by E. Marshall Johnson
Author of over 200 publications. Former President
of the Teratology Society among other accomplishments. Professor
Johnson began to take an interest in the scientific signs
in the Qur'ân at the 7th Saudi Medical Conference (1982),
when a special committee was formed to investigate scientific
signs in the Qur'ân and Hadîth. At first, Professor
Johnson refused to accept the existence of such verses in
the Qur'ân and Hadîth. But after a dicussuion
with Sheikh Zindanî he took an interest and concentrated
his research on the internal as well as external development
of the fetus.
"...in summary, the Qur'ân describes
not only the development of external form, but emphasises
also the internal stages, the stages inside the embryo, of
its creation and development, emphasising major events recognised
by contemporary science."
"As a scientist, I can only deal with
things which I can specifically see. I can understand embryology
and developmental biology. I can understand the words that
are translated to me from the Qur'ân. As I gave the
example before, if I were to transpose myself into that era,
knowing what I do today and describing things, I could not
describe the things that were described...
I see no evidence to refute the concept that
this individual Muhammad had to be developing this information
from some place... so I see nothing here in conflict with
the concept that divine intervention was involved in what
he was able to write..."
About the Author
Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Developmental
Biology, and Director of the Daniel Baugh Institute, Thomas
Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
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