Science and Signs in the Qur’an

“And it is He who sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby the growth of all things. We produce from it greenery from which we produce grains arranged in layers…”(Quran 6:99)

The Mystery of Green Crops: The Holy Quran and Photosynthesis

By A.S.M Razan

The earth is very beautiful; the greatest gifts that nature has given us to protect us as we live on it are trees and plants. From the tiniest plant to the grandest tree, everything protects us by giving us air and food. Have you ever thought about how plants prepare their own food and help us as well? The reason behind this is a wonderful process called photosynthesis in science.

Sunlight, rainwater pouring from the sky, and the air we breathe out—using just these three things, plants cook their own food. Once the cooking is done, they return the oxygen air that is vital for our survival in a pure form. In short, plants are a natural kitchen operating for our world!

The Holy Quran explained this wonderful secret very beautifully many centuries before humans discovered science. Let us now see how true this is as a scientific fact.

The Al-Quran states: “And it is He who sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby the growth of all things. We produce from it greenery from which we produce grains arranged in layers…”(Quran 6:99).

The scientific proof of how true this verse is is that scientists have discovered that ‘greenery’ (a green color pigment) is essential for plants to prepare their food. The green substance called ‘chlorophyll’ found in plant leaves catches sunlight in its tiny grip and performs the magic of cooking food. The word “green crops/plants” mentioned by the Quran back then has been proven today as the most fundamental basis of botany.

Secondly, the Quran reminds us in another place how plants store the energy of sunlight through photosynthesis: ” [He]who produced for you, from the green tree, fire, and then from it you ignite.” (Quran 36:80).

The scientific truth behind this is that green trees that lived millions of years ago stored the energy of sunlight within themselves through photosynthesis. Those trees decayed and turned into coal and firewood, which we use today to light stoves and fires. It fills us with wonder to see how the words spoken by the Quran back then match one hundred percent with today’s science of coal and fossil fuels.

Let us love and protect trees, which cradle and nurture us by giving us good air to breathe, delicious food to eat, and a green world to live in. Let us realize how true the words of the Holy Quran are, which taught us this grand miracle of nature, and express our gratitude to the Creator.

References: 

1. Quranic References
Surah Al-An’am (6:99): Mentions water, plant growth, and green crops.
Surah Ya-Sin (36:80): Mentions fire/energy produced from green trees.
2. Scientific References
Textbooks: Campbell Biology(Photosynthesis chapters) and Raven Biology of Plants (Plant physiology and chlorophyll).
Historical & Research Literature: Annals of Botany / PMC reviews on the history of photosynthesis (Jan Ingenhousz and Robert Mayer discoveries).
Fossil Fuel Science: OpenStax Biology / Environmental Science literature detailing the geological transformation of ancient plant biomass (stored solar energy) into coal and hydrocarbons.

About the Author:
A.S.M. Razan (Abdul Salam Mohamed Razan) writes on Islam and science, with particular interest in the relationship between Qur’anic revelation and discoveries in biology, astronomy and cosmology. He is a physiotherapy student at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and has a background in Biological Sciences. He is a guest writer for PEACE Magazine.

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