Around Objections On the Presence of Scientific Signs in the Qur’an

It is ironic that most people, scholars or commoners, either deny or do not realize the presence of scientific signs in the Qur’an. They produce a couple of reasons in support of their position. Below are discussed only those reasons that look apparently weighty, therefore, are misleading:

(A) Almost all popular “Qur’an Commentators” hold the view that the Qur’an is the book of religion not science, so, it does not carry any scientific signs. They also argue that scientific understanding changes with the passing of time, so it is quite risky to relate the Qur’anic verses with scientific discoveries. But these arguments are clearly not founded on sound support (premises). Therefore, they raise serious questions and concerns about the validity of this standpoint. Some of them are follows:

First, the facts of nature discovered by science do not change. Only guesses and reasoning provided by scientists may be at fault. As a result, they can change over time.

Second, in the absence of some unseen natural facts, how can the Qur’an be considered the Book of the Creator in the Age of Science? Especially when its author repeatedly claims that it is he who has created the universe and everything.

Third, there are a great many verses on nature which obviously warrant interpretation as such. If interpreted otherwise, the most likely question would be: why does God use nature for unnatural meanings in so many verses?

On top of that, there are verses touching on nature that can in no way be interpreted without referring to the natural world. For example, the creation of heavens and earth, seven skies, and more.

Last, what is the meaning of verse 41:53? that says God will manifest his signs inside humans and in the horizons (world outside humans) so that the non-believers would recognize the Qur’an as being from God. If this verse does not point to the scientific signs including the archaeological ones, then, what does it point to?

(B) Many unbelievers argue that some natural truths have been mentioned by the Greek, so their presence does not prove a divine authorship. But they keep ignoring the apparent fact that they said two things right but four things wrong, which clearly show that those were human guesses at a time when knowledge about nature was primitive and proper investigations were not possible. On the other hand, there are no wrong sayings in the Qur’an; either they are accurate or science has not reached the level to judge them. This character of the book strongly suggests that it is the Word of the Creator.

In addition, the Qur’an refers to real deep nature like the expanding universe, dark matter, black holes, large formations of celestial elements. The Greek or others could not even imagine these things. These are the late discoveries of modern science. Nonetheless, they are mentioned in the Qur’an which is the scripture of the 7th century. Thus, who could be the author of this book other than the Creator of the universe?

(C) Some scientists do consider the absence of full accounts of the Qur’anic natural signs as a shortcoming and therefore very unconvincing. But this is an objection beside the point because:

• It is outside the purpose of putting signs there. A sign indicates something quickly, and for a quick indication, a full account is not required.
• The Qur’an is not a book of science.
• The Qur’an does not discuss scientific signs per se but touches on them during its religious discourse.

Consider an example:
If you do not know about the human body temperatures, you will not be able to understand the sign—the number—displayed in a clinical thermometer. Since a sign does not give the detail, this objection is without any genuine ground.

(D) Some Western scholars say people to whom the Qur’an was revealed got some other meanings of those verses, so they are not in the scientific sense. That is, they put the charge of framing scientific signs by new interpretations after scientific discoveries. But they are wrong in many respects:

• If today’s discovered natural facts can be pointed out in scriptural verses just by reinterpreting them, why are Jewish, Christian, and Hindu scholars not doing the same? Who does not like that the scripture he or she believes in mentions some deep natural facts manifesting it to be from no one else but the Creator God?
  
  These scholars do not answer this pertinent question. This is plain common sense that only reinterpretation cannot uncover a natural fact in a verse unless it is mentioned in some form and words in it.
• Everyone should give preference to the narrative of God over its human interpretations in order to avoid any mislead.
  
  Some people may object that righteous God should always do what is right; but instead of telling the facts of nature clearly,he put them in subtle ways just to enhance his acceptance among the unknowing people and letting them misunderstand nature. Were such divine acts right? Yes, they were. The catch is one thing is right but some other thing can be more right. Had God stated the natural facts clearly then, the majority of people who took faith (for centuries until science advanced and its findings became public), would have turned the Qur’an down, and kept following their wrong paths, thus deserving eternal hellfire. So, by telling the facts of nature in subtle ways, God saved billions of humans from going to eternal hell. As such, his subtle words are based on his great wisdom and mercy as well.
  
  As scientific signs are not the essential teachings of religion, they were not necessary at all in the past to understand them. Even they are not the essential teachings of religion today but they are to identify and trust the Qur’an as the right scripture in the age of science. Make no mistake that recognizing the right scripture is of prime importance to be on the right path; otherwise, all one’s good work will go in vain in the hereafter.
• The deep facts of nature were not possible to understand in the 7th c. when people were having primitive knowledge about the natural world, compounded by their false beliefs about it.
• Had the deep facts of nature been clearly stated , they would have backfired then led people to reject the Qur’an as the Book of God, because they believed their visible view of nature (e.g. flat earth) to be absolutely true.
  
  As scientific signs are not the essential teachings of religion, they were not necessary in the past to understand. They are to manifest the Qur’an as the book of the Creator in the age of science in relation with the unquestionable facts it finds.
  
• Verse 41:53 states, “We will show our signs”, indicating the verses on deep nature—the part of nature unapparent in the past due to the lack of sophisticated ways and means for exploration—were meant to be understood by the people of the future. Then, how can it be claimed that the meanings comprehended by the people of the seventh century are the actual meanings of those verses?
• Since Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent to teach religion and not science, he did not interpret those verses of deep nature. This also shows nderstanding those verses in light of future discoveries were left for the people to come.
  N.B. Any Hadith related to such verses is obviously false since it refutes the Quranic claim of being noticeable in the future (41:53).
  
• With the passage of time, our knowledge about nature keeps on increasing. As a result, we should revisit divine revelations on nature and examine closely what a divine wording really means in the background of the unveiled facts of nature by science.
  
  This exercise, besides unlocking the correct meanings of those verses, would determine whether or not that scripture is genuine, which is the main purpose of putting those signs into the Qur’an.
  
• In the past, improper understanding of verses on deep nature did not cause any problem in recognizing as well as acting on the true religion. But in today’s age of science, the misrepresentation of some of such verses can indeed push humans away, while the misrepresentation of some of other verses cannot enhance the trust of believers in the Qur’an which is crucially required today.
  
  Hence, the correct interpretation of verses related to nature has now become quite essential so that it may produce the intended effect—i.e. help unbelievers recognize the genuine scripture (41.53), and strengthen the conviction of believers (8:2, 9:124) providing impetus for continued going and better following.
  By the same token, it can also save believers, old or new, from going away from Islam, for which the scientists have posed a real threat by their biased and catchy treatments that appeal to many people and stay with them.

(E) Many scientists object that believers point to verses carrying natural facts after science has already discovered them. That is, they also obliquely put the blame on framing scientific signs by new interpretations. In order to justify their blame, they need to answer many of the above questions and concerns as well.

An additional reply:

They also do not understand the state of affairs that unless a natural fact is discovered by human quests, its presence just in a verse remains a divine claim. But when it is discovered by science today, the same verse becomes a divine sign, because only the creator could have said it in advance long ago.

This point is also obvious from the quoted verse since it says God will show his signs in the future, though they were present at the time of revelation as divine claims in the book.

(F) Some scientists raise objections to divine claims about deep nature in the Qur’an, asking why believers not tell those claims before science discovers the corresponding natural facts. This is again the charge of reframing in a slightly different context. Let us now add a further answer to it:

The usual state of affairs is: as long as a divine saying on nature remains indistinct or looks apparently inappropriate (e.g. the universe is expanding), most believers including scholars interpret it in some other meaning that fits in the realm of knowledge of that time. This is considered a fair, reasonable, and standard practice.

And it is no strange, scientists did the same thing: they kept insisting that our universe always existed as a steady state universe until new information came forward from the work of Edwin Hubble to give it a second thought.

Also, verse 41.53 is saying those natural signs will be shown in the future, understandably through human quests because the Qur’an is the last revelation of God. That is, God himself is not going to reveal anything further to expose those signs.

Finally, unlike other scriptures, its new interpretation does conform to the text and context of the Qur’an, and exposes the fault of the older ones. So, it plainly amends the human failings in commentaries and not an iota of the Qur’an.

The Conclusion:
Each of the above analyses reveals the same problem that the objectors’ line of thinking is not right. They make their arguments emotionally and not intellectually against the Qur’an.

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