Question
I am a Muslim and am still in the process of reading and understanding the Quran and the Hadith. Meanwhile I have listened to many speeches and CDs of world known lslamic speakers like Sheikh Deedat, Dr. Zakir Naik etc… I tried to do dawah to one of my Hindu friends, and one thing I emphasized was the authenticity of Holy Quran and the miracle that it contains, without any errors, scientific, literary, etc… whatsoever. But he questioned me that he could get me errors in Quran and also got me some (which I myself know that they are not errors) but couldn’t really explain him perfectly as I myself have not completed reading Quran. So I need your help in letting him know that his allegations are wrong and that Quran is indeed the revelation of Allah.
His allegations are as follows:
I just gazed the book and it is not very amazing because most the facts are assumed and the verses are evasive and can be intercepted in other ways too and also this is available in other Hindu books also with more accuracy. Since I have not read the entire book I will come out with a better answer and also some of the statements are not true. If this is a book given by god everything should be perfect in it and if even one verse is wrong then this book is not created by god.
“Everything Made In Pairs” -Is it true…? What about the hermaphrodites…?
Hermaphrodites are explained in Hinduism.
“Proclaim! (Or Read!) In the name of thy Lord And Cherisher, Who created – Created man, out of a (mere) Clot of congealed blood.”
Is sperm a congealed blood…? Will you get sperm if you congeal it…?
“Seest thou not that Allah merges Night into Day and He merges Day into Night?”
How you concluded earth is round with the word merging. Why dont the book tell the earth is round directly if it is intended to infer it is round. From this verse merging, it is just an evident fact which u will see and feel when u see the sun setting slowly in the west and the moon rises. And I see this as an reverse engineered one from the actual scientific fact that the world is round. It is very evasive and can have many conclusions.
“Blessed is He Who made Constellations in the skies, and placed therein a Lamp and a Moon giving light.”
More accurate characteristics, orbits and appearance of moon and other planets are given in Hindu books.
“It is He who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon to be a light (of beauty).” [Al-Qur’an 10:5]
“See ye not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another, “And made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp?”
I don’t infer anything from these verses. Is moon the only luminous body in our solar system…? What happened to the other planets ? I hope God knows them also.
God created it and why he has not mentioned it? Why only moon, which something a man can see is mentioned. This makes me feel that some man has written this.
“He Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between.”
What does “is between” infers…? You claim that as interstellar…? How? Does it really mean interstellar. It can be something else also. Again this is a reverse engineered thing.
There are more information in Hindu books and claiming this book as the best books with scientific fact is ignorance. You should also read other books before you claim that you are the best.
Here ends his allegations
Answer
One of the biggest flaws many Muslims commit is when they try to propagate (i.e. dawah) Islam to others while not having grasped important elements in the religion. As you yourself have stated you have not finished reading the Qur’an nor fully understand much about the religion, if I may presume. By presenting Islam from your limited knowledge you do a disservice; both to yourself and to the person you have approached. To yourself because you may end up confused with the questions thrown at you which in turn may cause you the feeling of insecurity in what you thought you knew. To the person you are approaching, you will seem unsure and lacking to the point you may turn the person off. Hence, I urge you to educate yourself more in your religion not for the purpose of propagation but rather to understand better the way God has established for us to follow.
All the listening and reading to the comparative religious material will not prepare you for a good relationship with the Almighty. As a matter of fact some of those who speak on certain issues, especially regarding science, do not have the qualifications or the knowledge to tackle certain subjects. With that, there is another element that is wrong with your approach; the Qur’an’s scientific aptitude. Unfortunately, it is common practice for many to make the Qur’an what it is not; a book of science. Scientific accuracy should not define a person’s religious beliefs or have an affect on one’s faith since that is not what the Book itself professes. Presenting science as an “in” towards Islam is detrimental because science changes and would leave a believing person at a loss if what was once thought to be a fact is no longer so. The Qur’an discusses the natural phenomenon that exists as signs for humanity to consider in the walk towards Him. Please consider the following articles to help you better understand the process of da’wah and the relationship between science and Islam:
About Propagating Islam to Interested People
Were new Meanings Attached to Words to Make the Qur’an Scientifically Acceptable?
He writes:
“Everything Made In Pairs” Is it true…? What about the hermaphrodites…?
Hermaphrodites are explained in Hinduism.
Please read the following link to understand this concept better:
What is the Meaning of ‘Creation in Pairs’? – Al-Zaariyaat 51: 49
As for hermaphrodites there is no reason that the Qur’an would concern itself with something that has no guidance-value. However, as you will read from the link the Qur’an does not imply the “scientific facts” you may have presented to your friend with.
He writes:
Is sperm a congealed blood…? Will u get sperm if u congeal it…?
Where in the entire surah of Al Alaq does it mention anything about sperm? Obviously the person has completely misunderstood and assumed something completely wrong. Based on his misunderstanding he has projected an error upon the Qur’an, this he needs to rectify with himself not the Qur’an. Again, if this has been interpreted in this way then it is wrong and your friend’s response is understandable.
He writes:
How u concluded earth is round with the word merging.
He is right. Based on some creative interpretations this assumption has been made. As was mentioned before, this verse is not regarding some scientific fact that the earth was round but rather a sign from God to humanity.
He writes:
More accurate characteristics, orbits and appearance of moon and other planets are given in Hindu books.
This neither makes Hindu books more superior nor does it make the Qur’an wrong. So I cannot see the point in such a comment.
He writes:
I don’t infer anything from these verses. is moon the only luminous body in our solar system…? What happened to the other planets ? I hope God knows them also. God created it and why he has not mentioned it? Why only moon, which something a man can see is mentioned. This makes me feel that some man has written this.
In the very verse he has quoted it says, “…and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp.” I cannot fathom why he would make such a presumption. The verse mentions God’s providence as it is relative to the earth. We all know the importance of the sun and the moon. Must every planet and star be mentioned in order to show this providence? Besides what other stars or planets illuminate the earth at night more-so than the moon? If man cannot see something or know something that is related to guidance what would be the point in mentioning something we can never know or has any relevance to the way we live? Again, the way these verses have been presented to him is not clear to me so I can only assume that the scientific interpretation is what caused him to reply in this way. We cannot fault him for it as he is being presented with something that does not bear the truth; the interpretation, that is.
He writes:
what does “is between” infers…? You claim that as interstellar…? How? Does it really means interstellar. It can be something else also. Again this is a reverse engineered thing.
Whatever is meant by “reverse engineered,” it should be appreciated that “in between” alludes to all the providence and creation of God. I do not see this as being a reasonable objection or even a scientific flaw. Whether one can interpret something in various ways is not an issue it is how sound the interpretation can be.
Your friend is actually not wrong in his reaction. Many Muslims have made it a habit to interpret the Qur’anic message as somehow being inherently scientific. Not only is this false, it is also misleading. One can appreciate that when Muslims approach others with such “facts” people will react negatively especially when they are learned. It is obvious that your friend had a reaction to your presentation as he even ended his refutation with the words, “before you claim that you are the best.” It is this attitude, by Muslims, that actually turns people off more so than lead them to the truth of Islam. Bringing Islam to people under false pretenses will lead to negative results. Presenting Islam in the most truthful and honest way is one of our utmost duties to the religion. We should never allow our fervor drive us to falsify the facts. Bringing someone to Islam via deception may turn someone away who based his or her faith on a scientific foundation, which is incorrect in the first place. Your friend’s reaction is warranted however it seems that he has completely misconstrued much of what he has read. His refutation is thus towards those Muslims who have wrongly interpreted certain verses not towards the Qur’an. Lastly, please take careful note of the fact this reply was not a rebuttal to the claims above. Hence, this was a reply for your purposes to understand that getting in such conversation cannot be healthy when the person is presenting the “knowledge” is lacking in it and with an aura of superiority. Please do not take the task of bringing Islam to others until you have brought it to yourself, correctly.
I hope I have clarified the issue.
God knows best.