Front Cover Photo: Back Cover Photo: More than one million Muslims from all over the world praying together at the Haram Mosque in Makkah. The Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque in Madinah. For this entire book online, for more information on Islam, or for a printed copy, visit: www.islam-guide.com
I. A. Ibrahim ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO A B R I E F UNDERSTANDING ISLAM Dr. William (Daoud) Peachy Michael (Abdul-Hakim) Thomas Tony (Abu-Khaliyl) Sylvester Idris Palmer Jamaal Zarabozo Ali AlTimimi General Editors Professor Harold Stewart Kuofi Professor F. A. State Professor Mahjoub O. Taha Professor Ahmad Allam Professor Salman Sultan Associate Professor H. O. Sindi Science Editors A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Darussalam Houston S e c o nd Ed i t i o n
Copyright Copyright © 1997, 1996 I. A. Abu-Harb. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, except for the situation below which is permitted. For Reprinting Reprinting or reproducing this book as a whole on the condition that absolutely no change, addition, or omission is introducedis permitted free of charge. To make high quality reprints, you may contact the author to obtain free copies of the computer print files of this book (address on page 70). The Web Site of This Book This entire book, as well as more information on Islam, is available online at: www.islam-guide.com 2nd Edition - 3rd Printing Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 97-67654 ISBN: 9960-34-011-2 Published by Darussalam, Publishers and Distributors, Houston, Texas, USA. A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam
(1) The Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an . . . . . . . . . . 5 A) The Qur’an on Human Embryonic Development . . 6 B) The Qur’an on Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 C) The Qur’an on the Origin of the Universe . . . . . . 14 D) The Qur’an on the Cerebrum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 E) The Qur’an on Seas and Rivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 F) The Qur’an on Deep Seas and Internal Waves . . . 20 G) The Qur’an on Clouds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 H) Scientists’ Comments on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 (2) The Great Challenge to Produce One Chapter Like the Chapters of the Holy Qur’an . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 (3) Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of Muhammad , the Prophet of Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 (4) The Verses in the Qur’an That Mention Future Events Which Later Came to Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 (5) Miracles Performed by the Prophet Muhammad . . . 36 (6) The Simple Life of Muhammad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 (7) The Phenomenal Growth of Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 (1) The Door to Eternal Paradise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 (2) Salvation from Hellfire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 (3) Real Happiness and Inner Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 (4) Forgiveness for All Previous Sins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 contents Contents some benefits of islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Some evidence for the truth of islam . 5 TITLE PAGE PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 1
What Is Islam? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Some Basic Islamic Beliefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 1) Belief in God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 2) Belief in the Angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 3) Belief in God’s Revealed Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 4) Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of God . . . 48 5) Belief in the Day of Judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 6) Belief in Al-Qadar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Is There Any Sacred Source Other than the Qur’an? . . . . . 49 Examples of the Prophet Muhammad’s Sayings . . . . . . 49 What Does Islam Say about the Day of Judgment? . . . . . . 50 How Does Someone Become a Muslim? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 What Is the Qur’an About?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Who Is the Prophet Muhammad ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 How Did the Spread of Islam Affect the Development of Science? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 What Do Muslims Believe about Jesus? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 What Does Islam Say about Terrorism?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Human Rights and Justice in Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 What Is the Status of Women in Islam? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 The Family in Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 How Do Muslims Treat the Elderly? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 What Are the Five Pillars of Islam? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 1) The Testimony of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 2) Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 3) Giving Zakat (Support of the Needy) . . . . . . . . . . 66 4) Fasting the Month of Ramadan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 5) The Pilgrimage to Makkah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Islam in the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 For More Information on Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 For Suggestions and Comments on This Book . . . . . . . . . 70 For Further Reading on Islam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Contents Chapter 3 general information on Islam. . . . . . . 45 A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 2
This book is a brief guide to understanding Islam. It consists of three chapters. The first chapter, “Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam,” answers some important questions which some people ask: Is the Qur’an truly the literal word of God, revealed by Him? Is Muhammad 1 truly a prophet sent by God? Is Islam truly a religion from God? In this chapter, six kinds of evidence are mentioned: 1) The Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an: This section discusses (with illustrations) some recently discovered scientific facts mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, which was revealed fourteen centuries ago. 2) TheGreat Challenge to Produce One Chapter Like the Chapters of the Holy Qur’an: In the Qur’an, God challenged all human beings to produce a single chapter like the chapters of the Qur’an. Ever since the Qur’an was revealed, fourteen centuries ago, until this day, no one has been able tomeet this challenge, even though the smallest chapter in the Qur’an (Chapter 108) is only ten words. PREFACE Preface A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 3 (1) These Arabic words mean, ‘May God exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection.’
3) Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of Muhammad , the Prophet of Islam: In this section, some of the Biblical prophecies on the advent of the Prophet Muhammad are discussed. 4) The Verses in the Qur’an That Mention Future Events Which Later Came to Pass: The Qur’an mentioned future events which later came to pass, for example, the victory of the Romans over the Persians. 5) Miracles Performed by the Prophet Muhammad : Many miracles were performed by the Prophet Muhammad . These miracles were witnessed by many people. 6) The Simple Life ofMuhammad :This clearly indicates that Muhammad was not a false prophet who claimed prophethood to attain material gains, greatness, or power. From these six kinds of evidence, we conclude that: The Qur’an must be the literal word of God, revealed by Him. Muhammad is truly a prophet sent by God. Islam is truly a religion from God. If we would like to know if a religion is true or false, we should not depend on our emotions, feelings, or traditions. Rather, we should depend on our reason and intellect. When God sent the prophets, He supported them with miracles and evidence which proved that they were truly prophets sent by God and hence that the religion they came with is true. The second chapter, “Some Benefits of Islam,” mentions some of the benefits that Islam provides for the individual, such as: 1) The Door to Eternal Paradise 2) Salvation from Hellfire 3) Real Happiness and Inner Peace 4) Forgiveness for All Previous Sins. The third chapter, “General Information on Islam,” provides general information on Islam, corrects some misconceptions about it, and answers some commonly asked questions, such as: What does Islam say about terrorism? What is the status of women in Islam? Preface A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 4
God has supported His last Prophet Muhammad with many miracles and much evidence which proves that he is a true Prophet sent by God. Also, God has supported His last revealed book, the Holy Qur’an, with many miracles that prove that this Qur’an is the literal word of God, revealed by Him, and that it was not authored by any human being. This chapter discusses some of this evidence. (1) The Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an The Qur’an is the literal word of God, which He revealed to His Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. It was memorized by Muhammad , who then dictated it to his Companions. They, in turn, memorized it, wrote it down, and reviewed it with the Prophet Muhammad . Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad reviewed the Qur’an with the Angel Gabriel once each year and twice in the last year of his life. From the time the Qur’an was revealed, until this day, there has always been a huge number of Muslims who have memorized all of the Qur’an, letter by letter. Some of them have even been able to memorize all of the Qur’an by the age of ten. Not one letter of the Qur’an has been changed over the centuries. The Qur’an, which was revealed fourteen centuries ago, mentioned facts only recently discovered or proven by scientists. This proves without doubt that the Qur’an must be the literal word of Some evidence for the truth of islam Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam The Holy Qur’an Chapter 1 (1) The Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 5
God, revealed by Him to the Prophet Muhammad , and that the Qur’an was not authored by Muhammad or by any other human being. This also proves that Muhammad is truly a prophet sent by God. It is beyond reason that anyone fourteen hundred years ago would have known these facts discovered or proven only recently with advanced equipment and sophisticated scientific methods. Some examples follow. A) The Qur’an on Human Embryonic Development: In the Holy Qur’an, God speaks about the stages of man’s embryonic development: We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement, firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an alaqah (leech, suspended thing, and blood clot), thenWe made thealaqahinto amudghah(chewed substance)... 1 (Qur’an, 23:12-14) Literally, the Arabic word alaqah has three meanings: (1) leech, (2) suspended thing, and (3) blood clot. In comparing a leech to an embryo in thealaqahstage, we find similarity between the two,2 as we can see in figure 1. Also, the embryo at this stage obtains nourishment from the blood of the mother, similar to the leech, which feeds on the blood of others.3 The second meaning of the wordalaqahis “suspended thing.” This is what we can see in figures 2 and 3, the suspension of the embryo, during the alaqah stage, in the womb of the mother. Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam A) The Qur’an on Human Embryonic Development A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 6 (1) Please note that what is between these special brackets ... in this book is only a translation of the meaning of the Qur’an. It is not the Qur’an itself, which is in Arabic. (2) The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 8. (3) Human Development as Described in the Qur’an and Sunnah, Moore and others, p. 36.
Figure 1: Drawings illustrating the similarities in appearance between a leech and a human embryo at the alaqah stage. (Leech drawing fromHuman Development as Described in the Qur’an and Sunnah, Moore and others, p. 37, modified from Integrated Principles of Zoology, Hickman and others. Embryo drawing fromThe Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 73.) Figure 3: In this photomicrograph, we can see the suspension of an embryo (marked B) during the alaqah stage (about 15 days old) in the womb of the mother. The actual size of the embryo is about 0.6 mm. (The Developing Human, Moore, 3rd ed., p. 66, from Histology, Leeson and Leeson.) Figure 2: We can see in this diagram the suspension of an embryo during thealaqahstage in the womb (uterus) of the mother. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 66.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam A) The Qur’an on Human Embryonic Development A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 7
The third meaning of the word alaqah is “blood clot.” We find that the external appearance of the embryo and its sacs during the alaqah stage is similar to that of a blood clot. This is due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo during this stage1 (see figure 4). Also during this stage, the blood in the embryo does not circulate until the end of the third week.2 Thus, the embryo at this stage is like a clot of blood. So the three meanings of the word alaqah correspond accurately to the descriptions of the embryo at the alaqah stage. The next stage mentioned in the verse is the mudghah stage. The Arabic word mudghah means “chewed substance.” If one were to take a piece of gum and chew it in his or her mouth and then compare it with an embryo at the mudghah stage, we would conclude that the embryo at the mudghah stage is similar in appearance to a chewed substance. This is because of the somites at the back of the embryo that “somewhat resemble teethmarks in a chewed substance.”3 (see figures 5 and 6). How could Muhammad have possibly known all this about fourteen hundred years ago, when scientists have only recently discovered this using advanced equipment and powerful microscopes which did not exist at that time? Hamm and Figure 4: Diagram of the primitive cardiovascular system in an embryo during thealaqahstage. The external appearance of the embryo and its sacs is similar to that of a blood clot, due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo. (The Developing Human, Moore, 5th ed., p. 65.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam A) The Qur’an on Human Embryonic Development A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 8 (1) Human Development as Described in the Qur’an and Sunnah, Moore and others, pp. 37-38. (2) The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 65. (3) The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 8.
Figure 5: Photograph of a 28-day-old embryo at themudghahstage. The embryo at this stage is similar in appearance to a chewed substance, because the somites at the back of the embryo somewhat resemble teeth marks in a chewed substance. The actual size of the embryo is 4 mm. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 82, from Professor Hideo Nishimura, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.) Figure 6: When comparing the appearance of an embryo at the mudghah stage with a piece of gum that has been chewed, we find similarity between the two. A) Drawing of an embryo at the mudghah stage. We can see here the somites at the back of the embryo that look like teeth marks. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 79.) B) Photograph of a piece of gum that has been chewed. Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam A) The Qur’an on Human Embryonic Development A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 9
Leeuwenhoek were the first scientists to observe human sperm cells (spermatozoa) using an improved microscope in 1677 (more than 1000 years after Muhammad ). They mistakenly thought that the sperm cell contained a miniature preformed human being that grew when it was deposited in the female genital tract.1 Professor Emeritus Keith L. Moore is one of the world’s most prominent scientists in the fields of anatomy and embryology and is the author of the book entitled The Developing Human, which has been translated into eight languages. This book is a scientific reference work and was chosen by a special committee in the United States as the best book authored by one person. Dr. Keith Moore is Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. There, he was Associate Dean of Basic Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine and for 8 years was the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy. In 1984, he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grant Award from the Canadian Association of Anatomists. He has directed many international associations, such as the Canadian and American Association of Anatomists and the Council of the Union of Biological Sciences. In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Professor Moore said: “It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Qur’an about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammad must have been a messenger of God.”2 Consequently, Professor Moore was asked the following question: “Does this mean that you believe that the Qur’an is the word of God?” He replied: “I find no difficulty in accepting this.”3 During one conference, Professor Moore stated: “....Because the staging of human embryos is complex, owing to the continuous process of change during development, it is proposed that a Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam A) The Qur’an on Human Embryonic Development A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 10 (1) The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 9. (2) The source of this comment is This is the Truth (videotape). Visit www.islam-guide.com/truthfor a copy of this videotape or to view the video clips of Professor Keith Moore’s comments online. (3) This is the Truth(videotape).
new system of classification could be developed using the terms mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah (what Muhammad said, did, or approved of). The proposed system is simple, comprehensive, and conforms with present embryological knowledge. The intensive studies of the Qur’an and hadeeth (reliably transmitted reports by the Prophet Muhammad’s companions of what he said, did, or approved of) in the last four years have revealed a system for classifying human embryos that is amazing since it was recorded in the seventh century A.D. Although Aristotle, the founder of the science of embryology, realized that chick embryos developed in stages from his studies of hen’s eggs in the fourth century B.C., he did not give any details about these stages. As far as it is known from the history of embryology, little was known about the staging and classification of human embryos until the twentieth century. For this reason, the descriptions of the human embryo in the Qur’an cannot be based on scientific knowledge in the seventh century. The only reasonable conclusion is: these descriptions were revealed to Muhammad fromGod. He could not have known such details because he was an illiterate man with absolutely no scientific training.”1 B) The Qur’an on Mountains: A book entitled Earth is a basic reference textbook in many universities around the world. One of its two authors is Professor Emeritus Frank Press. He was the Science Advisor to former US President Jimmy Carter, and for 12 years was the President of the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC. His book says that mountains have underlying roots.2 These roots are deeply embedded in the ground, thus, mountains have a shape like a peg (see figures 7, 8, and 9 on the next page). This is how the Qur’an has described mountains. God has said in the Qur’an: Have We not made the earth as a bed, and the mountains as pegs? (Qur’an, 78:6-7) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam B) The Qur’an on Mountains A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 11 (1) This is the Truth(videotape). See footnote no. 2, p. 10. (2) Earth, Press and Siever, p. 435. Also see Earth Science, Tarbuck and Lutgens, p. 157.
Modern earth sciences have proven that mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground (see figure 9) and that these roots can reach several times their elevations above the surface of Figure 8: Schematic section. The mountains, like pegs, have deep roots embedded in the ground. (Anatomy of the Earth, Cailleux, p. 220.) Figure 9: Another illustration shows how the mountains are peg-like in shape, due to their deep roots. (Earth Science, Tarbuck and Lutgens, p. 158.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam B) The Qur’an on Mountains A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam Figure 7: Mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground. (Earth, Press and Siever, p. 413.) 12
the ground.1 So the most suitable word to describe mountains on the basis of this information is the word ‘peg,’ since most of a properly set peg is hidden under the surface of the ground. The history of science tells us that the theory of mountains having deep roots was introduced only in 1865 by the Astronomer Royal, Sir George Airy.2 Mountains also play an important role in stabilizing the crust of the earth.3 They hinder the shaking of the earth. God has said in the Qur’an: And He has set firm mountains in the earth so that it would not shake with you... (Qur’an, 16:15) Likewise, the modern theory of plate tectonics holds that mountains work as stabilizers for the earth. This knowledge about the role of mountains as stabilizers for the earth has just begun to be understood in the framework of plate tectonics since the late 1960’s.4 Could anyone during the time of the Prophet Muhammad have known of the true shape of mountains? Could anyone imagine that the solid massive mountain which he sees before him actually extends deep into the earth and has a root, as scientists affirm? Modern geology has confirmed the truth of the Qur’anic verses. Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam B) The Qur’an on Mountains A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 13 (1) The Geological Concept of Mountains in the Qur’an, El-Naggar, p. 5. (2) Earth, Press and Siever, p. 435. Also see The Geological Concept of Mountains in the Qur’an, p. 5. (3) The Geological Concept of Mountains in the Qur’an, pp. 44-45. (4) The Geological Concept of Mountains in the Qur’an, p. 5.
C) The Qur’an on the Origin of the Universe: The science of modern cosmology, observational and theoretical, clearly indicates that, at one point in time, the whole universe was nothing but a cloud of ‘smoke’ (i.e. an opaque highly dense and hot gaseous composition).1 This is one of the undisputed principles of standard modern cosmology. Scientists now can observe new stars forming out of the remnants of that ‘smoke’ (see figures 10 and 11). The illuminating stars we see at night were, just as was the whole universe, in that ‘smoke’ material. God has said in the Qur’an: Then He turned to the heaven when it was smoke... (Qur’an, 41:11) Because the earth and the heavens above (the sun, the moon, stars, planets, galaxies, etc.) have been formed from this same ‘smoke,’ we conclude that the earth and the heavens were one connected entity. Then out of this homogeneous ‘smoke,’ they formed and separated from each other. God has said in the Qur’an: Have not those who disbelieved known that the heavens and the earth were one connected entity, thenWe separated them?... (Qur’an, 21:30) Dr. Alfred Kroner is one of the world’s renowned geologists. He is Professor of Geology and the Chairman of the Department of Geology at the Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. He said: “Thinking where Muhammad came from . . . I think it is almost impossible that he could have known about things like the common origin of the universe, because scientists have only found out within the last few years, with very complicated and advanced technological methods, that this is the case.”2 Also he said: “Somebody who did not know Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam C) The Qur’an on the Origin of the Universe A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 14 (1) The First Three Minutes, a Modern View of the Origin of the Universe, Weinberg, pp. 94-105. (2) The source of this comment is This is the Truth (videotape). Visit www.islam-guide.com/truthfor a copy of this videotape or to view the video clips of Professor Alfred Kroner’s comments online.
Figure 10: A new star forming out of a cloud of gas and dust (nebula), which is one of the remnants of the ‘smoke’ that was the origin of the whole universe. (The Space Atlas, Heather and Henbest, p. 50.) Figure 11: The Lagoon nebula is a cloud of gas and dust, about 60 light years in diameter. It is excited by the ultraviolet radiation of the hot stars that have recently formed within its bulk. (Horizons, Exploring the Universe, Seeds, plate 9, from Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam C) The Qur’an on the Origin of the Universe A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 15
something about nuclear physics fourteen hundred years ago could not, I think, be in a position to find out from his own mind, for instance, that the earth and the heavens had the same origin.”1 D) The Qur’an on the Cerebrum: God has said in the Qur’an about one of the evil unbelievers who forbade the Prophet Muhammad frompraying at the Kaaba: No! If he does not stop, We will take him by the naseyah (front of the head), a lying, sinful naseyah(front of the head)! (Qur’an, 96:15-16) Why did the Qur’an describe the front of the head as being lying and sinful? Why didn’t the Qur’an say that the person was lying and sinful? What is the relationship between the front of the head and lying and sinfulness? If we look into the skull at the front of the head, we will find the prefrontal area of the cerebrum (see figure 12). What does physiology tell us about the function of this area? A book entitled Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology says about this area: “The motivation and the foresight to plan and initiate movements occur in the anterior portion of the frontal lobes, the prefrontal area. This is a region of association cortex...”2 Also the book says: “In relation to its involvement in motivation, the prefrontal area is also thought to be the functional center for aggression....”3 So, this area of the cerebrum is responsible for planning, motivating, and initiating good and sinful behavior and is responsible for the telling of lies and the speaking of truth. Thus, it is proper to describe the front of the head as lying and sinful when someone lies or commits a sin, as the Qur’an has said: “...A lying, sinful naseyah(front of the head)!” Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam D) The Qur’an on the Cerebrum A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 16 (1) This is the Truth(videotape). (2) Essentials of Anatomy&Physiology, Seeley and others, p. 211. Also see The Human Nervous System, Noback and others, pp. 410-411. (3) Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Seeley and others, p. 211.
Scientists have only discovered these functions of the prefrontal area in the last sixty years, according to Professor Keith L. Moore.1 E) The Qur’an on Seas and Rivers: Modern Science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity, and density.2 For example, Mediterranean sea water is warm, saline, and less dense, compared to Atlantic ocean water. When Mediterranean sea water enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill, it moves several hundred kilometers into the Atlantic at a depth of about 1000 meters with its own warm, saline, and less Figure 12: Functional regions of the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex. The prefrontal area is located at the front of the cerebral cortex. (Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Seeley and others, p. 210.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam E) The Qur’an on Seas and Rivers A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 17 (1) Al-E’jaz al-Elmy fee al-Naseyah (The Scientific Miracles in the Front of the Head), Moore and others, p. 41. (2) Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93.
dense characteristics. The Mediterranean water stabilizes at this depth1 (see figure 13). Although there are large waves, strong currents, and tides in these seas, they do not mix or transgress this barrier. The Holy Qur’an mentioned that there is a barrier between two seas that meet and that they do not transgress. God has said: He has set free the two seas meeting together. There is a barrier between them. They do not transgress. (Qur’an, 55:19-20) But when the Qur’an speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of “a forbidding partition” with the barrier. God has said in the Qur’an: He is the one who has set free the two kinds of water, one sweet and palatable, and the other salty and bitter. And He has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition. (Qur’an, 25:53) Figure 13: The Mediterranean sea water as it enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill with its own warm, saline, and less dense characteristics, because of the barrier that distinguishes between them. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius (C°). (Marine Geology, Kuenen, p. 43, with a slight enhancement.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam E) The Qur’an on Seas and Rivers A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 18 (1) Principles of Oceanography, Davis, p. 93.
One may ask, why did the Qur’an mention the partition when speaking about the divider between fresh and salt water, but did not mention it when speaking about the divider between the two seas? Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the situation is somewhat different from what is found in places where two seas meet. It has been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a “pycnocline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers.”1 This partition (zone of separation) has a different salinity from the fresh water and from the salt water2 (see figure 14). This information has been discovered only recently, using advanced equipment to measure temperature, salinity, density, oxygen dissolubility, etc. The human eye cannot see the difference between the two seas that meet, rather the two seas appear to us as one homogeneous sea. Likewise, the human eye cannot see the division of water in estuaries into the three kinds: fresh water, salt water, and the partition (zone of separation). Figure 14: Longitudinal section showing salinity (parts per thousand ‰) in an estuary. We can see here the partition (zone of separation) between the fresh and the salt water. (Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, p. 301, with a slight enhancement.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam E) The Qur’an on Seas and Rivers A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 19 (1) Oceanography, Gross, p. 242. Also see Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, pp. 300-301. (2) Oceanography, Gross, p. 244, and Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, pp. 300-301.
F) The Qur’an on Deep Seas and Internal Waves: God has said in the Qur’an: Or (the unbelievers’ state) is like the darkness in a deep sea. It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds. Darknesses, one above another. If a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it.... (Qur’an, 24:40) This verse mentions the darkness found in deep seas and oceans, where if a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it. The darkness in deep seas and oceans is found around a depth of 200 meters and below. At this depth, there is almost no light (see figure 15). Below a depth of 1000 meters there is no light at all.1 Human Figure 15: Between 3 and 30 percent of the sunlight is reflected at the sea surface. Then almost all of the seven colors of the light spectrum are absorbed one after another in the first 200 meters, except the blue light. (Oceans, Elder and Pernetta, p. 27.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam F) The Qur’an on Deep Seas and Internal Waves A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 20 (1) Oceans, Elder and Pernetta, p. 27.
beings are not able to dive more than forty meters without the aid of submarines or special equipment. Human beings cannot survive unaided in the deep dark part of the oceans, such as at a depth of 200 meters. Scientists have recently discovered this darkness by means of special equipment and submarines that have enabled them to dive into the depths of the oceans. We can also understand from the following sentences in the previous verse, “...in a deep sea. It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds....”, that the deep waters of seas and oceans are covered by waves, and above these waves are other waves. It is clear that the second set of waves are the surface waves that we see, because the verse mentions that above the second waves there are clouds. But what about the first waves? Scientists have recently discovered that there are internal waves which “occur on density interfaces between layers of different densities.”1 (see figure 16). The internal waves cover the Figure 16: Internal waves at interface between two layers of water of different densities. One is dense (the lower one), the other one is less dense (the upper one). (Oceanography, Gross, p. 204.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam F) The Qur’an on Deep Seas and Internal Waves A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 21 (1) Oceanography, Gross, p. 205.
deep waters of seas and oceans because the deep waters have a higher density than the waters above them. Internal waves act like surface waves. They can also break, just like surface waves. Internal waves cannot be seen by the human eye, but they can be detected by studying temperature or salinity changes at a given location.1 G) The Qur’an on Clouds: Scientists have studied cloud types and have realized that rain clouds are formed and shaped according to definite systems and certain steps connected with certain types of wind and clouds. One kind of rain cloud is the cumulonimbus cloud. Meteorologists have studied how cumulonimbus clouds are formed and how they produce rain, hail, and lightning. They have found that cumulonimbus clouds go through the following steps to produce rain: 1) The clouds are pushed by the wind: Cumulonimbus clouds begin to form when wind pushes some small pieces of clouds (cumulus clouds) to an area where these clouds converge (see figures 17 and 18). Figure 17: Satellite photo showing the clouds moving towards the convergence areas B, C, and D. The arrows indicate the directions of the wind. (The Use of Satellite Pictures in Weather Analysis and Forecasting, Anderson and others, p. 188.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam G) The Qur’an on Clouds A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 22 (1) Oceanography, Gross, p. 205.
2) Joining: Then the small clouds join together forming a larger cloud1 (see figures 18 and 19). Figure 19: (A) Isolated small pieces of clouds (cumulus clouds). (B) When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase, so the cloud is stacked up. Water drops are indicated by . (The Atmosphere, Anthes and others, p. 269.) Figure 18: Small pieces of clouds (cumulus clouds) moving towards a convergence zone near the horizon, where we can see a large cumulonimbus cloud. (Clouds and Storms, Ludlam, plate 7.4.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam G) The Qur’an on Clouds A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 23 (1) SeeThe Atmosphere, Anthes and others, pp. 268-269, andElements of Meteorology, Miller and Thompson, p. 141.
3) Stacking: When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase. The updrafts near the center of the cloud are stronger than those near the edges.1 These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow vertically, so the cloud is stacked up (see figures 19 (B), 20, and 21). This vertical growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler regions of the atmosphere, where drops of water and hail formulate and begin to grow larger and larger. When these drops of water and hail become too heavy for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall from the cloud as rain, hail, etc.2 God has said in the Qur’an: Have you not seen how God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it.... (Qur’an, 24:43) Meteorologists have only recently come to know these details of cloud formation, structure, and function by using advanced equipment like planes, satellites, computers, balloons, and other Figure 20: A cumulonimbus cloud. After the cloud is stacked up, rain comes out of it. (Weather and Climate, Bodin, p.123.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam G) The Qur’an on Clouds A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 24 (1) The updrafts near the center are stronger, because they are protected from the cooling effects by the outer portion of the cloud. (2) See The Atmosphere, Anthes and others, p. 269, and Elements of Meteorology, Miller and Thompson, pp. 141-142.
equipment, to study wind and its direction, to measure humidity and its variations, and to determine the levels and variations of atmospheric pressure.1 The preceding verse, after mentioning clouds and rain, speaks about hail and lightning: ....And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky, and He strikes with it whomever He wills, and turns it from whomever He wills. The vivid flash of its lightning nearly blinds the sight. (Qur’an, 24:43) Meteorologists have found that these cumulonimbus clouds, that shower hail, reach a height of 25,000 to 30,000 ft (4.7 to 5.7 miles),2 like mountains, as the Qur’an said: “...And He sends down hail frommountains (clouds) in the sky...”(see figure 21). Figure 21: A cumulonimbus cloud. (A Colour Guide to Clouds, Scorer and Wexler, p. 23.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam G) The Qur’an on Clouds A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 25 (1) See Ee’jaz al-Qur’an al-Kareem fee Wasf Anwa’ al-Riyah, al-Sohob, al-Matar, Makky and others, p. 55. (2) Elements of Meteorology, Miller and Thompson, p. 141.
This verse may raise a question. Why does the verse say“its lightning” in a reference to the hail? Does this mean that hail is the major factor in producing lightning? Let us see what the book entitled Meteorology Today says about this. It says that a cloud becomes electrified as hail falls through a region in the cloud of supercooled droplets and ice crystals. As liquid droplets collide with a hailstone, they freeze on contact and release latent heat. This keeps the surface of the hailstone warmer than that of the surrounding ice crystals. When the hailstone comes in contact with an ice crystal, an important phenomenon occurs: electrons flow from the colder object toward the warmer object. Hence, the hailstone becomes negatively charged. The same effect occurs when supercooled droplets come in contact with a hailstone and tiny splinters of positively charged ice break off. These lighter positively charged particles are then carried to the upper part of the cloud by updrafts. The hail, left with a negative charge, falls towards the bottom of the cloud, thus the lower part of the cloud becomes negatively charged. These negative charges are then discharged as lightning.1 We conclude from this that hail is the major factor in producing lightning. This information on lightning was discovered recently. Until 1600 AD, Aristotle’s ideas on meteorology were dominant. For example, he said that the atmosphere contains two kinds of exhalation, moist and dry. He also said that thunder is the sound of the collision of the dry exhalation with the neighboring clouds, and lightning is the inflaming and burning of the dry exhalation with Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam G) The Qur’an on Clouds A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 26 (1) Meteorology Today, Ahrens, p. 437.
a thin and faint fire.1 These are some of the ideas on meteorology that were dominant at the time of the Qur’an’s revelation, fourteen centuries ago. H) Scientists’ Comments on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an: The following are some comments of scientists on the scientific miracles in the Holy Qur’an. All of these comments have been taken from the videotape entitled This is the Truth. In this videotape, you can see and hear the scientists while they are giving the following comments. (Please visit www.islam-guide.com/truth for a copy of this videotape, to view it online, or to view the video clips of these comments online.) 1) Dr. T. V. N. Persaud is Professor of Anatomy, Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health, and Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. There, he was the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy for 16 years. He is well-known in his field. He is the author or editor of 22 textbooks and has published over 181 scientific papers. In 1991, he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grant Award from the Canadian Association of Anatomists. When he was asked about the scientific miracles in the Qur’an which he has researched, he stated the following: “The way it was explained to me is that Muhammad was a very ordinary man. He could not read, didn’t know [how] to write. In fact, he was an illiterate. And we’re talking about twelve [actually about fourteen] hundred years ago. You have someone illiterate making profound pronouncements and statements and that are amazingly accurate about scientific nature. And I personally can’t see how this could be a mere chance. There are too many accuracies and, like Dr. Moore, I have no difficulty in my mind that this is a divine inspiration or revelation which led him to these statements.” Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam H) Scientists’ Comments on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 27 (1) The Works of Aristotle Translated into English: Meteorologica, vol. 3, Ross and others, pp. 369a-369b.
Professor Persaud has included some Qur’anic verses and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad in some of his books. He has also presented these verses and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad at several conferences. 2) Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson is the Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. Formerly, he was Professor of Ob-Gyn and the Chairman of the Department of Ob-Gyn at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He was also the President of the American Fertility Society. He has received many awards, including the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology Public Recognition Award in 1992. Professor Simpson studied the following two sayings of the Prophet Muhammad : { In every one of you, all components of your creation are collected together in your mother’s womb by forty days... }1 { If forty-two nights have passed over the embryo, God sends an angel to it, who shapes it and creates its hearing, vision, skin, flesh, and bones.... }2 He studied these two sayings of the Prophet Muhammad extensively, noting that the first forty days constitute a clearly distinguishable stage of embryo-genesis. He was particularly impressed by the absolute precision and accuracy of those sayings of the Prophet Muhammad . Then, during one conference, he gave the following opinion: “So that the twohadeeths (the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ) that have been noted provide us with a specific time table for the main embryological development before forty days. Again, the point has been made, I think, repeatedly by other speakers this Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam H) Scientists’ Comments on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 28 (1) Narrated inSaheeh Muslim, #2643, andSaheeh Al-Bukhari, #3208. Note: What is between these special brackets {...} in this book is a translation of what the Prophet Muhammad said. Also note that this symbol # used in the footnotes, indicates the number of the hadeeth. Ahadeeth is a reliably transmitted report by the Prophet Muhammad’s companions of what he said, did, or approved of. (2) Narrated inSaheeh Muslim, #2645.
morning: thesehadeethscould not have been obtained on the basis of the scientific knowledge that was available [at] the time of their writing . . . . It follows, I think, that not only there is no conflict between genetics and religion but, in fact, religion can guide science by adding revelation to some of the traditional scientific approaches, that there exist statements in the Qur’an shown centuries later to be valid, which support knowledge in the Qur’an having been derived from God.” 3) Dr. E. Marshall Johnson is Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. There, for 22 years he was Professor of Anatomy, the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy, and the Director of the Daniel Baugh Institute. He was also the President of the Teratology Society. He has authored more than 200 publications. In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Professor Johnson said in the presentation of his research paper: “Summary: The Qur’an describes not only the development of external form, but emphasizes also the internal stages, the stages inside the embryo, of its creation and development, emphasizing major events recognized by contemporary science.” Also he said: “As a scientist, I can only deal with things which I can specifically see. I can understand embryology and developmental biology. I can understand the words that are translated to me from the Qur’an. As I gave the example before, if I were to transpose myself into that era, knowing what I knew today and describing things, I could not describe the things which were described. I see no evidence for the fact to refute the concept that this individual, Muhammad, had to be developing this information from some place. So I see nothing here in conflict with the concept that divine intervention was involved in what he was able to write.”1 4) Dr. William W. Hay is a well-known marine scientist. He is Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA. He was formerly the Dean of the Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam H) Scientists’ Comments on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 29 (1) The Prophet Muhammad was illiterate. He could not read nor write, but he dictated the Qur’an to his Companions and commanded some of them to write it down.
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA. After a discussion with Professor Hay about the Qur’an’s mention of recently discovered facts on seas, he said: “I find it very interesting that this sort of information is in the ancient scriptures of the Holy Qur’an, and I have no way of knowing where they would come from, but I think it is extremely interesting that they are there and that this work is going on to discover it, the meaning of some of the passages.” And when he was asked about the source of the Qur’an, he replied: “Well, I would think it must be the divine being.” 5) Dr. Gerald C. Goeringer is Course Director and Associate Professor of Medical Embryology at the Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA. During the Eighth Saudi Medical Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Professor Goeringer stated the following in the presentation of his research paper: “In a relatively fewaayahs (Qur’anic verses) is contained a rather comprehensive description of human development from the time of commingling of the gametes through organogenesis. No such distinct and complete record of human development, such as classification, terminology, and description, existed previously. In most, if not all, instances, this description antedates by many centuries the recording of the various stages of human embryonic and fetal development recorded in the traditional scientific literature.” 6) Dr. Yoshihide Kozai is Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University, Hongo, Tokyo, Japan, and was the Director of the National Astronomical Observatory, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan. He said: “I am very much impressed by finding true astronomical facts in [the] Qur’an, and for us the modern astronomers have been studying very small pieces of the universe. We’ve concentrated our efforts for understanding of [a] very small part. Because by using telescopes, we can see only very few parts [of] the sky without thinking [about the] whole universe. So, by reading [the] Qur’an and by answering to the questions, I think I can find my future way for investigation of the universe.” Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam H) Scientists’ Comments on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 30
7) Professor Tejatat Tejasen is the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy at Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Previously, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the same university. During the Eighth Saudi Medical Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Professor Tejasen stood up and said: “During the last three years, I became interested in the Qur’an . . . . From my study and what I have learned from this conference, I believe that everything that has been recorded in the Qur’an fourteen hundred years ago must be the truth, that can be proved by the scientific means. Since the Prophet Muhammad could neither read nor write, Muhammad must be a messenger who relayed this truth, which was revealed to him as an enlightenment by the one who is eligible [as the] creator. This creator must be God. Therefore, I think this is the time to say La ilaha illa Allah, there is no god to worship except Allah (God), Muhammadur rasoolu Allah, Muhammad is Messenger (Prophet) of Allah (God). Lastly, I must congratulate for the excellent and highly successful arrangement for this conference . . . . I have gained not only from the scientific point of view and religious point of view but also the great chance of meeting many well-known scientists and making many new friends among the participants. The most precious thing of all that I have gained by coming to this place is La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah, and to have become a Muslim.” After all these examples we have seen about the scientific miracles in the Holy Qur’an and all these scientists’ comments on this, let us ask ourselves these questions: Could it be a coincidence that all this recently discovered scientific information from different fields was mentioned in the Qur’an, which was revealed fourteen centuries ago? Could this Qur’an have been authored by Muhammad or by any other human being? The only possible answer is that this Qur’an must be the literal word of God, revealed by Him. (For more information, online articles, books, or videotapes on scientific miracles in the Holy Qur’an, please visit www.islam-guide.com/science or contact one of the organizations listed on pages 69-70.) Chapter 1 Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam H) Scientists’ Comments on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam 31
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