Embryology
A few years ago, a group of men collected all of the verses in the Qur'an which discuss embryology
- the growth of the human being in the womb. They said, "Here is what the Qur'an
says. Is it the truth?" In essence, they took the advice of the Qur'an: "Ask the
men who know." They chose, as it happened, a non-Muslim who is a professor of
embryology at the University of Toronto. His name is Keith Moore, and he is the author of
textbooks on embryology - a world expert on the subject. They invited him to Riyadh and
said, "This is what the Qur'an says about your subject. Is it true? What can you tell
us?"
While he was in Riyadh, they gave him all the help that he needed in
translation and all of the co-operation for which he asked. And he was so surprised at
what he found that he changed his textbooks. In fact, in the second edition of one of his
books, called Before We Are Born... in the section about the history of
embryology, he included some material that was not in the first edition because of what he
found in the Qur'an was ahead of its time and that those who believe in the Qur'an know
what other people do not know.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Keith Moore for a television
presentation, and we talked a great deal about this - it was illustrated by slides and so
on. He mentioned that some of the things that the Qur'an states about the growth of the
human being were not known until thirty years ago. In fact, he said that one item in
particular - the Qur'an's description of the human being as a "leech-like clot"
('alaqah) at one stage (Surahs al-Hajj 22:5; al-Mu'minun 23:14; and Ghafir 40:67)
- was new to him; but when he checked on it, he found that it was true, and so he added it
to his book. He said, "I never thought of that before," and he went to the
zoology department and asked for a picture of a leech. When he found that it looked just
like the human embryo, he decided to include both pictures in one of his textbooks.
Although the aforementioned example of man researching information
contained in the Qur'an deals with a non-Muslim, it is still valid because he is one of
those who is knowledgeable in the subject being researched. Had some layman claimed that
what the Qur'an says about embryology is true, then one would not necessarily have to
accept his word. However, because of the high position, respect, and esteem man gives
scholars, one naturally assumes that if they research a subject and arrive at a conclusion
based on that research, then the conclusion is valid.
Skeptic's Reaction
Dr. Moore also wrote a book on clinical embryology, and when he presented this
information in Toronto, it caused quite a stir throughout Canada. It was on the front
pages of some of the newspapers across Canada, and some of the headlines were quite funny.
For instance, one headline read: "SURPRISING THING FOUND IN ANCIENT PRAYER
BOOK!" It seems obvious from this example that people do not clearly understand what
it is all about. As a matter of fact, one newspaper reporter asked Professor Moore,
"Don't you think that maybe the Arabs might have known about these things - the
description of the embryo, its appearance and how it changes and grows? Maybe they were
not scientists, maybe they did some crude dissections on their own - carved up people and
examined these things." The professor immediately pointed out to him that he [i.e.,
the reporter] had missed a very important point - all of the slides of the embryo that had
been shown and that had been projected in the film had come from pictures taken through a
microscope. He said, "It does not matter if someone had tried to discover
embryology fourteen centuries ago. They could not have seen it!"
All of the descriptions in the Qur'an of the appearance of the embryo
are of the item when it is still too small to see with the eye; therefore, one needs a
microscope to see it. Since such a device had only been around for little more than two
hundred years, Dr. Moore taunted, "Maybe fourteen centuries ago someone secretly had
a microscope and did this research, making no mistakes anywhere. Then he somehow taught
Mohammed (pbuh&hf) and convinced him to put this information in his book. Then he
destroyed his equipment and kept it a secret forever. Do you believe that? You really
should not unless you bring some proof because it is such a ridiculous theory." In
fact, when he was asked, "How do you explain this information in the Qur'an?"
Dr. Moore's reply was, "It could only have been divinely revealed!"
Geology
One of Professor Moore's colleagues, Marshall Johnson, deals extensively with geology
at the University of Toronto. He became very interested in the fact that the Qur'an's
statements about embryology are accurate, and so he asked Muslims to collect everything
contained in the Qur'an which deals with his specialty. Again people were very surprised
at the findings. Since there are a vast number subjects discussed in the Qur'an, it would
certainly require a large amount of time to exhaust each subject. It suffices for the
purpose of this discussion to state that the Qur'an makes very clear and concise
statements about various subjects while simultaneously advising the reader to verify the
authenticity of these statements with research by scholars in those subjects. And as
illustrated by the previous examples of embryology and geology, the Qur'an has clearly
emerged authentic.
You Did Not Know This Before!
Undoubtedly, there is an attitude in the Qur'an which is not found anywhere else. It is
interesting how when the Qur'an provides information, it often tells the reader, "You
did not know this before." Indeed, there is no scripture that exists which makes that
claim. All of the other ancient writings and scriptures that people have do give a lot of
information, but they always state where the information came from.
For example, when the Bible discusses ancient history, it states that
this king lived here, this one fought in a certain battle, another one had so may sons,
etc. Yet it always stipulates that if you want more information, then you should read the
book of so and so because that is where the information came from. In contrast to this
concept, the Qur'an provides the reader with information and states that this information
is something new. Of course, there always exists the advice to research the information
provided and verify its authenticity. It is interesting that such a concept was never
challenged by non-Muslims fourteen centuries ago. Indeed, the Makkans who hated the
Muslims, and time and time again they heard such revelations claiming to bring new
information; yet, they never spoke up and said, "This is not new. We know where
Mohammed got this information. We learned this at school." They could never challenge
its authenticity because it really was new!
Proof of Authenticity: An Approach
It must be stressed here that the Qur'an is accurate about many, many things, but accuracy
does not necessarily mean that a book is a divine revelation. In fact, accuracy is only
one of the criteria for divine revelations. For instance, the telephone book is accurate,
but that does not mean that it is divinely revealed. The real problem lies in that one
must establish some proof of the source the Qur'an's information. The emphasis is in the
other direction, in that the burden of proof is on the reader. One cannot simply deny the
Qur'an's authenticity without sufficient proof. If, indeed, one finds a mistake, then he
has the right to disqualify it. This is exactly what the Qur'an encourages.
Once a man came up to me after a lecture I delivered in South Africa.
He was very angry about what I had said, and so he claimed, "I am going to go home
tonight and find a mistake in the Qur'an." Of course, I said, "Congratulations.
That is the most intelligent thing that you have said." Certainly, this is the
approach Muslims need to take with those who doubt the Qur'an's authenticity, because the
Qur'an itself offers the same challenge. And inevitably, after accepting it's challenge
and discovering that it is true, these people will come to believe it because they could
not disqualify it. In essence, the Qur'an earns their respect because they themselves have
had to verify its authenticity.
An essential fact that cannot be reiterated enough concerning the
authenticity of the Qur'an is that one's inability to explain a phenomenon himself does
not require his acceptance of the phenomenon's existence or another person's explanation
of it. Specifically, just because one cannot explain something does not mean that one has
to accept someone else's explanation. However, the person's refusal of other explanations
reverts the burden of proof back on himself to find a feasible answer. This general theory
applies to numerous concepts in life, but fits most wonderfully with the Qur'anic
challenge, for it creates a difficulty for one who says, "I do not believe it."
At the onset of refusal one immediately has an obligation to find an explanation himself
if he feels others' answers are inadequate.
In fact, in one particular Qur'anic verse which I have always seen
mistranslated into English, Allah mentions a man who heard the truth explained to him. It
states that he was derelict in his duty because after he heard the information, he left
without checking the verity of what he had heard. In other words, one is guilty if he
hears something and does not research it and check to see whether it is true. One is
supposed to process all information and decide what is garbage to be thrown out and what
is worthwhile information to be kept and benefited from immediately or even at a later
date.
One cannot just let it rattle around in his head. It must be put in the
proper categories and approached from that point of view. For example, if the information
is still speculatory, then one must discern whether it's closer to being true or false.
But if all the facts have been presented, then one must decide absolutely between these
two options. And even if one is not positive about the authenticity of the information, he
is still required to process all the information and make the admission that he just does
not know for sure. Although this last point appears to be futile, in actuality, it is
beneficial to the arrival at a positive conclusion at a later time in that it forces the
person to at least recognize, research and review the facts.
This familiarity with the information will give the person "the
edge" when future discoveries are made and additional information is presented. The
important thing is that one deals with the facts and does not simply discard them out of
empathy and disinterest.
Exhausting the Alternatives
The real certainty about the truthfulness of the Qur'an is evident in the confidence which
is prevalent throughout it; and this confidence comes from a different approach - "Exhausting
the alternatives." In essence, the Qur'an states, "This book is a divine
revelation; if you do not believe that, then what is it?" In other words, the reader
is challenged to come up with some other explanation. Here is a book made of paper and
ink. Where did it come from? It says it is a divine revelation; if it is not, then what is
its source? The interesting fact is that no one has yet come up with an explanation that
works. In fact, all alternatives have bee exhausted. As has been well established by
non-Muslims, these alternatives basically are reduced to two mutually exclusive schools of
thought, insisting on one or the other.
On one hand, there exists a large group of people who have researched
the Qur'an for hundreds of years and who claim, "One thing we know for sure - that
man, Mohammed (pbuh&hf), thought he was a prophet. He was crazy!" They are
convinced that Mohammed (pbuh&hf) was fooled somehow. Then on the other hand, there is
a group which alleges, "Because of this evidence, one thing we know for sure is that
that man, Mohammed (pbuh&hf) was a liar!" Ironically, these two groups never seem
to get together without contradicting.
In fact, many references to Islam usually claim both theories. They
start out by stating that Mohammed (pbuh&hf) was crazy and then end by saying he was a
liar. They never seem to realize that he could not have been both! For example, if one is
deluded and really thinks that he is a prophet, then he does not sit up late at night
planning, "How will I fool the people tomorrow so that they think I am a
prophet?" He truly believes that he is a prophet, and he trusts that the answer will
be given to him by revelation.
The Critic's Trail
As a matter of fact, a great deal of the Qur'an came in answer to questions. Someone would
ask Mohammed (pbuh&hf) a question, and the revelation would come with the answer to
it. Certainly, if one is crazy and believes that an angel put words in his ear, then when
someone asks him a question, he thinks that the angel will give him the answer. Because he
is crazy, he really thinks that. He does not tell someone to wait a short while and then
run to his friends and ask them, "Does anyone know the answer?" This type of
behaviour is characteristic of one who does not believe that he is a prophet. What the
non-Muslims refuse to accept is that you cannot have it both ways. One can be deluded, or
he can be a liar. He can be either one or neither one, but he certainly cannot be both!
The emphasis is on the fact that they are unquestionably mutually exclusive personality
traits.
The following scenario is a good example of the kind of circle that
non-Muslims go around in constantly. If you ask one of them, "What is the origin of
the Qur'an?" He tells you that it originated from the mind of a man who was crazy.
Then you ask him, "If it came from his head, then where did he get the information
contained in it? Certainly the Qur'an mentions many things with which the Arabs were not
familiar." So in order to explain the fact which you bring him, he changes his
position and says, "Well, maybe he was not crazy. Maybe some foreigner brought him
the information. So he lied and told people that he was a prophet." At this point
then you have to ask him, "If Mohammed was a liar, then where did he get his
confidence? Why did he behave as though he really thought he was a prophet?" Finally
backed into a corner, like a cat he quickly lashes out with the first response that comes
to his mind. Forgetting that he has already exhausted that possibility, he claims,
"Well, maybe he wasn't a liar. He was probably crazy and really thought that he was a
prophet." And thus he begins the futile cycle again.
As has already been mentioned, there is much information contained in
the Qur'an whose source cannot be attributed to anyone other than Allah. For example, who
told Mohammed (pbuh&hf) about the wall of Dhul-Qarnayn - a place hundreds of
miles to the north? Who told him about embryology? When people assemble facts such as
these, if they are not willing to attribute their existence to a divine source, they
automatically resort to the assumption someone brought Mohammed (pbuh&hf) the
information and that he used it to fool the people. However, this theory can easily be
disproved with one simple question: "If Mohammed (pbuh&hf) was a liar, where did
he get his confidence? Why did he tell some people out right to their face what others
could never say?" Such confidence depends completely upon being convinced that one
has a true divine revelation.
