Maurice Bucaille
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Maurice Bucaille (born 1920- ?) is a French doctor and author. In 1973, he was appointed family physician to King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.
In 1976, while still in the service of the king, he published a book entitled The Bible, The Qur'an and Science, which sought to demonstrate that the Qur'an, unlike the Bible, was perfectly consistent with modern science.
Maurice Bucaille is widely unknown outside of Islamic circles, but for thousands of Muslims he has become a household name, on the basis of his analysis of what he claims are "scientific discoveries" contained in the Quran.
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[edit] The Bible, The Qur'an and Science
In the book, The Bible, The Qur'an and Science, Bucaille aims at proving that the Quran has always been in agreement with scientific facts. He considers that the Old Testament and the Gospels are in clear contradiction with modern science, while for Islam science and religion have always been "twin sisters"(vii).
According to Bucaille, the Old Testament was distorted because of numerous translations and corrections as it was transmitted orally. The Yahvist version, Elohist version, Deuteronomy, and Sacerdotal versions have "numerous disagreements and repetitions"(12). He points out what he considers as contradictions in the New Testament as well. In his view, the Gospels of Luke and Matthew differ in their genealogy of Jesus (85) and "John places the Last Supper before the Passover celebrations and the other three evangelists place it during the celebrations themselves"(95).
In Bucaille's opinion, the most glaring inconsistencies between religion and science are found in the book of Genesis. The order of the creation of the universe in the Genesis is not, in his view, compatible with science. For example, chapter 1 verses 1 & 2 state that the earth was first a gaseous mass and then water was placed on it. The "beasts of the earth" also make their appearance after the birds (26), which makes the theory of evolution difficult to reconcile with science. The Yahvist description states that, "when God created man, there was no vegetation on Earth (it had not yet rained)" (28). Bucaille also cites several instances in the older scriptures which indicate that science and religion do not go hand in hand. He mentions the example of Galileo who was condemned by the Catholic church for a "mistaken" interpretation of the Bible. He is amazed at the fact that he could find what he considers as "monumental" errors of science in the Bible and "not a single error" in the Quran (120).
Bucaille follows the Islamic tradition that the Quran was collected during the lifetime of the Prophet and the Quranic scrolls were deemed accurate by the archangel Gabriel himself (132). In his opinion, the first of the examples of the consistency of the Quran and science is presented by the creation of the heavens and the earth.
The Bible, The Qur'an and Science considers that, unlike the Bible, the Quran does not have a specific sequence for the creation of the heavens and earth so the entire process of creation can be interpreted openly according to the current scientific theories. In Sura 21 verse 30, the Quran contains the words, "Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We clove them asunder and We got every living thing out of the water. Will they not then believe?". According to the Quran (sura 41, verse 11), "Moreover (God) turned to the Heaven when it was smoke and said to it and to the earth...". The smoke, according to Bucaille in, The Bible, The Qur'an and Science, is the gaseous state of the matter that made up the early Universe, which according to science was a primary Nebula. (147)
In sura 36, verse 40, of the Quran, there is this claim "The sun must not catch up the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. Each one is travelling in an orbit with its own motion." Bucaille remarks that the Arabs already knew that the moon travelled in an orbit around the earth fourteen centuries ago but only recently in 1917 did Shapley calculate the distance between the Sun and the center of the galaxy and stated that the sun travels at "roughly 150 miles per second" along this orbit(161). According to Bucaille, it is amazing how the Qur'an written fourteen centuries ago already contained within it what modern astronomers are currently discovering. Bucaille considers that the Qur'an is also in agreement with the Expansion of the universe. Sura 51, verse 47, of the Qur'an could be translated in this way: "The heaven, We have built it with power. Verily. We are expanding it."
Bucaille affirms that an example of the Water Cycle is given in the Qur'an as well in the book, The Bible, The Qur'an and Science. Sura 23, verses 18 and 19 say, "We sent down water from the sky in measure and lodged it in the ground. And We certainly are able to withdraw it. Therewith for you We gave rise to gardens of palm-trees and vineyeards where for you are abundant fruits and of them you eat". (174)
The Qur'an according to Bucaille gave examples that no Arab could have experienced such as the discomfort in breathing experienced at high altitudes due to lack of oxygen. (183)In sura 6, verse 125, the Qur'an says, "Those whom God wills to guide, He opens their breast to Islam. Those whom He wills lose their way, He makes their breast narrow and constricted, as if they were climbing in the sky".
The Qur'an, according to Bucaille, describes 'sperm' (sura 75, verse 37) calling it a 'a liquid poured out' (sura 86, verse 6), and a 'despised liquid' (sura 32, verse 8 and sura 77, verse 20) (201). The fertilized egg that implants itself in the wall of the uterus is described as 'something which clings'(sura 40, verse 67). The embryo that develops is described as 'chewed flesh' which changes to bones and flesh (sura 23 verse 14). According to Bucaille, until 1651 embryology was of the view that, "all life initially comes from an egg" (207) but, following his interpretation of the Quranic verses, Islamic scholars fourteen centuries ago already would have known of the sperm.
Finally Bucaille argues that the Old Testament and Bible should not be relied on for accuracy and so reconciling them with science is, in his view, not possible. His conclusion is that the Qur'an is the reliable word of Allah (God) and the descriptions of natural phenomena in it make it compatible with modern science.
[edit] Criticism of Bucaille
Critics of Bucaille dismiss his work as crude Islamic propaganda. They claim that he uses "stretched or arbitrary" interpretations [1] and mistranslations, [2] and point to his close relationship with the Saudi royal family. Also, it is not clear whether Bucaille converted to Islam. His work would point in this direction. Dr Bucaille himself apparently never claimed that he was muslim. Dr. William Campbell wrote The Qur'an and the Bible in the light of history and science, which is available online,[1] with the intention of refuting Bucaille's interpretations.
[edit] External links
- Extracts from the book "The Bible, The Quran and Science" by Maurice Bucaille
- Revised edition of the book "The Bible, The Quran and Science" by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
- Is Dr. Bucaille a Muslim?
[edit] References
- ^ Taner Edis. "Quran-science": Scientific miracles from the 7th century?
- ^ Dr. William Campbell, The Qur'an and the Bible in the light of history and science page 184.
