It is said that some scientific and historical facts that are mentioned in the Qur'an, coming from various cultures and nations of the world. How can you clarify this?
Submitted by on Tue, 23/02/2010 - 22:46
Dear Brother / Sister,
Allah the Glorious sent a prophet (apostle) to every people. The prophets did not only care for matters in people’s religious lives, but they also led them in scientific and technical matters which meet their worldly needs. In this sense, one should not think that ancient people were away from science and technique.
Some of the matters mentioned in Quran were also known in the era of ancient communities; because they were also sent prophets, who told them some matters.
For instance, the event of Noah’s Flood mentioned in Quran and some other events take place in many other sources, in addition to Torah and Bible, Sumerian and Babylonian sources, Greek legends, legends of Satapatha, Brahman and Mahabharata in India, in some legends told in Wales of United Kingdom, in Scandinavian legends of Edna, Lithuanian legends and some Chinese tales, with a lot of similarities.
How is it possible that such detailed information compatible with each other is available in different cultures which are so far away from each other and from the region where the Flood took place both culturally and geographically?
The answer to the question is obvious: The fact that same event is told in inscriptions and legends of these peoples - which are impossible to have contact with each other in ancient times - is an obvious evidence indicating that they gained information from a divine source. It is apparent that the Flood, which is one of the greatest destroying events throughout the history, was told by prophets who were sent to different peoples for them to draw lesson from it and thus various information about the Flood was settled in different cultures.
In addition to this, even though the event of the Flood and story of Noah are recorded in many cultural and religious sources, they have been changed a lot because they have been distorted or retold incorrectly deliberately. We see that the only narration about the Flood, which is in line with scientific findings, amongst all narrations about the Flood which have some differences, is the one in Quran.
Allah has not left any people without a prophet; but He sent prophets to them in order to convey the message of the religion to them. For this reason, it is not right to claim that Sumerians lived without a prophet, because it is obviously recorded in hadiths that 124.000 prophets were sent to convey the message. Moreover, the most important cause of the prophets is to convey the realities of tawhid (oneness of God) and faith to people. For this reason, it is quite normal that some events told in Sumerian legends can be also found in Torah, Psalms, Bible and Quran; because, the cause of the prophets is the same and the addressees are humans, and the owner of the religions is Allah. There is nothing to find strange in this.
1- The verse “Allah is He who raised the heavens without any pillars that ye can see.” has abolished the superstition that heavens stand on mountains.
2- Creation is explained as such in Quran: “To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth” (al-An’am, 101). This verse harbingered 1400 years ago the reality that whole cosmos together with its dimensions of time and place emerged with a big bang, out of non-existence, which is the latest point reached by scientists.
3- It is a scientific finding accepted by scientists that cosmos is constantly expanding. Quran indicates to this with the following verse: “With power and skill did We construct the Firmament: for it is We Who create the vastness of pace.” (al-Dhariyat, 47)
4- Another scientific finding of the 20th century is the fact that each star and celestial body move on a fixed orbit. This is stated in Quran as such: “It is He who created the Night and the Day, and the sun and the moon: all (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course.” (al-Anbiya, 33).
5- It used to be thought that the Sun was stable. However, Quran says that the Sun is not a stable celestial body, but contrarily, it is one that constantly moves on a certain speed. And after centuries, science confirmed it. “And the sun runs his course for a period determined for him: that is the decree of (Him), the Exalted in Might, the All-Knowing.” (Ya Sin, 38)
Questions on Islam
- If there is no difference between magic and miracle, how can it be understood that miracle is different from magic?
- Where and how was the Bible revealed to the prophet Jesus (PBUH)?
- Did the great personalities that advanced in spirituality reach those high ranks by worshipping day and night? Or were they (saints and prophets) given those ranks by birth?
- Do the miracles only exist in the Holy Qur'an? Are there any miracles in the Bible?
- Were there any human beings that were created before Hazrat Adam? What was created first? Were there any human beings before Adam?
- How would you answer the claims that the incidents like the Deluge of Noah (Nuh) and the Red Sea being split into two are mentioned in the Sumerian, Babylonian and Egyptian resources and that they were copied from those resources?
- Can all religions be of Sumerian origin?
- The Flood of Noah
- Could Islam, the Old Testament and the New Testament have been affected by Sumerians?
- Which prophet was sent to the Sumerians?