Is there "science in the Qur'an?"

Submitted by Lactantius Jr. (United Kingdom), Oct 25, 2006 at 08:56

Dear Hafiz

Thank you for your response, yes I found it useful, because it has made me think again, about the oft-repeated Islamic claim that "science proves the Qur'an," which I have previously criticized, on the grounds that saying this, gives science an authority greater than the Qur'an, the consequence being, that if the science is wrong, what does this do to the truth claims of the Qur'an?

Your first reference to mountains "moving really fast like clouds" puzzles me Hafiz, are you referring to Surah 27:88 here? If so, I really don't understand what this has to do with "science in the Qur'an." Here is how Abdullah Yusuf Ali translates 27:88 into English:-

"Thou seest the mountains and thinkest them firmly fixed: but they shall pass away as the clouds pass away: (such is) the artistry ofAllah, who disposes of all things in perfect order: for he is well acquainted with all that ye do."

You also quote:- "He has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together: Between them is a Barrier which they do not transgress." without sourcing it, but which I recognise as a reference to Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation into English of Surah 55:19-20 echoing Surah 25:53 which Abdullah Yusuf Ali translates into English as:- "It is He Who has let free the two bodies of flowing water: One palatable and sweet, and the other salt and bitter; yet has He made a barrier between them, a partition that is forbidden to be passed."

What is the claimed "scientific miracle" of oceanography revealed in the Qur'an here Hafiz, in 55:19-20? and presumably also in 25:53? please do let me know how these verses support the Islamic claim for the "scientific miracle of the Qur'an," and whether there are also other "scientific miracles" contained in the Qur'an, that weren't, and couldn't have been known ~1400 centuries ago at the time of Muhammad.

Yours Sincerely

Lactantius Jr

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