to qualify
as anything Miraculous.

Even when the Islamic empires led the world in science in parts of the middle
ages,[1] classical Islamic scholars/exegetes on the Quran aware of these facts
never put forward theories of scientific foreknowledge.[2] Instead when science
is inevitably discussed in verses relating to the natural world, they either
confirm incorrect scientific worldviews at the time, and/or provide counter
re-interpretations as new theories gain traction, and never before. In fact, in
many cases the Quran has been cited directly as the reason to support traditional
unscientific views against those of e.g. astronomers,[3] (which hardly matches
the idea of a book of scientific foreknowledge) and is still being used today to
deny established scientific facts.[4]

In the eyes of historians, the Quran's author(s) almost certainly made no

pretensions about predicting modern science. In support of this perspective,
there is no Islamic scripture that actually claims that the Quran (or Islamic
scripture in general) contain allusions to future scientific discoveries.

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Consequently, where the Quran makes mention of what are today perceived as
topics of scientific interest (such as the wonders of the day and night sky, fauna
and flora, or the human spirit), historians suggest that these passages were
originally intended to simply inspire awe in their audience by orienting that
audience's attention towards the world's many marvels and especially those
marvels accessible to individuals living in the harsh, arid, and rocky
environment of early 7th century Arabia.

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Contents:

Introduction: 1.0
History of the scientific miracles movement and statements by Western
Scientists…………………………………………………………………1.1
Methodology of Islamic theologians: 2.1
Methodology……………………………………………………………..2.2.0
Mistranslations …………………………………………………………..2.2.1
Dehistoricization ………………………………………………………...2.2.2
Pseudo-correlation ……………………………………………………….2.2.3
Reinterpretation …………………………………………………………2.2.4
Disambiguation …………………………………………………………..2.2.5
Elective literalism ………………………………………………………...2.2.6
Data mining ………………………………………………………………2.2.7
Elective esotericism…………………………………………………….....2.2.8
Philosophical concerns with methodology……………………………......2.3
Purported scientific miracles: 3.0
The Big Bang ……………………………………………………………..3.1
A universe from smoke……………………………………………………3.2
The universe is steadily expanding………………………………………...3.3
Every living thing from water ……………………………………………..3.4
Black holes and pulsars ……………………………………………………3.5
Seven heavens, seven earths ………………………………………………3.6
The descent of Iron ………………………………………………………...3.7
Chest-tightening in hypoxic environments…………………………………3.8
Mountains as pegs, cast down to stabilize the Earth ………………………3.9
Embryology ………………………………………………………………..3.10
All things in pairs ………………………………………………………….3.11
Female honey bees…………………………………………………………3.12
Diminishing land …………………………………………………………..3.13
Clay humans ………………………………………………………………3.14
Semen production …………………………………………………………3.15

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Lying forelocks ……………………………………………………………3.16
Fresh water-salt water barriers …………………………………………….3.17
The speed of light………………………………………………………….3.18
References ………………………………………………………………...4.0

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History of the scientific miracles movement and
statements by Western Scientists

In 1976 the book The Quran, the Bible, and Science, by Dr. Maurice Bucaille
was published. It purports to prove that the Qur'an, in contrast to the Bible, has
always been in agreement with modern scientific discoveries. It was immensely
popular "across the Muslim world" where it "sold millions of copies" and was
"translated into several languages." [5]

During the 1980s and 1990s a Muslim scholar named Abdul Majeed al-Zindani
organized various events to which scientists from around the world (mainly the
west) were invited to talk. The ultimate result of these events was a
documentary by Zindani, This is the Truth, in which some of these scientists
were shown to be confirming the miraculous nature of the Quran, or were
quoted as making statements off camera. This documentary was followed up in
1998 by a book of the same name, authored by Abdullah M al-Rehaili, which is
now in its 3rd edition.

In a 2002 Wall Street Journal article and further interviews posted on Youtube in
2011, some of these scientists explained that they had been misled and
manipulated by Zindani and do not endorse the Quran as scientifically accurate
(see main article as well as the external links section of this article).

The most popular Islamic voices who have argued for the existence of scientific
miracles in the Quran in the West include Harun Yahya, Zakir Naik, I.A.
Ibrahim, and Hamza Tzortzis. Notably, in 2013, Hamza Tzortzis published an
essay withdrawing his case for scientific miracles in the Quran and stating that
the entire endeavor to prove such miracles "has become an intellectual
embarrassment for Muslim apologists" and "has exposed the lack of coherence
in the way they have formulated" their arguments, noting that "many Muslims
who converted to Islam due to the scientific miracles narrative, have left the
religion".[6] Zakir Naik's preaching has been banned in India, Bangladesh,

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Canada, the UK, and Malaysia under anti-terrorism and anti-hate laws.[7][8] On
January 11th, 2020, Harun Yahya was sentenced to 1,075 years in prison for,
among other charges, operating a sex cult, sexual assault, blackmail, and money
laundering.[9][10]

Methodology of Islamic theologians

A variety of theological methods are employed by modern Islamic scholars in

making the case for any given scientific miracle in the Quran. These methods
include what can be described and categorized as dehistoricization,
pseudo-correlation, reinterpretation, disambiguation, elective literalism, elective
esotericism, and data mining. While there exist any number of alternative
approaches and combinations thereof to making the case for any given scientific
miracle, the aforementioned methods are, in roughly descending order, the most
common. These methods are not mutually exclusive and tend to employed in
conjunction with one another in order to strengthen the case being made.

Methodology

While modern Islamic theologians have employed the various methods

discussed here in order to develop cases of scientific miracles in the Quran,
philosophical and/or religious justification for the employment of these methods
has been scant if at all forthcoming. Critics who have pointed out the problems
inherent in the use of some/all of these methods have generally not been
responded to or taken seriously by establishment theologians.

Mistranslations

In many cases the scientific miracles simply involve mistranslations from

Arabic to English, or from Classical Arabic to Modern Arabic. For example, the
claim that daḥā/daḥāhā ‫ َد َحاهَا‬/ ‫ َد َحا‬means ostrich-egg-shaped, used to make the
claim that the author of the Qur'an knew the state the Earth is an oblate sphere,
showing it's divinity - when it actually means 'spreading' the earth out, and can

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also be used for the (flat spread-out) place where an ostrich makes a nest in the
ground, but not it's eggs[11] (the shape of an ostrich egg is also not like that of
the earth, see: Islamic Views on the Shape of the Earth). Or that yasbaḥoona /
َ‫ يَ ْسبَحُون‬means 'rotating on it's own axis' (applied to the sun in e.g. verse 21:33),
of which there is no such meaning (it simply means 'swimming').[12] Or that
sulb / ‫( ﺻُﻠﺐ‬which means backbone)[13] or tara'ib / ‫( تَّ َرآِئب‬rib or other chest
bones)[14] means sexual areas of the man or women as to not contradict modern
embryology (see: Semen Production in the Quran).

Dehistoricization

The most common practice in making the case for a scientific miracle in the
Quran is dehistoricization. Dehistoricization is the process whereby a historical
event (in this case a verse of the Quran) is removed from its historical context.
Since no Islamic scripture claims to be predictive of modern science, the great
majority of scientific miracle cases require a degree of dehistoricization.
Muhammad did not, after all, appeal directly to his companions by telling them
he could forecast scientific discoveries that would be made more than a
thousand years hence, in a future they would not live to see. Similarly,
Muhammad did not appeal to his companions by forecasting historical events
would be uncovered by future archaeological research. If he had done either, the
miracle would have been ineffective and gone over the heads of his
contemporaries who would not have known what Muhammad was talking
about. Indeed, if his contemporaries could have verified the scientific or
historical remark made by Muhmmad, it would not have been a miracle (as this
would mean that Muhammad could also have learned of the fact through similar
means).

As a result, verses have to be dehistoricized and subsequently reframed as

forecasts of future scientific (or archaeological) discoveries. For instance, when
the Quran states the Earth has been 'spread out' as a 'bed' and that mountains
have been cast down upon the Earth as stabilizing 'stakes', it intends to inspire
its contemporary audience's awe by directing its attention to a common

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mythological notion that this audience held to be true. Islamic theologians thus
take this and similar verses and reframe them as predictions.

In cases where the scientific or historical fact to which Muhammad is alluding is

described accurately, modern Islamic theologians are required to engage in a
double dehistoricization: firstly, the description must be reconceived as a
prediction, and, secondly, the possibility of Muhammad acquiring the relevant
fact through other than divine means must be precluded.

To achieve the latter, Islamic theologians will variously argue that the relevant
fact was not known to anyone in the 7th century, that Arabia was prohibitively
isolated from global currents of knowledge, that Muhammad in particular was
isolated from knowledge in general, that Muhammad was illiterate and therefore
incapable of accessing knowledge even if it were available to him, and/or that
the mental capabilities of ancient persons were significantly less than those of
modern persons.

Critics and historians have been unaccepting of either of these forms of

dehistoricization and assiduously maintain that historical texts can only be
understood in their historical context, that there is no fact accurately described
in the Quran that was not also known in the 7th century, that Arabia evidently
had access to global currents of knowledge, that there is no reason to believe
that Muhammad was uniquely isolated from knowledge, that Muhammad was
probably not illiterate, that if Muhammad was illiterate he would still be capable
of significant learning in what was a primarily oral culture, and that there is no
scientific evidence that ancient persons circa the 7th century were drastically
less intelligent than modern persons.

Pseudo-correlation

Another common practice employed by Islamic theologians in making the case

for scientific miracles in the Quran is drawing what are best described as
pseudo-correlations between the Quran and scientific fact. This is achieved

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through: the use of decontextualized quotations from scientific publications,
scientific and grammatical jargon in a confounding manner, metaphorical
interpretations of science, equating the common historical observation of a
phenomenon with its modern scientific explanation, as well as inaccurate or
incorrect understandings of the relevant scientific fact.

In the case of the Quran 'predicting the stabilizing role of mountains', for
instance, Islamic theologians suppose that the thickened continental crust or
"roots" beneath mountain ranges in some sense stabilize the Earth's crust,
whereas modern science does not hold this to be the case.

Critics suggest that where the science correlated to Quranic verses by Islamic
theologians has been misunderstood, misapplied, or misrepresented, the case
made for the scientific miracle is invalid.

Reinterpretation

It is also generally necessary for Islamic theologians to flout interpretive

tradition (classical tafsirs) in their reading of the portion of the verse said to
describe a scientific fact. The interpretations flouted sometimes include those
provided by Muhammad himself and, much more frequently, those provided by
Muhammad's companions (the Sahabah).

Specific examples of the types of shifts involved in this type of rereading

include: taking verses from passages descriptive of the hereafter and
interpreting them as descriptive of the modern era, taking verses from passages
descriptive of supernatural or miraculous events and interpreting them as
descriptive of eternal laws of nature, and taking verse from passages descriptive
of particular historical events and interpreting them as eternal laws of human
society.

This type of reinterpretation is particularly common in the West, where

translations of scripture are often reworded in a manner that is distinct from the

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original Arabic text and which better accommodates or, at times, directly
endorses the desired reinterpretation.

Critics and historians hold that this type of rereading strains credulity for its
neglect of textual and historical context and, where it influences translations,
have often condemned it as a form of academic and intellectual dishonesty.
Critics also point out that flouting the early exegetical tradition, especially
where it relies on and reiterates the perspective found in the narrations of
Muhammad (hadiths) or the sayings of his companions (aqwal al-sahabah),
undermines traditional Islamic doctrine which holds the word of Muhammad as
final and which very often elevates the theological and exegetical statements of
Muhammad's companions to status comparable to Muhammad's own words.

Disambiguation

The verses that appear to be best suited as candidates for scientific miracles are
those verses comprised of words and phrases whose meaning is opaque and
cryptic or whose meaning has simply been lost to time. Islamic theologians have
most often used verse of this variety in order to make cases for scientific
miracles in the Quran.

Critics have argued that if there is no justification for the highly specific reading
projected upon an essentially ambiguous verse, then this cannot be considered
miraculous.

Elective literalism

Sometimes, the verses presented by Islamic theologians as scientific miracles

are verses containing a metaphor which taken literally appears to describe some
scientific phenomenon. In many such cases, the same or similar metaphor or
metaphorical word is used elsewhere in the Quran in a context which clarifies
its meaning and where a literal reading results in no sensible interpretation.

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Critics have argued that this effectively arbitrary and rare reading of metaphors
in literal terms is tendentious and a practice which capitalizes on chance usage
rather than anything that could seriously be described as an intended meaning
on the part of the author(s).

Data mining

One recurring category of scientific miracles presented by Islamic theologians

derive from compiling counts of individual root-words set in various
grammatical forms throughout the text of the Quran. Words which happen to
appear an equal number of times or in some interesting ratio are then presented
as scientific miracles of a mathematical sort. Many variations on this sort of
miracle case exist, with some theologians going to extraordinary ends to
compile larges quantities of numbers calculated using various aspects of verses
including their letter count, position in the surah, position the Quran, and other
such aspects in order to find relationships.

Critics have argued that these purported miracles draw on the laws of
probability and reveal nothing supernatural about the Quran.

Elective esotericism

A situation slightly different from standard cases of scientific miracles arises on

occasion where the Quran describes a scientific phenomenon in relatively clear
terms, albeit incorrectly. While these situations are not frequently attended to by
modern Islamic theologians, they have at times insisted that while the apparent
meaning of the verse may appear incorrect, they are in fact true in some esoteric
sense. Despite being of an evidently lower caliber, these cases are also at times
advanced as scientific miracles.

Philosophical concerns with methodology

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Certain philosophical considerations have often been proposed as being of
interest for those who either take the idea of scientific miracles in the Quran
seriously or who are considering whether they should.

The proposition that Humans have access to a miracle from God/gods would be
incredibly consequential or at least extremely interesting if true, and thus
deserves to be thought about with great seriousness and scrutiny. Otherwise, any
number of contradictory parties would be able to claim that their respective
scriptures contained scientific miracles. A god/gods desiring to present
humankind with a miracle of scientific foreknowledge would need meet this
justifiable scrutiny with a miracle so uniquely clear and sound as to distinguish
itself from false miracle claims, else the god/gods would have failed in their
purpose, which is a supposed impossibility. It would indeed have to be
impossible to have reason to deny such a miracle - this is the meaning of
certainty. A scriptural statement containing a scientific statement would be
evident as a miracle if and only if it is at once: (1) unambiguous and intentional,
(2) ascertainably unknowable at the time of revelation, and (3) scientifically
sound, because:

(1) An ambiguous or unintentional scientific statement could be correct only by

accident (2) A scientific statement knowable at the time and place of revelation
would not be a miracle

Additionally, it may be that none of the above criteria can be established

regarding any scientific statement because: (1) language is inherently
ambiguous, (2) it is impossible to prove something is not an accident, and (3)
history is fundamentally inaccessible. Nonetheless, one can and probably will
disregard the skepticism necessitated by this last bullet point in their analysis.

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Purported scientific miracles

The Big Bang

Many modern Islamic scholars have argued that Quran 21:30 describes the Big
Bang. Historians, by contrast, have shown that the verse describes a version of
world egg creation myth which was widely believed in earlier times through
much of the world. According to the archetype of the myth, the Earth and
heavens both existed in an egg-shaped structure which split (or hatched) to
become the separate Earth and heaven, ushering in the era of mankind.

“Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together
(as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water
every living thing. Will they not then believe?” (Quran 21:30)

The verse states that "We clove them" (dual pronoun 'huma'), not "We clove it",
thereby indicating that the Earth and heavens are two distinct entites after the
cloving, and the next verse speaks of mountains being placed on Earth. This
conflicts with the modern scientific understanding that the Earth only began to
form from material within the emerging solar system, 9 billion years after the
big bang.

The word translated "joined together" is ratqan (15[)‫ ] َر ْتقًا‬meaning closed up or

sewn up, also used metaphorically in terms of reconciling people, but does not
imply a homogenous mass or state.

The separation of the heavens and earth can be read in the context of verses that
mention something "between" their fully formed state (which seems to be
occupied by the clouds Quran 2:164 and birds Quran 24:41). Tafsirs stated that
it did not rain until the heavens and earth were separated, which also makes

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sense of the end of the verse where it says Allah made from water every living
thing.

And verily We created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them,
in six Days, and naught of weariness touched Us. Quran 50:38

The same pre-scientific cosmology was already present in other near eastern
cultures before Islam:

A Sumerian myth known today as “Gilgamesh and the Netherworld” opens with
a mythological prologue. It assumes that the gods and the universe already exist
and that once a long time ago the heavens and earth were united, only later to
be split apart” (Mesopotamian Creation Myths, Ira Spar Department of Ancient
Near Eastern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

This view persisted into the age of Greek civilization:

Euripides the Greek Tragedian (Born 480 BC) - "And the tale is not mine, but
from my mother, how sky and earth were one form and when they separated
apart from each other they bring forth all things, and give them up into light;
trees, birds, beasts, the creatures nourished by the salt sea, and the race of
mortals" A. Seidenberg (1969) The Separation of Sky and Earth at Creation (II),
Folklore 80(3), 188-196

A universe from smoke

Many modern Islamic scholars and popular voices, such as Harun Yahya and I.
A. Ibrahim, have argued that Quran 41:11 contains an accurate account of the
early phases of the Universe when matter was in a gaseous state. Critics have
pointed out that the phrasing is extremely vague and that in the context where
the verse is found, a chronology of creation is described that in no way aligns
with the history of the universe. They point to two main problems:

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1) The Earth is described as being created first in the preceeding verses (Quran
41:9-10), along with all that is present on its surface, and only thereafter is the
heaven made to be seven heavens and the lowest adorned with stars (see also
Quran 2:29).

2) Moreover, they point out, the Earth is addressed by Allah in the verse in
question as distinct from the heaven, which alone is described as smoke but not
the earth too. Several other criticisms have also been made, described in the
main article.

“Then He directed (Himself) towards the heaven while it (was) smoke, and He
said to it and to the earth, "Come both of you willingly or unwillingly." They
both said, "We come willingly." So He completed them as seven firmaments in
two Days, and He assigned to each heaven its duty and command. And We
adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the
Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge”. (Quran 41:11-12)

The universe is steadily expanding

Some modern Muslims scholars are of the opinion that the Quran had already
told that universe has been constantly expanding even before this was
discovered by modern science.

They present the following verse as their proof:

ِ ‫ ” َوال َّس َما َء بَنَ ْينَاهَا بَِأ ْي ٍد َوِإنَّا لَ ُم‬Muhammad Assad: AND IT IS We who have built
‫وسعُون‬
the universe with [Our creative] power; and, verily, it is We who are steadily
expanding it.” (Quran 51:47)

Zakir Naik writes regarding this verse:

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“The Arabic word mûsi‘ûn (in verse 51:47) is correctly translated as
‘expanding it’, and it refers to the creation of the expanding vastness of the
universe. Stephen Hawking, in his book, ‘A Brief History of Time’, says, “The
discovery that the universe is expanding was one of the great intellectual
revolutions of the 20th century.” The Qur’aan mentioned the expansion of the
universe, before man even learnt to build a telescope!” (The Quran and Modern
Science by Zakir Naik)

Critics point out that some modern Quran translations have altered the meaning
of 51:47 in four ways:

They have translated the Quranic word “heaven ‫ ” َّس َما َء‬as “universe”, which is
not correct (see analysis and issues in Science and the Seven Earths). They have
taken the Arabic noun “We are the expanders”, but turned it into the verb “The
Universe is expanding,” And then they added the entirely superfluous adverb
“steadily” in an attempt to insert into the Quran additional ideas that are not
actually there. In any case the meaning of the word most like means vast or
strong (as was understood in tafsirs)

With these four translational liberties, they have completely changed the
meaning of this verse from a simple description of Allah’s creation of the
heavens into a scientific statement of Hubble’s expanding universe that is not
actually contained in the Quran.

Critics point out that the term “lamūsi‘ūna َ‫وسعُون‬ ِ ‫ ” لَ ُم‬in this verse is a noun and
not a verb, and it describes "God" and not the "heaven" (i.e. the term “wa-innā
ِ ‫ ” َوِإنَّا لَ ُم‬at best means "God is the Expander", and not "the
lamūsi‘ūna َ‫وسعُون‬
Universe is Expanding").

Thus the earlier Quran translators translated it as:

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Yusuf Ali: “With power and skill did We construct the Firmament: for it is We
Who create the vastness of space. Sahih International: And the heaven We
constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander.”

Pickthall: “We have built the heaven with might, and We it is Who make the vast
extent (thereof).” (Quran 51:47)

ِ ‫( لَ ُم‬lamūsiʿūna) is ‫( و س ع‬waw-sin-ayn), which

Moreover, the root word of َ‫وسعُون‬
Lane's lexicon of classical Arabic explains as to make ample room or width.[16]
In the Quran, this word and its derivatives have elsewhere been used in the
meanings of "Encompassing".

This is seen in the following verses:

‫ َو ِس َع َربِّى ُك َّل َش ْى ٍء ِع ْل ًما‬Sahih Intl: My Lord encompasses all things in knowledge

(Quran 6:80)

Also see verses Quran 7:89 and Quran 20:98.

In another verse the word "‫( "احاط‬encompass) has been used instead of "wasi'a"

‫ َوَأ َّن ٱهَّلل َ قَ ْد َأ َحاطَ بِ ُكلِّ َش ْى ٍء ِع ْل ۢ ًما‬Sahih Intl: and that Allah has encompassed all things in
knowledge. (Quran 65:12)

ٖFor this reason, a few translators used this figurative meaning:

Maududi: And heaven – We made it with Our Own Power and We have the
Power to do so. Abdul Majid Daryabadi: And the heaven! We have built it with
might, and verily We are powerful. (Quran 51:47)

Critics also point out that exactly the same grammar has been used in the next
verse 51:48.

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Yusuf Ali: And We have spread out the (spacious) earth: How excellently We do
spread out! (Quran 51:48)

Pickthall: And the earth have We laid out, how gracious is the Spreader
(thereof)! Quran 51:48

In this verse, the word َ‫ ْال َما ِه ُدون‬l-māhidūna (spreader/smoother) has exactly the
same grammar [17] as the word َ‫وسعُون‬ ِ ‫ لَ ُم‬lamūsiʿūna (i.e. expander) in the
previous verse, but no one translated it as "earth is steadily spreading out". It is
from the root mahada ‫ مهد‬which means to make plain, even, smooth, spread a
bed[18]. Also from this root is the noun mahdan, meaning a bed or even
expanse, which appears in other verses about the creation of Earth where it was
made a bed in the past tense. The tense is clear in those verses to mean a past
event rather than an ongoing process (Quran 20:53,Quran 43:10 and Quran
78:6-7).

Universe consists of "Space", while the Quranic heaven is a solid canopy which
could not expand

Critics also point out that according to science, the universe consists of space
and galaxies are travelling away from each other in this space and thus it is
considered as an expansion of the universe.

However, the Quran heaven is a solid canopy:

‫الذي جعل لكم االرض فراشا والسماء بناء وانزل‬

‫ من السماء ماء فاخرج به من الثمرات رزقا لكم فال تجعلوا هلل اندادا وانتم تعلمون‬Who has made
the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from
the heavens; and brought forth therewith Fruits for your sustenance; then set
not up rivals unto Allah when ye know (the truth). (Quran 2:22)

The word translated as canopy is binaa or binaan ( ‫) بِنَاء‬. This word means
"building"[19]. Here, the heavens are described as a multi-story building over

20
the earth. There are seven layers or stories to this building called the heavens.
The heavens are built on a foundation called "the earth".
The tafsir of Ibn Kathir, among others, elaborates this[20]:

These Ayat indicate that Allah first created the earth, then He made heaven into
seven heavens. This is how building usually starts, with the lower floors first
and then the top floors. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

And according to the tradition in Sahih Bukhari 4:56:557, prophets are residing
upon these solid heavens along with their nations, and solid things don't expand.

Every living thing from water

In two verses the Quran states that Allah created every living thing from water:

“Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth
were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living
thing? Then will they not believe?” ( Quran 21:30)

“Allah has created every [living] creature from water. And of them are those
that move on their bellies, and of them are those that walk on two legs, and of
them are those that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills. Indeed, Allah is
over all things competent.” (Quran 24:45)

The key to understanding the meaning is the context apparent in the first verse,
21:30, which is about the creation of the world. Gabriel Said Reynolds notes in
his academic commentary on the Quran an earlier parallel taught by the Syriac
church father Ephrem (d. 373 CE). He writes, "[...] Ephrem, who explains that
God created everything through water: 'Thus, through light and water the earth
brought forth everything.' Ephrem, Commentary on Genesis, 1:1-10)." [21]
Ephrem's comment is in the context of the Genesis creation story, much like the

21
first Quranic verse, 21:30. Ephrem says that when heaven and earth were
created there were no trees or vegetation as it had not yet rained, so a fountain
irrigated the earth. Tafsirs say that when the heaven and earth were separated
rain fell so that plants could grow. There is also a similarity with Ephrem in the
other verse (24:45), which mentions creatures that move on two, four or no legs.
Ephrem explains that as well as the "trees, vegetation and plants", the "Scripture
wishes to indicate that all animals, reptiles, cattle and birds came into being as a
result of the combining of earth and water".[22] For many more parallels
between the Quran and Syriac Christian literature see this article.

Critics of the miracle claim sometimes also point out that the ancient Greek
philosophers Thales believed that life originated from water,[23] and
Anaximander proposed that the first living creatures were made from
evapourated water.[24]

Black holes and pulsars

Some modern Islamic scholars and popular voices, particularly Harun Yahya,
have argued that the Quran 77:8 and Quran 86:1-3 contain an accurate
description of black holes and pulsars. Quran 77:8 speaks of the stars being
"obliterated" or "effaced" and Quran 86:1-3 speaks of a star of "piercing
brightness". Critics have argued that neither of these verses imply anything
other than the eschatological disappearance and observable brightness of stars,
neither of which statements is particularly noteworthy. Indeed, it is said, that the
sense of the word used in Quran 77:8 which means "effaced" even suggests a
solid firmament above the Earth upon which the stars are some sort of sprinkled
light. Critics also point out that the same verse (Quran 77:8) is interpreted by
Islamic figures, including Yahya, to describe both black holes and pulsars and
that this is plainly impossible as the two are in no way the same phenomenon.

Yusuf Ali: Then when the stars become dim;

22
Corpus: So when the stars are obliterated,

Daryabadi: So when stars are effaced. (Quran 77:8)

By the Sky and the Night-Visitant (therein);- And what will explain to thee what
the Night-Visitant is?- (It is) the Star of piercing brightness;- (Quran 86:1-3)

Seven heavens, seven earths

Some modern Islamic scholars have argued that Quran 65:12 contains a
scientifically-sound insight in its statement that there exist seven heavens and
seven entities 'like' the Earth. Various interpretations to this effect include the
reading of the 'seven heavens' as descriptive of atmospheric layers and the
reading of the 'seven earths' as descriptive of the layers of the Earth's surface or
the number of continents.

Critics have pointed out that the lowest of the seven heavens is said to contain
the stars (see Quran 41:12 and Quran 37:6); that no classification of the layers
of the Earth's atmosphere holds there to be seven layers; that no classification of
the Earth's layers holds there to be seven layers; that the seven-count of
continents is moreso a cultural/historical artifact than anything grounded in
geographical or geological fact (with Eurasia, for instance, being a more
geologically-sound candidate for a continent); and that the 'seven earths' spoken
of in the Quran in all likelihood reference the seven stacked disks of which
Earth is the top-most that are described extensively in many places scattered
throughout hadith literature and the sayings of Muhammad's companions.

“Allah (is) He Who created seven heavens and of the earth, (the) like of them.
Descends the command between them that you may know that Allah (is) on

23
every thing All-Powerful. And that, Allah indeed, encompasses all things (in)
knowledge.” (Quran 65:12)

The descent of Iron

Some modern Islamic scholars and voices, including Harun Yahya, have argued
that Quran 57:25 provides a scientifically-sound description of the origin of the
iron that is present on Earth. Historians have pointed out that the myth regarding
the heavenly-descent of iron vastly predates Abrahamic scriptures and can be
found some three millennia prior to the advent of Islam among the ancient
Egyptians who describe Iron as 'ba-en-pet' or 'metal from heaven'.[25] Similar
descriptions have also been found among the even more ancient people of
Mesopotamia.

Critics have pointed out that this is a clear case of 'elective literalism'. The term
used to describe the 'descent' of Iron is 'anzala', which is frequently used
elsewhere in the Quran where it describes cattle, garments, food, and even the
people of the book (Jews and Christians) as being 'sent down' by some deity. In
all these cases and many others, anzala is not taken literally.

Some Islamic scholars have also argued that the occurrence of the word 'iron' in
the 26th verse of the surah is miraculous, given that Iron's atomic number is 26.

Critics have argued that this nothing more than a coincidental product of
numerological data mining and have asked why the surah number could not also
have been 55 or 56, rather than 57, to also match Iron's atomic weight, which is
55.845.

“Certainly We sent Our Messengers with clear proofs and We sent down with
them the Scripture and the Balance that may establish the people justice. And
We sent down [the] iron, wherein (is) power mighty and benefits for the people,

24
and so that Allah may make evident (he) who helps Him and His Messengers,
unseen. Indeed, Allah (is) All-Strong All-Mighty.” (Quran 57:25”

Chest-tightening in hypoxic environments

Many modern Muslims scholars have argued that Quran 6:125 contains a
scientifically accurate description of Hypoxia, altitude sickness, or the general
phenomenon of lower oxygen levels in the air (thus called 'hypoxic air') at
higher altitudes. Critics have pointed out that any Arab living in the general
vicinity of Muhammad would have been familiar with the difficulty involved in
breathing at higher altitudes, and that Muhammad particularly would have been
aware of this phenomenon if accounts of his regularly climbing mountains just
prior to proclaiming himself a prophet are to be trusted.

Critics have also argued that if one takes the verse literally, the description
provided is inaccurate, as the difficulty breathing at higher altitudes is not due to
the constriction of one's chest, although this is what one may think based on the
sensation of shortened breath which is experienced in hypoxic environments.
Indeed, in the lower air pressure of higher altitudes, gasses and air actually
expand, and it is also the case that one's chest would expand a very small
amount in this environment as there is less atmospheric compression being
applied to your body (as opposed to someone, say, at the bottom of the sea, who
would instantly be crushed). Persons born and raised in higher altitudes have
actually been recorded to have enlarged chests which compensate for the
hypoxic environment by allowing the individual to breath in larger quantities of
air in order to acquire the necessary quantity of oxygen.

Corpus: So whoever wants Allah that He guides him - He expands his breast to
Islam; and whoever He wants that He lets him go astray He makes his breast
tight and constricted as though he (were) climbing into the sky. Thus places
Allah the filth on those who (do) not believe.

25
Daryabadi: So whomsoever Allah willeth that he shall guide, He expoundeth his
breast for Islam; and whomsoever He willeth that he shall send astray, He
maketh his breast strait, narrow, as if he were mounting up into the sky, thus
Allah layeth the abomination on those who believe not. (Quran 6:125)

Mountains as pegs, cast down to stabilize the Earth

The Quran describes mountains as pegs or stakes and as having been cast into
the earth lest it shift with its inhabitants. In early or pre-Islamic poetry (see main
article), mountains anchor the earth, and the Quranic verses too most
straightforwardly seem to refer to mountains stabilizing the earth as a whole.
Many modern Islamic scholars have argued that the Quran's description of
mountains as 'pegs' accurately depicts their physical nature in terms of the
scientifically known phenomenon of isostasy, and that verses stating that
mountains were 'cast' into the Earth's surface in order to prevent it shifting refers
to some role in preventing earthquakes. Isostasy is the phenomenon where some
mountains exist atop a similar accumulation of crust underground. Both the
mountain and thickened continental crust beneath them form when tectonic
plates collide, with some crust matter being propelled upward (becoming the
visible mountain) and, sometimes, a similar quantity of crust matter being
propelled downward.

Critics have pointed out that while there is at times an underground

accumulation of crust-matter below mountains, scientists have pointed out that
this phenomenon does not in any way stabilize the Earth's surface. Indeed,
modern science has discovered that mountains (and their underground
underbellies) are in fact a direct product of the instability of the Earth's surface,
which form when tectonic plates collide and generate destructive earthquakes.

26
Secondly, critics point out that unlike pegs which are objects placed into
something else, mountains caused by plate tectonics are of continuous material
as the surrounding crust, albeit of a different or contorted shape due to
geological processes. This shape is also nothing like a peg, since the thickening
which occurs when continental plates collide extends all along the length of the
resulting mountain range. Moreover, they do not peg anything to something else
since the thickened crust beneath mountain ranges merely protrudes deeper than
the surrounding crust into the Earth's mantle, which is molten and not a solid
object. Far more substantial downward protrusions into the mantle are the
subducted edges of tectonic plates and craton keels.

Thirdly, continental crust thickening (sometimes called 'crustal roots' or

'mountain roots', terms which refer to the crust beneath entire mountain ranges
rather than individual mountains) does not occur during the formation of other
types of mountain, such as karsk mountains, plateau mountains, fault-block
mountains, and lava dome mountains.

Fourthly, critics also point out that there is no sense to the idea that mountains
have been 'cast' into the Earth as 'pegs', for mountains are a byproduct of a
larger process (usually, plate tectonics). Indeed, critics note that mountains
continue to rise and erode away to this day, unlike the Quranic description of a
one off event during the first four days of creation. In Islamic cosmology, the
Earth is just the top-most of seven terrestrial disks, which in one tradition are in
turn stacked atop the back of a giant whale. In one version of this tradition, the
instability of the non-stationary whale causes the earth to be unstable, which
must then be fastened to the back of the whale using mountain-pegs.

“And He has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you, and
[made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided,” (Quran 16:15)

“Have We not made the earth a resting place And the mountains as stakes?”
(Quran 78:6-7)

27
“Say, "Do you indeed disbelieve in He who created the earth in two days and
attribute to Him equals? That is the Lord of the worlds." And He placed on the
earth firmly set mountains over its surface, and He blessed it and determined
therein its [creatures'] sustenance in four days without distinction - for [the
information] of those who ask. Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it
was smoke and said to it and to the earth, "Come [into being], willingly or by
compulsion." They said, "We have come willingly." And He completed them as
seven heavens within two days and inspired in each heaven its command. And
We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and as protection. That is the
determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.” (Quran 41:8-12)

Embryology

Many modern Islamic scholars have argued that the presentation of Embryology
found in the Quran is both scientifically-sound and predictive of modern
science. In this domain, Islamic scholars and authorities, including Dr. Al Zeiny,
Dr. Zakir Naik, Dr. Ibrahim Syed, Dr. Sharif Kaf Al-Ghazal, Hamza Tzortzis,
and Harun Yahya, have all drawn on the works of the Western doctors,
particularly Dr. Keith Moore (lecturer and researcher at King Abdulaziz
University; alongside his co-author Abdul Majeed al-Zindani) and Dr. Maurice
Bucaille (personal physician to the family of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia), who
were collectively sponsored with millions of dollars by the Saudi government
and who produced science publications which purported that Islamic scriptures
contained scientifically sound information.

Relevant verses include Quran 22:5, Quran 23:12-14, and Quran 40:67.

Critics have time and again responded to the various attempts made by Islamic
scholars and doctors sponsored by the Saudi government to reconcile modern
science with Islamic scriptures. The Daily Telegraph reported in 2010 that
Bucaille's "assertions have been ridiculed by scientists".[26]

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Beyond the various scientific errors within Islamic scriptures compared to the
findings of modern science that critics have pointed out, historians have
generally accepted that the incorrect embryological ideas present in the Quran
largely derive from ancient sources including, most prominently, the works of
Galen, a 2nd century Greek physician whose ideas had widespread and lasting
influence.

O Mankind! if ye be in doubt respecting the Resurrection, then We have created

you of the dust, then of a drop, then of clot, then of a piece of flesh, formed and
unformed, that We might manifest unto you Our power. And We settle in the
wombs that which We will until a term determined. Then We bring you forth as
babes, then We let you reach your maturity. And of you is he who dieth, and of
you is he who is brought back to the most abject age, so that after knowing he
knoweth not aught. And thou beholdest the earth withered up, and when We
send down thereon water, it stirreth and swelleth, and it groweth every luxuriant
kind of growth. (Quran 22:5)

And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay. Then We placed him as
a sperm-drop in a firm lodging. Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging
clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump,
bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into
another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators. (Quran 23:12-14)

He it is Who created you of dust, and thereafter of a drop, and thereafter of a

clot, and thereafter He bringeth you forth as an infant, and thereafter He
ordaineth that ye attain your full strength and thereafter that ye become old
men-though some of you die before-and that ye attain the appointed term, and
that haply ye may reflect. (Quran 40:67)

29
All things in pairs

Some Islamic scholars have argued that Quran 51:49, Quran 36:36, and similar
verses contain a scientifically-sound insight regarding the existence of all living
things in male and female pairs.

Critics and historians have pointed out that the idea that all living things and
things in general (as implied by Quran 51:49) exist in pairs simply draws on the
widespread ancient motif of the duality of all things in nature. The most
prominent example of this motif is perhaps the ancient Chinese Yin-Yang
principle of duality, with similar concepts being described in the Rig-Veda and
elsewhere. Critics have also pointed out that modern science has revealed that it
is not the case that all living things exist in pairs. Exceptions, they argue,
include the schizophyllum commune and the various and numerous asexual,
hermaphroditic, and parthenogenetic organisms that populate the Earth.

“And of every thing We have created pairs, so that you may remember”
(Quran 51:49)

“Exalted is He who created all pairs - from what the earth grows and from
themselves and from that which they do not know.” (Quran 36:36)

Female honey bees

It is sometimes claimed that Quran 16:68-69 correctly identifies female bees as

the builders and collectors of honey in the hive because verse 68 uses the
feminine verb ittakhidhī when it says Allah inspired the bees to "Take for
yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which
they construct".

The claim has a number of problems.

30
Firstly, the verb for "build" is not used here. It simply seems to describe the
locations where bees should live. Both male and female bees have to live
somewhere. Secondly, the use of a female verb in Arabic does not have to mean
that the subject is actually female, especially when applied to certain types of
objects. Nahl (bee) is a kind of noun called Ismul Jins Jam'ee (‫)اسم جنس جامع‬, a
collective, or mass noun of species and has nothing to do with the gender of the
insects, and according to some Muslim commentators, in the Hijaz dialect is
grammatically feminine.

The Quran also says in the same surah, (Quran 16:79) that birds are controlled
in the air using a verb in the feminine gender, yet this clearly does not refer only
to female birds. The Quran also uses a verb in the feminine gender in Quran
30:2 "The Romans have been defeated".

Clearly, the Quran is not referring only to female Romans. For further
explanation, see this video. Critics often further point out regarding verse 69
that while bees do sometimes eat fruit, primarily they need to eat nectar from
flowers.

“And your Lord inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among the mountains,
houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct. Then eat from
all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you]." There
emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing
for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought.”
(Quran 16:68-69)

Diminishing land

Some Islamic scholars and authorities, including Dr. Al Zeiny, PhD, have
argued that Quran 13:41 and Quran 21:44 contain a scientifically-sound insight

31
in their supposed implication that the quantity of land is continually diminishing
due to the movement of tectonic plates.

Critics have pointed out that there is no scientific evidence that suggests the
ongoing diminishment of the quantity of land. They point out, for instance, that
over the past billion or so years, land has not diminished, and that, for instance,
whereas 29.1% of the Earth's surface is presently land, 200 million years ago, at
the end of the Permian Period, the supercontinent Pangea covered only about a
quarter of the Earth's surface. Historians have also objected and argued that
these verses should not be read literally and that they should only be understood
in their historical context and in their plain sense where what is described is
simply the reduction of the territory possessed by Muhammad's opponents due
to his ongoing conquests.

Corpus: Did not they see that We come (to) the land, reducing it from its
borders? And Allah judges; (there is) no adjuster (of) His Judgment. And He
(is) Swift (in) the reckoning.Yusuf Ali: See they not that We gradually reduce the
land (in their control) from its outlying borders? (Where) Allah commands,
there is none to put back His Command: and He is swift in calling to account.
(Quran 13:41)

Daryabadi: Aye! We let these people and their fathers enjoy until there grew
long upon them the life. Behold they not that We come unto the land diminishing
it by the borders thereof? Shall they then be the victors?Yusuf Ali: Nay, We gave
the good things of this life to these men and their fathers until the period grew
long for them; See they not that We gradually reduce the land (in their control)
from its outlying borders? Is it then they who will win? (Quran 21:44)

Clay humans

32
Some Islamic scholars and voices, such as Harun Yahya, have argued that the
Quran's statement regarding the creation of Adam, the first man, from clay
contains a scientifically-sound insight regarding the chemical composition of
the human body. Relevant verses include Quran 38:71-72, Quran 37:11, and
Quran 23:12. Critics and historians have argued that where the Quran describes
the formation of the first man from clay, it is merely repeating the common
ancient myth widespread throughout the Earth well before Islam. Critics have
also argued that the description in the Quran is not scientifically-sound because
whereas the Quran says that the first human was made from clay, modern
science holds that clay only 'match-makes' the RNA and membrane vesicles
involved in the production of living organisms and does not form a building
block. When said your Lord to the Angels, "Indeed, I am going to create a
human being from clay. So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him
of my spirit, then fall down to him prostrating." Quran 38:71-72

Then ask them, "Are they a stronger creation or (those) whom we have
created?" Indeed, we created them from a clay sticky. Quran 37:11

Corpus: And indeed, We created the humankind from an essence of

clay.Daryabadi: And assuredly We created man of an extract of clay.Pickthall:
Verily We created man from a product of wet earth;Yusuf Ali: Man We did
create from a quintessence (of clay); Quran 23:12

Semen production

Many modern Islamic scholars, including particularly Zakir Naik, have argued
the Quran's description of the production of semen 'from between' the sulb
(backbone) and tara'ib (ribs) in Quran 86:6-7 contains a scientifically-sound
insight. Very diverse explanations, all mutually exclusive although nearly all
depending upon a rereading of sulb to mean the Englist word 'loins' in its
euphemistic sense (the male reproductive area) rather than its literal meaning

33
(literally, the 'loins' are the lower back), have been advanced by Islamic
scholars. Interestingly, classical scholars continually argued over the meaning
the words contained in this verse as well. For instance, Ibn Kathir describes
tara’ib as a female organ, while other classical tafsirs argue that it belongs to the
male. Critics argue that there is no singular, cogent interpretation of this verse
whereby it can be said to be scientifically sound. It appears, they argue, that this
verse is simply repeating Hippocrates' theory regarding the production of sperm
from between the backbones and ribs from the 5th century which had become
popular in the region by the advent of Islam. Hippocrates taught that semen
comes from all the fluid in the body, diffusing from the brain into the spinal
marrow, before passing through the kidneys and via the testicles into the
penis.[27]

Critics and linguists have also pointed out that sulb incontrovertibly meant
'backbone' in the 7th century, supported further by hadith evidence and other
verses directly relevant to this context.

Corpus: He is created from a water, ejected, Coming forth from between the
backbone and the ribs.

Sahih Intl: He was created from a fluid, ejected, Emerging from between the
backbone and the ribs.

Pickthall: He is created from a gushing fluid That issued from between the loins
and ribs.

Yusuf Ali: He is created from a drop emitted- Proceeding from between the
backbone and the ribs. (Quran 86:6-7)

Lying forelocks

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Many modern Islamic scholars, all drawing on the work of Saudi-financed
researcher and lecturer at King Abdulaziz University Dr. Keith Moore, have
argued that the Quran 96:16's mention of a 'lying, sinful forelock' contains a
scientifically-sound insight regarding the area of the brain that is employed in
the activity of lying, namely, it is said, the prefrontal cortex (which lies below
one's forelock).

Historians and linguists, by contrast, do not view this passage in the Quran as
making any pretensions about predicting modern science. They view the phrase
'lying, sinful forelock' as a simple metaphorical and metonymic reference to the
individual described in the preceding verse who is being dragged by his
forelock rather than a reference to the portion of the brain it resides on top of -
the intent of this usage, they suggest, is not that the forelock is literally lying
(which is evidently impossible) but simple to say that the person, of whom this
forelock is a part, is lying.

Critics have also pointed out that there is plenty of modern research utilizing
fMRI technology which militates against the idea that lying takes place in the
pre-frontal cortex, including the work of Professor Jia-Hong Gao of Peking
University (trained at Yale and MIT), Professor Scott H. Faro, Professor Frank
A. Kozel (trained at Yale), Professor Daniel D. Langleben of the University of
Pennsylvania, and Professor Stephen M. Kosslyn of Harvard University (trained
at Stanford). This research shows that the portion of the brain responsible for
lying may in fact be the anterior cingulate gyrus, which lies in the medial
portion of the brain in frontal-parietal area and not beneath the forelock. Nay! If
not he desists, surely We will drag him by the forelock, A forelock lying, sinful.
Quran 96:15-16

Furthermore, the word for 'forelock' is used elsewhere in the Quran as shown on
Quran Corpus, including:

The criminals will be known by their marks, and they will be seized by the
forelocks and the feet. (Quran 55:41)

35
Indeed, I have relied upon Allah , my Lord and your Lord. There is no creature
but that He holds its forelock. Indeed, my Lord is on a path [that is] straight."
(Quran 11:56)

However seizing, dragging, or holding someone by the 'prefrontal cortex' would

be an odd statement to make.

Fresh water-salt water barriers

Many modern Islamic scholars argue that Quran 25:53 contains a

scientifically-sound insight regarding the 'separation' of fresh and salt water in
estuaries, where fresh water rivers meet the salty ocean. Critics and historians
argue that this verse is merely stating what any person viewing the convergence
of a river and ocean with their unaided eye would observe - namely, that the two
bodies of water maintain distinct coloration. The additional proposition made in
the verse regarding the existence of some sort of barrier that causes the
maintenance of this difference in coloration, they continue, is simply what a
premodern person inclined to believe in metaphysical entities might hypothesize
as the cause. Critics point out that there is, in fact, no such 'barrier' present in
estuaries and that the persistent distinction between the two bodies of water is
due a difference in the density of fresh and salt water - even this distinction,
however, can be compromised when other factors, such as wind and stronger
tidal forces, are at play which cause the bodies of water to mix with one another
at a greater rate.

In any case, the Quran appears to be referring to two mythological seas, one
salty and one of fresh water.

36
And it is He who has released [simultaneously] the two seas, one fresh and
sweet and one salty and bitter, and He placed between them a barrier and
prohibiting partition. (Quran 25:53)

Is He [not best] who made the earth a stable ground and placed within it rivers
and made for it firmly set mountains and placed between the two seas a
barrier? Is there a deity with Allah? [No], but most of them do not know.
(Quran 27:61)

He released the two seas, meeting [side by side]; Between them is a barrier [so]
neither of them transgresses. So which of the favors of your Lord would you
deny? From both of them emerge pearl and coral. (Quran 55:19-22)

Another reference to "the two seas" (bahrayn) is found in the story of Moses and
his servant.

And [mention] when Moses said to his servant, "I will not cease [traveling] until
I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period." But when
they reached the junction between them, they forgot their fish, and it took its
course into the sea, slipping away. Quran 18:60-61

The story of Moses and his servant is one of four stories in Surah al-Kahf.
Modern academic scholarship has identified antecedants of each story in the
lore of late antiquity. This particular story is almost unanimously considered to
derive from a legend about Alexander the Great and his search for the water of
life. For details see the section on the four stories in Surah al-Kahf in the article
Parallels Between the Qur'an and Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature.

It may further be compared to the ancient Akkadian myth of the Abzu, the name
for a fresh water underground sea that was given a religious quality in Sumerian
and Akkadian mythology. Lakes, springs, rivers, wells, and other sources of
fresh water were thought to draw their water from the Abzu underground sea,
while the Ocean that surrounded the world was a saltwater sea. This

37
underground sea is called Tehom in the Hebrew Bible. For example, Genesis
49:25 says, "blessings of the heavens above, and Tehom lying beneath".[28]
Wensinck explains, "Thus it appears that the idea of there being a sea of sweet
water under our earth, the ancient Tehom, which is the source of springs and
rivers, is common to the Western Semites".[29] Similarly in Greek mythology,
the world was surrounded by Oceanus, the world-ocean of classical antiquity.
Oceanus was personified as the god Titan, whose consort was the aquatic sea
goddess Tethys. It was also thought that rainfall was due a third ocean above the
"Firmament of the Sky" (a vast reservoir above the firmament of the sky is also
described in the Genesis creation narrative).

Whether the two seas mentioned in the Qur'an referred to these mythological
seas or a more general inviolable barrier between bodies of salt and fresh water,
critics argue that the verse in question is scientifically wrong.

The speed of light

Some modern Islamic scholars and voices, particularly Dr. Mansour

Hassab-Elnaby, have argued that Quran 32:5 contains the information or is in
some distinct manner cognizant of the fact that light in one day travels a
distance roughly equal to 12,000 lunar orbits. Hassab-Elnaby's case is
developed using abstruse mathematical calculations that employ various figures
including the thousand-year period described in the verse and the distance the
moon could be said to travel about the Earth if the Earth were stationary. Critics
have argued that this case is a textbook example of numerological obscurantism
whereby any text in existence can be taken and 'shown to be of divine origin' on
the basis of various 'rare' numeric patterns which inevitably appear in any
sufficiently complex data and limited set (similar techniques when applied to
works such as Shakespearean plays and Virgil's Georgics, for instance, have
revealed similarly 'dazzling coincidences').

38
Critics further note that while the speed of light is constant, both the length of
an Earth day and lunar orbit distance are increasing, but the ratio between them
is not constant and increases over time. This is a simple consequence of Kepler's
3rd law of planetary motion and tidal torque (see here for details).

“He disposeth every affair from the heaven unto the earth; thereafter it shall
ascend unto Him in a Day the measure whereof is one thousand years of that
which ye compute.” (Quran 32:5)

39
References:

[1] How Islam Won, and Lost, the Lead in Science. Dennis Overbye. 2001. New
York Times.

[2] Astronomy and medicine (two fields that are particularly relevant to
'scientific miracles') were relatively advanced for their time (especially
astronomy) during the Islamic Empire's, which scientists never credited the
Qur'an with prompting discoveries.

[3] Islam, Science, and the Challenge of History (The Terry Lectures Series).
Dallal, Ahmad. Yale University Press. 2012. Kindle Edition. See Kindle
locations 1958 - 1972. And Chapter 'The Quran and Science' locations 2618 -
2723 covering this issue.

[4] For example, in the debate between traditionalists and non-traditionalists on

whether the Earth was flat, see: Against Ptolemy? Cosmography in Early Kalām
(2022). Omar Anchassi. Journal of the American Oriental Society, 142(4),
851–881.

[5] For example: Geo-centrism has been supported by Sheikh Bandar

al-Khaibari, covered in this Daily Mail article. And Sheik al-Fawzan, which can
be seen in this YouTube video at 12:48.

Creationism has large support over evolution in the Muslim world among
Islamic scholars, as we see in this Telegraph article

The prominent modern Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr rejects evolution
on religious grounds Journal of Islam & Science, Vol. 4 (Winter 2006) No. 2,
who is one of many.

[6] When Science Teaching Becomes A Subversive Activity By Pervez

Hoodbhoy

40
[7] Hamza Andreas Tzortzis, "Does the Quran contain scientific miracles?",
8/21/2013.

[8] "Zakir Naik's colourful, controversial past", Livemint, 7 July 2016,

[9] "Foreign Media On Zakir Naik, 'Doctor-Turned-Firebrand Preacher'",

NDTV, 15 July 2016,

[10] Reuters Staff, ed, (1/11/2021), Turkish court sentences TV preacher to

more than 1,000 years in jail - state media, , Reuters, 1/11/2021

[11] Taylan Bilgic, Turkey Sex Cult Chief Sentenced to More Than 1,000 Years
in Jail, , Bloomberg, 1/11/2021 -in-jail

[12] Lane's Lexicon dictionary on daḥā ‫َد َحا‬

[13] Yasbahoona / ‫ سبح‬Lane's Lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary

[14] sulb ' ‫ ﺻُﻠﺐ‬- Lane's Lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary

[15] Tara'ib ‫ تَّ َرآِئب‬- Lane's Lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary

[16] Lane's Lexicon p. 1027 ‫َر ْتقًا‬

[17] ‫ وسع‬awsa'a - Lane's Lexicon page 3052 and page 3053

[18] Active Participle Form I male plural noun Corpus Quran Verse 51:48

[19] ‫ مهد‬mahada - Lane's Lexicon page 2739

[20] ‫ بِنَاء‬binaa - Lane's Lexicon page 261

[21] Tafsirs 2:22

[22] Gabriel Said Reynolds, "The Quran and Bible:Text and Commentary",
New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2018 p. 553. This is regarding
Quran 24:45, though on p. 508 Reynolds cross references the same parallel

41
regarding the other verse, Quran 21:30, which is more clearly a statement in the
context of the Genesis creation story, like Ephrem's comment.

[23] Ephrem's commentary on Genesis

[24] The Origin of Life: A History of Ancient Greek Theories. Man and the
Environment. Curricular Resources > 1980 Volume V > Unit 11 (80.05.11) >
Section 1. Joyce Puglia. Yale-New Heaven Teachers Institute

[25] Anaximander - Britannica.com

[26] The Ancient Egyptians Had Iron Because They Harvested Fallen Meteors -
Smithsonian Institution, 13 May 2013

[27] Sameer Rahim (8 October 2010). "Pathfinders: The Golden Age of Arabic
Science by Jim al-Khalili: review". The Telegraph.

[28] Hippocratic Writings (Penguin Classics, 1983) pp. 317-318

[29] Wensinck, Arent Jan (1918). "The Ocean in the Literature of the Western
Semites". Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen te
Amsterdam. Afdeeling Letterkunde. Nieuwe reeks. dl. 19. no. 2. page 14

[30] ibid. page 17

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