The Rabbit in Bible vs. Quran vs. Science

The Bible says that the Rabbit is a ruminant animal. The scientists say that the Rabbit is not a ruminant animal.

The Quran does not mention the Rabbit by name but it gives an Arabic word of four letters that can be applicable for man, animals, birds, plants and microbes.

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The Rabbit in the Bible:

RABBITS ERRONEOUSLY CALLED RUMINANTS IN THE BIBLE

The rabbits are mentioned in the Old Testament in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. The rabbit does not mentioned in the New Testament.

The quotes herein are from the New International Version.

Leviticus 11:3-6:

‘Whatever divides the hoof, and is cloven-footed, chewing the cud, among the animals, that you shall eat.

‘Only, you shall not eat these of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: the camel, for he chews the cud but does not divide the hoof; he is unclean to you.

And the rock badger, because he chews the cud, but does not divide the hoof; he is unclean to you.

‘And the hare, because he chews the cud but does not divide the hoof; he is unclean to you.’

 

Deuteronomy 14:6-8:

You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud.

However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the Coney. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you.

The pig is also unclean; although it has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.

 

These verses made the digestive process of the rabbit an object of a hot theological discussion.

In Hebrew “arnebeth” means rabbit

Also, in Arabic “arnab” means a male rabbit and “arnabat” means a female rabbit.

The Hebrew words are: ‘ALEH GERAH, lit,

These Hebrew words mean ‘Gerah the cud’ and translated to ‘chew the cud’

The exact or the true translation should be: “raising up what has been swallowed”)? Or may be translated to ‘bring up the cud’

Rabbits do not bring up anything; they let it go all the way through, and then eat it again. The description given in Leviticus is inaccurate. Rabbits do eat their own dung; they do not bring anything up and chew on it.

The Bible says that the hare chews the cud, but the scientists claim that the Bible is in error on this point.

Furthermore, some skeptics claim that since the Bible contains this error, it is not the Word of God and cannot be taken seriously on any other points either.

 

Animals that ‘chew the cud’ are called ruminants. They hardly chew their food when first eaten, but swallow it into a special stomach where the food is partially digested. Then it is regurgitated, chewed again, and swallowed into a different stomach. Animals which do this include cows, sheep and goats, and they all have four stomachs. Coneys and rabbits are not ruminants.

Animals which do this include cows, sheep, goats, deer, and giraffes; they all have four stomachs and chewing a cud consisting of regurgitated, partially digested food.” Coneys and rabbits are not ruminants.

The rabbit does not fit this definition, and trying to classify it as a ruminant is not accepted.

Biblical scholars refuse to see this statement as a biological error that incorrectly classifies the rabbit as a ruminant or cud-chewer.

When defining the rabbit, most of the Bible Dictionaries say that the habit of the rabbit is to grind its teeth and move its jaw as if it actually chewed the cud. But, like the Coney, it is not a ruminant with four stomachs, but a rodent like the squirrel, rat, etc. Moses speaks of it according to appearance. It is interdicted because, though apparently chewing the cud, it did not divide the hoof.”

Examples of what is said about the rabbit in some Bible Dictionaries

A) Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, page 525:

“The assertion that the hare is a ruminant is contrary to fact. Some movements of the mouth and jaws have been erroneously interpreted as cud-chewing.”

B) International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, page 616:

“This animal is mentioned only in the lists of unclean animals in Leviticus and Deuteronomy…The hare and the Coney are not ruminants, but might be supposed to be from their habit of almost continuously moving their jaws.”

C) Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, 2000 edition, page 552:

“Because it “chews the cud” but “does not have divided hoofs,” the hare is classified as an unclean animal (Lev. 11:6; Deut. 14:7). Actually, it is not a ruminant but may have appeared as such to ancient observers because of its constant chewing movements.”

A Biblical scholar said:

“I don’t believe the rabbit chews the cud in the modern technical sense. It simply makes a chewing motion that from an observational point of view can be associated with other animals that do chew the cud in the technical sense.”

Another intellectual claims that “the Hebrew “arnebeth” means an unidentified animal which is rendered hare or rabbit, perhaps incorrectly”. His opinion is far beyond the reality!

Other Biblical academic scholar said:

“Does the rabbit ruminate? True ruminants normally have four stomachs, and that which has been worked over in these stomachs is regurgitated into the mouth when it is ready to be chewed again. In this technical sense neither the rabbit nor the hare can be called ruminants, but they do give the appearance of chewing their cud in the same way ruminants do.”

Herein the conclusion of what the Biblical researchers say:

• The Rabbits do give the appearance of chewing their cud in the same way ruminants do.
• The Rabbits are not ruminants, but might be supposed to be from their habit of almost continuously moving their jaws.
• The Rabbits are not ruminants but may have appeared as such to ancient observers because of their constant chewing movements.

Now the question is: what is the relation between the Word of God and the ancient observers who assumed that the Rabbits are cud-chewing due to its habit of continuously moving its jaws?

In addition, who wrote the Bible God or those observers?

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The Rabbit in the Quran:

The rabbit by name is not mentioned in the Quran.

However, the Quran gives an Arabic word of four characters that can be applicable for man, animals, birds, plants and microbes.

You will read about this comprehensive word very soon.

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Back to the main issue of my series of articles; this is my question to you smart readers: “Is the Quran quoted from the Bible?”

Professor Dr. Ibrahim Khalil wrote this article

http://www.articlesbase.com/science-articles/the-rabbit-in-bible-and-quran-115417.html

The Spider in Bible vs. Quran vs. Science

The Bible says that the spider is found in kings’ palaces, Locusts have no king and whoever eats the eggs of vipers will die.

The Quran says that the female spider is the one mainly undertaking the building of the house and the spider’s house, from the physical and moral point of view, is the weakest house of all houses

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One of the expanded dogmas of mankind is that the Quran is quoted or borrowed from the Bible.

This creed is established upon studies of many prejudiced intellectual scholars

In this series of articles (1-16), it is obvious that the Quran is quite different from the Bible.

It is also very clear that the Quran preceded the sciences in many aspects. In the present topic of the Spider, the smart reader will answer easily this false dogmatic inquiry: Is the Quran quoted from the Bible. The Bible which says :

1) Four things on earth are small, Ants, Coneys, locusts and a spider,

2) Locusts have no king,

3) The spider is found in kings’ palaces and

4) Whoever eats the eggs of vipers will die. Or the Quran which says

1) The female spider is the one mainly undertaking the building of the house,

2) The spider’s house, from the physical and moral point of view, is the weakest house of all houses and

3) The weakness is in the spider’s house and not in its threads Before dealing with the topic of the Spider in Quran vs. Bible vs. 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 spider word-wise. The spider is mentioned in three verses in the Bible (all are in the Old Testament and never mentioned in the New Testament).

On the other hand, the spider is mentioned in one verse in the Quran. ———————————————————

The Spider in the Bible Proverbs 30 24 “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: 25 Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; 26 Coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; 27 locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; 28 a spider can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

In the “Arabic” Bible, the verse 24 says:” the smallest”; this adjective is modified in the modern English version to “small”. However, there are thousands of creatures that are smaller than the Ants, Coneys, locusts and a spider and are wise also as for examples the microbes, protozoa and fungi. Also, why the spider is found in the kings’ places specifically? Again, why the locusts have no king although they have? Job 8 13 Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. 14 What he trusts in is fragile; what he relies on is a spider’s web. In this verse, the trust of the hypocrite is compared to the spider’s web or house.

This meaning is a beautiful one. Isaiah 59:5-6 Talking about those who are unjust and lie etc. 5 They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched. 6 Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. Herein, Isaiah describes the wicked as those which “weave the spider’s web” i.e., their works and designs are, like the spider’s web, vain and useless. However, scientifically speaking, the one who eat the eggs of vipers will not die. Guaranteed. Even the one who eats the viper itself will not die. I wonder why the Bible put itself in such critical scientific conflicts. ———————————————————

The Spider in the Quran: Surah 29: [39] (Remember also) Qaroun, Pharaoh, and Haman: there came to them Moses with Clear Signs, but they behaved with insolence on the earth; yet they could not overreach (Us). [40] Each one of them We seized for his crime: of them, against some We sent a violent tornado (with showers of stones); some were caught by a (mighty) Blast; some We caused the earth to swallow up; and some We drowned (in the waters): it was not Allah who injured (or oppressed) them: they injured (and oppressed) their own souls. [41] The parable of those who take protectors other than Allah is that of the Spider, who builds (to itself) a house; but truly the flimsiest of houses is the Spider’s house; if they but knew. [42] Verily Allah doth know of (every thing) whatever that they call upon besides Him: and He is Exalted (in power), Wise. [43] And such are the Parables We set forth for mankind, but only those understand them who have knowledge. [44] Allah created the heavens and the earth in true (proportions): verily in that is a Sign for those who believe. N.B.: Qaroun and Haman were the best friends of the Pharaoh of Moses. Qaroun was a very wealthy and powerful Israelite but was pro-Pharaoh. Haman was a top Egyptian official, he was chief of the army and police. Both Qaroun and Haman are not mentioned in the Bible. Back to the Spider, the Surah number 29 is named “Al-Ankaboot” which means the spider.

Naming the Surah with the singular form “Al-Ankaboot” indicates the solitary life of this animal, except at times of mating and egg hatching. This can be compared to the Surah “Al-Nahel” (The Bees) and the Surah “Al-Namel” (The Ants), where the names are plural since these insects live in social groups. The word “Al-Ankaboot” is used for the feminine singular. The verse indicates that the female spider is the one mainly undertaking the building of the house. Accordingly, building the spider’s house is an assignment carried on by the female spiders. It is the female which has in its body the glands for secretion of the silk substance from which the spider’s house is made. The spider’s house, from the physical point of view, is the weakest house of all, because it is made out of a number of very delicate silk threads. These threads are interwoven, leaving large separating spaces at most times. Therefore, they do not protect from the heat of the sun, or the extreme cold. These threads do not form adequate shade, nor protect from the rain, storming winds, or the dangers of attackers.

The Quran is very strict and clear when saying that the weakness is in the spider’s house and not the threads; (the flimsiest of houses). The spider’s house is the flimsiest house, whether physically or morally.

This has been proven by the late studies in zoology. In other words, the Quran preceded the modern scientific findings by more than 1300 years. The threads of the spider’s house are made of very delicate silk. The thickness of one thread is usually one million of the squared inch, or one part of four thousand parts of the thickness of the ordinary human hair. Despite its delicacy, it is the strongest biological substance known to mankind so far. The silk threads which make up the spider’s web are considered stronger than steel, and their strength is surpassed only by the melted quartz. The thin thread stretches to five times its length before it is cut. Therefore, the scientists call it “biological steel” or “bio-steel”. It is twenty times stronger than the ordinary metal steel. Its tolerance measures 300,000 pound for the square inch. Hypothetically speaking, should there be a thick rope of the spider’s threads, in the size of the thumb, it can easily carry a “jumbo” jet. In addition, the spider’s house, morally speaking, is the flimsiest of all houses, because it is deprived of all love and kindness, which are the pillars of any happy home. The female kills the male as soon as the fertilization takes place. Being larger in size and more violent, the female kills the male and eats its body. Also, the female eats its youngsters mercilessly. In some types, the female dies after fertilizing its eggs, which are usually fostered in a silk bag. When the eggs hatch, spider lings come out to find themselves in a very crowded place inside the eggs bag. The siblings then start to fight for food, space or both. The brother kills its brother and sister, and the sister kills its sister and brother, until the fight ends with a few spider lings remaining. These spider lings shed their skin and tear the eggs bag to come out one after the other with unhappy memories. They all then spread in the surrounding environment. Each female starts to build its house. On the road to achieve this goal, some of the spider lings die, whereas those who survive repeat the same tragedy. This makes the spider’s house the most violent and ruthless house, lacking all forms of kinship. Hence, Allah the Almighty sets it as a parable in its weakness and frailty because it lacks the simplest form of kindness between the husband and wife, the mother and her children, the brother and his siblings, and the sister and her siblings. These facts were unknown to any human at the time of revelation, and for long centuries thereafter. They have been discovered after extensive studies of the behavior of the spider by hundreds of scientists, for tens of years, until they were realized in the last decades of the twentieth century. That is why Allah ended the noble verse with His saying “if they but knew”. Some deep meaning of the verse: A- The house of the spider is not merely its dwelling place. Being the sticky net it is, it constitutes a trap for flying insects such as flies and others. These insects are a prey on which the spider feeds. Similarly, those idolaters who revere gods besides Allah, and call people to those revered gods, are in fact calling them to an artful trap which leads them to their death and destruction in this life and the afterlife. B- Warning against those with corrupt invocations who revere others besides Allah, whether money or whim. This warning is issued through indicating their hidden strings with which they hunt their victims. These strings can be money, sex, power, or any other hidden string which destroys the victim once it is trapped. Now, I think it is easy to answer this forged dogmatic question:

Is the Quran quoted from the Bible?

 

Professor Dr. Ibrahim Khalil wrote this article

http://www.articlesbase.com/science-articles/the-spider-in-bible-and-quran-115604.html

Why Do Priests Enter Islam? The story of conversion of the Preacher Yusuf Estes (4)

Preacher Has Heart Attack

Catholic Priest

Priest in Latin America

Priests Must Study ISLAM? – YES!

 

How a preacher or priest in Christianity can ever go to Islam?

How could a preacher have turned his back on the perfect plan of salvation of Jesus Christ on the cross for you sins and converted to Islam?

The American X-preacher Yusuf Estes continues saying:

Moved to Our Home

One day I came to know that my friend Mohamed was going to move out of the home he have been sharing with a friend of his and was going to be living in the mosque for a time. I went to my dad and asked him if we could invite Mohamed to come out to our big home in the country and stay there with us. After all, he could share some of the work and some expenses and he would be right there when we were ready to go to out traveling around. My father agreed and Mohamed moved in.

Continued Ministry & Preaching

Of course I still would find time to visit my fellow preachers and evangelists around the state of Texas. One of them lived on the Texas — Mexico border and another lived near lived Oklahoma border. One preacher liked to a huge wooden cross that was bigger than a car. He would carry it over his shoulder and drag the bottom on the ground and go down the road or freeway hauling these two beams formed in the shape of a cross. People would stop their cars and come over to him and ask him what was going on and he would give them pamphlets and booklets on Christianity.

Preacher Has Heart Attack

One day my friend with the cross had a heart attack and had to go to the Veterans Hospital where he stayed for quite a long while. I used to visit him in the hospital several times a week and I would take Mohamed with me with the hopes that we could all share together in the subject of beliefs and religions. My friend was not very impressed and it was obvious that he did not want to know anything about Islam. Then one day a man who was sharing the room with my friend came rolling into the room in his wheelchair. I went to him and asked him his name and he said that it didn’t matter and when I asked him where he was from he said he was from the planet Jupiter. I thought about what he said and then began to wonder if I was in the cardiac ward or the mental ward.

Man in Wheelchair – Needed the Lord

I knew the man was lonely and depressed and needed someone in his life. So, I began to ‘witness’ to him about the Lord. I read to him out of the book of Jonah in the Old Testament. I shared the story of the prophet Jonah who had been sent by the Lord to call his people to the correct way. Jonah had left his people and escaped by boat to leave his city and head out to sea. A storm came up and the ship almost capsized and the people on board threw Jonah over the side of the ship. A whale came up to the surface and grabbed Jonah, swallowed him and then went down to the bottom of the sea, where he stayed for 3 days and 3 nights. Yet because of God’s Mercy, He caused the whale to rise to the surface and then spit Jonah out to return back home safely to his city of Nineveh. And the idea was that we can’t really run away from our problems because we always know what we have done. And what is more, God also always knows what we have done.

Catholic Priest

After sharing this story with the man in the wheel chair, he looked up and me and apologized. He told me he was sorry for his rude behavior and that he had experienced some real serious problems recently. Then he said that he wanted to confess something to me. And I said that I was not a Catholic priest and I don’t handle confessions. He replied back to me that he knew that. In fact, he said: “I am a Catholic priest.”

I was shocked. Here I had been trying to preach Christianity to a priest. What in the world was happening here?

Priest in Latin America

The priest began to share his story of being a missionary for the church for over 12 years to south and Central America and Mexico and even in New York’s ‘Hell’s Kitchen.’ When he was released from the hospital he needed a place to go to recover and rather than let him go to stay with a Catholic family, I told my dad that we should invite him to come out and live with us in the country along with our families and Mohamed. It was agreed by all that he would so, he moved out right away.

Priests Must Study ISLAM? – YES!

During the trip out to our home, I talked with the priest about some of the concepts of beliefs in Islam and to my surprise he agreed and then shared even more about this with me. I was shocked when he told me that Catholic priests actually study Islam and some even carry doctors’ degrees in this subject. This was all very enlightening to me. But there was still a lot more to come.

 

Written by: Chaplain Yusuf Estes

To be continued.