In answer to the video "43 Scientific Mistakes in the Quran"
In 91:2 the moon is said to follow the sun, because obviously when the night comes, the moon is the main celestial body observable in the sky while during the day it was the sun. The moon follows the sun sequentially, not in the sense of tailing it in a line. A 7th century person, just as the one living today would know that the moon's path in the sky almost never is the same as the sun's, especially in certain times of the year such as in winter and summer. So the verse here cannot be said to be reflecting the wrong scientific notions of a 7th century observer. And even if one insists on saying the moon follows the sun, technically, the Sun orbits the galaxy and all cosmic bodies (including the moon) revolving around it "follow" it in its orbit accross the galaxy.
In answer to the video "43 Scientific Mistakes in the Quran"
Stars arent missiles, but other entities are. This Book is part of a Divine Scheme meaning its implementation will be under the direct surveillance of the Almighty Himself. During the time of revelation of the Quran, the Almighty made arrangements so that the purity of the Revelation travels intact from its descent from Heaven to the heart of the prophet Muhammad to the point that evil ones were not allowed near it during the process
26:210-212"No evil ones have brought down this (Revelation), It would neither suit them nor would they be able (to produce it). Indeed they have been removed far from even (a chance of) hearing it".
Pre-Islamic Arabs believed that their soothsayers were inspired by the jinn who would bring them information from heaven, and thus sometimes accused this Quran whose eloquence and impact on the people they could not explain, to have been similarly inspired. To refute this belief, the Quran told them that this sama' ("what is above" more commonly used for the sky), although beautified with constellations to the onlookers, has in addition been provided with protection in the times of revelation 15:16-17 through several systems.
First, the ones charged with :carrying down the exalted and purified Revelation were headed by Gabriel, around whom they are tightly knit and highly dutiful 16:2,2:97,97:1-4,80:13-16. Under his direction, these emissaries, carry the revelation, from heaven down to earth, all the way to the heart of the chosen messenger until it is pronounced to the people 72:27-8.
The carriers of revelation repelled the rebellious among the jinn from every side so they could not understand what the ones high in ranks were saying during their descent 37:8,97:4. The angels did not wait for them to be able to perceive what was being brought down to earth before driving them off from their positions. They were repelled as soon as they managed to steal the slightest hearing, the faintest sound emanating from the delegation
15:18,37:10"Except him who snatches off but once, then there follows him a brightly shining flame/shihab".
These burning objects are identified as shihab, plur. "shuhub". Only 1 type of cosmic body in our sky fits the description of a fast moving object giving its own light; meteors. They are orbiting the earth in outer space at high speeds then light up when they enter earth's atmosphere.
Sama' addunya means the nearest heaven. The root D-N-W implies nearness. We talk of our world in Arabic as the dunya because it points to the world in which we are currently living in, as opposed to the akhira/hereafter which is far.
This area, the Quran says, has been adorned with kawaakib/bright lights 37:6 AND/WA guarding/hifthan against the devils 37:7,41:12.
The verse 67:5 reiterates how the sama' has been adorned with shining objects
"We have adorned the near heaven with lamps and we have made it projectiles for the shaytan".
Masabih are shining objects, whether permanent, fleeting, or moving, observable in the nightsky. This includes meteors, stars, planets, comets.
Prior to the scientific era, in the tafsirs of al Suyuti or ibn Kathir, it was never stated that the stars themselves were turned into missiles, the most that they said was that a flame was ejected from the stars towards some of the jinn, while the stars themselves did not move.
Before Revelation started, the jinn sat anywhere they wanted in the sky
72:9"we used to sit in some of the sitting-places thereof to steal a hearing".
This gives us a glimpse into their nature, that they had the ability to fly and float in the skies, waiting to perceive any type of heavenly information. Whatever hearing they could steal, and if they were allowed reaching an individual with it, it became a means of trial to those people who believe in their own abilities to attain to any kind of knowledge of the unseen through the jinn, as well as a trial to the gullible who are deceived by such people
"A stealthy listener (jinn) hears a word which he will convey to that which is below him and the second will convey it to that which is below him till the last of them will convey it to the wizard or foreteller. Sometimes a flame (fire) may strike the devil before he can convey it, and sometimes he may convey it before the flame (fire) strikes him, whereupon the wizard adds to that word a hundred lies. The people will then say, 'Didn't he (i.e. magician) tell such-and-such a thing on such-and-such date?' So that magician is said to have told the truth because of the Statement which has been heard from the heavens".
The prophet here refutes the belief in the occult sciences of pre-Islamic times, and still present today, where entities of the unseen have the ability to extract information that is of any use to humans
"Some people asked Allah's Messenger about the fore-tellers. Allah's Messenger said to them, "They are nothing (i.e., liars)." The people said, 'O Allah's Messenger! Sometimes they tell something which comes out to be true." Allah's Messenger said, "That word which comes to be true is what a jinx snatches away by stealing and then pours it in the ear of his fore-teller with a sound similar to the cackle of a hen, and then they add to it one-hundred lies".
As the Quran states in the context of Solomon's death
34:14"the jinn came to know plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in abasing torment".
The passage refers to Solomon who passed away but whose dead body was held in place by a wooden staff for a while until it disintegrated, eaten by a woodworm. It is only when his inanimate body fell to the ground that the jinn, living under his servitude, realized he was dead. The passage not only shows them as subservient to one of Allah's servants, but they are unable to even fathom something superficially hidden from them, yet very close: how then can they gratify people’s appeals to learn the secrets of the unseen? When speaking of Iblis himself, the Quran says that his pledge to God that he would doubtlessly lead astray a portion of Adam's descendants, was in fact a conjecture and guess. The archetype of jinn has no access to special knowledge, not even of the future. It was just a coincidence that his conjecture and guess became true
34:20"And certainly Iblis found true his conjecture concerning them, so they followed him, except a party of the believers".
The aforementioned hadith describing the jinn's ability to corrupt a true matter of the unseen and then deceive the soothsayer with it, is not speaking of the revelation of the Quran. Rather, of the revelation of decrees to the angels, who then transmit it among themselves. During that process of transmission, the jinn, who were allowed sitting in various locations of the skies prior to the revelation of the Quran, extracted information. Upon that, burning objects of the sky, which are none other than meteors, chased and eventually destroyed them. The traditions therefore do not entail that meteors have the exclusive purpose of chasing the jinn. When the prophet on an occasion introduced that concept, he stated that meteors similar to the one observed, served that function
"As we were sitting during the night with Allah's Messenger, a meteor shot gave a dazzling light. Allah's Messenger said: What did you say in jahiliyya when one like this one was thrown?"
He did not say "when a meteor is thrown" rather when one "like it is thrown". The likeness therefore could be in that both are meteors, but with different purposes.
When revelation of the Quran started descending from the heavens, carried by the angels down to earth, the jinn were prevented from even trying to listen
72:9"but he who would (try to) listen NOW would find a flame lying in wait for him".
Guarding angels filled the atmosphere, besides those descending with revelation 16:2,97:1-4, which further prevented the jinn from their usual sitting places
72:8"And we have sought [to reach] the heaven but found it filled with powerful guards and burning flames".
It had never happened to those jinn contemporaries of the prophet Muhammad, that even as much as trying to rise in the skies resulted in them being pelted by meteors
"So it was with the advent of the Messenger of Allah that they were prevented from their places. So they mentioned that to Iblis – and the stars were not shot at them before that".
Umar once encountered a Muslim who was a fortune teller in pre-islamic times. That person told him of the state of confusion among the jinn folk close to the time the prophet appeared
"Once, while `Umar was sitting, a handsome man passed by him, `Umar said, "If I am not wrong, this person is still on his religion of the pre-lslamic period of ignorance or he was their foreteller. Call the man to me." When the man was called to him, he told him of his thought. The man said, "I have never seen such a day on which a Muslim is faced with such an accusation." `Umar said, "I am determined that you should tell me the truth." He said, "I was a foreteller in the pre-lslamic period of ignorance." Then `Umar said, "Tell me the most astonishing thing your female Jinn has told you of." He said, "One-day while I was in the market, she came to me scared and said, 'Haven't you seen the Jinns and their despair and they were overthrown after their defeat (and prevented from listening to the news of the heaven) so that they (stopped going to the sky and) kept following camel-riders (i.e. 'Arabs)?" `Umar said, "He is right." and added, "One day while I was near their idols, there came a man with a calf and slaughtered it as a sacrifice (for the idols). An (unseen) creature shouted at him, and I have never heard harsher than his voice. He was crying, 'O you bold evil-doer! A matter of success! An eloquent man is saying: None has the right to be worshipped except you (O Allah).' On that the people fled, but I said, 'I shall not go away till I know what is behind this.' Then the cry came again: 'O you bold evil-doer! A matter of success! An eloquent man is saying: None has the right to be worshipped except Allah.' I then went away and a few days later it was said, "A prophet has appeared".
Through that guarding system, the matter became so obscure to the jinn, that they could not but conclude that
72:10"we know not whether evil is meant for those who are on earth or whether their Lord means to bring them good".
So in the time of revelation, as was the case prior, the rebellious jinn who heard something from the angels were chased by meteors. The difference being that when revelation started, they could not be allowed to corrupt the revelation, hence the increased preventive measures
26:210-12"And the devils have not brought the revelation down. It is not allowable for them, nor would they be able. Most surely they are far removed from the hearing of it".
Only those who stole something of a sound, regardless of how negligible it might have been, from the angelic delegation were followed by a meteor 15:18,37:10. The Quran therefore, just as the traditions, nowhere make absolute statements about the function of meteors. Rather, mentions are made of a specific situation with its consequence. On a general note, this "chasing" doesnt entail an odd, erratic trajectory. The object in outer space could be orbiting the earth and then made to descend, as any meteor would, into the atmosphere towards the location of the rebellious jinn, like a laser beam. Every occurrence in the universe is caused by God, and just as He causes space matter to descend into the atmosphere at a time unrelated to the jinns' behaviour, He may cause one of those entities to descend towards a jinn whenever one of them hears, or tries hearing a saying of the angels.
In answer to the video "43 Scientific Mistakes in the Quran"
The Quran describes the resurrection as part of the system of life and death prevailing in the universe 35:9,22:5-7, a natural and new stage of creation where the laws of the universe (heavens and earth) will be different, necessitating that we be different too 56:61. It will allow the ushering of a new journey of man which will last eternaly. This process of destruction and rebirth will be ignited in due time depending on when God has decreed for the day of resurrection to occur.
In fact the Quran says the process has already started and that there are signs surrounding us 47:18, these include the rise of the Final Prophet, and one may include the fact that the general disintegration of the universe as described in the Quran is a slowly, observable, ongoing phenomenon. Except that on the resurrection it will be accelerated and amplified.
Disbelievers and doubters are quoted as seeing it far away or even improbable, while it is very close, in God's full grasp, and it will come in due time, without hastening nor delay, as decreed by God alone and in a timing know to none other than Him 7:187,16:77,21:109,34:30,41:47,70:6-7,75:34. The Quran does not explicitly state what shall occur of the universe once judgement is delivered, but does infer through verses speaking of its ephemeral nature, as well as its purpose solely meant at leading to the day of accountability, that it will eventually cease functionning. It is a scientific reality, as stated earlier, that the universe will eventually disintegrate.
These cataclysms are meant to describe man's total helplesness on such a day, with nowhere to run or hide
40:16,42:47,75:10-12"Man shall say on that day: Whither to fly to? By no means! there shall be no place of refuge! With your Lord alone shall on that day be the place of rest".
After the destruction of all natural protections one would naturally seek in times of danger, even down to the smallest bump behind which one could crawl, and the perfect levelling and smoothing of the earth, the severing of all human ties out of which one could benefit or gain support from in this world, men will come forth all alone. The Quran uses the word 99:6"ashtatan" to convey the idea of total seperation, because it will be the Day where one will be presented in a most obvious and exposed manner. In this world, people may hide their reality and burdens even though God is aware of man's most inner thoughts and most secret deeds. But in the Hereafter man's exposure will be complete with all his thoughts and deeds brought to light.
This reality 19:95,6:94 is meant to emphasizes the total isolation of each person, as a naked creature returning to its Creator, without wealth, family or any other means of safety
"And certainly you have come to Us alone as We created you at first, and you have left behind your backs the things which We gave you".
Nothing will remain except the deeds. Nothing, physical or relational will shield us from the punishment, as would have been possible in this world
18:49,99:6"On that day, men will appear alone so that their deeds can be shown to them".
The image of helplessness that is drawn is so intense that it speaks elsewhere of no protection from the fire except one's "face" and "bare shin bone" 68:42. To the Arabs, the idea of exposing the shin was associated with direness; desert warriors readied themselves to move fast and hard through the sand in the thick of the fight by lifting the hems of their garments above the shin. These expressions, along with other ones like 69:18"tuaaradun" a word denoting being presented in the same manner as a vendor lays forth his merchandise, but this time without any monetary value, convey the idea of complete exposure and lack of protection
39:24,26:88-9"The day on which property will not avail, nor sons. Except who comes to Allah with a sound heart".
Baraz in 14:21 is used in the same sense, to be completely and clearly exposed to scrutiny. Stress is laid on the fact that on that Day, the nurturing, sheltering, protective and guiding entities found at our disposal in the heavens and the earth, will not exist anymore or will function in a manner going entirely against their once sought after features.
The comfortable earth out of which we were fashioned and formed, that has been carrying us on her "shoulders" 67:15, out of which we extracted innumerable bounties, has now become an uncontrolable beast expelling what she was patiently bearing of our remains ever since we came back to her, all the things it contains and which we toiled so hard and even shed blood and corruption to have and control but that now seem insignificant to us in the face of the momentous task at hand, until it is finally tamed and made to speak at the inspiration of her Lord 84:3-5,99:1-5.
In answer to the video "43 Scientific Mistakes in the Quran"
Inkadarat doesnt mean "to fall", rather to dim and darken. Stars falling on the last Hour is a statement from Jesus in the NT Mk13:25, echoing an earlier prophecy in Isa13:10,34:4 speaking of the destruction of powerful sinful nations, whose hosts will be forcefully brought low in the same manner as the stars of heaven would be dislodged from their stations when the sky is rolled up.
As to the Quran, it gives a quiet dreadful and vivid imagery of the end of days. The sheltering and securing mountains 16:15,81 will be pulverised 56:5-6,69:14,73:14 taking away all hiding places and protection, the earth will be shaken with 2 great convulsions 22:1,56:4,79:6-7,89:21,99:1 taking away its often emphasized comfortable nature of a couch or cradle 2:22,20:53,40:64 reducing its once pleasently adorned landscape into a barren ground 18:7-8. This Day shall "weight heavily" on all of creation 7:187.
And just as the earth, the sky and the universe will be in similar state of tumult, disorder and turbulence 52:9. The sama', which stands for "what is above" will submit to its Creator 84:1-5 and its current order will be disrupted. All laws acting as obstacles preventing the entire universe from being in a constant state of collisions and destructions will be removed, a phenomenon referred to as the openning of the sama'
77:9,78:19"And the heaven shall be opened so that it shall be all openings".
The result will be general chaos, with the cosmic bodies giving light and guidance scattering and darkening 77:8,81:1-2,82:2, colliding together and renting asunder 54:1,75:9 etc. down to the smallest lights by which man used to find his way in darkness 81:1,77:8.
The entire sama', again not a word restricted to "sky" but rather "what is above", will burst asunder 82:1,73:18. This includes the atmospheric layer that will be disrupted, taking away its protective nature. Clouds will burst away from the troposphere into the other heavens 25:25 thus reducing this once strong atmospheric protection as nothing but a frail entity allowing cosmic hazards in 69:16.
This may include space debris that would otherwise be stopped by the atmosphere, or deadly solar winds penetrating earth due to the loss of the magnetic field to the massive earthquackes spoken of prior. These are parts of the cataclysms that will destroy the entire universe and the earth prior to the resurrection of them both 14:48,21:104. Once that rebirth process is complete, the Quran gives us a glimpse of what the above/al sama' will look like at one point. It will resemble the intense red hide of the camel 55:37. This is done to strike the audience with a particular image: that of hell lighting up the above brightly on the day of resurrection 81:11-12.
This vivid outburst is described in several places 26:91,81:12,89:23 and will bring hellfire very near to our world 18:100,26:91,79:36 to the point the sama' will appear like the reddish/orange of molten brass 70:8. There will be gates in this new sama' 78:19 that could be compared to blackholes or wormholes connecting different spacio-temporal dimensions, from which entities of the other side will come out 25:25 and execute God's Will 39:75,40:7,69:17. Men will go through these gates and follow their ways; the righteous will enter Heaven through the openned gates of the sky 7:40,39:73 with the angels greeting them at the gates and throughout it 13:23-4,14:23,56:88-91, just as they were greeted and comforted from their earthly death 2:277,16:32,21:103 and throughout the day of judgement 7:46.
The unrepented sinners, criminals and willful disbelievers will enter through other gates leading them to hell, with the keepers awaiting them at the gates 15:43-4,39:71 (The Hebrew bible alludes in Job38:17 to the gates of gehonnim). This is why the Quran refers in 81:11 as the heaven being unveiled/kushitat. This refers to the unveiling of the realities that currently exist around us but are beyond our perception. These hidden realities will manifest fully, such as the angels, hell and heaven, all made evident to those concerned 18:100,26:90-91,50:31,79:36,81:12-13.
The angels for example are realities that cannot be seen in this life which is why whenever angels were sent as messengers, they were made to appear as ordinary humans. Angels will only be seen in their true form in the Hereafter where humans will witness their executions of God's commands 25:22.
These verses are "mutashabihaat". They picture a knowledge that has never happened in human experience
27:65-66,54:6,101:3,82:17-18"And what will make you realize what the day of judgement is? Again, what will make you realize what the day of judgment Is?"
The repetition of this rhetorical question, as is done elsewhere 69:1-3,97:2,104:5 is meant to indicate that man's intellect and imagination cannot possibly answer it, since what is described as the Day of Judgment will usher in a reality which as yet is wholly outside our human experience and, therefore, cannot be grasped conceptually. The Quran thus uses allegory that appeals to our innermost emotions, giving us an inkling of what that reality might be, until the event is actually experienced
38:88"It is but a reminder unto all beings, and you shall surely know its tiding, after a while".
In answer to the video "43 Scientific Mistakes in the Quran"
Despite the apparent simplicity, again, once one scratches the surfaces of any Quranic passage, a most intricate discourse transpires. I will get to Allah making ships, just before an explanatory introduction to a pervasive concept in the Grand Quran.
The Quranic concept of attributing to Allah the consequence of a man's actions, even for the most insignificant things like the clothes man wears, as will be shown later, is in the same spirit. It reminds man that the laws of the universe are caused then allowed by Him, He is the only Independent Cause
11:56"there is no creature except that He is holding its forelock".
Nothing happens, good or bad, unless Allah wills it/allows it, and it is as a clear reminder of this supreme reality that in some instances speaking of human will, Allah's will immidiately follows
81:28-29,76:29-30"Surely this is a reminder, so whoever pleases takes to his Lord a way, And you do not please except that Allah please, surely Allah is Knowing, Wise".
This basically is one of the pillars of Quranic teachings, striking a balance between divine will and human effort. The sequence in the verses of sura takwir above make it clear, in the system of causality established, allowed and sustained at each instant by God, and which intricately integrates moral responsibility, humans need to be resolved upon an action, then God either allows or not that intent to be executed. Similarily it states in the HB in
Prov16:9"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord prepares his step".
The system of causality being dependant upon Allah's will negates the implicit notion that His hands are 5:64"tied up" as some fatalists would taunt the prophet. Nothing passes out of His control, not even man's freewill, and he is judged according to the level of freewill he is granted. Therefore when Allah causes one's heart to turn away and be sealed, it is the same as saying that one has done it to himself, as stated in 41:4-5. They first turn away in such a manner that they become heedless to the Quran. They themselves ackowledge the immunity of their spiritual senses to it. But even then, their choices only happens if Allah wills it, ie allows it
9:127"..Then they turn away: Allah has turned away their hearts because they are a people who do not understand".
The same process is echoed by the psalmist in the HB, in the context of the Israelites' straying from the right path, repeatedly rebelling despite receiving Moses' prophetic guidance and witnessing all kinds of miracles
Ps81:13"So I let them go after their heart's fantasies; let them go in their counsels".
Again David would invoke God to guide those who willfuly stray from the path, into the evil ways they have themselves chosen
Ps125:5"And those who turn their crooked ways-may the Lord lead them away with the workers of iniquity".
It is a fundamental concept with which God interacts with humanity, leading people in the direction that they want to go, enlightening those that seek light, blinding those that seek obscurity
Isa63:17"O Lord why did you makes us err from your ways, and hardenned our hearts from your fear?"
Many other verses in the Quran describe the process
6:110"And We will turn their hearts and their sights, even as they did not believe in it the first time, and We will leave them in their inordinacy, blindly wandering on"
61:5"when they turned aside, Allah made their hearts turn aside"
51:9"He is turned away from it who would be turned away".
The Quranic concept of Allah being the indirect cause of all things because of the laws of causality established and allowed by Him is reflected in many instances. In the language of the Quran everything is with God and is sent down to men 15:21. From the rain falling from the clouds 16:65 to even the most insignificant things like the clothes man wears 7:26,16:80-1 that are found in the cattle 16:5 which were themselves sent down 39:6. The same is the case with iron 57:25, the prime symbol used in the Quran to denote God's having endowed mankind with the ability to engineer, convert to his use the natural resources of his natural environement. Allah is thus
57:3"the Apparent and the Hidden".
He is the transcendental cause of all that exists and at the same time inherently operating in every phenomenon. That higher reality is beautifuly pictured in the opening verses of sura hadid, the chapter of the iron. It is Allah Who holds the birds up in the air, yet they are themselves expanding and contracting their wings 16:79,24:41,67:19. He is the "splitter" of the seed grain 6:95. He is the One to have multiplied the humans on earth 23:79.
He established, allows and sustains the reproductive system resulting in us multiplying. He makes people laugh or cry because He controls and allows all the processes of causality from birth till death, and beyond 53:43-8. This higher principle present in every aspect of life, of which the God-conscious is always aware of, is mentionned by Ibrahim to his people
26:78-81"Who created me then He has shown me the way, and He who gives me to eat and gives me to drink, and when i am sick, He restores me to health, and He who will cause me to die and give me life".
The laws of the universe, on a micro and macro level, are therefore caused then allowed by Him, He is the only Independent Cause and the Creator. Every automated process we know in this world is designed by many engineers working hard at it. If anyone claims automation can exist without a designer, onus is on him to prove this speculation. Science has no way of knowing if something happened accidentally or there was a planner behind it. Any such claim is as big a superstition as many of the superstitious ideas primitive people used to have. Allah is the Creator of all things in the universe which is why He is consequently 13:16"the One, the Supreme". He is unique and encompassing every thing that exists, and what humans "create" (the verb is used for humans too 29:17) is nothing more than the combination and reshaping of what Allah has already created. That is why He is the best of creators 37:125,23:14.
He is 2:117"badeeu/Innovator and initiator of the heavens and the earth"
meaning that in His case, contrary to all creative endeavours, He creates without any blueprint, preexisting inspiration, experience, simply through His word
"and if HE decreed an order done, He only says be and it is".
The possibility to create/al khalq is attributed to others than Allah but can never be possible without Allah's permission 3:49,5:110.
This is illustrated in 43:12 or 55:24. Man is told that Allah "made" the ships on the sea, including the ship built by Noah 54:13, and other similar things man rides 36:42. He is the Creator of all the elements that make the ship, the One in Whose entire power is the accessibility and manageability (dhalul) of the Earth's resources, who made it provide for us and be hospitable for human life. Everything we see around us cannot be an accident 67:15-16. And just as He has created, then put all these means at our disposal, then gave us the ingenuity to make use of them, He finally allows that creativity to expess itself. Then, after that ship is assembled, He allows it to speed and float on the waters He created in the first place 14:32,17:66,22:65,36:41. The Quran sums it up this way
37:96"And Allah has created you and what you make"
making Him the actual owner of what we make
55:24"And His are the ships reared aloft in the sea like mountains".
The philosophical notion of Allah being the ultimate cause of all things such as the preceding example of Him encompassing all angles allowing the ship to come into existence, including by puting in mankind the intellectual capacity to build and engineer, as well as allowing the ship to properly perform through various natural phenomena, is demonstrated in other cases. He allows one of the most essential natural phenomenon for human advancement to exist, by creating its energy source
56:71-2"Have you considered the fire which you strike? Is it you that produce the trees for it, or are We the producers?".
And then, the fire itself keeps on burning by Allah's will 36:80.
In the same vein, He has taught writing to the scribe 2:282, taught all of humanity what it knew not 96:4-5 through their senses of perception as they came out not knowing a thing from the womb 16:78. And when humans domesticate animals such as birds of prey the Quran says
5:4"you teach them of what Allah has taught you".
Just as God "makes" for us shelters from the sun by creating in us the knowledge to make such shelters 16:81-3 He could equally make us unable to build any protection from the sun 18:90.
Allah "guides" mankind in the darkness
27:63"of the land and the sea"
since He has created the cosmic bodies that help humans navigate and locate themselves in the night 6:97. He is the source of all things and Ultimate Provider,
15:21"And there is not a thing but with Us are the treasures of it, and We do not send it down but in a known measure".
In answer to the video "43 Scientific Mistakes in the Quran"
16:66 directs the audience to a process it can recognize using basic observation and deduction. It says the animal milk drank by humans comes from the batn of the animal. Batn means the hidden part, ie the inside of the animal's body. It then says this milk is something in between "farthin" and blood. f-r-th means the contents of the gut in process of digestion. It isnt speaking in terms of location, it doesnt say milk comes from between THE farthin and the THE blood. In the Arabic, there is no definite article. It is speaking in terms of substance.
Milk is a substance that is between gut nutrients and blood because it contains elements from both without being completely one or the other, and could not exist without the interraction between the 2. Again, the Quran is pointing to an observable phenomenon that isnt beyond common sense. The blood is involved because of the appearance of the udder full of veins and the farthin because it is the absorbed nutrients in the process of digestion.
And by the way, except for extremely rare cases, one isnt born lactose intolerant but becomes so due to the drop in production of lactase by the body as it adapts to a more varied diet that is less and less reliant on milk.
Also, the precise cause of food allergies is unknown, but emerging evidence suggests that the phenomena may be due to modern changes in diet, and the environement, such as excessive hygiene, widespread use of antibiotics, high-fat and low-fiber diets, reduced exposure to diseases, caesarian births and formula feeding, all being among the factors that have altered the beneficial relationship betweens humans and the bacteria living in the gastrointestinal tract.
Every microbiome carries with it different enzymes, which determines what kinds of food one can digest and how a diet interacts with one's health. It is known for example that the Westernization of the microbiome is associated with obesity. New studies have also demonstrated that the introduction of certain gut bacteria in food can actually reverse milk allergies in infants. A stark difference in gut-bacterial diversity and population has been noted between healthy and allergic individuals. The gut microbiota is a complex community of microorganisms that live in the digestive tract. Children are essentially born without microbes in their gut, and they are immediately colonized upon birth.
Their gut microbiota is strongly affected by eventual breastfeeding duration and composition of the complementary diet. The next several years are critical in establishing a person's endogenous gut microbiota. Later in life, our own microbiota can change significantly from day to day, or even within hours, in response to what we've been eating. An interesting new study has shown that while depriving mice of dietary fiber greatly reduced their gut-microbial species diversity, this diversity was restored when the dietary-fiber restriction was lifted. But if this fiber deprivation was maintained for four generations, microbial species that had initially bounced back robustly became permanently lost. This could be a major cause of the sharp increase in human food alergies.
In answer to the video "43 Scientific Mistakes in the Quran"
The Quran doesnt give a timeframe for Adam's creation, as seen from the previous posts, but does speak of a process that led to his completion, from basic inorganic elements to a physically complex and spiritually aware human being. The verses read as a whole certainly give credence to "a" theory of evolution, not necessarily "the" theory currently generally accepted and which is in constant review.
The primary opposition to the theory of evolution, from religious dogmatists, is that they hold that it challenges the dignity of man. The proponents of this idea fail to recognize that all scriptures speak of man's origins from dust, and other earthly insignificant lifeless materials whose combination by the Best and Wise Creator resulted in a wonderful being endowed with consciousness.
The Quran in multiple places argues from the angle that man, whether at his origins or when he became able to reproduce as a completed specie, is not made from some rare or invaluable material.
There was a time where he was
19:67,76:1"nothing worth mentioning".
This as a side note, doesnt say he came from nothing, but that he was of insignificant importance and complexity compared to his fully developped stage. Somewhere else he is reminded how he came
77:20"from contemptible water"
36:77,80:19-22,16:4"He created man from a small seed and lo! he is an open contender".
Besides humbling man's arrogance and pride, these verses point to the notion that nothing distinguishes mankind from the rest of creation, except for the spiritual component. When he neglects it, he returns to his base nature but when he nurtures it, he is elevated even above the angels in merit.
Man is ultimately defined by his will and desire. It is not the origin of a thing that matters per the Quran, but the final reach of a thing
49:13"We have created you of a male and a female..the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is he who is most righteous of you".
As John the Baptist said, when rebuking the Rabbis, God can create children of Abraham out of stone. The Grand Quran is a book of spiritual guidance and all of its statements are meant at stimulating spiritual growth, not scientific knowledge so the idea that it must provide a detailed description of the origin of life is misplaced. When it does allude to such process, its spiritual aim, as is clear from the context, includes the humbling of mankind by pointing to the earthly elements and water at its origins, as well as providing an argument for the simplicity of the concept of resurrection
22:5,20:55"From it (the earth) We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will extract you a second time"
None of its statements however, no matter the subject treated, are at odds with factual information, whether historical, archeological, scientific etc.
In answer to the video "43 Scientific Mistakes in the Quran"
The act of "creation" did not immidiately result in a fully developped, completed human being. "Creation" of man in the Quran is used in reference to the earliest stages, explicitly putting God at the forefront of the event, when inorganic compounds were involved. It is the stage referred to prior as impossible to perform without involving an intelligent cause.
That stage is then followed by the action of fashioning and molding before reaching the stage of man's completion
7:11"And certainly We created you, then We fashioned you, then We said to the angels: Prostrate to Adam".
This verse, addressing the whole human race, says there was first creation, then fashionning, prior to the presentation of the completed creature to the angels
18:32-7"Have you disbelieved in the One Who created you from dust then from a drop then fashioned you into a man".
Mankind has known 2 types of origins, a unique one that never repeated itself again, that sprung from inorganic matter, and the other that is ongoing, from a drop
40:67-8,35:11,32:7-9"and He began the creation of man from dust. Then He made his progeny of an extract of water held in light estimation. Then He made him complete and breathed into him of His spirit".
These set of verses consistently and literally say, the progeny of an entity that originated from inorganic material, spread through some "lowly fluid" i.e. the sperm. It was spreading this way until a point came where it was made complete and simultaneously filled with God's spirit. A period therefore existed when an "incomplete" species reproduced through the sperm-drop before it developped physically into a fully, complete human being. The first one of those was Adam, who then received the spirit from
God 38:71-2"When your Lord said to the angels; Surely I am going to create a mortal from dust: So when I have made him complete and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down making obeisance to him".
It isnt difficult to imagine that this evolutionary process, creation from inorganic material, propagation through sexual reproduction, completion and injection with the spirit of God was simultaneouly ongoing with other humans than Adam. This was an entirely new specie, complete both physically and spiritually, varied and numerous enough in order to reproduce among themselves.Adam already had a mate before entering the garden 2:35 as opposed to the convoluted biblical account where God realizes after some time seeing Adam in the garden that
Gen2:18"it is not good for the man to be alone, so i will make him a suitable helper".
So in the Quran, Adam's mate was already there, but was only completed with a spirit after him, since Adam was the first whom God completed with a spirit and subsequently commanded reverence to him due to his superiority above the angels 2:34. This corroborates what was just said concerning multiple elements being completed and infused with a spirituality very close to the time of Adam's completion.
In 71:17-8 the Quran parallels the growth of man out of the earth like a plant does, in a context of providing reasonable proof for the Resurrection. Just as he was originally raised from dust into an elaborate and wonderful creation, so to will he be brought back to life to face his reckoning. As said in 38:71-2, Allah announces to the angels that He will create a mortal, and that when this mortal becomes complete with the spirit from God, to prostrate before him. The last step of human evolution is thus linked in the Quran not only to its physical completion but also to mankind having being filled with a spirit to become God's vicegerent 2:30.
Man has both a principal and a secondary nature. His secondary nature returns to dust and his essence is related to Allah. This is why the Quran attributes the spirit to Allah and the body to the earth 38:71-72. A similar notion can be found in the Hebrew Bible in
Ecc12:7"The body reverts to the dust that it was before, and the ru'ah returns to God who gave it".
The soul therefore does not die, only the nafs, the self does 3:185,21:35. It is this spirit coming from Allah, infused into Adam for the first time, to inspire him the understanding of good and evil that creates the human thirst for guidance and worship
91:7-10"And (by) a soul and He Who proportioned it. And inspired it with its wickedness and its virtue. One has succeeded whoever purified it. And one has failed whoever corrupted it".
This is the spark, when nurtured and developed, leads one to fulfil the goal of human creation; the worship of God.
In answer to the video "43 Scientific Mistakes in the Quran"
Adam is generally taken to be the first man, but nowhere does the Quran say so, or that there were no creations before him. It only says he was the first human entrusted to be a vicegerent on Earth. In fact when citing names and lineages in the history of mankind that were chosen for prophethood above other nations, Adam is included in the list 3:33. As the most recent studies have shown, the genetic variation observed among the world's population loses its power the further we go back in time. The current human population can be traced to a single man and woman, if that couple is placed, according to estimates anywhere between 100.000 to 500.000 years ago. This does not rule out that they were part of a larger population with whom their descendants could mate. As ancient modern humans dispersed, some groups settled and grew, while others became extinct.
When the Quran speaks of the creation of the human race, it consistently implies the action of fashioning, molding, forming, perfecting 40:64,64:3,87:2 starting with an extract/sulala of various inorganic, earthly elements 15:26,23:12,32:7,37:11,55:14 and water 21:30,24:45,25:54. Obviously the absence of organic life entails it originated from inorganic compounds. In some of these verses it speaks of dust, dry clay at others of muddy, sticky clay, indicating that a combination of elements (the aforementionned water and dry matter) was involved at the beginning of the process.
All languages inherently accept exceptions unless the statement is clearly absolute, or that no other statements from the same source exist to allow the exclusion. The Quran speaks in several places of different non organic compounds at mankind's origins and in none of these verses does it make an absolute assertion.
There is an impressive amount of theories to explain the great mystery of how the very first gene and self replicating molecule originated, among them one that focuses on montmorillonite clay. This abundant, inorganic blend of minerals is known to be a chemical catalyst, the crucial precursor to RNA formation, as well as a means by which chemical reactions can be confined and protected until the possible development of cellular membranes. But until now science has been unable to test and repeat any of those suggestions, including the clay model, to produce the first living cell. Even on a theoretical level, the attempts to explain the pathway from non-living to living matter have so far not achieved the states of complexity that are anywhere near that of the simplest known living systems. In fact some have began arguing that the "p-value" (calculated probability for a hypothesis to be true) for nature to produce the complexity of the genetic code is so small that it should be soundly rejected by science.
The only counter to this inevitable conclusion is the multiverse theory, the existence of an infinite number of unseen, untestable entities, which is actually just a way of conceding that the only alternative to obvious reality is utter absurdity. Only intelligent minds can produce significant levels of functional information. Since even the simplest lifeforms require high levels of information, the scientific evidence for intelligent design becomes impressive. Even then, one still has to explain how does intelligent design initiate an information without any previous examples, references, experiences. This, the Quran answers through the phrase
2:117"badeeu/Innovator and initiator of the heavens and the earth".
The connotation of the word is that, contrary to all creative endeavours, He creates without any blueprint, preexisting inspiration, experience. He does so through His word
"and if HE decreed an order done, He only says be and it is".
This is why God is the "best of creators" as often stated in the Quran.
In answer to the video "43 Scientific Mistakes in the Quran"
The more profound message of the verses speaking of the "azwaj" in creation is understood by their context, which is always that of divine justice and providing proof for the resurrection of the dead and judgement in the next life.
The Quran is essentially saying that everything in this varied nature has a complement, without which it is incomplete. If such a thing is the case and that all things have a complement, then how can one deny that this world has its complement in the next life?
In this world, the believers may suffer harm and hardship for adhering to the call of their morality, while the disbelievers profit. That reality can not always last, otherwise this world would be incomplete. Such verses pointing to the universal notion of inter-dependancy also make the believers heed to their own needs and vulnerabilities, whether from a physical/material sense or a spiritual sense, and how Allah alone is independent, self-sufficient 35:15,6:14. Everything is in need of Allah, the Qayyum (Self-subsisting) standing by Himself, the Hayy (Everliving) and all the universe stands because of His eternal endurance, maintainance of life in each instant 2:255,3:2.
The prophet Daniel states in the Aramaic in which the text was recorded
Dan6:26"elaha hayya qayyam".
The words carry several implications, including the pervasive pattern throughout the Quran of God being the sole self-sufficient, uncreated, independant entity. He relies on none other than Himself to subsit and will perdure even when all things perish 55:26-7,28:88. Al hayy/the ever living is also a description meant at distinguishing Allah from false deities, as is done in the HB Joshua3:10,1Sam17:26,1Sam17:36,Jer10:9-10,etc., whether they be inanimate entities or living creatures that made themselves or were made into objects of worship 16:20-1. They are neither alive nor are able to keep others alive, they do not exist of their own accord nor can keep others into existence. Their existence depends at all times on the self-sustaining source of all life, Allah.
This divine unity, self-sufficiency and uniqueness from the point of view of his attributes, is captured in sura ikhlas
112:1-4"He is Allah, AHAD/One".
HE is ahad (or echad as the HB says) in the midst of diversity 30:22, complementarity, and polarity amongst the various kinds in the universe that work in interconnection. It is one of the major signs man is asked to ponder upon
51:49"And of everything We have created azwaj (different kinds) that you may be mindful"
2:164,89:3"Consider the multiple and the One".
These verses speaking of things made in "azwaj" end with "there are signs in this for a people who understand". Only those devoid of the correct mindframe; intellectual observation through spiritual insight, are unable to appreciate the portent of the signs which the verses direct them to, unable to see the singularity and unity of the Creator opposite the interdependant diversity of creation.
The Quran uses simple logical deductions based on the signs in the heavens and earth testifying to the unity of a Single, uncreated and independent Cause. On a philosophical level, the implication from the observance of the universe is that there must have been a single, uncaused cause of all things. This denies the simultaneous existence of several gods. Multiple deities would naturally compete with oneanother, affecting the order of the universe. Having different needs and interests, they would issue contradicting commands
17:111"And say: ‘(All) Praise is Allah’s, Who has not taken unto Him a son; nor has He got any partner in the Sovereignty; and there is not for Him any helper out of humbleness.’ And magnify Him with all magnificence".
A quick look at the mythologies of polytheist beliefs all throughout the history of mankind, confirms this
21:22"If there had been in them any gods except Allah, they (the heavens and the earth) would both have certainly been in a state of disorder"
17:42"If there were with Him gods as they say, then certainly they would have been able to seek a way to the Lord of power"
23:91"never was there with him any (other) god-- in that case would each god have certainly taken away what he created, and some of them would certainly have overpowered others; glory be to Allah above what they describe!".
If Allah had partners and more than one god had ruled over the world, each of these gods would have managed and established his control over the realm of his own creations. Consequently different parts of the universe would end up being managed under different laws and systems. Disorder in the universe would ensue but this does not accord with the unity of creation that we witness around us, governed by laws that are the same everywhere in the heavens and the earth.
This incredible coordination is known by the most atheists of physicists as being on the thinest of razor edges, where the slightest variation will throw the entire system into disarray. The only conclusion, for those endowed with the proper knowedge, one that works side by side with spiritual awareness, is that the whole thing is designed and in constant control, maintenance and sustenance by a Unique, and Sole Creator 15:21,20:50,25:2,59:1,80:19,87:2-3.
Multiplicity inevitably leads to differences and in such a vast, intricately related universal system, as described throughout the verses pointing to complementarity in creation, these differences would lead to chaos and opposition instead
27:64"Is He [not best] who begins creation and then repeats it and who provides for you from the heaven and earth? Is there a deity with Allah? Say, "Produce your proof, if you should be truthful".
Here the Quran states a powerful truth; as the imprint of intelligent design becomes more apparent with every scientific advancement, so to is the fact that the uncaused cause beyond contingency must be singular. Every attempt to explain the existence of the universe in such an evidently planned and deliberate state without acknowledging God’s existence and oneness has proven logically unsustainable.
