8. Quran and Science

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan takes up a topic of intrigue and is laced with interest for the modern generation. This lecture deals with the concept of science in the Quran. The Quran in Muslim belief is two things in one. It’s a divine message but at the same time, it is also a miracle. Miracles are a religious thing and are certainly not a scientific thing. What is a miracle in Islam? The classical scholars of Islam have enlisted many conditions for something to be considered a miracle according to Islamic theology: Something that is impossible for human beings to do or perform. A miracle has to be something that can’t be manufactured.  Something that breaks the laws of nature. Something that challenges mankind.  In Arabic, Islamic scholars use the word - Mu’jiza- for describing a miracle. Mu’jiza means that which incapacitates the opponent and to overpower the opponent. But the word used in religious text – in Quran – and also in the Sunnah, the word used is Ayah. The word Ayah, however, is translated into two things: it means a miracle, and it means a sign. So a good translation of Ayah that alludes to both would be a miraculous sign.  In the coming minutes of the lecture, we see an interesting blend of a back and forth between examples from the Qur'an and Sunnah that are for miracles while also simultaneously citing numerous examples from a scientific point of view. These examples show the supreme place that the Qur'an occupies in the existence of mankind.