Scientific miracles See also: Quran and science and Scientific foreknowledge in sacred texts The belief that Quran had prophesied scientific theories and discoveries has become widely popular in the contemporary Islamic world. [8] These prophecies are often provided as a proof of the divine origin of the Quran. [9] There are many examples of scientific facts mentioned in the Quran that were unsupported by the scientific knowledge and beliefs of the time, but have since proved accurate due to modern technology. [10] Some examples are listed below. The expansion of the universe The size of the universe has long been in question, but it was not until 1929 when Edwin Hubble, an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology, proposed that the universe was expanding .[11] But the text of the Quran acknowledges this idea in the following verse: “And it is We who have constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it” (Quran 51:47). [12] Orbits German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) is attributed with correctly identifying planetary motion. His laws of planetary motion concluded that planets move in almost-circular shaped orbits called ellipses. He published these laws in 1609 and 1619.[13] However, the Quran mentions orbits in the following verses:[14] It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They swim along, each in an orbit. (Quran, 21:33). [12] By the sky full of paths and orbits (Quran 51:7). [12] The Sky The sky serves very important functions for life on Earth. The greenhouse effect idea was popularized in the 1800s. It claims that energy radiated by the sun reaches Earth in the form of heat. Some of the heat is trapped due to gases in the atmosphere like carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane. The atmosphere keeps the Earth at a temperature that sustains life. Without this protection, the Earth would be exposed to the below freezing temperatures of outer space.[15] In addition, the ozone layer of the atmosphere protects the Earth and its living inhabitants from harmful radiation rays and meteors. [16] The protective capabilities of the sky were only discovered in the 19th century, yet the Quran states the following:[17] We made the sky a preserved and protected roof yet still they turn away from Our Signs.. (Quran, 21:32). [12] Mountains The theory of continental drift was proposed by Alfred Wegener, a meteorologist, in 1915. He suggested that the world was originally composed of a single land mass or continent, and that the continents then separated and moved very slowly apart, forming the 7 continents today, and still in motion.[18] The theory of plate tectonics which was developed from continental drift supports this idea and provides evidence of how the plates of the Earth move. [18] The Quran says:[19] You will see the mountains you reckoned to be solid going past like clouds (Quran, 27:88). [12] Time German-born physicist Albert Einstein formulated the general theory of relativity in 1915. This theory is a highly successful model of gravitation and cosmology, which has so far passed many unambiguous observational and experimental tests. According to general relativity processes close to a massive body run more slowly than those farther away, an effect known as gravitational time dilation .[20] Gravity has a direct effect on time. Although this theory was not formulated until the early 1900s, the Quran says the following: They ask you to hasten the punishment. God will not break His promise. A day with your Lord is equivalent to a thousand years in the way you count (Quran, 22:47). [12] He directs the whole affair from heaven to earth. Then it will again ascend to Him on a Day whose length is a thousand years by the way you measure (Quran, 32:5). [12] The Quran, which is believed to be the word of God, demonstrates perfect knowledge of the relativity of time long before Einstein’s theories were created. [21] These are just a sample of the many statements in the Quran that can be considered to predict scientific discoveries. Muhammad was an illiterate man who would have been incapable of writing the Quran, which leads believers to claim that it must have been revealed to him through God.[22] Islamic scholar Zaghloul El-Naggar believes that the verse, A time is fixed for every prophecy; you will come to know in time , [ Quran 6:67 ] refers to statements in the Quran that predict scientific discoveries made centuries later [9] In the Muslim world some believe that scientific discoveries were predicted, while others do not. [23] saying that the Quran is not a book of science. Al-Biruni , one of the most celebrated Muslim scientists of the classical period, assigned to the Quran a separate and autonomous realm of its own and held that the Quran does not interfere in the business of science, nor does it infringe on the realm of science. [9] These scholars maintain the possibility of multiple scientific explanations of natural phenomena and do not subordinate the Quran to an ever-changing science. [9] Prophecies Main article: Scientific foreknowledge in sacred texts Throughout the Quran, claims or predictions are made concerning future events. Many of the prophecies are viewed as having metaphoric meanings, while others are taken more literally. [24] Because Muslims believe that the Quran contains the exact words of God which were revealed to the prophet Muhammad in Arabic and later transcribed, the meaning of the Quran has a great effect on Muslim beliefs and understandings. [25] The sheer number of prophecies which Muslims believe to have been fulfilled bolster faith and conviction, generally serving as proof that the Quran is indeed of a divine origin. [26] Some prophecies are debated more than others as to whether or not they were actually fulfilled or how the Quranic text should be interpreted. [27] One of the more general prophecies is that the Quran predicts its own preservation and endurance. The Quran states that the book itself will survive as a valid source and that the religion of Islam will last, even dominate, because of this.[24][26] Muslim scholars argue that todays Quran is the same Quran originally compiled by Prophet Muhammad. [28][29] The following passages from the Quran state these prophecies: “We have, without doubt, Sent down the Message; And We will assuredly Guard it (from corruption)” (15:9). [30] “It is He Who has sent His Apostle with Guidance And the Religion of Truth, That he may proclaim it Over all religion, Even though the Pagans May detest (it)” (61:9). [30] Another interpretation of the Quran is that it predicted the defeat of the Persians by the Romans. Before the prophecy, at the Battle of Antioch, in 613 C.E., the Persians defeated the Romans. Muslims were upset by this defeat because they felt more connected to Rome, a Christian empire, than to Persia, a Zoroastrian one. A few years afterwards, the following verse was revealed in the Quran: The Roman Empire Has been defeated – In a land close by; But they, (even) after (This) defeat of theirs, Will soon be victorious – Within a few years. With God is the Decision, In the Past And in the Future: On that Day shall The Believers rejoice” (30:2-4). [30] By 627 C.E., the Romans had successfully defeated the Persians, resulting in much celebration by Muslims and fulfilling the prophecy of the Quran. [31][32] Another prophecy of the Quran that Muslims might argue has been fulfilled is the ease with which the book can be memorized. Because this is not a factual prophecy but based, rather, on opinion, it cannot truly be proven. However, Muslims do consider reciting or reading the Quran to be holy and a way to receive blessings, so it is extremely common for Muslims to memorize a large number of Quranic verses. The fact that this is possible and has been done by scholars and children alike, does suggest a certain quality of the Quran that makes it easily memorable. The Quran’s “rhythmic style and eloquent expression” have been cited as aids in verbatim memorization.[25][26][33] The following verse from the Quran is one example of the prophecy that the Quran will be easily memorized by future readers: “And We have indeed Made the Qur-an easy to understand and remember: Then is there any that Will receive admonition?” (54:17) [30] Another prophecy, according to the Quran, may have predicted the preservation of the Pharaoh of the Exoduss body. In the Quran, God says to the Pharaoh: This day shall We save thee In thy body, that thou Mayest be a Sign to those Who come after thee! But verily, many among mankind Are heedless of Our Signs! [30] The body of the Pharaoh, who was argued to be either Ramesses II or his son Merneptah , was thought to be lost at sea until the mummies of both were discovered in the 19th century. They are on display today in Cairos Egyptian Museum ; thus, it is argued that the prophecy was fulfilled. [24][34] Countless other prophecies are claimed to have been fulfilled. Some of the predictions may seem vague and easily fulfilled by a wide variety of events, causing debate and analysis, but, regardless, many Muslims believe that the Quran prophesies at least some future events, though perhaps not all those listed in this article. Nevertheless, the following include some of the other potentially fulfilled claims made by the Quran. The development of using fingerprints for identification of criminals: At length, when they reach The (Fire), their hearing, Their sight, and their skins Will bear witness against them, As to (all) their deeds. (41:20) [27][30] The problem of environmental pollution as caused by human inventions: Mischief has appeared On land and sea because Of (the meed) that the hands Of men have earned, That (God) may give them A taste of some of their Deeds: in order that they May turn back (from Evil) (30:41); Then watch thou For the Day That the sky will Bring forth a kind Of smoke (or mist) plainly visible, Enveloping the people: This will be a Penalty Grievous (44:10-11). [27][30][35] New modes of transportation created by humans: And (He has created) horses, Mules, and donkeys, for you To ride and use for show; And He has created (other) things Of which ye have no knowledge (16:8). [27][30] The gradually-acquired equality for women and womens rights : When the female (infant), Buried alive, is questioned - For what crime she was killed (81:8-9). [27][30]
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 08:32:08 +0000
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