The Scientific Miracles of Hearing and Sightlotusholisticinstitute.ae/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hearing-Sight.pdf · would find wonders and wisdom that confirm that the Quran is

Hearing and Sightin the Quran

The Scientific Miracles of

Hearing and Sightin the Quran

The Scientific Miracles of

Prof. Dr. Sadeq al-Hilali

Dr. Hussein Radwan Suleiman al-Libidi

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The Miraculous Nature ofThe Economic Rights

In the name of Allah,

The Merciful, The Compassionate

{ We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the

truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things,

a Witness? } [Qur’an 41: 53]

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Table of Contents

Foreword 7

Study I : The miracles of hearing and sight in the Quran 12

• Introduction 13

• Scientific facts 29

• The superiority of hearing to sight 37

• These scientific facts 41

Study II : Hearing and sight 42

• The aim of this study 42

I. The contexts in which hearing and sight and the eye and ear are used

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II. Hearing predominantly precedes sight in the Quran 44

• The miracle can be deduced from the following 47

• conclusion 48

• References 48

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Foreword

Dr. Abdullah ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Muslih

General Secretary of the International Commissionon Scientific Signs in the Quran and Sunnah

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful. Praise be to Allah and prayers and peace be upon the one who was sent as a mercy to the world: our prophet and our beloved, Muhammad. Peace be upon him as well as his family, his companions and those who followed them in goodness until the Day of Judgment. To proceed: Allah’s blessings are overwhelmingly abundant. Allah says:

And if you should count the favor of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful. (Ibrahim: 34)

Among the most conspicuous blessings given to man are hearing and sight. Allah underlined them in the Quran, remind-ing his servants about them in many verses, such as:

And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers, not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful. (Al-Nahl: 78)

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With regard to man’s creation and origin, Allah says:

Then He proportioned him and breathed into him from His [created] soul and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful. (Sajdah: 9)

In many of the Quran’s surahs and verses, there are mul-tiple examples of linguistic forms and styles that underline the blessings of hearing and sight. Through these senses (as long as they are sound), man gets his sense of perception and reason as well as his ability to distinguish between good and evil and right and wrong. With them, he is also required to search and observe the realms of the universe with reflection and consid-eration.

Say, “Observe what is in the heavens and earth.” (Yunus: 101)

Say, [O Muhammad], “Travel through the land and observe how He began creation.” (Ankabut: 20)

Say “Travel through the land; then observe how was the end of the deniers.” (Al-An’am: 11)

Thus, beyond the literal hearing and sight, there is another hearing and sight by which undoubting believers hear and see. Others, however, do not hear and see in this way, but they in-stead waste the instruments for understanding and consider-ation that Allah has given them. Allah calls on their misfortune

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in the verse:

They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. Those are like livestock; rather, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless. (Al-A’raf: 179)

Allah also says:

And We had certainly established them in such as We have not established you, and We made for them hearing and vision and hearts. But their hearing and vision and hearts availed them not from anything [of the punishment] when they were [continually] rejecting the signs of Allah; and they were envel-oped by what they used to ridicule. (Al-Ahqaf: 26)

It is also a miracle how the Quran provides such detail about the senses of hearing and sight and explains both their physical and spiritual functions. With research and study, one would find wonders and wisdom that confirm that the Quran is from a God who is all wise and full of praise.

The International Commission on Scientific Signs in the Qur’an and the Sunnah is pleased to present, to our insight-ful readers, the subject of the scientific miracles of hearing and sight in the Holy Quran. Dr. Sadiq al-Hilali and Dr. Hussain Riz-wan al-Labidi each address the subject of hearing and sight, giv-ing the reader a first impression that the subject of both studies

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is one and the same. However, what is interesting about this dual presentation of this single-subject research on scientific miracles is the starting point of each. That is to say, that both authors examine the Quranic verses in which hearing is men-tioned before sight or where the eye is mentioned before the ear. This has come to be a guideline for the two researchers in connecting scientific miracles of the Quran with discoveries in modern science. However, one of the researchers addresses the scientific aspect of how hearing precedes sight chronologi-cally. He explains how the sense of hearing begins, matures, and takes full form, in the fetus, before the sense of sight (which does not completely mature until after birth, or perhaps much longer after). He considers the scientific miracle to be the Quran’s consistency with modern science, as the Quran’s verses give hearing precedence to sight, and modern science has confirmed this fact.

The second researcher begins with the same basis but tends not to focus on chronological precedence in terms of formation and origin, but rather on precedence of location, namely, how the senses are spatially fixed at their locations in the head. The eyes come before the ears as far as their location in the head, which is opposite to how auditory and visual sensory regions are fixed in the brain. This order is conclusively in conformity with the Quran in the way that the Quran presents these four

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terms: hearing, sight, the eye, and the ear. With facts laid out by scientific discovery to which humans have arrived after an arduous journey into science, the miracle has come to light to the two researchers, despite their differing approaches.

We ask Allah Almighty that these two researches will be of benefit, and that He blesses the efforts of the dedicated people involved. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

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Study I

The miracles of hearing and sight in the Quran

Prof. Dr. Sadeq al-Hilali

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Introduction

Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned. (Isra: 36)

The word ‘hearing’, along with its derivatives and mor-phological forms, appears 185 times in the Quran, where-as the word ‘sight’, with its derivatives and morphological forms, appears only 148 times. Whenever the word ‘hear-ing’ appears in the Quran, it always refers to the hearing of speech and sounds and the comprehending of transferred information. ‘Sight’, on the other hand, refers to the seeing of light, objects, and images with the actual eyes in only 88 instances. In the remaining instances, the word refers to ‘in-sight’. More particularly, it refers to mental and intellectual insight into the phenomena of the universe and of life. It can also refer to the signs and utterances that one encoun-ters and hears.

The words ‘hearing’ and ‘sight’ are paired together in 38 verses, such as the following:

Then He proportioned him and breathed into him from His [created] soul and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful. (Sajdah: 9)

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“...Or who controls hearing and sight and who brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living and who arranges [every] matter? They will say, “Allah,” so say, “Then will you not fear Him?” (Yunus: 31)

They were not able to hear, nor did they see. (Hood: 20)

And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers, not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful. (Al-Nahl: 78)

And it is He who produced for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful. (Al-Mu’minun: 78)

...and We made for them hearing and vision and hearts. But their hearing and vision and hearts availed them not from anything [of the punishment]. (Ahqaf: 36)

Say, “It is He who has produced you and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful.” (Al-Mulk: 23)

Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing. (Al-Insan: 2)

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Also, the word ‘deafness’ appears paired with the word ‘blindness’ in eight verses, mostly with ‘deafness’ preceding ‘blindness’, such as in the following verses:

Deaf, dumb and blind – so they will not return [to the right path]. (Al-Baqarah: 18)

– deaf, dumb and blind, so they do not understand. (Al-Baqarah: 171)

And those who, when reminded of the verses of their Lord, do not fall upon them deaf and blind. (Al-Furqan: 73)

Those [who do so] are the ones that Allah has cursed, so He deafened them and blinded their vision. (Muhammad: 23)

It can be observed in these verses that the words for hearing precede the words for sight, without exception. We have to wonder whether this preceding bears any significance.

At first glance, the answer to this question would seem difficult to understand, in the light of the preliminary in-formation that we have about these senses; it is known, physiologically and anatomically, that one optic nerve con-tains more than a million nerve fibers(1), while the auditory

(1) Noback, C.R. & R.J. Demarest: The Human Nervous System, P.410-251, 3rd ed. McGraw Hill Int. Book Co. 1981.

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nerve contains only thirty thousand fibers.(1) (2) It is also known, physiologically, that one-third of the sensory nerves in the body are visual nerves, with no more than twelve percent of the total sensory information experienced by the body occurring through the auditory system. On the other hand, the body experiences seventy percent of its total sensory information through the visual system.(3) Why, then, does hearing precede sight in almost all of the verses in the Quran? There has to be a reason that we are not yet aware of. With insight into scientific facts recently dis-covered in embryology, anatomy, physiology, and medicine, we would be able to find the answers; and the scientific miracles in the Quran would become clear to us; and this is what we will address in the next part of this research.

(1) Kandel, E.R. & J.H. Schwartz: Principles of Neural Science, P.264 & 236, Edward Arnold Ltd., London 1981.

(2) Hilali, S.M.: Ph. D. Thesis, Studies in the Central Auditory Pathways, Birmingham Univ., 1954.

(3) Hilali, S.M.: Physiology of the Nervous System, Vol. I P. 213, Baghdad, 1972 (In Arabic).

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Scientific facts

1. The embryonic development of the ears and eyes:

The auditory and visual systems develop almost simul-taneously during the first embryonic stage of development. A thickening of the surface tissue, known as Otic Placode, appears early in the fourth week. This placode is the first component of the auditory system.(1) Similarly, the optical grooves (Optic Sulci) develop at the start of the fourth week on the twenty-second day of embryonic life.(2) The embryo’s internal ear develops from the Otic Placode.

In the fourth week, the membrane sac of the cochlea (cochlea membraneous) appears. This membrane grows lengthwise and coils two and a half times, forming the full cochlea in the eighth week. The cochlea is then surrounded by a cartilage disc in the eighteenth week. It continues to grow until it reaches the size of that of an average adult at the end of the eighteenth week. By week 21, the cartilage disc will have grown fully. That is when the corti begins to grow inside of it. This is the auditory organ. The sensory cells that are surrounded by the auditory nerve endings take form here.

(1) Keith L. Moor: The Developing Human, 3rd ed., P. 413, WB Saunders Co. 1982.(2) Ruch, T. & HD Patton: Physiology and Biophysics, Vol. I, The Brain and Neural Function,

P. 412, WB Saunders Co. 1979.

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That is how the internal ear grows, matures, reaches normal adult size, and becomes ready for the auditory func-tion, which begins in the fifth month in the fetus.(1) Later, we will see how this part of the ear is exclusively able to sense sound and transmit sound signals to the brain to be processed without requiring assistance from the middle or external ear during the process. The external ear develops from the ectoderm and the middle ear from the meso-derm. During weeks 10-20, the ossicles of the middle ear, the Eustachian tube, the ear drum, and the external audi-tory meatus, all develop, and then they become connected to the internal ear in week 21.

The shape of the ear flap becomes apparent in the beginning of month 5 and grows to full form in week 32.(2)

In contrast, the light sensitive retina of the eye is not fully formed until week 25.(3) Also, the fibers of the optic nerve do not become covered with the medullary layer so as to efficiently transmit optical signals until ten weeks after birth. Moreover, the eyelids will remain shut until week 26 of embryonic development.(4)

(1) Ruch, T. & HD Patton: Vide Supra P. 412-413(2) Pansky, B. & D.J. Allen: Review of Neuroscience, P. 35-41, McMillan Publ. Co., 1980. (3) Bansky, B. & DJ Allen: Vide Supra p. 38-41.(4) Keith L. Moore: Vide Supra P. 420

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It is thus clear, that the internal ear of the fetus matures and becomes capable of hearing in the fifth month, while the eyes do not open, nor do they develop light sensitivity, until the seventh month; and even then the optical nerves are not ready to efficiently transmit optical nerve signals. In addition, the eyes would not actually see anything because they are engulfed in three layers of darkness.

2. Hearing and sight:

It has been scientifically proven that, in the fifth month, the internal ear of the fetus is sensitive to sounds, and that the fetus hears the movements of the mother›s intestines and heart. As a result of this auditory experience, auditory nerve signals are produced in the internal ear, the audi-tory nerve, and the auditory region in the brain. This can be recorded using laboratory equipment. This amounts to scientific proof that the fetus can hear in this early stage of life.(1) Neural signals such as these in the visual system of the fetus have only been recorded after birth. It is also important to know that sounds normally reach the internal ear through two pathway

(1) Ruch, T. & H.D. Patton: Vide Supra P.413-417

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The second pathway The first pathway

through the bones of the skullthrough the external then the middle ear, both of which are filled with air in normal humans

Sound vibrations are transmitted through the first path-way by air and through the second route by the bones of the skull, which are good transmitters of sound. However, the external ear of the fetus is filled with some fibers and amniotic fluid. Fluids are also good transmitters of sound. When we immerse our heads in water when swimming, we can still hear sounds quite well. It is thus apparent that the fetus can process sounds that reach the internal ear, either through the cranial bones or through the external ear, which is filled with amniotic fluid and tissue. On the other hand, the fetus cannot see while in the womb. This is not only due to darkness surrounding it but also because of the eyelids being shut, the retina not being mature, and the optic nerve not being fully formed until late during fetal development.

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3. The full development of the senses of hearing and sight:

The child can hear sounds in the natural way a few days after birth, after all the remaining fluids and tissue waste in the middle ear which surround its ossicles are absorbed. Then, hearing becomes sharp a few days after the child is born. (1)

It is also worth noting that humans are the only crea-tures that begin to hear in the womb. All other animals cannot do so until some time after birth. Below are some examples to illustrate this. (2)

In contrast, eyesight is very poor at birth and is almost non-existent. It is difficult for the newborn to distinguish light from darkness, and he only sees hazy images of ob-jects. The eyes can move but are not able to focus or lock in on the object. In the third or fourth month, it starts to distinguish the form of its mother or a bottle of milk and follow their movements. In the sixth month, it can distin-guish people’s faces; however, at this stage, the baby is far-sighted. Eyesight will continue developing until ten years of

(1) Noback, C.R. & R.J. Demarest: Vide Supra P. 147(2) Ruch, T. & H.D. Patton: Vide Supra P.412.

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age.(1) Here, we mention examples of ages when certain organisms can hear and we compare that to humans:

More than 16 weeks before birth

Can process sounds before birth Humans

5 - 6 hours Can process sounds after birthGuinea pigs

(cavies)

5 - 6 days Can process sounds after birth Cats

7 days Can process sounds after birth Rabbits

10 days Can process sounds after birth Dogs

30 days Can process sounds after birth Minks

50 days Can process sounds after birth Opposums

(1) Noback, C.R. & R.J. Demarest: Vide Supra P.147.

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4. Development of auditory and visual re-gions of the brain:

By now, it has been established that the auditory cor-tex [that is, the region in the brain that processes sound] is developed and functioning before its visual counterpart [the visual cortex].(1) Neural audio signals are corded in the auditory region of the cerebral cortex when the fetus is stimulated by an alarm sound in the fifth month. Sounds the fetus hears in the second half of fetal development stimulate the auditory cortex to grow and develop physi-cally and functionally. On the other hand, the visual cortex is not stimulated during this period, no matter which stimuli are used; so it does not develop much, nor does it mature or become fully formed. Physiologically, it is well known that qualitative stimuli experienced by sensory nerves will stim-ulate the nerves to grow and attain maturity.(2) In this way, the auditory nervous system is stimulated towards matu-rity from the fifth month in the fetus. The visual nervous system is not stimulated in such a way until after birth. For these reasons, the child processes phonetic information in early life before processing visual information. Learning and storing such data occurs much more quickly than visual data. For instance, the child can understand and compre-

(1) Guyton, A.C.: Textbook of Medical Physiology, 6th ed., P. 688, W.B. Saunders Co., 1981.(2) Noback, CR & RJ Demarest: Vide Supra P. 140

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hend speech it hears more than it can understand draw-ings, images and writing that it sees. It can also memorize Quranic verses and songs early in life and is able to speak very early compared to when learning to read and write. All this occurs because the auditory region in the brain matures before the visual one. Allah says:

That We might make it for you a reminder and [that] a conscious ear would be conscious of it. (Al-Haqqah: 12)

5. Development of the Language Interpreta-tive Area in the cerebral cortex:

The Language Interpretative Area grows and develops in the cerebral cortex, which is located near the auditory cortex. The cerebral cortex is more tightly connected to the auditory cortex than the visual cortex, which also aids in the functions of speech and language comprehension through means of reading and writing. This convergence between the two regions is a result of the fact that the auditory region develops early, before the visual region and visual functions mature.(1) The following can be concluded based on all of the above:

(1) Guyton, AC: Vide Supra P. 688

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(3) (2) (1)

The auditory re-gions of the brain as well as the brain's auditory neural pathways develop and ma-ture a relatively long time before their visual coun-terparts do.

The fetus begins to hear sounds when in the mother's womb in the fifth month of fetal life. However, it cannot see light or images until after birth.

The hearing apparatus in the fetus develops, matures, and forms before the visual apparatus, so much, in fact, that by the fifth month it reaches the same size of that of an average adult; whereas the eyes do not fully mature until the tenth year after birth.

Here we must refer back to the Quranic verses:

Or who controls hearing and sight and who brings the liv-ing out of the dead. (Yunus: 31)

And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful. (Al-Nahl: 78)

Those are the ones over whose hearts and hearing and vision Allah has sealed. (Al-Nahl: 108)


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...and [He] made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful. (Sajdah: 9)

…and We made for them hearing and vision and hearts. But their hearing and vision and hearts availed them not from anything [of the punishment] when they were [continually] rejecting the signs of Allah. (Al-Ahqaf: 26)


Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing. (Al-Insan: 2)

All of these verses refer to the creation and origin of humans; and in all of them – without exception – hearing precedes vision. This could not have been an unintentional coincidence rather than a divine miracle that was unknown until recently, after the discovery of modern scientific facts that confirm the scientific miracle in these verses.

The Prophetic hadiths are also in conjunction with the Quran in giving hearing precedence to sight. This is not surprising, as they both come from the same source. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When forty-two nights have passed, Allah sends an angel to the nutfa (seed or sperm); it shapes it and forms its hearing, its sight, its skin,

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its flesh, and its bones.” (Sahih Muslim 4/2037- The Book of Destiny

- No. 3-2675)

Let us examine other verses where the words ‘hearing’ and ‘sight’ occur in pairs. Allah says:

And if Allah had willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. Indeed, Allah is over all things compe-tent. (Al-Baqarah: 20)

Say, “Have you considered: if Allah should take away your hearing and your sight and set a seal upon your hearts, (Al-An’am: 46)

They were not able to hear, nor did they see. (Hood: 20)

Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned. (Isra: 36)

…why do you worship that which does not hear and does not see and will not benefit you at all? (Maryam: 42)

Until, when they reach it, their hearing and their eyes and their skins will testify against them of what they used to do. (Fussilat: 20)

And you were not covering yourselves, lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins, (Fussilat: 22)

In these verses, the Quran is referring to the functions

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of hearing and sight. It is due to the fact that the former function develops and matures earlier than the latter and the fact that hearing is more important in learning and edu-cation and is more closely linked to the memory of the child, that Allah gives it precedence. The above scientific facts reveal the scientific miracle in these verses as well.

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The superiority of hearing to sight

There are many other aspects in which hearing is superior to sight. We can add to the above that:

The sense of sight is lost before the sense of hearing

Physiologically, it is known that one loses the sense of sight before losing the sense of hearing during the start of sleep, anesthesia, and the throes of death. Sight is also lost earlier when oxygen levels in the air drop (as can be experienced, for instance, in high mountainous regions or in a plane while flying), or during a shortage of blood to the brain (as can be experienced by a fasting person, for instance, if the stomach becomes suddenly full, or when propping up suddenly after lying down). In all of these cas-es, the sense of hearing is not lost until shortly after the sense of sight.

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The effects of acceleration and altitude on hearing and vision

Extreme acceleration causes a positive gravitational force, affecting the vision of both pilots and astronauts while in flight. It causes hazy vision before they completely lose sight and experience a state of complete darkness. The pilot does not, however, lose his sense of hearing entirely. Contrarily, it remains for the most part intact for some time after, keeping him in audial contact with stations on the ground. (1)

Auditory and visual scopes

Humans can hear whatever sound reaches their ears from all directions and elevations; we can say that their auditory scope is 360 degrees. But, with the head in one place, one can only see objects in a limited visual scope of about 180 degrees horizontally and 145 degrees vertically.(2)

(3) The visual scope of color is yet much less than that. Also, rays of light always travel in straight lines. If intercepted by an object, they would not be able to cross or pass around it. Sound, however, travels in all directions and can go around

(1) WR Ganong: Review of Medical Physiology, 11th ed., P.507, Lange Med. Publ., 1983.(2) Ruch, T. & H.D. Patt on: Vide Supra P.517.(3) Hilali, S.M.: Vide Supra P. 256-257.

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corners and through objects in its path. Sound can thus easily be transmitted through liquids and solids and one can hear it even through walls.

The effects of brain injury on hearing and vi-sion

It is important to note that the sense of hearing for each ear is processed on both sides of the brain(1); so if one half of the brain becomes damaged, hearing will not be lost in either ear. For vision, each half of each eye is processed in the part of the brain opposite to it; so if one hemisphere of the brain becomes damaged, vision is lost in the two halves of his eyes opposite to the location of damage.

Children born deaf become also mute

It is known that children born with deafness also be-come mute and will not be able to learn speech and lan-guage. But children born blind are able to speak with ease, which is why, it would seem, that the word “deaf ” is often paired with “dumb” [in the Quran]. And Allah knows best.

(1) Kandel, E. & J.M. Schwartz: Vide Supra P. 267.

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Deaf, dumb and blind – so they will not return [to the right path]. (Al-Baqarah: 18)

…deaf, dumb and blind, so they do not understand. (Al-Baqara: 171)

Loss of vision and increased memory and in-telligence

With loss of sight, the brain’s visual region begins to carry out relational functions. It links functionally with other relational regions of the brain which in turn increases the brain’s memory, intelligence, and ability to retain informa-tion. However, the auditory regions - for reasons unknown - do not serve as this link with loss of hearing. As a result, many people who have lost sight have achieved excellence, while it is indeed rare for those who have lost hearing to do so, which is an indication of the importance of the sense of hearing and how extensively its regions in the brain are specialized.

The Holy Quran was revealed in an auditory nature

It is necessary to highlight where and by whom the Quran was received, as both were distinctly more audial

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than visual. In the desert, there are not as many visual stim-uli as there are auditory ones. Likewise, the society at that time was more auditory than visual. The Quran’s verses were retained in the people’s hearts and transmitted by narrators. Despite the fact that scribes used to record it, the Quran was not in circulation in the cities until the time of the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him). Traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also remained unrecorded until late. The reason is perhaps that few people were proficient in reading and writing. In fact, it is said that no more than a few individu-als in Mecca were literate when Islam first emerged.(1) The Arabs also did not write down their fine poetry until late. Instead, it was committed to memory, narrated, and dis-seminated in the markets and during ceremonies, where the masses would listen.

(1) Although this view is held by some scholars, the correct view concerning the issue is that the reason for not writing hadith can be found in a hadith recorded by Muslim, citing a narration by Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him). He narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Do not write what I say; and whoever has written anything I say besides the Quran shall erase it." (See Nawawi's commentary of Sahih Muslim 18/129). Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) noted that the prohibition was due to fear of confusing hadith with Quran. The prohibition was then lifted, he said, adding that: "Some of the Companions as well as their pupils were aversive to writing the hadith and preferred teaching it orally (Fath al-Bari 1/208)." This was based on prohibition and not lack of proficiency in writing as the author claims. See Nawawi's commentary of Muslim and Al-Muqaddima by Ibn Salah (Class 25, p. 87).

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Hearing was mentioned exclusively

When giving special mention to the importance of the senses, Allah singled out the sense of hearing as well as the organ used for it; however, He did not do so for sight. Allah says:

They put their fingers in their ears against the thunder-claps in dread of death. (Al-Baqarah: 19)

…but We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. (Al-An’am: 25)

So We cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of years. (Al-Kahf: 11)

That We might make it for you a reminder and [that] a conscious ear would be conscious of it. (Al-Haqqah: 12)

…they put their fingers in their ears and covered them-selves with their garments. (Nuh: 7)

There is a higher level of consciousness asso-ciated with hearing

It is confirmed by the following verse,

That We might make it for you a reminder and [that] a conscious ear would be conscious of it (Al-Haqqah: 12),

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that the sensations of sound heard by human ears are better received by the conscience than stimuli received through other sources, like sight, for example.

Verses in which sight precedes hearing

The few verses where “sight” precedes “hearing” are verses that either warn against punishment or are used to describe the unbelievers. In these verses, there is no refer-ence to the formation, function, or development of either sense.

And they thought there would be no [resulting] punish-ment, so they became blind and deaf. Then Allah turned to them in forgiveness; then [again] many of them became blind and deaf. (Al-Ma’idah: 71)

They have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. (Al-A’raf: 179)

Or do they have eyes by which they see? Or do they have ears by which they hear? (Al-A’raf:195)

…and We will gather them on the Day of Resurrection [fallen] on their faces – blind, dumb and deaf. (Al-Isra: 97)

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Frequent information received

The great amount of visual information received by the body, as compared to the relatively small amount of au-ditory information, does not necessarily mean that visual information gives rise to greater perception and deeper understanding than auditory information, even though the latter is less. The auditory memory is firmer than the vi-sual memory. Audio signals provide more implied and conceptual information than visual ones. It is well known, for example, that the pronunciation of a single word with varied accents and tones can deliver varied meanings and concepts, whereas different scripts used to write the same word provide the reader with a single connotation. It is also well known that silent films can deliver only a mere fraction of the information delivered by movies with sound.

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These scientific facts

These scientific facts were unknown fourteen centu-ries ago. Much of this was unknown until the last few de-cades. There were even scientists who believed sight was more important than hearing. However, modern scientific research has revealed many facts that lucidly demonstrate the scientific miracles of the Quran, which gives ‘hearing’ precedence to ‘sight’ due to the precedence of its physical and functional origins and development, as well as a num-ber of other features wherein hearing precedes sight. Allah has spoken the truth. He says:

And say, “[All] praise is [due] to Allah. He will show you His signs, and you will recognize them. (An-Naml: 93)

We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness? (Fussilat: 53)

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Study 2

hearing and sight

Dr. Hussein Radwan Suleiman al-Libidi

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The aim of this study

To prove that the precedence of hearing to sight in the majority of the Quran’s verses is in conformity with the precedence of the centers of hearing to those of sight in the human brain; that is to say that the order of the words in the Quran is in accordance with the order of these centers.

A remarkable phenomenon

The Quranic text distinguishes between hearing and sight on one hand, and then between the eye and ear on the other. What is the secret behind this phenomenon? When hearing and sight are mentioned in the Quran, the following can be noted; and the same can be applied to when the eye and ear are mentioned together:

1) Hearing and vision are used in the context of thought, understanding, and reflection, while what is meant by the eye and the ear is the organs that transfer sensory stimuli.

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2) Hearing predominantly precedes sight throughout the Quran when hearing appears along with sight in the same verse. But when the eye appears along with the ear in the same verse, the eye predominantly precedes the ear throughout the Quran.

We will begin – Allah willing – providing details for what we have just briefly stated.

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I. The contexts in which hearing and sight and the eye and ear are used

It can be observed that there is a distinction between the sensory organs (the eyes and ears) and the force of perception (hearing and sight). Thus, the verses that men-tion the organs also mention expressions that are appro-priate for organs, and for the likes of them, without men-tioning their functions (i.e. hearing and sight).

The following are examples for this:

The eye:

…you see their eyes overflowing with tears. (Al-Ma’idah: 83)

…and his eyes became white from grief, for he was [of that] a suppressor. (Yusuf: 84)

…their eyes revolving. (Al-Ahzab: 19)

The ear:

So We cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of years. (Al-Kahf: 11)

…as if there was in his ears deafness. (Luqman: 7)

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The verses that mention the sources or the perceptive force (hearing and sight) carry the meaning of perception, understanding, and reflection, or, in short, reason. Here are examples for this:

…and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful. (Al-Nahl: 78)

Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned. (Isra:36)

Indeed, in that are signs for a people who listen. (Al-Rum: 23)

Indeed, in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind]. (Qaf: 37)

There are also verses where the organs and their func-tions are paired together:

They have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. (Al-A’raf: 179)

Or do they have eyes by which they see? Or do they have ears by which they hear? (Al-A’raf:195)

Here, the organs are not expressed as being actors, which indicates that they are no more than instruments that transfer auditory and visual stimuli to the region where

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those stimuli can be processed in their respective process-ing centers.

From this, we conclude the following:

The eye and ear are nothing more than organs, whereas hearing and sight refer to the quality of reason or rational cognitive powers. These words usually appear in the infinitive form, i.e. ‘hearing’ and ‘sight’.

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II. Hearing predominantly precedes sight in the Quran

Oppositely, the eye precedes the ear in most verses of the Quran.

Where hearing precedes sight



Where the eye precedes the ear

And We ordained for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear. (Al-Ma’idah: 45)

And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts with which they do not un-derstand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. (Al-A’raf: 179)

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Do they have feet by which they walk? Or do they have hands by which they strike? Or do they have eyes by which they see? Or do they have ears by which they hear? (Al-A’raf: 195)

There are, of course, those who opine that the reason why hearing precedes sight has to do with the superiority of hearing, which would also necessitate the ear preceding the eye. But the opposite actually occurs: the eye comes first and the ear second.

After expounding on what was briefly stated – that is, the phenomenon of the Quran distinguishing between function and order (i.e. distinguishing between the sensory organs [the eye and ear] and between the sources or cog-nitive powers [hearing and sight]) – we shall try to answer the question: Why is this so?

But before we can answer that, we have to review sci-entific facts that scientists have recently revealed, facts that relate to the processes of hearing and sight; namely that the eye and the ear are simply receptors of light and sound waves, sending them through the nerves to the auditory and visual cortices of the human brain. These cortices are where the waves are perceived and interpreted.

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Scientists have found that the auditory cortex is locat-ed in the temporal lobe of the brain, while the visual cortex lies in the back lobe at the rear of the brain. This means that the auditory region of the brain lies in a frontward position when compared to the visual region. This is in contrast to the organs, since the eye is positioned ahead of the ear (see the figure below).

The auditory coitex (hearing center of the brain) and occipital lobe (visual center of the brain)

hearing center vision center

ear

eye

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The miracle can be deduced fromthe following:

After this brief scientific presentation, we can assert that a miracle has been confirmed according to all standards. The verses make a clear distinction between the organs (i.e. the eye and ear) and the cognitive forces (i.e. hearing and sight). Allah’s creative design matches this phenome-non. There are sensory organs that receive sensory stimuli and there are also parts of the human brain where percep-tion and cognition of these sensory stimuli are processed. Also, in terms of order, we find that Allah has arranged the verses so that the eye precedes the ear and that hearing precedes sight in most verses of the Quran. And here we have certain knowledge that confirms that although the eye is placed in front of the ear in the human head, the reverse order is true in relation to the cortices: the audi-tory cortex sits in a frontal position in the cerebral cortex in humans. Thus, Allah’s words are in conformity with Allah’s creative design. This is a miracle.

Alif, Lam, Ra. [This is] a Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from [one who is] Wise and Ac-quainted. (Hood: 1)

Conclusion

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How miracle is deduced:

Scientific truthPhenomenon of

the Quran

Conformity

The sensory processes of hearing and sight consist of organs (the eye and ear) that function as receptors as well as the auditory cortex, located in the tem-poral lobe, and the visual cortex, located in the rear lobe.

Quran distinguishes between the sen-sory organ (the eye and ear) and the perceptive force (hearing and sight)

Conformity

The eye and ear are merely instruments for transmitting audio-visual sensory signals to the au-ditory and visual regions of the brain, the place where they will be perceived and understood.

The eye and ear are references to sen-sory organs, while hearing and sight are connotations for reason, understand-ing, reflection, and cognition.

Conformity

The eye is located in front of the ear in Allah's cre-ative design of the human head.

The eye predomi-nantly precedes the ear in the Quran.

Conformity

The auditory cortex is lo-cated in front of the visual cortex in the human brain.

Hearing predomi-nantly precedes sight in the Quran.

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References

References for Study I:

1. The Quran.

2. Sahih Muslim. Dar al-Turath al-Arabi (Beirut)

(1) Noback, CR & RJ Demarest: The Human Nervous System, P.410-251, 3rd

ed. McGraw Hill Int. Book Co. 1981.

(2) Kandel, ER & JH Schwartz: Principles of Neural Science, P.264 & 236,

Edward Arnold Ltd., London 1981.

(3) Hilali, SM: Ph. D. Thesis, Studies in the Central Auditory Pathways, Bir-

mingham Univ., 1954.

(4) Hilali, SM: Physiology of the Nervous System, Vol. I P. 213, Baghdad, 1972

(In Arabic).

(5) Keith L. Moor: The Developing Human, 3rd ed., P. 413, WB Saunders Co.

1982.

(6) Ruch, T. & HD Patton: Physiology and Biophysics, Vol. I, The Brain and

Neural Function, P. 412, WB Saunders Co. 1979.

(7) Ruch, T. & HD Patton: Vide Supra P. 412-413

(8) Pansky, B. & DJ Allen: Review of Neuroscience, P. 35-41, McMillan Publ.

Co., 1980.

(9) Bansky, B. & DJ Allen: Vide Supra p. 38-41.

(10) Keith L. Moore: Vide Supra P. 420

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(11) Ruch, T. & HD Patton: Vide Supra P. 413-417

(12) Noback, CR & RJ Demarest: Vide Supra P. 147

(13) Ruch, T. & HD Patton: Vide Supra P. 412


(15) Guyton, AC: Textbook of Medical Physiology, 6th ed., P. 688, WB Saun-

ders Co., 1981.


(17) Guyton, AC: Vide Supra P. 688

(18) WR Ganong: Review of Medical Physiology, 11th ed., P.507, Lange Med.

Publ., 1983.

(19) Ruch, T. & HD Patton: Vide Supra P. 517

(20) Hilali, SM: Vide Supra P. 256-257

(21) Kandel, E. & JM Schwartz: Vide Supra P. 267

References for Study II:

1. The Quran.

2. The Spirit of the Meanings (Al-Alusi), publ. Dar al-Fikr (Beirut)

Documents

The Scientific Miracles of Hearing and Sightlotusholisticinstitute.ae/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hearing-Sight.pdf · would find wonders and wisdom that confirm that the Quran is