All Things in Pairs: A Falsified Quranic Claim
One of the more easily refuted "scientific miracles" claimed by Muslim apologists is the Quran's assertion that everything was created in pairs. They argue this verse predicts modern discoveries about matter and antimatter, positive and negative charges, or male and female reproduction. However, this interpretation is demonstrably false on multiple levels—scientifically inaccurate, historically ignorant, and contradicted by observable reality.
The Quranic Verses
Several verses form the basis of this claim:
"Glory be to Him 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 36:36)
"And of everything We have created pairs, that you may remember (the grace of Allah)." (Quran 51:49)
"(He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things)." (Quran 42:11)
The apologetic argument claims these verses reveal scientific knowledge unavailable in the 7th century:
- Everything exists in pairs (male-female, matter-antimatter, positive-negative charges, etc.)
- This includes things "of which they have no knowledge"—supposedly predicting scientific discoveries
- Only divine revelation could have provided this universal principle
The Scientific Reality: Not Everything Comes in Pairs
The claim that "everything" is created in pairs is simply false. Numerous examples contradict this assertion:
Asexual Reproduction:
Countless organisms reproduce asexually without any pairing:
- Bacteria reproduce through binary fission—one cell divides into two identical cells. No pairs involved.
- Fungi reproduce through spores—no male/female pairing required
- Many plants reproduce vegetatively (runners, tubers, fragmentation) without sexual pairing
- Some lizards and fish reproduce through parthenogenesis—females producing offspring without males
- Hydras, amoebas, and many other organisms reproduce without pairs
These aren't obscure exceptions—bacteria alone constitute a huge portion of earth's biomass and diversity. If Allah claims everything comes in pairs, bacteria refute this claim.
Hermaphroditic Organisms:
Many organisms are hermaphrodites—possessing both male and female reproductive organs:
- Earthworms
- Many snails
- Some fish
- Many flowering plants
These organisms don't fit neatly into "pairs" since they embody both sexes.
Sexless Organisms:
Organisms like fungi that reproduce via spores often have multiple mating types—not just two. Some fungi have thousands of different mating types, not pairs.
Subatomic Particles:
Apologists sometimes claim the verse predicts matter-antimatter pairs. However:
- Not all particles have antiparticles. Photons are their own antiparticles.
- Some neutral particles (like Z bosons) are their own antiparticles
- The universe shows matter-antimatter asymmetry—there's far more matter than antimatter, which is why we exist. If everything truly came in pairs, the universe would have annihilated in the early moments after the Big Bang.
Electric Charge:
Some apologists claim this refers to positive and negative electric charges. But:
- Neutrons have no charge—they're electrically neutral, not part of a positive-negative pair
- Neutrinos are electrically neutral
- Many particles and atoms can be electrically neutral
Mathematical and Physical Quantities:
Many fundamental quantities in physics don't come in pairs:
- The speed of light (c) is a single constant, not a pair
- Planck's constant (h) is singular
- Gravitational constant (G) is singular
- Many properties like mass, energy, and temperature are scalar quantities, not pairs
The Historical Context: Common Ancient Observation
The observation that many living things come in male and female pairs was universal ancient knowledge. It required no divine revelation.
Every ancient culture observed:
- Humans are male and female
- Livestock (cattle, sheep, goats) are male and female
- Many animals come in male and female forms
- Many plants have male and female flowers or reproductive structures
This wasn't hidden knowledge. It was obvious to anyone who herded animals, farmed crops, or simply observed nature.
Ancient Near Eastern Parallels:
The concept of fundamental duality (male-female, light-dark, earth-sky) was common in ancient Near Eastern and Indo-European thought:
- Zoroastrianism emphasized dualism (good-evil, light-dark)
- Chinese philosophy emphasized yin-yang duality
- Greek philosophy explored opposites as fundamental principles
- Ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and other mythologies featured paired deities and dual principles
The idea of pairing or duality as a fundamental principle of nature was philosophically commonplace in the ancient world. The Quran's statement reflects this common ancient worldview, not miraculous revelation.
What the Verse Actually Means
Looking at the verses in their natural context, they're clearly describing biological sexual reproduction, not making claims about particle physics or universal physical principles.
Quran 36:36 mentions "all things that the earth produces" and "their own (human) kind"—clearly referring to plants, animals, and humans, not subatomic particles or abstract principles.
Quran 42:11 explicitly states: "He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle"—again, clearly referring to biological reproduction in humans and livestock.
The phrase "things of which they have no knowledge" doesn't necessarily refer to future scientific discoveries. Classical commentators understood it as referring to unseen creatures like angels or jinn, or simply to the vast variety of created things humans haven't encountered.
Classical Islamic Interpretation
Classical Muslim scholars understood these verses as describing male-female pairing in biological reproduction, not as claims about particle physics.
Ibn Kathir interpreted Quran 36:36 as referring to males and females of all species—animals, plants, and even inanimate things that have counterparts. He didn't describe any concept resembling modern particle physics.
Al-Tabari similarly understood these verses as describing the creation of mates and pairs for reproduction and companionship.
Al-Qurtubi explained that everything has a pair or counterpart—male-female in living things, or contrasting properties like sweet-bitter, hot-cold in other things. This reflects ancient philosophical concepts of opposites, not modern physics.
Only after modern physics discovered antimatter and the structure of atoms did Muslim apologists begin claiming the Quran predicted these discoveries. This is textbook anachronistic interpretation.
The Problem with Retrofitting
The apologetic approach to this verse demonstrates a fundamental intellectual dishonesty:
- The verse makes a claim that's literally false (everything comes in pairs)
- Rather than acknowledging this, apologists reinterpret "pairs" to mean whatever modern science has discovered
- When one interpretation is refuted (like matter-antimatter), they shift to another (positive-negative charges)
- When that's refuted, they shift again (complementary properties)
- The goalposts constantly move to avoid admitting the verse is simply wrong
This isn't discovering scientific miracles in the Quran—it's forcing modern science onto a text that doesn't support it.
The Universal Negative Problem
From a logical standpoint, claiming "everything" comes in pairs is a universal positive claim—one of the easiest types of claims to falsify. All you need is a single counterexample to prove it false.
We have countless counterexamples:
- Asexually reproducing organisms
- Particles without antiparticles
- Electrically neutral particles
- Hermaphroditic organisms
- Singular physical constants
Any one of these falsifies the claim that "everything" comes in pairs.
Apologists respond by saying the verse means "many things" or "most things" come in pairs, but that's not what the Arabic says. Quran 51:49 states "wa min kulli shay'in khalaqna zawjayn" - "and of everything (kulli shay'in = all things) We created pairs." The word "kull" means "all" or "every," not "many" or "most."
Missing Scientific Knowledge
If the Quran truly contained miraculous scientific knowledge, it would include accurate information unknown in the 7th century, such as:
- DNA as the mechanism of heredity in sexually reproducing organisms
- The existence of asexual reproduction in bacteria and other organisms
- Chromosomal sex determination (XX/XY)
- The actual mechanism of particle-antiparticle creation and annihilation
- The matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe
- Specific predictions that could be tested and confirmed
Instead, we get a vague statement reflecting ancient observations of male-female pairing in familiar animals and plants.
Biblical Contrast: Purpose-Driven Creation
The Bible describes creation in theological terms, focusing on God's purpose and relationship to creation rather than making false scientific claims:
"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27)
This verse describes the creation of humans as male and female without making a universal claim that everything comes in pairs. It's theologically focused, not attempting to describe universal physical principles.
The Bible acknowledges God's creative diversity:
"How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." (Psalm 104:24)
This celebrates diversity in creation without claiming everything follows a single pattern.
Christianity doesn't base its credibility on vague statements about nature that can be proven false. Instead, it rests on historical claims that can be investigated:
"For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (2 Peter 1:16)
The Christian faith centers on the historical person of Jesus Christ, His teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection—events witnessed by people who testified to them and were willing to die for their testimony.
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15)
Christianity invites rational investigation, not blind acceptance of claims that contradict observable reality.
Questions to Consider
- If everything truly comes in pairs, how do you explain asexually reproducing bacteria that constitute a huge portion of Earth's biomass?
- Why does the Quran make a universal claim ("everything") when countless counterexamples exist in nature?
- If this verse predicts matter-antimatter pairs, why is the universe dominated by matter rather than showing the equal pairing the verse implies?
- Why did 1,300 years of Muslim scholars fail to derive particle physics from this verse if it truly predicted it?
- Is it intellectually honest to constantly reinterpret what "pairs" means whenever one interpretation is scientifically refuted?
- If the verse just means "many things come in male-female pairs," how is that miraculous knowledge when every ancient culture observed this about familiar animals and plants?
- Why would Allah make a false universal claim ("everything") that can be easily disproven by observing bacteria, hermaphroditic organisms, or electrically neutral particles?
- Which is more intellectually honest: admitting that an ancient text reflects the limited observations of its time, or endlessly reinterpreting it to avoid acknowledging clear errors?
- Should religious faith be based on claims that are provably false and require constant reinterpretation, or on solid historical evidence and theological coherence?
- Why would a divine revelation include false scientific claims that undermine rather than support its credibility?