Miracles of the Quran Exposed

Introduction

About 90% of Muslims do not bother to read Quran with its translation. But still, they believe that Quran is a “miracle” of Allah. If Muslims ever bother to study Quran with an understanding of its meaning and an objective mind, they will find absurdities , hate verses , contradictions , Pseudo science , stolen stories of bible , stories of Mohammed’s wives , stories of his companions, abrogated verses , satanic verses , grammatical errors, dreams of heaven , torture of hell , Allah’s anthropomorphic face , non Arabic words , i nequalities , badly copied biblical verses, humor, vulgar language ,Mohammed’s nervousness, his anger, his feelings, his hatred for Jews , his lust, his marriage with daughter in law , his atrocities, his lootings , his pedophilia , his hallucinations , his broken oaths , his broken treaties, misogynist verses , scriber’s wording and many other “miraculous” things. And they will never find any wording for peace except of some ayats of Mecca when Mohammed was weak and a poor shepherd. But they will not get the idea of missing verse of stoning , lashing and list of missing verses and the Quran which is hidden to Muslim “ummah”. Only Shia Imam has “hidden” knowledge about that part of “miraculous“ Quran.

It is a common belief amongst Muslims that the Quran is a treasure-trove of miracles and all kinds of sciences. They universally believe that Westerners get all their sciences from the Quran. It is as much their fault as of some Western (pseudo)scientists, who find all kinds of " $cience in Quran ”. Yet, they do not accept Islam, which makes it obvious that they do these to be fattened with petrodollars from the rich Saudi princes.

We, ex-Muslims, have debunked all the deceptive claims of Quranic Sciences over the past years. But they are spread in the form of pieces in FFI forum. I have collected all the data regarding “miracles of the Quran” in this E-Book.

Many authors have contributed to forking out the information contained in this book and credit should go mostly to them. The following main contributors deserve a special mention:

Hector [forum, Faith Freedom International]

Khalil Feriel [forum, Faith Freedom International]

Ali Sina

Abul Kasem

I urge readers to distribute this e-book among your fellows. You can email that to anyone. If you want your offspring to live on the planet earth happily, in peace, then Islam is to be tamed or eradicated.

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Forward it to others; perhaps your email stops a suicide bomber or someone from funding terrorism. Your single click of the mouse may save human blood, which is being shed in the jihad for Islam, which, in all likelihood, will increase further in the time ahead.

Perhaps, your distribution of this book will alleviate sufferings of the billion-plus Muslims, who are the primary victim of Islam. It will, perhaps, many nations from horrendous attacks like the 9/11 (US), 7/7 (London), 3/11 (Madrid) and 11/26 (Mumbai). Perhaps your action slowly, and eventually stop, the site meter of Islamic terror attacks, which stands at 12690 today since 9/11.

This meter is running very fast. We do not know who will fall victim to the next Islamic terror or suicide attack: maybe me, maybe you. Your sharing of this e-book with your friends, colleagues and contacts may reduce the chances of you and I be the next victim. We at the Islam watch and Faith Freedom are working hard to save the world from the atrocious demon, called Islam.

The work done here is voluntary. Dr. Ali Sina and M. A. Khan have left their jobs and working on this most pressing issue of our time at great personal sacrifice. You can support and help this venture in any way possible: you can promote us, give our link to others, talk about us or share our contents in other forums.



Amaar Khan

A Pakistani-born Ex-Muslim

Index





QURAN AND EMBRYOLOGY



INTRODUCTION

There are propagations of the Quranic ‘so-called’ Embryology by such luminaries as Dr Keith Moore and Dr Maurice Bucaille. These works are aped by such Islamic scholars as Dr Al Zeiny, Dr Zakir Naik, Dr Ibrahim Syed, Dr. Sharif Kaf Al-Ghazal, and the ubiquitous Harun Yahya aka Adnan Oktar. A good additional material is provided by Dr Omar Abdul Rehman in which he goes into even greater detail in his attempt to validate the Quranic ‘human reproduction’ verses with modern scientific facts. http://www.aquaire.clara.co.uk/



There are many excellent debunkings of the Quranic Embryology Pseudoscience (“QEP”). A short list would include these:

http://www.geocities.com/ freethoughtmecca/embryo.html

http://www.talkorigins.org/ indexcc/CJ/CJ533.html

http://answering-islam.org.uk/ Quran/Science/embryo.html

http://www.faithfreedom.org/ forum/viewtopic.php?p=26725& highlight=embryology+thhuxley# 26725

This article attempts to add to this debate, concentrating solely on the Quranic verses, because inclusion of the hadiths would clearly show up the stupidity of the QEP (see the list above).



THE ISLAMIST CLAIM

Dr Omar Abdul Rehman’s article is clearly the most detailed, and I will use it as the basis for rebuttal as it includes all the QEP nonsense of Drs Keith Moore and Maurice Bucaille.



A summary of his claims is contained herein:

Quote: Thus the order and rate of development is similar in the two surahs.



(2) The first and second stages (Nutfah and 'Alaqah) : These two stages are congruent in Al-Mu'minun and AI-Qiyamah and the conjunction "thumma" has been used in both. No mention of these two stages is made in AI-Infitar.



(3) The third stage (Mudghah) "Mudghah" (a noun) was used in AI-Mu'minun to describe the stage which follows the "'Alaqah". This noun is indicative of the shape. In "Al-Qiyamah" text, the verb "Khalaqa" has been used. This verb indicates the events which take place in "Mudghah" stage. "Khalaqa" is thus taken to correspond to the beginning of the development of the various organs during the "Mudghah' stage.



As the outer appearance of the embryo alters with the changes taking place inside it, then the verb "sawwa" in "AI-Qiyamah" is taken to indicate that the "Mudghah" stage is over. The "Mudghah" has no bones or muscles and therefore does not have the human shape.



Thus the stage of straightening and making the surface of the embryo more even mentioned in "AI-Qiyamah" must therefore, come after "Mudghah" stage. The order of events in "AI-Mu'minun" and "AI-Qiyamah is the same. Thus it is taken that the straightening in "Al-Oiyamah" follows immediately after the "Mudghah" i.e. corresponding to the bones "Izam" stage in "AI-Mu'minun



"Mudghah" has been described by the verb "Khalaqa" in "AI-Qiyamah" describing the events which take place in it. Thus the process of creation is a particular feature of the "Mudghah" while terms like Nutfah and 'Alaqah have been used in the previous stages. In "Surah Al-Haj" the "Mudghah" is again described as formed and unformed. This indicates that the process of formation and initiation of various organs is a prominent characteristic of this stage.



Furthermore, by comparing the texts in "Al-Qiyamah" and "AI-Infitar", we find that "Khalq" and straightening are in congruent sequence in both texts. This also indicates that "AI-Infitar" text has also started with the Mudghah stage by using the verb "Khalaqa" which is an important characteristic of this stage as explained in the above paragraph.



(4) The fourth stage: As explained in the third stage the beginning of the bones 'Izam" stage corresponds to the stage of straightening, Furthermore, Al-Infitar shows that the stage of straightening does not include modification "Ta'dil" as this is stated to follow upon; straightening. Modification occurs by approaching the human appearance which cannot occur at the stage of bones without the presence of the muscle. It can therefore be concluded that the modification stage starts with the beginning of the clothing with flesh (muscle) stage i.e. it follows the stage of the bones which corresponds to the straightening stage. This is indicated by the order of events stated in "AI-Mu'minun" on one hand and both "AI-Qiyamah" and 'AI-Infitar" on the other. The Qur'an has therefore used the noun 'bones' to indicate shape in the first instance and a verb "sawwa" in both the latter surahs to describe an event. The embryo at this stage becomes more straight after having been bent (C-shape) and its surface more smooth after having been uneven during the "Mudghah" stage.



(5) The fifth stage: In the above discourse it has been mentioned that the beginning of the stage, clothing with flesh, corresponds to the beginning of the modification stage in "AI-Infitar". This latter stage must correspond to the statement: "and We made from it the male and female" in "AI-Qiyamah" because both are preceded by the straightening stage. Therefore, the beginning of male and female differentiation corresponds to the stage of clothing with flesh in Al-Mu'minun. This is in fact what actually takes place. There is differentiation of the genital ridge into either an ovary or a testis at this stage. (6) The sixth stage and the continuation of the fifth: In surah AI-Mu'minun the conjunction "thumma" was used between the stage of clothing with flesh and the stage of Nash'ah. However, in "AI-Qiyamah" and "AI-Infitar" no sixth stage is mentioned. This indicates that male and female sex differentiation continues to its completion and this is what actually happens. The external genital organs differentiate between the 11th and 12th weeks Similarly "Ta’dil" or modification of the organs and acquiring of human proportions of the body continues to a late stage of pregnancy.





ANALYSIS



1. The Islamist Debating Technique



A good summary of the Islamist debating technique is given here:



I think it is a waste of time to argue such imponderables of whether the ‘alaqa’ is a leech, or a leech-like thing, a clinging thing, or a clot. I will accept each and every one of these Islamist definitions because such arguments are futile. Both sides would merely be agreeing to disagree.



A further Islamist miracle is that words like alaqa can have several meanings, and each of these meanings applies at the same time. Thus, an alaqa is a leech, looks like a leech if viewed in a certain angle or a clot in another angle, or clings to the endometrium. Truly the Quran is miraculous.



Therefore, my opinion is that the best method of debunking the QEP is by questioning every Islamist claim as to their validity, and to make the Islamist justify every claim. This would include why they chose to make a choice when there are several other equally valid possibilities, why they chose to ignore clearly nonsensical phrases, and why they assume certain phrases to be metaphorical while others to be literal.



In this way, I will show the QEP to be the patent nonsense that it is.



I will also ignore the obvious similarities between the embryology prevailing at the time the Quran was written and the QEP, notwithstanding Dr Omar Abdul Rehman’s excellent article. This is because Muhammad’s plagiarizing of ancient Greek and Indian embryology can never be proven one way or the other. Therefore, I will concentrate solely in showing that the QEP is made up of incorrect or illogical or unproven assertions.





2. The role of the Female Gamete

The Quran never explicitly claims that the female parent contributes genetic material. It is merely the assumption, and an assumption only, of the Islamists that 'nutfatun amshaajin' (mixed drop or mingled sperm) includes the female gamete.



"Verily WE created Man from a drop of mingled sperm." (76:2)



The term ‘nutfatun amshaajin’ could just as easily refer to the sperm-menstrual blood union of Aristotle and the ancient Indian embryologists, or the two sperm hypothesis of Hippocrates and Galen, or even the readily observed mingling of semen and vaginal discharge during sexual intercourse. In other words, the fact the Quran does not explicitly state that ‘nutfatun amshaajin’ contains the ovum, together with the existence of other possible explanations, means that it is illogical to assume the former and not the latter.



The insistence by Islamists that it explains the former is pure conjecture devoid of evidence, and constitutes the logical fallacy of equivocation, and its adoption is merely wishful thinking or the Islamist art of the ‘reinterpretation after the fact.’



One might contend that the Quran does not claim a role for the ovum at all, or is even ignorant of its existence.



The Islamists claim that the Quran correctly states that the sex of the progeny is determined by the sperm from the male parent, based on verses 53:45-46.

Pickthall: And that He createth the two spouses, the male and the female, From a drop (of seed) when it is poured forth;

[Transliterated Arabic: Waannahu khalaqa alzzawjayni alththakara waal-ontha Min nutfatin itha tumna]



There are only two logical explanations of nutfatin itha tumna; that it is the sperm emitted, or the blastocyst (i.e. zygote) implanted. If it is the latter, the Islamists have no case to argue that the Quran correctly states that gender is determined by the sperm of the male parent. Hence, nutfatin itha tumna must refer to the sperm emitted.



It is possible the Quranic verses 53:45-46 state that the male and female progenies, and not merely the genders, are created from the sperm. This is a possibility totally discounted by Islamists without evidence and suggests a biased interpretation of the verses in light of modern facts. For where is the mention of the ovum? Not in these verses nor anywhere else in the Quran.



In fact, the Quran itself provides the evidence of its doctrinal omission or rejection of the role of the ovum in procreation, for verse 2:223 states that wives are merely tilth. This is saying they are like the earth receiving the zygote (i.e. seed) from the male.

Pickthall 2:223: Your women are a tilth for you (to cultivate) go to your tilth as ye will, and send (good deeds) before you for your souls, and fear Allah, and know that ye will (one day) meet Him. Give glad tidings to believers, (O Muhammad).

Therefore, if read in the context of verse 2:223, ‘nutfatun amshaajin’ cannot contain the ovum because tilth does not contribute genetic material to the development of the seed (i.e. zygote), and must mean the semen mingled with some unspecified non-genetic material-contributing female secretion.



In light of these facts, backed by the Quranic verses, it is apparent that the Quran’s view of human conception and reproduction is that the male parent contributes the diploid seed (nutfatin itha tumna) and the female parent, as tilth, merely contributes the environment and nutrients for the growth and development of this diploid seed.





3. The Dust Stage

These verses form the basis for the QEP.

Quote: Pickthall 22:05: O mankind! if ye are in doubt concerning the Resurrection, then lo! We have created you from dust, then from a drop of seed, then from a clot, then from a little lump of flesh shapely and shapeless, that We may make (it) clear for you. And We cause what We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed time, and afterward We bring you forth as infants, then (give you growth) that ye attain your full strength. And among you there is he who dieth (young), and among you there is he who is brought back to the most abject time of life, so that, after knowledge, he knoweth naught. And thou (Muhammad) seest the earth barren, but when We send down water thereon, it doth thrill and swell and put forth every lovely kind (of growth).



Transliterated Arabic: Ya ayyuha alnnasu in kuntum fee raybin mina albaAAthi fa-inna khalaqnakum min turabin thumma min nutfatin thumma min AAalaqatin thumma min mudghatin mukhallaqatin waghayri mukhallaqatin linubayyina lakum wanuqirru fee al-arhami ma nashao ila ajalin musamman thumma nukhrijukum tiflan thumma litablughoo ashuddakum waminkum man yutawaffa waminkum man yuraddu ila arthali alAAumuri likayla yaAAlama min baAAdi AAilmin shay-an watara al-arda hamidatan fa-itha anzalna AAalayha almaa ihtazzat warabat waanbatat min kulli zawjin baheejin



Pickthall 23:12-14: Verily We created man from a product of wet earth; Then placed him as a drop (of seed) in a safe lodging; Then fashioned We the drop a clot, then fashioned We the clot a little lump, then fashioned We the little lump bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, and then produced it as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators!



Transliterated Arabic: Walaqad khalaqna al-insana min sulalatin min teenin Thumma jaAAalnahu nutfatan fee qararin makeenin Thumma khalaqna alnnutfata AAalaqatan fakhalaqna alAAalaqata mudghatan fakhalaqna almudghata AAithaman fakasawna alAAithama lahman thumma ansha/nahu khalqan akhara fatabaraka Allahu ahsanu alkhaliqeena





These verses clearly delineate the stages of the QEP as thus:

Dust/wet earth/clay Nutfah (Believed to be sperm) Alaqa (leach, leach-like, clot, clinging thing) Mudgha (chewed lump, partly formed and partly unformed) Izhaam/Aitham (bones) Izhaam covered with Lahm (muscles and flesh) Another creation (fetus?)

The Islamists all conveniently ignore the first stage which is ‘DUST’. What does it correspond to in the modern Embryology? I know some Islamists would claim the dust to be metaphorical. Where is the evidence for that? If the dust is metaphorical, then the other stages should also be metaphorical, in the absence of evidence to differentiate between metaphorical and literal phrases.



The evidence that ‘dust’ is not metaphorical is the word ‘then’ or ‘thumma’ linking dust and sperm. This is the same word linking various stages in the QEP sequence of events. To arbitrary assume that this word now no longer means an immediate follow-on to the next stage is disingenuous and devoid of explanatory evidence.



Some Islamists will argue that the dust refers to the catalytic stage of clay in the first stage of abiogenesis. However, this is in error because there are numerous, literally eons length, steps between this clay-catalysis stage and the creation of humans. Secondly, the verse implies that man was made FROM clay, giving the impression clay was a building block and not a catalytic compound. Therefore, this clay-catalysis notion is nonsensical and debunked.





4. The Missing Stages

Most QEP proponents either conveniently omit the embarrassing verse 40:67 or dishonestly quote only the fragment supporting their case.

Pickthall 40:67: He it is Who created you from dust, then from a drop (of seed) then from a clot, then bringeth you forth as a child, then (ordaineth) that ye attain full strength and afterward that ye become old men - though some among you die before - and that ye reach an appointed term, that haply ye may understand. Transliterated Arabic: Huwa allathee khalaqakum min turabin thumma min nutfatin thumma min AAalaqatin thumma yukhrijukum tiflan thumma litablughoo ashuddakum thumma litakoonoo shuyookhan waminkum man yutawaffa min qablu walitablughoo ajalan musamman walaAAallakum taAAqiloona

Those QEP proponents who omit this verse are Keith Moore, Maurice Bucaille, Sharif Kaf Al-Ghazal, Nadeem Arif Najmi and Omar Abdul Rehman. Only Ibrahim Syed quotes the verse, but only up to the alaqa stage. Zakir Naik references it in a footnote, glossing over the ‘missing stages’, while Sulayman Gani quotes the verse in full, but glosses over the missing stages.



This shows that the Quran can’t even get its embryology stages correct. Some might view 40:67 to ‘contradict’ the other embryology verses as it states clearly and plainly that the child is formed straight after the alaqa stage.







5. The Formation of Bone

There is a clear mistake in the QEP idea of the formation of bone. Drs Needham and Needbeer of freethoughtmecca explain this well and I defer to their expertise.

Quote: While we will return to the issue of mudgha below, we should now move on to the issue of izhaam (bones). As was noted above, after the alaqa is turned into a mudgha, the Qur'an states fa-khalaqnaa al-mudghata izhaaman, or "then we formed the morsel into bones." Moore and his cohort try to change the translation to "out of the mudgha we formed bones," so as to give the impression that the bones are forming inside the embryo, rather than the entire object becoming bones. This brings to light the duplicitous nature that these people are taking to the text.



Consider that word khalaqnaa ("we created/formed") appears in three times in Soorat al-Moominoon 23:14: (1) khalaqnaa al-nutfata alaqatan - "we formed the nutfa into an alaqa"; (2) khalaqnaa al-alaqata mudghatan - "we formed the alaqa into a mudgha"; (3) khalaqnaa al-mudghata izhaaman - "we formed the mudgha into bones." So the question that needs to be asked is how one properly interprets the logical structure khalaqnaa X,Y.



As will be noted below, proponents of this polemic want izhaam to not actually be a reference to bone, but rather cartilaginous precursors to bone, thus we see that there are two possible (and rather different) usages of the logical structure khalaqnaa X,Y being employed. Does the logical structure mean "we formed the X into a Y," or does it mean "we caused a precursor to Y to form inside the X"? No person to put forth the polemic has ever explained which is the correct interpretation, or if both are possible how they know to use one and not the other. The reality is that khalaqnaa X,Y means "we formed the X into a Y," and there is no implication that the Y (much less something other than Y!) is only forming inside the X.



When we reach izhaam we find another problematic part of the verse. Consider that the text reads: khalaqnaa al-mudghata izhaaman, fa-kasawnaa al-izhaaman laHman. First note that khalaqnaa is past tense, and the pre-fix fa means "then." So the verse reads: "we formed the morsel into bones, then we clothed the bones with flesh." Thus, it implies bone forms before soft tissue, which is a blatant error, not to mention one that parallels Galen.



As was alluded to above, there is an argument put forth by those who push this polemic that the "bones" are actually a reference to cartilaginous models that will later ossify. Of course, the text has izhaam, which only means bone - there is no reference to cartilage (Arabic: ghudhroof), so we see that the champions of this deceptive polemic are importing things. Furthermore, as was noted in the previous paragraph, the text has a past tense conjugation followed by the word "then" (fa), thus the logic of the text is that the bones were completed, finished, and then they were clothed with flesh. This does not square with the actual process that some wish to correlate the text with, where cartilaginous skeletal models ossify while muscle forms around them simultaneously.





Unless and until an Islamist can adequately explain why the syntax of stage transformation is somehow different in the izhaam stage compared to all the other stages, one must logically conclude that the Quran is in error in believing that the mudgha turned totally into izhaam.



The Islamist would simply say that the syntax allows both interpretations, i.e. khalaqna can mean made into or made within. However, I’m still to see an Islamist provide proof of this assertion. It is easy to make assertions. Backing them up with evidence is another matter. Therefore, in the failure of evidence otherwise, the conclusion must be that the syntax of verse 23:12-14 must reveal the QEP to be in error.



Secondly, the Islamist has to explain why the author(s) of the Quran was deficient in their language and forgot to mention cartilage (ghudhroof) but bone (izhaam).



Thirdly, muscle and bone (or their precursors) develop contemporaneously, although muscle begins developing before cartilage and bone. Therefore, there is no scientific basis for the QEP proposition of a stage in which bone is later covered with flesh after its own formation. Muscles begin developing in week four. There are 40 pairs of developing muscles in the five-week embryo, and they begin to move by week six when the skeletal system is still totally cartilage which forms in week five or six. By week seven, the muscles and nerves begin work together, when ossification (i.e. bone formation) begins.



It can be argued that since cartilage does not begin forming until week five or six and muscles begin forming in the fourth week, the Quranic verse 23:14 got the embryology completely reversed, and therefore, incorrect.



Here is the scientific evidence for the contemporaneous development of cartilage/bone and muscles:



Ossification (in upper limb) occurs at the end of the 7th week. - The Developing Human, 6th Edition Clinically Oriented Embryology Keith L. Moore, Ph..D., FIAC, FRSM T.V.N. Persaud, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., FRCPath W.B. Saunders Company (Philadelphia), 1998 p. 96



According to Rugh in Conception to Birth Roberts Rugh, Ph.D., Landrum B. Shettles, Ph.D., M.D. Harper & Row, (New York), 1971, muscles appear in pelvis by 6th week (p 43). Movement of the muscles is being controlled by the nervous system by the 6th week (p 34). All of the muscle blocks have appeared by day 36 after conception (p 46).



Thus bone appears after muscles have formed.



Even if we were to accept that the Quran was only referring to precursors of bone and not bone itself, even though it used the Arabic word for bone, izhaam, the embryology is still wrong.



Muscle precursors begin developing into muscle soon after mesenchymal (skeletal) condensation [see here and here].



Looks like muscle forms contemporaneously with cartilage formation and is not delayed until bone had formed. Muscle development starts on Day 28 [see link].



Building blocks are present for 40 pairs of muscles, which are located from the base of the skull to the bottom of the spinal column. Day 28 after conception Rugh, p 35

Muscles appear in the pelvic region. Day 31 after conception Rugh, p 43

All of the muscle blocks have appeared. Day 36 after conception Rugh, p 46

Muscular layers of the stomach, esophagus, and intestines begin to proliferate. Day 56 after conception Rugh, p 53

The first indication of limb musculature is observed. 7th week of development Sadler, 7th edition, p 168



Cartilage first appears in week 5 [see here]

But the cartilage skeleton begins forming by week 6 [see here].



Thus, when the bone precursors were developing, muscles were also developing at the same time. The cartilage model of the skeleton begins developing by week 6 (see above) and is only developed by the 7th week (link).



Mesenchymal models of the bones in the limbs undergo chondrification to form hyaline cartilage. Week 6 (Moore: The Developing Human, 6th ed., p. 420, fig. 15-15D).



At this time, all the muscle blocks have already appeared. [Rugh p. 46]



Thus, Keith Moore is wrong. Muscles do not take their positions around the bone forms at the end of the seventh week and during the eighth week. All the muscle blocks have already appeared around the developing skeleton by day 36 — i.e. early week 5. Bone and Muscle develop contemporaneously. In fact, muscle appears BEFORE bone and around the same time as the cartilage precursor.



This diagram shows that the week 6 embryo (Carnegie Stage 16) already has musculature when the cartilage is forming.



6. The End of Cell Differentiation

Proponents of the QEP state that mudgha stage in which the phrase “partly formed and partly unformed” or “shaped and shapeless” refers to the incomplete cell differentiation observed in this stage.

Quote:

Yusuf Ali 22:05: … We created you out of dust, then out of sperm, then out of a leech-like clot, then out of a morsel of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed…



Sadly for the Islamists, some of whom are embryologists and medical doctors and so should know better, this claim is not backed by the scientific evidence.



Remembering that this mudgha stage occurs before the izham stage, it must occur before week six, when the progeny is still in the “embryo” stage. However, modern embryologists know that cell differentiation occurs well before the ‘mudgha’ stage and well into the “fetal” stage. Hence the QEP claim must be incorrect.





7. The Beginning of the Fetal Stage

Islamists claim that the Quran correctly denotes the start of the Fetal stage by referring to the creation of ‘another creation’ after the izham/lahm (bone clothed with flesh) stage which supposedly occurs at week eight.

Pickthall 23:12-14: …We the clot a little lump, then fashioned We the little lump bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, and then produced it as another creation.

An experienced embryologist would know that the delineation of the embryo and fetal stages is arbitrary.

However, the 8-week dividing line is still arbitrary, since a firm scientific basis for the transition to the fetal stage is lacking (link).





8. The Least Period of Conception

Some Islamists claim that the Quran correctly states that the least period of conception is 6 months. They base this claim on two verses.

Pickthall 46:15: And We have commended unto man kindness toward parents. His mother beareth him with reluctance, and bringeth him forth with reluctance, and the bearing of him and the weaning of him is thirty months, till, when he attaineth full strength and reacheth forty years, he saith: My Lord! Arouse me that I may give thanks for the favour wherewith Thou hast favoured me and my parents, and that I may do right acceptable unto Thee. And be gracious unto me In the matter of my seed. Lo! I have turned unto Thee repentant, and lo! I am of those who surrender (unto Thee).

Pickthall 31:14: And We have enjoined upon man concerning his parents. His mother beareth him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Give thanks unto Me and unto thy parents. Unto Me is the journeying.



Dr Omar Abdul Rehman claims that ‘the two texts taken together leave only six months (22 weeks i.e., five and half Gregorian months are equal to about six lunar months. of pregnancy).’ Here, Dr Abdul Rehman’s sleigh of hand to fit 22 weeks into six lunar months is ludicrous as each lunar month consists of four weeks, while five and a half Gregorian months consist of about 23.8 weeks.



Dr Al-Ghazal also claims that according to ‘scientific facts’ the least period of conception is 22 weeks.



Even assuming the arbitrary claim by Drs Al-Ghazal and Abdul Rehman of 22 weeks, being the ‘most cases’ scenario (patently false according to medical statistics – see below), one is left with the conclusion that the Quran is still in error as six lunar months is 24 weeks, not 22 weeks.



This two-week difference is very important to the development and survivability of the fetus. Hence, it should not be summarily dismissed and rounded to the nearest month. If anything, it should be rounded to five lunar months, not six.



Regardless, the claim of six lunar months or 22 weeks as the least period of conception or ‘minimum period for fetal viability’ is unsupported by modern medical science.

A fetus is defined as being viable if it has the ability to "potentially able to live outside the mother's womb [that is, can survive], albeit with artificial help." In the fifties viability was reached about 30 weeks after conception. Modern medical technology changed that to 25 weeks in the seventies. Now viability continues to be pushed further and further back in the pregnancy and is now as early as 19 weeks. 21 and 22 week premature babies are now supported routinely, and have a good chance of survival. By 24 weeks after conception, premature babies have a 40% chance of reaching adulthood without any major complications. By 28 weeks, the chance is 90%. By 29 weeks, survival is almost definite. (Note: These percentages are from reports written during the late 1980s. Current survival rates are most likely much higher.)

http://www.abortioninfo.net/facts/development4.shtml



Thus, it can be seen that the minimum period of fetal viability has changed, at least in recent history. It was never 22 weeks or 6 lunar months prior to the era of modern medicine, being likely to have been at least 30 weeks. Now, it has shrunk to only 19 weeks in countries with advanced pediatric medicine. I would suggest the minimum period of fetal viability in many third-world countries would still be around 30 weeks. Thus, the QEP proposition of the least period of conception is false.



CONCLUSION

The Quranic Pseudoscience Embryology can be seen to be false due to the following points:

1. The Quran itself omits mention of the ovum in human reproduction, with doctrinal evidence that it regards the progeny to be the resulting union between the seed from the male parent and the female parent as tilth. As tilth do not provide genetic material to the seed, it is abundantly clear that the Quran regards the nutfah (sperm) as the diploid seed.



2. The Quran includes an initial dust stage that cannot be reconciled with modern embryology.

3. The missing stages of verse 40:67 contradict the other embryology verses.

4. The stage of bone formation is in error, even assuming that izhaam means both bone and cartilage.

5. The Quranic view of cell differentiation at the Mudgha stage is incorrect, as modern embryology has discovered cell differentiation occurring before and after the putative ‘Mudgha’ stage.

6. The QEP claim that Quran correctly predicted the beginning of the fetal stage is debunked because the transition between the embryo and the fetus is arbitrary.

7. The QEP claim that the Quran correctly states the least period of conception at 24 weeks is in error, as according to modern medical knowledge this period is closer to 21-22 weeks or even less with advanced medical science, and at least 30 weeks without modern medical assistance.

Seven Layers of the Atmosphere



Islamists claim that the Quran has mentioned the layers of atmosphere, which is a miracle of Quran. Here is the full claim:

One fact about the universe revealed in the verses of the Qur'an is that the sky is made up of seven layers.

"It is He Who created everything on the earth for you and then directed His attention up to heaven and arranged it into seven regular heavens. He has knowledge of all things." [The Qur'an, 2:29] "Then He turned to heaven when it was smoke. In two days He determined them as seven heavens and revealed, in every heaven, its own mandate." [The Qur'an, 41:12]

The word "heavens", which appears in many verses in the Qur'an, is used to refer to the sky above the Earth, as well as the entire universe. Given this meaning of the word, it is seen that the Earth's sky, or the atmosphere, is made up of seven layers.

The Earth has all the attributes that are needed for life. One of them is the atmosphere, which serves as a shield protecting living things. Today, it is an established fact that the atmosphere is made up of different layers lying on top of one another. Just as it is described in the Qur'an, the atmosphere is made up of exactly seven layers. This is certainly one of the miracles of the Qur'an.

Indeed, today it is known that the world's atmosphere consists of different layers that lie on top of each other. Furthermore, it consists, just as is described in the Qur'an, of exactly seven layers. In a scientific source, the subject is described as follows:



Fourteen centuries ago, when the sky was believed to be one unified body, the Qur'an miraculously stated that it consisted of layers, and what is more, "seven" layers. Modern science, on the other hand, discovered the fact that the atmosphere surrounding the Earth is made up of "seven" basic layers only very recently.

The above claim was made by Harun Yahya in his site, but after I published the following rebuttal he removed that page from his site. You can still find what he wrote in this Islamic site.





Rebuttal



The pre Copernican concept of the universe was geocentric, i.e. they thought that the Earth was flat and was located at the center of the universe. They believed that the Sun and the Moon along with Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury that made the seven known objects of the heaven were deities. These were the only objects people could observe with their naked eyes moving in the sky while the stars appeared to be fix.



They believed that these planets or “gods” each had its own sphere. These layers are not the same as the orbits that we know. The planets did not orbit the Sun but they all revolved around the flat Earth in this order:

Moon Mercury Venus Sun Mars Jupiter Saturn

The closest to the Earth was the Moon and the farthest, was the Saturn. Therefore the concept of the 7 layers of heaven is based on ancient astronomy, where each celestial body occupied a crystal sphere one placed on top of the other like layers of an onion...



Both Judaism and Christianity make reference to these layers of heaven. For example Dante in his Divina Comedia refers to it and Paul the apostle, in 2 Corinthians 12:2 says: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know–God knows.”



The heaven was the physical world above. The concept of a spiritual heaven is a new concept. In the mind of the ancient man the distinction between physical heaven (sky) and spiritual heaven was fuzzy. For example “cielo” in Spanish still means both sky and heaven.



Not only the Heaven had seven layers, the Earth also had seven layers and it represented the underworld or the Hell. Dante, for example on visiting the lowest level of Hell meets two men with their bodies split and he learns that they were Muhammad and Ali. He describes his encounter with these two wretched men graphically:

“Truly cask, by losing mid-board or cross-piece, is not so split open as one I saw cleft from the chin to where the wind is broken: between his legs were hanging his entrails, his inner parts were visible, and the dismal sack that makes ordure of what is swallowed. Whilst all on seeing him I fix myself, he looked at me, and with his hands opened his breast, saying, "Now see how I rend myself, see how mangled is Mahomet. Ali goeth before me weeping, cleft in the face from chin to forelock; and all the others whom thou seest here were, when living, sowers of scandal and of schism, and therefore are they so cleft.”



The number seven was so engrained in the mind of the ancient man that you can find it everywhere.



Seven planets or gods had been identified and the phases of the moon changed every seven days. The Bible states that God rested on the seventh day after he completed his Creation. And every seventh year was sabbatical and that the seven times seventh year ushered in the Jubilee year.



The Pagans divided their weeks in seven days each day representing a deity.

Saturday which was the first day of the week (as it still is in Islamic countries) was dedicated to Saturn (Dies Saturni),

Sunday to Sun (Dies Solis), Monday to Moon (Dies Lunae), Tuesday to Mars (Dies Martis), Wednesday to Mercury (Dies Mercurii), Thursday to Jupiter (Dies Jovis), and Friday to Venus (Dies Veneris). [1]

Out of this order come the familiar seven Archangels which include Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Sariel, and the fallen Lucifer.



The pagan concept of the seven layer of Heaven crept into Judaism and the number seven can be found in Judaism more than anywhere else. Why? Because Midrash teaches, there are seven layers of Heaven, obviously an influence of Paganism in Judaism.

“When Adam sinned, the Shechinah departed to the First Heaven. The sin of Kayin forced it to the Second Heaven; the Generation of Enosh to the Third; the generation of the Flood to the Fourth; The generation of the Dispersion to the Fifth; Sodomites, to the Sixth; Egypt of Avraham's day, to the Seventh ... (Bereishis Rabbah 19:7)”[2]



According to Judaic scriptures, creation took 7 days; Naaman had to wash 7 times in the Jordan to be cleansed from leprosy; the Israelites had to march around Jericho 7 days and 7 times on the 7th day; they had to set aside one day in 7 for rest and worship. There was a 7-armed lampstand in the temple, etc. In the last book, Revelation, we find mentioned 7 spirits, 7 lampstands, 7 churches, 7 stars, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 vials, 7 thunders, 7 plagues, 7 mountains and 7 kings. The tribulation period is to be 7 years being the last "week of years" of Daniel's 70 weeks (Dan 9:24 ff).[3]



Muhammad did not invent the concept of the seven layers of Heaven. He merely parroted it without understanding the Pagan origin of this idea. He wrote:

“So He ordained them seven heavens in two periods, and revealed in every heaven its affair; and We adorned the lower heaven with brilliant stars… “(Fussilat 41: 12)



This verse has nothing to do with layers of the atmospheres as claimed by the charlatan Harun Yahya. It has to do with the geocentric concept of the universe that was prevalent at the time of Muhammad. Note also that according to Muhammad, stars are lamps that are affixed to the ceiling of the lower layer of the Heaven for adornment purposes. The lower level is the sphere of the Moon. Obviously stars are not in the same layer where Moon is and neither the Moon nor the stars are in the lower atmosphere of the Earth.



In fact the concept of the layers of heaven as mentioned in the Quran is so unrelated to the layers of the atmosphere that the Islamic site, www.understanding-islam.com, tries to give a completely mystical significance to that verse and claims that it talks about the "spiritual heavens" which the soul will encounter after the death. [4]

“The reference to the fact that God has created seven heavens has generally been given in the Qur’an, in reply to the skepticism shown by the disbelievers regarding the possibility of life after death. … it refers to the vastness of His creation. It says that God has not just created one sky -- i.e., one universe, but seven such skies -- or seven universes. It seems that the huge universe that we live in, the one whose boundaries are not yet known to man, is just one of these heavens (universes) there are seven others, of which we -- with all our scientific developments -- do not know anything about. Certain verses of the Qur’an clearly indicate that the whole huge mass of space around us is just one of these universes...”



The Islamic site www.pakistanlink.com quotes Maududi, the renowned Muslim scholar and the interpreter of the Quran, who says:

“It is difficult to explain precisely what is meant by the ‘seven heavens’. In all ages man has tried, with the help of observation and speculation to conceptualize the ‘heavens’, i.e. that which lies beyond and above the earth. As we know the concepts that have thus developed have constantly changed. Hence it would be improper to tie the meaning of these words of the Qur’an to any one of these numerous concepts. What might be broadly inferred from this statement is that either Allah has divided the universe beyond earth into seven distinct spheres, or that this earth is located in that part of the universe which consists of seven different spheres." [5]

From the Ahadith (especially the Hadith of Mi’raj) we learn that the first heaven is the one that is closest to the earth. So the order begins from the earth and the highest heaven is the seventh heaven [6].



As one can see the real scholars of Islam are unable to explain the meaning of the seven heavens mentioned in the Quran and try to give esoteric significance to it. If we had to believe that the seven heavens is an allusion to the seven layers of the atmosphere then we have to assume that stars must be no more than eleven kilometers above the Earth, because as the verse 41:12 says the lower heaven is adorned with brilliant stars. The Troposphere ends at about eleven kilometers above the surface of the Earth.



Not only Muhammad, like other men of his time, believed that the sky had seven layers, he also thought that the Earth was made of seven layers too.

“Allah is He Who created seven Firmaments and of the earth a similar number…” [Quran 65.12]



In this verse the number of the earths is not in question. It assumes that everyone agrees that there are seven earths. The emphasis is on the claim that Allah is the creator of these seven earths. The reason is because just like the seven heavens, the ancient people had agreed that there were also seven layers of earth. Muhammad was simply stating what seemed to be obvious to the people of his time but of course he was dead wrong according to the modern science.



What are these seven earths that Muhammad was talking about? If there were seven continents on Earth, the Muslim apologists would not waste time to claim this verse is a miracle. But we do not have seven continents. Muhammad is talking about the seven layers of Earth. He is talking about the same layers that were described by Dante in his Inferno. Several hadith make this clear. Here is one:

Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever usurps the land of somebody unjustly, his neck will be encircled with it down the seven earths (on the Day of Resurrection). "[7]



Down the seventh earth is allusion to the bottom of the Hell, where Dante found Muhammad and Ali with their bodies torn asunder. It is interesting to note that both Muhammad and Ali raided innocent people killed them or exiled them and usurped their lands unjustly. Fadak was a beautiful village with many gardens that Muhammad usurped from the Jews of Khaibar after annihilating them and gave it to his daughter Fatima the wife of Ali. I am surprised Dante did not see Fadak around the neck of Muhammad and Ali when he saw them in Hell. Isn't this another proof that even their description of Hell was wrong?



The detailed description of these seven earths is given by Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Kisa'i:

“... There are seven earths. The first is called Ramaka, beneath which is the Barren Wind, which can be bridled by no fewer than seventy thousand angels. With this wind God destroyed the people of Ad. The inhabitants of Ramaka are a nation called Muwashshim, upon whom is everlasting torment and divine retribution. The second earth is called Khalada, wherein are the implements of torture for the inhabitants of Hell. There dwells a nation called Tamis, whose food is their own flesh and whose drink is their own blood. The third earth is called Arqa, wherein dwell mulelike eagles with spearlike tails. On each tail are three hundred and sixty poisonous quills. Were even one quill placed on the face of the earth, the entire universe would pass away. The inhabitants thereof are a nation called Qays, who eat dirt and drink mothers' milk. The fourth earth is called Haraba, wherein dwell the snakes of Hell, which are as large as mountains. Each snake has fangs like tall palm trees, and if they were to strike the hugest mountain with their fangs it would be leveled to the ground. The inhabitants of this earth are a nation called Jilla, and they have no eyes, hands or feet but have wings like bats and die only of old age. The fifth earth is called Maltham, wherein stones of sulphur hang around the necks of infidels. When the fire is kindled the fuel is placed on their breasts, and the flames leap up onto their faces, as He hath said: The fire whose fuel is men and stones (2:24), and Fire shall cover their faces (14:50). The inhabitants are a nation called Hajla, who are numerous and who eat each other. The sixth earth is called Sijjin. Here are the registers of the people of Hell, and their works are vile, as He hath said: Verily the register of the actions of the wicked is surely Sijjin (83:7). Herein dwells a nation called Qatat, who are shaped like birds and worship God truly. The seventh earth is called Ajiba and is the habitation of Iblis. There dwells a nation called Khasum, who are BLACK and short, with claws like lions. It is they who will be given dominion over Gog and Magog, who will be destroyed by them…[8]



It is not hard to see these tales are nonsense. These are fairy tales that even children today would laugh at.



As it has been proven time and again, Quran is wrong in almost all its assertions. One error would have been enough to prove Muhammad was not a messenger of God but a liar. We have shown that there are hundreds of errors in the Quran. Yet Muslims desperately keep looking for “miracles” to fool themselves and find validation for their belief.

To understand why this order was chosen see this link: http://www.12x30.net/origin.html

http://www.neveh.org/winston/parsha63/nitzvylc.html

http://www.answering-islam.org/Nehls/Ask/number19.html

http://www.understanding-islam.com/rq/q-014.htm

(Towards Understanding the Qur’an, translated by Zafar Ishaq Ansari, vol. 1, p.58 note no. 34.) From the Ahadith (especially the Hadith of Mi’raj) http://www.pakistanlink.com/religion/2000/03-31.html)

Ibid

[Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 63. see also: Volume 3, Book 43, Number 633: and Volume 3, Book 43, Number 634:

Tales of the Prophets-Qisas al-anbiya, trans. Wheeler M. Thackston Jr.

[Great Books of the Islamic World, Inc., Distributed by Kazi Publications; Chicago, IL 1997], pp. 8-9)” taken from: http://answering-islam.org.uk/Quran/Science/seven_earths.html



Speed of Light in the Qur'an?



Muslims are hard at work trying to find miracles in the Qur'an and each day they "find" something new. They gloat about it and pump themselves, spread the glad tiding across the Internet, publish it in their newspapers, and challenge others to disprove that miracle, until someone shows their error and deflates them like a punctured balloon. This does not slow them. Since they are eager to find miracles, and since there is no end to human gullibility, especially when one WANTS to believe, they find a new miracle every day.





The Claim



In an article published in Islamicity.com, Dr. Mansour Hassab-Elnaby claims the verse 32.5 reveals that light in one day travels a distance equal to 12,000 lunar orbits, and upon calculating that distance we find the exact speed of light.



Here is verse 32:5 translated by Shakir:

“He regulates the affair from the heaven to the earth; then shall it ascend to Him in a day the measure of which is a thousand years of what you count..”



According to Dr. Hassab-Elnaby, "affairs" mentioned in this verse is "light." So this verse reveals that light can travel in one day the distance that will take the Moon, 1000 years to span.



It takes a Muslim's imagination to think this verse has anything to do with the speed of light. There is no mention of moon, light or even distance in this verse. However, let us agree with this assumed interpretation for now and see whether Dr. Hassab-Elnaby has his math right.



Rebuttal



The rebuttal is divided into 7 parts.



1. Wrong Calculation



The average center-to-center distance from the Earth to the Moon is 384,403 km.

The orbit of the Moon is nearly circular. (That is why we see the Moon always with the same size)



This means for the Moon to go a full circle around the Earth it must travel a distance of 2,415,273 km (Circumference of the lunar orbit = 2r π = 2 x 384,403 x 3.14159)



To orbit the earth 12,000 times the Moon must travel 28,983,278,898 km (2.415,273 x 12,000). This is how much the moon travels in 1000 lunar years.



Light travels at a constant speed of 299,792.458 km. per second



There are 86,400 seconds in one day (60x60x24)



In 24 hours, light travels a distance of 25,902,068,371 km (299,792.458 x 86,400).



These two numbers are not the same. They are not even close. There is a difference of 3,081,210,527 km (28,983,278,898 - 25,902,068,371) between the distance traveled by the Moon in 1000 lunar years and the distance traveled by light in one day.



This difference is over twenty times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. So clearly Dr. Hassab-Elnaby got it wrong. The two numbers do not match.



That is not all. There is a difference between lunar month (phases) and lunar orbit. The Moon makes a complete orbit around the Earth every 27.3 days, (siderial month) while the periodic variations in the geometry of the Earth–Moon–Sun system are responsible for the lunar phases that repeat every 29.5 days (synodic month). There is a difference of 2.2 days between the lunar month and the lunar orbit. (Wikipedia)



In one lunar year the Moon revolves around the Earth 12.967 times (29.5 x 12 / 27.3) and not 12 times. So the distance that the Moon travels in 1000 lunar years is actually 32, 045,078,461 km (12,967 x 2,4715,273).



The difference between this distance and the distance traveled by light in one day is 6,143,010,090 km (32, 045,078,461 - 25,902,068,371). It would take light, another 5 hours 41 minutes to travel this extra distance.



Alternatively we can say that the Moon revolves around the Earth 10,724 times to cover the distance that the light travels in 24 hours. (Distance traveled by light in one day 25,902,068,371 km / The orbit of the Moon 2,415,273 km).



It takes only 827 lunar years for the Moon to go this distance and not 1000 lunar years. (10,724 revolutions of the Moon around the Earth x 27.3 days that takes for each revolution / 354 days that exist in each lunar year).



No matter how you look at it Dr. Hassab-Elnaby's calculations are wrong. The distance traveled by the Moon in 1000 years and the distance traveled by light in one day are NOT the same.



We are not even considering the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, which inevitably the Moon must also thread. Taking that into account Dr. Hassab-Elnabi's calculations are 36.6 times off.



2. Wrong Translation



Which part of this verse talks about light or its speed? Dr. Hassab-Elnany writes: "Thus we conclude that the cosmic affair, mentioned in the previous Quranic verse, is identical to LIGHT and all similar cosmic affairs travelling in vacuum with this maximum speed such as: all types of electro magnetic waves propagating between the heavens and the earth, the expected Gravitational waves spreading all over the universe, and all particles travelling in this cosmic greatest spead such as neutrinos."



What a load of nonsense! All Muhammad is saying in this verse is that a day of Allah is 1000 years long. This is his way of saying Allah is big, everything about him is big, and even his days are big. Muhammad repeated the same thing in the verse 22.47

“Verily a day in the sight of thy Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning.”

There is no mention of affairs going up and down, light, magnetic waves, particles and neutrinos in this verse.



The length of the day is determined by how fast a planet revolves around its axis and it has nothing to do with the size of its inhabitants. All we can understand from this verse is that the creator of the world lives in a very slow revolving planet.



Just to show the absurdity and the confusion in the Qur'an let us see the verse 70:4:



“The angels and the spirit ascend unto him in a Day the measure whereof is (as) fifty thousand years.”



This verse has a similar content of the verse 32:5, but here it says that the length of the day of God is 50,000 years. This is a clear contradiction. Is a day of God 1000 years or is it 50,000 years? Does it mean that it takes 50,000 years for angels and spirits to reach God? That is awfully slow. Then how could Angel Gabriel take Muhammad to heaven and back in one night? The Qur'an is replete with contradictions and absurdities. Muhammad had found a gullible audience who gobbled everything he told them uncritically. He never thought one day his words will be scrutinized by people smarter than his benighted followers and his lies will be exposed.





3. Wrong Parameters



I am not done yet! There is still more problem with this claim. The speed of light is constant while the rotation of the Earth, thanks to losing its kinetic energy, is slowing down. Therefore, the days of the Earth are becoming longer. Also the Moon is getting away from the Earth and its orbit is widening. To orbit the Earth, the Moon has to travel a little more each time. This means that the length of the lunar months are increasing. How can one measure something that is constant with things that are variable?



Scientists believe that when the Earth was young, it span ten times faster around its axes than it is spinning today. Since the speed of light has remained the same all along, 4.5 billion years ago, in one day light traveled one tenth of the distance that it travels today.



There are nearly 4.5 million thousand years since the Moon is orbiting the Earth. As the Moon distances from the Earth it is slowing down. Since each millennium the orbit of the Moon and the Length of the day change, in which one of these 4.5 million millennia the Moon traveled the same distance that the light travels in one day? The claim is wrong, but even if true, only one time out of 4.5 million times the two numbers could match. Then again even a broken watch is right twice every day.



The very notion of measuring the speed of light with the orbit of the Moon or the length of the day is a fallacy, that is because the yardstick is constantly changing. Such an error only reveals the lack of understanding of Dr. Hassab-Elnaby of the basic principles of science.





4. Wrong Interpretation



The verse talks about the “affairs of God” being sent to Earth and then ascending to Him in one day, the length of which is 1000 years. How on Earth this educated slave of Allah has determined that "affairs" means light? The word used in Arabic is Amr. It means commandment, order, cause, and affair. This is an allusion to God’s religion and not to light. Amrullah means the Cause of God. A more accurate translation of this verse is, God sends his Cause to Earth, which will return to Him, i.e. it will be revoked in one day, the length of which is equal to 1000 years.



This is how Sheikh Ahmad Ahsai (1753 – 1826), founder of Shiite Sheikhieh school and his disciple Seyyed Kazim-i-Rashti (1792 – 1843) interpreted this verse. They claimed Islam does no longer meet the needs of the time and since it does not allow reform, it must be abrogated. However, since no one can abrogate the word of God but God himself, this task rests on the shoulders of the awaited Mahdi, the Promised One of the Shiites. Ahsai and Rashti said the end of Islam and the appearance of Mahdi has already been foretold in the Hadith and the Qur'an, and verse 32:5 gives the exact date.



According to these eminent scholars, Amrullah, the cause of God, was completed when the last intermediary between God and Mankind, Imam Hassan Askari died. Hassan Askari died in the lunar year 260 Hijra. Ahsai believed that since, according to the verse 32:5, one thousand years after the communication between God and mankind is interrupted the cause of God (Islam) would be revoked: يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ ,

Mahdi should manifest himself in the year 1260 Hijra (1844 EC)



Seyyed Kazem Rashti died one year before the expected year. He, was so sure that Mahdi would manifest himself in the coming year that he did not appoint any successor. He dissolved the Sheikhieh school ordering his disciples to scatter around Persia to find him. It was in this heightened atmosphere of expectation that the 26 year old Seyyed Ali Mohammad, native of Shiraz, claimed to be the Bab, the Gate to divine understanding, the Promised One. Thanks to his sincerity and Christ like innocence he attracted most of the students of Seyyed Kazem and in a short time the Babi movement became so popular that it took the country by storm. The amazing success of the Babis in converting the Iranians was seen as a threat by the clergy who instigated the young and inexperienced king, Nasereddin Shah to execute the Bab. They started a brutal campaign of persecution of Babis and subsequently Bahais that has lasted till this day.



I am not an apologist for Babism. I do not believe in Islam and do not think the Qur'an contains any prophecy. Anyone can interpret the Qur'an in anyway he pleases. I do not believe the Bab was a messenger of God. According to this author, that young man suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy, the evidence of that is in his prolific, verbose, and incoherent writings. He certainly believed in his cause and refused to recant in order to save his life. In all fairness, one can see that Ahsai and Rashti have given a much more logical interpretation to the Quranic verse 32:5 than Dr. Hassab-Elnaby, with his ludicrous claim that the verse reveals the speed of light.





5. Stolen Miracle



The funny thing is that the verse 32:5 is plagiarized from the Bible. Here are the original Biblical verses:



For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. [Psalm 90:4]



But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.[2 Peter 3:8]



When the Psalmist says a thousand years for God is like a watch in the night, he means God is timeless. In those days people used sundials to measure the time. It only worked in sunshine. This is a beautiful poetic way to say time does not exist for God. This thousand years should be taken allegorically and not literally.



Peter understood that. He said with Lord not only a thousand years is like one day, also one day is like a thousand years. What that humble fisherman was saying is that Time is irrelevant for God. Compare that with the pathetic attempt of Muslim doctors and scholars who take this allegory literally and try to find scientific equations in it. Taken poetically, this example is beautiful; taken literally, it is asinine.



Assuming there is a miracle in this allegory, shouldn't the credit go to the Bible? Isn't it interesting that neither the Jews nor the Christians make the claim that these verses reveal scientific information, but Muslims make that claim even though the verse is stolen from the Bible? What this tells us about the state of the mind of Muslims? Doesn't this show they are insecure and desperate to validate their illogical faith by clinging to any straw?





6. Does the Qur'an distinguish synodic and siderial months?



Dr. Mansour Hassab-Elnaby claims, "Quranic verse (10:5) discriminates between the synodic period for knowing the number of years and the real sidereal period for reckoning in scientific calculations." Here is the verse in question:



It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon to be a light [wrong. Moon is not a source of light], and measured out stages for her; that ye might know the number of years and the count. 10:5



This verse in no way discriminates between synodic and siderial months. Dr. Hassab-Elnaby is engaging in wishful thinking.





7. The Islamic Divine Comedy



In their quest to find miracles in the Qur'an, Muslims unwittingly make, not only Islam, but the entire Divine system look like a joke. Our good doctor says, "The verse begins with a reference to a certain "cosmic affair" which GOD creates and commands. This affair travels, permanently through the whole universe between the heavens and the Earth, so speedily that it crosses in ONE DAY a maximum distance in space equivalent to that which the moon passes during ONE THOUSAND LUNAR YEAR (i.e. during 12000 Sidereal months)."



This erudite Muslim is wrong again. Arabs count the synodic months that are 29.5 days and not the siderial months that are 27.3 days. The Qur'an is clear that these thousand years are of what you count .

" Only synodic months can be observed and counted. Siderial months are not observable and as the doctor himself rightly points out they are "for reckoning in scientific calculations." As I showed in section 1, in 1000 lunar years the Moon orbits the Earth 12,967 times and not 12,000 times. Dr. Hassab-Elnaby makes many deliberate errors to doctor his miracle.



"Affairs traveling permanently through the whole universe at speed of light?" Is he talking about UFOs? Now, when it comes to the Universe, the speed of light is not really that fast. It is a very slow way for God to run his affairs. These "cosmic affairs" traveling at the speed of light take one full day to reach the Earth. If you are in peril, forget about asking Allah for help. By the time he sends you his succor, a day is passed and that is often too late.



Consider yourself lucky because Allah is only one light day away from the Earth (I thought Muhammad said he is closer to us than our jugular vein). He lives just around the corner of our solar system. Think of other poor creatures that live hundreds or thousands light years away, or those who live in galaxies that are millions or billions light years away from God. How can God run his affairs in those galaxies when the communication is so slow? For all intent and purposes, as far as those far away galaxies are concerned God does not exist. Just as their light hardly reach us, and when it does it is after millions of years the "affairs of Allah" can hardly reach them. In his zeal to ascribe miracles to the prosaic book of Muhammad, Dr. Hassab-Elnaby throws out of the window the concept of omnipresence of God altogether. The maker of the Universe, according to this Muhammadan, depends on the speed of light to manage his affairs.



It is pathetic that in this day of science and enlightenment, over a billion otherwise normal people, many of whom doctors and educated, should still follow an ignoramus of the seventh century and waste their time trying to find meaning and even miracles in his asinine balderdash. This should tell you everything you need to know about Muslim intelligentsia. The fact that Islamicity.com, arguably the most prestigious Islamic site has published this gobbledygook proves the intellectual bankruptcy of the ummah.



Islam is a joke. It is an irony that so many smart people have reduced themselves into jokers and laughing stocks for mankind. The more Muslims try to make Islam look logical and scientific the more ridiculous THEY look.

FEMALE BEES PRODUCE HONEY

Islamists claim that it is mentioned in quran that only female bees can produce honey. Which is miracleous.Here is full claim:



"And Your lord inspired the bee, to build your dwellings in hills, on trees, and in (human’s) habitations. Then, to eat of all the produce and follow the ways of your Lord made easy. There comes forth from their bodies a drink of varying colour, wherein is healing for men: Verily, in this is a sign for those who give thought." (The Quran, 16:68-69)

The imperative "build" above is the translation of the Arabic word "attakhithi", which is the feminine form (Arabic grammar unlike English, differentiates between the sexes). The feminine form is used when all of those it refers to are female, whereas the masculine is used when a group consists of at least 1 male.

Therefore the Quran is in fact saying "build, you female bees.."

A swarm of bees , which collect honey and build the hive, are female only.

Thus, the phrasing of this command is in agreement with the scientific fact that male bees do not partake in the construction of the hive.

Microscopes were not invented until 1610, when Galileo invented one of the first microscopes almost a thousand years after Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It is only Allah, the Creator of all things, who revealed such details over 1,423 years ago. This one word of the Quran is sufficient to prove that Quran is from non other than Allah! (source)





Rebuttal



The belief that worker bees are female existed at least from a time dating back to Aristotle and perhaps much before him.



Describing the various theories about the bees prevalent in his time, Aristotle wrote: “Others, again, assert that these insects copulate, and that the drones are male and the bees female.” [History of Animals, Book 5, Ch. 21]

Aristotle observed that the brood of drones appears even when there is no ruler bee in the hive. This is an accurate observation. As we know today, unfertilized female workers can lay eggs in the absence of a queen, but the eggs develop into drones. Aristotle gave a fairly accurate description of the bees with only few mistakes like confusing the gender of the Queen and calling it King.



Aristotle lived in 350 BC or 1000 years before Muhammad. Therefore, the concept of bees being female was not an invention of Muhammad. In fact the word bee in Arabic



What Muhammad said about bees?

”And thy Lord taught the Bee to build its cells in hills, on trees, and in (men's) habitations;” [Q 16.068]



That is all the information there is in the Quran about the bees. There is nothing ground breaking in what we see in this verse. This is something that not only people, but also the bears and the birds know. So Muhammad states something obvious known to everyone including animals. What is the miracle in this verse? The “miracle” as Muslims claim is that Muhammad refers to bees in female gender.



The word bee in Arabic is nahla. This word was not invented by Muhammad. This is an Arabic word used by everyone who speaks Arabic. The word is feminine. In Arabic some words are feminine some are masculine. The fact that Muhammad uses an Arabic word that happens to be feminine is no indication that he was the first who discovered bees are female. In fact not all bees are female.



The gender of the worker bees was already known to everyone at least for 1000 years before Muhammad. All Arabs used the same word even before Muhammad. Why Muhammad should be called a miracle-maker and they who taught Muhammad the word should be called "ignorant", as Muhammad disparagingly referred to all those who lived before him?





QURAN PREDICTED BLACK HOLES AND PULSARS





INTRODUCTION

Harun Yahya makes many claims of Quranic Science. This article seeks to debunk two such claims, namely that the Quran predicted black holes and pulsars.



I will show the absurdity of the black hole claim, while showing the pulsar claim to be conjectural and devoid of factual basis. In doing so, I will also show Harun Yahya’s self-contradiction as he used the same Quranic verse to ‘prove’ both the black hole and the pulsar. Now, even to the uninitiated, it would seem impossible for something to be both a black hole and a pulsar. However, Islamists do not appear to be inhibited by such constraints of logic.



ANALYSIS

Quote:

http://www.harunyahya.com/ articles/ramadan_2004/ramadan_ pages_2004_day30.php

http://www.miraclesofthequran. com/scientific_37.html

http://www.answering- christianity.com/ac20.htm BLACK HOLES Haroon Yahya wrote to his site: “The 20th century saw a great many new discoveries regarding celestial phenomena in the universe. One of these entities, which has only recently been encountered, is the Black Hole. These are formed when a star which has consumed all its fuel collapses in on itself, eventually turning into a black hole with infinite density and zero volume and an immensely powerful magnetic field. We are unable to see black holes even with the most powerful telescope, because their gravitational pull is so strong that light is unable to escape from them. However, such a collapsed star can be perceived by means of the effect it has on the surrounding area. In Surat al-Waqi'a, Allah draws attention this matter in this way, by swearing upon the position of stars: And I swear by the stars' positions-and that is a mighty oath if you only knew. (Qur'an, 56:75-76)”





This verse doesn’t say anything about a collapsed star. Only the position of the stars. It is the conjecture of the Islamist that the verse refers to collapsed stars. In fact, some translations allude to shooting or falling stars, i.e. meteors.



Khalifa: I swear by the positions of the stars. Yusuf Ali: Furthermore I call to witness the setting of the Stars,- Pickthall: Nay, I swear by the places of the stars - Shakir: But nay! I swear by the falling of stars; Sher Ali: Nay, I cite as proof the shooting of the stars - "Progressive Muslims": I swear by the positions of the stars.



This surah does not speak about black holes at all, but about the Day of Decision (aka Day of Judgment). Therefore, it cannot possibly refer to black holes which were formed and continue to be formed long before this specific day.



Shakir:



77:0 In the name of Allah, tho Beneficent, the Merciful. 77:1 I swear by the emissary winds, sent one after another (for men's benefit), 77:2 By the raging hurricanes, 77:3 Which scatter clouds to their destined places, 77:4 Then separate them one from another, 77:5 Then I swear by the angels who bring down the revelation, 77:6 To clear or to warn. 77:7 Most surely what you are threatened with must come to pass. 77:8 So when the stars are made to lose their light, 77:9 And when the heaven is rent asunder, 77:10 And when the mountains are carried away as dust, 77:11 And when the apostles are gathered at their appointed time. 77:12 To what day is the doom fixed? 77:13 To the day of decision.





He further claimed:



“Moreover, stars of great mass also cause warps to be perceived in space. Black holes, however, do not just cause warps in space but also tear holes in it. That is why these collapsed stars are known as black holes. This fact may be referred to in the verse about stars, and this is another important item of information demonstrating that the Qur'an is the Word of Allah:

[I swear] by Heaven and the Tariq! And what will convey to you what the Tariq is? The Star Piercing [the darkness]! (Qur'an, 86:1-3)”



The verse actually refers to Tariq, a specific star. Some say it is the morning star (Pickthall and Sher Ali). Firstly, a star that pierces the darkness (or has piercing brightness) cannot be a black hole.



Secondly, if the reference by Pickthall and Sher Ali is correct, the Tariq or morning star is Venus, a planet and not a star [link].



Even some Islamists believe that the Tariq could be Saturn or the Pleiades. [link]



Therefore, it would appear Harun Yahya's claim, that the Quran speaks about black holes, cannot be supported by either the reading of the entire surah, or by the scientific facts about black holes.



In fact, Harun Yahya contradicts himself because he used the same Quranic verse to 'prove' Tariq is a pulsar, as opposed to a black hole. Truly the miracles of the Quran know no bounds!



http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_38.html

http://www.harunyahya.com/articles/ramadan_2004/ramadan_pages_2004_day29.php





Quote:

PULSARS: PULSATING STARS

[I swear] by Heaven a nd the Tariq! And what will convey to you what the Tariq is? The Star Piercing [the darkness]! (Qur'an, 86:1-3) Pulsars are the remains of extinguished stars which emit very powerful, pulse-like radio waves and which revolve very rapidly around their own axes. It has been calculated that there are more than 500 pulsars in the Milky Way, of which our Earth is a part. The word "Tariq," name of the Sura 86, comes from the root "tarq," whose basic meaning is that of striking hard enough to produce a sound, or hitting. Bearing in mind the word's possible meaning as "beating," "striking hard," our attention may be being drawn in this sura to an important scientific fact. Before analysing this information, let us look at the other words employed in the verse to describe these stars. The term "alttariqi" in the above verse means a star that pierces the night, that pierces the darkness, born at night, piercing and moving on, beating, striking, or sharp star. Furthermore, the term "waal" draws attention to the things being sworn on-the heaven and the Tariq. Through research carried out by Jocelyn Bell Burnell, at Cambridge University in 1967, a regular radio signal was identified. Until that time, however, it was not known that that there was a heavenly body that could be the source of regular pulse or beating rather like that of the heart. In 1967, however, astronomers stated that, as matter grows denser in the core as it revolves around its own axis, the star's magnetic field also grows stronger, and thus gives rise to a magnetic field at its poles 1 trillion times stronger than that of Earth. They realised that a body revolving so fast and with such a powerful magnetic field emits rays consisting of very powerful radio waves in a conic form at every revolution. Shortly afterwards, it was also realised that the source of these signals is the rapid revolution of neutron stars. These newly discovered neutron stars are known as "pulsars." These stars, which turn into pulsars through supernova explosions, are of the greatest mass, and are the brightest and fastest moving bodies in the universe. Some pulsars revolve 600 times a second.50 The word "pulsar" comes from the verb to pulse. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word means to pulsate, to beat. Encarta Dictionary defines it as to beat rhythmically, to move or throb with a strong regular rhythm. Again, according to the Encarta Dictionary, the word "pulsate," which comes from the same root, means to expand and contract with a strong regular beat. Following that discovery, it was realised that the phenomenon described in the Qur'an as "tariq," beating, bore a great similarity to the neutron stars known as pulsars. Neutron stars form as the nuclei of super giant stars collapse. The highly compressed and dense matter, in the form of a rapidly revolving sphere, entraps and squeezes most of the star's weight and magnetic field. The powerful magnetic field created by these rapidly revolving neutron stars has been shown to cause the emission of powerful radio waves observable on Earth. In the third verse of Surat at-Tariq the term "alnnajmu alththaqibu," meaning piercing, piercing and moving on, or opening holes, indicates that Tariq is a bright star that pierces a hole in the darkness and moves on. The concept of the term "adraka" in the expression "And what will convey to you what the Tariq is?" refers to comprehension. Pulsars, formed through the compression of stars several times the size of the Sun, are among those celestial bodies that are hard to comprehend. The question in the verse emphasizes how hard it is to comprehend this beating star. (Allah knows best.) As discussed, the stars described as Tariq in the Qur'an bear a close similarity to the pulsars described in the 20th century, and may reve al to us another scientific miracle of the Qur'an.





Harun Yahya's howlers:



1. Pulsars are hard to comprehend.



Not really. Their structure is as well understood as many other celestial bodies.



2. Pulsars are the brightest bodies in the universe.



Not really. Pulsars are weak optical emitters. Only a few pulsars can be seen with an optical telescope, and only one pulsar is bright enough to be seen reasonably well. In fact, it was not until 1967 that pulsars were discovered on radio emissions, not optically. (link)



It is not pulsars but quasars that are the brightest objects in the universe. (Ref)



http://www.xs4all.nl/~carlkop/brights.html

Are pulsars the strongest radio emitters? Not really. The infrared star NML Cygni sat 1612 megahertz is the strongest radio emission line yet detected. Other strong radio emitters include radio galaxies such as Cygnus-A, quasars and gas clouds.



3. Pulsars are the fastest moving bodies in the universe.



Not proven. There appears some confusion between neutron stars and pulsars. Whilst it is true that all pulsars are neutron stars, not all neutron stars are pulsars. The fastest moving stars are neutron stars, such as RX J185635-3754, Barnard’s star or SGR1900+14. (ref. 1, ref. 2)



4. The term "alttariqi" means a star that pierces the night, that pierces the darkness, born at night, piercing and moving on, beating, striking, or sharp star.



The Islamist gave the definition of the root “tarq” as beat or strike hard. Nowhere is there the implication of ‘moving on’. So, we’re left with only a star that pierces. But does this mean that the Tariq is a pulsar? This tafsir defines tariq as way, not a pulsar.



Quote: The term / tariq / is derived from / tarq / 'to pound'. And / tariq / means 'way' because the path is pounded by the feet of pedestrians. The term /matraqah/ 'a sledge hammer' is used for pounding iron and materials like this. And since the doors are closed at night when people arrive they have to pound on them to gain permission to enter, then, that which comes at night is called /tariq/ 'the night-visitant'.

http://www.al-islam.org/enlightening/58.htm

Here is another definition giving the meaning, ‘night visitor’ from the root of ‘knock’ing of the door. (ref)

Muhammad Asad reads Taraqa to mean beat something or knock at something.



Quote: * Some commentators assume that what is described here as at-tariq ("that which comes in the night") is the morning-star, because it appears towards the end of the night; others - like Zamakhshari or Raghib - understand by it "the star" in its generic sense. Now if we analyze the origin of this noun, we find that it is derived from the verb taraqa, which primarily means "he beat [something]" or "knocked [at something]"; hence, taraqa 'l-bab, "he knocked at the door". Tropically, the noun signifies "anything [or "anyone"] that comes in the night", because a person who comes to a house by night is expected to knock at the door (Taj al-Arus). In the Qur'anic mode of expression, at-tariq is evidently a metaphor for the heavenly solace which sometimes comes to a human being lost in the deepest darkness of affliction and distress; or for the sudden, intuitive enlightenment which disperses the darkness of uncertainty; or, finally, for divine revelation, which knocks, as it were, at the doors of man's heart.. and thus fulfils the functions of both solace and enlightenment. (For my rendering of the adjurative wa as "Consider", see surah 74, first half of note 23.)



http://www.geocities.com/masad02/086.html



Does beat, strike, knock, pound, pierce mean pulse? It seems a stretch of the imagination to suggest that. Hence I contend that the definition of Tariq of beat, pierce, strike, knock, and pound does not suggest the pulsing characteristics of a pulsar.



In terms of piercing the darkness, it would appear pulsars are neither the brightest, nor the strongest radio emitters in the Universe.



Regardless, it would appear that at Tariq refers to a singular star, not a collective of pulsars. If it is a single pulsar, which one is it? Sadly, the Quran doesn’t say, leaving the logical conclusion, due to its singular noun, that it refers to something the 7th Century Arabs knew about.





CONCLUSION

The claim that the Quran predicted the modern understanding of Black Holes is not backed by the scientific evidence.



The claim that the Quran predicted the modern understanding of pulsars is conjectural and not supported by the scientific evidence.



It can also be seen that a black hole cannot possibly also be a pulsar. Thus it appears that Harun Yahya has refuted himself.





Cat’s Eye Like Nebula

The verse you brought is:



"And when the heaven splitteth asunder and becometh ROSY LIKE PAINT - (The Noble Quran, 55:37)"

In Arabic (55:37:

فَإِذَا



انشَقَّتِ



السَّمَاء



فَكَانَتْ



وَرْدَةً



كَالدِّهَانِ

Transliteration: Faithainshaqqati ssamao fakanat wardatan kaalddihan



The literal translation is "when the skies split asunder and becomes rosy red or rosy paint like"



What does this say exactly? It says about something that will happen in the future. was Muhammad pointing to rosy explotions ? Not at all, because all you want to do is just read the whole chapter focusing especially on the verses before and after 55:37



What this specific chapter has in common is a pop up verse like “Which is it, of the favors of your Lord that ye deny?”

This verses repeating in the chapter many times. Chapter itself is very much poetic.



Now let’s read a few verses before and after verses 55:37 (that means in context).



We shall settle your affairs, O you two classes (djinns and men)! (55:31) (Sanafrukhu lakum ayyuhal thaqlan)

God, the alleged author of Quran speaks of a day, when he will settle the matters of djinns and men. God’s two classes of creatures.



Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (djinns and men) deny?

(55:32) (Fabi ayyi aalai rabbikuma tukazziban)

No need to interpret this verse..; God asks mankind and djinns how they are going to deny his blessings. That’s all.



O assembly of djinns and men! If you have power to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass (them)! But you will never be able to pass them, except with authority (from Allah)! (55:33) [Ya ma’aashara aljinni walinsi ini istataa’tum an tanfuthoo min aqtari assamawati waalardi faonfuthoo la tanfuthoona illa bisultan]

Again see; god addresses both djinns and human beings. He alerts none of his creatures can pierce through heaven and earth except with his authority. To understand this well, one will have to read the verses following.



Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (djinns and men) deny? (55:34)

There will be sent against you both, smokeless flames of fire and (molten) brass, and you will not be able to defend yourselves. (55:35) Yursalu alaykuma shuwatun min narin wanuhasun fala tantasiran



See the beginning of this verse. It is in future tense.

“Yursalu= Will be sent"

That signifies of something that is going to happen in future. Not in past or present, but in future. Okay let’s move on.



Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (djinns and men) deny? (55:36) Then when the heaven is rent asunder, and it becomes rosy or red like red-oil, or red hide. (55:37) (Faitha inshaqqati assamao fakanat wardatan ka’ddihan)



This is it. God will split the heaven and it will become rosy red. Again something that is going to happen in a certain period. Move again:



Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (djinns and men) deny? (55:38) So on that Day no question will be asked of man or jinn as to his sin, (55:39) (Fayawmaithin la yusalu an thanbihi insun wala jan)



Here it is:

The day neither man nor djinns will be asked of their sins. But god will settle the matters in between djinns and human beings. (As said in verse 55:31)



But which is that day? This present living period? Not at all, because nobody has seen djinns so far. So, the day is yet to occur. It hangs about in the belly of future. A certain day. To make more clear, continue reading…



Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (djinns and men) deny? (55:40)

The Mujrimun (polytheists, criminals, sinners, etc.) will be known by their marks (black faces), and they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet. (55:41) (Yua’rafu almujrimoona biseemahum fayukhathu binnawasee wal’aqdam)



Got it…! It is the Day of Judgment.

Mujrimun= sinners, criminals

It denotes infidels who aren’t believed in Allah and his religion. They will be known by their marks and will be seized by their forelocks and their feet. This happens in the Day of Judgment.



QURAN AND ALL CREATION IN PAIRS

INTRODUCTION

It is my observation that some Islamists, particularly those who are Western-educated, strive to prove the validity of the Quran through supposed scientific miracles enclosed therein. Typically, they quote ‘vague’ verses amenable to multiple interpretations and then choose the few interpretations to suit their aims. Some of these are even quite convincing, particularly when articulated by knowledgeable Islamists and where absolute proof is impossible due to the nature of the question.



This article seeks to debunk just one of these claims, which is the claim that Allah created all creatures in pairs, male and female.



Quran 13.3

Yusuf Ali: And it is He who spread out the earth, and set thereon mountains standing firm and (flowing) rivers: and fruit of every kind He made in pairs, two and two: He draweth the night as a veil o'er the Day. Behold, verily in these things there are signs for those who consider! Pickthal: And He it is Who spread out the earth and placed therein firm hills and flowing streams, and of all fruits He placed therein two spouses (male and female). He covereth the night with the day. Lo! herein verily are portents for people who take thought. Shakir: And He it is Who spread the earth and made in it firm mountains and rivers, and of all fruits He has made in it two kinds; He makes the night cover the day; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect. Sher Ali: And HE it is Who spread out the earth and made therein mountains and rivers, and of fruits of every kind HE made therein two sexes. HE causes the night to cover the day. Therein, verily, are Signs for a people who reflect. [Wahuwa allathee madda al-arda wajaAAala feeha rawasiya waanharan wamin kulli alththamarati jaAAala feeha zawjayni ithnayni yughshee allayla alnnahara inna fee thalika laayatin liqawmin yatafakkaroona]





Quran 36.36

Yusuf Ali: Glory to God, Who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge. Pickthal: Glory be to Him Who created all the sexual pairs, of that which the earth groweth, and of themselves, and of that which they know not! Shakir: Glory be to Him Who created pairs of all things, of what the earth grows, and of their kind and of what they do not know. Sher Ali: Holy is HE Who created all things in pairs, of what the earth grows and of themselves, and of what they know not. [Subhana allathee khalaqa al-azwaja kullaha mimma tunbitu al-ardu wamin anfusihim wamimma la yaAAlamoona]





Quran 043:012:

Yusuf Ali: That has created pairs in all things, and has made for you ships and cattle on which ye ride, Pickthal: He Who created all the pairs, and appointed for you ships and cattle whereupon ye ride. Shakir: And He Who created pairs of all things, and made for you of the ships and the cattle what you ride on, Sher Ali: And Who has created pairs of all things, and has made for you ships and cattle whereon you ride, [Waallathee khalaqa al-azwaja kullaha wajaAAala lakum mina alfulki waal-anAAami ma tarkaboona]





Quran 051.049:

Yusuf Ali: And of every thing We have created pairs: That ye may receive instruction. Pickthal: And all things We have created by pairs, that haply ye may reflect. Shakir: And of everything We have created pairs that you may be mindful. Sher Ali: And of everything have WE created pairs that you may reflect. [Wamin kulli shay-in khalaqna zawjayni laAAallakum tathakkaroona]



Please note that due to the ‘richness of the Arabic language’ and because Allah made the Quran 'clear and easy to understand', some Islamists may try to argue that at least some of these verses do not convey the message that ‘ALL CREATURES’ are created in pairs, taking the literal or metaphorical sense whichever and whenever suits them best.



For example, a disingenuous Islamist may claim that verse 13:3 refers only to FRUITS, or that verse 36:36 refers only to things grown from the Earth (i.e. plants). However verses 43:12 and 51:49 make it absolutely clear that Allah created ALL CREATURES in pairs. There is no ambiguity.



I will ignore the following verses, recognizing the possibility of relevance solely to humans. Further, their inclusion does not detract from my arguments.

"That He did create in pairs,- male and female, (The Noble Quran, 53:45)" "And of him He made two sexes, male and female. (The Noble Quran, 75:39)" "By (the mystery of) the creation of male and female; (The Noble Quran, 92:3)"





The Islamists Case



PAIRS IN LIVING THINGS (Ref.)

One of the most recent of all scientific discoveries is that everything in the universe exists in pairs such as male and female among living things. Now we find that rock crystals also have pairs.



The Qur'an says: And of everything We have created pairs: That ye may receive Instruction.



Surah Zariyat, 51: 49 A. Yusuf All in note 5025 item (3) says,

"All things are in twos: sex in plants and animals, by which one individual is complementary to another; in the subtle forces of nature. Day and Night, positive and negative electricity, forces of attraction and repulsion: and numerous other opposites, each fulfilling its purpose, and contributing to the working of God's Universe; and in the moral and spiritual world. Love and Aversion, Mercy and Justice, Striving and Rest, and so on;-all fulfilling their functions according to the Artistry and wonderful Purpose of God. Everything has its counterpart, or pair, or complement. God alone is One, with none like Him, or needed to complement Him. These are noble things to contemplate. And they lead us to a true understanding of God's Purpose and Message."



http://www.science4islam.com/html/sci-04e.html…we find in the following verse more generalizations where Allah Says; (And of everything we have created pairs, that ye may receive instruction). The word “thing we together with the people who preceded us have understood it to be inclusive to contain humans, plants and animals. Since the Quran has included them all in this verse and told us that all creatures were made up of males and females.



PLANTS CREATED IN PAIRS, MALE AND FEMALE (Ref)

Previously humans did not know that plants too have male and female gender distinctions. Botany states that every plant has a male and female gender. Even the plants that are unisexual have distinct elements of both male and female. “‘And has sent Down water from the sky.’ With it have We produced Diverse pairs of plants Each separate from the others.” [Al- Qur’aan 20:53]



FRUITS CREATED IN PAIRS, MALE AND FEMALE

“And fruit Of every kind He made In pairs, two and two.” [Al-Qur’aan 13:3]

Fruit is the end product of reproduction of the superior plants. The stage preceding fruit is the flower, which has male and female organs (stamens and ovules). Once pollen has been carried to the flower, they bear fruit, which in turn matures and frees its seed. All fruits therefore imply the existence of male and female organs; a fact that is mentioned in the Qur’aan.

In certain species, fruit can come from non-fertilized flowers (parthenocarpic fruit) e.g. bananas, certain types of pineapple, fig, orange, vine, etc. They also have definite sexual characteristics.



EVERYTHING MADE IN PAIRS

“And of everything We have created pairs.” [Al-Qur’aan 51:49]

This refers to things other than humans, animals, plants and fruits. It may also be referring to a phenomenon like electricity in which the atoms consist of negatively – and positively – charged electrons and protons.



“Glory to Allah, Who created In pairs all things that The earth produces, as well as Their own (human) kind And (other) things of which They have no knowledge.” [Al-Qur’aan 36:36]

The Qur’aan here says that everything is created in pairs, including things that the humans do not know at present and may discover later.



MATTER AND ANTIMATTER

Some Islamists claim the mere existence of antimatter complements to matter, without regard to their relative abundance (matter dominates in our universe after the first second post the Big Bang) proves the validity of the ‘creation in pairs’ verses, particularly 43:12, 51:49, and especially 36:36 (as in “pairs of things unknown to them”). The ‘things unknown to them’ part supposedly refers to our modern understanding of particle physics.



The British physicist Paul Dirac, who discovered that matter was created in pairs, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933. This finding, known as "parity," revealed the duality known as matter and antimatter. Antimatter bears the opposite characteristics to matter. For instance, contrary to matter, antimatter electrons are positive and protons negative.



An Islamist making this sort of claim is Osama Abdallah of Answering-Christianity. (Ref)





Rebutting the Islamists Case

The case against the Quran and the Islamists is really very simple. All one has to do is to show that not all creatures are ‘created’ in pairs. My opinion is that Muhammad, being the camel-riding, scimitar-wielding, raping & pillaging desert bandit that he was, didn’t have access to a microscope or a good Level 1 biology textbook. Therefore, he couldn’t have known about asexual organisms, parthenogenetic organisms, or hermaphrodites.



It was all too easy for Muhammad to observe male and female humans, camels, dogs, and even devils, jinns, and angels. But as he had no idea about micro-organisms and herpetology he was unaware that he was mistaken in his belief that all creatures came in males and females.



The alternative theses are also interesting: either Allah forgot He created asexual, parthenogenetic, and hermaphroditic organisms; Allah forgot to tell Jibreel; Jibreel didn’t listen to Allah; or Jibreel forgot to tell Muhammad.



Given this glaring mistake that all creatures are created in (male-female) pairs it is clear that Muhammad made up the Quran.



1. The Quran leaves out asexual organisms. (Ref)

Asexual reproduction is found in the majority of living organisms, including most plants, protists (e.g. bacteria, protozoans, and unicellular algae and fungi), and many lower invertebrates such as tapeworms.



Other examples of asexual reproductive organisms are hydrae and many lower plants (e.g. ferns). Some organisms are also capable of regeneration, a specialized form of asexual reproduction, for example starfish, polyps, zebrafish, flatworms, newts, and salamanders. Many plants are capable of total regeneration. Among animals, the lower the form, the more capable it is of total regeneration; no vertebrates have this power (except artificially in the lab). Regeneration is closely allied to vegetative reproduction, the formation of a new individual by various parts of the organism not specialized for reproduction. The highest animals that exhibit vegetative reproduction are the colonial tunicates (e.g. sea squirts), which, much like plants, send out runners in the form of stolons, small parts of which form buds that develop into new individuals.



(Note that hydra and jellyfish and many primarily asexual organisms are also capable of sexual reproduction – however many simple organisms like bacterial, yeasts and Fungi Imperfecti are totally asexual).



2. The Quran leaves out hermaphrodites.

Some creatures, including plants, are totally hermaphrodites. For example, sponges, snails, the slug-like sea hare, and some kinds of deep-sea arrow worms are hermaphrodites, that is, they have both sexes in one body.



Some creatures also change their sex during their life-cycles: Quahogs (hard-shell clams) are born and grow up male, but later half of them turn female. Slipper shells and cup and saucer shells do this too; they commence every season as males, but nearly all of them later pass through a phase of ambisexuality and turn into adult females. Some species change sex depending on their environment, such as the marine worm Ophryotrocha, if the portly young females are later underfed they revert back into males again. Some fish can also change sex spontaneously, for example some groupers and guppies.

(Ref