al-Quran wa Ijazuhu al-Ilmi
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Dār al-Fikr al-ʿArabī - Dār al-Thaqāfah al-ʿArabiyyah lil-Ṭibāʿah
al-Quran wa Ijazuhu al-Ilmi (The Quran and Its Scientific Inimitability) is a twentieth-century Arabic treatise by the Egyptian author Muhammad Ismail Ibrahim exploring the scientific inimitability of the Quran in light of modern discoveries .
Background and Purpose
The author undertook the work after completing his dictionary Muʿjam al-alfaz wa-l-aʿlam al-Qurʾaniyyah (Glossary of Quranic Terms and Proper Nouns) . Motivated by an observed interest among educated Muslim youth for contemporary interpretations of Quranic verses, he sought to demonstrate how modern scientific discoveries harmonize with Quranic descriptions of natural phenomena . Ibrahim argued that the Quran anticipated core cosmological principles and natural laws centuries before modern research tools and laboratory instruments confirmed them, and he viewed scientific inimitability as an ongoing dimension of Quranic wonder that extends across successive eras .
Structure and Content
The book is structured into three main parts (abwab):
- Part One: Provides an introductory overview of the Quran and its divine status, followed by an examination of the initial reception of the Quran among early Arabs who met its message with denial and resistance .
- Part Two: Discusses the nature of the Quran as an intangible, rational miracle (muʿjizah maʿnawiyyah), contrasting it with the tangible, sensory miracles given to earlier prophets, and surveys the historical development and stages of Quranic exegesis (tafsir) across different periods .
- Part Three: Examines a selection of Quranic verses concerning cosmic and physical phenomena, presenting their traditional religious interpretation before analyzing them through the lens of modern scientific disciplines . This section covers topics such as astronomy, celestial bodies, and the formation and history of the Earth .
Method
Ibrahim emphasized that his primary role was compiling, classifying, and presenting verses relevant to scientific inquiry, drawing upon the findings of contemporary scholars and scientists who correlated Quranic statements with established scientific facts . He presented summaries of scientific concepts in an accessible style to highlight their correspondence with Quranic phrasing without delving into intricate technical details .
Publication
The book was published in Cairo by Dar al-Fikr al-Arabi in 1977, comprising 174 pages . It was also issued in print associated with Dar al-Thaqafah al-Arabiyyah .
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