Holy Quran and Scientific Facts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15575/ijik.v14i2.43844Keywords:
Quranic insights, science, compatibility, exploration, creation, universe.Abstract
A remarkable array of facts about the universe—spanning cosmology, biology, physics, geology, and other disciplines—are mentioned in the Holy Quran, a text revealed approximately fourteen centuries ago. Many of these statements have only been understood and confirmed with the advent of modern science and technology. This article explores the consonance between scientific discoveries and Quranic verses, addressing key topics such as the origin, eventual fate, and recycling of the universe; the formation of iron; the geological significance of mountains; the role of the frontal lobe in human behavior; and the mechanisms of pain perception. By examining these subjects, this study underscores the alignment between the Quranic descriptions and contemporary scientific knowledge, dispelling misconceptions that religious texts promote conservative thinking or hinder the understanding of the physical universe. The findings suggest that the Holy Quran complements scientific inquiry rather than contradicting it, fostering a deeper appreciation of both science and spirituality.References
Al-Andalusi, A. A. (2015). The rise and decline of scientific productivity in the Muslim world: A preliminary analysis. ICR Journal, 6(2), 229–246.
Al-Hayani, F. A. (2005). Islam and science: Contradiction or concordance. Zygon, 40(3).
Al-Najjar, Z. (2007). Tafsir al-Ayat al-Kawniyyat fi al-Quran al-Karim. Cairo: Maktabat Al-Shuruq Al-Dawliyyat.
Andre, S. (2020). Science and religion: An alternative view of an ancient rivalry. Open Journal of Philosophy, 10(4), 494–510.
Badri, M. (2018). Contemplation: An Islamic psychospiritual study (New edition). International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT).
Bakry, M. A., & Shafeek, A. T. (2021). Big rip and big crunch cosmological models in a gravitational field with torsion. Gravitation and Cosmology, 27, 89–104.
Barbour, I. G. (1997). Religion and science: Historical and contemporary issues. HarperOne.
Bastian, N., & Pfeffer, J. (2022). Star cluster ecology: Revisiting the origin of iron and age complex clusters. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 509(1), 614–618.
Betz, U. A. K. (2024). Science and religion united: The salvation machine. Springer Nature.
Chayer, C., & Freedman, M. (2001). Frontal lobe functions. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 1(6), 547–552.
Deen, S. M. (2007). Science under Islam: Rise, decline and revival. Lulu.com.
Djamdjuri, D. S. (2021). The miracles of Al-Quran: Al-Quran as a grace and guidance of Muslims. Asatiza: Jurnal Pendidikan, 2(2), 89–97.
Dubin, A. E., & Patapoutian, A. (2010). Nociceptors: The sensors of the pain pathway. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 120(11), 3760–3772.
Ecklund, E. H. (2010). Science vs. religion: What scientists really think. Oxford University Press.
Farooq, M. U., Munir, S., & Aziz, T. (2020). Physical phenomena: A perspective of Quran and modern physics. Al-Qamar, 103–114.
Gadalla, M. (2016). Egyptian cosmology: The animated universe. Moustafa Gadalla.
Guessoum, N., & Bigliardi, S. (2023). Islam and science: Past, present, and future debates.
Gyekye, K. (2009). Relationship between religion and science: An overview. Legon Journal of the Humanities, 20, 1–22.
Hassan, M. K. (2018). The necessity of understanding the cosmos, nature and man, as well as the unity of knowledge, faith and ethics from the worldview of the Qur’an: Implications on an international Islamic university. Revelation and Science, 8(2), 1–12.
Ikpendu, E. L., & Shinge, D. A. (2020). An overview of the cosmological Big Bang theory of the universe. International Journal, 18(1), 105–124.
Iqbal, Z., Jadoon, A., Anwer, N., Idrees, H. M., Aleem, A., & Mahmood, N. (2022). Exegetical analysis of Big Bang theory in the light of Quranic explorations & scientific theory. Central European Management Journal, 30(4), 2388–2392.
Kandel, E. R., Schwartz, J. H., Jessell, T. M., Siegelbaum, S., Hudspeth, A. J., & Mack, S. (2000). Principles of neural science (Vol. 4). McGraw-Hill New York.
Karagözoğlu, B., & Karagözoğlu, B. (2017). Contribution of Muslim scholars to science and technology. Science and Technology from Global and Historical Perspectives, 137–184.
Kellert, S. R., & Farnham, T. (2013). The good in nature and humanity: Connecting science, religion, and spirituality with the natural world. Island Press.
Khoury, J., Ovrut, B. A., Seiberg, N., Steinhardt, P. J., & Turok, N. (2002). From big crunch to big bang. Physical Review D, 65(8), 86007.
Kripka, M., & Kripka, R. M. L. (2008). Big crunch optimization method. International Conference on Engineering Optimization, Brazil, 1–5.
Larsen, K. (2006). Swords and sky stones: Meteoric iron in The Silmarillion. Mallorn: The Journal of the Tolkien Society, 44, 22–26.
Lewin, G. R., & Moshourab, R. (2004). Mechanosensation and pain. Journal of Neurobiology, 61(1), 30–44.
Li, G., West, A. J., & Qiu, H. (2019). Competing effects of mountain uplift and landslide erosion over earthquake cycles. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 124(5), 5101–5133.
Malloy, P. F., Cohen, R. A., Jenkins, M. A., & Paul, R. H. (2006). Frontal lobe function and dysfunction.
McGrath, A. E. (2020). Science & religion: A new introduction. John Wiley & Sons.
Mostarhami, S. I. (2016). The physical element of the creation of the world from Quranic and cosmological viewpoints. Journal of the Holy Quran and Islamic Texts, 6(24), 141–156.
Mutahhari, M., & Campbell, R. (1985). Fundamentals of Islamic thought: God, man and the universe. Mizan Press.
Niki, C., Kumada, T., Maruyama, T., Tamura, M., & Muragaki, Y. (2019). Role of frontal functions in executing routine sequential tasks. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 169.
Norgaard, R. B. (2002). Can science and religion better save nature together? BioScience, 52(9), 842–846.
Nurowski, P. (2021). Poincare–Einstein approach to Penrose’s conformal cyclic cosmology. Classical and Quantum Gravity, 38(14), 145004.
Oppy, G. (2018). Naturalism and religion: A contemporary philosophical investigation. Routledge.
Poya, A., & Rizapoor, H. (2023). Al-Ghazali’s theory of real knowledge: An exploration of knowledge integration in Islamic epistemology through contemporary perspectives. International Journal of Humanities Education and Social Sciences, 3(2).
Qureshi, F. (2021). Comparison of ayats of the Quran with astrophysics, quantum physics, and cosmology. Journal of Quranic Sciences and Research, 2(1), 47–53.
Rahman, S., Street, T., & Tahiri, H. (2008). The unity of science in the Arabic tradition: Science, logic, epistemology, and their interactions. Springer.
Riess, A. G. (2020). The expansion of the universe is faster than expected. Nature Reviews Physics, 2(1), 10–12.
Saad, B. (2023). Mountains gravitational pegs stabilize the Earth’s rotation motion. Emirati Journal of Space Science, 1(1), 4–25.
Shogar, I. A. (n.d.). The scientific thinking in Islam: Factors of flourishing and decline.
Sullivan, A. T. (1984). The genius of Arab civilization. American-Arab Affairs, 10, 129.
Taslaman, C., & Doko, E. (2021). The Quran and the construction of the scientific mind. Templeton Foundation, Kalam Research and Media Journal.
Thawaqib, J. (2012). The contribution of Islamic civilization to the scientific and technical advancement of the world. Message of Thaqalayn, 13(2).
Vaas, R. (2012). Time after time—Big Bang cosmology and the arrows of time. The Arrows of Time: A Debate in Cosmology, 5–42.
Wang, Z., Gao, B., Jiang, Y., & Yuan, S. (2009). Investigation and assessment on mountain tunnels and geotechnical damage after the Wenchuan earthquake. Science in China Series E: Technological Sciences, 52, 546–558.
Watts, F. (1997). Are science and religion in conflict? Zygon, 32(1), 125–138.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Â