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Is it necessary for every scientifically proven discovery to have evidence in the Quran and Sunnah, and if not, are these discoveries considered to be in violation of Sharia, such as the decomposition of a body after death and the stages of putrefaction?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Quran does not contradict established scientific facts. Scientific research is not considered contrary to Islamic law merely because there is no specific evidence for it from the Quran and Sunnah, as long as it does not contradict what has been established by Islamic law. The Quran contains general indications, and some verses whose apparent meaning is general, such as His saying, the Exalted: "and We have explained in detail everything" (Quran 17:89), the intention behind it is the detailing of beliefs, legal rulings, or what humans need, not the detailing of everything in modern sciences. "Scientific interpretation" is the uncovering of the connection between Quranic texts and the facts of empirical science, while distinguishing between theories and facts, so the Quran is not interpreted except by established facts. There is a difference between "scientific interpretation" and "scientific inimitability"; scientific inimitability means that the Quran has not contradicted an established scientific fact, and this is agreed upon among scholars. As for scientific interpretation, there is a difference of opinion regarding it.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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