Greetings to all,
Thank you for the recitation links and downloads. One question to help me appreciate the poetic effect: Do the rhymes in the Qur'an occur at the end of each line of Arabic text, or do they vary? This will help me keep my place.
Thank you, Ansar for your explanation of the ayah, however I must admit I'm still puzzled. I'm unsure where the idea of seven heavens comes from. You mention the three stages of the formation of the atmosphere. That is three, not seven. What am I missing?
"Firmament" was a common expression in Shakespeare's time, and I suspect that is why Yusuf-Ali chose to translate the word this way. He mentions Shakespeare several times in his commentary in an admiring way, and I think the style of his translation could be an attempt to imitate his writing, or perhaps to project the perceived "grandness" of Shakespeare's language onto the Qur'an. The "firmament" as understood in those times is a concept that has no scientific basis, obviously. Would you say "firmament" is a satisfactory translation of this word? Is the idea of "firmament" incorporated in the word "as-samaa" as well as "heaven" or "atmosphere"?
Here is what you say about a verse I have not yet reached:
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While verses 79:27-30 do not mention a seven-layered atmosphere at all! And they do not mention the creation of the earth! The verses only say that after that the earth was spread out. Obviously this refers to the earth's crust, which formed approximately 3.5 billion years ago, after the primitive atmosphere was already in place. Alternatively, it refers to the actual spreading of the continenets, in what is known as continenetal drift, which also occured after the formatiion of the early atmosphere.
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Here is the basic structure of what you say here:
Obviously this refers to + scientific fact . . .
Alternatively, it refers to + different scientific fact.
If one interpretation is obviously correct, then why do you need the other one? You might have said "Obviously, this could refer to...", and then proceed with "Alternatively...", then the difficulty wouldn't arise. Perhaps it refers to both, as Allah supposedly has perfect knowledge of all things, but if a scientist were to speak in such a way that it was unclear whether he was talking about the formation of the Earth's crust or continental drift, surely he would not be a very good scientist? I'm not saying Allah should be like a scientist, but many claims are made for the scientific accuracy of the Qur'an. One very important feature of science is that it should be as clear as possible.
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In this regard, it is amazing to note the scientific accuracy of the Qur'an, which critics fail to comprehend and classify as a 'contradiction'.
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I am clearly one of those critics with regard to this point - I cannot perceive this scientific accuracy you speak of, until of course you enlighten me. ;)