Page 44 - The Qur'an Leads the Way to Science
P. 44

THE QUR'AN LEADS THE W A Y TO SCIENCE


              created distinctively by God. God, with His unique creative power and
              infinite knowledge, equipped creatures with diverse features, and thus
              communicated His infinite power, wisdom and knowledge to humanity.
              Some of the verses that refer to the creation of living things read:
                And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth,
                and the living creatures that He has scattered through them: and He
                has power to gather them together when He wills. (Surat ash-Shura:
                29)
                And God has created every animal from water: of them there are
                some that creep on their bellies; some that walk on two legs; and
                some that walk on four. God creates what He wills for, surely, God
                has power over all things. (Surat an-Nur: 45)
                He created the heavens without any pillars that you can see; He set
                on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you;
                and He scattered through it beasts of all kinds. We send down rain
                from the sky, and produce on the earth every kind of noble creature,
                in pairs. Such is the Creation of God: now show Me what is there that
                others besides Him have created: no, but the transgressors are in
                manifest error. (Surah Luqman: 10-11)
                Surely in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who believe.
                And in the creation of yourselves and the fact that animals are
                scattered (through the earth), are signs for those of assured faith.
                (Surat al-Jathiyyah: 3-4)

                Having recognized the reality of creation, scientists established various
              disciplines, such as biology, anatomy, and paleontology. Noted scientists,
              like Carl Linnaeus, who categorized the living world under definite
              classes, and who is known as "the founder of taxonomy"; Georges Cuvier,
              the founder of fossil science and comparative anatomy; Gregor Mendel,
              the founder of genetics who discovered the laws of inheritance; or Louis
              Agassiz, who is considered the greatest American biologist of the 19th
              century, all practiced science with an awareness that all living species
              were created by God.
                Then, with the introduction of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution,
              the world of science became immersed in an effort to prove that "species
              evolved from one another". This endeavor caused scientists to engage
              themselves in a number of fruitless investigations. In fossil excavations



                                               42
   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49