Koran science debunked

[HRK]

Everyone who has some debunked koran science is welcome to post it here, just make a big fat headlinie of the topic, then things will be easier to find.

The Flat Earth

Thanks to liberate_ur_mind, Righteous and Zorasta_Russ for their help with this post.

015.019
YUSUFALI: And the earth We have spread out (like a carpet); set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance.

Waal-arda madadnahawaalqayna feeha rawasiya waanbatnafeeha min kulli shay-in mawzoonin

وَالارضَ مَدَدْنَهَا

مَدَدْ = madad = protract , reach , elongate , extend , draw out , lengthen, stretch out , spread out , sprawl , dilate , reach , range , unwind , outstretch , pervade , lengthen

http://dictionary.ajeeb.com/idrisidic_1.asp?Site=1&Src_L=eng_ara1&DestLang=En&lpcWord=%e3%f3%cf%f3%cf%fa

020.053
YUSUFALI: "He Who has, made for you the earth like a carpet spread out; has enabled you to go about therein by roads (and channels); and has sent down water from the sky." With it have We produced diverse pairs of plants each separate from the others.

Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-ardamahdan wasalaka lakum feeha subulan waanzala mina alssama-imaan faakhrajna bihi azwajan min nabatinshatta

الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمْ الْأَرْضَ مَهْدًا

مَهْدًا = mahdan = (Noun) cradle.or bed, (verb) flatten , smoothen , smooth , level , cement , grade , ram , plane , roll , flat , level off

http://dictionary.ajeeb.com/idrisidic_1.asp?Site=1&Src_L=eng_ara1&DestLang=En&lpcWord=%e3%f3%e5%fa%cf%f0%c7

043.010
YUSUFALI: (Yea, the same that) has made for you the earth (like a carpet) spread out, and has made for you roads (and channels) therein, in order that ye may find guidance (on the way);

Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-ardamahdan wajaAAala lakum feeha subulan laAAallakum tahtadoona

الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمْ الْأَرْضَ مَهْدًا

مَهْدًا = mahdan = (Noun) cradle.or bed, (verb) flatten , smoothen , smooth , level , cement , grade , ram , plane , roll , flat , level off

http://dictionary.ajeeb.com/idrisidic_1.asp?Site=1&Src_L=eng_ara1&DestLang=En&lpcWord=%e3%f3%e5%fa%cf%f0%c7

050.007
YUSUFALI: And the earth- We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)-

Waal-arda madadnahawaalqayna feeha rawasiya waanbatnafeeha min kulli zawjin baheejin

وَالارضَ مَدَدْنَهَا

مَدَدْ = madad = protract , reach , elongate , extend , draw out , lengthen, stretch out , spread out , sprawl , dilate , reach , range , unwind , outstretch , pervade , lengthen

http://dictionary.ajeeb.com/idrisidic_1.asp?Site=1&Src_L=eng_ara1&DestLang=En&lpcWord=%e3%f3%cf%f3%cf%fa

051.048
YUSUFALI: And We have spread out the (spacious) earth: How excellently We do spread out!

Waal-arda farashnahafaniAAma almahidoona

وَالْأَرْضَ فَرَشْنَهَا فَنِعْمَ الْمَهِدُونَ

فَرَشَْ = farasha = provide with furniture , flatten , outspread , pervade , circulate , cement , grade , unwind , stretch , expand , flat , range , reach , ram , spread out , lengthen , sprawl , unfold , level off , roll out , level

http://dictionary.ajeeb.com/idrisidic_1.asp?Site=1&Src_L=eng_ara1&DestLang=En&lpcWord=%dd%d1%d4

الْمَهِدُونَ from مَهِدُ = flatten , smoothen , smooth , level , cement , grade , ram , plane , roll , flat , level off

http://dictionary.ajeeb.com/idrisidic_1.asp?Site=1&Src_L=eng_ara1&DestLang=En&lpcWord=%e3%e5%cf

071.019
YUSUFALI: "'And Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet (spread out),

WaAllahu jaAAala lakumu al-ardabisatan

وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ الْأَرْضَ بِسَاطًا

بِسَاطًا = bisaatan = drugget , carpet , rug
from the verb بسط = outspread , flatten , flat , even , ram , grade , level off , outstretch , pave , level , smoothen , roll , cement

http://dictionary.ajeeb.com/idrisidic_1.asp?Site=1&Src_L=eng_ara1&DestLang=En&lpcWord=%c8%f6%d3%f3%c7%d8%f0%c7

078.006
YUSUFALI: Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse,

Alam najAAali al-arda mihadan

أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الأرْضَ مِهَادًا

مهاد = flat land , flat , plain , ramming

http://dictionary.ajeeb.com/idrisidic_1.asp?Site=1&Src_L=eng_ara1&DestLang=En&lpcWord=%e3%f6%e5%f3%c7%cf%f0%c7

079.030
YUSUFALI: And the earth, moreover, hath He extended (to a wide expanse);

In this verse some muslims suggests that the Koran says that the earth is eggshaped. They claim that dahaha = eggshaped, but this is not true at all.

Waal-arda baAAda thalika dahaha

وَالأرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ دَحَاهَا

دَحَا = daha=spread out , level off , level. The last ha = هَا in dahaha means this. So dahaha actually means spread out this, level off this, level this.

http://dictionary.ajeeb.com/idrisidic_1.asp?Site=1&Src_L=eng_ara1&DestLang=En&lpcWord=%cf%cd%c7

088.020
YUSUFALI: And at the Earth, how it is spread out?

Wa-ila al-ardi kayfa sutihat

وَإِلَى الْأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ

Notice the word سَطَّحَ ? If you do a word search in an Arabic Qur'an text file you will find the word سطحت , feminine for سَطَّحَ

سَطَّحَ = outspread , unfold , unroll , roll , lengthen , level , range , pave , pervade , circulate , grade , reach , even , level off , spread out , prostrate , plane , outstretch, flat , flatten , even , smoothen.

http://dictionary.ajeeb.com/idrisidic_1.asp?Site=1&Src_L=eng_ara1&DestLang=En&lpcWord=%d3%f3%d8%f8%f3%cd%f3

091.006
YUSUFALI: By the Earth and its (wide) expanse:
PICKTHAL: And the earth and Him Who spread it,
SHAKIR: And the earth and Him Who extended it,

Waal-ardi wama tahaha

وَالأرْضِ وَمَا طَحَاهَا

Further proof that the earth is flat

002.022
YUSUFALI: Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith Fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals unto Allah when ye know (the truth).

Here is the verse in Arabic.

الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ
الأَرْضَ فِرَاشاً وَالسَّمَاء بِنَاء وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ
بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقاً لَّكُمْ فَلاَ تَجْعَلُواْ لِلّهِ أَندَاداً وَأَنتُمْ
تَعْلَمُونَ

Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-arda firashan waalssamaa binaan waanzala mina alssama-i maan faakhraja bihi mina alththamarati rizqan lakum fala tajAAaloo lillahi andadan waantum taAAlamoona

I found an error in this translation. The word translated as canopy is binaa or binaan( بِنَاء ). This is what the word means in Arabic

http://dictionary.ajeeb.com/idrisidic_2.asp?Site=0&Src_L=ara_eng1&DestLang=Ar&lpcWord=building

As you can see the word binaa or binaan( بِنَاء ) means "building". The heavens are as a multi-story building over the earth. There are seven layers or stories to this building called the heavens. The heavens are built on a "flat" foundation called "the earth".

The Tafsir Ibn Kathir says the same thing:

[HRK]

A Qur’anic Understanding of the Universe

Written by: THHuxley

Among the more bizarre arguments used by Islamic apologists is the claim that the Qur’an contains scientific information that could not have been known 1400 years ago. Needless to say, the slightest bit of critical review invariably shows such claims to be entirely specious. There does not exist in the Qur’an any correct information that was not already known to ancient civilizations that long preceded the birth of Muhammad.

But that is not the subject of this essay. This article is designed more narrowly to uncover and explain the actual state of scientific knowledge that is represented in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Specifically, we will explore Islamic Cosmology, in particular the Qur’ans understanding of the nature and structure of the physical universe.

To no surprise, “Islamic Cosmology” was not advanced beyond that of any of its ancient neighbors, and in fact is far less sophisticated and accurate in its understanding than the Greeks or Romans that had preceded them by centuries. While other civilizations had (for example) long before realized that the earth was a globe, the Qur’an betrays no understanding that the earth is anything but flat. But, I get ahead of myself.

Now, it is recognized up front that (as in almost every other ancient text), some of what is reflected in the Qur’an was meant to be taken literally, while some is allegorical or symbolic. But such recognition does not give the reader license to simply reject some descriptions which are obviously in error without good reason. In fact, the cosmology suggested by the Qur’an and the Sunnah is remarkably consistent, regardless of the specific purpose of the particular story being read.

This is because at no point was the purpose of the Qur’an or the Sunnah to describe the structure of the universe. In almost every instance, such descriptions exist only as side affects of the other religious or ethical lessons that were the real objectives of the texts we consider. If a detail of cosmology is contained in an allegory, yet itself has no allegorical purpose, then it must be accepted as the actual understanding of the author. So, while we have only a handful of direct statements concerning cosmology, a lot can still be determined from the occasional intriguing detail accidentally dropped by the authors as part of other discussions.

The wealth of such “hints” provide a compelling resource, and provide a clear picture of what Muhammad thought the universe looked like.

The Heavens and the Earth

Any accounting of the cosmology of the Qur’an must begin with the fact that the Islamic universe is extremely small and simple. It consists entirely of two (and only two) components; the heavens and the earth.

There is no recognition of any of the other features of the universe that modern peoples take for granted. There is no concept of solar systems, of galaxies, or of “space.” There is no hint that the earth is a planet like the other planets visible from it, or that stars are other suns, just very far away. Qur’anic cosmology is primarily limited to that which is visible to the naked eye, and where the authors attempt describe what is not actually visible, they are invariably wrong.

The fundamental status of the “heavens and the earth” as the two key components of creation is emphasized repeatedly in the Qur’an, and it is the “separation” of the two that stands as the initial creative act of Allah.

[a_student]

Please see my writings at http://www.faithfreedom.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=26658#26658 about the seven heavens. I believe the distance between them to be 500 years, as the 72 year distance hadith is preceded by other ahadith mentioning 72 in other contexts.
_________________
"There's nothing an agnostic can't do if he really doesn't know whether he believes in anything or not." -Graham Chapman

[Hector]

I hesitated to put my articles here but what the heck.

QURAN PREDICTED LAND DECREASING

INTRODUCTION
Dr Al Zeiny, PhD, claims a ‘so-called’ proof of Quranic Science by positing the proposition that the Quran correctly predicted the geological fact that land is decreasing due to the movements of tectonic plates. He cites verses 13:41 and 21:44 as evidence.

INTRODUCTION
Dr Al Zeiny, PhD, claims a ‘so-called’ proof of Quranic Science by positing the proposition that the Quran correctly predicted the geological fact that land is decreasing due to the movements of tectonic plates. He cites verses 13:41 and 21:44 as evidence.

ANALYSIS

[Hector]

QURAN PREDICTED BLACK HOLES AND PULSARS

INTRODUCTION
Harun Yahya makes many claims of Quranic Science. This article seeks to debunk two such claims, namely that the Quran predicted black holes and pulsars.

I will show the absurdity of the black hole claim, while showing the pulsar claim to be conjectural and devoid of factual basis. In doing so, I will also show Harun Yahya’s self-contradiction as he used the same Quranic verse to ‘prove’ both the black hole and the pulsar. Now, even to the uninitiated, it would seem impossible for something to be both a black hole and a pulsar. However, Islamists do not appear to be inhibited by such constraints of logic.


ANALYSIS

[Hector]

QURAN DESCRIBES GENDER DETERMINATION BY SPERM

INTRODUCTION
Various Islamists make the usual Islamic polemic about how Quran can be proved by modern scientific knowledge, using the old canard about how the Quran is the only ancient book that states that gender is determined by the sperm. In this, they may point out the ignorance of the Greeks who thought gender was determined by the relative strengths of sperm from the male and female parents as Hippocrates imagined. http://www.aquaire.clara.co.uk/

This article does not seek to prove that the ancient Egyptians shared some aspects of our modern understanding of gender determination and reproduction. It merely aims to show that the Quran was not the first religious text to suggest that gender is determined by the semen of the male parent.


THE ISLAMIST CLAIM
An example of the Islamists making the claim that the Quran is the only ancient book that correctly outlines gender determination is Dr Al Zeiny, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Evansville.

[Hector]

QURAN AND EMBRYOLOGY

INTRODUCTION
There are propagations of the Quranic ‘so-called’ Embryology by such luminaries as Dr Keith Moore and Dr Maurice Bucaille. These works are aped by such Islamic scholars as Dr Al Zeiny, Dr Zakir Naik, Dr Ibrahim Syed, Dr. Sharif Kaf Al-Ghazal, and the ubiquitous Harun Yahya aka Adnan Oktar. A good additional material is provided by Dr Omar Abdul Rehman in which he goes into even greater detail in his attempt to validate the Quranic ‘human reproduction’ verses with modern scientific facts. http://www.aquaire.clara.co.uk/

There are many excellent debunkings of the Quranic Embryology Pseudoscience (“QEP”). A short list would include these:

http://www.geocities.com/freethoughtmecca/embryo.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CJ/CJ533.html
http://answering-islam.org.uk/Quran/Science/embryo.html
http://www.faithfreedom.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=26725&highlight=embryology+thhuxley#26725

This article attempts to add to this debate, concentrating solely on the Quranic verses, because inclusion of the hadiths would clearly show up the stupidity of the QEP (see the list above).


THE ISLAMIST CLAIM
Dr Omar Abdul Rehman’s article is clearly the most detailed, and I will use it as the basis for rebuttal as it includes all the QEP nonsense of Drs Keith Moore and Maurice Bucaille.

A summary of his claims is contained herein:

[Hector]

QURAN AND ALL CREATION IN PAIRS

INTRODUCTION
It is my observation that some Islamists, particularly those who are Western-educated, strive to prove the validity of the Quran through supposed scientific miracles enclosed therein. Typically, they quote ‘vague’ verses amenable to multiple interpretations and then choose the few interpretations to suit their aims. Some of these are even quite convincing, particularly when articulated by knowledgeable Islamists and where absolute proof is impossible due to the nature of the question.

This article seeks to debunk just one of these claims, which is the claim that Allah created all creatures in pairs, male and female.


013.003
Yusuf Ali: And it is He who spread out the earth, and set thereon mountains standing firm and (flowing) rivers: and fruit of every kind He made in pairs, two and two: He draweth the night as a veil o'er the Day. Behold, verily in these things there are signs for those who consider!
Pickthal: And He it is Who spread out the earth and placed therein firm hills and flowing streams, and of all fruits He placed therein two spouses (male and female). He covereth the night with the day. Lo! herein verily are portents for people who take thought.
Shakir: And He it is Who spread the earth and made in it firm mountains and rivers, and of all fruits He has made in it two kinds; He makes the night cover the day; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect.
Sher Ali: And HE it is Who spread out the earth and made therein mountains and rivers, and of fruits of every kind HE made therein two sexes. HE causes the night to cover the day. Therein, verily, are Signs for a people who reflect.
Wahuwa allathee madda al-arda wajaAAala feeha rawasiya waanharan wamin kulli alththamarati jaAAala feeha zawjayni ithnayni yughshee allayla alnnahara inna fee thalika laayatin liqawmin yatafakkaroona


036.036
Yusuf Ali: Glory to God, Who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge.
Pickthal: Glory be to Him Who created all the sexual pairs, of that which the earth groweth, and of themselves, and of that which they know not!
Shakir: Glory be to Him Who created pairs of all things, of what the earth grows, and of their kind and of what they do not know.
Sher Ali: Holy is HE Who created all things in pairs, of what the earth grows and of themselves, and of what they know not.
Subhana allathee khalaqa al-azwaja kullaha mimma tunbitu al-ardu wamin anfusihim wamimma la yaAAlamoona


043:012
Yusuf Ali: That has created pairs in all things, and has made for you ships and cattle on which ye ride,
Pickthal: He Who created all the pairs, and appointed for you ships and cattle whereupon ye ride.
Shakir: And He Who created pairs of all things, and made for you of the ships and the cattle what you ride on,
Sher Ali: And Who has created pairs of all things, and has made for you ships and cattle whereon you ride,
Waallathee khalaqa al-azwaja kullaha wajaAAala lakum mina alfulki waal-anAAami ma tarkaboona


051.049
Yusuf Ali: And of every thing We have created pairs: That ye may receive instruction.
Pickthal: And all things We have created by pairs, that haply ye may reflect.
Shakir: And of everything We have created pairs that you may be mindful.
Sher Ali: And of everything have WE created pairs that you may reflect.
Wamin kulli shay-in khalaqna zawjayni laAAallakum tathakkaroona


Please note that due to the ‘richness of the Arabic language’ and because Allah made the Quran 'clear and easy to understand', some Islamists may try to argue that at least some of these verses do not convey the message that ‘ALL CREATURES’ are created in pairs, taking the literal or metaphorical sense whichever and whenever suits them best.

For example, a disingenuous Islamist may claim that verse 13:3 refers only to FRUITS, or that verse 36:36 refers only to things grown from the Earth (i.e. plants). However verses 43:12 and 51:49 make it absolutely clear that Allah created ALL CREATURES in pairs. There is no ambiguity.

I will ignore the following verses, recognizing the possibility of relevance solely to humans. Further, their inclusion does not detract from my arguments.
"That He did create in pairs,- male and female, (The Noble Quran, 53:45)"
"And of him He made two sexes, male and female. (The Noble Quran, 75:39)"
"By (the mystery of) the creation of male and female; (The Noble Quran, 92:3)"


The Islamists Case

http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_1_50/all_things_in_pair.htm

PAIRS IN LIVING THINGS
One of the most recent of all scientific discoveries is that everything in the universe exists in pairs such as male and female among living things. Now we find that rock crystals also have pairs.

The Qur'an says: And of everything We have created pairs: That ye may receive Instruction.

Surah Zariyat, 51: 49 A. Yusuf All in note 5025 item (3) says " All things are in twos: sex in plants and animals, by which one individual is complementary to another; in the subtle forces of nature. Day and Night, positive and negative electricity, forces of attraction and repulsion: and numerous other opposites, each fulfilling its purpose, and contributing to the working of God's Universe; and in the moral and spiritual world. Love and Aversion, Mercy and Justice, Striving and Rest, and so on;-all fulfilling their functions according to the Artistry and wonderful Purpose of God. Everything has its counterpart, or pair, or complement. God alone is One, with none like Him, or needed to complement Him. These are noble things to contemplate. And they lead us to a true understanding of God's Purpose and Message."

http://www.science4islam.com/html/sci-04e.html…we find in the following verse more generalizations where Allah Says; (And of everything we have created pairs, that ye may receive instruction). The word “thing we together with the people who preceded us have understood it to be inclusive to contain humans, plants and animals. Since the Quran has included them all in this verse and told us that all creatures were made up of males and females.

http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/quran/qms.pdf
PLANTS CREATED IN PAIRS, MALE AND FEMALE
Previously humans did not know that plants too have male and female gender distinctions. Botany states that every plant has a male and female gender. Even the plants that are unisexual have distinct elements of both male and female. “‘And has sent Down water from the sky.’ With it have We produced Diverse pairs of plants Each separate from the others.” [Al- Qur’aan 20:53]

FRUITS CREATED IN PAIRS, MALE AND FEMALE
“And fruit Of every kind He made In pairs, two and two.” [Al-Qur’aan
13:3]
Fruit is the end product of reproduction of the superior plants. The stage
preceding fruit is the flower, which has male and female organs (stamens and ovules). Once pollen has been carried to the flower, they bear fruit, which in turn matures and frees its seed. All fruits therefore imply the existence of male and female organs; a fact that is mentioned in the Qur’aan.
In certain species, fruit can come from non-fertilized flowers (parthenocarpic fruit) e.g. bananas, certain types of pineapple, fig, orange, vine, etc. They also have definite sexual characteristics.

EVERYTHING MADE IN PAIRS
“And of everything We have created pairs.” [Al-Qur’aan 51:49]
This refers to things other than humans, animals, plants and fruits. It may also be referring to a phenomenon like electricity in which the atoms consist of negatively – and positively – charged electrons and protons.

“Glory to Allah, Who created In pairs all things that The earth produces,
as well as Their own (human) kind And (other) things of which They
have no knowledge.” [Al-Qur’aan 36:36]
The Qur’aan here says that everything is created in pairs, including things that the humans do not know at present and may discover later.


MATTER AND ANTIMATTER
Some Islamists claim the mere existence of antimatter complements to matter, without regard to their relative abundance (matter dominates in our universe after the first second post the Big Bang) proves the validity of the ‘creation in pairs’ verses, particularly 43:12, 51:49, and especially 36:36 (as in “pairs of things unknown to them”). The ‘things unknown to them’ part supposedly refers to our modern understanding of particle physics.

The British physicist Paul Dirac, who discovered that matter was created in pairs, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933. This finding, known as "parity," revealed the duality known as matter and antimatter. Antimatter bears the opposite characteristics to matter. For instance, contrary to matter, antimatter electrons are positive and protons negative.

An Islamist making this sort of claim is Osama Abdallah of Answering-Christianity.
http://www.answering-christianity.com/quran/john_wuurt.htm


Rebutting the Islamists Case
The case against the Quran and the Islamists is really very simple. All one has to do is to show that not all creatures are ‘created’ in pairs. My opinion is that Muhammad, being the camel-riding, scimitar-wielding, raping & pillaging desert bandit that he was, didn’t have access to a microscope or a good Level 1 biology textbook. Therefore, he couldn’t have known about asexual organisms, parthenogenetic organisms, or hermaphrodites.

It was all too easy for Muhammad to observe male and female humans, camels, dogs, and even devils, jinns, and angels. But as he had no idea about micro-organisms and herpetology he was unaware that he was mistaken in his belief that all creatures came in males and females.

The alternative theses are also interesting: either Allah forgot He created asexual, parthenogenetic, and hermaphroditic organisms; Allah forgot to tell Jibreel; Jibreel didn’t listen to Allah; or Jibreel forgot to tell Muhammad.

Given this glaring mistake that all creatures are created in (male-female) pairs it is clear that Muhammad made up the Quran.

1. The Quran leaves out asexual organisms.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/sex1.htm
Asexual reproduction is found in the majority of living organisms, including most plants, protists (e.g. bacteria, protozoans, and unicellular algae and fungi), and many lower invertebrates such as tapeworms.

Other examples of asexual reproductive organisms are hydrae and many lower plants (e.g. ferns). Some organisms are also capable of regeneration, a specialized form of asexual reproduction, for example starfish, polyps, zebrafish, flatworms, newts, and salamanders. Many plants are capable of total regeneration. Among animals, the lower the form, the more capable it is of total regeneration; no vertebrates have this power (except artificially in the lab). Regeneration is closely allied to vegetative reproduction, the formation of a new individual by various parts of the organism not specialized for reproduction. The highest animals that exhibit vegetative reproduction are the colonial tunicates (e.g. sea squirts), which, much like plants, send out runners in the form of stolons, small parts of which form buds that develop into new individuals.

(Note that hydra and jellyfish and many primarily asexual organisms are also capable of sexual reproduction – however many simple organisms like bacterial, yeasts and Fungi Imperfecti are totally asexual).


2. The Quran leaves out hermaphrodites.
Some creatures, including plants, are totally hermaphrodites. For example, sponges, snails, the slug-like sea hare, and some kinds of deep-sea arrow worms are hermaphrodites, that is, they have both sexes in one body.

Some creatures also change their sex during their life-cycles: Quahogs (hard-shell clams) are born and grow up male, but later half of them turn female. Slipper shells and cup and saucer shells do this too; they commence every season as males, but nearly all of them later pass through a phase of ambisexuality and turn into adult females. Some species change sex depending on their environment, such as the marine worm Ophryotrocha, if the portly young females are later underfed they revert back into males again. Some fish can also change sex spontaneously, for example some groupers and guppies.

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/sex2.htm#s5

Some Islamists may try to claim that hermaphrodites are actually a male-female pair as both sexes are included in the one organism. It may be that in a population some hermaphrodites act as males while others act as females. This Islamist claim, of course, would be totally dishonest as a hermaphrodite, by definition, is both male and female at once, even if performing one of its sexual functions at the one time.


3. The Quran leaves out parthenogenetic organisms.
Parthenogenesis is a form of reproduction in which the ovum develops into a new individual without fertilization. Natural parthenogenesis has been observed in many lower animals (it is characteristic of the rotifers), especially insects, e.g., the aphid. In many social insects, such as the honeybee and the ant, the unfertilized eggs give rise to the male drones and the fertilized eggs to the female workers and queens.

Note that the aphids, bees and ants are not true parthenogenetic organisms as they are also capable of sexual reproduction.

However, Muhammad apparently didn’t know about the 15 species of whiptail lizard (genus Cnemidophorus) that are wholly parthenogenetic, for example Cnemidophorus tigris (Western whiptail) and C. neomexicanus, nor did he know about the Ambystomids, the unisexual hybrid salamanders.

http://members.aol.com/Attic21/CreatureofDay/whip.html

He also didn’t know about the Island or Brahminy Blind Snake, Ramphotyphlops braminus, the only parthenogenetic snake in the world which happens to originate from the Pacific Islands (lands unknown to Arabs in Muhammad’s time).


4. The Chinese Yin-Yang duality concept.
Islamists claim the Quran’s ‘creation in pairs’ verses, especially 36:36 refers to our modern understanding of matter antimatter complements. Some critics respond by highlighting the relative paucity of antimatter compared to matter, particularly as most antimatter was destroyed in the first second after the Big Bang. http://www.answer-islam.org/earth_in_islam.htm

Nevertheless, some Islamist might claim that the mere fact that antimatter exists proves the Quranic ‘creation in pairs’ verses to be miraculous as how could a seventh century bandit know about matter antimatter?

Unfortunately for the Islamist polemicists, the ancient Chinese already believed in the duality of all creation. This duality principle is known as ‘Yin and Yang’, part of the Taoist belief system. The date of origin of the Yin-Yang duality principle is unknown, however all reasonable estimates predate Islam by at least two thousand five hundred years. {Note the Yin-Yang symbol dates back to at least 400BC and was present in ancient Shang Dynasty Bronze but the Yin-Yang principle dated much earlier.}

[Hector]

QURAN AND SEMEN PRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION
Several Islamists promulgate the Quranic Pseudoscience of Semen Production from between the sulb and the tara’ib. There are at least seven distinct classes of Islamist explanations, all of these can be proven false.

There are excellent articles debunking these Islamist assertions, for example those of Dr William Campbell in http://www.answering-christianity.com/quran/blemish.htm, Sam Samoun in http://answering-islam.org.uk/Quran/Science/semenproduction.htm and http://www.answeringislam.info/Shamoun/wonders.htm

Here is Pickthall’s translation of relevant verses 86:5-7 from Surah At-Tariq.

[Hector]

QURAN AND MOUNTAINS


INTRODUCTION
Many people have already demolished this canard that the Quran is validated by the geological science about mountains. I'd like to add to this demolition by addressing several new points that Islamists are adopting to 'justify' their so-called Quranic Science or to 'squirm' from the scientific truths provided against this 'Quranic Science' by sceptics.

It has been my privilege to witness the Islamist argument of “Mountains as Pegs Stabilizing the Earth”. Due to Allah making the Quran ‘clear and easy to understand’ and the ‘richness of the Arabic language,’ Islamists have been able to use the ‘vague’ interpretations of several Quranic verses in their attempt to prove the scientific validity of the Quran. In this, they are backed by a Muslim geologist specializing in biostratification, Professor Zaghloul Raghib El Naggar, and a Western surgeon, Dr Maurice Bucaille.

It is also my observation that the tactics of the Islamists are as follows:
A. If a word has multiple meanings or translations, they will choose the one that suits them best at the time, ignoring all the rest as if they never existed.

B. If unable to come up with a valid response, the Islamists will claim that only a genuine intimacy with Classical Arabic will enable the proper understanding of a given verse and then, rather ironically, proceed to argue in the English language.

C. They will add complexity to an otherwise ‘simple’ verse without explanation nor justification. An example is the extension from ‘peg’ to ‘isostacy’ to ‘stabilize the crust/lithosphere/earth’.

D. They will switch from the ‘literal’ to ‘metaphorical’ case whenever convenient. A sure sign of loss will be when they claim that the Quran is not a book of Science but Scripture, despite previously or concurrently promulgating the validity of ‘Quranic Science’.

Here are the relevant verses:

[Hector]

EARTH MADE OF SEVEN LAYERS

INTRODUCTION
Islamists come up with some real doozies sometimes, including the claim that modern Science proves the Quran correct in asserting the earth is made of 7 layers.

[Hector]

QURAN AND THE LYING SINFUL PREFRONTAL CEREBRUM

INTRODUCTION
Several Islamists promulgate Professor Keith L. Moore's Quranic Pseudoscience of the lying sinful prefrontal area of the cerebrum (here referred to as the prefrontal cerebrum). The reader may want to check out the following site to follow a discussion as to whether the Quran actually mentions the prefrontal cerebrum or not as there is some doubt as to the meaning of the term naseyah.

http://answering-islam.org.uk/Responses/It-is-truth/chap09.htm

Nevertheless, for the sake of debunking Keith Moore yet again, I will accept for the sake of argument that naseyah refers to the prefrontal cerebrum as Moore seems to suggest.


http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-ch1-1-d.htm

[Hector]

[Hector]

CREATION OF HUMAN BEINGS FROM CLAY

Many Christians and Muslims use the recent scientific hypothesis of clay particles as catalysts for abiogensis as evidence of the veracity of their scriptures, for example:

http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_59.html

http://www.submission.org/quran/clay.html

http://www.answering-christianity.com/life_from_clay.htm

[Hector]

MUSLIM GOLDEN AGE MEDICINE IS REALLY A COPY OF GREEK MEDICINE


This great article proves that Arabian Muslim Medicine in the supposed 'Golden Age' was basically a copy of the Greco-Roman Medicine, with some extensions. However, the foundations were definitely Greco-Roman with Persian and Indian influences.