Proof Islam is from God
9:59
26 Nov 2009
Embryology, Miracles / Ijaz
Keith L. Moore
A variety of speakers — Keith L. Moore, E. Marshall Johnson, T.V.N Persuad — are featured very briefly about how information pertaining to embryology is found in the Qurʾān. Another speaker, Allison (Pete) Palmer, speaks about mountains in the Qurʾān. The video has an introduction apparently supplied by “tubeislam.com”. Only the presentation by Moore is shown at any length, and nonetheless still not in its entirety. These are all examples of iʿjāz.
This video is apparently from the International Conference on Scientific Signs of the Qur;an and Sunnah, held in 1989 in Cairo, Egypt. There are many copies of this video on YouTube and elsewhere. The clips here seem to have been drawn from the documentary, Quran & Science.
Evaluation:
Although most of the speakers here are not Muslims, the use of this material generally conforms with modern use. In some cases the translations of individual terms have been questioned as post hoc interpretations.
The speakers all use the Qurʾān as a starting point from which to understand science, which scientists generally find a misapplication of the scientific method. Some of the speakers here have suggested that the quotes were taken out of context. For more about this, see vlogs by “TheRationalizer” in the Portal.
The historical assertions that the science of embryology of humans had not developed beyond Aristotle until the 17th century (well after the transmission of the Qurʾān) is incorrect, as Galen (2nd century CE) would have been an advance on Aristotle (4th century BCE). Numerous commentaries were written about medicine as well.
About Keith L. Moore
Keith L. Moore is a professor specializing in embryology who was born in Ontario, Canada in October of 1925. He earned a bachelor’s degree (1949), Masters of Science (1951), and a Ph.D. in microanatomy (1954) all from the University of Western Ontario. Moore has held several teaching positions in universities across Canada, though has been at the University of Toronto since 1976 where he was a Professor of Anatomy, Chair of the Anatomy Department and Associate Dean for Basic Medical Sciences. Moore is now recognized as a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.
Moore’s work revolves around embryology and writing science textbooks that are accessible to students. He has a long list of publications (his most recent publication is from 1994). He received an award from the American Medical Writers Association in 1974 for excellence in medical publications. At the intersections of Islam and science, Moore is known for having worked with King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia on embryology in the Qurʾān. This work included a special 1983 edition of his textbook co-written with Sheikh Abdul Majeed Zindani, alternating the standard material with discussions from the Qurʾān.
As of 2015, Moore operates no social media pages or personal websites, but still seems to be somewhat active in the academic field as he won the R. Benton Adkins, Jr. Distinguished Service Award in 2012.
Selected Bibliography:
“American Association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA) – Keith L. Moore, Ph.D.” American Association of Clinical Anatomists. American Association of Clinical Anatomists, n.d. Accessed 03 June 2015.
“Keith L(eon) Moore.” Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Biography in Context. Accessed 3 June 2015.
“Keith Leon Moore.” American Men & Women of Science: A Biographical Directory of Today’s Leaders in Physical, Biological, and Related Sciences. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Biography in Context. Accessed 3 June 2015.
“Science Islam – Scientists Comment on the Quran.” Science Islam – Scientists Comment on the Quran. Islam Tomorrow, n.d. Accessed 03 June 2015.
Golden, Daniel. “Western Scholars Play Key Role in Touting ‘Science’ of the Quran.” Wall Street Journal, 23 Jan 2002. Accessed 08 June 2015.