Introduction
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One thing which surprises
non-Muslims who are examining the book very closely is that the Quran does not
appear to them to be what they expected. What they assume is that they have an
old book which came fourteen centuries ago from the Arabian desert; and they
expect that the book should look something like that – an old book from the
desert. And then they find out that it does not resemble what they expected at
all. Additionally, one of the first things that some people assume is that
because it is an old book which comes from the desert, it should talk about the
desert. Well the Quran does talk about the desert – some of its imagery
describes the desert; but it also talks about the sea – what it’s like to be in
a storm on the sea.
Merchant Marine
Some years ago, the story came to us in Toronto about a
man who was in the merchant marine and made his living on the sea. A Muslim
gave him a translation of the Quran to read. The merchant marine knew nothing
about the history of Islam but was interested in reading the Quran. When he
finished reading it, he brought it back to the Muslim and asked, “This Muhammad,
was he a sailor?” He was impressed at how accurately the Quran describes a
storm on a sea. When he was told, “No as a matter of fact, Muhammad lived in
the desert,” that was enough for him. He embraced Islam on the spot.
He was so impressed with the Quran’s description because
he had been in a storm on the sea, and he knew that whoever had written that
description had also been in a storm on the sea. The description of
“…a wave, over it a wave, over it clouds” (Quran 24:40)
…was not what someone imagining a storm on a sea to be
like would have written; rather, it was written by someone who knew what a
storm on the sea was like. This is one example of how the Quran is not tied to
certain place and time. Certainly, the scientific ideas expressed in it also
do not seem to originate from the desert fourteen centuries ago.
The Smallest Thing
Many centuries before the onset of Muhammad’s
prophethood, there was a well-known theory of atomism advanced by the Greek
philosopher, Democritus. He and the people who came after him assumed that
matter consists of tiny, indestructible, indivisible particles called atoms.
The Arabs too, used to deal in the same concept; in fact, the Arabic word
dharrah commonly referred to the smallest particle known to man. Now, modern
science has discovered that this smallest unit of matter (i.e., the atom, which
has all of the same properties as its element) can be split into its component
parts. This is a new idea, a development of the last century; yet;
interestingly enough, this information had already been documented in the Quran
34:3 which states:
“He [i.e., God] is aware of an atom’s weight in the heavens
and on the earth and even anything smaller than that…”
Undoubtedly, fourteen centuries ago that statement would
have looked unusual, even to an Arab. For him, the dharrah was the smallest
thing there was. Indeed, this is proof, that the Quran is not outdated.
Honey
Another example of what one might expect to find in an “old
book” that touches upon the subject of health or medicine is outdated remedies
or cures. Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, gave advice
about health and hygiene, which are found in his Prophetic Traditions, and until
today this advice is compelling and proven in the field of medicine.
The Quran is a divine revelation
and so are the Prophetic Traditions. The Quran sheds light on some remedies as
do the Prophetic Traditions; unlike Medical journals of today, there is no
information that is outdated in the Quran and the Prophetic Traditions..In
specific the Quran mentions one item that can be used as a treatment, which is
not in dispute by anyone. It states that in honey there is healing. And
certainly, I do not think that there is anyone who will argue with that!