saly44
2011-09-19 11:57:50 UTC
QUR’AN IS A BOOK OF SIGNS AND NOT SCIENCE
The methods of proving the existence of God with usage of the material
provided in the ‘Concept of God in Islam’ to an atheist may satisfy
some but not all. Many atheists demand a scientific proof for the
existence of God. I agree that today is the age of science and
technology. Let us use scientific knowledge to kill two birds with one
stone, i.e. to prove the existence of God and simultaneously prove
that the Qur’an is a revelation of God.
If a new object or a machine, which no one in the world has ever seen
or heard of before, is shown to an atheist or any person and then a
question is asked, “ Who is the first person who will be able to
provide details of the mechanism of this unknown object? After little
bit of thinking, he will reply, ‘the creator of that object.’
Some may say ‘the producer’ while others may say ‘the manufacturer.’
What ever answer the person gives, keep it in your mind, the answer
will always be either the creator, the producer, the manufacturer or
some what of the same meaning, i.e. the person who has made it or
created it. Don’t grapple with words, whatever answer he gives, the
meaning will be same, therefore accept it.
SCIENTIFIC FACTS AND THE QUR’AN: For details on this subject please
refer to my book, ‘THE QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE - COMPATIBLE OR
INCOMPATIBLE? THEORY OF PROBABILITY. In mathematics there is a theory
known as ‘Theory of Probability’. If you have two options, out of
which one is right, and one is wrong, the chances that you will chose
the right one is half, i.e. one out of the two will be correct. You
have 50% chances of being correct. Similarly if you toss a coin the
chances that your guess will be correct is 50% (1 out of 2) i.e. 1/2.
If you toss a coin the second time, the chances that you will be
correct in the second toss is again 50% i.e. half. But the chances
that you will be correct in both the tosses is half multiplied by half
(1/2 x 1/2) which is equal to 1/4 i.e. 50% of 50% which is equal to
25%.
If you toss a coin the third time, chances that you will be correct
all three times is (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) that is 1/8 or 50% of 50% of 50%
that is 121/2%. A dice has got six sides. If you throw a dice and
guess any number between 1 to 6, the chances that your guess will be
correct is 1/6. If you throw the dice the second time, the chances
that your guess will be correct in both the throws is (1/6 x 1/6)
which is equal to 1/36. If you throw the dice the third time, the
chances that all your three guesses are correct is (1/6 x 1/6 x 1/6)
is equal to 1/216 that is less than 0.5 %. Let us apply this theory of
probability to the Qur’an, and assume that a person has guessed all
the information that is mentioned in the Qur’an which was unknown at
that time.
Let us discuss the probability of all the guesses being simultaneously
correct. At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people thought the
world was flat, there are several other options for the shape of the
earth. It could be triangular, it could be quadrangular, pentagonal,
hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, spherical, etc. Let’s assume there
are about 30 different options for the shape of the earth. The Qur’an
rightly says it is spherical, if it was a guess the chances of the
guess being correct is 1/30.
The light of the moon can be its own light or a reflected light. The
Qur’an rightly says it is a reflected light. If it is a guess, the
chances that it will be correct is 1/2 and the probability that both
the guesses i.e.., the earth is spherical and the light of the moon is
reflected light is 1/30 x 1/2 = 1/60. Further, the Qur’an also
mentions every living thing is made of water. Every living thing can
be made up of either wood, stone, copper, aluminium, steel, silver,
gold, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete, etc.
The options are say about 10,000.
The Qur’an rightly says that everything is made up of water. If it is
a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/10,000 and the
probability of all the three guesses i.e. the earth is spherical,
light of moon is reflected light and everything is created from water
being correct is 1/30 x 1/2 x 1/10,000 = 1/60,000 which is equal to
about .0017%.
The Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known to men
at the time of its revelation. Only in three options the result is .
0017%. I leave it up to you, to work out the probability if all the
hundreds of the unknown facts were guesses, the chances of all of them
being correct guesses simultaneously and there being not a single
wrong guess. It is beyond human capacity to make all correct guesses
without a single mistake, which itself is sufficient to prove to a
logical person that the origin of the Qur’an is Divine.
CREATOR IS THE AUTHOR
The only logical answer to the question as to who could have mentioned
all these scientific facts 1400 years ago before they were discovered,
is exactly the same answer initially given by the atheist or any
person, to the question who will be the first person who will be able
to tell the mechanism of the unknown object. It is the ‘CREATOR’, the
producer, the Manufacturer of the whole universe and its contents. In
the English language He is ‘God’, or more appropriate in the Arabic
language, ‘ALLAH’.
QUR’AN IS A BOOK OF SIGNS AND NOT SCIENCE
Let me remind you that the Qur’an is not a book of Science, ‘S-C-I-E-N-
C-E’ but a book of Signs ‘S-I-G-N-S’ i.e. a book of ayaats.
The Qur’an contains more than 6,000 ayaats, i.e. ‘signs’, out of which
more than a thousand speak about Science. I am not trying to prove
that the Qur’an is the word of God using scientific knowledge as a
yard stick because any yardstick is supposed to be more superior than
what is being checked or verified. For us Muslims the Qur’an is the
Furqan i.e. criteria to judge right from wrong and the ultimate
yardstick which is more superior to scientific knowledge.
But for an educated man who is an atheist, scientific knowledge is the
ultimate test which he believes in. We do know that science many a
times takes ‘U’ turns, therefore I have restricted the examples only
to scientific facts which have sufficient proof and evidence and not
scientific theories based on assumptions. Using the ultimate yardstick
of the atheist, I am trying to prove to him that the Qur’an is the
word of God and it contains the scientific knowledge which is his
yardstick which was discovered recently, while the Qur’an was revealed
1400 year ago. At the end of the discussion, we both come to the same
conclusion that God though superior to science, is not incompatible
with it.
SCIENCE IS ELIMINATING MODELS OF GOD BUT NOT GOD
Francis Bacon, the famous philosopher, has rightly said that a little
knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of
science makes him a believer in God. Scientists today are eliminating
models of God, but they are not eliminating God. If you translate this
into Arabic, it is La illaha illal la, There is no god, (god with a
small ‘g’ that is fake god) but God (with a capital ‘G’).
Surah Fussilat
“Soon We will show them our signs in the (farthest) regions (of the
earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that
this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all
things?” [Al-Qur’an 41:53]
The methods of proving the existence of God with usage of the material
provided in the ‘Concept of God in Islam’ to an atheist may satisfy
some but not all. Many atheists demand a scientific proof for the
existence of God. I agree that today is the age of science and
technology. Let us use scientific knowledge to kill two birds with one
stone, i.e. to prove the existence of God and simultaneously prove
that the Qur’an is a revelation of God.
If a new object or a machine, which no one in the world has ever seen
or heard of before, is shown to an atheist or any person and then a
question is asked, “ Who is the first person who will be able to
provide details of the mechanism of this unknown object? After little
bit of thinking, he will reply, ‘the creator of that object.’
Some may say ‘the producer’ while others may say ‘the manufacturer.’
What ever answer the person gives, keep it in your mind, the answer
will always be either the creator, the producer, the manufacturer or
some what of the same meaning, i.e. the person who has made it or
created it. Don’t grapple with words, whatever answer he gives, the
meaning will be same, therefore accept it.
SCIENTIFIC FACTS AND THE QUR’AN: For details on this subject please
refer to my book, ‘THE QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE - COMPATIBLE OR
INCOMPATIBLE? THEORY OF PROBABILITY. In mathematics there is a theory
known as ‘Theory of Probability’. If you have two options, out of
which one is right, and one is wrong, the chances that you will chose
the right one is half, i.e. one out of the two will be correct. You
have 50% chances of being correct. Similarly if you toss a coin the
chances that your guess will be correct is 50% (1 out of 2) i.e. 1/2.
If you toss a coin the second time, the chances that you will be
correct in the second toss is again 50% i.e. half. But the chances
that you will be correct in both the tosses is half multiplied by half
(1/2 x 1/2) which is equal to 1/4 i.e. 50% of 50% which is equal to
25%.
If you toss a coin the third time, chances that you will be correct
all three times is (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) that is 1/8 or 50% of 50% of 50%
that is 121/2%. A dice has got six sides. If you throw a dice and
guess any number between 1 to 6, the chances that your guess will be
correct is 1/6. If you throw the dice the second time, the chances
that your guess will be correct in both the throws is (1/6 x 1/6)
which is equal to 1/36. If you throw the dice the third time, the
chances that all your three guesses are correct is (1/6 x 1/6 x 1/6)
is equal to 1/216 that is less than 0.5 %. Let us apply this theory of
probability to the Qur’an, and assume that a person has guessed all
the information that is mentioned in the Qur’an which was unknown at
that time.
Let us discuss the probability of all the guesses being simultaneously
correct. At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people thought the
world was flat, there are several other options for the shape of the
earth. It could be triangular, it could be quadrangular, pentagonal,
hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, spherical, etc. Let’s assume there
are about 30 different options for the shape of the earth. The Qur’an
rightly says it is spherical, if it was a guess the chances of the
guess being correct is 1/30.
The light of the moon can be its own light or a reflected light. The
Qur’an rightly says it is a reflected light. If it is a guess, the
chances that it will be correct is 1/2 and the probability that both
the guesses i.e.., the earth is spherical and the light of the moon is
reflected light is 1/30 x 1/2 = 1/60. Further, the Qur’an also
mentions every living thing is made of water. Every living thing can
be made up of either wood, stone, copper, aluminium, steel, silver,
gold, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete, etc.
The options are say about 10,000.
The Qur’an rightly says that everything is made up of water. If it is
a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/10,000 and the
probability of all the three guesses i.e. the earth is spherical,
light of moon is reflected light and everything is created from water
being correct is 1/30 x 1/2 x 1/10,000 = 1/60,000 which is equal to
about .0017%.
The Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known to men
at the time of its revelation. Only in three options the result is .
0017%. I leave it up to you, to work out the probability if all the
hundreds of the unknown facts were guesses, the chances of all of them
being correct guesses simultaneously and there being not a single
wrong guess. It is beyond human capacity to make all correct guesses
without a single mistake, which itself is sufficient to prove to a
logical person that the origin of the Qur’an is Divine.
CREATOR IS THE AUTHOR
The only logical answer to the question as to who could have mentioned
all these scientific facts 1400 years ago before they were discovered,
is exactly the same answer initially given by the atheist or any
person, to the question who will be the first person who will be able
to tell the mechanism of the unknown object. It is the ‘CREATOR’, the
producer, the Manufacturer of the whole universe and its contents. In
the English language He is ‘God’, or more appropriate in the Arabic
language, ‘ALLAH’.
QUR’AN IS A BOOK OF SIGNS AND NOT SCIENCE
Let me remind you that the Qur’an is not a book of Science, ‘S-C-I-E-N-
C-E’ but a book of Signs ‘S-I-G-N-S’ i.e. a book of ayaats.
The Qur’an contains more than 6,000 ayaats, i.e. ‘signs’, out of which
more than a thousand speak about Science. I am not trying to prove
that the Qur’an is the word of God using scientific knowledge as a
yard stick because any yardstick is supposed to be more superior than
what is being checked or verified. For us Muslims the Qur’an is the
Furqan i.e. criteria to judge right from wrong and the ultimate
yardstick which is more superior to scientific knowledge.
But for an educated man who is an atheist, scientific knowledge is the
ultimate test which he believes in. We do know that science many a
times takes ‘U’ turns, therefore I have restricted the examples only
to scientific facts which have sufficient proof and evidence and not
scientific theories based on assumptions. Using the ultimate yardstick
of the atheist, I am trying to prove to him that the Qur’an is the
word of God and it contains the scientific knowledge which is his
yardstick which was discovered recently, while the Qur’an was revealed
1400 year ago. At the end of the discussion, we both come to the same
conclusion that God though superior to science, is not incompatible
with it.
SCIENCE IS ELIMINATING MODELS OF GOD BUT NOT GOD
Francis Bacon, the famous philosopher, has rightly said that a little
knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of
science makes him a believer in God. Scientists today are eliminating
models of God, but they are not eliminating God. If you translate this
into Arabic, it is La illaha illal la, There is no god, (god with a
small ‘g’ that is fake god) but God (with a capital ‘G’).
Surah Fussilat
“Soon We will show them our signs in the (farthest) regions (of the
earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that
this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all
things?” [Al-Qur’an 41:53]