The Qur’an & Modern Science

62:33

21 Jan 2012

History of Science, Miracles / Ijaz

Maurice Bucaille

Maurice Bucaille presents material here that is largely drawn from the section on the Qurʾān in his The Bible, the Quran and Science.  The focus of the talk is to prove the existence of God through the Qurʾān, by showing it represents scientific facts that could not be known in the seventh century, a form of i’jaz.

At one point, Bucaille notes that humans are not formed from a blood clot (as stated in the Qurʾān, min 42:30), but later he also says that none of the verses of the Qurʾān are refuted by modern science (min 52:00).

The material covered includes:  the expansion of the universe, the movements of the sun and moon, the light from the sun and moon, mountains and tectonic plates, water cycles in nature, the origin of life in water, gender in plants, human reproduction and the growth of embryos, evolution (min 35:20).

Video by Aziz R. Khan.
Place:  Islamic Foundation, Villa Park, Illinois (USA)  The date of the lecture is unknown, but is perhaps 1987, based on the reference in this web site.

Evaluation:

The material on Islam generally conforms with contemporary mainstream understandings.

Science generally does not address itself to “metaphysical knowledge” but to what may be observed in the natural world.  The thriving field of abiogenesis would suggest that there are rather many ways in which life may have begun “by chance”.  The material on the beginning of the universe seems to misunderstand current (and then-contemporary) science on the beginning of the universe as a whole.

There is insufficient historical content on which to base an evaluation.