QURAN AND BIOLOGY

At many places in Holy Quran, Allah hints about the origin and characteristics of living organisms. In the
same verses human beings have been instructed to expose the unknown aspects of life, after getting the hints.
Here are few examples of such guidelines.

We made every living thing from water.

(Sura: Ambia, Verse: 30)

We know that water makes the 60-70% of the composition of protoplasm of all living things. The above
Verse hints at the common origin of all living things in water. As Allah has ordered human beings to think at
the hints given by Him, we should study living things so that the mysteries of their origin can be revealed.

He made man from clay like the potter.

(Sura: Rehman, Verse: 14)
In another verse, God says:

Then fashioned We the drop a clot, then fashioned We the clot a little lump, then fashioned We the little
lump bones, then clotted the bones with flesh
(Sura: Al-Mominoon, Verse: 14)
When we think at the hints given in both these Verses, we find the events that occurred in the creation of
human beings. Allah also hints at the method of the development of animals including human beings.

Allah hath created every animal from water. Then some of them creep up over their bellies, others walk on
two legs, and others on four. Allah creates what He pleases.
(Sura: Al-Nur, Verse: 45)

This Verse describes the common origin and modification of organisms and also supports the modern concepts
of classification.
Thus, Quran hints not only at the origin and development of life but also at many characteristics of living
organisms.

QURAN AND CHEMISTRY

As we read the Quran, we detect that the word Iron (Hadid) is repeated among many Surat.
Therefore, there is a specific Surat which is called The Iron (Al-Hadid). This shows us the
importance of the Iron to our daily usage in many particular sections such as: medication,
construction, technology etc. Iron is one of the most common elements on Earth, making up
about 5% of the Earth's crust. Most of this iron is found in various iron oxides, such as the
minerals hematite, magnetite, and taconite.
Thus, there is some miracle mentioned in the Surat Al hadid (The Iron) that are related to the
table of periodic elements. 25- We have surely sent our messengers with clear signs, and
sent with them the Book and the Balance, so that man may stand by justice; and We sent
down the iron, wherein there is strength, and many benefits for the people. This is the verse
that the Iron is mentioned which is the 25th. If we count the bismillah, the verse subsequently
turns to the 26th. This number coincides with the Atomic number of the Iron (Fe). Also, if we
cont the number of words that God (Allah) is mentioned from the beginning of the sura till
the 25th verse, we obtain the number of protons that are included in the Iron (Fe) which is 26.
The Iron (Fe) contains 4 stable isotopes with each of them a particular number of neutrons.
The Sura Al Hadid (The Iron) is the 57th Sura from the beginning of the Quran as well as 58th
from the end of the Quran. Amazingly, 57 and 58 are two isotopes of the Iron.
The Sura Al Hadid (The Iron) contains 29 verses. If the unnumbered bismillah is counted, then
we obtain 30 and it is the number of neutrons of the 56th isotope that is associated to the
Iron. Also, if we count the frequency of the word God (Allah) is mentioned in the Surat al
Hadid, we obtain 31 which corresponds the number of neutron in the 57th Isotopes of the
Iron. In addition, if we include the bismillah, the number of times Allah is mentioned will be 32
which coincide with the number of neutron of the 58th Isotopes.
In all, the Quran highlights the importance of the Iron by giving implicit examples that are
related to our modern science. These examples proof the existing of Allah and shows how
Allah has incredible power. It shows to ignorant non-religious people that Quran is the right
way with all its miracles.

Physics in the light of the Quran

The universe as we know it today is one of the greatest mysteries of science. Its sheer
vastness makes it impossible to explore thoroughly and the presence of dark matter and
dark energy keep 95.1% of the universe hidden from us. Therefore, the universe that we
see and understand so far is only about 4.9% of the entire picture
Nonetheless, we have come a long way in understanding the universe and have recently
made some great discoveries. The methodology to do so, to understand the life of the
universe, its beginning, growth and end, is twofold. The first method is utilizing science,

where observations, theories and experiments are central. The second is relying on
religion, which utilizes faith and revelation. Both are often considered to be
incompatible as scientific theories need proof whereas religious beliefs need only faith.

However, out of all the world religions, Islam complements science the most, contrary to
popular belief. In fact, science strengthens faith as far as Islam is concerned. For
instance, the Quran contains scientific knowledge that was not discovered by science
until recently, a clear proof of its divine origins.
In the case of Physics, the Quran mentions the Big Bang theory and the expansion of the
universe, among other facts. These were not scientifically proven or discovered until the
previous century, nearly 1400 years after the Quran was revealed.
In 1929, a scientist named Hubble made a startling discovery. He noticed that light
coming from other galaxies was red shifted. This means that the frequency observed by
Hubble was less than the actually frequency with which the light was being emitted from
the galaxy. According to the Doppler Effect, which is the observed vs the actual
frequency of a wave emitted from a source moving relative to a person (like a siren on an
ambulance approaching and then going far), it meant that the galaxy was moving away
from earth.
his led to the theory that everything in the universe is moving away from each other,
consequently expanding the universe in size. This discovery was made possible through
the use of powerful telescopes and other equipment. This equipment was not present
during the time the Quran was revealed in the 7th century. Still the Quran accurately
stated this scientific fact in the following verse, The heaven, we have built it with power.
Verily, We are expanding it (51:47)
Heaven here refers to the sky and by extension the entire universe. The word expanding
is clear. God is saying that He created the heaven and sky and is expanding it, as
discovered by Hubble almost 1400 years later.
The Big Bang Theory
Consider the Big Bang theory, perhaps the biggest controversy in the science verses
religion debate. This theory is a direct consequence of the expansion of the universe. If
the universe is expanding as we know it, then if you turn back the clock, it will keep
contracting until the universe was just a single point. In physics that point is known as
the singularity, an object of extremely high density. The theory states that the entire
universe came from this point when it exploded (big bang) and split into numerous
pieces. These pieces then formed all the stars, planets, etc.

Many religious people do not believe in this theory because they say it contradicts the
fact that God created the universe and also science has not been able to determine where
exactly the singularity came from. Islam brings these two together. Yes, God created the
universe, but He did it through the Big Bang. The Quran says, the heavens and the
earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living
thing (21:30).
Here joined entity refers to the singularity and the separation refers to the Big Bang.
The part about every living thing being made from water is also scientifically accurate as
we know today. This is a clear indication of the Big Bang, given 1400 years before
modern science determined how the universe began. Again, this is proof of the Qurans
divinity as in the 7th century no one could have even guessed as to how the universe was
born.
Planets and Stars
Every planet and moon in our solar system has an orbit. That orbit can be approximated
as a circle centered on the sun. However the sun does not remain stationary; it also has
an orbit. It revolves around the Milky Way galaxy just like the earth revolves around the
sun. So in fact our entire solar system is orbiting the Milky Way. It takes more than 200
million years for the sun to compete an orbit of the galaxy.
The orbit of the sun was discovered in the 17th or 18th century when scientists realized
that the Milky Way was like a spinning disk. Amazingly, the Quran stated this fact 1000
years before science discovered it. God says in it, And it is He who created the night
and the day and the sun and the moon; all in an orbit are swimming (21:33).
This verse clearly indicated that the sun and the moon each travel in their own orbits, as
we know today. Again it was not possible in the 7th century for humans to make this
discovery. The only explanation is that it was a divine revelation.
Lastly, consider the formation of stars and planets. Stars are formed in nebulas, and
start off as a cloud of gases. The process begins when the cloud starts to collapse on itself
when it becomes unstable and there is an imbalance of forces. The material in the center
becomes incredibly hot and dense and this is the part that eventually becomes the star
itself. Planets and solar systems are formed from the leftover material from a star. The
remaining dust from the creation of a star clumps together because of gravity. These
clumps revolve around the star at high speeds and collide with each other, forming even
bigger clumps. Eventually after undergoing many collisions they turn into planets.
Planets are either rocky or gaseous depending on how far they were formed from the
star. So the basic idea is that both stars and planets start off as gases and after some

processes become celestial objects. This fact was mentioned in the Quran 1400 years
ago in the following verse: Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke
and said to it and to the earth, Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion. They
said, We have come willingly (41:11). The word smoke refers to the gaseous clouds
from which stars and planets form

Islams Position on Science

After reading all these verses about astronomy, it is important to understand why they
are there. God included them for many reasons, two of which are as follows. First off,
they serve as a sign of the Qurans authenticity as a book revealed by the All-Knowing
Creator. Each is an undeniable proof that the Quran is indeed the word of God and not
made up by a mans imagination. No man in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7 th century
or anywhere else in the world, for that matter could have made these accurate
statements.
Secondly, these verses serve as inspiration for those that ponder upon them. Islam is not
a religion that condemns science and worldly knowledge. Rather it encourages mankind
to delve into these topics. The Abbasid dynasty is proof of this as so much advancement
in Mathematics and Science were made by the scientists of that era. One example is the
development of Algebra by Al-Khwarzimi. Without it, most, if not all, science would still
be unknown to us. The Quran gave small doses of information about the universe and
left the rest for humans to discover on their own. Therefore it is a source of motivation
to unlock the secrets of the universe and also to impart curiosity in man.
Asking questions is not forbidden in Islam; rather it is encouraged as one should be very
clear about his or her belief. Furthermore the first word of the Quran to be revealed was
Read (96:1). Reading is attributed to acquiring knowledge; hence, from the very
beginning, Islam called for humans to improve their learning through education.
Science and Islam are not at odds, rather they complement each other. Islam does say that God created the
universe, but He did so through a process, a bit of which was described in the Quran and the rest was left for
man to uncover on his own.

There are many other scientific miracles in the Quran, such as the development of an
embryo in the womb. All of which serve as signs and inspiration to men of
understanding. The Quran says:
Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and
day there are indeed signs for men of understanding; Men who remember Allah,
standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the creation of the
heavens and the earth (with the thought): Our Lord! Not for nothing have You created
(all) this (3:190).
Contemplating about the world and everything in it is an integral part of Islam. Muslims
are encouraged to delve into the area of science and use it to increase their faith. In

Islam, being ignorant of religion and also of the world are unacceptable and in order to
be successful person, one must avoid both. Balance is imperative and going to either
religious or secular extremes is forbidden. Islam is the complete religion. It calls for
belief in the One God and the unseen, but also encourages man to uncover the mysteries
of the universe and the earth.