Surah Hud (Hud) 11 : 7

Overview (Verse 7)

Matching Science with the Qur’ān

The sūrah moves ahead by giving people a clearer idea of their true Lord, drawing their attention to the fact that He has created the heavens and the earth according to a certain system, with well-defined stages, to serve a definite purpose. It points out certain manifestations of God’s power and wisdom which fit well with the theme of resurrection and reckoning, action and reward: ‘He it is who has created the heavens and the earth in six days, whereas His throne has rested upon water, so that He may test you [to make manifest] which of you is best in conduct. Yet if you say to them: ‘You shall be raised again after death,’ those who disbelieve are sure to say: ‘This is nothing but plain sorcery.’” (Verse 7)

The verse speaks of the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days, which we discussed when commenting on Verse 3 of Sūrah 10, Jonah, page 40 in this volume. This creation is mentioned here in order to establish that there is a definite link between the system which holds the universe together and the system that regulates human life: “So that He may test you [to make manifest] which of you is best in conduct.” (Verse 7)

What is new in this reference to God’s creation is the addition of a parenthetical clause: “His throne has rested upon water.” This signifies that when God created the heavens and the earth, that is, when He brought them into existence in their final shape and form, water was there and God’s throne rested on water.

Where, how and in what condition was this water? How did God’s throne rest on it? These are questions which are not answered in the Qur’ānic text. It is not for any commentator who knows his limits to add anything to what the Qur’ānic statement signifies. In such matters, what God has chosen not to reveal to us we cannot know from any other source.

Nor is it for us to try to find some endorsement of any Qur’ānic statement by what we call ‘scientific’ theories, even if the Qur’ānic statement, at its face value, fits well with any particular theory. ‘Scientific’ theories are always liable to be turned upside down whenever scientists, having tested a new assumption, discover that it provides a more credible explanation of natural and universal phenomena than the earlier theory. Every Qur’ānic statement is true regardless of whether or not science discovers the fact it states. There is a difference between what we consider to be a scientific fact and what is a scientific theory. A scientific fact is subject to experiment, but it remains always within the realm of probability. It is never taken as absolute. On the other hand, a scientific theory is based on an assumption which aims to explain a certain natural phenomenon or phenomena. It admits changes and amendments. It may even be proved wrong. Hence, it cannot be used to explain any Qur’ānic statement, nor can it be supported by the Qur’ān. Its scope is different from that of the divine book.

To seek compatibility between Qur’ānic statements and scientific theories betrays a lack of seriousness in one’s faith in the Qur’ān and one’s acceptance of it as true and as revealed by God who is well aware of all things. It betrays an overall fascination with science, giving it a far greater role than its natural one. Those who think that by attempting to establish compatibility between the Qur’ān and science do the Qur’ān and faith a service should be careful. Defeat has crept into their hearts. A faith which depends on the findings of ever-changing human knowledge and human science in order to be more firmly established is one which needs to be reviewed. The Qur’ān comes first. What it states is always true. It is immaterial whether scientific theories are in agreement or disagreement with the Qur’ān. Experimental scientific facts operate within a different area to that of the Qur’ān. The Qur’ān has left such facts to us to work with them freely, and make whatever conclusions our experiments establish. On the other hand, the Qur’ān takes upon itself the task of establishing in the human mind the values of righteousness and sound reasoning and liberating it from delusion, superstition and myth. It also seeks to establish a way of life which ensures that the human mind remains sound, free and active. It gives it the freedom to operate within its scope and establish by its own experiments whatever practical facts it concludes. The Qur’ān only rarely mentions scientific facts, such as that water is the source of life and the element common to all living creatures, and that all living creatures have been created in pairs, even self- fertilizing plants which contain both male and female cells.

Let us now reflect on this verse from the proper point of view, that is, faith and life: “He it is who has created the heavens and the earth in six days, whereas His throne has rested upon water, so that He may test you [to make manifest] which of you is best in conduct.” (Verse 7)

He has created the heavens and the earth in six days. There are several points not expressly stated here, but referred to later in the sūrah. He has created them in this span of time to make them suitable for the emergence of human life. He has also created man and made the earth and part of the heavens subject to His will. He Himself exercises His power over the whole universe: “so that He may test you [to determine] which of you is best in conduct.” Here, the text seems to make the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days, coupled with the fact that God has power over the whole universe, a test for man. This adds to the seriousness of the test and makes people feel their own importance.

As God, the Creator, has endowed the earth and the heavens with what makes the emergence of the human race possible, He has equipped man with certain abilities and made his nature responsive to the law which governs the universe. He has also left him an area of free choice. Man is, therefore, capable of choosing the path of right guidance, whereupon he is helped by God. Or he can choose the path which leads him astray, and which God lets him follow. He leaves people to do whatever they want, so that He can test them and see who is the best in conduct. He does not, however, test them to find anything out. Indeed He knows, and there is no limit to His knowledge. Instead He tests them to make their secret actions appear on the surface. They then receive their reward or punishment according to God’s will and justice.

Denial of the resurrection and the reckoning and the handing out of rewards sounds very strange in this context. When it is stated that testing people is linked with the creation of the heavens and the earth and is essential to this universal system and the laws of existence, those who deny it sound both absurd and totally unaware of the major facts of the creation of this universe. For this reason they are surprised and stunned by these facts: “Yet if you say to them: ‘You shall be raised again after death,’ those who disbelieve are sure to say: ‘This is nothing but plain sorcery.’” (Verse 7)

What a strange claim. How false it sounds in the light of the preceding Qur’ānic statement!