Islam:
A Scientific View of God's Message to Humanity
By Hassan Ali El-Najjar
1445 / 2024
***
Copyright Information
Islam: A Scientific View of God's Message to Humanity,
in English with Arabic Texts
Copyright © 2024/1445 by Hassan Ali
El-Najjar. All rights reserved.
Published in the United States of America by
the author.
In addition to this English version of the
book, which includes the Arabic texts of verses and ‘Hadiths, there’s another
English-only version. A third version of the book is in Arabic, which is titled
as:
الإسْلامُ:
رُؤْيَةٌ
عِلْمِيَةٌ
لِرِسَالَةِ
اللهِ
لِلْبَشَرِيَّةِ
The book can be ordered by email at: sales@ccun.org
Or by mail at:
P.O. Box 2401, Alpharetta, GA, USA 30022
CCUN ISBN: 978-1-7923-4537-1
Library
of Congress Control Number (LCCN): 2020913981
Cataloging-in-Publication
Data (Keywords):
Islam, Iman, Ihsan, guidance to humanity,
Quran, Hadith, Quran scientific evidence, creation and evolution, God’s
caliphs, Adam and angels, free worshipper, soul, spirit, spiritual-physical
relationship, heart-mind relationship, proclamation of faith, prayer, zakat
(charity), fasting Ramadhan, pilgrimage (Haj), Allah, angels, Last Day,
God’s precise measurement and just decrees, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus,
Muhammed and his Night Journey (Al-Isra Wal Mi’raj).
About the author:
The
author of this book was born in Ghazza (Gaza), Palestine, in in 1369
Hijriya (1950 AD). He received the first eleven years of education in Gaza
Strip and his high school diploma from Raghadan School, in Amman,
Jordan, in 1968. He had his Bachelor’s degree in English Education from Ain
Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, in 1972. He worked as a teacher in Libya and
the United Arab Emirates before immigrating with his family to the United States,
in 1986. He had his Master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology, from the
University of Georgia, in 1988, and his Ph.D. in Sociology also from the
University of Georgia, in 1993. From 1991 until the
publication of this book, in 2020, he was a teacher at Dalton State College.
The
author’s full name is Hassan Ali Hassan Ahmed Muhammed Abdul Hadi (El-Najjar)
Muhammed Joudah Al-Harooni. His greatest grandfather, Joudah, emigrated from
the town of Arab Wadi Fatima, near Makkah (now in Saudi Arabia), in the
seventeenth century AD, and settled in Isdood (Ashdod), Palestine. The author’s
fourth grandfather (Abdul Hadi) was also known as El-Najjar (The Carpenter),
which became his descendants’ last name.
Hassan
Ali El-Najjar
Atalanta,
Georgia, USA, 1st Day of Ramadhan, 1445, March 11, 2024.
The Author’s Related Books
About Islam
***
I seek refuge with God from the Stoned Shaytan (Satan)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Peace and blessings be upon our Master, Mu’hammed,
the Seal of Prophets and Imam of the Messengers
Invite to the way of your Lord with
wisdom and good instruction and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed,
your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most
knowing of who is (rightly) guided (Al-Na’hl, 16: 125).
And who is better in speech than one
who invites to Allah, and does righteousness, and says, "Indeed, I am of
the Muslims" (Fussilat, 41: 33).
The Messenger of Allah, pbbuh, said:
“Teach on my behalf, even one verse (of the Holy Quran) (Al-Tirmidthi:
2669, Al-Bukhari: 3461).
* See the Note about the
translation of meanings and the transliteration of Arabic sounds above the
first Endnote.
***
This book is a scientific view of
Islam, introducing it to average readers, researchers, and policy makers. In
addition to providing basic information about this religion, it attempts to
answer some of the fundamental questions about the human existence and its
purpose. Moreover, it is intended to be a main source of knowledge about this
great religion, which is followed by about 1.7 billion people worldwide.
Verses from the Holy Quran are the
main source of information for the topics discussed in this book, and other
books written by this author about Islam, followed by ‘Hadeeths (sayings) of
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him (pbbuh). Then,
interpretations of the Quran verses by the most renowned Muslim scholars, ,
particularly Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Katheer, are used as a
background for understanding the meanings of verses.. Their interpretations are
valued for including ‘Hadeeths of the Prophet, pbbuh, as well as opinions and
applications of his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them (mAbpwt). Finally, verses of the Holy Quran, mentioned
in the discussed topics, are explained in relation to our contemporary
knowledge from the social and natural sciences, particularly anthropology,
sociology, biology, and cosmology. The objective is to show that the Holy Quran
is the Word of Allah (the God), praise to Him, as it contains so many
scientific facts, which have been discovered only in the past few centuries.
Consequently, it is an assurance to believers and an invitation to others, to
believe in the Lord of the Worlds, and His Message to humanity.
This author has divided his work
about Islam into seven related books (parts). The first book (Islam: A Scientific View of God’s Message to
Humanity) includes ten chapters. It starts with a brief introduction
about the Holy Quran, the Sunna, and Islamic research, as the main sources of
knowledge about Islam. Then, there is an introduction to the three levels of
faith: Islam (performing the five duties), Ieman (faith), and I’hsan
(righteousness). This is followed by a discussion about of the scientific evidence
for God’s existence and for the Holy Quran as His message to humanity. An
exploration is conducted, after that, about the issue of creation and
evolution, from an Islamic perspective, including how life started on Earth,
how it evolved, and the divine intervention. God’s decision to honor humans as
worthy of ruling over Earth is also addressed, with particular attention
to Adam’s winning of the contest with the angels and getting out of Paradise.
Then, there is an investigation of the issue of whether humans are free in
their choice to believe in God or not. This is followed by an examination of
some relationships of special importance in explaining the tenets of Islam. The
first is the relationship between the spiritual and physical aspects of Islamic
teachings. The second is the relationship between the concepts of the mind,
self, soul, spirit, and happiness. The third is the relationship between the
heart and the mind. With God’s will, this book has been completed and published
on amazon.com, to enable readers to get it as a paper copy. In addition, it is
available to readers for free reading and downloading on the author’s two
websites: ccun.org and aljazeerah.info.
The second
book (The Five Pillars of Islam: A Scientific View of the Two
Proclamations of Faith, Prayer, Charity, Fasting, and Pilgrimage)
includes five chapters, providing basic information about the first level of
faith (Islam), as manifested in the five pillars of the faith structure. These
are the Islamic proclamation of faith, performing prayers, giving Zakat
(charity), fasting the month of Ramadhan, and making the Haj (pilgrimage) to
the House of Allah in Makkah, once in a person’s lifetime, if possible. Each
one of these mandated ways of worship is explained in terms of rationale,
rules, and practices, directly from the verses of the Holy Quran, ‘Hadeeths
explaining them, and interpretations of Islamic scholars. In addition,
contemporary scientific research is used to show the benefits of performing
them, to the individual and to society. This book has also been completed and
published, together with the first book, in one volume, on amazon.com, to
enable readers to get it as a paper copy. In addition, it is available to
readers for free reading and downloading on the author’s two websites,
mentioned above.
The following three remaining books
address the second level of faith (Ieman), namely, the belief in Allah (the
God) and in His angels, messengers, messages, the Last Day, as well as in His
precise measurement and His just decrees. Thus, the third
book (Allah, His Good Names: Who Is
He? What Does He Want for Humans?) aims at knowing about Allah, praise to Him,
through His names and His adjectives, which He mentioned in the Holy Quran. It
also contains His rationale for the creation of humans on the Earth. This book
has also been completed and published on amazon.com, to
enable readers to get it as a paper copy. In addition, it is available to
readers for free reading and downloading on the author’s two websites,
mentioned above.
The fourth
book (Messengers of Allah to His
Intelligent Creations) contains seven chapters, about the Messengers of Allah,
praise to Him, to humans and jinn. It starts with a chapter about angels, who
are the honored worshippers and messengers of Allah to His creations. Then,
there are five chapters about the five human messengers, known for their
determination and for the miracles they were provided with. These are Noo’h,
Ibraheem, Moosa, ‘Eisa, and Mu’hammed (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and
Mu’hammed), peace and blessings of Allah be upon them. The seventh chapter is
about the Night Journey and Ascent to heavens (Al-Isra Wal Mi’raj), which was a
miracle, honoring the final Prophet of Allah. It was also a glad tiding to
humans, that they can fly over the regions of the Earth, and through space to
heavens, with permission of Allah. This book has not been published as a paper
copy yet. However, its English version is available to readers for free reading
and downloading on the author’s two websites, mentioned above.
The fifth
book (God’s Precise Measurement, His Just Decrees, and the Last Day)
addresses the remaining articles of the second level of faith (Iman). It
contains three chapters, about signs of the Hour, the Last Day, as well as
God’s Precise Measurement and His Just Decrees (Al-Qadar wal Qadha).
This book has not been published as a paper copy yet. However, the English
versions of its second and third chapters are available to readers for free
reading and downloading on the author’s two websites, mentioned above.
Concerning the third level of faith
(I’hsan), it will be addressed, God willing, in two books. The sixth book (An Introduction
to Islamic Shari’a: Commands of Prohibition and Admonition in the Holy Quran)
is available, as an initial draft version, to readers for free reading and
downloading on the author’s two websites, mentioned above. The seventh book is a
continuation of the “Introduction to Islamic Shari’a,” but it contains “God’s
Commands of Justice and Righteousness.” It has not been completed yet.
Note: This page numbering is for the English only version of the book,
paper size of 8x11.
***
I seek refuge with God
from the Stoned Shaytan (Satan)
In the Name of Allah,
the Beneficent, the Merciful
***
The word "Islam" means believing in Allah (The God) [1]
to the extent of submitting your will to Him. In this
sense, the Messengers of Allah, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus Christ
(Noo’h, Ibraheem, Mousa, and 'Eisa), peace and blessings of Allah be upon them
(pbbut) all, as well as their righteous followers, are also considered Muslims.
It is one religion, revealed to humans on the Earth for thousands of years
to guide them in this life and to reward them in the Hereafter. Mu’hammed,
pbbuh, was the last of these Muslim Prophets and Messengers of Allah. [2]
The Arabic root verb of the word
"Islam" is /salima/, meaning kept safe. The word "Muslim"
is one of its derivatives. Prophet Mu’hammed, pbbuh, said: "The Muslim is
(the person) from whose tongue and hand people are kept safe." In other
words, a Muslim does not harm people with his/her tongue or hand.
The word "Islam" is also a
derivative of the verb /aslama/, which means to submit, from which came the
noun "Muslim" (the one who submits to God), as in verse 2: 112.
Moreover, Islam means peace (silm), as mentioned in verse 2: 208. [3]
Finally, Islam is the first level of faith,
the attainment of which is required to gain the mercy and contentment of Allah,
in order for a person to live happily in this life and to enter Paradise in the
hereafter. A higher level is Iman (faith or belief in the unseen), as we learn
from verse 49: 14, and the highest is I'hsan (righteousness). These three
levels of faith are presented in the second Chapter of this book, as the major
components of a well-known ‘Hadeeth, on the basis of which this book has been
divided into three parts: an introduction, Islam, and Iman. Concerning I’hsan,
it will be a separate book, insha Allah (God willing), because it is very much
larger in size, containing the Commands of Allah, as revealed in the Holy
Quran.[4]
Sources of the Islamic teachings:
1. The Holy Quran
The Holy Quran (pronounced as two separate
syllables Qur - an) is referred to, by some authors, as “Koran” but this is an
inaccurate translation, as the letter Q is closer to the Arabic sound than the
letter K. The Holy Quran is the first source of the Islamic teachings. It is
the Book of God and His Message to humanity. It was revealed to Prophet
Muhammed, pbbuh, in 23 years, starting from 610 AD, as mentioned in verse 53:
4-5. [5]
The Holy Quran was written by the scribes
during the life of the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh, as he received its verses, by
inspiration through the Angel, Jibril (Gabriel), peace be to him. He would
speak and they would write down the revelations. Then, they would read that,
which they wrote to him, and he would approve of it. He would also tell them
about the order of Chapters and where to place the revealed verses.
By the death of the Prophet, pbbuh, some of
the Holy Quran Chapters were in his house and others were in the houses of his
Companions. The first Caliph, Abu Bakr, mAbpwh, collected all Chapters in one Book. However, it was the third
Caliph, ‘Uthman, mAbpwh, who kept the Quraysh version of the Holy Quran and
burned out all other versions, which were written in different dialects. The
‘Uthman’s version of the Holy Quran is the only one which Muslims have today.
It has been guarded and kept safe from any changes or distortions, by the will
of Allah, who stated that promise in verse 15: 9. [6]
The Holy Quran includes God’s teachings to humanity,
including His commands and His prohibitions, the core of which were also
revealed through His former Messengers. It also includes clarifications about
the disputes between Jews and Christians, such as over the nature of Jesus and
his Message to the Israelites.
The first Arabic word uttered by the Angel
Jibril, peace be to him, to Prophet Muhammed, pbbuh, was the command verb
/iqra'/, which means "Read." This means that Allah, the
Knowledgeable, wants His beloved human creation to be as knowledgeable as they
can be, through reading, writing, and the accumulation of knowledge.
As the Word of God and His Message to
humanity, the Holy Quran has been preserved as it is, without any changes,
since it has been revealed, 1,400 years ago. It is available today, in its
Arabic original version, and its translations into other languages, in many
libraries and internet sites. An example is www.tanzil.net, which has 18
different English translations, in addition to translations to other languages,
and an Arabic search function. It also carries Quran recitations by 26 renowned
reciters, so people can hear verses recited while looking at the written text.
Another important site is http://quran.ksu.edu.sa/ which carries the Quran Arabic text and its
translations to various languages. It also posts the nine books of Sunna, which
explain and authenticate ‘Hadith. In addition, it has a research function,
which allows access to the major interpretations of the Holy Quran by early
Islamic scholars, including Bin Katheer, Al-Qurtubi, and Al-Tabari.
[7]
2. The Sunna
The Sunna represents the second source of
Islamic teachings, after the Holy Quran. It includes sayings (‘Hadiths) and actions
of the Prophet, pbbuh, as well as his approval of people’s sayings and actions.
It also includes his explanation of the Quran verses in more details. In
addition, the Sunna contains his teachings and his lifestyle, which were
examples for Muslims to follow in various aspects of life.
The Prophet, pbbuh, generally prohibited his
Companions from writing down anything he said, except the Holy Quran, to avoid
any possibility of mixing his sayings with God’s revelations. However, he allowed it later.
Thus, some of the Sunna was recorded during his lifetime but the majority of it
was collected and recorded a long time after his death. Actually, Muslim
scholars have developed an independent discipline for that purpose, known as
‘Hadeeth Science, which specializes in the collection, recording, scrutiny,
authentication, and discussion of the ‘Hadeeth. [8]
An example of how the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh,
explained and summarized the Holy Quran, to God’s worshippers, is the ‘Hadeeth
narrated by Companion ‘Abdullah Bin (Son of) ‘Omar, mAbpwt both. He said that
he heard the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh, saying: “
"Islam has been built on five (pillars): The
proclamation that there is no other god than Allah and that Muhammed is the
Messenger of Allah, performing the prayers, paying charity (Zakat), making the
pilgrimage to the House (of Allah in Makkah), and fasting (during the month of)
Ramadhan.” [9]
Thus, the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh,
summarized the five Islamic ways of worship (‘ibadat), in one ‘Hadeeth, to make
it easy on people. All of these ways of worship are mentioned in various
chapters of the Holy Quran but the ‘Hadith puts them together, emphasizing them
as the five major and manifest Islamic obligations. For example, the
proclamation of faith was mentioned in verse 3: 18 and verse 40: 33, prayers
and charity (Zakat) in verse 2: 110, fasting in verse 2: 183, and Haj in verse
3: 97. [10]
3. Research
by Islamic Scholars
Research by Islamic scholars has become the
third source of Islamic teachings. Most of these scholars are graduates of Islamic universities, who
hold the highest degrees in Islamic studies. Thus, they are experts on the
first two sources. They provide current interpretations of the Holy Quran,
explain to the people the basic principles of their religion, and give rulings
(fatwas) about new innovations, such as those which may happen in social,
economic, financial, and medical aspects of life. For example, recreational
addictive and harmful drugs were not mentioned in the Holy Quran. So, Islamic
scholars pointed that there is more harm from using them than the sought
benefits. As a result, such drugs should be treated the same way of treating
alcoholic beverages. Allah, praise to Him, commanded Muslims to avoid them, in
verse 5: 190, which was explained by the Prophet, pbbuh, as prohibition. [11]
Since
the last few decades of the 20th Century, a category of Muslim
social and natural scientists has emerged, tasking itself of demonstrating that
the Holy Quran is full of scientific evidence, which shows that it is the Word
of God, and that nobody else could have produced it. Thus, they have
contributed to deepening the faith and increasing the understanding of Muslims
of their religion, on the basis of science and reasoning. This is of great
importance, particularly because of the internet age, which has enabled
anti-religion forces to spread their falsehoods easily. In addition, it is a
creative way to call for Allah among non-Muslims, particularly those who are
highly educated, and those who have left their religions because of the
contradiction with reasoning and basic scientific facts. This book aims at
achieving that goal, as demonstrated in its various chapters, particularly the
third and fourth Chapters.
***
I seek refuge with God
from the Stoned Shaytan (Satan)
In the Name of Allah,
the Beneficent, the Merciful
***
Introduction
One
day, the Angel Jibril (Gabriel), peace be to him, appeared as a man to the
Messenger of Allah, Muhammed, peace and blessings be upon him (pbbuh), and his
companions in the Medina mosque. The encounter became a very well-known 'Hadith
(saying), narrated by the Second Caliph, Omar, may Allah be pleased with him.
Jibril
asked the Messenger of Allah five questions about the meaning of Islam, Iman,
I'hsan, the Hour, and the Hour signs. As he answered each question, Jibril
complimented him saying that he told the truth. When Jibril left, the Messenger
of Allah told his companion, who did not know the man, that he was Jibril who
came to teach them their religion.
This
'Hadith not only summarized the major principles of God’s message of guidance
to humanity, but it also attracted our attention to the three levels of faith:
Islam, Iman, and I'hsan, which are the focus of this Chapter and the basis for
organizing this book into its main parts.
Text of the Prophet's 'Hadith:
On
the authority of Omar, who said: One day, while we were sitting with the
Messenger of Allah, there appeared before us a man whose clothes were
exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black. No signs of journeying
were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down by
the Prophet, resting his knees against his (the Prophet's) and placing the
palms of his hands on his thighs, he said:
O
Muhammed, tell me about Islam?
The
Messenger of Allah said: Islam is to proclaim that there is no other god than Allah
and Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah, to perform the prayers, to pay the
Zakat (charity), to fast (during the month of) Ramadhan, and to make the
pilgrimage to the House (of God) if you are capable to do so.
He
said: You have spoken rightly, and we were amazed at him asking him (the
Prophet) and saying that he had spoken rightly (told the truth).
He
said: Then, tell me about Iman?
He
(the Prophet) said: It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His
messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in God's
precise measurement and His just decrees on everything, including (what may be perceived as) good or
bad.
He
said: You have spoken rightly (told the truth).
(Jibril)
said: Then, tell me about I'hsan?
He
(the Prophet) said: It is to worship Allah as if you are seeing him, and while
you do not see Him, He truly sees you.
He
said: Then, tell me about the Hour?
He
(the Prophet) said: The one questioned about it does not know more than the
questioner.
He
said: Then, tell me about its Signs?
He
(the Prophet) said: That the slave-woman will give birth to her mistress and
that you will see the barefooted, naked, destitute sheep herdsmen constructing
the highest buildings.
Then,
(Jibril) left and I stayed for some time. Then he (the Prophet) said: “O Omar,
do you know who the questioner was? I said: Allah and His Messenger know
better. He said: He was Jibril (Gabriel), who came to teach you your religion. [12]
Islam:
Thus,
according to the above-mentioned ‘Hadith, there are three levels of the faith
structure, a person can reach. The first level is Islam, which was explained by Prophet
Muhammed (pbbuh) as observing the five major ways of worship ('Ibadat).
It
follows that to be a Muslim, a person has
to proclaim that there is no other god but Allah (praise to Him) and that
Muhammed (pbbuh) is His Messenger. The importance of this proclamation of faith is that a person
acknowledges the existence of Allah (God), praise to Him, as the Creator of the
Universe, and that Muhammed (pbbuh) is the Messenger of God. This means that a
person accepts the message of God revealed to humanity through him, as expressed
in the Word of God (the Holy Quran) and the Sunna (his sayings, actions, and
what he approved of).
Once
a person pronounces the Islamic proclamation, then he/she proceeds to observe
the Islamic obligations, namely to perform the five daily prayers, pay the
annual Zakat (charity), fast during the month of Ramadhan, and make the pilgrimage
to the House of Allah in Makkah, if he/she is capable to do so physically and
financially (These ways of worship were introduced in Chapter 1, “Islam: A Brief Introduction” but addressed
in more details in the second part of this book).
It
is important to note that these are ways of worshipping Allah ('Ibadat), as He
wanted and commanded Muslims to do. He promised to reward those who worship Him with an everlasting
life in His Paradise, in the hereafter. In addition, they would enjoy the peace
of being believers in this life. However, those who disdain worshipping Him
will be punished by the torment of the lack of faith in this life and the painful
torment in Hell, in the hereafter, as stated in the Holy Quran (Al-Nisa, 4:
172-173). [13]
In
analyzing these Islamic ways of worshipping God, one discovers that all of them
benefit the worshipper directly and his/her society in this life, then they are
rewarded with Paradise in the hereafter (Such benefits are discussed in more
details in Chapter 8, “The Relationship between the Spiritual and the Physical
Aspects of Islamic Teachings” and in the second part of this book).
Before
performing each one of the five prayers,
a Muslim has to clean himself/herself through wudhou,
by washing the mouth, nose, face hands, arms, ears, hair, and feet. Muslims
also should take showers after sexual intercourse and menstruation (Al-Ma-ida,
Al-Baqara, 2: 222), on
Fridays, and keep their clothes clean. [14]
By
praying five times a day at specific times, Muslims live in orderly fashion,
budgeting their time, towards work, rest, and sleep. More important is that
prayer is a connection between a worshipper and his/her Creator, in five
specific times a day, if performed correctly it is peace for the human self and
a constant reminder for avoiding sins. In addition, prayers function as an
exercise five times a day, doing certain movements that range between standing,
bowing, prostrating, and sitting down on the floor. These unique movements
function as an exercise for various body organs, by stretching muscles,
tendons, and backbone. For example, bowing and prostrating push more blood to
certain areas of the body, like the brain.
By
paying the Zakat (charity) a Muslim assists
the needy and contributes to the well-being of society. It is, at least, 2.5
percent of a person’s wealth, annually. When properly given, the poor and the
needy will not be left alone and behind in society. It is a systematic
expression of compassion and social solidarity. The Zakat does not replace
government taxes. However, it contributes to the welfare and well-being of
society in areas not covered by government-funded projects.
Fasting
during the month of Ramadhan,
by abstaining from food, drinks, and sexual activity from dawn to the sunset,
has tremendous benefits for the body and the soul of a worshipper. Fasting
strengthens the control of the self over the body desires. It allows the rich
to feel the suffering of the hungry poor and prompts them to share food with
them when they break the fast at the sunset. By eating moderately then, many
people lose weight, get rid of some of the accumulated fats throughout the
year. The body also gets rid of the harmful toxins, as well as the weak and
sick cells. In addition, fasting gives a break to the digestive system, after
eleven months of continuous hard work.
Finally,
pilgrimage
(‘Haj) to the House of Allah in Makkah, is the climax of
being a Muslim. It is a personal journey for God first, but it also gives great
satisfaction to the pilgrim (‘Haaj), as he/she leaves everything in
this life behind. As it is answering God’s invitation for them to visit His
ancient House, pilgrims are filled with joy as they see the Ka’ba,
circumambulate (circulate) around it, and perform various
‘Haj rituals. In addition, ‘Haj includes remembrance of the story of Ibraheem
(Abraham) and his son, Isma’eel (Ishmael), peace be upon them, particularly
their obedience to Allah, praise to Him, and their rejection of Al-Shaytan
(Satan) and his whispers. Moreover, the pilgrimage to Makkah is a worldwide
conference of millions of Muslims, where they meet there representing all
nations, racial groups, and ethnic divisions (49: 13), for just few days.
Therefore, Allah, praise to Him, instructed them to be loving, caring, and
tolerant of each other. They are also instructed to avoid arguments and instead
to praise Him for His countless benefits and bounties they have been enjoying
in this life (2: 197) and will be enjoying in the hereafter. [15]
Iman:
By
being a Muslim, as explained above, a person is promised God's rewards in this lower life and in the
hereafter. Properly practiced, the Islamic ways of worship (‘ibadat)
are beneficial to Muslims as individuals and as communities. However, for those
who are more ambitious to be closer to God, to gain a higher level of his
rewards, and to enjoy more intellectual happiness, they need to reach a higher
level of faith than Islam, which is Iman, as we are told by verse 49: 14 of the
Holy Quran, which states:
The
A'arab (desert dwellers) said, "We have believed." Say: "You
have not believed,” but say 'We have submitted,” for faith has not yet entered
your hearts (Al-'Hujurat, 49: 14).
In
this Verse, the A'arab (desert dwellers) said, "We have believed."
They meant to say: "We have reached the level of Iman." But Allah,
praise to Him, told His Messenger to tell them that they still have not
believed. That's why they instead should say: 'We have submitted (to Allah by
becoming Muslims) because the second level of faith (Iman) has not yet entered
their hearts.
So,
what is that second level of faith (Iman)?
Iman is to believe in
Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, as we read in
verse 4: 136 of the Holy Quran:
O
You who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger, (in)
the Book that
He sent down upon His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before.
And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and
the Last Day has certainly gone far astray (Al-Nisa, 4: 136).
Iman is also the belief in God's precise measurement and His
just decrees on everything, as we learn from the 'Hadeeth of the Messenger of
Allah, pbbuh, which has been mentioned.
This
means that the second level of faith (Iman) is more of an intellectual nature
than the first level (Islam), where a person is saved by worshipping Allah
(God) through actions, that is, through performing the five obligations
mentioned above. So, Iman comes by thinking about that which Allah told us
about in the Holy Quran, including the many scientific statements, which were
unknown at the time of revelation and until the 19th Century. Such thinking
provides ample evidence that the Holy Quran is the Word of Allah, and that no
human being can produce a book like it, or even a chapter, like any of its
chapters. [16]
In
other words, reaching the second level of faith (Iman), requires higher and
deeper degrees of knowledge and acknowledgement. This includes a belief in the
existence of Allah (God) and His angels, as well as in His Books, Messengers,
the Last Day, and in His precise measurement and just decrees. So, Iman can be attained through the
realization of the unseen, such as the existence of God, through the pieces of
evidence He provided us with, such as the Holy Quran. However, many people
believe in God, as unseen, without the need for physical or intellectual
evidence, that is by intuition. Moreover, philosophers can reach the second
level of faith by logic. They postulate that the existence of the creation must
be the evidence for the existence of the Creator, Allah, praise to Him. [17]
Thus,
a person reaching Iman (a Mumin: a believer)
believes that not only Allah (God) exists but He, praise to Him, can do
anything He wants. A Mumen believes in everything God told in the Holy Quran.
He or she also believes that there are other intelligent creations of God than
human beings, particularly angels. Among these are Jibril (Gabriel, the medium
between God and His human Messengers), Mika-il (Michael, the angel of
sustenance), Ezra-il (angel of death), Israfil (angel of the Trumpet), Radhwan
(custodian of Paradise), and Malik (custodian of the Hellfire). In addition,
there are many other categories of angels who perform tasks related to humans.
Among these are Raqeeb and 'Ateed (the angels who keep records for our good
deeds and bad deeds), Naakir, and Nakeer (the angels who question a human being
briefly after death), and Sa-iq and Shaheed (the angels who organize people in
groups and lead them during the events of the Last Day). A Mumen is a person
who believes that these angels exist, and that we are affected by them. [18]
A
Mumen also believes that God revealed His guidance to humanity in other Books,
before the Holy Quran. These included the Su’huf (Papers) of Ibrahim
(Abraham), the Torah (in the Old Testament), which was revealed to Moussa
(Moses), the Zaboor (the Psalms), which was revealed to Prophet Dawood (David),
and the Engel (the New Testament), the teachings of the Messiah, ‘Eissa Bin
Mariam (Jesus Christ, the son of Mary), peace and blessings of Allah be upon
all of them. These Books included the same message of guidance to humanity
summarized in the Holy Quran. A Mumen, further, has the same and equal respect
and love for all messengers of God, and does not consider one of them as better
than the others.
A
Mumen believes that this life is a test, in which all our deeds and activities
are recorded by angels. We will be held accountable for the entire test when we
meet our Creator on the Day of Reckoning. So, the belief in the Last Day is an
acknowledgement of the inevitability of accountability and reckoning. It is an
incentive for people to do good in this life in order to be rewarded by an
everlasting life in Paradise, and a warning against doing bad in order to avoid
punishment in the Hellfire. [19]
Further,
a Mumen believes in God’s precise measurement and His just decrees (Al-Qadar
wal Qadha). People are free in what they say and do, in the matters
which they control or have authority over. However, there are other matters,
which may not be understood by people, because these are beyond their control.
Some of these matters are perceived as good, such as unexpected successes or
fortunes. A Mumin’s response in this case is thanking Allah for receiving them.
Other matters may be perceived as bad, despite the fact that these may turn to
be good results later on, such as the actions of Al-Khadir’s actions, Mousa
(Moses) perceived as evil, before knowing the rationale behind doing them
(Al-Kahf, 18: 65-82).
Sometimes,
some matters may result in outright bad consequences, such as death and
destruction during war as well as natural and environmental disasters. In these
cases, the bad consequences are the result of decisions made by people, whether
by going to war to settle differences, or not taking the appropriate measures
to avoid natural and environmental disasters. Allah, praise to Him, warned
humanity to avoid such possible consequences, as both innocent people and their
oppressors will be affected alike (Al-Anfal, 8: 25).
Finally,
believers (Muminoon) thank Allah in all circumstances but they are also
expected to use their time, knowledge, wealth, and energy with the best way
possible, during their first life on Earth, because they are going to be
questioned about all these qualities in the hereafter. This means that
believers (Muminoon) should not surrender to the upheavals, natural or
environmental disasters, diseases, or any difficulties facing them. They should
do their best to avoid them. Thus doing, they practice their free will, which
does not contradict with God’s circumventing foreknowledge of their choices. [20]
I'hsan:
I'hsan is the highest
of the three levels of faith and the closest to pleasing God. It is to worship Allah as if
you see Him. While you do not really see Him, He truly sees you. Then, I'hsan
means that a Mu'hsin (a person who
practices I’hsan) is sure that Allah is seeing him/her in everything he/she
says or does. Therefore, a Mu'hsin does his/her best to say and do only that
which pleases Allah and conforms to His commands. This is the level of
righteousness, perfection, as well as doing and saying the ultimate good for
the sake of goodness, to the person’s best knowledge and ability.
The
noun "I'hsan" in Arabic is a derivative of the verb
"a’hsana," which means doing things better. Thus, the literal
linguistic meaning of I'hsan is saying the best, as expressed in verse 41: 33
of the Holy Quran. It is also doing the best, which is observing God’s commands
(For more information about God's commands, see the first Chapter of the fourth
part of this book, “Islamic Law, Shari'a: Prohibition, Don't Do, and Do Commands).
The noble meanings of I’hsan are expressed in
many verses of the Holy Quran. Throughout His Book, Allah, praise to Him,
commands believers to practice I’hsan in words and actions and in the treatment
of parents. He announces His love for Mu’hsins, assures them that they should
have neither fear nor sadness, and promises them with the best rewards in the
hereafter. [21]
Conclusion
The
objective of mentioning the three levels of faith is to motivate the human self
to pursue the course of elevation from one level to the other. As humans
struggle to be better in their words and actions, they not only gain the best
physical and spiritual benefits in this life but they also get the contentment
and mercy of their Creator, who promised them an everlasting life in His
Paradise, in the hereafter.
and the Holy Quran Is His Message to
Humanity
***
I seek refuge with God
from the Stoned Shaytan (Satan)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the
Merciful
***
Introduction *
At the beginning of the 21st Century,
many people in the world no longer believe in God. Even some of those who
profess such belief are not sure. Others have a distorted belief, which makes
them behave in misguided and dangerous ways. In brief, there is a lot of
ignorance on this Planet, at this time, about the Creator of life and about His
message to humanity, which has been told in the religious Holy Books.
But before addressing the problem of misguided
believers, it is more essential to address the question of atheism, or the
belief that God does not exist in the first place. This belief has developed as
a result of lack of scientific evidence in teaching about God. Many world
religions involve illogical myths and weird rituals that belittle the human
mind, leading to the disbelief that these myths and rituals are from a Supreme
Being, who is supposed to be more intelligent than the human beings He has created,
and as a result is worthy of being worshipped by them.
Another important reason for atheism is that
leaders of many religions, including the major ones, put themselves in a
collision course with science. This has alienated the most educated and most
intelligent people and made them susceptible to atheism, indifference, or at
least not taking religion seriously.
So, how can this problem of God’s existence be
resolved?
To convince the most intelligent beings on this
Planet that God does exist, scientific evidence supporting this fact has to be
brought to the discussion.
The Holy Quran (pronounced in two separate
syllables Qur - an) is full of such evidence. Actually, the Islamic Holy Book
can be broadly divided into two parts, in terms of content. The first involves
the scientific evidence that its ultimate author is the Creator of life
Himself, in order to convince humans that He exists and that the Holy Quran is
His message to humanity. The second part
involves His teachings, the Shari'a, which if followed by humans will lead them
to happiness in this life and in the everlasting hereafter.
The story of life on Planet Earth, including
human life, is told in the Holy Quran in a way that would light up the eyes of
scientists if they read it. It’s almost the same story, which is told to
students of biology. It leaves no doubt about the fact that life started in a
very simple way a long time ago and kept evolving ever since (See Chapter 4, “Creation and Evolution in
the Holy Quran”).
The scientific story of creation of life is
just one example of how the Holy Quran convinces its readers that no human on
this Planet could have authored this Book. Many of the scientific facts
revealed became known only in the last century or so. The Messenger of God,
Prophet Mu’hammed (pbbuh) was
an illiterate man. It was impossible for him or for any other human being more
than 1400 years ago to know about such facts.
This Chapter is divided into three parts. The
first includes examples of verses, containing facts just explained or
discovered recently by scientists, about the creation of the heavens and the
Earth, as well as the existence of intelligent beings, other than humans. The
second part includes examples of verses, mentioning facts just explained or
discovered recently by scientists, about life on Earth, in relation to the
darkness of ocean waters, formation of clouds, plant pairs, and sex of insects.
The third part of this Chapter provides information about the numerical miracle
in the design of the Holy Quran. This is an emerging research area, which
demonstrates, through so many examples, that the letters, words, and chapters
of the Holy Quran are designed and arranged according to numerical
relationships. As a result, this Book could not have been authored by any human
being. It’s the Word of God and His Message to humanity.
First,
examples of verses, containing facts just explained or discovered recently by
scientists, about the creation of the heavens and the Earth, as well as the
existence of intelligent beings, other than humans:
1.
Allah, praise to Him, tells us that His Throne had been on water before He created the heavens
and the Earth.
And it is He who created the heavens and the
Earth in six days - and His Throne had been upon water (Hood, 11: 7).
This means that water preceded other elements,
and consequently the formation of our solar system, as we know it. In his
interpretation of this verse, Al-Tabari mentioned a 'Hadeeth in which
companion Abu Razeen Al-‘Uqayli, mAbpwh, asked the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh:
“Where had our Lord been before He created the heavens and the Earth? He said: “(He was) in clouds, and there was air
above and below Him. Then, He created His Throne on Water." Ibn ‘Abbas,
mAbpwh and with his father, said that “the water was over the wind,” as was
mentioned by Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Katheer. [22]
This was exactly what scientists concluded in their
most recent research, in 2014. They found that some of the water we have is
older than the Earth age, which is estimated at about 4.6 billion years. It is
even older than the Sun. This is a confirmation to the meanings contained in
this verse, and consequently a piece of evidence that the Holy Quran is the
Word of God. It is a Book, which cannot be approached by falsehood (Fussilat,
41: 42) and it was pronounced by the illiterate Prophet, pbbuh, who did not
know reading or writing before the revelation. There was no way for him, or
anybody else on the Earth to know these facts back then.
[23]
2.
Verse 21: 30 tells us that the heavens and the Earth
were a joined entity. Then, Allah splintered them (causing them to
scatter in space). The verse also tells us that Allah created every living
thing (in them) out of water, which was already there.
Have those who disbelieved not considered that
the heavens and the Earth were a joined entity, and We splintered (separated)
them and made from water every living thing? Then, will they not believe?
(Al-Anbiya, 21: 30).
Then, Allah, praise to Him, caused life to
start in the places which contained water before the splintering incident, as
He told us in verse 7 of Soorat Hood (Chapter 11 of the Holy Quran), as was
interpreted by the three renowned interpreters: Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi,
and Ibn Katheer.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, some
astrophysicists estimated the age of the universe between 10 and 20 billion
years. However, more recent estimates date it back to about 13.8 billion years.
This is according to the Big Bang theory, which is agreed upon by most
contemporary astrophysicists. Though the theory described the beginning of the
universe as a result of a big bang, astrophysicists now agree that it was an
event, not necessarily a bang. [24]
This is evidence about the accuracy of the verb
"fataqa" used in the verse, which refers to splintering a substance (like
ice), causing it to scatter into smaller pieces.
Astrophysicists tried to explain how the event
happened, as a result of the interaction between elements, energy, and time,
without mentioning the logical existence of God, who caused the event to
happen. However, Muslims know with certainty that Allah, praise to Him, is the
One Who caused it to happen, as He had told us about it more than 14 centuries
before the existence of astrophysics. He is the First, the Originator, the
Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, the Great, and the Highest. [25]
3.
Verse 51: 47 tells us that Allah, praise to Him, built the heaven, which is continuously expanding.
We built the heaven with (Our) hands, and We
are expanding (it) (Al-Dthariyat, 51: 47).
In this verse, Allah (God), praise to Him, is
telling us that He built the heaven, using the past tense of the verb (built),
which means that the act of building was completed in the past. Then, He tells
us that He is expanding it, using the present continuous tense of the verb, to
indicate that the expansion of heaven is continuously happening.
While the three renowned Islamic scholars
pointed to the vastness of heaven, astrophysicists starting of the 20th Century
were very specific about this scientific fact, describing it as "the
expanding universe," which is precisely described as such in this verse of
the Holy Quran. [26]
4.
Verse 67: 3 tells us that Allah created seven
heavens, as straight layers, one over the other, without a faulty
difference between them, whether you look at them once or more than once.
(It is Allah) Who created seven heavens, as
layers (strata). You do not see in the creation of the Beneficent any
inconsistency. So, return (your) vision (to the sky), do you see any breaks?
(Al-Mulk, 67: 3).
The scientific fact mentioned in this verse,
about heavens as parallel layers, has been confirmed by many astrophysicists,
who argue that there are several parallel universes. The only difference is
that they use the word "universe" instead of the word
"heaven" mentioned in this verse. [27]
5. Verse
84: 19 is related in meaning to the above-mentioned verse 67: 3, particularly
in describing heavens as parallel layers,
one over the other, but it adds a prophecy about the human space travel, from
one layer of heavens to another.
You will surely ride (travel) from one layer
(of heavens) to another layer (Al-Inshiqaq, 84: 19).
The three renowned Islamic interpreters of the Holy
Quran agreed with this meaning, by mentioning the interpretations of Ibn 'Abbas
and Al-Shi'bi, who limited space travel from one heaven to another to the
Messenger of Allah. Al-Qurtubi added a question, wondering if the Verse was a
prophecy about the Prophet's Night ـJourney
(Al-Issra Wal Mi'raj).
In answering Al-Qurtubi's question, it's
clear that Surat Al-Inshiqaq (Chapter 84 of the Holy Quran), including verse
19, was a Makkan Chapter, and it was revealed after the Night Journey, which
was also described in Surat Al-Najm (Chapter 53). If the Prophet alone was the one
intended by this Verse, then the verb used would be in the past tense. However,
the verb used in this Verse is in the present tense, which also conveys the
future. This means that it is a prophecy about human space travel, in general,
from one planet to another, from one solar system to another, and from one
galaxy to another. [28]
6.
Verse 55: 33 is related to the above-mentioned verse (84: 19), as it contains
an invitation, which amounts to a
prophecy, for humans and Jinn to attempt space
travel.
O company of Jinn and humans, if you are able
to penetrate (pass) through the zones of the heavens and the Earth, then
penetrate. You will not penetrate except by power (of science) (Al-Ra'hman, 55:
33).
This prophecy was fulfilled for the Jinn first,
as we are told by verse 72: 8, that the Jinn have reached heaven, but its
powerful guards repelled them with burning flames. We take this information
from the Holy Quran as a given because we are not qualified yet, as humans at
this stage of our knowledge, to investigate it.
And we (Jinn) have touched the heaven but found
it filled with powerful guards and burning flames (Al-Jin, 72: 8).
Then, this prophecy started to be fulfilled for
humans during the second half of the 20th Century (14th Century of Hijra,
Islamic Calendar), when the Soviets and Americans started their space travels,
followed by Europeans, then Asians afterwards.
For centuries, readers of the Holy Quran,
including the three renowned interpreters, could not interpret this Verse as a
future possibility of human space travel between heavenly bodies. However, this
issue has become a normal bit of news in the media nowadays, as space travels
occur almost monthly, not only for orbiting Earth and docking to the
international space station, but also for the exploration of outer space, other
planets, and even going beyond our solar system. [29]
7.
Verse 65: 12 tells us that Allah created seven heavens and seven Earth-like planets.
It is Allah who has created seven heavens and
of the Earth like of them (seven planets like Earth). (His) command descends
among them so you may know that Allah is over all things competent and that
Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge (Al-Talaq, 65: 12).
This Verse means that there are seven heavens
inhabited by angels, and that God's commands descend among them. Likewise,
there are seven planets like Earth, inhabited by others of God's creatures, and
that God's commands also descend among them.
The three renowned Muslim interpreters of the
Holy Quran agreed that there are seven Earth-like planets. Al-Tabari
interpreted the Verse, saying: "There is no disagreement about that the
heavens are seven, layered one over the other, as evidenced in the 'Hadeeth of
Al-Isra Wal Mi'raj (the Prophet's Night Journey and Ascent to Heavens), and
other 'Hadeeths."
Then, Al-Tabari added that "there are
also seven Earth-like planets. The majority of scholars agree that these
planets are also layered, one over the other, and that the distance between one
Earth-like planet and another is like the distance between one heaven and
another, and that there are God's creatures inhabiting each one of them."
Thus, this Verse is an invitation for
researchers to look for these Earth-like planets, discover them, and their
intelligent inhabitants. It's thrilling that we are living at a time in which
space scientists are actively searching for evidence about the existence of
life on other planets, in our solar system, as well as in other solar systems
in our galaxy, and even in other galaxies. The most important piece of evidence
for life they look for is whether water exists on a planet or not, which is in
total agreement with the Holy Quran Verse 21: 30 mentioned above.
On February 22, 2017, NASA published a report
about the discovery of a solar system, which scientists called Trappist-1. It
is located in the in the constellation Aquarius, which is about 39.6 light
years (about 235 trillion miles) away from our Earth. The report mentioned that
there are seven planets the size of our Earth, all orbiting their sun, with a
possibility of water on all of them, and the possibility of life on three of
them, at least. Though the report is not giving absolute evidence of water or life
on these planets, it opens the door for the possibility of discovering that in
the future, whether in this group of planets or in others. Thus, this NASA
discovery supports the scientific facts mentioned in this Verse. [30]
8.
Verse 14: 19 tells us that Allah created the
heavens and the Earth with the right proportions.
Have you not seen that Allah created the
heavens and the Earth with the right proportions? If He wills, He can do away
with you and bring a new creation (Ibrahim, 14: 19).
Allah, praise to Him, used the Arabic word
" ’haq" to describe how He created the heavens and the Earth. In
Arabic dictionaries, " ’haq" means right, truth, justice, and
balance. It is also the opposite of wrong and falsehood. Thus, the meaning of
the Verse is that Allah created the heavens and the Earth with the right
proportions. This refers to the precision and perfect balance in the
relationships between the Earth and the Sun, the Moon, and other planets in our
solar system.
In its orbit around the Sun, the Earth occupies
an ideal location, which has enabled life to start, continue, and flourish on
it. The wonderful diversity of the fauna and flora on this planet is the result
of its optimal and balanced relationship with the Sun, the Moon, and other
planets of our solar system. In particular, life on Earth flourished as a
result of turning around itself, which creates the 24-hour cycle of day and
night. It is also a result of its annual orbit around the Sun, which leads to
the seasonal changes. Moreover, the different geographical regions have been
created in reaction to the differences in the sunlight reaching these regions.
Water constitutes 70% of Earth and the human
body as well, which is another example of balance and precision between the
Earth and its inhabitants. There is also a balance in the relationship between
oxygen and carbon dioxide, both of which are necessary for plants and animals
on the planet. Further, there is a balance between the ozone layer and other
gases, such as those resulting from the industrial pollution. If this balance
is disturbed, the ozone layer may lose its capability to protect the Earth from
the harmful cosmic radiations. Thus, all these examples refer to the precision
and balance in the components of the Universe, and among them, as expressed by
the word "haq" (right
proportions) mentioned in this Verse. [31]
9. Verse 79: 30 tells us that the Earth is egg-shaped (not flat, as some humans
believed, or even a perfect circular globe), which is a scientific fact, just
recently discovered.
And the Earth, after that, He made it egg-shaped (Al-Nazi'at,
79: 30).
The scientific fact included in this Verse is
specifically mentioned in the verb (da'haha, دَحَٮٰهَآ). Many
translators incorrectly translated it as "extended it." The
correct translation is that He made it egg-shaped. The evidence for this
meaning of the verb is that the noun "da'hya" is used by North
African Arabs in reference to an "egg." The author of this book heard
it by himself, during his stay in Libya, from 1972 to 1976.
Allah, praise to Him, wanted to describe to
humans how the Earth looks like, using something they were familiar with at
that time, which is the egg of a chicken or a bird. For the later generations
of humans, the egg shape is the most accurate description of how the Earth
looks like, as it has been discovered recently that the Earth is less than a
perfect circular globe. Today, we have wonderful photos of our beautiful blue
planet, showing it in a circular shape, taken by astronauts, satellites, space
telescopes, and the international space station.
This scientific fact was not known to Arabs
before Islam, but many Islamic scholars of natural sciences mentioned it in
their writings. It's interesting that the three renowned interpreters of the
Holy Quran did not know about the meaning of da'hya as an egg. Otherwise, they
would have mentioned that meaning in their interpretations, which usually
include as many meanings as possible. [32]
10.
The following verses tell us that the heavens are
inhabited by intelligent beings (the angels), who submit to their
Lord, Allah, and worship him as do many people on
Earth.
And of His signs is the creation of the heavens
and the Earth, and what He has dispersed throughout them of creatures. And He,
for gathering them when He wills, is competent (Al-Shoora,
42: 29).
And to Him belongs whoever is in
the heavens and the Earth. All are to Him devoutly obedient (Al-Room, 30: 26).
So, is it other than the religion of Allah they
desire, while to Him have submitted (all) those within the heavens and the
Earth, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they will be returned?
(Aal-'Imran, 3: 83).
Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whoever
is within the heavens and the Earth and (by) the birds with wings spread (in
flight)? Each (of them) has known his prayer and (his) exalting (of Allah), and
Allah is Knower (Knowledgeable) of what they do (Al-Noor, 24: 41).
***
The following verses also tell us that there
are other intelligent beings, who inhabit what is in
between the heavens and the Earth, (the Jinn). Some of these
creatures also submit to their Lord, Allah, and worship Him, as many humans do
on Earth.
(The) Pharaoh said, "And what is the Lord
of the worlds?" (23)
(Moussa, Moses) said, "The Lord of the heavens and the Earth and what is
in between them, if you should be convinced" (24)
(Al-Shoora, 26: 23-24).
Say, (O Muhammed), "It has been revealed
to me that a group of the Jinn listened and said, 'Indeed, we have heard an
amazing Quran” (Al-Jinn, 72: 1).
And we (Jinn) have touched (reached) the heaven
but found it filled with powerful guards and burning flames (Al-Jinn, 72: 8).
And among us (Jinn) are Muslims (who submit to
Allah), and among us are the unjust. And whoever have become Muslims - those
have sought out the right course (Al-Jinn, 72: 14).
And there were human men who sought refuge with
jinn men, but they (only) increased them in burden (Al-Jinn,
72: 6).
The above verses tell us that there are
intelligent beings in heavens (the angels), who believe in Allah (God) and
worship Him. The verses also tell us that there are other intelligent beings,
who live in between the heavens and the Earth (the Jinn). Some of them believe
in Allah and worship Him but others do not. Thus, these verses attract our
attention to the possibility of communication and interaction between us and
them in the future, as it happened in the past with Prophet Sulayman (Solomon),
pbuh.
And (it was)
gathered for Sulayman (Solomon) his soldiers of the Jinn, humans, and birds,
and they were (marching) in rows (Al-Naml, 27: 17).
The possibility of communication and interaction
with aliens from other solar systems has increased recently with the advances
in human space discovery endeavors, such as the various kinds of telescopes on
Earth and in space, and the various devices sent to outer space. There is also
a possibility that such intelligent beings may reach us first before we reach
them, whether in communication or in actual arrival of their astronauts to our
planet. When this happens, it should not be a surprise to people on Earth,
particularly to Muslims, who know about this issue from God's Book, the Holy
Quran. Their arrival should not be a shock, which shakes people's faith. To the
contrary, if these intelligent beings are believers, we should rejoice the
event, which may lead to benefiting humanity. However, if they are not
believers, then we need to be careful about dealing with them, as they may
cause us harm. [33]
***
Second, examples of verses, including
facts just explained or discovered recently by scientists, about life on Earth,
in relation to the darkness of ocean waters, formation of clouds, plant pairs,
and sex of insects:
11. Verse 24: 40, provides us with an
accurate description of deep-water levels of darkness in the
ocean.
Or (the Unbelievers' state) is like
layers of darkness in a vast deep ocean, overwhelmed with waves topped by
waves, topped by clouds: Layers of darkness, one above another, if a person
stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it! For anyone to whom Allah does not
make light, he has no light (Al-Noor, 24: 40).
This scientific fact was discovered
only few decades ago. Nobody could dive deep enough in the ocean, more than
1400 years ago, and come back to tell about what
he/she saw there. Only in the 20th Century, humans were capable of
seeing that after using their military submarines. For the general public, this
happened in the 1980s, when the French oceanographer Philippe Causteau and his
crew showed us some videos about the upper parts of the ocean depth, in their
TV series.
Now, we know that there are three levels of
light and darkness in ocean waters. The first level extends from the water
surface to about 600 feet down, where the sunlight can penetrate enough to
enable us to see. The second level extends from 600 feet to about 3,000 feet
under the sea surface, which allows only a small degree of the sunlight and
consequently a very small vision capability. The third level starts below 3,000
feet, which represents 90% of the ocean waters. This is the level of complete
darkness, where a person may not be able to see his hand, as accurately
described in this Verse. [34]
12. Verses 30: 48 and 24: 43 provide an
accurate description of the water cycle, from winds to
clouds, then to rain.
It is Allah Who sends the Winds, and
they raise the Clouds. Then, He spreads them in the sky as He wills, and breaks
them into fragments, until you see raindrops coming out from the midst of it.
When He makes them reach whoever He wills of his servants, then they rejoice!
(Al-Room, 30: 48).
Do you not see that Allah makes the
clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a heap?
Then, you will see rain coming out of it. And He sends down hail from the sky
mountains (of clouds). He strikes whom He wills with it, and He turns it away
from whom He wills. The vivid flash of its lightning is close to blinding the
sights (of people) (Al-Noor, 24: 43).
These two verses accurately describe the water
cycle, which starts with the evaporation of water from oceans, seas, rivers,
and lakes, as a result of the sun heat. The wind helps water vapor molecules to
become more condensed, as clouds. Then, winds carry clouds to other places, and
up to the colder and higher layers of air, where water molecules become more
condensed. At that point, water molecules become too heavy for the wind to
carry, and drop down, in what we call as rain. Concerning hail, it forms as a
result of more condensation of water molecules, when these are carried by wind
to higher and consequently colder layers of the atmosphere. There, water
molecules freeze as icy balls, which drop down as hail because clouds cannot
carry them anymore. [35]
13. Verse 36:
36 mentions that Allah, praise to Him, has created pairs for reproduction purposes,
including human and plant pairs, as well as others unknown to us.
Exalted is He who created all pairs - from what
the earth grows, and from themselves and from that which they do not know (Ya-Seen, 36:
36).
In addition to this verse, which mentions the word
“pairs,” there are other verses, which also mention it as singular (pair) and
plural (pairs). These words refer to the male and female elements, which are
necessary for the sexual reproduction in humans as well as in plants.
The word "pairs" mentioned in the
above verses refers to the sexual reproduction in plants through the
interaction between the male and female elements. This pairing can be found in
two separate plants producing the same fruit (such as date-palm trees), or in
two different flowers in the same plant (such as cucumbers), or in the same
flower containing male and female organs (pistils and stamens), such as
tomatoes. In addition to human intervention, insects and winds play a major
role in carrying the male pollens to fertilize the female organs of various
kinds of plants. These facts became accurately known recently,
after the establishment of modern sciences and the invention of the telescope. [36]
14. The following verses mention eight kinds of insects.
The first four verses mention bees, ants, mosquitos, and spiders, as singular female nouns.
The other four verses mention flies, butterflies, locusts, and lice, all in the
plural form. This difference, in referring to these insects, represents
scientific facts, which were discovered more than 13 centuries after
revelation, when microscopes were invented, allowing scientists to distinguish
between male and female insects.
The first four kinds of insects were accurately
mentioned in the singular female noun because only females are the active
workers. It is the female bee, which works outside the nest and produces honey.
Likewise, it is the female ant, which works outside the colony. Moreover, it is
the female mosquito, which attacks humans and animals to suck their blood.
Finally, it is the female spider, which builds its web-house to hunt other
insects. Concerning the male bees, ants, and spiders, they are either killed or
die after mating. For the male mosquito, it does not have the sucking needle
that the female has. Consequently, it does not bite humans and animals to suck
their blood as the female mosquito does.
In Verses 16: 68-69, there are three words that
refer to the bee in the singular female form, as expressed in the three
commands "ittakhidthi," (اتَّخِذِي)
"Kuli," (كُلِي) and "fasluki" (فَاسْلُكِي) (take, eat, and follow). Verse 27: 18
refers to the female ant with the singular female noun "namlaton."
Likewise, Verse 2: 26 refers to the female mosquito with the singular female
noun "ba'oudhatan." Verse 29: 41 refers to the spider in the
singular female form, as expressed in past tense of the verb ""ittakhadthat
(she took).
In Verses 16: 68-69, we are told
that it is the female bee that makes honey, a very recent bit of knowledge for humans. We know now that male
bees die after mating with the queen and live only for about 90 days. Only
female bees survive to be the workers, which gather nectar and make honey. This
bit of knowledge could never be known to humans before the invention and use of
microscopes.
And your Lord inspired the (female) bees to take (build) its houses (hives) on mountains, trees, and in
(people's) gardens (68)
Then (you female bee) eat from all the fruits
and (you female bee) follow the ways of your Lord laid down (for you). There
emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is
healing (cure) for people. In that, (there) is a sign for a people who give
thought (Al-Na'hl, 16: 68-69).
In Verse 27: 18, there is a
reference to a female ant speaking to other ants, which is also a recent bit of
knowledge. We know now that male ants die after mating with the queen, and only female ants survive to be the workers, just like the case with bees mentioned above. This bit of
knowledge could have never been known to humans before the invention and use of
microscopes and the advanced studies in biology.
" ... a female
ant said: "O you ants enter your dwellings" (Al-Na’hl, 27: 18).
Verse 2: 26 refers to the mosquito with the
singular female noun "ba'oudhatan."
Indeed, Allah is not timid to present an
example - that of a female mosquito or what is bigger than it (Al-Baqara, 2: 26).
This reference to the mosquito in the female
noun form distinguishes it from male mosquitos, for its different
characteristics. Female mosquitos live twice the
life of males. It is the one which sucks
human and animal blood, which is necessary for production of its
eggs. It is capable of doing that because it has a sucking needle that males do
not have. That's why males feed on plant food.
Verse 29: 41 refers to the spider in the
singular female form, as expressed in the past tense of the Arabic verb ittakhadthat
(she took), because it is the female spider, which
builds its web-house to hunt other insects. Males do not participate
in building the house or are allowed to live in it. That's why the Verse refers
to the house as the female spider house.
Moreover, the Verse tells us that spider house
is the weakest of houses, in a reference to the familial
relationship between the female spider and her male mate. We know
now that female spiders eat their male mates after the sexual intercourse. In
some kinds of spiders, females lure males for mating in order to eat them.
These scientific facts could not be known until the invention of microscopes
and the establishment of the modern biology science.
The example of those who take allies other than
Allah is like that of the (female) spider,
who takes a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the
(female)spider, if they only knew (Al-'Ankaboot, 29: 41). [37]
***
The other four kinds of insects,
which are mentioned in the Holy Quran, are referred
to in the plural noun form, applying to both males and females,
reflecting scientific facts about them, which were discovered only lately after
the invention of the microscope and the establishment of the modern biology
science. In these four kinds of insects, both males and females work, and
females do not kill males, as in the cases of the four species mentioned above.
Verse 22: 73 mentions
flies twice, in the plural form, reflecting a scientific fact.
Biologist discovered that the fly life span is about
35 days, for both males and females. That is why the Verse referred
to both of them in plural, without distinguishing one of them from the other.
O people, an example is presented, so listen to
it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah will never create flies, even if they gathered together for that
purpose. And if the flies should steal away from them a (tiny) thing, they
could not recover it from (the flies). Weak are the pursuer and pursued
(Al-'Haj, 22: 73).
Verse 101: 4 describes how people will look
like when they hear the first blow of the Trumpet, ushering the beginning of
the Hour, and starting the Last Day. At that moment, people will be disoriented
and dispersed on Earth like the butterflies.
It is the Day when people will be like the
butterflies, dispersed (Al-Qari'a, 101: 4).
The Verse mentions the butterflies in the plural noun form, reflecting a scientific fact. There is no difference between male and female butterflies in
their life span or work. Females are not distinguished from males in
any important characteristic. Therefore, the plural noun form was used in the
Verse.
Finally, in Verse 7: 133, locusts and lice are also mentioned in the plural
noun form for each one of them, reflecting a scientific fact. There is no
difference between males and females, in these two species, in their life span
or stages of development.
So, We sent upon them the flood, locusts, lice, frogs, and blood, as distinct
signs, but they were arrogant and were a criminal people (Al-A'araf, 7: 133).
Locusts are also mentioned in another verse of
the Holy Quran (54: 7), which describes people's condition after the second
blow of the Trumpet, after they rise up from under the earth to its surface.
They will be like the spreading locusts.
Their eyes humbled, they will emerge from the
graves as if they were locusts spreading
(Al-Qamar, 54: 7).
Scientists estimate the size of spreading
locusts about 10 billion in each swarm. This is the closest image that we can
imagine about the number of people who will come out of earth for Judgment, in
the Last day. They will come out in waves, as Verse 78: 20 tells us:
The Day the Trumpet is blown, you will come
forth in waves (Al-Naba, 78: 18).
The world population now is more than 7 billion
people, which is only one wave. Only God knows how many waves of humans will be
there. [38]
***
15.
The topic of the scientific facts in the Holy Quran
has been addressed in many books, book chapters, and
articles, which can be considered supplemental to this Chapter.
These include various chapters of this book, particularly the fourth Chapter,
“Creation and Evolution in the Holy Quran.” Examples of other works which
address this topic are those authored by Zaghloul El-Naggar, Maurice Bucaille,
Ibrahim and others, Shah Alam,
Ebrahim Azarpour, Yahiya Emerick,
and Mohammad Humayoun Khan. [39]
Third, the Numerical Miracles of the Holy Quran:
16. Since the last few decades of the 14th
Hijri Century (20th Christian Century), a new category of Muslim
researchers has emerged with a focus on the numerical miracles of the Holy
Quran. However, their works are still at the early stages, incremental,
selective, and without agreed upon methods of research. However, their findings
showed that the letters, words, verses, and chapters of the Holy Quran are
mentioned in calculated numbers and in a tight numerical system. Thus, their
works demonstrate that it is the Book of God, which could have never been
authored by anyone else, except Him, as stated in verse 17: 88.
Say, "If humans and the jinn gathered in
order to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like of it,
even if they backed up each other (with help and support)" (Al-Isra, 17:
88).
Moreover, their research findings provide
evidence that such tight numerical system of the Holy Quran represents a
guarantee that the Book of God will stay intact, without any changes,
alterations, additions, or omissions. If any changes happen, then the numerical
balance in the relationships of letters, words, verses, and chapters would have
been affected, which would be discovered by researchers. Thus, Allah, praise to
Him, has guarded His Book by making it self-preserving, as stated in verse 15:
9.
Indeed, We sent down the
Quran and We will be its guardian (Al-‘Hijr, 15: 9).
Examples of Research on the Numerical Miracles of
the Holy Quran
There have been hundreds of
researchers, who focus on the numerical miracles of the Holy Quran. Here are
brief introductions about five of them, just as examples, without any implication that
other researchers are less important in their work or findings.
Rashad Khalifa (1973, 1981) was the first researcher in this category to
discover the importance of number 19, as evidence for the tight numerical
system in the Holy Quran. He started with the first verse of the Book of God,
Al-Basmala. He found that it is composed of 19 letters. He also found that each
of its words is repeated in the Holy Quran with a number, which is a perfect
multiplier of the number 19.
Further, he found that the separate letters, at the start of 29 chapters
(Suras) of the Holy Quran, have specific numerical indications. For example,
the separate letters (muqatta’at): Alif, Lam, Meem (A L M), at the start of
Chapters 2, 3, 29, 30, 31, and 32, are repeated in the Holy Quran 9,899 times,
which is a multiplier of number 19. The findings of his research encouraged many researchers
to follow his path, in their attempts to find more letter and word counts,
which are multiples of number 19, and number 7 later on. However, despite his
pioneering work, which triggered research in this area, Rashad Khalifa
started to focus more on supporting his theory by any means than accepting his
research findings. This led him to twist the data, to the extent that he
suggested the exclusion of two verses, which did not suit his calculations. [40]
Bassam Jarrar
(2003) addressed the topic of number 19, showing its importance for the
numerical miracle of the Holy Quran. He also used the gematrical (Jummal)
calculation method, in assigning specific numerical values to the researched
letters and verses. For example, he demonstrated that there is a numerical
resemblance between the words “Adam” and “Eissa” (Jesus), both of which are
mentioned in verse 3: 59, as follows:
Indeed, the example of ‘Eisa (Jesus) to Allah is
like that of Adam. He created him of the earth matter (dirt or soil); then He
said to him, "Be," and he was (Aal-‘Imran, 3: 59).
He observed that the name of “‘Eisa” (Jesus),
peace be upon him, is repeated in the Holy Quran 25 times. So does the name of
“Adam,” peace be upon him, which is also repeated 25 times. Counting the word
“’Eisa” from the beginning of the Holy Quran until verse 3: 59, he found that
it is repeated 7 times, so does the word “Adam,” which is also repeated 7
times.
He also looked for another resemblance, in
another chapter, which he found in Surat Maryam (Chapter 19 of the Holy Quran).
It’s known that Maryam was the daughter of ‘Imran, and the first resemblance
was in Surat Aal-‘Imran (Chapter 3 of the Holy Quran), where the first moment
of the creation of ‘Eisa (the inception) was mentioned. However, more details
about his creation came in Chapter 19.
The word ‘Eisa (Jesus) was mentioned in Surat
Maryam (Chapter 19) only once, in verse 34, and that was the 19th time,
counting from the beginning of the Holy Quran text. That was also the case for
the word “Adam,” which was mentioned once, in verse 58 of the same Chapter, and
that was also the 19th time, counting from the beginning of the Holy
Quran text.
Thus, in Chapter 19, the words “’Eisa” was
mentioned in the Holy Quran for the 19th time, so was the word
“Adam.” Moreover, if we count starting from verse 34, which mentions ‘Eissa,
peace be to him, we find that verse 58 (which mentions Adam, peace be upon him)
is the 25th verse. This is one more confirmation about the
similarity between them.
In addition to his valuable efforts in showing
the numerical miracles in the Book of God, Bassam Jarrar is one of the
contemporary interpreters of the Holy Quran. His interpretations are
characterized by a linguistic depth and by using evidence from social life and
facts of science, which gave his videos much following on the internet. [41]
‘Adnan
Al-Rifa-‘i (2009)
was also interested in number 19. He reorganized the Arabic alphabet in a
certain way, giving each letter a different numerical value. Then, he applied his gematrical system to
the first verse of the Holy Quran, Al-Basmala, which he described as the key to
understand the numerical miracle of the Book of God, as it is composed of 19
letters.
He also mentioned verse 30 of Surat Al-Muddathir
(Chapter 74), “عَلَيْهَا
تِسْعَةَ
عَشَرَ”, as the only verse in the Holy Quran, which mentions
number 19. It states that “over (the hellfire), there are 19” (angels in
charge). He found that the total gematrical value of its letters is 114, which
is the total number of the Holy Quran chapters, and it is a multiple of number
19.
He added that if we exclude the repeated
separate letters (muqatta’at), the
total gematrical value of the remaining letters will be 361, which is a
multiple of number 19. Further, he pointed that the total gematrical value of
verses 30-37 of Surat Al-Muddathir (Chapter 74) is 2,185, which is a multiple
of number 19. In addition, he provided many examples of verses and verse parts,
the gematrical values of which are multiples of number 19.
All in all, ‘Adnan Al-Rifa-‘I’s contributions
and hard work deserve to be recognized, despite his selectivity in only giving examples of the cases which
apply to his arguments, while not mentioning others which do not apply. Thus
doing, his research method has the basic selectivity problem, which is facing
the numerical miracle research in general. [42]
Abdul Da-im Al-Ka’heel (2006)
has become one of the famous researchers in the topic of the numerical miracle
of the Holy Quran, particularly because of the spread of his videos about that
in the internet. He criticized the selectivity of other researchers,
particularly Rashad Khalifah, who gave himself the liberty to delete the
letters and words which did not fit his argument about number 19.
He pointed that there are other miraculous
numbers in the Holy Quran, in addition to number 19, such as number 7, which he
considered as the base for the numerical system of all words, verses, and
chapters of the Holy Quran.
He found that number 11 is present in the
letters of verses, which mention the Oneness of God. He also found number 13 as
representing the number of years of the Prophet’s mission in Makkah, number 23
as representing the number of years in which the Prophet, pbbuh, received
revelation, and number 29 as representing the number of chapters which start
with separate letters (muqatta’at). He also provided many numerical facts in
the Holy Quran, including its first verse and first chapter, showing the numerical
harmony (consistency) of number 7 in Surat Al-Ikhlas
(Chapter 112) of the holy Quran.
Al-Ka’heel criticized other researchers who
used gematrical systems, such as ‘Hisab Al-Jummal, to give numerical values for
the letters, words, and chapter numbers of the Holy Quran. He mentioned that
such a method is scientifically baseless and whatever findings researchers
found were the result of using selected examples. Further, he warned
researchers to stay away from predicting dates of future events, because these
are part of the unknown, which is the sphere of Allah alone.
He also observed that the current numerical
miracle research is limited to the use of Al-Mus’haf Al-Imam text of the
Holy Quran, which is based on the reading of ‘Hafs from ‘Asim. Moreover,
he called on researchers to come to an agreement on consistent research methods
and on the used data, which should be from the Holy Quran text. He argued that
if the methods and the data are correct, then the findings will be correct,
which should represent a true miracle, not just a coincidence.
Actually, he took the initiative (2012) to
address the problem of inaccuracy among some researchers, in counting the
letters and words of the Holy Quran. He formed and chaired a Committee of experts from various
Arab countries, which worked for about seven years, for that purpose. The main
established standard the Committee came up with was counting a letter if it is
physically written, not how it is pronounced. The Committee also developed a
digitized copy of the Holy Quran, with search functions, and launched it to be
used by researchers and the general public (2018). [43]
Khalid Al-Faqih (2017) wanted to
avoid the selectivity problem, which was experienced by other researchers.
Therefore, he embarked on a research endeavor, which applies to the whole text
of the Holy Quran, using the gematrical system of ‘Hisab Al-Jummal. He observed
the rules and guidelines established by Abdul Da-im Al-Ka’heel (2012) and his
Committee, in order to be as accurate as possible in counting the letters and
words of the Holy Quran. In particular, a letter is counted if it is physically written, not how it is
pronounced. This means that the stressed letters are counted once, not
twice as some researchers did.
He started with the calculation the Holy Quran Constant
(HQC), by dividing its gematrical value (23,506,544) by the cumulative
sum of verse numbers (333,667). The result was that the HQC is: 70.44911244,
which resembles the way the Quran was mathematically
designed, structured and configured. He argued that it must have the keys to
unlock the secrets of the Quran, such as unleashing the Quran statistics
(words, verses and chapters) and revealing its numerical connection with the
golden ratio of living and non-things (Ф).
He calculated the Holy Quran Golden Ratio (HQGR), to compare
it with the golden ratio, by dividing the
number of the Holy Quran chapters (114) by the HQC (70.44911244).
Thus, he found that the HQGR is: 1.618189304, which resembles the golden ratio
of things (1.6180339887), with 99.99% accuracy. He considered that finding a
clear piece of evidence that the Holy Quran is the Book of Allah, who designed
His Book to match His other designs, in His dominium. [44]
Creation and Evolution in the Holy
Quran
***
I seek refuge with God
from the Stoned Shaytan (Satan)
In the Name of Allah,
the Beneficent, the Merciful
***
Introduction
Through
the meanings of the first ten Quran verses addressed in Chapter 3 of this book,
we saw how Allah (God) started the creation of the universe, including the
seven heavens and the seven earth-like planets, as well as the intelligent
beings living in them. This Chapter focuses on the themes of creation and
evolution, by addressing how Allah started the creation of life on Earth and
how He left it to evolve as a result of learning from adaptation to the various
environments, with His intervention to improve His creation.
In
particular, the creation and evolution of human beings will be addressed
through the discussion of the following 43 verses, which
the author identified in the Holy Quran and presented in a suggested order of
creation and evolution.
Meanings
of these verses are explained by consulting with the three renowned
interpreters of the Holy Quran (Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn
Katheer). Then, the meanings are compared with the scientific evidence,
particularly from anthropology, biology, and cosmology. The objective is to
tell the story of God's creation of life and how it evolved on Planet Earth,
not only by using the linguistic meanings of the verses but also by using the
relevant scientific facts.
From
the meanings of these verses, researchers can find support for the evolutionary
theory, which dominates all natural sciences. Moreover, the scientific facts
included in these verses represent further pieces of evidence that the Holy
Quran is the
Word of Allah, the All Knowledgeable, as humans did not know these facts until
the establishment of modern sciences, during the second half of the 19th
Century.
The 43 Verses, Which Tell the Story of Creation and Evolution in the
Holy Quran
1-2. Allah, praise to Him in His highness (sub’hanahu
wa ta’ala), tells us in verse 29:19
that He “begins the
Creation, then repeats it.” He did that before when humans went extinct on the
surface of the Earth (76: 1). Then, He recreated them again. Therefore, He has
commanded us in verse 29: 20 to “travel through the Earth and see how He began
the Creation,” in order to explain to us how He can repeat it again in the
Hereafter, as follows:
Do
they not see how Allah begins the Creation, then repeats it? That is easy for
Allah (to do) (Al-'Ankaboot, 29: 19).
Has
there come upon the human (being) a period of time when
he was not a mentioned thing? (Al-Insan, 76: 1).
Say:
"Travel through the Earth and see how He began
the Creation. Then, Allah makes the latter Creation. Allah is
capable of (doing) everything" (Al-'Ankaboot, 29: 20).
Thus,
the emergence of modern sciences,
which investigate how the Universe, including our solar system, started, as
well as how life began and how it has continued on our planet, represents an
implementation of this divine command. This included the establishment of
anthropology with its four (archaeological, biological, linguistic, and
cultural) sub-disciplines, biology, physics, chemistry, astrophysics, and
geography, to name some of them.
By
comparing the facts reached by scientists in these sciences, about the
beginning of life and its evolution, with the meanings contained in relevant
verses of the Holy Quran, a clear fact emerges: Such verses are but pieces of
evidence that these are the Words of Allah, the Great Creator. His objective is
that we obey His commands and avoid His prohibitions, in order for us to be
happy in this life and in the hereafter.
3. Verse 50: 15
confirms the meaning, which was mentioned in Verse 29: 19 above, that there was
a first creation of life on Earth. It
states:
Were We then tired with the first
creation? (No), they (nonbelievers) are in confusion
about a new creation (Qaf, 50: 15).
4. Verse 21: 30
tells us that Allah, praise to Him, has made water as a basic condition for
life to exist, as follows:
Have
not those who disbelieve seen (known) that the heavens and the Earth were of
one connected entity, then We splintered (separated) them, and We made every living thing out of water? Will they
not then believe? (Al-Anbiya', 21: 30).
This
verse is a source of support for scientists who have reached the
established biological fact that water is necessary for any life form to exist.
For decades, space programs have had a major goal of investigating whether
there is water on other planets or not, in order to begin the exploration of
whether there is life on those planets or not. This Verse and several other
verses in the Holy Quran have stated clearly that every living being has been
created from water.
Water
covers about seventy percent of the surface of the Earth, which has provided it
with the essential requirement of life. Scientists now know the components of
cells in primitive unicellular organisms, as well as in the advanced complex
ones. However, they do not know how life started in the first cell, and they
have never been able to create life in a cell.
This
Verse tells us that it is Allah (God), Who created living beings out of water.
As we learn from the verses addressed below. He did that by blowing of His
Spirit into the first cell, creating life in it, which became the primary
software or DNA of living things.
5. Verse 20: 30
tells us that the first creation of life on Earth was out of earth matter (dirt
or soil), in addition to water, as mentioned in Verse 21: 30 above.
And
of His signs is that He created you from the earth matter (dirt or soil).Then,
you became humans spreading (throughout the Earth) (Al-Room, 30: 20).
Water
is the first condition for life to exist but this Verse tells us that the earth
matter was the other condition for the human life to exist. The most relevant
word in this verse is "turab,"
which is the earth matter that can be translated into dirt or soil. The same word is also mentioned in
five other verses in relation to the first creation of life on Earth. [45]
6. Verse 32: 7 tells us that the first creation of life was in clay, which is a
combination of water and earth matter (dust or soil).
(Allah
is He) who has made everything He created better, and He began the creation of
the human (being) out of clay (Al-Sajda, 32: 7).
In
this verse, we are told that the first creation of
human beings was out of clay, but that was the beginning. The most
relevant word in this verse is "began"
(bada-a), which tells us clearly that the creation happened in a process that
had a beginning. It did not happen at once.
Water
is the basic condition for life to exist, as we know from Verse 21: 30,
mentioned above, but in Verse 30: 20, the earth matter (dust or soil) is added
as a second condition. In this Verse (32: 7), we learn that the first creation
of life was in clay, which is a confirmation for the previously mentioned two verses, as clay is the
combination of water and earth matter (dust or soil). This is also what we know
from the scientific evidence available to us today, as there is a wide
agreement among scientists that the beginning of life was in clay, which is
basically composed of water and earth matter (dust or soil). [46]
7. Verse 37:
11 describes the clay, in which life started, as sticky
clay:
Then, (O Mu’hammed) inquire of them (the
Makkan nonbelievers), "Are they a stronger creation (than others) We have
created?" Indeed, We created them from sticky clay (Al-Saffat,
3711).
The
three renowned interpreters of the Holy Quran agreed on the meaning of the word
"lazib," in the verse, as sticky. Thus, the first creation of life
began in sticky clay. Its molecules were sticky to each-other and it would stick to
anything that touched it.
8. Verse 15: 26 provides another description of
the clay used in the first creation of
life, mentioning that it was dry clay with a
stinking smell.
We
created the human being from dry clay, molded of blackened (and) stinking mud
(Al-'Hijr, 15: 26).
This
verse gives a very specific description of the environment where life started.
It refers to places where water was combined with the earth matter (dust or
soil), creating stinking clay. This description is the same as the one used by
biologists, who mention that life on Earth started in clay, where water is
mixed with the earth matter (dust or soil). This includes various primary
elements, some of which have stinking smell, such as hydrogen sulfides, thus
making the clay stinking, precisely as mentioned in this Verse. [47]
9. Verse 55: 14 confirms that the clay of the first creation was dry, like pottery.
He
created the human (being) of a hard clay, like pottery (Al-Ra'hman, 55: 14).
This
Verse (55: 14) tells us that the clay, which was used for the first creation of
life, was dry, like pottery, confirming what was mentioned in Verse 15: 26
above. However, when such dry clay was moistened with water, it became suitable
for the start of life in it, as water is the first condition for life to exist
(21: 30), and Allah knows best.
10. Verse 71: 14 tells us that the creation of humans happened in stages, not at once,
as was also mentioned in Verse 32: 7, by the use of the verb "began"
(bada-a).Thus, the creation of humans from clay was the first stage of the
first creation, which was followed by other stages, as we learn from other
verses below.
He has created you in successive (and diverse) stages (Noo'h, 71:
14).
From
the following verses, we learn that there are two creations. The first one was
in nature, which included five stages. These are starting life in the cell,
fashioning in the right proportions, walking on two legs, imaging, and blowing
of God's Spirit. The second creation is in the womb, which also includes five
stages. These are the fertilized egg (zygote), leech, lump (like a chewed
substance), bones, and muscles, as will be discussed later in Verse 23: 14
below.
11. Verse 6: 2 tells us that after Allah had
created life in clay, He willed to leave His
creation on its own, for a certain time He determined.
He
is Who created you from clay, then He spent a term of
time (away from you), and (it is) a specific term He determined. Yet,
you doubt (His ability)! (Al-An'am, 6: 2).
Scientists
generally, and biologists and anthropologists in particular, can have support
from this Verse, as well as from the following verses, for their evolutionary
explanation of how different species evolved on the Earth, on their own, in
specific periods of time, when Allah, praise to Him, determined to spend some
time away from His creation.
Thus,
this Verse summarizes the two concepts of creation and evolution. While
creation refers to God's intervention, making changes and improvements on His
creation, evolution refers to the changes which happen to organisms as a result
of their interaction with, and adaptation to, their physical and social
environments. This is also the basic principle of the evolutionary theory,
which dominates the natural sciences.
12. Verse 4: 1
tells us that at the start of the first creation, there
was only one living self (unicellular organism). Then, another self (cell) came
out of it, to become its mate. The Verse also tells us that these
two primary cells were the origins of the second creation of men and women (in
the womb).
O
Humans! Be pious (careful of your duty) to your Lord, Who created you from a
single self (living cell), and from it He created its mate, and from them He
has spread a multitude of men and women (Al-Nisa, 4: 1).
Biological
science tells us that the earliest form of life was represented by single cell
organisms found in water, then these multiplied by splitting themselves. With
the course of time, reproduction evolved to become as a result of pair-mating,
instead of the archaic forms of splitting or dividing. (See Appendix 1 about the "Origins of Life on Earth," as agreed upon by
natural scientists).
13. Verse 82: 7 mentions the first three stages of the first creation. These are starting life in the first cell, fashioning with the right proportions, and walking upright on two legs.
It
is He Who created you, fashioned you with the right
proportions, and straightened you up (Al-Infitar, 82: 7).
The
first stage was
the creation of life in the first cell
(unicellular prokaryote), as expressed in the Arabic verb “khalaqa”
(created). This was the stage of primitive organisms, which humans share with
other living beings, through the life software, presented in the shared areas
of the DNA.
The
second stage was
fashioning with the right proportions, as
expressed in the Arabic verb “sawwa” (fashioned), in which the unicellular
prokaryote organisms evolved to the multicellular eukaryote organisms,
including animals.
While
humans share the first two stages with other organisms, the third stage represented the human departure from
the animal kingdom. This is expressed by the Arabic verb “ 'adalak,” which
means that God straightened up humans, enabling them
to walk in an upright way, on two legs. These three stages are
recognized now as scientific facts, taught in biology textbooks. [48]
In
their interpretation of Verse 82: 7, Al-Tabari and Al-Qurtubi
read the third verb with emphasis, “‘addalak” (doubling the consonant d), which
means that Allah, praise to Him, made humans balanced and straightened up. However, Ibn Katheer was clearer.
He read it with a light pronunciation, “’adalak” (with one d), which means that
Allah, praise to Him, made humans straightened up, in an upright posture. Thus,
following Ibn Katheer’s interpretation, a “straightened up” means with an
“upright posture,” which becomes possible by walking on two legs, not four,
like animals.
In
addition, Ibn Katheer mentioned a 'Hadeeth of the Prophet, pbbuh, in which he
said that Allah, praise to Him, fashioned humans in the right proportions and
made it possible for them to walk in a balanced way, in an upright posture (‘adaltuka), which allowed them to walk between the
“bardayn,” the two cold times of the day
(before the sunrise and the sunset). [49]
The
meaning of the Arabic verb (‘adaltuka)
in this ‘Hadeeth is that humans became capable of walking between the two cold
times of the day as a result of having an upright posture and walking on two
legs. This meaning depends on reading the Arabic word for the two cold times as
“bardayn,” as mentioned in another
‘Hadeeth, by the Prophet, pbbuh, who said: “Whoever
performs the prayers of the two cold times, he (she) enters Paradise.” [50]
However,
this meaning does not stand if the word for the two cold times is spelled as “burdayn,” as in the case of the text of the first
‘Hadeeth. This is because the word “burdayn” means two striped outer garments.
So, it is more likely that the correct spelling of the word is “bardayn,” not
“burdayn,” but Allah and His Messenger know better.
14. Verse 64: 3
refers to a fourth main stage of the first creation
of life on Earth, which is the stage of making
humans in the best of images.
He
created the heavens and the Earth in truth and imaged you in the best of
images, and to Him is the (final) destination (Al-Taghabun, 64: 3).
In
this fourth stage, the Creator made humans in the best of images, that is in
beauty, grace, and the right proportions of features, as expressed in the
Arabic verb a'hsana sowarakum (made you in the best of
images). It's amazing that many people do not appreciate this divine honor
for them, as they inject harmful substances to their bodies, or eat too much
without hard work or exercise, which may result in diseases and pain, as well
as in tarnishing the divine beauty God bestowed on them (more
about this fourth stage of creation follows the presentation of verse 7: 11
below).
15. Verse 82: 8 tells us that the genetic structure of the human child represents
that which is shared with humanity and before.
In
whatever image (form) He willed, He assembled you (Al-Infitar, 82: 8).
In
explaining this verse, Al-Tabari and Ibn Katheer mentioned the Prophet's
'Hadith, in which he said, "When the fertilized egg settles in the womb,
Allah connects it genetically to Adam." Al-Qurtubi agreed with
them, in that the human fetus may reflect characteristics and features of
relatives and non-relatives, and even features of animals. [51]
So,
despite the fact that people may differ in their external features, such as
their height, weight, skin color, and facial feature, yet they carry the same
genetic heritage they share with other humans, since the first creation, all
the way to Adam, and their parents. Most likely, people may look like their
parents and close relativesو but it is possible that they may differ
from them. Some people may even have some features of animals, such as in the
shape of their ears, noses, mouths, chins, necks, and eyes.
16. Verse 15: 29
refers to a fifth main stage in the first creation
of life on Earth, which was blowing part of God's
Spirit in humans.
And
when I have proportioned him and blown into him of My Spirit, then fall down to
him in prostration (Al-'Hijr, 15: 29 ; Sad, 38: 72).
This
Verse, which was also repeated in 38: 72, shows that blowing God's Spirit was
the fifth stage of the first creation, which preceded God's command for angels
to prostate to Adam. The evidence for this conclusion is the use of the
conjunctive letter f (fa), which refers to direct temporal sequence of events,
without delay. In comparison with Verse 7: 11, the command of prostration came
with the use of the conjunctive word "thumma," which means then and
refers to a delayed temporal sequence of events.
Concerning
God's Spirit, which was blown into humans, we know little about that, as Verse
17: 85 tells us. However, there is a slight discussion about God's Spirit in
Chapter 9 of this book, "Mind, Self, Spirit, Soul, and Happiness."
Blowing
God's Spirit in humans, in the fifth stage of the first creation, distinguished
them from animals and honored them, by giving them the noble human
characteristics, such as choice, acquisition of knowledge, and construction,
which are discussed in Chapter 5, "Humans, as God's Caliphs on
Earth."
But
it can be said that the blowing of God's Spirit in humans was a way to honor
them and to elevate their status among other creatures. It added to the human
DNA a number of noble characteristics, such as the ability to distinguish
choose between right and wrong, logic, the ability to abstain from doing harm
to the self and others, planning, expression, acquisition of knowledge, and
construction, as will be discussion in Chapter 5, "Humans, as God's
Caliphs on Earth."
17-20. Verse 7: 11
refers to God's command to angels, to prostrate to
Adam, as a sign to honor humans and in recognition to their
intellectual capabilities.
And We created
you (humans, in plural form), then imaged you (also addressing humans in plural
form), then said to the angels: Prostrate to Adam! And they prostrated, all
except Iblis (Satan), who was not of those who made prostration (Al-A'raf, 7:
11).
This
Verse refers to the greatest event in the history of
humanity, which was also mentioned in Verse 15: 29 above. In
comparison with other species on Earth, humans reached a high level of
intellect and morality, which qualified them for the honor of receiving
communication from their Creator, who decided to make them His caliphs
(deputies) on Earth.
The
high level of intellect was reflected in the human capability to invent various
ways of communication, including language, which facilitated the exchange of
information and ideas. This, in turn, helped humans to adapt to their various
environments, utilizing available resources, and consequently achieving more
prosperity.
If
we compare the human mental and communication capabilities with those of their
closest relatives in the animal kingdom, the chimpanzees, we find that humans
have excelled as a result of having numerous physiological advantages. A major
difference between humans and other animals is that humans are much more
intelligent than any animal species on the planet, as measured by the EQ
comparisons. Humans also have very much larger brain processing and memory
centers, which contributes to advanced communication capabilities. In addition,
the human pharynx is shaped as a right angle, which enables the production of
precise sounds, by the tight control of air, passing through the vocal cords.
These precise sounds became the basic units of human languages. With these
communication and mental capacities, humans became capable of advanced
thinking, complex processing of information, communication with others, and
receiving communication from their Creator, through inspiration. [52]
Humans
also have achieved the capability to be moral beings, which they gained from
their Creator's blowing of His Spirit into their DNA. So, they became inclined
to do good, capable of distinguishing between right and wrong, and in
possession of the will to choose their decisions and deeds. Therefore, they
became accountable to such decisions and deeds. Physiologically speaking, the
front lobe of the human brain, which processes intellectual, moral, and ethical
issues, is much larger and more developed in the human brain than in brains of
any other species on Earth.
In
Arabic dictionaries, the word nasiya, mentioned in verses 11: 56 and 96:
15-16, means the forehead. In his interpretation of Verse 11: 56, Al-Qurtubi
mentioned clearly that the Arabic word nasiya, mentioned in these
verses, means the forehead, which may become a lying and sinning forehead. It
is in the front lobe of the brain, as the part in which intellectual, moral,
and ethical processes take place. Consequently, the front lobe (nasiya)
will be held responsible for the committed lies and sins. [53]
Indeed,
I have relied upon Allah, my Lord and your Lord. There is no creature but that
He holds its forehead. Indeed, my Lord is on a straight path (Hood, 11:
56).
Does
he not know that Allah sees? (14) No! If he does not desist, We will surely
strike (his) forehead - (15) A lying, sinning forehead. (16) (Al-'Alaq, 96: 14-16).
In
recognition of these human advanced intellectual and moral capabilities and
achievements, Allah decided to make humans His caliphs (deputies) on Earth. The
angels were surprised because they saw some humans shedding blood and
committing acts of corruption. So, Allah chose Adam to represent humanity (3:
33), in a contest between him and the angels, to show them that he is worthy of
God's trust and honor, as He created him with His own hands (38: 75).
In
verse 11: 7, Allah, praise to Him, addressed humans in the plural form, that He
created them and made them in the best image (mentioning the first and fourth
stages of creation, for brevity purposes). Then, He mentioned Adam, pbuh, in
the singular form, as one of the humans whom He created, fashioned,
straightened up, and blew of His Spirit into them. However, He chose Adam to be
their best representative in that great event.
In
addition, Allah, praise to Him, has honored humans to be His caliphs (deputies)
on the Earth for worshipping Him by choice (Al-Balad, 90: 10), for their
ability to acquire knowledge (Al-Baqara, 2: 31), and for their love and ability
for construction on the Earth (Hood, 11: 61), doing all that as an inherent
behavior in them, which was also observed by anthropologists, who called them:
“Homo sapien sapiens” (the reasoning, wise human beings). [54]
When
Adam won the contest, Allah commanded the angels to prostrate to him, in
recognition of his winning. All angels obeyed and prostrated, except Iblis
(Satan), who refused, arguing that he was better than humans, and saying that
he was created of fire while Adam was created originally of clay (Al-A’araf, 7:
12).
(Allah)
said: "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?"
(Satan) said: "I am better than him. You created me from fire and created
him from clay" (Al-A’araf, 7: 12).
Further,
he asked Allah to delay his punishment, to prove his point that humans are not
worthy of God's trust in them. Allah accepted the challenge because of His
knowledge that many humans are going to be good and thankful to Him. He warned
Satan, his offspring, and their followers among the Jinn and humans that all
will be punished in the hellfire (7: 12-18, 11: 119), as will be discussed in
Chapter 6, "Adam's Contest with the Angels and Getting Out of
Paradise."
21. Verse 14: 19,
tells us that Allah, praise to Him, is capable, if He wills, to destroy all
humans, cause them to disappear from existence, and replace them with a new
creation. He is capable of doing so, as He is the Creator of the heavens and
the Earth, the creation of which is greater than the creation of humans, as
mentioned in verse 40: 57.
Have
you not seen that Allah has created the
heavens and the earth with the right proportions?
If He wills, He can remove you and bring ( in your place ) a new creation
(Ibraheem, 14: 19).
The
creation of the heavens and earth is
greater than the creation of mankind, but
most of the people do not know (Ghafir, 40: 57).
There
are two meanings relevant to the subject of this Chapter in the above verse.
First, Allah, praise to Him, has created heavens and Earth with the right
proportions, which is a reference to the perfect system of interrelationships
between components of the universe.
The
Earth is placed in a perfect position and distance from the sun in order for
life to flourish and continue on it. Proximity and distance from the closest
point to the sun on Earth (the equatorial region) has led to the variation of
environments and climates, leading to the wonderful variation in the fauna and
flora in the biosphere. The proportion of water in the planet (70%) is equal to
the proportion of water in the human body. The balance between oxygen and
carbon dioxide and the formation of the ozone, which protects Earth from the
harmful ultraviolet cosmic radiation, all are examples of the right proportions
of creation mentioned in the above verse.
The
second meaning is related to God's threat that He can cause humans to disappear
if they disobey Him and bring a new creation, which is better. Natural
scientists may find support from the meaning of this verse to their theories
about the many now-extinct species, which once dominated Earth, like dinosaurs.
22. Verse 76: 11
tells us that there was a time in which humans went extinct, without a trace on
the Earth.
Has
there (not) come upon the human (being) a period of time when he was not a
mentioned thing? (Al-Insan, 76: 1).
Biologists
and anthropologists, in particular, may find support in Verse 76: 1 for their
hypotheses about disappearances of some early human species, such as Homo
Erectus and Neanderthals, as the Verse
states that there was a time in which humans disappeared (were not a mentioned
thing). This Verse also refers to God's ability to bring the extinct species
back to life, and consequently to His ability to resurrect humans for reckoning
and judgment, in
the hereafter, as mentioned in Verses 29: 19-20 above. [55]
23. Verse 32: 8 tells us about the second creation
of the human life, in the womb. As males and females, later, are paired to
reproduce by uniting the watery genetic materials of males and eggs of females.
Then
He made his offspring from a quintessence of despised
water (Al-Sajda, 32: 8).
24. Verse 32: 9 mentions two stages of the
first creation, which are fashioning in due proportions and blowing God's
Spirit in humans. It also mentions the development of the fetus in the second
creation, in the womb, including the hearing, sight, and hearts. These are
favors Allah has bestowed on humans, for which only few of them thank Him.
Then
He fashioned him (in due proportions), and blew in him of His Spirit, and made
for you hearing, sight, and hearts; (however) little thanks you give (Al-Sajda,
32: 9).
Thus,
Allah, praise to Him, has bestowed life on His creation, including humans, by
providing them with a software that enables them to be living, through the
automatic functioning of their organs. However, He honored humans by blowing
part of His Spirit in them, as another software which allows them to
distinguish good from evil and consequently enables them to choose their
actions (For more about blowing some of God’s spirit in humans, see Chapter 9
of this book: “Mind, Self, Soul, Spirit, and Happiness from an Islamic Perspective.”
25. In Verse 71: 17, Allah, praise to Him, teaches us
about the story of the human life by giving an analogy between humans and
plants, as both came out of the earth.
And
Allah has caused you to grow out of the earth like plants (Noo'h, 71: 17).
This
means that, originally, organisms started in the earth, inside the stinking
clay. Then, they left to the sea and to the surface of the earth, like plants
which grow out of the earth to appear on its surface.
A
related meaning is that Allah, praise to Him, has (originally) planted humans
and other organisms in earth and caused them to grow out of it like plants,
which pass through different and successive metamorphosing stages, from
seeds to growing plants, then to the flowering stage, and ultimately to
the death of the grown plants. However, life restarts, as the dying plants
produce seeds, which repeat the cycle of life again. The analogy also
indicates that humans will be resurrected for reckoning in the Last Day, just
like plants are resurrected after their death, through the seeds. [56]
26. Verse 18: 37
details the meaning mentioned in Verse 71: 14 above (He
has created you in successive (and diverse) stages), by mentioning the first
creation and some stages of the second creation (in the womb), as follows:
His
companion said to him, while arguing with him: Have you disbelieved in Him Who
created you of the earth matter (dirt or soil), then of a nutfah (union
of a father’s sperm and a mother’s egg), then fashioned you into a man?
(Al-Kahf, 18: 37).
While
mentioning earth matter (dust or soil), in this Verse, is a reference to the
first creation, mentioning nutfah (union of a father’s sperm and a
mother’s egg) is a reference to the first stage of the second creation, in the
womb, which is followed by four other stages, as will be explained in Verse 23:
14, later.
Mentioning
the sex of the fetus (then fashioned you into a man) is a reference to the
scientific fact that the external sexual organs start to appear about six weeks
after the egg fertilization. However, distinguishing males from females is
possible starting from the ninth week after fertilization. [57]
27. Verse 35: 11 confirms
the meanings mentioned in Verse 18: 37 and adds another meaning related to the
human reproduction by pairing:
Allah
created you from the earth soil, then from a nutfah (union of a father’s
sperm and a mother’s egg), then He made you pairs (or mates: males and females)
(Fatir, 35: 11).
28. Verse 40:
67 adds the second stage of the second creation, in the womb, ('alaqa:
leech):
He is Who created you from the earth soil, then
from a nutfah (union of a father’s sperm and a mother’s egg), then from
a leech (a fertilized egg sticking to the womb, sucking nutrients from it like
a leach), then He brings you out (of the womb) as a child (Ghafir, 40:
67).
Thus,
the first stage of the second creation is the nutfah, which is the Arabic
word for a fertilized egg, a zygote, or the union of a father’s sperm and a
mother’s egg. The second stage is described in this Verse as an 'alaqa, which
is the Arabic word for a leech. In this case, it refers to a fertilized egg
sticking to the womb, sucking nutrients from it, like a leech which sticks to
the animal or human body, sucking blood from it.
29-31. Verses 23: 12-14 mention the first
creation from clay, then list the five successive stages of the second creation
in the womb, as follows:
We created the human being from a product of clay; (12)
Then, We placed it as a nutfah (fertilized egg) in a safe (deep) lodging; (13)
Then, We created the nutfah into an ‘alaqa (leech).
Then, We created the ‘alaqa into mudh-gha (a little lump, like a chewed substance).
Then, We created the mudh-gha into bones.
Then, We clothed the bones with meat (muscle).
Then, We produced it (the human being) as another creation.
So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators! (14). (Al-Muminoon, 23: 12-14).
Only
recently in human history, biological and medical researchers could reach such
accurate knowledge about the five major stages of the fetus development,
as described in the verses above.
The
first stage is the nutfah (the fertilized egg), which lasts about
a week after fertilization, during which its cells multiply by division. Then,
it develops into 'alaqa (leech) during the second and third weeks, which
is the second stage of the fetus development. It looks like a leech in
its appearance and in its characteristics, as it sticks to the womb wall, from
which it sucks blood, exactly like a leech which sticks to the body of an
animal or a human to suck blood from it.
During
the fourth week, and more specifically on the twenty-second day, the heart
starts beating, and the fetus develops to the third stage of the second
creation in the womb, which is the mudh-ghah (a chewed
piece of food), as it accurately looks like, without any observed organs first.
Then, organs start to appear, during the fourth and fifth weeks.
A
little before the end of the sixth week, specifically during days 38-40 after
fertilization, the fourth stage of the second creation in the womb
starts. The cartridge skeleton starts to form at the beginning of the seventh
week, leading to the bone formation, and the appearance of the head and
limbs.
Finally,
the fifth stage starts at the end of the seventh week and continues
during the eighth week, bones are coated with flesh (muscle), and the
formation of the internal and internal organs is completed, but these continue
to grow in size after that. [58]
32. While the
above-mentioned verses told us about the various stages of the first and second
creations of life on this planet, the following verses attract our attention to
some natural and cosmic phenomena around us, to encourage us to think about
them. Some of these verses are about how the resurrection will happen in the
Last Day. Other verses invite us to search for the reasons behind the
differences in people's skin colors and languages, in the nature of Earth, and
in the relationship between the Earth and each of the Moon and the Sun, in
order to increase our faith in the Creator and to benefit from this
information.
In
Verse 10: 92, we read about an archaeological event, in which the mummy of the
Egyptian Pharaoh is promised to be found, to be a sign for people to believe
and a piece of evidence about the authenticity of the Exodus story, including
the split of the sea and the drowning of the Pharaoh.
Today, We save
you (Pharaoh of Egypt) through saving your body so that you may be a sign for
those after you. Lo! Most people are heedless of Our signs (Younus, 10: 92).
The
Verse is related to the divine command for humans to travel on Earth to know
how God started creation of life on the planet. This command has been fulfilled
by the establishment of the modern sciences, including archaeology, which led
to the discovery of the mummies of kings of ancient Egypt (the pharaohs).
Bin
Katheer (Volume 2: 203-205) mentioned that when Moussa (Moses, pbuh) hit the
sea with his stick, it split like a huge cliff on each side, creating twelve
paths for the twelve Israelite tribes, each one separated from the other by a
glass window. When the Pharaoh and his army arrived and saw the awesome view,
they were afraid to proceed but the senior angel, Jibril (Gabriel), encouraged
them to continue by marching in front of them. When all of them were in the
middle of the path, God ordered the sea waters to merge again, drowning them
all.
Bin
Katheer added that despite what they saw by their eyes, the Israelites asked
Moussa to show them the body of the Pharaoh to make sure that he died. God gave
them what they wanted by throwing the body of the Pharaoh to the shore, so they
can see it, as a sign of God's punishment for those who oppress believers.
This
author sees a different interpretation for the Arabic words liman khalfaka
(to those after you). The Israelites of Moussa (pbuh) lived at the time of the
Pharaoh, not after his time. Therefore, the sign was intended to be to those
who would come after that time, simply because the Israelites saw the miracle
and lived it, themselves.
A
closer interpretation to the meanings of the verse is that the Children of
Israel crossed the Gulf of Suez, at a narrow area, about 12 miles wide, close
to its northern tip. After the Pharaoh and his soldiers drowned, the sea waves
threw his body on the western coast of the Gulf, not the eastern coast, where
the Israelites were. Then, the Egyptians took the body back to their capital,
where it was mummified, following their custom of mummifying their kings and
notables. Consequently, his body was hidden until the discovery of the Egyptian
mummies, in 1898, which are now displayed in the Royal Mummies Room of the
Egyptian Museum, in Cairo.
There
is no agreement among historians and biblical scholars about the Pharaohs
involved in the story or the time frame they lived in. Ancient Egyptian
records, the Bible, and the Holy Quran did neither mention the name of the
Pharaoh, nor his time. However, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, the
oppressive Pharaoh was Ramses II (1279-1212 BC) and the Exodus pharaoh was his
son, Mernepta’h (1212-1202 BC). This opinion is supported by the biblical
scholar by Joshua Mark, who denies that Ramses II was the drowned Pharaoh.
This
opinion was also supported by Maurice Bucaille, who argued that Ramses II
oppressed the Israelites, but he died while Moussa (Moses) was in Mayan. This
means that his son, Mernepta’h (1212-1202 BC) was the one who drowned while
chasing the Israelites. His mummy was discovered in the Valley of Kings, in
Thabes, in 1898, together with other mummies of the Egyptian pharaohs. In 1975,
Bucaille participated with a group of medical doctors in examining Mernepta’h’s
mummified body and they found that he died of drowning. This specific
discovery, and other scientific facts in the Holy Quran, influenced him to
accept Islam, as he mentioned in his books, articles, and interviews. [59]
33-35. Verses 17:
49-51 tell us about some archaeological prophecies, which happened, and other prophecies,
which have not happened yet, mentioning God's response to human doubts about
Resurrection, in the hereafter:
And
they say: When we are bones and dust, are
we going to be resurrected as a new creation? (Al-Isra, 17: 49).
Say:
(Yes, you will be resurrected even if) you are stones
or iron (Al-Isra, 17: 50).
Or a created
matter,
which is greater (or stronger than iron) in your minds (Al-Isra,
17: 51). [60]
In
their interpretations of these three verses, the three renowned interpreters of
the Holy Quran, Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Katheer, mentioned that the
Quraysh pagans asked the Messenger of God, Muhammed (pbuh), a rhetorical
question, casting doubt about God's ability to resurrect people for reckoning,
in the Last Day. They asked him about how Allah is going to be able to
resurrect people after their death, which turns them into bones and dust.
In
response, Allah inspired His Messenger to answer them, saying that He is not
only capable to resurrect them after becoming bones and dust but also if they
become rocks, or iron, or stronger than iron. The three interpreters did not
explain how human beings may become rocks, iron, or stronger than iron because
the knowledge of their time did not allow them to know these possible changes,
which may happen to humans. However, for us, these verses refer to some
scientific facts and prophecies, which have already happened, and others which
are continuously happening.
Verse
17: 49 mentions a fact known for a long time, which is the change of the dead
body into bones and dust. However, Verse 17: 50 represents a prophecy which was
not realized until the 13th Hijri Century (19th Century AD), after the
establishment of modern sciences. In particular, anthropology, with its four
major sub-disciplines, related to archaeology, biology, linguistics, and
culture, was established to specialize in studying human pre-history and
pre-industrial history.
Archaeologists
were able to discover various plant and animal fossils, which they classified
on the bases of kind and time, including human fossils that date back to
millions of years ago. Biological anthropologists with assistance from
archaeological anthropologists have reconstructed human prehistory through
classifying discovered human fossils by time using accurate dating methods,
like potassium-argon and radio-carbon-14 methods. They have agreed on a general
sequence of evolutionary changes of the human body. In particular, they have
focused on studying the human skeleton, skull, and fingers among other features
to investigate these evolutionary changes (See Appendix 2).
What's
relevant in this verse is the fact that humans can become fossils in clay rocks
but some human bodies can also become fossilized in rock layers which are rich
in iron ore, thus becoming iron fossils.
Verse
17.51 continues to answer the rhetorical question, posed by the Quraysh pagans,
by indicating that humans may contemplate the introduction of a fifth possible
kind of changes of themselves, which may make them even stronger than iron (in
addition to bones, dust, clay rocks, and iron). This could be a reference to
the ideas about future biological engineering. Actually, in our time,
people who lose limbs may have their lost flesh and bone limbs replaced by
synthesized artificial limbs or body parts, made of iron, plastic, or other
metals which are stronger than iron. Some of these metals have been used to
strengthen the backbone, various bones, and teeth. Others made of materials
like human cells have been used as replacement for damaged cells, such as in
the case of hernia.
Thus,
the verse is saying to people that the Creator will still resurrect them for
reckoning, on the Day of Judgment, even if they change themselves into
something stronger than iron. [61]
36. Verse 30: 22
Verse
30: 22 invites people of knowledge (scholars) to study effects of the Earth and
the heavenly bodies on the human external biological differences (like skin
color) and cultural differences (like languages):
And
of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the Earth, as well as the
difference of your languages and colors. In these, there are signs for
people of knowledge (Al-Room, 30: 20).
This
verse addresses scholars from various social and natural sciences, inviting
them to believe in God. For natural scientists, particularly those studying how
the universe came into being (Chapter 3), this verse invites them to have a
look at the verses of the Holy Quran, which tell humans how this happened. When
they find that their knowledge about the universe has already been revealed in
God's Book, then this is the evidence for them to believe that it is God's
message to humanity.
This
verse tells us that the differences in human
languages and in colors of human skin are
related to the creation of the heavenly bodies and the Earth, which is exactly
what we know today. The Earth is shaped in the form of a less-than prefect
globe, pointed at its both poles and enlarged at its equator. This shape of the
Earth allows light coming from the Sun to reach our planet in different
distances, the shortest of which is to the equator and the longest is to each
of the North and South poles. It follows that the equatorial region is the
hottest because it is the closest to the sun, while the Arctic and Antarctic
regions are the coldest because they are the farthest regions from the
sun.
The
archaeological record shows that the oldest human fossils have been found in Africa,
then more recent fossils have been found in Asia and Europe, and most recently
in the new world. This is a reference to human migration to the north and south
of the equator.
In
order for the human skin to repel the harmful concentrated ultraviolet
radiation from the sun and the cosmic, it has adapted to living in the
equatorial region by pigmenting itself as dark as possible. As humans started
to settle away from the equatorial African region, skin color started to be
less and less pigmented, until it becomes the fairest skin color in the
Scandinavian Peninsula. If Africa was elongated to reach the Antarctic region,
as Scandinavia reaches the Arctic region, then we would see South African
blonds with blue eyes.
Moreover,
sufficient ultraviolet radiation in the equatorial region provides organisms
with enough Vitamin D, which is necessary for bone formation. As humans
migrated to the north and the south away from the equator, fairer skin color
was needed in order for cells to be able to receive more ultraviolet radiation,
to generate more Vitamin D.
Other
primates, like chimpanzees and gorillas on the equator and the macaque monkeys
in Japan have shown the same adaptation strategy. Macaque monkeys have fair
skin and fair hair color with red faces, in northern Japan, in contrast to
dark-skinned and dark-eyed primates in the African equatorial region. [62]
The differences in human languages may
also be explained as adaptation to different environments. As various human
groups started to migrate to new regions looking for new resources of plant and
animal foods, they had to develop new vocabulary to describe these resources
found in the new environments.
As
a group settles in a territory for a long time, their vocabulary expands to
include their expressions of the material components of their culture, such as
the tangible things and tools, as well as the non-material components, such as
their ideas, arts, and literature.
A
language starts very simple, as a pidgin,
with couple of thousand words, expressing the basic components of the culture
of a given group. As a group settles in a geographically marked territory,
isolating it from other groups by natural barriers such as deserts, mountains,
water, or forests, then the pidgin may grow to a full
language as the population grows and
its culture expands.
A
variant of a language, a dialect, may
form as a result of migration of part of the population to a new territory, or
if a political or natural barrier takes place, such as in the case of American
English vis-a-vis British English. Moreover, a dialect has a chance to evolve
to a different language, such as the case
of English, which was originally part of a Proto-Germanic language. Another
example was the emergence of the Tamazight language spoken by the Amazigh
in Bilad Al-Maghrib (North Africa), after the ‘Himyarite and Can’anite
Arabs had settled there and became isolated from their Eastern Arabian origins.
[63]
When
speakers of different languages meet suddenly and realize that they need to
continue communication with each other as groups, then they may create a new
form of language known as Creole, which
has components from different languages. This was the case of the Caribbean
Creoles, at the beginning of the discovery of the New World. Ultimately, these
Creoles become fully developed national languages,
taught in schools and used in various ways of communication.
The
European imperialist invasion and colonization of the New World, Africa, and
Asia introduced such European languages as Spanish, Portuguese, English, and
French to become the dominant or official languages after independence. The
imperialist administrations imposed European languages on the indigenous
populations by using them in schools. Thus, the European languages became the
national and official languages in the countries of the New World.
Likewise,
after the independence of many African and Asian nations, European languages
continued to be used because of the existence of several national languages, in
addition to having European-educated bureaucracy, which communicates only in
European languages.
The
use of European languages in this way is known among linguists as lingua franca, such as in the cases of India,
Pakistan, Singapore, and Malaysia, in Asia. In these countries, English has
become the lingua franca, the language in common, among the various linguistic
groups. Most African countries have also continued to use the language of the
European imperialist administrators as their lingua franca, in addition to
teaching their national languages in schools and using them in the media. Thus,
French became the lingua franca in Niger and Chad, Portuguese in Mozambique,
and English in Nigeria and South Africa. [64]
To
sum up, the difference in human skin colors and languages is related to the
adaptation to different environmental regions, which have been created by the
shape of the Earth and its relationship to the Sun and the other heavenly
bodies, as Verse 30: 22 points.
37-39. Verses 39: 5,
17: 12, and 36: 38 point to some scientific facts about the relationship
between the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, and how that relationship affects
people on Earth:
He
has created the heavens and the earth with the right (proportions). He makes
night to succeed day (in a cycle), and He makes day to succeed night (in a
cycle), and He ordained for the Sun and the Moon that each runs on for a
specific time term (Al-Zumar, 39: 5).
This
verse provides us with information about how the heavens and the Earth have
been created with the right proportions to allow them to be sustained and
functioning. Day and night succeed each other, as a result of the earth turning
around itself. This allows living organisms to work and rest in a regular
cycle. Seasons have been possible by the Earth orbiting the sun in an annual
journey, which allows diversification of activities on it. Had there been only
night (if for example the earth is too far away from the Sun) or only daytime
(if a planet is located between two suns), then life could not be sustained as
it has been on Earth. The planet could be too cold or too hot to sustain
prosperous life.
Thus,
part of the creation of life on planet Earth is the suitable conditions of
temperature, light, and darkness, which were made possible by God's creation of
the heavens and the earth with the right proportions. See also Verse 14: 19,
discussed above.
The
verse also includes scientific facts about the Sun and the Moon. It mentions
that both of them are running, each one has its own orbit, they will continue
doing so for a specific term of time.
And
We have made the night and day two signs, and We erased the sign of the night
and made the sign of the day visible, that you may seek bounty from your Lord,
and may know the number of years and the account (of time). And everything We
have set out in detail (Al-Isra, 17: 12).
From
Verse 17: 12, we learn about more benefits the Sun provides for the life of
organisms on Earth, by creating day and night, as a result of the Earth orbit
around it. Humans have been able to create the lunar and solar calendars, which
have helped them to organize their activities throughout the year and prompted
them to learn counting.
It
is not allowable for the Sun to reach the Moon, nor does the night overtake the
day, but each, in an orbit, is swimming (Ya Seen, 36: 40).
Verse
36: 40 refers to the fact that the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun have specific
orbits. For thousands of years, humans observed the changes which happen as a
result of the Moon orbit around the Earth, such as the oceanic tides and
recessions. They also observed the seasonal changes as a result of the Earth
orbit around the Sun. However, they have not been able to know about the Sun
orbit until recently. During the last few decades, we have been able to know
that our Sun orbits the center of its Milky Way galaxy, once every about 225
million years. This means that it completed 22 orbits during its age, of the
past five billion years. This verse had referred to that scientific fact about
fourteen centuries before we discovered it. [65]
40. Verse 79: 30
mentions that the Earth is egg-shaped (a less than perfect globe), which humans
did not know until few centuries ago:
And
the Earth, after that, He made it egg-shaped (Al-Nazi'at, 79: 30).
The
Earth is shaped in the form of a less-than prefect globe, pointed at its both
poles and enlarged a little bit at its equator. So, it is not flat as Europeans
thought at the time of the revelation and for centuries after that. If the Holy
Quran described the Earth shape as just a circular globe, then somebody would
challenge it later because it is a little bit less than a perfect globe. That's
why it is described as an egg-shaped, which is the closest shape that people
could identify.
The
egg-shape of the Earth allows the light coming from the Sun to reach our planet
in different distances, the shortest of which is to the equator and the longest
is to each of the North and South poles.
It
follows that the equatorial region is the hottest because it is the closest to
the sun, while the Arctic and Antarctic regions are the coldest because they
are the farthest regions from the sun. This explains differences in human
languages and skin color, as explained in Verse 30:22 above.
The
most relevant word in this verse is the verb "da'ha,"
which means: “made it look like an egg in its shape.” This author never heard
the usage of the Arabic verb da'ha (made it egg-shaped), or its noun da'hya (egg) in the eastern Mediterranean Arab
region. However, he heard the noun in Libya, in the early 1970s, and learned
that other North African Arabs use it to refer to an egg.
This
meaning for the verb "da'ha,"
was not mentioned by the three renowned interpreters of the Holy Quran. Al-Tabari,
followed by Al-Qurtubi, interpreted it as extending the Earth in a way
that enables people to earn their living, through the availability of water and
pastureland” (Al-Nazi'at, 79: 31). Bin Katheer followed them with the same
interpretation. He did not explain the meaning of the verb “da’ha” and its
origins, as he used to do in his
However,
the Arabic dictionary, Al-Jami', mentioned that the Arabic word da'hya means an
egg, and even mentioned this Verse (79: 30), referring to the Earth as an
egg-shaped. [66]
The
egg-shape of Earth allowed the existence of the major geographical regions of
vegetation and rainfall, with rain forests on the equatorial (tropical) region
and less rain to the north and south of it (the dry regions), then to more rain
as we go farther to the north and south (the moist regions), and finally to the
absence of vegetation to the northernmost and southernmost parts of the planet
(polar regions) because snow and ice cover the freezing land.
Moreover,
by describing Earth as egg-shaped, God Almighty, praise to Him, is telling
humans that the Holy Quran is His Word and message to humanity. Europeans
thought that the earth was flat until Copernicus and Galileo told them that it
was a globe, allowing Columbus and other explorers to sail west in order to
reach India in the east. More recent geographical research showed that the
earth is not a perfect globe.
To
sum up, this great verse is telling us that God, the Knowledgeable, made Earth
egg-shaped, in order to make it inhabitable by His creatures. The egg-shape of
the earth created the rainfall and vegetation regions, as Verse 79: 51 also
reveals. This geographical diversity encouraged human migrations from less
hospitable to more hospitable regions, consequently leading to phenotypic and
cultural differences between diverse human population groups. [67]
41. Verse 13: 41
gives support for the fact that Earth is a less-than prefect globe by
explaining how this has happened.
Haven't
they seen that We come to the Earth, reducing it from its outlying parts?
(Al-Ra'd, 13: 41).
The
meaning is that the outlying parts of the Earth have been diminishing, as a
result of climate changing conditions, such as mudslides, rains, storms, and
hurricanes, leading to its shape of a less-than-perfect globe. Some
researchers paid attention to this observation, showing with calculations that
the Earth is not a perfect globe. [68]
42. Verse 79: 31 mentions the relationship between
the Earth vegetation and rainfall regions and its shape, as a less than perfect
globe (egg-shaped):
He
produced as a result (of its egg-shape) its water and its pasture (Al-Nazi'at,
79: 31).
This
means that the Earth egg-shape has led to the diverse climate and rainfall
regions, as well as diverse fauna and flora. This diversity encouraged humans
to immigrate to the regions which are more abundant in water and plant life, in
search for pasture and fertile lands. Consequently, immigration led to the
human inhabiting of various geographical regions of Earth. Moreover, this
natural diversity led to the diversity in skin color and in culture, as was
explained earlier.
43. Verse 24: 45 reminds us that the first creation
was from water. It also reminds us that the second creation, which is in the
womb, is also from water of the male and the egg of the female. Then, it tells
us how organisms, particularly mammals, move on earth, crawling on their
bellies, or walking on two legs, or on four legs:
Allah
has created every (living) creature from water. And of them are those that walk
(move) on their bellies; and of them are those that walk on two legs; and of
them are those that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills. Indeed, Allah is
Capable of (creating) everything (Al-Noor, 24: 45).
This
diversity in the movements of organisms reflects their ability to adapt to
their different environments and the available food. Thus, reptiles walk (move)
on their bellies, as snakes do. Humans and birds walk on two legs. Animals walk
on four legs, except the kangaroo, which walks or hops on two legs. This bit of
information was unknown to the inhabitants of the Old-World continents of Africa,
Asia, and Europe, as Australia was discovered about 900 years after this
revelation. But Allah, the All-Knowledgeable, praise to Him, has told us about
it, as yet another piece of evidence that the Holy Quran is His Message to
humanity.
Conclusion
Allah,
praise to Him, started the creation of life on Earth. Then, he left it to
evolve, as a result of adaptation to different environments, with His
intervention to improve His creation, every now and then, as He determines.
The
first creation passed through five main stages, which included starting life in
the cell, fashioning in the right proportions, walking on two legs, imaging,
and blowing of God's Spirit. The second creation is in the womb, which also
includes the five stages of the fertilized egg, leech, lump, bones, and
muscles.
The
facts of science included in the verses mentioned in this Chapter demonstrate
that the Holy Quran is the Book of Allah and His Message to humanity. These
facts were unknown to human scientists at the time of revelation and all the
way until more than 13 centuries later, when modern sciences were established.
As
also demonstrated by the verses mentioned in this Chapter, there is no
contradiction between the creation and evolution of living beings, on this
planet, including humans, as both happened with God’s will and His knowledge. [69]
==================================================================
Appendix 1
The origins of Life on Earth
The
story of life on Earth as told by scientists is identical to that mentioned in
the above verses of the Holy Qur'an, which state that life started in wet, warm
clay, where water
mixed with the Earth's basic elements. This applies to the unicellular
prokaryotic cells, which reproduced by division into similar pairs, through the process known as binary fission.
About
3.8 billion years ago, life began to develop on Earth. The atmosphere of early
Earth included carbon dioxide, water vapor, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and
nitrogen, in addition to other elements. Life was the product of chemical
interactions between the Earth elements and energy from the sun, volcanoes,
windstorms, and lightning, which produced organic molecules, the necessary
building blocks of life.
The
first form of life was the unicellular prokaryotes and unicellular eukaryotes.
The first multicellular eukaryotes (soft-bodied animals) appeared in the ocean
about 630 million years ago. This view that life started in water came out as a
result of 20th century research conducted by the Russian A. I. Oparin, the
Scottish J. B. S. Haldane, and the Americans Stanley Miller and Harold Urey.
Other
researchers hypothesized that "early polymerizations leading to the origin
of life may have occurred in cracks in the deep ocean floor where hot water, carbon monoxide, and minerals such as
sulfides of iron and nickel spew forth. Such hydrothermal vents would have been
better protected than Earth's surface from the catastrophic effects of
meteorite bombardment. Today, these hot springs produce precursors of
biological molecules and energy-rich food, including the highly reduced
compounds, hydrogen sulfide and methane."
A
different hypothesis about how life started on Earth indicates that life's
chemical building blocks (organic polymers) "may have formed and
accumulated on rock or clay surfaces,
rather than in the primordial seas. As Clay
consists of microscopic particles of weathered rock, it is particularly
intriguing as a possible site for early polymerizations, because it binds
organic monomers and contains zinc and iron ions that may have served as
catalysts. Laboratory experiments have confirmed that organic polymers form
spontaneously from monomers on hot rock or clay
surfaces" (Solomon, Berg, Martin, 2006: 385-387).
The
accumulation of organic molecules led to the formation of the protobiont simple
pre-cells. But "how pre-cells evolved into
living cells remains to be solved." Understanding molecular
reproduction provides us with some clues.
Biologists
found that genetic information in living cells is stored in the nucleic acid
DNA, which is transcribed into messenger RNA, which is translated into the
proper amino acid sequence in proteins. Of special importance is the fact that
both DNA and RNA can form spontaneously on clay
and are capable of self-replication. However, biologists hypothesize that RNA
existed on Earth before DNA. So, the
self-replicating genetic code, forming on clay, was the link between organic molecules and living cells
(Solomon, Berg, Martin, 2006: 388-389).
Then,
the genetic information stored in DNA molecules is replicated and passed to new
cells during cell division (Solomon,
Berg, Martin, 2006: 2, 66). One example of such cell division is the binary fission of prokaryote reproduction
(Solomon, Berg, Martin, 2006: 446). This is a process in which one cell divides
into two similar cells, as illustrated
by the division of bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes photograph on page 435 of
Solomon, Berg, Martin (2006: 436).
The
oldest fossil cells that are widely accepted are 2 billion years old. However,
microfossils discovered in Greenland indicate that there were living
prokaryotic cells about 3.8 billion years ago. These cells got their energy
supplies from available organic molecules. Getting energy from sunlight
needed a mutation. Getting hydrogen by
splitting water needed another mutation and a longer time, which was the case
with cyanobacteria. These were the photosynthetic organisms, which existed
about 3.1 to 3.5 billion years ago.
By
2 billion years ago, cyanobacteria had produced enough oxygen to change the
Earth's atmosphere in two major ways. First, new aerobic organisms (aerobes)
adapted to the availability of oxygen and used it in more effective production
of energy. These organisms produced oxygen and carbon dioxide regularly, which
allowed oxygen to continue in existence as a stabilized and renewable element
necessary for more efficient production of energy in the biosphere. Second,
formation of accumulated oxygen layers in the upper atmosphere formed the ozone
layer, which protects inhabitants of Earth from the harmful ultraviolet
radiation from the sun (Solomon, Berg, Martin, 2006: 389-391). [70]
==========================================================================
Appendix 2
Stages of the human departure from the ape family
There
is no agreement among paleoanthropologists on one theory about the evolution of
humans and their departure from their closest relatives, the chimpanzees (as
humans share 99% of their DNA with them), in the ape family. However, the
competing hypotheses agree on major facts on the basis of the archaeological
fossil, record. Here are the main features of components of these working
hypotheses:
I. Sahelanthropus Tchadensis,
which was discovered in 2002, indicates a hominid origin dating back to 6-7
million years ago (mya), with some main differences from chimpanzees in the
form of a flatter face, different teeth, and a larger brain. However, there is
no evidence of walking upright, which is "a hallmark characteristic of
hominids," as Verse 82:7 above
states.
II. Australopithecines,
which include seven main species.
1. Ardipithecus Ramidus
is a species, which dates back to about 5.8 - 4.4 million years ago (mya).
2. Australopithecus Anamesnsis, is a species, which dates
back to about 4.2 - 3.9 mya, had a mixture of human-like and apelike features.
Back teeth and jaws larger than those of chimpanzees, front teeth smaller, was
bipedal having an upright posture, the first marked human evolution from the
ape family.
3. Australopithecus Afaresnsis is a species, which
dates back to about 4 - 3 mya, the common ancestor of the extinct A. Rubustus
and the A. Africanus, had relatively small brain, pronounced supraorbital
ridges, a jutting jaw, and large canine teeth. No evidence of making tools or
fire.
4. Australopithecus Africanus is a species, which
dates back to about 3 - 2.4 mya, walked erect, had human-like hands and teeth,
ate both plants and animals, had smaller brain than that of present humans but
much like that of its primate ancestors.
5. Australopithecus Aethiopicus is a species, which
dates back to about 2.5 - 2.2 mya, the ancestor of the Robustus and Boisei
extinct branches.
6. Australopithecus Robustus is a species, which
dates back to about 2 - 1.4 mya. Some researchers classify the extinct A.
Robustus in a separate genus, Paranthropus.
7. Australopithecus Boisie is an extinct species, which dates
back to about 2.2 - 1.1 mya.
Summary of the main characteristics of A. Aethipicus, A. Rubustus,
and A. Boisie:
These
are "larger than A. Africanus and have extremely large molars, very
powerful jaws, relatively small brains, and heavy skull crests. Most females
lacked the skull crests and had substantially smaller jaws, another example of
sexual dimorphism in early hominids. The teeth and jaws suggest a diet, perhaps
of tough roots and tubers, which would require powerful grinding. These
so-called robust australopithecines may or may not be closely related but are
generally thought to represent evolutionary offshoots, or side branches, of
human evolution" (Solomon, Eldra P., Linda R. Berg, and Diana W. Martin,
2006: 412).
III. Homo Habilis
is a species, which dates back to 2.3 - 1.6 mya, the first hominid to have
enough features of the same modern human genus. It was small, with a larger
brain and smaller premolars and molars than australopithecine. It left behind
sites with primitive tools, stones with sharp edges for cutting and scraping,
pebble choppers and flakes. Some researchers argue for classifying it more as
Australopithecus than as homo.
IV. Homo Ergaster
is a species, which dates back to 2 - 1.4 mya, the African ancestor of both
Homo Erectus and Homo Heidelbergensis. Thus, it is the ancestor of modern
humans.
V. Homo Erectus,
which dates back to 1.7- 0.2 mya, is believed by some researchers as the east
Asian offshoot of homo ergaster. Many researchers argue that it apparently
evolved from homo habilis, but it was taller, had a larger brain which kept
getting larger. However, it retained some ape characteristics like the heavy
supraorbital ridge and projecting face. It was the first hominid to have fewer
differences between the sexes. It made more advanced stone tools, known as
Acheulean tools, including hand axes, choppers, borers, and scrapers. It lived
in northern colder areas, scavenged, hunted, wore clothes, built fire, lived in
caves or shelters, and used spears as weapons. Some
researchers argue that it went extinct in its east Asian region
when more recent humans arrived later. However, there is no consensus on this
argument.
VI. Homo Heidelbergensis,
which dates back to 800 -100 thousand years ago, was the ancestor of both Homo
Neanderthalensis and Homo Sapiens. Some researchers call it as archaic Homo
Sapiens.
VII. Homo Neanderthalensis,
which dates back to 230 - 30 thousand years ago, now extinct. This species
lived in Western Asia. Then, it proceeded to Europe as ice glaciers covering
the continent receded northward. These early humans, Neanderthals, had short,
sturdy build. Their faces projected slightly, their chins and foreheads
receded. They had heavy supraorbital ridges, and jawbones, and their brains and
front teeth were larger than those of modern humans. Their nasal cavities were
large (in adaptation to the European ice age), and their cheekbones were
receding.
There
is no consensus among researchers that Neanderthals were a separate species
from Homo sapiens. They had more sophisticated (Mousterian) tools than H
Erectus, like pointed spears, with which they hunted large animals. They had
advanced social cooperation, rituals, and religious beliefs, as evidenced in
burials.
About
30,000 years ago, Neanderthals disappeared
from the archaeological record. Some researchers argue that they
were outcompeted or exterminated by the more efficient Homo sapiens. Support
for this hypothesis comes from analysis of the mitochondrial DNA of Neanderthal
bones, which showed them as an evolutionary dead end, that did not interbreed
with more modern humans.
This
hypothesis was challenged by another, based on discovering a skeleton of a
4-year-old child in Portugal, which dates back to 24,500 years ago. The
skeleton showed mixed features of both humans and Neanderthals (short lower
limb bones). Researchers following this hypothesis argue that there was
interbreeding between the two species. However, others still disagree saying
that the child represented a normal variation in the human species.
VIII. Homo Sapiens,
or modern “reasoning humans,” appeared about 300 thousand years ago, according
to recent discoveries in Morocco. However, there are other estimates to its
emergence, dating it back to 200-100 thousand years ago. It seems that it was
more intelligent, more graceful, and more beautiful than its predecessors, as
it is revealed by the size of the skull, facial features, and the right
proportions of the body. By about 30,000 years ago, Homo sapiens became the
only remaining members of genus Homo. Their skull lacked a heavy brow ridge and
had a distinct chin. [71]
There
are two competing hypotheses about the origin of modern Homo sapiens.
The
first is called out-of-Africa, through which researchers argue that Homo
sapiens originated in Africa about 200,000 - 100,000 years ago, then spread to
the Middle East, Asia, then to Europe.
The
second is the multi-regional hypothesis, on the basis of which researchers
argue that Homo Erectus spread around the world, then geographical isolation
allowed evolution to modern humans. These groups continued to interact and
interbreed with one-another, which prevented a complete reproduction isolation,
but leading to the present day human regional variations. Both hypotheses draw
support from studies about fossils, molecular biology, and population genetics.
IX. Homo Sapien Sapiens,
or the “reasoning, wise humans,”
Some
researchers argue that the current species (homo
sapien sapiens) has evolved tremendously in comparison with its
ancestors (homo sapiens), about 30,000 years ago. This latest evolutionary
change happened basically in the brain, particularly in the neocortex, which is
associated with the complex thinking, distinguishing humans from other mammals.
This development in the human brain led to various ways of cultural expression,
such as the beautiful paintings on cave walls, depicting animals, plants, and humans.
It also led later to the making of tools, weapons, and jewelry. [72]
Thus,
this is the fifth stage of creation, in which the Creator's focus was on the
human brain. It is likely that Adam, peace be upon him, appeared during the
past 30,000-15,000 years, when humans reached this stage of cultural
expression, which enabled them to receive communication from their Creator.
During that period, humans were still hunter-gatherers but they started
practicing horticulture and pastoralism. However, that was well before the
agricultural revolution, which started about 8,000-6,000 years ago. Here are
some links about the new homo sapien fossil discoveries in Morocco:
Humans:
God's Caliphs on Earth
***
I
seek refuge with God from the stoned Shaytan (Satan)
In the
name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
***
Introduction
A necessary background for this Chapter can
be found in Chapter 4, "Creation and Evolution in the
Holy Quran," which tells the Quran story of how Allah (God), praise to
Him, created life on Earth, let it evolve, and intervened to improve His
creation.
This Chapter is a continuation of the topic
of creation and evolution but with focus on human beings, as they represent the
climax of the five stages of creation: starting life, fashioning in the right
proportions, walking upright on two, imaging them in the best of images, and
blowing of God’s Spirit in them. When Allah, praise to Him, felt that He taught
humans enough, He decided to make them His deputies (caliphs) on Earth. When
the angels expressed their surprise, Allah chose Adam to represent humanity in
a contest with them, to show them that human beings are worthy of His decision
of trusting them to rule the Earth. That story is the subject of Chapter 6,
"Adam's Contest with the Angels, and Getting Out of Paradise."
The verses related to the topics of Chapters 3, 4,
and 5, like the rest of the verses of the Holy
Quran, are very concise and each word contained in them has a specific meaning
within a certain context but it may have other meanings in other contexts. That
is why the translation from Arabic is not enough. It has to be explained
further with facts from the sciences, particularly from Anthropology and
Biology in this case, as well as with interpretations of the early prominent
Islamic scholars, namely as Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn
Katheer. [73]
Meaning of Human Caliphate on Earth
The starting point in this Chapter is the
word “khalifa” (خَلِيفَةً۬), or caliph, which is mentioned in Verse
30 of Surat Al-Baqara (Chapter 2) of the Holy Quran. The root of the word is
the Arabic verb “khalafa,” which means: ”to come after or succeed.”
And when your Lord said to the angels: I am making a caliph on the Earth. They said: Are You
making therein one who corrupts in it and sheds blood, while we hymn Your
praise and sanctify You? He said: Surely, I know that which you do not
know (Al-Baqara, 2: 30).
The Arabic noun Khalifa (caliph) is
derived from the verb khalafa, which means to succeed or to come after.
Thus, a caliph (Khalifa) is a ruler who comes after or succeeds a former
ruler. The main meaning is that Allah, praise to Him, has honored humans by
making them responsible for the Earth and its construction, as stated in verse
11: 61. But the direct meaning in this verse is that Allah, praise to Him, has
willed that humans become His caliphs, in ruling the Earth, according to His
Law (Shari’a), and on His behalf.
Muslims used the word to describe the second
head of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with
him (mAbpwh), referring to him as the Caliph of the Prophet, or his successor,
as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him (pbbuh), was the first
head of the Islamic State. Then, Muslims continued describing their rulers as
such until the end of World War I, at the beginning of the twentieth century,
when the Ottoman Caliphate was defeated by the Western empires and was replaced
by the Turkish and Arab secular states.
Another related meaning to the word “Khalifa”
or “caliph” is that Allah, praise to Him, has willed that humans shall succeed
each other in ruling the Earth, century after century, until He inherits this
planet and all that which is on it
In explaining the meaning of this verse, Al-Siyouti mentioned
that Allah, praise to Him, decided to make Adam as His caliph on Earth, to be
responsible for implementing His Law on it.
Al-Tabari used the same explanation, mentioning a narration
by the Companions Ibn Mas’ood and Ibn ‘Abbas, mAbpwt all. However, he added, as
Ibn Katheer did, saying that the meaning of caliphate is the succession of a
century of people by another.
Al-Qurtubi was clear in that the caliphate, or succession, is
that of Adam succeeding God, praise to Him, on Earth. He cited Ibn Mas’ood and
Ibn ‘Abbas, mAbpwt, in saying that Adam, peace be to him, was God’s Caliph in
implementing His Law and commands.
Human Caliphate on Earth is an Honor, But with Responsibility
God’s will, or mandate, to make humans His
successors (caliphs) on Earth, is a great honor to them. This honor was
mentioned in several verses of the Holy Quran, such as in 2:30 (above), 17: 70,
and 17: 62.
And
We have certainly honored the children of
Adam, carried them on the land and sea, provided for them of the good things,
and preferred them over much of what We have created, with (definite) preference
(Al-Isra, 17: 70).
He
said: Do You see this whom You have honored
above me, if You reprieve me until the Day of Rising (Resurrection), I will
seize his offspring, except a few (Al-'Isra, 17: 62).
Despite
the fact that the mandate has been a great honor to humans, it has been associated with a grave responsibility
at the same time. It is true that they lived up to God’s expectations in many
centuries and stages of their history. However, they failed in many other
occasions and times. They did injustice to themselves and to the planet they
have been entrusted to rule over and care about.
The very characteristics of success that
humans possess could be used in bad ways, as a result of following Al-Shaytan
(Satan) and his wicked ways, which took many humans away from the right path of
God.
Verse 72 of Surat Al-A'hzab (Chapter 33) of
the Holy Quran tells us that the Heavens, the Earth, and the Mountains (as
solid and strong as they are) could not carry God’s mandate and the
responsibility associated with it. However, humans were happy to carry it, or
accept it, out of ignorance about the burdens of the responsibility associated
with God’s mandate for them to become His successors on Earth.
We offered the trust (of succession, caliphate) to the heavens and
the Earth and the mountains, but they refused to undertake it, and were afraid
of it. But the
human (being) undertook it (because) he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of the
consequences of his undertaking) (Al-A'hzab, 33: 72).
Thus, God’s trust in his human creation to be His caliphs on Earth
was based on His knowledge of them as capable of receiving His mandate of
ruling Earth and living up to the responsibilities associated with that
mandate. In particular, Allah, praise to Him, tells us about some of the
characteristics that made humans trustworthy of His mandate. These are
represented by their ability to learn, to build, and to
choose.
Human Ability to Learn
Allah, praise to Him, made humans His caliphs
on Earth, after they proved to Him their ability to learn, to accumulate
knowledge, to process that knowledge, to make rules and laws on the basis of
their knowledge, and to make use of what they have learned.
Allah, praise to Him, facilitated for humans
to learn by making Earth abundant in food and resources and protected it from
harmful cosmic effects. He surrounded it with several layers of atmospheres as
protection and made its distance from the Sun ideal for life to flourish and
progress. Thus, humans have enjoyed peaceful and comfortable conditions in most
regions of Earth, which freed them to learn.
Allah, the Compassionate, praise to Him,
never left His creation completely alone or lonely to despair. He would
intervene to improve His creation with fashioning in the right proportions and
best imaging. He also instructed them to learn, use their knowledge for their
benefit, and guided them to how they can achieve that.
God’s first word and command to humans,
delivered through the Senior Angel, Jibril (Gabriel), peace be to him, to the
Messenger of Allah, Muhammed, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him (pbbuh)
was "Read" (اقْرَأْ). He actually repeated it three
times to confirm its importance to humanity, as stated in the first five verses
of Surat Al-‘Alaq (Chapter 96) of the Holy Quran.
Read! In the name of your Lord, Who created, (1)
Created the human (being), out of an 'alaq
(leech-like embryos), (2)
Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, (3)
He Who taught with the pen, (4)
(He) taught the human (being) that which he did not know (Al-‘Alaq, 96: 1-5).
There are many verses in the Holy Quran,
which urge humans to learn, acquire knowledge, and pursue science. When we look
at some of them, such as 55: 1-4, and 2: 239, 2: 282, we find that Allah,
praise to Him, states that He has taught humans to read and understand the Holy
Quran. He also taught them that which they did not know. Verse 53: 5 tells us
that the Messenger of Allah, Mu’hammed, pbbuh, was taught by the senior angel,
Jibreel, peace be upon him. [74]
The Beneficent, (1) has taught the Quran, (2)
created the human (being), (3) taught him speech (Al-Rahman, 55: 1-4).
Remember Allah, as He has taught you that which you did not know (Al-Baqara, 2:
239).
A scribe should not refuse to write as Allah has taught him (Al-Baqara, 2: 282).
It is an inspiration, being inspired (to him)
(4), taught
by one mighty in power (5) (Jibril) (Al-Najm, 53: 4-5).
Human Tendency and Capability of Construction
God’s trust in His creation of human beings to be His caliphs on
Earth was further based on His knowledge of their tendency and capability of
construction. He expected humans to be creative, in continuously improving
their conditions on Earth, reaching the stage of civilization, as Ibn Khaldoun
described it, using the Quran term of ‘Amarah, which means construction and
civilization. [75]
Verse 30: 9 is an invitation for humans to excavate the previous
civilizations, to learn lessons from them. While this is a command for humans
to study historical and pre-historical sites to learn about previous human
civilizations, it's also a direct reference to the human tendency and
capability of construction.
Have they not travelled on the Earth to see what was the end of those who were before them? They were
much stronger than them, and they plowed the land and constructed upon it more than these have constructed (Al-Room,
30: 9).
There is no doubt that construction benefited from the other two
human characteristics of learning and choice. The three qualities interacted
with each other, producing this wonderful human phenomenon, which has pleased
Allah, Who did bet on humans to do so, and to be thus, in front of His angels.
Verses 11: 61 and 9: 18 include references to
the human construction, as follows:
And to the people of Thamud, (We sent) their
brother Sali’h. He said: O (my) people! Worship Allah, you have no other god
than Him. He made
you from the earth and (enabled) you to construct therein (Hood, 11: 61).
The mosques of Allah are constructed (as well as visited and maintained) by whoever
believes in Allah and the Last Day, and by whoever observes the prayer and pays
charity (zakat), and fears none except Allah (Al-Tawba, 9: 18).
Human Freedom of Choice
No
doubt, the human ability and love for constructions came as a result of the
human ability to learn and to choose. These three human qualities interacted to
produce the human wonderful phenomenon, which pleased the Creator, praise to
Him. So, He has willed to honor humans by making them His caliphs to rule
Earth, despite the angels' surprise, as He knows that which they do not know.
He has created humans with the ability to choose, to see who among
them is going to thank Him for it, and who is going to be ungrateful for such a
blessing. As verses 76: 3, 89: 8-10, and 91: 7-8 reveal, humans are capable to choose between right and
wrong as well as between obedience and disobedience to their Creator.
We guided him (the human being) to the path (of choice, to see if he
chooses to be) grateful
or disbelieving (Al-Insan, 76:
3).
Have We not made for him two eyes? (8) And a
tongue and two lips (to speak with)? (9) And guided him to the two paths (to choose from)?
(Al-Balad, 89: 8-10).
By the (human) self, and how He
fashioned it, (7) by inspiring it to (to know the paths of) disobedience and piety. (8)
(Al-Shams, 91: 7-8). [76]
Allah, praise to Him, wanted to enjoy seeing his human creation obey
Him and observe His commands by choice. So, when He told His angels, that He
would make humans His caliphs on Earth, they were surprised because of their
knowledge of human corruption and violence (blood-shedding). But Allah, praise
to Him, answered them in Verse 2:30, saying that He knew that which they did
not know. He knew that as some humans may choose to corrupt and shed blood,
others will choose to obey His commands and do good deeds to themselves, to
others, and to their Planet.
Thus, the above verses tell us that humans are born with the
ability to identify what’s right and what’s wrong as well as the ability to
choose which of the two paths they are going to follow. These innate
capabilities were blown into humans from God’s Spirit, part of fifth stage of
creation, as discussed in Chapter 4, and as mentioned in verse 15: 29.
And when I have proportioned him and blew into him of My Spirit,
then fall down to him in prostration (Al-‘Hijr, 15:
29).
Responsibilities of God’s Caliphs on Earth
As mentioned in many verses in the Holy Quran, the human caliphate of God on Earth is associated with heavy responsibilities, which humans are capable of doing. If they live up to the undertakings of these respon