The Qur'an is not the word of God

MUDDY WATER REVISITED In the last round I provided the correct Arabic translation of the text in question to show that it in fact makes perfect sense, but I will provide another angle for the readers consideration. This is the correct translation of the verse again for the readers examination; "Until , when he reached the setting place of the sun, he found it going down into a black sea, and found by it a people. .. " "Until, when he reached the setting place of the sun. .. ": The translation of this part of the verse does not say that Dhul-Qarnain reached the place where the sun sets LITERALLY, rather it means here that Dhul-Qarnain was facing the direction in which the sun is setting. The "setting of the sun," is an Arabic idiom meaning 'the western-most point' of his expedition. However, in general, idioms should not be literally translated. ". .. he found it setting into a black sea": The Qur'an is obviously describing what Dhul-Qarnain saw. What Dhul-Qarnain saw was the image of the sun setting in a dark body of water. Since the Qur'an is clearly describing this from Dhul-Qarnain's direct point of view (the Qur'an is quite explicit here in doing that), there is in fact no problem with the description of what Dhul-Qarnain saw. Of course my opponentis right when he says that "the sun does not set in a spring of murky water", but try standing at a beach during the time when the sun is about to set and my opponent would be able to see the sun "entering" the sea far in the horizon. This therefore gives us the conclusion that Dhul-Qarnain was somewhere west and by a large body of water, possibly the sea. Therefore, it is clear the verse says that Dhul-Qarnain went west and saw the sun setting over the horizon so that it looked to him as though it was setting into the sea, which is murky-looking. Who was Dhu'l-Qarneyn ? My opponents says; " There exists no evidence that Muhammad told anyone who this man was. Muslim apologists have four views : - Alexander the Great (of Macedon) is the most popular view. Dhu'l-Qarneyn means "man of two horns". There exists a myth that Alexander the Great was a god and has two ram's horns on the sides of his head. - Cyrus I the Persian is another view. His empire was actually the empire of two related groups : Medes and Persians (Medo-Persian empire), but other then that there is no indication that two horns should apply to him. " He then says that I am incorrect in asserting that I believeDhu-L-Qarnain is Alexander the Great after saying that it is one of four theories; " Notice how my opponent in his rebuttal last round incorrectly applies theory 2 (which applies to Cyrus I) to Alexander the Great. This alone falsifies his argument. " But it was my opponent who made this claim in his initial argument; "The passage is clearly writing historically about Alexander the Great and telling a particular story about an alleged journey of his. It says he journeyed to where the sun sets and that the sun sets in a POOL OF BLACK MUD. " I was dealing with the scientific accuracy of the Surah, not the identity of Dhu-L-Qranain, which is under dispute, but my opponent is hardly in a position to call into question the correctness of my information. CONTRADICTIONS IN THE QUR'AN? My opponent says; "If all life comes from water then what do we make of this surah : "Among His signs in this, that He created you from DUST; and then behold, ye are men scattered [far and wide] " (Surah 30:20) If all life comes from life as my opponent asserts from Surah 21:30, then this means there is a contradiction wit Surah 30:20. Thus from this the Qur'an is not from God because of this flaw. " The obvious explanation to this question is that these references describe different aspects or stages in man's creation. This has always been the understanding of such verses. The original creation of Adam was from the dust of the earth. Surah 30:20 "Among His Signs is this, that He created you from dust; and then,- behold, ye are men scattered (far and wide)! " This dust was then mixed with water to produce what is mentioned in the following verse: Surah 15:26 "And indeed, We created man from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud. " If we take dust and add water to it, it will be mud. If it is left for some time, it will turn into clay. These are simply the stages of the creation of man. Man thus comes from dust, turned into clay after the addition of water. If we scrutinize this issue, we will find out that man, in his daily life, needs earth and depends on it in so many aspects. It is this earthy soil where we grow the plants upon which we live. Thus, preserving the materials of man depends on the source from which these materials are created. In addition, death itself serves as a proof of creation. When we try to demolish a building, we follow the reverse order of building it; we start with the last floor. By the same token, since we have not eye-witnessed the creation of man, then we shall see how death occurs. When man dies, his soul leaves his body, then the decline starts; his body becomes dry (which is similar to the stage of clay) and then decays and turns finally into dust which was his original substance. Life is given to man through the soul that is blown into his body. When the soul departs, man dies and starts his way back to his original form going through the stages of his first creation. Thus, death stands as a living proof for creation. Surah 21:30 ". .. We made of water every living thing. Will they not then believe? " This verse explains that all living things are composed of water. Only after advances have been made in science, do we now know that cytoplasm, the basic substance of the cell is made up of 80% water. Modern research has also revealed that most organisms consist of 50% to 90% water and that every living entity requires water for its existence. Was it possible 14 centuries ago for any human-being to guess that every living being was made of water? Moreover would such a guess be conceivable by a human being in the deserts of Arabia where there has always been scarcity of water? Reasons why the Qur'an is from God 1. The Qur'an appeals to mans reason to make it's case that it is from God; "And yet Shaitan has led astray of you a great multitude. Did ye not then apply your reason? This is the Hell with which ye were threatened. " (36:62-63) "Will they not ponder over the Qur'an? " (4:82) "Is it then that they do not ponder over what is said. ." (23:68) ". .that they may ponder over its verses. ." (38:29) "Do you not then reflect? " (6:50) "Thus do We make the verses distinct for a people who reflect. " (10:24) "Certainly We have revealed to you a Book in which is your own reminder; what! Will you not then use your reason? " (21:10) "We have made the revelations clear to you, if you will use your reason. " (3:118) No other book asks man to use their reason as much as the Qur'an. 2. Scientific information: "There is indeed no human work prior to modern times that contains statements which were equally in advance of the state of knowledge at the time they appeared and which might be compared to the Quran. It comes as no surprise to learn that Religion and Science have always been considered to be twin sisters by Islam and that today, at a time when science has taken such great strides, they still continue to be associated, and furthermore certain scientific data are used for the better understanding of the Quranic text. "What is more, in a century where, for many, scientific truth has dealt a deathblow to religious belief, it is precisely the discoveries of science that, in an objective examination of the Islamic Revelation, have highlighted the supernatural character of certain aspects of the Revelation. " Dr. Maurice Bucaille. (. http://www.themodernreligion.com...) I reserve additional rebuttals and conclusion for final round.