Assalamu alaikum
Welcome to another episode of Islamic focus, I’m your host and today we have a program in our series dealing with the sources of a psalm. We’ll be talking about the Quran in the modern, current and modern science. I have joining on the program is usual. Dr. Jamal graduate of St. Mary’s University of Jamal Assalamu alaikum. Peace. Now, this has been such an interesting series, it’s hard to believe that we’ve had 1818 programs, it’s gone so fast. Let’s
before we get into today’s program, could I have you very quickly highlight the main points that we touched on in our last program dealing with the chrono modern science? Okay, the major issue that was discussed in the previous program was the concept of the water cycle, and indicate how the Quran made reference to that, more than 900 years before modern science discovered it, which of course relate to the main question in the series as to what actually is the source of the Quran, who is the author, quote, unquote, Quran there’s some of the specific detailed description that are found in the Quran dealing with issues likely source of the springwater that it comes actually from rain
waters, unlike the previous Smith that were known about it, the role of the wind in joining together clouds, and as such increasing condensation and the reference in the kuranda, the wind act as impregnating or impregnating factors, that is getting non rain carrying clouds with rain carrying clouds, and that eventually results in this condensation and fall of rain.
And the third main issue, which was I believe, quite amazing, really is the mentioned in the Quran about the partition, quote unquote, or the barrier between different masses of water are seen as the common term used, which is referenced all sorts of the the balance between saltwater and freshwater. We discussed briefly also that even when we talk about the same type of waters, when we analyze the Gulf Stream, and the lengthy trip that it makes, still quite distinct from the rest of the water was quite a considerable degree
difference in the degree of the water temperature. That’s something again, that seemed to have made much, much earlier difference before even we had any notion of this amazing phenomena.
Now, I’d like to examine another aspect of the earth. That is the the mountains Is there any hint in the Quran about the of their function, that’s the mountains? Well look on the Hinton factor is very clear, and
explicit reference in the Quran about the very crucial function that the mountains play particularly in stabilizing the crust of the earth. And just start with that citation first, and then just to give some commentary from the standpoint of modern geology,
the citation the Quran, wild coffee, that are centimeter thick, which means that Allah has cast into the ground mountains standing firm, so that they do not check with you that is found, for example, in 3110, and also in 1615 2131. The thing that is interesting and that is the mention of the mountain as something that keeps the earth stable.
In other citation in the Quran, it adds even another dimension of that description of the role of mountains. For example, in 78, sort of 78 particularly in sixth and seventh. It describes the mountain as altered, which means pigs or sticks, you know, just like the stakes are pigs holding the tent
stable.
And this is an interesting description that bet early in the Quran
because now with new knowledge
In modern geology, it was found that the,
the radius of the Earth is perhaps a little less than 4000 miles, some estimate at about 3700 or so minds,
that is from the surface to the Koch brothers. And they found further that the crust, which is called on which we live and grow plants and all that, it was really a very, very minor part of that radius, approximately, maybe 1%. Sometimes they measure it as ranging anywhere between, let’s say, 10 to 30 miles or so deep. Of course, kind of reconsideration of the total radius, it’s really a very small part, just across journey. And it was found also by geologists that defaults on Earth, which form the mountain ranges are very essential, because it gives this very thin crust, a source of stability. This is the process that some geologists also refer to as orogenesis.
Which means that in order for the development of the relief on Earth, the crust of Earth was driven, proportionately, far down. And that kind of process or pressures, in fact, ensures a sort of foundation in the layer which underlies the mountains, see the accuracy of the description, I will tell or the like pegs really holding. Some also refer to the balance between the depth, for example of the ocean and the heights of the mountain that all of these phenomena together, seem to maintain the crust of the earth in some degree of stability. Of course, this information definitely was not known at all, at the time of the revelation of the Quran, or even for hundreds of years afterwards.
Fascinating. The discussion last week was the discussion of the watercycle this discussion of the mountains and so on, before we move on, especially Are there any other natural phenomena which the Quran refers to that we should perhaps take a look at before we begin some discussion of life on earth? Well, there are numerous let me just give an example of two others that some writers tend to refer to frequently as the notion of the shadow. Of course, you might say, Well, so what about the shadow? But again, let me first start with the, with the citation in the Quran and just make commentary on lm tala, Arabic Acacia, Matt de la Rosa, Allah Jalla, who second, that’s in Surah 25,
particularly verses on passages 45 and six, it says, has you not seen how you will not spread the term spread the shadow? If he will, he would have made it stationary. Moreover, he made the sun its guide,
as scientists try to interpret or understand from that citation, the question of extending the shadow, they say it is actually a an evidence of the rotation of the Earth, around its own axis, and that’s in the face of the sun. Because without this rotation, half of the Earth would be in perpetual day.
And the other half would be perpetual night, and do not say so what when it could be devastating is really because life would perish and has eventually because one part of the overexposed the other part will be, you know, underexposed. So the the difficulty of growth of vegetation is on, there is really such a delicate balance here that related to this sort of rotation.
And if the, if it works to as many people believed in the past, that the earth is stationary, it would have meant that the shadow also would have remained stationary. And that’s why the verse specifically says, If Allah went, he would have made it stationary. But if he didn’t, he made it.
Mobile changing. This can be appreciated more if we refer back to the notion understood about the shadow at the time of the revelation of the Quran, or even afterwards, the day believe, or used to believe that the sun moved from the east to the west, but the earth was stationary. So the movement and the shadow actually was connected with this movement of the sun, not movement of the verse itself. In fact, the Quran makes another difference in Surah 28, reminding us again, that what would you have done if Allah made the night perpetual or de perpetual, which could be a reference to that phenomena? It could be a reminder to us also that there are some other parts of the world which
definitely was not known to Prophet Muhammad at this time.
Like Scandinavia, where actually a lot shows us His Signs by certain times of the year where it is, you know, perpetual day or night is not, of course not for the whole year, at least certain portion of the year. So there’s chances of maintaining a life. A second example also is found in respect to the study of Oceanography, or what happens it also within the, in the deep oceans.
And what scientists are telling us is that the, the sea storms or deep sea storms, in fact, result in degeneration of different types of waves, which vary in width, length and height, which actually can be described more or less as sort of layers of waves. And again, this is something which was not known, of course, in the seventh century. And interesting enough, in Surah 24. In the Quran, there is reference, specifically to this sort of layers. The, let’s say free translation of the citation says that the deeds of those who are unbelievers
are like a mirage. And then it’s continuous or like darkness, in a very deep ocean, in which there are layers upon layers
of,
of waves, that is leading to total darkness. And then the verse says that if a person even looks at his hand, he will not be able to see it. And this is a reference to a natural phenomena that exists there. Not only the layers of the waves, but also the kind of cloudy setting that it generates to the point of having certain darkness. In fact,
perhaps now we can begin with a look at the life on Earth. I’d like to ask you if the Quran has anything to say about vegetation that was not known at the time of the revelation of the second aspect of the vegetable kingdom? Yes, what There are numerous citations are passages in the Quran that deal with the question of vegetation, some of which are more general, more or less speaking about vegetation as a bounty from Allah or a gift to humankind. And that’s fine in numerous citation, for example, in 699 13, four, in 1610, and 11, in 59, and 311.
Some passages in the Quran refer to an interesting phenomenon again, which is the variations in the colors and tastes of fruits, even though or vegetation even though they they are planted or watered, with the same waters, which could be an interesting hint also, about the genetic code in the various plants where the roots are actually picking the certain nutrients which are needed for that particular plant. It’s an interesting phenomena to
that, one might say, right, many of these citations, they may not seem to be anything that’s particularly striking.
However, the expressions mentioned about this vegetation is totally free of the common myths that existed about vegetation at the time of the revelation of the Quran, or even after which was again that the Quran was not simply a human document, which is adapting or rehearsing what is known.
It’s time as other human, human written books, if you will.
But in addition to this, there are also certain aspects that really require some further examination.
Many of the scientists, for example, in an ecologist speak about the balance in nature, particularly the Venice also in the vegetable kingdom.
And the Quran makes several references to this do proportion or balance in the creation of Allah. It speaks about it in general, that is the do balance in the universe in general, such as a 913 2512 5449 just talk in general. But there is one particular passage in the Quran that is in 1519, which is really interesting, because it speaks specifically about the ecological balance, if you will, in the vegetation, kingdom,
saying that Allah caused all kinds of things to grow there in that is on earth. And what is the word here in jubilance in jubilance.
The other aspect that the Quran refers to is the process of reproduction in plants.
And as you realize that it was only relatively recent, recently or in recent decades that scientists found out that any
Plant really involves both the male and female type of
parts. And even some of the animals that were not regarded are seen as
you know, different are regarded as unisex, still was programmed to have both male and female type of functions. And here I can find the Quran refers to this law of fairness on two levels generally, and with respect to vegetation. Generally speaking, the Quran says and 5149 that of everything. Did Allah create things in pairs, and it says things which means animals, vegetations humans, and things even even if you look at the atom, we talk about electrons and neutrons, so there’s always electricity, there is the positive and negative. But beyond the general statement, we find more specifically in 2053. In the Quran, it speaks again about the variations of plants in pairs,
referring to this application of the law of fairness, as it applies to, to plants, assert aspects Also, if you may add that to the process of germination. So when you put the plants or the seed in the soil, it goes through certain stages. And scientists tell us that the first thing that happens is that the the outside casing of the seat, backs up or splits. Actually the word split isn’t as an accurate expression. And that allows the roots to emerge and grow the nutrients from the soil and result of course in the growth of a new plant. Interesting enough, one passage in the Quran in mind, that’s Surah 995. It says in the law of Allah could have been our Verily, Allah splits the grain and
footstone.
Again, the question here is the server language used in the Quran that is very descriptive of what
scientist has been able to have been able to, to observe and study stretching.
While the
animal life is a little more complex process, how about animals on earth? Does the How does the Quran explain it? perhaps maybe we can begin with, again, broad statements as we did in the question of plants, that there is definitely a number of passages in the Quran, which speaks again, of elements of the creation of animals and kittens as a bounty of Allah. This might be interesting, that can be you, for example, in Surah, 16, in the beginning of sort of 16 days mentioned, the catalyst that Allah has created and how we derive warms from them that’s through closing and the tents are using their heights for some variety of purposes. The food that it provides the milk, the
carrying our loads, and all the remaining enjoying even the beauty of watching those animals like horses and others. That’s one aspect. However, some interesting things also pertained to the animal kingdom pertain to the process of reproduction. And perhaps that can be dealt with when we deal with the human reproduction because that’s even a more fascinating and interesting subject in which the Quran gives lots of
explanations.
But one of the things that is really very fascinating, which is basic to the animal kingdom, is the notion that animals also like humans, live in communities, just like communities, with social organizations and leadership and everything else that we humans think is exclusive to us. And the last point is a very interesting point. I think, perhaps there’s room for some clarification on it.
is my understanding that the notion of animals living in kingdoms was not fully understood until recently. Yes, and that’s again, the whole question here is where did the Quran get this information? If the Quran was copied from state of knowledge at the time of the Prophet? You’re absolutely right. Yes, it’s very
relatively recent type of phenomenon. And it was achieved only after
systematic and detailed observation and study of animal behavior was was possible. And there is an interesting area in the Quran in particular with this notion of community or communal life of animals
in 638, woman in bed but in front of the Walter Zhanna how he in the moment and Cellcom, which means that
There is no animal on earth. And the original word actually that that means anything that walks or moves on living, there is no animal on earth, nor birds, which flies on tunings or on wings, that does not belong to communities like you, that is like you are humans. And the attempts are being made quite earnestly, in fact to study that further, and try and understand what is that mechanism, which is at the heart of this community living, if you will, of the various types of animals, it’s a fascinating field by itself.
Other specific examples of the organization’s becoming the animal kingdom, the community type of living. One of the most interesting things in the Quran is that it refers many times to various creations of Allah, to the point that even some sutras in the Quran
are titled, after some specific animals or even insects, for example, you find the surah in the Quran called the bees,
and other spiders, and other animals, which means the ends. But perhaps one of the interesting things that the Quran refers to, which has been subjected to a great deal of scientific study in recent decades, is the community living of the bee, the honeybee.
There is an amazing citation about that in the Quran, which appears actually in Surah 16, which by the way, takes its name, it’s called the Nile also the bees
in
in passages, 68 and 69, it speaks as for about how Allah inspired the bees to make habitation of Tibet based on habitations or
homes,
in the mountains on the top of the trees or rooftops, and that it says, Allah inspired them to eat from all types of fruits. And then it says, then follow the ways of your Lord, follow the ways of your Lord, and then speaks about the honey that comes out of their belly, and how it in that time there is cure for people. Now, there are a number of interesting points here that that this citation refers to. First of all, why does it speak particularly about the disease? Is there any sense anything special about the community life of the bees, and even though it start addressing bees in plural, when it says, make out of mountains,
habitations from yourself, it says attacking V which is a female gender. And that raises question is that a possible hint of the fact that the main builders
of this be habitation are in fact the female workers?
Why the Quran specified the female genders in the sense that a thing which is really interesting also, it says follow the way of your Lords that is in taking the fruits or sucking this juice from the flowers and so on. And its transformation into honey, follow the ways of your Lord. And what scientists have found is that there is a remarkable nervous organization in the bee in particular, which actually is reflected in the pattern of the so called being dance, they have been very in depth studies of the bee dance.
And when a bee for example, discovers a place where there are flowers, she comes back and inform other bees as to how to get there.
If I were to put it in some easy to follow form, in some colloquial way, even it would sound like this a bee coming to the other group of bees and say, Hey, you guys, I discovered some awful nice flowers down there. Let me tell you how you get there. You go straight for 30 feet, then turn lights, take a 90 degree,
you know, move and keep going there for certificates and then move to the north at 45 degrees and go for another 50 feet and you’ll find lots of nice flowers go and help yourself. Well, you might find that might seem that this is simply a sort of humorous way of putting it. But scientifically speaking that’s basically what happens. The study of the pattern of that so called B dance, the way she she moves, the wings and the direction and so on gives this exact information. This has been fun
The time after time it was found to exactly give the same kinds of directions or symbols have been already deciphered. So, there is a definite communication in this direction. One of those who made lots of studies on that is a man by the name of fun Fitch, it’s Monday or M Fitch fri s ch.
In addition to this, some studies were made also on how the the cells
are the highest are designed and again it was found that there is a meticulous, certain angles and degrees there is a definite manual that the bees have in their own genetic code if you weren’t very meticulous way of of designing
them a question of mentioning of the cure in honey for many diseases is again a matter that is a topic by itself and there have been people have made lots of studies about the benefits health benefits of the honey. Another example if I made you similar to that also in terms of the nervous and type of programming, if you will, that God has taught the various creatures is the spiders in Surah 29 for example,
is the citation here for particular verse 41. passage 41 appears to be just the spiritual, there is a great deal of mentioned there are reference to scientific things. For example, if you translate it literally into say something like this, those who choose masters and supporters other than Allah, or like the spiders, when it takes four attempts at winning, and then it says very the flimsiest dwelling is that winning of the spider if they know. Now, there are two things here to be observed. One is that, like the bee, again, it was found that the nervous system of the spider is programmed in such a way that it really results in the creation of perfectly geometric type of design.
That’s the kind of work they do. The additional discovery as to why the Quran chose, among other things, the spiders to refer to as the flimsiest and weakest of dwellings is that it was found also that there are certain glands in the spiders, which secrete this very, very fine threads with which the spider makes the web. And it was fine found that the caliber of those fibers is almost infinitely fine. That it is perhaps the weakest or the most fine type of
a dwelling that is virtually undetectable. You cannot synthetically for example, imitate the second type of
accent.
One of the very few moments that we have left on the on the program today. You mentioned the one of the stars of the Quran is titled the ends. Is there anything unusual about the ends which is Sora mentioned? Yes, there is. In fact, as you said that once what actually is called the ends and halfway are sometimes known in the in the surah, particularly from passages 17th to 19th. And the sort of number is 27. It speaks actually about the study of Prophet Solomon. And it says how Prophet Solomon on his way, once he had a big army, which included human beings, which included birds, and so on. And then it says, and that’s an interesting part about it, it says, One end toward the other
ends, get back into your dwelling nest. Solomon and his army crush you under the feet without realizing what they’re doing.
What on the surface, some people might say, Well, I’m telling all this sophisticated the message for many people, it would have sounded very strange and very difficult to grasp. But there have been lots of studies that were made on Ents and how they have this particular social organization among themselves. It was found that not only do they have this organization, they have also a great deal of intelligence. They love to work and work hard. And beside humans, and are the only animals known to us that berries are very, it’s dead, which is something really fascinating. It was found that ants also developed the custom or greeting in large groups once in a while in almost like a
marketplace. exchange of commodities, get to know each other or chat as we call it, even among humans. They do collective projects together like building a construction of roads. And of course, you know how to construct roads you have lots of organization and how to champion the efforts of everybody.
So that when to collect the food
if it’s too big
They cannot get it in the stone house, if you went, they tried to split it. If it’s too heavy, they keep pushing it with those
legs, and then raise it with their arms because they can kill it in the nose. But something even more fascinating is that when the rain falls, and both the greens they collected, get what they take it out to dry in the same room, and then are really an open air and then take it back. One amazing thing again, that shows how all of these things are programmed by the Creator is that when they collect the greens, they start cutting the roots, and then they split it. You see the reason because once you split the catalysts, there’s no chance that it would grow in the form of a plant and as such it maintains its storage of
food. So this sophisticated things are going on among them What’s so strange about communicating a specific message with a specific
ethnicity. We have to stop at that point though, because our time is gone. We want to thank you for watching and invite you back next week. Assalamu alaikum peace PMD
