ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
1 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful 

1. INTRODUCTION 
Ever since the dawn of human life on this planet, 
Man has always tried to understand Nature, his 
own place in the scheme of Creation and the purpose 
of Life itself. In this quest for Truth, spanning many 
centuries and diverse civilizations, organized 
religion has shaped human life and, to a large 
extent, has determined the course of history. While 
some religions have been based on written text, 
claimed by their followers to be divinely inspired, 
others have relied solely on human experience. 

Al-Quran, the main source of the Islamic faith, is 
a book believed by its followers, the Muslims, to be 
completely of Divine origin. Muslims also believe 
that it contains guidance for all humankind. Since 
the message of the Quran is believed to be for all 
times, it should be relevant to every age. But does 
the Quran pass this test? 

In this booklet, I intend to give an objective analysis 
of the Muslim belief regarding the Divine origin of 
the Quran, particularly in the light of established 
scientific discoveries. 

There was a time, in the history of world civilization, 
when miracles, or what were perceived to be 
miracles, took precedence over human reason and 
logic. Of course, the normal defination of miracle is 
simply, anything that takes place out of the normal 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
2 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

course of life and for which humankind has no 
explanation. 

However, we must be careful before accepting 
something as a miracle. In 1993, The Times of 
India, Mumbai, reported that a saint by the name 
Baba Pilot claimed to have stayed continuously 
submerged under water in a tank for three 
consecutive days and nights. However, when 
reporters wanted to examine the bottom of the tank 
of water in which he claimed to have performed his 
miraculous feat, he refused to let them do so. He 
argued by asking as to how one could examine the 
womb of a mother that gives birth to a child. 
Obviously the saint had something to conceal! His 
claim was a gimmick simply to gain publicity. 
Surely, no modern person with even the slightest 
inkling towards rational thinking would accept such 
a miracle. If such false miracles are the tests of 
divinity, then we would have to accept all world 
famous magicians known for their ingenious 
magical tricks and illusions, as genuine God-men! 

A book, claiming to be of Divine origin, is in effect, 
claiming to be a miracle. Such a claim should be 
easily verifiable in any age, according to the 
standards of that age. Muslims believe, that the 
Quran is the last and final revelation of God, the 
miracle of miracles, revealed as a mercy to mankind. 
Let us therefore investigate the veracity of this 
belief. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
3 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

THE CHALLENGE OF THE QURAN 

Literature and poetry have been instruments of 
human expression and creativity, in all cultures. 
The world also witnessed an age when literature 
and poetry occupied pride of position, similar to that 
now enjoyed by science and technology. 

Even non-Muslim scholars agree that the Quran is 
Arabic literature par excellence  that it is the best 
Arabic literature on the face of the earth. The Quran 
challenges mankind to produce the likes of it: 

And if ye are in doubt 
as to what We have revealed 
from time to time to Our servant, 

then produce a Surah like 
thereunto; 

and call your witnesses or helpers 
(if there are any) besides Allah, 

if your (doubts) are true. 


But if ye cannot 

and of a surety you cannot 




then fear the Fire
whose fuel is Men and Stones 



which is prepared for those
who reject Faith.



[Al-Quran 2:23-24]1 


1 Al-Quran 2:23-24 indicates Surah or Chapter No. 2 and Aayaat 
or Verses 23 and 24. The same notation is followed throughout 
this book. References and translation of the Quran are from 
the translation of the Quran by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, new revised 
edition, 1989, published by Amana Corporation, Maryland, USA. 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
4 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

The challenge of the Quran, is to produce a single 
Surah (chapter) like the Surahs it contains. The same 
challenge is repeated in the Quran several times. 
The challenge to produce a Surah, which, in beauty, 
eloquence, depth and meaning is at least somewhat 
similar to a Quranic Surah remains unmet to this day. 

A modern rational man, however, would never accept 
a religious scripture which says, in the best possible 
poetic language, that the world is flat. This is because 
we live in an age, where human reason, logic and science 
are given primacy. Not many would accept the Qurans 
extraordinarily beautiful language, as proof of its 
Divine origin. Any scripture claiming to be a divine 
revelation must also be acceptable on the strength of its 
own reason and logic. 

According to the famous physicist and Nobel Prize 
winner, Albert Einstein, Science without religion is 
lame. Religion without science is blind. Let us therefore 
study the Quran, and analyze whether the Quran and 
Modern Science are compatible or incompatible? 

The Quran is not a book of Science but a book of 
Signs, i.e. Aayaats. There are more than six thousand 
Signs in the Quran of which more than a thousand 
deal with hard core Science. 

We all know that many a times Science takes a U-turn. 
In this book I have considered only established scientific 
facts and not hypotheses and theories based on mere 
assumptions and not backed by proof. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
5 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

2. ASTRONOMY 
CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE: 
THE BIG BANG 

The creation of the universe is explained by 
astrophysicists as a widely accepted phenomenon, 
popularly known as The Big Bang. It is supported 
by observational and experimental data gathered by 
astronomers and astrophysicists for decades. 
According to The Big Bang, the whole universe was 
initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then there 
was a Big Bang (Secondary Separation) which 
resulted in the formation of Galaxies. These then 
divided to form stars, planets, the sun, the moon, 
etc. The origin of the universe was unique and the 
probability of it happening by chance is nil. 

The Quran contains the following verse regarding 
the origin of the universe: 

Do not the Unbelievers see 
that the heavens and the earth 

were joined together (as one 
unit of Creation), before 

We clove them asunder? 

[Al-Quran 21:30] 

The striking similarity between the Quranic verse 
and The Big Bang is inescapable! How could a book, 
which first appeared in the deserts of Arabia 1400 
years ago, contain this profound scientific truth? 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
6 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

INITIAL GASEOUS MASS BEFORE 
CREATION OF GALAXIES 

Scientists agree that before the galaxies in the 
universe were formed, celestial matter was 
initially in the form of gaseous matter. In short, 
huge gaseous matter or clouds were present 
before the formation of the galaxies. To describe 
initial celestial matter, the word smoke is more 
appropriate than gas. The following Quranic verse 
refers to this state of the universe by the word 
dukhaan which means smoke. 

Moreover, He Comprehended 
in His design the sky, 

and it had been (as) smoke: 

He said to it and to the earth: 
Come ye together, 

willingly or unwillingly. 

They said: We do come (together), 
in willing obedience. 

[Al-Quran 41:11] 

Again, this fact is a corollary to the Big Bang and 
was not known to anyone before the prophetehood of 
Muhammad (Peace be upon him)1. What then, could 
have been the source of this knowledge? 

1 Muslims also send salutations upon all the previous divinely 
inspired Prophets on taking their names. 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
7 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

SHAPE OF THE EARTH IS SPHERICAL 

In early times, people believed that the earth was 
flat. For centuries, men were afraid to venture out 
too far, for fear of falling off the edge! Sir Francis 
Drake was the first person who proved that the 
earth is spherical when he sailed around it in 1597. 

Consider the following Quranic verse regarding the 
alternation of day and night: 

Seest thou not that Allah 


merges Night into Day 

and He merges Day into Night? 

[Al-Quran 31:29] 


Merging here means that the night slowly and 
gradually changes to day and vice versa. This 
phenomenon can only take place if the earth is 
spherical. If the earth was flat, there would have 
been a sudden change from night to day and from 
day to night. 

The following verse also alludes to the spherical 
shape of the earth: 

He created the heavens and 
the earth in true (proportions): 

He makes the Night 
overlap the Day, 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
8 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

and the Day 
overlap the Night. 
[Al-Quran 39:5] 

The Arabic word used here is Kawwara meaning 
to overlap or to coil the way a turban is wound 
around the head. The overlapping or coiling of the 
day and night can only take place if the earth is 
spherical. 

The earth is not exactly round like a ball, but 
geo-spherical, i.e. it is flattened at the poles. The 
following verse contains a description of the earths 
shape: 

And the earth, moreover, 


hath He made egg shaped. 


[Al-Quran 79:30] 

The Arabic word for egg here is dahaahaa1 which 
means an ostrich-egg. The shape of an ostrich-egg 
resembles the geo-spherical shape of the earth. 

Thus the Quran correctly describes the shape of the 
earth, though the prevalent notion when the Quran 
was revealed was that the earth was flat. 

MOONLIGHT IS REFLECTED LIGHT 

It was believed by earlier civilizations that the moon 
emanates its own light. Science now tells us 

1 The Arabic word dahaahaa has been translated by A. Yusuf 
Ali as vast expanse, which also is correct. This word also means 
an ostrich-egg. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
9 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

that the light of the moon is reflected light. However 
this fact was mentioned in the Quran 1,400 years 
ago in the following verse: 

Blessed is He Who made 
Constellations in the skies, 

and placed therein a Lamp 

and a Moon giving light. 

The Arabic word for the sun in the Quran, is shams. 
It is also referred to as siraaj which means a torch 
or as wahhaaj meaning a blazing lamp or as diya 
which means shining glory. All three descriptions 
are appropriate to the sun, since it generates 
intense heat and light by its internal combustion. 
The Arabic word for the moon is qamar and it 
is described in the Quran as muneer which is a 
body that gives noor i.e. reflected light. Again, the 
Quranic description matches perfectly with the true 
nature of the moon which does not give off light by 
itself and is an inactive body that reflects the light 
of the sun. Not once in the Quran, is the moon 
mentioned as siraaj, wahhaaj or diya nor the sun as 
noor or muneer. This implies that the Quran 
recognizes the difference between the nature of 
sunlight and moonlight. 

The following verses relate to the nature of light 
from the sun and the moon: 

[Al-Quran 25:61] 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
10 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

It is He who made the sun 
to be a shining glory 

and the moon to be a light 
(of beauty). 

See ye not 
how Allah has created 

the seven heavens 
one above another, 

And made the moon 
a light in their midst, 

and made the sun 
as a (Glorious) Lamp? 

[Al-Quran 71:15-16] 

The Glorious Qur'an and modern science, are thus 
in perfect agreement about the differences in the 
nature of sunlight and moonlight. 

THE SUN ROTATES 

For a long time European philosophers and scientists 
believed that the earth stood still in the centre of the 
universe and every other body including the sun 
moved around it. In the West, this geocentric concept 
of the universe was prevalent right from the time of 
Ptolemy in the second century B.C. In 1512, Nicholas 
Copernicus put forward his Heliocentric Theory of 
Planetary Motion, which asserted that the sun is 

[Al-Quran 10:5] 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
11 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

motionless at the centre of the solar system with the 
planets revolving around it. 

In 1609, the German scientist Yohannus Keppler 
published the Astronomia Nova. In this he 
concluded that not only do the planets move in 
elliptical orbits around the sun, they also rotate 
upon their axes at irregular speeds. With this 
knowledge it became possible for European scientists 
to explain correctly many of the mechanisms of the 
solar system, including the sequence of night and 
day. 

After these discoveries, it was thought that the Sun 
was stationary and did not rotate about its axis like 
the Earth. I remember having studied this fallacy 
from Geography books during my school days. 

It is He Who created 
the Night and the Day, 

and the sun and the moon: 

All (the celestial bodies) 
swim along, each in its 
rounded course. 

[Al-Quran 21:33] 

The Arabic word used in the above verse is 
yasbahoon . This word is derived from the word 
sabaha. It carries with it the idea of motion that 
comes from any moving body. If you use this word 
for a person on the ground, it would not mean that 
he is rolling but would imply that he is walking or 

Consider the following Quranic verse: 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
12 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

running. If you use this word for a person in water, 
it would not mean that he is floating but would 
imply that he is swimming. 

Similarly, if you use the word yasbah for a celestial 
body such as the sun, it would not only mean that it 
is flying through space but would also mean that it 
is rotating as it goes through space. Most school 
textbooks have now incorporated the fact that the 
sun rotates about its axis. The rotation of the sun 
about its own axis can be proved with the help of an 
equipment that projects the image of the sun on the 
top of a table, so that one can examine the image of 
the sun without being blinded. It is noticed that the 
sun has spots which complete a circular motion once 
every 25 days i.e. the sun takes approximately 25 
days to rotate round its axis. 

The sun travels through space at roughly 240 km 
per second, and takes about 200 million years to 
complete one revolution around the centre of our 
Milky Way Galaxy. 

It is not permitted
to the Sun to catch up the Moon,


nor can the Night outstrip the Day: 

Each (just) swims along 
in (its own) orbit 
(according to Law). 

[Al-Quran 36:40] 

This verse mentions an essential fact discovered 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
13 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

only recently by modern astronomy, i.e. the 
existence of the individual orbits of the Sun and the 
Moon, and their journey through space with their 
own motion. 

The fixed place towards which the sun travels, 
carrying with it the solar system, has been located 
preirsely by modern astronomy. It has been given a 
name, the Solar Apex. The solar system is indeed 
moving in space towards a point situated in the 
constellation of Hercules (alpha Lyrae) whose exact 
location is now firmly established. 

The moon rotates around its axis in the same 
duration that it takes to revolve around the earth. 
It takes approximately 29 days to complete one 
rotation. 

One cannot help but be amazed at the scientific 
accuracy of the Quranic verses. Should we not 
ponder over the question: What is the source of 
knowledge contained in the Quran? 

THE SUN WILL EXTINGUISH 

The light of the sun is due to a chemical process on 
its surface that has been taking place continuously 
for the past five billion years. It will come to an end 
at some point of time in the future, when the sun 
will be totally extinguished, leading to extinction of 
all life on earth. Regarding the impermanence of the 
suns existence, the Quran says: 

And the Sun runs its course 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
14 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

for a period determined 
for it; that is 

the decree of (Him) 
the exalted in Might, 
the All-Knowing. 

[Al-Quran 36:38]1 

The Arabic word used here is mustaqarr, which 
means a place or time that is determined. Thus the 
Quran says that the sun runs towards a determined 
place, and will do so only up to a pre-determined 
period of time  meaning that it will end or 
extinguish. 

INTERSTELLAR MATTER 

Space outside organized astronomical systems was 
earlier assumed to be a vacuum. Astrophysicists 
later discovered the presence of bridges of matter 
in this interstellar space. These bridges of matter 
are called plasma, and consist of completely ionized 
gas containing equal number of free electrons and 
positive ions. Plasma is sometimes called the fourth 
state of matter (besides the three known states 
viz. solid, liquid and gas). The Quran refers to 
the presence of this interstellar material in the 
following verse: 


He Who created the heavens 


1A similar message is conveyed in the Quran in 13:2, 35:13, 

39:5 and 39:21. 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
15 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

and the earth and all 
that is between. 
[Al-Quran 25:59] 

It would be ridiculous for anyone to even suggest 
that the presence of interstellar galactic material 
was known 1400 years ago! 

THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE 

In 1925, American astronomer Edwin Hubble, 
provided observational evidence that all galaxies 
are moving away from one another, which implies 
that the universe is expanding. The expansion of the 
universe is now an established scientific fact. This is 
what the Quran says regarding the nature of the 
universe: 

With power and skill 
did We construct 

the Firmament: 

For it is We Who create 
the vastness of Space. 

[Al-Quran 51:47] 

The Arabic word musioon is correctly translated as 
expanding it, and it refers to the creation of the 
expanding vastness of the universe. 

One of the greatest astrophysicist Stephen 
Hawking, in his book, A Brief History of Time, 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
16 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

says, The discovery that the universe is expanding 
was one of the great intellectual revolutions of the 
20th century. The Quran mentioned the expansion 
of the universe, before man even learnt to build a 
telescope! 

Some may say that the presence of astronomical 
facts in the Quran is not surprising since the Arabs 
were advanced in the field of astronomy. They are 
correct in acknowledging the advancement of the 
Arabs in the field of astronomy. However they fail 
to realize that the Quran was revealed centuries 
before the Arabs excelled in astronomy. Moreover 
many of the scientific facts mentioned above, such 
as the origin of the universe with a Big Bang, were 
not known to the Arabs even at the peak of their 
scientific advancement. The scientific facts 
mentioned in the Quran are therefore not due to the 
Arabs advancement in astronomy. Indeed, the 
reverse is true: they advanced in astronomy, 
because astronomy occupies a place in the Quran. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
17 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

3. PHYSICS 
ATOMS CAN BE DIVIDED 

In ancient times a well-known theory by the name 
of Theory of Atomism was widely accepted. This 
theory was originally proposed by the Greeks, in 
particular by a scholar called Democritus, who lived 
about 23 centuries ago. Democritus and the people 
that came after him, assumed that the smallest unit 
of matter was the atom. The ancient Arabs used to 
believe the same. The Arabic word zarrah most 
commonly meant an atom. In recent times modern 
science has discovered that it is possible to split 
even an atom. That the atom can be split further is 
a development of the 20th century. Fourteen 
centuries ago this concept would have appeared 
unusual even to an Arab. For him the zarrah was 
the limit beyond which one could not go. The 
following Quranic verse however, refuses to 
acknowledge this limit: 

The Unbelievers say, 

Never to us will come 
The Hour: 

say, Nay! but most surely,
by my Lord,
it will come upon you 




* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
18 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

by Him Who knows the unseen  
from Whom is not hidden 


the least little atom 

in the Heavens or on earth: 

nor is there anything less 
than that, or greater, but 


is in the Record Perspicuous. 

[Al-Quran 34:3]1 

This verse also refers to the Omniscience of God, 
His knowledge of all things, hidden or apparent. It 
then goes further and says that God is aware of 
everything, including what is smaller or bigger than 
the atom. Thus the verse clearly shows that it is 
possible for something smaller than the atom to 
exist, a fact discovered only recently by modern 
science. 

1 A similar message is conveyed in the Quran in 10:61. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
19 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

4. HYDROLOGY 
THE WATER CYCLE 
In 1580, Bernard Palissy was the first person to 
describe the present day concept of water cycle. He 
described how water evaporates from the oceans 
and cools to form clouds. The clouds move inland 
where they rise, condense and fall as rain. This 
water gathers as lakes and streams and flows back 
to the ocean in a continuous cycle. In the 7th century 
B.C., Thales of Miletus believed that surface spray 
of the oceans was picked up by the wind and carried 
inland to fall as rain. 

In earlier times people did not know the source of 
underground water. They thought the water of the 
oceans, under the effect of winds, was thrust towards 
the interior of the continents. They also believed that 
the water returned by a secret passage or the Great 
Abyss. This passage is connected to the oceans and 
has been called the Tartarus, since Platos time. 
Even Descartes, a great thinker of the eighteenth 
century, subscribed to this view. Till the nineteenth 
century, Aristotles theory was still prevalent. 
According to this theory, water was condensed in cool 
mountain caverns and formed underground lakes 
that fed springs. Today, we have come to know that 
the rainwater that seeps into the cracks of the 
ground is responsible for this. 

This is described by the Quran in the following 
verses: 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
20 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

Seest thou not that Allah 

sends down rain 
from the sky, 

and leads it through 
springs in the earth? 

then He causes to grow, 
therewith, produce of 
various colours. 

He sends down rain 
from the sky 

and with it gives life to 
the earth after it is dead: 

Verily in that are Signs 
for those who are wise. 

[Al-Quran 30:24] 

And We send down water
from the sky


according to (due) measure,
and We cause it
to soak in the soil;


and We certainly are able
to drain it off (with ease).



[Al-Quran 23:18] 

No other text dating back 1400 years ago gives such 
an accurate description of the water cycle. 

[Al-Quran 39:21] 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
21 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

EVAPORATION 

By the Firmament 
which returns (in its round), 

[Al-Quran 86:11] 

WINDS IMPREGNATE CLOUDS 

And We send the 
fecundating winds, 

then cause the rain to 
descend from the sky, 

therewith providing you 
with water (in abundance). 

[Al-Quran 15:22] 

The Arabic word used here is lawaaqih which is 
the plural of laqih from laqaha, which means 
to impregnate or fecundate. In this context, 
impregnate means that the wind pushes the clouds 
together increasing the condensation that causes 
lightning and thus rain. A similar description is 
found in the following verses of the Quran: 

Seest thou not that Allah 
makes the clouds move 
gently, then joins them 
together, then makes them 
into a heap?then wilt thou 
see rain issue forth 
from their midst. And He 
sends down from the sky 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
22 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

mountain masses (of clouds) 
wherein is hail: He strikes 
therewith whom He pleases 
and He turns it away 
from whom He pleases. 
the vivid flash of His lightning 
well-nigh blinds the sight. 


[Al-Quran 24:43] 

It is Allah Who sends the Winds, 
and they raise the Clouds: 

then does He spread them 
in the sky as He wills, 


and break them into fragments, 
until thou seest raindrops 
issue from the midst thereof: 


then when He has made them 
reach such of His servants as 
He wills, 

behold, they do rejoice! 

[Al-Quran 30:48] 


Modern data on Hydrology agrees perfectly with the 
Qur'anic description on the same subject. 

The water cycle is described in several other verses 
of the Glorious Quran, including 7:57, 13:17, 25:4849, 
35:9, 36:34, 45:5, 50:9-11, 56:68-70 and 67:30. 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
23 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

5. GEOLOGY 
MOUNTAINS ARE LIKE TENT PEGS 

In geology, the phenomenon of folding, is a recently 
discovered fact. Folding is responsible for the 
formation of mountain ranges. The earths crust, on 
which we live, is like a solid shell, while the deeper 
layers are hot and fluid, and thus inhospitable to 
any form of life. It is also known that the stability 
of the mountains is linked to the phenomenon of 
folding, for it was the folds that were to provide 
foundations for the reliefs that constitute the 
mountains. 

Geologists tell us that the radius of the Earth is 
about 6,035 km and the crust on which we live is 
very thin, ranging between 2 to 35 km. Since the 
crust is thin, it has a high possibility of shaking. 
Mountains act like stakes or tent pegs that hold 
the earths crust and give it stability. The Quran 
contains exactly such a description: 

Have We not made 
the earth as a wide expanse, 

and the mountains as pegs? 

[Al-Quran 78:6-7] 

The word awtaad means stakes or pegs (like 
those used to anchor a tent); they are the deep 
foundations of geological folds. 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
24 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

A book entitled Earth is regarded as a basic 
reference textbook on geology in many universities 
around the world. One of the authors of this book is 
Dr. Frank Press, who was the President of the 
Academy of Sciences in the USA for 12 years and 
was the Science Advisor to former US President 
Jimmy Carter. In this book, he illustrates the 
mountain in a wedge-shape and the mountain itself 
as a small part of the whole, whose root is deeply 
entrenched in the ground.1 According to Dr. Press, 
the mountains play an important role in stabilizing 
the crust of the earth. 

The Quran clearly mentions the function of the 
mountains in preventing the earth from shaking: 

And We have set on the earth 
mountains standing firm, 

lest it should shake with them. 

[Al-Quran 21:31]2 

The Quranic descriptions are in perfect agreement 
with modern geological data. 

MOUNTAINS FIRMLY FIXED 

The surface of the earth is broken into many rigid 
plates that are about 100 km in thickness. These 

1 Earth, Press and Siever, p. 435. Also see Earth Science, 
Tarbuck and Lutgens, p. 157 
2 A similar message is contained in the Qru'an in 31:10 and 16:15 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
25 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

plates float on a partially molten region called 
aesthenosphere. 

Mountain formations occur at the boundary of the 
plates. The earths crust is 5 km thick below oceans, 
about 35 km thick below flat continental surfaces 
and almost 80 km thick below great mountain 
ranges. These are the strong foundations on which 
mountains stand. The Quran refers to the strong 
mountain foundations in the following verse: 

And the mountains 
hath He firmly fixed. 


[Al-Quran 79:32]1 

Thus, the information contained in the Glorious 
Qur'an about the nature of mountains, is in perfect 
agreement with recent discoveries in geology. 

1 A similar message is contained in the Quran in 88:19. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
26 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

6. OCEANOLOGY 
BARRIER BETWEEN SWEET AND SALT 
WATERS 

He has let free the two bodies 
of flowing water, meeting together: 

Between them is a Barrier 
which they do not transgress. 

[Al-Quran 55:19-20] 

In the Arabic text the word barzakh means a 
barrier or a partition. This barrier, however, is not a 
physical partition. The Arabic word maraja literally 
means they both meet and mix with each other. 
Early commentators of the Quran were unable to 
explain the two opposite meanings for the two 
bodies of water, i.e. they meet and mix, and at the 
same time there is a barrier between them. Modern 
Science has discovered that in the places where two 
different seas meet, there is a barrier between 
them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each 
sea has its own temperature, salinity and density.1 
Oceanologists are now in a better position to explain 
this verse. There is a slanted unseen water barrier 
between the two seas through which water from one 
sea passes to the other. 

But when the water from one sea enters the other 
sea, it loses its distinctive characteristic and 

1 Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93. 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
27 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

becomes homogenized with the other water. In a way 
this barrier serves as a transitional homogenizing 
area for the two waters. 

This phenomenon is also mentioned in the following 
verse of the Qur'an: 

And made a separating bar 
between the two bodies 
of flowing water? 

[Al-Quran 27:61] 

This phenomenon occurs in several places, including 
the divider between the Mediterranean and the 
Atlantic Ocean at Gibralter. A white bar can also be 
clearly seen at Cape Point, Cape Peninsula, South 
Africa where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian 
Ocean. 

But when the Quran speaks about the divider 
between fresh and salt water, it mentions the 
existence of a forbidding partition with the barrier. 

It is He Who has
let free the two bodies
of flowing water:


one palatable and sweet,
and the other salty and bitter;


yet has He
made a barrier between them,
and a partition that is forbidden
to be passed.


[Al-Quran 25:53] 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
28 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, 
where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the 
situation is somewhat different from that found in 
places where two salt water seas meet. It has been 
discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from 
salt water in estuaries is a pycnocline zone with a 
marked density discontinuity separating the two 
layers.1 This partition (zone of separation) has a 
salinity different from both the fresh water and the 
salt water.2 

This phenomenon occurs in several places, including 
Egypt, where the river Nile flows into the 
Mediterranean Sea. 

These scientific phenomena mentioned in the Quran 
was also confirmed by Dr. William Hay, a well-
known marine scientist and Professor of Geological 
Sciences at the University of Colorado, U.S.A. 

DARKNESS IN DEPTHS OF OCEAN 

Prof. Durga Rao is a world renowned expert in the 
field of Marine Geology and was a professor at King 
Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. He was asked to 
comment on the following verse: 

Or (the Unbelievers state) 
is like the depths of darkness 
in a vast deep ocean, 

1 Oceanography, Gross, p. 242. Also see Introductory Oceanography,
Thurman, pp. 300-301.
2 Oceanography, Gross, p. 244 and Introductory Oceanography,
Thurman, pp. 300-301.



* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
29 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

overwhelmed with billow 
topped by billow, 
topped by (dark) clouds: 

depths of darkness, 
one above another: 

if a man stretches out his hand, 
he can hardly see it! 

For any to whom Allah 
giveth not light, 
there is no light! 

[Al-Quran 24:40] 

Prof. Rao said that scientists have only now been 
able to confirm, with the help of modern equipment, 
that there is darkness in the depths of the ocean. 
Humans are unable to dive unaided underwater for 
more than 20 to 30 metres, and cannot survive in 
the deep oceanic regions at a depth of more than 
200 metres. This verse does not refer to all seas 
because not every sea can be described as having 
accumulated darkness layered one over another. It 
refers especially to a deep sea or deep ocean, as the 
Quran says, darkness in a vast deep ocean. This 
layered darkness in a deep ocean is the result of two 
causes: 

1. 
A light ray is composed of seven colours seen 
in the rainbow. These seven colours are Violet, 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
30 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red 
(VIBGYOR). The light ray undergoes 
refraction when it hits water. The upper 10 to 
15 metres of water absorb the red colour. 
Therefore, if a diver is 25 metres under water 
and gets wounded, he would not be able to see 
the red colour of his blood, because the red 
colour does not reach this depth. Similarly, 
orange rays are absorbed at 30 to 50 metres, 
yellow at 50 to 100 metres, green at 100 to 200 
metres, and finally, blue beyond 200 metres 
and violet and indigo above 200 metres. Due to 
successive disappearance of colour, one layer 
after another, the ocean progressively becomes 
darker, i.e. darkness takes place in layers of 
light. Below a depth of 1000 meters there is 
complete darkness.1 

2. 
The suns rays are absorbed by clouds which in 
turn scatter light rays thus causing a layer of 
darkness under the clouds. This is the first 
layer of darkness. When light rays reach the 
surface of the ocean they are reflected by the 
wave surface giving it a shiny appearance. 
Therefore, it is the waves which reflect light 
and cause darkness. The unreflected light 
penetrates into the depths of the ocean. Thus, 
the ocean has two parts. The surface 
characterized by light and warmth and the 
depth characterized by darkness. The surface 
1 Oceans, Elder and Pernetta, p. 27. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
31 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

is further separated from the deep part of the ocean 
by waves. 

The internal waves cover the deep waters of 
seas and oceans because the deep waters have 
a higher density than the waters above them. 

The darkness begins below the internal waves. 
Even the fish in the depths of the ocean cannot 
see; their only source of light is from their own 
bodies. 

The Quran describes this aptly: 

Darkness in a vast deep ocean overwhelmed with 
waves topped by waves. 

In other words, above these waves there are more 
types of waves, i.e. those found on the surface of 
the ocean. The Quranic verse continues, topped 
by (dark) clouds; depths of darkness, one above 
another. 

These clouds as explained are barriers one over the 
other that further cause darkness by absorption of 
colours at different levels. 

Prof. Durga Rao concluded by saying, 1400 years 
ago a normal human being could not explain this 
phenomenon in so much detail. Thus the 
information must have come from a supernatural 
source. 

1 The reference for this statment is the video tape titled This is the 
Truth. For a copy of this video tape contact the Islamic Research 
Foundation. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
32 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

It is He Who has 
Created man from water: 

then has He established 
relationships of lineage 
and marriage: 

for thy Lord has power 
(over all things). 

[Al-Quran 25:54] 

Was it possible 14 centuries ago for any human 
being to guess that every living being was made 
from water? Moreover would such a guess be 
conceivable by a human being in the deserts of 
Arabia where there has always been scarcity of 
water? 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
33 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

8. BOTANY 
PLANTS HAVE MALE AND FEMALE 

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-Quran 20:53] 

FRUITS HAVE MALE AND FEMALE 

And fruit of every kind 
He made 

in pairs, two and two. 

[Al-Quran 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 Quran. 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
34 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

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-Quran 51:49] 
This verse lays emphasis on everything. Besides 
humans, animals, plants and fruits, it may also be 
referring to electricity in which the atoms consist of 
negatively  and positively  charged electrons and 
protons. And many more things! 

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-Quran 36:36] 

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


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
35 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

9. ZOOLOGY 
ANIMALS AND BIRDS LIVE IN 
COMMUNITIES 

There is not an animal 
(that lives) on the earth, 

nor a being that flies 
on its wings, 

but (forms part of) 
communities like you. 

[Al-Quran 6:38] 

Research has shown that animals and birds live in 
communities, i.e. they organize, and live and work 
together. 

THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS 

Do they not look at 
the birds, held poised 
in the midst of (the air 
and) the sky? 

Nothing holds them up 
but (the power of) Allah. 

Verily in this are Signs 
for those who believe. 


[Al-Quran 16:79] 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
36 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

Another verse also touches on birds: 

Do they not observe 
the birds above them, 

spreading their wings 
and folding them in? 

None can uphold them
except (Allah) Most Gracious:


truly it is He
that watches over all things.



[Al-Quran 67:19] 

The Arabic word amsaka literally means, to put 
ones hand on, seize, hold, hold someone back, 
which expresses the idea that Allah holds the bird 
up in His power. These verses stress the extremely 
close dependence of the birds behaviour on Divine 
law. Modern scientific data has shown the degree of 
perfection attained by certain species of birds with 
regard to the programming of their movements. It is 
only the existence of a migratory programme in the 
genetic code of the birds that can explain the long 
and complicated journey that very young birds, 
without any prior experience and without any guide, 
are able to accomplish. They are also able to return 
to the departure point on a definite date. 

Prof. Hamburger in his book Power and Fragility 
gives the example of mutton-bird that lives in the 
Pacific with its journey of over 24,000 km in the 
shape of figure 8. It makes this journey over a 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
37 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

period of 6 months and comes back to its departure 
point with a maximum delay of one week. The highly 
complicated instructions for such a journey have to 
be contained in the birds nervous cells. They are 
definitely programmed. Therefore, should we not at 
least reflect on the identity of this Programmer? 

THE BEE AND ITS SKILL 

And thy Lord taught the Bee
to build its cells in hills,


on trees, and in
(mens) habitations;


then to eat of all
the produce (of the earth)
,


and find with skill
the spacious paths of its Lord.



[Al-Quran 16:68-69] 

Von-Frisch received the Nobel Prize in 1973 for his 
research on the behaviour and communication of the 
bees. The bee, after discovering any new garden or 
flower, goes back and tells its fellow bees the exact 
direction and map to get there, which is known as 
bee dance. The meanings of this insects movements 
that are intended to transmit information between 
worker bees have been discovered scientifically 
using photography and other methods. The Quran 
mentions in the above verses how the bee with its 
skill, finds the spacious paths of its Lord. 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
38 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

The gender used for the bee in the above verses is 
the female gender (fasluk and kul), indicating that 
the bee that leaves its home for gathering food is a 
female bee. In other words the soldier or worker bee 
is a female bee. 

In fact, in Shakespeares play, Henry the Fourth, 
some of the characters speak about bees and 
mention that the bees are soldiers and that they 
have a king. That is what people thought in 
Shakespearean times. They thought that the 
worker bees are male bees and they go home and 
are answerable to a king bee. This, however, is not 
true. The worker bees are females and they do not 
report to a king bee but to a queen bee. But it took 
modern investigations in the last 300 years to 
discover this. 

SPIDERS WEB, THE FRAGILE HOME 

The parable of those who 
take protectors other than Allah 

is that of the Spider, 
who builds (to itself) a house; 

but truly the flimsiest of houses 
is the Spiders house  

if they but knew. 

[Al-Quran 29:41] 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
39 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

Besides giving the physical description of the spiders 
web as being very flimsy, delicate and weak, the 
Quran also stresses on the flimsiness of the 
relationship in the spiders house, where the female 
spider many a times kills its mate, the male spider. 

The parable also has reference to the weakness of 
such relationship of the people who seek protection 
for this world and for the hereafter from those other 
than Allah. 

LIFESTYLE AND COMMUNICATION OF 
ANTS 

And before Solomon were 
marshalled his hosts  

of Jinns and men and birds, 

and they were all kept 
in order and ranks. 

At length, when they came 
to a (lowly) valley of ants, 

one of the ants said : 
O ye ants, get into 
your habitations, 

lest Solomon and his hosts 
crush you (under foot) 
without knowing it. 

[Al-Quran 27:17-18] 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
40 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

In the past, some people would have probably 
mocked at the Quran, taking it to be a book of fairy 
tales in which ants talk to each other and 
communicate sophisticated messages. In recent 
times however, research has shown us several facts 
about the lifestyle of ants, which were not known 
earlier to humankind. Research has shown that the 
animals or insects whose lifestyle is closest in 
resemblance to the lifestyle of human beings are the 
ants. This can be seen from the following findings 
regarding ants: 

(a) 
The ants bury their dead in a manner similar 
to the humans. 
(b) 
They have a sophisticated system of division 
of labour, whereby they have managers, 
supervisors, foremen, workers, etc. 
(c) 
Once in a while they meet among themselves 
to have a chat. 
(d) 
They have an advanced method of 
communication among themselves. 
(e) 
They hold regular markets where they 
exchange goods. 
(f) 
They store grain for long periods in winter and 
if the grain begins to bud, they cut the roots, as 
if they understand that if they leave it to grow, 
it will rot. If the grain stored by them gets wet 
due to rains, they take it out into the sunlight 
to dry, and once dry, they take it back inside 
as though they know that humidity will cause 
development of root systems which will cause 
the grain to rot. 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
41 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

10. MEDICINE 
HONEY: HEALING FOR HUMANKIND 

The bee assimilates juices of various kinds of 
flowers and fruit and forms honey within its body, 
which it stores in its cells of wax. Only a couple of 
centuries ago humans came to know that honey 
comes from the belly of the bee. But this fact was 
mentioned in the Quran 1,400 years ago in the 
following verse: 

There issues from 


within their bodies 

a drink of varying colours, 
wherein is healing for men. 

[Al-Quran 16:69] 

We are only now aware that honey has healing 
properties and is also a mild antiseptic. The 
Russians would use honey to cover their wounds in 
World War II. The wound would retain moisture 
and would leave very little scar tissue. Due to the 
density of honey, no fungus or bacteria could grow 
in the wound. 

Dramatic improvements were visible in 22 
incurable chest and Alzheimer's disease patients at 
nursing Homes in England who were treated by 
Sister Carole, a nun, with propolis, a substance 
which bees produce to seal hives against bacteria.1 

1 The reference for this statment is the video tape titled This is the 
Truth. For a copy of this video tape contact the Islamic Research 
Foundation. 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
42 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

A person suffering from an allergy of a particular 
plant may be given honey from that plant so that 
the person develops resistance to that allergy. 
Honey is also rich in fructose and vitamin K. 

The knowledge contained in the Quran regarding 
honey, its origin and properties, was discovered 
centuries after its revelation. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
43 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

11. PHYSIOLOGY 
BLOOD CIRCULATION AND MILK 

The Quran was revealed 600 years before the 
Muslim scientist Ibn Nafees described the 
circulation of the blood and 1,000 years before 
William Harwey brought this understanding to the 
Western world. Roughly thirteen centuries before it 
was known what happens in the intestines to 
ensure that organs are nourished by the process of 
digestive absorption, a verse in the Quran described 
the source of the constituents of milk, in conformity 
with these notions. 

To understand the Quranic verse concerning the 
above concepts, it is important to know that 
chemical reactions occur in the intestines and that, 
from there, substances extracted from food pass into 
the blood stream via a complex system; sometimes 
by way of the liver, depending on their chemical 
nature. The blood transports them to all the organs 
of the body, among which are the milk-producing 
mammary glands. 

In simple terms, certain substances from the 
contents of the intestines enter into the vessels of 
the intestinal wall itself, and these substances are 
transported by the blood stream to the various 
organs. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
44 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

This physiological concept must be fully appreciated if we 
wish to understand the following verses of the Quran: 

And verily in cattle there is 
a lesson for you. 

We give you to drink 
of what is inside their bodies, 

coming from a conjunction 
between the contents of the 
intestine and the blood, 

a milk pure and pleasant for 
those who drink it. 

And in cattle (too) ye 
have an instructive example: 

from within their bodies 
We produce (milk) 
for you to drink; 

there are, in them, 
(besides), numerous (other) 
benefits for you; 

and of their (meat) ye eat. 


[Al-Quran 23:21] 

1 Translation of this Quranic verse is from the book The Bible, the 
Quran and Science by Dr. Maurice Bucaille. 

The 1400 year old Quranic description of the 
production of milk in cattle is strikingly similar to what 
modern physiology has discovered in recent times 

[Al-Quran 16:66]1 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
45 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

12. EMBRYOLOGY 
MUSLIMS SEEK ANSWERS 

A group of Muslim Scholars, under the direction of 
an eminent Yemani Scholar, Sheikh Abdul Majid 
Azzindani, collected information concerning 
embryology1 and other sciences in the Qur'an and 
undisputed Hadith2 and translated it into English. 
They then followed the Qur'anic advice: 

If ye realise this not, 

ask of those who possess 
the Message. 


[Al-Quran 16:43 & 21:7] 

All the information from the Quran and the 
undisputed Hadith concerning embryology so 
gathered, after being translated into English and 
presented to Prof. (Dr.) Keith Moore, Professor of 
Embryology and Chairman of the Department of 
Anatomy at the University of Toronto, in Canada. 
At present he is one of the highest authorities in the 
field of Embryology. 

He was asked to give his opinion regarding the 
material presented to him. After carefully 
examining it, Dr. Moore said that most of the 

1 Embryology is the study of human development before birth. 
2 Hadith or Sunnah means the sayings or actions of Prophet 
Muhammed (pbuh). 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
46 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

information concerning embryology mentioned in 
the Quran and the undisputed Hadith is in perfect 
conformity with modern discoveries in the field of 
embryology and does not conflict with them in any 
way. He added that there were a few verses 
however, on whose scientific accuracy he could not 
comment. He could not say whether the statements 
were true or false, since he was himself unaware of 
the information contained therein. There was also 
no mention of this information in modern writings 
and studies on embryology. 

One such verse is: 

Proclaim! (or Read!) 

In the name of thy Lord 
and Cherisher, Who created  

Created man, out of a (mere) 
clot of congealed blood. 


[Al-Quran 96:1-2] 

The Arabic word alaq, besides meaning a congealed 
clot of blood, also means something that clings, a 
leech-like substance. 

Dr. Keith Moore had no knowledge whether an 
embryo in the initial stages appears like a leech. To 
check this out he studied the initial stage of the 
embryo under a very powerful microscope and 
compared what he observed with the diagram of a 
leech. He was astonished at the striking 
resemblance between the two! 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
47 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

In the same manner, he acquired more information 
on embryology, that was hitherto not known to him, 
from the Quran. 

Dr. Keith Moore answered about eighty questions 
dealing with embryological data mentioned in the 
Quran and Hadith. Noting that the information 
contained in the Quran and Hadith was in full 
agreement with the latest discoveries in the field of 
embryology, Prof. Moore said, If I was asked these 
questions thirty years ago, I would not have been 
able to answer half of them for lack of scientific 
information.1 

In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in 
Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Moore said, It has 
been a great pleasure for me to help clarify 
statements in the Quran about human development. 
It is clear to me that these statements must have 
come to Muhammad from God or Allah, because 
almost all of this knowledge was not discovered 
until many centuries later. This proves to me 
that Muhammad must have been a messenger of 
God or Allah.2 

Dr. Keith Moore had earlier authored the book, 
The Developing Human. After acquiring new 
knowledge from the Quran, he wrote, in 1982, the 
3rd edition of the same book, The Developing 

1 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
2 The reference for this statment is the video tape titled This 
is the Truth. For a copy of this video tape contact the Islamic 
Research Foundation. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
48 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

Human. The book was the recipient of an award for 
the best medical book written by a single author. 
This book has been translated into several major 
languages of the world and is used as a textbook of 
embryology in the first year of medical studies. 

Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, Chairman of the Department 
of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at the Baylor College 
of Medicine, Houston, U.S.A., proclaims: ...these 
Hadiths, sayings of Muhammad (pbuh), could not 
have been obtained on the basis of the scientific 
knowledge that was available at the time of the 
writer (implying in the 7th century). It follows that 
not only is there no conflict between genetics and 
religion (implying Islam) but in fact religion (Islam) 
may guide science by adding revelation to some of the 
traditional scientific approaches . . . there exist 
statements in the Quran shown centuries later to be 
valid which support knowledge in the Quran having 
been derived from God. 

DROP EMITTED FROM BETWEEN THE 
BACK BONE AND THE RIBS 

Now let man but think 
from what he is created! 

He is created from 
a drop emitted  

Proceeding from between 
the back bone and the ribs. 

[Al-Quran 86:5-7] 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
49 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

In embryonic stages, the reproductive organs of the 
male and female, i.e. the testicles and the ovaries, 
begin their development near the kidney between 
the spinal column and the eleventh and twelfth ribs. 
Later they descend; the female gonads (ovaries) stop 
in the pelvis while the male gonads (testicles) 
continue their descent before birth to reach the 
scrotum through the inguinal canal. Even in 
adulthood after the descent of the reproductive 
organs, these organs receive their nerve supply and 
blood supply from the Abdominal Aorta, which is in 
the area between the backbone (spinal column) and 
the ribs. The lymphatic drainage and the venous 
return also go to the same area. 

NUTFAH  MINUTE QUANTITY OF 
LIQUID 

The Glorious Quran mentions no less than eleven 
times that the human being is created from nutfah, 
which means a minute quantity of liquid or a trickle 
of liquid that remains after emptying a cup. This is 
mentioned in several verses of the Quran including 

22:5 and 23:13.1 
Science has confirmed in recent times that only one 
out of an average of three million sperms is required 
for fertilising the ovum. This means that only 1/3 
millionth part or 0.00003% of the quantity of sperms 
that are emitted is required for fertilisation. 

1 The same is also mentioned in the Quran in 16:4, 18:37, 35:11, 
36:77, 40:67, 53:46, 75:37, 76:2 and 80:19. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
50 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

SULALAH  QUINTESSENCE OF LIQUID 

And made his progeny 
from a quintessence 

of the nature of 
a fluid despised. 

[Al-Quran 32:8] 

The Arabic word sulaalah means quintessence or the 
best part of a whole. We have come to know now that 
only one single spermatozoon that penetrates the 
ovum is required for fertilization, out of the several 
million produced by man. That one spermatozoon out 
of several million, is referred to in the Quran as 
sulaalah. We have also come to know now that only 
one ovum is fertilized out of the tens of thousand 
produced by the female. That one ovum out of tens 
of thousand is also refered to in the Qur'an as 
Sulaalah. This word also means gentle extraction 
from a fluid. The fluid refers to both male and 
female germinal fluids containing gametes. Both 
ovum and sperm are gently extracted from their 
environments in the process of fertilization. 

NUTFATUN AMSHAAJ  MINGLED 
LIQUIDS 

Verily We created man 

from a drop of mingled sperm. 

[Al-Quran 76:2] 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
51 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

The Arabic word nutfatin amshaajin means mingled 
liquids. According to some commentators of the 
Quran, mingled liquids refers to the male or female 
agents or liquids. After mixture of male and female 
gamete, the zygote still remains nutfah. Mingled 
liquids can also refer to spermatic fluid that is 
formed of various secretions that come from various 
glands. 

Therefore, nutfatin amshaaj, i.e. a minute quantity 
of mingled fluids refers to the male and female 
gametes (germinal fluids or cells) and part of the 
surrounding fluids. 

SEX DETERMINATION 

The sex of a foetus is determined by the nature of 
the sperm and not of the ovum. The sex of the child, 
whether female or male, depends on whether the 
23rd pair of chromosomes is XX or XY respectively. 

Primarily, sex determination occurs at fertilization 
and depends upon the type of sex chromosome in 
the sperm that fertilizes an ovum. If it is an X 
bearing sperm that fertilizes the ovum, the foetus 
is a female and if it is a Y bearing sperm then 
the foetus is a male. 

That He did create 
in pairs male and female, 


from a seed when lodged 
(in its place). 

[Al-Quran 53:45-46] 

The Arabic word nutfah means a minute quantity of 
liquid and tumnaa means ejaculated or planted. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
52 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

Therefore nutfah specifically refers to sperm because it is ejaculated. 

The Quran says: 

Was he not a drop of sperm emitted (in lowly form)? 

Then did he become a clinging clot; then did (Allah) make and fashion (him) in due proportion. 

And of him He made two sexes, male and female. 

[Al-Quran 75:37-39] 

Here again it is mentioned that a small quantity (drop) of sperm (indicated by the word nutfatan min maniyyin) which comes from the man is responsible for the sex of the foetus. 

Mothers-in-law in the Indian subcontinent, usually prefer having male grandchildren and often blame their daughters-in-law if the child is not a boy. If only they knew that the determining factor is the nature of the male sperm and not the female ovum! If they were to blame anybody, they should rather blame their sons, not their daughters-in-law, since both the Quran and Science hold that it is the male fluid that is responsible for the sex of the child! 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
53 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

FOETUS PROTECTED BY THREE VEILS OF DARKNESS 

He makes you, in the wombs of your mothers, in stages, one after another, in three veils of darkness. 

[Al-Quran 39:6] 

According to Prof. Keith Moore, these three veils of darkness in the Quran refer to: 

(i) anterior abdominal wall of the mother 
(ii) the uterine wall 
(iii) the amnio-chorionic membrane. 
EMBRYOLOGICAL STAGES 

Man We did create from a quintessence (of clay); 


then We placed him as (a drop of) sperm 

in a place of rest, firmly fixed; 

then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; 

then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
54 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

then We made out of that 
lump bones and clothed 
the bones with flesh; 

then We developed 
out of it another creature. 

so blessed be Allah, 
the Best to create! 

[Al-Qur an 23:12-14] 

In this verse Allah states that man is created from 
a small quantity of liquid which is placed in a place 
of rest, firmly fixed (well established or lodged) for 
which the Arabic word qaraarin makeen is used. 
The uterus is well protected from the posterior by 
the spinal column supported firmly by the back 
muscles. The embryo is further protected by the 
amniotic sac containing the amniotic fluid. Thus 
the foetus has a well protected dwelling place. 

This small quantity of fluid is made into alaqah, 
meaning something which clings. It also means 
a leech-like substance. Both descriptions are 
scientifically acceptable as in the very early stages 
the foetus clings to the wall and also appears to 
resemble the leech in shape. It also behaves like a 
leech (blood sucker) and acquires its blood supply 
from the mother through the placenta. 

The third meaning of the word alaqah is a blood 
clot. During this alaqah stage, which spans the 
third and fourth week of pregnancy, the blood clots 
within closed vessels. Hence the embryo acquires 
the appearance of a blood clot in addition to 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
55 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

acquiring the appearance of a leech. Compare the 
readily available Qur'anic knowledge with Man's 
struggle with scientific findings: 

In 1677, Hamm and Leeuwenhoek were the 
first scientists to observe human sperm cells 
(spermatozoa) through a microscope. They thought 
that a sperm cell contained a miniature human 
being which grew in the uterus to form a newborn. 
This was known as the perforation theory. When 
scientists discovered that the ovum was bigger than 
the sperm, it was thought by scientists like De Graf 
and others that the foetus existed in a miniature 
form in the ovum. Later, in the 18th century, 
Maupertuis propagated the theory of biparental 
inheritance. 

The alaqah is transformed into mudghah which 
means something that is chewed (having teeth 
marks) and also something that is tacky and small 
which can be put in the mouth like gum. Both these 
explanations are scientifically correct. Prof. Keith 
Moore took a piece of plaster seal and made it into 
the size and shape of the early stage of foetus and 
chewed it between the teeth to make it into a 
mudghah. He compared this with the photographs 
of the early stage of foetus. The teeth marks 
resembled the somites which is the early formation 
of the spinal column. 

This mudghah is transformed into bones (izm). 
The bones are clothed with intact flesh or muscles 
(lahm). Then Allah makes it into another creature. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
56 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

Prof. Marshall Johnson who is one of the leading 
scientists in the USA, and is the head of the 
Department of Anatomy and Director of the Daniel 
Institute at the Thomas Jefferson University in 
Philadelphia in the USA, was asked to comment on 
the verses of the Quran dealing with embryology. At 
first he said that the verses of the Quran describing 
the embryological stages cannot be a coincidence. It 
was probable that Muhammad (pbuh) had a powerful 
microscope. On being reminded that the Quran was 
revealed 1400 years ago, and microscopes were 
invented many centuries after the time of Prophet 
Muhammad (pbuh), Prof. Johnson laughed and 
admitted that the first microscope invented could not 
magnify more than 10 times and could not show a 
clear picture. 

Later he said: I see nothing here in conflict with 
the concept that Divine intervention was involved 
when Muhammad (pbuh) recited the Quran.1 

According to Dr. Keith Moore, the modern 
classification of embryonic development stages 
which is adopted throughout the world, is not 
easily comprehensible, since it identifies stages 
on a numerical basis i.e. stage 1, stage 2, etc. On the 
other hand, the divisions revealed in the Quran are 
based on distinct and easily identifiable forms or 
shapes, which the embryo passes through. These 
are based on different phases of pre-natal 
development

1 The reference for this statment is the video tape titledThis is the Truth. 
For a copy of this video tape contact the Islamic Research Foundation. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
57 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

and provide elegant scientific descriptions that are 
comprehensible and practical. 

Embryological stages of human development have 
also been described in the following verses: 

Was he not a drop 
of sperm emitted 
(in lowly form)? 

Then did he become 
a clinging clot; 
then did (Allah) make 
and fashion (him) 
in due proportion. 

and of him He made 
two sexes, male 
and female. 

Him Who created thee, 
fashioned thee in due proportion, 
and gave thee a just bias; 

in whatever Form He wills, 
does He put thee together. 

[Al-Quran 82:7-8] 

[Al-Quran 75:37-39] 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
58 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

EMBRYO PARTLY FORMED AND 
PARTLY UNFORMED 

At the mudghah stage, if an incision is made in the 
embryo and the internal organ is dissected, it will be 
seen that most of them are formed while the 
remaining are not yet completely formed. 

According to Prof. Johnson, if we describe the 
embryo as a complete creation, then we are only 
describing that part which is already created. 
If we describe it as an incomplete creation, then 
we are only describing that part which is not yet 
created. So, is it a complete creation or an incomplete 
creation? There is no better description of this stage 
of embryogenesis than the Quranic description, 
partly formed and partly unformed, as in the 
following verse: 

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 

that We may manifest 
(Our Power) to you. 

[Al-Quran 22:5] 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
59 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

Scientifically we know that at this early stage 
of development there are some cells which are 
differentiated and there are some cells that are 
undifferentiated  some organs are formed and yet 
others unformed. 

SENSE OF HEARING AND SIGHT 

The first sense to develop in a developing human 
embryo is hearing. The foetus can hear sounds after 
the 24th week. Subsequently, the sense of sight is 
developed and by the 28th week, the retina becomes 
sensitive to light. 

The Qur'an explains it thus: 

And He gave 
you (the faculties of) hearing 

and sight and feeling 
(and understanding). 

Verily We created man 
from a drop of mingled sperm, 
in order to try him: 

so We gave him (the gifts), 
of Hearing and Sight. 

[Al-Quran 76:2] 

It is He Who has created 
for you (the faculties of) 

[Al-Quran 32:9] 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
60 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

hearing, sight, feeling and 
understanding: 

little thanks it is ye give! 

[Al-Quran 23:78] 

In all these verses the sense of hearing is mentioned 
before that of sight. Thus the Quranic description 
matches perfectly with the discoveries in modern 
embryology. 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
61 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

13. GENERAL SCIENCE 
FINGERPRINTS 

Does man think that We 
cannot assemble his bones? 

Nay, We are able to put 
together in perfect order 
the very tips of his fingers. 

Unbelievers argue regarding resurrection taking 
place after bones of dead people have disintegrated 
in the earth and how each individual would be 
identified on the Day of Judgement. Almighty Allah 
answers that He can not only assemble our bones 
but can also reconstruct perfectly our very 
fingertips. 

Why does the Quran, while speaking about 
determination of the identity of the individual, 
speak specifically about fingertips? In 1880, 
fingerprinting became the scientific method of 
identification, after research done by Sir Francis 
Golt. No two persons in the world can ever have 
exactly the same fingerprint pattern, not even 
identical twins. That is the reason why police forces 
worldwide use fingerprints to identify criminals. 

Fourteen hundred years ago, who could have known 
the uniqueness of each humans fingerprint? Surely it 
could have been none other than the Creator Himself! 

[Al-Quran 75:3-4] 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
62 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

PAIN RECEPTORS IN THE SKIN 

It was thought that the sense of feeling and pain 
was dependent only on the brain. Recent discoveries 
however prove that there are pain receptors present 
in the skin, without which a person would not be 
able to feel pain. 

When a doctor examines a patient suffering from 
burn injuries, he verifies the degree of burns by a 
pinprick. If the patient feels pain, the doctor is 
happy, because it indicates that the burns are 
superficial and the pain receptors are intact. On the 
other hand, if the patient does not feel any pain, it 
indicates that it is a deep burn and the pain 
receptors have been destroyed. 

The Quran gives a clear indication of the existence 
of pain receptors in the following verse: 

Those who reject 
our signs, 

We shall soon 
cast into the Fire; 

as often as their skins 
are roasted through, 
We shall change them 
for fresh skins, 

that they may taste 
the Penalty: 


* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
63 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

for Allah is Exalted 
in Power, Wise. 


[Al-Quran 4:56] 

Prof. Tagatat Tejasen, Chairman of the Department 
of Anatomy at Chiang Mai University in Thailand, 
has spent a great amount of time on research of 
pain receptors. Initially he could not believe that 
the Quran mentioned this scientific fact 1,400 
years ago. He later verified the translation of this 
particular Quranic verse. Prof. Tejasen was so 
impressed by the scientific accuracy of the Quranic 
verse, that at the 8th Saudi Medical Conference 
held in Riyadh on the Scientific Signs of Quran and 
Sunnah, he proudly proclaimed in public: 


There is no God but Allah and 
Muhammad (pbuh) is His Messenger. 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
64 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

14. CONCLUSION 
To attribute the presence of scientific facts in the 
Quran to coincidence would be against common 
sense and a true scientific approach. 

Indeed the scientific accuracy of the Qur'anic verses 
confirm the Qur'an's open declaration. 

Soon will We show them 
Our Signs in the (furthest) 
regions (of the earth), and 
in their own souls, until 
it becomes manifest to them 
that this is the Truth 
it is not enough that 
Thy Lord doth witness 
all things? 

[Al-Quran 41:53] 

The Quran invites all humans to reflect on the 
Creation of this universe in the verse: 

Behold! In the creation 
of the heavens and the earth, 

and the alternation 
of Night and Day  

there are indeed Signs 
for men of understanding . 


[Al-Quran 3:190] 
* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
65 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

The scientific evidences of the Quran clearly prove 
its Divine origin. No human could have produced a 
book, fourteen hundred years ago, that would 
contain such profound scientific facts. 

The Quran, however, is not a book of Science but a 
book of Signs. These signs invite Man to realize the 
purpose of his existence on earth, and to live in 
harmony with Nature. The Quran is truly a 
message from Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of 
the universe. It contains the same Message of the 
Oneness of God, that was preached by all prophets, 
right from Adam, Moses, Jesus to Muhammad 
(peace be upon them). 

Several detailed tomes have been written on the 
subject of Quran and modern science and further 
research in this field is on. Inshallah, this research 
will help mankind to come closer to the Word of the 
Almighty. This booklet contains only a few of the 
scientific facts present in the Quran. I cannot claim 
to have done full justice to the subject. 

Prof. Tejasen accepted Islam on the strength of just 
one scientific sign mentioned in the Quran. Some 
people may require ten signs while some may 
require hundred signs to be convinced about the 
Divine origin of the Quran. Some would be 
unwilling to accept the Truth even after being 
shown a thousand signs. The Quran condemns such 
a closed mentality in the verse: 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
66 


ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

	





. 

. 

	
	




. 

	


	
. 

	
	
		
		
. 

Deaf, dumb and blind, 


They will not return 
(To the path). 


[Al-Quran 2:18] 

The Quran contains a complete code of life for the 
individual and society. Alhamdulillah (Praise be to 
Allah), the Quranic way of life is far superior to the 
isms that modern man has invented out of sheer 
ignorance. Who can give better guidance than the 
Creator Himself? 

I pray that this humble effort is accepted by Allah, 
to whom I pray for mercy and guidance (Aameen). 

* For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net 
67 


