The Science of the Quran: Proving God's Existence through Established Modern Science Kindle Edition

Very well put and presented...definitely worth reading.I enjoyed it a lot and came up with at least 4 more books in a lot of different topics to read.

An excellent read. Ahmad Hassan is very knowledgeable on the Quran and science. I would love to see this turn in to a documentary.

Interesting read, but unless you have knowledge of the sourcebook it is hard to stick with. How did he get these discriptions as close as they appear.

Well written. Author has good science and Quran exposure and background. It still boils down to subjective vs objective and always will. Author separated tribal influence from Quran influence which was helpful.Daniel Sullivan

In any examination of religion and science, there are essentially 4 approaches you can take in evaluating apparent conflicts between the science we know today and source material from a religious text (whether it is the Torah, the New Testament, or the Quran):Claim the science is right and the source is wrong (the modern scientific approach)Claim the source is right and science is wrong (like those who claim the world is just 6000 years old)Claim the source can be reinterpreted to not conflict with science (like those who interpret creation as spiritual and not physical)Claim the source actually predicted the correct scientific resultIt is this last category into which Ahmad Hassan has placed the Science of the Quran.His book is divided into 3 parts. The strongest part was Part I where Hassan explains the Quran and Islam to a reader who doesn't understand these topics. Hassan writes clearly and his explanations helped me understand much about a religion that I didn't know much about before. He is obviously passionate on the subject, but is also able to explain foreign ideas to the reader in an understandable manner. Part II discusses the general nature of the scientific enterprise.Part III is where the book lost me as he proceeds through countless scientific ideas, and for each one, quotes the Quran verse that not only agrees with the science, but in many cases, predicted the science long before the scientific world caught up. The problem is that many of Hassan's arguments seem far fetched, and since I can't read the Quran in the original Arabic, I wonder how creative he is in translation to make the Quranic text match the scientific reality. I have also read enough Judaism and Science and Christianity and Science to recognize some familiar arguments that you could hear from Avigdor Miller or Gerald Schroeder. The explanation that the universe can be said to move around the Earth due to relativity is just one example of many.Overall I give the book 4 stars - just because the author didn't prove his thesis to me doesn't mean the book is bad, but approach it with the understanding that you likely won't be entirely convinced.Note: I received this book free for the purposes of writing a review.

According to the author, the purpose of this book is that "the successful demonstration of the science of the Quran would lead to potential proof of the existence of a supreme being (God)".But Muslims believe that the Quran is the verbatim word of God as dictated to Muhammad through the angel Jibreal (Gabriel); so, ipso facto, the very presence of the Quran proves the existence of God. Therefore, why is there need for more proof? Or is the true purpose of the book to convince non-Muslims of the legitimacy the Quran (as the word of God) as revealed to Qasim bin Abdallah bin Abd al-Muttalib bin Hashim, known as Muhammad (the Praiseworthy) anointing him "His" messenger and the ultimate Prophet (Khatem Al Anbeya').The book is divided into three parts, following an introduction of the author's life and his initiation to Islam and the Quran. In the first part, chapters one & two, Hassan expounds about the virtuous life of Muhammad, the genesis and "miracle"of the Quran, as understood and believed by Muslims. The plausibility of the entire book depends on the reader accepting this version as true facts. Unfortunately, contemporary historical documents, recent archeological discoveries, numismatic findings and academic research by independent scholars are challenging these concepts.To give this book a fair reading, skeptics and non-believers should jettison any preconceptions or prejudice and temporarily suspend disbelief; just go with the flow and see where it leads.The second segment, chapters three and four, introduce a rudimentary overview of the history of science and its luminaries, from Plato to modern times. Scientific theories are mentioned to emphasize that what may have been "fact" in the past sometimes proves false, and that what seems incomprehensible today may become universally understood, even axiomatic, in the future. Hassan believes that "Science is nothing less than fundamental truth and will ultimately shape almost everything around us." He then introduces the work of science historian, George Sarton, to highlight "the axial role of the Quran in the fields of science." and uses it as a segway to the next chapter about the key similarities between science and the Quran. Verses from twenty-one "surahs", such as Al Naml (The Ants), Al Nahl (The Bees) and Yunus (Jonah) are given as a few introductory examples to demonstrate the scientific contents of the Quran.Part three is the bulk of the book that lays out the science in the Quran. This is where the writer is at his best, when he explains basic and complex scientific theories and facts; but loses his credibility when he tries to fit these to the pronouncements of the Quran.He frequently overreaches in his interpretation of a verse or word, giving it significance and meaning that is far fetched. One of many such examples is the word "sama'a" that means sky (and sometimes Heaven) in Arabic. Hassan interprets it as `sky' in one verse (Al Dhariyat, 51:47) and `airplane' in another (Al Hajj, 22:65) that he refers to as the "airplane verse".In another instance (Al Mulk 67:19), Hassan massages the word "tayr" to also mean 'airplane' and deliberately (or by ignorance) translates "ṣāffātin wa-yaqbiḍna mā yumsikuhunna" (aligned and holding on to what sustains them) to `forming a line and they jerk'. In another case he translates the word "Wah", conventionally meaning `And', to`By' as in an oath; it is occasionally used in this form only colloquially, <for example, "Wallahy"...short for Wah ilahy (By my God.. I swear).> There are too many more such examples to enumerate here.Hassan tries to cover his bases by stating that, "In some instances, my translation of a word may not match Al-Mawrid" (his chosen Arabic dictionary) because I use the context of the verse while translating" and adds that other translators were often wrong because they did not understand the true intended meaning of the verses.The author's word and text manipulations and repeated attempts at proving the prescient scientific nature of the Quran are tantamount to trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. The enterprise failed.As expected of any religious book, the writing is preachy and proselytizing but without attempting to demean other faiths. It is inclusive and conciliatory. Hassan subtly tries to convince the reader that the Quran is the ideal path to God, but is not the only way at the exclusion of all others.The author seems sincere in his faith, convinced by his beliefs and enthralled with his subject; he writes from the heart.I enjoyed reading "The Science of the Quran" and was intrigued by the novelty of its central theory. Although I disagree with most of the non-scientific contents of the book and its conclusions, I gave it 4 stars because of the quality of organization, clarity of the scientific explanations, steady purpose, simple but not simplistic style of writing and sincerity of the author. He avoided the subterfuge of misdirection and obfuscation that are resorted to by some authors of similar works, which extol the wonders of their holy books.The text is supported by a bibliography of 79 English scientific articles and 7 Arabic Islamic treatises.Full disclosure : -The publisher asked me to review this book and sent me a complimentary copy, even after I sent him the following e-mail: (he asked that I include it in the review)"Please be aware that I am fluent in Arabic and very familiar with the Quran. I am also a scientist. Any mistranslations/misinterpretations (unintentional or deliberate) of the verses of the Quran shall not go unnoticed by me. I shall refer to the primary source (Quran in Arabic, Cairo version)."