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The Quran on the Heavens and the Earth |
The Laws of Physics
7:54. "Your guardian-Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six days and is firmly established on the throne (of authority): He draweth the night as a veil O'er the day each seeking the other in rapid succession!"
It should be noted that the above passage, while a having poetic nature, is also taken by modern day Islam as an evidence of science in the Quran. This is also signified by Islamic theology's acceptance of a six day period of literal creation. With that in mind the author of this passage in the Quran tells us that God "draweth the night as a veil O'er the day." Science fact is quite different. Darkness is the absence of light. Therefore, the night cannot be compared as a "veil" over the day, rather, the comparison would have to be the other way around. Can the Quran be the Word of God and be wrong about fundamental physics which God created?
The Moon
36:39. "And the Moon We have measured for her mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of date-stalk."Clearly part of this passage must be poetic. The "withered" part of a datestalk" is merely a reference to the phases of the moon. However, "mansions?" In the remaining context this is a straightforward piece of information; it is not meant to be figurative. What "mansions" are being refered to?
[ Which is Faster? The Sun or the Moon? ]
Where the Sun Goes at Night
36:38. "The sun runs its course to a settle place." (Pickthall uses "resting place.")The error here is in both text and interpretation. Maurice Bucaille notes in The Bible, the Quran and Science, "the solar solar system is indeed evolving toward a point situated in the constellation of Hercules whose exact location is firmly established."
This notion is ludicrious, and forgets that the expansion of the universe, rotations of systems and gravity tell us that the universe is constantly changing (though every so slowly to human eyes!). I checked with a cosmologiest on this topic. He had never heard of this concept.
Where the Sun Stays at Night
18:86. "Until then, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water; near it he found a people; We said, 'O Zulqarnain! either punish them or show them kindness."For readers unfamiliar with the name Zulqarnain, it is a reference to Alexander the Great. In the context of the passage Alexander the Great claims to be a servant of Allah, find the place where the sun sets; and sees people around it! This is truly remarkable, is it not? Perhaps the sun had to settle into the murky water so as not to burn the people? Can the Quran be the Word of God and relate fiction as history?
[ Does the Sun Orbit the Earth? ]
Comets and Meteors
55:33-35. "Oh assemblies of Jinn and men! If it be you can pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth Ñ pass! Not without authority will you be able to pass. On you will be sent a flame of fire and a smoke."There are a couple of different ways to read this passage. If taken in a straighforward manner, the text seems to imply that those who go beyond the bounds of earth will be condemned to hell. Yet again, modern interpreters read this passage as making the claim that man will one day go into space (which has taken place), where they will encounter these things. This is of interest because the text claims that Jinn (evil spirits) will do the same. Some commentators remark that those that attain to space will be pelted by comets and meteors, thus the meaning of the text. Space flight has become almost routine in the later of the 20th century. While a few meteors have been seen, being pelted by them because of space travel has not happened. Clearly the passage above is a condemnation for a possible attempt. There is no scientific statement in it.
Other: The Power of Man to Control His Environment
16:12. He has made subject to you the Night and the Day; the Sun and the Moon; and the Stars are in subjection by His Command: verily in this are Signs for men who are wise.The night and the day are not subject to man. Man does not control the rotation of the Earth, nor can he "light" up the night so as to control it. Conversely, the day is not under our control. Man cannot "take away" the light of the sun to block it out and prevent the day from happening. Can the Quran be the Word of God and be wrong about the limitations of man and his environment, both which God created?
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