The Qur’an and science

Since ancient times, human identification has been of paramount importance, and various methods have been employed to achieve this goal. Over time, advancements in science have mathematically and scientifically proven the uniqueness of fingerprints, making them the most common criterion used by identification systems today. The Qur’an, in many verses, addresses the concepts of the afterlife, the resurrection of the dead, and the accounting of human actions. A fundamental requirement for this accounting, whether for reward or punishment, is the accurate identification of individuals. In verses 3 and 4 of Surah al-Qīyāmah, God emphasizes the precision of human recreation, even down to the restoration of banān (often interpreted to mean fingertips). The primary objective of this research is to answer the question of whether the restoration of banān in the afterlife can be interpreted as the restoration of each individual's unique fingerprint. Employing a descriptive-analytical approach and an interdisciplinary perspective, this study examines the correlation between Qur’anic concepts regarding the restoration of banān and scientific findings in the field of biometrics, particularly fingerprints. Historical records indicate that fingerprints have long been of interest to humanity; however, the mathematical and empirical proof of their uniqueness was not established until the 17th century. The findings of this research suggest that by referring to the  restoration of  fingertips, the Qur’an has  drawn attention to a feature that, while its intricacies were apparent to people at the time of its revelation, was not fully understood in its unique nature. In other words, God has alluded to a unique feature whose complexity and difficulty of restoration were comprehensible to the people of that era but have, with scientific advancements, become the most common and accessible biometric method in the world today.

The Holy Qur’an, in addition to its primary purpose of guiding humanity, contains numerous scientific references that were not fully understood at the time of its revelation. Verse 25 of Surah al-Ḥadīd refers to the sending down of iron. The use of the verb anzala (to send down) instead of more commonly used verbs such as khalaqa (to create) and jaʿala (to make) has led to various interpretations of this verse throughout history. This research employs a descriptive-analytical method to examine the concept of the sending down of iron (inzāl al-ḥadīd) and its strong nature (ba's shadīd), as well as its relation to new scientific findings regarding the origin of iron on Earth. Additionally, it investigates whether people at the time of the Qur’an’s revelation had any knowledge of the extraterrestrial origin of iron.Contrary to some extreme approaches to the scientific interpretation and miracles of the Qur’an in recent centuries, this research advocates a balanced perspective that utilizes scientific findings, without any imposition, to better understand the verses of the Qur’an. Recent scientific discoveries indicate that iron is primarily produced in the cores of massive stars, and it cannot be produced in the solar system. Therefore, the use of the verb anzala may allude to the extraterrestrial origin of iron. The results of this research reveal that, from a scientific standpoint, various phenomena are involved in the process of iron's incorporation into Earth that could embody the concept of "sending down," including the production of iron in massive stars and its transfer to Earth through certain cosmic processes, the collision of iron-rich meteorites and asteroids with Earth, and the sinking of iron towards the Earth's core. Regarding the knowledge of people about the extraterrestrial origin of iron at the time of revelation, although it has been claimed that the term used for iron in ancient Egypt means "metal from heaven," the findings of this research indicate that this claim is merely a possibility and, despite extensive research, has not been definitively verified.

One of the common responses to the conflict between science and religion is the strategy of linguistic differentiation . This strategy—which holds that the language of science and the language of religion differ in purpose, method, and worldview—is so broad that it encompasses theories ranging from the philosophical interpretation of Allameh Tabataba’i and Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, to the symbolic language theory of Shahid Motahhari, the metaphorical language theory of Mojtahed Shabestari, the interactive interpretation between science and religion proposed by Albert Einstein, and Ludwig Wittgenstein’s complete separation of the domains of science and religion. This breadth has led some scholars in Islamic studies to assign a significant place to the linguistic differentiation strategy in discussions of the science-religion conflict. However, it must be noted that, although the broad semantic scope of linguistic differentiation includes these theories, they are so distinct that each may be interpreted as an independent strategy for resolving the science-religion conflict. This study briefly examines the meaning of linguistic differentiation in its philosophical origins and analyzes selected Islamic–Shi’i theories that align with this strategy, highlighting their differences from modern philosophy of language. Special emphasis is placed on theories rooted in the works of Tabataba’i, particularly his exegesis. The findings show that although many Islamic theories may be subsumed under the general concept of linguistic differentiation, enduring principles of Shi’i theology produce fundamental differences in their premises and interpretations compared with Western traditions.