Short answer
Yes. Genesis puts light, day and night on the first day, and grass and fruit trees on the third. The sun comes only on the fourth day. Reading the days as long ages does not help, because the order stays the same. The law of Moses also says the hare chews the cud, but the hare does not. Christians offer replies, and each is answered below. Islam's answer is that the Qur'an never puts plants, or day and night, before the sun.
Full explanation
Plants before the sun
Genesis 1 is the story of creation in six days. On the first day God (﷾) makes light and names day and night. On the third day grass, herbs and fruit trees bearing seed appear. Only on the fourth day does God (﷾) make the two great lights, the sun and the moon, to divide the day from the night. Maurice Bucaille, a French surgeon who wrote in 1976, called a seed-bearing plant kingdom before the sun untenable (impossible to defend).
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.”
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”
A French surgeon compares what the Bible and the Qur'an say about the natural world. On Genesis 1 he argues that a plant kingdom reproducing by seed could not have appeared before the sun existed, and that the Genesis order cannot be reconciled with established knowledge. He argues that the Qur'an's statements on the same subjects contain no such errors.
The hare and the cud
The food laws are in Leviticus, a book of the law of Moses. They count the hare as an animal that chews the cud. It does not. A cud-chewer brings swallowed food back up from its stomach and chews it again. The hare never does this.
“And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.”
| Topic | What the Bible says | The fact |
|---|---|---|
| Plants and the sun | Grass and fruit trees come on the third day, and the sun only on the fourth (Genesis 1:11-19). | Seed-bearing plants cannot come before the sun. Reading the days as long ages keeps the same order. |
| The hare | Counted as an animal that chews the cud (Leviticus 11:6). | A hare never brings food back up from its stomach to chew it again. |
The Qur'an never puts plants, or day and night, before the sun.
The test this page uses
The test here is a plain statement of fact that is false, such as plants before the sun. It is not language about how things look. "The sun sets" is true to anyone watching it. A scripture from God (﷾) should not state as fact what is false. Genesis does, when it puts plants before the sun. The Qur'an never puts plants, or day and night, before the sun.
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.”
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”
What the Qur'an says instead
Qur'an 41:9-12 speaks of the earth, and then of God (﷾) turning to the heaven. Verse 41:10 says God (﷾) measured out (qaddara) the earth's provision in it: He decreed it. It does not say plants grew. Qur'an 79:27-31 describes the earth's water and pasture being brought forth. Its Arabic says "after that" (ba'da dhalika): after the heaven was built and its night and day were made. The Qur'an also says God (﷾) made the night and the day with the sun and the moon, each moving in its own course. It never puts plants, or day and night, before the sun.
“Say: Is it that ye deny Him Who created the earth in two Days? And do ye join equals with Him? He is the Lord of (all) the Worlds. He set on the (earth), mountains standing firm, high above it, and bestowed blessings on the earth, and measure therein all things to give them nourishment in due proportion, in four Days, in accordance with (the needs of) those who seek (Sustenance). Moreover He comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke: He said to it and to the earth: "Come ye together, willingly or unwillingly." They said: "We do come (together), in willing obedience." So He completed them as seven firmaments in two Days, and He assigned to each heaven its duty and command. And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge.”
“What! Are ye the more difficult to create or the heaven (above)? (Allah) hath constructed it: On high hath He raised its canopy, and He hath given it order and perfection. Its night doth He endow with darkness, and its splendour doth He bring out (with light). And the earth, moreover, hath He extended (to a wide expanse); He draweth out therefrom its moisture and its pasture;”
“It is He Who created the Night and the Day, and the sun and the moon: all (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course.”
“Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that ye can see; is firmly established on the throne (of authority); He has subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law)! Each one runs (its course) for a term appointed. He doth regulate all affairs, explaining the signs in detail, that ye may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord.”
A sign, not a textbook
The Qur'an does not present itself as a science book. It calls the created world a set of signs. It says God (﷾) will show people His signs in the furthest regions and in their own selves. In this way it becomes clear to them that this is the truth.
“Soon will We show them our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?”
Verse by verse
Genesis 1:14-19 — Torah, Bereshit, chapter 1, verses 14-19
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”
Cited for
Christians who read each day of Genesis as a long age, or the week as a literary frame, say the chapter fits an old universe.
The response
Longer days do not change the sequence. On any length of day, fruit trees bearing seed still come on the third day and the sun on the fourth. Calling the week a literary frame does not help either. The chapter counts the days in order, each with its evening and morning. It puts the seed-bearing plants on the third day and the sun on the fourth.
Where it lands — The problem is the order, and no reading of the word "day" removes it.
Genesis 1:14-19 — Torah, Bereshit, chapter 1, verses 14-19
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”
Cited for
Some Christians say the sun was made in Genesis 1:1 and only became visible from the earth on the fourth day.
The response
The text says that on the fourth day God (﷾) "made two great lights". It says He "set them in the firmament" to divide the day from the night. It does not say they appeared. Dividing day from night is the job the lights are given, and Genesis 1:4-5 had already done it on the first day.
Where it lands — The reading changes "made" into "appeared", which the verse does not say.
Leviticus 11:6 — Torah, Vayikra, chapter 11, verse 6
“And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.”
Cited for
Christians point out that hares eat some of their own soft droppings and chew them, which could be called chewing the cud.
The response
The Hebrew phrase in Leviticus is ma'aleh gerah, which means "bringing up the cud". That is food brought back up from the stomach and chewed again. A hare brings nothing up from its stomach. Swallowing droppings is a different process, and hares are not ruminants (animals, like cows, that chew the cud).
Where it lands — The hare does not do what the verse says it does.
Qur'an 41:9-12 — Surat Fussilat (Explained in detail), verses 9-12
“Say: Is it that ye deny Him Who created the earth in two Days? And do ye join equals with Him? He is the Lord of (all) the Worlds. He set on the (earth), mountains standing firm, high above it, and bestowed blessings on the earth, and measure therein all things to give them nourishment in due proportion, in four Days, in accordance with (the needs of) those who seek (Sustenance). Moreover He comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke: He said to it and to the earth: "Come ye together, willingly or unwillingly." They said: "We do come (together), in willing obedience." So He completed them as seven firmaments in two Days, and He assigned to each heaven its duty and command. And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge.”
Cited for
Critics say Qur'an 41:9-12 makes the earth and its food before the sky, the same order as Genesis.
The response
Verse 41:10 says God (﷾) measured out (qaddara) the earth's provision in it: He decreed it. It does not say plants grew. Al-Bukhari records that a man brought these verses to Ibn Abbas, a Companion of the Prophet (ﷺ). Ibn Abbas said God (﷾) created the earth, then completed the heavens, and after that spread out the earth. That spreading was the bringing out of its water and pasture (79:30-31). So the Qur'an never puts plants, or day and night, before the sun.
Where it lands — The Qur'an never puts plants, or day and night, before the sun.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
The Bible is not a science book. It speaks of nature in the everyday language of how things appear. Many Christians read the days of Genesis as long ages or as a literary frame, not as a timetable.
The days of Genesis 1 may be long ages, which would allow a very old earth.
Rebuttal
Longer days do not change the order. On any length of day, fruit trees bearing seed still come on the third day and the sun on the fourth. The chapter counts its days in order, each with its evening and morning.
The Islamic perspective
The Bible states as fact things about nature that are false. Islam holds that a book from the Creator would not state as fact what is false.
Genesis 1 has light, day and night on the first day. It has plants on the third, and the sun on the fourth.
Reading the days as ages leaves the order unchanged: seed-bearing plants still come before the sun.
The Torah says the hare chews the cud; the hare does not chew the cud.
No verse of the Qur'an says that seed-bearing plants grew before the sun was made. It describes the earth's water and pasture brought forth in 79:27-31. There its Arabic says "after that" (ba'da dhalika): after the heaven, its night and its day.
The Qur'an presents the created world as signs pointing to the truth of the revelation.