The Quran and modern science compatible or incompatible ?
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
- 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-Qur’an, 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 Qur’an is believed to be for all
times, it should be relevant to every age. But does
the Qur’an pass this test?
In this booklet, I intend to give an objective analysis
of the Muslim belief regarding the Divine origin of
the Qur’an, 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 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
Qur’an 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.