i

Forum of the Scientific Miracles in the

Glorious Qur’ān

Prof. Muhammad Shawqi Al-Fangary

Prof. Zaghloul Ragheb An-Najjar

Prof. Ali Ali Al-Mursi

Prof. Ahmad Shawqi Ibrahim

Prof. Ahmad Fouad Pasha

Prof. Muhammad R'afat Othman

Prof. Sayed Soubhy

Prof. Muhammad Abd El-Halim Omar

Prof. Shawqi Ahmed Dunia

Prof. Muhammad Ahmad ash-Shahawi

Prof. Abd El-Azim al-Mata'ani

Prof. Abd El-Wahab Aziz al-Sharqawi.

Prof. Karem Al-Sayed Gunaym

ii

Translated by

Dr. S'aud Wakid

Dr. S'aad Ibrahim Mandisha

Dr. Kamal Boraiq'a 'Abd Al-Salam

Dr. Mahmud al-Qastawi

Dr. Mahmud Hassan al-Dinawi

Dr. Gamal Al-Tahan

Edited by

Prof. Muhammad M. Abu Laylah

iii

Written

Prof. Muhammad Shawqi Al-Fangary

Prof. Zaghloul Ragheb An-Najjar

Prof. Ali Ali Al-Mursi

Prof. Ahmad Shawqi Ibrahim

Prof. Ahmad Fouad Pasha

Prof. Muhammad R'afat Othman

Prof. Sayed Soubhy

Prof. Muhammad Abd El-Halim Omar

Prof. Shawqi Ahmed Dunia

Prof. Muhammad Ahmad ash-Shahawi

Prof. Abd El-Azim al-Mata'ani

Prof. Abd El-Wahab Aziz al-Sharqawi.

Prof. Karem Al-Sayed Gunaym

The Scientific Miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © ������ ��� ���ق ا��

No Part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any

form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

including photocopying and recording or by any

information storage and retrieval system without the

written permission of the Author.

First Edition

iv

5

������ ����� � ���

The Translator's Introduction

All praise is due to Allāh; and blessings and peace be upon His

messenger and servant, Muhammad, and upon his family and

companions and whoever follows his guidance until the Day of

Resurrection.

This translation of the book entitled al-'Ijaz al-'Ilmi fi al-Qur’ān

al-Karim (literally, The Scientific Miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān).

The book was published in Arabic by Daru as- S'aadah for Printing.

We have the great pleasure to introduce this book which

presents some aspects of endless miracles of the Glorious Qur’ān,

written by a group of eminent scholars each in his own secialization.

We highly appreciate the efforts made by prof. S'aud Waked,

Dr. Saad Ibrahim Mandisha, Dr. Kamal Boraiq'a 'Abd Al-salam,

Mahmud al-Qastawi, Dr. Mahmud al-Dinawi, and Dr. Gamal al-

Tahan for their efforts in translating the book.

Thanks should also be extended to Raya Shokotfard for revising

a part of this book.

Prof. Muhammad M. Abu Laylah

Prof. of Islamic Studies in English

Al-Azhar University

6

Introduction By

Chancellor Dr. Muhammad Shawky al-Fanjary

Chairman of the Islamic Charitable Association

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful and

peace and blessings be upon His noble Messenger.

It is narrated in a Prophetic hadith that whoever seeks the

worldly life should abide by the Qur’ān, and whoever seeks the

Hereafter should abide by the Qur’ān.

The Qur’ān is the miracle of all time and all places, and it is the

ever-renewable miracle that will last forever. Throughout the Islamic

history, the Muslim scholars offered their Tafsir (interpretations) of

the several aspects of language, rhetoric, juristic and historical

miraculousness which they found, among others, in the Qur’ān.

Also, the contemporary scholars make praiseworthy endeavors to

reveal the scientific miraculousness within the Glorious Qur’ān in

other fields like astronomy, medicine, sociology, economics, etc. In so

doing, they attempt to discover the facts related to the visible universe

through the Book of Almighty Allah Who says: (Decidedly it (is

nothing) except a Remembrance to the worlds. And indeed you

will definitely know its tiding after a while.) (Sad 38: 87-88) He

also says: (That is of the tidings of the Unseen that We reveal to

you; in no way did you (yourself) know it, neither your people,

even before this…) (Hūd: 49)

It has become obvious that the efforts exerted toward discovering the

scientific miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān would increase the Muslims

in faith and attract new advocates from the most prominent scientists

7

and men of power worldwide. That is because the Glorious Qur’ān

invites people to contemplate on the signs of Allah and discuss their

meanings and the scientific treasures contained therein. Almighty

Allah says: (Say, “Look into whatever is in the heavens and the

earth…”) (Yūnus: 101) And He also says: (We will soon show them

Our signs in the horizons and in themselves until it is evident to

them that it is the Truth…) (Fussilat: 53)

In light of the foregoing, we are holding this symposium today

on the scientific miraculousness of the Glorious Qur’ān, with the

participation of great scholars and experts, each in his own

specialization.

I would like to draw attention to the several institutions, centers

and conferences, national and international, that are primarily focused

on the scientific miraculousness in the Qur’ān with all its different

fields and aspects: rhetoric, experimental, social and so on. They issue

several and repeated research, However their efforts were carried out

individually and not as a team work.

Hence, we should stop to make use of these exerted efforts and

sort them out. And this can only be achieved by consolidating the

relationship between all these institutions and centers. They should

develop mutual co-ordination and co-operation, lay the goals of their

conferences and research together, and avoid repetition. Thus, they

would be able to reach definite concrete and practical results that serve

Islam and benefit the whole world.

8

Efforts and contributions of the Working Institutions in the Filed

of the Miraculousness of the Qur’ān and Sunah

Prof. Karem As-Sayyed Ghoneim

Prof. at the Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University

Member of the Writers’ Union of Egypt

Secretary General of the Organization of the Scientific Miracles in

the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, Cairo

Rapporteur of the Committee of the Scientific Miracles in the

Qur’ān and the Sunnah at the Supreme Council of Muslim

Affairs, Egypt

Secretary General of the Scientific Academy for the Qur’ān and

Sunnah Research

Introduction

The Glorious Qur’ān is a divine book: […A book whose ayat (i.e.,

verses, signs) are set clear; thereafter expounded from One who is

Ever-Wise, Ever-Cognizant] (Hūd: 1). There is no religious or

worldly book that has been preserved from distortion and alteration as

the Qur’ān has. No one could ever add or omit a single letter from it,

no matter how many and various attempts were made and the methods

employed throughout the ages. Moreover, many non-Muslims in

different ages and eras, through the guidance of Almighty Allah, were

able to utter the word of truth. For example, a group of bishops and

monks in Denmark, following a debate with some Muslim scholars a

few years ago, confirmed that: the Glorious Qur’ān is the only divine

book that has not undergone any distortion whatsoever; whereas the

9

heavenly books of all other past religions have actually been distorted

throughout history.

Along with the light of fitrah (inborn natural disposition) and reason,

this Qur’ān is (the light) of Allah to His servants, and it is in itself a

light, for Almighty Allah says: (O you mankind, a proof has already

come to you from your Lord; and We have sent down to you an

evident Light.) (An-Nisā’: 174) Thus, it is a light that makes other

things clear, reveals the obscurities, illustrates the facts and rebuts

falsehoods; it is the greatest miracle and the strongest proof of the

veracity of the message brought by Allah’s Messenger (peace and

blessings be upon him). Indeed, it is an intellectual as well as

scientific miracle, despite the fact that Prophet Muhammad was

illiterate. The reason for this lies in the consistency and harmony in

the nature of his message, which is the seal of all divine messages;

therefore, it is not restricted to a particular people, place or time. Yet,

its place is stretched throughout the whole earth, and its time is

enduring till the Day of Judgment. Given that, Almighty Allah willed

that many different aspects of miraculousness in the Qur’ān, whether

expressed explicitly or implicitly, and directly or figuratively, be

revealed and demonstrated successively throughout the ages.

Indeed, the supreme purpose of the Qur’ān is to guide humanity

and lead them to goodness both in this worldly life and the life to

come. However, the Qur’ān is also intended to fulfill other lofty goals.

Thus, Almighty Allah has placed in it numerous treasures to be

discovered one after another through careful examination. Those

treasures pertain to language, rhetoric, legislation, psychology,

10

science, etc. Having been sent as guidance, the Qur’ān was not to

speak to people about universal facts beyond their capacity and belief,

lest they would, in this case, have rejected the message. On the other

hand, it was also inappropriate for this book of guidance to go in

agreement with the false beliefs held by people about the universe at

the time of its revelation; otherwise, the Qur’ān and its message would

have been rejected with the coming of the ages of scientific and

technological advance. Avoiding these two obstacles to accepting the

Qur’ānic guidance is indeed a sign of the miraculous style of the

Qur’ān, and it is powerful evidence that the Qur’ān is truly from

Allah. The graduation in grasping the complete conformity of the

Qur’ānic phrases and references with the natural facts makes it plain

that the Qur’ān is the eternal miracle of all time, a miracle that is ever-

renewing with every new age.

Some scholars from the Salaf (first three generatons), not few in

number, attempted to uncover some scientific treasures in the cosmic

and medical signs mentioned in the Glorious Qur’ān. Then, with the

lapse of time, bodies and institutions have emerged for that specific

purpose. Individual efforts are always initial signs of collective

efforts. That is one of the immutable laws of Da`wah (invitation to

Islam) in human history. It may be suitable here to make brief mention

of the most prominent scholars who had left impacts on this field.

Among them are Abu Hamid Al-Ghazaly (450 – 505 A.H.), Al-Fakhr

Ar-Razy (543 – 606 A.H.), Abu Al-Fadl Al-Mursy (died 655 A.H.),

Jalaal Ad-Din As-Siouty (died 911 A.H.) and Al-Alusy (1217 – 1270

A.H.). And of the 14th Hijri century scholars, we mention Muhammad

11

`Abduh, Tantawy Juhary, `Abdul-Halim Mahmoud, Muhammad Farid

Wagdy, Muhammad At-Tahir ibn `Ashour, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

and `Abdul-Raziq Nufal. As for the present 15th century Hijri (21

st

century A.D.), the examples are too many to be counted. This is the

century in which the importance of studying and examining the

scientific references made in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah has been

stressed, leading to the establishment of several (collective)

associations, academies and institutions in this sphere.

After we have referred to some examples from our previous scholars

who exerted (individual) efforts in demonstrating some aspects of

health wisdom and natural cosmic signs occurring in the Qur’ānic

verses, we now discuss the efforts made by associations, institutions,

organizations, committees and academies, all of which did not emerge

until the beginning of the 15th Hijri century (particularly the last two

decades of the 20th century A.D.). We may classify these bodies into

four divisions, as follows: governmental, non-governmental, non-

specialized and private projects.

The first section: Governmental Institutions

The governmental efforts are confined to three bodies only, two of

which are in Egypt -the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (the

Ministry of Endowments) and the Academy for Islamic Research (Al-

Azhar)- and one body in Kuwait, which is the organization of Islamic

medicine (the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences). Here, we

shall shed light on the achievements of each of these institutions up to

the year 2002.

12

First chapter: the Committee of the Scientific Miracles in the

Qur’ān and the Sunnah:

His Eminence Prof. Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq (the Minister of

Endowments) issued a ministerial decision to establish the Committee

of the Scientific Miracles in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, affiliated with

the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, in 1418 A.H. (1997 A.D.).

This committee held its first meeting on Thursday, Rajab 27th, 1418

A.H. (corresponding to November 27th, 1997 A.D.). The proceedings

of this committee went through five sessions (this is the system

followed in the committees of the Supreme Council for Islamic

Affairs) headed by Prof. Ahmad Shawki Ibrahim. The first session

was concluded with the meeting held on June 14th, 1988; the second

session was concluded with the meeting on June 12th, 1999; the third

session was concluded with the meeting on June 10th, 2000; the fourth

was concluded with the meeting held on June 16th, 2001; and the fifth

was concluded with the meeting held on May 18th, 2002. Then, a

ministerial decision was issued to join Prof. Zaghloul Ragheb An-

Najjar to the membership of this committee and entrust its

chairmanship to him as of the sixth session that began with the

meeting held in October, 2002. It is well known that the rapporteurs of

this committee (in the historical order) are: Dr. Mansour Muhammad

Hasab An-Nabi (may Allah have mercy on him), Dr. Taha Ibrahim

Abu Khalifah (may Allah have mercy on him), and Dr. Karim As-

Sayyed Ghoneim.

The achievements made by the Committee during its past five

sessions are compiled below:

13

First: Al-Muntakhab fi Tafsir al-Qur’ān al-Karim: the

Committee reviewed the scientific commentaries given in Tafsir “Al-

Muntakhab” and added new commentaries to them. It started with

Surat Al-Fatihah and concluded with Surat Az-Zumar.

Second: the Committee laid down an approach to studying the

cosmic signs occurring in the Glorious Qur’ān. The fundamental rules

of this approach are: explaining the Qur’ān with the Qur’ān – referring

to the transmitted reports on the Prophet – relying on the reliable

books of Tafsir – having considerable knowledge about the sciences

that are of help in this regard – verifying the authenticity of scientific

information – taking into consideration the variety of meanings, the

limitedness of human sciences, and the diversity of references – being

acquainted with the unity of the surah and the general theme it is

centered about – maintaining objectivity and avoiding fabrication and

cunning – Tafsir is a human endeavor that may be right or erroneous.

Third: the Committee set a program for employing the study

of the scientific miracles in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah in the field of

Islamic Da’wah. Some of its members participated in the cultural

seasons organized by the Ministry.

Fourth: the Committee presented to the Secretary-General of

the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs the following cultural and

Da’wah projects:

1) The project of the contest of the scientific miracles in the Qur’ān

and Sunnah, whose expenses are taken from the 15-thousand L.E.

amount granted by Judge Dr. Muhammad Shawki Al-Fangari for the

scientific miracles research in the Council.

14

2) The project of forming an international academy for the scientific

miracles in the Qur’ān and Sunnah to coordinate the efforts made by

the different institutions working in this sphere.

3) The project of advancing the higher studies and academic research

in the areas of scientific miracles.

Fifth: the Committee authored a number of books and

presented them to the Secretary-General of the Council. These books

are titled: Ibn An-Nafis – Abu Al-Qasim Az-Zuhri – Ar-Radaa’

(suckling) between the Qur’ān and the Sunnah and Modern Science –

Teqniyat Al-Injaz Al-Hadeethah between Science and Religion.

Sixth: the Committee examined some –not few in number-

draft books and researches presented to it by the Secretary-General of

the Council. The authors of these draft books and researches presented

them to the Council to be published. The Committee prepared

scientific reports as to whether or not these books and researches are

fit to be published.

It is to be noted that up to the writing of the this paper, nothing of

the accomplishments briefly mentioned above has been printed,

published or circulated –save the book of Ar-Radaa’. All of them

were put down in the minutes of the Committee’s meetings.

Second chapter: the Committee of Endowment of the Scientific

Miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān:

His Eminence the Grand Imam Dr. Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi (the

Sheikh of Al-Azhar) issued, in 199 the decision of establishing the

Committee of Endowment of the Scientific Miracles in the Glorious

Qur’ān that is affiliated to the Academy of Islamic Research. The

15

projects and work of this committee are funded by Judge Dr.

Muhammad Shawki Al-Fangari and Faisal Islamic Bank. His

Eminence the Grand Imam determined that he would assume the

administration of this committee and that Judge/ Muhammad Badr Al-

Minyawi would be its rapporteur—He passed away while this paper

was being prepared for printing and publishing.

Meetings of this committee were held successively during the early

months following its establishment. Prof. Karim As-Sayyed Ghoneim

(the presenter of this study) presented the project of “Kashshaf

Mu’allafat Al-I’jaz Al-Ilmi fi Al-Qur’ān Al-Karim – Explorer of the

Compilations on the Scientific Miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān. This

project was discussed and His Eminence the Grand Imam approved it

and entrusted the scientific and technical supervision to Prof. Karim

As-Sayyed Ghoneim, under a multi-phase program that will proceed

by successive steps and according to a well-defined approach. This

was written down in the minutes of the Committee’s meetings. The

project continued, and the scientific supervisor selected 20 professors,

scholars and researchers to participate with him in preparing the

presentations and analyses of the books that amounted to (261) books

on all the different fields of the Qur’ānic miracles—following the plan

approved by the Grand Imam and put down in the minutes of the

Committee’s meetings. We ceased participating in this committee

approximately two years ago.

Up to the writing of this paper, nothing of these

accomplishments has been released. An exception is the printing of

the book that replies to “Akhta’ Ilahiyyah fi Al-Qur’ān Al-Karim -

16

Divine Errors in the Glorious Qur’ān; and also the decision issued by

His Eminence the Grand Imam, the Sheikh of Al-Azhar and the

Administrator of Endowment, to approve master and doctorate

scholarships in the area of scientific miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān.

Third chapter: the Islamic Organization for Medical

Sciences in Kuwait:

This organization (previously called: the Organization of

Islamic Medicine) conducted some activities and made some

achievements in its own field, such as “Al-I’jaz At-Tebbi fi Al-Qur’ān

wa As-Sunnah – the Medical Miraculousness in the Qur’ān and

Sunnah”, or we may call it “the scientific miracles in the Islamic

medicine”.

We have not found any printed materials suggesting the

existence of any other work than some symposiums and conferences

the organization held in a number of Muslim countries. Here we

provide some information about the most important of these:

The first international conference for Islamic medicine:

It was held in the city of Kuwait within the period from the 6th to 10

th

of Rabee’ Al-Awwal, 1410 A.H. (Jan. 12th – 16

th, 1981 A.D.). It

issued a group of recommendations, among which was the call for

encouraging the study of the heritage of Islamic medicine and also

encouraging the experimental, clinical and laboratory scientific

research that ensures modern and scientific documentation of our

Islamic heritage. Moreover, the fruits of these researches in the field

of treatment of or prevention from diseases have to be offered to the

world. The conference also called upon those in charge of the medical

17

education to include in the curricula the study of Islam, the history of

Islamic medicine and the ethics a doctor is urged or recommended by

Islam to assume. Another recommendation issued by the conference

was to make use of the Islamic approach in the area of health and

medicine for the development of medical education and the curricula

of the faculties of medicine in the Muslim countries. The conference

also called for disseminating the aspects of the Qur’ānic

miraculousness among teaching staffs.

Also, the conference urged that endeavors be made to form an

Islamic council composed of trustworthy and competent specialists in

the medical and worldly sciences. The goal of this council is to study

the latest results of scientific advance that are unprecedented and not

previously tackled in a (shar’i) text, so that a proper fatwa can be

issued based on adequate knowledge about all their aspects, both

medical and juristic. Furthermore, the conference issued the Kuwait

document that was called “Ad-Dustur Al-Islami lil Mihan At-

Tibbiyyah - The Islamic constitution for medical professions”.

The second international conference for Islamic medicine:

It was held in Kuwait city during the period from 4th to 8

th of Jumada

Ath-Thaniyah, 1402 A.H. (Marsh 29th – April 2

nd, 1982 A.D.). Many

committees took part in this conference; they are: the committee of the

heritage, the committee of applied research, the committee of medical

education and fiqh and the future of Islamic medicine, and the

committee of recommendation phrasing. One hundred and fifteen

scholars and researchers participated in it, either with researches or by

engaging in discussions. A memorial lecture was given in this

18

conference by Dr. Maurice Bucaille, titled: (The origin of man

between sacred books and modern sciences).

The researches presented in the conferences tackled various issues,

which are: the importance of religious and spiritual aspects in

treatment (6 researches), the impact of Muslim scientists on the

development of anatomy and surgery (12 researches), the impact of

Islam on the different civilizations (5 researches), Ibn An-Nafis (5

researches), Abu Al-Qasim Az-Zahrawi (9 researches), applied studies

about the methods of treatment that were mentioned in the Qur’ān and

the Sunnah or reported to have been employed by Muslim physicians

(7 researches), synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of the

methods of treatment employed in Islamic medicine (10 researches),

the advantages of using medical plants in treatment (7 researches), the

relationship between the programs of the faculties of medicine and the

teachings of Islam (12 researches), and a review of the present state of

Islamic medicine (8 researches).

In the closing session, the conference issued a number of

recommendations, which included the following: It is necessary to

furnish the educational policy in all its different stages with the

Islamic character and goals; medicine and medical institutions should

be employed in calling to Islam and guiding to the way of Allah all

over the developed world; the medical fiqh and juristic rulings, earlier

and latter, have to be documented and explained; care has to be taken

of selecting and preparing teaching staffs that enjoy the following two

traits: good practice of Islam and scientific competence, without

neglecting any of the two; it is necessary to draw the health map of the

19

Muslim world and establish Muslim companies for medicines

produced from plants and other materials that are available in the

Muslim world; showing interest in verifying the medical heritage in a

scientific manner that is based fundamentally on documentation and

analysis.

The third international conference for Islamic medicine:

It was held in Istanbul University in the Republic of Turkey within the

period from the 3rd

to 7th of Muharram, 1405 A.H. (September 28

th –

October 2nd

, 1984 A.D.). Its researches (amounting to 200 researches)

were written on four main topics: the heritage of Islamic medicine, the

Islamic conduct and health, treatment with medical herbs, and the

psychological illnesses and their treatment in Islam. Other general

memorial lectures were also given in the conference. In general, these

researches emphasized the influences of Islamic and Arab civilization

on scientific fields and on the Western civilization.

The conference urged an interest in the researches on alcohol-

free medicines and, afterwards, a ban on the medicines that have

alcoholic contents once an alternative is found. Furthermore, the

conference recommended that the curricula of the faculties of

medicine should include subjects of Islamic medicine, and it also

encouraged showing interest in psychological research, treatment of

psychological illnesses and making use of the religious teachings in

this area. It was also recommended to have interest in the researches

that tackle the impact of Islam and its teachings on maintaining the

general health of the individual and the community and to put them

into practical applications.

20

The fourth international conference for Islamic medicine:

It was held in the city of Karachi (Pakistan) during the period from the

9th to 11

th of Rabee’ Al-Awwal, 1407 A.H. (November 9

th – 13

th, 1986

A.D.). The researches presented to it were on three main topics: the

heritage of Prophetic medicine, the applied aspects, and medical

treatment in Islam. Memorial lectures were also given in some

sessions.

One of the conference’s several recommendations was that

every effort should be made to safeguard societies from the harms of

the destructive prohibited things, such as intoxicants, drugs, etc. This

could be done by means of raising awareness or enacting deterrent

legislation. The conference also advised the Muslim physicians to take

into great consideration the dimension of faith and spirituality when it

comes to application as well as compiling books for the learners in

this field.

Also, the conference recommended the uniting of efforts exerted

in the fiqh of Islamic medicine by the involved institutions in the

Muslim world. And it advised the organization to compile and divide

into chapters the authentic hadiths on health and medicine with their

different narrations. Researchers and scholars were also urged by the

conference to study the works done by orientalists as well as others in

the field of Islamic medicine to benefit from what is good in them and

examine closely and reply to what is moot and disputable. Moreover,

the conference warned of the risks involved in the use of pig for food

and urged the endeavor to find alternatives to its medicinal

derivatives. Likewise, the conference warned of dog acquisition in

21

society, except in the case of hunting or guard dogs. The conference

also called upon the World Health Organization and the other

international organizations to cease using alcohol in the production of

medicine and, instead, to produce alcohol-free medicines.

The fifth international conference for Islamic medicine:

It was held in the building of the Arab League in Cairo during the

period from the 10th to 13

th of Rabee’ Al-Aakhir A.H. (November 20

th

– 23rd

, 1988). Many institutions and bodies took part in this

conference, such as: Al-Azhar, the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Mecca,

the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture in Turkey,

the World Health Organization, the Egyptian Doctor’s Syndicate, and

Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science.

The conference dealt with four main topics: the programs of the

faculties of medicine from an Islamic perspective, the epidemics of

the current age, the applied aspects of the Islamic medicine, and the

medical miraculousness in the Glorious Qur’ān and the authentic

Sunnah. The Foundation for the Advancement of Science granted in

this conference the award of medical heritage and fiqh to Dr. Kamal

As-Samarra’i (from Iraq) and Dr. Ibrahim ibn Murad (from Tunisia)

and, in the applied field, to Dr. Muhammad Ad-Dakhakhni (from

Egypt) and Dr. ‘Ataa’ur-Rahman (from Pakistan).

The conference issued a number of recommendations, which

included the following: it is necessary to phrase the programs of the

faculties of medicine in a comprehensive Islamic, human manner and

to not regard the scientific course alone as enough. It also

recommended that a physician should be adequately acquainted with

22

the Shari'ah rulings pertaining to people’s conditions in health and

disease. Another recommendation was to encourage scientific research

in the field of medications that are produced from the natural sources

in general and from plants in particular—these which were reported in

the books of tradition, in addition to these which have become known

later. It recommended also that the faculties of medicine and

pharmacy should expand teaching the used medicines that are taken

from natural sources and were proved useful. The conference also

recommended the establishment of a magazine intended to publish

scientific researches on the medical miraculousness in the Qur’ān and

the authentic Sunnah.

The symposium of “An Islamic Vision for Some Health

Problems”:

It was held in Kuwait city within the period from the 22nd

to 24th of

Dul Hijjah, 1415 A.H. (May 22nd

– 24th, 1995). We do not have

sufficient information about what took place in it!

The second section: Non-governmental Institutions

This section contains brief information about the following non-

governmental institutions: the Commission on Scientific Signs in the

Qur’ān and Sunnah, affiliated to the Muslim World League, Mecca;

the Association of the Scientific Miracles in the Qur’ān and the

Sunnah, Cairo; the International Center for Faith Research, Khartoum;

the Committee of the Scientific Miracles of the Qur’ān and Sunnah,

affiliated to the Islamic Heritage Revival Society, Kuwait; the

Association of the Scientific Miracles in the Qur’ān and Sunnah,

23

California; and the Scholarly Academy for the Qur’ān and Sunnah

Research, Cairo.

First chapter: The Commission on Scientific Signs in the Qur’ān

and Sunnah:

The Commission on Scientific Miracles in the Qur’ān and Sunnah was

established in accordance with a decision by the World Supreme

Council for Mosques, affiliated to the Muslim World League, Mecca

(Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) during its ninth session of the year 1406

A.H. It was established to be a scholarly organization with an

independent legal personality that seeks to reveal the miraculous

aspects in the Qur’ān and Sunnah. Its constituent assembly comprised

20 members; they are: Dr. Ahmad Muhammad ‘Ali, Sheikh/ ‘Abdul-

Majeed bin ‘Aziz Az-Zendany, Sheikh/ ‘Abdullah Al-‘Aqeel, Dr.

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdul-‘Aziz Al-Muslih, Dr. Hasan ibn ‘Abdul-Qadir

Bahfazullah, Dr. ‘Abdullah ‘Umar Naseef, Sheikh/ Muhammad

Metwally Ash-Sha’rawy, Dr. Ibrahim Jameel Badran, Dr. Sayyed

Suqy Hasan, Dr. Muhammad ‘Umar Jamjoum, Dr. Saleh As-

Samarra’i, Sheikh/ ‘Abdullah Az-Zayid, Sheikh/ ‘Abdullah Al-

Bassam, Sheikh/ Sayyed Sabiq, Dr. Ahmad Al-Qadi, Dr. Manna’ Al-

Qattan, Dr. ‘Abdullah bin Bayyah, Dr. Mustafa Al-A’zami, and Dr.

Ja’far Sheikh Idris.

The post of the Commission’s Secretary-General was assumed

(in historical order) by: Sheikh/ ‘Abdul Majeed bin ‘Aziz Az-

Zendany, Dr. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdul-‘Aziz Al-Muslih, Dr. Hasan ibn

‘Abdul-Qadir Bahfazullah, and Dr. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdul-‘Aziz Al-

Muslih.

24

The Commission issued a number of booklets in which it

clarifies its goals and the methods and means whereby to achieve

these goals, which can be summarized as follows:

1) Setting the rules, approaches and methods of scientific research that

regulate ijtihad in showing the scientific miracles in the Qur’ān and

the Sunnah.

2) Preparing a generation of scientists and researchers to study

scientific issues and cosmic facts in the light of what is in the Qur’ān

and the Sunnah.

3) Furnishing the cosmic sciences with the form of faith and including

the contents of the approved researches in the curricula of every

educational stage and in all institutions of education.

4) Revealing the subtle meanings of the Glorious Qur’ānic verses and

Prophetic Hadiths that pertain to the cosmic sciences, in light of the

modern scientific discoveries, the various indications in language

connotation and the objectives of the Islamic Shari’ah, without

artificiality.

5) Providing the Da’iyahs and men of media in the world –either as

individuals or institutions- with the authorized researches so that they

can benefit from them, each in his own specialization.

6) Disseminating these researches among people in a way compatible

with their academic and cultural levels, and translating them into the

well-known Muslim languages and the world’s living languages.

As for the detailed information about the accomplishments done by

the Commission, we tried to get a report on this from Mr. Zaid Zayid

Ath-Thaqafi (Cairo Bureau Chief of the Commission), but we found

25

nothing but procrastination and promises on his part. This is despite

the fact that I persisted in asking him in a number of phone

conversations and demonstrated the significance of obtaining such a

report to include the most important points thereof in the paper

presented to the Islamic Charitable Association on Feb. 24th, 2003

(Dhul-Hijjah 23rd

, 1423 A.H.). This being the case, until these lines

have been written, we did not get anything from him. Accordingly,

what we shall present in the coming paragraphs is the outcome of our

research into the Islamic magazines, both general and specialist, and

our diligent reading throughout the past years in public and mobile

newspapers, in Egypt and elsewhere.

Besides, I would like to refer to another point before presenting a

summary of the most important accomplishments of the Commission,

which is the change of its name to “The International Commission on

the Scientific Signs in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah”. This occurred

during a meeting held by the Commission during Ramadan in Mecca,

1423 A.H. (November, 2002 A.D.). To this end and to be compatible

with its new name, the Commission selected a number of scholars

from some Arab and foreign countries as members of its

administrative board.

Here we shall list the most significant achievements of the

Commission:

1) The Commission participated in the 8th Saudi Medical Conference

held in Riyadh by the National Guard within the period from the 24th

to 28th of Muharram, 1404 A.H. (corresponding to October 30

th –

November 3rd

, 1983 A.D.).

26

2) The Commission took part in the Conference on the Medical

Inimitability in the Qur’ān held in Cairo under the auspices of the

Egyptian Medical Syndicate from 8th to 11

th of Muharram, 1406 A.H.

(corresponding to September 23rd

– 26th, 1985 A.D.).

3) The Commission conducted a symposium on earth sciences in

Rabee’ Al-Awwal, 1407 A.H. (1988), in cooperation with King Abdul

Aziz University, Jeddah.

4) The Commission held the first international conference in

Islamabad City (Pakistan), in coordination with the International

Islamic University there, from 23rd

to 26th of Safar, 1408 A.H.

(corresponding to October 17th – 20

th, 1987 A.D.). This was the

Commission’s first conference to cover several specializations, such

as astronomy, meteorology, embryology, sea science, etc. Taking part

in this conference were (228) scientists from (52) countries as well as

(160) observers. The conference discussed (78) scientific researches,

selected from amongst (500) researches that were submitted to the

secretariat of the conference from all over the world.

The accepted researches were discussed within six general

sessions and a number of special work sessions. Among them were

researches on embryology by Professor/ G.C. Goeringer, Professor/

Keith L. Moore, Dr. Marshall Jonson, Dr. Joy Simpson, Dr. T.V.N

Persuad and others.

The closing session was particularly focused on the recommendations

of the conference, which we have mentioned in detail in our book

(The Scientific References in the Glorious Qur’ān– Between Study

27

and Application), the 1st edition, Dar Al-Fikr Al-Araby, Cairo, 1415

A.H. – 1995 A.D.

5) The Commission took part in the Conference on the Medical

Inimitability in the Qur’ān held under the auspices of the Egyptian

Medical Syndicate in cooperation with Al-Azhar, Egypt, from the 10th

to 13th of Rabee’ Al-Aakhir, 1409 A.H. (corresponding to November

20th – 23

rd, 1988 A.D.).

6) The Commission participated in the 5th Juristic Medical

Symposium organized by the Islamic Organization for Medical

Sciences, Kuwait, in cooperation with the Islamic Fiqh Academy

(affiliated to the Organization of the Islamic Conference), during the

period from the 23rd

to 26th of October, 1989 A.D. (1410 A.H.).

7) The Commission participated in the 16th

Islamic Symposium on the

miracles of the Qur’ān, held in Qairawan City (Tunisia), during the

period between October 6th – 8

th, 1989 A.D. (1410 A.H.).

8) In 1410 A.H. (1989 A.D.), the Commission held a symposium on

astronomy and physics and another symposium on the glad tidings

given in the scriptures of non-Muslims of the coming of the

Prophet .

9) The Commission participated in a symposium on how to benefit

from the computer, organized by the Islamic Development Bank, in

1411 A.H. (1990 A.D.).

10) The Commission took part in the 23rd

Annual Conference of the

Islamic Medical Association of North America, held in 1411 A.H.

(1990 A.D.), Spain.

28

11) The Commission conducted a symposium on fasting and its

impact on health, in cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine, King

Saud University, Riyadh, on 1st Jumadah Al-Aakhirah, 1411 A.H.

(1990 A.D.). A host of scholars, from inside and outside the Kingdom,

took part in this symposium. It is said that it was the first such

symposium in this field.

12) The Commission conducted a symposium on the same issue

mentioned above, in cooperation with Al-Noor Specialist Hospital,

Mecca, in Ramadan, 1411 A.H. (1990 A.D.).

13) The Commission organized the 3rd

International Conference on the

Scientific Miracles in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, Dakar (Senegal),

within the period between Muharram 1st – 4

th, 1412 A.H.

(corresponding to July 13th – 16

th, 1990 A.D.).

14) The Commission held the 5th International Conference on the

Scientific Miracles in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah in Funte Gorbachev

Hall, Moscow (Russia), in cooperation with the Academy of Medical

Sciences and the Islamic Cultural Center, Russia, during the period

from the 17th to 20

th of Rabee’ Al-Awwal, 1414 A.H. (corresponding

to September 3rd

– 6th, 1993 A.D.). This happened following the

collapse of the fortresses of Communism and the beginning of the era

of reform in Russian.

15) The Commission held the 6th International Conference on the

Scientific Miracles in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah at the Conference

Hall in the National Aircraft Factory, Bandung City, Indonesia, in

cooperation with the Ministry of Technology and Scientific Research,

the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the Islamic University of

29

Indonesia. Attending the inaugural session were the Secretary-General

of the Muslim World League, the Chairman of Imam Muhammad Ibn

Saud University, Saudi Arabia, the Chairman of the Union for

Indonesia’s Muslim Intellectuals, the Secretary of Indonesia Supreme

Council for Da’wah, and the Chairman of Syarif Hidayatullah

University, Indonesia.

The conference continued three days between 29th of Aug.-1

st of Sep.

1994 (1415 H.). Ten workshops were held with the attendance of one

hundred scholars, scientists, and interested guests in the Scientific

Signs of the Qur’ān and Sunnah from Muslim and non-Muslim

countries.

In the closing session, the conference issued some

recommendations urging on clarifying the aspects of the scientific

signs in the Qur’ān and Sunnah trough media all over the Muslim

world. It also called for establishing a specialty center for the

Scientific Signs researches in Indonesia.

16. The Commission cooperated in organizing the International

Conference of the Herbal Medicine with King Fahd hospital in

Jeddah, the faculty of pharmacy - King Saud University - Riyadh , the

faculty of medicine - King Abdul 'Aziz university – Jeddah , and

World Health Organization.

A gathering of grand scholars from Saudi Arabia ,Egypt, Yemen

,China , India, Malaysia , the US and some European countries

attended this conference which was held between15th -18

th of Dhul-

Qi'dah 1417 H. (25th -28

th of March 1997) .

30

17.The Commission participated in an extensive symposium in

Mauritania about the Scientific Signs in the Qur’ān and Sunnah in

cooperation with the Islamic cultural assembly between 20th- 21

st of

Rabi' al-Awal 1419 H (1999).

Some scholars from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, France and

Ivory Coast gave speeches at this symposium.

18. The Commission held the seventh scientific conference of the

scientific signs in the Qur’ān and Sunnah in Lebanon (Beirut) between

5th -9

th of Muharam 1412 H. (2001) in cooperation with Dar Al-Fatwa

in Lebanon. After the inauguration session and opening statements

were delivered on the first day, three sessions were held for discussing

medical subjects. On the third day, three sessions were held to discuss

natural subjects and the standards of research in the field of the

scientific signs in the Qur’ān and Sunnah.

19.Some Islamic magazines and newspapers declared that the

Commission prepares for holding the Eighth International Conference

in Dubai in Sha'ban 1424 H. (Oct. 2003 AD).

20. The Commission has issued more than 28 books of various

volumes in the branches of the scientific signs in the Qur’ān and

Sunnah. Many of these books were treatises delivered in preceding

conferences held by the Commission. Moreover, the Commission

produced a film entitled ''This is the Truth '' in many languages, some

videos of lectures organized by it, and a video a bout the proceeding

of the international conference in Moscow. Currently, the commission

is preparing for producing a documentary film about Emberlogy in the

Light of the Qur’ān and Sunnah.

31

The Second Chapter: The Assembly of the Scientific Signs in the

Qur’ān and Sunnah

The Assembly of the Scientific Signs in the Qur’ān and Sunnah was

registered in Guiza governorate – Egypt with (n.924) in 1988 as one

of the civil assemblies according to the law that controls such

assemblies in the Ministry of Social Affairs.

The Assembly set some objectives since it was established. The

objectives are as follows:

1. Clarifying the different aspects of the scientific signs in the Qur’ān

and Sunnah by connecting scientific thought and faith.

2. Formulating committees and scientific sections in order to introduce

researches to achieve the Assembly's objectives according to its

adopted regulation in the social affairs bureau in Giza.

3. Contacting and cooperating with all the international, Islamic and

Arabic organizations, governmental and civil institutions, universities,

and scientific academies in the world in order to exchange the treatises

and points of view that help in achieving the objectives of the

Assembly.

4. Exerting efforts for helping the scientific curriculum development

to conform to the facts of the Qur’ān and Sunnah.

5. Establishing centers for translation, publishing, printing, media, and

documentation.

6. Making scientific refutation of the slanders published against Islam

and the Messenger of Allah on both local and global levels.

7. Cooperating in preparing and holding symposiums, lectures, and

conferences for discussing the subjects of the scientific signs in the

32

Qur’ān and Sunnah and putting it in good use for the spread of Islamic

awareness.

The Board Chairman since it has been established. (Chronically)

Prof. Ra'ouf Shalaby

Prof. Muhammad Hassan Al-Hifnawi

Prof. Mansour Hasb An-Nabi

Gen. Eng. Sa'd Sh'aban.

Prof. Ali Ali Al-Mursi.

The Secretary General (Chronically)

Prof. Muhammad Al-Rakhawi

Prof. Mansour Muhammad Hasb An-Nabi.

Prof. Karem Al-Sayed Gunaym.

Prof. Karem Al-Sayed Gunaym is assigned for the preparation and

implementation the cultural activities of the Assembly since 1990

until the time of writing this book.

The Assembly's achievements could be shown in the following

points:

First: The Lectures and symposiums.

The Assembly held 2 lectures in 1989 , 2 lectures in 1990 , 8 lectures

in 1991, 3 lectures 1992, 15 lectures in 1993, 25 in 1994 , 19 lectures

1995 , 23 lectures in 1996 , 17 lectures in 1997 , 22 lectures in 1998 ,

21 lectures in 1999 , 21 lectures in 2001 and 20 lectures in 2002.

Some lectures were organized like a symposium because many

speakers shared in.

33

Second: Joint Symposiums.

The Assembly jointed many of symposiums held by

universities, assemblies and associations.

The names of these symposiums as follows:

1. ''The First Symposium on the Scientific Signs in the Qur’ān and

Sunnah'', in cooperation with South Valley University in Qina,

between 30th of Oct – 1

st of Nov. 1995.Elven scholars of the Assembly

gave speeches.

2.'' The Second Symposium on the Scientific Signs in the Qur’ān and

Sunnah'' in cooperation with South Valley University, between 3rd

-5th

of May 1996. Eight scholars from the Assembly gave speeches.

3. "The Third Symposium on the Scientific Signs in the Qur’ān and

Sunnah", in cooperation with South Valley University, between 3rd -

5th of May 1997. Eight scholars from the Assembly gave speeches.

4. '' The Fourth Symposium on the Scientific Signs in the Qur’ān and

Sunnah", in cooperation with South Valley University , between 26th -

28th of April 1999.Eight scholars from the Assembly gave speeches.

5. The Assembly held a symposium in the city of Tanta in 1994 and in

Alexandria in 1996 in cooperation with the Assembly of Muslim

Youths.

6. The Assembly held three lectures on the Scientific Signs in the

Qur’ān and Sunnah in cooperation with Cairo Sport Club in 1999.

Third: Seminars

1.The Assembly held in 1995 a seminar entitled " Atomic Sciences in

the Light of the Qur’ān and Islamic Legacy'' .Eleven scholars jointed.

34

2. A public symposium for discussing Prof. Karem's book entitled

"The Scientific Signs in the Qur’ān and Sunnah: The Study and

Application"

Fourth: Miracles Book Series.

Miracles in the Qur’ān and Sunnah Book Series contain selected

lectures and symposiums held by the Assembly in different years

separately or with other assemblies, scientific institutions and cultural

associations.

It has issued the series in 1997. Prof. Karem (Rapporteur of the

Cultural Committee) is the scientific editor.

The first issue of the series contained 2 topics. The second contained

12 topics. The third contained 7 topics .The fourth contained 13

topics. The fifth contained 14 topics. The sixth contained 14 topics.

The seventh contained 10 topic

Fifth: The Annual Scientific Contest

The Assembly has started an annual scientific contest since 1416 H.

(1998).It is meant for two levels of ages, and usually it is announced

in January in every year .The celebration for the winners is held in

December in the same year.

The Assembly organized five contests .The subjects of it as

follows:

1. The First Contest (1419 H. – 1998)

a. The first level (for those who aged 25 and older)

The subject: '' Geographic Phenomena: Qur’ānic References

And Scientific Theories".

b. The second level (for those who are younger than 25)

35

The subject: '' The Verses on Seas and Its Scientific Meanings in

the Glorious Qur’ān."

2. The second Contest (1420 H.-1999)

a. The first level: '' Protecting the Environment in the Islamic

Scientific Perspective"

b. The second level: "The Verses On Minerals And Its Scientific

Meanings In The Qur’ān"

3. The Third contest (1422 H. – 2000)

a. The first level: '' Basics of Preventive Medicine in the

Sunnah"

b. The second: "The Verses On Insects And Its Scientific

Meanings In The Qur’ān".

4. The Fourth Contest (1422 H. – 2002)

a. The first level: '' Construction And Civilization In The Light

Of The Qur’ān And Sunnah''.

b. The second level: '' The Verses on Trees and Its Scientific

Meanings in the Glorious Qur’ān'.

5. The Fifth Contest (1423 H. – 2002)

a. The first level: '' Water in the Qur’ān and Sunnah, And

Modern Science".

b. The second level: '' Animals In The Qur’ān"

It is worthy of mention that the results of the last contest has not

been announced so far, so the awards ceremony of it has not been

held until the time of writing this book.

36

Third Section: World Center for Faith Research

The first time to be acquainted with World Center for Faith

Research in Khartoum, Sudan was in 12 Jumādā Al-’Ākhirah 1423

AH (1 September 2001 AD) when we received the invitation of its

general manager, Prof. Muhammad Othman Salih to attend the

meeting to be held in Khartoum during Saturday and Sunday,

corresponding the third and fourth days of Sh’aban 1423 H (20-21

October 2001 AD). This meeting will discuss the coordination

between the working bodies in the field of scientific miracle in the

Qur’ān and the Sunnah. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this

meeting and I sent him a message in which I apologized for failing to

attend in the proposed time.

I was informed from the newspapers and the magazines that

number of officials, workers and those who were interested in the field

in Saudi, Egypt and Sudan attended the meeting. With regard to the

recommendations, we did not receive any copy of them either through

World Center for Faith Research in Khartoum or the authority of

scientific miracle in the Qur’ān and Sunnah in Makkah. However, we

get acquainted with them through the magazines. The

recommendations covered the importance of preparation for

stipulating an agreement aiming at the coordination and integration

between different authorities, organizations, working or interested

centers in the scientific miracle in the Qur’ān and Sunnah, stipulating

rules governing scientific miracles researches, creating a mechanism

through which these researches can be evaluated, paying a special

37

attention for creating dat ‘ ‘Abasae about the scientists and the

researches in the field of scientific miracle, etc..

With regard to World Center for Faith Research in Khartoum itself,

we sent a message to its general manager, Prof. Muhammad Othman

Salih, in 27 July 2002 AD. In the message, we asked him about an

outline of the activities and the achievements of the center.

Unfortunately, we did not receive any reply. Therefore, we sent

another message in 13 October 2002 AD. However, we get

disappointed since we received no reply although we have explained

the importance of getting acquainted with the achievements of that

center telling them that we were about to prepare a research paper

about it.

In general, one of those who applied for MA at Muhammad Ibn

Saud Islamic University in Saudi phoned us to obtain information that

help him in the thesis he prepared in the field of the scientific miracle

in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah. We submitted to him the information he

asked and offered him the required help. We inquired him about

World Center for Faith Research in Khartoum. He told us that its

achievements did not exceed the symposiums, the lectures and some

of its issued printed papers. He promised me to send a copy

pinpointing this center, but unfortunately he broke his promise.

Fourth Section: Qur’ān and Sunnah Scientific Miracle Committee

in Kuwait

Prof. Khaled Mahdy, the representative of Islamic Heritage

Revival Society, attended in Cairo to ask for the consultation and the

suggestions regarding the establishment of Qur’ān and Sunnah

38

Scientific Miracle Committee in the association; paving the way for

making it an Association of unique identity in the future. We provided

him with the thoughts, suggestions, and the experiences in the field.

He was so pleased with our help and this was clearly noted in his

phone call with us after his return to Kuwait.

We received a message from Prof. Abdelaziz Alhaddah, the head of

Irshad and D’awah Committee in the Islamic Heritage Revival Society

in Kuwait. He informed us with the proclamation of the Scientific

Miracle Committee in the Association; calling for more cooperation

and support with the experience. His message was dated with the first

of Rabai’ Al ‘awal 1419 H (25 June 1998 AD). We sent our reply in

response to his demands in 11 Sha’ban 1419 H (30 November 1998

AD).

When we get ready of stating the current paper, we sent a message to

Islamic Heritage Revival Society to be acquainted with its works and

achievements in 25 Rabai’ Al-akher 1423 H (6 July2002 AD).

However, we received no reply. We sent another message in 31

October 2002 AD, but unfortunately we received no reply up till the

moments of writing these lines.

Fifth Section: Qur’ān and Sunnah Scientific Miracle

Association in California

This Association has been established at Orange County City,

California, USA in 1994. The city is known of its density of Muslim

population as well as an outstanding activity in the field of honorable

prophetic Sunnah. The Association has been established by the efforts

of number of working Muslim doctors and pharmacists in the

39

American hospitals and in general scientists from different branches

of natural sciences in California.

The Association organized weekly symposiums, planned to issue a

magazine on the level of USA, and worked for establishing Qur’ānic

Studies Institute, and the study and the research in the field of the

scientific miracle in the Glorious Qur’ān. They dedicated a piece of

land for this purpose over there and addressed Al-azhar Al-sharief in

Egypt to support them annually. In general, the activity of the

Association was stumbled after the USA events of 11/9/2001. We

have not any information other than those provided to us by Prof.

Muhammad Muhammad Abu Layla, the consultant of the Association

and the Professor of Islamic studies in English at Al-azhar University.

May Allah reward him goodness on our behalf!

Sixth Section: the Scientific Academy of Qur’ān and Sunnah

Researches

It has been the latest Academy in this field (2003). The activity

of this Academy is comprehensive. It covers other aspects in the

Qur’ān and the Sunnah other than the scientific miracle and the other

miracle aspects. It has been established by the efforts of prominent

Egyptian Scholars and journalists. The first chairman of the Academy

was Prof. Ahmed Showqi Ibrahim. The secretary general of the

Academy was Prof. Karem Al-sayed Ghunaim. The Academy hasn’t

yet practiced any of its activity. However, he stipulated a current and

future ambitious plan for Qur’ān and Sunnah researches as well as the

Islamic civilization that has been established adopting the same path.

He has also planned for creating a cooperation and coordination with

40

all the working bodies in these fields. This is what can be proved up to

the date of writing these lines. We ask Allah, the Exalted, to grant him

success and reach his destination.

Third Chapter: Non-specialist Bodies

Different universities, syndicates, and bodies held conferences,

sessions and circles in the field of the scientific miracle of the Qur’ān

and the Sunnah in Egypt. Due to the absence of a dat ‘ ‘Abasae about

the activities and the contributions of the researchers, we relied on the

information, the news, and the published periodicals in the Islamic

magazines, culture magazines, Arab and local newspapers. Of course,

these bodies are non specialists in the field of scientific miracle

researches.

First Section: Egypt Doctors’ Syndicate

This syndicate has an outstanding activity in the field of medical

(scientific) miracle in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah. This does not mean

that other syndicates like scientists’ syndicates, engineer’s syndicates

and other syndicates have no activity. However, Doctors’ syndicate

has been distinguished with the conferences they organized in this

field. The following is an outline of these conferences:

The First Conference of the Medical Miracle of the Glorious

Qur’ān:

The first Conference of the medical miracle of the Glorious Qur’ān

was held in Cairo in 8-11 Muharam 1406 H (23-26 September 1985).

Mashyakhet Al-Azhar, Al-Azhar University and Islamic Medical

Association participated with the syndicate in organizing the

Conference. Many bodies representing Kuwait, Saudi, and Pakistan

41

participated in it, reaching thirty delegations from different continents.

The number of the scientists and the researchers, who attended the

sessions of the Conference at league of Arab States, reached 500

guests. The attendants from among the non-Muslims were Dr.

Aleison, Dr. Beresou, Dr. Gournougo, Dr. Kaith Mour and Dr.

Marchel Gonsoun. The discussed research papers covered different

fields, namely Embryology, Psychiatry, Normal Nursing, Medicine

Preventive, Physiology, Pathology and Microbiology. They also

covered some medical juristic issues, such as the issues of fertilization

that takes place outside the body, abortion, the perpetration of Muslim

doctor and Muslim Nursery, growing up the Muslim Child, birth

control, circumcision, etc..

During the final session, the Conference issued a group of general

recommendations covering the field of medical education as well as

the field of ethics and practicing the profession. With regard to the

details, they are mentioned in our book (the scientific signs in the

Glorious Qur’ān - study and practice – first edition, Dar el-fikr Al-

arabi, 1995 AD). They are also available at the Medical syndicate in

Cairo.

* The Second Conference of the Medical Miracle of the Glorious

Qur’ān:

It was held in Cairo in 2-4 Jumādā al-’Ākhira 1407 H (2-5 February

1987 AD) at League Arab of States under the title of (Islamic Shari’ah

and the Contemporary Medical Issues). During the Conference,

research papers reaching 180 pages were discussed. A number of 480

scientists, thinkers, researchers and doctors participated in the

42

discussion. The researches covered different subjects, among them

were organ transplantation, hiring wombs, leasing wombs, Mothers’

milk banks, planting testicle, killing the mangled fetuses, killing for

mercy, sperm banks, artificial fertilization, sexual diseases, abortion,

fetus gender control, inspiriting system, and the fact of death

The research subjects were classified in groups. The first group

focused on the normal and the abnormal marital relations in the light

of medicine and Shari’ah. The second group focused on delivery,

nursing, and their contemporary means in the light of Shari’ah. The

third group focused on the development of the medical sciences and

the future in the light of Shari’ah. The fourth group focused on

Medical researches and endeavors from the Islamic prospective.

During the last session, the Conference issued a group of

recommendations including the call for establishing Islamic medical

studies center under the auspices of Al-azhar in Cairo, the necessity of

the continuation of Shria’ah Ijithad as well as matching the Islamic

Fiqh up with the daily developments, and publishing periodical

Islamic magazine in Egypt as well as other recommendations

mentioned in our book that we referred to previously.

* The Third Conference of the Medical Miracle of the Qur’ān and

Sunnah:

It was held in Cairo in 10-13 Rabya’ Al-akher 1409 H (20-23

November 1988 AD) in cooperation with Al-azhar and the Islamic

World Union. Unfortunately, we don’t have any further information

other than what we have just mentioned.

43

* The Fourth Conference of the Scientific Miracle of the Qur’ān

and Sunnah:

With regard to the adjustment of the names of the Conferences

(as it can be noted here), it is mentioned with this name in the media

and press periodicals, publications and releases. With regard to the

fourth Conference, a meeting was held in Dar Al-hekmah (the general

syndicate of the Egyptian doctors) on Wednesday 15 July 1998 AD

regarding the preparation for the Conference. The writer of these lines

was one of the scientists among the participants of the meeting. As for

the details covering the obstacles that hinder its occurrence, you can

refer to Dr. Saiid Mohammad Sayed (the director of the

communication and publishing committee of the medical syndicate).

* Second Chapter: Islamic Universities Association

Islamic Universities Association in cooperation with Al-Azhar

University, held a conference regarding (Islamic Orientation for

sciences) at Abdallah Salih Kamel Center for Islamic economic,

Cairo, in 27 Rabī‘ al-Thānī to 2 Jumādā al-’ūlā 1413 H (24 – 28

October 1992 AD). A number of 27 sessions covered the conference

and the number of the discussed researches reached 74 distributed in

three domains:

* First domain: the Islamic orientation for sciences: its

meaning, objectives, approaches, and obstacles.

Firstly: The intellectual and formal framework of Islamic

orientation for sciences.

Secondly: the tasks and the achievements of the Islamic

Universities in the Islamic orientation of sciences.

44

Thirdly: the obstacles undermining the Islamic orientation of

sciences.

* Second domain: the Islamic orientation of the humanities and

the mass-media as well as adjusting their current approaches.

Firstly: the Islamic orientation of sociology.

Secondly: the Islamic orientation of social services sciences.

Thirdly: the Islamic orientation of the sciences of the principles

of education and curriculums.

Fourthly: the Islamic orientation of legal sciences.

Fifth: the Islamic orientation of political sciences.

Sixth: the Islamic orientation of economics.

Seventh: the Islamic orientation of administration sciences.

Eighth: the Islamic orientation of literature.

Ninth: the Islamic orientation of history.

Tenth: the Islamic orientation of mass-media as well as

adjusting the current communication.

* Third domain: the Islamic orientation of primary and

practical sciences as well as adjusting their current approaches.

Firstly: the Islamic orientation of physics as well as adjusting

its current approaches.

Secondly: the Islamic orientation of biology as well as adjusting

its current approaches.

Thirdly: the Islamic orientation of chemistry as well as

adjusting its current approaches.

Fourthly: the Islamic orientation of practical sciences as well as

adjusting their current approaches.

45

During the final session, the conference called for many

recommendations; some of them pertain to the Islamic University

Association, the other relate to the Islamic universities in general, the

third was oriented to the Ministries of educations and the fourth relate

to the information foundations.

The Third Chapter: the Faculty of Sciences, Al- Azhar University

The faculty of sciences in Al-azhar University held scientific

conferences dedicating sessions for the scientific miracle in the

Qur’ān and the Sunnah as follows:

* The First World Conference for the Geology of Arab World:

It was held in the large hall of celebration at Cairo University in 1992.

A large number among the scholars and researchers from Arab and

foreign countries attended the conference. Keeping in mind that it was

a pure scientific conference, however the chargers innovated a good

tradition represented in dedicating one of the sessions for geology of

earth referred to in the Glorious Qur’ān. The title of the lecture

delivered in the morning session during the first day was “The role of

water in giving the rocks its different colors: fideism viewpoint.”

*The Second World Conference for the Geology of Arab World:

It was held in the large hall of celebration at Cairo University in

22 – 26 of January 1994 AD. During the morning session in the first

day, two lectures were delivered; one of them was titled “the Qur’ānic

signals regarding the geology of the earth” and the second was “Iron

and its mighty strength.”

Dr. Ali Sadek Abd Al-Wahid, the professor of geology at the

faculty of sciences in Cairo University informed us that unfortunately

46

sessions regarding the scientific miracle in the Glorious Qur’ān were

no longer named for the next conferences.

The Fourth Chapter: the Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar

University

The faculty held the second international medical conference in New

Demiat, the governorate of Damietta, Egypt on the 17 -18 of October

2002 AD. The sessions of the conference covered the discussion of

more than 100 research papers in different medical specifications. The

administration of the conference dedicated a session for the researches

of the scientific miracles in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, namely

excrement, the scientific laws of fever in the Sunnah and the ailment

of the muscle of the heart from the Islamic prospective (by the heaven

which sends down rain). We thank Dr. Mustafah Ahmed Abu Al-naja,

the head of anatomy department at the faculty of medicine in Al-

Azhar University, the branch of Demiat, for the information he

provided us with.

The Fifth Chapter: the Endowment of the Judge Al-fangary for

the Service of Islamic D’awah

The charitable endowment of the judge Dr. Muhammad Shawqi

Al-Fangary, which is supervised by the Authority of the State’s Issues

in Egypt, was dedicated for a competition regarding the scientific

signals in the Glorious Qur’ān in 1992. A large number of competitors

from among the researchers participated in the competition and the

judging committee were Professor Muhammad Sayed Tantawy,

Sheikh Muhammad Al-Ghazali and Professor Abd el-Sabour Abd Al-

Mu’emen Marzouq.

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The winner of the first prize was Dr. Karem Al-sayed Ghunaim.

He delivered a speech about his research on the celebration that was

established in the river club of the Authority of the State’s Issues for

honoring the winners. The second winner of the first prize was Judge

Medhat Hafez Ibrahim, the vice chairman of the Authority of the

State’s Issues. Few months later, both winners issued a book about

their successful research.

The Sixth Chapter: the Islamic Charitable Association

The Islamic Charitable Association in Cairo paid a special

importance to the scientific miracles of the Qur’ān and the Sunnah.

The Association hosted some scholars to deliver a number of lectures

about it. On Monday 23 of Dhul Hijjah 1423 AH (24 February 2003),

a symposium was dedicated to the scientific miracles in the Qur’ān

and the Sunnah. After the inaugurating speech of Dr. Muhammad

Shouqi Al-fanjari, the symposium covered the following subjects:

• The efforts and the achievements of different working

bodies in the field of scientific miracles of the Glorious Qur’ān by

Prof. Karem Al-Sayed Ghunaim.

• The rules of research regarding the scientific miracles of

the Glorious Qur’ān by Prof. Ahmed Fou’ad Basha

• The linguistic miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān by Prof.

Abdel-Azeem Al-Mat’ani

• The legislative miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān by Prof.

Muhammad R’afet Osman

• The psychological and pedagogical miracles in the

glorious Qur’ān by Prof. Sayed Soubhy

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• The medical miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān by Prof.

Ahmed Shaowqi Ibrahim

• The geological miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān by Prof.

Zaghloul Raghib Al-Naggar

• The universal miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān by Prof.

Muhammad Mahmoud Al-shehawi

• The Qur’ānic miracles regarding the science of insects by

Prof. Ali Ali Al-Morsy

• The standards of taking the economical decision in the

glorious Qur’ān by Prof. Muhammad Abdel-Haleem Omar

• The economical miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān by Prof.

Shawqi Ahmed Dunia

• The statistical miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān by Prof.

Abdel-Wahab Al-Sharqawi.

The Seventh Chapter: Varied Unspecialized Institutions

Many syndicates, universities, sports clubs, culture clubs,

educational institutions and religious associations conducted lectures

and symposiums in the field of the scientific miracles in the glorious

Qur’ān both in Egypt and abroad. Some of the Sufist groups in Egypt

conducted symposiums in this field;; among which were Al-Ash'ar'ia

Al-Muhamadiya and Al-Taryqa Al-Azmya regarding which the writer

of these lines arranged a number of sessions during the last years.

Over time, the media began to pay more attention to this topic.

Moreover, the widely known newspaper Al-Ahram dedicated an entire

weekly section for the scientific miracles of the Qur’ān and the

Sunnah as well as providing separate spaces for the same field from

49

time to time. Al-Lewa’ Al-Islamy newspaper also dedicated nearly

one fourth of a page on a weekly basis for the topic of the scientific

miracles, starting the first of March 2003. Both newspapers are issued

in Cairo.

As the absence of database in the field of the scientific miracle of the

Qur’ān and the Sunnah hinder the enumeration of all unspecialized

bodies that contributed in this field of mass media bodies, television

programs are also countless, among them are the English program of

(30 episodes) produced by the Islamic Company for sounds and

visuals in Cairo during the eighteenth of the twentieth century. The

writer of these lines participated with a number of episodes in a

program titled (with the universal signs). He prepared it and

introduced its ninety series; hosting more than twenty scholars. It was

broadcasted by the Saudi TV amide the nineteenth of the twentieth

century. Add to this, the series broadcasted by the Egyptian TV as

well as the TVs of the Arab and Islamic countries regarding this Field.

With regard to the program of videotapes, they are also many;

some of them belonging to Dr. Ahmed Shawqi Ibrahim, others belong

to Dr. Zaghloul Raghib Al-Najar and the third pertain to Dr. Tawfeeq

Olwan and many others of countless numbers.

Likewise, the electronic programs are many and the producing

companies are scattered without a connection between them. There

was no possible mean to count their works. One of these works was

Al-mou’agizah Al-khalidah. It was prepared by the author of these

lines and produced by Mrouj Company in Cairo in a pressed C.D. in

amide the nineteenth of the twentieth century. It contained fifty

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subjects regarding the scientific miracle of the Qur’ān and the Sunnah.

It was supposed that fifty other subjects be produced, but it seemed

that the company didn’t carry out them.

The Fourth Section: Private Projects

The First Chapter: The Project of Geometrical Miracle in the

Glorious Qur’ān

Al-Majd House for geometrical researches and studies in Cairo

started a project of the geometrical miracle in the Glorious Qur’ān

within the first days of 1410 H (1990 AD). The First competition

regarding the researches and studies of the geometrical miracle in the

Glorious Qur’ān was made in that year. In fact, they were many

competitions in one great competition of different stages or it was a

competition regarding branches for achieving one great certain goal

since it included the following:

1) The competition of the researches of the geometrical miracles in

the Glorious Qur’ān, with 18 prizes totalling 10,000 Egyptian Pounds.

2) The competition of enumerating and mentioning the Qur’ānic

verses of geometrical signs, with 5 prizes adding up to 1000 Egyptian

Pounds.

3) The number of the submitted researches to geometrical miracle

research competition reached (89) and (25) in the competition of

enumeration and listing. The prizes were declared and the competitors

were informed by the House in the meantime. The House Issued a

book under the title of (geometrical signs in Qur’ānic verses) in 1412

H (1992 AD) in order to be used as a guide for the researchers since it

contained projects of researches in this field.

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With regard to the second competition, the House commenced it in

1412H (1992 AD) about the practical geometrical researches of the

forms of geometrical miracle in the Glorious Qur’ān. The House

released another competition in the same year about the scientific

researches that support the subjects of the researches and studies of

the geometrical miracle in the glorious Qur’ān. It also released a third

under the title of (the competition of geometrical signs in the Qur’ānic

verses).

In each competition, the House put the conditions and the rules to be

followed as well as the number of the prizes and their values.

However, the prizes of 1412H competition were cancelled due to

reasons indicated by the House in its issued paper; the most important

reason among them was the difference of various viewpoints of the

researchers and the arbitrator on one hand and from the other hand

between the arbitrators themselves.

During the years of 1414H – 1418H (1994 – 1998 AD), the House,

represented by its owner Majd Matbouli Ghareeb, established the

elements of the approach of understanding the Qur’ān by the Qur’ān

under the title of (the approach of analyzing the Qur’ānic verses). In

1420H (1999), the House issued a book under the title of (the cave of

the young men whom their hearing was sealed up till today) in order

to adjust the elements of this approach, be confirmed of its soundness

and measure the extent of the validity and the efficiency of the results

of its application. The name of the project was changed into the center

of the geometrical studies in the Glorious Qur’ān.

52

In the beginning of its work in the project of geometrical

miracle in the Glorious Qur’ān, the House Issued printed materials in

which it explained the objectives of the project, the means of

achieving it, its financial resources, the rights of the House regarding

the project and the conditions of research acceptance. Thereafter, the

House issued a list of researches and studies in the book of

(geometrical signs in Qur’ānic verses) in order to be used as a guide

for the researchers in the next competitions, as we referred before, and

to achieve the following targets:

1- Clarifying some of the mentioned geometrical signs in some

Qur’ānic verses as well as indicating the followed models for deriving

the geometrical signs from the text of the verse.

2- Inviting the readers, engineers, and the researchers for the

participation in the collective thinking through drafting the

geometrical signs by the way of question and inquire to instigate the

intellectual energies as well as enticing the soul and the brain to

ponder over the Qur’ānic verse and reflect upon its meaning. The

geometrical thinking may result in adding and discovering new

geometrical concepts that clarify one method of geometrical miracle

methods in the Glorious Qur’ān.

3- Adding more Qur’ānic verses with geometrical references as

well as what can be reached at of more geometrical signs in the verses

mentioned previously in the first edition of the book. This is to

develop and modernize its contents to be a source from which the

researchers pick out the points and concepts that they aspire to study

and deal with in their research.

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The House has determined to work on the following

encyclopedias and to issue them: the encyclopedia of civil engineering

signs in the Glorious Qur’ān, the encyclopedia of architectural signs in

the Qur’ān, the encyclopedia of electrical engineering signs in the

Glorious Qur’ān, the encyclopedia of mechanical engineering signs in

the Glorious Qur’ān, the encyclopedia of chemical engineering signs

in the Glorious Qur’ān, the encyclopedia of naval engineering signs in

the Glorious Qur’ān, the encyclopedia of nuclear engineering signs in

the Glorious Qur’ān, the encyclopedia of administrative engineering

signs in the Glorious Qur’ān, the encyclopedia of universal

engineering signs in the Glorious Qur’ān, the encyclopedia of

militarily engineering signs in the Glorious Qur’ān, the encyclopedia

of planes and spaces engineering signs in the Glorious Qur’ān and the

encyclopedia of human resources and forces geometry signs in the

Glorious Qur’ān.

The Second Chapter: The International Project of the Divine

Verses

First of all, we can not say that the Glorious Qur’ān was sent

down to teach us the scientific experiments or instruct us about

astronomy, meteorology, physics, chemistry, etc.. Rather, it was sent

down with signs, instructions and indications that if we study carefully

and examine sincerely, we will provide new meanings of the glorious

words to non-Muslims, make clear to them the precedence of the

Qur’ān over any discovery or invention, expose to them the principles

of the scientific approach through the verses of the Qur’ān, and

provide them with a quick brief explanation for the occurrence of

54

natural phenomena as they were mentioned in the universal Qur’ānic

verses.

Non-muslims primarily believe in science. Therefore, we should

use it as well as the Glorious Qura’n in our D’awah – call - for Islam

since that is the key of their comprehension and convictions. Our entry

to their hearts and minds is through science,.

This project did not come to light with the efforts of only one

scholar, rather by the participation of many prominent scholars over a

period of two years. They were chosen by the scientific supervisor of

the project who was the author of these lines. He was well acquainted

among the scholars with proficiency in the matters of the scientific

miracle or the matters and the aspects of the scientific signs mentioned

in the Glorious Qur’ān. We adopted the variety of specialization in our

choosing of these elite in order to cover nearly all the experimental

scientific branches. The author of these lines participated in drafting

the Qur’ānic course in some chapters, editing all the written material

and perfected the coordination between the participants during the

stages of preparation.

The language of the project:

It was naturally to publish the material in foreign languages

since the main target of this project were non-Muslims. We chose the

English language as the international first language for the publication

of the project, keeping in mind that the chargers of the project intend

to translate it into French, Spanish, German and other languages.

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The size and the variation of the project’s material:

Despite the fact that the project includes more than one

hundred and twenty subjects in the experimental and universal

sciences, we consider it as the core for a larger and greater project,

namely the large encyclopedia for the manifestation of the universal

verses in the Glorious Qur’ān. This encyclopedia should be well-

planned and the timework should be of a larger number among the

scholars of accurate specializations, talent, experience and sincerity.

The focus should be always on sincerity as well as the talent and the

experience of the consistent automatic connection between sciences

and the Qur’ānic verses.

With regard to the variation of the project’s materials that were

actually prepared and handed over to the responsible persons who

printed it in one of the USA printing offices in 1991 AD, it can be

noted through listing the titles of their chapters and sections.

•••• First Chapter: Physics: they include seven sections, namely

Physics, Astronomy, Universal Sciences, Meteorology, Geology,

Oceanography, and Ecology.

•••• Second Chapter: Agricultural and Biological Sciences: they

cover five sections, namely Zoology, Entomology, Botany,

Agricultural and general Biology.

•••• Third chapter: Medical Sciences: they cover 10 sections,

namely Physiology, Nutrition Science, Anatomy, Embryology,

Obstetrics and Gynecology Diseases, Public Health Science,

Synchronistic Biological Science, Medication and Preventitive

Medicine., psychology, and relations between males and females.

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•••• Fourth and last chapter: the scientific introduction for

understanding the message of the Qur’ān: it covers three sections,

namely knowledge in the Glorious Qur’ān, the natural phenomena and

the Islamic teachings, the status of women in the Qura’nic society.

The Third Section: the Project of an encyclopedia titled 'We

did not leave out anything in the Book'

Dar Al-Fikr Al-Arabi in Cairo and Ibad Al-rahman Center for

the clarification of Qur’ān sciences, which is subsequent to the

international Taibat city for sciences and knowledge in Saudi Arabia,

tackled the preparation of a project of great encyclopedia under the

verse, 'We did not leave out anything in the book'. The elite of

contemporary prominent Islamic intellectual scholars were chosen for

drafting the material of this encyclopedia regarding which its volumes

would be issued consecutively under the supervision of Professor

Mansour Muhammad Hasab Ul-Nabi. This is stated on the cover of

the first volume that was authored by Professor Mansour Muhammad

Hasab Ul-Nabi in its first edition in 1418 H (1997 AD) under the title

of (the universal knowledge between science and Qur’ān).

The scientific supervisor of the project or (the encyclopedia) wrote its

introduction on Ramadan 1417 H (January 1997 AD) in which he

explained the Qur’ān approach of the Islamic Da’wah and clarified

that the chapters of the Qur’ān are books. He summarized the

magnificence of the Qur’ān in:

1) Its magnificence as a miracle

2) Its magnificence as a protected book.

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3) Its magnificence as a book superseding the previous

books

4) Its magnificence as a book clarifying everything.

The first volume of this project or (encyclopedia) included ten

sections, namely stars are the sun of the glob, sun in this worldly sky,

water and the mystery of life, moon the counter of years and shooting

stars are the flaming fire to Satan, the meeting of the people of earth

with people of the heaven, the notation of earth and its course, the

mountains that are standing firm and the sweet water, winds as

blessing and wrath, what ascends to the heaven, swallowing up of the

earth and the eruption of volcanoes.

Years after the death of Prof. Mansour Muhammad Hasab Ul-Nabi,

the second volume was issued under the title of, The Medical

Knowledge in the Light of the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, by Dr. Ahmed

Shawqi Ibrahim in its first edition in 1423 A.H. (2002 AD). It is

divided into four books with the following titles: the stages of the

creation and the sense of human, the psychological cure, the secrets of

sleeping and beauty science, the prohibitions and health of the human

as well as medical preventives, “let the man consider his food”. It is

worth mentioning that the second volume of this encyclopedia did not

include the participation of any body on its cover or contains or the

cooperation of Dar Al-fikr Al-arabi that tackled the matter of its

publication in the abovementioned date.

May Allah guide us to success!

58

Regulations of Research

In the Scientific Miraculousness of the Glorious Qur’ān

By Prof. Ahmed Fou'ad Pasha

First: Defining the scientific miraculousness

Linguistically, miraculousness is derived from `jz, and `jz means

weakness or inability. I`jaz is the verbal noun of “A`jaza”, which

means: outstripping and precedence.1

A miracle in the terminology of scholars is: an extraordinary

thing associated with a challenge and faced by no opposition.2

And the meaning of the Qur’ān’s miraculousness is: the inability

of people to bring a book like it; that is, the `jz here is attributed to the

people due to their inability to do such a thing.

Miraculousness was Named Scientific after Science

To Arabs, “science” originally meant the correct grasp of the

realities of things. This meaning is general, comprehensive and

unrestricted to any particular thing. However, classifying sciences into

religious and worldly, based on religious texts and on reasoning,

Shari'a (Islamic jurisprudence) and cosmic, theoretical and

experimental, human and natural, etc., depends on the traits

characterizing the topics of the science, its sources or the methods by

which it is gained, and according to how far they are compatible and

close to each other.

1 Refer to Lisan Al-`Arab for Ibn Mandhour, term “`Ajaza”, and Al-Mufradat for

Ar-Ragheb Al-Asfahany, page 322. 2 Read the meaning of this in Tafsir Al-Qurtuby 1 / 96 and Fath Al-Bary 6 / 581.

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Science may be devoted to a certain subject, such as science of

Tafsir, science of language, science of history, science of astronomy,

science of biology and so forth. 3

What is meant by science to which the term the scientific

miraculousness in the Glorious Qur’ān is attributed is the cosmic,

experimental sciences that study the phenomena related to life and the

cosmos.

Based on this, the scientific miraculousness of the Glorious

Qur’ān and the pure Sunnah is that they had informed about a cosmic

fact proved true by experimental science, and that it has been

established that such facts could not have been realized through

human methods at the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace and

blessings be upon him). This shows that he conveyed what was

revealed to him from the Almighty Lord truthfully. 4

This miraculousness was called scientific for its connection to

experimental science that is intended for studying the steady

phenomena in the horizons and in our own selves, including the laws

that account for their occurrence and conduct. By this, the realities of

things will be completely manifest and the fact of facts will clearly

emerge, represented in the pure faith, with guidance and deep

awareness, in the Creator, the One; as is revealed in the following

Qur’ānic verse:

3 Ahmed Fouad Pasha, Raheeq Al-`Ilm Wal-Iman, Dar Al-Fikr Al-`Araby, Cairo,

1422 A.H. – 2002 A.D., p 26. 4 `Abdul-Majeed Az-Zendany, Al-I`jaz Al-`Ilmy Ta’seelan Wa Manhajan, Al-

I`jaz Magazine, the Organization of the Scientific Miracles in the Qur’ān and the

Sunnah, the Muslim World League, Mecca, issue No. 1, Safar 1416 A.H. – July

1995 A.D.

60

(We will soon show them Our signs in the horizons and in

themselves until it is evident to them that it is the Truth. And does

it not suffice as to your Lord that He is The Ever-Present Witness

over everything?) (Fussilat: 53)

The relationship between the verses of Almighty Allah in the

Qur’ān and the signs in the universe combines in an accurately

consistent manner the miraculousness of eloquent revelation and

precedence in the everlasting book of Islam and the miraculousness of

the divine power in the boundless book of the cosmos. Thus, each

miraculousness attests in resignation to the truth of the other. And

both offer a lesson for those endowed with wise intellects and

conscious hearts and hearings. As it was established by decisive

proofs that the Glorious Qur’ān cannot be other than divine, from

Allah, the One, as evidenced by the lack of discrepancy between its

verses, so also this cosmic system, miraculously planned and accurate,

cannot be but the product of the creation of Allah Who does

everything in the most perfect way possible.

We ought to realize here that miracles are of two types that

should be distinguished from each other. We should seek such

miracles that should be sought and refrain from those miracles that

avail a wise person nothing. 5

As for the first type, it is the miracle that heads toward the

mind. Such a miracle is around and can easily be found by the one

who pays attention to it. This type of miraculousness is represented in 5 `Abbas Mahmoud Al-`Aqqad, At-Tafkir Fareedah Islamiyyah – [Thinking is an

Islamic Duty], (Al-Maktabah Al-`Asriyyah Publications, Beirut, Saida, undated

publishing.)

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the regular steadiness of the unchanging phenomena pertaining to life

and the cosmos. Almighty Allah says:

(…Then, you will never find any exchange of the enactment of

Allah, and you will never find any transference to the enactment

of Allah.) (Fāt ir: 43).

And the second type is the miracle that is supernatural and

amazing to the mind which is forced by its irresistible power into

submission. A miracle of this type is in no need of a greater power

than that whose wonders are witnessed every day and hour. It is more

appropriate for a true scholar to recognize the wonders in Allah’s

unchanging, familiar laws in the cosmos which he observes in the

study of orbits, the properties of matter, and the conduct of the created

beings and phenomena. Being familiar with these should not be a

reason for lack of wonderment. Whoever behaves as such does

actually undervalue the miracle and takes it lightly, despite the fact

that it addresses the mind and stimulates its faculties. Also, such a

person is unable to see in this miracle the Divine hand that directs all

the affairs of life and the cosmos.

Many researchers do not have this clear distinction between the

two types of miracles, so they either restrict their thinking only to the

limit of “scientific explanation” of the cosmic phenomenon, or they

involve themselves in matters beyond the comprehension capacity of

the limited human mind; the supernatural phenomena that are not

subject to the natural immutable laws or the human experience are an

example of this.

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This lack of clear distinction between the two types of miracles

has also led to mixing up between concepts:

The First concept: Scientific miraculousness that refers to the

precedence of the Glorious Qur’ān in telling about cosmic facts long

before they were discovered by experimental science.

The second concept: Scientific explanation of the Glorious

Qur’ān which aims at exploring new meanings for a Qur’ānic verse

or a Prophetic hadith in light of the theories of cosmic sciences which

are more likely to be correct. This, however, should be done without

exceeding the proper bounds in interpretation; that is to say that these

sciences ought to be utilized as helping tools in explaining the Qur’ān

and the Sunnah, as was the case with the sciences of language, Usoul,

and fiqh, in addition to other fields of Shar`i sciences.

Therefore, it was normal for a new field of research of the

sciences of the Qur’ān to emerge within the Islamic studies with

special focus on studying the cosmic signs within a framework of

compatibility between the scientific facts and what is informed or

referred to in the Qur’ān. The study may be aimed at revealing the

aspects of scientific miraculousness of the Glorious Qur’ān by

demonstrating the wisdom behind the Divine injunctions as to what is

lawful, from the good things, and what is unlawful, from the evil and

impure ones. Or, its aim may be to reveal the aspects of the Qur’ānic

guidance in the horizons of the self and the cosmos in general.

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Second: Gradation in Comprehending the Scientific

Miraculousness of the Glorious Qur’ān

Almighty Allah in His limitless wisdom willed that people can

be guided through a variety of means, for He is All-Aware of His

servants. Sometimes, He addresses His servants by what touches their

hearts softly and gently, and some other times, He strikes their minds

with great might. A most significant method He uses to increase their

awareness and sharpen their capacity of understanding is urging them

to contemplate the signs of His creation. This has encouraged the

scholars who see in the scientific miraculousness of the Glorious

Qur’ān a new kind of Tafsir representing a source of support and

renewal on the way of calling others to Allah and leading them to His

religion.

The Glorious Qur’ān is the greatest miracle with which Almighty

Allah has supported His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon

him), a miracle that will last among people until the Day of Judgment,

as revealed in the Qur’ānic verse: (Say, “Which thing is greatest in

testimony?” Say, “ Allah is Ever- Witnessing between me and

you; and this Qur’ān has been revealed to me to warn you thereby

and whomever it reaches.”…) (al-An‘ām: 19). Thus, there have

emerged new fields of research in the sciences of the Qur’ān focused

on the aspects of Qur’ānic miraculousness—rhetorical, legislative,

educational, scientific, etc.

With regard to demonstrating the scientific miracle in terms of

its lastingness and renewal with every human breakthrough in the

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various fields of science, including those related to the meanings of

the divine revelation, Almighty Allah says:

(But Allah bears witness to what He has sent down to you. He has

sent it down with His knowledge; and the Angels (also) bear

witness; and Allah suffices as Ever-Witnessing.) (An-Nisā’: 166)

In the Tafsir of this verse, “He has sent it down with His

knowledge” was interpreted as follows:

That it contains His knowledge with which He wants His

servants to be acquainted—clear signs, guidance and criterion

between truth and falsehood, what Allah likes and is pleased with, and

what He dislikes and disapproves of. Also, it has knowledge of the

Unseen, pertaining to the past and the future.6

As such, Almighty Allah has promised that He will show us His

signs, and so we will gain accurate knowledge about them. In a

Qur’ānic verse, He says:

(And say, “Praise be to Allah! He will soon show you His signs

(and) then you will recognize them…) (An-Naml: 93)

And He also says:

(We will soon show them Our signs in the horizons and in

themselves until it is evident to them that it is the Truth…)

(Fussilat: 53)

Included in Allah’s signs in the horizons and souls are all what

He created throughout the earth and the heaven, as informed in the

verse that reads:

6 Mukhtasar Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Vol. 1, Page 466.

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(And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and

of whatever kinds of beast He has disseminated in them…) (Ash-

Shura: 29)

The Glorious Qur’ān abounds with verses that speak about

Allah’s signs in His creation and calls for contemplation of them as an

effective means to lead to sincere faith in Allah through feeling His

Oneness, power and the wonder of his creation. In this, the Glorious

Qur’ān employs various rhetorical methods to call for pondering the

signs of Allah, making mention of the heavens and the earth, the sun

and the moon and its phases, the east and the west, the constellations,

the stars and planets, the night and day, the dawn and the dusk,

darkness, and the illumination, the seas, the rivers and springs, the

impregnating winds, the clouds that are heavy, accumulated or

stretched, the lightning, the thunder and rain, the firm mountains, the

white and red streaks and the black crags, the submissive land and the

one that shakes and swells, the gardens, palm-trees, grapes, and the fig

and olive, the talh (banana or acacia), the lote-trees and gourds, the

ants, the bees, the gnat and spider, the birds outstretching their wings,

the camels, horses and cattle, the milk that issues from filth and blood,

the healing drink that comes out of bees’ bellies, the creation of man

from dust and contemptible water, and the phases of creation

development in the darkness of the womb, and his lips, tongue,

hearing, sight and heart, and bringing the living from the dead and the

dead from the living. These are but a few examples of the Qur’ānic

address to the people of understanding who reason and reflect.

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If we ponder the Qur’ānic address calling for contemplation

upon Allah’s signs, we will find that believers regard this call as an

obligation and duty they have to fulfill.7 However, it goes without

saying that the interpretation of this obligation to reflect upon Allah’s

signs differs from one believer to another and from one reader of the

Qur’ān to another. That is because their reflection differs according to

the differences in their personal predisposition, their comprehension

and the amount of knowledge they possess. The heavens, for instance,

represent a wonderful, miraculous sign equally to the unlettered and to

the astronomer, even though the astronomer is more capable of

grasping the majesty of this miracle, and thus has deep fear and awe of

its creator; it is revealed in a verse that:

(Surely only the ones of His bondmen who are apprehensive of

Allah are the knowledgeable...) (Fāt ir: 28)

Hence, simple, natural thinking and deep contemplation are both

beneficial and required. This is one of the secrets of the Qur’ān’s

rhetoric. However, only those who are capable and qualified can truly

delve into scientific research, so, it becomes a collective duty, and

they should keep others informed of the outcome of their

contemplation (and research), for we are commanded to seek

knowledge and teach others, and it is prohibited to withhold

knowledge.

People differ in their understanding of the Qur’ān in varying

degrees according to their, conditions and capabilities. In this age,

7 `Abdul-Hafiz Helmy Muhammad, Al-`Uloum Al-Biologiyyah Fi Khedmet Tafsir

Al-Qur’ān, `Alam Al-Fikr magazine, Vol. 12, Issue No. 4, Kuwait, 1982.

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people are in more need than ever to take from the Qur’ān as much as

they can and to make use of its treasures and secrets in order to put

their worldly affairs right and win the bliss and happiness of the

Hereafter. In his book “Introduction of Tafsir”, Ar-Ragheb Al-

Asfahany said:

In fact, the Qur’ān is guidance for all creation; however, they

would not have equal knowledge of it. Rather, they would gain of it in

accordance with their different degrees and conditions. People of

eloquence and rhetoric better appreciate its eloquence, jurists are

knowledgeable about its rulings, scholastic theologians arrive at its

reasoning arguments, and archeologists know about its stories what is

unknown to others who are not specialized in this branch of

knowledge. It has been learned that the more man acquires

knowledge, the more he is knowledgeable about its mysteries.8

Certainly, those specialized in the different branches of

knowledge are not excluded from those mentioned by Al-Asfahany,

for indeed all scientific facts that help deepen our understanding of the

meanings of the Glorious Qur’ān and its teachings should be accepted

and utilized. The Qur’ān has many verses that, if considered

scientifically, will give its secrets and manifest its miracles. This is

because the Glorious Qur’ān employs a wise approach in showing

Allah’s signs in the cosmos. The very guidance for which it was

revealed required that it not address people in a way that surpasses

their capability of understanding, lest it build a barrier between them

8 From: Ahmed Al-Sherbasy, Qisat al- Tafsir, Dar Al-Qalam, Cairo, 1962 A.D.

Refer to Dr. `Abdul-Hafiz Helmy Muhammad, a previous reference.

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and the message therein, in which case they would have rejected it and

challenged what they could not comprehend.

Likewise, this Qur’ānic guidance also entailed that the Qur’ān

should not approve the false beliefs regarding the universe at the time

of its revelation, thereby preventing those living in the ages of

scientific and technical advance from accepting it. The One Who

revealed the Qur’ān already knew that those ages would come.

Avoiding these two obstacles to accepting the Qur’ānic guidance is

indeed a sign of the miraculous approach of the Qur’ān, and it is

powerful evidence that the Qur’ān is truly from Allah, the Creator of

both mankind and of the universe.

In order to truly grasp the wisdom behind the miracles involved

in the Qur’ān and the signs of the cosmos one must reach a level of

elevated understanding of both of them. In other words, we should

go beyond the bounds of voices and words and penetrate the barrier of

time and place, as if we are listening to the Everlasting Speaker—may

He be Glorified. Indeed, the level of transparency and sensitivity in

one’s soul have a noticeable effect on the way one reads the Qur’ān or

listens to it being recited. A person with such a transparent and

sensitive soul would be able to see the lights of the Qur’ān clearly. It

is because of this that wise and pious scholars gave this advice: Recite

the Qur’ān as if it was being revealed to you.

And the utmost ihsan in reading the signs of the cosmos, the

visible book of Allah, means exceeding the boundary of mechanical

scientific research, with its elements, methods and tools, and

penetrating the world of scientific theories and laws and it’s literal

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wording. In this way, one can realize that each branch of the sciences

exploring the phenomena of life and the cosmos is in fact, a science

that is looking in its own way for the Creator of the universe and life

and is essentially based upon one of Allah’s Excellent Names. The

sciences of medicine and pharmacology, for example, reach their

perfection by observing the merciful manifestations of the Name “the

Healer” in every pill of medicine. By the same token, the sciences of

physics, astronomy, chemistry, botany and zoology are searching for

the reality of all beings in reliance upon the relevant Names, such the

All-Knowing, the All-Wise, the All-Powerful, and the Determiner

Who brought this universe into existence in a most orderly, organized,

perfect and beautiful manner.

Accordingly, sciences are in actuality not the end alls in and of

themselves. They however, represent the vital necessity and need for

knowledge and thinking, they encompass guidance and faith and give

new sight to see in every cosmic display a sign expressing the Power

and Oneness of the Creator and manifesting His Glorious deeds and

Excellent Names.

Undoubtedly, exploring the scientific miraculousness of the

Glorious Qur’ān with proper guidance and awareness yields truly

fruitful results by rising and reaching the utmost ihsan in

comprehending Allah’s signs scattered throughout the Glorious

Qur’ān, the vast universe, the mysteries of the human soul and all

other beings. Furthermore, the advances made in the modern sciences

and the successes they have achieved in discovering new facts about

the universe are some of the factors that encouraged the efforts to

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utilize science in order to reveal new meanings in the verses of the

Glorious Qur’ān. These efforts should be made keeping in mind what

is known about the meaning of a scientific fact and it limitations.

Third: The Regulations of Research (Approach)

to the Scientific Miracles of the Glorious Qur’ān

Given the bitter criticism directed at linking the Qur’ān to

science because of the exaggeration of some enthusiastic individuals

or the disregard, and given the dire need for this kind of Qur’ānic

study to facilitate the contemporary movement of Islamic Da`wah, it

has become necessary for research in the field of the Qur’ān’s

scientific miracles to adopt a definitive approach and involve certain

regulations and conditions for anyone wanting to make endeavors in

this respect. Also, anyslips and stumbles along the way of those

endeavors ought to be pointed out and warned of.

The general framework researchers have reached for guiding

study in the sphere of the scientific miracles of the Glorious Qur’ān

and the pure Sunnah may be summarized as follows:

1- Allah’s knowledge is comprehensive and all-encompassing. It is

free from any fault or shortcoming. Human knowledge, on the other

hand, is limited, and is subject to mistakes but can grow. The texts of

revelation came down with concise and eloquent wording that

encompasses the correct meanings in all topics, which will

successively emerge generation after generation. Although they were

revealed at different points in time, if the texts of the Glorious Qur’ān

and the authentic Sunnah were combined together, it would be found

that each of them complements the other, and thus the truth would be

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evident. This can only be the work of Allah, the One Who knows the

secrets in the heavens and the earth. Therefore, no discrepancy can be

found between the numerous revealed texts that describe the universe

and its secrets, and the discovered scientific facts, also great in

number. Should any apparent discrepancy occur, the reason surely lies

in an error in understanding the divine revelation or in the

experimental science.

2- The scientific fact whose meaning and limits are known by the

scholars does not become invalid with time. Rather, it increases in

clarity and detail with the efforts made successively by scholars. After

all, the scientific laws usually express limited scientific facts, and it is

not intelligent to treat these partial facts as proofs for deficiency and

shortcoming in science. In fact, the nature of scientific knowledge is

characterized by its steady growth in discovering laws that shed light

piecemeal on the facts of unchanging reality in the cosmos already

referred to by the verses of the Glorious Qur’ān.

3- There should be adherence to the meanings of the Arabic language:

a) The meanings of words just as they were at the time of

revelation as well as the fiqh of how to use them ought to be observed.

b) The grammatical rules and their connotations should be

observed.

c) The rhetorical rules and their connotations should be

observed, particularly the rule that the meaning of a word should not

be treated as figurative except with adequate evidence.

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d) One should not resort to ta`weel (explanation based on

personal reasoning) in demonstrating the scientific miracle that is the

Qur’ān and Sunnah.

4- The facts mentioned in the Qur’ān should not be questioned. Yet,

they ought to be the basis of one’s research. Whatever agrees with

them is accepted, and whatever contradicts them is rejected. This is

because the Qur’ānic facts, not the experimental science, are used as

the reference. Scientific facts are judged by the Qur’ān for veracity,

not the contrary. If they are compatible, all is well and good, but if

they are in conflict with, the science is to be rejected, for indeed the

Qur’ān is a revelation from the One Who encompasses everything is

His Knowledge.

5- The scholars making endeavors in this field should possess

adequate knowledge of the sciences of the Qur’ān. Moreover, they

have to refer to ummahat al-kutub (the comprehensive, original books)

of tafsir, as a deliberate learner, not a hurried reader. If unable to do

so, then they must ask the (religious) scholars and those specialized in

their field of research. They must meet this basic requirement in order

not to get themselves involved in talking about Allah’s Book without

knowledge.

6- Likewise, researchers who exert efforts in this field, the scientific

miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān and the pure Sunnah, should be

thoroughly acquainted with the scientific phenomenon under study

and the history of the relevant technical words.

These methodical regulations and conditions are essential in

guiding research in the scientific miraculousness of the Qur’ān and the

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Sunnah. They have to be met by everyone wishing to engage in such

endeavors, as befitting the majesty and sacredness of the Qur’ān.

The Book of Almighty Allah is miraculous—all of it. The

scholars can seek the signs of its miracles in every field. If we are

tackling “its scientific miraculousness”, it behooves us to be

meticulous about total accuracy. For instance, we should not make up

an occasion or event, cling to a certain word and twist its meaning, or

ignore or plead ignorance of the facts of history. Rather, we have to

follow the example of the previous imams who adopted accurate

scientific approaches when dealing with the Glorious Qur’ān in a

variety of aspects—language, rhetorical, legislative and so forth.

These research topics are highly significant in deepening the

certitude in the hearts of believers and warding off the doubt-stirring

allegations, presented in the garb of science, by disbelievers and

keeping them away from the Muslim land. They also serve the

purpose of rebutting the attempts to hide under the veil of science so

as to arouse suspicion about Islam and Muslims. In addition, they are

intended to invite non-Muslims, whatever their nationalities and

countries are, to Islam and convey to them the facts about this

religion. Also, Muslims are encouraged by the topics mentioned to

seek and meet the necessary requirements for scientific renaissance

and to have a deeper understanding of the address directed to us by the

Qur’ān and the Sunnah. Based on all the aforementioned, it has

become obvious that conducting such research is one of the most

important collective duties, especially because the people of this age -

from all racial backgrounds- who seek the truth tend to acquiesce to

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science, its methodology, clear signs and proofs more than any other

option.

Sources and References

1- The Glorious Qur’ān.

2- Mukhtasar Tafsir Ibn Kathir, synopsized and verified by:

Muhammad `Ali As-Sabouny, Dar Al-Qur’ān Al-Karim, Beirut.

3- At-Tafsir Al-Kabir, or Mafateeh Al-Ghayb, by Imam Fakhr Ad-Din

Ar-Razy, Dar Al-Kutub Al-`Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 1411 A.H. –

1990 A.H.

4- Al-Muntakhab Fi Tafsir Al-Qur’ān Al-Karim, the Supreme Council

of Muslim Affairs, 18th edition, Cairo, 1416 A.H. – 1995 A.D.

5- the Indexed Dictionary of the Qur’ānic Words, by Muhammad

Fouad `Abdul-Baqi, Jamal Publishing Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon.

6- Al-Mufradat for Ar-Ragheb Al-Asfahany, Dar Al-Ma`refah edition,

Beirut.

7- Tafsir Al-Qurtuby, Dar Ihyaa’ At-Turath Al-`Araby edition.

8- Fath Al-Bary, Dar Al-Ma`refah edition, Beirut.

9- Al-I`jaz Al-`Ilmy Ta’seelan Wa Manhajan, by `Abdul-Majeed Az-

Zendany, the Organization of the Scientific Miracles in the Qur’ān

and the Sunnah, the Muslim World League, Mecca, issue No. 1, Safar

1416 A.H. – July 1995 A.D.

10- Raheeq Al-`Ilm Wal-Iman, by Dr. Ahmed Fouad Pasha, Dar Al-

Fikr Al-`Araby, Cairo, 1422 A.H. – 2002 A.D.

11- Lisan Al-`Arab by Ibn Mandhour.

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12- Al-`Uloum Al-Biologiyyah Fi Khedmet Tafsir Al-Qur’ān Al-

Karim, by Dr. `Abdul-Hafiz Helmy Muhammad, `Alam Al-Fikr

magazine, Vol. 12, Issue No. 4, Kuwait, 1982 A.D.

13- Qisat al-Tafsir [the Story of Qur’ān exegesis], by Ahmed Al-

Sherbasy, Dar Al-Qalam, Cairo, 1962 A.D.

14- At-Tafkir Fareedah Islamiyyah – [Thinking is an Islamic Duty],

by `Abbas Mahmoud Al-`Aqqad, Al-Maktabah Al-`Asriyyah

Publications, Beirut, Saida.

15- Hedayat Al-Qur’ān Fi Al-Aafaaq Wa Fi Al-Anfus Wa I`jazahu Al-

`Ilmy, by Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Sharif, Da`wah Daruriyyah Wa

Manhaj Wajib, 1406 A.H. – 1986 A.D.

16- On Fiqh of Science and Civilization, by Dr. Ahmed Fouad Pasha,

series of Islamic Issues (20), the Supreme Council of Muslim Affairs,

Cairo, 1417 A.H. – 1997 A.D.

17- Derasat Islamiyyah Fi Al-Fikr Al-`Ilmy, by Dr. Ahmed Fouad

Pasha, Dar Al-Hedayah, Cairo, 1418 A.H. – 1997 A.D.

18- Al-Islam Fi `Asr Al-`Ilm, Ar-Resalah Wa Ar-Rasoul Wa Al-Qur’ān

Wa Al-I`jaz Al-`Ilmy, by Muhammad Ahmed Al-Ghamrawy, Dar Al-

Insan, Cairo, 1411 A.H. – 1991 A.D.

19- Allah Yatajalla Fi `Asr Al-`Ilm – Allah Appears in the Scientific

Era, by Christie Morrison, trans. by Ad-Demerdash `Abdul Majeed

Sarhan.

20- Al-Qur’ān Wa Al-Manhaj Al-`Ilmy Al-Mu`asir, by `Abdul-Halim

Al-Jendy, Dar Al-Ma`aref, Cairo, 1984 A.D.

21-, Al-Kawn Wa Al-I`jaz Al-`Ilmy Fi Al-Qur’ān Al-Karim, by Dr.

Mansour Hasab An-Naby Dar Al-Fikr Al-`Araby, 1991 A.D.

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22- Issues of Al-Muslim Al-Mu`asir magazine.

23- Issues of Al-I`jaz Al-`Ilmy and the works of the conferences on

the scientific miraculousness in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, the

Muslim World League.

24- The Dictionary of the Glorious Qur’ān, Kuwait Foundation for

Scientific Advancement, Kuwait (series of dictionaries).

25- Dr. Karem Ghoneim, Al-Isharat Al-`ilmiyyah Fi Al-Qur’ān Al-Karim Bayn Ad-Derasah Wa

At-Tatbeeq - the Scientific References in the Glorious Qur’ānBetween Study and Application,

Dar Al-Fikr Al-`Araby, Cairo, 1995 A.D.

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From the Cosmic Miraculousness of the Glorious Qur’ān

By Prof. Muhammad Ahmed Ash-Shahawy

Chairman of Astronomy and Meteorology Department

Faculty of Science, Cairo University

Introduction: From the perfect planning to the perfect

revelation

Between 10 and 20 billion years ago, our earth, along with its moon

and its sky, was non-existent. Until then, the galaxies had not formed.

The only thing existing was a ball of light with enormous density.

This ball contained all the matter and energy of the present universe.

As Allah willed, it exploded and its contents dispersed throughout the

surrounding space, and they continued to expand away from each

other. At that time, protons, neutrons and electrons were being

generated, and all were swimming in huge seas of radiation. This

maintained the system of extension and expansion in the space.

As the contents of the universe were expanding, nucleuses of

matter began to be formed. The parts and contents surrounding each

nucleus attracted one another and pushed toward the near nucleus. As

a result of pushing and in homogeneity, vertical, turbulent motions

emerged. These motions helped form some gaseous structures that

were rotating like a spindle at great speeds. In the meantime, their

material components decreased in heaviness, until they took on the

form of a disk. That was the beginning of galaxies.

During the formation of galaxies, small conglomerations

continued to form inside them, some of which would soon explode,

giving back their matter to the surrounding space; whereas some

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others would transform into the shape of gaseous balls that continued

to shrink. Due to this continuous shrinking, the density of matters in

some structures increased to a degree large enough to make it possible

for the internal pressure along with the great heat to begin a sequence

of fusion in which binary hydrogen atoms collided into one another,

forming the atoms of helium. The difference in mass would be

released as radiative energy, thus becoming stars that emit heat and

light.

Formation of stars and production of metals

In this way the stars generated within enormous galaxies, many

of which are comprised of hundreds of billion stars. Each star is a

massive cosmic ball inside of which hydrogen transforms into helium.

In the meantime, a relatively heavy central core forms inside the star,

within which interactions of fusion occurs. This core is externally

surrounded by a layer of hydrogen.

After millions of years, the star would become inhomogeneous. When

nearly 10 % of its mass had transformed into helium, the star would

become unstable. Then, its outer layer would expand, and it would

become a gigantic star. At the same time, its central area would

shrink, resulting in a great rise in temperature. When temperature had

reached a hundred million degrees Kelvin, it would be possible for the

star to begin a nuclear interaction of a new type in which ternary

helium atoms fuse together to produce carbon.

The continuation of these reactions and the change in its order

of sequence created oxygen, neon and magnesium in the star, and then

iron originated. It behooves us here to acknowledge a great fact: The

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stars, which we consider as cosmic sources for light and heat and

other factors that emit warmth to the surrounding planets and bodies,

are in fact enormous factories created by Almighty Allah for the

purpose of transforming gases into a variety of elements that

contribute to the production of the different types of metals.

The end of the stars

The series of reactions in some stars could often lead their

matter to the state of electronic disintegration. At this point,

contracting and shrinking cease, and then the star would become a

relatively cold body after the expiration of its nuclear energy. Or, it

might turn white, if it still had some energy to radiate, in which case it

is called “white dwarf”. However, if all of its energy ran out, it would

become dark, and no one would be able to see or observe it. This is

the inevitable end for many stars.

On the other hand, the life of some large stars comes to an end

after its gases and material components have flowed to the

surrounding space, similar to how vapor flows into the air. This

continues until the matter of the star is exhausted. The end of the star

could be a tragic one. It might lose its mass by its outer parts flying in

various directions one after another. In each time, it discharges large

amounts of its matter which expand and fly away from it at speeds as

fast as thousands kilometers a second. Such stars are called “nova” or

“supernova”. The known nebula of Cancer is simply the remains of a

“supernova”.

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Thus generations of past stars leave their ruins and the remains

of their materials in the form of cosmic dust and gases, by means of

which succeeding generations of stars could emerge.

The Sun is the grandson of some stars

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the space lying between

the stars abounds with gases and dust stemming from the ruins of old

stars. This is a fact proved true by scientific research. Certainly, these

stellar remains contain the different elements, metals and materials

that had been previously produced. These remains are the basis for the

formation of nucleases for new stars.

It is worthy of mention that the new stars that originate from

stellar materials begin forming out of materials that contain an amount

of heavy elements exceeding what existed in the past generations.

Thus was the initial cloud from which our Sun and planets were

formed, containing an ample amount of gases and dust that have many

various metals and particles. In a way showing the perfect planning of

Allah the Almighty ancient ages ago, the solar system had been

provided with the needed essential components—different metals and

gases left over from the previous generations of stars.

Scientific research proved that the temperature of the Sun’s

center does not enable it to produce many of the heavy elements that

already exist in the composition of the Sun. Also, the sequence of the

fusion interactions in the Sun does not make it possible for it to

produce these elements. Nevertheless, it has been ascertained that iron

and other metals, such as gold and platinum, are part of the

composition of the Sun. The other known heavy metals, even

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uranium, have been found on the Earth which was formed out of the

same nebula from which the Sun was formed. With the formation of

the nucleus of the Earth, it could attract gases and dust along with the

different metals contained therein. Those metals came down on it

from the surrounding sky, which was how iron, which later became

the mainstay of any civilization to be established on the Earth, had

been caused to come down. Consider the Qur’ānic verse in which

Almighty Allah states:

(…And We have sent down iron, wherein is strict violence, and

(various) advantages for mankind…) (Al-Hadeed: 25)

It has been established by astronomical research that the Sun is a

star belonging to the third generation (a grandson), since the matter of

which it is composed had previously been in the composition of two

generations of stars before it. Indeed, this manifests the magnificent

planning of Allah the Almighty who has arranged everything for life

on the Earth. His favor upon us is indeed immense.

After our Sun was born and formed out of the materials of the disk

that were surrounded by the planets of the solar system, including our

planet “Earth”. The Divine Planning included the preparation of all

conditions suitable for human life on Earth. And this was not the case

for other planets and moons in the solar system. For human life to be

possible, the existence of a firm ground to settle on is necessary.

Likewise, there have to be temperature suitable for life and an

atmosphere with appropriate composition and pressure. These three

factors are not available on any planet in the solar system save the

planet Mars, Europa moon and Titan moon. But, there are difficulties

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and hardships on each of them that should be overcome before life can

be possible there. As for the planet Venus, the spacecraft (Mariner 2)

revealed that the atmosphere of Venus is 200 km in altitude, and that

dense, white cloud of sulfur acid swim within it. Furthermore, the

spacecraft also found out that the atmosphere there contains the gases

of argon, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor; and that rains fall

there torrentially in a way similar to that of the tropical zones on earth.

Also according to this spacecraft, violent storms rage in the air of

Venus, which is still poisonous. As for Jupiter and Saturn, there are

even harsher conditions in such a way as to make life of any kind –be

it of animals, plants or even microbes- impossible. On the other hand,

the planets lying on the outskirts of the cosmic space, which are

Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, are extremely cold. The upper atmosphere

of these planets consists of partial hydrogen, helium and methane.

Spacecrafts, including “Voyager” in 1986, revealed that the clouds of

ammonia existing in the air of the planet Uranus is wrapped in a dense

layer of fog, and that there could exist inside the planet a rocky central

region as big as our Earth; yet, above it there is an atmosphere whose

thickness exceeds 20 thousand km, which may cause such pressure

that no advanced being could survive. An example of this is the planet

Neptune; but it is characterized by a dark spot in its atmosphere,

which is dark hurricanes extending over 30 thousand km,

accompanied by blue clouds of condensed methane. Below them,

there are layers of clouds composed of hydrogen sulfide. Three

delicate circles consisting of stones and pebbles are orbiting Neptune.

As for the planet Pluto, it is small, and its diameter is no longer than

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the third that of the Earth’s. Some scientists believe that it was first a

moon of Neptune, over time Pluto’s orbit became disorderly, and it

moved in an oval orbit that goes a very long way around the Sun;

hence, it became a planet. In 1988, it was affirmed that there is an

atmosphere for Pluto which, it was established, extends over

approximately 600 km and is rarefied, because the atmospheric

pressure is no more than a millionth of the atmospheric pressure here

(on Earth).

Considering the ruinous conditions that exist on the other

planets of the solar system, we are led to see the great, boundless

favors Almighty Allah has bestowed upon the planet Earth and the

perfect organization and planning He has placed in it in such a way as

suitable for life. Indeed, Almighty Allah truthfully says:

(…and in case you number the favor (s) of Allah, you (cannot)

enumerate them…) (Ibrāheem: 34)

Planning in preparing the Earth for life

Almighty Allah has created the Earth after the Sun became in a stable

state. He has made it rotate at a suitable distance, not causing its

surface to burn due to nearness or to freeze because of remoteness.

The average distance between the Earth and the Sun amounts to

149.68 million km or so. This distance allows an appropriate amount

of solar energy to reach the Earth, without overheating it, particularly

as it was in its initial phases a flaming ball of gases and molten

materials. Then, with the lapse of long periods of time, it became

relatively cold. Consequently, the dense materials sank toward its

core, whereas the light materials floated to the surface. As it continued

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to cool and lose its heat at a percentage higher than what it received

from the Sun, its outer crust became rigid and enclosed layers of hot

liquids and fused materials. Scientists estimate that this had happened

4.5 billion years ago. It was ascertained that the oldest rocks inside the

crust of the Earth had formed 3.5 billion years ago. The emergence of

the rigid crust of the Earth was accompanied by cracks and volcanic

activities. As a result, fountains of fused materials and various gases

and vapors would burst forth toward the sky. Some would again fall

down on the Earth, whereas the others would hover in the sky of the

planet, thus forming the early stages of the atmosphere. The enormous

volcanic activities at the time helped increase the mass of the gaseous

atmosphere of the Earth, as amounts of the gases of carbon dioxide

and ammonia, along with water vapor and others, sprang toward the

sky. Thus the primitive atmosphere of the Earth was formed.

With the continuous cooling and the volcanic activities, the active

atmosphere continued to form. So, rains fell in torrents, inundating the

low and middle lying areas. Nearly two thirds of the planet was

covered, whereas the high parts remained above this new sea level. By

this emerged the continents with specific features and they were

separated from each other by seas and oceans. This occurred after the

passage of 300 million years since the beginning of the planet Earth.

Several hundred millions of years later, the early life emerged: initial

green plants in the oceans. As a consequence, large amounts of

oxygen gas were emitted into the atmosphere of the Earth. Then, with

the existence of oxygen, rains and the rays of the Sun, various trees

grew on the Earth and, in the course of several million years, verdant

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gardens bloomed on it. Ponder the Qur’ānic verse in which Almighty

Allah says:

(And the earth, We have laid it out (as) a bedding, so how

excellent are the Smoothers!) (Adh-Dhāriyāt: 48)

From what we have previously said, we conclude that it is the

All-Powerful Allah Who prepared the planet Earth for life and

planned in a most perfect way the conditions for man before he was

even brought into existence. It is an immutable law of Allah in His

cosmos that if He, Exalted be He, willed a thing, He puts the

necessary reasons for its occurrence in place. In fact, the planning and

preparation made by Almighty Allah in the creation of the Earth

exceeds imagination and goes beyond the limit of human perception

however advanced or developed it may be.

Everything has a perfect determination

Thanks to the precise determination of the mount of the Earth’s mass

(5.9737 x 10(21)

tons), it maintained the suitable atmosphere. Also, the

position of the Earth and the level of its orbit contributed greatly to the

heat balance on its surface. The planet was capable of repelling all

radiation falling down on it from the Sun, after it had a delicately

formed balance that allowed the exchange of radiation between its

surface and air, amidst its water and below the surface of its land, and

afterwards it would be turned back again into the space as long-range

waves. In this way, the total amount of energy sent back by the planet

yearly equals the amount of energy that reached it throughout the year.

If this were not the case, the surface of the planet would gradually

cool and end up frozen, or else it would overheat until its atmosphere

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would get away. An additional aspect of Allah’s perfect planning and

protection is the creation of the ozone gas for maintaining life on the

Earth.

The ozone gas

Ozone is one of the rare gases created by Almighty Allah in the air of

the Earth. Actually it is one of the distinguishing features of the Earth,

as it does not exist in the air of any other planet in the solar system.

The ozone molecule is but a molecule of oxygen that integrated with

an atom of its kind. It exists everywhere in the air of the Earth, just

like any other atmospheric gases. Although the amount of the ozone

gas existing in a given column of air stretching from the surface of the

Earth to the end of the atmosphere had been combined and placed in

the ordinary pressure conditions and ordinary temperature, its

thickness is almost 3 millimeters only. This means that all ozone

existing in the Earth’s atmosphere can constitute a fine layer that

surrounds it, whose thickness is no more than 4 millimeters. This

quantity, though small, provides a great source of preservation and

protection for life on the surface of the Earth. It does so by absorbing

the dangerous part of the ultraviolet rays coming from the Sun.

Through the wisdom of Allah, there is an unchanging law

governing the formation and dissolution of this gas, in such a way as

to make the quantity of it existing in the atmosphere of the Earth not

so small that it cannot absorb the harmful part of the ultraviolet rays,

nor so large that it may block the beneficial part of the rays. Almighty

Allah has placed specific limits, order and precision for the existence

of ozone. Accordingly, the oxygen molecule integrates with an atom

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of its kind, and this happens with the existence of the Sunrays. Both of

them retains a part of these rays –which is harmful-, and thus it is kept

away from the surface of the Earth which, in this way, is protected

against these destructive rays. As the Sun sets, some of the ozone gas

molecules return back to the surface of the earth

Since the formation of the ozone and the continuation of its existence

are related to the capacity of the ultraviolet rays, the molecules of this

gas are available and increasingly concentrated in an atmospheric

layer whose lower limit stretches over an altitude of about 15 to 45 km

above the sea level. Usually, it is most concentrated at the altitude of

45 km, and its molecules in the air decrease by going higher than this

level or by descending below it, down to the sea level where there is

very little ozone concentration. There is great wisdom and favor in

that, because if the ozone gas was concentrated in the air to a large

degree, inhaling it would be harmful.

As the process of the ozone’s formation in the Earth’s

atmosphere occurs through the rays of the Sun, the concentration of

this gas increases relatively in the regions where the Sun is bright and

decreases in the regions of the long polar night, where the dissolved

molecules are more than the ones that are formed. As such, the Polar

Regions suffer a shortage of the ozone gas’s concentration during the

two seasons of winter they endure. Once the spring comes, this

shortage starts to gradually vanish. This being the case, the human

tampering and the air pollutants diffused by man resulted in an

increase of the disintegration of the ozone’s molecules, and as a result,

the quantities that are formed cannot make up for the shortage thereof.

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The international community has hurried to rescue the ozone layer

given its vital importance, not only for the protection of human skin

and eyes from diseases or hair from falling out, or any other protection

it provides against any other possible harm, but also because scientists

are certain that the existence of the ozone maintains the very life on

Earth.

It is known that the processes of air heating, which accompany the

formation of the ozone and increase with the rise in its concentration,

contribute to the formation a warm air layer at levels whose altitudes

range from 20 to 30 km above the surface of the Earth. The gases of

the air have much less concentration within this layer than below it.

Indeed, there is a great favor in it forming at this altitude, because the

molecules of water vapors there are lighter than the surrounding air,

and therefore, they can go up. Some of these molecules turn into small

drops, thereby forming the clouds with all its various types. Some

others remain free, proceeding upwards until repelled by the ozone

layer, which in turn sends them back to the lower layers and does not

allow their infiltration into the higher layers of the atmosphere where

they could acquire a great energy of motion enabling them to get away

from the planet Earth. Thus, the ozone layer helps in maintaining the

water within the planet Earth. If it were not for it, the seas and oceans

would dry out iover the course of some thousand years, and life would

then be impossible on Earth.

Perfect balance

Things were arranged in such a way as to make the difference in

temperature degrees on the surface of the Earth a cause for the stirring

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of winds and evaporation of water in accordance with a perfect order.

As a consequence, the clouds form and are drifted to whatever

direction or place willed by Allah, then they fall as rains from which

rivers flow and the land, which has been dead, is given life again. In

the Qur’ān, Almighty Allah says:

(And Allah is (The One) Who has sent the winds. So they stir up

clouds, then We drive them to a dead land; then therewith We

give life to the earth, after its death. Thus is the rising up.) (Fāt ir:9)

It is known that the total amount of fresh water from the seas and

oceans that evaporate yearly by means of winds and the solar energy

reaches (5.19 x 1410) tons. On the other hand, rains, winds and the

varying degrees of temperature helped form the surface of the planet.

They broke up the pointed rocks and turned them into dust, thus

bringing about the fertile land suitable for the growth of plants and

trees. Having been created by Allah, these plants and tress began

emitting oxygen that spread all over the atmosphere. This happened

nearly two and a half billion years after the Earth had been brought

into existence.

After the planet’s conditions stabilized, its surface was paved flat, its

rivers were formed and oxygen spread throughout its air, the

preparation processes continued for approximately a billion years,

until the atmosphere of the Earth developed and became as it is now.

By then, the Earth had became completely prepared for the emergence

of life one billion years before any human could ever live on it. The

sensible life began to emerge on the planet Earth 35 thousand years

ago.

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These developments coincided with changes in the very crust of

the Earth. Mountains were forming in many places, something which

brought about rainfalls, since the air loaded with water vapor flows up

to the higher layers of the atmosphere upon interaction with the

mountains. This gives rise to the coldness of air, the condensation of

water vapor, the formation of clouds and the fall of rains. Moreover,

mountains have a noticeable impact on setting the balance of the Earth

right and making the velocity of its rotation steady. Consequently, the

lengths of days and years remained stable as befitting human life.

Almighty Allah says:

(Have We not made the earth as a cradling, (Or: level lands). And

the mountains as bulwarks?) (An-Naba’: 6-7)

Continuous care

Another means for preparing the earth for human life was the bringing

to an end the life of dinosaurs and other animals, which dwelled on

Earth and which spread mischief. Causing the death of the dinosaurs

was intended by God to protect man's life when He (the Almighty)

willed his existence. Physical evidence indicates that a comet collided

with the Earth 65 million years ago, stirring up immense clouds at the

time that enveloped the Earth and darkened it for a long period of

time.

This led to a decrease in the temperature of the Earth’s

atmosphere and freezing of its surface. Hence, rains diminished as the

temperature needed for releasing vapor from the cold water surfaces

was not available. As rivers dried out, trees came to ruin and so did

forests and the other plants therein. As a consequence, dinosaurs did

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not find enough food or water and over time ceased to exist. When

dust fell, it buried under it the trees and the remains of dinosaurs and

other wild animals. The air of the Earth became clear and the rays of

the Sun fell, increasing the warmth of the planet and evaporating some

of the seas and oceans water, which turned into clouds, and then rain

fell and fresh rivers flowed. As a result, plants and forests of every

kind grew again and filled the Earth.

All this had happened far before man came to the Earth. Up

untill now, Almighty Allah continues to take care of man, to make the

Earth suitable for life and provide him with sustenance and favors of

various kinds. Yet, will man recognize the value and amount of the

great and boundless favors Almighty Allah bestows upon him? If so,

let him prostrate to Him in thankfulness and remembrance.

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The Linguistic Uniqueness of the Qur’ān

By Prof. Abd El- Azim Ibrahim

Prof. of Rhetoric and Criticism at Al Azhar University

The verb to be unique is the infinitive of the noun uniqueness

which has two main parts, namely the active participle part, referring

to the Glorious Qur’ān, and the passive participle describing humans

and jinn, Allah says:

"If the whole of mankind and jinn were to gather together to

produce the like of this Qur’ān, they could not produce the like

therefore, even if they backed each other with help and support."

(Al-Isrā’: 88)

The so-called linguistic inimitability has various synonyms

mentioned in a lot of old and new books written by different scholars.

To illustrate this, it is called rhetorical, literary, authorial or rhythmic

inimitability.

All these terms are correct because all of them point to the

uniqueness of the age of revelation. The Qur’ān itself is the very

evidence refuting all the pretexts claiming that the Qur’ān is not the

heavenly creation but rather the production of humans. It is evidently

proved that the Qur’ān is the word of God and not any one else.

Some scholars added the term "rational or reasonable

inimitability" to describe this unique nature. This term is very genuine.

In general, this inimitable nature of Qur’ān is adherent to reason.

Consequently, this Qur’ānic uniqueness is indeed, without any doubt,

miraculous.

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However, this book focuses mainly on the linguistic level since

the Qur’ānic language is the very evidence of that inimitable nature

whether it is called rational, rhetorical or rhythmic.

The linguistic level of uniqueness means that in the Qur’ān there

are vocabulary and structures employed in certain ways exceeding the

human linguistic capacity.

There are numerous methods of studying this linguistic level.

However, we select one common way in the whole Qur’ān that was

not studied in the past by previous scholars except for a few attempts

first made by Al Gahez and then by Al Khataby.

This selected method means that each single word mentioned in

the holy book has a certain rational approach to which it is directly

related to those around it.

Synonyms rarely exists whether among the derivations of the

same word or among two or more words that are seemingly similar

but different in terms of their spelling such as

Through this conclusive uniqueness it is obvious that the Qur’ān

often differentiates between its usage of infinitives, verbs and nouns

derived from the same lexical unit.

To illustrate this Qur’ānic use of the infinitive of a certain

lexical unit differs totally from the meaning of the verb and noun of

the same linguistic unit. The same applies to the use of verbs and

nouns. This process is done in a logically in all the forms of the same

linguistic unit.

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However, this is not surprising as the Qur’ān is the knowledge

of God Himself. This knowledge is described as being limitless,

infinite, and all encompassing. These few pages have summed up the

approach which shall be used in this book to verify all the claims

mentioned above.

The linguistic unit of "to seal”

The term “to seal” is employed in the Glorious Qur’ān

according to a certain linguistic approach that so as to be obvious in

the discourse in which it is used. Therefore, the first order of business

is to list the verses in which it is mentioned and then extract the

special approach connected to it:

●"Allah hath set a seal on their hearts and their hearing, and on

their eyes is a Vail." (Al-Baqarah: 7)

●"Think ye, if Allah took away your hearing and your sight, and

sealed up your hearts, who-god other than Allah- could restore

them to you?"(Al-An‘ām: 46).

●"Then seest thou such a one as takes as his god his own vain

desire? Allah has, knowing, left him astray, and sealed his hearing

and his heart, and put a cover on his sight who, then, will guide

him after Allah?"(Al-Jāthiyah: 23).

●"that day shall we set a seal on their mouths. But their hands

will speak to us, and their feet bear witness, to all that they

did."(Yā Seen: 65).

●"what! Do they say? 'He has forged a falsehood against Allah?

But if Allah willed, He could seal up thy heart. And Allah blots

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out vanity, and proves the truth by these words. For He knows

well the secrets of all hearts"(Ash-Shūrā: 24).

●"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the

Messenger of Allah, and the seal of the prophets: and Allah has

full knowledge of all things"(Al-Ah zāb: 40).

●"Their thirst will be slaked with pure wine sealed: the seal

thereof will be Musk: and for this let those aspire, who have

aspirations"(Al-Mutaffifeen: 25-26).

Those are the verses in which the linguistic unit of "to seal" has

been used and if the reader looks at them thoroughly, he or she will

find that:

First: this word has been used in two different methods:

i. In the present and past tenses: seal and sealed.

ii. In the noun form: the seal, a seal.

Second: if it has been used in the noun form to mean "seal".

If the Arabic word khatama comes in the verb form it has a bad

connotation which is blame and satire, however when it is ysed in the

noun for it has a good connotation which is praise and panegyric. This

is very obvious once we look at the contexts in which it has been

mentioned.

For example, it has been used in Al Baqara to criticize the

disbelievers: Allah says:

●"Allah hath set a seal on their hearts and their hearing, and on their

eyes is a Veil" (Al Baqra 7).

Similarly in Al Jathiyya:

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●"Then seest thou such a one as takes as his god his own vain desire?

Allah has, knowing, left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his

heart"(Al Jathiyya 23).

Certainly it has been used for criticism in all the verses in which

the verb has been used in the present and past tenses.

As for the praise purpose, it is very clear in the books of

"Khatam Al Nabeen", "Raheq Al Makhtoom", and "Khetameh Mesk".

Third: the linguistic unit of "to seal" whether noun or verb is a

figure of speech because the linguistic meaning of this word is to tie

strictly or to put a seal upon the envelope and none of these meanings

are really meant in the verses, the word “seal” is used as a metaphor

which is originally a simile as Al Emam Gar Allah Al zamkhshary

said:

- “if you said: what is the meaning of sealing somebody's

heart, hearing and sight? I would answer: this act of sealing is not

really meant, yet it used as a figure of speech either as metaphor or

simile."(Al Kashaf)

After this long discussion the different uses of the term “to seal”

can be summed up as follows:

1. Restricting its uses to verbal or nominal form only.

2. The verb includes both present and past tenses and not the

imperative form.

3. The nominal usage includes the active participle form

(seal), the passive participle form (to be sealed) and the infinitive form

(to seal).

4. The verbal usage is limited to criticism.

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5. The nominal usage is limited to praise purpose.

6. The linguistic unit of seal is figuratively used.

This is the followed approach for the word “seal”. It has been

extracted by pursuing ----“and examining all the verses in which it has

been used. This approach is one of dozens of methods in which the

significance of language has been used in that unique way”.

The linguistic units of jasad (inanimate being), jesm (animate

being) in the Qur’ān

Many people are confused about the difference

between jasad and jesm and use them both in the same way.

Meanwhile, the Qur’ān clearly differentiates between both words. The

meaning of jasad and jesm are mutually exclusive. Similarly, many

linguists are not able to point out the discrepancy between both words.

In order to differentiate between both words, it is essential to

examine some verses in which they have been used:

First: the examples of the lexical unit of "gasad":

1. "And the people of Musa (Moses) made in his absence, out of

their ornaments, the image of a calf (for worship)".(Al- Araf 148)

2. "Then he took out (of the fire) for them (a statue of) a calf

which seemed to low". (Ta-Ha 88)

3. "And We did not create them (the Messengers, with) bodies that

ate not food, nor were they immortals.(Al-Anbiya 8)

4. "And indeed, We did try Sulaiman (Solomon) and We placed on

his throne Jasad (a devil, so he lost his kingdom for a while). (Sad 34)

Those are four different examples in which this lexical unit has

been used in the Glorious Qur’ān. In those four different positions, it

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has been used in the indefinite form and it is used in the accusative not

the nominative form.

Second: the examples of the lexical unit of "jesm":

1. "Verily! Allah has chosen him above you and has increased him

abundantly in knowledge and body (stature).(Al –Baqarah 247)

2. "And when you look at them, their bodies please you; and

when they speak, you listen to their words. They are as blocks of

wood propped up.(Al-Munafiqun)

Those are two unique positions in which the word jesm (body)

has been mentioned.

If we looked at the usage of this word, we will find out that it

has been used in the definite form. For example, in Al Munafeqoon, it

has been defined for its attachment to the masculine plural pronoun

"they".

This is one of the differences between the use of the two words

by the Qur’ān. On the linguistic level, this is considered a very crucial

and remarkable discrepancy.

As for the main difference concerning the unique language of

the Qur’ān is that the word jasad is used to refer to any inanimate

object. Whereas, the word jesm is used to refer to any animate being.

The Qur’ānic approach regarding those two words could be

summed up as follows:

First: The use of the word "jasad" in the indefinite, accusative

and singular form. Whereas, the word "jesm" is used in the definite,

nominative, singular or plural form.

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Second: the word "jasad" is exclusively used to refer to any inanimate

object.

Third: the word "jesm" is used to refer to any animate being.

The word "jasad" refers to stability and immobility. Whereas,

the word "jesm" indicates flexibility and mobility. This is the typical

use of those two words and it is also another example of the linguistic

uniqueness of the Qur’ān.

The lexical units of "aulo and ashab" owners and possessors

There is a fair amount of confusion regarding the significance

of aulo and ashab even the linguists, writers, poets, and men of letter

who believe that the word "aulo" is synonymous to "ashab". For the

sake of brevity only the Qur’ānic use of both words will be discussed.

In the Qur’ān, for each word there is a special approach without

any confusion. In order to be brie f, we will extract the Qur’ānic

approach through this brief overview:

First: examples of "ashab"

1. "So wait with patience for the Decision of your lord, and be not

like the Companion of the Fish." (Al-Qalam: 48)

2. "His companion said to him during the talk with him." (Al-kahf:

37)

3. "And (O people) your companion (Muhammad) is not a

madman.(At-Takweer: 22)

4. "O two companions of the prison! Are many different lords

(gods) better of Allah, the One, and the Irresistible? (Yūsuf: 39)

5. "And the dwellers of the Fire will call to the dwellers of

Paradise.(Al-A‘rāf: 50)

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6. "Cursed were the people of the Ditch."(A l-Burūj: 4)

Those are six different examples in which the word "ashab" has

been mentioned in the plural and singular forms. As for the other four

unmentioned positions, they did not exceed the Qur’ānic linguistic

usage. All of them have been added to other words. For example, the

word “Fish” has been attached to the singular masculine pronoun. If

you looked thoroughly at the noun of the genitive construction, you

will discover that it is a separate entity from the genitive construction

(ashab). For instance, Allah says "the dwellers of the Fire" in which

the word "ashab" is something and the word Fire is something else.

Similarly, the expressions of "two companions of the prison" and "the

Companion of the Fish", etc. the word "ashab" could be used in the

indefinite form and not a genitive such as:

"his companions calling him to guidance". (Al-An‘ām: 71)

Nevertheless, if the genitive is "ashab" and the noun of the

genitive construction is any other word, those two words are

externally separate. This is one of the differences between the

significance of both "aulo" and "ashab" in the Qur’ānic language.

Second: examples of "aulo"

1. "But none remember (will receive admonition) except men of

understanding. (Al-Baqarah: 269)

2. "and the angels and those having knowledge."(Āli ‘Imrān: 18)

3. "the relatives and the orphans and Al-Masakin (the poor)."(An-

Nisā’: 8)

4. "But kindred by blood are nearer to one another (regarding

inheritance)." (Al-Anfāl: 75)

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5. "And let those among you who are blessed with graces and wealth

swear not to give (any sort of help) to their kinsmen." (Al Nur 22)

6. "given to terrible warfare" (Al-Isrā’: 5).

7. "And for those who are pregnant (whether they are divorced or their

husbands are dead), their Iddah (prescribed period) is until they lay

down their burden". (At -Talāq: 6)

If one considers these verses in which the word "aulo" has been

mentioned as a genitive, it will be found that it has been added to the

word "Al-Albab" meaning the rational minds. In the second position,

it has been attached to the word "knowledge" and in the third, to the

word "relatives" and in the fourth to the word" ", and in the fifth, to

the word " ", and similarly in the sixth verse.

To sum up the Qur’ānic approach regarding the linguistic units

of "ashab" and "aulo" which are used by many people

interchangeably, which is not the case in the Qur’ān.

In the Qur’ānic approach, the word "aulo" is used only when

added to a noun. As for the word "ashab", is used as a genitive and is

also added to nouns. The difference between "aulo" and "ashab" is that

"ashab" is attached to pronouns and nouns such as the singular

masculine pronoun and it is also used separately. As for "aulo", it is

never added to a pronoun.

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Some of the Juristic Aspects of Uniqueness in the Qur’ān

By Prof. Muhammad R'afat Othman

Prof. of Comparative Jurisprudence at the Faculty of Sharia and

Law, Member of the Islamic Research Institute

Introduction:

God's Wisdom and Will necessitate the act of sending

messengers for humans to clarify His rules and judgments which

regulate humans' relations to each other and to God.

The consecutive process in which messengers have been sent

throughout ages started with Adam, the father of humanity, and ended

with Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (PBUH).

In spite of agreeing upon the call for worship of God and

monotheism, all messengers called also for having faith in angels,

holy books and prophets. Moreover, they called for believing in the

existence of reward and punishment at the Day of Judgment.

Furthermore, they called for adherence to a noble code of ethics and

avoiding base behaviors. Nevertheless, each messenger's revelation

was typically suitable for his own age and the relative issues of his

people which differed from age to age and from one place to another.

Being the last heavenly revelation, Islam has the distinguishing

feature of addressing all humanity and regulating their lives by means

of encompassing rules that are applicable for all people and groups no

matter the places or times. The rules now apply equally to all people.

They are, according to law, brothers and sisters. The Qur’ān states this

in Al-Hujurat "The believers are nothing else than brothers."

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If the Islamic law was issued to regulate people's life in spite of

their different origins, customs and habits, this law should be unique.

The Qur’ān fulfills this requirement, being the main source of

legislation as it is inimitable, and its laws are made to govern people’s

lives through the ages.

As long as the Islamic law is valid for implementation and

regulation, it is exactly the typical uniqueness because any founded

and accepted discipline should be disputed every now and then. Those

parts of that discipline which are not valid have been changed. People

have the absolute power to alter all of their laws. Even the constitution

itself is subjected to change by people or any other legislative

authority acting on their behalf.

In spite of the fact that the subsidiary Islamic laws may

differ from one age to another, this change is curbed by means of

general rules which can not be violated. Some of the provisions could

parallel with the convention and tradition but this convention should

not change any of the fixed matters to which people are committed at

all times.

In spite of the fact that the subsidiary Islamic laws may differ

from one age to another, this change is curbed by means of general

rules which can not be violated. Some of the provisions could parallel

with the convention and tradition but this convention should not

change any of the fixed beliefs to which people are committed at all

times. This convention, which does not contradict any of the stipulated

principle laws or rules in the Sharia, is valid in the field of legislating

of laws and provisions, for example, those commercial customs,

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political juridical and social systems which are well- known by the

rational people as they meet all their needs and care for their interests.

Legislation is intended to make people's conditions better, to

establish justice among them and to help them avoid any hardship. If

the legislation does not consider people's customs and what is known

for the rational people, this will ultimately lead to people falling into

hardships which contradicts one of the basic tenets upon which the

Islamic law was built which is easiness as it was stated in the Glorious

Qur’ān Allah says in Surat Al – Hajj (78) " and has not laid upon you

in religion any hardship".

It is not an exaggeration to say that the study of the legislative

uniqueness in the Qur’ān requires intensive researches into many

volumes of work not just a small number of papers trying to sum up

very briefly the aspects of the legislative incompatibility. Such a

serious subject could not be examined in those little papers except if

there is found a brief hint to the sublimity and eminence of that

legislation.

Definition of the Qur’ān and its features:

Sheikh Muhammed Al Khudary, One of the modernist scholars

explained that the Glorious Qur’ān reaches to such a high and sublime

status by which it does not even need to be defined saying that "the

Book is the Qur’ān which is too great to be defined. It was sent to

Muhammad (PBUH) on the 17th of Ramadan by then he was forty

one years old. In the Heraa cave the first verses of Qur’ān were

revealed to him which are:

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"Read! in the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that

exists). He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick

coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most generous.

Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. He has taught man that

which he knew not. (Al-‘Alaq: 1-5).

In spite of the fact that the Glorious Qur’ān is too sublime a

book to be defined scientists has made definitions for the Qur’ān. This

could be attributed to the effort to reveal the truth about it and to

explain its rules. Scholars of Islamic law were keen on to define the

Qur’ān because it illustrate, for example, the rulings of prayer, and

what is valid and what is not valid and use Qur’ānic verses as proof

for the conclusion of rulings and knowing what is halal and what is

haram. 9 Imam Ghazaly, one of the ancient scholars, defined the

Glorious Qur’ān as what is transmitted to us in the Al-Mus h af

(Glorious Qur’ān) in the form of the well-known seven readings

through tawatur. 10

"

Imam Ghazaly explained that he has restricted the definition of

Qur’ān by the Qur’ān itself saying that the prophet's companions were

extremely cautious while delivering it to the extent that they avoided

sending letters in order not to mix the Qur’ān with any thing else. The

Qur’ān was delivered to us in a recurrent successive manner. We all

know that what is written in the Glorious Qur’ān is the Qur’ān and

any thing else is not Qur’ān as it is impossible, due to the necessity of

memorizing it, to ignore a part or mix it with any other external text. 9 Zaky Al Deen Shaban, Basics of the Islamic law, p. 31

10 Tawatur is what is transmitted in the same way by a large number of people

who are impossible to agree with each others to forge lie. (the translator's note)

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(Selection from for Abi Hamed Muhamed Ibn Hamed Ibn Muhamed

Al Ghazaly.

One of the modernist scholars, Sheikh Abdel Wahab, said that "the

Qur’ān is the words of God delivered by Archangel Gabriel to prophet

Muhammad Ibn Abdullah in the Arabic language proving that the

prophet is the messenger of Allah and to be a constitution for people

guiding them and to waorship God through it. The Qur’ān is what is

written between its two covers starting at Al-Fatihah and ending with

An-Nas. It is delivered to us from one generation to another in a

recurrent manner whether written or spoken. God protects it against

any change or alteration. Allah Says, "Verily, We, it is We Who have

sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’ān) and surely, We will guard it

(from corruption)." (Surat Al-Hijr 9)

Features of Qur’ān:

From what is stated above it is clear that the Qur’ān has unique

features distinguishing it from any other heavenly book sent to the

previous prophets. It is also different from the sayings of Prophet

Muhammad (PBUH). If one of the following features is missing, we

must not call it Qur’ān and those features are:

i. It is sent in the tongue of Arabs. Therefore, any

interpretation of it into any other language is not regarded as Qur’ān.

Hence, Prayer is not valid with it. Moreover, the deduction of Islamic

laws out of this interpretation is not permissible as the translator's

understanding of the Qur’ānic text is subject to mistakes.

Interpretation into another language is itself liable to

misunderstanding. With the presence of those two possibilities, it is

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not reasonable to depend upon the interpretation of the Qur’ān in the

process of inferring Islamic laws.

ii. The words and expressions of the Qur’ān are the own

words of God. It was delivered by Archangel Gabriel from Allah to

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be conveyed to humanity. The Qur’ān

is different from the prophetic traditions and from the Holy sayings of

God. In spite of the fact that the meanings of those sayings are the

revelation of God, those meanings were formulated in the prophet's

own expressions and words. If the Prophet was ordered to ascribe this

saying to God, it is called a Holy Saying for being attributed to God.

On the other hand, if the Prophet is not ordered to ascribe this Saying

to God, then it is called a prophetic tradition for being attributed to

the Prophet (PBUH).

iii. The whole Qur’ān is conveyed to us by means of

recurrence. The meaning of this recurrence is the narration of a group

of highly honest people that can be traced back to the Prophet

(PBUH).

iv. Reading the Qur’ān is a form of worship.

v. The Qur’ān is Prophet Muhammad's miracle.

What is meant by the juristic uniqueness of the Qur’ān?

The word "uniqueness" means the occurrence of an

extraordinary challenging thing. Therefore, the meaning of the juristic

uniqueness of the Qur’ān is that the Qur’ān stipulates laws leading to

the highest levels of sublimity and perfection. After millions of years,

still those laws are pure and without any exaggeration, they are not

subject to any shortfall or deficiency.

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Numerous aspects of uniqueness in the Qur’ān

The Glorious Qur’ān is God's greatest miracle. God has

sent it through Archangel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Prophet Muhammad, an ignorant man who could not read or write, but

was the first to believe in the credibility of God's message. The

miracles advocating the prophets were carefully selected from those

things which their people excelled in. For instance, Mousa's (Moses)

people excelled in magic, hence his miracle was much more powerful

than magic itself which was his hand and his staff. When the

magicians challenged him in front of the throng gathering to witness

the challenge between the brilliant wizards and Mousa, the one

claiming to be a prophet Mousa started by changing the color of his

hand, his hand was not white, yet when he removed it from his pocket,

it came up pure white,. Then, the magicians started to throw their

ropes and sticks. They began to move in a way as if they were snakes

and serpents. Finally Mousa threw his stick. All of a sudden it has

transformed into a snake that swallowed, the ropes and sticks of the

magicians. By this, Mousa's miracle overcomes his people's magic,

the art in which they were extremely brilliant.

As for Jesus, his people excelled at medicine, thus his miracle

was that he could treat the blind and the leprous. He also, with God

blessing, managed to breathe life to the clay as if it was a bird.

Moreover, he could bring the dead people to life once more with God

permission.

Concerning Prophet Muhammad's people, they were brilliant in

theology and they were famous for their eloquence. Therefore, it is no

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surprise to find the holy book sent to them by God characterized by

incomparable eloquence and rhetoric. God Himself challenged them.

He says: "And if you (Arab pagans, Jews, and Christians) are in doubt

concerning that which we have sent down (i.e. the Qur’ān) to Our

slave (Muhammad (PBUH)), then produce a Surah (chapter) of the

like thereof and call your witness (supporters and helpers) besides

Allah, if you are truthful. But if you do it not, and you can never do it,

then fear the Fire (Hell) whose fuel is man and stones, prepared for the

disbelievers. (Al-Baqarah: 23-24).

In spite of the fact that Arabs were very eager to underestimate

Prophet Muhammad and to charge him of being a poet and accuse him

of insanity and to deny all what is stated in the Qur’ān, they could not

produce a Surah or even a portion thereof.

The incomparable aspect of the Qur’ān is not limited to eloquence and

rhetoric, by which Arabs were challenged. Arabs were holding an

annual event for the most eloquent speeches and poetry in an

exhibition that is called Ekaz exhibition. This aspect of

incomparability surpasses eloquence and rhetoric. The Qur’ān

foretells some matters to occur in the future which came to pass

proving the truth about its authenticity. A good example of this is

when the Magi Persians conquered the Greek Orthodox. The Persians'

religion was so far away from any divine religion, whereas the

Romans were near to that of the Muslims in that they believe in a

divine religion. Though they corrupted their religion, their minds and

hearts were ready to accept the fact that God sends prophets. When the

Persians defeated the Romans, a cause for sadness for the Muslims,

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the Qur’ān stated that the Persians would be conquered within a few

years, Allah says: "Alif-Lam-mim. The Romans have been defeated.

In the nearest land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine), and they, after

their defeat, will be victorious. Within three to nine years. The

decision of the matter, before and after (these events) is only with

Allah, (before the defeat of the Romans by the Persians, and after the

defeat of the Persians by the Romans). And on that Day, the believers

(i.e. Muslims) will rejoice (at the victory given by Allah to the

Romans against the Persians). With the help of Allah. He helps whom

He wills, and He is All-Mighty, the Most Merciful " (Ar-Rum: 1-5).

The scientific aspect of uniqueness in the Glorious Qur’ān:

The same way the Qur’ān has been miraculous concerning its

prophecies, its scientific incomparability has been also proved. For

example, in astronomy, we find out that the Qur’ān states that the sun

is moving in a certain direction. Allah says: "And the sun runs on its

fixed course for a term (appointed). That is the decree of the All-

Mighty, The All-knowing" (Surat Ya-Sin 38). This verse explains that

the sun is running in spite of the fact that in the past astronomers were

convinced that the sun was fixed. They also believed that its

movement from east to west is just a superficial movement. At the end

they decided that the sun's movement in the space is an actual one.

This scientific discovery had been detected one thousand and two

hundred years after its mention in the Qur’ān (Al Egaz Al Elmy Fe Al

Islam – Al Qur’ān Al Kareem for Mohamed kamel Abdul Samad PG

41,52 The Egyptian Lebanese Bookshop).

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Even though during the time of the revelation of the Qur’ān no one

knew the fact that the higher the layer of air a person is in, the more

that person is exposed to pressure changes. The Qur’ān confirms this

scientific fact long before anyone else discovered it. Allah says: "And

whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and

whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and

constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky" (Surat Al-An-am 125).

God draws a comparison between the state of the person with his

breast closed and the state of a person trying to climb up the sky.

Allah mentions the similarity between both of them which is the

presence of constriction which is a scientific fact that was discovered

by scientists in our age after man has ascended to the higher air layers

in the form of climbing high mountains like the Himalayan peak -

30,000 feet high, or ascending high in the sky.

The physiological changes that subdue the human body parts in

the high air layers were precisely recorded. Among these changes is

the effect of ascending on the respiratory and circulatory systems that

leads to a difficulty in respiration which, in turn, causes the worst

annoyance. This fact was not known for the whole world during the

era of revelation and many centuries after, till they became recognized

during the recent times.

Boll Bert was the first physician who undertook a comprehensive

study about the aeromedicine and the effect of decrease in the

barometric pressure on the physiological functions. He also wrote a

book on Barometric Pressure in 1887, a time before which this fact

was not definitely known. Moreover, Prophet Muhammad was not

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surrounded by high mountains in his birth and living place so that he

might recognize this scientific fact that was not discovered but

recently.

The Glorious Qur’ān also reports that the sun cannot catch up

the moon. The modern science, therefore, emphasizes that the sun

cannot catch up the moon nor do they meet up, since everyone is

swimming along in its own orbit, and they are as impossible to meet

up as the two paralleled lines that cannot interfere.

In Allah's saying, "nor does the night outstrip the day"11

, the

Qur’ān denotes the sphere-like nature of the earth. This statement

indicates that night and day run together and that no one of them

overtakes the other. This indicates that the earth is spherical and that

day and night exist together on the earth. Had the earth been flat, not

spherical, one of them would exist while the other not, so it is either

day or night that occurs in the earth12

.

There are other scientific aspects of the Qur’ān, but it is not our

aim here to detail these aspects, lest we would lose our topic, namely

jurisprudential miraculous nature of the Qur’ān.

No book has been served as the Book of Allah:

No book- Divine or otherwise has been served as the Book of

Allah. It is well known that the Qur’ān was revealed in Arabic. People

contemporary to the time of the Prophet (Allah's peace and blessings

be upon him) were speaking and understanding Arabic well. Being

Arabs, they used to understand the Qur’ān without the need to 11 Surat Yasin, (40). 12 Al- 'I‘jaz al- ‘Ilmi fi al-Qur'an al-Karim, Muhammad Kamil Abd al-Sanad, al-

Dar al-Nasriyyah al-Libnaniyyah, p.41, 42.

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stipulate any knowledge to explain how to correctly pronounce words

[of the Qur’ān] according to Arabic language. After the Islamic state

had expanded and many peoples with different languages had

embraced Islam and mingled with the Arabs, it was normal that people

committed mistakes in pronouncing Arabic words. So the emergency

arose to stipulate knowledge to ensure correct Arabic pronunciation; it

was Nahw (Arabic grammar) that has greatly served the Qur’ān.

Serving the Qur’ān through Usul al-Fiqh (principles of

jurisprudence) :

Allah Glory be to Him has sent the Glorious Qur’ān down

to inform His servants of His rulings. Due to revelation, the Prophet

(may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was in no need to lay

down a methodology that organizes deducing shari'ah rulings. So the

time of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) has

ended with no need to lay down a knowledge explaining how to

deduce rulings from the Book of Allah. After the time of the prophet

(may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), it was normal that

new cases and circumstances, which have not existed before, arose:

these issues required determining the rule of shari'ah regarding them.

So the jurists among the Companions used to deduce the ruling of the

issue in question from the Book of Allah if it was discussed;

otherwise, they would search for the ruling in the sayings of the

prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), his deeds or

his tacit approvals. Thus, the Companions used to ask each other

about the ruling given by the prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings

be upon him) in such cases. Otherwise, they would exert their efforts

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depending on the rules laid down by the Islamic shari'ah and

depending on the cases which can be taken as an example to draw

analogy on with the new incidents, because these [original] cases

include justification for the ruling.

Maymoon Mahran said, “When Abu Bakr As-Seddiq used to

adjudicate disputes between people, he would first look in the Book of

Allah. I f he found a solution there he would use it; If not, he would

resort to what he knows of the Prophet’s Sunnah; I he still couldn’t

reach a solution, he would ask people about the Prophet’s judgment in

such cases if they were acquainted with. They may tell him that the

Prophet has ruled them in a certain manner and he would say: “Praise

be due to Allah for blessing us with those who memorize what our

Prophet has said.” If the answer was still not reached after all such

attempts, he would gather the elite to consult them. If they

unanimously agreed on an opinion, he would use it accordingly.

Umar also used to do so. If he couldn’t find a solution in

Qur’ān nor in the Sunnah, he would try to find a judgment by Abu

Bakr regarding the issue in question. If Abu Kakr had had a ruling for

it, he would use it; If not, he would gather Muslims to adopt their

opinion if they unanimously agreed upon. The Companions “May

Allah be pleased with them” used to make ijtihad regarding the issues

for which there was no text in the Qur’ān nor in the Sunnah of the

Prophet “may Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him.”

Because of their pure Arabic tongue, their rhetoric and

eloquence which provided them with a high capacity to understand the

Quaranic texts, in addition to their knowledge of the reasons behind

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the revelation of the Qur’ān and behind imparting Sunnah, their

companionship with the Prophet “may Allah’s peace & blessings be

upon him”, grasping his speech, the essence and wisdom of shaiah,

and what help them identify shariah rulings, all these made them in no

need to lay down the rules needed to extracting the rulings from the

sources. These rules were clear and counted in their minds when

attempting to identify the rulings, but they were not a laid down

discipline nor did the Companion explicitly mention them.

Explaining that the Discipline of Usulul-Fiqh did not appear in

the era of the Companions, Ibn Khaldoon says: “This discipline –

referring to Usulul-Fiqh- is one of the new religious sciences. The

righteous ancestors were in no need for it because understanding the

meanings of the texts required no more than their linguistic talent. As

for the legal maxims needed for extracting the rulings from the

sources, they were mainly received from them.

The era of the Successors followed that of the Companions.

They also possessed high intellectual talents, great knowledge of

Arabic language and its styles, the essence of Shariah and its ultimate

goals that put them in a position similar to that of the Companions

with regard to extracting the rulings from their respective sources.

The successors were therefore in no need to lay dawn rules for

extracting the rulings fro the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, because the

Qur’ān is in Arabic, the Prophet’s language was Arabic, and they were

also Arabs who well understand their own language in addition to

their being close to the time of the Prophet “May Allah’s peace &

blessings be upon him.” They also studied under the companions.

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The Era of Imam ash-Shaf'iey

Imam Ash-Shaf'iey was born in 150 A.H. It the same year in which

Imam Abu Hanifa died. The era of Imam Ash-Shaf'iey witnessed the

mixing of Arabic Language with non-Arabic Languages and the

existence of many Western styles and words in it. This led to

weakening the understanding of many in a way that made it difficult

for them to comprehend Shariah texts. This in turn led the

disagreement to arise between The School of Hadith in Madina and

the School of Opinion in Iraq. All these persuaded Imam Ash-Shaf'iey

to write down the principles of jurisprudence which acquaints the

mujtahid with the rules and standard that he has to abide by when

attempting to extract Shariah rulings from the Qur’ān, Sunnah and

other sources. He also took into consideration that each issue must be

supported by evidence. He included this in his famous book Ar-Resala

which he first wrote in Baghdad, and then updated in Egypt. This

book was narrated from Ash-Ash-Shaf'iey by his student Ar-Rabie Al-

Marady. The manuscript of Ar-Resala was stolen from the Egyptian

Book House, and it is difficult to get it back. Ar-Rabie Al-Marady

wrote a foreword to Ash-Ash-Shaf'iey's book Al-Umm.

Usul Al-Fiqh (the Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence) which Ash-

Ash-Shaf'iey founded and laid down its principles was one of the

sciences that has served the Qur’ān and shown the way of

extracting Shriah rulings from it.

Since the science of Usul Al-Fiqh serves as the means of

extracting the rulings from their respective sources, and the Qur’ān

being on the top of them, it is, therefore, one of the sciences that

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served the Qur’ānic Legislation. The same Applies to Fiqh, one of the

sciences guided by the Qur’ān, which and highly served it. Muslim

jurists have played a crucial role in clarifying the legal rulings

extracted from the verses of the Qur’ān, and which are related to

different fields that cover the all branches of Islamic jurisprudence.

From the Holly Qur’ān, the Prophet's sayings, deeds and his tacit

approvals the jurists deduced general rules upon which the Islamic

jurisprudence is based. A group of scholars considered the major legal

maxims to be five: actions are to be judged primarily by the intentions

behind, harm is to be removed, certainty is not to be removed by

doubt, hardship begets facility, and custom is a proof.

Moreover, the sciences of Usul Al-Fiqh and Legal Maxims are

considered a guide to identify the Shariah rulings relating to all

issues that has been arising in people's life in the fields of family,

medicine, economy, investment, social relations and other issues

that requires the knowledge of their legal ruling.

The sciences of Hadith also served the Qur’ān:

Just as it was served by the Arabic grammar, the principles of

Islamic jurisprudence and the Islamic law, the Qur’ān was also served

by the sciences of Hadith. Sunnah; the Prophet's sayings, actions, and

tacit approvals; explains the unclear texts of the Qur’ān. Allah says:

"And We have revealed to you the Reminder that you may make clear

to men what has been revealed to them."

The Sunnah sometimes explains the general texts of the Qur’ān.

Examples of this are the Ahadith which state the timings of prayer and

the way of its performance, the Ahadith stating the kinds of money on

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which Zakat is obligatory, the amount of Zakat and the minimum

scale of property which when possessed Zakat becomes due; All the

Ahadith clarified what the Qur’ān sums up in Allah's saying:

"Establish the prayer and pay Zakat. . ."

The Sunnah also specifies the general text of the Qur’ān. For

example, the Prophet "may Allah's peace & blessings be upon him"

says, "A woman cannot be taken in marriage (by a man who is already

a husband to' her paternal or maternal aunt or to her niece, because if

you do so, you will cut off the ties of kinship." This Hadith specifies

the general meaning of Allah's saying in the Qur’ān, after stating the

women with whom marriage is prohibited: "And lawful for you are

(all women) besides those."

The Sunnah also places restrictions on the general texts of the

Qur’ān; for example, Allah Almighty says:" And (as for) the man who

steals and the woman who steals, cut off their hands." This Qur’ānic

text is general. It does not restrict the cut off to the right or left hand,

but the Sunnah then restricted it to the right. The Qur’ānic text does

not also place any restriction as to the place from which the hand

should be cut off; yet, the Sunnah states that the hand should be cut up

to the wrist.

Since the Sunnah serves the Qur’ān, any science that serves the

Hadith of the Prophet "may Allah's peace & blessings be upon him" in

turn serves the Qur’ān. Among these sciences serving the Qur’ān are

the sciences of the grades of narrators, the biography of the narrators,

Aljarh wal ta'deel, the defects of Hdith and Hadith terminology which

encompasses all these sciences.

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Some Aspects of the Miraculous Nature of Qur’ānic Legislation

It needs no confirmation that the inimitability of Qur’ānic

legislation is greater than being shown in few pages as those of mine.

These words which I was asked to write will rather be a brief

indication to some few aspects of the numerous examples for such

inimitability of this glorious book.

The inimitability of Qur’ānic legislation is first and foremost a

dogmatic fact; without believing in it, a person is not considered a

believer. Believing in Allah requires that we should firmly believe that

all legislation enacted to us by Allah in His Book or by way of His

Prophet are superior to any man-made legislation. Allah Almighty

says, "But no! by your Lord! they do not believe (in reality) until they

make you a judge of that which has become a matter of disagreement

among them, and then do not find any straightness in their hearts as to

what you have decided and submit with entire submission"

He Also Says, "And it behoves not a believing man and a

believing woman that they should have any choice in their matter

when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter"

Beside being an integral part of the creed that every Muslim has

to abide by, the reality confirms and supports it. I will make a brief

indication to some aspects of this Miraculous Nature of Qur’ānic

Legislation, as I stated earlier.

Facts unchangeable due to change of time

What, first, draws our attention is that the Divine Law shows us

throughout the Glorious Qur’ān and the Prophet’s Sunnah that there

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are facts in all of man’s activities and various relations. These facts,

despite the alternation of time and place, remains unchangeable since

Allah, glory be to him, knows that applying these rulings guarantees

man’s benefit at any time and everywhere; therefore, He made them

unalterable.

It has not been throughout the precedent ages, since the era of

Islamic revelation, that these facts became defected; rather, the harm

stems from societies’ disregard of these facts. For example, the

legislative miraculous nature appears in the prohibition of drinking

wine. The ruling of prohibiting wine remains unchangeable due to the

change of time and place for its undeniable severe harms. In addition

to leading man’s mind, that makes him distinct from animals, in a

state of unconsciousness, wine has been medically proven to every

now and then cause new harms that have never been known before.

Some recent medical researches prove wine’s effect on women as a

cause of breast cancer. A health study carried out by the Cancer

Research Centre in Britain revealed that drinking intoxicants causes

woman breast cancer.

The study which included 150,000 women worldwide concluded that

women who drink a glass of wine daily are six times susceptible to

breast cancer at an early age than those who do not drink wine at all.

The harms resulting from drinking wine are so many and very

dangerous for individual, family and the whole state. When the person

gets drunk, he may commit sexual crimes against his sisters and

daughters. Newspapers widely publish such crimes that result from

wine drinking.

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Drinking also leads to crimes like murder and damage of

properties. It is quite clear that road accidents are widely due to

driving under the effect of drunkenness. Medical studies have proven

that drinking wine leads to hypertension, hepatic and some cancer

diseases.

In the Field of Family

Family is the main unit in the society structure. There are

general rules that govern our behavior and family relations. Among

these rules is that family is only considered after a sound marriage

contract, hereby, spouses and children rights and mutual expectations

are guaranteed. Therefore, is not allowed to have sexual relations

behind the marriage contract that bonds the spouses in a relation

known in the Qur’ān as Firm and Strong Covenant when God, glory

be to him, forbade husbands to take back the dowry given to their

wives, “20. And if you intend to replace a wife by another and you

have given one of them a Qintar (of gold i.e. a great amount as Mahr)

take not the least of it back; would you take it wrongfully without

right and with (manifest) sin? * 21. And how could you take it (back)

while you have gone in unto each other, and they have taken from you

a firm and strong covenant”. (The Women).

It is obvious that this kind of relation between man and woman,

which is based on a sound marriage contract covering its pillars and

conditions, is pure and graceful rather than other loose sexual relations

in non-Muslim communities. It is also clear that these unlawful

relations cause harmful diseases for men and women alike; among the

most dangerous ones is AIDS, the time plague.

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In addition, there are many dangers resulted from the existence

of foundlings born with social problems and exposed throughout their

lives to psychological and moral disorders. Moreover, it is only the

woman who bears the responsibility of her unlawful sexual

intercourse while the man, after satisfying his desire, bears no

financial, social, moral or family responsibilities and, rather, seeks

another woman to satisfy his lust. But the marriage legislation in the

Qur’ān and the Prophet’s Sunnah has protected the family through the

Marriage Contract and has rejected any unauthorized sexual relations.

Is not there a miraculous legislation in this issue, i.e. no other

legislation protects the individual, man or woman, from the dangers

that stem from contrasting the Qur’ānic legislation regarding families

establishment, members’ rights and mutual expectations?

The legislative wisdom in the field of family is also realized in

allowing polygamy for men alone. The Shari’ah permission for the

man, but not the woman, to marry more than one wife in case of

necessity refers to God’s wisdom, mercy, and support for His

creatures’ affairs. In that way, Allah, glory be to Him, rises above

imperfections and keeps His religion clear of any moral deviation as

Ibn Qayyimul Jawziyyah said: God also made it clear that if it is

allowed for the woman to have more than one husband, this would

lead to the destruction of the world and lineage confusion; therefore,

we could not recognize to whom the newborn baby belongs.

This, in turn, might lead the husbands to kill one another, the

tribulation to be widespread and the conflict to rise up. Ibnul-Qayyim,

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then, said “How could a woman satisfy combating husbands? And

how could they agree with each other?

In the Field of Worship

Although worship is purely for Allah, glory be to Him, there is a

legislative miraculous nature for individual and group. For example,

Faith, which is the top of worship, leads to getting individual and

community benefit. If we look around communities where people

have incomplete faith in God, then we find that nothing prevents the

individual from committing any crime except his fear of being

recognized and punished according to his State’s code of law. If the

thief, in such case, has a good chance to steal, then he will not refrain

from stealing, and so whoever wants to commit a sinful act.

In Muslim communities, on the other hand, if the individual has

a complete faith in God, then it prevents him from committing crimes

and approaching all of what God has forbidden. No wonder that the

prophet, (PBUH), has been reported to have said “Faith is the chain of

aggression”, meaning that a complete faith in God prevents the person

from eradicating people’s lives. The messenger also said “the

adulterer does not commit adultery in a state of complete faith, neither

did the thief when he steals nor did the wine drinker when he drinks”.

The complete faith in God, then, prevents the individual from

approaching God’s prohibitions; therefore, he does not violate

peoples’ properties, reputation, and lives. This, in turn, leads to the

spread of security and harmony among people in their society.

The prayer also leads to this kind of security if it is observed in a

complete form that leads to God’s fearing. Allah, the Exalted, says

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“45.Verily, the prayer prevents from Al Fahsha’(i.e. great sins of

every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse) and Al Munkar (i.e. disbelief,

polytheism and every kind of evil wicked deed)”. (The Spider)

Fasting also leads to the same result. God, the Exalted, says “182.

O Believers, Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed

for those before you that you may become God fearing”. (The Cow)

The purpose of Sawm (fasting) in shari'ah is to achieve Taqwa

(piety). Taqwa means to make a shield between oneself and the

punishment of Almighty Allah which is only possible by submitting

oneself to Allah's commands and prohibitions. This brings benefit to

the society, for the ones who fear Allah will not transgress against

others no matter what form the aggression is.

It is clear that zakah (obligatory charity) brings benefit to a class

of people, namely the poor, who are in need of financial aid. It

achieves social security between financially capable classes and those

in need for their help. Doing so, class hatred, existing in societies do

not acknowledge zakah, has no place in a society which believes that

zakah is one of the pillars of Islam and that it should be given to the

needy.

The area of business transactions:

In this area, we can also see the jurisprudential miraculous

nature. Here the shari'ah has adopted a fully wise and perfect system

as the case of all Islamic shari'ah rulings. Business transactions and

dealings with an unaltered aspect of interest in all ages are explained

in detail by the shari'ah, which states certain conditions to be met.

Sale, for example, is permissible only on the condition of knowing

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the sold object, the price, the ability of the seller to deliver the object

.etc. Hiring is permissible only when utility is known, lawful and the

leaseholder can use it; in addition, the rent should be determined. As

for rahn (pawn), kafalah (guarantee), daman (warranty) and all other

kinds of transactions which remain beneficial to man in all ages, the

shari'ah explains the details and conditions of their validity; in

addition, there are general maxims that impose justice, prohibit

injustice and prevent discord and disagreement among people.

As for transactions and business dealings which emerge in the

area of capital investment- other than customarily practiced

transactions among people in both civilized and uncivilized areas- the

shari'ah states general rules. In light of these rules, people can practice

new forms of transactions provided that these forms be in accordance

with the general rules. Among these rules are the prohibition of riba

(usury) as the Qur’ān proscribes, and the prohibition of all

transactions including Gharar (an element of uncertainty) as the

Prophet (Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade gharar.

Gharar means something whose result is unknown or which entails

risk to any of the contracting parties, for example, when a person sells

his stolen car and neither he nor the buyer knows where it is; this

contract involves gharar as no thing guarantees the car to the buyer

which means he loses his money for no compensation.

Also, among these general rules is the prohibition of ghabn

(inequity) regarding the price- either the seller excessively increases

the price or the buyer excessively reduces it; the prohibition of tadlis

(cheating), etc. Every new form of contracts or transactions is

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permissible as long as general rules do not prohibit since the original

rules of useful things is permissibility, as Allah the Almighty says, "It

is He who created for you all of that which on the earth." (Al-

Baqarah:29)

And He Glory be to Him says, "And He has subjected to you whatever

is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth- all from Him." (Al-

Jathiyah: 13)

In the area of punishment

Here we can also see the miraculous nature of the shari'ah.

Reality testifies that punishments enforced by the shari'ah reduce

crimes and achieve personal and public deterrence. No other law gives

the same result achieved by Almighty Allah's law- no matter what

lawmakers do.

Punishments enforced by the Islamic shri'ah are either qisas

(law of equality in punishment) or hudud (legal punishment). Crimes

that do not deserve application of qisas and do not come under the

umbrella of hudud, Islam leaves them to circumstances of every age

so that the society may determine whatever is suitable to deter people.

Thus, punishment comprises three kinds: qisas, hudud and the

third kind known according to jurists as ta'zir.

Qisas is the punishment enforced for intentional homicide as stated

in Allah's saying, "O you who have believe! Qisas (law of equality in

punishment) is prescribed for you in case of murder" (Al-Baqarah:

178). Qisas means to kill the murderer or to injure the injurer, that is,

what a criminal has done ought to be done to him/her. This brings

safety for people. Whosoever wants to transgress against people, once

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thinks that s/he is subject to the same action, s/he mostly will not

commit his crime; thus, s/he keeps others' life as s/he keeps his/her

own life. Allah says, "And there is (a saving of life) for you in qisas."

(Al-Baqarah: 179)

Punishments, other than qisas, enforced by the divine law are

called hudud, for example, the punishment for apostasy, theft,

fornication, qadhf- that is, to falsely accuse others of committing

unlawful sexual intercourse- drinking wine or brigandage.

Allah has determined those two kinds of punishment –namely,

qisas and hudud because He knows that they bring benefit to mankind

in all ages. Other punishments do not bring the intent of shari'ah in

keeping people's lives, property and honor.

The miraculous nature of shari'ah became evident through

applying these punishments during the eras of the Prophet (Allah's

peace and blessings be upon him) and his rightly guided caliphs.

Crimes at that time were rare. Even in our modern time in Saudi

Arabia where the deterrent and restraint punishments of shari'ah are

applied, the cases of crimes are few.

As for the third kind of punishment under the Islamic shari'ah,

these are punishments not stated by the shari'ah, but are left to the

judge and society to determine the suitable punishment for crimes

which are not subject to qisas and hudud. The forms of this

punishment are numerous; they may take the form of

Paying fine, beating, imprisonment, deprivation of some public

rights, etc.

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What we have mentioned is just brief reference to some aspects of

meticulousness in the Qur’ān. I ask Allah for benefit of His Holy

Book and to make us servants of His shari'ah "Our Lord let not our

hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us mercy from you.

Truly you are the bestower." (Al-Imran: 8)

and all praise is due to Allah.

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Some Aspects of the Psychological Miracles in the Glorious

Qur’ān

By Prof. Sayed Subhy

Prof. of Psychology

Ex-Dean, Faculty of Specific Education, Ein Shams University

Coordinator, Social Care Committee in Specialized National

Councils

Human character as analyzed in psychology is studied on a

holistic basis. This is to say the human individual acts and interacts in

a way that dynamizes his bodily functions in a sympathetic,

harmonious way in all of its activities. This process of action and

interaction defines the idiosyncratic traits of every human being

individually different from other humans.

The Glorious Qur’ān in turn advanced an analysis of the normal

and abnormal human characteristics. It also underlined some of the

particular factors that decide the contours normality or abnormality of

humans. In order to comprehend human character as presented in the

Glorious Qur’ān's description and be able to identify the Qur’ānic

paradigm of the positive and negative aspects of humans, we need first

to explain an essential issue that illuminates the Qur’ānic approach to

understanding human character. Here we shall see that the Glorious

Qur’ān in its description of the contours that defines man's character

has established and adopted a unique approach that can be relevant to

all times and places, thanks to a set of principles and criteria that are

discussed below.

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I- The holistic approach to understanding human character:

The Glorious Qur’ān looks at a man with a holistic approach; it

does not ignore any aspect of his personality. It considers man as a

human being with a body, mind, soul and spirit. It also gives great

heed to the daily activities in his life, his imaginations, values, moral

principles and relations with other human beings as well as with the

surrounding environment.

It should also be noted that the Glorious Qur’ān not only

adopted a holistic approach in its treatment of man's character, but

also it reproves the advocates of delusive theories and approaches on

man's analysis that treat man as a body without a reason, a soul

without a body or even as a reason without a spirit. Such people

mistakenly believe that this deficient approach to understanding man

helps their conclusions to be scientifically more accurate or it will

assist them in being able to systematically and effectively adjust and

control man's behavior in life.

The response to such hypotheses is that by no means can man's

material life be divisible from his intellectual, familial, sentimental

and moral life. The reality of man's entity is crystallized through the

interaction between those factors. The human entity is elastic,

dynamic and ever-evolving. However, this constant dynamism and

evolution do not devoid him from the sense of coherence, sympathy

and harmony.

As such, we must reject all such hypotheses, dogmas or system

that claim that man has no soul, values or religion, and that physical

existence and material premises are the absolute reality, which are

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promoted under the slogans of "the reality of the world is confined to

its materialism"; "the world is geared toward dialectic materialism";

"material production and economic systems are the basis of human

life"; "man is none but a group of instincts and desires that need to be

satisfied". Such deficient misunderstandings deal with man from a

narrow-minded perspective that deprive him of his holism, and lead

him to degeneration and destruction.

II – Man's capacities make him an effective and purposeful force:

The holism of man's character as mentioned in the Glorious

Qur’ān combines all man's capacities and conflates them so that he

becomes a harmonious, effective power. Man, as Allah the All-Mighty

has created and decreed him, is in fact an energetic free being that is in

control of material powers and always seeks to employ them in the

process of the human population and welfare of the earth.

The Glorious Qur’ān exhorts man to utilize all his energies in

the best way possible so that he becomes a useful productive force.

Allah says,

And he has subjected to you, as from him, all that is in the

heavens and on earth: behold, in that are signs indeed for those

who reflect.

(Al-Jathiya: 13)

A thorough understanding of the verse would reveal that Allah

has blessed man with a number of faculties which he benefits from

and uses for his own elevation and the welfare of the society in

general. The guiding principle for man in this is the commanding of

right and forbidding of evil. Allah says,

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Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind. Enjoining

what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah.

(Āli ‘Imrān: 110)

III – Abandoning man's indifference and submissiveness:

The Glorious Qur’ān in many places warns man against

indifference which makes him susceptible to his own passions and

weak in to his personal instincts and physical desires. Allah Almighty

underlined man's weakness and submissiveness to these temptations in

His saying,

Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet:

women and sons; heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; horses

branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and

well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world's life; but

with Allah is the best of the goals (to return to).

(Āli ‘Imrān: 14)

IV – Man lives according to his capacities and always aspires for

the best:

The Glorious Qur’ān depicts the normal human character in

such as way as to perceive the limitation of his capacities and

acknowledge his needs and the appropriate way to satisfying them.

Allah says,

On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear.

(Al-Baqarah: 286)

Allah the All-Mighty does not overburden a human soul beyond

its capacity. On the contrary, He shows much care and kindness to

Man as He is the Creator and Sovereign of the world. He says,

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Allah doth wish to lighten your (burdens): For man was

created Weak (in resolution).

(An-Nisā’: 28)

Hence, Allah adjusts human responsibilities in as much as they

are relevant to man's capacities, and he takes away all that overbear

him. Allah says,

And strive in His cause as ye ought to strive, (with sincerity

and under discipline). He has chosen you, and has imposed no

difficulties on you in religion; it is the religion of your father

Abraham.

(Al-Hajj: 78)

This divine wisdom places man's obligations reasonably within

his human capacities and does not leave him a prey to his illusions

that expose him to adversities in life due to his undertaking of tasks

beyond his capability.

Man in his inherent nature has a tendency to raise himself above

material temptation and to overcome the undisciplined passions inside

him and gain the privileges of uprightness. Such is the Qur’ānic

approach in its exposition of man's character, which represents only

one aspect of this character.

Contrary to this is the approach of modern psychologists who

claim that they are following the experimental approach in their

research. However, this approach thwarts them from treating the

spiritual aspect in man's character. They argue that this aspect is not

apt to empirical systematic objective study, as it is not measurable or

assessable or can not be subjected to experimental methods

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adjustments. However, this claim stands scientifically defective; it

even expresses deficiency in intellectual thinking that mistakenly

caused its promoters to deal with man and anthropological studies in a

distorted, divisive way. This approach obstructed them from finding

the correct methods for guiding man and solving his problems and

finding the actual reasons that lead him to dysfunction.

In his study on religion and psycho-analysis, Eric Fraum, who is

one of the psychologists who conducted research on human psycho-

analysis, has realized the critical failure of modern psychology in

arriving at a holistic, sound understanding of man. He also indicated

that modern psychologists have obtained a deformed image of man

when they disregarded the spiritual side in man's character. Fraum

also showed that psychologists gave attention to the material side of

man alone, operating on the assumption that the spiritual side has

faded away. In the modern times, he says psychology, to a large

extent, is treated like natural sciences and laboratorial research which

is subject to quantitative measurements and statistics. Its language has

become the language of numbers, tables, variables, and factors of

empirical control. As such, modern psychology has lost its aims and

objectives in the darkness of alleged scientific and empirical

approaches. This loss had a direct effect on losing its relevance to

man's life, since the intent to understanding the human soul and values

in the course of understanding human character was lost.

Instead, man focused on studying the mechanisms and forms of

reaction and instinctive experiences and the denominators between

different phenomena in isolation of some embedded humanistic

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characterizers such as religion, moralistic values, and the emotional

and sentimental aspects as manifested in the senses such as love and

affection. According to this perspective, man is distinct from other

creatures. It is true that man has some common features to those of

some animals, particularly with regard to physical needs and instincts,

such as self-preservation, certain action and interaction, and a

tendency to comprehension and consciousness. However, man's life is

distinct from the animal's realm by his spiritualistic characteristics that

inspire him to search for the creator and the way to worship Him. He

also aspires to learn the noblest codes of human behavior that elevate

man to the status of psychological and humanistic perfection.

The Glorious Qur’ān's approach to human character takes in the

intellectual, reactionary, social, physical and hygienic aspects of man.

This study shows that human character is comprised of various

integrated dimensions that are devoid of the incentives of corruption,

which are conventionally known as "aspects of disorder". The

'psychological disordered human character' is described in the

Glorious Qur’ān as follows:

a- The psychopathic character that reveals what is contrary to

what is concealed in the ego.:

Allah says,

When the Hypocrites come to you, they say, "We bear

witness that you art indeed the messenger of Allah". Allah knows

that you are indeed his messenger. And Allah bears witness that

the hypocrites are indeed liars. They have made their oaths a

screen (for their misdeeds): thus they obstruct (men) from the

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path of Allah: truly evil are their deeds. That is because they

believed, then they rejected faith: so a seal was set on their hearts:

therefore they understand not. When you look at them, their

bodies please you; and when they speak, you listen to their words.

They are as (worthless as hollow) pieces of timber propped up,

(unable to stand on their own). They think that every cry is

against them. They are the enemies; so beware of them. The curse

of Allah be on them! How are they deluded (away from the truth)!

(Al-Munāfiqūn: 1-4)

In these verses, the Glorious Qur’ān unfolds the hypocritical

behavior of the psychopathic character. The conscience of the

hypocrite lacks faithfulness and transparency as Allah says, "They

have made their oaths a screen". This means they proclaim their

adherence to religion when their loyalty is challenged confirming that

they are loyal to the faith and are following the path of righteousness

so that they evade being discovered and at the same time they

continue their conspiracies and treachery. Such are the most

disordered people, for nothing worse can be compared to lying,

deception and perversion.”

The Glorious Qur’ān depicts a unique image of those disordered

people as being degraded and pathetic. It describes them as feeble,

identity-less, whose physical appearance looks astonishing, yet their

mental faculties are blunt. It suffices as a proof for their sluggishness

that such people, when they talk, are devoid of any comprehensibility

or clarity of expression. The Glorious Qur’ān adds to this description

another important feature of those people, that they are in constant

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state of fear and frightfulness "They think that every cry is against

them", as they are lacking psychological balance and self-confidence.

They are not unaware that they are hypocrites, despite all the

pretensions they make so that their ingratiation, delusions, and conceit

can be concealed. Therefore, they are always in a state of unease and

turbulence lest their disloyalty is discovered.

b- The disordered submissive and indifferent character that is

anxious about poverty:

The Glorious Qur’ān tells us about another feature of the

psychologically disturbed human character in that it has a deep

concern that some one dominates its sustenance and its life. The

weakness of their faith, their feeling of helplessness and their resort to

slothfulness makes Allah cast fear into their hearts. They are oblivious

that sustenance, life and death, good and evil are all in Allah's hand

alone. The Glorious Qur’ān informs people that fear of want is one of

the evil insinuations of Satan. Satan's plan is to weaken people's souls

and hearts and drive them away from putting their trust in Allah and

being optimistic in life. Allah says,

Allah does enlarge, or grant by (strict) measure, the

sustenance (which He gives) to whomso He pleases. They rejoice

in the life of this world. But the life of this world is but little

comfort in the hereafter.

(Al-Ra'd: 26)

He also says,

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O men! Remember the Grace of Allah to you! Is there a

Creator, other than Allah, to give you sustenance from heaven or

earth? There is No god but He: how then are ye perverted?

(Fātir: 3)

And He says,

Kill not your children on a plea of want;-we provide

sustenance for you and for them.

(Al-An‘ām: 151)

With simple reflection on the above Qur’ānic verses we can see

that Allah commands us to shun the attitude of the coward who

persistently fears want and shows great submissiveness and negativity.

Men should not make themselves the slaves of others for the sake of

sustenance. For all sustenance is in the Hand of Allah who alone has

the power to give and withhold. However, this does not negate the fact

that men should work hard in order to earn their livelihood, fearing

Allah and making their work as perfect as possible, courageously

defending what is right and rejecting humiliation and degradation,

which may under pressure of power or intimidation force men to make

compromises with regard to their due payment, their freedom to

practice their religion, their dignity and pride for the sake of keeping

their sustenance. Likewise, anxiety of losing one's job or prestige in

the society may tempt one to put himself under the enslavement of

other humans, in exclusion of the Omnipotence of Allah, in order to

protect his life and his material riches. Allah says,

Say: "O Allah! Lord of power, You give power to whom You

please, and You strip off power from whom You please: You

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endue with honour whom You please, and You bring low whom

You please: in Your Hand is all Good. Verily, over all things You

have power.

(Āli ‘Imrān: 26)

He also says,

If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: if He forsakes

you, who is there, after that, that can help you? In Allah, then, let

believers put their trust.

(Āli ‘Imrān: 160)

And,

If any do seek for glory and power,- to Allah belong all glory

and power.

(Fātir: 10)

Fear of others is a morbid psychological derangement that

destabilizes human character and brings man to a condition of

fretfulness and psychological disorder, with worry about one's future,

sustenance and prestige. It also fills him with an insatiable desire to

accrue material gains, which makes man's mind solely obsessed with

hoarding wealth, yet ignoring more noble values, principles, and

causes a feverish thirst for social position. The weak person who gives

himself up to these ephemeral caprices has certainly given his soul to

anxiety and stress and the loss of his personal freedom, independence

and purity of his spirit.

c- The character that claims power and shows ostentation:

Allah the All-Mighty created man and commanded him to work

hard benefiting from the capabilities and skills that Allah conferred

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upon him so that he can reach his full potential. However, some

people with psychological disorders misuse these capabilities in acts

of aggression and boastfulness. The Glorious Qur’ān condemns such

an attitude and warns those who would of its shameful consequences.

Allah says,

Verily We have created man into toil and struggle. Does he

think that none hath power over him? "He may say (boastfully):

wealth have I squandered in abundance!" Does he think that none

beholds him? Have We not made for him a pair of eyes?- And a

tongue and a pair of lips? And shown him the two highways?

(Al-Balad: 4-10)

Man is created and commanded to work, to earn his livelihood.

However, the one who strives for the sake of a sound belief or code of

values and the one who works to spread vice and evil on earth are not

alike. The one who loses his life for the sake of satisfying his evil

passions is not on equal footage with the one who sacrifices his life in

the way of a virtuous cause .

Man in the vast ocean of life may ostentatiously be tempted to

claim absolute power and authority over his actions, thinking that he is

not accountable for his deeds in the hereafter. Accordingly, his

oppression and aggression are exacerbated and he plunder and

oppresses in order to amass wealth from any source, legal or illegal,

feeling no deterrents from his own conscience or from any other

source. In the middle of the deceitful blindness he becomes oblivious

to the fact that the encompassing Divine Eye watches over men at all

times and in all aspects of life. The above Qur’ānic verses, which

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presented some patterns of human character, have depicted them in

forms that are deprived of psychological stability. One can also see in

the verses that Allah the All-Mighty has deposited in man an innate

readiness to equally recognize and orient himself to the path of good

or evil, of guidance or stray. Man is born with innate ability to direct

himself to either uprightness or vice. Allah says,

By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it, and its

inspiration as to its wrong and its right.

(Ash-Shams: 7-8)

And He also says,

"And shown him the two highways?"(Al-Balad: 10)

Therefore, the ability to distinguish between the two paths is

embedded in his nature in the form of 'readiness'. Divine messages

delivered through prophets only awaken and activate in man this

awareness and help to show him the right path. However, they do not

create this ability in man, as it already pre-exists in his nature. This

readiness is dominated by man's conscious free will, which leads him

the direction of his choice. Whoever uses this free will in the cause of

sacrificing his soul and orienting his motivation to goodness and

withstanding the insinuations of evil, he surely walks in the path of

success and piety. But whoever misuses the free will would definitely

lose his life and is doomed to failure in the Hereafter.

The bestowing of conscious free will on man, which aids him in

making choices in life and disposing his natural readiness and

developing it in the path of good or in the path of evil, is conditioned

with a human responsibility. The free will is paralleled with a

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principle of accountability on the part of man. Man's capability is met

by undertaking certain duties commanded by Allah. This

encompassing nature in man manifests a set of facts the knowledge of

which is essential for human orientation and psychological guidance.

The significance of this holistic nature of man engenders a handful of

highly useful benefits, which are as follows: -

1. It raises the status of man and renders him capable of

taking responsibility for his own actions.

2. It grants man free will in the light of the Divine Will that

deposits this free will in man.

3. It reminds man of his constant need to use Allah's

commands as the decisive criterion of his actions, so that he leads his

life in line with the Divine Law of Allah in order to protect himself

from misguidance and the provocations of his undisciplined caprices.

Thus, it becomes evident that the essence of human life and the

aspects of psychological stability are closely interconnected to the

reality of these many material premises. They are also governed by the

wise decree of Allah, who has assigned a particular end to every thing,

a particular goal for every action, and a particular wisdom for every

episode. Allah the All-Mighty is the Lord of human soul, the universe,

and he is the Creator of destiny.

Now we shall attempt to identify some aspects of the

psychologically upright human character.

a- The believing character that acts in the righteous way and

recommends others to patience and adherence to the right path:

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Belief is based on adherence to the straight path that represents a

constant dynamism that results from a well-planned system and aims

at achieving a specific goal. Adoption of faith in line with the divine

system would certainly lead to the fruitful end of enhancing human

life and encourages production. Such is the essence of the enlightened

good ontological reality that befits the path as planned by Allah.

Exchange of good advice to adhere to the truth is of paramount

importance. The path of truth is sometimes obstructed by

impediments, inhibiting the domination of truth, such as selfishness,

utilitarianism, egoism, material gains, injustice, and despotism. Here,

mutually sincere advice becomes an opportunity of reinvigoration,

reminding, encouraging and promotion of the sense of brotherhood

and mutual cooperation. Exchanging sincere advice is an essential

aspect of the psychologically upright character. Forbearance is also

necessary for restraining one's self, confronting others' harm and

removing anything that obscures man's visualization of reality and

impedes him from reaching his ultimate goal. This goal is manifested

in man's uprightness, truthfulness to others, observation of justice, and

tolerance with people.

b- The character that believes in the Hereafter and its

realities:

Man is created and is commanded to work hard in life. But if he

seeks safety and deliverance from the constraints of psychological

stress and anxiety, he must realize that he was created in this life to

eventually have an eternal life in the Hereafter. This worldly life is

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naught but a transferring bridge to the Hereafter, hence this life in

reality is not an aim in itself. There is another life, which by far excels

this fleeting one, awaiting those who seek guidance. Allah says,

Our lord! You are He Who will gather mankind together

against a day about which there is no doubt; for Allah never fails

in his promise.

(Āli ‘Imrān: 9)

Those who deny the Hereafter, however, are oblivious to Allah's

Might, which is visible in the phenomena of the universe and in man's

own self. So, let man ponder his own creation, and he will certainly

arrive at the logical conclusion regarding the Hereafter and the

feebleness of view of those who reject it. Allah says,

O mankind! If you have doubt about the Resurrection,

(Consider) that we created you out of dust, then out of sperm,

then out of a leech-like clot , then out of a morsel of flesh, partly

formed and partly unformed, in order that we may manifest (Our

power) to you; And we cause whom we will to rest in the wombs

for an appointed term, then do we bring you out as babes, then

(foster you) that you may reach your age of full strength; and

some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the

feeblest old age, so that they know nothing after having know

(much). And (further), you see the earth barren and lifeless, but

when we pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it

puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs). This is so,

because Allah is the Reality: it is He who gives life to the dead,

and it is He who has power over all things. And verily the Hour

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will come: There can be no doubt about it, or about (the fact) That

Allah will raise up all who are in the graves.

(Al-Hajj: 5-7)

c- The character that has a profound faith in destiny and

abandons psychological instability:

Belief in destiny, its good and its evil, is the only way to save

oneself from psychological anxiety and delivers man from conflict,

grief, and trepidation. So, man should willingly accept his life with

good heart. Belief in destiny and feeling of psychological confidence

brings about stability to man's life and avoidance of its hassles. Allah

says,

No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is

recorded in a book before we bring it into existence: that is truly

easy for Allah. In order that you may not despair over matters

that pass you by, nor exult over favours bestowed upon you. For

Allah loves not any vainglorious boaster,-

(Al-Hadeed: 22-23)

The psychologically sound character is conscious that it has a

free will and an ability to choose whether in path of obedience of

Allah or in the path of sin. Either ways it is not under any constraints

to choose any of them against its free will. It also has an unshakable

belief that death is inevitable, and man has no power to escape of

delay it. Man's sustenance in life is also a blessing from Allah that

man has no power over, in its abundance or its strictness.

Man leads his life with the understanding that he has a free will,

yet there is a day where he will be held accountable for his deeds

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before his Lord, and he will get payment for his deeds. Here the sound

human character that has a profound faith in destiny does not assume

false arguments to vindicate the truth. But it works hard in life abiding

by the laws of Allah and abandoning the provocations of

psychological disorder through a constant conviction of self-

accountability of all his deeds and shunning self-conceit. For the truth

can not be concealed from reality indefinitely. Allah says,

Nay, man will be evidence against himself, even though he

were to put up his excuses.

(Al-Qiyāmah: 14-15)

d- The God-fearing character that seeks the Mercy of Allah

and fears His Chastisement:

The Glorious Qur’ān explains that the sound psychological

condition of man is manifested in the sense of love that flows from

him to his Creator, Who is life-giving and the grace-bestower. He is

the One Who "hath created, and further, given order and proportion,

and Who hath measured and granted guidance".

There is an inherent characteristic of man's personality, and

whosoever has this love of Allah will be lead by it to the path of good.

This emotion is described as 'conscious affection' or what is called in

modern psychology as 'objectivity of affection'. Allah the All-Mighty

identifies the scope of emotion of this character in His saying,

For, believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a

tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His revelations

rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put (all) their trust in

their Lord.

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(Al-Anfāl: 2)

It is a natural tendency in the psychologically sound human

character to reciprocate kindness with the same, it is an a priori that

man's heart is invigorated with flowing love to Allah Whose Graces to

man are countless and ever given. Allah says,

And you have no good thing but is from Allah: and

moreover, when you are touched by distress, unto Him ye cry with

groans.

(An-Nah l: 53)

The bond of love between man and his Lord should not be

dissolved, for it is the path that elevates man to the highest levels of

human perfection and grant him tranquility, self-confidence and trust

in the uprightness of his behavior. It also drives him towards exerting

his efforts and sacrificing himself in the way of preserving the noble

manners and principles, seeking Allah's pleasure. He then is sealed

against greed and cowardice in pursuit of wealth or power. When

man's love to Allah is sincere, Allah the All-Mighty in return will

show him love and kindness. For, he loves those who are devout and

righteous among His creation. Allah says,

O you who believe! If any from among you turn back from

his faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom he will love as

they will love him,- humble with the believers, mighty against the

rejecters, fighting in the way of Allah, and never afraid of the

reproaches of such as find fault.

(Al-Mā‘idah: 54)

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The psychologically sound character is always conscious not to

fall in the trap of sinful temptation. It is motivated by the noble virtues

and its tranquil soul. Allah the All-Mighty promises those who have

sound belief and fear His Wrath a great blessing. He says,

Therefore give admonition in case the admonition profits

(the hearer). He will heed who fears.

(Al-A‘lā: 10)

He also says,

As for those who fear their Lord unseen, for them is

forgiveness and a great reward.

(Al-Mulk: 12)

The above mentioned characteristics of the psychologically

sound human character signify an accurate index to a well-balanced

personality. The Glorious Qur’ān has defined the integration of these

characteristics and the significance of their existence as represented in

a set of behavioral codes and noble mannerisms, which shall be

discussed below. It will be shown that the Glorious Qur’ān has

presented the idiosyncratic features of the psychologically sound

person and his behavior with people. Among these features are the

following:

1- Truthfulness. Allah says,

O you who believe! Fear Allah and be with those who are truthful.

(At-Tawbah: 119)

2- Sincerity of intention and abandonment of hypocrisy.

Allah says,

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And they have been commanded no more than this: to

worship Allah, offering him sincere devotion, being true (in faith);

to establish regular prayer; and to give zakat; and that is the

religion right and straight.

(Al-Bayyinah: 5)

3- Objectivity and respect of the rights of others. Allah says,

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses

to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin,

and whether it be (against) rich or poor, for Allah can best protect

both. Follow not the lusts, lest you swerve, and if you distort or

decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted With all that

you do.

(An-Nisā’: 135)

4- Trustworthiness. Allah says,

Allah does command you to render back your trusts to those

to whom they are due; and when you judge between people that

you judge with justice: Verily how excellent is the teaching which

He gives you! For Allah is He Who hears and sees all things.

(An-Nisā’: 58)

5- Tolerance and pardoning the mistakes of others, even

when one is able to take revenge. Allah says,

Let not those among you who are endued with grace and

amplitude of means resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen,

those in want, and those who have left their homes in Allah's

cause: let them forgive and overlook, do you not wish that Allah

should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

150

(An-Nūr: 22)

6- Forbearance and sharing the pains of others. Allah says,

Nay, seek (Allah's) help with patient perseverance and

prayer: it is indeed hard, except to those who are humble.

(Al-Baqarah: 45)

He also says,

Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger,

some loss in goods, lives and the fruits (of your toil), but give glad

tidings to those who patiently persevere.

(Al-Baqarah: 155)

7- Chastity, dignity and self-pride. Allah says,

Make not your hand tied (like a niggard's) to your neck, nor

stretch it forth to its utmost reach, so that you become

blameworthy and destitute. Verily your Lord does provide

sustenance in abundance for whom He pleases, and He provides in

a just measure. For, He does know and regard all His servants.

(Al-Isrā’: 29-30)

8- Generosity and comforting others in need. Allah says,

Believe in Allah and His messenger, and spend (in charity)

out of the (substance) whereof He has made you heirs. For, those

of you who believe and spend (in charity),-for them is a great

reward.

(Al-Hadeed: 7)

9- Love of knowledge and thirst for learning. Allah says,

It is He who makes the stars (as beacons) for you, that you

may guide yourselves, with their help, through the dark spaces of

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land and sea: We detail Our signs for people who know. It is He

who has produced you from a single soul: then there is a resting

place and a repository: We detail Our signs for people who

understand.

(Al-An‘ām: 97-98)

10- Physical strength and trustworthiness. Allah says,

Said one of them (the damsels): "O my father! Engage him

on wages: truly the best of men for you to employ is (the man)

who is strong and trusty"…

(Al-Qasas: 26)

11- Chivalry, cooperation and humanitarianism. Allah says,

Help you one another in righteousness and piety, but help

you not one another in sin and rancor: fear Allah: for Allah is

strict in punishment.

(Al-Mā‘idah: 2)

He also says,

The believers, men and women, are protectors, one of

another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they

observe regular prayers, pay zakat and obey Allah and his

messenger. On them will Allah pour His Mercy: for Allah is

exalted in power, wise.

(At-Tawbah: 70)

And,

The believers are but a single brotherhood: so make peace

and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and

fear Allah, that you may receive mercy.

152

(Al-Hujurāt: 10)

12- Respect of neighbour's rights. Allah says,

Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do

good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who

are of kin, neighbours who are strangers, the Companion by your

side, the way-farer (ye meet), and what your right hands possess.

For, Allah loves not the arrogant, the vainglorious.

(An-Nisā’: 36)

13- Piety and self-restraint. Allah says,

O ye who believe! Fear Allah, and make your utterance

straight forward: That He may make your conduct whole and

sound and forgive you your sins: he that obeys Allah and His

Messenger has already attained the great victory.

(Al-Ah zāb: 70-71)

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It is worthy note that the nature of the true Muslim who has a

sound faith as depicted in the Glorious Qur’ān exposes an example for

man to look up to and work hard to adopt. This can be done through

� Upright

Truthfulness in words and

deeds

Its P

rincip

les

Character

Its

Characterist

ics

Fulifillment of trust and

kee[ing people’s secrets

Being tolerant with our

brothers in humanity

Being patient in difficulties

and hardships

Chastity and contentment

Seeking Increase in knowledge

Munificience and dignity

Purity of the heart and

generosity

Humblness and avoiding

arrogance

Avoiding prohibited acts and

wrongdoing

Belief in Allah, the Revealed

Scriptures, and Allah's

Messengers

Worshipping Allah Alone

Remembering Allah and

seeking His mercy

154

the process of the proper upbringing of children and via the right

education so these characteristics become deeply rooted in a person.

This study has attempted to show that the Glorious Qur’ān

presented a pattern of the human character that situates itself in the

forefront of humanity and shall remain on the top as long as Allah

wills.

155

Some Aspects of the Innovative Medical Observations in the

Glorious Qur’ān

By Prof. Ahmad Shawqi Ibrahim

Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London

Member of the medical committee –UNESCO, Egypt

Head of the Department of Cardiology and Intensive Care, Ibn

Sina specialist Hospital

Head of the scientific compendium for the Qur’ān and Sunna

researches, Egypt

Member of the Supreme Council of Muslim affairs

Foreword

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and may peace and

blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad. Scientific facts and

medical cognitive branches represent a multi-faceted prism of one

great reality, i.e., the nature of Allah's creation and maintenance of the

universe. Indeed, many scientific facts are referred to in the Glorious

Qur’ān and the Sunna of the Prophet. Allah says,

Nothing have we omitted from the book, and they (all) shall

be gathered to their lord in the end.

(Al-An‘ām: 38)

The great Muslim jurist, Imam al-Shafi'i, may Allah bless his

soul, says,

"All the factual premises that people hold are representative

interpretations of the Prophetic Sunna, and all what the Sunna

contains is the elaboration of the subjects of the Qur’ān."

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This means that the basic foundations of all scientific facts have

an origin in the Qur’ān. The Qur’ānic revelation and Prophetic

Traditions have, for hundreds of years, been a source of inspiration

and motivation to specialists in different scientific disciplines and

medical sciences to decipher the natural phenomena. Each generation

was led to discover areas of research that were not uncovered before.

As such, the Glorious Qur’ān and Sunna remain a divine message

from Allah and the prophet Muhammad, and serve as a source of

renovation and evolution for mankind. Allah says,

There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being

that flies on its wings, but communities like you. Nothing have we

omitted from the book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their

lord I the end.

(Al-An‘ām: 38)

From the above mentioned verse we understand that the nature

of creation of all generations is fully present and contained in the

Glorious Qur’ān. This opens the door of scientific research to people

by means of an organic relationship between the religion as expressed

in the Qur’ān and human nature can be seen. Allah says,

So set you face truly to the religion being upright, the nature

in which Allah has made mankind: No change (there is) in the

work (wrought) by Allah: that is the true Religion: but most

among mankind know not.

(Ar-Rūm: 30)

This means that the path of religion is harmonious with human

nature. The Glorious Qur’ān refers to many scientific observations in

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a general way, but it left the details and explanation to the Prophetic

Sunna. What is not contained in the Glorious Qur’ān of these

observations is entrusted to human mind’s capability to discover via

different disciplines. Yet, in general, this kind of scientific research

can not go beyond the boundaries of facts as presented in the Qur’ān.

The Qur’ānic verses in general present holistic directions in an

absolute sense in such a way as to explain religion to people with

regard to subjects such as the attributes of Allah, His Unity, his Might

and His Wisdom. Likewise, the general and universal facts in the

Glorious Qur’ān are understood in the light of the intended meanings.

For example, Ibn Mas'ud once said, "Why should not I curse those

who are cursed by Allah in His Book [he meant those who used to

make tattoos to others and the people to whom the tattoos were done].

He was challenged by a woman who said, "O Ibn Mas'ud! I have read

Allah's Book from cover to cover and I never found a single verse to

the effect of cursing tattoos." Ibn Mas'ud replied, "If you had read the

Qur’ān, you would certainly have come across it. Did you not read

Allah's saying,

So take what the messenger gives you, and refrain from

what he prohibits you. And fear Allah; for Allah is strict in

punishment.

(Al-Hashr: 7)

"Tattooing", he added, "is one of the forbidden practices that the

Prophet commanded us not to do." Hence, we see that Allah the All-

Mighty has revealed the Qur’ān to be unmistakable and explained in

detail, encompassing all legal matters and duties as well as the

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foundations of scientific facts. The general way of the Qur’ān is to

guide man to the right path in life, which eventually leads to his

welfare in this life and the Hereafter. The discussion of the miraculous

aspects in the Qur’ān or the Sunna will lose focus of its insight if

solely confined to the abstract scientific facts and expounded outside

the context of the verses. These facts were not embedded in the verses

for the sole sake of scientific significance, nor to use the verses as

reference in academic disciplines. Rather, they were mentioned to

clearly serve as a proof to Allah's Omnipotence, absolute wisdom and

unity. Other eschatological matters, once these scientific facts are

established, such as the Resurrection, can be credibly settled in man's

heart through logical arguments. This is the most effective and cogent

way of ascertaining faith. Allah says,

It is He Who brings out the living from the dead, and brings

out the dead from the living, and Who Gives life to the earth after

it is dead: And thus shall ye be brought out (from the dead).

(Ar-Rūm: 19)

As such, deciphering scientific signs in the Glorious Qur’ān and

the Sunna not associated with explaining the divine guidance

contained in the texts is rendered incomplete.

In our treatment of subjects of medical importance the aim was

to be as short and concise as possible, provided that the general

complete meaning is not affected. We also carefully adopted a clear

language that people from different walks of life can comprehend in

order to grasp our message. The Qur’ānic directions contained in the

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following two verses should always be our guiding principles. Allah

says,

As also in your own selves: will yet not then see?

(Adh-Dhāriyāt: 21)

And,

Soon will we show them our signs in the (furthest) regions

(of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to

them that this is the truth. Is it not enough that thy lord doth

witness all things?

(Fussilat: 53)

The Encyclopedia of innovative medical observations in the

Glorious Qur’ān, which comes in eight volumes, includes the

following:

1- Volume one explains the evolution of mankind;

2- Volume two discusses man's senses;

3- Volume three explores psychological cures in the Glorious

Qur’ān and Sunna;

4- Volume four explores the mysteries of sleeping;

5- Volume five approaches aesthetics;

6- Volume six discusses prohibitions and their relation to

human general hygiene;

7- Volume seven involves the subject of prophylactic

medicine in the light of the Glorious Qur’ān and Sunna;

8- Volume eight deals with the divine exhortation on man to

"look at his food".

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This section is intended to provide a synoptic presentation of the

content of these volumes of the mentioned Encyclopedia.

Volume One: the evolution of man's creation

The creation of man underwent various successive stages, since

he was still in the loins of the first man, Adam, to the stage of his

death. In this volume we have discussed these stages in details

elaborating on the practical scientific theories that were developed in

this connection. We showed the incorrect of these theories as well as

those which can be regarded as valid. Then we moved to deal with the

stages of the evolution of Adam and Eve and their particular historical

events and trials that they have gone through.

In the subsequent section we explained the different congenital

phases of the creation of human beings, from the stage of being an

embryo and its different successive stages of development. Then we

discussed the evolutionary stages of man in life after death as well as

what happens to him after death, making heavy reliance on what is

mentioned in the Glorious Qur’ān and the Sunna.

Put simply, the history of man is long, and it includes cycles of

death and life, then another cycle of death and life, until man reaches a

stage of everlasting life. The worldly life is of a very short span of

time compared to man's long life of existence in the history of

creation.

Many of the stages of the creation of man belong to the realm of

the unseen, of which man's knowledge encompasses very little and

much of what is thought to be true is simply guesswork. Therefore, we

made the divine revelation and the prophetic Sunna, which are the sole

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available and reliable records, as our first and foremost source on the

history of mankind.

The history of man commenced with the creation of Adam, and

all men claim their ancestry back to him. This is mentioned in the

Qur’ān and Sunna.

Who is man?

Man is a living sensible creature. Yet, he is unperceivable even

to his own self. No one can claim with surety to have a full and perfect

cognition of man's nature. This is an acknowledged fact to all

scholars. It is true that man has made several attempts to discover

space and find out about remote planets and stars in the far-off

galaxies. He even invented gigantic telescopes to observe and study

these galaxies and has to a large extent achieved great success in this

regard. Further human celestial adventures included man's interest in

discovering the moon, and these adventures were crowned by his

success in landing on the moon. Man has possesses the techniques and

ability to explore the deep oceans, and he managed to invent vehicles

to take him into space. Despite all these discoveries, man stands

powerless and unable to uncover the secrets within his own self. No

scholar or scientist, no matter the specialty or excellence of his

knowledge, can answer this simple question: Who is man?

In his famous book "Man: The Unknown" Dr Alexis Carrel (d. 1944)

said, "Our knowledge of man is still so immature, and he is still

unknown to himself." He also said, "We have managed to discover the

secrets of matter and its characteristics. We also have good knowledge

about everything on the surface of the earth, except our human selves.

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Every one of us is made of a cortege of ghosts within which an

unknown truth exists". Lucas, one of the notable philosophers of

dialectic materialism, said, "The real man is an unknown being to us,

and our ignorance of him will remain for ever." We may differ with

the proponents of dialectic materialism in many philosophical points.

However, we agree with them over this opinion and take it as an

argument against them in our debates. Man indeed is an unknown

creature, and our ignorance of him shall forever remain.

Man is unknown to himself, this is an unquestionable truth. But,

who knows man's reality for sure? The answer is Allah the All-Mighty

who knows man very well, since He is the Creator. Allah says,

It was we who created man, and We know what insinuations

his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular

vein.

(Qāf: 16)

Subjects we discussed in this Volume:

Among the subjects that were discussed in this volume are the

cycle of death and life of creatures; the theories of creation and

development; theories of evolution, the creation of man; the story of

Adam and his temptation by Satan; the mysteries of embryology and

the creation of man and woman; the instilment of man's desires; the

reality of human ego; human soul, mind and spirit; the breathing of

spirit in man; the relation between body, soul and spirit; human

genealogy; and the last subject was gerontology. We shall give below

a summary of the last subject, i.e. gerontology.

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Man in gerontology.

Gerontology is one of the common stages in man's life cycle and

all living beings. The first quarter of man's life is a stage of physical

growth, while the other three-quarters mainly represent stages of

gradual and progressing degeneration. Man's body is made of millions

of living cells, which die over time and can be regenerated. This

means that human body is constantly in a state of metabolic and

catabolic cycles. When the pace of metabolism outstrips the pace of

catabolism, this engenders growth.and visa versa, when the pace of

catabolism exceeds the pace of metabolism, this causes senescence.

Some bodies do not get into the phase of physical senility until

they reach a very old age, while others have early senescence. Senility

is not caused by old age alone, but it is caused by the biological age of

the cells of the body. For, between man's real age and the cells'

biological age there is significant relationship. Senility has many

stages. Man in his early stage of senescence may still have some

strength to look after himself. This may last for several reasons. In the

second stage of senility, weakness creeps into all organs of man's body

making the least of man's simple daily activities a real hardship. If

man's life spans prolongs, he enters into a stage of late senescence in

which man can not look after himself, where his mental and

perceptive faculties wane. This stage is called 'the senile old age',

which is a very difficult and apprehensive stage for man to live. The

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) taught us to seek refuge with Allah from

the vulnerability of the senile old age. In one of his prayers, as is

recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet said, "O Allah! I seek

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refuge with You from cowardice, and I seek refuge with You from

being returned to the first stage of weakness in the senile old age, and

I seek refuge with You from the infatuation with this material life, and

I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave". The

Prophet's expression of 'being returned' indicates a return to a feeble

condition anew. Man is created in weakness, knowing nothing about

life. When he grows old, he is returned to yet another condition of

weakness, where he gradually loses his knowledge.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also taught us to seek refuge

with Allah from senility in all its stages. Al-Bukhari narrated through

Anas (God bless him), "The Prophet (PBUH) used to pray Allah in

this supplication: 'O Allah! I seek refuge with You from frailty and

lassitude, I seek refuge with You from cowardice, and I seek refuge

with You from senility'…". Senility is a natural evolution and

biological change that occurs to the body and is sequenced by

consecutive stages of weakness and vulnerability. These stages are

consorted with several physical changes in the body and degrees of

asthenia.

The life of man's body undergoes four phases: creation, growth,

senility and death. These stages are regulated and controlled by

inherited genetic system. This system is imbedded in the nucleus of

every living cell in man's body. However, the system can be affected

by external factors that may contribute to the acceleration or slowing

of its occurrence, such as the surrounding environment or temporary

illnesses.

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Volume Two: Man's Senses

Students of anatomy and physiology are amazed at the sublime

perfection of the creation of man and the unparalleled miracles of

man's fashioning. Each singular cell in the human body stands as a

witness to the consummate Omnipotence of Allah the All-Mighty, His

Wisdom in the creation, His Compassion towards His creation and the

His Mastery in the creation. In the entirety of creation there is no

single creature which fashioning is more perfect than the other, for

each created being has been fashioned in the most accomplished form

that suits its creation. No wonder if the formation of an atom is as

exquisite and perfect as the creation of the sun and the galaxy.

A fetus is born and grows until it becomes a baby, who is in a

state of utter ignorance of the world. Allah the All-Mighty provides

him with particular senses to help him discover the world and develop

a dynamic relation with his environment, working, learning and

teaching. Man is born and connectedly interacts with his environment

via these senses. Allah says,

It is He Who brought you Forth from the wombs of your

mothers when ye knew nothing; and He gave you hearing and

sight and intelligence and affections: that ye may give thanks (To

Allah).

(An-Nah l: 78)

It is worth noticing that man's senses are connected to the

corporeal body as well as the man's immaterial senses, such as soul,

reason and spirit. Human senses are not confined to the physical body

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alone, but they are the vents to express man's feelings in general.

Hence the title of this section is: Man's Senses.

In this volume we also discussed the different methods for the

baby to become conscious of the outside world and how his senses

begin to work. Then we proceeded into the discussion of the sense of

hearing, which is conceived as the most essential of man's senses in

his life. It was necessary to study the receptive systems of man's

senses, the ear, eye, nose, skin, tongue and mouth, and how the signals

of the senses are transferred from the receptive senses to the different

centers in the brain and subsequently be forwarded to the senses'

centers of storage and the centers of reasoning, percept and

consciousness. The senses of reasoning and consciousness and their

relations to human brain are one of the complex questions scientists

seek to answer. They also puzzle over human reason and where it

exists? Is it inside or outside the human brain?

Man's senses may be limited in their faculties, but they

harmoniously match man's essential needs in life. Therefore, some

animals' senses are exceptionally greater than those of man. For

instance, man's faculty of hearing is limited to a certain range and

speed of the sound waves. However, in certian species of animals this

faculty is far stronger, while in other species this faculty is nearly

nonexistent. The sound reaches the ear via waves. Therefore it was

imperative to briefly explain some useful points regarding phonetics.

It is true that living beings have the faculty of hearing, but one

may ask: can the dead hear? Such an important question requires a

decisive answer in the light of the Glorious Qur’ān and Sunna. We

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discussed in this part the different types of hearing, whether direct of

inspirational.

The sense of sight was addressed in different and diverse

aspects, such as the relationship between human sight and the rest of

human senses. We also explained the difference between the faculty of

actual physical sight (nazar) and the power of perceptiveness (basar);

the difference between blindness of the eye and blindness of the heart.

Visualized objects can be seen through rays of light reflected from the

objects to man's eye. Hence, a short synopsis was required in this

regard to explain some points about optics and the semantic difference

between light (du') and illumination (nour) and the relation between

light and shadow.

There is a close relation between illumination, light and colors.

The perfection of the beauty of creatures can not be achieved without

the beauty of colors. Therefore, it is Allah's Grace to people that He

gave colors to every thing around them in life, such as plants,

mountains and fruits. So, colors play a significant role in the

visualization and appraisal of objects. It is also worthy mentioning

that people hold different views concerning the judgment of beauty

according to their perceptions, intuitions and tendencies. It is also one

of the astonishing facts in Allah's creation that insects' recognition and

response to colors are drastically different from those of man.

It was useful to shed light in this connection on the sense of

sight in the stories of Prophets, particularly the episode of the Prophet

Jacob (Ya'qoub) and the incidence of temporary loss of his eye-sight

and the story of the shirt of Joseph (Yusuf) and the relevant

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interpretation of Muslim scholars of these verses. We then proceeded

into a brief discussion of the senses of smelling and tasting and the

relevant Qur’ānic verses and Prophetic Traditions that explained their

function in man's life. Following to this, we mentioned that the other

senses of touching, feeling of pain, pressure, heat and cold, have

special receptive centers in the skin.

It was imperative to make humans aware of their senses and

their functions in this life and after death on the day of Resurrection.

We also underlined the Qur’ānic warning that man's organs will bear

witness against him when he is brought before Allah for reckoning

and requital. Allah says,

That Day shall We set a seal on their mouths. But their

hands will speak to Us, and their feet bear witness, to all that they

did.

(Yā Seen: 65)

He also says,

The day that the enemies of Allah will be gathered together

to the fire, they will be marched in ranks. At length, when they

reach the (fire), their hearing, their sight, and their skins will bear

witness against them, as to (all) their deeds.

(Fussilat: 19-20)

Volume Three: Psychological Treatment in the Glorious Qur’ān

and Sunna:

The volume on the psychological treatment in the Glorious

Qur’ān and Sunna addressed the most up-to-date studies in this

subject. We found that the conclusions of the recent medical studies

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correspond and confirmed the premises contained in the Glorious

Qur’ān and the Sunna. This indicates that the Glorious Qur’ān and the

Sunna have precedent innovative foundations in this subject. Our

discussion of the psychological treatment emerges as a result of our

systematic study of the miraculous scientific aspects of the Qur’ān and

Sunna. Concerning the history of psychological treatment, it is useful

to present two contrasting images of the scientific backwardness of

past generations in this subject compared to the supremacy of

knowledge and the perfection of the truth of information in this matter

contained in the Qur’ān and the Sunna. These two sources did not

sanction past mistakes of people about this subject, but they clearly

stated scientific facts. Scientists in the modern time have discovered

these facts and confessed the truth of the Qur’ān and Sunna in this

regard on the grounds that their information is not a far departure from

what the Qur’ān and the Sunna stated.

The rate of psychological illnesses in the age of scientific

progress is high, and it is concurrent with a rise in the rate of

behavioral misconduct, especially in the youth sector. In this volume

we tried to propose some solutions to counter this problem. We

noticed that all the solutions we proposed have some grounds in the

Qur’ān. Modern psychologists agreed that belief in God is one of the

most essential elements in the way of recovery from psychological

problems, and psychological patients have a chance of recuperation

only through seeking the path of Allah.

It is true that anger and psychological agitation have become a

common feature of man's modern life. Therefore, we committed a

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detailed section to discuss this issue. The prophetic sayings have

indeed explained various methods for psychological treatment, many

of which have been investigated and their soundness was proved.

Western psychologists in the modern time are dazzled when realizing

that the modern scientific methods of treatment are in fact contained

in the Glorious Qur’ān and the Sunna.

Religious devotions in Islam are the direct relationship between

man and his Lord. When we discuss the impact of these devotions on

man from a psychological perspective, we shall find many aspects that

can achieve great progress in the path of recuperation. No doubt that

psychological balance can not be achieved unless there is positive

supporting incentive and a deterrent element, which must coexist. This

duality can be observed in the two feelings of 'fear' and 'hope'.

Since patience is one of the cornerstones of man's psychological

recuperation, we have dedicated a whole section in the Encyclopedia

to talk about patience and its impact on healing the human soul from

its agonies and diseases. Then we discussed the value of reliance on

Allah from a psychological perspective and its impact on causing

recovery from psychological disorders.

Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychology, formed the

modern school of psychological treatment through psychoanalysis.

We made a simple comparison between Freud's method of treatment

and the religious approach of turning to Allah with the whole of man's

self. We found that turning to Allah in repentance and seeking

forgiveness is more salubrious and effective than psychoanalytical

methods.

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In the subsequent section of the Encyclopedia we discussed the

emotional psychological depression and the relevant stories of

Prophets. We also discussed the treatment psychological anxiety in

childhood and its long-standing impact that lingers throughout the

whole life of a person. We related for instance the story of Joseph

(PBUH) and the conspiracy of his brothers.

Healing in the Glorious Qur’ān and the Sunna is not only

restricted to physiological aspects, but it transcends to physical

disorder. We illustrated this by mentioning the story of Mary (peace

be upon her).

We never claim in any part of this volume that we covered all

aspects of miraculous healing of the body and the soul in the Glorious

Qur’ān and Sunna. Due to space, we only addressed a limited number

of points, leaving the door open to more scientific research by

scientists to reveal unexplored aspects in this regard. Certainly they

will find in the Glorious Qur’ān and Sunna more points to uncover.

The more scientists study the Qur’ān and the Sunna the more unique

and useful information they will get.

Volume Four: Mysteries of Sleeping

It goes without saying that sleeping is one of the most

astonishing biological phenomena that occurs with all living creatures.

It is a necessity for the continuation of life, even more necessary than

the need for eating and drinking. A living being enters into two

different worlds every day: the world of wakefulness and the world of

sleeping. Each one of these worlds has its own distinct system and

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law. Sleeping appears like a state of death, while wakefulness

resembles the state of rising after death.

In the past, sleeping was one of the most puzzling and

mysterious secrets before which scientists stood unable to explain.

However, with the advancement of scientific research some of these

secrets began to reveal themselves to man, though what is known of

them is still only the tip of the iceberg.

While man's consciousness and cognition are absent during his

sleeping, his bodily systems still operate. However, their system of

working during sleep is different from that in the state of wakefulness

in some respects. One of the most significant achievements of

scientists in the modern time in the field of unfolding the secrets of

sleeping is their discovery of the electric voltage of the brain during

sleeping and the five degrees thereof. Some scientists attempted to

uncover the secrets of the relationship between human soul and spirit

with the body during sleeping. Since these matters relate to the realm

of the unseen, we made the Glorious Qur’ān and the Sunna our first

and foremost sources of information to rely on.

Dreams and visions, which are signs of wonder, occur during

man's sleeping. Studying them and their close relation with sleeping

and its different stages was imperative. We discussed in the

Encyclopedia the healthy postures of the body during sleeping in order

to achieve the optimal degree of repose. It is also important to say that

there are certain hygienic considerations in the place where man

sleeps and there are some sources of risk he needs to avoid.

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Man's body tosses from side to side during his sleeping. This is

healthy for the skin in order to prevent the occurrence of skin

soreness. But what will happen if the duration of sleeping extends to

years, such as the miraculous sleep of the people of the cave? (The

Seven Sleepers of Ephesus) And what happened to Uzair? All these

questions were clearly answered in much detail in the course of this

section.

Natural sleeping is a healthy human phenomenon; however in

some cases sleeping may become a pathological syndrome, such as

the insomnia, sleepwalking, and Hypersomnia.

In the modern industrial age traveling with jet planes from place

to place, each flight to different time zones, causes jet lagging. Jet

lagging is a temporary disorder caused by an imbalance between the

biological internal clock in the human body and the geographical time

of the location to which the person travels. This engenders mayhem to

the body and disharmony in its temporal decadence, which results in

diverse physical problems.

The feature of sleeping:

Sleeping is a biological feature that occurs to all living beings.

Every human creature passes by two states every day: a state of

sleeping and a state of wakefulness. The world of sleeping is totally

different from the world of wakefulness. Philosophers believed that

the one who is sleeping is in some way connected with the universe,

while the one who is awake is connected with the small world of

human life. During sleep all the organs of the body are active, while

man's senses and consciousness are in a state of inertia. The state of

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sleeping resembles the state of death, yet the subconscious functions

of the body are still active: the heart is beating, the respiratory system

is working, the body is turning from one side to the other, and all the

living cells of the body are active.

This indicates that man lives in two worlds, entering into each

one of them every day. The two worlds are so different that even the

transitory periods between them makes man not fully conscious of the

world he is about to enter in. For instance, when man rises from his

sleep, he experiences a swift moment where he is unconscious of

where he is or which time of the day he wakes. Then he gradually

feels conscious and cognizant of the outside world.

The realm of sleep is astounding and full of secrets, however, its

regular occurrence made man adapt to it so that it is no longer strikes

them with questions or spurs their curiosity. Since the state of sleeping

resembles death to some extent, people conventionally call it "minor

death"; the one who is sleeping does not belong to the worldly life, but

he is in a different realm. If man does not return from his 'minor death'

to the worldly life, he enters into the realm of 'real death' or 'major

death'. This subject reminds us with the Qur’ānic verse:

It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those

that die not (he takes) during their sleep: those on whom he has

passed the decree of death, he keeps back (from returning to life),

but the rest he sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed. Verily

in this are signs for those who reflect.

(Az-Zumar: 82)

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The Glorious Qur’ān in this and other verses explains that the

state of sleeping has some enigmas pertaining to the human soul and

spirit, to death and to life itself. These secrets are so concealed that we

barely know anything about them.

A foreword about dreams and visions:

The founder of modern psychology, Sigmund Freud, says,

"Dreams are the ideal vent for the soul's activities". Psychologists say

dreams may have reasons behind them, among which are: -

1- The human soul during sleeping is connected to the

outside world, and external sensory input is the main source of his

dreams, and such input is responsible for the formation of the images

that man sees in his dreams.

2- The internal sensory stimuli, which are the images

received by the human sense in wakefulness, and which man's mind is

constantly thinking of.

3- Personal provocations and anxieties, which have an

impact on the formation of dreams. Man who is under a particular fear

of is very likely to see this danger in his dreams. Even after its

cessation, this danger lingers into the thoughts of a person and may be

present in his dreams for sometime.

Freud points out that dreams are the method of achieving man's

wishes concealed in his sub-conscience. This is clearly illustrated in

the dreams of children, which are mainly a realization of the children's

wishes and a resonance to their observations in real life. Freud also

claims that many of the dreams of adults are based on their childhood

experiences. He added, "Certain episodes and impressions from

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childhood appear in the dreams, though one may not still think of

them in the state of wakefulness." We still believe that dreams and

visions are mysterious and unattainable to science and what we know

about them is very little.

The Miracle of the night journey (Esraa) and ascension of the

Prophet (mi'raj):

The miracle of the night journey and ascension of the Prophet

was not a night vision; otherwise it would not have been a miracle and

people would not have rejected it. For any one could claim that he saw

himself in a dream ascending into heaven and conversing with the

Lord. The majority of Muslim scholars asserted that the night journey

and ascension of the Prophet was with soul, flesh, consciousness and

spirit. They added that the Prophet was fully conscious and witnessed

a reality, and were it not a reality, the episode would have lost its

supernatural significance. Were the night journey and ascension of the

Prophet not of a miraculous nature, Umm Haani' (the Prophet's

cousin) would not have advised the Prophet not to tell his people of

this incident. Neither would Abu Bakr (God bless him) have earned

the sobriquet 'the veracious' (al-siddeeq). It was reported in the

classical traditions of Islam that the Prophet was not out of his bed

save for moments, and the water that was spilled on the floor when his

garment upset it was still running when he returned to his home. His

bed as well was still warm from his sleep when he returned to it. This

means that the two journeys were momentous; they did not take more

than few seconds when calculated with the earthly measures. For

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Allah the All-Mighty invited him to a journey that took place in the

blink of an eye, i.e. in no time. Allah says,

And our command is but a single word,- like the twinkling of an

eye.

(Al-Qamar: 50)

Were the night journey and ascension not a miracle, the people

of Quraish would not have belied the Prophet and challenged him

saying, "Do you claim that you made it (the night journey) in an

overnight, while it takes us one-month journey to get there

(Jerusalem)"?

What is a miracle?

A miracle is a supernatural incident that sounds impossible for

common people to work out. It is beyond people's capability and is not

subject to the laws of nature and the codes of the physical universe.

Therefore, only Allah the Omnipotent can cause it to happen. In order

that a miracle is presented as solely the work of Allah, He makes it

devoid from any human intervention or power that might be seen as

assisting Him in producing the miracle. So, the argument of the

disbelievers who rejected the miracle of the ascension of the Prophet

and belied his claim was unfounded. For, they accused the prophet of

lying on something that he did not claim he worked out (that he

worked out the miracle out of his own power), yet he only stated that

he was taken into a night journey by Allah's command. However, the

denial of Allah's power would make them sinners of grave offences as

no one has the capacity to challenge Allah's power and to regard His

Omnipotence as inefficacious.

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The need to sleep:

Man spends a generous sum of his life sleeping. sleeping as we

said above is a biological feature of man's body that alternated with

wakefulness in a constant and systematic way. The central nervous

system functions like a biological clock that regulates all the activities

of the systems of the whole body. Therefore, one may feel taken by

sleep in certain hours of the day and rises from his sleep in another

certain hour, without being awakened by an outside stimulus. This

means that the biological clock in the body dominates the functions of

its different organs and adapts with the geographical clock according

to which day and night are related. Hence we can see that normal

sleep takes place during the night and normal human activities occur

during the day. As men may have different durations of sleeping, they

also differ in the time they take before going into the state of sleeping

and getting out of it. Man can not resist sleeping if he is deprived of it

for few days. This is proved by experiments conducted on a group of

healthy young people to see how long they can stay up without sleep.

They fell asleep after few days, irrespective of the environment or

circumstances surrounding them. A practical example of this

deprivation of sleeping is the case of drivers on the motorways who,

due to lack of sleeping, may cause serious accidents.

A human body may stay without food or water for several days,

but it can not resist sleeping for more than a few days. The Prophetic

sayings indicated that deprivation of food, water and sleeping is one of

the methods of human torture and suffering. However, torture through

deprivation of sleeping is more painful to the body than torment

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through deprivation of food and water. This is one of the excellent and

accurate scientific proofs to the perfection of the Prophetic Sayings,

and another proof to the stylistic precision of its language order.

Volume Five: Aesthetics.

Aesthetics, like any other discipline, is believed to have a divine

aspect and a human aspect. The divine aspect in all regards is

absolutly right and is so perfect and holistic that it encompasses all

facts and necessities that satisfy the requirements of all people in all

times and places, with a constant presence and renewed provision. As

for the human aspect, it is the efforts of scholars and the outcome of

their intellectual activities and reflection on the visible divine miracle

of Allah, i.e., the universe, and their contemplation on the signs of

Allah in His creation. Through this they would arrive at various

conclusions about scientific facts in different historical episodes, and

they uncover them in partial hypotheses and in different methods.

The human aspect of any given scientific equation searches in

the particular and minor issues, and has no knowledge of the general

and major issues. Philosophers are the most ardent students of

aesthetics, and they made serious attempts to uncover its secrets.

However, they did not arrive at the essence of this discipline and their

statements in this regard are partial and particular and are exposed in

contested hypothetical ways. They did not realize the universal perfect

beauty that is innovated by the All-Mighty Allah or realized the

essential distinction between the divine beauty and the beauty that is

presented in the human art, such as geometry, painting and

ornamentation and other such manifestations of beauty. It is sure that

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the inability of some philosophers to comprehend the real meaning of

beauty and its true nature is their unawareness of the true beauty of the

visible Miracle of Allah, i.e., the Universe and the Written Word of

Allah, i.e., the Glorious Qur’ān.

In order to understand the true meaning of beauty, one should

observe the beauty manifested in this universe through the revelation

of the One Who fashioned this beauty as depicted in the Glorious

Qur’ān and the Sunna. Only then one will envision the ultimate beauty

and visualize the shining light.

Our discussion of aesthetics in the Encyclopedia of medical

information in the light of the Glorious Qur’ān and Sunna is divided

into seven chapters. The first chapter discusses beauty in the creation

from the divine perspective and the human perspective. The second

chapter relates to exoteric beauty. The exoteric beauty can be seen, for

example, in the fairness of the looking, nicety of the clothes and

comfort of the house. It can also be seen in the good deeds, exquisite

behavior and wise sayings. But the esoteric beauty is expressed in the

purity of the soul, the clarity of the faith, reason and thought. Both

types of beauty, esoteric and exoteric, must be combined so that

beauty appears in its perfect form. The existence of one without the

other makes beauty imperfect and closer to the condition of

unsightliness. We also quoted some Qur’ānic verses and Prophetic

Traditions that substantiate this view. The third chapter discusses the

relationship between colors and the beauty of the creation and beauty

of the sky. The fourth chapter investigates the psychological impact of

colors on the general psychological health of man. Chapter five

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discusses the divine light of beauty, with special reference to the

meaning of certian Divine Sayings (hadith qudsi), such as "Allah is

fair and He loves fairness". Chapter six searches the beauty of the

creatures of the universe, and the unobservable beauty to the eye.

Chapter seven discusses the perfect beauty of the creation, and how

All-Mighty Allah has given each one of His creatures its perfect form.

Volume Six: Prohibitions and their relation to human general

hygiene

When we scientifically investigate the prohibitions in Islam in

the light of modern scientific knowledge we will find that each one of

these is a source of danger to man's health. This truth was not known

to people in the past so that some hypocrites deemed that these

prohibitions made unjustified constraints on their personal freedom.

Allah the All-Mighty has declared forbidden only the things that

are unwholesome to man's health, on the other hand He made all good

wholesome things permissible to man. He never made restrictions in

the matter of prohibitions unless it was by way of His Mercy.

Accordingly, Muslims willingly received and obeyed Allah's

Command and complied with its prohibitions and permissions, though

the pertinent scientific reason of the prohibition was not known to

them at the time of the revelation. We mentioned the good things that

Allah made permissible to people in order to indicate that in return for

the limited number of prohibitions He made an abundance of

permissible provisions to man.

The prohibition of the dead animals, blood and the flesh of the

swine was one of the issues that received much discussion and was the

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subject of the research by scholars and scientists across time.

Scientists could only uncover the reasons of the injurious effects of

these prohibitions in the modern time.

The subsequent chapter of the Encyclopedia discussed the harm

resulting from having physical intercourse with women when they are

having their menses. This prohibition was not known to people, and

nations of antiquity and past religions held different views about it.

However, the Glorious Qur’ān and the Sunna clearly declared the

scientific explanation for such restriction and the wisdom of the

prohibition of physical relation during this time. This is confirmed by

the modern scientific examinations, which could not be reached

without the use of advance apparatuses, such as microscopes. We also

discussed the prohibition of illegal sexual intercourse, which is a

potential cause for the spread of many venereal diseases, such as

gonorrhea and syphilis. We also discussed the 'plague of the modern

time', i.e., AIDS in some detail, without getting into the complexity of

terms and subjects that would only concern specialists in the field. We

found that the Glorious Qur’ān alluded to it, and the Prophetic Sunna

treated it in plain statements.

Among the recent maleficent habits that were included in the

prohibitions is smoking. We mentioned its venomous effects on man's

health that was discovered only recently. We arrived through textural

and rational inference and analogy to the conclusion that smoking is

from the prohibitions. As to wine, intoxicants and narcotics, we

discussed them in some detail without entering into the complication

of scientific debates and we explained their damage to man's body.

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We also provided some useful information about drugs and

hallucinogens. We proved through logical and analogical methods that

they belong to the category of prohibitions.

Since the prohibition of gambling was espoused with the

prohibition of drinking, we dedicated a detailed account to discuss this

issue. It was striking to find that the prohibition of this duality was

based on sound and logical ground that scientists in the modern time

were able to uncover in the light of modern systematic examination.

There is no doubt that pollution of environment in the sea, land and

air, which has occurred after the industrial revolution, is very harmful

to man. The Glorious Qur’ān has implicitly prohibited the pollution of

environment, but this prohibition was in fact based on the explicit

legal maxim that prohibition is applicable whenever there is harm. We

made every effort in the Encyclopedia to avoid complicated scientific

details which concern only specialists. The main aim was to explain

the meaning in the easiest language and simplest way. As to the other

prohibitions, such as disbelief, homicide, undutifulness to parents,

theft…we did not include them in our study. The main objective of

our study was to focus on the prohibitions that harm man's health.

Volume Seven: Prophylactic Medicine in the Light of the Glorious

Qur’ān and Sunna.

This volume is an attempt to underline some of the facts about

prophylactic medicine and the efforts of physicians in this regard in

the light of the Glorious Qur’ān and the Sunna. We cross-examined all

the information we included against the primary absolute principles of

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the Qur’ān and Sunna, and we overwhelmingly found that these two

sources contained many of the facts that modern science has proved.

Despite the fact that the Prophetic Sunna is the essential

reference for many of the subjects on prophylactic medicine, we do

not agree on giving this volume the popular title of 'Prophetic

prophylactic medicine', else we would use 'Prophetic astronomy',

'Prophetic bromatology', 'Prophetic botany', or 'Prophetic pathology'

and their like for different disciplines. The Prophetic Sunna is by far

more honorable than being used in this way. The Prophet (PBUH) was

not sent to humanity to teach people medicine, astronomy, physics or

any other branch of knowledge. But he was sent as a bringer of glad

tidings, a warner, a teacher, a guide, a summoner to Allah with His

leave and as a lantern that gives light. The scientific truth in the

Glorious Qur’ān and the Sunna in the field of medical sciences or any

other discipline was revealed only for the sake of human welfare in

this life and in the Hereafter, and within the context of an all-inclusive

religious guidance.

The Prophet (PBUH) tells only the truth, and his statements are

divine revelation from Allah the All-Mighty or an inspiration from

Him exclusively to the Prophet. When we speak about modern

prophylactic medicine, we only discuss what modern science has

uncovered, and we will refer this back to the absolute knowledge in

the Qur’ān and Sunna.

The religion that Allah the All-Mighty has chosen for His

creation on this earth is Islam (submission to Allah) from the day He

created Adam to the Day of Resurrection. It is the religion of the truth

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and guidance. Allah did not leave anything that pertains to the

necessities of man's life without mentioning it and explaining its most

perfect form in His Glorious Book (the Glorious Qur’ān.

Man is the creature of Allah who is intended with His Message.

This signifies the value of man on this earth, and that Allah

encompasses man with His care and attention and protects him

physically, psychologically and intellectually. He also gave man the

correct scientific methodology to follow in his study. Benefiting from

this, Muslim pioneers held fast to this methodology and sought the

truth in each branch of knowledge in the Glorious Qur’ān and the

Sunna. Therefore, their venture into learning and knowledge was right

ands they managed to establish a magnificent Islamic civilization.

It is true that any scientific discovery that conforms to the facts

that are contained in the Glorious Qur’ān and the Sunna is valid. What

contradicts the information of these two sources can not be correct, for

the divine revelation contained in them is the ultimate truth and

absolute knowledge.

Out of Islam's care for man's general health, we find that the

Glorious Qur’ān and the Sunna draw a complete methodology for

each branch of medicine: psychology, therapeutic medicine,

prophylactic medicine, and other branches of medicine. Only recently

have physicians discovered a significant number of facts about

prophylactic medicine.

Treatment of diseases:

In the 29th century B.C, the most notable physician of ancient Egypt,

Imhotep, used to treat patients in the temple, as he was one of the

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clergymen. The treatment consisted of herbs, honey, and the

performance of some pagan liturgy and recitation of some charms and

incantations. He also used to offer immolations to gods venerated in

the pagan temples. The clergymen of ancient Egypt all followed his

footsteps. He was so much respected and recognized that he later was

recognized as 'the god of medicine'.

In the days of ancient Greece, there were also those who

practiced medicine, and the most famous of them was Hippocrates

who used to treat his patients in the temple as well. It was fundamental

to the treatment to offer sacrifices to their proclaimed gods in the

temples. This practice continued without any serious progress till the

emergence of the Islamic civilization. Only then a new systematic

approach to the study of sciences, such as medicine, pharmacy,

astronomy…etc, was founded and developed. The science of

medicine, for the first time, came to be founded on scientific

principles in the era of the dominance of Islamic civilization. Great

pioneering Muslims distinguished themselves in medical sciences,

such as Ibn Sina and Ibn al-Nafees. Later in the Medieval Ages, this

Islamic civilization with its illuminating sciences found its way to

Europe, and thenceforth the Western civilization took the lead ahead

from where the Islamic civilization left off. However, as far as

medicine is concerned, medical studies did not progress much after

that. On the contrary, they receded back due to the hegemony of the

Western church on these studies forcing their arbitrary views on what

to be learned regarding this discipline.

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After the Medieval Ages, and the emergence of the bewildering

scientific discoveries, the clergymen had to relinquish the study of

medicine. This gave way to more serious research into medicine in the

West and since then more and more discoveries in the field of

medicine were produced, even now, new progress in the field is made

every day. However, there are still some primitive tribes in tropical

regions still treat patients with charms, incantations and sacrifices in

the temples in gatherings where drums are beaten along with the

practice of various other peculiar pagan rites.

It goes without saying that specialists in the history of medicine

confirm that systematic earnest study of medicine commenced in the

early time of Islamic civilization. From its early days Islam

encouraged the treatment of patients by specialized qualified

physicians. Patients in their turn should seek treatment under the

supervision of physicians in their clinics and infirmaries.

Pharmacology was established for the first time on systematic

foundations under the Islamic canopy of civilization. The honorable

Prophetic Sunna, long before the development of modern legal

systems, drafted a rigorous code the profession of medicine and legal

boundaries for its practice. This included that if an untrained man gave

unlicensed medical treatment to patients, he is held responsible to any

damage he causes and receives punishment for this illegal practice. In

fact, this is what legal jurists in our modern time have viewed and

enacted. In the canonical collections of Imam Abu Dawud and Imam

al-Nasaa'i, it is recorded that 'Amr ibn Shu'aib narrated through his

father and grandfather that the Prophet (PBUH) said, "Whoever

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assumes the work of a physician without being professionally

recognized as a physician must guarantee (any loss)". This means that

any one who claims to have an expertise in medical treatment without

being qualified to this profession is legally held liable for any damage

caused. When we realize the primitive conditions of the early Muslim

community and the rudimentary expertise in the various branches of

knowledge, we would certainly acknowledge the medical and legal

primacy of this hadith. This also indicates that the Prophet (PBUH)

was inspired by Allah to advise his people of seeking the cure from

their illnesses through the right scientific way, and to abandon charms

and the recitation of superstitious incantations. Imam Muslim in his

canonical collection of hadith recorded that the Prophet said, "For

every disease there is a remedy, and if the right remedy is prescribed

for the disease, the patient is cured with the Will of Allah".

The two Imams, Al-Bukhari and Muslim, recorded in their

Collections that the Prophet said, "Allah never made a disease unless

He created a remedy to it, except one ailment: decrepitness." Imam

Ahmad recorded in his Musnad that a group of people asked the

Prophet (PBUH): "Shall we seek treatment, O Messenger of Allah!

(They meant to leave aside primitive method of seeking cure by

charms and incantations, which were popular in these days, and rely

on medical treatment) or what do you advise us to do?" The Prophet

replied, "O servants of Allah! Seek medical treatment, for Allah the

All-Mighty did not make a disease without providing the suitable

remedy for it save one ailment: decrepitness, i.e. senescence".

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Does remedy prevent the befalling of Allah's decree?

The answer to this question came in the very words of the

Prophet (PBUH). Imam Ahmad and Imam al-Tirmidhi recorded that

Sufyan narrated through al-Zuhri and Abi Khuzama that his father

asked the Prophet: "what do you say about charms, incantations and

protective liturgies, do they prevent the befalling of Allah's destiny?"

Had the Prophet said to them, 'they can prevent Allah's destiny' people

would have wondered how something can avert Allah's unchallenged

decree. If he had said to them, 'no, they do not prevent it', they would

have said, 'why should we use them then'. The Prophet instead said,

"they are (one of the methods of showing) the decree of Allah".

In Islam some incantations are sanctioned. For example, it is

advisory to recite al-Mu'awwazatayn (the last two chapters of the

Qur’ān) or any other supplication that was recorded in the sound

traditions of the Prophet (PBUH). As to the charms and incantations

pertaining to the pre-Islamic era (al-Jahiliyya) they were abolished

under Islam due to their falsity and superstition.

Familial endogamy and the genetic diseases:

The custom of familial endogamy was arbitrary practiced by

people since early age. In the primitive societies, the prohibition of

intermarriage between the members of the family was subject to the

rules as decided by the chiefs of the tribes. For example, among the

tribe of 'Shushoun', which is one of the Red Indian tribes in North

America, marriage between brother and sister or between a man and

the daughter of his brother or sister, is banned. These familial degrees

were conventionally deemed as brothers and sisters.

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Among Paranoiac dynasties in Egypt, as well as among the

ancient 'Inca' tribes in Peru, marriage between brothers and sisters was

something commendable. The monarchy system gave some holiness

to the members of the royal family. The belief was as that the

marriage between a royal family member and one of the common

people causes profanity of the royal blood.

In his book of 'History of Human Marriage' Mark Wester wrote

that the wisdom for which familial endogamy was banned is based on

biological reasons. This confirmed by Morgan in his book 'the Ancient

Society'. He thought that a human society since ancient times had

realized that familial endogamy is responsible for the development of

genetic diseases in the new generations. However, this hypothesis was

not unquestionably proven in the modern science, as we shall see

below.

Malinowski said that the legality of familial endogamy will

destroy the family institution, for it will shift the relationships of

familial affection and cordiality, which do not involve carnality, into a

relationship that is based on it.

The English philosopher Lord Bowling Brooke said that

exogamy is a common feature aiming to strengthening the family

tendency in the society and encouraging family dominance and system

among people. He also claimed that endogamy has a negative impact

that weakens the feeling of respect of the children to their parents,

which in turn destroys the very foundation of reverence that is

perceived to be the cornerstone of the family system in the society.

This view supports Malinowski's opinion.

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Islam has banned marriage between certain degrees of relatives:

Allah the All-Mighty says,

And marry not women whom your fathers married,-except

what is past: it was shameful and odious,- an abominable custom

indeed. Prohibited to you (for marriage) are:- your mothers,

daughters, sister; father's sisters, mother's sisters; brother's

daughters sister's daughters; foster-mothers (who gave your

suck), foster-sisters; your wives' mothers; your step-daughters

under your guardianship, born of your wives to whom ye have

gone in,- no prohibition if ye have not gone in;- (those who have

been) wives of your sons proceeding from your loins; and two

sisters in wedlock at one and the same time, except for what is

past; for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

(An-Nisā’: 22-23)

The transference of hereditary genetic diseases occurs via the

systems of the dominant alleles and the recessive alleles. It only

requires the existence of one hereditary dominant allele from one of

the parents for the disease to appear in a certain rate of the children. In

fact, the appearance of the hereditary genetic disease has no

connection with familial endogamy. In order for the recessive alleles

to appear they must be passed from both father and mother to the

children. However, they do not appear nor the hereditary genetic

disease manifest itself if the allele comes from only one of the parents.

Children and grandchildren are likely to receive these hereditary

recessive alleles from both parents, and they appear as a disease in the

children only if they are recessive. Hence, familial endogamy is not

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recommended on this ground. A large number of geneticists approved

this view, and some of them even cited some sayings of the Prophet

Muhammad to substantiate their view which discourages familial

endogamy and promotes exogamy. One of these sayings is: "seek non-

familial spouses lest your progeny physically weakens". We have seen

above that the theories of scientists in this regard are outdated, though

not totally invalid. The Prophetic sayings the cited do not have sound

chain of narrators (Isnad). When we study the pathological genetic

factors we find that this risk as resulted from endogamy is confined to

a limited number of hereditary diseases. The relation between this risk

and endogamy becomes non-existent when these pathological

hereditary factors are pervasive in the society as much as they exist in

the family or in a wider range.

The close study of the Sunna of the Prophet (PBUH) reveals that

it contains no genuine hadith that warns against endogamy. As to the

alleged saying attributed to the Prophet, "seek distant non-familial

spouses", it is not a Prophetic hadith but a saying of one of the

companions, perhaps by Umar b. Al-Khattab. Verily, the genuine

Prophetic Sayings commanded making good choice when selecting a

spouse, including the moral and religious traits. This is evident in the

well-known hadith recorded in the collection of Imam al-Bukhari and

counted as canonical by al-Hakim in his 'Mustadrak' that Aisha

narrated, that the Prophet said, "Choose the best place for your

sperms, and give your women in marriage to those who are peers to

you"

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The Prophetic Sunna did not command or prevent endogamy or

exogamy, but it only commanded making good choice when selecting

a spouse. This can be feasible in our modern time by subjecting

potential couples to tests in the genetic consultancy clinics. We also

find this objective echoing in another Prophetic hadith that is recorded

in the collection of Imam al-Tirmidhi and narrated by Ibn Hatim al-

Mazni that the Prophet said, "When some one of a good religious

attitude and character asks for marrying one of your daughters, marry

him".

Volume Eight: The divine exhortation on man to "look at his

food".

No living being can survive without eating and drinking. Man's

body in turn has specific nutritious needs that are required for the

biological functions inside the living cells of the body. Eating and

drinking are the most basic needs for man's body. Accordingly, Allah

the All-Mighty created for man his sustenance on earth even before

his own creation. He says,

Say: is it that ye deny him who created the earth in two

days? And do ye join equals with him? He is the lord of (all) the

worlds. He set on the (earth), mountains standing firm, high above

it, and bestowed blessing on the earth, and measured therein its

sustenance in four days, alike for (all) who ask.

(Fussilat: 9-10)

According to this, Allah the All-Mighty has assured every one

of His creatures his provisions on earth. Therefore, man, who is

regarded to be the last on Allah's creation on earth, found his

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sustenance ready to him to live on: his food and drink are ready for

him. Man can not create his sustenance, not even a single seed of

wheat or a drop of water. It is Allah the All-Mighty Who, with His

grace and kindness, who has made this available to him.

Many of the types of foodstuff and liquors were mentioned in

the Glorious Qur’ān and Sunna in the course of talking about divine

guidance to man so that he realizes Allah's uncountable Favors and

Mercy upon him, and His Omnipotence and Creativeness in His

creation. In this volume we stated many of these types, and we made a

chart of twenty sections to discuss each group of man's food and drink

independently in the light of the Glorious Qur’ān and Sunna. Since

water is the most essential source of man's nutrition, we commenced

our chart with an account on its importance and its relation to man's

food and diet. Then, we proceeded into conducting a brief research

about the history of the origin of water on earth and the cycle of water

between sky and earth. A person would not be remiss, when he drinks

a glass of water, to realize that this water has gone through a long

cycle between sky and earth using a large size of the energy of the sun

before this glass of water eventually found its way to him, without the

slightest intervention from his part. The same thing applies to all other

types of food.

Nursing is a substantial source for man to nourish his body

when he is a baby. Therefore, we discussed the subject of nursing

from its various aspects as treated in the Glorious Qur’ān and Sunna

and modern science. Even when man grows up, he finds in milk a

complete indispensable healthy meal, which is a natural source of

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essential nutrients for his body. Hence, we dedicated a large

explanation to discuss this issue.

Bromatology has a long history and some of it is mentioned in

this volume, especially what was written about it in the ancient history

of Egypt. Indeed the sun has a close relation to the nutrition of man,

animal and plants. For all the produce of trees, grains, fruits, etc…is

the outcome of a process of chlorophyllous photic assimilation which

can not be completed without the light of the sun. Hence, it is

conventionally said that man's food is a stored solar energy in plants.

The total production of food in the world is sufficient for all

people. However, the unbalanced distribution of this food causes

hunger and starvation to many peoples, while other people die from

overeating and dyspepsia. Thus we can realize that the problem of

food provision in the world is caused by man himself. This problem,

however, was briefly discussed in this section.

No doubt that seas and oceans are an important source of food

for man, which has so far been used on a small scale. Among man's

food from seas is fish, marine animals, marine flora and water plants.

The catch of the sea was mentioned in the Glorious Qur’ān and the

Prophetic Sunna, and man accordingly was inspired to make use of

this rich source of food in the modern time. This required us to cover

some aspects of this subject in the present volume.

It is know that man's food during the time he is fit and healthy is

different from the time he is unwell. This subject a fortiori is of great

interest to physicians as it plays an important role to man's general

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health. Therefore, it was necessary to briefly cover this issue as well,

providing as much details as we could.

It is interesting to see that Allah the All-Mighty mentioned bees

in His Glorious Book and the curative liquor (honey) that comes out

of their bellies and is used as healing to people's ailments. This subject

requires independent research to cover all its aspects. But we deemed

it suitable to include it under the section of 'types of man's food and

drinks' as treated in the light of the Glorious Qur’ān and Sunna.

In Islam fasting is one of the religious rites, and the most

important and well-known days of fasting in Islam is the month of

Ramadan. It is obvious that man's diet in the fasting days differs from

his diet in the normal days. Many bromatologists have discussed the

subject of fasting and its relation to man's diet. Many of them made

views and suggestions that expressed their research in the field. We

did not follow or copy these view, but we adopted the scientific

approach seeking to answer all emerging questions in this connection.

There is no doubt that wheat is the most essential source of food

for all people, after which come the other crops man grows. People

make bread from wheat and other grains, which are the cornerstone of

man's nutrition. The Glorious Qur’ān contains some scientific

references to this subject in many of its verses.

Among the problems pertaining to man's food and caused by

overeating is indigestion. Therefore, Islam prohibited extravagance in

food in all its forms. The Glorious Qur’ān and Prophetic Sunna

include many facts about food and drink that only in modern times are

dieticians discovering. It is true that food is necessary to man to

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survive, but not all types of food and drinks are edible and wholesome

to man. Some of these types are very harmful to him, such as pork,

dead animals, blood and alcohol.

We found it convenient to conclude our study of man's food

with an account on man's food in heaven. The Glorious Qur’ān and

the Prophetic Sunna have informed us that man's food in heaven is not

like his food in this worldly life. Man's sustenance in heaven, food,

drink, garments, is in all ways unknown to us, for no human eye has

ever seen it. And our sole source on this subject is the Glorious Qur’ān

and the Sunna. Our tour in the realm of man's food may lead us to

realize some of the significant lessons contained in Allah's saying,”

Then let man look at his food, for that we pour forth water

in abundance, and we spilt the earth in fragments, and produce

therein grain, and grapes and the fresh vegetation, and olives and

dates, and enclosed gardens, dense with lofty trees, and fruits and

fodder,- a provision for you and your cattle.

(‘Abasa: 24-32)

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From the Qur’ānic Inimitability in the Sciences of the Earth

By Prof. Zaghlol Ragab Mohammed EI- Nagar

Prof. of the Sciences of the Earth at a number of Foreign and

Arabic Universities

Head of the scientific inimitability of the Glorious Qur’ān and

Sunnah Committee, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Affairs,

Cairo, Egypt

The Glorious Qur’ān refers, through a number of its verses, to

the universe and its components including the heavens and the earth,

each of which contains organisms and inanimate beings, different

phenomena and diverse processes. These verses amply indicate the

miraculous nature of the Glorious Qur’ān from the following three

viewpoints:

1) To prove the existence of the Great Creator through recognizing

His superb creation, His comprehensive knowledge, His far- reaching

wisdom and His limitless ability, all of which indisputably prove His

divinity and infinite Godhood over His creatures.

2) To prove that the Great Creator Who originated the universe with

His Knowledge, wisdom and ability is capable of annihilating His

creation and resurrecting it. The issue of resurrection was the pretext

of the disbelievers, skeptics and atheists throughout history because of

their inability to perceive the infinite divine ability. Moreover, they

used to measure God's capability in view of the creatures', which is

considered as one of the greatest crimes ever committed by man.

3) To prove the oneness of the Great Creator without a partner

or acounterpart or an opponent or a female companion or a son since

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He has created all His creatures in a clear duality (from the first brick

of material to man). Thus, God remains the only Creator over His

creatures.

As a result, these universal verses and their three basic

viewpoints are an address to the people at the present time who are

totally fascinated by knowledge, technicality and the related data. This

address proves to every enlightened person that the Glorious Qur’ān

had referred to these facts many centuries before man realized them.

No rational person can ever imagine a creator for this world other than

God as no creature had any notion about these facts either when the

Glorious Qur’ān was revealed at the beginning of the seventh century

A.D. or for many centuries after that. Most of these universal facts had

not been realized by man until the twentieth century when many

efforts were exerted by thousands of scientists throughout the age.

This Qur’ānic precedence in referring to these facts is concrete

evidence to the people of the present time that the Glorious Qur’ān is

God's words and that the last Prophet to whom these verses were

revealed was sent by the Creator of heavens and earth. Thus, it is clear

that these universal verses have not been mentioned in the Glorious

Qur’ān for direct scientific information because of two obvious

reasons:

First:

The Glorious Qur’ān is essentially a book of guidance for man

as regards the issues in which he cannot give a final judgment; either

it is connected with the unseen- which cannot be conceived by man's

limited senses and mind- or with the issues of ethics and conduct. If

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man had not been divinely guided in regards the form of worship, he

would have devised his own form of worship; and such a procedure on

the part of man is utterly refused. It can never be imagined that a

rational person can devise a form of worship which will be accepted

by God. God should be worshiped according to his own orders. Ethics

and conduct are other issues concerning which man can not give a

sound judgment. Scrutinizing history one finds that man has always

failed to contrive rules for his conduct. Examples to this effect are too

many to be enumerated.

Second:

Identifying the universe, exploring God's enactments in it and

employing these things in carrying out the duty of being a Successor

in earth in the best way possible and establishing God's equity are

man's duties which were left for his efforts with the successive

generations and nations. That is because of the accumulative nature of

the human knowledge results from man's limited abilities. Had it not

been for the regular divine enactments in the universe, man would not

have been able to realize them.

Since the Glorious Qur’ān is comprised of God's words - the

Creator Who originated this universe with His knowledge, wisdom

and ability - every single word in it must be absolutely right whether

on the part of religion with its chief four pillars: creed, worship, ethics

and treatments, or on the part of the Qur’ānic narrative and future

predictions, or on the part of its address to the human inner self and its

unique educational style to upgrade it. Moreover, every word in the

Glorious Qur’ān has to be absolutely right in its indication to the

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universe and its components, phenomena and enactments, the

foundations of its creation and its origination, and the methods of its

annihilation and resurrection, or on the part of its words, sentences,

structures, its eloquent style and its profound composition. The

Glorious Qur’ān is characterized by its unique style unknown to the

Arabs as it is neither prose nor verse. It had challenged the Arabs who

were well known for their fluency, eloquence and style to come up

with the like of the Qur’ān or ten fabricated chapters or even one

chapter but no rational person had the capacity to do so.

These facts among many others amply demonstrate the accuracy

of every letter, word and indication in the Glorious Qur’ān including

its references to the universe, its components, processes and

phenomena. It is the book which was reveled more than fourteen

centuries ago to an illiterate prophet in a nation whose overwhelming

majority were illiterate. This confirms that the Glorious Qur’ān is

God's word and certifies the prophet hood and mission of the Last

Prophet (PBUH).

Among these verses in the Glorious Qur’ān are those which

explore the earth in four hundred and sixty one verses to be exact. One

hundred and ten verses directly refer to the basic rules of the sciences

of the earth. These rules can be classified in the following groups:

1) Verses urging man to advance the earth and think about the method

by which the creation had started (like verse n.20 in The Spider

Chapter). Such verses refer to scientific methodology as a basis for

studying the sciences of the earth.

2) Verses indicating the form, movements and emergence of the earth.

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Among these verses are those which describe the roundness of the

earth, others refer to its rotation around its pivot; others refer to its

rotation around its orbit and around the sun. Other verses refer to the

expansion of the earth as a scientific fact, its emergence from one

body (the integrating phase) then the explosion of this body (the

unseating phase) and that the universe had gone through a smoky

phase in its first phases of creation. Other verses refer to the material

between the heavens and the earth, the identification of the universe

and to many other facts about the earth and its relationship with the

heavens; namely the rest of the universe.

3) One Qur’ānic verse confirms that iron had been sent down from the

heavens to the earth. It also refers to the strict violence of iron and its

numerous advantages for people (The Iron Chapter: verse n.25 after

"In the name of God, Most gracious, Most Merciful").

4)One Qur’ānic verse asserting the split of the earth (The Night

Visitant Chapter verse n.12) which is one of the main scientific facts

of our earth.

5)Qur’ānic verses speaking about a number of significant

marine phenomena like the complete darkness over all of the seabeds

of the deep seas and oceans. They also speak about the role of the

clouds and the superficial and deep waves in creating these layers of

glooms

6)Numerous Qur’ānic verses speak about mountains. Among

these verses is one which describes mountains as bulwarks. At the

same time, this verse describes their outward form which is

considered as the smaller part of the mountain despite their

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massiveness. Simultaneously, it describes their inner extensions which

range between nine to fourteen times the height of the mountain sea

level. Thus, they form most of the mountain's body. It also describes

the main function of the mountain which is fixing all of the boards of

the rocky covering of the earth and the earth as a planet during its

rotation around its pivot to decrease the range of its staggering. As

such, the bulwark represents the same function for the tent (most of

the bulwark is buried in the earth, a small part over the surface and it

has the fixing function). Through ten of its Glorious verses, the

Glorious Qur’ān describes the role performed by mountains which is

the fixing of the earth and the maintaining of its balance during its

rotation around its pivot.

The Glorious Qur’ān confirms the function of the mountains

through another twenty two verses. In addition to their unshakable and

towering attributes, mountains have also a role in rotating with the

earth, the regulation of the rains by God's permission, the running of

the rivers and heavy rains and splitting the defiles and ways. These

verses indicate the fact that mountains have been made up of rocks

which are incompatible in their colors, forms, constructions and

origins and many other attributes. They also refer to the erection of

mountains over the surface of the earth and to the ways of their

annihilation at the Day of Judgment.

7). Qur’ānic verses refer to the fact that both the watery and gaseous

coverings of the earth have emerged from within the earth itself. They

also describe the protective nature of the earth's gaseous covering by

depicting the reaction of the sky. The sky can drive away the fatal

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harms resulting from different forms of the material and energy from

the earth. It can also send the useful material of theses forms rising

from the earth back to it. Qur’ānic verses also assert the softness of the

day layer in the half of the earth which faces the sun. They also

confirm the darkness of the sky, the decrease of the airy pressure and

the rareness of the gases, particularly those which help breathing and

how they rise from the earth. In this way, he who ascends to the sky

without enough protection is exposed to suffocation. They also

confirm the fact that the night of the earth was at its first creation with

a fire of lighting that is similar to the real dawn light which was

effaced after that. These verses also indicate the fact of the speedy

rotation of the earth around its pivot before the sun and the speedy

succession of day and night when the earth was firstly created.

8) Some verses refer to the softness of the rocky covering of the earth

and to paving and smoothing the earth's surface despite its peculiar

elevations.

9) Some verses indicate the earth's accommodation of rains' water

after is falls down from the clouds, by God's will. This confirms the

rotation of water around the earth and inside its rocks. Among these

verses are those which indicate that God has made every living thing

from water. They also allude to the possibility of classifying

organisms as they categorize man's tribes, species, families and race.

10) Several verses assert that the process of creation has taken

successive phases throughout long temporal periods although if God

wills a thing, He can bring it into being by ordering it to be so.

11) Verses referring to the end of the heavens and the earth (namely

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the extinction of the whole universe). This occurs by a process

opposite to that of creation then other heavens and planets unlike ours

will be created.

12) Verses indicate the relativity of man's knowledge about every

thing except the Glorious Qur’ān. The Glorious Qur’ān was revealed

to the Last Prophet by God to guide His servants. It is the book which

God has pledged to preserve in the same language of revelation (the

Arabic language).

These scientific facts were not known to man before the

twentieth century and many of them have not been clearly defined, or

discovered by scientests until recent decades. Theses facts required the

exhausting efforts of thousands of scientists and accurate analysis of

huge amount of information, experiments and conclusions of the

different sides of the earth and the perceived part of the heavens.

Thus, the Glorious Qur’ān has the precedence of referring to

such numerous facts in an extremely accurate linguistic, scientific and

comprehensive style. This proves the scientific inimitability of the

Glorious Qur’ān, which is one of its miraculous aspects. Although we

acknowledge that the Glorious Qur’ān is miraculous in all of its

aspects, its scientific inimitability remains as an address to the people

of our age. It is the age of knowledge and technicality during which

people are greatly bewitched by knowledge when nothing has

remained of heavenly revelations except the Glorious Qur’ān. The

Glorious Qur’ān has been preserved in the same language of its

revelation (the Arabic language) word by word and letter by letter

throughout more than fourteen centuries, unlike all the heavenly books

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revealed before the Glorious Qur’ān which were to become a

complete loss. They also were translated to other languages different

from that of revelation and the origins were lost. During this

translation, they were subjected to a great deal of distortion and

falsification, addition and omission which changed their divine

framework making them unable to guide humanity. But we believe

that their origins were from the heavens and the Glorious Qur’ān

demands from us to acknowledge the truthfulness of their revelation

before its distortion.

This asserts the supremacy of the Glorious Qur’ān which God

has pledged to preserve. It has been preserved and has helped in

guiding humanity to God's right path in an age when humankind is in

a dire need of divine guidance.

Some Qur’ānic verses related to the sciences of the earth

Because it is impossible to discuss the scientific references of

the one hundred and ten Qur’ānic verses which refer to a number of

basic rules of the sciences of the earth in one short section, three

important issues in this field were chosen to focus on to prove

scientifically and logically that the Glorious Qur’ān can not be

fabricated apart from God. Presented in brief they are:

First: The creation of the heavens and the earth and their

annihilation

God says in the Glorious Qur’ān:

"And have not the ones who disbelieved seen that the heavens and

the earth were an integrated (mass), then We unseamed them;

and of water We have made every living thing? Would they then

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not believe?" (Al-Anbiyā’: 30)

The theory of the great explosion is the most acceptable one

among the theories put forward for the emergence of the universe. The

acceptability of this theory is supported by the following facts,

namely, the expansion of the universe, the fixed temperature over the

tips of the perceived part of the universe and the depiction of the

remains of the smoke resulting from the great expansion process over

the edges of the perceived universe.

The Glorious Qur’ān has previously referred to the fact of the

expansion of the universe as follows:

"And the heaven, We have built it with our hands and surely We

are indeed extending it wide." (Al-Wāqi‘ah: 47)

This glorious verse has been striking people's ears through fourteen

centuries. However the world has called for the immovability of the

universe as recently as the first half of the twentieth century until the

astronomers were surprised to discover the universe's expansion and

the remoteness of its galaxies away from us as well as from

themselves with speeds that approach the speed of light (estimated

with almost three hundred and thousand kilometer per second) in

1920s. These observations scared scientists until the principles of the

theoretical physics and all mathematical equations came to support the

fact of the universe's extension, its expansion and the remoteness of its

galaxies. This fact was considered as one of the most important

scientific discoveries in the history of humankind. The Glorious

Qur’ān referred to this fact more than fourteen centuries ago. Thus, the

forty seventh verse of Al-Wāqi‘ah' Chapter is one of the most

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important verses of the scientific inimitability in the Glorious Qur’ān.

It is also decisive evidence that the Glorious Qur’ān can not be

fabricated apart from God.

Starting from the fact of the universe's expansion, astronomers

and astrophysicists have called for the logical imagination that if we

go back in time with this universal expansion, all the forms of the

material and energy existing in the earth have to meet in a like place

and time. Thus, all creatures are accumulated in one primary body

whose minuteness nears nothingness and whose massive intensity

causes all physical and mathematical principles to stop. Thus, a body

characterized by these features has certainly exploded in a

phenomenon called by scientists as: "the great explosion process" or

“the Big Bang”. The Glorious Qur’ān names it as "the unseaming

process" since God says:

"And have not the ones who disbelieved seen that the heavens and

the earth were an integrated (mass), then We unseamed them"

(Al-Anbiyā’: 30)

The great explosion process remains as one of the theories

which explain the universe's creation within the framework of the

acquired sciences. No scientist respecting his knowledge can assert its

occurrence authoritatively since the creation process with its three

dimensions; the creation of the universe, the creation of life and the

creation of man, is of the unseen events which have not been

witnessed by any creature. God says in the Glorious Qur’ān:

"In no way did I make them to witness the creation of the heavens

and the earth, neither the creation of themselves; and I would in

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no way take to Me the leaders into error as supporters." (Al-

Kahf: 51)

The Glorious Qur’ān, which confirms this fact, urges us in many

verses to look into the creation of the heavens and the earth and to

extract lessons from this miraculous process which spells out the

originative unrestrained divine ability. Among these verses is:

"Say, Travel in the earth, then look how He began creation, and

thereafter God brings into being the last bringing up. Surely God

is Ever- Determiner of everything. (Al-‘Ankabūt: 20)

Looking at these facts collectively, one can come to the

conclusion that although the process of creation with its three

dimension is an unseen process that people were in no way able to

witness or hear, God has left to us in the rocks of the earth and in the

face of the heavens tangible evidence that can help man to reach a

correct concept about the beginning of the creation as long as he

believes in the Great Creator. The tangible evidence will in no way

avail a disbeliever.

Consequently, we, the Muslim community, believe in the true process

(the great universal explosion) and step forward with the authenticity

of this theory theory Just as it was referred to in the Glorious Qur’ān.

However, man's acquired knowledge can not state this as fact despite

it being supported by many evidences such as: the universe's

expansion, the fixed temperature over the extremities of the known

parts of the universe and the filming of the archaeological remains of

the universal smoke over these extremities. The radioactive

background of the universe was measured in 1965 and estimated at

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almost three open degrees. On the eighth of November in 1989, the

American space Agency launched a spaceship named "the discoverer

of the radioactive background of the universe". This spaceship rose to

an orbit six hundred kilometers above the earth in order to measure the

temperature of the radioactive background of the universe, the

material and luminary intensity of the minute waves. The report of this

journey was published in April 1992 containing the concrete evidenc

and photos which assert the fact of the universe's expansion. The

remains of the universal smoke resulting from the great expansion

process (the unseaming process) were photographed. The radioactive

background of the universe was estimated at a bit less than the three

open degrees. The traces of the first smoke were photographed at a

distance of ten of billions of light years. It is the dark smoky remains

which pervaded the universe before the creation of the heavens and

the earth. The Glorious Qur’ān has preceded all human knowledge by

referring to this fact more than Fourteen centuries ago. As such, God

says in the Glorious Qur’ān: "Then He directed Himself to the heaven

while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, "Come [into being]

willingly or by compulsion." They said, "We have come willingly"

(Fussilat: 11)

Thus, the Glorious Qur’ān has preceded all the human

knowledge by referring to the beginning of the creation of the heavens

and the earth more than fourteen centuries ago. It has also referred to a

number of the facts of this process, foremost among which is the great

explosion or the unseaming of the integrated mass. The Glorious

Qur’ān has also referred to the first body that turned into smoke from

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which the earth and the heavens were created and referred to the

universe's expansion after that. This means that the universe started to

expand to an end which is only known by God.

Astronomers differ greatly amongst themselves concerning the

issue of the universe's expansion. Some claim that our universe is an

open one; i.e. it loses the force of pushing to the outside continually

until the expansion process comes to an end. At that time, the power

of gravity begins to gather the universe's extremities in a process

which is opposite to that of the universe's expansion and its extension.

This process is called by astronomers as "The process of the forceful

crushing" or the process of integrating the unseamed mass which

reinstalls the universe to the first primary body from which the

creation has begun. We, the Muslim community, advocate this theory

and firmly believe that it is a valid one for the Qur’ānic verse which

says:

"The Day when We shall fold up the heaven as the Scribe's

folding up of the Books; as We began the first creation, We shall

bring it back again- a promise on us; surely We have always been

performers. "(Al-Anbiyā’: 104)

Look at the magnificent Qur’ānic expression: "as We began the

first creation, We shall bring it back again". This means that this

universe with its enormous expansion and accurate construction built

from trillions upon trillion of bodies will come to an end by the

folding up process when all forms of the material, energy, place and

time meet at one point. This folding process is very similar to the

primary body from which the universe was originally created (the

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integrating phase).

It is astonishing that both the verses of the first creation (unseaming

the integrated mass) and that of folding up (integrating the unseamed

mass) come together in one Chapter; namely, "The Prophets"(verses

n.30, 104)

Here the acquired knowledge is confused. The astronomers and

astrophysicists who call for the forceful crushing process greatly differ

among themselves. Some imagine it as the end of the universe after

which there is nothing. Others believe it as a continuous reveival

process: explosion then crushing then explosion then crushing and so

on. All these assumptions can only be resolved by the Qur’ānic verse

which says:

"Upon the Day the earth shall be exchanged to other than the

earth and the heavens; and they will go forth to God, The One,

The Exalted Vanquisher"( Ibrahim:48)

This means that after the first explosion process (unseaming the

integrated mass), there will be only one folding of the universe

(namely one process of forceful crushing). At that time, the universe

will return to its first course. It becomes one body which is too tiny in

size approaching nothingness and containing a massive amount of the

material and energy. It explodes for the second time (the second

unseaming of the integrated mass) turning into a cloud of smoke from

which another earth and heavens unlike ours will be created. Then the

creatures are resurrected when there is immortality in another life

either in the Paradise or in the Fire forever as we have been told by

Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

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Accordingly, a part of the miraculous nature of the Glorious

Qur’ān is clarified. It is a part which puts forward one of the theories

of science to the rank of authenticity as it is just referred to in the

Glorious Qur’ān. Thus, the Qur’ānic verses are used to support the

acquired universal knowledge. Likewise acquired scientific theory can

be authenticated with speech quoted from Prophet Mohammed. In

much the same way, the Prophet's traditions can be used to verify a

modern scientific theory. This is a new methodology of treating the

universal references in the Glorious Qur’ān and the Prophetic speech.

Through this exposition, it is quite clear that the issue of

creating the heavens and the earth and the future of their annihilation

and recreation can not be resolved away from the Glorious Qur’ān and

the pure Prophetic traditions. However, God has left to us in the

heavens and in the rocks of the earth tangible evidenc that can help

man understand this fact. This is because man's acquired knowledge

can not exceed the phase of theorization in the creation issue with its

three dimensions: creating the universe, creating life and creating

man. Theories of the creation greatly differ according to the

backgrounds of their authors despite the sameness of their

observations. A Godly glow is left only for the Muslim in a Glorious

Qur’ānic verse or in a correct Prophetic tradition quoted from Prophet

Mohammed. This Godly glow can help the Muslim to step forward

with one of these theories to the rank of authenticity since it is referred

to in the Glorious Qur’ān or in the traditions of the last Prophet,

Mohammed (peace be upon him and upon God's prophets and their

followers to the Day of Judgment).

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Secondly: Sending down the iron to the earth from the heavens

God says in the Glorious Qur’ān:

"Indeed We have already sent our Messengers with the clear

evidences, and We have sent down with them the Book and the

Balance, that mankind mat keep up equity. And We have sent

down iron, wherein is strict violence, and advantages for

mankind, and that God may know who vindicates Him and His

Messengers in the Unseen. Surely God is Ever .. Powerful, Ever

mighty. "(Al-Hadeed: 25)

This glorious verse likens the sending down of iron from the

heavens to the earth to the sending down of revelation. It also asserts

the strength of iron and its advantages for mankind.

We know nowadays that iron is the most prevalent element in the

planet of the Earth as a whole. Iron alone composes more than 35% of

the total mass of the earth which is estimated at almost six thousand

million, million, million tons (exactly 5974 millions, million, million

tons). It is the fourth prevalent element in the earth's crust since its

percentage amounts to 5,6%. This distribution means that most of the

earth's iron is located at its center and interior strata. It is already

proved that the earth has an interior solid central sphere in which the

percentage of iron amounts to 90%, nickel amounts to almost 9%

(which is one of the iron's elements) and almost 1 % is made of the

light elements like sulfur, phosphorous and silicon. This solid

centrosphere is surrounded by a liquid with the same chemical

construction. Then, there are four different strata in which the

percentage of iron is gradually diminished outwardly until it reaches

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the earth's crust at the 5,6% iron ratio.

Herein, many important questions are raised: How was the

earth's iron sent down from the heavens? How did it penetrate its

rocky cover? How was it centralized at the center of the earth? How

was its percentage regularly parceled from the center to the surface of

the earth?

To answer these questions, the earth should be considered as a part of

its surrounding universe. Studies have recently proved that hydrogen

constitutes the greatest part of the space surrounding the Earth (74%).

It is the lightest element and the least constructive one. Hydrogen is

followed by helium which composes 24% of the known material of

the universe. Studies have also proved that the rest of the 108 known

elements make up less than 2% of the understood material of the

universe.

These observations have asserted that the nucleuses of hydrogen

atoms are the main bricks from which all the other elements were

created. The process of this creation is known as the nuclear fusion

process. This process represents the fuel of the stars as it releases

energy. It is the main reason for the glare of the stars.

The nuclear fusion process in our sun only produces a little helium, in

addition to scarce percentages of elements of higher atomic weight.

These percentages never reach that of iron. The fusion process also

produces small quantities of aluminum and silicon. But the sun has a

percentage of iron that does not exceed 3700,% caused by masses of

iron meteors which fall over the Sun as they fall over the earth.

There is much evidence which proves that the earth and the other

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bodies of the solar system were separated originally from the sun.

There is also evidence proving that the nuclear fusion process in the

sun never reaches the phase of producing iron. Herein, an important

question is raised: Where did the huge amount of the earth's iron come

from? It is an amount estimated at more than two thousand million,

million, million tons (2145 million, million, million tons).

Our sun is a humble star whose surface temperature amounts to six

thousand degrees centigrade and its interior temperature amounts to

more than 15 million degrees centigrade. But the temperature needed

to produce iron as a result of the nuclear fusion process is estimated at

five billion degrees centigrade at the very least. Therefore, the

scientists searched for other sources of iron and looked at a number of

stars whose temperature largely exceeds that of the sun like the giant

stars whose masses are estimated at ten times as the mass of the sun.

The temperature of these giant stars reaches billions of degrees

centigrade at the last phases of their explosions. Astronomers and

astrophysicists have noticed in the last phases of the giant stars'

explosion that the nuclear fusion process of hydrogen continues until

it produces belts, arranged outwardly as follows: hydrogen, then

helium, then carbon, then oxygen, then silicon, then sulfur around a

center of nucleuses of iron atoms. When the nuclear fusion process

reaches the point of producing iron, it is entirely stopped. The star

explodes and its fragments are scattered into the heavens. The

splinters of iron reach different heavenly bodies which need this

element.

Thus, the heavenly origin of iron in the earth and the whole

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solar system is proved. It is also proved that iron was actually sent

down to earth. It is not a metaphoric sending down as the former

interpreters of the Glorious Qur’ān had imagined. They were unable to

explain the sending down of iron to earth. So they said that the verb

"have sent down" may mean "have originated" or "have created" iron

with these features which made it so stiff and useful for mankind.

However, the acquired science at one of its peaks has asserted the

accuracy of the Qur’ānic expression in which God says: "We have

sent down iron". It has confirmed that it is a factual sending down and

not a metaphorical one.

This accurate scientific observation has led astronomers,

astrophysicists and scientists to rightly assume that when the earth was

separated from the sun, it was just a pile of ashes in which there were

no elements heavier than aluminum and silicon. This pile was pelted

with a hail of iron meteors exactly as they reach us in current times

but far more frequently Due to their high thickness and tremendous

speed, the collision of these iron meteors with the primary earth led to

a rise in its temperature as well as that of the meteors themselves to a

point where said meteors were able to melt. The melted iron with

certian heavy elements like nickel and token amounts of light

elements have flowed to the center of the earth to form giant drops of

iron and nickel which compose the two sides of the earth's center: the

solid interior center and the liquid exterior one. Consequently, the

earth was differentiated into seven earths in which the percentage of

iron is diminished outwardly as follows:

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1- An interior solid center which represents the seventh earth with a

radius estimated at almost 1170 kilometers and a density that ranges

between 10 - 13,5 grams a cubic centimeter. It mainly consists of iron

at 90%, nickel at 9%, and a number of light elements like silicon,

phosphorous and sulfur making up the remaining 1 %.

2- An exterior liquid center which represents the sixth earth with a

thickness estimated at almost 2300 kilometers. It has the same

construction of the solid center but in a liquid state (2900 to 5200

kilometers from the earth's surface) .

3-6- Four successive strata which represent the earths from the second

to the fifth where the iron is continually diminished outwardly. These

belts whose thickness amounts to 2300 kilometers extend from the

base of the first earth to the high boundaries of the liquid center of the

earth. They consist of rocks with high temperature which are

dissolved under high pressures. One of their belts is in a soft semi-

melted state and represents the third earth known as "the earthly

weakness belt".

7 - The rocky cover of the earth which represents the first earth whose

thickness is estimated in average at almost 110 kilometers (its

thickness is estimated at almost 100-150 kilometers under continents

and at 65-70 kilometers under seas and oceans). It mainly consists of

light Silicates which are characterized by relatively low melting

degrees. Their thickness increases relatively from the surface of the

earth to the top of the next layer.

The process of sending down iron to the earth and its

differentiation to seven strata is one of the most serious processes in

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the earth's history. Had it not been for this process, the earth would not

have been suitable for human life. The precedence of the Glorious

Qur’ān which had referred to this fact many centuries before man had

realized it is true evidence that the Glorious Qur’ān can never be

fabricated apart from God. It is also a sincere verification of the

prophecy and mission of the last Prophet (PBUH) to whom the

Glorious Qur’ān was revealed.

It is really fascinating that the Glorious Qur’ān was revealed

over one thousand and four hundred years ago. It was revealed verse

by verse, then the Glorious Qur’ān was gathered with success granted

by God. It was arranged into chapters' who’s names can be found in

billions of copies available in offices around the world, in people's

possession, and in the hearts of billions of those who knew it after

Prophet Mohammed. It is astonishing that the Glorious Qur’ān

contains a chapter entitled "The Iron Chapter" which is the only

element whose name was mentioned as one of the Glorious Qur’ān's

Chapters. One of this Chapter's verses speaks about sending down iron

from the heavens to the earth. It is a fact which was not realized by

man until the twentieth century. Then, we discover that the number of

the Iron Chapter equals the atomic weight of the iron's most

widespread counterparts. We also discover that the number of the

Chapter's verse equals the atomic number of iron this correspondence

could never be a coincidence

Iron's most widespread counterpart is known as the counterpart 56 and

it is symbolized by (56 Fe 26). It forms almost 92% of the total known

counterparts of iron. The average of its atomic weight is estimated at

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almost 56 (55,847) and its atomic number is 26. The Iron Chapter's

number is 57 in the Glorious Qur’ān and the iron verse's number is 25.

But when we remember God's address to the last of His prophets

(PBUH) saying:

"And indeed We have already brought you seven of the oft-

repeated and the magnificent Qur’ān." (Al-Hijr: 87)

We realize that the text of the Glorious Qur’ān separates the opening

Chapter as a preface from the rest of the Holy Book. Because

numerating the Glorious Qur’ān's Chapters is not a matter of

revelation, this glorious verse means that the first Chapter of the

Glorious Qur’ān is The Cow Chapter. Thus, the number of The Iron

Chapter becomes 56 which is the atomic weight of iron's most

widespread counterparts.

Likewise, the number of the opening Chapter's verses is six after "In

the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful" and the Glorious

Qur’ān describes it as "seven of the oft-repeated". This means that "In

the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful" is the first verse of

the opening Chapter. It also comes at the beginning of every Chapter

of the Glorious Qur’ān except The Repentance Chapter. Therefore, if

we considered "In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful"

as the first verse of The Iron Chapter, the number of the iron's verse

becomes 26 which is the atomic number of the iron element.

It is well-known that knowing all atomic weights and atomic

numbers of the elements is a new development as far as man's

knowledge is concerned. No one was acquainted with these matters

when the Glorious Qur’ān was revealed or even for many centuries

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after its revelation. The number of The Iron Chapter corresponds with

the atomic weight of this element's most widespread counterparts.

Moreover, the correspondence between the verse in which the iron

was mentioned and the atomic number of this element is a further

indication that the Glorious Qur’ān can not be fabricated apart from

God. It is also an indisputable proof that Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)

is the last of the prophets.

As for the strength of the iron, it was proved that the nucleus of

iron's atom is the most cohesive of all elements. That is to say, the

primary constituents of the material are more coherent in the nucleus

of iron's atom than in any of the other elements. It is such natural and

chemical features which make the iron so vigorously strict. As for

iron's various advantages for mankind, it represents the mainstay of

civil and warlike industries. It also represents the main brick in

building the molecule of hemoglobin (or the red ingredient in man's

and in many animals' blood).

Had it not been for iron in the center of the earth, it would not

have its magnetic field. If it were not for the earthly magnetic field, it

would not be able to grasp its watery covering or its atmosphere or the

different forms of life over its surface.

Third: The boards' movements of the rocky covering of the earth

Although the term of the continents' crawling was suggested by the

German, Alfred Wagner, in 1915, it has been refused by most

scientists. Then the term of the Continental plate's movement of the

rocky covering of the earth was crystallized in 1965 by the Canadian

Tuzo Wilson after the efforts of thousands of scientists over more than

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half a century.

This concept is based on the fact that the rocky covering of the earth is

covered by a tremendous net of crevices surrounding the earth.

Reaching depths between 65 and 70 kilometers in the oceans and

oceans and between 100 and 150 kilometers in the masses of the

continents, the rifts can be massive.

This net of crevices divides the rocky covering of the earth into

a number of plates which are dissimilar in size, form and mass. These

plates are separated from each other with this net of cracks that act as

a buffer for different portions of the earth. These plates continually

move either seperating or colliding with each other. Most commonly

they are separated in a phenomenon that occurs on the bottom of seas

and oceans. The plates can also crash resulting in one of the two

colliding plates descending under the other to be partly or totally

melted ensuing in a remarkable volcanic activity. The falling rocky

plates help to remove magma in the weak parts of the earth's crust.

When the continental plates slip through the neighboring plates

they do so thru a number of cracks called Direction or Strike - Slip or

Transform Faults. The earth would otherwise explode like a nuclear

bomb once its crust is solidified had it not been for such a great net of

crevices created by God. All scientists nowadays admit that the main

feature of our earth is that its rocky covering is torn by a tremendous

net of interconnected cracks which completely surround the earth as if

it were one crevice.

"And by the earth comprising crevices" (At -Tāriq: 12)

The verse's indication was represented in the form of an oath to

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draw our attention to the importance of the issue which was revealed

by this oath. God is in no need to swear to His servants.

Through this tremendous net of the earth's cracks, the rocky

magma rushes out to fill voids formed along the cracks with an

appropriate amount of the earth’s molten rock filling. The temperature

of the lava rushing to the bottom of the ocean exceeds one thousand

degrees centigrade. The severe rush separates the ocean’s floor and

creates the expansion of the ocean’s bed.

The resulting expansion is filled with magma rushing from the

weak earthly belts which leads to swelling up the bottoms of all earth's

oceans and a number of its seas which have faulted bottoms like the

red sea.

It is a fact to which the Glorious Qur’ān has referred to more

than fourteen centuries ago preceding all human knowledge when God

says:

"And the sea seethes" (At -Tūr: 6).

The verb "seethe" in the Arabic language means kindle

something, to make it heated, and "seething" is the thing which is

kindled till it becomes heated. The verse here is expressed in the form

of an oath to draw our attention to the significance of the issue.

The plates of the earth move persistently. They are separated

from each other at the bottoms of the oceans. This separation leads to

the rushing of millions of tons of the rocky magma to fill the void

resulting from this separation. The rocky magma also expands the

distance between the separated rocks. This is helped by the currents of

the moving lava in the weak points of the earth under these plates.

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They rise when in excessive temperatures, then descend when they are

relatively cooled.

The earth's rotation around its pivot is considered as a factor

which helps to speed up the plates' movement as well. These

tremendous rocky masses over the weak points of the earth slip as a

result of this rotation. This violent movement cannot be calmed down

or stopped until a series of mountains have been formed.

When the ocean's bottom expands in its middle, the ocean pushes

ahead its two separated halves in order that each one could descend

under the opposite continent in every direction. Thus, a deep furrow is

formed at the line between the rocky shelf which forms the ocean's

bottom and that which forms the continent's mass. In this deep marine

furrow, a great amounts of sediment is gathered. As the ocean's

bottom continues to descend under the continent, the marine

sedimentations are gradually scraped off from the descending board

and are added to the continent's tip in the way of a new series of

mountains. They may also be added to a series of mountains which

were previously formed over the continent's tip. As the ocean's bottom

continues to slip, under the continent reaches the weak points in the

earth's crust. Then, it begins to melt gradually resulting in the increase

of the volcanic activity. It also helps to remove parts of the weak

earthly belts, which activates the process volcanic activity. From this

mixture of extremely folded and broken up sedimentary rocks,

integrated fiery rocks, volcanic rocks and the resulting transformed

rocks, the mountain ranges which rush into the earth are formed with

extensions whose lengths range between 10 to 15 times which is the

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doulble of its heights over the surface of the earth.

Thus, sometimes one of the continents will move, pushing

before it the ocean's floor. This floor of the ocean which separates

between this contenint and an opposite one will fall under this

continent due to such movement untill it is completely consumed. The

two continents violently crash and one of them overlaps the other. The

highest mountainous series are formed on the top plate where the two

plates meet. They usually consist of extremely folded and broken up

rocks of many different kinds such as sedimentary, fiery and

transformed. Herein, the movement of the plates comes to a halt.

The Glorious Qur’ān described the mountains in 39 situations (six

times in single voice and 33 in plural one). The mountains are referred

to as (anchorages) in other ten verses. Besides, in one of the

mountains' verses the Glorious Qur’ān describes them as bulwarks

since God says:

"Have We not made the earth as a cradling. And the mountains as

bulwarks?" (An-Naba’: 6, 7)

The sciences of the earth have recently proved that mountains have the

same characteristics of bulwarks. That is to say, most of the bulwark is

buried under the earth and a small part is over the surface and it has a

fixing function. Every projection over the surface of the earth has an

interior extension that ranges between 10 and 15 times the height

above the surface. The more the height over the surface of the sea is,

the more the base is rooted. Then it penetrates this rocky covering

completely and floats in the earth belts as an iceberg floats in the

ocean. In this case, it is controlled by the same physics rules as all

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things floating. The more the tops of the mountains are exposed to

erosion, the more the mountains are heightened upwards until they get

out of the earth belts totally. At that time, mountains stop moving until

they are completely scraped off. Then, the Gemstones appear at the

bottom of their roots. These earthly treasures can not be formed except

under these exceptional conditions of pressure and heat that can only

be found at the bottoms of the mountains' roots

As such, the Glorious Qur’ān description of mountains as

bulwarks is inimitable since it has used one word to express their

outward form, their deep internal extension and their function. This

word (bulwarks) proves the precedence of the Glorious Qur’ān to all

acquired knowledge that still describes mountains in the most

prevalent scientific and linguistic dictionaries as projections over the

surface of the earth. They also differ in defining the extent of their

height to differentiate between mountains, hills and highlands.

There are many Qur’ānic verses which describe mountains as

anchorages to the earth, among which are:

And He has cast in the earth anchorages, so that it should not reel

with you" (An-Nah l: 15)

and:

"And the mountains He made steady, An enjoyment for you and

your cattle" (An-Nāzi‘āt: 32, 33)

This fact has not been known until the late decades of the

twentieth century after the concept of the movements of the earth’s

plates had been accepted by the scientific community. These

movements were shaking the earth at the beginning of its creation.

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Nothing had alleviated their violence except the formation of

mountain ranges. Therefore, God obliges us that He has consolidated

the earth with mountains in ten glorious Qur’ānic verses. Prophet

Mohammed says: "When God created the earth, it was swerving.

Consequently, God consolidated it with mountains."

From this quick overview, it is clear that the Glorious Qur’ān

had the precedence of referring to many earthly and heavenly facts

that have not been realized by man until the late decades of the

twentieth century such as:

1)The Great explosion or Big Bang (unseaming the integrated mass).

2)The first smoky heaven and the creation of the earth and all bodies

and the material of the heavens from the first smoke.

3)The fact of sending iron down to earth from the heavens.

4)The fact of the earth's crevices and seething the bottoms of all

oceans and a number of seas.

5)The fact of the movements plates of the earth.

6)Describing mountains as bulwarks and anchorages of the

earth.

7)Expansion and extension of the universe.

8)Folding up the heavens and the earth at the end of life.

9)The inevitability of the universe's retraction and its return to its first

condition. It re-explodes and turns into smoke from which another

earth and heavens unlike ours will be created.

These are some scientific facts which the Glorious Qur’ān had

referred to before all the acquired knowledge of today in an accurate

scientific wording characterized by wholeness, perfection and

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comprehensiveness more than fourteen centuries ago. Referring to

these facts in the Glorious Qur’ān which was revealed to The Seal of

God's prophets proves that it is God's work. It is characterized by

divine clarity and luminous brilliance and has not been stained by the

distortion, mutation and changing to which all the other heavenly

books revealed before the Glorious Qur’ān were exposed.

Thus, these universal verses in the Glorious Qur’ān urge the

people of our age - the age of science and technology - in which

people are fascinated by science and data to read the Glorious Qur’ān

and judge without prejudice or blind fanaticism whether or not it is

God's word .

"And God is Overcomer with His command, but most men do not

know." (Yūsuf: 21)

Peace be upon Prophet Mohammed, his house, his companions

and those who followed his guidance and propagated his mission until

the Day of Judgment. Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

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Some Manifestations of the Qur’ānic Inimitability in Entomology

By Prof. Ali Ali AI-Morsy

Prof. of entomology at the Faculty of Sciences, Cairo University

Head of the Scientific Inimitability Assembly of Qur’ān and

Sunna in the Arab Republic of Egypt

Preface

The Glorious Qur’ān was revealed as a guidance to the people

and as a mercy to the worlds, as God says:

"Say to the ones who have believed it is a guidance, and a cure."

(Fussilat: 44)

This is an evidence for mankind and a guidance and an

admonition for the pious ones" (Āli ‘Imrān: 138)

"Today I have completed your religion for you, and I have

perfected my favor on you, and I am satisfied with Islam as a

religion for you". (Al-Mā‘idah: 3)

As such, the Glorious Qur’ān presented in five hundred and

twenty two pages contains the divine legislation of faith and doctrine

and different issues concerned with people's lives. It is impossible for

any book with the same size to tackle such issues with the same

degree of brevity and inimitability. It is also unimaginable for any

other book of the same size to deal with different topics such as

heritage, feminine issues, pregnancy, childhood, youth, hoariness and

others. If God had willed, He would have mentioned every single

matter in the Glorious Qur’ān. But God has left man to use his mind,

meditate upon the universe, exert efforts and as a kind of affliction

since God says:

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"Say If the sea were supply for the Words of my Lords, indeed the

sea would be depleted before the Words of my Lord are depleted,

even if we come with a replenishment the like of it" (Al-Kahf: 109)

God has given people examples to confirm guiding mankind to

the straight path:

"And indeed We have already propounded for mankind in this

Qur’ān every type of similitude; yet most of mankind have

refused except constant disbelief' (Al-Isrā’: 89)

God also says:

"And indeed We have already propounded for mankind in this

Qur’ān all manner of similitude, and man has always been in most

things interested in disputes" (Al-Kahf: 54)

Moreover, the Glorious Qur’ān has mentioned many of the

earlier' narratives to serve as lessons and admonitions for the believers

“And indeed We have already sent down to you demonstrably

evident signs, and a similitude of the ones who passed away even

before you, and an admonition for the pious" (An-Nūr: 34)

The Glorious Qur’ān has tackled every field of life as God says:

"We have in no way neglected anything whatsoever in the Book"

(Al-An‘ām: 38)

As such, the number of the Glorious Qur’ān's verses is 6236 out of

which there are almost one thousand verses relating to the universse

which speak about thunder, light, smoke, winnowers, stars, moon,

iron, stairways, , rolling, rending, constellations, cleaving, night

visitant, sun, night, day, forenoon, earthquaking and others. There are

114 Chapters out of which there are 35 which have names related to

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things in the universe

The Glorious Qur’ān also contains one hundred verses which

speak about plants and many verses about cattle and animals. There

are also three Chapters which have names of insects. They are The

Bee, The Ant and The Spider. Moreover, many insects were

mentioned and many examples were given about them. These insects

are gnats, flies, locusts, lice, scale insects, butterflies, house ants,

white ants, bees, and the spider.

If we scrutinize these verses, we will find scientific references

that reach inimitability concerning their scientific content. They were

revealed more than fourteen centuries ago at a time when knowledge

was limited and their denotations have not been understood except in

modern times.

Firstly: Concerning Ants

In Sūrat an-Naml (The Ant Chapter) (verses 15- 24) God says:

"And indeed We already brought Dawud and Sulayman

knowledge, and they said, 'Praise be to God, Who has graced us

over many of His believing bondmen'. And Sulayman was

Dawud's heir and he said, , 0 you mankind, we have been taught

the language of birds, and we have been brought much of every

thing; surely this is indeed the evident Grace'. And his hosts were

mustered to Sulayman, of the jinn, and humankind and birds; so

they were duly dispended. Till, when they came up to the valley of

ants, an ant said '0 you ants, enter your dwellings lest Sulayman

and his hosts definitely crush you, while they are not aware'. So he

smiled laughing at its speech and said, 'Lord!

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Dispense me to thank You for Your favor wherewith You

have favored me and my parents, and to do righteousness that

satisfies You, and cause me to enter by Your mercy, amongst

Your righteous bondmen. And he reviewed the birds; then he

said, 'How is it with me that I do not see the hoopoe? Or is he

among the absent? Indeed I shall definitely torment him with a

strict torment or indeed I shall definitely slay him, or indeed he

should definitely come up to me with an evident authority'. Yet he

stayed without being far away, then said, 'I have encompassed

that which you have not encompassed, and I have come from Saba

to you with a tiding of certitude. Surely I found a woman ruling

over them, and she has been brought of every thing, and she has a

magnificent throne. I found her and her people prostrating to the

sun, apart from God and Satan has adorned their deeds to them,

and so has barred them from the way, so that they are not

guided".

These verses clearly indicate that insects and other kinds of

animals have a language for communication. Sulayman (Soloman)

(PBUH) was granted by God the ability to understand the ant's talk

and the hoopoe's statement. Scientists became certain only fifty years

ago that many kinds of insects and animals have a language with fixed

origins and rules. This language is passed by heredity successively

from one generation to another without lesson or dictation as it is one

of God's blessings

Science has unveiled the fact that many kinds of insects

exchange information and calls by voices. Some kinds of ants strike

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the nest's walls with their heads to produce certain tones. These tones

are blows of alarm which have a special language when the ants are

attacked by an enemy. Once warned they take care, and respond

appropriately to the enemy. Moreover, cockroaches regularly

stridulate all night with certain semi songs made by the males to

attract their females to mate with them. Scientists have discovered that

there are almost two hundred kinds of these cockroaches. Every kind

is distinguished by certain tone which is only understood by its male

and female members. Scientists have also discovered recently that ants

have voices which have special tones. These tones have been recorded

and replayed.

The language used among insects is not only voices, their glands

secrete hormones which play an important role in communication as

well. In addition, their language can take the form of certain motions

or dances which are performed and understood by the members of the

same species as is well known among the honey bee workers. The

language could also be by means of luminous flashes regularly made

by the females. These luminous flashes are also recognized, by

members of the same species.

In Suart an-Nah l (The Bee Chapter), God says (in verses n. 68 - 69):

"And your Lord revealed to the bees saying' Take to

yourselves of the mountains houses, and of the trees, and of

whatever they trellis. Thereafter eat of all kinds of products, so

dispatch through the ways of your Lord, tractable to you' There

comes out of their bellies a drink of different colors, wherein is a

cure for mankind. Surely in that is indeed a sign for a people who

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meditate. "

These concise verses refer to many scientific facts expressed in

the most eloquent way. The honey bees originally build their nests in

grottoes and caves in mountains and on the branches of trees. But man

has recently domesticated bees in well equipped wooden hives to be

used as colonies. The bee workers go out to gather nectar, sugary

solutions and pollen seeds, from flowers and different plants. After

that, they return to the colony with them to feed different members

and the young. The bee workers store the surplus to be used in winter

or when the sources of nutrition are decreased.

Scrutinizing these glorious verses, one finds that the address

concerning the activities carried out in the bee hive is directed to the

female despite the fact that the beginning of the verse indicates that

the bee world is a masculine one. Thus, the category of the Bee which

performs there four activities is the Bee workers which are mainly

barren females. On the contrary, the function of the male’s category is

confined to pollinating the queen (the female) which is considered as

inimitability in narration, style & scientific accuracy.

As for “so dispatch through the ways of your lord, tractable to

you”, it is a signifcant expression about the expeditions performed by

the bee workers to gather nutrition. The mind of the bee workers

seems as if it were provided with a coffer of information or a

computer which stores data accurately during their expeditions. she

returns to the same hive without being mistaken even if there were

hundreds of hives. At that time, the bee worker informs her hive-

mates with the exact place from which she gathered the nutrition so as

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to save the difficulty of their searching &wandering. She does so by

performing a kind of circulars dancing over the surface of the wax

comb at the hive. She revolves around herself in a narrow circle once

at the right and other at the left as if she were drawing a circle or two

circles in every direction.

The other bee worker beings to dance at the hive in the wake of

the first dancer in the form of a tail. This tail consists of along queue

of dancing bees so that the motions could be transmitted to the bee’s

following mates & could be recorded in their memory. The dancing

could continue for a minute or so. After that, the train of dancing bees

scatters and the bee workers leave the hive after conceiving the lesson

to reach the same place originally discovered by the first dancer. After

this group returns to the cell, every one repeats the same process so as

to transmit the piece of information to other bee workers.

The topic of the language used by the bees to understand each

other & to communicate among themselves implies other exciting

details. The Austraian scientist, Karl fon frish, unveiled many secrets

of such a language almost sixty years ago. He had watched the

motions & conduct of the bee workers for along years until he knew

their meaning.

As for the glorious verse which says “there comes out of their

bellies a drink of different colors, where is a cure for mankind”, may

references have elaborated on this point showing the forms & colors

of the bee honey & its numerous usages to cure many diseases.

As such, these two glorious verses in the Bee chapter have

concisely and miraculously exposed many aspects about the honey

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bee and bee honey and its medical utilities with many details whose

depths have only been recently discovered.

Secondly: concerning flies

In the pilgrimage chapter, god says in the glorious verse, “O you

mankind, a similitude is struck, so listen to it. Surely the ones upon

whom you invoke apart from Allah, shall never create a fly, though

they gathered together for the purpose, and in case a fly should rob

them of anything, they would not be able to rescue it from him. We

are the seeker and the sought'

We firstly notice that God, the Great & Almighty strikes a

similitude using one of his creatures that seems to us as if it were

weak having no ability to get over any thing. However, it can rob man,

the strongly built & rationally-minded creature, of some of some of

his food of drink without being able to get it back. As for the second

point, it is the part which says, ”The ones upon whom you invoke

apart from Allah shall never create a fly, though they gathered

together four the purpose”.

Modern means of examination and anatomy used by modern

science have shown that the body of the fly is created with extreme

creativity & accuracy concerning the coordination of its organs and

the performance of its functions, despite its smallness. The outward

body is covered with thick hair &tens of spurs whose form and place

are defined. The fly has two compound eyes; each of which contains

almost six hundred minute lenses. Each lens transforms a part of the

scenery lying befor the fly & consequently an assembled picture of the

viewed scenery gathered in its mind.

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In its mouth the fly has spongy parts to which the saliva comes

so as to dissolve and sip the soiled nutrition. It has three pairs of legs

and a pair of transparent wings which have fixed number of veins &

veining and they are also provided with respiratory tubes which are

closely connected with the two wings vibrate while flying on the

average of three hundred vibrations per second. In addition, the fly

can cover a distance of many kilometers all the day. Besides, this

small insect has internal digestive, nervous and respiratory systems

and blood circulation. It also has completely & performance of their

functions are not less than those of massive animals. As such, can man

create apart of fly whatever degrees of knowledge and progression he

attained?

As for third point, it is the part which says” In case a fly should

rob them of any thing, they would not be able to rescue it from him”

When we accurately meditate how the fly gets its nutrition, we

find it trifles with its legs the food over which it falls. The foods

specific items are scattered among the hair & spurs which cover the

fly's body and so it is impossible to get them back- when the fly

secretes the saliva on the food, the solid food is turned into liquid

state. At the same time, the saliva helps to digest nutrition party and

transfer it from starches and complicated sugary elements to simple

sugary ones.

Then, the fly sips the solution to its digestive tube where the non

dissolved into the internal hollow of the body so as to be transformed

via the open blood circulation to all the body's organs & tissues to be

provided with the needed nutrition. Thus, the result of these steps is

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that the solid food is transformed into liquid state and the complex

food compouns are turned in to simple ones and are spread in the flys

body. After all these things, the fly flies quickly and slyly

circumventing he who tries to catch here – it is impossible for man to

retrieve what the fly has robbed him of whether the part stuck in its

outward body or that which dissolved inside it. This proves gods

saying “weak are the seeker and the sought”.

Thirdly: concerning mosquitoes

In the chapter of al-Baqarah, the cow, God says in verse,

“Surely Allah does not shy from striking a similitude even of a gnat,

or any thing above it.' So for the ones who have believed, they know

that it is the truth from their lord, and as for the ones who have

disbelieved, they say what would Allah teach by this for a similitude?

Thereby He leads many into error and there by he guides many; and

thereby in no way does He leads into error any one except the

immoral ones”

As we mentioned in the pervious example about the fly, the gnat

has also acomplex structure about which we mentioned some details

in the fly. But, the gant`s way of nutrition differs from that of a fly.

In its mouth, the female gnat has sharp absorptive parts by

which it absorbs (sucks) the blood of living things. As for the male

gnats, they live on the surgery liquids of plants and the nectar of

flowers.

Undoubtedly, man is totally unable to rival God in creating a

gnat or any thing above it or inferior than it concerning size &

structure. Thus, can man be able to create a gnat, a living being whose

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body is made up of just one cell, like bacteria, which performs all

tasks of life as nutrition, excretion and proliferation. Thus, God does

not shy to give this example to mankind. Therefore, they know that it

is the truth from their lord who has created every thing & who breaks

apart the grain & the nucleuses. The believers are those who believe in

this and admit God`s favor and, thus, they are guided. In no way does

he lead into error any one except the immoral ones.

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Standards of Making Economic Decision in the Glorious Qur’ān

By: Prof. Muhammad Abd El-Halim Omar

Prof. of Accounting

Faculty of Commerce & Head of Saleh Kamel Center for

Islamic Economic Studies

Al-Azhar University

All praise is due to God the Lord of the worlds. Peace and

blessings be upon the prophet Muhammad and upon the people of his

household.

The Glorious Qur'ān is the clear word of God. In it, there is the

original light that guides man in this life. Thus, the believer sees with

two lights; the light of revelation and the light of reason which God

endowed to him. Therefore the source of knowledge is not only

reason, as some intellectuals allege, but the source of knowledge

includes reason and revelation together. The Glorious Qur’ān is a

comprehensive book that includes a reference to everything, God the

Most Exalted says what means:

"We have missed nothing out of the Book." (Al-An'ām: 38)

And it is the duty of the Muslim to reflect upon its verses, God

says what means,

"[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O

Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses" (S ād: 29)

And through this reflection and meditation its wonders shall not

cease, and its (unexpected) marvels shall not be old.

This is the economic aspect which some people might believe

that the Glorious Qur'ān does not deal with it except through general

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indication and in specific verses that deal with Zakah (alms-giving)

and spending in the way of God. However, the researcher will find

that the Glorious Qur'ān contains more than four hundreds places that

deal with details which cover all aspects of economic studies.. These

verses categorically handle subtle technical aspects and provide

convincing explanations for incidents and new economic conditions

which the humanity is experiencing right now.

In this paper entitled "Standards of Making Economic Decision

in the Glorious Qur’ān" we will deal with some aspects of the

Qur’ānic miracles in Economics. From the very beginning, we will

shed the light on the reality of Economics and the position of making

decisions as to whether it is related to economic reality or the goals of

Economics. Then we will deal with the main thesis of the paper by

shedding light on the standards of making economic decisions in the

Glorious Qur’ān, through defining and explaining them in order to

reach to the aspects of scientific significance in the Qur’ān in the light

of intellectual and applicable contemporary Economics. Thus the

paper will be divided into the following sections:

Section One: Economics and Making Decisions.

In this section we will deal with the following:

1- the reality of Economics and making decisions

2- making decisions and achieving economic goals

3- Standards of making decisions in contemporary economic

systems

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Section Two: Standards of Making Economic Decision in the

Glorious Qur’ān

We will deal with the following:

1- Standards of Making Economic Decision in the Glorious

Qur’ān

2- Aspects of the Qur'ānic miracles in Making Economic

Decision

Section One

Economics and Making Decisions and their Standards in Modern

Economic Systems

First: The reality of Economics and making decisions

One of the writers says: 13

"There are number of special definitions for Economics that is

almost equals the number of those involved in teaching it. The most

widely accepted definition is that "Economics is a branch of social

sciences concerned with the method applied by the individual in a

society to allocate relatively scarce resources among alternative uses

to satisfy the economic needs of the populace"

This definition touches upon several concepts related to our

topic and they are as follows:

a- Economics is a social science, thus it is concerned with

studying human behavior towards money, or “economic behavior”,

and this behavior by nature depends on meaningful choice to achieve

man's wellbeing through choosing among alternative uses. 13

J. Holton Wilson, al-Iqtisād al-Juz'ī (Microeconomics--Concepts and

Applications), trans. into Arabic by Dr. Kamil Sulyīmān Al-'Ānī (Saudi Arabia:

Dār al-Marīkh 1987), p. 15.

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b- The economic theory emerged from main hypotheses

amongst which is that the available resources are scarce in comparison

to the unlimited wants of human beings that need to be satisfied and

that there are alternative uses of resources, and man has to choose

from among these available resources to achieve the best satisfaction

of these wants.

c- Making choice is the process of comparing between

alternative uses and this is what is called in Business Administration

as (Decision Making).

d- Making decision means choosing one of the alternatives

which proved to be the best choice after making comparison.

Thus it becomes clear that the process of making economic

decisions in the sense of choosing from among the alternative uses of

resources to satisfy the wants represents the essence of Economics.

This led some economists to say: "In fact Economics studies how

peoples make their economic decisions and choosing from among the

available resources." This becomes clear also in achieving the goals of

Economics which we will explain in the following paragraph.

Second: Making decisions and achieving the goals of Economics:

There is a consensus among economists that the objectives of

Economic policy are to achieve two things:

a- Efficiency means achieving the best use of resources

whether this usefulness takes the form of profit or satisfaction of

human wants or takes the form of accumulation of wealth. This

depends on the best allocation of resources in the sense of choosing

the sound means of using available resources, and then the best

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manipulation of resources through minimizing costs and maximizing

revenue.

b- Justice means fair distribution of income and wealth

which can be achieved in two ways: the first is fair distribution of

jobs. This is to say each part in the economic process should get his

due rights without injustice like workers, who contribute to

production, capital, and organization. In other words, it is the justice

in the redistribution in the sense that the wealthy give part of their

revenue to the poor and the needy to achieve the well-being of the

society as a whole on the basis that resources are originally a gift of

God to all of his creation.

Both schools of distributions and redistribution require making

decisions represented in the state of production such as selecting the

factors of production, efficiency, and deciding the income for each

factor according to its contribution in production, they also are

represented in the state of exchanging making the right decision to sell

or purchase, determining a fair price and the way of paying it. As far

as the way of redistribution of income is concerned there are many

ways for this, such as imposing taxes, giving donations, granting

subsidies, deciding classes to whom this money will be redistributed

and the amount of money for each class. This could be achieved in a

number of ways that we can select from among them the way which

can lead to an ideal redistribution.

Thus, we can conclude that making economic decision in the sense

of choosing the best alternative from among the available

resources is an indispensable factor in Economics because it

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represents the reality of Economics and a fundamental

prerequisite for achieving the objectives of Economics.

Third: Standards of Making Decisions in Modern Economic

Systems:

If making decisions means, as has been mentioned above,

choosing an alternative of the available alternatives to use resources,

the capitalist system which is nowadays widely spread in the world

and which is based on the philosophy of freedom and personal

interest, sees the standard of preference for choice and making

decision is to achieve personal interest for the individual who makes

the decision. This interest means maximizing his utilities of the

economic decision as it is the case of the seller or the producer who

gets the highest profit and this what some economists expressed in the

following words "Individuals attempts to select the best available

alternative to achieve their personal goals …as the benefit of the

individual increases due to his choice of an alternative,- while the

other factors remain fixed- his enthusiasm to choose this alternative

will increase." 14

Communism, which currently collapsed, was walking in the

opposite direction. It differed from capitalism because it considered

the standard of preference is to achieve the interest of the society as it

seen by the party and the responsible government. It is clear that the

standards of choice in both systems and their relations to achieve the

14

James D. Gwartney & Richard L. Stroup, al-Iqtisād al-Juz'ī

(Macroeconomics: Private and Public Choice), trans. into Arabic by

Dr.Muhammad Abd al-Sabbūr (Saudi Arabia: Dār al-Marīkh 1987), p. 21.

246

targets of the Economics focus on one target and omit the other;

capitalism focuses on achieving the economic efficiency and neglect

social justice, however communism emphasizes achieving justice and

omit attaining efficiency which can not be achieved except through

personal motives on the side of the individuals who do not participate

in making their own economic decisions. Many problems have

emerged due to the spread of these systems, especially capitalism

which lasted as the only economic system in the world after the

collapse of communism, and this what we will examine in the second

section of this study.

The Second Section

Standards of Making Economic Decision in the Glorious Qur’ān

and Aspects of Miracles in them

If making decision means choosing one from among the

alternatives, it will mean that there is a freedom for the individuals to

choose and assume the responsibility of his choice. In the same

manner, Islam is based on the freedom of man to choose his way even

with regard to his belief, Allah says what means:

"Whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him

disbelieve." (Al-Kahf- 29)"

[O Muh ammad], would you compel the people in order that they

become believers? (Yūnus: 99)

"You are not over them a controller." (Al- Ghāshiyah: 22).

This principle is applicable to what is below this of the matters of this

worldly life including the economic aspect. God has guided his

servants to the manner of choosing economic alternatives through four

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standards mentioned in verse 78 from Surat al-Qas as which was

mentioned in the context of the story of Qārūn the biggest capitalist in

the world, who connected the wealth he had to his knowledge and

disposition. God referred to him in the Qur’ān, He says, "I was only

given it because of knowledge I have."

Therefore, The Creator's guidance to the standards of making

sound decisions is very clear. Allah says,

"But seek, through that which God has given you, the home of the

Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And

do good as God has done good to you. And desire not corruption

in the land. Indeed, God does not like corrupters." (Al-Qas as: 77),

This verse included four standards which will be summarized as

follows:

The First Standard: "Seek, through that which Allah has given

you, the home of the Hereafter" which means let your ultimate goal

from making decisions is to seek in what God bestowed on you in this

worldly life the Home of the Hereafter, and that you invest this money

in a way which pleases God and according to His commandments and

guidance in order to attain His reward, and avoid His punishment.

From this standard we can deduce the following points,

1- If the economic decision means choosing what brings benefit to

man in the future, this future for the Muslim is not limited for specific

time or even ends with his death and leaving this world, but it extends

to the Hereafter and what is therein of reward and punishment. Thus

the Hereafter is considered an essential factor in making economic

decision. Consequently, in the case where there is an alternative that

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involves disobedience to Allah, the Most Exalted, which subjects man

to punishment in the Hereafter, such alternative will not be possible,

and it does not fall within the realm of our choice when we are making

a decision.

2- The previous standard focuses on connecting between the

economic decision, faith and belief, since believe in the Hereafter and

what is therein of Paradise and Hellfire; reward and punishment is an

integral part of the Islamic belief. Therefore the connection between

Economics and religion has been emphasized and this is contrary to

what modern economists state, that religion and morals are not at all

related to Economics. This leads us to admit the existence of Islamic

Economics which some economists deny under the pretext that

Economics studies human behavior and it does not differ from one

society to another.

3- This standard confirms the fact that God the Almighty has

revealed instructions organizing man's disposition in money which is

summed in the rule of the "lawful and unlawful". The one who obeys

these rules will be rewarded in the Hereafter and the one who disobeys

them will be punished by God the Almighty.

4- Adhering to these Divine ordinances and rulings concerning

man's disposition regarding money will lead to maximizing the benefit

of this money, which God bestowed on man. Those charged with

authority should watch the extent of people's commitment to these

rulings through the application of laws, regulations, administrations

and by creating the necessary measures to protect religion and the

political order of the state. However, rules and watchfulness of

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authorities can not work by itself or become acquainted with all

actions, it is possible for the person to escape from this watchfulness

and from these authorities in different ways known in economic

literature as "immoral practices" but it is relied on man's conscience to

restrict them, and the key to arouse this conscience is to know that

God is watching us and nothing is concealed from Him, "He knows

that which deceives the eyes and what the hearts conceal" (Surat

Ghāfir: 19)

The Second Standard: "Do not forget your share of the world"

which means that man in his economic behavior, which is controlled

by the rule of lawful and unlawful and obedience to God the

Almighty, should work to achieve his personal benefit and interest

from every economic decision he makes. From this standard we can

deduce the following points:

1- This standard leads to achieving economic efficiency as one of

the two targets of Economics. Man works to best allocate and use the

resources, and this emphasizes a well-established rule from the

Islamic viewpoint which had been frequently confirmed in many

Qur’ānic verses which prohibits wasting money and extravagance

from one hand, and stinginess and miserliness from the other hand.

2- Capitalism considers this standard to be the only standard to

make economic decision in accordance with its fundamental basis

which is the consideration of the individual's benefit and maximizing

personal interest, however this standard is one of four basic standards

in Islam.

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3- Establishing this standard from the Islamic perspective is a reply

to those who claim that Islam is against being rich, increasing wealth,

and caring for personal interest. This is a clear text that invites man to

benefit from the resources which God the Almighty has created for his

people.

4- The unequivocal Qur’ānic text concerning this standard is in

accordance with the sound Islamic perspective and with what man was

created with a disposition to the love of money and the wish to posses

it, thus the text came in the form of a reminder that man should not

forget his share of the world.

The Third Standard: "And do good as God has done good to

you" which means be fairly disposed and benevolent to God's

creation, and support the poor and the needy with part of your wealth

as God has done good by helping you to obtain this money. From this

standard we can deduce the following points:

1- Focusing on choosing the best alternative which achieves the

highest possible income when making decision, thus this income

suffices man's needs and what is left behind can be used to support

others.

2- The best use of resources does not depend only on the efficiency

of man and his effort, but there are other factors and external

Economics which God grants to us of which we can benefit from

them, and this is a reply to Qārūn's saying "I was only given it because

of the knowledge I have". Therefore, it is the duty of the owner of the

money to bear part of the cost of this external Economics otherwise he

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will be like what the economists call "free rider", and this cost

represents what man pays to the poor of God's creation.

3- This standard is based on the nature of ownership in Islam

which states that God the Almighty is the real owner of money and

human beings are just His vicegerent and successor on this money,

thus Allah has a due right in this money, and this due right from the

Islamic perspective is the right of the society which man puts where

God commands him to spend on the poor, the needy, and welfare of

the society.

4- Using the expression "do good as Allah has done good to you"

involves wakening man's interest that he will be rewarded by God if

he obeyed this Divine commandment. Subsequently, spending on the

poor and the needy is not, as some capitalists claim, a punishment for

the hard workers and a reward for the neglectful poor, rather the hard

worker will be compensated by God in this world by blessings in his

money and in the Hereafter with paradise and felicity.

The fourth standard: "And desire not corruption in the land.

Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters" meaning that when man made

his economic decision, he would take into his consideration that this

decision should not involves his interest only and leads at the same

time to corruption in the land and oppression of God's creation, from

this standard we can deduce the following points:

1- Corruption is prohibited in Islam, it was explicitly forbidden. It

includes everything that leads to destruction of resources or deficiency

in utilizing them, especially the free resources such as water, air, and

public utilities which called in modern Economics "the pollution of

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the environment". This meaning of corruption extends to include

transgression against others property and disrespect to private

ownership and this called in modern Economics "Economic

Corruption", in addition to an efficient allocation of resources, and

excessive use and wasting of these resources or miserliness in using

them which lead to using them up.

2- The divergent meaning of prohibiting corruption in the land

involves enjoining good action and reform which indicates that the

economic decision should lead to the improvement of utilizing

resources.

These are the standards of making economic decisions in the

Qur'ān, and their implications in general. As far as the aspects of

economic miracles in these standards are concerned, they will be dealt

with the following section:

Second: Aspects of Miracles in the Qur'ānic Standards

Concerning Making Economic Decision

The aspects of miracles in specifying the Qur’ānic Standards are

numerous, we can indicate to some of them as follows,

In the last three hundred years, in which Economics has

emerged humanity has tried a number of fundamental economic

ideologies, i.e. capitalism and communism and some other mixed

ideologies which emerged as a mix between both of them such as

fascism and the welfare state, market communism, and democratic

communism. These ideologies have received too much attention on

the theoretical level that is represented in many studies and research

projects, and the dedication of time to their application on the practical

253

level. Despite all of this, these ideologies failed to achieve the

economic aims of efficiency, and justices, and it produced rotten fruits

which the world is still swallowing. These ideologies resulted in

economic instability and imbalance, public budget deficit, increase in

inflation rate and balance of payment, instability in the foreign

currency and capital markets, increase of external and local public

debt, spread of pollution of the environment, and spread of economic

corruption and immoral practices in economic dealings. Each one of

these problems has become a chronic and epidemic disease that

afflicted all economic systems of the world that has no remedy.

Therefore, aspects of miracles in the Qur’ānic standard of making

economic decision appear in the facts that if we followed them, they

would prevent all of these problems or restricting their occurrence and

spread as will be shown in the following analysis,

1- Concerning observance of the first Qur’ānic standard "Seek,

through that which God has given you, the home of the Hereafter" will

put an end to immoral practices in dealings which generally

represented in industrial and commercial cheating, false or misleading

advertising, cases of false sale, cheating in measure and weight,

monopoly, collusion, restriction, harmful pricing, usurious dealings,

breach of contracts and fail to repay the debts, and all other practices

which people commit to maximize their profits at the expense of other

people's interest, or transgression against private property by

fraudulent and cheating means. This is because all of these practices

fall under the category of Haram (unlawful) and consuming other's

wealth unjustly which was prohibited by the sharī'ah and which those

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who commits these practices will be punished by God in the

Hereafter, because they did not take into their consideration when they

make their economic decision that God will bring them to reckoning

and reward him if he obeyed and punish him if he disobeyed and

committed these practices.

Therefore, the aspect of miracle of this standard appears in

putting an end to immoral practices which were not as prevalent in the

past as they are in modern times. It is as if this standard has been put

to prevent these increasing practices in the present time and in a way

which exceeds and surpasses all contemporary economic systems

which attempts to oppose these practices in their own ways. After it

was firmly established in the economic ideologies that have been

previously mentioned that religion and morals have nothing to do with

economy and after they failed to face these practices, they started to

talk about the development of Economics to face these poor practices

through adding the moral dimension to Economics, thus a new school

appeared which bears the name of " School of economic sociology"

that involves reshaping the economic theory in the form of moral

considerations. It is a well-known fact that there is no moral system

that could be built without being based on religion.

2- Concerning adherence to the second standard "Do not forget

your share of the world", it will achieve economic efficiency

represented in the best allocation of resources and using them to

achieve the biggest and the best benefit of them. Thus, the Qur’ān

surpasses all theories and economic systems in directing to all that

realize economic efficiency by explicitly stating that man should make

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use of what God bestowed to him of resources which will bring

benefit for him, without wasting them. Therefore, this verse includes,

as it is confirmed by many other Qur’ānic verses, prohibiting

extravagance, wastefulness, miserliness and all form of misuse which

minimize benefiting from these economic resources.

3- Regarding commitment to the third standard, "And do good as

God has done good to you", it will provides remedy for poverty which

has spread widely in the present time despite the huge wealth in the

world. The number of the poor reaches three billion, nearly 50 % of

the world population. And the number of those who are below the

poverty level has reached 1.3 billion, with the gap between the rich

and the poor increased to the extent that there are 176 billionaires in

the world who own wealth which equals the national products of 45 of

the world's underdeveloped countries. This is what makes the world’s

countries agree on the necessity of facing the problem of poverty as it

was described by World Bank's Development Report which is devoted

to the theme "Attacking Poverty", this report was the outcome of 182

member countries meeting in New York in 1997 under the umbrella of

the United Nations to put program in an attempt to reduce poverty by

half in or before 2015. Despite the elapse of time since the application

of the program, poverty is increasing, that is because the program is

based on facing group poverty or poverty of the countries where the

methods the program adopted to face poverty problem takes the form

of offering financial assistance and donations from the rich countries

to the poor ones and forgiving the due foreign debts that poor

countries owe the wealthy countries.

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Thus, the aspect of the Qur’ānic miracle appears in making

benevolence a personal responsibility on every owner of money,

following a specified course in combating individual poverty with

different effective methods such as payment of Zakah (the poor-due),

endowment, spending on the poor relatives, observing the rights of the

neighbors and honoring guests, in addition to various voluntary

charities. If each owner of money would comply with these

obligations towards the poor, from the very beginning, and adhere to

the standard of doing "good to others", poverty problem would not

reach to the extent it has.

In Islam, the concept of benevolence is not confined to

donations and spending money, giving endowments for the sake of

God, but it extends to include, selling, purchasing, leasing, labor, and

all kinds of debts. Aspects of benevolence in these dealings are

represented in being truthful in telling all the necessary information

without misleading the involved parties, and the persistence of each

party to give the other their full due rights. This will put an end to

many problems which current economic systems are suffering from in

the present time such as cheating in commodities, raising prices,

slacking on the part of the employees, or decreasing their wages on

the side of the employers and claiming insolvency to repay their debts.

4- Adherence to the fourth standard "And desire not corruption in

the land." Will put an end to the following problems:

a- Pollution of the environment which has reached such a

higher extent that countries have been forced to issues laws to fight

this problem and establish organizations to focus on this, even to the

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point of creating new ministries concerned with the environmental

issues, and despite these measures, pollution and what results from it,

such as the serious consequences on man's health and on the balance

of the environment, are increasing.

Although the Qur’ān was revealed in a time where the problem

of pollution did not exist, the prohibition of corruption in the land is a

clear indication to the extent of the miraculous nature of Qur’ān which

made protection of the environment a religious responsibility on every

single person and considered it to be a branch of faith as it was clearly

mentioned in the following prophetic tradition, the prophet says, "

“Faith has over seventy branches the most excellent of which is the

declaration that there is no God but Allah and the lowest of which is

the removal of what is injurious from the path" (Narrated by Muslim).

If the present time of the Muslims was closely connected to their past,

the problem of pollution would not appear.

b- The problem of "economic corruption" which according to

modern economic conception is represented in what is known as the

grand corruption which means the abuse of power of those entrusted

with authority for personal illegal gains. At a time when bribes were

paid to the lower echelon civil servants in the state, the world did not

pay any attention to this problem. However after the increase of the

abuse of power by the high echelons, presidents, prime ministers and

ministers who collected huge fortunes in the form of commissions,

sometimes the matter involves financing electoral campaigns of some

presidents by businessmen via suspicious transactions. This happens

in some countries who take pride in their adherence to democracy, the

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world has become concerned with the problem of corruption,

hundreds of books and treatises have been authored, several

conferences and seminars convened to study this phenomenon and to

face it. This is due to its serious impact on economic systems.

Moreover, an international organization has been established bearing

the name "Transparency International" headquartered in Berlin,

Germany, its mission is to curb corruption through national and

international coalitions and tracing all cases of corruption in all

countries of the world. However, the world has failed to face this

problem which resulted in another crime to cover cases of corruption,

i.e. "money laundering", the attempt to invest money gained through

illicit means in a way that makes it appear to have been gained in legal

ways to mislead organizations of combating corruption.

Thus, the aspect of the Qur’ānic miracle appears, it prohibited

corruption in general and all of its forms whether big or small when

the problem of corruption did not exist in the same way as it is

existing right now. Bribes and all other forms of illicit gains are

decisively prohibited by Islam. Moreover, the Qur’ānic miracle is

clearly manifested in the fact that it has exclusively dedicated a verse

that talks about the grand corruption such as the bribery of the ruler,

Allah, the Most Exalted says,

"And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly or send it [in

bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a

portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is

unlawful]. (Sūrat Al-Baqarah: 188)

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c- The practical proof on the precedence and superiority of the

perfection and comprehensiveness of the Qurānic standards is that

after the emergence and aggravation of the above mentioned

problems, contemporary economic systems started to mend their

worn-out clothes, bridging the gaps in their theoretical buildings, and

healing their subsidiary systems and practical measures and in

contradiction to their principles. These amendments are an attempt to

draw near to the Islamic pattern. After the failure of the false dream of

communism to create a society in which equality and brotherhood are

predominant, attempts to inject the system with the market dimension

in administrating the economy were known as market communism,

and after the failure of "democratic communism", the whole system

was completely collapsed. As far as capitalism, which started to

prevail over the world in the present time, is concerned it has been

subjected to several amendments some of which are related to our

subject and we can refer to them as follows:

1- The appearance of development in the ideological schools of

capitalism, the most important of which is the school of "donations

Economy" which takes into consideration when making economic

analysis the human aspect. There is also the school of "Humanistic

Economics" which endeavors to improve human (not merely

"economic") welfare throughh admitting the principle human moral

system of values. Additionally the school of "Economic sociology"

aims at remolding the economic theory in a new shape of ethical

considerations. All these schools attempt to remove the deficiencies of

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capitalism in the moral and human aspects, all of which are referred to

by the first standard mentioned in the Qur’ān.

2- Governmental intervention to deal with illegal practices in the

market which was known as "Anti-monopoly Legislations" in the

form of laws to prevent any kind of monopoly which results in

harming others such as, harmful pricing, dumping, false or misleading

advertising, connecting contracts, elimination contracts, and mutual

contracts, and this what the first and second standards of the Qur’ānic

standards achieve.

3- A tendency to what is known as "welfare state" whose basic

philosophy is based on caring for the poor class, and achieving social

justice which the market system failed to realize. This is what the third

Qur’ānic standard makes real.

4- The appearance of research which deal with" Environmental

Economics" to show the effects of activities that lead to pollution of

the environment, estimating their costs, defining the responsibility for

the environment and forcing the projects responsible for it to bear the

costs of this pollution. This is what the fourth Qur’ānic standard

ensures.

5- Enacting legislations and establishing organizations to fight

economic corruption and money laundering and this is what the first

and fourth Qur’ānic standards mentioned above bring into effect.

Practically these amendments could be seen clearly within the

framework of making decisions regarding economic feasibility

patterns; therefore, after the personal interest represented in the

income or the profits had, at one time, been the basic standard to make

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decision. These patterns started to include other standards which bring

them very near to the Islamic methodology. This becomes particularly

apparent in the feasibility studies which include data dealing with the

impact of the project on the environment and the way of the harmful

influences of greed; in addition to the contributions of the project

through the services it offers to the society.

This change was not a voluntarily one which emanated from the

individual conscience, rather it was the result of legal conditions

which every individual must abide by. The problem of corruption

became so prevelant that international economic organizations decided

not pollute the environment or to deal with any commodities or

countries where corruption prevails, whether it takes the form of

financing, or marketing of illicit commodities, thus the precedence

and supremacy of the Qur’ānic standards which is considered a

miracle becomes apparent.

Man-made economic systems which tend to naturally and

principally work to achieve only one different target of economy, this

target is represented in capitalism in realizing economic efficiency and

it failed to achieve justice. Communism claimed that it was working to

achieve justice, but it failed to realize economic efficiency. Thus, the

Qur’ānic miracle is apparent in the fact that the four Qur’ānic

standards of making economic decision work towards targets,

efficiency and justice, and strike a balance between both of them.

There is another aspect of the Qur’ānic economic miracle which

generally appears in the style with which the Qur’ān deals with

economic matters. This is represented in the fact that by nature man

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loves money and makes every effort to collect more money and use it

in the way which realizes the biggest possible benefit. In his quest to

achieve his goals, man may inadvertantly increase his money at the

expense of others be it by cheating, fraud, swindling, bribery,

embezzlement, theft, monopoly, usury, and other immoral practices

which are widely spread in this day and age. On the other hand, man

refrains from granting his money to others as long as he did not

directly have the return of what he is granting. Therefore, the aspect of

the Qur’ānic economic miracle generally appears in making economic

decision, and particularly appears as will be shown in the following

analysis:

1- The number of the Qur’ānic verses that urges man to earn

money is very few, this is consistent with the natural inborn

inclination of man which God created in him is the love of money and

his desire to earn it as it was indicated by a scholarly writer, "God is

just content with what he created in us of love for money and desire to

collect it, thus He did not make earning money an obligation like that

of prayer and fasting" 15

, for this reason the Qur’ān gives us the

standard of making economic decision in this expression, " Do not

forget your share of the world".

2- Man in his love for self may make him spend money on his lusts

and false desires which are considered a kind of extravagance and

wastefulness and his love for money may lead him to become stingy

and hoard his money, thus the Glorious Qur’ān generally gives

15

Al-Birkawī Muh ammad 'Alī , Risālh fī Tafd �īl al-Ghanī al-Shākir ala al-Faqīr

al-S ���ābir, manuscript in Kuwait University.

263

attention to prohibit extravagance, wastefulness, stinginess and

miserliness, because these things belittle economic efficiency.

3- It is to be noted that the Glorious Qur’ān in several verses

focuses on the prohibition of earning money in illicit ways that are

based on illegal practices that is represented in consuming people's

wealth unjustly, thus the Qur’ān worked towards protecting people's

private ownership. This becomes very clear in making economic

decision in the light of the first and fourth standards.

4- It is to be noted that the Glorious Qur’ān, in several verses,

focuses on cooperative spending which is directed to the poor and the

needy by way of inviting the rich to spend their money and

intimidating them from hoarding it up in a manner that lead to

realizing the social justice. This is quiet clear in the third of the

Qur’ānic standards.

Conclusion

It becomes clear that the Qur’ānic standards of making decisions as

they were mentioned in the verse 77 of surat al-Qasas, include several

aspects of miracle represented in the precedence and supremacy of the

Qur’ān whether in terms of expression, comprehensiveness, or facing

future incidents that has taken place fourteen centuries after the

revelation of the Qur’ān and which led to many problems such as

poverty, illegal practices pollution of the environment, and economic

corruption. Although human thought has reached its peak, it has not

reached twhat the Qur’ān stated.

Regrettably, we have the Qur’ān at our hands, but leave its

teachings, and wander aimlessly in search for thoughts and Western

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systems which we have tried out for a long time and put us into the

lower end of the nations. Is it not the time to focus our attention to the

teachings of the Qur’ān and the traditions of the prophet Muhammad?

We must in order to rise above the miserable life which these thoughts

and Western systems and our deviation from God's straight path have

led us to. However, God warned us against turning away from His

way, he says:

"And whoever turns away from my remembrance –indeed, he will

have a depressed [i.e., difficult] life, and We will gather [i.e., raise]

him on the Day of Resurrection blind.” (Tā Hā: 124)

Finally, what has been presented in this paper is but a small part

of a wealth of information, and it is a drop of the ocean of the Qur’ān.

The claim is not to have reached all that the Glorious Qur’ānic verse

included of the aspects of this miracle, but it is an attempt to find out

some of the wise teachings and upright directions of the Glorious

Qur’ān in the field of making economic decisions. We Allah for

forgiveness for any mistakes and shortcomings, as the intention is to

research for God’s reward and to propagate the message of Islam.

With Gods will Muslims will put their faith back in the Qur’ān and

follow its teachings.

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Glimpse of Qur’ānic Miracles in Economics

By: Dr. Shawki Ahmed Donya

Professor of Economics, Dean, Faculty of

Commerce, Al-Azhar University, Mansoura

Praise be to Allah Almighty, Peace be upon the Messenger of

Allah.

This section deals with Qur’ānic miracles in the field of

economics with an introduction covering important issues in this field

of knowledge.

To begin with draw, in advance, the readers' attention to certain

matters:

1- Islam is, as it is well known, a creed, Shar'ia and ethics, system as

well as work, or let us say, religious and worldly matters, or rather, it

is din (religion) for this life and Hereafter. It is intended to serve man's

best interest in both this life and Hereafter (darin). If this life is good

and sound, then the Hereafter will be full of happiness. In order for

this life to be good every thing in it should be good, in every aspect

and field. One of the most important of such aspects is economics that

secures man's minimum physical needs so that he would fulfill his

tasks in worship, acting as God's regent on earth and creating activity

in this world according to Divine orders. This will certainly help

improve his worldly life and Hereafter. As such Islam naturally has

its guidance and message in the field of economics.

2- The Glorious Qur’ān is the first source for Islam, there is no need to

speak on what the Qur’ān is, as it is known to every one, be they

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educated or not, Muslim or non-Muslim. However regarding its

characteristics and descriptions it needs explanation and interpretation.

This section is not intended to examine these characteristics and

descriptions; rather it focuses on one such characteristic that is closely

connected to our topic. We shall refer to it by listening to the Qur’ān

itself and to the Sunna and what the Jinn and non- believers

(Mushrikin) said about it.

a- The Qur’ān as described by Allah in the Holy Book itself is a

guidance and light: "a guidance unto those who ward off (evil)" (Al-

Baqarah: 2) "The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the

Qur’ān, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and

the Criterion (of right and wrong). (Al-Baqarah: 185) "Verily we

have brought them a Scripture which We expound with knowledge, a

guidance and a mercy for a people who believe." (Al-A‘rāf: 52), " He

it is who hath sent His messenger with the guidance and the Religion

of Truth" (At-Tawbah: 33), " And We reveal the Scripture unto thee

as an exposition of all things, and a guidance and a mercy and good

tidings for those who have surrendered to Allah." (An-Nah l: 89),

"Now hath come to you light from Allah and a plain Scripture."

(Mā‘idah: 15), "Then those who believe in him, and honor him, and

help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him: they are

the successful." (Al-A‘rāf: 157), "O mankind! Now hath a proof from

your Lord come unto you, and We have sent down unto you a clear

light." (An-Nisā’:174)

b- The Qur’ān as described by the Prophet (PBUH) or as Allah

Al-Mighty described it through His Prophet who does not speak

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fromhis own desire, it is the divine inspiration. As Ali said in Hadith

quoted by Imam Ahmed and Al-Turmithi," I heard the Prophet

(PBUH) saying: there will occur persecution as dark as dark nights. I

asked: what is the way out? He said: Allah's Book, it contains stories

of those who came before ye and those who will come after thee, your

own affairs, it is a conclusive word, no pleasantry. Any forward

potentate who discards it will be destroyed by Allah, he who seeks

guidance not from it will be sent astray by Allah, it is Allah's straight

path, it does not send people astray, tongues do not find difficulty in

reading it, opinions do not differ about it, scholars are always in need

to understand it, they do not feel that what they have learnt is

sufficient or enough, pious people are not fed up with it, it has

unending miracles.

c- The Qur’ān as described by the Jinn when they heard verses from

the Prophet (PBUH): "Say (O Muhammad): It is revealed unto me that

a company of the Jinn gave ear, and they said: Lo! It is a marvelous

Qur’ān. Which guideth unto righteousness, so we believe in it and we

ascribe unto our Lord." (Al-Jinn: 1-2), "They said: O our people! We

have heard a scripture which hath been revealed after Moses,

confirming that which was before it, guiding unto the truth and a right

road." (Al-Ah qāf: 30)

d- The Qur’ān as described by an idolatrous (Mushrik), Walid

Bin al- Mogheira "its low part is full abundance, its upper part is very

fruitful, nothing transcends it, it is superior."

This indicates that the Qur’ān is a book of guidance, light that

uncovers all aspects of the road, it is, in fact, overwhelming and

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universal guidance, its miracles have no end, according to the Jinn it is

not a strange book, rather it is a book of miracles, and in view of

idolaters it is far above anything else.

Miracles of the Qur’ān

Researchers and scholars paid great interest throughout history

until today to miracles of the Qur’ān, especially clear proofs, in past

times, 16

and scientific miracles especially in natural sciences in our

present era.

Those who dealt with miracles of the Qur’ān included Al-

Nizam, Al-Jaheth, Bin Hazm, al-Wassiti, al-Rumani, Abdul Qader,

Al-Baqilani, al-Khattabi, Bin Soraqa, Al-Rafei' 17

, Draz18

, Al-Kholi,

Abu Zahra 19

, Arjoun, Al-Najjar, Ahmed Shawki, Ghunaim and many

others. We will not enter the field of defining and analyzing the

concept of the miracles of the Qur’ān, this is beyond our capacity, the

capacity of this paper and that of its author. It is sufficient to make

references that may open the way to understand this topic and explain

features of this common term. This term is derived from "I'jaz"

inability to do something, and doing it is beyond man's capability and

means. This "I'jaz" indicates that we are before something that we can

not do, nor come up with something similar, then the question is:

What is there in the Qur’ān that we cannot do the same?

16

Sheikh Muhammad Sadek Arjon, the Glorious Qur’ān: Guidance, Miraculous

Aspects asMentioned by commentators, Dar Al-Qalam, Damascus. 17

Mustafa Sadeq al-Rafei', Miracles of the Qur’ān, Dar al-Kitab Al-Arabi, Beirut.

18 Dr. Mohamed Abdullah Draz, the Great Tidings/New Perspective of the

Qur’ān, Dar Teiba, Riyadh.

19 Sheikh Muhammad Abu Zahra, The Grand Miracle/The Qur’ān, Dar Al-Fikr

Al-Arabi/Cairo

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The right answer to this question, Allah's knoweth better, it is all

the Qur’ān, with all that it contains, it is method and meaning, texture

and structure, it includes faith, Shar'ia, morals, dealings, tidings and

stories. All that can be added to it is miraculous in texture and

structure, style and meaning.

Concentrating on the most important description of the Glorious

Qur’ān, which at the same time constitutes the major and fundamental

task of it, namely, guidance, then terming it as miraculous will enter

primarily in the miraculous process of the Qur’ān. This is firstly

because it is the prime and only task, for if the Qur’ān is not

miraculous in its job, then how miraculous will its task be? Secondly

is the eternal aspect accompanying the Qur’ān everywhere and in

every time, whether it is with the Arabs or non-Arabs, in the past,

present or future, educated and illiterate.

As mentioned guidance of the Qur’ān is the best description of this

Holy Book, it is overall and comprehensive guidance "We have

neglected nothing in the Book (of Our decrees)." (Al-An‘ām: 38)

Guidance of mind, senses, heart, conscience, soul and self , money,

economics, sociology, education, politics etc. It is also guidance of

values and morals. This is no strange because the Qur’ān is the main

source for Islam, the eternal religion.

In this regard, we would like to add that Qur’ānic guidance is

miraculous, in the sense that only Allah Al-Mighty can reveal such a

book in its perfection and beauty. This is uttered by reason and logic,

as uttered by inspiration, transmission and hearing. Allah says,

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"Lo! This Qur’ān guides unto which is straightest" (Ibrāheem: 9)

This verse is self explanatory, the Qur’ān guides to which is

straightest, best and most perfect in every field."

Herein lies the biggest challenge, let all people along with the

Jinn bring such Qur’ānic guidance in all its aspects and fields. Allah

says

"Say: Verily, though mankind and the Jinn should assemble to

produce the like of this Qur’ān, they could not produce the like

thereof though they were helpers one of another." (Ibrāheem: 88)

Certain scholars (Ulema) with success granted by Allah

indicated that the major miracle of the Qur’ān lies in its guidance.20

The miracles in the Qur’ān do not stop at referring to

extraordinary issues which has only recently been known to science,

as often mentioned by some of those who speak about miracles in the

Qur’ān, making it seem as if this is the only aspect of this miraculous

nature of the Qur’ān. Granted, modern science has uncovered various

truths that help to discover some of the miracles of the Qur’ān as it

had dealt with those truths long before modern science.

In fact this creates imbalance in the true concept of miracles in

the Qur’ān, especially if it is understood in its right and wide concept.

This refers to Qur’ānic guidance which is a miracle in every aspect

and this has nothing to do with discoveries in modern science. What

affects such understanding by some people is that such statements

remove the miraculous nature of the message because in this era man

20 Sheikh Amin al-Kholy, Of Qur’ānic Guidance, in their wealth, Dar al-Nashr

Printing/ Cairo

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has finally discovered these things. It was a miracle in the past but at

present it is not considered so and this is wrong. The Qur’ān is

miraculous in every era, before every generation and before the

leaders of science and knowledge came into being. This is very true in

that the Qur’ānic guidance addresses every era and generation.

Whenever human science achieves progress the Qur’ānic miracles

become clearer and humans' inability to attain the like also becomes

clearer.

This takes us to the fact that the most appropriate and right

methods to study the Qur’ānic miracles are those which go through

studying the Qur’ānic guidance in specific scientific domains. Every

objective scientific and serious study of the Qur’ān in any field of

science, is a study in the Qur’ānic miracles. Whenever this study is

right and accurate it will clearly uncover Qur’ānic miracles. If

economic scientists speak about the Qur’ān and economics, they will

be in the field of the Qur’ānic economic miracles, and this applies to

all branches of science.

We must, however, state that the Qur’ānic miracles in economic

and social fields and their study are no less important than those in the

field of physical sciences. This is because one field is that of thought

and vision, which is opposite to that of the second. Advocates of the

former very often ignore the Creator and His guidance, whereas

advocates of the second do little. Therefore, the challenge in the

former, social domain, is more important than that in the second, the

scientific domain.

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Nature and Limitations of this section

In view of what has been mentioned above, we will understand

the nature of this section, and its contents. It is a contemplation based

topic regarding Qur’ānic miracles in the field of economics. It is

confined to thinking of the Glorious Qur’ān without deliberately

examining the Prophet's Sunna, in what we may call Prophetic or

Sunna miracles, because as there are miracles in the Qur’ān there are

the same in the Sunna, all of which come from Allah. To understand

miracles in the Qur’ān requires, in most cases, due attention to the

Sunna, as it is what explained the different aspects of guidance in the

Qur’ān.

We will not, however, deal with details and meanings of

Qur’ānic guidance in economics or other domains. This is not a deep

detailed and expanded study of the issue of spending in the Qur’ān,

for example, or that of production, exchanges etc. It is an overall view,

it does not replace detailed and deep study of the minute details of this

subject.

Keeping all of this in mind ee come to the core of the of the

paper, knowing what we are doing, presenting models of observations

we have come across in this regard.

The First Observation

Qur’ānic guidance covers completely with the aspects and

dimensions of the economic phenomenon. The Qur’ān deals with

economics, its major foundations and bases that are essential for any

efficient and effective economic activity or productive economic

behavior, some times it stops at the general foundations and

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principles, other times it concentrates on the minute details, something

miraculous in general and in detail.

A great indication of the Qur’ānic miracles in economics is the

fact it pays extra attention to this field, quantitatively and

qualitatively, so that any reader interested in economics would think

that he is reading a reference book in economics, a prestige only

attained by the Glorious Qur’ān.

The Second Observation

Economic matters are widely spread in Qur’ānic guidance, and

if the latter has fully covered and embodied the former, then this

phenomenon has occupied high position in guidance. Economic

direction is found in faith, legislation, ethics and narrations. In this

respect Allah says,

"Who believe in the unseen, and establish worship, and spend of

that We have bestowed unto them. And who believe in that which

is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) and that which was revealed

before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter. These depend on

guidance from their Lord. These are the successful." (Al-

Baqarah: 3-5)

And His saying

"It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the

West; but righteousness is he who believeth in Allah and the Last

Day and the angels and the Scripture and the Prophets; and

giveth his wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and

the needy and wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves

free, and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor due. And

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those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient

in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who

are sincere. Such are the God-fearing." (Al-Baqarah: 177)

Allay says,

"Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble in their

prayers, and who shun vain conversation and who are payers of

the poor-due." Allah also sayeth," 76:8-10," And feed with food

the needy wretch, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Him.

(Saying) We feed you, for the sake of Allah only. We wish for no

reward nor thanks from you. Lo! We fear from our Lord a day of

frowning and of fate." (Al-Mu’minūn: 1-4)

In the Qur’ānic legislations we have legislations concerning

Zakat(poor-due), debts, banning of interest (Riba), cheating,

undervaluation and squandering your wealth among yourselves in

vanity, financial atonements, banning of bribery, penalty of stealing

and al-hiraba( those who strive after corruption in the land by killing

innocent people stealing by force of arms and robbery).

In Qur’ānic stories there is not one narration that does not

involve an economic aspect. Read, for instance, the story of creating

the earth, that of Adam and Eve in Eden, the two sons of Adam, the

stories of Noah, Hud, Saleh, Shu'eyb, Joseph, Sheba, Dhul-Qarneyn,

owners of the garden etc.. These confirm our observations regarding

the Qur’ānic guidance and the position of economic affairs therein.

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The Third Observation

The Qur’ānic guidance in economics uses unique terms 21

the

economic reader of the Qur’ān will certainly find:

First- Despite the Qur’ān's deep interest in economics, as

mentioned above, it did not use many common economic terms such

as: production and consumption, investment, resources, development,

growth, under-development and taxes etc.

Second- It uses a number of uncommon terms in economics,

such as preference (altruism), corruption, reform, thanks, graces, good

things, amnesty, blessing, sustenance, parsimony, stupidity,

impurities, earn living, zakat, alms and seeking Allah's bestowments.

Each of these terms and names has meaning, and many common

economic terms have passive suggestions as the following example

indicates:

1- In spite of the Qur’ān's great interest and its urge for production it

did not use this term at all, instead it used terms like working, gaining

and seeking Allah's favors. In Arabic produce deals with material

matters, if a goat produces it means it gives birth. Economically

production in true sense is not confined to physical or material

aspects, rather it covers multiple arenas. Terms in the Qur’ān cover all

such meanings, unlike the term production in economics, to say that

such activity involves seeking God's favors is quite serious and

important because it seeks to achieve God's favors.

21 Shawki Donya, the Qur’ān and economic theorization, Modern Egypt

Magazine, the Political Economy & Legislation Association, Cairo.

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2- In its increasing urge to exploit resources and improve economic

state of affairs, the Qur’ān does not use growth or development terms.

It used other terms such as inhabiting, reform, empowerment etc.

Economists are well aware of how terms such as growth and

development are full of quantitative issues with the absence of

qualitative matters; this will certainly have negative effects.

Economists spared no effort to insert such qualitative matters at the

level of means and ends. Originally this term was not coined to cover

the issue, therefore the search for an all encompassing term is still

ongoing..

3- The Glorious Qur’ān has not used the term resources although it

mentioned it in several Suras (chapters) in various contexts:

agricultural, metallic, human and financial. It used instead the term

grace, and this is far better than the meaning of resources, it is

sufficient to indicate that it is the source of man's comfort and ease, it

also indicates that these are grand graces bestowed by Allah the

Benefactor. As such it calls for its appreciation, protection and

utilization.

4- Though the Qur’ān strongly called for spending and presenting

compulsory legislations, worshipping and rituals for spending, it did

not used the word tax, and the effects and meanings of such terms are

self-explanatory.

5- On many occasions the Qur’ān spoke about utilizing commodities

and services to meet man's needs, or consumption as indicated by

economics, it did not use this common term in this respect. Such a

term involves depreciation and annihilation of goods, the word

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"depreciate" means that consumption is a destructive and extinctive

activity.

In fact this is one aspect of the process of consumption; there is

another more important one, namely, a constructive, formative

dimension. If a commodity is depreciated by using it, it leads to

building a human, lending itself to physical, mental and spiritual

energy that produces a large number of commodities and services. So

it is not a matter of depreciation, rather it is construction; therefore, it

is subject to many quantitative and social controls. This leads to the

constructive effect and as such it is merely a process of destruction

and reconstruction.

6- The Glorious Qur’ān has strongly urged for proper utilization of

resources without wasting or making them inactive as termed in

modern economy as “economic under-development”, yet it did not use

the term under-development or backwardness, instead it used spoiling

and rejection of grace. Economists do know the observations

regarding under-development and the ambiguity surrounding it on one

hand and bias on the other. I.e. spoiling is very obvious on one hand

and objective on the other. So this term is unacceptable and rejected

regardless of any considerations that may cause controversy and

disagreement that would disrupt and destroy the whole subject.

This does not, however, mean that all known economic terms

are not sound or acceptable, or that the Qur’ān mentioned all

economic terms required. These are only examples which the Qur’ān

intends to guide us to so as to choose what is appropriate and

acceptable taking their meanings or suggestions into account.

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The Fourth Observation

In its guidance regarding economics, the Glorious Qur’ān

referred to what is known as descriptive, positive and normative

statements. The first deals with reality as it is, it describes and defines

it without interference in its direction or evaluation. The second deals

with it as it should be, it directs and leads, uses the stick and carrot.

Science in case of social sciences consists generally of these two

aspects: positive and normative. Man in his scientific, thinking and

knowledge efforts needs to employ both and as such he requires

guidance and direction in both.

The Qur’ān provides man with direction and guidance in this

technical aspect and used both statements, here are some examples:

"Give not unto the foolish (what is in) your (keeping of their)

wealth, which Allah hath given you to maintain." (An-Nisā’: 5)

"And not let thy hand chained to thy neck nor open it with a

complete opening, lest thou sit down rebuked, denuded." (Al-

Isrā’: 29)

" If He should ask it of you and importune you, ye would hoard it,

and He would bring to light your (secret) hates." (Muh ammad:

36-37)

"Lo! The wrong-doers will not be successful." (Al-An‘ām: 21)

"Allah hath blighted usury and made almsgiving fruitful." (Al-

Baqarah: 276)

The Fifth Observation

1- As a matter of fact Qur’ānic guidance in the field of economics

uses miraculous expression and style such as:

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4:5 " Give not unto the foolish (what is in) your (keeping of their)

wealth, which Allah hath given you to maintain, but feed and

clothe them from it, and speak kindly unto them."

This verse addresses community, but which community? Is it the

Ummah? Or a group of custodians and saints? Are they the

enlightened orthodox people? Or rulers? The verse covers all such

interpretation without affecting the intended meaning. Who are the

foolish? Junior people? Spendthrift? Shortsighted? Those who lack

faith and piety? Are they the individuals or rulers? The verse covers

all these, the word "your wealth" a plural pronoun that indicates a

group of people, who are they? What is this wealth? Is it the wealth of

the sane enlightened orthodox people addressed? As such every sane

adult, individual or group or Ummah must not give their wealth to the

foolish insane people, regardless of their description. But what about

the wealth of the foolish themselves, shall we leave to them to waste

it? The answer is no. The wording of the verse includes this meaning,

this is of priority, this is confirmed by the verse "which Allah hath

given you to maintain", wealth is the backbone of life we must

preserve and maintain it; regardless of what is it or who is its owner?

This cannot be done by giving it to the foolish who cannot maintain it,

whether it is his wealth or others'. Why it is addressed to the first

person not second? In sense that " do not give to the foolish their

wealth, in this case it would mean the wealth of the foolish only, when

it is made in the plural first person, it means the wealth of the whole

group, it is given to be managed by individuals according to a specific

system, it remains there as long these are faithful and honest people, if

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their behavior changes, wealth will be taken away and given to sane

people who can manage it properly. At the same time the foolish will

not be left to suffer hunger and need, they will be assured of decent

life, materially and morally through investing such wealth and use its

returns. Taking wealth away from the foolish is good for him first and

the community next. This can be seen in the verse 4:5 "but feed and

clothe them by this wealth," it is more appropriate to say "from it".

The verse presents both the descriptive and normative

statements together, it indicates that sane man in society represented

by a group is something essential, otherwise this Qur’ānic guidance

will be meaningless. Therefore, it is a call for finding sane and

orthodox people, consumers, producers, employees and rulers. As

such the verse, although brief, covers the economic phenomenon and

presents foundations needed to have an efficient and just economy at

macro and micro levels.

2- Allah says:

"He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth." (Al-

Baqarah: 29)

We underline here the word "all" and its position in the verse.

The question is "this word is connected with what others and, it

denotes what? Is it related to the pronoun “for you" or " in the earth"?

It may mean both, this can be a very important economic meaning. If

it is linked to the pronoun then all that is in the earth is for all people

without distinction or differentiation between one generation , race ,

religion or place or another, utilizing what is in the earth goes to all

people any time or place. Every human being is entitled to benefit

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from the natural resources created by Allah because He created for all

mankind. This does not mean to ignore any order or system that

allows each one to have his right provided that such systems or

legislations do not contradict with this origin presented by this verse.

Regarding the economic signs here we see the serious

confrontation and strong drive against monopoly or control by the

state or group or region over the world resources leaving the rest to

hunger, need and poverty. The verse calls upon us to establish a just

and equitable world economic order. If we connect the word “all" with

"in the earth", this means that all plants, animals, solids, insects, birds

etc in the earth, including those of which we are not aware, are created

for man's sake and benefit. Therefore, we must preserve and protect

every thing in the earth if any part of it is lost then man's interest and

benefit are lost.

The verse also obviously indicates that environment and that

which it is made of is essential and necessary for man. The verse urges

for more scientific research regarding the universe and its components

in order to fulfill God's purpose behind creating this universe, namely,

man's benefit. This is also a clear cut call for establishing an effective

world system to protect the environment every where against different

kinds of aggression. If the Qur’ānic wording comes differently, the

verse would involve all such guidance. If it states “He created for you

all that is in the earth" then this will only cover the environment, if it

says " He created to all of you what is in the earth" then the main

purpose will be for the people only. The miraculous Qur’ānic verse

puts the word “all" in this place in order to cover both meanings.

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3- Verses that deal with Zakat are numerous. In dealing with this duty

the Glorious Qur’ān uses the word "give" except in one single case, in

prayer it uses the word "perform". In the Qur’ān we read “those who

perform prayer and give alms (zakat)”, in Hadith the same words are

used in this respect. There is one verse in the Qur’ān regarding giving

zakat

"And who are payers of the poor-due."

(Ar-Ra’d: 4)

Does this involve something wise? Yes. Giving according to

linguistics means with ease. The verse denotes that man should pay

his zakat with no feeling of resentment. Verses to this effect describes

behavior, guide to this sound and decent conduct, it is descriptive and

normative, something to be made, given or paid. The only verse that

involves payment is that believers, for the sake of zakat and giving the

same, they practice their economic activities effectively and efficiently

in order to attain the honor of giving zakat. As such zakat is a motive

for successful economic activity. The Qur’ān combines effectiveness,

seriousness and strength in collecting zakat, ease and facility and

desire to give to those who deserve. In all we find descriptive

statement and valuable meaning, something that only Allah's words;

the Qur’ānic guidance can ever reach.

The Sixth Observation

The Qur’ānic guidance is in complete and strong harmony with

human nature. This can be explained from various aspects but it is

sufficient to do it from two angles: volume of guidance and its nature.

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First: Volume of guidance: The economic behavior regardless

of its different domains and fields, falls under two major categories:

gaining and spending. Man earns money and spends the same, and so

on in a continuous cycle. Both are essential, we cannot do with one

and leave the other, life cannot thrive without both. This issue has

various aspects and angles including their relationship with human

nature. Man has a natural tendency to gain, produce, bring and own

money; this is not the case with spending money, especially if it is

regarding others. In fact, there are adverse natural disposition against

such behavior. The Qur’ānic verse approves the first position:

"And love wealth with abounding love." (Al-Fajr: 20)

A second verse supports the other stand

"Say unto them: If ye possessed the treasures of the mercy of my

Lord, ye would surely hold them back for fear of spending, for

man was ever grudging." (Al-Isrā’: 100)

This shows that the right dealings with these two kinds of

behaviors should concentrate more on spending and less on

production, as the former requires more guidance and the latter has

nature to play a prominent role in a human’s way of being.

How the Qur’ānic guidance deals with this topic:

1- The Qur’ānic guidance starts by accepting the nature factor in

gaining and producing on one hand, and spending and distribution on

the other, explaining the positive side of nature towards gaining and

its neutrality, if not passivism, towards spending. The Qur’ān admits

man's nature, it does not seize or confront it, so man trusts it and its

guidance and direction.

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2- The Qur’ān deals in a noted and wide manner with spending. Most

verses in the Qur’ān have something regarding this matter in one

aspect or another. Yet it deals briefly and quickly with that of gaining,

it does not pay much attention to urging or ordering people to gain,

rather it underlines its controls, restrictions and frameworks. As such

it reiterates prohibiting of interest (Riba), fraud, injustice, stealing

others' wealth, it also prohibits bribery, gambling, malice and stealing.

This is a true reflection of human nature, because since man is very

interested in collecting and gaining money he may pay no attention

whatsoever to legitimate or illegitimate means to do that. Therefore,

he is in great need for more guidance and direction. Regarding

spending, the Qur’ānic guidance deals in detail with this issue and

follows it from its different aspects. In various locations the Qur’ān

reminds us of spending; it mentions motives, goals and maximizes

penalties. It also tackles ways and means, amounts, directions and

aspects of this matter. At times, the Qur’ān abandons speaking in

general terms and concentrates on origins and principles and minute

details, small aspects of the issue as it is the case in spending and

distributing Zakat and inheritance. Casting a glimpse on verses that

deals with gaining money, production and spending money for the

poor and the needy will shows the disparities in the number of verses

dealing with each issue.

Perhaps paying attention to two things will add to our

understanding of the miracles in the Qur’ān's economic guidance:

1- Economists are well aware of the fact that production is less

difficult and complicated than distribution. We find interesting

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paradox in that economics accepts this fact yet its efforts concerning

production transcend its effort regarding distribution, and this is clear

defect in the methodology.

2- The Glorious Qur’ān has not reduced its guidance as far as gaining

is concerned, because even if spending is important gaining is no less

so, because there is no spending without gaining. If the Qur’ān calls

for spending by implication it urges people to gain. This according to

eloquent people is stronger than calling for gaining and then calling

for spending.

Second: Guidance as far as essence and nature are concerned:

Let us take one model, the wealthy and the poor, or in other words, the

issue of have and have not. This is still the most important economic

and social issue that confronts mankind; it preoccupied the attention of

scholars, philosophers, schools of thought and systems throughout

history. It is well known that such attitudes moved to the right and the

left. Some people blamed monarchy as the main reason for evil and

distress, others over attacked poverty and the poor, even as others

praised them. The Qur’ānic guidance sheds light on this issue as well.

Man is by his very nature loves money, possession, acquisition

and richness.

Allah says:

"And love wealth with abounding love" (Al-Fajr: 8)

"Wealth and children are the ornament of life of the world." (Al-

Kahf: 47)

"Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from

women and offspring, and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and

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horses branded (with their mark) and cattle and land" (Āli

‘Imrān: 14)

The question to be asked is whether this instinct is bad. The

answer is no. First: It is the nature (framed) of Allah, in which he has

created man. Second: It t is the basis for building the earth, it raised

energy and vigor and competition. The Qur’ān lauded richness and

renders it beloved, He says:

“Say: Who hath forbidden the adornment of Allah which He hath

brought for His bondmen" (Al-A‘rāf: 32)

Richness and abundance of money Allah has made it a reward

for forgiveness and repentance, as Noah mentioned:

"And I have said: Seek pardon of your Lord. Lo! He is ever

forgiving. He will let loose the sky for you in plenteous rain, and

will help you with wealth and sons, and will assign you Gardens

and will assign unto you rivers. (Nūh: 10-12)

There is nothing in the Glorious Qur’ān, in fact, that condemns

or renounces money and making best use thereof, unless it is misused,

then we will find dispraise. After admitting this human relationship

with money in a realistic manner, Qur’ān guidance tends to directs and

guide man to what he should or should not do with his beloved

money. In this way the Qur’ānic guidance is realistic and ideal, in its

realism it assures human beings that it is within its nature and desires,

so humans respond to its ideals and directions. Were this not the case

the soul would not have listened to guidance and direction coming

from the Qur’ān. Man by nature rejects poverty, and the Qur’ānic

guidance acknowledges this fact. Therefore, it does not urge the poor

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to accept and like it, rather it guides them to their right to a decent life.

Implicitly it made them assume part of the responsibility for their

situation and urged them directly and indirectly to change it. It repeats

verses calling on the rich to pay due attention to the poor and put an

end to poverty and need. The Qur’ān states that they have rights unto

the wealth of the rich people, so they can take from the rich people

without owing them favour.

The Qur’ān speaks wonderfully and repeatedly about pious

believers and their attributes and situation. Attributes of richness and

financial worthiness were underlined because these enable them to

perform Zakat, Hajj, Jihad (Holy War), alms to the poor and spending

for the sake of Allah, especially in real interests. This indicates that

the Qur’ān likes to draw the attention of the poor that their situation

prevented them from performing such worshipping, rituals and duties.

It is an honor to be able to perform such religious duties. The poor

have to rid themselves of their poverty through any possible means in

order to win that honor.

It is true that Islam relieved them of such financial duties, but

such relief is something and to be able to assume it is a different

matter. In both there is something good. We must, however,

understand fully the meaning of the verse that states: and who are

payers of the poor-due; a believer does his utmost economically to pay

Zakat. Let us read and understand this Qur’ānic verse:

"Nor unto those whom, when they came to thee (asking) that thou

shouldest mount them, thou didst tell: I cannot find whereon to

mount you. They turned back with eyes flowing with tears, for

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sorrow that they could not find the means to spend." (At-Tawbah:

92)

This is a scene of fighting, war and mobilization, the poor did

not assume their role because they are incapable, so they are excused,

rather they went to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) asking for arms to

take part in war (Jihad). The Prophet (PBUH) could not find anything

to meet their request, this was depressing for them which can be seen

in the flow of tears from their eyes. They could not remain prepared

for fighting, as such they cried because that had no means to prepare

as their comrades could.

The Glorious Qur’ān recorded this situation not to praise those

who took part in it, but to teach lessons and indicate that every human

being must do his utmost to rise above a state of poverty that deprives

him from doing his duties. The Hadith also reflects the same situation:

some poor people came to the Prophet (PBUH) complaining of their

condition saying that the rich were rewarded, they pray as we do , fast

as we do, and give alms from their extra money. The Prophet (PBUH)

explained to them how to make up for such defect. They said that the

rich would do the same as well, although they have edge in wealth for

which they won high rewards. The Prophet (PBUH) told them:

"Say (O Muhammad): Lo! The bounty is in Allah's hand. He

bestoweth it on whom He will." (Āli ‘Imrān: 73)

This Hadith is full of lessons: A poor Muslim is very keen to put

an end to his poverty, but not due to economic or material motive, (to

satisfy his material needs) but because of a religious motive to meet

his spiritual needs, these include the fact that richness is a favor from

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Allah and every human being must work to gain such a favor from

Allah.

In confronting the problem of poverty, Islam has used many

methods including religious approaches stating in a cear manner to the

poor people that if their poverty has excempted them from many

religious duties, yet it deprives them from the reward of these duties

which are observed by the rich only. What is important here is

warning against a very dangerous slope faced by many Muslim as

well as non-Muslim writers. Regardless of how severe Islam's

campaign against poverty, Qur’ānic guidance has been very keen not

to condemn the poor or give them bad attributes, unless they are to

blame for their poverty. Otherwise, condemnation is directed against

the rich and the prevailing systems that keep them so.

Perhaps in this respect we might notice Ahmed Al-Delgi's fierce

attack on the poor in his: Al-Falaka w-alMaflokoon "Poverty and the

Poor". We find criminality and deviation in the ideas and opinions of

the English Economist Thomas Malthus when he attacked the poor

and urged the state not to support them.

These are some observations concerning the Qur’ānic guidance

in economics, although they are brief and modest yet they clearly

demonstrate certain aspects of economic miracles in the Qur’ān.

Allah knows best.

-------------------------------------

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Lights on Statistical Miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān

Dr. Abdul Wahhab Aziz Al-Shirqawi

Dean, Faculty of Uloom (Male) Azhar University

In the early centuries of Islam Muslims mentioned that there is a

numerical dimension in the Qur’ān, they commuted some of its

elements such as the number of verses, and Suras. In the 20th century

some researchers and scholars drew attention to the importance of

numbers in the Qur’ān. Such research remained idle due to the

absence of firm a methodology and understanding of the purpose of

such statistics in the Qur’ān.

Regarding the study of such statistics and three issues

raised.

First: Opponents to such an approach who claimed that

statistics in the Qur’ān involve matters beyond the understanding of

human beings, and as such, man should not talk about it because early

Muslims did not examine them and quoted:

"We heard not of this in the case of our fathers of old." (Al-

Mu’minūn: 24)

This group of people added that such numbers and statistics would

encourage deviation from Islam, and as such statistics are invalid

because the number of letters (in the alphabet) in Arabic is 28 or 29,

so they cannot be taken as criteria to study statistics in the Qur’ān

The existence of different readings of the Qur’ān which adopt

different ways in dividing the verses and Suras, as well as the number

of verses in the Suras make it difficult to have the right decision

concerning the number of verses and Suras, Therefore, there is

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difficlty to refer to the number of verses and words due to these

different readings.

Second: Supporters who claim that miracles in the Qur’ān

challenge strongly mathematics or statistics. The Qur’ān talks to

people in a language which is the only way to reach absolute truth.

This language testifies that the Qur’ān is not produced by human

beings, rather it is revealed from God. The Glorious Qur’ān states:

What kind of a book is this that leaveth neither a small thing nor a

great thing but hath counted it! 18:49.

We do but number unto them a sum (of days) (Maryam: 84)

Verily He knoweth them and numbereth them with (right)

numbering. (Maryam: 94)

And all things we have kept in a clear register. 36:12"

And He keepeth count of all things" (Al-Jinn: 28)

Then turned He to the heaven, and fashioned it as seven heavens."

(Al-Baqarah: 29)

Then He ordained them seven heavens in two days and inspired in

each heaven its mandate." (Fussilat: 12)

Allah it is Who hath created seven heavens, and of the earth the

like thereof." (At -Talāq: 12)

And We have created above you seven paths, and We are never

unmindful of creation. "(Al-Mu’minūn: 17)

"We have given thee seven of the oft-repeated (verses) and the

great Qur’ān." (Al-Hijr: 87)

Allah it is Who created the heavens and the earth,, and that which

is between them, in six days"( As-Sajdah: 4)

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(Whereby) The angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him, in a day

whereof the span is fifty thousand years." (Al-Ma‘ārij: 4)

Mathematics is a language in itself which the whole of mankind

speaks ever since its on this earth.

Third: A middle of the road opinion that advocates caution lest

Muslims would be tempted by something beyond control. Advocates

of this view state that conclusions of research works in Qur’ānic

statistics were published before they are complete and without paying

due attention to proper scientific methods in the field. Entry of

unspecialized people into an arena of scientific research based caused

many people to attack such studies claiming that they encourage

deviation, and do not accurately represent the subject at hand.

Our view point on the subject:

In view of such differences we believe that putting things right

involves acceptance of what is purely scientific and the position of

correct scientific foundations and principles of using the Qur’ānic

statistics. This is because the Qur’ān lauds and encourages scientific

thinking. For instance, the number of derived words of science

(Elm)in the Qur’ān exceeds 850, whereas verses related to legislative

matters are 250. Verses that advocate studying of natural

phenomenon, thinking and employing intellectual energies and

making scientific activity as part and parcel of life are approximately

750. As such Islam has since the very beginning encouraged research

into original scientific nature. The Sunna has several Hadiths

confirming this fact, the most famous of, perhaps, is that which states

“scholars are the heirs of prophets".

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Faith in Islam is based on scientific thinking and contemplation.

Some studies in Qur’ānic statistics allow or enable man to discover

that behind normal appearances there can be found a unique,

mysterious harmony. Everything in the universe, be it big or small,

visible or not, known or unknown, old or new, is subject to

comprehensive logic, specific design and accurate statistics, research

concerning this harmony uncovers that there is a great divine wisdom

behind it.

In order to use Qur’ānic statistics we must:

First: Study the revelation of the Glorious Qur’ān because verses

were revealed gradually and were not arranged according to time

revelation, rather but according to the Prophet's (PBUH) orders. The

first verses revealed unto the Prophet (PBUH) became the beginning

of Surah 96 in the Qur’ān:

"Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth, createth man

from a clot. Read: And thy Lord is the most Bounteous, Who

teacheth by the pen, teacheth man that which he knew not."

The last verse revealed came according to the Prophet's (PBUH)

orders, in verse 3 Surah 5:

“This day have I perfected your religion for you and

complete my favor unto you, and have chosen for you the religion

of Al-Islam."

There is, therefore, obvious difference between the order of

Suras as revealed originally and their order in the Qur’ān. Order in the

Qur’ān is as Suras are recited, whereas revelation order is the time

when these Suras were revealed unto our Prophet (PBUH).

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Second: Studying the Various Readings. There is difference

in the various readings of the Qur’ān as there is a difference in

dividing Suras into verses. This sometimes results in differences in the

number of verses according to these various readings.

In Surah the Cave according to Hafs reading: 18:23:

"(Some) will say: They were three, their dog the fourth, and

(some) say: Five, and their dog the sixth, guessing at random; and

(some) say: Seven, their dog the eighth. Say (O Muhammad): My

Lord is best aware of their number. None knoweth them save a

few. So contend not concerning them except with an outward

contending, and ask not any of them to pronounce concerning

them.(23)

And say not of anything: Lo! I shall do that tomorrow,(24)

Except if Allah will, and remember thy Lord when thou

forgottest, and say: It may be that my Lord guideth me unto a

nearer way of truth than this."(25)

In Surat Al-Kahf according to Warsh reading: 18:23:

"(Some) will say: They were three, their dog the fourth, and

(some) say: Five, and their dog the sixth, guessing at random; and

(some) say: Seven, their dog the eighth. Say (O Muhammad): My

Lord is best aware of their number. None knoweth them save a

few."

So contend not concerning them except with an outward

contending, and ask not any of them to pronounce concerning

them.(24)

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And say not of anything: Lo! I shall do that tomorrow, except if

Allah will. And remember thy Lord when thou forgottest, and

say: It may be that my Lord guideth me unto a nearer way of

truth than this."(25)

Notice the difference between these two readings which is more

common than others. There are 14 different readings.

There are also differences in words pronunciation, division of

verses, therefore, we have three conditions that are essential to be met

for a reading to be accurate and correct:

1- Authority should go back to the Prophet (PBUH).

2- Reading should not be different from contents of Othman's copy of

the Qur’ān.

3- Reading should not contradict with Arabic grammar, in sound,

letter and syntax.

Since the Qur’ān is Allah's speech revealed unto the Prophet

(PBUH), and nothing should be added to or omitted from it. Different

readings of the Qur’ān should not be separated from it because the

Prophet (PBUH) allowed these readings to be used.

Any effort in the field of Qur’ānic statistics should first and

foremost agree on the following points:

1- Agreement on readings in dividing certain Suras into verses.

2- Agreement on order of revelation of Suras or their order in the

Qur’ān.

Order of the Qur’ān and Revelation:

The following table includes names of Suras, their numbers in

the order of the Qur’ān as well as that of revelation. Order in the

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Qur’ān is according to which Suras were arranged in the Qur’ān as

ordained by Allah and dictated by the Prophet (PBUH) to scribers

according to revelation of verses. In most cases beginnings or endings

of Suras were revealed at different periods and later they were put into

one Surah. Revelation is Suras arrangement according to time

revelation.

Revelation

order

Order in

the

Qur’ān

SURAS Revelation

order

Order

in the

Qur’ān

SURAS

73 21 The Prophets 5 1 The Opening

103 22 The Pilgrimage 87 2 The Cow

74 23 The Believers 89 3 The Family of

Imran

102 24 The Light 92 4 Women

42 25 The Criterion 112 5 The Table

Spread

47 26 The Poets 55 6 The Cattle

48 27 The Ants 39 7 The Heights

49 28 The Story 88 8 The Spoils

85 29 The Spider 113 9 Repentance

84 30 The Romans 51 10 Jonah

57 31 Luqman 52 11 Hud

75 32 The

Prostration

53 12 Joseph

90 33 The Clans 96 13 The Thunder

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58 34 Saba 72 14 Abraham

43 35 The Angels 54 15 Al-Hijjr

41 36 Yā Seen 70 16 The Bee

56 37 Those who set

the Ranks

50 17 The Children

of Israel

38 38 Sad 69 18 The Cave

59 39 The Troops 44 19 Mary

60 40 The Believer 45 20 Taha

109 61 Those who set

the Ranks

61 41 Fussilat

110 62 The

Congregation

62 42 Counsel

104 63 The Hypocrites 63 43 Ornaments of

Gold

108 64 Mutual

Disillusion

64 44 The Smoke

99 65 Divorce 65 45 Crouching

107 66 Banning 66 46 The Wind-

curved Sand

hills

77 67 The

Sovereignty

95 47 Muhammad

2 68 The Pen 111 48 Victory

78 69 The Reality 106 49 The Private

Apartments

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79 70 The Ascending

Stairways

34 50 Qaf

71 71 Noah 67 51 The

Winnowing

Winds

40 72 The Jinn 76 52 The Mount

3 73 The

Enshrouded

One

23 53 The Star

4 74 The Cloaked

One

37 54 The Moon

31 75 The Rising of

the Dead

97 55 The Beneficent

98 76 Time or Man 46 56 The Event

33 77 The Emissaries 94 57 Iron

80 78 The Tidings 105 58 She That

Disputeth

81 79 Those who

drag forth

101 59 Exile

24 80 He Frowned 91 60 She That is to

be Examined

82 82 The Cleaving 7 81 The

Overthrowing

83 84 The Sundering 86 83 Defrauding

36 86 The Morning 27 85 The Mansions

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Star of the Stars

68 88 The

Overwhelming

8 87 The Most

High

35 90 The City 10 89 The Dawn

9 92 The Night 26 91 The Sun

12 94 Solace 11 93 The Morning

Hours

1 96 The Clot 28 95 The Fig

100 98 The Clear

Proof

25 97 Power

14 100 The Coursers 93 99 The

Earthquake

16 102 Rivalry in

Worldly

Increase

30 101 The Calamity

32 104 The Traducer 13 103 The Declining

Day

29 106 Qureysh 19 105 The Elephant

15 108 Abundance 17 107 Small

Kindness

114 110 Succor 18 109 The

Disbelievers

22 112 The Unity 6 111 Palm Fiber

21 114 Mankind 10 113 The Daybreak

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Commentaries

1- Engineer/ Hassab-Allah Al-Kafrawi, Former Minister of

Housing

2- Counselor/ Mohamed Badr Al-Minyawi, Former Attorney

General

member of Society's Board and Rapporteur, Qur’ān Researches

Committee, The Islamic Research Academy

3- Counselor Dr. Al-Bayoumi Mohamed Al-Bayoumi, Vice

Chairman, State Council, Professor of Shar'ia Policy delegated to

Al-Azhar University.

--------------------------

301

Commentary by

- Engineer/ Hassab-Allah Al-Kafrawi, Former Minister of

Housing

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Immediately after the Prophet (PBUH) began to propagate the

message revealed unto him from Allah in Makkah, the Qureysh and its

allies discredited its verses as something of his own creation, or

copied from earlier legends, or as poetry, in general something created

by human beings.

Allah Al-Mighty would not allow those stupid people without

degrading them and testifying that this Glorious Qur’ān had been

revealed by Allah, as such Allah challenged them and their eloquence,

in which they excelled, several times, asking them to seek the help and

assistance of human beings and the Jinn to produce something similar

to the Qur’ān

"They could not produce the like thereof though they are helpers

one of another." (Al-Isrā’: 88)

Challenge started with His saying:

"Then let them produce speech the like thereof, if they are

truthful." (At -Tūr: 34)

This divine challenge continues to prove the miraculous nature

of the Qur’ān and humans still cannot produce even one Surah:

"And if ye are in doubt concerning which We reveal unto our

slave, (Muhammad), then produce a Surah of the like thereof, and

call your witnesses beside Allah if ye are truthful." (Al-

Baqarah:23)

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The same challenge is repeated in Surah Hūd (11:13). As such the

Qur’ānic statement silenced those arrogant advocates of classic

Arabic; none of them could not and cannot meet this challenge until

the Day of Judgment.

With the passage of time, atheists have not stopped their futile

arguments, claims and venomous ideas, yet they were confronted by

truthful and faithful people. New waves came into being and but the

Islamic library is full of books by good ancestors written since the

advent of this message until today refuting and rejecting such lies and

falsehoods.

Islam faced fierce attacks in recent years and some of such

slanderers omit verses of the Qur’ān out of arrogance and adherence to

their corrupt and invalid creed that claimed "the Qur’ān is produced

by the Prophet and that some of verses thereof should be deleted."

Such lies and falsehoods cannot be condoned or accepted

because using miraculous eloquence is no longer sufficient to stop

such invalid lies. Therefore, in addition to such eloquent methods

scientific method should also be used in order to destroy it and brand

enemies of Islam as aberrations and their way a deviation and

emphasize that the Glorious Qur’ān is the constitution of Islam and it

is revealed by Allah, the Supreme Creator. In addition to its eloquence

challenge it includes very accurate scientific signs in different sciences

which even the best scientists with their most sophisticated scientific

tools and inventions would not discover until several centuries later.

How could an illiterate Bedouin understand such scientific facts 1400

years ago, when some of these are not known even today? In fact a

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number of Muslim scholars devoted themselves to defending the

divine nature of the Qur’ān and how it came to us (through holy

revelation unto God's Messenger). They produced firm and strong

scientific proofs reached by modern science such as worldwide

phenomenon, and scientific discoveries, may Allah reward them for

their efforts.

Such dispersed individual efforts throughout history could not

bear fruit except in very limited scope, they could not reach their goals

except in a very limited manner and as such these could not withstand

fierce attacks by enemies of this faith using their modern sciences.

When translating and publishing the meanings of the Glorious Qur’ān

we stop and confront many of such invalid claims by those who are

non-Arabic speakers and who do not accept miracles in its verses

because they are ignorant of classic Arabic and its eloquence. This

should not, of course, prevent us from arguing using divine signs in

the Qur’ān which modern scientists cannot understand

This is not the case, however. Certainly the Qur’ān is not a book

of universal or physical subjects etc. Yet it is quite certain that its

verses include signs and proofs of well-known scientific matters in

physical and humanistic sciences such as medicine, agriculture,

engineering, psychology, sociology, legislative matters etc. These are

facts not realized by present scientists even after centuries from the

advent of Muhammad's message, such issues as a whole cannot be

understood by one human mind.

Therefore, it is high time for Islamic scientists, the prophets'

heirs, to convey the divine message, the Qur’ān, adopting a scientific

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method covering all scientific facts mentioned by verses of the Qur’ān

and only reached by modern science, so as to be a proof confirming

the truth about the Islamic religion which is free from any defect or

flaw.

Efforts must be combined to confront venomous and fierce

campaigns and Al-Azhar must, as a major scientific authority with a

big group of scholars in Qur’ānic sciences and modern science in all

branches, receive different research works presented by scholars from

various countries to be examined and reviewed as deeply as possible.

These papers would be combined in a scientific encyclopedia as a

universal reference used by Muslims against deviationists in the east

or the west.

It is appropriate now, until this hope becomes a reality, to add a

subject "knowledge or science in the Qur’ān" to the current

educational curriculum that includes what science has firmly accepted

and has been referred to by the Qur’ān and classify them according to

modern sciences (chemistry, physics, medicine, agriculture, legislative

issues etc.) and insert them in the curriculums of every division of

theoretical or practical colleges to be at the disposal of our students,

subjects such as “Psychology in the Qur’ān” should be available for

study. This will, of course, make what scientists have accepted of the

signs in the Qur’ān to be a unique scientific subject which any person

could specialize in if they so desired. By so doing the Qur’ān, as

divine book, will become firm and strong in the minds of people. If

this can happen reward in this world and in the Hereafter will be

unmatchable.

305

Commentary by

Counselor/ Mohamed Badr Al-Minyawi

Former Attorney General, Member of Society's Board and

Rapporteur, Qur’ān Researches Committee, the Islamic Research

Academy.

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

counselor Dr. Chairman of seminar, lecturers, and participants, may

Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be with you. Welcome in the

Islamic Philanthropic Society.

Two matters force me to comment on this valuable seminar:

1- The great effort exerted by each of the lecturing scholars combing

knowledge, personal scientific experience and reading into the bright

future, with Allah's will. I would like to express thanks and

appreciation from the Islamic Philanthropic Society's Board for their

burdensome efforts in research and presentation. I pray to Allah to

reward them for that, looking forward for more direction and

guidance, in the service of Islam and Muslims, to clarify miraculous

and scientific aspects of the Glorious Qur’ān, in their renewable

nature and proof that it is revealed by Allah.

2- What made me comment on this subject is what mentioned by H.E.

Engineer Hassab Allah Al-Kafrawi, in his commentary, that he and

some of his colleagues think of encouraging academic studies, M.A.

and PhD in the field of scientific miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān and

the Sunna.

I would like to assure H.E. that this subject has been under

consideration for some time, to make Waqf for it, sponsored by the

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Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar and run by the Islamic Research Academy

with financing by Dr. Mohamed Shawki al-Fangari along with Faisal

Islamic Bank in Egypt, I am the reporter of the administrative

committee thereof.

The Waqf has, thanks to God, succeeded in putting things right

and allocated sufficient amounts to finance such research and listed

candidates, known scholars in the field, for supervision and review.

Yet there are certain issues to be settled, namely:

1- How to select subjects to be basis for M.A. and PhD theses, as the

miraculous nature of the Qur’ān depends on absorbing large amount

of specialized information, much of which has only recently been

discovered by science. This is something difficult to find among M.A.

and PhD students who are still in their first steps on ladder of

knowledge. It is no good to dictate to them headlines of topics

selected or imposed by the Islamic Research Academy according to its

authority in line with Article 15 of Al-Azhar's law, since we have not

yet implanted in the student's mind the importance of the subjects, and

did not provide them with scientific elements that enable a student to

achieve success in this field that is very difficult and required very

accurate conclusions.

2- Registering M.A. or PhD thesis in a certain specialization assumes

that miraculous nature of the Qur’ān is included or related to colleges

and in graduate studies. It is not easy, however, to introduce this in

many colleges because it requires procedures that can take some time.

We have, thanks to God, started to amend curriculums in some

colleges at Al-Azhar to include this specialization, and we are assisted

307

in this by specialized professors. May Allah bless this effort with

success.

These are some of the obstacles we faced in encouraging

academic M.A. and PhD studies. We are confident that Engineer

Kafrawi and his colleagues, which he referred to, can enable us to

overcome such difficulties. We are pleased to have him and any of his

colleagues at our Waqf board meetings and we will send written

invitation to him at the first meeting hoping that he would have time

to enrich thinking in this respect. It is no secret that he attended a

session of this board and made very excellent contributions in the

discussions there.

I would like to declare at this august gathering that The Waqf, which I

participate in managing it, welcomes every constructive suggestion to

encourage serious studies on scientific miracles in the Qur’ān, whether

at universities or outside, whether these suggestions are based on

current studies or they need new ones. Participants in managing this

Waqf at the headquarters of the Islamic Philanthropic Society Nasr

city, have instructions to receive any suggestion and present it so as to

be duly considered. Perhaps this may help it to come out of the closed

circle set by conferences and seminars as a result of fragile and

repeated recommendations which differ only in their wording. An

exception in this regard is a conference held in Sudan last year which

suggested the establishment of a union, or coordination among bodies

working in the field of scientific miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān. This

step was put into force in Makkah since last Ramadan (1423 H) we

308

wish it every success and progress in its operational steps. Thank you

for your listening. Peace be upon you.

----------------------

309

Commentary by

Counselor Dr. Al-Bayoumi Mohamed Al-Bayoumi

Vice Chairman, State Council, Professor of Shar'ia Policy

delegated to Al-Azhar University

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

and peace be upon His Prophet.

As a judicial counselor and on the occasion of this seminar on

the scientific miracles in the Glorious Qur’ānI am very much

interested in focusing on one aspect of these miracles, namely, the

legislative aspect represented in verses concerning Shura

(consultation) and pledge of allegiance, adopted by Islam fourteen

centuries ago. I tackled this subject in detail in my book "Pledge of

allegiance of the Ummah, what and how it should be today- Shar'ia

constitutional study."

In view of time limit for comment, I would like to deal with a

very important topic, succession, nomination of a candidate for the

post of ruler, from law and Shar'ia perspective. This means to

nominate somebody to become caliph, president in any form

according to a text from the former legitimate caliph or president. This

can be seen in Abu Bakr's nomination of Omar (May Allah bless them

both) to become his successor, and Omar's selection of six candidates

to choose one of them as caliph, they chose Othman.

In modern times this can be seen in a selection by a former

president of his successor. Such a selection should be first approved

by those who are in charge, wise people, the elite, or members of

legislative assemblies (parliaments), it does not stop at this point,

310

rather, the public or the people in general must approve such selection.

Nomination for such post was approved by the elite (wise men) and

validated by a pledge of allegiance in the past and free general

election at present, whether a candidate is one or many.

So it is the will of the electorate that matters, they are free to

decide and approve such candidacy or reject it as long as this election

process is within a free and fair election which took place in the frame

of Shura in the past or in true democracy at present. General good

should be taken into account in this process by selecting who is better,

more capable and efficient to run the people's affairs, not the interest

of one group or category of people in what was and is known as

Mo'wiya's democracy.

In view of the above mentioned we notice the following:

First: Direct and general election takes place where there is no

nomination of a successor, there are several candidates and the people

choose whoever is more capable and efficient to look after their own

affairs. This is the main principle of Shura in old times as Abu Bakr

was chosen at a meeting in (Al-Saqeifa), and in modern full

democracy in emerging and developed countries around us.

Nomination comes as an exception.

Second: Nomination of a successor involves contract between

the ruler and whom he chooses, this does not become set in stone until

after the Ummah so decides. This does not deprive voters from their

freedom of choice of a candidate.

Third: Nomination of a successor should be made without

affecting free pledge of allegiance or Shura and respect of the power

311

of the Ummah, as it happened in the earlier era in Islam. Misuse of the

principle of nomination of a successor, as it happens at present time,

should be ruled out, because this makes such a contract invalid, as this

nomination is used in the one party system as means to monopolize

power usurped by some persons without giving the Ummah its full

freedom to Shura or democracy.

Hence the role of Fiqh (Jurisprudence), Shar'ia policy and

constitutional Fiqh experts in both should devise rules and provisions

to apply the principle of succession within the scope of Ummah's full

freedom and selection of rulers, their control and accountability and

removal, when necessary, and remove all that makes a ruler a means

to monopolize power usurped by force from a predecessor.

We must learn lessons in selection of the enlightened Caliphs in

the past, and in developed and emerging nations around us at present.

In more general terms, political and constitutional reform is a must, it

is the case of every one and we must advocate and defend the same by

all legitimate means until it becomes a reality. This has become

individual duty upon the elite, the intellectuals in the Ummah, and

collective duty upon the public according to Islamic Fiqh.

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Table of Contents

The Translator's Introduction ............................................................ 5

Introduction By .................................................................................... 6

Chancellor Dr. Muhammad Shawky al-Fanjary .............................. 6

Chairman of the Islamic Charitable Association ................................... 6

Efforts and contributions of the Working Institutions in the Filed

of the Miraculousness of the Qur’ān and Sunah .............................. 8

Prof. Karem As-Sayyed Ghoneim ...................................................... 8

Regulations of Research .................................................................... 58

In the Scientific Miraculousness of the Glorious Qur’ān .............. 58

By Prof. Ahmed Fou'ad Pasha ......................................................... 58

From the Cosmic Miraculousness of the Glorious Qur’ān ........... 77

By Prof. Muhammad Ahmed Ash-Shahawy ................................... 77

The Linguistic Uniqueness of the Qur’ān ....................................... 92

By Prof. Abd El- Azim Ibrahim ....................................................... 92

Some of the Juristic Aspects of Uniqueness in the Qur’ān ..........102

By Prof. Muhammad R'afat Othman ............................................102

Some Aspects of the Psychological Miracles in the Glorious

Qur’ān ...............................................................................................129

By Prof. Sayed Subhy ......................................................................129

Some Aspects of the Innovative Medical Observations in the

Glorious Qur’ān ...............................................................................155

By Prof. Ahmad Shawqi Ibrahim ..................................................155

From the Qur’ānic Inimitability in the Sciences of the Earth ....198

By Prof. Zaghlol Ragab Mohammed EI- Nagar ...........................198

Some Manifestations of the Qur’ānic Inimitability in Entomology

............................................................................................................229

By Prof. Ali Ali AI-Morsy ...............................................................229

Standards of Making Economic Decision in the Glorious Qur’ān ............................................................................................................240

By: Prof. Muhammad Abd El-Halim Omar ......................................240

Glimpse of Qur’ānic Miracles in Economics ................................265

By: Dr. Shawki Ahmed Donya .......................................................265

Lights on Statistical Miracles in the Glorious Qur’ān .................290

Dr. Abdul Wahhab Aziz Al-Shirqawi ............................................290

Commentary by ................................................................................301

- Engineer/ Hassab-Allah Al-Kafrawi, Former Minister of

Housing .............................................................................................301

313

Commentary by ................................................................................305

Counselor/ Mohamed Badr Al-Minyawi ...........................................305

Commentary by ................................................................................309

Counselor Dr. Al-Bayoumi Mohamed Al-Bayoumi .........................309