KHUTAB IV: 22. SCIENTIFIC INTERPRETATION OF THE QUR’ĀN
22.
SCIENTIFIC INTERPRETATION OF THE QUR’ĀN
(ANUMA, 21 MAY, 2010)
Brothers
in Islam,
Allah says in the Qur’ān,
الم. غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ. فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ
غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ
-
۲)١ .(الروم :
"ALM,
[These letters are one of the miracles
of the Qur'an, and none but Allah Alone knows
their
meanings]. The Romans have been defeated. In
the nearest
land (Syria,
Iraq, Jordan and Palestine), and they
after their defeat, will be victorious…" (Q. 30:1-2)
The term أَدْنَى is derived from the verb دَنَا
يَدْنُو دُنُوٌّ meaning: to
be near, to come close, to get close. It is also derived from the verb دَنِيَ
يَدْنا دَنًا meaning: to be low, lowly, to be
contemptible. The classical com-mentators of the Qur'an used the first meaning
of the term in the above verse, namely, to be near. Al-Nasafī, for example,
said that the term فِى أَدْنَى الأرض means "in
the nearest land of the Arabs, the parts of Syria" which was at that time
included Jordan and Palestine. Another commentator, Muqātil, specified the
land, namely, Jordan and Palestine.
However, geologists found out
that the land where the Romans were conquered by the Persians was low, so that
the second meaning of the term أَدْنَى is also
applicable in this verse. It is on this land where the Dead Sea, which is
actually a lake, is located. It is 78 kms long and and 17 kms wide at its
widest, and has a maximum depth 399 meters. It surface is 403 meters below the
sea level, lower than any other known place on this planet. Its water comes
from the River Jordan, but it has no outlet, so that its salinity keeps
increasing, more than six times saltier than the ocean. No wonder no fish or
animal can live in this lake. We see here that the two meanings of أَدْنَى are applicable in this verse.
In another verse Allah said:
وَأَنْزَلْنَا
الْحَدِيدَ فِيهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ
مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ وَرُسُلَهُ بِالْغَيْبِ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ (الحديد : ۲٥)
And We brought forth iron wherein is
mighty power,
as well as many benefits for mankind, that Allah
may test who
it is that will help Him (His religion)
and His
Messengers in the unseen. Verily, Allah
is All-Strong, All-Mighty. (Q. 57:25)
Classical
interpretation of this verse is that the term أَنْزَلْنَا which
literally means "We sent down"
is translated by al-asan and
others as خَلَقْنَا ("We
created"), so that the verse means that Allah created iron, not sent down
from the sky or outer space to the earth. It is like the verse:
الزمر
:٦ ) ) وَأَنْزَلَ
لَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ
…and
He sent down for you of cattle eight pairs
(of the sheep two, male and female; of the
goats, two,
male and female; of the oxen, two, male and
female;
and of the camels, two, male and female).
(Q. 39:6)
(Tafsīr al-Alūsī).
They also understand in the
same way the following a ḥadīth attributed
to the Prophet by Ibn ‘Umar:
أنَّ اللهَ تَعَالىَ أَنْزَلَ أَرْبَعَ بَرَكَاتٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلىَ
الَأرْضِ :
أَنْزَلَ
الْحَدِيْدَ ، وَالنَّارَ ، وَالْمَاءَ ، وَالْمِلْحَ
"Verily,
Allah the Most High sent down four blessings
from the sky
to the earth: He sent down iron, fire,
water and
salt." (Reported
by al-Daylamī).[1]
However,
according to geologists, before human beings lived on this planet, it had been
continuously bombarded with meteorites (literally means "rocks from the
sky"). These rocks contained nickel and iron. The sudden disappearance of
the dinosaurs which had successfully lived for more than 160 million years on
this earth was caused, according to one theory, by the fall of a huge
meteorite. So, Allah did really send down iron from the sky, and according to
one theory, the metal iron of the earth is originally from outer space, in line
with literal translation of the above verse.
In
another verse, Allah said:
يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُمَا اللُّؤْلُؤُ وَالْمَرْجَانُ
٢٢)
(الرحمن:
Out of them
both [i.e. salt and fresh water]
came out pearl and coral (Q. 55:22)
Classical
commentators of the Qur'an, such as Ibn ‘Abbās and Qatādah say that اللُّؤْلُؤُ is the big pearls, whereas َالْمَرْجَانُ is the small one.[2]
In fact, it is another meaning of this term beside coral. Pearls are produced
in pearl oysters at sea. But nowadays, people find pearls in freshwater mussels
in Mississippi River and its tributaries, and in Japan pearls are made in
freshwater.
After
reading the translation of the Qur'an a non-Muslim asked whether the Prophet
was a sailor or had been at sea. When he was told that
the Prophet
never sailed all his life but riding camels, he wondered how the Qur'an
explained what he had experienced and the Prophet never did. What he read in
the Qur'an was this verse:
أَوْ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُجِّيٍّ يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ مِنْ
فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ
ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ
بَعْضٍ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا
٤)
(النور :
The expe
Or
(the unbelievers' state) is like the
darkness in
the deep sea. It is covered by waves, above
which
are waves, above which are clouds. Darkness
one above another. If a man stretches out his
hand, he cannot see it.
(Q. 24:40)
The experience
of total darkness where you cannot see your hand if you stretch it out is
hardly to occur in Makkah or Madinah where this verse was revealed. It is
because of lack of rain and clear sky you still can see your way at night with
the lights of thousands of stars, although with dim light.
The person accepted Islam, as
he believed that this revelation was really from Allah, not from the Prophet's
own words. This is what common people understand from this verse. But for oceanographers this verse has deeper
meanings. It talks about the darkness in deep sees. At a depth of 200 meters
there is almost no light. People can dive unaided till 40 meters only, so there
is still light. Below 1000 meters there is no light at all.
Scientists
discovered that there are internal waves between less dense water on top and
dense water at the bottom. They act like surface waves, and also can break. We
cannot see them but we can detect them by studying the salinity change and
temperature. On the top of these internal waves are the surface waves which we
can see. On the top of these waves are clouds. "Darkness one above another".
This is the scientific interpretation of this verse.
Ibn ‘Abbās's interpretation
of this verse is this:
Darkness is
the deeds of man. Deep sea is the heart of man, covered by waves, above which
are waves, above which are clouds are those that cover the heart, the hearing
and the sight of man. It is like the verse:
خَتَمَ
اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ وَعَلَى أَبْصَارِهِمْ
غِشَاوَةٌ
وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ (البقرة :٧)
"Allah
has set a seal on their hearts and on their
hearing, and on their eyes there is a
covering.
Theirs will be a great torment." (Q. 2:7)
Brothers in
Islam
We know that
the first revelation was:
اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ.
خَلَقَ الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ. اقْرَأْ
وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ.
الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ. عَلَّمَ الْإِنْسَانَ
مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ (العلق:1-5)
Read! In the
Name of your Lord Who has created
[all that exists). He has created man from a
clot (a piece
of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your
Lord
is the Most Generous. Who has taught (the
writing) by the pen. (Q. 96:1-5)
The wordعَلَق
is a collective noun of عَلَقَة meaning (coagulated) blood
and blood clot.
But the term also means "leech" (including modern time
"medicinal leech)" and "a suspended thing" which is closer
to its verb عَلِقَ يَعْلَقُ عَلَقٌ meaning
"to hang, to be suspended; to stick, to cling." The coat hanger is
called عَلِّاق
(its slang is عَلَّاقِيَّة).
In another
verse Allah mentions the various stages of the development of human embryo.
وَلَقَدْ
خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ سُلَالَةٍ مِنْ طِينٍ. ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُطْفَةً فِي
قَرَارٍ مَكِينٍ.
ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا
الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَامًا فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ
لَحْمًا ثُمَّ أَنْشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آَخَرَ فَتَبَارَكَ
اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ
( المؤمنون :12-14)
"We
created man [i.e. Adam] from an extract of clay.
Then We made
him [Adam's offspring]as a nuṭfah drop
in a place of settlement, firmly fixed [womb
of a woman].
Then We made the drop into an ‘alaqah (leech,
suspended
thing, and blood clot), then We made the ‘alaqah
into a
mudghah (chewed
substance), then We made out of that
mudghah bones (skeleton), the We clothed the bones
with flesh
(muscles), then We develop out of him
another creation [i.e. fetus which grows and has
soul]. So
blessed be Allah the best to
create." (Q. 23:12-14)
عَلَقَةً stage at when the embryo is at 24-25 days.
مُضْغَةً state is when the embryo is at 26-27 days
We notice that at the ‘alaqah stage which lasts at 24-25 days there is similarity
between a leech and an embryo, suspending in the womb, and looked like a blood
clot because of the presence of a large amount of blood at this stage.
Therefore, the three meanings of عَلَق are all included in the above verse, خَلَقَ الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
The truth of the Qur’ān is absolute,
as it is from Allah the Creator. The truth of science is relative based on
research and investigation. The more knowledge you have, the deeper
understanding of the Qur’ān you will have, and the more your faith will
increase, that the Qur’ān is truly from Allah. Allah said:
وَلِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا
الْعِلْمَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ فَيُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ فَتُخْبِتَ لَهُ
قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ
لَهَادِ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
)٤٥
(الحج :
"And that those on whom knowledge has
been bestowed
may learn
that the Qur’ān is the truth from your Lord, and
that they may believe therein, and their
hearts may be made
humbly
(open) to it; for verily Allah is Guide of those
who believe to the straight way." (Q. 22:45)
[1]This ḥadīth is considered "weak" as
Ibn ajar attributed it to al-Tha‘labī and said that there was among its chains
of narrators who was unknown to him. See Tafsīr al-Baghawī on his
commentary on Q. 57:25 above). Al-Albānī put it in the category of weak and
invented ḥadīths, as one of its narrators, Sayf ibn Muḥammad, the nephew
of the scholar Sufyān al-Thawrī, was unreliable. See al-Albānī, al-Silsilah
al-Ḍa‘īfah wa ’l-Mawḥū‘ah,vol. 6, p. 58.
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