the 'Scientific Miracle'

[أم سمية الأثرية]

Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan on the Study of the 'Scientific Miracle'

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على رسوله الأمين وبعد :

Numerous people have been leading the 'Scientific Miracle' bandwagon and directing average Muslims into using this as a basis for inviting others to Islam. This is not the way of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah, the followers of the Salafi methodology in da'wah. The reason is quite obvious and plain. Scientific knowledge is always in a state of flux and attempting to correlate verses of the Qur'an with modern science is in reality speaking about the intent of Allaah without knowledge, and amounts to lying upon Allaah, the Exalted.
Whilst the Qur'an alludes to certain natural phenomenon, the primary purpose behind such texts is to make a man reflect on the universe and upon his own self and upon his own creation (how he came to be) so as to come to a concrete realization: That none has the right to be worshipped in truth except Allaah alone and that there is no true serenity and satisfaction for the hearts except in this.

Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan on the 'Scientific Miracle'

The Shaykh delivered a lecture entitled ( وقفة مع قوله تعالى: هو الذي أنزل عليك الكتاب ) and was asked the following question therein:

هل علم الإعجاز العلمي في القرآن ، علم محدث أم لا ؟

Is the science (study) of the scientific miracle of the Qur'an an innovated science or not?

The Shaykh answered:


محدث ، الإعجاز العلمي هذا محدث ، قصدهم العلمي ما هو بالعلم الشرعي ،قصدهم الصناعي و الأفكار التي إعتمدوها من المخترعات وهذا علم دنيوي ولا يفسر به القرآن وهذا يخطئ ويصيب أيضاً ، فكيف يفسر القرآن بشيء عرضه للخطأ، عرضة للخطأ وعرضة عدم للصحة، لأنها أقوال الناس . نعم .

It is newly-invented (muhdath), this 'scientific miracle' is newly-invented. Their intent behind 'scientific (knowledge, study)' is not the legislative (Shar'iah) knowledge, their intent is applied science or the ideas they depend upon from the newly-invented things. And this is worldly knowledge, the Qur'an is not to be interpreted by way of it, because it can be right and wrong too. So how can the Qur'an be interpreted with something that is subject to error, subject to error and subject to absence of (being) sound, because they are from the sayings of men. Yes.

[kmus]

"Scientific knowledge is always in a state of flux". This is not true, as far as i know, most scientific knowledge is absolute truth that you can not challenge. I wished the shaykh gave examples about flux in science. What i know is that the main miracle of Quran was its utmost eloquence for Arabs who were at their climax of lang-uage mastery. Since non-muslims now do not speak Arabic but the elite of them speaks science lang-uage, therefore, scientific miracles of the Quran are suitable more than ever. If the "salaf" did not go this way, it's does not necessarily mean search for scientific miracles in the Qur'an is forbidden, particularly given that "Salaf" did not disprove it, apparently they found other ways to invite people to Islam. Since we are in the era of science why scientific miracles in Qu'ran are not suitable to invite non muslims.

Some verses of Quran are quite clear. Here an example of verse that can be literally interpreted and therefore unravel a scientific miracle of Quran. From surat el-ruum: “The Romans have been defeated in the lowest land, but after their defeat they will soon be victorious. Within three to nine years. The decision of the matter, before and after, is with Allah.” (Quran 30:2-4). How do you interpret "lowest land"? it means what it means, a place where the battle happened, and science found it to be the lowest elevated place, below sea level, on earth. On contrary, the Quran should lead the scientific discovery such us for the example above.

[أم سمية الأثرية]

Big Bang Cosmology and the Quran: A Response to Muslim Apologists Using Scientific Conjectures to Explain the Qur'an



Due to the efforts of many Muslim apologists, the notion that the Qurʾān alludes to or explicitly mentions the speculative, conjectural pseudo-scientific philosophical big bang model of the universe is now commonly used by average Muslims to impress non-Muslims about the Divine source of the Qurʾān. The reason why this appeals to Muslim apologists is because the big bang model suggests an absolute beginning for the universe even though many of its atheist proponents deny this is the case at all. This treatise addresses the problems with this approach which involves making distortions of the meanings of the Qurʾān. Click here below to Read the full article

[kmus]

المشاركة الأصلية كتبت بواسطة أم سمية الأثرية

Big Bang Cosmology and the Quran: A Response to Muslim Apologists Using Scientific Conjectures to Explain the Qur'an



Due to the efforts of many Muslim apologists, the notion that the Qurʾān alludes to or explicitly mentions the speculative, conjectural pseudo-scientific philosophical big bang model of the universe is now commonly used by average Muslims to impress non-Muslims about the Divine source of the Qurʾān. The reason why this appeals to Muslim apologists is because the big bang model suggests an absolute beginning for the universe even though many of its atheist proponents deny this is the case at all. This treatise addresses the problems with this approach which involves making distortions of the meanings of the Qurʾān. Click here below to Read the full article

Since you read the paper you gave:
Did you find the answer to why Allah asked the non-believers to see how heavens and
earth were separated, while these latter (and mankind) did not even exist by the time
of separation?

The verse in page 24 of your reference:
"Do not those who disbelieve see that the Heavens and Earth were
ratqan, then We separated them and made from water, every living
thing? Will they then not believe?" (21:30)


So, how can they see it?
If you do not find the answer in your reference,
how do you think the non-believers could do that?
Why non-believers are particularly addressed?

[kmus]

I am waiting for a fruitful discussion so we can learn.

To continue my first reply to this post, the verse mentioning
the lowest land on earth can be easily checked as whether to
be a scientific miracle or not. Simply, because we know the
lowest land on earth by means of accurate instruments (just
think of an airplane that measure it elevation what would happened
if it wasn't accurate). Given also that we know where the battle
happened. We can check up and establish the scientific assertion
of Al-Qur'an.

Salaf scholars interpreted "lowest of the land" as the nearest
place to Arab peninsula that was "bilad esham". Yet, you can not
invalidate that a Quranic verse may have more than one correct
interpretation and, actually, this is part of the divinity of
Al-Qu'ran as to ever not stop unraveling its wonders. It makes a
lot of sense to refer to the place of the battle by it's unique
description and foremost its well-known one. Just think how was
the known world by the time of revelation and how it's now?
I mean for example, if you say to an Australian "the nearby land"
it doesn't make sense to him, but if you say "the lowest land on
earth" that would help a lot to locate which place the Qur'an
is referring to.