Scientific references in the Quran are signs and miracles from God that show the validity of the book, Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki told about 100 students and community members Tuesday evening in the Louis Room.

Al-Awlaki, the Muslim chaplain at George Washington University, was the first speaker of Islam Awareness Week sponsored by the Muslim-cultural Students Association. During his hour-long talk, Al-Awlaki linked scientific references in the Quran to present-day knowledge.

“There are a lot of references to nature,” he said. “Since we can’t see the creator, by learning about the creations, it brings us closer.”

Al-Awlaki quoted parts of the Quran to show how the holy book illuminates fields such as geography, archaeology, astronomy and biology. For example, the Quran mentions the lowest geographic point on earth in its recounting of a battle in Jordan, although no measuring equipment was available at the time the Quran was written, Al-Awlaki said.

“The word ‘adna’ means nearest but also means lowest,” he said. “The Dead Sea in Israel-Jordan is the lowest point. It is 1,312 feet below sea level. This was written 1,400 years ago – it couldn’t have been known.”

The Quran also provides an explanation for the expansion of the universe, Al-Awlaki said.

“The Quran says: ‘The Heaven, we have built it with power. Verily, we are expanding it,'” he quoted.

Al-Awlaki also elaborated on the portion of the Quran that deals with embryology. The book says that humans originated from the union of a man and a woman, a scientific fact that was unknown at the time the Quran was written. Also, the book details the gestation period of a human embryo by describing its appearance at 24 days.

“There were no microscopes or lenses available then,” he said. “Doctors wouldn’t have been able to see the tiny embryo – it’s too small for the naked eye.”

Some Quran scholars use the Quran to interpret the legitimacy of abortions in the Islamic faith, Al-Awlaki said. Quoting from the Quran, he explained that the soul is breathed into an embryo 40 to 42 days from the time of conception.

“If there was a need for an abortion before this time, it could be done,” Al-Awlaki said. “It could only be done after if there was danger to the mother’s life.”

Al-Awlaki emphasized that the Quran is not a scientific book but rather a holy book that provides insight on the span of human life.

“The purpose of this is to teach us about the stages of our lives as human beings,” he said.

Al-Awlaki addressed skeptics in the audience by saying the correlations between Quranic references and scientific knowledge are miracles, not mere coincidences. He did acknowledge that many references in the book have not yet been explained by science, though he did not recall any examples.

Jamie Katz said she came to Al-Awlaki’s talk because she enjoys learning about science and wished he could have said more.

“It was interesting to see how a different religion talks about science,” said Katz, a Medill junior. “I learned about a lot of references, but I wish he could have talked more about references in the Quran that haven’t been explained yet.”

Omer Jaweed, executive vice president of McSA, said Al-Awlaki’s words were helpful to him as a Muslim.

“It was a good chance for me to ask questions,” said Jaweed, a McCormick senior. “Since I believe in the Quran, learning about these signs shows me true messages about my faith.”