The Prophecy of Genetic Engineering in the Qur’an
By Dr. Bashir Ahmad
Wildwood, MO

In the present scientific world, it has become possible to change the features and nature of life through genetic engineering.
Fourteen hundred years ago, no one would have imagined that such a feat could be performed, yet the following verse in the Holy Qur’an very clearly and distinctly prophesied that such unwholesome changes shall be made in the Allah’s creation. The only way to do so is through genetic manipulation.
The following is a translation of a Qur’anic verse:
“And he (Satan) said, I will assuredly take a fixed portion from thy servants, and assuredly I will lead them astray and assuredly I will incite them and that will cut the ears of the cattle and assuredly I will incite them and they will effect a CHANGE IN THE CREATION OF ALLAH. Thus whoso takes Satan for a friend beside Allah has certainly suffered a manifest loss.” (Qur’an 4/120).
It was a common practice among the Arabs in the pre-Islamic period to make incisions in the ears of the animals marked for sacrifice to various gods. The following part of the verse makes most astounding, dramatic and revolutionary statement -- that the changes that shall be made in the creations of Allah.
Genetic engineering is hardly a few decades old, yet the Holy Qur’an had prophesied about it fourteen hundred years ago!
The commentators of the Qur’an had difficulty in the interpretation of this verse because genetic engineering had not yet developed, so the commentators of the Qur’an gave the following interpretations of the verse.
1.Deifying God’s creation.
2.By changing and corrupting the religion of God.
3.By disfiguring the body of the newborn child.
4.By turning to evil use that which Allah has created for good use etc.
The Qur’an has very correctly described the human embryology. There are numerous verses on the subject, following is the translation of one of them:
“O people, if you are in doubt concerning being raised up again, then consider that we created you from dust, then from a sperm drop, then from clotted blood, then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed. We cause that which we will to remain in the wombs, for an appointed time, then we bring you forth as babies; then we cause you to grow that you may attain to your full strength (Qur’an 22/6).
The only way God’s creation can be changed is through genetic manipulation in a petri dish prior to implantation of a fertilized ovum into a receptive uterus.
It is wrong however to infer that the previous verse (Qur’an 4/120) condemns all possible usage of genetic engineering. If, for example, genetic engineering to correct faults in the genetic codes is caused by mutation thereby curing the disease that would have ensued in the offspring, this in no way can be interpreted as an interference with the divine scheme of things.
However, introducing genes from one species into another may cause havoc. These days special breeds of pigs are being raised in different research centers, in which human genes have been inserted through genetic manipulation. The main objective of this endeavor is to harvest pig’s organs and transplant them into human patients with failing organs, in the hope that the pig organs containing human genes will not initiate immune response and rejection. This exercise is being undertaken because human organs for transplantation are hard to come by.
5.The pig organs however do carry grave risks of carrying lethal viruses for humans. HIV and Ebola viruses were transferred to humans from animal reservoirs and have results in the deaths of millions all over the globe.
Currently there is an intense debate going on in America about cloning. Senate bill 160 and the House bill 457, would prohibit all forms of cloning. This includes somatic cell nuclear transfer.
There is no substantive difference between therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning. Both processes involve removing the nucleus from a human egg cell and replacing it with one taken from a cell of a donor. The resulting genetically modified egg is stimulated to grow by electrical or chemical means.
If this egg is implanted into a receptive uterus it will result in pregnancy. If it is not implanted it will result in stem cells which would be harvested for the treatment of diseases like Alzheimers, Parkinsons and diabetes. Both cells have 46 chromosomes with complete genetic codes. Male has xy and female xx sex chrosomes.
One marvels at the fulfillment of a grand prophesy about genetic engineering made 1400 years ago in the divinely revealed book The Holy Qur’an.

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Editor: Akhtar M. Faruqui
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