The Holy Quran was sent by Allah SWT for the guidance of mankind. It is a rich and multifaceted text containing things like core beliefs of Islam, moral guidance, historical narratives, prayers and supplications, law, and social code. It can be called a book of signs. The Quran itself uses the word “ayat” which translates to “signs” or “verses”. Thus, the Holy Quran is filled with signs pointing toward the existence of God and the truth of Islam. The Holy Quran itself, its eloquence, and its rhythmic language are seen as signs of its divine origin.

Allah SWT says in the Holy Quran, “We will show them Our signs in the universe and within their own beings until it will become manifest to them that it is the truth. Is it not enough about your Lord that He is witness to everything?” (Surah Fussilat, Ayat 53).

The Holy Quran is not a book of science; nevertheless, the book contains many verses or signs that are scientific in nature. Such verses of the Holy Quran accurately discuss some scientific phenomena that were discovered centuries later after the revelation of the Quran. The Quranic verses that foreshadow scientific discoveries are signs of the Quran's divine knowledge. This miracle of the Holy Quran serves as evidence of God, His knowledge of all things, and proof of His divine word. This miracle of the Holy Quran is more relevant to us as we are living in an age of tremendous scientific progress. Such a scientific miracle of the Quran could not be understood by the people of Arabia at the time of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. It explains why the Holy Quran used the words “We will show them Our signs in the universe …” in the aforementioned verse from the Quran.

To further elaborate on this point, I will start my discussion with a few verses of the Holy Quran regarding the universe and its creation. Before we proceed, please consider that there are several scientific theories on various topics that are not all true. Science also changes with time due to additional discoveries. Therefore, here I will only quote those scientific discoveries that are proven and considered scientific facts to prove my point.

THE  BIG BANG

The Big Bang theory is one of the greatest discoveries of science. The initial concept of the Big Bang theory emerged in 1927. Later, the theory gained traction and became widely accepted due to growing evidence throughout the 20th century. Till the 20th century, astronomers generally did not believe in the origin of the universe. The prevailing view, dating back to ancient Greece, was of an eternal and static universe. However, the 20th century brought a revolution in the field of cosmology. Edwin Hubble's observations of an expanding universe in the 1920s challenged the static view of the universe. Thus, two contrasting theories emerged: the “Steady State Theory” and the “Big Bang Theory”.

The Steady-State theory, championed by Fred Hoyle, proposed an eternal universe, constantly expanding but maintaining a uniform density through the continuous creation of new matter. The Big Bang theory, with Georges Lemaître as an early proponent, proposed a dramatic origin for the universe in a single, momentous event that is a colossal explosion from which all matter and energy erupted. The theory envisioned a universe constantly cooling and evolving, with galaxies and stars forming over time. Later, the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) in 1965 strongly supported the Big Bang theory. As further evidence accumulated with time, the Big Bang theory became the dominant theory for the origin of the universe.

The theory proposes a transformative moment where the universe we know began. The point of singularity in the Big Bang theory refers to a point in time way back in the past (around 13.78 billion years ago) where the universe is predicted to have been infinitely dense and hot. It was like squeezing all the matter and energy in the entire cosmos into a single point with zero volume. You will be surprised to know that the Holy Quran contains the following verse discussing the origin of the universe:

Strange! Isn’t it? In Arabic dictionaries, the word “ratq” in this verse of the Holy Quran is translated as "sewn to" which means "mixed in each, blended". It is used to refer to two different substances that make up a whole. The phrase "we unstitched" is the verb “fataqa” in Arabic in this verse. It implies that something comes into being by tearing apart or destroying the structure of “ratq”. Therefore, according to this verse, the sky and earth were at first in a state of “ratq”. They were then separated, that is, “fataqa”. Intriguingly, when we remember the first moments of the Big Bang, we see that a single point included all the matter in the universe. In other words, everything, including "the heavens and earth", which had not been created yet, was included in this point in a condition of “ratq”. This point (singularity) exploded violently, causing its matter to “fataqa” and in the process creating the structure of the whole universe.

When we compare the expressions in the verse with scientific findings, we see that they are in perfect agreement with each other. The striking similarity between the Quranic verse and the Big Bang is inescapable! How could a book, which first appeared in the deserts of Arabia around 1450 years ago, contain this profound scientific truth discovered in the 20th century? How is it possible? It is only possible because Allah SWT Who created this universe, is also the author of this book, the Holy Quran.

GASEOUS MASS BEFORE GALAXIES

Scientists have informed that before the galaxies in the universe were formed, celestial matter was initially in the form of gaseous matter. The early universe was not filled with stars and galaxies, but rather a hot, murky soup of elementary particles. As the universe expanded and cooled, these particles coalesced into mostly hydrogen gas, with some helium formed during the Big Bang's nucleosynthesis phase. Traces of the element lithium might have also been present. These light elements are what astronomers refer to as "primordial" because they were the first to form in the universe. Due to the extreme temperatures, this early hydrogen gas was mostly ionized, that is, its atoms had been stripped of their electrons.

As the universe continued expanding, it cooled significantly. This allowed the free electrons to recombine with hydrogen nuclei, forming neutral hydrogen gas. This period is known as the recombination era. Over vast scales, the density of this gas was not perfectly uniform. Tiny fluctuations in density eventually grew due to gravity, becoming the seeds for the first stars and galaxies to form hundreds of millions of years after the Big Bang.

Thus, scientists inform us that huge gaseous matter or clouds were present before the formation of the galaxies. The Holy Quran has used the word “dukhaan” meaning “smoke” to refer to this state of the universe in the following verse:

This information regarding the gaseous matter before the creation of stars and galaxies was not known to anyone at the time of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Science was much more primitive during those days and even centuries later.  What, then, could have been the source of this knowledge? The one true Almighty God, Allah SWT.

EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE 

In the early 20th century, Vesto Slipher observed a redshift in light coming from distant galaxies. This observation meant the light waves were stretched out, which could be interpreted as the galaxies moving away from us. Theorists like Alexander Friedmann around the same time were using Einstein's equations to predict an expanding universe. Knut Lundmark presented some observational evidence for the expansion in 1924. In 1929, American astronomer Edwin Hubble provided observational evidence that all galaxies were moving away from one another. This implies that the universe is expanding. Thus, the expansion of the universe is now an established scientific fact. Stephen Hawking wrote in his book “A Brief History of Time” that the “discovery that the Universe is expanding was one of the great intellectual revolutions of the 20th century.” The Holy Quran, however, mentioned this expansion of the universe before man even learned to build a telescope. The Holy Quran mentions:

The word "heaven" stated in this verse is used in various places in the Holy Quran with the meaning of space and the universe. Here again, the word is used with the same meaning. The Arabic word “musioon” in this verse is correctly translated as “expanding it”, and it refers to the creation of the expanding vastness of the universe. In other words, the Holy Quran reveals that the universe is being expanded by Allah SWT. How could a book, which first appeared in the deserts of Arabia around 1450 years ago, contain this profound scientific truth discovered in the 20th century? Isn’t it mind-blowing?

IRON

The following verse of the Holy Quran talks about iron:

The word “sent down”, particularly used in this verse for iron, could be thought of as having a metaphorical meaning to explain. However, when we take into consideration the literal meaning of the word, that is, “being physically sent down from the sky”, we appreciate that this verse implies a very significant scientific miracle. Modern astronomical findings have disclosed that the iron found on Earth has come from the giant stars in outer space. The heavy metals in the universe are produced in the core of big stars. Our solar system, however, does not possess a suitable structure for producing iron on its own. Thus, iron can only be produced in much bigger stars than the Sun, where the temperature reaches a few hundred million degrees and the pressure is extremely high.

When the amount of iron exceeds a certain level in a star, the star can no longer hold it, and eventually explodes in what is called a “nova” or a “supernova”. As a result of this explosion, meteors containing iron are scattered around the universe. They move through the void until attracted by the gravitational force of a celestial body. All this shows that iron was not created on Earth, but was carried from exploding stars in space via meteors. Thus, iron was “sent down to earth” in exactly the same way as stated in the verse of the Holy Quran.  This fact could not have been scientifically known in the 7th century at the time of Prophet Muhammad PBUH when the Holy Quran was revealed.

MOUNTAINS

Scientists tell us that the radius of the Earth is about 6,035 km and the crust on which we live is very thin, ranging between 2 to 35 km. The Earth’s crust has a high possibility of shaking as it is thin. Mountains act like stakes or tent pegs that hold the Earth’s crust and give it stability. Most of a mountain extends far below the surface, much like a hidden peg. This “root” of mountains can be several times deeper than the part we see above ground. Earth's crust is broken into giant, moving plates. Mountains form where these plates collide and push against each other. These collisions and the deep roots help to stabilize the plates and reduce the shaking of the Earth's surface. The Holy Quran contains exactly such a description of mountains in the following verse:

The word “awtaad” in this verse means stakes or pegs like those used to anchor a tent. They are the deep foundations of geological folds.

A book entitled “Earth” is regarded as a basic reference textbook on geology in many universities. One of the authors of this book, Dr. Frank Press, was the President of the Academy of Sciences in the USA for 12 years. He was also the Science Advisor to former US President Jimmy Carter. In this book, he illustrates the mountain in a wedge shape and the mountain itself as a small part of the whole, whose root is deeply entrenched in the earth. According to Dr. Frank Press, the mountains play an important role in stabilizing the crust of the Earth. The Holy Quran clearly mentions the function of the mountains in preventing the earth from shaking in the following verse:

Relativity of time

Time is not as constant as it seems to be. The relativity of time is a proven scientific fact now. This was revealed by Albert Einstein's “Theory of Relativity” in the early years of the 20th century. Until that time, people did not know that time was a relative concept, and it could change according to the environment. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, time is relative to your motion and your position. Just imagine two clocks, one speeding through space and one stationary on earth. The clock traveling at high speeds would tick slower compared to the clock on the Earth. This phenomenon is called “Time Dilation”. Gravity also affects time, with stronger gravity causing time to run slightly slower. This implies that astronauts on the International Space Station age a tiny bit slower than people on Earth.

Many verses of the Holy Quran hint towards the relativity of time. For example, in some verses, it is indicated that people can perceive time differently. Thus, sometimes people can perceive a very short period as a very long time. The following are a few verses of the Holy Quran hinting towards this phenomenon:

Embryology

Some verses of the Holy Quran discuss the creation of human beings. For example, the following verse of the Holy Quran talks about the development of a child inside the mother’s womb:

Dr. Professor Keith Moore was the President of the Canadian Association of Anatomists, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Toronto. He is considered an authority on the subject of human embryology. A group of Muslim Scholars collected information concerning embryology and other sciences in the Holy Quran and authentic Hadith and translated it into English. This information was then presented to Dr. Professor Keith Moore. He was then asked to give his opinion regarding the information presented to him. After carefully examining it, Dr. Keith Moore said that most of the information concerning embryology mentioned in the Quran and the authentic Hadith is in perfect harmony with modern discoveries in the field of embryology and does not conflict with them in any way.

He further said that there were a few verses of the Holy Quran, however, on whose scientific accuracy he could not comment. He could not say whether the statements were true or false, since he was himself unaware of the information contained therein. There was also no mention of this information in modern literature on embryology. One such verse of the Holy Quran is, “Proclaim! (or Read!) In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created – Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood.” (Surah Alaq, verses 1 & 2). 

The Arabic word “alaq” used in this verse, besides meaning a congealed clot of blood, also means something that clings, a leech-like substance. Dr. Keith Moore did not know at that time if a human embryo in the initial stages appears like a leech. To check this out, he studied the initial stage of the embryo under a very powerful microscope and compared what he observed with the diagram of a leech. He was astonished at the striking resemblance between the two.

In the same manner, he acquired more information on embryology, which was not known to him, from the Holy Quran. He answered about eighty questions dealing with embryological data mentioned in the Holy Quran and Hadith. He noted that the information contained in the Holy Quran and Hadith was in full agreement with the latest discoveries in the field of embryology. Professor Moore said, “If I was asked these questions thirty years ago, I would not have been able to answer half of them for lack of scientific information”. Isn’t it surprising? This is the scientific miracle of the Holy Quran.

According to another verse of the Holy Quran, “…. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers (in stages), one development after another, in three layers of darkness….” (Surah Zumar, Ayat 6). According to Professor Dr. Keith Moore, these three veils of darkness in the Holy Quran refer to (a) the anterior abdominal wall of the mother, (b) the uterine wall, and (c) the amnio-chorionic membrane.

Dr. Keith Moore, at that time, was the author of the book “The Developing Human”. After acquiring new knowledge from the Holy Quran, he wrote, in 1982, the 3rd edition of the same book, “The Developing Human”. The book was the recipient of an award for the best medical book written by a single author. This book has been translated into several major languages of the world and is used as a textbook of embryology in the first year of medical studies.

Numerous verses of the Holy Quran can be discussed here under the heading of the scientific miracle of the Holy Quran. However, to remain brief, I discussed only a few examples to prove the point. Any reader interested in a detailed comparison of the Holy Quran with modern science may consult the following three good books on the topic:

“The Quran and Modern Science: Compatible or Incompatible?” by Dr. Zakir Naik.

“Miracles of the Quran” by Harun Yahya.

“The Bible, the Quran and Science” by Dr. Maurice Bucaille.

The scientific miracle of the Holy Quran is especially for us and future generations, as many things related to science mentioned in the Holy Quran are continuously being proven as truth. Allah SWT gave Prophet Muhammad PBUH a special miracle of the Quran that corresponds with the current era of knowledge and scientific progress. Many people, including scientists, have openly admitted the truth of Islam after experiencing the miracle of the Holy Quran.  For example, during the Seventh Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in 1981, Dr. Keith Moore said, "It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad (PBUH) from God, or Allah SWT because most of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammad must have been a messenger of God or Allah." He also says, "I have no difficulty in my mind reconciling that this is a divine inspiration or revelation, which led him (Prophet Muhammad PBUH) to these statements.” 

Dr. Maurice Bucaille was a French doctor and a specialist in gastroenterology. He is most famous for his book "The Bible, the Quran and Science." Dr. Maurice Bucaille, after thorough research, has written this statement in his book ‘The Bible the Quran and Science’, “….I had to acknowledge the evidence in front of me: the Quran did not contain a single statement that was assailable from a modern scientific point of view.” Dr. Maurice Bucaille accepted Islam after seeing this miracle of the Holy Quran.