Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil asked:
Before dealing with the topic of the Fish in Quran versus Bible versus sciences, it is mandatory to remember that the total words in the Bible are 788,280 while the total words in the Quran are 77,473. It follows that, the Bible is more than 10 times the Quran word-wise. The Fish is mentioned 64 times in the Bible and six times in the Quran, i.e. the Bible mentions the Heap more than 10 times as does the Quran. In other words, the Bible has the potential of more than 10 times (word-wise) and more than 10 times (subject-wise) than the Quran to talk about the Fish.
The Fish in the Bible:
The Lord says: 1) “I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst”, 2) “I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt,” 3) “I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales. I will pull you out from among your streams, with all the fish sticking to your scales”, 4) “I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open field and not be gathered or picked up. I will give you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air” and 5) “I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea”
Isaiah 50:2
By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
Ezekiel 26:5
Out in the sea she will become a place to spread fishnets, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. She will become plunder for the nations,
Ezekiel 26:14
I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 29:4
But I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales. I will pull you out from among your streams, with all the fish sticking to your scales.
Ezekiel 29:5
I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open field and not be gathered or picked up. I will give you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air.
Ezekiel 38:20
The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground.
Hosea 4:3
Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying.
Zephaniah 1:3
“I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea…declares the LORD.
Habakkuk 1:14 contradicts with the sciences and with 1 Corinthians 15:39
Habakkuk 1:14
You have made men like fish in the sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler.
1 Corinthians 15:39
All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh; animals have another, birds another and fish another.
Ask the animals, the birds, the earth, or the fish to teach you!
Job 12: 7- 8
But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you.
The Lord Jesus’ Tax:
Matthew 17:27
Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea…
Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea…
Psalm 8:8
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
Genesis 9:2
The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea…
Exodus 7:18
The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’ “
Exodus 7:21
The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
Psalm 105:29
He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die.
Numbers 11:5
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost (for free)—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.
Numbers 11:22
Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”
Deuteronomy 4:18
or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below.
1 Kings 4:33
He (Solomon) also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.
The Fish Gate is found in:
2 Chronicles 33:14, Nehemiah 3:3, Nehemiah 12:39 and Zephaniah 1:10
Nehemiah 13:16
Men from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise…
Ecclesiastes 9:12
Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net…
Ezekiel 47:9
Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.
Ezekiel 47:10
Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Great Sea.
Amos 4:2
The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: “The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks.
Jonah 1:17
But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 2:1
[Jonah's Prayer] From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
Jonah 2:10
And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Matthew 7:10
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
Matthew 12:40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 13:47
…the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.
Matthew 13:48
When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.
Matthew 14:17, Mark 6:38, Luke 9:14, John 6:9
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
Matthew 14:19
And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish …
Matthew 15:34, Mark 8:7
…and a few small fish.”
Matthew 15:36
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,
Mark 6:41, Luke 9:16, John 6:11
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven…. He also divided the two fish among them all.
Mark 6:43
and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.
Luke 5:6
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
Luke 5:9
For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,
Luke 11:11
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
Luke 24:42
They gave him a piece of broiled fish,
John 21:1
[Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish] Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples,
John 21:3
“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them…
John 21:5
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.
John 21:6
… they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
John 21:8
The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.
John 21:9
When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
John 21:10
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”
John 21:11
Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.
John 21:13
Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.
Allah made lawful to you is the fished of the sea and its use for food
The Fish in the Quran:
When talking about the Fish, the Quran presents the following subjects:
1) When Moses met his Teacher
2) The Israelites and the trial of the Fish
3) Allah made lawful to you is the fished of the sea and its use for food
4) The Benefits of the Sea (Fish to eat, ornaments to wear and ships for travels and transportation)
When Moses met his Teacher:
18:61-66
[61] But when they reached the Junction, they forgot (about) their Fish, which took its course through the sea (straight) as in a tunnel.
[62] When they had passed on (some distance), Moses said to his attendant: “Bring us our early meal; truly we have suffered much fatigue at this (stage of) our journey.”
[63] He replied: “Sawest thou (what happened) when we betook ourselves to the rock? I did indeed forget (about) the Fish; none but Satan made me forget to tell (you) about it: it took its course through the sea in a marvellous way!”
[64] Moses said: “That was what we were seeking after:” so they went back on their footsteps, following (the path they had come).
[65] So they found one of Our servants, on whom We had bestowed mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our own Presence.
[66] Moses said to him: “May I follow thee, on the footing that thou teach me something of the (Higher) Truth which thou hast been taught?”
The Israelites and the trial of the Fish
Surah 7: 163
Ask them concerning the town standing close by the sea. Behold! they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath. For on the day of their Sabbath their fish did come to them, openly holding up their heads, but on the day they had no Sabbath, they came not: thus did We make a trial of them, for they were given to transgression.
Surah 5:96, 97
[96] Made lawful to you is the fished of the sea and its use for food, for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel; but forbidden is the pursuit of land-game, as long as ye are in the Sacred Precincts or in pilgrim garb. And fear Allah, to Whom ye shall be gathered back.
[97] Allah made the “kaaba”, the Sacred House, an asylum of security for men, as also the Sacred Months, the animals for offerings, and the garlands that mark them: that ye may know that Allah hath knowledge of what is in the heavens and on earth and that Allah is well-acquainted with all things.
The Benefits of the Sea:
Fish to eat, ornaments to wear and ships for travels and transportation
Surah 16:14
It is He Who has made the sea subject, that ye may eat thereof flesh that is fresh and tender, and that ye may extract therefrom ornaments to wear, and thou seest the ships therein that plough the waves, that ye may seek (thus) of the bounty of Allah and that ye may be grateful.
Surah 35:12
Nor are the two bodies of flowing water alike, the one palatable, sweet, and pleasant to drink, and the other, salt and bitter. Yet from each (kind of water) do ye eat flesh fresh and tender, and ye extract ornaments to wear; and thou seest the ships therein that plough the waves, that ye may seek (thus) of the Bounty of Allah that ye may be grateful.
Back to the main topic of my series of articles; this is my question to you smart readers: “Is the Quran quoted from the Bible “? And which book contradicts with sciences? And which book denies itself?
Freshwater Fish
