Islam May Actually Be More Compatible With Science Than Christianity.

[Kaiser01]

I don't know why i keep this up, but I'm doing a study of other world religions, starting with Islam. Well i was on an Islamic website called "Islam 101" and i found something interesting.

 

 

• 
  Creation of the Universe in Six Days
  As per the Bible, in the first book of Genesis in Chapter One, the universe was created in six days and each day is defined as a twenty-four hours period. Even though the Qur’an mentions that the universe was created in six ‘Ayyaams’, ‘Ayyaam’ is the plural of years; this word has two meanings: firstly, it means a standard twenty-four hours period i.e. a day, and secondly, it also means stage, period or epoch which is a very long period of time.
  When the Qur’an mentions that the universe was created in six ‘Ayyaams’, it refers to the creation of the heavens and the earth in six long periods or epochs; scientists have no objection to this statement. The creation of the universe has taken billions of years, which proves false or contradicts the concept of the Bible which states that the creation of the Universe took six days of twenty-four hour durations each.
  
• 
  Sun Created After the Day
  The Bible says in chapter 1, verses 3-5, of Genesis that the phenomenon of day and night was created on the first day of creation of the Universe by God. The light circulating in the universe is the result of a complex reaction in the stars; these stars were created according to the Bible (Genesis chapter 1 verse 14 to 19) on the fourth day. It is illogical to mention the result that is the light (the phenomenon of day and night) was created on the first day of Creation when the cause or source of the light was created three days later. Moreover the existence of evening and morning as elements of a single day is only conceivable after the creation of the earth and its rotation around the sun. In contrast with the contents of the Bible on this issue, the Qur’an does not give any unscientific sequence of Creation. Hence it is absolutely absurd to say that Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) copied the passages pertaining to the creation of the universe from the Bible but missed out this illogical and fantastic sequence of the Bible.
  
• 
  Creation of the Sun, The Earth and the Moon
  According to the Bible, Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 9 to 13, the earth was created on the third day, and as per verses 14 to 19, the sun and the moon were created on the fourth day. The earth and the moon emanated, as we know, from their original star, the Sun. Hence to place the creation of the sun and the moon after the creation of the earth is contrary to the established idea about the formation of the solar system.
  
• 
  Vegetation Created on the third day and Sun on the fourth day
  According to the Bible, Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 11-13, vegetation was created on the third day along with seed-bearing grasses, plants and trees; and further on as per verses 14-19, the sun was created on the fourth day. How is it scientifically possible for the vegetation to have appeared without the presence of the sun, as has been stated in the Bible?
  If Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) was indeed the author of the Qur’an and had copied its contents from the Bible, how did he manage to avoid the factual errors that the Bible contains? The Qur’an does not contain any statements which are incompatible with scientific facts.
  
• 
  The Sun and the Moon both Emit light
  According to the Bible both the sun and the moon emit their own light. In the Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verse 16 says, "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night".
  Science tells us today that the moon does not have its own light. This confirms the Qur’anic concept that the light of the moon is a reflected light. To think that 1400 years ago, Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) corrected these scientific errors in the Bible and then copied such corrected passages in the Qur’an is to think of something impossible.
   
  

 

 

 

• 1948 years between Adam (pbuh) and Abraham (pbuh)
  
• Approximately 1800 years between Abraham (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh)
  
• 2000 years from Jesus (pbuh) till today
   
  

These figures are further confused by the fact that the Jewish calendar is currently on or about 5800 years old.

There is sufficient evidence from archaeological and anthropological sources to suggest that the first human being on earth was present tens of thousands of years ago and not merely 5,800 years ago as is suggested by the Bible.

The Qur’an too speaks about Adam (pbuh) as the first man on earth but it does not suggest any date or period of his life on earth, unlike the Bible - what the Bible says in this regard is totally incompatible with science.

 

 

 

The Biblical description of the flood in Genesis chapter 6, 7 and 8 indicates that the deluge was universal and it destroyed every living thing on earth, except those present with Noah (pbuh) in the ark. The description suggests that the event took place 1656 years after the creation of Adam (pbuh) or 292 years before the birth of Abraham, at a time when Noah (pbuh) was 600 years old. Thus the flood may have occurred in the 21st or 22nd Century B.C.

This story of the flood, as given in the Bible, contradicts scientific evidence from archaelogical sources which indicate that the eleventh dynasty in Egypt and the third dynasty in Babylonia were in existence without any break in civilisation and in a manner totally unaffected by any major calamity which may have occurred in the 21st century B.C. This contradicts the Biblical story that the whole world had been immersed in the flood water. In contrast to this, the Qur’anic presentation of the story of Noah and the flood does not conflict with scientific evidence or archaeological data; firstly, the Qur’an does not indicate any specific date or year of the occurance of that event, and secondly, according to the Qur’an the flood was not a universal phenomenon which destroyed complete life on earth. In fact the Qur’an specifically mentions that the flood was a localised event only involving the people of Noah.

It is illogical to assume that Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) had borrowed the story of the flood from the Bible and corrected the mistakes before mentioning it in the Qur’an.

 

I think it is interesting that Islam actually embraces common science, at least this website does. I think this is probably because the Quaran is alot more vague since it is mostly poetry, its much more flexible. I also think its just like Christianity that it must still stretch and rip itself to fit reality.

 

http://www.islam101.com/religions/christianity/faq.htm

[Dhampir]

We're talking about a god here, with the power of creation. It is not illogical, as suggested by this website for such a being to create in any order he sees fit. The only thing we can say about the bible, and the creation account is that it is inconsistent with what we currently understand about how the world came to be. That says nothing about what would be true if God or Allah had created things. No one was saying 1000 years ago that the facts of the quran would be independently verified. Furthermore, there is no science that says anything was created by a conscious intelligent agent. All of science is contradicted by that one assertion.

[Kaiser01]

We're talking about a god here, with the power of creation. It is not illogical, as suggested by this website for such a being to create in any order he sees fit. The only thing we can say about the bible, and the creation account is that it is inconsistent with what we currently understand about how the world came to be. That says nothing about what would be true if God or Allah had created things. No one was saying 1000 years ago that the facts of the quran would be independently verified. Furthermore, there is no science that says anything was created by a conscious intelligent agent. All of science is contradicted by that one assertion.

 

Yes i understand that, i was pointing out Islam was just more flexible than the bible, which is interesting and contrary to first thought.

[tothemorning]

Science mixed with fairy tales. I have a few fictional novels that also embrace common science. Seriously, Deepak Chopra is a Dr. who I appreciate because he has great perspective on the psyche. At times though, he goes places where I have to step back and say he just stepped out of reality into fantasy. My point being, science in a book does not denote truth for the whole book. I guess I can see how you find the science in the Quran as intriguing.

[florduh]

...i was pointing out Islam was just more flexible than the bible...

 

It is at least more vague.

[Kaiser01]

...i was pointing out Islam was just more flexible than the bible...

 

It is at least more vague.

 

The Koran is mostly poetry, so i think that's why it fits.

[Thought2Much]

While the Qur'an may be less in disagreement with science than the Christian Bible, it's not like the Bible is setting the bar very high to begin with.

[Guest Babylonian Dream]

 

Creation of the Universe in Six Days

As per the Bible, in the first book of Genesis in Chapter One, the universe was created in six days and each day is defined as a twenty-four hours period. Even though the Qur’an mentions that the universe was created in six ‘Ayyaams’, ‘Ayyaam’ is the plural of years; this word has two meanings: firstly, it means a standard twenty-four hours period i.e. a day, and secondly, it also means stage, period or epoch which is a very long period of time.

When the Qur’an mentions that the universe was created in six ‘Ayyaams’, it refers to the creation of the heavens and the earth in six long periods or epochs; scientists have no objection to this statement. The creation of the universe has taken billions of years, which proves false or contradicts the concept of the Bible which states that the creation of the Universe took six days of twenty-four hour durations each.

I actually spoke to an Imam who said that this was meant to be literal. Also, the Quran takes the stance that the geneologies of Genesis, are for the most part, accurate reflections of history.

 

Sun Created After the Day

The Bible says in chapter 1, verses 3-5, of Genesis that the phenomenon of day and night was created on the first day of creation of the Universe by God. The light circulating in the universe is the result of a complex reaction in the stars; these stars were created according to the Bible (Genesis chapter 1 verse 14 to 19) on the fourth day. It is illogical to mention the result that is the light (the phenomenon of day and night) was created on the first day of Creation when the cause or source of the light was created three days later. Moreover the existence of evening and morning as elements of a single day is only conceivable after the creation of the earth and its rotation around the sun. In contrast with the contents of the Bible on this issue, the Qur’an does not give any unscientific sequence of Creation. Hence it is absolutely absurd to say that Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) copied the passages pertaining to the creation of the universe from the Bible but missed out this illogical and fantastic sequence of the Bible.

Creation of the Sun, The Earth and the Moon

According to the Bible, Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 9 to 13, the earth was created on the third day, and as per verses 14 to 19, the sun and the moon were created on the fourth day. The earth and the moon emanated, as we know, from their original star, the Sun. Hence to place the creation of the sun and the moon after the creation of the earth is contrary to the established idea about the formation of the solar system.

Not completely absurd, it just depends on whose Bible. See the problem was, until the Septuagint, there wasn't really a Bible. There were just alot of books, considered Canon by whatever religious authority decided such. In Arabia, Christianity and even what counted as scripture, differed from that found to the northwest of them. Sometimes more than at other times.

 

IMO, their prophet, a literate arab (don't care what they say, he was a merchant, which were the very first class to ever develope writing! In fact, it was trade documentation that began writing!), had access to the writings telling of the beliefs of the local tribes. He lived in a multicultural society on the traderoute between the two great empires and Africa. He had alot he could draw on.

 

These variations don't a big difference make.

 

At least the Bible doesn't make the claim that someone could take a sword and cut the moon in half. As if it were a little disk in the sky or something.

 

Vegetation Created on the third day and Sun on the fourth day

According to the Bible, Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 11-13, vegetation was created on the third day along with seed-bearing grasses, plants and trees; and further on as per verses 14-19, the sun was created on the fourth day. How is it scientifically possible for the vegetation to have appeared without the presence of the sun, as has been stated in the Bible?

If Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) was indeed the author of the Qur’an and had copied its contents from the Bible, how did he manage to avoid the factual errors that the Bible contains? The Qur’an does not contain any statements which are incompatible with scientific facts.

Muhammad's access to the Bible, at least in its current form, would've been difficult, but not impossible. Like with Allah dividing the Heavens and the Earth, as if the Sky and Ground were solid objects once attached to one another but not no more, its more likely he got these parts from his pagan neighbors. I can get to why. It wouldn't be the only Muhammad the Shirk moment.

 

The Sun and the Moon both Emit light According to the Bible both the sun and the moon emit their own light. In the Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verse 16 says, "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night".

Science tells us today that the moon does not have its own light. This confirms the Qur’anic concept that the light of the moon is a reflected light. To think that 1400 years ago, Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) corrected these scientific errors in the Bible and then copied such corrected passages in the Qur’an is to think of something impossible.

I know right, so impossible! Epicurus must have been a prophet of Allah himself! Or could Muhammad have gotten that idea from the greeks? A greek man who lived long long before Muhammad. Besides, its not like it would've been all that hard to come to that conclusion. There are two possibilities, it has its own light or its reflected, just like a mirror (existing since Babylonian times at least).

 

1948 years between Adam (pbuh) and Abraham (pbuh)

 

Approximately 1800 years between Abraham (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh)

 

2000 years from Jesus (pbuh) till today

These figures are further confused by the fact that the Jewish calendar is currently on or about 5800 years old.

The Jewish calendar, is actually only about 2,300 years old. This is known because its based off the late Babylonian calendar, which formed from the earlier calendar, adding in the intercalary months as we see today. Well documented stuff. Also, fun fact, the Babylonian calendar was based off the Sumerian calendar, which means that it doesn't even go back 5,800 years, because the Amorites (Babylonians were a group of them) in that area only go back so far, like a few hundred years after the fall of the Akkadian Empire. Which means that they didn't even necessarily have contact with the Sumerians until about 4,500 years ago.

 

There is sufficient evidence from archaeological and anthropological sources to suggest that the first human being on earth was present tens of thousands of years ago and not merely 5,800 years ago as is suggested by the Bible.

More like 100,000 but okay, continue....

 

The Qur’an too speaks about Adam (pbuh) as the first man on earth but it does not suggest any date or period of his life on earth, unlike the Bible - what the Bible says in this regard is totally incompatible with science.

Because the guys age isn't listed, he all of a sudden becomes a possibility? That the Koran becomes more plausable? The Koran's story is based upon the same religious tradition!

 

It says plants, animals, and people were seperate creations, that says enough to make it invalid. Its a matter of fact, that the ancestor to all life on earth, was the ancestor to humans, animals, and plants.

 

The Biblical description of the flood in Genesis chapter 6, 7 and 8 indicates that the deluge was universal and it destroyed every living thing on earth, except those present with Noah (pbuh) in the ark. The description suggests that the event took place 1656 years after the creation of Adam (pbuh) or 292 years before the birth of Abraham, at a time when Noah (pbuh) was 600 years old. Thus the flood may have occurred in the 21st or 22nd Century B.C.

This story of the flood, as given in the Bible, contradicts scientific evidence from archaelogical sources which indicate that the eleventh dynasty in Egypt and the third dynasty in Babylonia were in existence without any break in civilisation and in a manner totally unaffected by any major calamity which may have occurred in the 21st century B.C. This contradicts the Biblical story that the whole world had been immersed in the flood water. In contrast to this, the Qur’anic presentation of the story of Noah and the flood does not conflict with scientific evidence or archaeological data; firstly, the Qur’an does not indicate any specific date or year of the occurance of that event, and secondly, according to the Qur’an the flood was not a universal phenomenon which destroyed complete life on earth. In fact the Qur’an specifically mentions that the flood was a localised event only involving the people of Noah.

It is illogical to assume that Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) had borrowed the story of the flood from the Bible and corrected the mistakes before mentioning it in the Qur’an.

Not illogical. Perhaps Muhammad saw the dates and knew he wouldn't be able to back it, so he simply omitted them?

 

Also, just because it ommits how long ago the flood happened, it doesn't take away from the fact that the story is impossible, period. It never happened, because it never could have happened.

 

I think it is interesting that Islam actually embraces common science, at least this website does. I think this is probably because the Quaran is alot more vague since it is mostly poetry, its much more flexible. I also think its just like Christianity that it must still stretch and rip itself to fit reality.

This is just Islam stretching itself to fit reality. In reality, the two are equally vague, and equally invalid.

[★ Citsonga ★]

At least the Bible doesn't make the claim that someone could take a sword and cut the moon in half. As if it were a little disk in the sky or something.

 

The Bible does talk about a third of the stars being cast down to earth. As if they are little dots in the sky or something.

 

 

But yeah, trying to figure out whether the Bible or Koran is more accurate is akin to trying to figure out which tabloid has the fewest fabrications.

[Kaiser01]

 

 

But yeah, trying to figure out whether the Bible or Koran is more accurate is akin to trying to figure out which tabloid has the fewest fabrications.

 

Lol,

[hereticzero]

The planets and moon as we know them, were not created by the sun we have now. We have a third generation star. The planets were a product of the previous stars or capturing errant planets or moons by gravity. The Kuran comes across as a 'modern' religious source, bragged about by some, but it was written nearly 600 years after the Common Era and over 1100 years after the Torah was written. Islam did not exist until 600 years after CE. Islam was the result of Christian incursion into the mid east to capture the 'holy land' from the nonChristians of the land, and the crusaders murdered millions of Arab xtians who came to defend their land from the Christian invaders. I don't see the relavence in the Koran or the Bible or the Torah as a 'science' book. people who study the universe will come to close comparisons whether through religion or science depending on whether they believe Woo made the universe by magic, in which they will try intelligently to explain their reasons, as well as the scientist who discovers what he learns through scientific data. Magic is not compatible with science I don't care how close the comparison.

[Suzy]

Doesn't the Quran teach that sperm comes from the man's spine? I read something like that.

[roadrunner]

I agree the vagueness plays to the advantage of islam. Had the bible not been do detailed it wouldnt so sound so stupid and at least be a little more open to interpretation as what we see in the other 97% of the bible. Now they are tethered to stupid obsolete beliefs. If only they had not underestimated man's ability to observe the cosmos through technology we would never know how foolish they were.

[Suzy]

I agree the vagueness plays to the advantage of islam. Had the bible not been do detailed it wouldnt so sound so stupid and at least be a little more open to interpretation as what we see in the other 97% of the bible. Now they are tethered to stupid obsolete beliefs. If only they had not underestimated man's ability to observe the cosmos through technology we would never know how foolish they were.

 

It could be worse. Imagine if they had included the Book of Enoch in the canon...

[Kaiser01]

I agree the vagueness plays to the advantage of islam. Had the bible not been do detailed it wouldnt so sound so stupid and at least be a little more open to interpretation as what we see in the other 97% of the bible. Now they are tethered to stupid obsolete beliefs. If only they had not underestimated man's ability to observe the cosmos through technology we would never know how foolish they were.

 

It could be worse. Imagine if they had included the Book of Enoch in the canon...

 

I have read that book before, its interesting but even more far fetched.