The following is my paraphrasing of the excellent article linked at the end. While it is specific to the Quran, I highly recommend it to Jews and Christians too, because they are often guilty of the same error - making the verse fit what we know, to then claim a revelation, or at least agreement between science and bible. We hear from Muslims that the Quran contains scientifically accurate facts that couldnt have been known at the time it was written, and also that the Quran contains no information that contradicts modern science. Both claims are false. But according to those who believe this, it proves that the information contained on the Quran was given to Mohammad by Allah the all knowing, as opposed to Muhammad simply writing what was known in his time. Lets see which of these two possibilities fits better with what the Quran actually says and what we know today. The Quran does not contain any information that wasnt known in the 7th century. All examples given by believers require reinterpreting the text using modern knowledge. This is called making the data fit the desired conclusion, and is unacceptable in science. The Quran certainly contains descriptions that are refuted by modern science. Examples: 71:15 “Allah has created the seven heavens, one above another” Modern science does not describe anything that can be called heaven in this way. If heaven means the sky, science describes the sky as our atmosphere, which is indeed divided into layers, one above the other, but if thats what the verse means, explain why 37:6 says Allah has put the stars in the lowest layer of this heaven: We have indeed decked the lowest heaven with an adornment, the stars.” If 71:15 uses the word heaven to mean the stars, then the 7 layer description is wrong. Today we know there are stars farther than we can see. If so, then where are the other 6 layers of heaven? 71:16 adds And made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun a lamp?” Today we know the moon is a rocky sphere which doesnt produce light, it reflects sunlight. 18:86 “Until, when he [Zul-qarnain] reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People.” So... The sun sets into some place on earth? And there are people there? And muddy water? 18:90 “Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun.” So... There are people where the sun rises? 36:40 It is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day; each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law).” today we know that while from earth it looks like both the sun and moon orbit earth and could catch each other, in reality the moon orbits earth, while the sun is orbited by earth. We also know the sun orbits within the Milky Way galaxy, but galaxies are never mentioned in the Quran. Further, even from earth, the sun and moon do appear to catch each other - its called a solar eclipse. In addition, while night doesnt strip the day where Muhammad lived, it certainly does in more northern latitudes, where there are several weeks without any daylight during winter. Same in the southern latitudes during their winter. It seems the writers of the Quran were not aware of this. 21:30 “Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, then We parted them, and we made every living thing of water? Will they not then believe?” Life cannot arise in water alone, other elements are required. Heaven (meaning everything in the universe except earth) existed at least 9 billion years before the earth formed. So, no, they were not of one piece and then split. If heaven means the atmosphere, then again this verse is simply nonsense. In some modern translations, 21:30 says Do the unbelievers not realize that the heavens and the earth used to be one solid mass that we exploded into existence? And from water we made all living things. Would they believe?” This seems to be a deliberate attempt to make the Quran predict a distortion of the Big Bang Theory (the Big Bang was not an explosion). The word exploded did not exist in 7th century Arabic. The first explosions were by gun powder, invented in the 9th century in china. Natural explosions of volcanoes are not mentioned in the Quran, and were not known to its writers as there are no volcanoes in the Middle East. The classic translations say: Yusuf Ali: “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?” Pickthal: “Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, then We parted them, and we made every living thing of water? Will they not then believe?” Shakir: “Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were closed up, but We have opened them; and We have made of water everything living, will they not then believe?” 21:32 “And We have made the heaven a guarded canopy and (yet) they turn aside from its signs.” Again, a common error for the 7th century - the heavens are a canopy above the earth. 22:65 “And He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except with His permission; most surely Allah is Compassionate, Merciful to men.” Most certainly. Thank Allah the stars dont fall on us. 21:33 “And He it is Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They float, each in an orbit.” Again, a reference to the sun orbiting the earth, just like the moon. 41:9 “Say (O Muhammad, unto the idolaters): Disbelieve ye verily in Him Who created the earth in two Days, and ascribe ye unto Him rivals? 41:12 “Then He ordained them seven heavens in two Days and inspired in each heaven its mandate; and We decked the nether heaven with lamps, and rendered it inviolable. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Knower.” This means earth was created first, then he heavens, then the stars. Science says the universe existed first, then matter in the form of hydrogen and helium, from that stars coalesced due to gravity, and finally earth 9 billion years later. 22:47 “and surely a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of what you number.” 70:4 “To Him ascend the angels and the Spirit in a day the measure of which is fifty thousand years 7:54 “your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six days Whether a day is 1000 years or 50,000 years, neither the earth nor the heavens were created in six such days (6000 or 300,000 years). The earth is 4.5 billion years old, and the heavens 13.8 billion years. Its obvious that the does Quran contains information that is known to be wrong today, but makes perfect sense if it is what was known to its writers at the time. There is no example of any information from the Quran that is correct and could not have been known to its writers in the 7th century (such as the existence of Australia, of galaxies, of germs, DNA, or,electricity) The attempts by believers to re-interpret what the Quran says require already having modern scientific knowledge, a fact proven by observing that no verified modern knowledge originated from the Quran prior to being discovered via the scientific method. In addition, no believer is able to suggest something out of the Quran which science hasnt discovered YET. Conclusion: the Quran contains nothing more or less than what we would expect if it was written by people with no divine assistance.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 19:21:57 +0000
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