The Bible,The Qur'an and Science - Islamicbook.ws

,U THE BIBLE, BIBT.R, THE TIIE QUR'AN AND SCIENCE
made the firmament and separated the waters which whieh were under
the firmament ftrmament from the waters which were above the firmament.
And it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And there
was evening and there was morning, a second day."
The myth of the waters is continued here with their separation
into two layers by a firmament that in the description of the
Flood allows the waters above to pass through and flow iiow onto the
earth. This image of the division of the waters into two masses
is scientifically unacceptable.
-verses 9I to 13
"And God said, 'Let 'L€t the waters under the heavens be gathered
together into one place, and let the dry land appear.' appear., And it Was was
so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered
together seas. Antl
ssid, 'r-Et he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And
gath-
God said, 'Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding
seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, ***d, each
according to its kind upon the earth.' And it was so. The earth
brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their
own kinds, kinds' and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each
according aecording: to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there
was evening and there was morning, a third day."
The he fact that continents emerged at the period in the earth's
history, when it was still covered with water, is quite acceptable
scientifically. IVhat What is totauy totally untenabre untenable is that a highly organized
vegetable kingdom with reproduction by seed could have ap-
appeared
before the existence of the sun (in Genesis it does not
appear until the fourth day), and likewise the establishment of
alternating nights and days.
-verses 14 to 19
"And God said, 'Let 'Let there be rights lights in the firmaments of the
heavens to separate the day from tight; :night; and let them be for
signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be
lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the
earth.' And it it was so. And God made the two great lights, the
greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night;
tre ite made the stars also. And God set them in the fir'mament firmament of of
the heavens to give light upon earth, to rule ovei. over the day and
over the night, and to separate the light from thedar.kness. darkness. And