# Does the Quran have to mention something for it to be true? *The Quran is not a science textbook: 'go and see how creation began' and 'everything in pairs'* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/uuldzklvxvo/s/9/ - Date: 2018-04-09 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: The Role Of Reason In Religion - Mufti Abu Layth (45:39–49:33) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuLDZkLvxvo&t=2739s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/uuldzklvxvo/ **Topics:** Quran and science; How to read the Quran; Quran and evolution **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No: the Quran tells people to explore how creation began and never claimed to exhaust knowledge; its statement that everything is created in pairs is a general truth, not a taxonomy that rules out creatures which reproduce without a male. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth holds that the Quran is not an exhaustive scientific textbook: its statement that everything is created in pairs is a general truth, and it tells people to explore how creation began rather than to reject knowledge absent from scripture. **Evidence, his words at 48:33:** “Allah wasn't trying to teach you an exhaustive scientific lesson he was giving you a general understanding of life that generally things come in pairs” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuLDZkLvxvo&t=2913s) ## Longer summary Mufti Abu Layth says Allah is not giving scientific facts in the Quran, and that evolution is a brilliant example: in Surah al-Ankabut Allah says to walk the earth and look at how He began creation, telling people to explore. He says people wrongly assume that what is not mentioned in the Quran cannot be true, and that non-Muslims perceive this as the arrogance of religious people, who treat new knowledge in two ways: either it is not in the holy books so it cannot be true, or if it has some truth it must be insignificant, otherwise the book would have mentioned it. The Quran, he says, never claimed to exhaust all knowledge; it tells people to look, think and use their intellect. As an example he cites the verse that Allah created everything in pairs, and notes that a few creatures reproduce by parthenogenesis without a male, such as a whiptail lizard and some parasitic wasps, and that others such as the Komodo dragon can reproduce asexually; someone objected that such creatures cannot exist because Allah said otherwise, but Allah was giving a general understanding that creatures generally come in pairs, not a lesson in taxonomy. Reading the Quran as an exhaustive science lesson, he says, creates a problem. ## Sources and names cited - Quran 29:20 (walk the earth and see how He began creation; he names Surah al-Ankabut without the verse number) [?] (reference uncertain; possibly https://quran.com/29/20) - Quran 51:49 (of everything We created pairs; verse not numbered by him) [?] (reference uncertain; possibly https://quran.com/51/49) ## Transcript (machine tier, 45:39–49:33) [45:20] does Allah say in the Quran also what's what's going on I need a solution to a fact what does Allah say little Allah mentioned this in the Quran Allah this isn't a kind of journal like that Allah sent you yes it's got certain things in there that you can take a bow from Allah says that these are ayat fibra little absurd you can take heed you can take lessons you can do this you can but Allah is not trying to say oh by the way this is an in fact here is a verse you want to know these kind of things what does Allah say in the Quran evolution is a brilliant example Allah [45:59] says in surah to rank aboot when he's asked I mean in responses Allah says o ffice earu fil ardi then walk in tell them go walk in the earth go explore for Syria feel are they fun the rule caifa by the alcoholic ha go and look how did Allah begin creation go look go explore so this is my point of saying these things that the reason I'm saying this is that P people have this understanding that if Allah saved said it in the we can accept it if he hasn't mentioned this then it can't be true and this is [46:38] perceived by non-muslims as an arrogance that look non-muslims have this understanding that people of religion they look at new knowledge in two ways this is how people of religion look at knowledge in two ways one new knowledge this is that one no it's not in our holy books so we can't be true this is the first or drop with that finger since this is being recorded right second ok [47:15] even if it has some truth if because it's not mentioned in our Holy Scriptures it's of insignificance this is how people today seem with our way of looking at scriptures that either because it's not in our books it can't be true or if it's not in our books even if it has some truth to it it's got to be insignificant otherwise it would have been in our book look that's not how the Quran work Allah wasn't trying to do that he wasn't trying to say by the way people I'm exhausting all your knowledge after today you guys don't need to know anything I've mentioned everything there's nothing else to learn he never [47:54] said that anyway in the book he said go look or think or see a philosophy loon don't you use your intellect don't you do this don't you do this look there's a verse in the quran allah says that he mentions the inner hull economy the inner Helana i mean kulla shay'in xoJane that we created from everything from everything to genders like xoJane like male/female like partners today science demonstrates that's not the case I mean [48:33] generally speaking is but there's some there's like certain kind of parasitic wasps there's this what was it called New Mexico whip lizard which is only well he doesn't have a male gender and it reproduces just through parthenogenesis but I mean there's many animals that that just produce a sexually including like the Komodo dragon and stuff like this but I'm talking about those that don't even have two genders they're not many but they do exist so somebody said oh no no no no that it can't discount exist because I lost I didn't know but Allah wasn't [49:11] trying to teach you an exhaustive scientific lesson he was giving you a general understanding of life that generally things come in pairs generally creatures come in pairs but love speaking generally to you he wasn't trying to say by the way take a pad and this is scientific lesson biology going down this is taxonomy and by the way you know you're never gonna find any species unless it fits under this binary you know gender that's not what Allah said so if you're gonna look at it like that you've got a problem so yes so this is the kind of this is the hue these are ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment UuLDZkLvxvo/s/9. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/uuldzklvxvo/s/9/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.