101 Reasons Why We Left Islam – Chapter 3: Islam and Science – Reason 31
The Quran makes several claims that everything or all things are created in pairs:
Quran 51:49: https://myislam.org/surah-dhariyat/ayat-49/
“And of all things We have created pairs, that you may remember.”
Quran 36:36: https://myislam.org/surah-yaseen/ayat-36/
“Glory to Allah, who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge.”
Quran 43:12: https://myislam.org/surah-zukhruf/ayat-12/
“And ˹He is the One˺ Who created all things in pairs, and made for you ships and animals to ride”
What if I told you that there is not just one species but over 65,000 species that do not have male/female combination? The biological term for species where all individuals are of the same gender is unisexuality. In unisexual species, there are no male and female combinations; instead, all individuals are typically of one sex, usually female. These species reproduce through a process called parthenogenesis, where an egg develops into an individual without fertilization by a male.
Here are three examples of unisexual species in the animal kingdom:
- Whiptail Lizards: Some species of whiptail lizards, such as the New Mexico whiptail, are entirely female. They reproduce through parthenogenesis, producing offspring that are genetic clones of the mother.
- Amazon Molly (Poecilia formosa): This fish species is also unisexual and consists only of females. They reproduce by gynogenesis, a form of parthenogenesis where the presence of sperm from a related species is required to trigger the development of the egg, but the sperm does not contribute genetically.
- Bdelloid Rotifers: These microscopic aquatic animals have been reproducing asexually for millions of years. All individuals are female, and they reproduce through parthenogenesis, producing genetically identical daughters.
These examples are different to cases where there are two genders, but occasionally, virgin births can happen. There are several documented cases of virgin births:
- Komodo Dragons: These large reptiles can reproduce without males. A notable case occurred in 2006 at Chester Zoo in the UK, where a female Komodo dragon laid eggs that hatched into healthy offspring without any male involvement.
- Sharks: Several species of sharks, including bonnethead sharks and zebra sharks, have been observed to reproduce via parthenogenesis. For instance, a bonnethead shark at an aquarium in Nebraska gave birth without ever being exposed to a male.
- California Condors: These critically endangered birds can also reproduce without males. Even when housed with males, some female California condors have been known to produce offspring through parthenogenesis.
What the above examples show is the fact that there are species that simply run on one single gender, same genetic birth, and even cases of virgin births. Makes the three verses that kept insisting that ALL creations are done in pairs completely debunked!
These are facts that you can research yourself.
Issue 31.1. You can forgive a desert dweller not to know that in nature there are way more than males and females. The observations done at the time were based on the understanding of the visible world where you see male and female humans, cattle, and plants – yes, they understood the fertilisation of plants. But an all-knowing God would have known this is not the case and at the least refrained from using the term ‘Everything’ and maybe used ‘most things’.
Islamists Excuses:
Issue 31.1. The verses can be seen in the context that all species have two genders: males and females. The Quran does not state that they reproduce as males and females. That is your assumption. While some may have developed (or evolved, as you may prefer to say) to be single-gender, that is the magnificence of the creator. There was a time in the past when there used to be two genders, and one may have died out. As such, the verses remain correct, and there are no scientific errors. Finally, a reminder of the point we mentioned before: the Quran is not a book of science but a book of signs. The statements were not meant to be a lesson in biology but in overall nature, and as such, the verses are correct.
>>> Our response: The verses are clear. The emphasis is on ‘all things’, and other translators clearly state ‘everything’. To say that once upon a time in the past there were two genders is wrong, as these creatures exist now as a single gender species. Also, the idea of two (or pairs) conflicts with another fact that science has shown: the existence of hermaphrodites who have both males and females in the same species and always operate as such – such as snails. Some may now claim the Quran is a book of signs and not science because it reads like a basic year one book, but this does not escape the fact that an All-knowing god would have known that these statements are not accurate and still decided to send it as such and that is a reason to question this book.
Final thoughts:
A few years ago, when scientists confirmed that plants tend to have males and females, there was a flood of videos and posts about the miracle of the Quran that identified these some 1400 years before – clearly, this was an inflated claim mixed with misinformation. First of all, it assumes people at the time did not know about two genders in plants, which is not true. As early as the bronze age, humans recognise the need to pollinate one plant with others to get strong crops. However, early Greek researchers such as Empedocles and Theophrastus noted the different structures of plants’ reproduction systems being binary. In the Arabic language, we assume everything is binary, even things such as the moon (male), sun (female), house (male), car (female)…etc. The Quran did not venture too much outside its zone to assume everything is in pairs.
https://academic.oup.com/book/6702/chapter-abstract/150774080?redirectedFrom=fulltext