Among the miracles of the Holy Quran is its preservation, which is unlike that of any other Holy Book. It’s an established fact that the Quran remains in its original form, free of any corruption by human beings. This guarantees that every word within it was revealed over 14 centuries ago. Hence, there can be no dispute over the fact that the numerous scientific facts in the Quran were revealed to our Prophet (PBUH) many centuries before being corroborated by modern science.
There’s no denying that science was archaic and thoroughly outdated at the time of our Prophet (PBUH), in comparison to the present. Certainly, there were none of today’s technological marvels that aid science available in that era. There were no telescopes, microscopes, etc. in the 7th century! Therefore, what were the odds of an illiterate desert-dweller like Muhammad (PBUH) producing the scientific miracles of the Quran?
Verily, the only plausible answer is that he received a revelation from God. It wasn’t conceivable for the advanced science in the Quran to originate from a man in the seventh century. The remarkable preservation of the Quran, by virtue of the memorization and recording of its text, makes it clear that none of its scientific miracles were added separately, after the Prophet’s (PBUH) demise. We will now cover some scientific examples of miracles in the Quran.
Know more about the miracles of the Prophet (PBUH).
The miracle of water being the origin of life – Scientific Miracles in the Quran
In Surah al-Anbiya, Allah says that He created all living things from water.
The Arabs of the desert in the seventh century would have undoubtedly been aware of how precious water is. However, they would have no way of knowing that living things are primarily made up of water. Living things all consist of cells, which are mostly made of water. This fact of science was only established upon the arrival of the microscope, which was yet to be invented in the time of the Prophet (PBUH).
The miracle of the expanding universe
In Surah adh-Dhariyat, Allah says that He created the Universe with His Power and expanded it.
The Quran declared that the universe is expanding at a time when it was not possible to establish the veracity of such a claim. The expansion of the universe was only confirmed by science in the 20th century. In fact, this scientific discovery was hailed as one of the great intellectual revolutions of the 20th century by the famous physicist Stephen Hawking. Thus, the Quran’s mention of it in the 7th century is truly astonishing, and evidence of a higher power.
The miracle of the sky shielding the earth – Scientific Miracles in the Quran
Allah says in Surah al-Anbiya that He made the sky as a protective ceiling – one of His signs.
The sky protects the earth from the deadly, intense rays of the sun. Life on earth would have been completely eradicated by the radiation of the sun if there was no sky. Furthermore, the sky shields the earth from the freezing temperature of space, as right above the sky, the temperature is in the range of -270° C. If the sky wasn’t shielding the earth from this icy temperature, the earth would immediately freeze over.
In addition, the sky safeguards earthly life, warming the earth’s surface courtesy of heat retention. It also curbs temperature extremes amid night and day. The Quran explicitly mentions the protection provided by the sky. Meanwhile, science only uncovered the sky’s protective role in the 20th century.
The miracles of the ocean
In Surah an-Nur, Allah describes an unfathomable sea that contains waves upon waves, with clouds above them, some containing a layer of darkness.
In this description of the disbelievers, the Quran also unveils further scientific miracles. The Quran states that the ocean has waves and then more waves above. It also makes mention of the darkness of the deep ocean. It has been confirmed by oceanographers that internal waves exist under the surface of the ocean. However, these waves cannot be observed merely by using one’s vision. On the contrary, they can only be identified by professional equipment.
Additionally, the darkness of the deep part of the ocean is a fact but not evident when one dives without breathing equipment. Without breathing equipment, one can only dive 70 meters deep, where there is light. One needs to dive much deeper, 1000 meters deep, utilizing breathing equipment, to notice complete darkness. Therefore, this verse contains multiple scientific observations that were implausible in the Prophetic era. The equipment needed was not present in the 7th century.
The miracle of the mountains
Allah says in Surah an-Naba that He made the earth as a place of gaining rest, and the mountains are pegs/stakes for it.
By referring to mountains as stakes, the Quran reveals that mountains possess deep roots. This is certainly the case, as the roots of mountains extend far below the earth. While Mount Everest has a towering height of around 9 km, its height pales in comparison to its root. The root of Everest is astonishingly over 125 km deep! This is another stunning scientific wonder of the Quran. The truth regarding the deep roots of mountains only became evident to scientists in the 20th century.
The miracle of the Sun’s orbit
In Surah al-Anbiya, Allah says that He created night and day, and the sun and moon with each in its own orbit.
The Sun was widely considered a static entity for an immensely long time, right up to the 20th century. However, the Quran was ultimately found to yet again be in accordance with scientific facts. The Sun’s orbit around the center of the Milky Way galaxy is recognized as a fact in astronomy.
The miracle of iron being from outer space
Allah says in Surah al-Hadid that He sent down iron for making with all its strength and benefits.
Iron is not originally an earthly substance. Indeed, it originated from outer space, as meteorites brought it down to earth billions of years ago. The meteorites that struck earth brought with them iron from exploded stars. The Quran speaks of sending down iron. Hence, it contains another scientific fact that would not have been known at the time of its revelation.
The miracle of pain receptors in the skin
In Surah an-Nisa, Allah states that evildoers will be sent to the hell-fire. There, their skins will be burnt away and then replaced with new skin so they can continue to feel pain.
Until quite recently, the sensing of pain was exclusively linked to the brain. A recent breakthrough in this regard, though, confirmed that there are pain receptors that exist in the skin. In fact, these are required for one even to feel pain in the first place. The Quran states that people will have their skin burnt off and then replaced to let their pain resume. So, the above verse is a superb example of a statement many centuries ahead of its time, scientifically speaking.
The miracle of lying and movement
In Surah al-Alaq, Allah says that He will seize “him” by his lying and sinful forehead.
This verse was revealed concerning Abu Jahl, who was among the most wicked of the disbelievers. His forehead was specifically referred to as lying and sinful. The front part of the brain (frontal lobe) is in charge of one’s voluntary movements. This part is responsible for planning and executing movements.
The frontal lobe also controls one’s lying activity, according to studies. These discoveries were made in the 20th century, whereas the Quran mentioned the forehead in connection with lying and movement over 14 centuries ago, in the Arabian desert.
Conclusion
Indeed, a number of Western scientists have testified to the accuracy of the scientific miracles in the Quran. Dr. E. Marshall Johnson, professor of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Thomas Jefferson University, 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 Quran. 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 someplace. So I see nothing herein conflict with the concept that divine intervention was involved in what he was able to write.”
There is no doubt that the Quran contains many signs, among them Scientific Miracles in the Quran, for its readers to reflect upon and strengthen their faith. However, our primary focus regarding the Quran should be to read, understand, and implement it, and ponder its meanings.
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