Reflections on the Medical Miracles of the Holy Quran
Dr. Sharif Kaf Al Ghazal
Acknowledgement :
I would like to acknowledge the great help that
Mr. M A H Madi
*
provided into the English translation of this article .

What about intestines ..?
What is the reason behind
advancing hearing over sight in the Holy Quran ?
Forelock !
Man in high
altitudes
Medical References at the shadows of
Surat Al Kahf
An international patent for
Quranic eye drop!
Miracle of Honey
Carrion .. blood .. flesh of
swine
Fruit : is it before or after ?
Ablution
(Wodo'e) and
health purity
Prayer : a
healing for the spirit and the body
Medical
benefits of fasting Ramadan
Quran
: a healing and a mercy
References
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Introduction and significant points
Fourteen centuries ago, Allah (SWT) sent down the Quran to mankind as a book of guidance. He called upon people to be guided to the truth by adhering to this book. From the day of its revelation to the day of judgement, this last divine book , the Holy Quran, will remain the sole guide, faith and a methodology of life for humanity.
Allah
(SWT) says in Quran :
“Surely this
Quran guides to the way that is straightest and gives good tidings to the
believers who do deeds of righteousness, that theirs shall be a great wage.”
(18:9)
(إن هذا القرآن يهدي للتي هي أقوم ويبشر المؤمنين الذين يعملون الصالحات أن لهم أجرا كبيرا) الإسراء ( 9 ).
The matchless style of the Quran and its superior wisdom are definite evidence that it is the word of God. In addition, the Quran has many miraculous attributes proving that it is a revelation from God. One of these attributes is the fact that a number of scientific truths that we have only been able to uncover by the technology of the 20th century were stated in the Quran 1,400 years ago.
Of course the Quran is not a book of science. However, many scientific facts that are expressed in an extremely concise and profound manner in its verses have only been discovered with the technology of the 20th century. These facts could not have been known at the time of the Quran's revelation, and this is still more proof that the Quran is the word of God.
In order to understand the scientific miracle of the Quran, we must first take a look at the level of science at the time when this holy book was revealed.
In the 7th century, when the Quran was revealed, Arab society had many superstitious and groundless beliefs where scientific issues were concerned. Lacking the technology to examine the universe and nature, these early Arabs believed in legends inherited from past generations. They supposed, for example, that mountains supported the sky above. They believed that the earth was flat and that there were high mountains at its both ends. It was thought that these mountains were pillars that kept the vault of heaven high above.
However all these superstitious beliefs of Arab society were eliminated with the Quran. In Surat Al Ra'ed (Chapter 13) , verse 2, it was said: "Allah is He who raised up the heavens without any pillars, that you can see " (The Quran, 13:2).
(اللّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا) سورة الرعد : 13
This verse invalidated the belief that the sky remains above because of the mountains. In many other subjects, important facts were revealed at a time when no one could have known them.
Few points need to be highlighted :
- Quran’s principal objective is to form a righteous man and establish a virtuous
community …
-
- Quran’s words need not reflect the norms of the present time, or have
connotation to recent theories and knowledge...
-
- Quran’s purposes of medical and scientific references, and miracles are numerous, of
which the most significant are:
1-
Reinforcing and
strengthening the
faith in Moslems through motivation of admonition,
deliberation and meditation.
2-
Giving non-Moslems conclusive evidences of the genuineness of Islam, as
Prophet Mohammad
(PBUH) was not to
get acquainted
with such scientific issues, which were not revealed except in
the recent decades, unless told of by Allah the Almighty.
“Soon will We show them our
signs in the furthest horizons, and in their own souls, until it becomes
manifest to them that this
is the Truth…”
(41: 53)
(سنريهم آياتنا في الآفاق وفي أنفسهم حتى يتبين لهم أنه الحق أوَ لم يكف بربك أنه على كل شيء شهيد ) سورة فصلت (53)
Let’s take for example this verse
“O
mankind! If ye have a doubt about
Recreation
,”
(يا أيها
الناس إن كنتم في ريب من البعث)
here is the evidence: “surely
We created you out of dust, then of a sperm-drop, then of a leech-like clot,
then out of a lump of flesh, formed and
unformed, that We may make clearer (Our signs) to you; and We establish in the
wombs what We will, till a stated term, then We deliver you as infants, then
that you may come of age; and some of you die, and some of you are kept back
unto the vilest state of life, that after knowing, they may know nothing…” (22: 5)
(فإنَّا خلقناكم من تراب ثم من نطفة ثم من علقة ثم من مضغة
مخلقة وغير مخلقة لنبين لكم، ونقر في الأرحام ما نشاء إلى أجل مسمى، ثم نخرجكم
طفلاً، ثم لتبلغوا أشدكم، ومنكم من يُتوفى ومنكم من يرد إلى أرذل العمر لكي لا
يعلم من بعد علم شيئاً) الحج (5) .
The verse goes
on;
“and
you see the earth barren, but when We send down water upon it, it quivers, and
swells, and puts forth of every delightful pairs.” (22: 5),
(وترى
الأرض هامدة فإذا أنزلنا عليها الماء اهتزت وربت وانتبت من كل زوج بهيج) الحج (5)
Quran encourages all that helps reveal the secret of the universe and existence, and strengthens faith to Allah .
“Say; ‘Journey in the land, and see how
Allah did originate creation; so will Allah produce a later creation: for Allah
has power over all things.’” (29: 20)
( قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ بَدَأَ
الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ اللَّهُ يُنشِئُ النَّشْأَةَ الْآخِرَةَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ
شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ) العنكبوت (20)
Now, let us look together at some of these medical miracles revealed in the Quran :
It was commonly believed, for several centuries, that the body is all
sensitive to pain. It was not clear then
that there were specialized nerves in the body responsible for
transporting all kinds of pain and other
sensations, until recently when anatomy has discovered the role of specialized
nerve endings in transporting all different kinds of pain.
The most significant nerve sensations in the human body are:
The sensation of touch: the corpuscles responsible for such sensation
are called Meissners and Merkels corpuscles.
The sensation of pain: this is transported by the nerve endings in the
skin.
The sensation of heat: this is the responsibility of Ruffini cylinders
corpuscles.

The nerve endings will be exposed if the dermis
and epidermis layers are injured
Taking skin burns as a distinct cause for the skin sensation of
pain, burns can be divided into 3 types:
1-
Burns of first degree (sun
burns): these affect the epidermis causing swelling and moderate pain. The phenomena of redness, swelling and pain
usually disappear within two to three days.
2-
Burns of second degree: epidermis
and dermis are injured. In such
a case, a detachment occurs between
epidermis and dermis, causing the collection of secretions between these two
layers (Figure 2). The injured person suffers from severe
pain, and excessive increase of pain sensation, due to irritation of exposed
nerve ending particularly after the outburst of blisters. The skin starts to heal within 14 days as a
result of the process of renovation and inversion under the skin.
3-
Burns of third degree: the whole
skin thickness is burned and perhaps the injury may reach the muscles or the
bone. The skin loses elasticity and
becomes rough and dry. In this case, the
injured person do not feel much pain, as nerve endings have been damaged almost
completely due to burning
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Burns of third degree |
Burns of second degree |
Burns of first degree |
The Quran states ; “Those
who reject our signs, We shall cast into the fire; as often as their skins are
roasted through. We shall change them
for fresh skins, that they may taste the punishment; for Allah is Exalted in
power; Wise.” (
(إنَّ الذٌينّ كّفّرٍوا بٌآيّاتٌنّا سّوًفّ
نصليهم نّارْا كٍلَّمّا نّضٌجّتً
جلودهم بدلناهم جلوداَ غيرها ليذوقوا العّذّابّ إنَّ
اللَّهّ كّانّ عّزٌيزْا حّكٌيمْا) (النساء56).
Allah did not say “as often as their skins are burned”, as burning could
be partial, but He rather said: “as
often as their skins are roasted through”, i.e., totally burned with
all nerves of sensation and pain. So, He
the Almighty associated between the sensation of pain and the skin when roasted
and burned totally, thus losing its structure and function. When sensation of pain is lost, a new fully
composed and functional skin is replaced, where the nerve ending responsible
for the painful sensation of heat and burn perform and function to make the
unbeliever taste the punishment of being burned with fire over and over again.
1-
The external stratum (serum
stratum): its membrane is soft and wet due to the secretion of a serum liquid.
2-
The medium stratum (muscular
stratum).
3-
The internal stratum (mucosa
stratum): it consists of a mucosa plate and circular or ring folds full of
villi, and contains intestinal glands and lymphatic vesicular.
It has been found out that the abdominal cavity is lined with the
peritoneum which is fed through the wall nerves feeding the skin, and the
muscles of chest and abdomen. These nerves are affected by touch and heat. The viscera have no nerves for pain or
sensation. Therefore, when the abdominal
wall is anaesthetized locally, and the abdomen is open, no sensation of pain or
disturbance is felt in the intestines if held, cut or even burned. But when the intestines are cut or perforated
for any reason, its contents come out into the cavity surrounding the viscera,
and which is rich in sensitive nerves, the pain is then very severe and the
abdomen of the patient is in a state called Board Like Rigidity. It is an emergency surgical state that
requires an immediate operation.
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Perforated intestine causes severe abdominal pain |
In
Quran, Allah the Almighty says about the torment of hell fire;
“such are given to drink boiling water,
that tears their bowels asunder.” (47: 15)
(وسقوا ماءَ
حميماَ
فقطع أمعاءهم (
محمد
: 15
The Holy Quran threatens the unbelievers of hot water that tears their
bowels. The reasoning underlying this threat has recently become evident. It has been discovered that intestines are not affected with heat. But if they are cut, hot water
therein comes out into the peritoneum which is fed
through the wall nerves feeding the skin, and the muscles of chest and
abdomen. These nerves are affected with
touch or heat, so the hot water, after intestines are cut, causes the highest
degrees of pain.
So the outer torment felt in the skin, is different from that felt in
the inner intestines, due to the difference in the nature of skin
structure. The feeling of former torment
cannot be maintained unless the roasted skin is exchanged with a new layer, while in
the case of intestines, torment is felt only by cutting the intestines with hot
water. Torment is yet continuous:
“As for the unbelievers, theirs shall be
the fire of Gehannam (hellfire); they shall neither be done with and die, nor shall its
chastisement be lightened for them, even
so We recompense every ungrateful one.” (35:36)
( والذين كفروا لهم نار
جهنم لا يُقضى عليهم فيموتوا ولا يُخففُ عنهم
من عذابها كذلك
نجزي
كل كفور)
سورة فاطر- 36
Allah the Almighty says; “And
pursue not that you have no knowledge of; surely the hearing, the sight, the
heart- all of those shall be questioned of.” (
(ولا تقف ما ليس لك به علم إن السمع
والبصر والفؤاد كل أولئك كان عنه مسؤولا) الإسراء 36 .
and; “Not so did you cover yourselves, lest your hearing, your eyes and your skins should bear witness against you; but you thought that Allah would never know much of the things that you were working.” (41: 22),
( وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ
يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ وَلَكِن
ظَنَنتُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَعْلَمُ كَثِيراً مِّمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ ). (22- فصلت)
and: “Say; ‘Think you, if
Allah took away your hearing and your sight, and sealed up you hearts, who – a
god other than Allah – could restore them to you?’” (
(قل أرأيتم إن أخذ الله سمعكم وأبصاركم
وختم على قلوبكم من إله غير الله يأتيكم به) الأنعام 46 .
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Why was sight mentioned
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Hearing comes before sight in the
vas majority |
What are the possible reasons behind advancing "hearing" over "sight" in Quran ?
1-
Hearing develops before sight in the
embryo stage , and it is the first sense that
functions in life. The function of
hearing starts immediately with the baby after deliver, in contrary to the eye
which does not function the time the baby is brought to life. In other words, Allah the
Almighty conveys to us that it is hearing that functions at first. If a disturbing sound is produced near the
newly born baby, he/ she feels terrified and cries. But if a hand is approached near the same baby,
he/ she does not move or sense any sort of danger.
2-
Ear is preferred over and more
superior than the eye, as it does not stop function by sleep.
Since the very beginning of life, the ear functions at the first instance
after delivery, while some other organs may wait days, or years to function. The eye needs light to see. Rays of light are reflected on things, then
enter the eye to see things. If it is
dark, the eye cannot function, but the ear can function day and night.
3-
Ear is the link between man and
the world. When Allah the Almighty
decreed that the Men of the Cave sleep hundred of years, He said;
“Then We smote their ears many years in
the Cave.” (
فَضَرَبْنَا
عَلَى آذَانِهِمْ فِي الْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدا
[الكهف: 11]
Hence when ear was out of function, men of the Cave were able to sleep hundred
of years without any disturbance. Noisy
daylight movements, contrary to night quietness, prevent man to sleep
deeply. Yet the ears never sleep or lose
attention.
It is noticed that the word hearing advances the word sight in the whole of Quran, except in one verse, which tackles doomsday: “If only you could see when the guilty ones will bend low their heads before their Lord! ‘Our Lord, we have seen and we have heard; now return us, that we may do righteousness, for we do have sure faith.’” (32: 12)
( ولو ترى إذ المجرمون ناكسوا رءوسهم عند
ربهم ربنا أبصرنا وسمعنا فارجعنا نعمل صالحا إنا موقنون ) سورة السجدة 12
In this only verse, Allah forwards the word "see" over that of "hear", as
the horrible scenes of Doomsday (the day of judgment) when overwhelming people, will be seen first
before heard of. Allah knows best.
Another interesting point :
It is also noticed that the word ear is always referred to in the
singular form while the word eyes in the plural form. Allah says:
“Not so did you cover yourselves, lest
your hearing, your eyes and your skins should bear witness against you; but you
thought that Allah would never know much of the things that you were working.” (41:
22),
( وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ
سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ وَلَكِن ظَنَنتُمْ أَنَّ
اللَّهَ لَا يَعْلَمُ كَثِيراً مِّمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ ) (22- فصلت)
and: “Say; ‘Think you, if Allah took away your hearing and your eyes,
and sealed up your hearts, who – a god other than Allah – could restore them to
you?’” (
(قل أرأيتم إن أخذ الله سمعكم وأبصاركم
وختم على قلوبكم من إله غير الله يأتيكم به) الأنعام 46 .





Why is it in the Quran the word "ear" is singular
while "eyes" is plural ?
Why is it, in the Holy Quran, that the word “ear” is always
singular,
while the word “eyes” is plural? Why could it not be “ears and eyes”, or “ear
and eye”? Allah the Almighty, in such
an accurate expression, seeks to reveal to us
the precision of the Holy Quran.
The sense of sight can be willingly controlled by man, as he is opt
whether to see or not. Man can close his
eyes for the things he does not like to see, but he cannot do the same with his
sense of hearing, as he has no control over ear whether to hear or not. In other words, when someone is in a room
where ten people are talking, their voices will reach his ear whether he is
willing or not. The sense of sight vary
among people; someone sees something while another sees something else due to a
different variation of sight, while someone else closes his eyes and sees
nothing. For hearing, we all share the same sound, if we are assembled in one
place. Hence eyes vary but ears stand
single.
Are there really things around us that we cannot see?
A quick look
to the nature of light, being the tool of vision and sight, can help bring home
the idea.
·
There is a difference between
visible light and light in general.
·
Light scale in general starts with
less than 0.1 of the nanometer, as in the case of rays of short wave and high
power (Gamma rays), up to more than 1 km, as in the case of long waves and low
power (Radio waves).
·
Visible light is the light waves
that man’s eyes can receive and through which he can see things. This has no
significant rate in the wave length scale of light or in electromagnetic waves,
where normal light waves with its seven known colours reach a
rate of 400 and 800 nanometers (nanometer is
one thousand-millionth of a meter) on the scale grade.
·
Man with the help of visible light
can see all around, as he can see microorganisms through microscopes and far
celestial bodies through telescopes. Man was not able before the discovery of
these two instruments to see more than his open eye could see. Man can presumably see all that which can be
seen by visible light, regardless of being minute or huge. This gives the room for the question: what about other unseen worlds?
·
What is the volume of these
visible things in the direct light waves in comparison with the things that
cannot be seen or perceived by the human eye?

Visible and invisible light waves
(please note that visible light wave is between
400 and 800 nanometers )
Here are the different types of famous rays
and their existence on the wave length scale, arranged in an ascending order as
per the length of waves and in an descending order as per the power range:
1- Gamma Ray. Its length is less than 0.1 of the nanometer, and is considered of the highest power.
2-
X-ray. Its wave length reaches up to 1 nanometer and
is high in power and can penetrate lots of substances. It
is commonly used in the medical field.
3-
Ultraviolet ray. Its wave length
reaches up to 100 nanometers and is originated from stars explosion, and the
sun as well bursts huge amounts of such a ray.
4-
Visible light. The length of different waves ranges between
400 – 800 nanometers.
5-
Infra-red ray. It length is 0.1 of the nanometer and is
usually originated from hot substances and every living being. This ray is used by armies to locate targets
of machineries and soldiers that emit heat.
Lots of snakes use it to determine their quarries precisely.
6-
Short waves or microwaves. These are used in telecommunications
(specially in mobile phones), and commonly
used heaters. They are used as well in guiding planes, and in determining the speed of traffic on roads.
7- Radio waves. They range between one meter to 1 km in length and are originated from stars as other rays, as well as the lightening processes in clouds, and can be received by radio sets. They are used in wireless telecommunications in general.

Different invisible light waves (Gamma ray , X-Ray, Ultraviolet ray, Infra red ray, microwaves & Radio waves)
·
The Quranic miracle is thus
crystallized, as Allah verily says;
“I swear by that you see and by that you do not see.” (69:38-39)
( فلا أقسم بما تبصرون ومالاتبصرون ) الحاقة (38-39).
The origin of creation : clay & water !
In the Quran, Allah reveals that the creation of man is a miracle. The first human being was created by Allah shaping clay into a human form and then breathing a soul into it, Allah (SWT) says in Quran : ( Your Lord said to the angels, "I am going to create a human being out of clay. When I have formed him and breathed My Spirit into him, fall down in prostration to him!") (Quran 38:71-72)
( إذ قال ربك للملائكة إني خالق بشرا من طينٍ ، فإذا سويته ونفخت فيه من روحي فقعوا له ساجدين ) سورة (ص) 71-72
and also says : " Then inquire of them: Is it they who are stronger in structure or other things We have created? We created them from sticky clay " (Quran 37:11)
( فاستفتهم أهم أشد خلقاً أم من خلقنا إنا خلقناهم من طين لازب) الصافات 11
When the human
body is examined today, many elements present on the
earth are also discovered to be found in the human body. Living tissues contain 95% carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur, with a total of 26 different
elements.91
In another verse of the Quran we are told:
"We created man
from an extract of clay" (Quran 23:12)
(ولقد خلقنا الإنسان من سلالة من طين ) المؤمنون 12
The Arabic word "sulala," translated as "extract" in the verse, means "representative example, essence." As we have seen, the information revealed in the Quran 1,400 years ago confirms what modern science tells us-the fact that the same elements as those found in the soil are employed in the human creation .
Below is a diagram showing the distribution of the elements in a 70-kilo human being.
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Macro-minerals |
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Gram |
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Carbon |
C |
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12,000 |
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Macro-minerals |
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% |
Miligram |
|
Iron
Copper |
Fe
Cu |
0.01
0.01 |
4,200
90 |

As we notice above water forms the main
component of the human being
and any other being . Allah (SWT)
says :
" Allah created
every [living] creature from water. Some of them go on their bellies, some of
them on two legs, and some on four. Allah creates whatever He wills. Allah has
power over all things" (Quran, 24:45)
( والله خلق كل دابة من ماء فمنهم من يمشي على بطنه ومنهم من يمشي على رجلين ومنهم من يمشي على أربع يخلق الله ما يشاء إن الله على كل شيء قدير) النور 45
" and We made from water every living thing? So will they not believe?" (Quran, 21:30)
(وجعلنا من الماء كل شيء حي أفلا يؤمنون َ) الأنبياء 30
"And it is He Who created human beings from water and then gave them relations by blood and marriage. Your Lord is All-Powerful" (25:54)
(وهو الذي خلق من الماء بشراً فجعله نسباً وصهراً وكان ربك قديراً ) الفرقان 54
When we look at
the verses concerned with the creation of human beings and living things, we
clearly see evidence of a miracle. One such miracle is of the creation of living
things from water. It was only possible for people to come across that information,
clearly expressed in those verses, hundreds of years afterwards with the
invention of the microscope.
All life forms need water in order to survive. Animals in dry regions, therefore, have been created with mechanisms to protect their metabolisms from water loss and to ensure maximum benefit from water use. If water loss takes place in the body for any reason, and if that loss is not replaced, death will result in a few days. The famous 17th century scientist Jan Baptista van Helmont discovered in 1640s that water in the soil was the most important element of plant development.
Embryology and Human Creation between Quran & Science
We discussed the embryology and human creation in details in a separate article . Please press here to read more about the miracle of human development in Quran .
Human development is one of the main medical miracles of Quran
Scientific facts:
Finger prints are formed in the embryo at the fourth month, and remain fixed and distinct all along man’s life.
Finger prints are a record of
curvatures that arise due to the fusion between the epidermis with the dermis.
These curvatures differ from one person to another, and they never match or correspond among all humans.