Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:23, Part-2)
By: Mohammad Sobhanie
Scientific Miracle of the Quran
بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَإِن كُنتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِّن مِّثْلِهِ وَادْعُوا شُهَدَاءَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّـهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ ﴿٢٣﴾ فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا وَلَن تَفْعَلُوا فَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ الَّتِي وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ ۖ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ ﴿٢٤﴾
Translation: Should you have any doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, present one chapter comparable to it and call on all your supporters, besides God, if your claim is true.
If you do not produce such a chapter, as you never will, then guard yourselves against the fire whose fuel will be people and stones and is prepared for those who hide the Truth.
Commentary: The Quran revealed multiple facts about the universe, which were independently discovered by mankind after its revelation. The accuracy of these scientific facts confirms that the Quran is, in fact, the work of the Universe’s creator, rather than mankind. The Quran’s revelations on the universe’s features and functions are collectively termed the “scientific miracles of the Quran”.
To this date, several scientific facts are known to be consistent with verses of the Quran. Amongst them are the law of gravity, the phenomenon of continental drift, and unique form of human fingerprints. With further advancements in science and improved understanding of the Quran, further scientific miracles of the Quran may be discovered.
Gravity Forces: Astronomers estimated the existence of about 225 billion galaxies in the observable universe using the Hubble Space Telescope. The stars and planets contained in these galaxies travel in separate orbits and, therefore, avoid collision with other celestial bodies.
In the 16th century, astronomers discovered that the force of gravity maintains the stars and planets in their separate orbits. Interestingly, the Quran identified gravitational force in the 6th century and described it as “unseen pillars1”.
اللَّـهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا
“It is Allah who raised the heavens [and hold them in their position] without visible supports2,” [Ar’ Raad, 13:2]
Continental Drift: The earth’s crust, which is the topmost layer of our planet, is composed of a relatively thin layer of solid rock material. Deep to the crust is the earth’s mantle, which is significantly hotter and behaves as a fluid platform for earth’s crust.
The earth’s crust floats atop the hot molten materials of the earth’s mantle, permitting drift between tectonic plates. For example, the continent of America is moving away from the continent of Europe at the rate of about an inch a year. The Quran compares the slow movement of the continents to the slow movements of clouds.
وَتَرَى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَهِيَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ
“You think the mountains are solid. In fact, they move like clouds.”[an-Naml, 27:88]
The theory of continental drift was proposed by Alferd Wagner, a geologist, in 1920. He suggested that the crust of earth originally was a single mass and later divided into seven separate continents.
Human Unique Fingerprint: It wasn’t known until recently that each individual has a unique fingerprint from which they can be identified. Human fingerprints are detailed and do not alter over the course of one’s life.
The Quran asserts that on the Day of Resurrection, God will reset fingerprints perfectly in the same manner as they were in their original creation.
أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَلَّن نَّجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُ ﴿٣﴾ بَلَىٰ قَادِرِينَ عَلَىٰ أَن نُّسَوِّيَ بَنَانَهُ ﴿٤﴾
“Does man think that We cannot gather his bones? Nay, We are able to put together in perfect order the very tips of his fingers.” [al-Qiyaama, 75:3-4]
These are three examples of the consistency between known scientific truths and the Quran’s revelations far preceding their discovery by mankind. This serves as proof that the Quran is the work of the Universe’s creator, God.
References:
- The Quran (31:10), (13:2)
- The word “tarawnaha” [تَرَوْنَهَا] (that you can see) is an adjective of “AAamadin” [عَمَدٍ] (pillars).
Commentary on Nahjul-Balaghah (Hadith 1)