Q. You earlier in your speech, quoted a Verse from the Qur’an, that actually its not only the moon which moves, but it is also the sun… and science has proved, that sun moves alright. But this seems to be, regarding the earlier belief, that the earth is round alright – but all the heavenly bodies, are going round the earth… including the sun. The geo-centric theory… you know that all the stars, sun, and the moon, go round the earth… and the earth is the centre of everything – This seems to be implying that… is n it not?

A. (#DrZakirNaik): A very good question, the brother has asked. That’s why for more details, I said… You refer to my video cassette – “Qur’an and Modern Science – Conflict or conciliation” Part I & II. It’s a four hour cassette, which took place in Bombay. The chair person is saying that… Be brief. It  is difficult to be brief and convince, and the brother has rightly said…There was a theory… which was propounded by Tolommy – I am giving the name of the person by Tolommy… 2^nd century B.C., which believed in the theory of Goecentrism. Geocentrism means, the earth was the centre of the universe, and all the planets including the sun, revolved round the earth – which the Qur’an completely contradicts. In fact, what I quoted from the Verse of the Holy Qur’an was brother, from Surah Al-Anbiya, Ch. No. 21, V. No. 33… (Arabic)…. That it is Allah, who has created the nights and the day…. (Arabic)…. each one travelling in a orbit, with its own motion. It says that… The sun and the moon is travelling in a orbit… orbit means revolving – with its own motion means… rotating. ‘Yasbahun’ is an Arabic word, describing the motion of a moving body for a celestial body. It is rotating… it revolving and rotating. No where does the Qur’an say that… The sun and moon revolves, around the earth. Today the science has advanced – that is on old theory, which has been proved wrong. Today science tells us that… The sun solar system… of the solar system – sun is the centre. The planets Mercury, Earth, Venus – all one revolving. But the solar system on its own – the solar system is also revolving round, in the galaxy. If you know brother, that is the latest theory… That even the solar system is revolving around a  point in the galaxy, and even the galaxy is revolving point in the universe. So the Qur’an does not say, that the sun and moon is revolving round the sun – which Taslema Nasreen has misinterpreted. She says that… The Qur’an says that the sun, revolves round the earth. There  is not a single statement – that is a misinterpretation. The Qur’an says that… The sun and moon, revolve and rotate. It doesn’t say… Around the earth – That is she is adding the own. Previously, when I was in school, I was thought that the sun revolves…  it does not rotate – it was stationery. Today, with the help of an equipment, you can have the image of the sun, on the table top. Since we can look at the sun directly, you can have the image of the sun, on the table top – And we have come to know, that the sun has got black spots. And it takes approximately 25 days for these black spots, to complete one rotation – indicating, the sun takes 25 days to complete one rotation. So what science tells… proves today, in school I didn’t knew this. What science has proved today… that the sun rotates and revolves. Qur’an has mentioned this, 1400 years ago. There is not a single statement in the Holy Qur’an, which goes against established science. There may be theories which go against the Qur’an -Theories like Darwins Theory, which has been proved wrong. But theories… Not a single scientific fact, which has been established, which goes against a single Verse of the Holy Qur’an. Hope that satisfies for brother.

Q. Salamu Alaikum, brother Zakir. My question is, when Qur’an speaks so much about Science , then how come the Muslims are so backward in the field of Science?

A. (Dr. Zakir): Sister has posed the question, that when Qur’an speaks so much about Science – how come the Muslims are backward. Sister I would mainly blame the media. The media today is in the hands of the Westerners, the Europeans – It is in their hand, They have the Satellite, they have the Television, they have the CNN, they have the BBC- It is in their hand. The media is in their hands – and whatever you read in your school books, and books which we read in college – you will read there that… ‘from 8th to the 12th century it was the Dark Ages’. Dark …for whom? It was dark for the Europeans – not for the world. The Arabs and the Muslims, were very much advanced… from 8^th to the 12^th century -they were very much advanced. The Europeans were backward because… they said…‘dark for the world.’ It was not dark for the world – It was dark for the Europeans. With the limited instruments and technology what we had from 8th to 12th century- what discoveries the Muslim Scientists  made – it is unbelievable. Today, because Science is Advanced  we are making so many discoveries. There with the amount of limited facilities we had, the amount of discoveries Muslim Scientists made – its unbelievable. For example I quoted in my talk, that Ibn-e-Nafees…he discovered the blood circulation, But in the medical books and the books we read in school… who discovered blood circulation? William Harvey. Every one knows William Harvey-Noone know about Ibn-e-Nafees. Ibn-e-Nafees spoke about ‘blood circulation’, 400 years before – the Europeans later on picked up the books of the Muslims and re-hatched it… and said we discovered it. See… if you see the discoveries that Muslims have made. For example if you know Al-Idrusi – In 1154, he drew the first map of Mediterranean- the geography of the world – first. Mathematics – Muslims were far advanced in Mathematics. We introduced the Decimal point. Do you know, what we call the digits 1, 2, 3? The other ones are called as Roman numerical – it is called as Arabic numerals. Why it is called Arabic numerals?… Because the Arabs were the one who discovered it. The decimal point are the Arabic numerals. The person who first proved the Pythogoras theoram – he was Arab Thusy. We know about the Pythogoras theoram, but we don’t know about Arab Thusy. He said that… ‘The square of the hypotenuse was equal to the sum of the opposite two sides of the triangle’. Alberuni – he was an authority in Trigonometry. All these people they were experts. If you know of Al-Khindi… Al-Khindi, he was a Philosopher, a Mathematician and Astronomer. When great scientists like Galileo , Newton, etc., they  said that all physical laws were absolute – he said that all physical laws, are  relative. And today we know that, ‘Theory of Relativity’ is proved by Albert Einstein. No one knows about Al-Khindi – He was the person , who basically gave the idea of ‘theory of relativity’. Later on he did more research and talked about ‘Theory of Relativity’. Who knows about  the three brothers  Mohammed , Shakir  and Hassan? Who knows about them?… They toured the surface area of the earth from a angle at the Red Sea… when  people  thought the world was flat. Chemistry –  the Muslims were far advanced in Chemistry. Ibn-e-Hayan, Jabir Ibn-e-Hayyan… they have latinized the word ‘Ghebar’- So when we read in our tent books Ghebar’, we think it is an European. It is a Muslim. Jabir-Ibn – E-Hayan… you know ‘Ghebar’ – you do not know… we do not know who is Jabir. He is the person who distilled Alcohol. ‘Alcohol’ comes from the Arabic word ‘Algul’- meaning ‘Ghost’, ‘Evil Spirit’. ‘Alcohol’ is an Arabic Word. He wrote 2 thousand different pages only on Chemistry. Mohammed Zakariya Razi – he was famous in Medicine – He was authority on the field of Small Pox and Measles. He was the first person who used Mercury ointment. He wrote books on children’s disease. There are several  Muslim Scientists. Ali-Ibn-E-Abbas he wrote  twenty volumes on Medicine. Ali-Ibn-E-Sina known as ‘Albesina’ …‘Albesina’, it doesn’t not sound Muslim. Ali-Ibn-E-Sina … yes Muslim – ‘Albesina’… not Muslim. Who got the title of ‘Aristole of the East?’ He wrote the book ‘Kanoon’, which was referred as a text book of medicine till as late as seventeenth century. Who knows Ibn-e-Zuhoor ? He was the person after Alexander who did research on Paracytology. He described the ‘Itch Mite’… the Parecaditis. He described the Otydismedia, Intrycosetomy. Several medical doctors Al-Zaharwi… Al-Zaharwi was the famous dentist, as well as surgeon as well as Optitician. He invented several  instruments  of Surgery, Gynecology  as well as Dentistry. We all of us know the other thing but the media is in the hands of the Westerners. The Muslims were far advanced. But I do agree with you- today… today  the Muslims are getting backward in Science- You know why? The Europeans are being advanced – You know why? The Muslims are recoming backward, because they are going away from the Holy Qur’an – they are going away from their Religion. And do you know why the Europeans are getting advanced? They too are going away from their Religion. The Europeans are also getting advanced, because even they are going away from their religion. The Muslims they are going backward because they are going away from their religion. I would request the Muslims brothers and sisters out here, as well as Non-Muslims -there are people reading the Qur’an… Why don’t we read the Qur’an with understanding? Why don’t we ponder over the verses? We have only kept the Qur’an for kissing, and keeping on top. That  is all… the Qur’an was not meant for it to be kissed, and kept on top – It should be implemented in your daily life. If you implement the Qur’an in your daily life, read it with understanding , Inshallah again we will be on  top of the world. Hope that answers the question.