Science in Religion: Expecting mangoes from a Neem Tree

Let’s start with a mythology- you can find it in the Mahabharata and also in the Bhagabata! When the gods were about to drink nectar (Amrita in mythology- you would live forever after drinking it) by churning the sea, then one of the demons Rahu in the disguise of a god also started drinking it. But when the gods Sun and Moon identified Rahu all on a sudden, they informed the other gods and King Indra beheaded Rahu with a single stroke. Right at that moment the liquid Rahu drank had reached up to his throat that’s why the ampulated head became immortal and used to stay in a place in the sky. As Rahu was caught due to the Sun and the Moon, his relation with them became very hostile and and whenever these two come in touch with Rahus position while circulating around, Rahu swallows them up. And the duration in between which Sun or Moon is inside Rahu’s throat is called solar eclipse or lunar eclipse.

We can cite many such stories in fables of different places, mythologies and ancient tales where efforts to explain the incidents around nature had been made. These remind us of how the ancient people tried to imagine the causes behind effects. But problem rises exactly when man starts blindly believing these myths wrapped in his or her own religion and tries to give it a universal shape. And to do that in today,s era of science, many make a link of these myths with the acceptable scientific explanations. I found such an explanation of the above incident in a discussion. Here it is:

In Bhagabata, ‘’Ampulated head of rahu became immoral as it came in touch with Amrita. That’s why Brammya acknowledged Rahu as a shadow planet. As Rahu is the eternal enemy of the Sun and the Moon, he runs towards them during new moon and full moon days.’’ (8/9/26). Or ‘’Rahu is inimical both to the Sun and to the Moon and so he tries to cover them during those days.’’

Immediatety after saying this, they brought in the scientific theories of Lunar and Solar eclipses to the discussion table and after showing some bizarre similarities, they came to the conclusion that Rahu is the shadow that falls upon the Moon. Lunar eclipse or solar eclipse does not occur in every Full moon day or New moon day respectively. They occur only when Rahu’s shadow falls upon them. So every explanation of modern science is inside the Bhagabata.

Scientific Explanation of Religion:

You do not need to think much of what the purpose of finding science in religion, or evolving scientific explanation of the religious myths or searching the modern discoveries and inventions in the Holy Scriptures. Mankind has passed a long time since the evolution of religion. It was not possible to confine people fully in spite of killing Copernicus-Bruno-Galileo-Hyphesia, temporarily shutting down practice of knowledge by exercising muscle power and burning libraries. Today mankind tries to ignore the superstitions of thousand years over and again. On the other side, superiority of every religion is getting challenged. So for the survival of every religion, a blending with science has become a must. That is how religions become scientific and the Holy books as scientific encyclopedia.

Quran: ‘’Then I am showing examples. Those stars that go back.’’ (81/15)
Science: All the galaxies far from here are going and spreading away from our galaxy Milkyway. In 1920’s Edwin Hubble by scientific inventions found that the other galaxies are always moving back.

Quran: ‘’It is Me who have created the skies by force and definitely I am expanding it.’’ (51:47)
Science: All other galaxies far from us are constantly moving back in all directions. That implies the Universe is expanding.

Quran: ‘’Don’t the nonbelievers see that the Heaven and the earth and everything were in a concentrated condition, later I separated them from each other.’’ (21:30)
Science: The Universe is constantly expanding which implies earlier in the beginning every planet, star and every matter were closely-knit. Later some possible initial explosion has created this ever-expanding Universe.

Quran: ‘’Then He paid attention to the sky-it was smoke then. Then He said to the Sky and Earth, ‘Come, Willingly or unwillingly’. They said, ‘we have come fully loyally.’’ (41:11)
Science: In the beginning of creation, there was a mixed smoke of Hydrogen and Helium. Due to some unknown reason, this smoke divided and formed huge cluster or clouds of smoke. Later each cloud of smoke has transformed in to a galaxy. This galaxy, the other galaxies and the whole universe was created from smoke.

Quran: The sun is moving at its own axis. This is defined by Allah almighty. I have set the Moon in its proper place even it turns in to thin palm leaf. The sun cannot catch the moon and the night cannot catch the day. They are moving at their respective axes.’’ (36:38, 39, 40)
Science: The sun is moving at its own axis constantly. Everyone is moving in their respective axes, each axis is different. The sun is in the middle of them.

Quran: ‘O company of jinn and mankind, if you are able to pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass. You will not pass except by authority [from Allah ].’’ (55/33)
Science: So the conquest of space is also indicated in 33rd Aayat of 55th Surah in the Quran. That is, as Allah said, you can enter into that region only after attaining super velocity. Needless to say, super velocity is something like attaining the high speed technology by overcoming the gravitational barriers through science and technology. During the end of the last century mankind had grasped the technology and successfully landed on the moon.

Just delving into a deeper will reveal that two things are consciously done by such scientification- two aberrations- first in the translation, second in the explanation. For example:

Translational aberration: From the above example, we see that 81:15 and 15 are translated as thus: ‘’Then I am showing examples. Those stars that go back.’’ From Jahurul Haque’s translation we get,’’I admit stars and planets as witnesses. Those we move and vanish.’’ Let’s look into three more translations, 

"YUSUFALI: So verily I call to witness the planets - that recede, Go straight, or hide;
PICKTHAL: Oh, but I call to witness the planets, The stars which rise and set,
SHAKIR: But nay! I swear by the stars, That run their course (and) hide themselves,"

Similarly 51:47 is translated as thus, ‘’It is Me who have created the skies by force and definitely I am expanding it.’’ As per Jahurul Haque, it is like, “And the space- we built it by hand and we are the creators of grandeur.” In the English version, we get, 

"YUSUFALI: With power and skill did We construct the Firmament: for it is We Who create the vastness of pace.
PICKTHAL: We have built the heaven with might, and We it is Who make the vast extent (thereof).
SHAKIR: And the heaven, We raised it high with power, and most surely We are the makers of things ample. "

Let’s come to the Aayats regarding the motion of the sun and the earth. In 36:38 it is ‘’ the sun is moving at its own axis.” As per Jahurul Haque, “The Sun roams at its path of destination.” And in English 

"YUSUFALI: And the sun runs his course for a period determined for him:
PICKTHAL: And the sun runneth on unto a resting-place for him.
SHAKIR: And the sun runs on to a term appointed for it."

There are so many examples like this, you also can easily find out by matching several translations.

Explanatory aberrations: It is more fun, because the biggest fraudulency is in here. If you consider ‘the suns and planets retreat’ even instead of ‘run their course (and) hide themselves’ and link it with Hubble’s discovery of galaxy Milkyway’s spreading away from the other galaxies, I can’t understand how to laugh at you! And in the explanation of ‘’ The sun cannot catch the moon and the night cannot catch the day. They are moving at their respective axes.’’ (36:40) it is said that the earth and other planets are moving round the sun in their respective axes, then I feel I need to learn the grammar anew. Question raises- the Pronoun which replaces the Noun indicates whom? And when one finds the big bang theory in the explanation of “the Heaven and the earth and everything were in a concentrated condition, later I separated them from each other.’’ (21:30), then I think not existing now, but there must be something like sky at the very beginning of the universe as per Quran. I read the big bang theory once again to find if the earth is created in the very beginning. When in the explanation of ‘’ O company of jinn and mankind, if you are able to pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass. You will not pass except by authority [from Allah ].’’ (55/33) it is said that man’s exploration to the moon had been professed in Quran, I cannot stop laughing- it remembers me of the story when a less educated rural youth translated the Telegram as he understood and read it to illiterate villagers.

Science versus Quran: Fun not ended. Another funny thing is so many Suras, Aayats and Hadiths remain unfocused during such discussions. Similarly other acknowledged discoveries of science are also kept hidden. And if some accidentally brings those to table, Fatwa is immediately imposed upon him or her-‘Bigots like us will never understand the Quran and Hadiths, some are beyond human imaginations.’’ And sometimes attack on science directly-‘Science cannot know everything ever.’ At the same time endeavors to link science and Quran do not decrease.

However, let’s discuss some Quran-Hadiths ignoring those fatwas:
Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it [as if] setting in a spring of dark mud, and he found near it a people. Allah said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, either you punish [them] or else adopt among them [a way of] goodness."(18:86)
 

Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had not made against it any shield. (18:90) 

Here narrator Allah is telling about Dhul-Qarnayn-he went to the sun rising place once and the sun setting place once. And he saw the sun setting in to the black water. Question rises- didn’t the Arab people know at that time that the earth is round? Because two places are needed at two sides for sun rising and setting when only the earth is considered plain.
 

Let’s look into some other Aayats that are very doubtful:
And We placed within the earth firmly set mountains, lest it should shift with them, and We made therein [mountain] passes [as] roads that they might be guided. (21:31) 

And We made the sky a protected ceiling, but they, from its signs, are turning away. (21:32)

And the earth - We have spread it and cast therein firmly set mountains and caused to grow therein [something] of every well-balanced thing. (15:19) 

A spring of which the [righteous] servants of Allah will drink; they will make it gush forth in force [and abundance]. They [are those who] fulfill [their] vows and fear a Day whose evil will be widespread. (76:6,7) 

[He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling and sent down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him]. (2:22) 

He created the heavens without pillars that you see and has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it should shift with you, and dispersed therein from every creature. And We sent down rain from the sky and made grow therein [plants] of every noble kind. (31:10) 

When I read these, I should forget what modern science says about the space and the universe. When I look at the ever moving stars in the universe, then the sky stated in Quran which Allah has created without any pillars and which has 7 more layers, I get very much confused. And creating the earth as a plain bed, He has set mountains in it- which is why the earth does not incline or move. These are indeed great mercies of Allah but when now it is clearly evident that the earth not only moves in spite of having mountains, rather it is dancing around the sun I n every 365 days and dancing in its own orbit in every 24 hours – it makes me very much doubtful about the knowledge of Allah. 

Let’s look into the Aayat 36:38 which is translated by PICKTHAL as "And the sun runneth on unto a resting-place for him" Let’s find this resting place in original Bukhari Hadith:

Narrated Abu Dhar:

The Prophet asked me at sunset, "Do you know where the sun goes (at the time of sunset)?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." He said, "It goes (i.e. travels) till it prostrates Itself underneath the Throne and takes the permission to rise again, and it is permitted and then (a time will come when) it will be about to prostrate itself but its prostration will not be accepted, and it will ask permission to go on its course but it will not be permitted, but it will be ordered to return whence it has come and so it will rise in the west. And that is the interpretation of the Statement of Allah: "And the sun Runs its fixed course For a term (decreed). that is The Decree of (Allah) The Exalted in Might, The All-Knowing." (36.38)

You can imagine Allah and his Rasul’s knowledge from this simple example. There are more examples-overwhelming. There are no differences between Jinns , Angels and the monsters in fairytales. Moreover diving the river into two parts, traveling to seventh heaven by Borak, stick becoming a snake, curing leprosy by hand touch- all these are simply funny myths-please don’t draw science in it.

Same things in other scriptures:

Now let’s find something funny from Hindu scriptures:

Bhagabata 2/16/17: Oh Mother! Daughter of the self-creator Monu! I have previously described that time is the power of Holy God, equilibrium of nature, agitated from an undisclosed condition that began creation.

Science: ‘agitated’ means exploration. Scientists say the universe was created from a big exploration which is called big bang.

Bhagabata 3/20/16: a bright lotus stemmed from Lord Brishnu’s navel, like one thousand suns. This lotus is the origin of all lives and the first creature the all-powerful Brahmma came out of that lotus

Science: Stiffen Hocking in his book ‘A brief history of time’ has discussed it is seemed that at the time of explotion the volume of the universe was zero and temperature was infinitive. With the expantion of the universe, temperature decreased to 10000 million degree Celsius which is thousand time powerful than the heat in the core of the sun. As it is described in the Bhagabata the temperature after explosion was thousand times that of a burning sun was later described by scientists.

Scanda Puranam 38/54: Oh the sons of Bharata! Clouds are created from smog and stream of the sea. So it becomes blue when full of water and can rain.

Science: Todays scientist tell about watercycles as reason the of railfall, which was actually mentioned in the Scanda Puranam.

Bhagabata 2/7/37: in the Koli era, atheist demon like super scientists will become very knowledge by studying Veda and will invisibly move around the space by spaceships.

Science: Koli era means the present time. So it can be said that the spaceships scientists are making nowadays had been professed long ago in the Bhagabata.

So examples are many. Same for the Bible also. Muslim readers may find these examples hilarious, irrational, funny and everything, but basically there is no difference between these examples and Quranic examples. The same thing- translational and explanatory aberrations. Let’s finish this topic with one last comparative example:
Quran: Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging. Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators. (23/13, 14)

Bhagabata 3/31/2: When the sperm enter into the overy, first night ot gets mixed with the blood, becomes a bubble in fifth night and with times becomes a piece of flesh.
 

Both versions try to prove their superiority by linking themselves with science but modern embryology simply turns down all these fake explanations from all holy books. 

Story of an illiterate 1400 years ago:
One very important question is thrown to everybody after all such discussions: “Can you imagine how an illiterate man 1400 years ago in Arab came across these thoughts? What modern science is discovering today has been uttered by an illiterate man 1400 years ago. This proves that Quran is not man-made, it is divine.”
 

Well said. But we wonder when we find some more important discoveries in the history of mankind. 200 years ago before this 1400 years (100 years ago of Copernicus) Arzabhatta )(476 AD) declared that the earth is round, it moves round the sun and also at its own axis. Aristotle 2000 years ago said object will stay in the same place in vacuum or move at the same pace constantly. (Aristotle however failed to prove his assumption and rather refused to uphold his statement thinking that there will not be any vacuum.) Bhaskaracharza 500 years ago before newton said right things about the gravitational force.
 

All these things make me think- man can provide us with correct knowledge before Allah. And Allah blessed us with knowledge not in a straight forward way rather spirally and also with so many mistakes. Why Allah in spite of writing Quran in his own hands, failed to state directly that- the earth moves round the sun- it is simply regrettable!
 

** Neem Tree: One type of tree with leaves and fruits tasting bitter.