y'HE UR'AN

A---- N.---.·· --- D-~~

, .. I •..

MODE,RN SCI,ENCE

by

DR. M,AU'ItICE, BUCAlLlE (Frenc'h Academy of' Medl'clne)

.-

\

All Rights Reserved 1997 _, 1418

FO'R FRE,E DISTR'rBUTION

Special ediition for (Ladn .Ame'riean .Muslim y,au.th. Commil1oo) a branch of DIe Wodd Assembly o,r Muslim YOUUI.

'''I! .-

,t~.JI~

~u.-91 1:'1;''& III ;;.! .,U .. cJl JI~II

f

, ,or t ~~)\ _ ,O,!) ,,\G I ~ 'VP : ~w~ iJb)'~ . t,'r;tA~ ._,.5U _ t, PIT H' _, f '\0 ·'AV. ~u.

i ~ ,,;~ ~ &>'" "', .. ~ll "i ~ 'AV'i" V Q T i~ I t, I' "i ~ ,,"'f V ~,~)~ : ~~~

INTERNATIONA.L ISLAMIC PUBLISHING HOUSE I,. I. :p'. H.

f'l1J~lUSh~ii'I,g Aind Distribuling Islamic IBooks Aoo Ta,p6ls: In 7'O'l8Jnguages HEAD OFFIC'I:: P,O,Box 551'95· Rivadh 11,5,34 ~ S3!uidi Arabia Telll: (966~1) 46SOln 8-4647213 - Fax: 4633489

600K SHOP'S.: Riy,adlh 1·4{i,293471 J,etldaIh2·SB73752JK.hobar3-ag'45821

I'll The Name Of Allah Mos'[ Gracious lv10st .Mcn.ifu~

Dr. Maurice Bucaille is, an eminent French surgeon, scienlist" scholar and author of··4THE BIB,LE" THE 'QURAN A.ND' SCI ENCE,' 'which con tains the resulr or his research intothe Judeo-Christian Revelation and-the Quran .. It is it unique contribution intbe field of religionand science.

Being an outstanding Scientisr, he was selected to treat the mummy of Mernepitah (Pharaohl which he did .. Dur.ingbis visit 10 Saudi Arabia be was shown the verses of the Hoty' Quran in wh.ich .AUah says that the dead body nr the Pharaoh wiU be preserved as a "Sign." for posterily. An impartial scientist like Dr. 8ucaiUe.~ who (being also a. christian) was conversant with the Biblical version of Pharaoh's smnry as being drowned in pursuit of Prophet. Moses. Hewas pleasantly surprised to learn that unknown to the world till only' of late" the 'Holy Quran made definite prediction about the preservation of the body ofthar same Pharaoh of ,Moses'ti.me .. This led Dr. Bucadle 10 study the H'oly Quran thoroughly after learning the Arabic ~anguage. The final conclusion of his comparative study of Quran and the Bible is that the statements about scientific phenomena in the Holy Quran areperfectly in conformity with the modern scienceswhereas the Biblical narrations on uhe same subjects are sciemifically entirely unaccepta ble ..

'The present booklet.which is a lecturegiven by Dr.

Bucaille on the subject Qur'an and ModernSciencea.r the Commonwealth InS,111U[E: London, will provide guidance towards theeternal truth ofIslam,

,'', ' .. ,.

\ \\

THE, QUR"A.N AND MOD'ERN SCIE:NCE

tON 9 NOVEMBER 1976,., an unusual lecture was given at the French Academy of Medicin.e'. 11£8 tide was 'Physiological and Embryological data in ihe Qur'an. I presented 'my study on the' existence in the Qur'an ofcertain statements conceming physiology ,aDd reproduction. My reason for doing this was (hal our knowledge of these disciplines is such, that it is impossible to explain how a next produced at the time of the Qur'an could have con .. tained ideas that have' only been discovered i.n modem

.

£~.,mes ..

There is indeed no human work prior to modern rimes that contains statements 'which WCI1C' equaUy in advance of the state of knowledge at the: time they appeared and which might be compared to the Qur'an.

In, addirion to this, a comparative study of data of a similar kind contained ill. the Bible (Old Tesrament and 'Gospels) seemed desirable. This is how the project was formed of a confrontation betweenmodern knowledge and certain passages in the Holy Script u res, of ea,ch monolilei:s.n4.: religion, It, resulted in the publicacion of a 'book underthe title, The Bible" the Q;ur'an and Science. The first French edition appeared .in M.ay '~97'6,. (Seglers, Paris). English and Arabic editions have now been published.

J'[ comes :3S no surprise to learnthat Re'~igion and Science have always been co nside red to be twin sisters by Islam and thst today, at :3 time when science has taken such great strides .. they stillcontinue to be associated and further ... mOI"ecert:ain scientific data are 'Used for (he better

· - ,d'- - - '. '[''-,,--d,';' 1" .. ' 'rc I·b· QI~- .. ,J '" ,. c t .. ". ~V'.iI"'h·· '"'~ ,. __ , "'-" .'c'·, "

uners_an_.IR,g, o __ ,_e.- ur a,DIC text, WI at ss more, .10 a

century where, for ma.ny~ scte'niifi.c trulh has deah a

"deathblow to re.ligiolls, belief, it is preciseh" [he dise')vcries, ofscience that, i,n an objlfc'live examination of the Islamic R.ev,elalio'D, bave hil:hbgh"edthe supernat ural, character of certain IS!p!C1S of Ihe'Re'v,e'~atjon'-

Whe,n alii iis; saidand donie, I/enerallys,peaking, seientific knowledge would 5ecm,,(lin spite of what people may say, to be highly conducive to reflectien enthe existence 10,:( Goo"

0' 'be-'" 'k-" ,'I' . - - bi d'i .

I !, L, I, I ,', I 11:- "::' - -,- ','. '.',',' ,'j I~"- 1,_ '_' :,~, ,:-_.- ,- I~' , ,II I· -, I '~-_"_! -I I-:-I~ ,-. ,I, ',_

Dce we_q:ID l.oas, '. obrse, ,ves, ,10 ,an un . lase _ or un

pfCjudiced way aoou't the metapbysic.al, lessens tOI be dC'ri.ved from some of teday's k.nowledge" (forexample our knowledge of the infinitely smallor the problem of hfe), w'e indeed discover man.y reasons for thinkin;g along these lines .. Whlen we think aboutthe remarkable organisation p.reslidi.Da over the birth and maintenance of life, i'( s.ure.ly becomes ,ctes,r tb.at the likeli,hood of it being Ihe result or chance gets :~;e8S and less" a'S our knowledge and progress :ill this fi,el.d expand. Certain concepts must appear 10 be in(;re'a,s.~.ng.ly unacceptable; for Icx,am:p,le'" .. the onepu'l Corward by rhe French winner' of the Nobe.1 prize 'or Medicine who tried to get people to admit 'lhat living mauer was self-created as the result of fortuitous circumstances under the effect IQf certain outside influences using s,imp:lc ,cbe'mica~ elements as their base ..• 'fiom this it is ,clai.med that living organisms C80leinlO being:" leading 1.0 the remarkable Icom.p,l,ex. calledman. To me, it would seem that the sciemific progress made in understanding the fantastic co:mp,Jexity of higher beings provides strong' arguments in favou.r of 'the opposite· lhoory:.in other words, the existence or an ext raordinarily mc,'hodical organisatien presiding (lIVCflbe remarkable arrangement of the phenomena of life,

In many parts, of 'the Book, the Qur'an lead:" in simple il,crms,to this kind of general reflection. But i. also conrains i.nfinhely moreprecise datawhich are direcdy related

2

E,'N'CYCL,O"'E,DIA, KNOiWLEDG,EN:EC,ESS,A:R'V TO UNDERSTAN'DI T'HE QUR',AN

For many centuries .. man was unable '[0 studv thern ..

. .

because he did nO'1 possess sufficient scientific means. It

i'sunly u]day ,'h:a'l numerous verses of .. he Quf'an dcaHng, w'ith, natural phenomena have become fully comprehensible. I shoukl even go so far as 100 say that, in the 20th century, Wil,h :its ,comraruncnu'i'il~ui.{)':n of ever .. incrc,a,sin~ knowledge, ii is not always easy for the average scieruist 110 understand everything he reads in the Quran on such subiects.wirhout having recourse to specialized research. This means that to understand all SU4.:h verses of the Quran one is today- required In have an absolutely encyclopaee ic knowledge. hr which I mean, one which embraces very many disciplines,

I use' the w'Urd ~scicnt:'c" to mean knowledge whi,ch has helen soundly established. It does not include the theories 'which, Cor a time, hc;lr '(0 explain a rhcnn:mcnon or a series ~)f phenomena, unly Iu be abandoned lia,ter in favour ofexplanations which have becomemore plausible thanks H)I scientific prnlgn:s~. I h~,'sic3H~ only inlcndi tn deal 'wit h c,.)mp,a:risons bet WL:L'U statements in the Qur 'an and knowledge which is nU:l likely (0 he subject H) further discussion, W'hcrc"cr I introduce scl'c.:nlinlc Iacts which are

'n~"~ vet )- 00'1 . 0111 ..• .,;'t abli .. ·:lh,·-1 I' sh I'II-l ~· .. r- cou r~·I" make I' his t'111-I"-( '.

I 1".1, ~. ~II "_ In 1[."tIL,do, I '1iI,I",U'!II1 ,' .. " I .alll ,'It",' I~"_".I ,IJ~""'-'iiII "I UJ .,", !_,_.", '~'t"" I,t,

clear.

Then: are also \1 nne verv r are examples of 5,1 aremen t s in the Qur'an which have nut" as yet .. been confirmed by modern science: I !'I,h~'IU refer 'ttl' I.'tU:'SiC h~!' piJinl ing (JiLlI. !ha1 aU the evidence ~c.uh;,\~icnlj"ts to regard them as being highl~,r prnhah~l·. An C:X.3IUplc of this is the statement in the Qur'an 'I h~n lih: j", of aquat ll. origin: and another is that

somewhere in the Universe there' are Earl hs similar to our

- -

own,

These' scientific considerations should not, however, make us forget that the Qur 'an remains a reli,g,iuus book p,,,"',r t'x(eUenC'e and thal i'l ,(,;'30001., o:f course be' expected 1,00 'have ,8, 'scient ifi,c 't purpose per se. 'Wh'ene'V,er man is invited to r,eflecl upon 'the 'works, of Creation and '[he numerous natural phenomena he can observe, the obvious internion, In. using: such examples is 10 stress Divine Omnipotence .,The fact thst, in these reflections, we can :find allusicnsto data connected Wil,h scientific knowledge is surely another of God 'Is gifts whose valee :must shine OUI in an age where 'Scien'lifi,c'aUy based materialistic al'heism seeks to :gain ccntrol 8'1 the expense' ofthe belief in God.

Throughout my research I have constantlytried to remain ~o[ally' objecrive. I believe I have succeeded in, 31"-' pfloa,ehing the study of [hie' Qur'an wi.th the sameobiec-

", '. h d h h 'L fi:' .

nvny tnat a octor -as w 1 en IIC opens a HIe on :a panent:

in other words., by carefully confront ingaU the symptoms he can find to a:rri've at a diagnosis. I must admit (ha,t, i't was certainly not a ,faith in Islam, '(hal firs:r guided my steps, but simpleresearch for rhetruth. This, is how [ see it today. It: was mainly factwhich, by the rime] bad finished :my s,[udy", had I,ed me' to see in the' Qur'an :3, text revealed 'to a :Propbe'(.,

W,e sh:all examine statements in 'the Qur'an which appear today merely to record scieraifictruth, but whichmen informertimes we're oo1,y abl!e' to grasp the apparent meaning or. How .is it possibleto i,magin:ethst, were there any' subsequentalterations to the texts, these obscure passages, scattered 'throughout the' text of the Qur"an were able to 'escape 'human manipula,tion? The' slilhtest alterali.on. to 'the texts 'would automatic,ally havedesrrcyed the remarkable coherence wh ich is characteristic of t hem, and prevented us from establishing their conformiw with modern k.nowledge'. The; presence of these statements spread 'lhroQgbout the 'Qur'~,ln looks, to (he im.'paniaJ observer like

4

an obvious hallmark of authenticity.

The Qur'an is a preaching which W'3S made known to man in the course of a Revelation which lasted roughly twen'[y ycaI'S,~ J t 'spanned two periods of [equal length on either side of theHegira. In view of this, it was natural for reflections having a scientific aspect to be scattered throughout the Book, In the [case of a study such as the one we have made, we had to regroup them according to subject, collecting them sura by 'Sura.

Ho'w should they be classified? I could not find any indicatiens in me Qur'an :sugesting any particular classification. So I have decided. to present them according (10 my own personal one.

It would seem to me, that the' first subject to be dealt with is the Creation. Here it is possible to compare the verses referring to this 'tropic with the general ideas prevalent today on the formation of the Universe. Next, I have divided up, verses under' the' following general

headings"' A . - - th Earth' the Animal· d· V bl

' " '_, 'II _ -.', f .' - I '", " '. - I -'. _ -: - . ~ . .' ',' ,., " " • " . _ _

__ ' __ ' .. stronomy, e·· , , '- _J an_ _ egeta . e

Kingdoms, Mao, and Human Reproductien in particular; the latter is a subject which, in the Qur'an, is allotted a very important place, To these general headings it is possihie (0 add sub-headings,

Furthermore, I thought ilt useful to make a comparison between QUf,1aoiC' and Biblical narrations from (he point of view of modern knowledge. This bas been dane in tbe case of 'such subjects as the Creation, the Flood and th.e Exodus.

C,REATION OF THE UNIVERSE

LeI wfirsr eXaMim the Creation as de'scribed 'in the Qur'an.

An extremely important general idea emerges: its

dissimilarity with Biblical narration, This idea contradicts the parallels which are often, and 'wrongly, drawn by

5

WeSlc'mauthors to underline solely the resemblances betw'een the two texts,

When, taI.kiQg or 'me 'Creation, as 'of other subj,octs:,there' is a strong tendency in the' 'W'CS'I to claim tha,t Mo'ham~ mad. only Icop,i!ed, the general outlines of the Bible~ It is indeed possible tocompare the six d;a.ys of the' Creation as described. iD the Bibl,e, plus an, extra day ,of rest ,on, God '8 sabbath, with this verse from sura Al A 'rill (7::S'4)~

Your' Lo,rd is, AUak Wh,o ,cre,a,tedl the' :Hea,¥eDs, aDd, the Earth in, s:is days.

W:e must point out straight away that modem commentators stress, the' interpretation of Qx,wam, one translation of which is, 'days', as meaning 'long periods' or 'ages' r-ather than period'S of twenty-four hours.

Wbat {,O' me' appears to be of fundamental importance is [hat" in contrast to the narrationcontained in the Bible, the Qur'an does not Iay down a sequence for the Creation of the Earth and Heavens, 1'[, refers both, to the Heavens before the Earth and the Earth. before the Heavens, wben it talks of (he 'Creation. in general" as in this, verse of the sura Taha (20:4) ..

J:J\~~;J:;5JI~~~~:}S

A. :re'veiation from Him. Wbo cre,ated 'the Earth and th'e Heavens,

]0. fact, the' notion (0 be derived from the Qur'an is one of a con-comitance in. '[be celestial and terrestrial evolutions. There are a'~.50 absolutely fundamental data, concer-

6

ningthe existence of an initial gaseous mass (dukhaN) which i.s unique and whose elements, although at first fused together (ratq) subsequently became separated (faLfIJ. This notion is expressed in the sura Fussilat (41: 11).,

~\Z It,l;aJ!o~t~

And God turned to Heaven .'hen it was smoke.

And the same is expressed in the sura A,I Anbl)a ' (21 :30).

~16\.:~;;~1~ ~1UJI $f~~G~;j ;t

J.~ia.;'i1 \)5)

001 Dol tbe lJ'nbelievers see that the Heavens and the Earth were joill,ed together, then We clove, them asunder?

'The separation process resuhed in the' formation of multiple worlds" a notion which crops up dozens of times in the Qur'an, once it bas formed the first verse in the sura A,I Fatiha (!: 1).

~~ .. ''' .. !II .. -. '~.". ' - ,., / '. '.' .. s : "".' .. '

(~.'-'-' ~-~~I

... " ,..~.". ;;

Praise be to God, the ,Lord of,tbe Wodds.

All this is in perfect agreement with modern ideas on the existence of primary nebula and the process of secondary separation of the elements that had formed the initi311 unique mass-This separationresulted inthe formation of , galaxies and then, when these' di.vided, of stars from which the planets, Wiele to be born,

Reference is also made in the Qur'anto an intermediary Creation between the Heavens andthe Earth, as, in the sura Al Furqan (25~ S9)~

God is the One Who Ic:realed the Heavens and the Earth and aD tbat :is bc·twee~n tbelD"

It would seem that this intermediary Creation corresponds to the modem discovery of bridges of matter which are pr-esent outside organised astronomical systems ..

This survey certainly show's us how modern data and statements ,in the Qur',an agree ona luge number of points. We have come a IOlng wa.:y [from the Biblical text with its successive phases that are totally unacceptable; especially the one placing the Creation 'of the Earth (on the 3rd day) before that of the Heavens (on the 4th day), when it is 8. known fact that lour planet come'S flom it'S own star.the Sun. In such circumstances, how can we imagme that a man who drew his inspiration fro.m the Bible could have been the' author of the Qur'an, and, of his own accord, have corrected the Biblical text to arrive: at ,8. general concept concerning the fo:rmation of the Universe, when this concept W.3S Dot to be formed until centuries after his death?

ASTRONOMY ,_ LIGHT AND MOiVEME,NT

Wbenevle·r I describe the details the Qur'an contains on certain points of astronomy to 'Westerners:, it is unusual fo" someone not to reply that there is :oothinl special in this" considerieg the Arabs made important discoveries in this field long before the Europeans.

This :m, in. fact, 8. singularly mistaken idea resulting {rom an ilnorance of history .. In the first place, science was,

developed in Arabian countries at a time that was considerably after the Qur 'anic Revelation hid occurred; in, the second, the scientific kn,owl,C<ige: prevalent at the highpoint of Islamic civilization would D.ot have made it possible for ahuman being to have written statements on the Heavens comparable to those in the Qur'an,

Here again" the subject is so wide that I. CI.n, only provide an outline of it.

Whereas the Bibletalks ofthe Sun and the Moon as two luminaries differing in size, the Our'an dis'Iin,lllishes between them, by the use of different epithets: light (taur) for the Moon, torch (si:raj) for the Sun. 'The first is an inert body which reflects lighl, the second D, celestial formation ina state of permanent combustion, and a source of light and heat.

The word 'star' (ntJjm) is accompanied by another qualifying word w'hich indicates that it. burns and consumes, itself as it pierces through the' shadows of the night: it is [he word f,nakib"

In the Qur'an, thekawka',6' definitely seems to mean the planets which are celestial ,fo,rmations thaot reflect and do not. produce light like the' Sun.

Today it is known how the celestial organisation is balanced by the position of stars in ,a, defined orbit and the interplay of gravitational forces related to their mass and speed of movement, each with its. own motion. But Isn't this what the Qur'an describes, in terms which have only become coroprehensible in our own day, when it mentions the Ioundauon of-this balance in (he' sura. Ai Ilnh(va ; (2] : 3.31).

,"',].\\ ' ~ .. -'.\:f.:.~ . .u.' ; ~" -t· .. ,;- ....• ~." . ~.'.1.··~ ".''_.-.-.', . '''.''.,-. ".~;'! .. ··\."\I " ...•. ' "

IT'Wj ') ·'·'·"~ll,"· •• "(S~l!JA!

J~/'. ". ~rI' ~~"- , ~

- r.~, ... '1 .. JO n." !.· .... lJ.' ~'olI.', .. ~ ..•.. (" .... '" ~)/'ii\1 _. .--_,~. .' _ -._ .J

v 'III' .. 1S..··v·. .

[God, is] the Olne Wh,o created, 'the night, the day, the

9

,sua aDd the MooL, Each one is tn.IIi,D,1 .au ,orbit with

:ils own moliOD. -

The Arabic 'word which, expresses this mo'veme'B,,[ is, a verb sab,aho; (ya!balllm in the text); II carries with it the idea of I, monon which, co!mes from any moving body, be il the movement of ones legs, as oneruns on the ground, or the action of:swimming' in watet~ Inthe case of a -celestial

bod ~ ,t:. ed ... '1...· ~ .L..... ...;;;rw.;,ftoi'lill h

. c., '.y" one IS iOn: -, to UBnMilte i'l m uie OI~I!5U,Wu :sense, t _ at

is" "[0 t:ravel with one's ow.o motion'.

The description of the sequence' of day andnighrwould, in itself, be' rather commonplace were it not for the fact that, in the 'Qur'an." it ,is expressed in terms that today are highJy signi.fican,t~ 'This is because it uses 'the verb kawwara in the sura Al Zumar (39: 5) to describe the way ,the night "winds' or 'coils' ilself about the dayand the day about '[:be night, just as, in the original meaning of the verh.a

bani d· .. d th be d This i . II alid

tur ,an. .is wouna arouo_' tne I ea __ ,.~, J_IS IS I, tota ''I V.- I .

comparison; yet at. the same time the' Our'en was revealed, the astronomical data necessary 10. draw' it were unknown.

The evolution of the Heavens and the notion of a senled place for the Sun. are also described, The', are in agreement wilh h.ighJy d,etailed modern ideas. The Qur'an also seems ~QI have alluded to the 'expansion of the U niverse,

There is alsothe conquest of space'. This, has, been undertaken thanks to remarkable technological progress and has resulted in ma:n IS ;Ioumey to 'the M,oon. But 'this surely springs '(0 mind when we read the sura A,l Rahman (55:33,).

t~ ... I1~':~ .t.~, . ~ 'Itoll,. .1"1 ':)I~~:~

\;II" _ . ,-,. . y, ~ JJ J ~:.J'--';',

·~~I'I.' .... '.' ..... ,.;1:" ... ". 1' .. , ".'.' ~~.~~". "111'11" it. '.".' .. '.:.'I~ .....• "'.~.fI '.1., .' .'.' '.~ <..,M ..... l.~. r. 'til. . >~~~J~»t~ ~l6~J~t,'Y~'Y"

, '

o assembly ,of iinAs and men, ,if you can :pe'Detra;te regions ,0'£ 'Ihe H,eaYen.s and the Eart:b,t,he:n penetrate

10

them!1 You wiD lIotpenetra,1e tbe'msa:ve wi.th (Ourl Power .. 'This power comes from (he AU-Mighty "aad the subjeer of the whole sura is, an invitation to' recognise God's Beneficence to man ..

THE EARTH

:Ha,S),t thou :00'1 seen ·that 'G,oo seat wat[er dOiwn from. file sky and led it thr,o'ugh SOUf'c,es into the gr·ound? Then He caused SO'WD fi.elds, of differ,ent colours tu- gr'ow ..

Such notions seem quite natural tOI us today, but we' should not forget that they were' not prevalent long a,80. It was not untllthe sisteenth century, with Bernard Palissy, filar we gained the first. coherent description of the water cycle, Prior to this, people talked aboutthe theory whereby the water of the oceans, under the effect of 'winds, were thrust towards 'the interior of the' continents, They then rerurned ro rhe oceans via the great :a.by:ss,which" since Plato 'stime, has been called [he Tartarus, [0. the seventeenth [century, a great thinker such as Descartes believed in it,a.nd [e'ven. in the nineteenth century there wa's, still talk of Aristotle's theory according to which water was condensed in cool mountains caverns and formed underground lakes that fed springs. Today, CW'e' know that it is the inriltrarion of rainwaterthat is responsible fur this .. If one comparesthe facts [of modern hydrology wi.lb the data to be found in numerousverses of the Qur'an on [his

11.

subject, one cannot fail to notice the remarkable degree'

of agreement between the two. -

In ,geology" a fact of recemly acquired knowle<lleisl the pbeno'meno.n of :[olding" which was to' form the mountain ranges, Thesame is true ofthe Earth' s crust, 'which is like a solid shell on which we can live, while the deeper layers an: hot and fhiidcandthus inhospitable 10 any fonn of life. It is also known that the stabiJ.it:y ofthe mountains is linsedte tbe phenemenea of folding, for it was the folds that were to provide foundarions for the reliefs that eonstituted the mountains.

Let us .n.ow compare modem .ideas with one verse among many .m the 'Qur"andutr: deals with this subject. It is taken from the sura Al Nab";f (78: ,,",7) '.

JyI~\S",J~I¥-I~J:r~IJ".~~ ,:3,

Have We: D,oltDladelheEarth an espan:se :IDd th.e m.otm.taias stakes?

The stakes (awtad),.which are drivenintc the ground like those: used 101 ancbol[ a rem, are the deep foundations 0;( geolog;itcai folds.

Here, as in the lease of other ·~opics.; the dbjlective observer cannot fail to notice the absence: ofa,ny contradiction with modem kuowledge,

But more than anything else" lwas struck, at :firsl, by statements in, the Qur 'an dealing with living thinls,oolb in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, especially with rela~d to reproduction ..

I . h e hati ,. ....1 ~

must once agam. stress tr !elICI, mat It lSI OIUY SInce

modern times, that scientific progress has made the content of many such verses more comprehensible' to US~ There are also other verses whic,h are more easilyunde:.. standa'ble, but which conceal a biological meaning tbat is highly significant~T'his is the case ofthe sum. A,l.A N,bi.,Y,CI ',a part

12

of whic'b has already been quoted:

-. " ' "' ,.:: .. ·.i ~ .. - ' ..•. ' .. l.-.· .. ~. ~j.: -, .. ' - .. ~.~ .. ~.' .. ~.:: .. ~ .. " .

1- tw,. ,. "r 1(' ' r... •

.,.... "~I' .. 1. ', ~, '-"'- - --.-,~

,_" • 'I - ... '" ,tit'

®1,G~~,:jJjijll'

And Welo't eyery UviDllhing ,out, of the waler .. WiD, they tIlen Dol belie'¥'e: (21;],0)

This is, an a,ffmnatioiR. of the' modem idea that the oriain of life is aquatic.

Progress In botany at the: time of ,M,uhammad was in no country advanced enough for ii, to be established as ,IZ rule that p,lanls have both, male andfemale parts.Nevertheless, w,e' DlI,l' read the foU,o'winl in the sura Taha (20:513)'.

IJl.-I, ~Ij.:~ :. tA '~I,~., "I~'J11.~.r\l ~~.~\ ,~ ... "\~1J

4J " \;,1,,1' -.,. ~'. ir: -1-" \.;I" u.J-' -

- -

. ,. ,

w". ' .;.-; I,A" I

lU'''''

(God is tbe One Wh,o) :5eIl,t w'a,te,f dow:n fromlhe 'sky and 'the~eb,. 'W,t b.rioulht forth pairs ,of p,lanl5 each sepalat,e fr,olD lb,e' other ..

T:ooa,y" w'e know that fruit comes 'f~om, 'plants, th:&t, have 'serual characteristics (even when it CODU!~ from unfenili:zed flowers." like bananas), In 'the sura .A l Rata' ( 13,: 3) we read =

~1~jJ~o.-~~~I$~;

Reflections on reproduction in the animal kingdom were linked to those 00, human reproduetion. We sball,e'xamine

]3

them presenrly.

In. the field of physiology, there is o:ne verse 'which" 10

1 . "fi h d

me, appears extreme y sigmncant: one' tnousan years,

before , .. 1,..' .... d is .... overv 1· .... ,C···I-'l..'e-' ""':1' [lCU'I'!'J't,'I',o,'n' '0'· f·' the blood _ .. and

rel.'1 r. 'u'" ~I,·."",· ,1. yo _,n .. l!oo,._c ._ -,-lA. _ .. _ '. .' .. ,_._ I.. " '. Dc.

roughly thirteen centuries before it was known what happened in the intestine "0 ensure that organs we're nourished bythe process of digestiveabsorbtion, a verse in the Qur'an describes the source of the constituents of milk, in. conformity with these notions.

To undersrandthis verse, 'we have: to know tbat chemical reactions occur in the intestine and that "fn-Jlm there, substances. extracted from food pass into the bloodstream via a complex systemv sometimes byw'ay of the Iiver, depending 0:0 their chemical nature." Ihe blood transports, them to all the organs of the body, among which are the m.ilk-producing mammary glands,

Wimhout entering into detail, let us just say '[hat, basical)y.~threre is the arrival of certain substances from the contents of the intestines into [he vesselsof the intestinal wall itself, and the transportation ofthese substances by [he bloodstream ..

This concept must be fully appreciated, if we are to understand this verse' in the Qur 'an Al .NaJ,1 ('116: 66,).

'. IIJ .••. ~' '!.' (l'.~ .•... ' \4.''-;'.... Jr. ,.I.'~.'~.'4'£.:.' ; 1.;.t.~.,._,~ .. ,~.,. '.' ' .#f ,. ' t/. ·~~ .. ~~.' ...•.•. 1.;.·" .. , ~ ~.' ~ J. .. ' ........•.. (.!J. '~ ,_

~I '. I '-" . . ....._' ,It ._ ~ ~'\.;IiJ)J 'U'· '.',-'1

-1"'1 ..... - .,_~"" _;'.,., .' _~.. ..

,.. ~~ .... ~~ .. ~'G::3 '" ~ . ,.( '"

i!!. t.· •.•• ". ~ . - .••.. ,1 . .. I . ". I, '.:iJ;, ." '.'. '" ;_." .. ' .... .. I. I'" 'I •. !i. ',;, '''~I ,--.Ir.~ J ... '. 1.4., _.'. r r ,

~ .. J .' ' ... :"._; -- .7' .... _.- 1j' ~ *:r~'

Verily, in cat tle there is I. lesson for you. We give you 110 drink of what is, .ins,id,t theirbodie·s., coming from a conjunction between Ihe contents 0'( the intestines aad the blood., a _ilk. pure and pleasant forthose who drink it.

14

In the Qur'an the subject of human reproduction, leads (0 a multitude lof statements whi.ch consdtute a, challenge to the embryologist seeking a human explanationto them. It WB,S, only after the birth of the basic 'sciences which. were 110, contribute tOI our knowledge of biolo,gy, and especially after '(' h' 1- ."', " '····'n· tion 0"( th 'I I "I" '~·~'-'Ol'pe" that m' 'a' n w'·' , a's·· able ail"", -' _f: I.nve, "I, ..... "Ie: mlcrosc . , __ '" . "a,., _"" ,., III.' ,""

to understand such statements. It was impossible fora man living in the early seventh century to have expressed such ideas .. There is nothing to indicate that " at, this time, ,mC'D in the ,Middle East and A:rabia knew anything marie about

h bi h I·"· 'E-::' h I

t IS SUI,eCl t nan men uvmgm . europe or anyw.' ere e se.

'Today, there are many Muslims with a thorough knowledge of the Qur'an and, natural sciences who have clearly recognised the comparisons to be madre: between the verses of the Q~ur"an dealing with reproduction and humanknowledge, I shall ,a~wa'ys, remember the comment of an eighteen year old ,Mus1im,~ brought Up' in Saudi, Arabia, replying toa reference 10 the question of reproducd,on as, described in the Qur'an. Pointing: to it, he' said" 'But. this book provides us wit,h aU the essential informalion on the subject. When I was at school they used 'the Qur'an 1.0 'explain to me how' children were born; your books. on sex .. education. are ,I bit late on the scene!'

'It is on this point in particular, that a comparison between the beliefs current at the time of the Qur'an, that 'were' full of superstitions and myths, and 'the contems of the Qur 'an and modern data" leaves us amazed at the' degree of concordance between the latter and the absence of any reference in the Qur'an [0 the mistaken ideas that were prevalent at the time,

Let us now isolate, from all these verses, precise ideas concerning the complexity of the fert,ilizin,g liquid and the fact that an infinitely small quamity is requiredto ensure fertilization its 'quintessence' .~ if I may so translate the

A 'b'" d ' lal ,

r,3,'_I:C WO("·, SUQ'f·Q ~

The implantation of the leg! in the female genital organ is perfectly described in several verses by the word "A,ld,q, 'which is also 'the tide of the sura in which it appears:

@~.;.~.'.;. ~ '. ~ : ........ ' ....• ~.'~~.~'~·L;.~~.\·!_ ~ '.,

.;-V,(.:)I '.' 1 111~

- ._ - - I" -

God fa,smoned, Iftanfrom sometbina which clings (96,:2)

I do not thinkthereis any reasonable translation 011 (be' word "A laq other than to, use its original sense.

'The evohnion of the embryo inside the maternal, uterus is 'onlly briefly described, but the description isaccurate, because the simple word'S rlcfe:rri,ng to .it correspond exactly t'o fundamental stages in its growth, This is what we read ina verse from the sura. A,l. Mu'minu" (23: '14).

~;' ~~'~.:C."'.: ~.~. :."'."~'-;"~'J\'l~"""".~.~1

, ,'"" • iii! ,.,., ~ .. I!I ~J

!.~~_ " '-: -.- I -... · ... 1 .1 .- . ~ .. ... ., ..• - ._. ·r·

'Ji .... ~.'J\~ ...... a. . .,Ji" ' .• j\' \$'.- l;'tIf.:~...: ~~.; •. '~. '" .. .; .. 1:1.'. '. t~ .... -a :J-. "'.' '. "'.' '.

'~.. ,', I" ''''' - 'It ,.!!O ,., I. ~ .. I, 1 '. ,. >II, I -1Ii\..~' '"'

_I I ~ . --. I 1 III! - .. [iii _. . 1!Iit .. . . -' fiD 41

":.._l .. ' .. ' ,- 1 '" I. '-'. .. : " ,I" -'r . . '," .. ' 'til h/-'

.)iiir'" . . ' I '" '.' .' ...,r,. - .. - ~

:~~\;l1~~\~~~,~~1Z1

"W'e fashioned. the 'tbine, which c.liDgs into a cllewed lumpl of flesh a,nd We fa,sbion'ed 'the ,chewed fleslh into' bones a:ad W'e cl.otbed the bones with intact flesh, " Tb.enWe developed out of ;i'tao,om'er ereature. Sobiessled be Allah" the Perfect Crealor.

'The term 'chewed flesh ,(mudga) corresponds exactly to the appearance of the embryo al a certain stage in it'. d evelopmen t,

It is known that the bones develop inside this mass and that they are then covered withmuscle. This its the meaning ofthe term "intact flesh (lahm).

The embryo passes through a stage where some parts are in proportion and others out of proportion with what

16

islater to become the mdividual, M,aybe: this is the mean .. ing of a verse in the sura. Ai Raij (22: :5) which reads: as rouows,:,

We ,cre,8,ted, JO'U, alit of ,dY,s'I"the. ou,t ,of sperm, thea 'We fashloned him, Into, so"metJ)mgw.ich, C,liniS m,lo a lime lumpl of Oesh,:" ,ard, fo.rmed and pard:yumonned.

Next,. we have areference to the appearance of the senses and viscerae mthe sura Ai Sajda (32 :91).

11:-.". '.·· .... t .. " ... " .. g· •.. ~"./1.··1' ".' ~, .. ~l.J,'.·.·. ;~ .... '., .. ·." .•. l'~J~~ •. · ... ,.;. .•.. ·". ' ILl..!" ,.~)1:'J,' 11 ",-,

-'J"' . - I'·· "'"

[God] appomted (arrou the senses, ofhearin,l, siahtancl tbe vis'cerae,.

Nothing here contradicts rcday' s data. and, furthermore, none of the mistaken ideas of the time has crept. into, the Qur'sn,

IQU'RAN AND BmLE

W'eh;ave :n.ow come to the lastsubject: h is, the confron·tatio.n,whhmod.em know),ed!le"of passages in (he' 'Qur"a.n lba.1 are alsoreferred to! in the Bible ...

'\" e have already caugh.t a. glimpse of'the psoblem when '[alkinS of the 'Crea.tioll .. Earlier ] stressed the perfect a.gf,ee',. ment between modern knowled,ge and verses in the Qur'an, and poimed OUt that the Biblical narration contained

.m7

statements that were scientifically unacceptable, This is hardly surprising when we know that the great narration of the Creation contained in the' Bible was the work of prjests living in th.e :sixlh century BiG" hencethe term 'Sac-erdotal" narration. This seems; mainly' to have' been conceived ,IS the theme of a preaching designed to exhort pro. ple toobserve the sabbath. The' narration was constructed with a definite end in view, and, ,IS Father de Vaux (a former head of the Biblical School of Jerusalem) has, noted, this, end was essentially legalist in character.

The B,ible also, contains a much shorter and older narration of the Creation, the so-called 'Yahvist version, which approaches the subiect {r-om a completely different angle,

They are both (,ake,n from 'Genesis", the first boo.k of the Pentateuch or Taurah: Moses is supposed to have been its author, but the 'text we have today has ;3S we know, undergone many changes,

The Sacerdotal narration of Genesis is famous fo:r its whimsical genealogies, that go. back to Adam, and which nobody lakes very 's.e'rious.ly.N,eve:rthel,ess" such Gospel authors as Matthew and Luke have reproduced them, more or less verbatim, in their' genealogies of J esus. Matthew' goes back. as far as Abraham :and Luke to Adam. All these writings are scientifically unacceptable, because they set a. figu re on. 'the age of the world and the time man appeared on Earth.which is most definitely OU[ of keeping withwhat has today been established with certainty .. 'The: Qur'an, on the other hand, is completely free of data of this kind.

Earlier on, we also noted how perfectly the Qur'an agrees wit,h general, modern ideas on jhe formation of the' Universe, 'whereas; the Biblical narration stands i:n contradiction 'to '[hem; the allegory of the primordial, waters is hardly tenable, nor is, the creation of might onthe first day, before 'the creation of the stars 'which. prod uce this light; [he existence of an evening and ,a, morning before the creation of the Earth; the creation of the Earth o,n [he

18

third day before that of the Sun on. the fourth; the appearance of beasts of the Barth on the sixth day after the ,Ip'pearance of the birds ,ofrlleair en the fifth day, although the former came first ; all these statements are (he result of beliefs prevalent at the tune this textwas written and do not have any other meaning.

As for the g--enealog---,ies cODtained-- , ... - "'jL, ~ 8, ible which f- ---,-,~

_ __ _ __ - __ m Ule L e" WU.lC ,IOml

the basis, of the J ewishcalendar and assert thaitoday the world is 573,8, years old:" these are hardly admissable either. OUf solar system may be ove,r 4i billion years, old, and the appearance on Earth of man , IS ,,"w,e know him today, may be estimated in tens of thousands of years" if not more.

It Jls absolutely esential, therefore" to note: that the Qur'an does not contain any such indications as, to date, and that these' are specific to the Biblical text.

There is a second, highly significant, subject of comparison between the Bible and the Qur'an: this is the Flood. In actual fact, the Biblical narration is a fusion of two descriptions ;n which event'S are: related differently. The Bible speaks ofa universal flood and places it roughly 3:00yea:rs before Abraham, According 'to what we know of Abraham" this would imply a universalcstaclysm around the tweary-first or twenty-second centuryB.C~ This would be untenable, mn view of historical data.

How carr we accept the idea that, in the twenty-firstor twenty-second century BC, aU civilization W,3.S wiped off the face of the Earth by a universalcataclysm, when we know' that this period corresponds, for example, to the one preceding the Middle Kingdom in Egypt, at roughly the date of the first Intermediary period before the eleventh dynasty?'

None of 'the preceding statements is acceptable according: to modern knowledge.

From this, point of view", we can measure the enormous gap separating the Bible from the Qur'an.

In contrast to the Biblevthe narration contained in the Qur'an deals with a cataclysm that is limited to Noah "s

19

people, They were punished for their sins, as were ether ungodly peoples. The Qur'an doesnot ,locate the cataclysm in time. There are absolu.tely no historical 01' archaeological ohiectiODS to the narration in the Qur'an.

A .'L!-...J • r · h' h ' ··1' _:r.'

. uwu pom'[, ,0 compansoD, W . 1e I . IS, extremelly S15J,UlI-

cant, is the story of Moses, and 'especially the Exodus from, Bgypt of the Hebr-ews enslaved to the Pharaoh, Here I can, adY [live ahlgbJ:y compressed account of the study of this, subject that apJ.W!aI'S in my book. I have noted the points where the Bib Heal and Qur'anic narrations, agree and. disagr-ee, and, for some details" I have found points where the two rextscomplement each other in ,3 very usefuJ 'way;, Amo!Qg the many hypotheses concerning the position occupied by the Exodus in the history cf the Pharaohs, I ,hayc:' concluded that the most. likely is the theory which makes, Memeptah" Rameses II's 'successor" the Pharaoh of the' Exodus. 'The coafrontation of the datacontained in the

C'._ • ith \..,.... I ., at id ~Ir'r 1·'

~npmres WI carel~uieolog.tc:~ evi ence speaks strong ym.

favour of this hypothesis. I am pleased 1)01 be able tOI say that the Biblical narration ccmributes weighty evidence leading us to situate Moses in tbehlstory of tbe Pharaohs:

Moses was born during the reign of Rameses II, BibHcaJ data. aretherefore of considerable historical value in. the story of Moses.

The' medical study of the mummy of Memeptah has yielded further useful information on the possible causes, of this Phamoh:·s death.

The fact that w,e today possess the m.ummy of this, Pharaoh" which to be exact, wasl discovered in 189:8, is; on.€:

f · Th B"'b' I d ha .

o .... ···.·'IQUDt . ~- •... - .. '. Ice '-1:::. ·.I-~~~'I··C- ~. ~~ ••• ·w~-·

_ _ panm, ~ IDlponan __ .1:1 . e recDr '5, t . t rtt a5

enguJfed in tne SC3, but does: not give any details as to what subsequently bc:rame of the body. The Qur'an" in the sura Yunw, notes that the body of 'the Pharaoh, who, was to, be' damned, would be saved from thewaters,

20

'. ' ' L_ ~.".·t : .. r.A~ i.;_ ~".: .'. ".~.'."., :.JiI .. ' ~"'., .. ' ." .. '." .. " .. ,>JIi':.' iii ." .. ' .. ;.'.~.' .. '.J.) .1'.' '.'

... ' ~~' ". -,..-.. L1 ... ~ iii I,':"

/. 'I'. . . ~I,' , .• ,', ~,,' 'II ,~, M ,~i\J .P~ '"

~ oJ. -:- ,,'-"'. ,.. ,,"""_,.. •• ~ ' ..

. t " .. " t ..... ~II.';' I,;' , " ",.~~~' ~.'

I • "', OIl' ,1... , ,

G ...• ,:.·.I.~ .. :. .:,J II l~.-"",,; Will':'t .', .. w4 '. ,I •. \.I ~ ' .. \;T \.1:.0" \:J' '\;J""", p ,

So this day We shall save' yo'ur (dead), body tha •. yOlu may be IJ sip for tlaole wh.o eeme after youJJ\Dd veri .. · Iy, m,aD), amoD,1 ma,nki,ndare: heedless of Our sigJl,s.

A medical examination of this mummy, has moreover, shown that 'the body could not have stayed in the water for long, because it does not show signs of deterioration due to prolonged submersion.

Here again, the confroruatlon OIf the narration in the Qur'an with the data, provided by modern knowledge does not give rise "0 the sHght1e5t objection from a scientific point of view.

The Old Testament constitutes a collection of literary works produced in the course of roughly nine centuries and which bas undergone many alterations. 'The pan, played by man in the actual composnion of texts of the Bible is quire considerable.

The Qur'anic Revelation has a history which is radicalIy different. From the moment it was first communicated to man, it was learnt by heart and written down during Muhammad'·s own lifetime. II is thanks to this that the Qur"'an does not pose any problem OIf authenticity.

A totally objective' examination of it, in the light of :modern knowl.edge, leads us to recognise the agreement between the' two, as has already been noted on repeated occasions, It makes, us deem it quite unthinkable for a man of Muhamm,ad's time to have been the author of such statements, on account of the state of knowledge in his day. Such considerations are part of what gives the

21

Qur 'a:nic ilevela'lj,oD :its unique' place" and forces the impaniaJ scientist to admit. his inability 'to provide: an ,c:xplana,-, lion which, calls solely' 'UP)O materialis[ic ~a'so'I!iAI .

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

22

TH'E LIGH,T OF REVELATION

INTRODUCTION'

WHA'T IS LI'FE?

,Man 's existence in this 'wllrJId Bind the creation of lhi,s

. . id od f a f

entire' umverse are not mere accu cots or l1'r .' ucts 0 8, (Of-

tuitous nat urc. This universe, every single atom of it, manifests, and points us to the realization of a Loving .. Mer,ciful ,and AU-powerful Creator, Without a Creator nothing can exist, E'v,e.ry single 'Soul, knows that be' is existing and that his existence i:s, dependent on a Creator - he knows For sure that he cannot create himelf, Therefore it is his duty to know his master creator - Oud.

MANKIND'

Man is a unique creature. God establishes man as, His Representative or Deputy to govern: over aU other creatures in, this world, He is endowed with the (acu~IY of REASON', whichl differentiates him from an other animals, 'The' Prom phet says:

"God has not created anything better than Reason or anything more perfect Of' more beautiful than Reason ..... .'

Together 'with this facuhy 10 discriminate and discern, Man is given the freedom (free-win) to, choose for himself a way of life worthy of hisposition as God's Representarive or '1'0 fall I,g.we:r' than the lowest ufaU animals or creations .. M;an is, born pure and sinless. He is given the fn. .. e' willi 'to do righteous deeds or indulge in sins.

23

God, out ofhisabundant Love and Mercy for mankind has not left us in darkness 10 discover the :ri,ghl palh by Irial and error alone. ICoupled 'wi(h our inmeUectuallcapabiJi·ry to reason" 'God beS,tOWL-d upon us .DIV·INE 'GUI.D'ANCE, that outlinesthe Cnterion [or truthandtheknewledge and realitv of our existence in this worldand rne Hereafter .

REVEL,ATIONS

From the beginning, of mankind God, sem Prophets 10 convey hisREVELA'"rION and ('0 invite 'to. the path of TRUE PEACE and OBE.DIENCE to One true Goo. Th.is is ISLAM .. This message conveyed to successive generalions, of man through different Prophet 5., all ~ nvit iog mankind to the same path,

However all I: be earliermessages or revelations from. 'God were d istorted by people of lalc'r generations. Asa result, pure Revelation from. God was ;"'O~lutled 'with myths. supersmions. idol worship andirraricnal philosophical ij .. ealogjes .. The n!.~igion 'I<lif IGfH.i. 'was lost in a plethora of .rei~g ions.

Human history is, a chronicle ofman's drift between light and darkness, but God tout of His Abundant Love for

- .. - kind 'I;.. .• -:-. ,. 1"- .. , .. 'k-- ,- I"

ma.Il,_.I.nu nas nct rorsa en us.

FINAL REV.EL.ATIONS

When man kmd was in the depth s of the Dark Ages" God sent the final M.esse:nge.r, Prophet Muhammad (May peace be upon him) to redeem humanity. The revelation to Propher .Muham.mad represents the ultimate a.nd permanem !'.OUF'CC of guidance for mankind,

CRITERIA FO.R TRUTH

Hew do we :know that a. revelation like the Qur',an is [he word of God? The criteria for truth can be easily underst ood bv all.-

- ~

I. RAT'IONAL T'EAC,HINGS: Since God be-slowed reason and intellect on mankind, it is our duty to. use it to distinguish truth from (alseh(KKi. True undistorted revelation from God must be' rational and can he reasoned out by all unbiased minds ..

Z. P:ERFEICTION': Since- God is. all perfect, His revelalion must be perfect and accurate, free from mistakes" omissions.interpolations and muhipliciry of 'Versions. It should be free' from contradictions in l'IS narration.

3. NO MYTHS OR SUPERSTITIONS: 'True revelslion from God. is free from myths or superstitions. than degrade the dignity of God or mail.

4. SCIE,N'TIFlC: Since God is the Creator of all knowledge, I. rue' rev-elation is scientific and can with - stand the challenge of science at all times.

5. PRO',PHECY: God ,is (he Knower of the past, present and future. Thus His word of prophecies in His revela(jon will be fulfilled as prophesied

6 ~ I'NIMITA.B,LE, B'y MAN: True revelation from God IS, infallible and cannot be imitated by man. God's (rue rev-elation is a Living miracle" an open Book challenging aU mankind to sec and prove Ior themselves.

25

Dear Reader t!

I'here is no ,cnmpuisiunfor :man to accept the ·TRUTH. ·Rul i·, is cerlainly a shame upon the human linteu'e1c·[. when man is nOI even interested ·~Oi finding nu.~ a'S· In w·h~1 IS rhc TRUTH! Islam leaches th,u: God has given manthe Iacultv of reason and therefore expects man 10 reason things nut obje,-=!h'd~ and s~!ste:mali,"'any tor hinl~lf, To r~necl and to qUfisllon a.n~ In reflect,

N'obtldysbould press you In make a hastv decision In ;acccp'l a.ny .orf the' teachings of lslsm, for Istam teaches that man shnuld 'be given the Ireedom to ,,·honse. Even when man is faced with (he TRUTH, then: is nocompulsion upon man to embrace it. But before you begin 10 form an opinion about Islam, ask

yourself whether vour existing know ledge of Islam is thorough enough. Ask yourself whether thai. knowledge has been obtained througb non- Muslim! third partv sources who rhemselves have :prohah~~~ been exposed to ,only random. glimpses of Islamic wrinngs and halve yet I() reason OIn Islam obiectively and systernaucallv themselves ..

'Is it fair thai one should lorman opinion abuut th~ taste I.d ~! particular di'sh just b:~' heresay from others whomav themselves no I necessarily have tasted the dish yet ~ Sinnlarly you should find out for ~~ourse1f about Islam, from reliable sources and not only taste it. but (hgc~M it well befere ~'UlJ :k.rm an opinion. Thou would bean. intellectual approach In Islam.

It is up In you 'In make the next move.

In making yourmove, Islam continuously reassures you that your rights 10 freedom of choice and freedom tu use Iha~ GoJgiven facult v of t h, ,u;ghl and reas( m will he respected. E verr man has fhat individual will, No one else can take awav that "rill and

, - .'

force you to surrender tot he will of 'God. You halve ilo find on t

and make rhar decision voursclf,

,\\ar your intellectual [ourney towards the TRUTH he a. plea,ant one ..

26