Is Qur’an Scientific?

Is the Qur’an truly infallible? Do scientists conduct research on the Qur’an?

A so-called scholar in Pakistan once reportedly researched how electricity could be generated using jinns! Mullah Tariq Monowar claims that all the major bridges in America were built by jinns. Hearing such claims would make even a fifth-grade student in any technologically advanced country laugh uncontrollably. Many people in Bangladesh assert that the Qur’an is infallible, and that even non-Muslim scholars who’ve studied it haven’t been able to find any errors. There’s also a common claim that all major scientific discoveries have emerged from Qur’anic research. But how true is that? To make a claim scientific, one must support it with references from established journals—otherwise, it’s just empty storytelling. I can confidently say that except for staunch Muslim believers, no scientist or researcher actually reads the Qur’an; in fact, most scientists around the world have never read it even once. They simply don’t have the time. Moreover, the conflict between science and religious scripture is historical, which is why scholars don’t turn to holy texts for scientific insight. No scientific discovery has ever come from studying the Qur’an. Even many philosophers and ordinary thinkers have found numerous errors within it—there are many scientific inaccuracies in the Qur’an.

What is it in the Qur’an that makes people believe it’s a divine scripture? Is there anything truly novel that humanity didn’t know before its arrival? There’s a lot about the world that isn’t in the Qur’an. If Prophet Muhammad didn’t know certain stories or histories, those narratives simply didn’t make it into the text. Science hasn’t yet uncovered many mysteries, and there will always be more to discover. After atoms came subatomic particles, then nuclei, electrons, protons – and this progression will continue. Just because science hasn’t yet discovered something doesn’t mean it never will. Nor does it confirm the truth of what religious texts have claimed.

Is the Qur’an scientifically flawless? Has anyone to date extracted verifiable scientific data from the Qur’an? Has any discovery come directly from its verses? Has any scientist made such a claim? Has any peer-reviewed journal recognized the Qur’an as a scientifically consistent text? If not, then how did it come to be considered “compatible with science”? What logical fallacies do people commit when claiming the Qur’an is filled with scientific truth? Read below to find out.

To portray any religious scripture as compatible with science, divide its verses into three categories.

First, identify verses that vaguely resemble scientific concepts and then distort their original meaning to claim: “This has been scientifically proven.” There’s no need to mention which scientist proved it or how.

In the second category, take verses that clearly do not align with scientific understanding and explain them away using excuses like: “Science is constantly evolving,” “Science isn’t yet advanced enough to prove this verse,” “Science doesn’t currently comprehend the meaning behind this verse,” or “Eventually, science will agree with these verses.” These evasions serve as convenient escapes. You can even boldly claim: “80% of my scripture has been proven, and the remaining 20% is still unclear.” Of course, no one needs to know which journal this data came from – or whether it exists at all.

As for those verses filled with tales of folklore, jinns, ghosts, and all sorts of nonsensical imagery with no discernible meaning – deflect criticism by declaring: “This is miraculous. Trying to analyze the miraculous through science is the height of foolishness,” and so on. Whether science actually recognizes the concept of the miraculous can be debated later. For now, just keep trying to pass off your scripture as scientifically compatible.

If someone points out a flaw in science, respond by saying that without knowledge of the Qur’an, no matter how educated they are, they’re actually ignorant. And if someone clearly identifies an error in your scripture, you can always counter with: “Which scientist has proven that to be wrong?” 🥱🥱

We really didn’t need to spend this much time fixating on religious texts – just as people in more developed countries no longer do. Our real battle is against poverty, hunger, terrorism, corrupt politics, and extremism. But the religious zealots aren’t concerned with any of that. A handful of people remain obsessed with proving that the Qur’an is true – even to the point of being ready to kill or go to war over it. If they kept the Qur’an to their personal lives, there would be no issue. But they want to use it to control countries, politics, and the world – and in failing to do so, they create chaos.

20 Alleged Scientific Errors in the Qur’an
(Understanding these requires familiarity with relevant scientific principles.)

1. The sun sets in a muddy spring [18:86]
2. The Earth and the universe were created in six days [7:54]
3. The Earth was created before the heavens [2:29]
4. The Earth and the heavens were once joined together [21:30]
5. Seven heavens and seven Earths exist [65:12]
6. The sky has doors [25:2]
7. The nearest heaven is adorned with stars [37:6]
8. The moon was split in two [54:1]
9. Meteors are weapons to repel devils [37:7–8]
10. Earth is a bed and the sky is a ceiling [2:22]
11. Allah raised the heavens without pillars [13:2]
12. Qur’anic version of evolution: “We created man from dry ringing clay” [15:26]
13. Jesus is like Adam—formed from clay by divine command [3:59]
14. You were created from one soul, and from it your partner [7:189]
15. Embryology: Man is created from fluid that emerges from between the backbone and ribs [86:5–7]
16. God created man from a clot of congealed blood [96:2]
17. The sperm becomes a blood clot, then flesh, then bones, then bones are wrapped in flesh [23:14]
18. Milk comes from the belly of cattle [16:66]
19. Allah placed veils over their hearts so they cannot understand the Qur’an [17:46]
20. They turn their breasts away to hide from Him [11:5]

There are countless mathematical, scientific, and philosophical errors in the Qur’an. I’ve provided a link to one such article – do take a look. And it’s not just science; there are numerous factual mistakes too.

For example, the Qur’an claims that Christians believe the Trinity consists of the Father, the Son, and Mary. But Christians say the Trinity means the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This may not be a scientific error, but it proves that even knowledge of other faiths is misrepresented in the Qur’an – making claims of infallibility untenable.

The Qur’an speaks of the existence of jinns, while science has never validated the existence of jinns, ghosts, or spirits. Sometimes it’s just bats rustling in trees at night – yet religious extremists from remote rural villages in Bangladesh still hold superstitious beliefs, interpreting nature as supernatural.

The Qur’an claims Jesus’s mother Mary was the daughter of Imran. But historically, her father’s name is known to be Joachim (Jashim). The error arises because another Maryam – sister to Moses and Aaron – was indeed the daughter of Imran. These two figures lived in vastly different times. Even if one intends to honor Mary by calling her “daughter of Imran,” it remains historically inaccurate. The Qur’an even refers to her mother as “wife of Imran.” But she should be “wife of Joachim.” Why attribute Mary to Imran? Was Imran such an extraordinary figure that associating someone with his name would somehow elevate their status? There is no lineage between Moses and Mary. So why was Mary confused with Miriam?

This likely happened when the Prophet Muhammad visited Syria and heard biblical stories involving Imran, Moses, and Aaron. When he later dictated verses of the Qur’an, he seemed to confuse Mary with Miriam – and thus these errors were inscribed.

The Qur’an further claims that Jews consider Uzair (Ezra) to be the son of God. But historically, Jews never identified any specific individual as Yahweh’s biological child. They used the phrase “Children of God” collectively to refer to all people – never the way Christians do with Jesus. So when did Uzair become the biological son of God? Any Jewish person would laugh and be puzzled by the claim. No Jewish group in history ever believed what the Qur’an asserts here. This idea exists only in the Qur’an.

That’s enough for now – I’ll stop here.