The “scientific miracles” of the Quran is a topic that many people are talking about nowadays, as the research in many fields continues. The source for this is probably the fact that there are literally hundreds of verses of the Quran in which God points to different aspects of this creation and encourages humans to reflect and learn from what they are seeing.

Shortly after I became Muslim, I became aware of Maurice Bucaille’s The Bible, the Quran and Science. For the sake of brevity, I wish to share with you the important conclusions that he reached:

The Quran follows on from the two Revelations that preceded it and is not only free from contradictions in its narrations, the sign of the various human manipulations to be found in the Gospels, but provides a quality all of its own for those who examine it objectively and in the light of science i.e. its complete agreement with modern scientific data. What is more, statements are to be found in it (as has been shown) that are connected with science: and yet it is unthinkable that a man of Muhammad's time could have been the author of them. Modern scientific knowledge therefore allows us to understand certain verses of the Quran which, until now, it has been impossible to interpret.

In view of the level of knowledge in Muhammad's day, it is inconceivable that many of the statements in the Quran which are connected with science could have been the work of a man. It is, moreover, perfectly legitimate, not only to regard the Quran as the expression of a Revelation, but also to award it a very special place, on account of the guarantee of authenticity it provides and the presence in it of scientific statements which, when studied today, appear as a challenge to explanation in human terms.[1]

In his discussion of the Quran, Bucaille emphasizes three important points:

a) First, there is nothing in the Quran that contradicts modern science;

b) second, there is no mention of some of the false beliefs that people had at that time of the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, concerning the creation, the universe and science in general; and,

c) three, there is no way that the Prophet Muhammad could have known at his time many of the facts alluded to in the Quran.

The Qur'an is the holy book for Muslims. It was revealed to an illiterate man, Muhammad, 1400 years ago. This is in itself amazing, that an illiterate man began to recite verses of literary genius. What is more amazing and miraculous is that he pronounced truths of a scientific nature that no other human could possibly have developed at that time (1400 years ago) and without making a single error.

For the sake of brevity, though, it will be possible to discuss only one verse in some detail here demonstrating the “scientific miracles” of the Quran.[2]

Upon reading the Quran, one topic that catches many a reader’s eye is the discussion of the creation of the human within the womb of the mother. God says in the Quran:

“We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement, firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an alaqah (leech, suspended thing, and blood clot), then We made the alaqah into mudghah (chewed-like substance)…” (Quran 23:12-14)

This brief passage is outstanding in its precise description of the actual process as well as its freedom from all of the incorrect theories and views that were prevalent at the time of Muhammad. As noted in the translation, the Arabic word alaqah can imply leech, suspended thing or blood clot. In reality, all of these terms are descriptive of the embryo. In fact, in its earliest stage, the embryo not only actually physically looks like a leech
[3] but it “obtains nourishment from the blood of the mother, similar to the leech, which feeds on the blood of others.

”[4] Alaqah, again, can also mean, “suspended thing,” which is also true of the embryo in this stage as it sits hanging in the womb of the mother

.[5] Finally, alaqah can also mean blood clot. Again, the relationship to the actual physical process is miraculous.

Embryology in the Qur'an lecture by Dr. Keith L. Moore (University of Illinois, 1990) youtube