Aug 4, 2011

Asalamu alaykum

There was a recent video circulating of a discussion between a Muslim activist and an embryologist ( Professor Myers)  about the Quran and the verses related to the embryological stages of Human development. Non Muslims have been circulating this video like wildfire and so I thought I would respond to the allegations presented in the video. I use a classical Quran exegesis to prove that what Prof. Myers says is in fact in accordance with the Quran.



I have received both positive and negative feedback on this video and the interesting point is that none of the criticisms have been directed towards the actual text of the Quran.

The fact that we can discuss this issue is proof that the Quran is releavent today as it was at the time of it's sending down to earth over 14 centuries ago.

4 comments:

  1. assalamulikum

    do you have answers to any of these questions?
    these are some questions that came to my mind when i was reading the quran.


    1. Have the scholars explained the wisdom why Allah subhanwataala mentioned He is all hearing, although the verse is relating to hijab. What is the relationship between His attribute of bieng "All seeing" and this verse.
    Surah nur ayah 60 :And women of post-menstrual age who have no desire for marriage - there is no blame upon them for putting aside their outer garments [but] not displaying adornment. But to modestly refrain [from that] is better for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.


    2.
    In verse 18 of surah Zukhruf Allah subhanwataala says: a creature brought up in adornments and who in dispute cannot make herself clear.

    The verse is talking about females, then what is the wisdom behind Allah subhanwataala using the masculine, e.g why didnt He use "tunash-shauu" "hiya" and "ghayru mubeenah"?

    3. In Surah Ale Imraan although it is still reffering to the bayyinaat but Jaa'ahum is used, whereas in Surah al Baqarah it is Jaa'at-hum. Why is there a difference?
    وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُواْ وَاخْتَلَفُواْ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

    كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنْذِرِينَ وَأَنْزَلَ مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فِيمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ ۚ وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ فِيهِ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ فَهَدَى اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

    4. What is the difference , between Mursaloon, and Rusul? What is the wisdom behind using mursaloon in some verses and rusul in others.

    5. What is the difference between Rayb and Miryah, in english they both get translated as doubt, what is the wisdom behind using rayb in some verses and miryah in others.

    6. قَالَ رَبِّ نَجِّنِى مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّـلِمِينَ
    What's the difference between rabbee and rabbi. Even though this word doesnt not end with yaa it still means "My lord"? Is rabbi only used in duas?

    7. Allah subahanwataala mentions lahw and la'ib in many verses, sometimes lahw comes before and vice versa, do we know the wisdom behind when lahw precedes la'ib and vice versa

    8. in surah rum ayah 23 Allah mentions sleeping at night, and day for seeking bounty and these are ayaat for those who listen. what is the relationship between people who listen and sleeping at night and seeking bounty

    Jazaakallahukhairan

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  2. I will try address these questions Insh'Allah

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  3. Asalamu Aleykum dear brother I was just wondering about the cosmic web and the Qur'an.

    Many muslim websites such as answering christianity shows that in surah al dhariyat in verse 7 that it's referring to the cosmic web from the space and they're showing the word Hubuk to have meanings of spider web, web, intersection,intervowen in Lisan Al Arab , Al Qomuus and other classical lexicons and distionaries but Ibn Kathir qoutes Ibn Abbas of what he said about Hubuk and here's what he said.
    "By the heaven full of Hubuk,

    Ibn Abbas said;

    "Full of beauty, grace, magnificence and perfection.''

    Mujahid, Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Abu Malik, Abu Salih, As-Suddi, Qatadah, Atiyah Al-`Awfi, Ar-Rabi bin Anas and others said similarly.

    Ad-Dahhak, Al-Minhal bin `Amr and others said,

    "The meandering of the water, sand and plants when the wind passes over them; carving paths out of them, that is the Hubuk.''

    All of these sayings return to the same meaning, that of beauty and complexity. The sky is high above us, clear yet thick, firmly structured, spacious and graceful, beautified with stars such as the sun and orbiting planets such as the moon and the planets of the solar system. "
    I'm confused how can it refer to the cosmic web science has discovered when Ibn abbas himself explained that it refers to the beauty of the stars, planets and etc ? Jazakh Allahu Khairan.
    here it is not translated as "Intervowen" ?
    http://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=51&verse=7

    BrotherI know that there were other classical scholars such as Al Qurtib and etc and classical disctionaries such as Lisan Al Arab and etc showing one of the meanings of AL Hobok being Spider Web, intervowen, intersections,web and I know that William Edward Lanes lexicon also shows one of the meanings of the word Al Hobok being woven I think as if one has sewed something.
    But these later meanings were added, Ibn Abbas explained in the Hadith when explaining this verse that it only means that the heavens are beautiful and dorned with stars and the vastness of it, even Ibn Kathir confirms this and uses ibn abbas explaination that it only means that the heavens are beautiful and adorned with stars.
    Doesn't this kind of making one make their own interpretations and own meanings by later addings by later classical scholars ?? Jazakh Allahu Khairan for taking your time.

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  4. Wa alaykum asalam

    In Lisan Al Arab it says:

    والحِباكُ: أَن يجمع خشب كالحَظيرة ثم يشد في وسطه بحبل يجمعه

    الحِباكُ(the singular of حُبُك ) is used for pieces of wood that are gathered and tied together in the centre with rope to form a strong structure.

    حُبُك has the meaning of firmness, strength as well being bound and tied, and along with this "pathways" i.e pathways of the stars movements.

    Also a few grammatical considerations that one needs to explore is that السماء was used instead of السموات. both words are used for heavens. Why?

    secondly why did the oaths not continue because we had the oaths in the beginning then the response to the oaths followed by another oath in this ayah (7) followed by ayah 8 "Indeed, you are in differing speech."

    there are so many questions that one can explore. Sorry for not being more helpful. I'm not a scientist.

    Regarding your last question there is no problem with scholars in our time adding further meanings to a verse which is based on classical Arabic and a deep understanding of the Islamic sciences on the condition that it does not contradict another ayah or Sahih hadith.

    Wa Allahu A'lam

    Nabeel

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