From: bv8bv8bv8@gmail.com   
      
   Science in Islam   
      
   "We (God) shall show them Our signs in the Universe and within themselves,   
   until it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth." Quran 41:53   
      
   The Quran, the book of Islam, is the final book of revelation from God to   
   humanity and the last in the line of revelations given to the Prophets.   
      
   Although the Quran (revealed over 1400 years ago), is not primarily a book of   
   science, it does contain scientific facts that have only been discovered   
   recently through the advancement of technology and scientific knowledge. Islam   
   encourages reflection    
   and scientific research because understanding the nature of creation enables   
   people to further appreciate their Creator and the extent of His power and   
   wisdom.   
      
   The Quran was revealed at a time when Science was primitive; there were no   
   telescopes, microscopes or anything close to today's technology. People   
   believed that the sun orbited the earth and the sky was held up by pillars at   
   the corners of a flat earth.    
   Against this backdrop the Quran was revealed, containing many scientific facts   
   on topics ranging from astronomy to biology, geology to zoology.   
      
   Some of the many scientific facts found in the Quran include:   
      
   Fact #1 - Origin of Life   
   "And We (God) made every living thing from water. Will they not believe?"   
   Quran 21:30   
   Water is pointed out as the origin of all life. All living things are made of   
   cells and we now know that cells are mostly made of water. This was discovered   
   only after the invention of the microscope. In the deserts of Arabia, it would   
   be inconceivable    
   to think that someone would have guessed that all life came from water.   
      
   Fact #2 - Human Embryonic Development   
   God speaks about the stages of man's embryonic development:   
      
   "We (God) 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 substance]..."   
   Quran, 23:12-14   
   The Arabic word "alaqah" has three meanings: a leech, a suspended thing and a   
   blood clot. "Mudghah" means a chewed substance. Embryology scientists have   
   observed that the usage of these terms in describing the formation of the   
   embryo is accurate and in    
   conformity with our current scientific understanding of the development   
   process.   
      
   Little was known about the staging and classification of human embryos until   
   the twentieth century, which means that the descriptions of the human embryo   
   in the Quran cannot be based on scientific knowledge from the seventh century.   
      
   Fact #3 - Expansion of the Universe   
   At a time when the science of Astronomy was still primitive, the following   
   verse in the Quran was revealed:   
   "And the heaven We (God) constructed with strength, and indeed, We (God) are   
   [its] expander."   
   Quran 51:47   
   One of the intended meanings of the above verse is that God is expanding the   
   universe (i.e. heavens). Other meanings are that God provides for, and has   
   power over, the universe - which are also true.   
      
   The fact that the universe is expanding (e.g. planets are moving further away   
   from each other) was discovered in the last century. Physicist Stephen Hawking   
   in his book 'A Brief History of Time' writes, "The discovery that the universe   
   is expanding was    
   one of the great intellectual revolutions of the twentieth century."   
      
   The Quran alludes to the expansion of the universe even before the invention   
   of the telescope!   
      
   Fact #4 - Iron Sent Down   
   Iron is not natural to earth, as it came to this planet from outer space.   
   Scientists have found that billions of years ago, the earth was struck by   
   meteorites which were carrying iron from distant stars which had exploded.   
      
   "We sent down iron with its great inherent strength and its many benefits for   
   humankind."   
   Quran 57:25   
   God uses the words 'sent down'. The fact that iron was sent down to earth from   
   outer space is something which could not be known by the primitive science of   
   the seventh century.   
      
   Fact #5 - Sky's Protection   
   The sky plays a crucial role in protecting the earth and its inhabitants from   
   the lethal rays of the sun, as well as the freezing cold of space.   
      
   God asks us to consider the sky in the following verse:   
      
   "We (God) made the sky a protective ceiling. And yet they are turning away   
   from Our signs!"   
   Quran 21:32   
   The Quran points to the sky's protection as a sign of God, protective   
   properties which were discovered by scientific research conducted in the   
   twentieth century.   
      
   Fact #6 - Mountains   
   God draws our attention to an important characteristic of mountains:   
      
   "Did We not make the earth a resting place, and the mountains as stakes?"   
   Quran 78:6-7   
   The Quran accurately describes the deep roots of mountains by using the word   
   "stakes". Mount Everest, for example, has an approximate height of 9km above   
   ground, while its root is deeper than 125km!   
      
   The fact that mountains have deep 'stake'-like roots was not known until after   
   the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the beginning of the   
   twentieth century. God also says in the Quran (16:15), that the mountains have   
   a role in stabilising    
   the earth "...so that it would not shake," which has just begun to be   
   understood by scientists.   
      
   Fact #7 - Sun's Orbit   
   In 1512, astronomer Nicholas Copernicus put forward his theory that the Sun is   
   motionless at the centre of the solar system and the planets revolve around   
   it. This belief was widespread amongst astronomers until the twentieth   
   century. It is now a well    
   established fact that the Sun is not stationary but is moving in an orbit   
   around the centre of our Milky Way galaxy.   
      
   "It is He who created night and day, the Sun and the Moon, each floating in   
   its orbit."   
   Quran 21:33   
   Fact #8 - Internal Waves in the Ocean   
   It was commonly thought that waves only occur on the surface of the ocean.   
   However, oceanographers have discovered that there are internal waves that   
   take place below the surface which are invisible to the human eye and can only   
   be detected by    
   specialised equipment.   
      
   The Quran mentions:   
      
   "... a deep ocean which is covered by waves, above which are waves, above   
   which are clouds, layers of darkness, one upon the other..."   
   Quran 24:40   
   This description is amazing because 1400 years ago there was no specialist   
   equipment to discover the internal waves deep inside the oceans.   
      
   Fact #9 - Lying & Movement   
   There was a cruel oppressive tribal leader who lived during the time of   
   Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). God revealed a verse to warn him:   
      
      
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