Re: Sky Guards the Earth -quran 21:32 error refuted

Sahih International

And We made the sky a protected ceiling, but they, from its signs, are turning away.

http://quran.com/21/32

Tafsir al-Jalalayn

And We made the heaven a roof, for the earth, [functioning] like the roof of a house, preserved, from collapsing; and yet of the signs thereof, namely, [the signs of this heaven such as] the sun, the moon and the stars, they are disregardful, failing to reflect on them and thus realise that the Creator of such [things] can have no partner.

“And We have set up the sky as a well-secured canopy.”  (Verse 32) In Arabic, the sky refers to everything that is above us. We see above us something like a ceiling. The Qur’ān states that the sky is a well-secured canopy. It is secure from any defect or  contamination, since it symbolizes the  height from which God’s revelations are bestowed. But “they stubbornly turn away from all its signs.” (Verse 32) 

In the Qur'an, God calls our attention to a very interesting attribute of the sky;
This attribute of the sky has been proved by scientific research carried out in the 20th century.
The atmosphere surrounding the earth serves crucial functions for the continuity of life. While destroying many meteors big and small as they approach the earth, it prevents them from falling to earth and harming living things.
In addition, the atmosphere filters the light rays coming from space that are harmful to living things. Interestingly, the atmosphere lets only harmless and useful rays- visible light, near ultraviolet light, and radio waves pass through. All of this radiation is vital for life. Near ultraviolet rays, which are only partially let in by the atmosphere, are very important for the photosynthesis of plants and for the survival of all living beings. The majority of the intense ultraviolet rays emitted from the sun are filtered out by the ozone layer of the atmosphere and only a limited-and essential-part of the ultraviolet spectrum reaches the Earth.
The protective function of the atmosphere does not end here. The atmosphere also protects the earth from the freezing cold of the space, which is about minus 270° C.

This illustration shows meteors that are about to crash into the earth. The celestial bodies wandering in space could pose a serious threat to the Earth. Yet, God, He Who creates most perfectly, has made the atmosphere a protective roof. Thanks to this special protection, most meteoroids do not harm the Earth, as they fall to pieces in the atmosphere.

Most people looking at the sky do not think about the protective aspect of the atmosphere. They almost never think what kind of a place the world would be like if this structure did not exist. The above photo belongs to a giant crater caused by a meteor that fell in Arizona, in the USA. If the atmosphere did not exist, millions of meteoroids would fall to the Earth and the Earth would become an inhabitable place. Yet, the protective aspect of the atmosphere allows living things to survive in safety. This is certainly God's protection of people, and a miracle proclaimed in the Qur'an.

The energy released in a Sun burst is so powerful that the human mind would hardly comprehend it: A single burst is equivalent to 100 billion atomic bombs similar to the one dropped on Hiroshima. The world is protected from the destructive effects of this energy by the atmosphere and the Van Allen Belts.	As we move from the Earth, which is perfectly fitted for human life, beyond the atmosphere into the space, we come across a freezing cold. The world is protected from the freezing cold of space, which is around -270 degrees, by the help of the atmosphere.

The magnetosphere layer, formed by the magnetic field of the Earth, serves as a shield protecting the earth from celestial bodies, harmful cosmic rays and particles. In the above picture, this magnetosphere layer, which is also named Van Allen Belts, is seen. These belts at thousands of kilometres above the earth protect the living things on the Earth from the fatal energy that would otherwise reach it from space. All these scientific findings prove that the world is protected in a very particular way. The important thing is that this protection was made known in the Qur'an in the verse "We made the sky a preserved and protected roof" 1,400 years ago.

It is not only the atmosphere that protects the Earth from harmful effects. In addition to the atmosphere, the Van Allen Belt, a layer caused by the magnetic field of the Earth, also serves as a shield against the harmful radiation that threatens our planet. This radiation, which is constantly emitted by the Sun and other stars, is deadly to living things. If the Van Allen belt did not exist, the massive outbursts of energy called solar flares that frequently occur in the Sun would destroy all life on Earth.
Dr. Hugh Ross has this to say on the importance of Van Allen Belts to our lives:

In fact, the Earth has the highest density of any of the planets in our Solar System. This large nickel-iron core is responsible for our large magnetic field. This magnetic field produces the Van-Allen radiation shield, which protects the Earth from radiation bombardment. If this shield were not present, life would not be possible on the Earth. The only other rocky planet to have any magnetic field is Mercury - but its field strength is 100 times less than the Earth's. Even Venus, our sister planet, has no magnetic field. The Van-Allen radiation shield is a design unique to the Earth.

The energy transmitted in just one of these bursts detected in recent years was calculated to be equivalent to 100 billion atomic bombs similar to the one dropped on Hiroshima. Fifty-eight hours after the burst, it was observed that the magnetic needles of compasses displayed unusual movement and 250 kilometers above the earth's atmosphere, the temperature suddenly increased to 2,500° C.
In short, a perfect system is at work high above the Earth. It surrounds our world and protects it against external threats. 

Re: Geocentricism -Quran error refuted.

Geocentrism is the notion that the earth is the centre of our universe, thus all celestial bodies (the sun, the moon and the 5 known planets) move around it. The ancient Greeks and the Europeans of the middle ages thought that the celestial bodies all moved in celestial spheres around the earth.

Heliocentrism, is the astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around a relatively stationary Sun at the center of the Solar System.

Islam enemies say that quran is geocentric. To accuse God with such a grave accusation, we expect them to show where did quran mention that "earth is the centre of our universe" and "moon & sun move around it".

Fact: Nowhere in the quran we find such a statement; just another empty propaganda.

Their only "proof" is that geocentrism was a common belief in the past, so quran must be geocentric !

Disbelievers are making an assumption about without sufficient evidence to support the assumption. There are other more valid assumptions that can be made. Therefore, the only basis for choosing their particular assumption is because it is consistent with a particular bias.
 

They base their 'assertion' upon:

1. God did not mention that earth has an orbit.
2. makes no distinction between the movement of the moon and the movement of the sun
3. seems to associate the passing of the day and night with the movement of the sun (and moon)

Their first 2 'proofs' aren’t even relevant so they don’t even require any related explanation to begin with, while the 3rd feature is inaccurate because it disregards the textual context of the verses in question.

- God is omniscient.
- In the Qur’an, God says that the sun and the moon swim in their orbits.
- Modern astronomy confirms that the moon revolves around the earth and the sun revolves around the galaxy.
- Therefore, the orbits of the sun and the moon, as mentioned in the Qur’an, can therefore be understood to refer to moon’s circular orbit around the earth and the sun’s circular orbit around the galaxy.

The mentioning of the “night and day” cycle along with the “sun and moon” orbits in those verses does not necessarily indicate a geocentric perspective. Although they are mentioned together in several verses in the Qur’an, they are always grouped together separately from each other in all of those instances. It’s never said as “the night with the moon” or “the day with the sun” in any of those instances. In addition to that, the moon is not always visible at night nor is it only visible at night. This further disassociates the mentioning of “night and day” with the “sun and the moon”.

There is also the context of those verses as well, which is not about the day/night dichotomy, but about the signs of God in the universe with the “day and night” being one of them and the “sun and moon” being another. With regard to the verse in question:

Qur’an 21:30-36: Are the disbelievers not aware that the heavens and the earth used to be joined together and that We ripped them apart, that We made every living thing from water? Will they not believe? And We put firm mountains on the earth, lest it should sway under them, and set broad paths on it, so that they might follow the right direction, and We made the sky a well-secured canopy––yet from its wonders they turn away. It is He who created night and day, the sun and the moon, each floating in its orbit. We have not granted everlasting life to any other human being before you either [Muhammad]––if you die, will [the disbelievers] live forever? Every soul is certain to taste death: We test you all through the bad and the good, and to Us you will all return. When the disbelievers see you, they laugh at you: ‘Is this the one who talks about your gods?’ They reject any talk of the Lord of Mercy.

Here, in addition to the “night and day” and “sun and moon”, we also see the mention of “the heavens and the earth”, the “mountains”, every living thing being made from water, and the “sky”. You cannot possibly associate all of those things exclusively with each other, yet the attempt is made to do so if the “day and night” happen to be mentioned in the same verse as the “sun and moon”?

Further readings:

THE HELIO-CENTRIC SYSTEM

http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_104.html

Re: Humans were created from a single being, Creation of humans happened in an instant, Fall from paradise down to the earth -Quran scientific error refuted

Quran 4:1

O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah , through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.

http://quran.com/4/1

The Qur'an clearly states Eve was created from Adam.

Some ignorant individuals talk about the "Mitochondrial Eve Theory" and then say quran is wrong. This is cheap deception !

The Mitochondrial Eve is NOT our common ancestor & has NOTHING to do with Actual Adam & Eve, and this fact alone is enough to disprove the claim of a scientific error.

Below we will take a look at this theory.

1- Mitochondrial Eve Theory:

Mitochondria contain their own DNA, which they use to make certain proteins. mtDNA was thought to be special for two reasons. 

First, it is short and relatively simple in comparison to the DNA found within the nucleus, containing only thirty-seven genes instead of the 70,000+ genes located in the nuclear DNA.  This makes it relatively easy to analyze. 

Second, unlike nuclear DNA, which each person inherits in a jumbled form from both parents, mitochondrial DNA was thought to be passed on only through the mother’s line (more about this later).

Theoretically, if scientists could look farther and farther into the past, they would find that the number of women who contributed the modern varieties of mitochondrial DNA gets less and less until, finally, we arrive at one “original” mother.  She, then, would be the only woman out of all the women living in her day to have a daughter in every generation till the present

 

So, they defined it as ' the most-recent common ancestor of all humans alive on Earth today with respect to matrilineal descent.'

Many other women lived with her, but they either did not leave descendents or did not leave descendents via the matrilineal line, who are still alive today.

Mitochondrial Eve depends very critically on the present human population of the Earth. As people die or are born, this woman can change. 

As we can see, this theory has NOTHING to do with Actual Adam & Eve. 

2-It's problems:

The validity of this theory is dependent upon two critically important assumptions:

 (1) that mtDNA is, in fact, derived exclusively from the mother; and

 (2) that the mutation rates associated with mtDNA have remained constant over time. 

 However, we now know that these assumptions are wrong.

 In fact,as has been demonstrated for mice, mtDNA is inherited paternally when some of the sperm’s tail, which carries these organelles, is introduced into an ovum — which is a situation that both Awadella et al.(1999) and Hagelberg calculated as being quite common. (Schwartz, J. H. and Maresca, B. (2006). "Do Molecular Clocks Run at All?)

  On page 2524 however, a study by Philip Awadalla of the University of Edinburgh and Adam Eyre-Walker and John Maynard Smith of the University of Sussex in Brighton, U.K.  finds signs of mixing between maternal and paternal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in humans and chimpanzees.  Because biologists have used mtDNA as a tool to trace human ancestry and relationships, the finding has implications for everything from the identification of bodies to the existence of a “mitochondrial Eve”  (Strauss, 286:2436).

Several recent papers, however, have suggested that elements of mtDNA may sometimes be inherited from the father.  This hypothesis is based on evidence that mtDNA may undergo recombination.  If this does occur, maternal mtDNA in the egg must cross over with homologous sequences in a different DNA molecule; paternal mtDNA seems the most likely candidate….  If mtDNA can recombine, irrespective of the mechanism, there are important implications for mtDNA evolution and for phylogenetic studies that use mtDNA (Morris and Mightowlers, 2000, 355:1290).

We report the case of a 28-year-old man with mitochondrial myopathy due to a novel 2-bp mtDNA deletion….  We determined that the mtDNA harboring the mutation was paternal in origin and accounted for 90 percent of the patient’s muscle mtDNA (Schwartz and Vissing, 2002, 347:576)

3- Quran on human creation:

  

Sahih International

I did not make them witness to the creation of the heavens and the earth or to the creation of themselves, and I would not have taken the misguiders as assistants.

http://quran.com/18/51

Quran points out to a simple fact. All human trials to understand their origins are not testable, not falsifiable and not provable, just speculations & conjectures. 

The Qur’an clearly states that Adam was created by Allah from the clay.

 The “miracle” of our creation enables us to recognize and remain in total awe of Allāh's limitless powers. That in turn allows us to submit to Him and to His message conveyed to us through His Prophets.

For surely, the Magnificent Creator who fashioned a complete living being out of a mere sperm drop, can resurrect that same human being hundreds of years after his death; after his total decomposition into nothingness.

Because for the One for whom the first, original creation was so easy, the resurrection will be even easier:

كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُّعِيدُهُ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ

“…Even as We produced the first creation, so shall We produce a new one; a promise We have undertaken. Truly shall We fulfil it.” [21:104] 

Allāh mentions 3 other words in another place in the Qurʾān where He mentions the “despicable” water – “طِين”,”نسل” and “سلالة”:

الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ الْإِنسَانِ مِن طِينٍ – ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُ مِن سُلَالَةٍ مِّن مَّاء مَّهِينٍ

“Who made all things good which He created, and He began the creation of man from clay; And made his progeny from a quintessence of the nature of a fluid despised.” [32:7-8]

The point that comes across is how Allāh brought every one of us into this world from a mere drop of fluid – a fluid that is considered dirty, and worthy of being washed off and discarded; which emanates from a part of the body that is also kept hidden and considered shameful; a part that excretes the filth (urine) from our bodies.

Furthermore, when a human baby comes into this world, it again does so through the same anatomical part of his mother's body.

Allāh reminds man again and again of his origins, of his first and subsequent creation, in order to cull his arrogance and reinforce his belief in Allāh's absolute power of creation and resurrection.

Because as long as we keep reminding ourselves of how we were created, how we were born, and how we came into existence from nothing, to ultimately grow bigger and take the shape of a functioning human being from the merger of two tiny cells, we will perhaps be able to stop doubting how Allāh will put us back together in the Akhirah when the Hour is established.

 4- They have never found a trace of Adam !

Interesting thought. It is also interesting how paleontologists are capable of finding a single bone fragment. From that fragment are able to reconstruct a likely image of the creature, set up probabilities as to how prevalent the critter was and what it ate. And that is accepted as world belief with no need for further evidence.

Now, religious scholars have less things to work with. Disbelievers are asking them to produce concrete solid physical proof of one specific person. I don't know about anybody else, but I have no way of locating the baby teeth I had as a child and they fell out. That is probably the only physical evidence that may exist to prove I was a living 5 year old in 1945. I guess since I have no solid physical artifacts of when I was a child, I must not have existed then and I can not believe the words of my childhood friends and relatives or my own memories..

Perhaps somethings are too far in the past for physical evidence to have remained or is in such minute quantity that it has little chance of ever being found. Perhaps sometimes we have to look upon the passed down words of those who witnessed or caused the events.

Actually we are quite satisfied that we know were the physical remains of the alter used by Abraham is and we are confident it was also used by Adam. That in itself is more then sufficient physical proof for us to accept the reality of Adam and Abraham. 

Re: The sun set into the murky water -Quran scientific error refuted

Let's have a look at the ayat 18:68:

http://quran.com/18/86
http://www.islamicstudies.info/wordt...php?ch=18&v=82

We notice that the word Maghrib was translated as " the setting place" or the "setting"

Now let's refer to arabic language:
The word is:

مغرب

Now let's see what Almu'jam Alwaseet المعجمالوسيط( Arabic dictionary published by Academy_of_the_Arabic_Language ) tell us about that word:

http://www.almaany.com/home.php?lang...=0&cat_group=1

المغرب

1. مكان غروب الشمس
2. وزمان غروبها
3. وجهة غروبها
4. وبلاد المغرب البلاد الواقعة في شمال إفريقية في غربي مصر وهي ليبيا وتونس والجزائر ومراكش
5. ومملكة المغرب اليوم الجزء الواقع في أقصى بلاد المغرب في غربي الجزائر ويحدها البحر

المغرب

So, it's :

1. Place of sunset
2. Time of sunset
3. Point of sunset
4. Countries located in North Africa in the west of Egypt ( Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco)
5. and the Kingdom of Morocco ( Called Maghrib in arabic )

Note that Point of sunset = west is called Maghrib as those countries named.

Now, when he reached sunset ( its place, point i.e. the west or time(1,2 or 3 that's only could be applied to the context ).
Note that the time was apparently of the sunset and he was apparently looking at the sun ,



He "found" it setting in a dark muddy spring

If you are heading west at the time of sunset, and before you a mount, you will find the sun - in your opinion - sets behind the mountain, if I said, describing this scene: The sun disappeared behind the mountain, you will not understand one of you say this is that the sun hides really behind the mountain, but the concept that this happened in his abstract vision.
Similarly, those who are at the western coast see the sun setting in the water everyday.

and he found near it a people


Refer to word translation, Near it = AAinda-ha = عندها

عندها

ها (it ) is added to the word and called Dameer There is a rule in arabic that any Dameer is related to the nearest noun

الضمير عائد على أقرب متعلق

since otherwise proved or refered by the speaker.

Now let's apply this to the ayat:

The last noun was the spring that's dark muddy (adj) Not the sun. So, evidently those people were near the spring not the sun !

Re: Human created from clay -quran scientific error refuted !

In the Quran, Allah reveals that the creation of man is a miracle. The first human being was created by Allah shaping clay into a human form and then breathing a soul into it, Allah (SWT) says in Quran :

( إذ قال ربك للملائكة إني خالق بشرا من طينٍ ، فإذا سويته ونفخت فيه من روحي فقعوا له ساجدين ) سورة (ص) 71-72

 ( Your Lord said to the angels, "I am going to create a human being out of clay. When I have formed him and breathed My Spirit into him, fall down in prostration to him!")  (Quran  38:71-72)

and also says :

( فاستفتهم أهم أشد خلقاً أم من خلقنا إنا خلقناهم من طين لازب) الصافات 11

 " Then inquire of them: Is it they who are stronger in structure or other things We have created? We created them from sticky clay " (Quran 37:11)

When the human body is examined today, many elements present on the earth are also discovered to be found in the human body. Living tissues contain 95% carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur, with a total of 26 different elements.

In another verse of the Quran we are told:  

(ولقد خلقنا الإنسان من سلالة من طين ) المؤمنون 12

"We created man from an extract of clay"  (Quran 23:12)

The Arabic word "sulala," translated as "extract" in the verse, means "representative example, essence." As we have seen, the information revealed in the Quran 1,400 years ago confirms what modern science tells us-the fact that the same elements as those found in the soil  are employed in the human creation .

Scientific implications of the Holy ayah:

 First: the chemical structure of the human body confirms the relation between man and clay. The human body consists mainly of water (54% to 70% or more) in addition to protein (11% to 17%), fat (14% to 26%), and other several substances and inorganic components (5% to 6%).  According to the chemical analysis of the basic substances of the human body, we can see that it is composed of the following elements:

·        Oxygen 65%.

·        Carbon 18%.

·        Hydrogen 10%.

·        Nitrogen 3%.

·        Calcium 1.4%.

·        Phosphorous 7%.

In addition, there are some less abundant substances like iodine, fluorine, bromine, iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, chrome, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum, tin, vanadium, silicon, and aluminum. However, despite their rarity, the shortage of any of these substances may cause an imbalance in the functions of the human body.

The components of the human body correspond in general with the chemical composition of soil when combined with water, i.e. clay.  Generally, soil is made of a number of clay minerals that depend in their structure on hydrated aluminum silica, and exceed ten in number. They differ according to the degree of hydration, the percentage of both aluminum and silicon, or through the addition of other substances like magnesium, potassium, etc.

Moreover, clay minerals are combined (mixed) with different proportions of sand grains (quartz), feldspars, mica, iron oxides, and some heavy minerals, in addition to a small percentage of volcanic ashes, sea lime (calcareous) and salt particles, and ash particles that result from various combustive operations.  Soil is also mixed with pollen and other plant remnants, bacteria and the remnants of other microorganisms, some remnants of cosmic and meteoritic dust, in addition to several other organic substances from the waste of various living creatures. This combination makes the chemical composition of soil and water very similar to that of the human body.

Soil is fragmented fine-grained sediment.  Its granular diameter (clay) does not exceed 1/257 of a millimeter, even if mixed with some granules of silt (the diameter of its granule is 1/16 mm, 1/256 mm) and sand (1/4 – 1/16 mm.)

The proportion of porosity is as high as 70% to 80% in recently formed clay sediments. On the other hand, this proportion decreases to only 13% in old clay (mudstone) rocks, especially in shale. This high proportion of porosity in newly formed clay sediments increases after denudation (weathering) and transformation into soil.  Soil pores fill with different ions of other substances, in addition to water, air and micro – wastes of living creatures.  If the proportion of water increases, clay transforms into mud.  The extraction from which man was created is the substances and compounds dissolving in the water held between the grains of clay metals and cracks that form clay.

Second: Man depends on plants as his main food resource and this confirms the link between humans and clay: The roots of plants absorb the substances and compounds dissolved in the water, which is stored between soil particles. Plants grow and produce different crops that man and several animals (herbivores) eat. Even creatures that eat both meat and plants (like humans), or those that eat meat only (carnivores), live, thrive, and grow depending on this blend absorbed by plants from the space between clay particles, and which turn into clay, and then into mud by watering. That is why Allah (SWT) created plants before animals and humans, because plants are the only means to transform ground substances into food chains, which are necessary for human and animal survival. Indeed, Allah says the truth in His wisely revealed Book more than fourteen centuries ago; He says what can be translated as:

-         *"And indeed We created man (Adam) out of an extract of clay"* (Surat Al-Mu'minun (The Believers): 12).

-         *"Who made everything He has created good, and He began the creation of man from clay"* (Surat As-Sajdah (The Prostration): 7).

-         *"And Allah has brought you forth from the (dust of) earth. Afterwards He will return you into it (the earth), and bring you forth" (again on the Day of Resurrection)? *(Surat  Nuh: 17, 18).

-         Also His words said by His slave and Messenger Saleh (AS) when he spoke to his people:* "O my people! Worship Allah: you have no other Ilah (God) but Him. He brought you forth from the earth and settled you therein"* (Surat Hud: 61)

Third: After death, human bodies start to decompose and transform into clay extracts before they merge with the soil.  The relation between the human body and soil with its water content (mud) reasserts by the huge correspondence between their chemical structures.  The growth of the human body (from the embryonic stage up to maturity) depends on some ground substances and their dissolved compounds. These substances are stored between the clay particles that form the earth’s soil, which plants transform (by the Mighty power of Allah) into fruits and crops edible for man.  They can also be transformed into grass, which is eaten by animals, making food for man.  This marvelous food chain, in which plants play an enormous role, originally came out of this clay extract that consists of many substances and compounds absorbed by plant roots.

Below is a diagram showing the distribution of the elements in a 70-kilo human being.

Element	Symbol	%	Weight
Macro-minerals			Gram
Oxygen Carbon Hydrogen Nitrogen Calcium Phosphorus Potassium Sulfur Chlorine Sodium Magnesium Silicon	O C H N Ca P K S Cl Na Mg Si	65.0 18.5 9.5 3.3 1.5 1.0 0.35 0.25 0.15 0.15 0.05 0.05	43,000 12,000 6,300 2,000 1,100 750 225 150 100 90 35 30
Macro-minerals		%	Miligram
Iron Zinc Copper Boron Cobalt Vanadium Iodine Selenium Manganese Molybdenum Chromium	Fe Zn Cu B Co V I Se Mn Mo Cr	0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01	4,200 2,400 90 68 20 20 15 15 13 8 6

As we notice above water forms the main component of the human being and any other being. Allah (SWT) says  :

( والله خلق كل دابة من ماء فمنهم من يمشي على بطنه ومنهم من يمشي على رجلين ومنهم من يمشي على أربع  يخلق الله ما يشاء إن الله على كل شيء قدير) النور 45

" Allah created every [living] creature from water. Some of them go on their bellies, some of them on two legs, and some on four. Allah creates whatever He wills. Allah has power over all things"  (Quran, 24:45)

(وجعلنا من الماء كل شيء حي أفلا يؤمنون َ) الأنبياء 30

" and  We made from water every living thing? So will they not believe?"  (Quran, 21:30)

(وهو الذي خلق من الماء بشراً فجعله نسباً  وصهراً وكان ربك قديراً ) الفرقان 54

"And it is He Who created human beings from water and then gave them relations by blood and marriage. Your Lord is All-Powerful"  (25:54)

When we look at the verses concerned with the creation of human beings and living things, we clearly see evidence of a miracle. One such miracle is of the creation of living things from water. It was only possible for people to come across that information, clearly expressed in those verses, hundreds of years afterwards with the invention of the microscope.

 All life forms need water in order to survive. Animals in dry regions, therefore, have been created with mechanisms to protect their metabolisms from water loss and to ensure maximum benefit from water use. If water loss takes place in the body for any reason, and if that loss is not replaced, death will result in a few days. The famous 17th century scientist Jan Baptista van Helmont discovered in 1640s that water in the soil was the most important element of plant development.

http://www.quranandscience.com/human/262-the-origin-of-creation--clay-a-water-.html
Clay May Have Been Birthplace of Life On Earth, New Study Suggests -Science Daily

N.B:

1. Some disbelievers claimed that quran implies that clay was a "building block". This claim is laughable (They assert it without evidence then talk about an error !). God  tells us that humans have been made from clay, while angels have been made from light. This doesn't mean that they are formed of blocks of light or clay -, It's about their origin !
   God informs us that He has created human beings from clay, yet disbelievers dismiss God's words on the basis of what? Creation from clay is a sign for human beings, since to us clay seems so lifeless and inconceivable that we could be created from it, yet God has truly designed us in the best form from this substance, a testimony to His power and wisdom.

2. The charge of plagiarism regarding the creation:

   First of all , if we found some ancient cultures that believed in creation from clay, this would be the result of divine revelation to previous nations and not analogies from pottery.
   Below are the creation accounts from a few different mythologies/religions to help start you off. You can analyze the similarities and differences if you like. You will find that not only are these stories ridiculous scientific blunders, but they are completely unlike the Qur'an. In many of them, it describes gods being created while the Qur'an describes God creating. Most people who compare the Qur'an to mythologies in this respect do so only because of the mention of heavens and earth arising out of some substance, hardly a good case for plagiarism.
   Creation according to Hinduism
   
   According to Hinduism, the universe came into being from the Hiranyagarbha or 'golden womb'. It is described as follows:
   
   Khândogya Upanishad 3.19:1-4. Âditya (the sun) is Brahman, this is the doctrine, and this is the fuller account of it:
   In the beginning this was non-existent. It became existent, it grew. It turned into an egg. The egg lay for the time of a year. The egg broke open. The two halves were one of silver, the other of gold. The silver one became this earth, the golden one the sky, the thick membrane (of the white) the mountains, the thin membrane (of the yoke) the mist with the clouds, the small veins the rivers, the fluid the sea. And what was born from it that was Âditya, the sun. When he was born shouts of hurrah arose, and all beings arose, and all things which they desired. Therefore whenever the sun rises and sets, shouts of hurrah arise, and all beings arise, and all things which they desire. If any one knowing this meditates on the sun as Brahman, pleasant shouts will approach him and will continue, yea, they will continue.
   
   According to the Hindu scriptures*, Brahma, the four-headed four-faced four-armed Creator God of Hinduism, was created from the fluid in the Hiranyagarbha (golden egg) and from the thick egg yoke came mountains, rivers from small veins and the silver portion of the egg became the earth and the golden portion became the heavens.
   
   
   Creation according to Babylonian and Assyrian Mythology
   
   According to the myths of Babylon and Assyria, in a civil war of the Gods, Marduk defeated the dragon goddess Tiamat and tore her body into parts, using some to create the heaven and some to create the earth.
   
   The Fourth Tablet of Creation 129-132, 135-138, 142-144. And the lord stood upon Tiamat's hinder parts, And with his merciless club he smashed her skull. He cut through the channels of her blood, And he made the North wind bear it away into secret places.
   Then the lord rested, gazing upon her dead body, While he divided the flesh of the ..., and devised a cunning plan. He split her up like a flat fish into two halves; One half of her he stablished as a covering for heaven. And over against the Deep he set the dwelling of Nudimmud. And the lord measured the structure of the Deep, And he founded E-shara, a mansion like unto it. (The Seven Tablets of Creation by Leonard William King, 1902)
   
   
   Creation according to Greek mythology
   
   In the greek myths, the elements and entities in the universe are personified as gods. So in the beginning there was only chaos and darkness. Then somehow 'love' appeared bringing about order and night and day. After the creation of night and day, Gaea, the earth and mother goddess suddenly appeared. She gave birth to Uranus (the heavens) and then she mated with her own son to produce other gods including the titans. After a dispute between Gaea and Uranus, Gaea incited her son Cronus to castrate Uranus while he slept with Gaea. (The Theogony of Hesiod II:139-206). See also:
   http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/The_Myths/The_Creation/the_creation.html
   
   Creation according to Taoist Chinese Folklore
   
   According to some myths from ancient chinese folklore, the universe came into being from the first man, Pan-Ku. It is described as follows:
   Pan-Ku came into being in the Great Waste. His origin is unknown. When dying, he gave birth to the existing material universe. His breath was transmuted into the wind and clouds; his voice into thunder; his left eye into the sun, his right eye into the moon; his four limbs and five extremities into the four quarters of the globe and the five great mountains, his blood into the rivers; his muscles and veins into the strata of the earth, his flesh into the soil, etc. (W. G. Aston, E.T.N., vol. I, p. 28)
   Creation according to Norse Mythology
   
   According to Norse mythology, Ymir the giant and his cow Auðhumla were produced from some cloudy mist (according to other narrations fire and ice). Auðhumla used to lick ice for nourishment and from her licking emerged Búri, whose grandson killed Ymir. From Ymir's blood came the sea; his flesh, the earth; his skull, the sky; his bones, the mountains; his hair, the trees. This new world was called Midgard. Thomas Bulfinch records the story as follows:
   According to the Eddas there was once no heaven above nor earth beneath, but only a bottomless deep, and a world of mist in which flowed a fountain. Twelve rivers issued from this fountain, and when they had flowed far from their source, they froze into ice, and one layer accumulating over another, the great deep was filled up.
   
   Southward from the world of mist was the world of light. From this flowed a warm wind upon the ice and melted it. The vapours rose in the air and formed clouds, from which sprang Ymir, the Frost giant and his progeny, and the cow Audhumbla, whose milk afforded nourishment and food to the giant. The cow got nourishment by licking the hoar frost and salt from the ice. While she was one day licking the salt stones there appeared at first the hair of a man, on the second day the whole head, and on the third the entire form endowed with beauty, agility, and power. This new being was a god, from whom and his wife, a daughter of the giant race, sprang the three brothers Odin, Vili, and Ve. They slew the giant Ymir, and out of his body formed the earth, of his blood the seas, of his bones the mountains, of his hair the trees, of his skull the heavens, and of his brain clouds, charged with hail and snow. Of Ymir's eyebrows the gods formed Midgard (mid earth), destined to become the abode of man. (Bukfinch, The Age of Fable 1855, ch. 38)
   Creation according to Mayan Mythology
   
   According to the Maya of central america, in the beginning there was only the sky and waters. Tepeu and the feathery serpent Gucumatz chatted together and told the water to recede and let the earth appear becoming solid. It is described as follows:
   
   Popol Vuh, part 1, chapter 1. This is the first account, the first narrative. The surface of the earth had not appeared. There was only the calm sea and the great expanse of the sky.
   Tepeu and Gucumatz came together in the darkness, in the night, and Tepeu and Gucumatz talked together. They talked then, discussing and deliberating; they agreed, they united their words and their thoughts. Then while they meditated, it became clear to them that when dawn would break, man must appear. Then they planned the creation, and the growth of the trees and the thickets and the birth of life and the creation of man.
   Thus let it be done! Let the emptiness be filled! Let the water recede and make a void, let the earth appear and become solid; let it be done. Thus they spoke. (Goetz and Morley, Popol Vuh 1954, pp.3-5)
   
   Creation according to Ancient Egyptian Mythology
   
   It is described as follows:
   Having described the coming into being of Khepera and the place on which he stood, the legend goes on to tell of the means by which the first Egyptian triad, or trinity, came into existence. Khepera had, in some form, union with his own shadow, and so begot offspring, who proceeded from his body under the forms of the gods Shu and Tefnut. According to a tradition preserved in the Pyramid Texts 2 this event took place at On (Heliopolis), and the old form of the legend ascribes the production of Shu and Tefnut to an act of masturbation. Originally these gods were the personifications of air and dryness, and liquids respectively; thus with their creation the materials for the construction of the atmosphere and sky came into being. Shu and Tefnut were united, and their offspring were Keb, the Earth-god, and Nut, the Sky-goddess. We have now five gods in existence; Khepera, the creative principle, Shu, the atmosphere, Tefnut, the waters above the heavens, Nut, the Sky-goddess, and Keb, the Earth-god. (E. A. Wallis Budge, Legends of the Gods 1912, pp. xix-xx)
    
3. God informs us that He has created human beings from clay, yet disbelievers dismiss God's words on the basis of what? Creation from clay is a sign for human beings, since to us clay seems so lifeless and inconceivable that we could be created from it, yet God has truly designed us in the best form from this substance, a testimony to His power and wisdom.

 Besides, we don't even know how they can remotely use this as an argument against Islam, This is what we know of earthly clay:

Clay is a generic term for an aggregate of hydrous silicate particles less than 4 ?m (micrometres) in diameter. Clay consists of a variety of phyllosilicate minerals rich in silicon and aluminium oxides and hydroxides which include variable amounts of structural water. Clays are generally formed by the chemical weathering of silicate-bearing rocks by carbonic acid, but some are formed by hydrothermal activity. Clays are distinguished from other small particles present in soils such as silt by their small size, flake or layered shape, affinity for water and high plasticity index.
There are three main groups of clays: kaolinite-serpentine, illite, and smectite. Altogether, there are about thirty different types of "pure" clays in these categories, but most natural clays are mixtures of these different types, as well as other weathered minerals.
Montmorillonite, with a chemical formula of (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2Si4O10(OH)2·nH2O, is typically formed as a weathering product of low silica rocks. Montmorillonite is a member of the smectite group and a major component of bentonite.
Clays sintered in fire were the first ceramic, and remain one of the cheapest to produce and most widely used materials even in the present day. Bricks, cooking pots, art objects, dishware, spark plug tips, and even musical instruments such as the ocarina are all made with clay. Clay is also used in many industrial processes, such as paper making, concrete production, and chemical filtering.
Varve (or varved clay) is clay with visible annual layers, formed by seasonal differences in erosion and organic content. This type of deposit is common in former glacial lakes from the ice age.
Quick clay is a unique type of marine clay, indigenous to the glaciated terrains of Norway, Canada, and Sweden. It is a highly sensitive clay, prone to liquefaction which has been involved in several deadly landslides.

So, the account of man's creation in ancient cultures:
In Norse Mythology, the first humans were created from logs by Odin and his brothers.

In the Ancient Aryan myths, we find the belief that the first man and woman grew out of plants and bushes.

In the Babylonian myths, Marduk uses the blood of Kingu to create man.

In the Inca mythology, Con Tiqui fashoned human beings out of giant rocks.

In the Mayan mythology, human beings are created by the Heart-of-sky from Maize-corn dough.

In the Navajo nation, humans were believed to be created from the ears of corn.

In the Celtic mythology, human beings are the descendents of the gods.
Amongst Egyptian Mythology, we find the belief that men and women formed from the tears of the god, Khepera.

Is this enough evidence? Quite clearly, the claim that ancient civilizations naturally believed in creation from clay as they saw pottery is completely unjustified. The account of creation from clay spread under the Abrahamic faiths. Therefore, the claim that it is a "pagan myth" is refuted.

Related topics:

Humans were created from a single being

Re: Quran "scientific errors" on evolution ?! -Refuted

 

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 
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 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!

Was the Noble Quran sent for Arabs only?Or was it sent to Mankind? 

 Why is the language of the Quran Arabic? 

Why quran in Arabic.

Was the Prophet Muhammad send for the pagan Arabs only? Or all of Mankind?

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.

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"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:

THE HUMAN HEART IN THE GLORIOUS QUR'AN

Thinking With The Heart