Wednesday 23 March 2011

Science of Creation

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SCIENCE AND CREATIONS IN THE HOLY QURAN

By Saclain.


# SIX PERIODS OF CREATION

"Your Lord is God Who created the heavens and the earth in six days (periods)." 7.54

". . . in a period of time (yaum) whereof the measure is a thousand years of your reckoning." 32.5

(It is to be noted that the Creation in six periods is precisely what the verse preceding verse 5 refers to).

". . . in a period of time (yaum) whereof the measure is 50,000 years." 70.4

(God is speaking to the Prophet)

"Say. Do you disbelieve Him Who created the earth in two periods? Do you ascribe equals to Him. He is the Lord of the Worlds.
"He set in the (earth) mountains standing firm. He blessed it.
He measured therein its sustenance in four periods, in due proportion, in accordance with the needs of those who ask for (sustenance? or information?).
"Moreover (tumma) He turned to heaven when it was smoke and said to it and to the earth: come willingly or unwillingly! They said: we come in willing obedience.
"Then He ordained them seven heavens in two periods, and He assigned to each heaven its mandate by Revelation. And We adorned the lower heaven with luminaries and provided it a guard. Such is the decree of the All Mighty, the Full of Knowledge." 41.9-12

There is not a single passage in the Quran that lays down a definite sequence

"Are you the harder to create or is it the heaven that (God) built? He raised its canopy and fashioned it with harmony. He made dark the night and he brought out the forenoon. And after that (ba' da dalika) He spread it out. Therefrom he drew out its water and its pasture. And the mountains He has fixed firmly. Goods for you and your cattle." 79.27

"Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We clove them asunder and We got every living thing out of the water. Will they not then believe?" 21.30

God orders the Prophet to speak after inviting him to reflect on the subject of the earth's creation:

"Moreover (God) turned to the Heaven when it was smoke and said to it and to the earth . . ." 41.11

"(God) is the One Who created for you all that is on the earth. Moreover He turned to the heaven and fashioned seven heavens with harmony. He is Full of Knowledge of all things." 2.29

"And We have created above you seven paths. We have never been unmindful of the Creation." 23.17

"(God) is the One Who created seven heavens one above an other. Thou canst see no fault in the creation of the Beneficent. Turn the vision again! Canst thou see any rift?" 67.3

"Did you see how God created seven heavens one above another and made the moon a light therein and made the sun a lamp?” 71.15

( It is to be noted that while the Bible calls both Sun and Moon 'lights', here, as always in the Quran, they are differently named; the first is called 'Light' (nur) and the second is compared in this verse to a 'lamp (siraj) producing light'. We shall see later how other epithets are applied to the Sun.)

"We have built above you seven strong (heavens) and placed a blazing lamp." 78.12

Here the blazing lamp is the Sun.

One verse however predict the following:

"God is the One Who created seven heavens and of the earth (ard) a similar number. The Command descends among them so that you know that God has power over all things and comprehends all things in His knowledge." 65.12

It is possible to conclude that the Quranic text clearly indicates the existence of more than one single Earth, our own Earth (ard); there are others like it in the Universe.

"To Him (God) belongs what is in the heavens, on earth, between them and beneath the soil." 20.6

". . . the One Who created the heavens, the earth and what is between them in six periods." 25.59

"God is the One Who created the heavens, the earth and what is between them in six periods." 32.4

"We created the heavens, the earth .and what is between them in six periods, and no weariness touched Us." 50.38

( This statement that the Creation did not make God at all weary stands out as an obvious reply to the Biblical description, referred to in the first part of the present book, where God is said to have rested on the seventh day from the preceding days' work!


# ASTRONOMY

The subject is man in general.

"Do they not look at the sky above them, how We have built it and adorned it, and there are no rifts in it." 50.6

"(God) created the heavens without any pillars that you can see..." 31.10

"God is the One Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see, then He firmly established Himself on the throne and He subjected the sun and moon . . ." 13.2

These two verses refute the belief that the vault of the heavens was held up by pillars, the only things preventing the former from crushing the earth.

"the sky (God) raised it . . ." 55.7

"(God) holds back the sky from falling on the earth unless by His leave . . ." 22.65

God is speaking to the Prophet.

"Say: Who is Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the tremendous throne?" 23.86

We have already seen how by 'seven heavens' what is meant is not 7, but an indefinite number of Heavens.

"For you (God) subjected all that is in the heavens and on the earth, all from Him. Behold! In that are signs for people who reflect." 45.13

"The sun and moon (are subjected) to calculations" 55.5

"(God) appointed the night for rest and the sun and the moon for reckoning." 6.96

"For you (God) subjected the sun and the moon, both diligently pursuing their courses. And for you He subjected the night and the day." 14.33

God is speaking:

"And for the moon We have appointed mansions till she returns like an old shriveled palm branch." 36.39

This is a reference to the curled form of the palm branch which, as it shrivels up, takes on the moon's crescent. This commentary will be completed later.

"For you (God) subjected the night and the day, the sun and the moon; the stars are in subjection to His Command. Verily in this are signs for people who are wise." 16.12

"(God) is the One Who has set out for you the stars, that you may guide yourselves by them through the darkness of the land and of the sea. We have detailed the signs for people who know." 6.97

"(God sets on the earth) landmarks and by the stars (men) guide themselves." 16.16

"God is the One Who made the sun a shining glory and the moon a light and for her ordained mansions, so that you might know the number of years and the reckoning (of the time). God created this in truth. He explains the signs in detail for people who know." 10.5

"Blessed is the One Who placed the constellations in heaven and placed therein a lamp and a moon giving light." 25.61

"Did you see how God created seven heavens one above an other and made the moon a light therein and made the sun a lamp?" 71.15

"We have built above you seven strong (heavens) and placed a blazing lamp." 78.12

The blazing lamp is quite obviously the sun.

"By the sky and the Night-Visitor, who will tell thee what the Night-Visitor is, the Star of piercing brightness." 86.1

( Here, the sky and a star are used to bear witness to the importance of what is to come in the text.)

The evening star is qualified in the Quran by the word takib meaning 'that which pierces through something' (here the night shadows) . The same word is moreover used to designate shooting stars in 37.10: the latter are the result of combustion.

Here is the text in question:

"God is the light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as if there were a niche and within it a luminary. The luminary is in a glass. The glass is as if it were a planet glittering like a pearl." 24.35

"We have indeed adorned the lowest heaven with an ornament, the planets." 37.6

Thus the verse quoted could easily be understood, except that the following verse 7 speaks of a 'guard against every rebellious evil spirit', 'guard' again being referred to in 21.32 and 41.12, so that we are confronted by statements of quite a different kind.

What meaning can one attach moreover to the 'projectiles for the stoning of demons' that according to 67.5 are situated in the lowest heaven? Do the 'luminaries' referred to in the same verse have something to do with the shooting stars mentioned above? ( It is known that when a meteorite arrives at the upper layers of the atmosphere, it may produce the luminous phenomenon of a 'shooting star'.)

"(God is) the One Who created the night, the day, the sun and the moon. Each one is travelling in an orbit with its own motion." 21.33

"The sun must not catch up the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. Each one is travelling in an orbit with its own motion." 36.40

"(God) covers the day with the night which is in haste to follow it . . ." 7.54

"And a sign for them (human beings) is the night. We strip it of the day and they are in darkness." 36.37

"Hast thou not seen how God merges the night into the day and merges the day into the night." 31.29

". . . He coils the night upon the day and He coils the day upon the night." 39.5

--In 70.40, the expression 'Lord of Orients and Occidents'.
--In 55.17, the expression 'Lord of the two Orients and the two Occidents'.
--In 43.38, a reference to the 'distance between the two Orients', an image intended to express the immense size of the distance separating the two points.

The second verse 36.38 quoted above referred to the Sun running its course towards a place of its own.

Modern astronomy has been able to locate it exactly and has even given it a name, the Solar. Apex: the solar. system is indeed evolving in space towards a point situated in the Constellation of Hercules (alpha lyrae) whose exact location is firmly established; it is moving at a speed already ascertained at something in the region of 12 miles per. second.

The following verse of the Qur' an where God is speaking, may perhaps be compared with modern ideas:

"The heaven, We have built it with power. Verily. We are expanding it." 51.47


# THE CONQUEST OF SPACE

"O assembly of Jinns and Men, if you can penetrate regions of the heavens and the earth, then penetrate them! You will not penetrate them save with a Power." 55.33

( This verse is followed by an invitation to recognize God's blessings.)

God is speaking of the unbelievers in Makka, as the context of this passage in the sura shows:

"Even if We opened unto them a gate to Heaven and they were to continue ascending therein, they would say. our sight is confused as in drunkenness. Nay, we are people bewitched." 15.14

The above expresses astonishment at a remarkable spectacle, different from anything man could imagine.


# EARTH

"(God) is the One who made the earth a couch for you and the heavens an edifice, and sent down water from the sky. He brought forth therewith fruits for your sustenance. Do not join equals with God when you know." 2.22

"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth,
In the disparity of night and day,
In the ship which runs upon the sea for the profit of mankind,
In the water which God sent down from the sky thereby reviving the earth after its death,
In the beasts of all kinds He scatters therein,
In the change of the winds and the subjected clouds between the sky and earth,
Here are Signs for people who are wise." 2.164

"(God) is the One who spread out the earth and set therein mountains standing firm and rivers. For every fruit He placed two of a pair. He covers the day with the night. Verily in this there are Signs for people who reflect." 13.3

God is speaking:

"The earth, We spread it out and set thereon mountains standing firm. We caused all kind of things to grow therein in due balance. Therein W e have provided you and those you do not supply with means of subsistence and there is not a thing but its stores are with Us. We do not send it down save in appointed measure." 15.19

"(God is) the One Who has made for you the earth like a cradle and inserted roads into it for you. He sent water down from the sky and thereby We brought forth pairs of plants, each separate from the other. Eat! Pasture your cattle ! Verily in this are Signs for people endued with intelligence." 20.53

"He Who made the earth an abode and set rivers in its interstices and mountains standing firm. He placed a barrier between the two seas. Is there any divinity besides God? Nay, but most people do not know." 27.61

"(God is) the One Who made the earth docile to you. So walk upon its shoulders! Eat of His sustenance! Unto Him will be the Resurrection." 67.15

"After that (God) spread the earth out. Therefrom He drew out its water and its pasture. And the mountains He has firmly fixed. Goods for you and for your cattle." 79.30

( Whenever the pronoun 'We' appears in the verses of the text quoted here, it refers to God.)

"We sent down from the sky blessed water whereby We caused to grow gardens, grains for harvest, tall palm-trees with their spathes, piled one above the other-sustenance for (Our) servants. Therewith We gave (new) life to a dead land. So will be the emergence (from the tombs)." 50.9

"We sent down water from the sky in measure and lodged it in the ground. And We certainly are able to withdraw it. Therewith for you We gave rise to gardens of palm-trees and vineyards where for you are abundant fruits and of them you eat." 23.18

"We sent forth the winds that fecundate. We cause the water to descend from the sky. We provide you with the water-you (could) not be the guardians of its reserves." 15.22

"God is the One Who sends forth the winds which raised up the clouds. We drive them to a dead land. Therewith We revive the ground after its death. So will be the Resurrection." 35.9

It should be noted how the style is descriptive in the first part of the verse, then passes without transition to a declaration from God. Such sudden changes in the form of the narration are very frequent in the Quran.

"God is the One Who sends forth the winds which raised up the clouds. He spreads them in the sky as He wills and breaks them into fragments. Then thou seest raindrops issuing from within them. He makes them reach such of His servants as He wills. And they are rejoicing." 30.48

"(God) is the One Who sends forth the winds like heralds of His Mercy. When they have carried the heavy-laden clouds, We drive them to a dead land. Then We cause water to descend and thereby bring forth fruits of every kind. Thus We will bring forth the dead. Maybe you will remember." 7.57

"(God) is the One Who sends forth the winds like heralds of His Mercy. We cause pure water to descend in order to revive a dead land with it and to supply with drink the multitude of cattle and human beings We have created." 25.48

". . . In the provision that God sends down from the sky and thereby He revives the ground after its death and in the change (of direction) of winds, there are Signs for people who are wise." 45.5

The provision made in this last verse is in the form of the water sent down from the sky, as the context shows. The accent is on the change of the winds that modify the rain cycle.

"(God) sends water down from the sky so that the rivers flow according to their measure. The torrent bears away an increasing foam." 13.17

"Say. Do you see if your water were to be lost in the ground, who then can supply you with gushing water?" 67.30

"Hast thou not seen that God sent water down from the sky and led it through sources into the ground? Then He caused sown fields of different colors to grow." 39.21

"Therein We placed gardens of palm-trees and vineyards and We caused water springs to gush forth." 36.34

"Hast thou not seen that God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them a heap. And thou seest raindrops issuing from within it. He sends down from the sky mountains of hail, He strikes therewith whom He wills and He turns it away from whom He wills. The flashing of its lightning almost snatches away the sight." 24.43

The following passage requires some comment:

"Have you observed the water you drink? Do you bring it down from the rainclouds? Or do We? If it were Our will, We could make it salty. Then why are you not thankful?"

"(God) has made the ship subject to you, so that it runs upon the sea at His Command." 14.32

"(God) is the One Who subjected the sea, so that you eat fresh meat from it and you extract from it ornaments which you wear. Thou seest the ships plowing the waves, so that you seek of His Bounty. Maybe, you will be thankful." 16.14

"Hast thou seen that the ship runs upon the sea by the Grace of God, in order to show you His signs. Verily in this are Signs for all who are persevering and grateful." 31.24

"His are the ships erected upon the sea like tokens." 55.24

"A sign for them is that We bore their offspring in the loaded Ark. We have created for them similar (vessels) on which they ride. If We will, We drown them and there is no help and they will not be saved unless by Mercy from Us and as a gratification for a time." 36.41

"(God) is the One Who has let free the two seas, one is agreeable and sweet, the other salty and bitter. He placed a barrier between them, a partition that it is forbidden to pass." 25.53

"The two seas are not alike. The water of one is agreeable, sweet, pleasant to drink. The other salty and bitter. You eat fresh meat from it and you extract from it ornaments which you wear." 35.12

"He has loosed the two seas. They meet together. Between them there is a barrier which they do not transgress. Out of them come pearls and coral." 55.19

"For you God made the earth a carpet so that you travel along its roads and the paths of valleys." 71.19

"The earth, We have spread it out. How excellently We did that." 51.48

The context invites unbelievers to consider certain natural phenomena, among them:

". . . the mountains, how they have been pitched (like a tent).
The Earth how it was made even." 88.19

"Have We not made the earth an expanse and the mountains stakes." 78.7

"And the mountains (God) has fixed them firmly." 79.32

"(God) has cast into the ground (mountains) standing firm, so that it does not shake with you." 31.10

"We have placed in the ground (mountains) standing firm so that it does not shake with them." 16.15

"(God) is the One Who shows you the lightning, with fear and covetousness. He raised up the heavy clouds. The thunder glorifies His Praise and so do the angels for awe. He sends the thunder-bolt and strikes with them who He wills while they are disputing about God. He is All Mighty in His Power." 13.12

"Hast thou not seen that God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them a heap. And thou seest raindrops issuing from within it. He sends down from the sky mountains of hail, He strikes therewith whom He wills and He turns it away from whom He wills. The flashing of its lightning almost snatches away the sight." 24.43

"Out of the things He created, God has given you shade . . ." 16.81

"Have (the Unbelievers) not observed that for all the things God created, how their shadow shifts right and left, prostating themselves to God while they are full of humility." 16.48

"Hast thou not seen how thy Lord has spread the shade. If He willed, He could have made it stationary. Moreover We made the sun its guide and We withdraw it towards Us easily." 25.45

"Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We clove them asunder and We got every living thing out of the water. Will they then not believe?" 21.30

"(God is the One Who) sent water down from the sky and thereby We brought forth pairs of plants each separate from the other." 20.53

"God created every animal from water." 24.45

"(God) is the One Who sends water down from the sky. For you this is a drink and out of it (grow) shrubs in which you let (cattle) graze freely. Therewith for you He makes sown fields, olives, palm-trees, vineyards and all kinds of fruit grow." 16.10

"(God) is the One Who sent water down from the sky. Therewith We brought forth plants of all kinds and from them the verdure and We brought forth from it the clustered grains, and from the palm-tree its spathes with bunches of dates (hanging) low, the gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates similar and different. Look at their fruit, when they bear it, and their ripening. Verily, in that there are signs for people who believe." 6.99

"We sent down from the sky blessed water whereby We caused to grow gardens, grains for harvest, tall palm-trees with their spathes, piled one above the other-sustenance for (Our) servants. Therewith We give (new) life to a dead land. So will be the emergence (from the tombs)." 50.9

"The earth . . . We caused all kinds of things to grow therein in due balance." 15.19


# The Different Qualities of Various Foods

"On the earth are adjacent parts; vineyards, sown fields, palm-trees, similar and not similar, watered with the same water. We make some of them more excellent than others to eat and verily in this are signs for wise people." 13.4

"(God is the One Who) sent water down from the sky and thereby We brought forth pairs of plants each separate from the other." 20.53

'One of a pair' is the translation of zauj (plural azwaj) whose original meaning is: 'that which, in the company of another, forms a pair'; the word is used just as readily for a married couple as for a pair of shoes.

"Thou seest the grounds lifeless. When We send down water thereon it shakes and grows and puts forth every magnificent pair (of plants)." 22.5

"We caused to grow (on the earth) every noble pair (of plants)." 31.10

"Of all fruits (God) placed (on the earth) two of a pair." 13.3

"Verily, God splits the grain and the fruit-stone." 6.95

The Quran often restates the existence of these components of a pair in the vegetable kingdom and brings the notion of a couple into a more general context, without set limits:

"Glory be to Him Who created the components of couples of every kind: of what the ground caused to grow, of themselves (human beings) and of what you do not know." 36.36

"(God) created cattle for you and (you find) in them warmth, useful services and food, sense of beauty when you bring them home and when you take them to pasture. They bear your heavy loads to lands you could not reach except with great personal effort. Verily, your Lord is Compassionate and Merciful; (He created) horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and for ornament. And He created what you do not know." 16.5

"(God) fashioned the two of a pair, the male and the female, from a small quantity of liquid when it is poured out." 53.45

"There is no animal on earth, no bird which flies on wings, that (does not belong to) communities like you. We have not neglected anything in the Book (of Decrees). Then to their Lord they will be gathered." 6.38

( One might note in passing, that this last verse is the only one in the Quran that refers to the possibility of a remedy for man. Honey can indeed be useful for certain diseases. Nowhere else in the Quran is a reference made to any remedial arts, contrary to what may have been said about this subject.

"Thy Lord inspired the bees: Choose your dwelling in the hills, in the trees and in what (man) built. Eat of all fruit and follow the ways of your Lord in humility. From within their bodies comes a liquor of different colours where is a remedy for men." 16.68

"Those who choose masters other than God are like the spider when it takes for itself a dwelling. Verily, the flimsiest dwelling is the dwelling of the spider. If they but knew." 29.41

"There is no animal on the earth, no bird which flies on wings, that (does not belong to) communities like you. We have not neglected anything in the Book (of Decrees). Then to their Lord they will be gathered." 6.38

Two other verses highlight the birds' strict submission to God's Power.

"Do they not look at the birds subjected in the atmosphere of the sky? None can hold them up (in His Power) except God." 16.79

"Have they not looked at the birds above them spreading their wings out and folding them? None can hold them up (in his Power) except the Beneficent." 67.19

The translation of one single word in each of these verses is a very delicate matter. The translation given here expresses the idea that God holds the birds up in His Power. The Arabic verb in question is amsaka, whose original meaning is 'to put one's hand on, seize, hold, hold someone back'

"Verily, in cattle there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink of what is inside their bodies, coming from a conjunction between the contents of the intestine and the blood, a milk pure and pleasant for those who drink it." 16.66


# HUMAN REPRODUCTION

82.6 "O Man! Who deceives you about your Lord the Noble, Who created you and fashioned you in due proportion and gave you any form He willed."

71.14 "(God) fashioned you in (different) stages."

Fertilization is Performed by Only a Very Small Volume of Liquid

16.4 "(God) fashioned man from a small quantity (of sperm)."

The Arabic word nutfa has been translated by the words 'small quantity (of sperm)' because we do not have the terms that are strictly appropriate. This word comes from a verb signifying 'to dribble, to trickle'; it is used to describe what remains at the bottom of a bucket that has been emptied out. It therefore indicates a very small quantity of liquid. Here it is sperm because the word is associated in another verse with the word sperm.

75.37 "Was (man) not a small quantity of sperm which has been poured out?"

Here the Arabic word mani signifies sperm.

Another verse indicates that the small quantity in question is put in a 'firmly established lodging' (qarar) which obviously means the genital organs.

23.13 "Then We placed (man) as a small quantity (of sperm) in a safe lodging firmly established."

The Constituents of the Fertilizing Liquid

The Quran describes the liquid enabling fertilization to take place in terms which it is interesting to examine:

'sperm', as has been stated precisely

'a liquid poured out'. "Man was fashioned from a liquid poured out" 86.6

32.8 'a despised liquid' 77.20

The adjective 'despised' (mahin) would, it seems, be interpreted not so much on account of the nature of the liquid itself, as more the fact that it is emitted through the outlet of the urinary tract, using the channels that are employed for passing urine.

'Mixtures' or 'mingled liquids' (amsaj): "Verily, we fashioned man from a small quantity of mingled liquids" 76.2

"(God) made his progeny from the quintessence of a despised liquid."

The Arabic word, translated here by the word 'quintessence', is sulala. It signifies 'something which is extracted, the issue of something else, the best part of a thing'. In whatever way it is translated, it refers to a part of a whole.

The Implantation of the Egg In the Female Genital Organs

Once the egg has been fertilized in the Fallopian tube it descends to lodge inside the uterus; this is called the 'implantation of the egg'. The Quran names the lodging of the fertilized egg womb:

22.5 "We cause whom We will to rest in the womb for an appointed term."

The implantation of the egg in the uterus (womb) is the result of the development of villosities, veritable elongations of the egg, which, like roots in the soil, draw nourishment from the thickness of the uterus necessary to the egg's growth. These formations make the egg literally cling to the uterus. This is a discovery of modern times.

The act of clinging is described five different times in the Quran.

96.1 "Read, in the name of thy Lord Who fashioned,
Who fashioned man from something which clings."

'Something which clings' is the translation of the word 'alaq. It is the original meaning of the word. A meaning derived from it, 'blood clot', often figures in translation; it is a mistake against which one should guard: man has never passed through the stage of being a 'blood clot'. The same is true for another translation of this term, 'adhesion' which is equally inappropriate. The original sense of 'something which clings' corresponds exactly to today's firmly established reality.

This concept is recalled in four other verses which describe successive transformations from the small quantity of sperm through to the end:

22.5 "We have fashioned you from . . . something which clings."
23.14 "We have fashioned the small quantity (of sperm) into something which clings."
40.67 "(God) fashioned you from a small quantity (of sperm), from something which clings."
75.37 "Was (man) not a small quantity of sperm which has been poured out? After that he was something which clings; then God fashioned him in due proportion."

The organ which harbours the pregnancy is qualified in the Quran by a word which, as we have seen, is still used in Arabic to signify the uterus. In some suras, it is called a 'lodging firmly established' 23.13, 77.21

( In another verse (6.98) a place of sojourn is mentioned. It is expressed in a term very similar to the preceding one and would also seem to signify the maternal uterus.)


# Evolution of the Embryo inside the Uterus

The Quranic description of certain stages in the development of the embryo corresponds exactly to what we today know about it, and the Quran does not contain a single statement that is open to criticism from modern science.

After 'the thing which clings' (an expression which is well-founded, as we have seen) the Quran informs us that the embryo passes through the stage of 'chewed flesh', then osseous tissue appears and is clad in flesh (defined by a different word from the preceding which signifies 'intact flesh').

23.14 "We fashioned the thing which clings into a chewed lump of flesh and We fashioned the chewed flesh into bones and We clothed the bones with intact flesh."

'Chewed flesh' is the translation of the word mudga; 'intact flesh' is lahm. This distinction needs to be stressed. The embryo is initially a small mass. At a certain stage in its development, it looks to the naked eye like chewed flesh. The bone structure develops inside this mass in what is called the mesenchyma. The bones that are formed are covered in muscle; the word lahm applies to them.

Another verse which requires extremely delicate interpretation is the following:

39.6 "(God) fashions you inside the bodies of your mothers, formation after formation, in three (veils of) darkness." (zulumat)

The three anatomical layers that protect the infant during gestation: the abdominal wall, the uterus itself, and the surroundings of the foetus (placenta, embryonic membranes, amniotic fluid). The terpretation given here does not seem to me to be disputable from an anatomical point of view but is this what the text of the Quran really means?

"We fashioned . . . into something which clings . . . into a lump of flesh in proportion and out of proportion."

The Quran also describes the appearance of the senses and the viscerae:

32.9 "(God) appointed for you the sense of hearing, sight and the viscerae."

It refers to the formation of the sexual organs:

53.45 "(God) fashioned the two of a pair, the male and the female, from a small quantity (of sperm) when it is poured out."

The formation of the sexual organs is described in two sura of the Quran:

35.11 "God created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then He made you pairs (the male and female)."

75.39 "And, (God) made of him a pair, the male and female."

All statements in the Quran must be compared with today's firmly established concepts: the agreement between them is very clear. It is however very important to compare them with the general beliefs On this subject that were held at the time of the Quranic Revelation in order to realize just how far people were in those days from having views on these problems similar to those expressed here in the Quran. There can be no doubt that they would have been unable to interpret the Revelation in the way we can today because we are helped by the data modern knowledge affords us. It was, in fact, only during the Nineteenth century that people had a slightly clearer view of this question.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the most diversified doctrines originated in unfounded myths and speculations: they persisted for several centuries after this period. The most fundamental stage in the history of embryology was Harvey's statement (1651) that "all life initially comes from an egg". At this time however, when nascent science had nevertheless benefited greatly (for the subject in hand) from the invention of the microscope, people were still talking about the respective roles of the egg and the spermatozoon. Buffon, the great naturalist, was one of those in favor of the egg theory, but Bonnet supported the theory of the seeds being 'packed together'. the ovaries of Eve, the mother of the human race, were supposed to have contained the seeds of all human beings, packed together one inside the other. This hypothesis came into favor in the Eighteenth century.

More than a thousand years before our time, at a period when whimsical doctrines still prevailed, men had a knowledge of the Quran. The statements it contains express in simple terms truths of primordial importance which man has taken centuries to discover.


# THE QURAN AND SEX EDUCATION

Two verses in the Quran deal with sexual relations themselves. They are described in terms which unite the need for precision with that of decency.

86.6 "(Man) was fashioned from a liquid poured out. It issued (as a result) of the conjunction of the sexual area of the man and the sexual area of the woman."

The sexual area of the man is indicated in the text of the Quran by the world sulb (singular). The sexual areas of the woman are designated in the Quran by the word tara'ib (plural).

The behavior of a man in his intimate relationships with his wife is stated explicitly.

There is the order concerning the menstruation period; God gives the following command to the Prophet:

2.222 "They (the Believers) question thee concerning menstruation. Say: This is an evil. Keep away from women during menstruation and do not approach them until they are clean. When they have purified themselves, go to them, as God ordered it to you.
"Verily, God loves the repentants and loves those who purified themselves.
"Your wives are a tilth. Go to your tilth as you will. Do (some good act) for your souls beforehand."

The beginning of this passage is very clear in meaning: it formally forbids a man to have sexual contact with a woman who has her period. The second part describes the process of tilling which the sower performs before sowing the seed which is to germinate and produce a new plant. Through this image therefore, stress is indirectly laid on the importance of bearing in mind the final purpose of sexual contact, i.e. reproduction. It contains an order which seems to refer to the preliminaries before sexual contact.

Sexual relations are permitted at night during the Fast in the month of Ramadan. The verse concerning Ramadan is as follows:

2.187 "Permitted to you, on the night of the fast, is to break chastity with your wives. They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them. So hold intercourse with them and seek what God has ordained for you."

In contrast to this, no exception to the rule is made for pilgrims in Makka during the celebration days of the Pilgrimage.

2.197 "For whom undertakes (the duty of) the Pilgrimage in its time, no wooing and no license."

This prohibition is formal, as is the fact that other activities are forbidden, e.g. hunting, fighting, etc.
Menstruation is again mentioned in the Quran in connection with divorce. The Book contains the following verse:

65.4 "For your wives who despair of menstruation, if you doubt about them, their period of waiting will be three months. For those who never have their monthly periods and those who are pregnant their period will be until they lay down their burden."

The waiting period referred to here is the time between the announcement of the divorce and the time it comes into effect. Those women of whom it is said 'they despair of menstruation' have reached the menopause. A precautionary period of three months is envisaged for them. Once this period is completed, divorced women who have reached the menopause may remarry.

For those who have not yet menstruated, the pregnancy period has to be awaited. For pregnant women, divorce only comes into effect once the child is born.

All these laws are in perfect agreement with physiological data. One can, furthermore, find in the Quran the same judicious legal provision in the texts dealing with widowhood.

Thus, the theoretical statements dealing with reproduction, and the practical instructions on the sex life of couples, do not contradict and cannot be placed in opposition to the data we have from modern knowledge, nor with anything that can be logically derived from it.

In view of the level of knowledge in Muhammad's day, it is inconceivable that many of the statements In the Quran which are connected with science could have been the work of a man. It is, moreover, perfectly legitimate, not only to regard the Quran as the expression of a Revelation, but also to award it a very special place, on account of the guarantee of authenticity it provides and the presence in it of scientific statements which, when studied today, appear as a challenge to explanation in human terms.

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