Quennel Gale at queball20@yahoo.com
Quennel Gale
According to Muslims, the Quran is the unadulterated word of God, proven to be scientific beyond a shadow of a doubt. It is considered perfect and without any error, theologically as well as scientifically. After the publication of the book "The Bible, the Qur'an and Science", by Dr. Maurice Bucaille, in 1979, Muslims have literally ran away with the alleged scientific proof for the Quran's divine authorship. Dr. Bucaille can be credited with this great new exploration into the idea of Scientific verfication of the Quran. Before his book, many Muslims never even dealt with the issue of science in the Quran. If you carefully observe the way Muslim apologists mimic Dr. Bucaille, you will notice that they follow his same method of proving the divine authorship of the Quran as illustrated here:
" The commentators on the Quo'ran are in agreement on all these verses: the number 7 means no more than plurality." He then goes on to conclude how the Quoran tells us about many possible worlds.
No wonder with such BROAD LATITUDE anything and everything in Quoran (or in any other religious text) can be made to fit anything and everything from bicycle to bevatron. One also hears arguments like the Quoran must be true because X was stated in Quoran and later it was shown by modern science that X is true. I would like to point out that many science fiction writers wrote about travel to the Moon and travel under the sea before technology made such feats possible. IF WE APPLY SIMILAR STANDARDS OF LOGIC THEN WE MUST CONCLUDE THA THESE SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS WERE INSPIRED BY AN OMNIPOTENT DIVINITY. -- Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya (Discussion on Science in the Quran; Found in Soc.Islam.group)
Basically Muslims usually read Science back into the text of the Quran. This requires alot of fancy wording and theories to validate ambiguous verses for a book herald as being divine. Muslim apologists believe that because of the alleged scientific verification of the Quran it is sufficient evidence proving that God inspired it. As we begin to analyze the Quran we will begin with the verse of Surah 21:104:
PICKTHAL: The Day when We shall ROLL UP THE HEAVENS as a recorder rolleth up a written scroll. As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise (binding) upon Us. Lo! We are to perform it.
SHAKIR: On the day when We will ROLL UP HEAVEN like the rolling up of the scroll for writings, as We originated the first creation, (so) We shall reproduce it; a promise (binding on Us); surely We will bring it about. Surah 21:104
In this verse the Quran elaborates about the Big Crunch, the projected ending of the universe. According to Muslim apologists this scientific miracle could only be known by God since Muhammad didn't have the tools nor the means of modern science to fortell such an event in explicit scientific language. To provide a better illustration of this alleged scientific miracle we will present this information from various Muslim websites specializing on Science found in the Quran:
The Koran describes the Big Crunch and the Cosmic Code in this statement: "The day when We shall ROLL BACK THE SKIES, like a scribe rolls up a written document. As We began the first creation, We shall surely repeat it. It is a promise (binding) upon us. Indeed it will happen." (Koran 21:104) (THE UNIFYING THEORY OF EVERYTHING; KORAN & NATURE'S TESTIMONY; Asadi, Muhammad; copyrighted 1997)
And,
(21:104) THE BIG CRUNCH - BIG SQUEEZE The Day when We shall ROLL UP THE HEAVENS AS A RECORDER ROLLETH UP A WRITTEN SCROLL. As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise (binding) upon Us. Lo! We are to perform it. (Qur’an, 21:104) “And they esteem not Allah as He hath the right to be esteemed, when the whole earth is His handful on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens are rolled in His right hand. Glorified is He and High Exalted from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him).” (Qur’an, 21:104)
According to modern cosmology, the Universe began about 10 or 15 billion years ago in an event known as the Big Bang. It has been expanding ever since. What WE DO NOT KNOW is whether it will go on expanding forever. If the density of matter in the Universe is sufficiently large, gravitational forces will eventually cause the Universe to stop expanding, and then to start falling back in upon itself. If that happens, the Universe will end in a second cataclysmic event that cosmologists call The Big Crunch.
The Big Crunch Theory is one scenario for the end of the universe. It states that when the universe is about 50,000,000 times its present age, or in 7.5x1017 (seven hundred fifty quadrillion) years, its expansion will stop. Then, ever so slowly at first, but gaining speed as it goes, the universe will begin to collapse.
After another seven hundred fifty quadrillion years, the universe will become an infinitely small point of infinite density and infinite temperature. What next? Who knows! The universe may continue to oscillate between Big Bangs and Big Crunches for all eternity. Or, the Big Crunch may be the end of everything. One thing is certain, however. If a new universe were created, it would have no memory of the old one. It could develop without regard for anything that happened before.
Many people have heard strange stories about the Quran, the Muslim holy book, claiming to hold scientific miracles. Ever since the writings of the infamous book "The Bible, the Qur'an and Science" by Mr. Baucille", and the increasing popularity of the internet, many Muslim websites sprung up alledging that the Quran verifies modern science and therefore must be the "revealed word of God". The problem any objective person should have about these fantastical claims is how exactly do we define how science proves godly inspiration.
Did Muhammad and early Muslims recognize these scientific miracles present in the Quran, or were they ignorant of these amazing facts? Is it the case of reading science back into ancient Quranic texts or does the Quran actually have scientific statements that only God could know? Lets investigate this matter to see if Islamic claims really hold up as Muslims would have us to believe. First of all it must be noted that no one should base their faith on science alone. Like many other forms of rational observational applications, science continues to evolve and discover as well as rediscover new truths all the time. This is very dangerous for Muslims to try and interpolate modern science back into the Quran. If new scientific evidence is discovered and it disproves what is being claimed today, then it would prove that Allah, the Muslim God, is wrong and ignorant about science.
We must also inform you that most Muslims wouldn't reject their faith based on new scientific discoveries, if they disproved the Quran. Any non-Muslim shouldn't embrace their faith based on Science alone. Such thinking is not only irrational and utterly foolish but is also very unwise because if science proves a particular Islamic "faith base science theory" wrong then, then Allah is in trouble.
When faced with the possibility of science contradicting an accepted Islamic stance, Muslims are very quick to dismiss earlier interpretations as being misunderstandings. However, if the Quran does explicitly state a particular scientific fact that can never be disproven, then we should never have to run into this problem. There would be no room for misintepretation but only clear cut statements on science, etc. As you saw above, in the quotes, from the various Muslim websites, they believe that the Quran is correct for claiming that the universe will end or experience a big crunch. Lets point out this statement from above:
When studying for the LSAT, or the "Law School Aptitude Test", one of the first things pointed out to the reader is the "If/Then" statements" of the Formal logical reasoning section. These are known as the contrapositive and can only occur IF a certain thing takes place. Notice that these Quranic verses are based on "IF" statements, which is very intriguing. Now IF Science discovers that the universe isn't going to end with the "Big Crunch" THEN this would explicitly prove that the Quran is incorrect and can't be from God.
1. Muslims may object to this because they may claim that these verses were misinterpreted and may not refer to the Big Crunch.
If these verses are misinterpreted, then we must conclude that all who promote these fantastic claims are misinterpreting the Quran also. This doesn't bode well for "Allah" since this would imply that the Quran is ambiguous and can't even be understood by simple human beings. This would also contradict the Quran itself since it claims to be easy to understood in clear speech:
Verily, We have made this (Qurán) EASY, in thy tongue, in order that they may give heed. S. 44:58
And We have indeed made the Qurán EASY to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive admonition? S. 54:17
But We have indeed made the Qurán EASY to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive admonition? S. 54:22
And We have indeed made the Qurán EASY to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive admonition? S. 54:32
And We have indeed made the Qurán EASY to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive admonition? S. 54:40
There is no room for ambiguous verses on Science in the Quran, more verse illustrate that the Qruan is clear to understand:
Say: "Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger. but if ye turn away, he is only responsible for the duty placed on him and ye for that placed on you. If ye obey him, ye shall be on right guidance. The Messenger's duty is only to preach the CLEAR (Message). S. 24:54
These are verses of the Book that makes (things) CLEAR. S. 26:2
These are verses of the Qurán,-a book that makes (things) CLEAR; S. 27:1
We have not instructed the (Prophet) in Poetry, nor is it meet for him: this is no less than a Message and a Qurán making things CLEAR: S. 36:69
Those who disbelieve, among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, were not going to depart (from their ways) until there should come to them CLEAR Evidence,- S. 98:1
Nor did the People of the Book make schisms, until after there came to them CLEAR Evidence. S. 98:4
According to the Quran, itself, the book is easy to understand and is in clear language. But why the vague verses on alleged scientific miracles? The potential for misinterpretation is enormous and simply can't be ignored. IF science disproves an alleged "Quranic miracle verse of Science" what would be the Muslim apologetic excuse? Easy, the answer would be misinterpretation. Also, why haven't we seen any notable Muslim apologists step up and show that potential Quranic verses about science can backfire against Islam? So, according to the Quran, the universe is going to end with the Big Crunch. However is this fact taught as being scientifically accurate? Has there been any new experiments reverifying this stance? We know that Muslims have been promoting this theory as a hard core fact. They believe that:
Using this very fallacious thinking the Muslim would not only expose their Quran as false, if evidence to the contrary was found, but it would also prove to non-Muslims that any religious faction can create alleged scientifical miracles to try and win new converts to their faith. God help them if their alleged scientifical miracles are proven wrong by science. First we must note that:
1. In accordance to the Big Bang Theory, which Muslims also claim is found in the Quran, Science HAS believed that the Universe will end with the Big Crunch.
We must also note that:
1. The Big Bang Theory, is well, a theory and not a fact.
2. Just like the Big Bang Theory, the Big Crunch is also a theory.
3. A Theory can be proven wrong.
4. If the Quran promotes a theory that is proven wrong then Muslims have a problem.
With that being said, what has recent scientific developments taught us about the Big Bang and the Big crunch? Is it a valid theory or has new scientific evidence disproven it? Muslims apparently have rested their case on the issue of the Big Crunch, since they figure that the Quran describes it, and therefore it must be true. The Big Crunch along with the Big Bang theory has been reported as being factual. However does Science still believe that the Big Crunch will occur? Surprise, surprise read:
In 1929, the astronomer Edwin Hubble made the startling discovery that distant galaxies are rushing away from our own Milky Way galaxy. The reason, according to Einstein's theory of gravity, is that the space between galaxies is stretching: The universe is actually getting larger.
Will the universe continue to expand forever... getting darker, colder, lonelier? Or will the expansion one day come to a halt and possibly reverse in a giant "implosion"... a kind of reverse of the Big Bang?
What Do We Need to Know?
If we can't predict next week's weather, how in the world can we predict the fate of the universe?
Einstein discovered a simple connection between space, time, and matter that appears to hold throughout the universe. According to this relationship, a typical chunk of space will expand at a rate that depends on the amount of matter and energy (e.g., light) in that chunk. (In the works: A Forum pop-up tutorial, "Einstein Made Simple.")
The theory predicts that THE UNIVERSE WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND FOREVER if there is, on average, less than about a sugar cube's worth of matter and energy per trillion cubic miles of space.
UNTIL RECENTLY, IT WAS THOUGHT THAT THE EXPANSION WILL REVERSE if there were more than this density of matter in the universe. But now astronomers have evidence that the universe MAY ACTUALLY BE ACCELERATING. If so, a strange new phenomenon must be at work — and this involves understanding new properties of "empty" space itself.
What's the Best Current "Answer"?
Twenty years ago, astronomers had not detected enough matter in the universe to reverse the expansion — so they concluded the universe would expand forever. Since then, astronomers have detected much more matter in various forms, though still just short of the amount needed to reverse the expansion. Some new theories, and new interpretations of the evidence, suggest that the universe is right on the dividing line between the two possibilities -- in which case, we don't know, and possibly won't ever know, the answer. But if recent evidence that the universe is accelerating turns out to be correct, then, based on our current understanding, the universe will expand forever. (WILL THE UNIVERSE EXPAND FOREVER?; found at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics ; © 1999 Smithsonian Institution, all rights reserved)
According to the latest and most recent scientific discovery, the universe will expand forever and won't result in the Big Crunch as taught in the Quran!!! Notice where the quote says "Until recently, it was thought that the universe would reverse in a big Crunch". This means that the Quran is totally wrong about the fate of the universe based on Science. Even if Muslims proceed to quote information verifying the Big Crunch lets note this for you:
1. This information about the Big Crunch is now outdated
2. Any new references repeating this information is just parroting old outdated information
3. This information may come from a Muslim source, which is circular and just proves that the Muslim is quoting their own people who already believe in the Big Crunch which is still outdated.
Do we have more evidence to prove our points? Yes:
THE UNIVERSE WILL EXPAND FOREVER. This prediction is based on NEW STUDIES OF DISTANT SUPERNOVAS. Because Type Ia supernovas (supernovas in which material falling onto a white dwarf from a companion object ignites violently) brighten and fade in such a predictable way, their intrinsic brightness (and their distances from Earth) can be determined by carefully watching light emission over time. Combining these distances with the velocities of the host galaxies (determined from redshifts) allows one to calculate the expansion of the universe with some confidence. And the result appears to suggest that THE UNIVERSE DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH MATTER (visible or dark) to halt the current expansion. This view emerged two weeks ago at the meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, where optical data for many new supernovas (including the most distant supernova ever observed, one with a redshift of 0.97) were reported by a group from LBL (led by Saul Perlmutter) and one from Harvard-Smithsonian (Peter Garnavich). THE NEW FINDINGS ARE CONISTENT WITH AN AGE ESTIMATE FOR THE UNIVERSE OF 15 BILLION YEARS. (Physics News Update The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Physics News; found at American Institute of Physics ; Number 355 [Story #1], January 20, 1998 by Phillip F. Schewe and Ben Stein; © 2002 American Institute of Physics)
Not only has recent scientific discovery proven the Big Crunch theory untruthful, but it was reported by some of the most respected "Physics" institutions and colleges (Harvard, Smithsonian, American Institute of Physics, etc.) since the year 1998. Now you know why it is risky to base faith and divine authorship of a book on Science and coincide them to the latest fads in religious apologetics. During the early 1970's-1990's, science seemed to agree with the Quran, however as new and more updated information surfaces, "The Big Crunch", taught by the Quran, is shown to be wrong. The universe will expand forever and ever according to Science.
To Expand Forever Or Collapse? NSF Telescope Sheds Light On Fate Of Universe
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, using a National Science Foundation (NSF) microwave telescope in Antarctica, have made a crucial measurement of cosmic background radiation that may help science to settle a fundamental question of whether the universe will expand forever or collapse back upon itself.
Scientists measured the dimensions of extremely distant gas clouds with the Viper Telescope, operated by the Center for Astrophysical Research (CARA) in Antarctica at NSF's Amundsen Scott South Pole Station.
Jeffrey Peterson, a Carnegie Mellon astrophysicist and the lead scientist on the Viper project, announced the findings on Dec. 18 in Paris, France at the Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics. The biennial meeting ATTRACTS THE WORLD'S FOREMOST ASTRONOMERS AND ASTROPHYSICISTS.
"These findings indicate that the material of the universe was given just the right kick by the Big Bang TO EXPAND FOREVER, NEVER COLLAPSING, but also never becoming so dilute that gravity can be ignored," according to Peterson. "This delicate balance is hard to understand unless inflation theory, or something akin to it, is correct."
Viper is used to make images of the faint structure, an anisotropy, seen in the sky. Astrophysicists widely accept that if the expansion of the universe were slowing, the glowing clouds of gas observed with Viper would be, in astronomical terms, relatively close by and would measure as much as one-half degree of arc across the sky. The discovery announced this week -- that the size of extremely distant gas clouds is, indeed, one-half degree on the sky -- indicates that the expansion of the universe is slowing at just the rate predicted by inflation theory.
Inflation theory holds that just after the Big Bang, as the universe expanded and cooled, it passed through a critical temperature, currently thought to be 100 billion degrees -- which changed the character of the laws of physics. As the proto universe passed through this critical temperature threshold, there was an enormous release of energy, which caused the universe to "inflate,' or to dramatically increase in size.
This inflation process would have caused the universe to expand with a precise "escape velocity," which would provide an explanation for the Viper findings. THE NEWLY RELEASED MEASUREMENTS INDICATE THAT THE UNIVERSE HAS JUST SUCH AN ESCAPE VELOCITY, Peterson stressed.
The anisotropy measurement is just a small part of the data collected from the telescope, which provides a snapshot of the universe as it was 300,000 years after the Big Bang, the cataclysmic event that set in motion the forces that created today's universe.
Previous cosmic background telescopes have been smaller than Viper and have not been able to focus in fine enough detail to measure the clouds as viper can. However, the CARA group's work with these earlier prototypes was critical to the new discovery. Karl Erb, the director of NSF's Office of Polar Programs, said "This advance is a fitting testament to the vision and dedication of the CARA scientists whose pioneering work proved that the South Pole is an ideal site for these delicate measurements." The two-meter Viper telescope began operation only last February.
Further observations by Viper and other telescopes under development by CARA's member institutions are planned to verify the newly released result.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by National Science Foundation for journalists and other members of the public. If you wish to quote from any part of this story, please credit National Science Foundation as the original source. You may also wish to include the following link in any citation: (To Expand Forever Or Collapse? NSF Telescope Sheds Light On Fate Of Universe; found at National Science Foundation ; Date: Posted 12/18/1998)
Now, if Muslims claimed that Science verified the Quran, and that it was a book from God, so if Science finds out that a certain previous theory is no longer valid, would this prove that the Quran isn't from God? Surely an all-knowing God would know that the Universe isn't going to end with a Big Crunch, once Science discovers this fact? Maybe we should rightly conclude that the Quran isn't from God anyway. Here is more information on the Universe, Big Crunch and the experiment in Antarctica about the nature of the universe:
To astronomers, flat means that the usual rules of geometry are observed - light not being bent by gravity travels in straight lines, not curves. But since Albert Einstein proposed that the Universe may be "curved", the debate has been open.
Scientific opinion has moved towards a flat Universe and the latest data confirm this with greater certainty than ever before.
Another result of the study is the prediction that the Universe WILL CONTINUE ITS STEADY EXPANSION, which started at the Big Bang, and WILL NOT COLLAPSE INTO A "BIG CRUNCH".
"It's a tremendously exciting result - and one that will mean REWRITING THE TEXT BOOKS ON THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE," said one of the research team, Professor Peter Ade at Queen Mary College, University of London.
Faint heat
The new information is an exquisitely accurate map of the very faint afterglow of heat left behind by the Big Bang. This is called the Cosmic Microwave Background and is equivalent to the tiny warmth given off by something just a few degrees above absolute zero, -273 degC.
Tiny temperature variations in the CMB, just 0.1% at most, allow scientists to test different models of how the Universe began and expanded.
The map paints a picture of the young Universe, just 300,000 years old - the cosmos is now over 12 billion years old. The chart was made by an international team led by Paulo de Bernardis of the University of Rome La Sapienza. He said: "It's really exciting to be able to see some of the fundamental structures of the Universe in their embryonic state.
The achievement, he said, was distinguishing the CMB from other interference: "The light we have detected has travelled across the entire Universe and we are perfectly able to distinguish it from the light generated in our own galaxy."
Sky high boomerang
The project to map the CMB was called Boomerang (Balloon Observations of Millimetric Extragalactic Radiation and Geophysics).
The measurements were made using a very sensitive telescope suspended from a balloon 40,000 metres (131,000 feet) above Antarctica. The instrument flew around the frozen continent between 29 December 1998 and 8 January 1999. It has taken since then to process the one billion measurements. The calculations alone would have taken six years to complete if run on a desktop computer. On the Cray T3E supercomputer at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, US, they took less than three weeks.
The fundamental cosmic parameters derived from the work are accurate to within just a few percent. The research is published in the journal Nature and in an accompanying commentary, Wayne Hu, of the US School of Natural Sciences, New Jersey, said: "The Boomerang result supports a flat Universe. A perfectly flat Universe WILL KEEP ON EXPANDING FOREVER, because there is not enough matter TO MAKE IT RECOLLAPSE IN A "BIG CRUNCH'."
The research backs the inflation theory of the Universe put forward in 1980, which suggests that the whole of the cosmos expanded from a single tiny point at the Big Bang.
At that time, and for a short while after, space was curved because it was confined in a small region. However, the Universe's expansion has been so great that space has now been stretched to the point that it is essentially flat. (Universe 'proven flat'; found at BBC NEWS ; Date: Posted Wednesday, 26 April, 2000, 19:59 GMT 20:59 UK)
Based on the recent scientific experiment in Antarctica, the universe, was proven to be flat. We will discuss this in another article in the near future. Because of this recent scientific discovery, science has shown that the universe won't end with a big crunch. This was such a great discovery until this noted scientist said this:
Conclusion: We have seen from investigating recent scientific developments that
1. The Universe is flat.
2. Because the Universe is flat it won't end with a Big Crunch
3. As of 1998, modern science has proven that the universe will expand forever.
4. The Quran, which talks about the big crunch, is false and disproved by Modern science.
5. If Science is used to prove the Quran it can be used to disprove it also.
If the Quran preaches a "Big Crunch" ending to the universe as shown in this surah:
PICKTHAL: The Day when We shall ROLL UP THE HEAVENS as a recorder rolleth up a written scroll. As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise (binding) upon Us. Lo! We are to perform it.
SHAKIR: On the day when We will ROLL UP HEAVEN like the rolling up of the scroll for writings, as We originated the first creation, (so) We shall reproduce it; a promise (binding on Us); surely We will bring it about. Surah 21:104
Then it is clearly in error according to modern science. According to Science, the Quran is wrong on the Big Crunch since recent experiments prove that the universe will continue to expand forever. On a fantastic website dealing with astronomical question sposed to NASA we find this mentioned about the Quran:
Dr. Sten Odenwald of NASA responds by saying:
Well...the best model we have to account for the data we have is that THE UNIVERSE WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND FOREVER. There has never been evidence that suggests we live in a closed universe slated to recollapse in the future. So, your question is answered by saying that ancient writings either got the right answer or the wrong answer. IN THIS INSTANCE THEY 'GUESSED' INCORRECTLY so there is really no historical mystery to explain. (Quran on Judgment Day; found at Big Bang Cosmology - Miscellaneous ; Posted on NASA Astronomy Site)
Even NASA has proven that the Quran is wrong and they dedicated a website with a direct response to a cosmological question on the Quran! Since Muslims claim that science verifies the divine origin of the Quran, we can declare that due to recent scientific experiments, there is no big crunch, and that the Quran isn't divine nor is it from God.
Quennel Gale at queball20@yahoo.com