Friday, August 15, 2008

Scientific Facts Mentioned in the Qur'an

Scientific Facts Mentioned in the Qur'an

Theory of Probability

In mathematics there is a theory known as ‘Theory of Probability’. If you have two options, out of which one is right, and one is wrong, the chances that you will chose the right one is half, i.e. one out of the two will be correct. You have 50% chances of being correct. Similarly if you toss a coin the chances that your guess will be correct is 50% (1 out of 2) i.e. 1/2. If you toss a coin the second time, the chances that you will be correct in the second toss is again 50% i.e. half. But the chances that you will be correct in both the tosses is half multiplied by half (1/2 x 1/2) which is equal to 1/4 i.e. 50% of 50% which is equal to 25%. If you toss a coin the third time, chances that you will be correct all three times is (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) that is 1/8 or 50% of 50% of 50% that is 12½%.

A dice has got six sides. If you throw a dice and guess any number between 1 to 6, the chances that your guess will be correct is 1/6. If you throw the dice the second time, the chances that your guess will be correct in both the throws is (1/6 x 1/6) which is equal to 1/36. If you throw the dice the third time, the chances that all your three guesses are correct is (1/6 x 1/6 x 1/6) is equal to 1/216 that is less than 0.5 %.

Let us apply this theory of probability to the Qur’an, and assume that a person has guessed all the information that is mentioned in the Qur’an which was unknown at that time. Let us discuss the probability of all the guesses being simultaneously correct.

At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people thought the world was flat, there are several other options for the shape of the earth. It could be triangular, it could be quadrangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, spherical, etc. Lets assume there are about 30 different options for the shape of the earth. The Qur’an rightly says it is spherical, if it was a guess the chances of the guess being correct is 1/30.

The light of the moon can be its own light or a reflected light. The Qur’an rightly says it is a reflected light. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/2 and the probability that both the guesses i.e the earth is spherical and the light of the moon is reflected light is 1/30 x 1/2 = 1/60.

Further, the Qur’an also mentions every living thing is made of water. Every living thing can be made up of either wood, stone, copper, aluminum, steel, silver, gold, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete, etc. The options are say about 10,000. The Qur’an rightly says that everything is made up of water. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/10,000 and the probability of all the three guesses i.e. the earth is spherical, light of moon is reflected light and everything is created from water being correct is 1/30 x 1/2 x 1/10,000 = 1/60,000 which is equal to about .0017%.

The Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known to men at the time of its revelation. Only in three options the result is .0017%. I leave it upto you, to work out the probability if all the hundreds of the unknown facts were guesses, the chances of all of them being correct guesses simultaneously and there being not a single wrong guess. It is beyond human capacity to make all correct guesses without a single mistake, which itself is sufficient to prove to a logical person that the origin of the Qur’an is Divine.

8 comments:

AL-KANDARI H. AHMAD said...

The facts form Qu'ran REALY guides any person to the right path, we ask ALLAH ( 17 times a day min. ) to guide us, So the probability theory tell us that the spoken words is a power, and this power lead our actions to the positive results and to the right destinations in life and after.

AL-KANDARI H.
P M S

Grow Up said...

It is a shame that Dr Naik didn't bother to learn anything about science before making his comments.

To take his three examples in turn:

1) At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people thought the world was flat,

A popular but false notion.

The idea that the earth was spherical was first postulated by Pythagoras, over 1200 years before Mohammed began inventing the Qu'ran. The heliocentric theory was first proposed by Aristarchus of Samos, almost 1000 years Before Qu'ran (BQ). Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the Earth about 850 years BQ. So to a reputedly illiterate but nevertheless educated man such as Mohammed, this would have been common knowledge.

2) The light of the moon can be its own light or a reflected light. The Qur’an rightly says it is a reflected light

Here he is indeed correct, but the idea was first propounded by Anaxagoras around 1100 years BQ. Certainly would have been known to Mohammed. Incidentally Anaxagoras was imprisoned and finally exiled for being an atheist!

3) Further, the Qur’an also mentions every living thing is made of water. Every living thing can be made up of either wood, stone, copper, aluminum, steel, silver, gold, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete, etc.

How many living things are made of copper, steel, silver, concrete, etc.?
An observation from ancient times is the leaf: in summer it is green and juicy, and if sufficient numbers are crushed, will yield watery sap. When it dries out, it loses most of its weight. The same is true of any animal or plant; how many times must our ancestors have seen dead slugs on hot rocks? And how many thousands of years BQ?

Finally Dr Naik claims:
The Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known to men at the time of its revelation. Only in three options the result is .0017%

As we have seen, all three of the things WERE known, so his calculation is pointless and meaningless.

Science is a work in progress, unlike "Islamic science" of today, which has abandoned the glorious intellectual freedom of the 9th-14th centuries CE in favour of a sort of theological masturbation, twisting every quote from the Qu'ran to try to prove some religious point.

nimco said...

there is

Operation 513 said...

Firstly, where are the references in the Qur'an to all these supposed scientific facts?

Secondly, it seems you are picking probabilities out of the air. For example, how did you come to conclusion that the Qur'an had 1/10,000 chance of saying everything is made of water?

Thirdly, the Qur'an was not the first to say that everything is made of water. Thales, a Greek philosopher in the 7th century BC already proposed that theory.

Fourthly, everything is not made of water. For example, gold (Au) is not made up of the molecule H2O (that is 2 hydrogen bonded with an oxygen molecule). Moreover, it is a false question to say that things can only be made up of either wood, stone, copper, aluminum, steel, silver, gold, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete, etc.

sandrar said...

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Aishah said...

This is very interesting. How can anyone even argue about the truth Islam professes when it's right freaking THERE? But they're ignorant and stubborn and they do protest anyway. I was actually googling something different but this came up. It makes a lot of sense. Thanks for posting.

faisal said...

If you are so confident about it then speak out loud, I will have a debate organised with zakir naiks student to beat you.

Truth stands out even if it wants to hide, so lets get it straight, you cannot prove any other book to be as accurate as The Quran.

Let me know I am waiting.
If you dont agree I will take your comments to that of a ignorant man.

semsema said...

The Holy Quran predicts that Islam will be a supreme religion, I thinkit came true, if not you wont be arguing here about Islam which is a supreme religion for 1400 years to date. he Quran spoke about the science of genstics and embriology a thing which was unknown at that time.

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