Re: Different seas have an impenetrable barrier between them - Qur'an 55:20 scientific error refuted


مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ * بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لَّا يَبْغِيَانِ
"He released the two seas, meeting together: Between them is a Barrier Which they do not transgress." [Al-Quran 55:19-20]

In the Arabic text the word barzakh means a barrier or a partition. This barrier is not a physical partition. The Arabic word maraja literally means ‘they both meet and mix with each other’. Early commentators of the Quran were unable to explain the two opposite meanings for the two bodies of water, i.e. they meet and mix, and at the same time, there is a barrier between them.

 Modern Science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity and density. [Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93] Oceanologists are now in a better position to explain this verse. There is a slanted unseen water barrier between the two seas through which water from one sea passes to the other.
But when the water from one sea enters the other sea, it loses its distinctive characteristic and becomes homogenized with the other water. In a way this barrier serves as a transitional homogenizing area for the two waters. This scientific phenomenon mentioned in the Quran was also confirmed by Dr. William Hay who is a well-known marine scientist and Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado, U.S.A. The Quran mentions this phenomenon also in the following verse: "And made a separating bar between the two bodies Of flowing water?" [Al-Quran 27:61]
This phenomenon occurs in several places, including the divider between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean at Gibralter. But when the Quran speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of "a forbidding partition" with the barrier. "It is He Who has Let free the two bodies Of flowing water: One palatable and sweet, And the other salty and bitter; Yet has He Made a barrier between them, And a partition that is forbidden To be passed." [Al-Quran 25:53]
Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt-water meet, the situation is somewhat different from that found in places where two seas meet. It has been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a "pycnocline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers." [Oceanography, Gross, p. 242. Also see Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, pp. 300-301.] This partition (zone of separation) has salinity different from both the fresh water and the salt water. [Oceanography, Gross, p. 244 and Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, pp. 300-301.]
This phenomenon occurs in several places, including Egypt, where the river Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

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Article #1:
The following picture and quotes are from NASA.  Notice how the NASA scientist used the words: separates, barrier:
"This image is a mosaic of two photographs taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station viewing large internal waves in the Strait of Gibraltar. These subsurface internal waves occur at depths of about 100 m, but appear in the sunglint as giant swells flowing eastward into the Mediterranean Sea.

The narrow Strait of Gibraltar is the gatekeeper for water exchange between the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. A top layer of warm, relatively fresh water from the Atlantic Ocean flows eastward into the Mediterranean Sea. In return, a lower, colder, saltier layer of water flows westward into the North Atlantic ocean.
A density boundary separates the layers at about 100 m depth.

Like traffic merging on a highway, the water flow is constricted in both directions
because it must pass over a shallow submarine barrier, the Camarinal Sill. When large tidal flows enter the Strait, internal waves (waves at the density boundary layer) are set off at the Camarinal Sill as the high tide relaxes. The waves—sometimes with heights up to 100 m — travel eastward. Even though the waves occur at great depth and the height of the waves at the surface is almost nothing, they can be traced in the sunglint because they concentrate the biological films on the water surface, creating slight differences in roughness.

In this image, the tidal bore creates internal waves (top arrow) that propagate eastward and expand outward into the Mediterranean in a big arc (near bottom). Other features can be traced in the sun’s reflections. Linear and V-shaped patterns (bottom arrow) are wakes of ships, providing evidence for the heavy ship traffic through the narrow waters between Spain and Morocco.

Water features in the sunglint pattern appear to the astronaut to be extremely transient, visible only briefly (a few seconds) as the spacecraft passes rapidly overhead. Photographs from space of the ocean sunglint pattern are a tool for studying physical oceanographic and atmospheric processes and other phenomena that affect surface roughness."
  (Source)
  
Article #2:
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/newsletter/uft/uft2.htm

Strait of Gibraltar [STS41G-40-050]
 
Highlighted by the sunglint, internal waves called "solitons" can be seen arching through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. Once a day the high tide produces sufficient energy to propagate solitons atop the strong density boundary between the heavier, more saline bottom water flowing west and the lighter, fresher Atlantic water flowing east. The Strait is shallow enough to allow the internal waves (up to 60 meters in amplitude) to manifest themselves as crests (no more than 10 centimeters high) on the sea surface. During World War II, German U-boats were able to silence their motors and ride these internal waves undetected into the Mediterranean.
And in regards to the Miracle of the Internal Waves in the seas and oceans, the Glorious Quran mentioned it 1,500 years ago:

  • Darkness in the seas and internal waves in the Noble Quran, confirmed by science.
      
  • Waves and layers upon waves and layers in the seas.
      
  • Oceanography and the layers of waves and darkness in the seas.

  •   
    Article #3:
    This article also quotes NASA.  Notice how the author used the word "separates":
    "Solitons are migrating waves that - once they have been activated - keep on moving constantly with the same wave height and interval. Thus these waves move over a long distance without changing their characteristics.
    These waves were first discovered by John Scott Russell in a river. He observed that a wave packet (several waves), that was caused by a boat abruptly stopping didn’t subside as usual, but continued running upstream without changing its height, form or interval. He followed the waves upstream on the back of his horse. From that time on, his interest was awaken and he started researching about these waves he called “waves of transition”.
    There are different ways which such waves might be produced. In the Strait of Gibraltar this happens mainly by the change of high tide to low tide (thus the name). The waves are activated by a higher sill on the Atlantic coast of the Strait and by the narrowness of the Strait. The shallowest area is situated on the Atlantic and Moroccan side and is called Camarinal Sill. The Strait is only 290 m deep at that point.
    Eli pic2
    Figure: topographical map of the Strait of Gibraltar, where you can see the shallowest point, Camarinal Sill.
    Source:
    http://www.ifm.uni-hamburg.de/ers-sar/Sdata/oceanic/intwaves/gibraltar/intro/
    The second reason of the formation of such a wave packet is the fact, that there are two main currents in the Strait of Gibraltar: a salted one in high depth, that flows from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean and another one less salty in the upper 100 - 200 meters, that flows from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. This situation results in a Halocline, a salinity gradient (density layer) that separates the salty layer from the less salty one. The depth of the halocline depends on the underground, the currents and the tides.
    At the turn of the tides there happens a depression of the density layer. This depression is especially important at the lower sills in the beginning of the Strait of Gibraltar. After the change of the tidal current an intern tidal wave is activated in about 100 m depth. This wave is the beginning of a wave packet of intern Solitons that migrate far into the Mediterranean Sea.
    Eli pic3
    Figure: edited satellite photo of the strait of Gibraltar. Tidal wave activated at Camarinal Sill which leads to solitons that migrate far into the Mediterranean Sea. Source:
    http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16581]
    These waves may be recognized on the surface as a relatively intense swell. They may also be seen from the outer-space, as in general there is a high concentration of biological films.
    As I am very interested in these waves, it was an exciting experience to see these solitons in reality."  (Source)
      
    Article #4:
    "In the Arabic text the word 'barzakh' means a barrier or a partition. The Arabic word 'maraja' literally means 'they both meet and mix with each other.' Early commentators of the QUR'AN were unable to explain the two opposite meanings for the two bodies of water, i.e. they meet and mix, and at the same time, there is a barrier between them. Modern Science has discovered that in places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has ita own temperature, salinity and density. {Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93.} Oceanologists are now in a better position to explain this verse. There is a slanted unseen water barrier between the seas through which water from one sea passes to the other. But when the water from one sea enters the other sea, it loses its distinctive characteristic and becomes homogenized with the other water. In a way this barrier serves as a transitional homogenizing area for the two waters. This scientific phenonmenon mentioned in the QUR'AN was also confirmed by Dr. William Hay who is a well-known marine scientist and Professor og Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado, U.S.A."  (Source)
      
    Article #5:
    Atheist Richard Dawkins refuted by Muslim girls on Halocline Phenomenon and Scientific Miracle in the Noble Quran.  Click to watch video.
      
      
    3-  Conclusion:
    Again, the Noble Quran is filled with scientific statements and notions.  These are statements of Allah Almighty describing how He created things on earth and in the Universe.  What's most amazing is that all of these scientific statements and notions had been proven to be in perfect agreement with science and our modern-day scientific discoveries.  Allah Almighty made the Noble Quran be Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) Everlasting Divine Miracle and proof for Prophethood.  The Holy Book certainly stood the test of time 1,500 years ago with Its Claims, Prophecies and Miraculous language-eloquence, and it does again and again in our day today with Its overwhelming agreement with science and discoveries that were not known to man 1,500 years ago.
    Allah Almighty Said: "We will soon show them Our signs in the Universe and inside their selves, until it will become quite clear to them that it is the truth. Is it not sufficient as regards your Lord that He is a witness over all things?  (The Noble Quran, 41:53)"

    Related topics:  

    Where the Rivers Meet the Sea 

    The Miracle of separating the seas' waters from each others (with barriers)  



    Re: Earth is still -Quran 27:61 scientific error refuted

    أَمَّن جَعَلَ الْأَرْضَ قَرَارًا وَجَعَلَ خِلَالَهَا أَنْهَارًا وَجَعَلَ لَهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ حَاجِزًا ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

    Is He who made the earth a stable ground and placed within it rivers and made for it firmly set mountains and placed between the two seas a barrier? Is there a deity with Allah ? [No], but most of them do not know.

    What is the problem? Yes, the earth has been made stable for us so that it won't wiggle and shake as we walk on it. The verse does not teach us that the Earth is fixed on a whole, in fact the verse mentions “fixed abode”, this is referring to the Earth being a fixed place to live in.
    Surah Naml 27:61, the Arabic word used is "Qarara" (*) which means: "firm," or "fixed." (Lanes Lexicon, Volume 7, pages 27-30). In addition, the Arabic word "ard" is used which can also mean "land". The land is firm and fixed, which doesn't prove anything against the Quran.

    Some planets are gaseous so they are not fixed (or firm) abodes to live in, whilst the Earth is not gaseous (the Earth is solid and firm), therefore is a fixed/firm abode to live in. Remember the key word here is “abode”, the sceptics missed this.  It is also worth noting that the word for “fixed” represents “firm” too. Is the Earth firm? Yes because it is solid not gaseous.   Thus the Quran is correct and the disbelievers were wrong again.
    Shakir’s translation reads “made the Earth a resting place”, yes the Earth is a resting place for humans and other creatures. It is clearly not even referring to the rotation of the Earth, thus Islam haters are wrong again.
    It is not a simple thing for the earth to be a place of rest for the countless kinds of different creations living on it. If man looks into the wise harmony and coordination with which this sphere of the earth has been established, he is simply amazed and starts feeling that these harmonies and concordances and relations could not be brought about without the grand design of an All-Wise, All Knowing and All-Powerful God. This sphere of the earth is floating in space and is not resting on anything, yet there is no commotion and no vibration in its movement. Had there been any vibration in it, such as we experience during an earthquake, life could not exist here. This sphere comes before the sun and hides from it regularly, which causes the alternation of the day and night. Had it turned the same face perpetually towards the sun and kept the other side always hidden, no life could be possible here, for on the bright side all life would have been shriveled up, and on the dark side all life would have been frozen to death. The sphere is enveloped by a five hundred mile thick atmosphere, which protects it against the continual bombardment of meteors, otherwise the twenty million meteors on the average, which dart towards the earth daily at 30 miles per second, would have caused such destruction as would not have allowed any man animal or tree to survive. The same atmosphere controls the temperature, raises clouds from the oceans, carries water to different parts of the earth and provides the required gases that sustain the human, animal and plant life. 
     Without it the earth could not become a fit place of rest for any kind of animal life. Just under the earth’s surface all those minerals and chemicals which are essential to the survival of vegetable and animal life have been provided in abundance. Wherever these natural resources do not exist, the land there cannot sustain any kind of life. A great store of water has been arranged on the earth in the form of oceans, rivers, lakes, springs and underground channels and snow on the mountains which melts and flows down in the form of rivers. Without such an arrangement there could be no life. Then the earth has been endowed with an appropriate gravitational pull by which it keeps the water and the air and all other things found on it attracted to it.
     If this pull had been a little less strong, it could not have stopped the air and the water from escaping. It would also have so much increased the temperature that life here would have become difficult. On the other hand, if the gravitational pull had been a little stronger, the atmosphere would have been denser, its pressure would have increased, evaporation would have become difficult and rains impossible; the cold would have increased and less areas on earth would have been inhabitable; men and animals would have been shorter in size but heavier in weight, which would have made movement difficult. Besides, this sphere has been located at a suitable distance from the sun, which is most appropriate for the population here. If the distance had been longer, the earth would have received less of heat, the climate would have been much colder, the seasons much longer and the earth would be hardly inhabitable. On the other hand, if the distance had been shorter, the intensity of the heat along with other factors would have rendered it unfit for the kind of life man is living here. 

    These are a few of those harmonies and concordances due to which earth has become a place of rest for its population. A man with a little common sense who is aware of these facts cannot imagine for a moment that these concordances have come into existence without the design of an All-Wise Creator, as a mere accident, nor can he ever conceive that a god or goddess, jinn or prophet, saint or angel, could have had any hand in the creation and bringing into operation of this grand design.

    Re: Earth has seven atmospheres - scientific error refuted

    Are the seven layers of the Earth’s atmosphere the same as the seven skies the noble Quran talked about?

    Through this article, we will correct this misunderstanding ….


    Scientists have found that the Earth’s atmosphere consists of layers positioned on top of each other, and that these layers differ according to their density. Hence, scientists have set seven different layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. Moreover, the number “7” has many indications in the Quran and in the prophet’s sayings (peace be upon him).



    Though, some scientists agree that these layers are exactly the same as the seven skies the Quran has mentioned about. Allah (SWT) said:
    وَزَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَحِفْظًا

    And we adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps to be as an adornment as well as to guard. Such is the Decree of Him, the All Mighty, the All- Knower” [Fussilat: 12].

    Lamps refer to the stars which, as we know, are located external to the earth’s atmosphere and even external to our solar system. In addition, the closest star to us is 4.3 light years distant from us.

    When visualizing the galaxies in the universe, we find that they consist of billions of stars which are to decorate the skies. We can say that the stars and the galaxies we see are in the nearest sky because Allah Almighty says:

    وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَاهَا رُجُومًا لِّلشَّيَاطِين


    we adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps to be as an adornment” (Sûrat Al-Mulk -verse5 ).

    Meaning that these stars decorate the first sky that is closest to us and that Allah Almighty is the only One who knows regarding the rest of the skies.

    In conclusion, the earth’s atmospheric layers, our solar system and all the galaxies are located in the first sky.
    However, the second sky, the third, the forth…. even the seventh haven’t yet been seen. But scientists may discover the secrets of these skies in the future, and Allah (SWT) knows --------------------

    By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel

    The Secrets of the Qur’an’s Miracles,

    References:

    1. Encarta Encyclopedia, Atmosphere

    2. NASA, Milky Way

    Related topic:

    Re: Islam is only for people who speak Arabic -Qur'an 43:3 "scientific error" refuted !

    "Verily, We made it a Quran in Arabic so that you may be able to understand" (43:3)

    The hater forgets that this is addressed to the initial recipients who were Arabic speaking. The Qur'an indeed reports what the case would have been if the Qur'an came in a different language to the Prophet (peace be upon him) whose tongue was Arabic:


    Surah 41: 44

    If We had made it a foreign Qur'an, they would have said, 'If only its verses were clear! What? Foreign speech to an Arab?' Say, 'It is guidance and healing for those who have faith, but the ears of the disbelievers are heavy, they are blind to it, it is as if they are being called from a distant place.'

    Since the Prophet (peace be upon him) who speaks Arabic came to the Arabs first the Qur'an needed to be in Arabic. Does this restrict his mission to the Arab speaking people only? No, the Arabic Qur'an's meanings can be interpreted in any language for its basic message to be understood.

    One seriously wonders, did the author of the Gospel of Mark, for example, only write it for the Greek speaking people ONLY AND for NO ONE ELSE because it is in Greek?

    It is now quite clear that none of this demonstrate that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was only sent to the Arabs or Arabic speaking people.

    Then the sentence: '"We have made it an Arabic Qur'an so that you may understand it."It is not in any foreign tongue but in your own language O Arabs; therefore, you can have no difficulty in assessing its value and worth. Had it been in a non-Arabic language, you could have offered the excuse that you could not determine its being Divine, or otherwise, for you did not understand it. But you cannot offer this excuse about this Arabic Qur'an. Its each word is clear to you: its each passage and discourse, both in language and in theme, is plain for you. Now you may see it for yourself whether this could be the word of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) or of some other Arab.


    The religion of Islam is a universal religion for all of mankind, although the prophet Muhammed (PBUH) was an Arab, he was a prophet for all of mankind, and not for the Arabs only.
    The Quran makes this very clear when it says:

    034.028 : 
     We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not.

    The prophet Muhammed (PBUH) himself stated the following:
    Every Prophet used to be sent to his nation only but I have been sent to all mankind. (Bukhari)
    So Islam makes it very clear that Islam is a religion for all of mankind, furthermore, in the prophet Muhammed’s (PBUH) farewell speech, he made the following statement:
    All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over a white - except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not therefore do injustice to yourselves. Remember one day you will meet Allah and answer your deeds. So beware: do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

    So as the prophet Muhammed (PBUH) stated, there is no superiority over an Arab to a none-Arab.
    Last but not least, the majority of Muslims in the world are NOT Arabs, the largest Muslim population is located in Indonesia, followed by Pakistan, and then followed by India.
    And Allah Knows Best!

    Re: Non-Muslims are deaf, dumb, and blind -Quran error refuted

    This alleged 'scientific error' is not even worthy to respond to, but here is the ayah explained:
    صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ
    Sahih International
    Deaf, dumb and blind - so they will not return [to the right path].
    The context:

    Tafsir al-Jalalayn 2:18

    "deaf, to the truth, so that they cannot hear it and accept it; dumb, mute as regards goodness, unable to speak of it; and, blind, to the path of guidance, so that they cannot perceive it; they shall not return, from error."

     Man’s senses are meant to enable him to perceive and receive God’s Guidance, but the hypocrites & disbelievers wilfully closed off their senses, rendering themselves deaf, dumb and blind. Thus they are no longer able to see the light, nor can they find the right path again. They are lost. 
    Related topic: 
     Islam A World Civilization

    Re: Do humans think with their heart or with their brain? -quran error refuted

    أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُونَ صُدُورَهُمْ لِيَسْتَخْفُوا مِنْهُ ۚ أَلَا حِينَ يَسْتَغْشُونَ ثِيَابَهُمْ يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ

    Unquestionably, they the disbelievers turn away their breasts to hide themselves from Him. Unquestionably, [even] when they cover themselves in their clothing, Allah knows what they conceal and what they declare. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the  chests.
     This ayah can't help islam haters, it's about  those people of Makkah, who though not very active in their antagonism against the message of the Prophet (peace be upon him), nevertheless were very averse to it. Therefore they did not like to hear it nor come face to face with him, and did their very best to avoid him. If, by chance, they found him sitting somewhere and talking to the people, they would at once turn back on their heels. Or if they saw him coming towards them, they would slink away or hide their faces with cloth for fear that he might address them and convey his message to them. As they did not have the courage to face the truth, they would bury their heads ostrich-like and make believe that the reality from which they were hiding had disappeared, whereas it was all along there and watching their ridiculous attempts to hide from it. 
    The ayah also  carries a refutation of what the hypocrites and the disbelievers do. They try to camouflage their hostility, and their antagonistic activism against the Holy Prophet , as deftly as they could. Their hearts blaze with malice and enmity but they maintain a cool front, find all sorts of covers to hide their true identity and intention and surmise that no one would find out who they were really and what they were doing actually. But, the truth of the matter is that Allah Ta'ala knows it all, that which they let come out in the open and that which they conceal behind all sorts of clothes, covers and curtains: because He is All Aware of [even] what lies in the hearts.
    -----


    "Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for him who has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful". (Surat Qaf: 37).

    Allah Almighty Said: "We will soon show them Our signs in the Universe and inside their selves, until it will become quite clear to them that it is the truth. Is it not sufficient as regards your Lord that He is a witness over all things?  (The Noble Quran, 41:53)"
     
    Allah Almighty's description of the heart's functionality in the body as it being able to do the work of  emotions, feelings, decisions and guidance  was indeed proven to be 100% perfect and accurate with what scientists today have discovered and confirmed.  And as Allah Almighty Said in the same Noble Verse:
    لاتعمى الابصار ولكن تعمى القلوب التي في الصدور
    Indeed, their eyes are not sightless. Rather, what is blind are their hearts within their chests.
     The hearts of the non believers are blind in the proverbial sense that they do not understand.
    Few Non Muslims have picked up these and similar Ayahs in the Holy Quran and alleged an 'error' in quran but they only exposed themselves !

    The human body is much more mysterious than reductionists would like to believe. 
    In a study from 2002, researchers from the University of Arizona and University of Hawaii collaborated to publish a paper titled “Changes in Heart Transplant Recipients that Parallel the Personalities of their Donors”. Ten recipients who received heart or heart-lung transplants underwent evaluation through a series of open-ended interviews. These interviews involved the transplant recipients, recipient families or friends, and donor families or friends, in hospitals in various parts of the US. Several parallels were being investigated including, changes in food, music, art, sexual, recreational, and career preferences, as well as specific instances of perceptions of names and sensory experiences related to the donors.
    The interview transcripts are beyond astounding to read. There was a case of a straight vegetarian health-consious donor that turned a militant gay McDonalds-loving recipient into a straight vegetarian health food seeking person after the transplant. Another case was of a young donor who was a violin musician that made the older classical-music-hating recipient all of a sudden want to listen to hours of it after surgery. A third case was of a young woman who was a “hell-raiser” all of a sudden picking up her donor’s love for music and poetry. She was even able to finish the words to his songs, which she never heard before. A funny one was the 47-year-old man receiving the heart of a 14-year-old girl injured in a gymnastics accident. His wife commented at how he changed after surgery, “Gus is a teenager. No doubt about that. He’s a kid – or at least he thinks he’s a kid. Even when we’re bowling, he yells and jumps around like a fool. He’s got this weird laugh now. It’s a girl’s laugh and we tell him that. He doesn’t care.”

    • When one hears some good news, do they experience joy in their brains or in their hearts?
    • When one hears some bad news or hears of a loved one's death, does one feel pain in one's brains or does one feel pain in their hearts?
    • When one loves someone, does one love someone with their brains or from their hearts?
    • When one sends a message of love to someone, does one send the portrait of a brain or a heart?
    • When one is betrayed, does one feel or say that the person has 'broken my brain' or he/she 'has broken my heart'?
    • When one memorizes something, does one say that 'I have memorized it by my brain' or does one say 'I have memorized it by heart'?
     For instance when it is said; 'I love you from the core of my heart' it is always understood as en expression of one's emotions and feelings. This is true even according to the well known English dictionaries, see Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
    Related topics:

    Re: Only Allah knows what gender the baby is -Quran 31:34 scientific error refuted


    إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الأَرْحَامِ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَداً وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

    "Surely Allah is He with Whom is the knowledge of the hour, and He sends down the rain and He knows what is in the wombs; and no one knows what he shall earn on the morrow; and no one knows in what land he shall die; surely Allah is Knowing, Aware". (Quran 31:34)


    1- The Ayah and the similar ones are talking about the unseen and do not speak about witnessing the process. So, whoever claims that he can know the gender of the fetus inside his mother's womb, he is just foreseeing but as for those who use devices to see the baby, he moved from unseen to realities as for those who see the baby coming out from the mother's belly. Let us explain this by parables:

    If one of the infidels of Makkah were to defy the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying:I can know what is inside the womb then came to a pregnant woman and opened her belly, looked at the fetus and said:It is a boy. Will this be a challenge?

    I have no doubt if this happens, the first to be laugh at him is his friends because the context of the Ayah is about the world of the Unseen and is not about reality.

    If we to accept this, what is the difference between to knife a woman's belly or to put a camera in her womb to photo the fetus inside the womb or rays that penetrate the wall of the abdomen to the womb!

    The case is back again to realities not the Unseen world and this is enough to remove ambiguity from this issue. Allah knows the best.

    2- By thinking about the word "Ma" in Arabic which was mentioned in the Ayah:"what in the wombs", It is a form of generality at the linguists, so the gender of the baby is not the only thing meant by the Ayah but the meaning is knowing everything about what is in there. For example,
    1- whether a male or female?
    2- beautiful or ugly?
    3- how long shall he/she live?
    4- rich or poor?
    5- Muslim or non-Muslim?
    6- miserable or happy?
    7- short or tall? Black or white, lives in the east or the west, will marry or not, will have children or not and how many are they? You can numerate the descriptions that apply to all humans.

    Does the knowledge of one of these issues indicate the meaning of the word "What"

    No one besides Allah can determine the nature of the child
    This verse does not refer to the sex of the child in the womb but it refers to, how the child in the mother's womb will be. How will his nature be? Will he be a blessing or a curse to his parents? Will he be a boon or a bane to the society? Will he be good or evil? Will he go to heaven or hell? The complete knowledge of all things is with Allah alone. No scientist in the world, no matter how advanced his equipment, will ever be able to accurately determine the knowledge of these things about the child in the mother's womb.



    Re: Ignorance of the North and South Poles - Quran 36:40 scientific error refuted

    36:40
    Sahih International
    It is not allowable for the sun to reach the moon, nor does the night overtake the day, but each, in an orbit, is swimming.

    This sentence can have two meanings and both are correct. (1) The sun does not have the power that it should draw the moon into itself, or enter its orbit and collide with it.
    (2) The sun cannot appear in the times which have been appointed for the rising and appearing of the moon. It is not possible that the sun should suddenly appear on the horizon when the moon is shining at night. 

    Nor does this happen either that the night should approach before the appointed period of the day comes to an end, and should start spreading its darkness suddenly during the time when the day is meant to spread its light.  

    The word falak in Arabic is used for the orbit of the planets, and it gives a different meaning from the word sama (sky). The sentence, “Each in an orbit is floating” points to four realities.
    (1) That not only the sun and the moon but all the stars and planets and celestial bodies are moving.
    (2) The falak, or orbit, of each one of them is separate.
    (3) That the orbits are not moving with the stars in them, but the stars are moving in the orbits.
    (4) That the movement of the stars in their orbits is similar to the floating of something in a fluid.
    These verses are not intended to describe the realities of astronomy, but are meant to make man understand that if he looks around himself, with open eyes, and uses his common sense, he will find countless and limitless proofs of the existence of God and His Unity, and he will not come across a single proof of atheism and shirk. The vastness of the solar system in which our earth is included is such that its parent body, the sun, is 300,000 times bigger than the earth, and its farthest planet Neptune is at least 2,793 million miles distant from the sun. However, if Pluto is taken as the farthest planet, it revolves 4,600 million miles away round it. Notwithstanding this vastness, the solar system occupies a very insignificant part of a huge galaxy. The galaxy which includes our solar system has about 3,000 million suns in it, and its nearest sun is so distant from our earth that its light takes about four years to reach us. Then this galaxy also is not the whole universe. According to the investigations made so far, it has been estimated that it is one of about 2,000,000 spiral nebulae, and the nearest nebula is about a million light years away from the earth. As for the farthest celestial bodies which are visible through the modern instruments, their light reaches the earth in about 100 million years. Even now it cannot be claimed that man has seen the whole universe. It is a small part of the Kingdom of God which man has yet been able to observe. It cannot be predicted how far and deep man will yet be able to see with greater and more efficient means of observation at his disposal.
    All the information that has been gathered so far about the universe proves that this whole world is made up of the same substance of which our tiny earthly world is made, and the same law is working in the universe which is working in the world of our earth; otherwise it was not at all possible, that man should have made observations of the very distant worlds from the earth, measured their distances and estimated their movements. Is it not a clear proof of the fact that this whole universe is the creation of One God and the Kingdom of One Ruler? Then from the order and the wisdom and the excellence of workmanship and the deep relationships which are found in the hundreds of thousands of the galaxies and in the millions and billions of the stars and planets revolving in them no sensible person can imagine that all this has come about automatically. Is it possible that there should be no administrator behind this order and system, no sage behind this wisdom, no designer behind this design and work of art, and no planner behind this planning?
    When the night comes, light disappears and darkness spreads: this is something everyone sees every day in every corner of the world, except for polar areas, for which rules of ijtihad are applicable for praying & fasting. Despite its daily occurrence, it is a remarkable  sign that deserves contemplation. The Qur’ānic description here is unique as it  shows the day intertwined with the night and then God strips the day off the night to let darkness spread.
    Indeed every planet and star has its own orbit which it follows accurately.
    Stars and planets are so far apart that the distances separating them are huge. Our planet earth is approximately 93 million miles away from the sun, while the moon is around 240,000 miles away from us. Hardly imaginable as these distances are, they are nothing compared to the distance between our solar system and the nearest star to us outside it, which is estimated to be four light years. We should remember that light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second.
    God, the Creator, willed that such distances should separate the orbits of stars and planets, and He planned the universe according to this design in order to prevent any collision, until a time He has set and that is known only to Him. Therefore, the sun will not overtake the moon, and the night cannot outrun the day, because the cycle of day and night never fails.
    “Each floats in its own orbit.” (Verse 40) The movement of all these great bodies in space is similar to the movement of ships and boats in the sea. Huge as these bodies are, they are no more than little spots floating on the surface of the sea. Compare man to all this, and think of the millions of millions of stars and planets floating in space! 

    Re: What causes the movement of shadows? - Quran 25:45 error refuted

    أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَيْفَ مَدَّ الظِّلَّ وَلَوْ شَاءَ لَجَعَلَهُ سَاكِنًا ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا الشَّمْسَ عَلَيْهِ دَلِيلًا
    Sahih International
    Have you not considered your Lord - how He extends the shadow, and if He willed, He could have made it stationary? Then We made the sun for it an indication.

    The word dalil has been used in the sense of the pilot, who is a person trained to take ships safely in or out of a harbor, or along a waterway. The sun has been made the pilot of the shadow because the lengthening out of the shadow and its being rolled up depends on the rising, declining and setting of the sun.

    Sunlight and shade are such blessings of God that without them it would not have been possible for mankind to survive and carry on its day to day functions. If there is sunlight all the time, it will create problems not only for humans but for all living things. On the other hand, if there is shade all the time, then also neither man nor other living creatures can survive. Allah Ta'ala has created these two blessings by His limitless power and made them beneficial for the mankind. At the same time Allah Ta'ala. through His infinite wisdom, has tied up all created things with specific causes in the sense that these things come into existence only when such causes are available, and if they are absent, these things do not exist. Similarly, if the causes are strong and available in abundance, the existence of their effects is also strong and abundant, and vice versa.

    The Islam haters are being sophists & dishonest in their trials to attack islam.

    The whole ayah didn't mention anything related to sun moving around the earth as they want to portray, their only solution to avoid 'scientific errors' in their ill mind in the future is to start screaming in the streets that the earth is the source of shadows !

    Re: Thunder is an angel - quran scientific error refuted

    وَيُسَبِّحُ الرَّعْدُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ خِيفَتِهِ وَيُرْسِلُ الصَّوَاعِقَ فَيُصِيبُ بِهَا مَن يَشَاءُ وَهُمْ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي اللَّهِ وَهُوَ شَدِيدُ الْمِحَالِ
    Sahih International
    And the thunder exalts [ Allah ] with praise of Him - and the angels [as well] from fear of Him - and He sends thunderbolts and strikes therewith whom He wills while they dispute about Allah ; and He is severe in assault.
     Nothing in this ayah indicates that thunder is an angel !
    It's is similar to His other statement,
    ﴿وَإِن مِّن شَىْءٍ إِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدَهِ﴾

    (And there is not a thing but glorifies His praise.) ﴿17:44

    N.B:
    The story of thunder being an angel is very weak and it was actually quoted from the people of book by Ibn Abbas as Dr. Sh. Hatim al-Mutaiari concluded after examining all its routes based on the known principles of science of the hadeeth.

    Re: Sirius as a single star -Quran 53:49 error refuted

    وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ رَبُّ الشِّعْرَىٰ
    Sahih International
    And that it is He who is the Lord of Sirius.
     
     

    Some of the Arab tribes worshipped Sirius, because they regarded it as a source of good or bad luck for them. Allah mentions Sirius in particular in order to refute their false notion and to affirm that He is the Lord and Master of Sirius as well, although He is the Creator, Master and Lord of all the stars, heavens and the earth. God didn't say that Sirius is a single star at all !

    Shiera is the brightest star in the heavens, which is also known by the names of Mirzam al-Jawza, al-Kalb al-Akbar, al-Kalb al-Jabbar, Ash-Shira al-Abur, etc. 

    In English it is called Sirius, Dog Star and Canis Majoris. It is 23 times as luminous as the Sun, but as it shines over eight light-years away from the earth, it appears to be smaller and less luminous than the Sun. The Egyptians worshiped it, for it made its appearance at about the time of the season when the annual floods were beginning in the Nile; the Egyptians believed that Sirius caused the Nile floods. The pagan Arabs also held the belief that this star influenced human destinies. That is why they worshiped it as a deity, and the Bani Khuzaah, the neighboring tribe of the Quraish, were particularly well-known for being its devotees.

    What the naked eye perceives as a single star is actually a binary star system, consisting of a white main-sequence star of spectral type A1V, termed Sirius A, and a faint white dwarf companion of spectral type DA2, called Sirius B.  

    The image of Sirius A and Sirius B taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The white dwarf can be seen to the lower left.

    http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_468.html

    http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/sirius-the-brightest-star

     

     

     

    Re: Earth has invisible pillars keeping up the sky - Quran error refuted

    In the 7th century, when the Quran was revealed, Arab society had many superstitious and groundless beliefs where scientific issues were concerned. Lacking the technology to examine the universe and nature, these early Arabs believed in legends inherited from past generations. They supposed, for example, that mountains supported the sky above. They believed that the earth was flat and that there were high mountains at its both ends. It was thought that these mountains were pillars that kept the vault of heaven high above.
    However all these superstitious beliefs of Arab society were eliminated with the Quran. 

    In Surat Al Ra'ed (Chapter 13) , verse 2, it was said: "Allah is He who raised up the heavens without any pillars, that you can see " (The Quran, 13:2).
    (اللّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا) سورة الرعد : 13
    This verse invalidated the belief that the sky remains above because of the mountains. In many other subjects, important facts were revealed at a time when no one could have known them.

    The verse does point out to the particular sign of the perfect power of Allah Ta'ala that He has made this extensive, high and magnificent roof in a way that no column and pillar is seen thereunder.

    heaven
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    The fact that the Quran speaks of scientific phenomena that could not be accessible to the level of knowledge at the time of the Prophet is a miracle in itself. While trying to emphasize this feature of the Quran, we often stressed that the Quran had, 1400 years ago, spoken of scientific facts that have only come to light in recent years, if not in the course of the twentieth century.
    اللَّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا
    Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see. (13:2)
    One of the facts that could not possibly be attained by observations and research at the time of the Prophet is given in the verse quoted above. However, this discovery is certainly not of recent date. But at the time of the descent of the Quran, there was no general consensus about this. Even after the time of the Quran’s descent there were still people who believed that the world abutted mountains at both extremities.
    For instance, in the New American Bible, a picture is drawn to show how the authors of the Bible imagined the world. In that picture, the sky resembles an overturned bowl and is supported by columns (The New American Bible, St Joseph’s Medium Size Edition, and pp. 4-5). Ibn Abbas (d. 687 AD), Mujahid (d. 718 AD) and Ikrima (d. 733 AD) believed in the existence of pillars (mountains) supporting the sky, too. These persons asserted that the Quran’s verses referred only to what was visible and that in the portion of space invisible to the eye the pillars held up the sky. This had also been the contention of the Babylonians who believed that the sky abutted on mountains at its extremities. At the time of the Prophet, mankind did not know that the earth was spherical and that traveling in opposing directions led two people to the same spot. Therefore, the said subject of debate could not scientifically be accounted for at the time of the Prophet. Moreover, such a bold statement would have had deleterious effects on the Prophet’s credibility, and objections would not tarry to arrive. Those who claimed that Muhammad was the author of the Quran would not be in a position to account for such a statement.

    To appreciate better the value of these statements in the Quran, our imagination must go back to the time of the Prophet and try to guess at the mentality of the people. The Quran was revealed at a time when the airplane and the automobile did not exist, when the actual shape of the earth was unknown, when there was no such thing as a world map and when the majority of Arabs were illiterate. This is to remind the persons who claim that the authorship of the Quran should be attributed to the Prophet or to other writers at the time of the Prophet. So, if one considers that the statements of the Quran had been revealed in such a situation, the miraculous character of the explanations may gain a different dimension.

    HEAVEN’S SUPPORT

    In the long history of the world, man benefited from the atmosphere’s characteristics and advantages without being cognizant of the mystery behind this boon. How did this mass of gases come into being then? How is it that its stability is maintained? The fact that the sky had a “well protected roof” (Ch 19), that it possessed returning and reflecting properties (Ch 20), that it was made of layers, each having its proper function (Ch 17) and that its maintenance was without pillars, all point to the glorious design of God.
    Research conducted on planets of the solar system led us to conclude that none of them was surrounded by an atmosphere like the one that surrounds our world; and the way it is designed to make life on earth possible was a proof of the fact that God had decided that life thrives on earth.
    The gas molecules upon the surface of the planet move at a tremendous speed. If the gravitational force of the planet overcomes this motion, the planet would attract the gas molecules and the surface of the planet would absorb the gas molecules. On the other hand, if the gas molecules moved rapidly and could escape the planet’s gravitational field, they would pursue their travel in space. So, both the atmosphere and the balances established took place at a stage after the creation of the earth. The expression in the Quran, “He raised the sky, and set the balance” (55-Gracious, 7) is in perfect accord with the formation of the sky and the establishment of balance in it after the creation of the world. The formation of gas molecules in the form of the atmosphere and its fixation was possible only by the establishment of a balance, a balance between the gravitational force of the sphere and the speed at which the gas molecules travel. God contrived a precise balance in order to raise the sky high without pillars.

    All celestial bodies move in order, balance, and harmony. They are held and supported in this order by the balance of centripetal and centrifugal forces.
     
    However, this design had to be coupled with what was necessary for its perpetuity.
    Verily, God is the One who holds the heavens and the earth, lest they cease. (35: 41)
    The establishment of this balance depends on the synchronization of a variety of data. For instance, the heat balance of the surface of the earth depends on the position of the earth in relation to the sun, which, in turn, will affect the motion of gas molecules. The rotation of the earth is an important factor for the homogeneity of heat. If there is an increase in this speed, the atmosphere will scatter; if, on the other hand, this speed slows down, the homogeneity will be upset, for the atmosphere will be absorbed by the soil. For the maintenance of the atmosphere, the difference in temperature between the equator and the polar regions and the chains of mountains like the Himalayas, the Taurus Mountains and the Alps that forestall the terrible consequences that air currents would generate are also important. The chain of mountains contributes to the preservation of the balance by blocking the winds blowing upon the surface of our sphere and gathering the cold air at heights. The gases in the atmosphere also play an important role in the maintenance of the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, whose proportion in the atmosphere is insignificant, has the function of covering the earth as a blanket, thus preventing the loss of heat at night. From the raison d’être of the mountain range to the creation of carbon dioxide, from the magnitude of the earth to the position of the sun, from the balance of heat on the surface of the earth to the characteristics and speeds of gases in the atmosphere, everything has been designed with an unerring precision in perfect conformity. An atmosphere can function without adhering to the earth, without getting scattered in every possible direction, thanks to innumerable conditions.
    Verily in these things there are signs for those who understand. (13: 4)