Oct
20
Filed Under Religion | Comments Off
Harun Yahya asked:
Scientific research has revealed that throughout the living world, communication is just as important as it is to human beings. Countless living things lack the capacity for human speech, yet they employ entirely different methods in order to communicate with each other—and even with other species. Some of the most dramatic examples of this is displayed by birds. The astonishing behavior and ability to communicate that birds exhibit also totally invalidates the claims of the theory of evolution.
All forms of life on Earth have been created with miraculous properties and astonishing abilities. The examination of just one single species is enough to reveal hundreds of proofs of God’s magnificent creation.
In one verse of the Qur’an, Allah reveals that:
There is no creature crawling on the earth or flying creature, flying on its wings, who are not communities just like yourselves—We have not omitted anything from the Book—then they will be gathered to their Lord. (Qur’an, 6: 38)
The birds to which this verse draws our attention notice are one of the living communities that we need to examine and reflect upon.
There are roughly some 10,000 species of bird in the world, each of which possesses its own miraculous features. Wherever you may live, you can see a great number of these feathered creatures and can observe different and extraordinary properties in each and every one. With their attractive appearances, flawless flight mechanisms, expertise on the routes and timing of migrations, ability to build nests and altruistic behavior toward their young and to one another, birds possess countless proofs of the fact of creation. Their ability to communicate is another of these.
Birds’ Sense of Hearing
For birds to display their talents in communicating by sound, song—and in the case of some birds, words— they require excellent hearing. At critical times in their lives, their sense of hearing becomes particularly important. Experiments have shown that in order for birds to learn the distinctive song of their own species, they need an auditory feedback system. Thanks to this system, young birds learn to compare the sounds they produce themselves with the patterns of a song they have memorized. If they were deaf, it wouldn’t normally be possible for them to sing recognizable songs. (1)
Birds’ ears are well equipped for hearing, but they hear in a different way from us. For them to recognize a tune, they have to hear it in always the same octave (a series of seven notes), whereas we humans can recognize a tune even if we hear it in a different octave. Birds cannot, but can instead recognize timbre—a fundamental note combined with harmonies. The ability to recognize timbre and harmonic variations lets birds hear and reply to many diverse sounds, and sometimes even reproduce them.
Birds can also hear shorter notes than we can. Humans process sounds in bytes in about 1/20th of a second (2), whereas birds can distinguish these sounds in 1/200th of a second (3). This means that birds are superior at differentiating sounds that arrive in very rapid succession.(4) In other words, a bird’s capacity to perceive sound is approximately ten times greater than ours; and in every note heard by a human, it can hear ten.(5) Moreover, some birds are also able to hear lower-frequency sounds than we are. Their hearing sensitivity is so finely tuned that they can even tell the difference between pieces by such famous composers as Bach and Stravinsky.
Birds’ extremely sensitive hearing functions perfectly. Clearly, each of this sense’s components is created by special design, for if any one failed to work properly, the bird would not be able to hear any sounds at all. This point also disproves the theory that hearing evolved or emerged gradually, as a result of coincidental influences.
Communication and Signaling in Birds
Birds produce meaningful communications by their ****** expressions, beak movements, feather ruffling, elongating their necks, crouching, bouncing, and flapping their wings. Although each species has its own body language, many different species interpret movements in the same way. For example, various species interpret an upward thrust of the beak as expressing the intention to fly, and the lowering of the ****** as a warning of danger. Also, several species perceive raising the tail feathers as a threat, or displaying bright colors atop of the head as a declaration of the intent to attack. Via ****** expression, birds can convey a variety of messages to those around them-negative feelings such as dislike and resentment, as well as positive ones like pleasure, enthusiasm and curiosity. (6)
Bird’s ****** Expressions
Birds produce different ****** expressions by movements of the beak, or by positioning the feathers above the beak, on the chin, or atop the head. In some species, the feathers above the eye can also move independently. Moreover, many species make a display by opening their beaks. For example, the tawny frogmouth opens its beak to reveal its large, bright green oral cavity, emphasizing the size of its beak and making it appear more intimidating. Some other species open their beaks as a form of threatening behavior, usually silently, but sometimes enhance the performance with hissing or loud breathing. (7)
Besides communicating by means of body language, birds produce a great variety of sounds to communicate with other members of their flock, neighbors, or family members. These range from short, simple calls to songs that are surprisingly long and complex. Sometimes birds such as the green woodpecker use different instruments or, like the American woodpecker, use special feathers to produce sound.
Birds also communicate through scents, although since their sense of smell is poor, their communication is based mainly on sound and sight. At times of poor visibility, as at night or in dense foliage, sound is most advantageous, and is also the ideal method for long-distance communication. If conditions are right, birdsong can be heard for up to a few kilometers.
In addition to song, birds also have conceptualization and communication skills. In certain circumstances, they demonstrate talents equivalent to those of children of primary-school age, learning series of words and other means of human communication through social interaction. When alone, these parrots play vocalization games and when in the company of people, they join vocalizations together to produce new assemblages from existing sequences of speech. God, the Creator of everything on Earth and in the skies, equips them with the talents and characteristics that set them apart. Accordingly, our praises for the supreme beauty of our environment is praise that belongs to God.
The Language of Calls and Songs
To call to one another, birds produce sounds of extremely high frequency and strength. Only a few species such as pelicans, storks, and certain vultures are mute and have no call. The acoustic calls used by birds amongst themselves form a language of sorts. Their songs, which are longer and generally related to courtship, consist of a series of notes and usually contain melodies.
Birdsong is usually heard in spring, whereas the calls, much simpler than songs, are used by both sexes and heard throughout the year. Birdcalls allow swift communication via simple messages without a great expenditure of energy. (8) These calls’ main functions can be listed as follows:
- To establish a bird’s species
- To indicate its bird’s gender
- To reveal its location
- To demarcate and defend its territory
- To announce and advertise a source of food
- To let young birds recognize their own parents
- To keep the flock together when traveling
- To warn of the presence of an enemy
- To intimidate an enemy
- For courtship
To mark the changeover of responsibility for nesting duties such as incubating or feeding
To practice and perfect their songs
Bird Sounds Are Not Haphazard
Usually, birdsong is not composed of randomly produced sounds. Songs are exceptionally diverse melodies of specific meaning, sung for a purpose, and are much more complex than the calls used for signaling. They are generally used by males to advertise and defend a territory, or in courtship. It is also believed that songs serve a social function. When a pair is building their nest, they also establish communication by song. Experiments on caged birds have also demonstrated that birds find it easier to learn songs if another bird is present, but out of sight, in another cage. (9)
Male and female songbirds have different brain structures, particularly in the regions related to sound production. With many songbird species, the males can sing, but the females cannot. The males use “song” to call their mates or designate a tree, pole, or electrical cable as a place to perch. Each species sings a song with its own characteristics, but any given species’ songs display variations according to age, sex, particular time of year, and geographical location-appropriate for the environment in which they live. For example, birds that live in meadows use “songs of flight.” Similarly, ones that live in the dense foliage of rain forests or reed thickets have loud voices to compensate for reduced visibility.
God’s Miracle of Inspiration
As we have explained, birds employ the most suitable methods of communication for their habitats and objectives. There is no question of every bird being able to know which song it should sing under which circumstances, or to calculate on its own the meaning and purpose of the song it will sing. According to the Darwinist way of thinking, however, all the birds and other living creatures that we see around us, , all the abilities that they exhibit and all the beauty that they display, are the products of blind chance. Yet obviously, the consciousness and design that pervade life and living things at every moment cannot be explained in terms of a series of mere coincidences.
Living things devoid of reason and judgment can exhibit such behavior because such intelligence and consideration of the future are inspired in them by God. God creates every living thing with the characteristics it requires and inspires its appropriately intelligent behavior. All living things perform only those functions that God inspires in them, serving as a means whereby we are able to witness His might. In one verse of the Qur’an, God reveals:
Do you not see that everyone in the heavens and Earth glorifies God, as do the birds with their outspread wings? Each one knows its prayer and glorification. God knows what they do. (Qur’an, 24:41)
References:
1- http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/bionb424/students/mdr17/neurophysiology.htm
2- http://www.earthlife.net/birds/hearing.html
3- http://www.earthlife.net/birds/hearing.html
4- Theodore Xenophon Barber, Ph. d., The Human Nature of Birds, USA, 1993, p. 36.
5- Ibid., p. 37.
6- Ibid., , p. 34.
7- Lesley J. Rogers & Gisela Kaplan, Songs, Roars and Rituals: Communication In Birds, Mammals and Other Animals, USA, 2000, pp. 78-79.
8- http://whalonlab.msu.edu/Student_ Webpages/Bird_song/page
9- http://whalonlab.msu.edu/Student_ Webpages/Bird_song/page
SEYMOUR
Scientific research has revealed that throughout the living world, communication is just as important as it is to human beings. Countless living things lack the capacity for human speech, yet they employ entirely different methods in order to communicate with each other—and even with other species. Some of the most dramatic examples of this is displayed by birds. The astonishing behavior and ability to communicate that birds exhibit also totally invalidates the claims of the theory of evolution.
All forms of life on Earth have been created with miraculous properties and astonishing abilities. The examination of just one single species is enough to reveal hundreds of proofs of God’s magnificent creation.
In one verse of the Qur’an, Allah reveals that:
There is no creature crawling on the earth or flying creature, flying on its wings, who are not communities just like yourselves—We have not omitted anything from the Book—then they will be gathered to their Lord. (Qur’an, 6: 38)
The birds to which this verse draws our attention notice are one of the living communities that we need to examine and reflect upon.
There are roughly some 10,000 species of bird in the world, each of which possesses its own miraculous features. Wherever you may live, you can see a great number of these feathered creatures and can observe different and extraordinary properties in each and every one. With their attractive appearances, flawless flight mechanisms, expertise on the routes and timing of migrations, ability to build nests and altruistic behavior toward their young and to one another, birds possess countless proofs of the fact of creation. Their ability to communicate is another of these.
Birds’ Sense of Hearing
For birds to display their talents in communicating by sound, song—and in the case of some birds, words— they require excellent hearing. At critical times in their lives, their sense of hearing becomes particularly important. Experiments have shown that in order for birds to learn the distinctive song of their own species, they need an auditory feedback system. Thanks to this system, young birds learn to compare the sounds they produce themselves with the patterns of a song they have memorized. If they were deaf, it wouldn’t normally be possible for them to sing recognizable songs. (1)
Birds’ ears are well equipped for hearing, but they hear in a different way from us. For them to recognize a tune, they have to hear it in always the same octave (a series of seven notes), whereas we humans can recognize a tune even if we hear it in a different octave. Birds cannot, but can instead recognize timbre—a fundamental note combined with harmonies. The ability to recognize timbre and harmonic variations lets birds hear and reply to many diverse sounds, and sometimes even reproduce them.
Birds can also hear shorter notes than we can. Humans process sounds in bytes in about 1/20th of a second (2), whereas birds can distinguish these sounds in 1/200th of a second (3). This means that birds are superior at differentiating sounds that arrive in very rapid succession.(4) In other words, a bird’s capacity to perceive sound is approximately ten times greater than ours; and in every note heard by a human, it can hear ten.(5) Moreover, some birds are also able to hear lower-frequency sounds than we are. Their hearing sensitivity is so finely tuned that they can even tell the difference between pieces by such famous composers as Bach and Stravinsky.
Birds’ extremely sensitive hearing functions perfectly. Clearly, each of this sense’s components is created by special design, for if any one failed to work properly, the bird would not be able to hear any sounds at all. This point also disproves the theory that hearing evolved or emerged gradually, as a result of coincidental influences.
Communication and Signaling in Birds
Birds produce meaningful communications by their ****** expressions, beak movements, feather ruffling, elongating their necks, crouching, bouncing, and flapping their wings. Although each species has its own body language, many different species interpret movements in the same way. For example, various species interpret an upward thrust of the beak as expressing the intention to fly, and the lowering of the ****** as a warning of danger. Also, several species perceive raising the tail feathers as a threat, or displaying bright colors atop of the head as a declaration of the intent to attack. Via ****** expression, birds can convey a variety of messages to those around them-negative feelings such as dislike and resentment, as well as positive ones like pleasure, enthusiasm and curiosity. (6)
Bird’s ****** Expressions
Birds produce different ****** expressions by movements of the beak, or by positioning the feathers above the beak, on the chin, or atop the head. In some species, the feathers above the eye can also move independently. Moreover, many species make a display by opening their beaks. For example, the tawny frogmouth opens its beak to reveal its large, bright green oral cavity, emphasizing the size of its beak and making it appear more intimidating. Some other species open their beaks as a form of threatening behavior, usually silently, but sometimes enhance the performance with hissing or loud breathing. (7)
Besides communicating by means of body language, birds produce a great variety of sounds to communicate with other members of their flock, neighbors, or family members. These range from short, simple calls to songs that are surprisingly long and complex. Sometimes birds such as the green woodpecker use different instruments or, like the American woodpecker, use special feathers to produce sound.
Birds also communicate through scents, although since their sense of smell is poor, their communication is based mainly on sound and sight. At times of poor visibility, as at night or in dense foliage, sound is most advantageous, and is also the ideal method for long-distance communication. If conditions are right, birdsong can be heard for up to a few kilometers.
In addition to song, birds also have conceptualization and communication skills. In certain circumstances, they demonstrate talents equivalent to those of children of primary-school age, learning series of words and other means of human communication through social interaction. When alone, these parrots play vocalization games and when in the company of people, they join vocalizations together to produce new assemblages from existing sequences of speech. God, the Creator of everything on Earth and in the skies, equips them with the talents and characteristics that set them apart. Accordingly, our praises for the supreme beauty of our environment is praise that belongs to God.
The Language of Calls and Songs
To call to one another, birds produce sounds of extremely high frequency and strength. Only a few species such as pelicans, storks, and certain vultures are mute and have no call. The acoustic calls used by birds amongst themselves form a language of sorts. Their songs, which are longer and generally related to courtship, consist of a series of notes and usually contain melodies.
Birdsong is usually heard in spring, whereas the calls, much simpler than songs, are used by both sexes and heard throughout the year. Birdcalls allow swift communication via simple messages without a great expenditure of energy. (8) These calls’ main functions can be listed as follows:
- To establish a bird’s species
- To indicate its bird’s gender
- To reveal its location
- To demarcate and defend its territory
- To announce and advertise a source of food
- To let young birds recognize their own parents
- To keep the flock together when traveling
- To warn of the presence of an enemy
- To intimidate an enemy
- For courtship
To mark the changeover of responsibility for nesting duties such as incubating or feeding
To practice and perfect their songs
Bird Sounds Are Not Haphazard
Usually, birdsong is not composed of randomly produced sounds. Songs are exceptionally diverse melodies of specific meaning, sung for a purpose, and are much more complex than the calls used for signaling. They are generally used by males to advertise and defend a territory, or in courtship. It is also believed that songs serve a social function. When a pair is building their nest, they also establish communication by song. Experiments on caged birds have also demonstrated that birds find it easier to learn songs if another bird is present, but out of sight, in another cage. (9)
Male and female songbirds have different brain structures, particularly in the regions related to sound production. With many songbird species, the males can sing, but the females cannot. The males use “song” to call their mates or designate a tree, pole, or electrical cable as a place to perch. Each species sings a song with its own characteristics, but any given species’ songs display variations according to age, sex, particular time of year, and geographical location-appropriate for the environment in which they live. For example, birds that live in meadows use “songs of flight.” Similarly, ones that live in the dense foliage of rain forests or reed thickets have loud voices to compensate for reduced visibility.
God’s Miracle of Inspiration
As we have explained, birds employ the most suitable methods of communication for their habitats and objectives. There is no question of every bird being able to know which song it should sing under which circumstances, or to calculate on its own the meaning and purpose of the song it will sing. According to the Darwinist way of thinking, however, all the birds and other living creatures that we see around us, , all the abilities that they exhibit and all the beauty that they display, are the products of blind chance. Yet obviously, the consciousness and design that pervade life and living things at every moment cannot be explained in terms of a series of mere coincidences.
Living things devoid of reason and judgment can exhibit such behavior because such intelligence and consideration of the future are inspired in them by God. God creates every living thing with the characteristics it requires and inspires its appropriately intelligent behavior. All living things perform only those functions that God inspires in them, serving as a means whereby we are able to witness His might. In one verse of the Qur’an, God reveals:
Do you not see that everyone in the heavens and Earth glorifies God, as do the birds with their outspread wings? Each one knows its prayer and glorification. God knows what they do. (Qur’an, 24:41)
References:
1- http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/bionb424/students/mdr17/neurophysiology.htm
2- http://www.earthlife.net/birds/hearing.html
3- http://www.earthlife.net/birds/hearing.html
4- Theodore Xenophon Barber, Ph. d., The Human Nature of Birds, USA, 1993, p. 36.
5- Ibid., p. 37.
6- Ibid., , p. 34.
7- Lesley J. Rogers & Gisela Kaplan, Songs, Roars and Rituals: Communication In Birds, Mammals and Other Animals, USA, 2000, pp. 78-79.
8- http://whalonlab.msu.edu/Student_ Webpages/Bird_song/page
9- http://whalonlab.msu.edu/Student_ Webpages/Bird_song/page
SEYMOUR
Aug
28
Filed Under Religion | Comments Off
Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil asked:
The issues concerning the Birds in the Bible are:1) The Birds are Detestable and intolerable, 2) The Purification of man is achieved by the Birds’ blood, 3) Sparrow and swallow are symbols of the curse, 4) A new method for Education is to ask the birds, 5) Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom” because the birds are spying out on you, and 6) The Birds have four legs, a statement that contradicts with the science.
The issues concerning the Birds in the Quran are: 1)What are the Birds, 2)The Birds and the Famous Prophets (Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon and the Lord Jesus), 3) The Birds beat a Christian Army, 4) The Birds and the unbelievers and 5)The Birds and the believers in the afterlife.
Upon reading the Birds in Bible versus Quran, the smart just reader can easily answer this dogmatic question:” Is the Quran quoted or borrowed from the Bible?”
Before dealing with the topic of the Birds in Quran versus Bible versus sciences, it is essential to remember that the total words of the Bible are 788,280 while total words of the Quran are 77,473. It follows that, the Bible has the potential of more than 10 times the Quran to talk about the Birds word-wise.
The Birds mentioned 129 times in the Bible and 17 times in the Quran.
The Birds in the Bible:
The Detestable and intolerable Birds
Leviticus 11
13 ” ‘These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 14 the red kite, any kind of black kite, 15 any kind of raven, 16 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
21 There are, however, some winged creatures that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground.
22 Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper.
23 But all other winged creatures that have four legs you are to detest.
24 ” ‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.
25 Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening.
Clean and unclean Birds:
Leviticus 11:46
” ‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every creature that moves about on the ground.
47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’ “
Leviticus 20:25
” ‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those which I have set apart as unclean for you.
The Purification of man is achieved by the Birds’ blood.
Leviticus 14:5
Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot.
Leviticus 14:52
He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn.
Sparrow and swallow are symbols of the curse
Proverbs 26
1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
honor is not fitting for a fool.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
A new method for Education is to ask the birds.
Job 12:7
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
Freedom of speech is “Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom”
Why? Because the birds are spying out on you…
What if the king or the rich is evil? Can not we criticize them?
Ecclesiastes 10:20
Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
Why the God love is going to do that?
Deuteronomy 28:26
Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
Jeremiah 15:3
“I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” declares the LORD, “the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.
Jeremiah 7:33
Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
Zephaniah 1:3
“I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
Birds with four legs:
This statement is mentioned in Leviticus 11:20
Herein, I will give you the different translations of this verse:
New International Version
“All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you.”
King James Version
“All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.”
New American Standard Bible
“All the winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you.”
Darby Translation
“Every winged crawling thing that goeth upon all four shall be an abomination unto you.”
The translation of my Arabic bible is:
“All the birds that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you”.
Can any one show me where in the earth we can find a single bird with four legs. The Bible says there are winged creatures (birds or insects) that go around on all fours. There are no birds that go around on four legs, and all insects have six legs.
This verse contradicts with the sciences.
The Birds in the Quran
Birds are mentioned 17 times in the Quran
The issues concerning the Birds in the Quran are:
1) What are the Birds
2) The Birds and the Famous Prophets (Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon and the Lord Jesus)
3) The Birds beat a Christian Army
4) The Birds and the unbelievers
5) The Birds in the afterlife.
What are the Birds?
Surah 6:38
“There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have We omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.”
Surah 16:79
“Do they not look at the birds, held poised in the midst of (the air and) the sky? Nothing holds them up but (the power of) Allah. Verily in this are Signs for those who believe.”
Surah 24:41
“Seest thou not that it is Allah Whose praises all beings in the heavens and on earth do celebrate, and the birds (of the air) with wings outspread? Each one knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise. And Allah knows well all that they do.”
Surah 67:19
“Do they not observe the birds above them, spreading their wings and folding them in? None can uphold them except (Allah) Most Gracious: truly it is He that watches over all things.”
These verses define the Birds and give the following statements:
- The Birds are communities like mankind.
- The flying birds of the air with wings outspreads are among the signs of Allah, The Almighty Creator
- The birds spreading their wings and folding them in are among the signs of Allah, The Almighty Creator.
- It should be emphasized that the Quran never said that there is a detestable bird(s).
Abraham and the Birds:
Surah 2:260
“Behold! Ibrahim said: “My Lord! Show me how Thou givest life to the dead.” He said: “Dost thou not then believe?” He said: “Yea! but to satisfy my own understanding.” He said: “Take four birds; tame them to turn to thee; put a portion of them on every hill, and call to them; they will come to thee, (flying) with speed. Then know that Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.”
In this verse, Allah showed Abraham how to give life to the DEAD. This meaning is not found in the Bible.
Joseph (The Son of Jacob) and the Birds:
Surah 12:36
Now with him there came into the prison two young men. Said one of them: “I see myself (in a dream) pressing wine.” Said the other: “I see myself (in a dream) carrying bread on my head, and birds are eating thereof.” “Tell us” (they said) “the truth and meaning thereof: for we see thou art one that doth good (to all).”
Surah 12:41
“O my two companions of the prison! as to one of you, he will pour out the wine for his lord to drink: as for the other, he will hang from the cross, and the birds will eat from off his head. (So) hath been decreed that matter whereof ye twain do enquire.”
These are the dreams that have been seen by the two companions of the prison while Joseph was in jail. Joseph interpreted the dreams and told them that one of the two will be freed up to go back to be with the king and the other will hang from the cross, and the birds will eat from off his head.
A similar story is found in the Bible in Genesis 40:19
King David and the Birds:
Surah 34:10
We bestowed Grace aforetime on David from Ourselves: “O ye Mountains! sing ye back the Praises of Allah with him! and ye birds (also)! and We made the iron soft for him;
38:19
And the birds gathered (in assemblies): all with him did turn (to Allah).
The mountains and the Birds were singing back the Praises of Allah with David.
This implication is not found in the Bible.
King Solomon and the Birds:
Surah 21:79
To Solomon We inspired the (right) understanding of the matter: to each (of them) We gave Judgment and Knowledge; it was Our power that made the hills and the birds celebrate Our praises, with David: it was We Who did (all these things).
Surah 27:16
And Solomon was David’s heir. He said: “O ye people! we have been taught the speech of birds and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah.)”
Surah 27:17
And before Solomon were marshaled his hosts, of Jinns and men and birds, and they were all kept in order and ranks.
Surah 27:20
And he took a muster of the Birds; and he said: “Why is it I see not the Hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees?
These verses indicate that:
- Allah made the hills and the birds celebrate Our praises, with David.
- Allah taught Solomon the speech of birds, and bestowed him of all things and his kingdom on the earth has no similar.
- Solomon had an interesting story with the Hoopoe
(Read my article about the Hoopoe in Bible and Quran).
All of these connotations are not found in the Bible.
The Lord Jesus and the Birds:
Surah 3:49
“And (appoint him) a Messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): “I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah’s leave: and I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah’s leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe;”
Surah 5:110
“Then will Allah say: “O ‘Jesus the son of Mary! recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it, and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the Clear Signs, and the Unbelievers among them said: `This is nothing but evident magic”.
These two verses designate to two important miracles of the Lord Jesus that Allah gave him and both are not mentioned in the Bible.
The first is that he used to make out of clay the figure of a bird and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah’s leave
The second is that he talked to the Israelites while he was about one week old.
The Birds beat a Christian Army
Surah 105:1-5
[1] Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the Companions of the Elephant?
[2] Did He not make their treacherous plan go astray?
[3] And He sent against them flights of Birds,
[4] Striking them with stones of baked clay.
[5] Then did He make them like an empty field of stalks and straw, (of which the corn) has been eaten up.
At the year of the birth of the Prophet Mohammad, a strong Ethiopian Army went towards Makkah (the city of birth of Mohammad) in order to destroy the Holy Home of ALLAH (the place of pilgrim). The Arabs had no power to fight against that very big and strong army. The Arabs left Makka alone. Allah sent flights of Birds and defended His Holy House. Hundreds of birds which had never been seen before flew towards Makkah. Each bird had 3 little stones. These Birds beat the Ethiopian Army.
That year is called the year of “Elephant” because the Army brought a dozen of elephants in order to destroy the Holy House of Allah.
This story emphasizes the unlimited power of Allah Who can beat any big army with birds or microbes or viruses etc.
Of course, this story is not present in the Bible.
The Birds and the unbelievers
Surah 22:31
“Being true in faith to Allah, and never assigning partners to Him: if anyone assigns partners to Allah, he is as if he had fallen from heaven and been snatched up by birds, or the wind had swooped (like a bird on its prey) and thrown him into a far-distant place.
This is a parable of the unbeliever illustrating his loss.”
The Birds and the believers
The Birds in the afterlife
56:21
“And the flesh of fowls, any that they may desire.”
The believers in the Paradise will eat delicious flesh of fowls; cooked, presented and served according to their desire.
Now, I will let the smart fair reader to answer the dogmatic question:
Is the Quran quoted or borrowed from the Bible?
LEONARD
The issues concerning the Birds in the Bible are:1) The Birds are Detestable and intolerable, 2) The Purification of man is achieved by the Birds’ blood, 3) Sparrow and swallow are symbols of the curse, 4) A new method for Education is to ask the birds, 5) Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom” because the birds are spying out on you, and 6) The Birds have four legs, a statement that contradicts with the science.
The issues concerning the Birds in the Quran are: 1)What are the Birds, 2)The Birds and the Famous Prophets (Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon and the Lord Jesus), 3) The Birds beat a Christian Army, 4) The Birds and the unbelievers and 5)The Birds and the believers in the afterlife.
Upon reading the Birds in Bible versus Quran, the smart just reader can easily answer this dogmatic question:” Is the Quran quoted or borrowed from the Bible?”
Before dealing with the topic of the Birds in Quran versus Bible versus sciences, it is essential to remember that the total words of the Bible are 788,280 while total words of the Quran are 77,473. It follows that, the Bible has the potential of more than 10 times the Quran to talk about the Birds word-wise.
The Birds mentioned 129 times in the Bible and 17 times in the Quran.
The Birds in the Bible:
The Detestable and intolerable Birds
Leviticus 11
13 ” ‘These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 14 the red kite, any kind of black kite, 15 any kind of raven, 16 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
21 There are, however, some winged creatures that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground.
22 Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper.
23 But all other winged creatures that have four legs you are to detest.
24 ” ‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.
25 Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening.
Clean and unclean Birds:
Leviticus 11:46
” ‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every creature that moves about on the ground.
47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’ “
Leviticus 20:25
” ‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those which I have set apart as unclean for you.
The Purification of man is achieved by the Birds’ blood.
Leviticus 14:5
Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot.
Leviticus 14:52
He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn.
Sparrow and swallow are symbols of the curse
Proverbs 26
1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
honor is not fitting for a fool.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
A new method for Education is to ask the birds.
Job 12:7
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
Freedom of speech is “Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom”
Why? Because the birds are spying out on you…
What if the king or the rich is evil? Can not we criticize them?
Ecclesiastes 10:20
Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
Why the God love is going to do that?
Deuteronomy 28:26
Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
Jeremiah 15:3
“I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” declares the LORD, “the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.
Jeremiah 7:33
Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
Zephaniah 1:3
“I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
Birds with four legs:
This statement is mentioned in Leviticus 11:20
Herein, I will give you the different translations of this verse:
New International Version
“All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you.”
King James Version
“All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.”
New American Standard Bible
“All the winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you.”
Darby Translation
“Every winged crawling thing that goeth upon all four shall be an abomination unto you.”
The translation of my Arabic bible is:
“All the birds that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you”.
Can any one show me where in the earth we can find a single bird with four legs. The Bible says there are winged creatures (birds or insects) that go around on all fours. There are no birds that go around on four legs, and all insects have six legs.
This verse contradicts with the sciences.
The Birds in the Quran
Birds are mentioned 17 times in the Quran
The issues concerning the Birds in the Quran are:
1) What are the Birds
2) The Birds and the Famous Prophets (Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon and the Lord Jesus)
3) The Birds beat a Christian Army
4) The Birds and the unbelievers
5) The Birds in the afterlife.
What are the Birds?
Surah 6:38
“There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have We omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.”
Surah 16:79
“Do they not look at the birds, held poised in the midst of (the air and) the sky? Nothing holds them up but (the power of) Allah. Verily in this are Signs for those who believe.”
Surah 24:41
“Seest thou not that it is Allah Whose praises all beings in the heavens and on earth do celebrate, and the birds (of the air) with wings outspread? Each one knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise. And Allah knows well all that they do.”
Surah 67:19
“Do they not observe the birds above them, spreading their wings and folding them in? None can uphold them except (Allah) Most Gracious: truly it is He that watches over all things.”
These verses define the Birds and give the following statements:
- The Birds are communities like mankind.
- The flying birds of the air with wings outspreads are among the signs of Allah, The Almighty Creator
- The birds spreading their wings and folding them in are among the signs of Allah, The Almighty Creator.
- It should be emphasized that the Quran never said that there is a detestable bird(s).
Abraham and the Birds:
Surah 2:260
“Behold! Ibrahim said: “My Lord! Show me how Thou givest life to the dead.” He said: “Dost thou not then believe?” He said: “Yea! but to satisfy my own understanding.” He said: “Take four birds; tame them to turn to thee; put a portion of them on every hill, and call to them; they will come to thee, (flying) with speed. Then know that Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.”
In this verse, Allah showed Abraham how to give life to the DEAD. This meaning is not found in the Bible.
Joseph (The Son of Jacob) and the Birds:
Surah 12:36
Now with him there came into the prison two young men. Said one of them: “I see myself (in a dream) pressing wine.” Said the other: “I see myself (in a dream) carrying bread on my head, and birds are eating thereof.” “Tell us” (they said) “the truth and meaning thereof: for we see thou art one that doth good (to all).”
Surah 12:41
“O my two companions of the prison! as to one of you, he will pour out the wine for his lord to drink: as for the other, he will hang from the cross, and the birds will eat from off his head. (So) hath been decreed that matter whereof ye twain do enquire.”
These are the dreams that have been seen by the two companions of the prison while Joseph was in jail. Joseph interpreted the dreams and told them that one of the two will be freed up to go back to be with the king and the other will hang from the cross, and the birds will eat from off his head.
A similar story is found in the Bible in Genesis 40:19
King David and the Birds:
Surah 34:10
We bestowed Grace aforetime on David from Ourselves: “O ye Mountains! sing ye back the Praises of Allah with him! and ye birds (also)! and We made the iron soft for him;
38:19
And the birds gathered (in assemblies): all with him did turn (to Allah).
The mountains and the Birds were singing back the Praises of Allah with David.
This implication is not found in the Bible.
King Solomon and the Birds:
Surah 21:79
To Solomon We inspired the (right) understanding of the matter: to each (of them) We gave Judgment and Knowledge; it was Our power that made the hills and the birds celebrate Our praises, with David: it was We Who did (all these things).
Surah 27:16
And Solomon was David’s heir. He said: “O ye people! we have been taught the speech of birds and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah.)”
Surah 27:17
And before Solomon were marshaled his hosts, of Jinns and men and birds, and they were all kept in order and ranks.
Surah 27:20
And he took a muster of the Birds; and he said: “Why is it I see not the Hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees?
These verses indicate that:
- Allah made the hills and the birds celebrate Our praises, with David.
- Allah taught Solomon the speech of birds, and bestowed him of all things and his kingdom on the earth has no similar.
- Solomon had an interesting story with the Hoopoe
(Read my article about the Hoopoe in Bible and Quran).
All of these connotations are not found in the Bible.
The Lord Jesus and the Birds:
Surah 3:49
“And (appoint him) a Messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): “I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah’s leave: and I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah’s leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe;”
Surah 5:110
“Then will Allah say: “O ‘Jesus the son of Mary! recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it, and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the Clear Signs, and the Unbelievers among them said: `This is nothing but evident magic”.
These two verses designate to two important miracles of the Lord Jesus that Allah gave him and both are not mentioned in the Bible.
The first is that he used to make out of clay the figure of a bird and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah’s leave
The second is that he talked to the Israelites while he was about one week old.
The Birds beat a Christian Army
Surah 105:1-5
[1] Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the Companions of the Elephant?
[2] Did He not make their treacherous plan go astray?
[3] And He sent against them flights of Birds,
[4] Striking them with stones of baked clay.
[5] Then did He make them like an empty field of stalks and straw, (of which the corn) has been eaten up.
At the year of the birth of the Prophet Mohammad, a strong Ethiopian Army went towards Makkah (the city of birth of Mohammad) in order to destroy the Holy Home of ALLAH (the place of pilgrim). The Arabs had no power to fight against that very big and strong army. The Arabs left Makka alone. Allah sent flights of Birds and defended His Holy House. Hundreds of birds which had never been seen before flew towards Makkah. Each bird had 3 little stones. These Birds beat the Ethiopian Army.
That year is called the year of “Elephant” because the Army brought a dozen of elephants in order to destroy the Holy House of Allah.
This story emphasizes the unlimited power of Allah Who can beat any big army with birds or microbes or viruses etc.
Of course, this story is not present in the Bible.
The Birds and the unbelievers
Surah 22:31
“Being true in faith to Allah, and never assigning partners to Him: if anyone assigns partners to Allah, he is as if he had fallen from heaven and been snatched up by birds, or the wind had swooped (like a bird on its prey) and thrown him into a far-distant place.
This is a parable of the unbeliever illustrating his loss.”
The Birds and the believers
The Birds in the afterlife
56:21
“And the flesh of fowls, any that they may desire.”
The believers in the Paradise will eat delicious flesh of fowls; cooked, presented and served according to their desire.
Now, I will let the smart fair reader to answer the dogmatic question:
Is the Quran quoted or borrowed from the Bible?
LEONARD