Holy Qur’an and Modern Science are compatible or incompatible Some Topic from the book Qur’an and Modern Science

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holy Qur’an and

Modern Science are compatible or incompatible

Some Topic from the book Qur’an and

Modern Science

 

BY DOCTOR ZAKIR NAIK

 

 

 

 

 

The Holy Qur’an is not a book of Science but a book of

‘Signs’, i.e. Aayaats. There are more than six thousand

‘Signs’ in the Holy Qur’an of which more than a thousand

deal with hard core Science.

We all know that many a times Science takes a ‘U-turn’.

In this book I have considered only established scientific

facts and not hypotheses or theories based on mere

assumptions and not backed by proof.

 

 

THE SUN WILL EXTINGUISH

The light of the sun is due to a chemical process on

its surface that has been taking place continuously

for the past five billion years. It will come to an end

at some point of time in the future, when the sun

will be totally extinguished, leading to extinction of

all life on earth. Regarding the impermanence of the

sun’s existence, the Holy Qur’an says:

“And the Sun runs its course

for a period determined

for it; that is

the decree of (Him)

the exalted in Might,

the All-Knowing.”

[Al-Qur’an 36:38]

 

 

The Arabic word used here is mustaqarr, which

means a place or time that is determined. Thus the

Holy Qur’an says that the sun runs towards a determined

place, and will do so only up to a pre-determined

period of time – meaning that it will end or

extinguish.

 

 

 

INTERSTELLAR MATTER

Space outside organized astronomical systems was

earlier assumed to be a vacuum. Astrophysicists

later discovered the presence of bridges of matter

in this interstellar space. These bridges of matter

are called plasma, and consist of completely ionized

gas containing equal number of free electrons and

positive ions. Plasma is sometimes called the fourth

state of matter (besides the three known states

viz. solid, liquid and gas). The Holy Qur’an refers to

the presence of this interstellar material in the

following verse:

“He Who created the heavens

and the earth and all

that is between.”

[Al-Qur’an 25:59]

It would be ridiculous for anyone to even suggest

that the presence of interstellar galactic material

was known 1400 years ago!

 

 

 

 

THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE

In 1925, American astronomer Edwin Hubble,

provided observational evidence that all galaxies

are moving away from one another, which implies

that the universe is expanding. The expansion of the

universe is now an established scientific fact. This is

what the Holy Qur’an says regarding the nature of the

universe:

“With power and skill

did I (The One God) construct

the Firmament:

For it is I (The One God) Who create

the vastness of Space.”

[Al-Qur’an 51:47]

 

The Arabic word musioon is correctly translated as

‘expanding it’, and it refers to the creation of the

expanding vastness of the universe.

One of the greatest astrophysicist 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 Holy Qur’an mentioned the expansion

of the universe, before man even learnt to build a

telescope!

 

 

 

Some may say that the presence of astronomical

facts in the Holy Qur’an is not surprising since the Arabs

were advanced in the field of astronomy. They are

correct in acknowledging the advancement of the

Arabs in the field of astronomy. However they fail

to realize that the Holy Qur’an was revealed centuries

before the Arabs excelled in astronomy. Moreover

many of the scientific facts mentioned above, such

as the origin of the universe with a Big Bang, were

not known to the Arabs even at the peak of their

scientific advancement.. The scientific facts

mentioned in the Holy Qur’an are therefore not due to the

Arabs’ advancement in astronomy. Indeed, the

reverse is true: they advanced in astronomy,

because astronomy occupies a place in the Holy Qur’an.

 

 

 

PHYSICS

ATOMS CAN BE DIVIDED

In ancient times a well-known theory by the name

of ‘Theory of Atomism’ was widely accepted. This

theory was originally proposed by the Greeks, in

particular by a scholar called Democritus, who lived

about 23 centuries ago.. Democritus and the people

that came after him, assumed that the smallest unit

of matter was the atom.. The ancient Arabs used to

believe the same. The Arabic word zarrah most

commonly meant an atom.. In recent times modern

science has discovered that it is possible to split

even an atom. That the atom can be split further is

a development of the 20th century. Fourteen

centuries ago this concept would have appeared

unusual even to an Arab. For him the zarrah was

the limit beyond which one could not go. The

following Qur’anic verse however, refuses to

acknowledge this limit:

“The Unbelievers say,

‘Never to us will come

The Hour’:

say, ‘Nay! but most surely,

by my Lord,

it will come upon you –

by Him Who knows the unseen –

from Whom is not hidden

the least little atom

in the Heavens or on earth:

nor is there anything less

than that, or greater, but

is in the Record Perspicuous.’”

[Al-Qur’an 34:3]

 

This verse also refers to the Omniscience of God,

His knowledge of all things, hidden or apparent. It

then goes further and says that God is aware of

everything, including what is smaller or bigger than

the atom. Thus the verse clearly shows that it is

possible for something smaller than the atom to

exist, a fact discovered only recently by modern

science.