Quran V Evolution: How old is the earth?

Question

The Bible provides a chronology of history that extends back to the creation of Adam and Eve and to the creation of the earth. From this chronology it is possible to determine the date of the creation and hence the age of the earth.

Archbishop Ussher of Armagh (1581-1657) had calculated the year of creation to be 4004 BC If that was not precise enough, Dr. Lightfoot of Cambridge worked out that the exact time when God completed His creation was 9 a.m. on Friday, October 23, 4004 BC (see the book 7whinking about God by Sr. R. W. Maqsood, p. 63).

Many religious groups and sects have used this date in predicting precise dates for the end of the world, but all such predictions have so far proved erroneous. The one fact against them is that the world is still intact and we are very much alive. One reason al1 of those predictions failed is that they are calculated from a false date of creation. If 4004 BC was the year of creation, that would make the earth less than six thousand years old. No scientist can accept this today.

Modern scientists estimate that the earth is 4.5 billion years old with a maximum error of 2.2 % (see The Bible, the Quran and Science, p. 148). Knowing this, many educated people lost faith in religion. They naturally felt that the Word of God should not contain errors of this kind. Others maintain that the Word of God was meant to teach only that truth which God wanted put into the scriptures for our salvation It if therefore immaterial if the book contains historical or scientific errors. As the scientist Galileo put it, the Bible is there to teach people how to go to heaven; it is not there to teach people how the heavens go. Some maintain, therefore, that it is understandable that the book will contain some historical and scientific errors since it was written by human beings who lived a long time ago and did not share our modern knowledge.

The Quran, on the other hand, does not contain any historical or scientific or any kind of error. God challenges us to test this claim by examining the book for ourselves (see Quran 4:82).

The Quran does not repeat the incorrect biblical chronology we have seen above. The Quran does not give a chronology since its purpose is not to provide us with the details of history, but only to teach us the lessons arising from specific events in history.

The Quran does, however tell us that God measured the sustenance of the earth in four periods (Quran 41 :10). As to what could be the significance of these four periods, Dr. Bucaille comments as follows: "One could perhaps see in them the four geological periods described by modern science, with man's appearance, as we already know, taking place in the quaternary era. This is purely a hypothesis since nobody has an answer to this question" (The Bible, the Quran and Science, p. 150).

How did the author of the Quran avoid the mistake in chronology committed by so many others, and believed in by so many others even up to our present day? Could a man in the seventh century have known that the earth was much more than six thousand years old? How could he come by this modern knowledge unless God was revealing knowledge to him?

Answer 1

As salaamu 'alaikym warahmatullahi wabaraktu, my brother and my friend.

Alhumdilillah! The Holy Qur'an is a book of the revelations of Allah Subhanna wa Ta'ala to mankind, delivered through His last and the final Prophet, Mohammad, peace be upon him, his family and his follwers.

IN the Holy Qur'an, it is reveled that Allah Subhanna wa Ta'ala created all of creation in six days and it does say that a day of Allah Subhanna wa Ta'ala is 10 thousand of our years. Six tiems 10, 000 equals 60,000 years. As you have so correctly pointed out, science, knowledge allowed to and given to mankind by the Will of Allah Subhanna wa Ta'ala, has shown us that the Earth is much older and the universe even older. Is the Holy Qur'an is in error?

How can this be understood? Again, insha'Allah, you have already provided an answer. Insha'Allah, Allah Subhanna wa Ta'ala, in His revelations to us, is leading us back to Himself through His All Merciful, All Compassionate and All Understanding Self and is not telling how the heavens and the Earth were formed. We do not need to know that. We only need to know that everything is a creation of Allah Subhanna wa Ta'ala, including ourselves and all is journeying back to Him. Alhumdilillah!

In all honesty, the Holy Qur'an, like all books of revelation from Allah Subhanna wa Ta'ala must not seen as science books. Insha'Allah, they are books of faith.

Anything which I have said that is correct is from Allah Subhanna wa Ta'ala and any mistakes I have made are mine own. May Allah Subhanna wa Ta'ala forgive me for my mistakes and guide us all along the straight path of Islam.

Ma'a salaam.

Answer 2

One of the basic mistakes people make about the Bible is that they call it the Bible when they are talking about the Torah (Old Testament). The Torah is an oral "book" meant to be passed generation to generation through scholarship and memorization within the "Jewish" tribes. Because Islam was kept for so long by the tribes of Judah at the beginning through this oral tradition chronology was intricate to its "protection" and keeping. It was the way the Word was kept until the time of Jesus and Mohammad when the world was over run by the Pagan empires who use the written word to destroy tradition and limit/corrupt God's true religion. Indeed these empires codified the word of Jesus into the Bible.

What was God to do to fight this organized evil? Deliver His own Book beyond corruption in a language foreign to the Pagans protected by a number secret beyond their own feeble number system (the Romans rejected the concept of the number zero). As you know brother that book is the Holy Qu'ran and knowledge of it will put all onto the true path of Islam.

Answer 3

Dear Brother Muhammad.........
Indeed It is a good work worth of appreciation. It clearly proves that Holy Quran is the Word of Allah i.e,Almighty God and for those who still disblieve.Allah says to them in the Holy Quran that ,"They are duff dumb an blind".Further in 41:53 Allah says ,"Very soon unto them will we show our signs in the furthest regions of the earth,even in their own souls untill it is manifest unto them that this is the truth."And Allah says In 17:81"And say truth has now arrived and falsehood perished for the falsehood is by its nature bound to perish"

Very well done brother Keep it up and may Allah bless you

Answer 4

Science isn't based upon the teachings of the Koran or the Bible. I would say that christian society, latterly becoming pluralistic and allowing all kinds of belief, has allowed Science to develop very well.
There just isn't much scientific insight in Bible or Koran. The bible is about God's relationship with mankind. The Koran is Mohammed's angel's take on things.

Answer 5

A regular man could not come to this knowledge in the seventh century unless Allah (SWT) told the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). With the 4 periods, the universe is about 18 billion years. This is the exact number that can be found in the Quran. GO TO http://www.answering-christianity.com/18_billion_years.htm
for more information.

Answer 6

1) Neither the Bible or the Qu'ran are history books.

2) Obviously they're gonna have different histories contained within them, they're different religions. That's as stupid as saying the same thing about the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

3) Science has NO anti-religious agenda, it's all in your mind!

Answer 7

If the quran had actually specified the age of the universe or at least the earth, you would have had something there.

Instead you have a god that asks your prophet to check if the sky has any cracks, made the stars to throw at devils, and people that talk with ants and hoopoes.

Answer 8

Not at all credible considering the Quran also states: the earth is fixed and does not move. 27:61, and "The sun runneth on unto a resting-place for him." 36:38... and that the moon produces its own light "And hath made the moon a light" 71:16

Answer 9

Unless he knew it already. In earlier days scientific knowledge was restricted to only certain classes of people. The spearheads of Sumerian thinking, for example, were aware that the earth was a ball. Darwin's family were aware of evolution long before their famous son popularized the word. The author of the Quran was hardly a nobody in his own society, and must have been taught similarly restricted knowledge.

Answer 10

This is purely a hypothesis since nobody has an answer to this question"