Is it the claim of Muslims in general that the scientific strength of the Qu’ran is a mark of its Divinely inspired nature, or is that simply the theory put forth by certain posters on this board?
C
Another
Islamic site crowing about the science of the Koran deals with the ‘cat’s eye nebula’.
It first gives a convincing picture*, and then the Koranic verse
“When the sky is torn apart, so it was (like) a red rose, like ointment.” Qur’an (55:37)
The amazingly long leap of this depends solely upon which exposure one makes of the nebula.
Firstly, here’s a list of other translations
However, other translations of the Koran state
And when the heaven splitteth asunder and becometh rosy like red hide - (Pickthall)
When the sky is rent asunder, and it becomes red like ointment: (Yusuf Ali)
And when the heaven splits up and turns crimson like red hide (Nooruddin)
And when the heaven is rent asunder, and then becomes red like red hide. (Shakir)
When the sky disintegrates, and turns rose collared like paint. (Khalifa)
And when the sky is rent asunder, and becomes red like [burning] oil (Asad)
Then when the heaven is rent asunder, and it becomes rosy or red like red oil, or red hide - (Hilali and Khan)
When the sky splits asunder and reddens like a rose or stained leather (Dawud)
And when the heaven shall be cleft asunder, and become rose red, like stained leather (Rodwell)
And when heaven is torn asunder, and turns crimson like red leather (Arberry)
And when the heaven is rent asunder and become rosy red - (melting) like grease! (Palmer)
And when the heaven shall be rent in sunder, and shall become [red as] a rose, [and shall melt] like ointment: (Sale)
answering-islam.org/Quran/Science/rose-nebula.html
The common word here is that it is ‘red’.
The Crab Nebula for instance is red, but only when viewed in infra-red, as opposed to
X-ray - purple
Optical - blue
Radio - crimson
The same for this. So by shopping around for a nebula picture exposed in red, they get a red sky!!!
So, if you view any nebula, it can be red, if you see it in one particular spectrum. So this makes the ‘redness’ of it meaningless too!
Further to that, a nebula is the end of a star, not the end of the universe.
*picture seen also at
antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991031.html
Further, this is another quote from that Islamic site "Then He turned to the heaven when it was smoke… (Quran, 41:11)
I am unaware of any prevailing scientific theory that the heavens came from smoke.
“Have not those who disbelieved known that the heavens and the earth were one connected entity, then We separated them?”… (Quran, 21:30)
This might be a ‘Big Bang’ explanation. It might not be. It is not conclusive at all.
Here’s a few more errors:
The earth is shaped like an egg
“He (God) made the earth egg-shaped” Sura 79:30.
Where the sun goes
Volume 4, Book 54, Number 421:
Narrated Abu Dharr:
The Prophet asked me at sunset, “Do you know where the sun goes (at the time of sunset)?” I replied, “Allah and His Apostle know better.” He said, “It goes (i.e. travels) till it prostrates Itself underneath the Throne and takes the permission to rise again, and it is permitted and then (a time will come when) it will be about to prostrate itself but its prostration will not be accepted, and it will ask permission to go on its course but it will not be permitted, but it will be ordered to return whence it has come and so it will rise in the west. And that is the interpretation of the Statement of Allah: ?And the sun Runs its fixed course for a term (decreed). That is The Decree of (Allah) The Exalted in Might, The All-Knowing.?” (36.38)
These issues are raised at the various links from:
answering-islam.org/Quran/index.html
