| Author | Topic |
AmrBassiouny
HONG KONG
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 Topic initiated on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 12:15 PM 
Literal or Metaphorical?
There are many stories in the Quran, such as that of Moses or Noah, which logically are impossible to have happened using the basic laws of physics.
Do you think we should take these stories literally, and beleive that Moses actually did part the red sea, or do you think we should look at the moral message behind it and admit it didn't actually happen?
What if we find evidence that Noah actually didn't take one pair of every animal, and that the story is historically flawed (and there is evidence to show this), should we still be stubborn and insist that what is said to have happened actually happened? |
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askhalifa
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Posted - Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 7:04 AM 
quote:
What if we find evidence that Noah actually didn't take one pair of every animal, and that the story is historically flawed (and there is evidence to show this), should we still be stubborn and insist that what is said to have happened actually happened?
As a muslims we believe that science is not absolute, Allah can anytime interfere into the natural and physical laws of science. Also, at anypoint scientific theories cannot be called ultimate truth. These can progress and change anytime. Just imagine in 19th century newton's law of motion and gravitation looked so much real, but all found to be just an approximation and not exact! Thanks to einstien. Again what you have said about Noah taking pair of each creation on ark.. you can refute it only by hypothesis, there is no real way to confirm or deny it.
Even if we agree to accept it as metaphorical, how do you explain it metphorically. I don't think this specific event can be explain this way, only thing is you accept it as truth or lie. |
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oosman
USA
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Posted - Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 3:40 PM
| Actually the Quran never says that Nooh (a.s.) was asked to take every animal from all over the world. It just says he was asked to take (male and female) of every animal there. We have chosen ourselves to interpret it to mean that he gathered animals from all over the world. The interpretation could be wrong. Many times we interpret verses of the Quran incorrectly. Another notorious example is the one where Allah says He knows what is in the fetus. Some interpret that to mean that Allah only knows and no one else knows, that is an incorrect interpretation. If we cannot explain an event mentioned in the Quran, then it is our own ignorance that limits our interpretation. |
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AmrBassiouny
HONG KONG
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Posted - Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 2:16 PM
quote:
quote:
What if we find evidence that Noah actually didn't take one pair of every animal, and that the story is historically flawed (and there is evidence to show this), should we still be stubborn and insist that what is said to have happened actually happened?
As a muslims we believe that science is not absolute, Allah can anytime interfere into the natural and physical laws of science. Also, at anypoint scientific theories cannot be called ultimate truth. These can progress and change anytime. Just imagine in 19th century newton's law of motion and gravitation looked so much real, but all found to be just an approximation and not exact! Thanks to einstien. Again what you have said about Noah taking pair of each creation on ark.. you can refute it only by hypothesis, there is no real way to confirm or deny it.
Even if we agree to accept it as metaphorical, how do you explain it metphorically. I don't think this specific event can be explain this way, only thing is you accept it as truth or lie.
Actually, there is very strong evidence which shows us the Noah was on the Euphrates river (i can't remember his real name) and that the flood happened there (they dated it and everything) and they were able to figure out pretty much exactly what happened. The boat he went on was for trading it and it had things like beer and livestock (because thats what was traded in the Euphrates at the time), and they lived on those until they landed somewhere else (can't remember exactly where).
You can try searching it...you'll find it interesting.
Now that we have strong evidence supporting the real story, which discredits the religious story...should we still deny truth and just say "it could be wrong"? |
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Loveall
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 11:24 PM
There are many scientific events, which seem to be paradoxical. For example:
1) Male sex hormone- testosterone cause excessive body hair growth except on the head where it causes paradoxically loss of the hair.
2) Antibiotics are the substances, which are received from the microorganism and are used against the microorganism.
3) Human ear can only hear the sounds of frequency between 20 and 20,000 cycles per second (Hertz). After 20,000 Hertz our ear must respond in a different way but neither hears nor gets harmed. Similarly the electric current of frequency above 100 kilohertz has minimised potential of electric shock to human body but only local burning.
4) A patient having the symptoms of cervical rib has hardly the rib seen on the X-ray and on the other hand in another patient if the cervical rib is found incidentally on X-ray, has no symptoms.
5) Some birds can’t fly without flapping their wings continuously while some can do without flapping their wing, as long as they are in the air, at the same height.
There are many such other examples.
SO THE METAPHORICALS MAY BE LIKE THE PARADOXICALS
Edited by: Loveall on Friday, March 25, 2005 9:34 PM |
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Loveall
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Sunday, April 24, 2005 - 12:33 AM
AL-QURAN: (2: 3)
The foremost criterion of the believers or those who has fear of God is “Yohmenoon-a- bil-ghaib” (THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN THE UNSEEN and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them).
So this verse (2: 3) nullifies the concept of the past incidences as metaphoricals. |
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NavidKhan
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 6:19 PM
Dear All,
Assalamoalaikum wa Rahmatu(A)llahe wabarakatohoo,
In Sura Muhammad (salAllaho alaihe wasallam), God has revealed the following verse:
[47:2] But as for those who believe and do
righteous deeds and believe in that which has been
revealed to Muhammad - and it is the truth from their Lord - He removes from them their sins and sets right their affairs.
Affirmation of one's belief in whatever has been revealed in the Holy Quran is a necessary condition of Faith (Eeman). The Holy Quran is a very easy book to understand, while, at the same time it can be also very difficult. In Sura Aale Imran Allah Almighty has revealed the true faith of those who posess real knowledge:
[3:8] He it is who has sent down to thee the Book; in it there are verses that are firm and decisive in meaning - they are the basis of the Book - and there are others that are susceptible of different interpretations. But those in whose hearts is perversity pursue such thereof as are susceptible of different interpretations, seeking to cause discord and seeking wrong interpretations of it. And none knows its right interpretation except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge; they say, We believe in it; the whole is from our Lord.' - And none take heed except those gifted with understanding -
As far as the verses which are under discussion i.e the story of Hazrat Nooh (alaihesalaam) It is my opinion that:
1. The Flood was a local phenomenon and that it did not involve the whole of the earth.
2. The Ark did not cointain all the species of animals, but that Hazrat Nooh (alaihesalaam) was instructed to take as many "domesticated" animals as he could with him on the Ark.
There are millions of species of living beings which evolved over millions of years and many of these existed at the time of Hazrat Nooh (alaihesalaam.). It is impossible for anyone to make a ship which would be able to accommodate the whole of the animal kingdom existing at the time. When Allah Almighty commanded Hazrat Noah (alaihesalaam), to take Pairs of each species, I think it probably meant that those animals which were neede by Hazrat Noah (alaihesalaam) and not all the species of the world.
I believe that One should use common sense when trying to interpret the Holy Quran. There are however, many phenomena which we do not understand and their true nature may be explained to us with the passage of time.
WaAllaho aalam. (Allah knows best)
wassalaam
Navidul Haq Khan |
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Bhavittre
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Friday, April 29, 2005 - 7:06 PM
dear Navidul Haq Khan.
you said, we must interpret quran with common sense.
with common sense, how can we interpret the following Quranic verse and the similar others
[23.16] Then surely on the day of resurrection you shall be raised. |
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