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21
Besides the fact that these verses speak of different events, they in fact contain scientific knowledge that was only to be known to mankind after Einstein's publication of his Theory of Relativity in 1905.
First let us read the three verses referred to:
A day with your Lord is like a thousand years of your count. 22:47
He organises the affair from heaven to earth, then it ascends to Him in a day the measure of which is one thousand years of your count. 32:5
The angels and the Ruh ascend to Him in a day the measure of which was fifty thousand years. 70:4
The first two verses (22:47and32:5) speak of a day relative to God (1000 years of our count). In contrast, 70:4 does not speak of a day relative to God. Therefore, before demonstrating the scientific significance of these verses, it must be said that there is no contradiction between the first two verses and the third verse.
Scientific significance:
The Theory of Relativity states that gravity bends space-time, and thus there is no such thing as 'absolute time'. Time, measured in one frame of reference, will run faster or slower when measured from a different frame of reference.
This phenomenon is called 'Time Dilation'. The equation which predicts the 'stretching' of time is:
T = t divided by the square root of [1 - (V x V)divided by (C x C)]
t = length of a time interval for us
T = length of a time interval for another frame of reference.
V = velocity of other frame of reference
C = speed of light (approx. 300,000 km/second)
The mathematics of Relativity tells us that no physical matter can travel at a speed faster than the speed of light. If a body travels faster than the speed of light (where V is greater than C) we would get a negative value for the section marked between the [ ...... ], but since there is no square root for a negative value, the equation cannot accept speeds greater than the speed of light.
However, it has been discovered that some particles travel faster than light. These are called 'tachyons'. They cannot travel at the speed of light, only faster.
The amazing notation of these Quranic verses, besides confirming the theory of 'Time Dilation', is that they confirm the fact that if there is such frames of reference where one day is equal to a thousand years of our count, and even fifty thousand years of our count, they must be travelling at speeds many times faster than the speed of light.
These frames of reference cannot be physical, and that is because according to the Relativity equations, the speed of light is the limiting factor in our physical world.
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22
We gave Moses nine clear signs, so ask the Children of Israel when he came to them and Pharaoh said to him, "I think that you, Moses, are bewitched. 17:101
The Quran speaks of nine signs/miracles and not nine plagues.
In 7:133 we are told of five of the nine:
1- The flood
2- The locusts
3- The lice
4- The frogs
5- The blood
In 7:107 and 108 we are told of:
6- The rod that turned into a snake.
7- His hand that turned white.
In 7:130 we read about:
8- The drought and shortage of crops.
And in 28:35 we read:
9- God gave Moses and his brother authority which prevented Pharaoh and his people from harming Moses.
That makes a total of nine signs/miracles and not nine plagues.
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23
God never assigns to any self except what is within its capacity; to its credit is what it earns, and against it is what it commits. 2:286
The words "what it earns" and "what it commits" speak about one's deeds, hence God will hold every person accountable for his own deeds.
Now let us read 2:284, starting from the last words of verse 283:
Anyone who withholds a testimony is sinful at heart. God is Knowledgeable of what you do.
To God belongs everything in the heavens and in the earth, and whether you reveal your innermost thoughts, or keep them hidden, God holds you accountable to them.
By reading verses 283 and 284 together it becomes apparent that the subject of verse 284 is the withholding of the testimony.
Declaring a testimony or concealing it is a matter that can have grave results when verdicts are given in courts of law. Concealing a testimony that is beneficial to a defendant can seriously damage his/her case. This is why the issue of concealing a testimony is considered an accountable deed.
The claimed contradiction between the two verses is non-existent.
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24
To demonstrate the truth of these verses and their implication, it is first necessary to examine what is described in the Quran as forgivable and what is described as unforgivable. This information is given in the following verse:
God does not forgive the association of anything with Him (shirk), and He forgives other than that for whom He wills. Anyone who associates anything with God has forged a gross sin. 4:48
We also read in 48:2 that God promised prophet Muhammad that his past as well as future sins would be forgiven: "so that God may forgive your former sins as well as the latter ones" (48:2). Do these words mean that God would forgive Muhammad even if he committed shirk?
The answer is given in the following verse:
It has been inspired to you (O Muhammad), and to those before you, that if you ever commit shirk, your work will be nullified and you will be among the losers. 39:65
If God promised Muhammad that all his sins (past and future) would be forgiven (48:2), why is God telling Muhammad that all his work could be nullified and that he would be among the losers?
We also have the following significant verses:
Say (O Muhammad), "I am commanded to be the first to submit", and do not be of the mushrikeen.
Say, "I fear, should I disobey my Lord, the punishment of a great Day." 6:14-15
The same question applies here. If God promised Muhammad that all his sins (past and future) would be forgiven (48:2), why should Muhammad fear the punishment of a great Day (6:15)?
The answer, which applies to both questions, is that God's promise in 48:2, to forgive Muhammad's past and future sins applies to all sins except shirk (setting up partners with God).
There is no contradiction between the two verses.
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25
And of everything We created a pair, perhaps you will be reminded. 51:49
The author of the claim wrote:
'I took the freedom to ask around on the biology newsgroups to find out more about this claim. Here is a list of some responses I got:
There are quite a few examples of organisms which are exclusively parthenogenetic (one sex). I might refer you to Graham Bell's "The Masterpiece of Nature", a weighty tome which has all you could care to know about the evolution of sexual reproduction.
The list is actually decently long : bacteria, fungi imperfecti, etc. All members of the Monera Kingdom reproduce asexually only. Yes, the Plantae and Protista Kingdoms do produce both ways, but almost never only asexually. As for the fungi, a certain group, the fungi imperfecti, are classified as such because no forms of sexual reproduction have been observed. Concerning your question about "higher" species, no members of the Kingdom Animalia produce only asexually (the scientific term is not non-sexual). There are some rare cases of lysogeny (sp?), but it is very rare. Hope this helps.
Could it be that God is wrong? And wrong in so many cases? Or could it be that the one who was wrong here was not God? Maybe Muhammad was a good observer of the world around him, but he was not omniscient. And it shows in the above and other contradictions collected here.'
In reply to this claim, we remind ourselves that the words of the verse say:
Of everything We created a pair. 51:49
The words "of everything We created a pair" have been misinterpreted to mean that God created a male and female of every plant and every animal. Due to this erroneous interpretation, the sceptics labelled the Quran as scientifically inaccurate since there are some species which are exclusively parthenogenetic (one sex) like members of the MoneraKingdom.
However, the words in 51:49 do not speak of the male and the female but of a much broader arrangement. Three words in 51:49 point to the correct meaning:
The words "We created" and the word "everything" indicate that God is speaking about the time when "everything" in the universe was "created" and not just the creation of the plants and animals on earth.
The science of Quantum Mechanics tells us that for every elementary particle in the universe a corresponding partner called anti-matter was also created. Matter and Anti-Matter is the pair God speaks about in the creation of "everything".
If a particle and its own anti-particle collide, they cancel one another out. They destroy one another and turn into a flash of pure energy which can manifest itself as light.
For many years this theory remained a theoretical hypothesis, since no anti-matter was ever produced in a lab. However, very recently a Swiss based scientist confirmed that anti-matter has been manufactured in tiny amounts!
Scientists at the European Particle Physics Laboratory (CERN), on the Franco-Swiss border, have now set up the world's first anti-matter factory, one of them, Professor Frank Close, told the annual science festival in Wales:
"Nine atoms of anti-hydrogen were produced just over a year ago. Now, the new factory will produce them at a rate of more than 2,000 atoms per hour."
When matter meets anti-matter, they annihilate each other in a flash. The scientific consensus is that when the universe was created, matter and anti-matter emerged equally from the Big Bang.
Once again we witness the Quran's amazing scientific content. The subject of 51:49 which the author failed to interpret correctly, is in fact yet another very accurate piece of knowledge. This verse as seen addresses the theory of Quantum Particle Properties and not the type of 'Reproduction System' (male/female) of one species of plants or another.
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26
First of all verses 96:1-2 do not say 'blood clot'. The correct translation of these two verses is:
Read in the name of your Lord who created.
He created the human being from 'aalaq'. 96:1-2
The word "aalaq" literally translates as: that which clings. This highly accurate scientific description describes the fertilized egg as it clings to the wall of the mother's womb. It is clear that the author of the false claim has been reading an inaccurate translation of the Quran.
Now let us read the other contested verses, we start with 21:30:
Have the disbelievers not seen that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, then We ripped them apart, and that We made from water all living things? Will they not believe? 21:30
Current scientific knowledge confirms the dual meaning of this verse:
1- The history of life on Earth confirms that all life originated from water, then crept onto land, later birds were created then mammals and finally man. Therefore the phrase: "We made from water all living things" is accurate in that respect, and it confirms that all life originated from water.
2- When the chemical composition of any living organism (including the human body) is analysed, it is found that it is formed mainly of water (at least 80% or more). This again confirms the accuracy of the phrase "We made from water all living things". In other words all living things are largely composed of water.
It is indeed interesting, and along the same lines, to note that it was found that all liquids in our bodies (tears, saliva, blood, urine, perspiration......etc) contain the same percentage of salt as is found in the oceans. This provides a further link confirming the origin of all life being water.
Next, we move on to the verses that state that man was created from clay, mud, and dust. Since dust and mud are the same substance, dust being dry mud, they can be addressed as one.
History of life on Earth confirms that at the early stages of the development of the Earth, and before life was formed, the Earth was still very hot, too hot for water to exist in liquid form. Gradually, when the Earth cooled sufficiently, the water that condensed and formed the seas and oceans mixed with dirt to form mud. Out of the moulding mud was born the simplest living organisms, in the shape of bacteria and single cell organisms. From these early forms of living organisms originated higher and more complex forms culminating in the creation of man from the same origin, which is mud.
This scientific theory is confirmed in the Quran:
We created the human being from clay, formed from putrid dark mud. 15:26
Also 3:59, 30:20, 35:11
Next we read the following verse:
Does the human being not remember that We created him previously and he was nothing? 19:67
On closer inspection we note that this verse does not say that we were created from nothing (as the author of the claim would interpret), the verse says that before we were created we were nothing. There is a big difference between saying,
'we were created from nothing'
and between ' before we were created , we were nothing'
Finally, we are told in the Quran that the human being is created from a drop of fluid [16:4, 75:37]
He created the human being from a tiny drop. 16:4
Does the human being think that he will be left to go unchecked?
Was he not a tiny drop of ejected semen,
then he became an aalaqah, which He created and fashioned,
then He ordained from it the two sexes, the male and the female?
Is such One not able to bring the dead to life? 75:36-40
These verses describe the initial stage of the formation of the embryo, and the fertilization of the female egg by the male sperm. Once again, this is in line with scientific knowledge.
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27
The two verses contested are :
O you who believe, do not enter homes other than your homes until you have been made welcome, and until you greet their people. This is better for you, may you then remember.
If you find no one in them, still do not enter them until permission has been granted you. 24:27-28
There is no blame upon you for entering uninhabited homes wherein there are some of your belongings. God knows what you reveal and what you conceal. 24:29
The two verses speak of two different types of homes.
The words "greet their people" in verse 27 confirm that the subject is homes that are inhabited. In contrast, the words "uninhabited homes" in verse 29 tell us that the subject in verse 29 is homes that are not inhabited.
In essence, 24:29 says that the believers may enter uninhabited homes, where there are things that belong to them in order to get their belongings.
There is no contradiction between the two verses.
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28
The words in 24:23 read:
Those who accuse chaste, unsuspecting believing women, are cursed in the world and in the Hereafter, and they shall have a great punishment. 24:23
Now when we read 24:5, we read the words:
Except for those who repent after that and reform, for God is Forgiver, Merciful. 24:5
The words "after that" in 24:5 mean after they have received the punishment which is detailed in 24:4. Moreover, because God is the Most Merciful, He will forgive those who commit such a sin if they "repent and reform".
To conclude, those who commit the sin of falsely accusing married women will be severely punished by God, except those of them who repent and reform after committing such a sin.
Once again the contradiction is due to poor understanding of the Quran.
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29
The reply to this claim is two-fold.
First, by reading verses [39:73, 41:30, 57:21, 79:41] we see that they speak of Paradise in general. They do not speak of how many gardens there are in Paradise. In that respect, they do not contradict verses [18:31, 22:23, 35:33, 78:32] that speak of many gardens inside Paradise.
Second and more importantly, all descriptions of Heaven and Hell throughout the Quran are allegorical. The Quran tells us that these descriptions are allegorical, whenever such descriptions occur as independent statements, not within a general subject, see 13:35 and 47:15. The word "Mathal" (allegory) is used in these verses. Linguistically, the word "Mathal" in these verses can be removed, and we would still have perfect sentences, but it is there because the descriptions of Heaven and Hell are allegorical.
What Heaven and Hell are really like is far beyond our comprehension. Hence the need for allegory. How can one describe, for example, the taste of chocolate to a person who never tasted chocolate? Allegory will have to be used. The person has to wait to actually taste chocolate in order to know what chocolate tastes like. Whatever allegory we use to describe the taste of chocolate can never approximate the real thing.
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30
Say, "Whoever is an enemy of Gabriel should know that he brought it down upon your heart with God's permission, confirming what came before it, and a guidance and good news for the believers." 2:97
When We substitute one sign in place of another, and God knows best about what He brings down, they say, "You are but a fabricator!" Rather, most of them do not know. 16:101
By reading these two verses it is indeed difficult to see any contradiction. The revelation of the Quran indeed confirmed that previous Scriptures were also sent by God (Torah, Injeel .....etc).
However, some of the laws prescribed in these older Scriptures were substituted with new laws in the Quran.
An example of that is the fact that sexual intercourse between married couples was prohibited at all times during fasting. However, in the Quran it was made permissible during the non fasting hours.
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31
We certainly know that they say, "It is only a human being who is teaching him." The language of the one they refer to is foreign while this is a clear Arabic language. 16:103
First, the word used in the verse to describe the Arabic of the Quran is 'Mubeen' which translates as 'perfect/clear'. The word used by the author, which is 'pure' is not accurate.
Second, any language in the world has in it many words from other languages. That does not make it imperfect. If we look at the English language as an example, we find hundreds of words that derive from other languages. The word 'kiosk' is originally Polish, while the phrase tete-a-tete is originally French and so on. These words, and hundreds others, although of foreign origin, have become part of the English vocabulary.
Since these originally foreign words have found their way into the English vocabulary, their use is well within the use of 'Perfect English'. 'Perfect English' is thus a question of a script that is written in correct grammar.
The same applies to Arabic or any other language.
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32
Muhammad is no more than a messenger among other messengers who have passed away before him. Should he die or get killed, would you turn back on your heels? Anyone who turns back on his heels does not harm God in any way. God will reward those who are thankful. 3:144
It is clear that there is nothing in this verse about the death of all messengers before Muhammad.
It is a good thing to pause here and present a brief outline of the concept of the death of the righteous according to the Quran, and also the Quranic explanation of the death of Jesus.
The 'righteous' do not really die,
they go straight to Heaven
Do not think that those who are killed in the cause of God are dead. Rather, they are alive at their Lord, being provided for. 3:169
And do not say of those who are killed in the cause of God, "They are dead!" No, they are alive, but you do not perceive. 2:154
These verses, and other similar ones, tell us that although the righteous depart this world, and to the people around them it looks like they have died; in reality the righteous do not die. When their lives on Earth come to the predetermined end, the angel of death simply invites them to leave their earthly bodies and move on to Heaven.
We learn from 89:30 that God invites the believers' souls to: "Enter My Paradise."
As far as people on Earth are concerned, the righteous appear to die. People do not realize that the righteous simply leave their bodies, and move on to Paradise. The verses shown above are self explanatory. In 36:26-27, we see the best evidence that the righteous go straight to Paradise, while their friends and relatives are still living on Earth, also see 16:32 & 6:60-62.
Jesus' Death
The Quran tells us that the soul of Jesus was raised unto God before he was put on the cross. Thus, his persecutors arrested, tortured, and crucified an empty body - Jesus was already gone to the world of souls (3:55, 4:157).
Interestingly enough, the fact that God saved Jesus from the torture of crucifixion by raising his soul before his arrest, is found in a number of Biblical verses.
Let us first read the Quranic reference to this issue and then the Biblical verses.
They schemed and God schemed, and God is the best of schemers.
God said, "O Jesus, I am taking you back, raising you to Me and cleansing you of those who disbelieved. 3:54-55
And their saying, "We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God." In fact, they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them that they did. 4:157
These verses confirm the following matters:
1- God raised the soul of Jesus prior to his prosecution and crucifixion.
2- The enemies of Jesus did not triumph over him.
Now let us read the Biblical version:
1- "In the days of his earthly life, he offered up prayers, with loud cries and tears to God who was able to save him from death and he was favorably heard for his godly fear" Hebrews 5:7
This very significant verse indicates that upon hearing the prayers of Jesus, God has saved him from death. In other words Jesus did not die on the cross.
The words God who was able to save him from death correspond to the Quranic words "cleansing you of those who disbelieved" in 3:55
The verse tells us that Jesus "offered up prayers" and that his prayers were "favourably heard", which confirms that God saved Jesus from dying by the hands of his enemy.
The Church may argue that the prayers of Jesus took place when he was in the grave and before being resurrected. However, this is in contradiction to the words of the verse: "In the days of his earthly life". The words "earthly life" state that Jesus "offered up prayers" while he was alive on Earth, and not dead in the grave.
2- The same conclusion can be reached from the famous prophecy in Psalms:
"My God, my God, why have thou forsaken me? I was cast upon you from birth from my mother's womb. You have been my God, be not far from me for trouble is near, for there is no one to help. For dogs have surrounded me. The Assembly of the wicked have enclosed me but you, O Lord, do not be far from me................ you have answered me" Psalms 22
The words "you have answered me" again indicate that God saved Jesus from death.
3- This is also confirmed by the following verse:
"But you, O Lord be merciful to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them ……..my enemy does not triumph over me" Psalms 41:10-11
The words "raise me up" so that "my enemy does not triumph over me" also support the theory of the raising of the soul of Jesus before his enemy triumphs over him (before being crucified).
Once again these words correspond perfectly with the Quranic words "raising you to Me" and, "cleansing you of those who disbelieved."
4- Other verses indicate that God had raised the soul of Jesus sometime before the crucifixion and that the one that was crucified by the Romans was no more than a moving but soulless body, similar to the body of one who goes into a coma, with his body functions still in operation, yet a body void of soul. One in that state would thus offer no response:
"Herod was extremely pleased to see Jesus. From the reports about him he had wanted for a long time to see him, and he was hoping to see him work some miracles. He questioned Jesus at considerable length, but Jesus made no response. The chief priests and scribes were at hand to accuse him vehemently. Herod and his guards then treated him with contempt and insult" [ Luke 23:8-11 ]
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33
The words in 29:27 say:
We granted him (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob, and We placed among his progeny the prophethood and the Scripture. And We granted him his reward in this world, and in the Hereafter he will certainly be among the righteous. 29:27
The verse clearly says that God assigned to the descendants of Abraham prophethood and the Scripture. The verse does not say that all prophets sent by God are the seed of Abraham.
Yet another totally unfounded claim.
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34
The 7th universe, which is the smallest of the seven universes, the innermost and the one we live in, is surrounded by the 6th universe. The 5th universe surrounds the 6th, and so on until we get to the 1st universe, which is the greatest and outermost universe.
In that respect, anything that lies inside the 7th universe is also inside the 6th, 5th, up to the 1st universe, since the 7th universe lies at the centre of all universes.
The moon, sun, stars plus all the galaxies and the farthest heavenly bodies lie inside the 7th and smallest universe, which is the universe in which we live.
With this in mind, we can read all the verses quoted by the author and see no contradiction.
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35
If we read verses 2:136, 2:285 and 3:84, we see a clear command from God not to make any distinction between any of His messengers:
Say, "We believe in God, and in what was brought down upon us, and in what was brought down upon Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, and in what was given to Moses, Jesus and the prophets from their Lord. We do not distinguish between any of them and to Him we are Submitters." 3:84
However, in 2:253 we read that God elevated some messengers above others.
These messengers: We favoured some of them over others. Among them were some whom God spoke to, and He raised some of them in ranks, and We gave Jesus, son of Mary, the clear proofs and supported him with the Holy Ruh. 2:253
God is free to favour or distinguish some messengers over others. However, the command to the believers is simple and clear, and that is the human being is not to make any distinction among God's messengers.
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36
When we read these verses we can see that they speak of two completely different types of people.
Had they, when they wronged themselves, come to you and asked God for forgiveness, and the messenger asked for their forgiveness, they would have found that God is Redeemer, Merciful. 4:64
Whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them, even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, God will not forgive them. This is because they disbelieved in God and His messenger. God does not guide the wicked people. 9:80
In 4:64 God is speaking about those who have wronged their souls but have turned back to God and asked for His forgiveness. The fact that they asked forgiveness from God denotes that they believe in God, and for that we are told that "they would have found that God is Redeemer, Merciful".
On the other hand, those spoken of in 9:80 are described by the words: "they disbelieved in God and His messenger", and because they are disbelievers, then "God will not forgive them".
From these two verses we learn that forgiveness can be implored for any believer who repents and reforms, but may never be implored for disbelievers.
No contradiction exists between the two verses.
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37
God has pardoned you, but why did you grant them permission (to stay behind) before it became clear to you who were the truthful ones, and until you knew the liars? 9:43
The true believers are only those who believe in God and His messenger, and when they are with him in a communal matter, they do not leave until they have asked his permission. The ones who ask your permission are indeed the ones who believe in God and His messenger. If they ask your permission in order to tend to some of their affairs, you may grant permission to whomever you wish and ask God to forgive them. God is Forgiver, Merciful. 24:62
If we start reading three verses before 9:43, we clearly see that verse 43 speaks specifically about going out for battle while 24:62 is talking about leaving a community meeting to attend to some personal matters.
Just as is the case in any modern day country, no one is allowed to dodge military service except with a legitimate excuse. However, anyone wishing to be pardoned from a social or religious meeting only needs an acceptable reason.
This is exactly what these verses are saying. In the case of war, the prophet was commanded not to give permission to those wishing to stay behind unless he verifies their excuse and sorts the genuine from the others.
Verse 24:62 speaks of a community meeting, and thus there is no need for people to produce legitmate excuses but only acceptable reasons.
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38
And He subjected the night and the day for you, the sun, the moon and the stars; all subjected by His command. In that are signs for people who reason. 16:12
The verse does not say that the sun, moon and stars are subject to our commands, but ordained by God for our service.
The Arabic word used is 'sakhar' which means (ordained).
The words "subjected by His Command" confirm that these heavenly bodies are controlled, and ordained by God. Where did the author get the idea that they are controlled by man is indeed a mystery!
Indeed the sun, moon and the earth have been ordained to very precise specifications for the service of mankind. The following are some examples:
1- If the sun was closer to the earth, present distance being 93 million miles, the temperature on earth would rise sharply causing the evaporation of oceans and rivers and the extermination of all life. If the sun was much further away, the earth would freeze to death.
2- If the size of the earth was somewhat less than it's present size, say the size of the moon, it's gravity would have been much weaker. That would result in the failure of the earth to retain it's atmosphere or water vapour, and thus no life would have been possible. If the size of the earth, on the other hand, was larger than it's present size, say the size of Saturn or Jupiter, the gravity would have been too strong. That would cause the atmosphere to be compressed to much lower heights resulting in much higher air pressure. That would also abolish life on earth.
3- If the moon was closer to the earth, the tides would rise causing gigantic waves that would destroy life on islands and coastal areas. If the moon was further away from the earth the tides would come to a standstill leading to the stagnation of the seas, the result of which would be grave damage to marine life. These very precise measurements of such variables as distance, mass, speed, etc. are referred to in the following verses:
The sun and the moon, running with utmost precision. 55:5
4- The earth spins on it's axis once every 24 hours. If it didn't spin, the oceans would empty all their waters and if it spun much faster it would disperse into empty space.
The spinning movement is also responsible for the night and day, without which one half of the earth would be under continuous sunlight and heat up excessively while the other half would be submerged in total darkness and freeze to death.
The Quran speaks of the spinning of the earth by saying:
He rolls the night over the day and rolls the day over the night. 39:5
The word "rolls" is quite accurate in describing the spinning movement.
5- The earth rotates around the sun once every 365.25 days. Whilst doing so it is tilted on it's axis at an angle of 23.5 degrees. As a result, the seasons occur making it possible for the habitation of the planet. If the earth was not tilted on its axis the poles would have been submerged in continuous cold darkness preventing the seasonal thaw of the polar ice. The accumulating ice would eventually result in non shifting frozen poles and little water elsewhere.
6- If the earth's crust had been thicker than it's present thickness all the oxygen would have been absorbed into the earth. Without oxygen no life would be possible. Similarly, if the oceans were much deeper, all the oxygen and carbon dioxide would have been absorbed into the oceans with similar results.
These are only some of the data that demonstrate how the sun, earth and the moon are ordained by God to very precise calculations (55:5) for the benefit of mankind.
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39
A number of days (for fasting), but whoever among you is ill or travelling, then an equal number of other days, and for those who can bear it, a concession of feeding a needy person. Then, whoever volunteers extra good work it is better for him, but if you fast it is better for you if you only knew. 2:184
Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was brought down providing guidance for the people, as well as clear proofs of the guidance and the Criterion. So those of you who have witnessed the month shall fast it, and for those who are ill or travelling, then an equal number of other days. God wants ease for you, and He does not want hardship for you, and for you to complete the count and magnify God for guiding you so that you may be thankful. 2:185
Nowhere in verse 184 do we read about any privileges granted to the rich to dodge the fasting! The choice of feeding a poor person (in place of fasting) is granted to those who are not able to fast due to a permanent illness but whose financial ability allows them to feed the poor. If their financial status does not allow it, then they are exempt from fasting and of feeding the poor.
The rules of fasting, in relation to the different categories of people are as follows:
1- All those who are in good health are required to fast the month of Ramadan (regardless of their bank balance).
2- Those who are travelling on long journeys, or who are temporarily ill, may substitute the same number of other days at a later date.
3- Those who cannot fast without experiencing great difficulty, due to chronic illness, may substitute feeding one poor person for each day of breaking the fast if they can afford to do so.
4- Those who are permanently ill as well as poor, have no obligation either way. This is evident from numerous Quranic verses that state that God does not want to place any hardship on the believers. We see these words in 2:185 where the subject is fasting, "God wants ease for you, and He does not want hardship for you." Hence the concessions given for those with genuine excuses.
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40
Those of you who die and leave wives, their widows shall keep themselves in waiting four months and ten days (before they can re-marry). 2:234
This verse indeed speaks about the time a widowed wife should wait after her husband's death before re-marrying. The reason for the wait is to make sure she is not carrying the child of her dead husband. In the case where she finds herself pregnant, the child must be named after his dead father and not the new husband. If there was no waiting period it may not always be possible to determine the father of the newly born child.
In contrast, by reading 2:240, we clearly see that the subject is completely different:
With regards to those among you who die and leave wives, a will shall provide their wives with maintenance for a year with no expulsion. If they decide to leave, then there is no blame on you for what they do with themselves equitably. God is Dignified, Wise. 2:240
The subject in 2:240 is providing an alimony for the widowed wife for a complete year. The verse also says that if she leaves, after the prescribed 4 months and 10 days to get married, then the alimony is discontinued (since she will have a husband to support her).
The words "If they decide to leave" and the words "there is no blame on you for what they do with themselves" tell us that if they leave to re-marry after the prescribed period of 4 months and 10 days has elapsed, then they are acting within their rights.
The subject of 2:234 is the time a widowed wife should wait before re-marrying, while the subject of 2:240 is the period a widowed wife is entitled to receive alimony from the dead husband's will, that being one year. The alimony is discontinued if the widowed wife re-marries before the year is over.
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