Maurice Bucaille (; 19 July 1920 – 17 February 1998) was a doctor and a specialist in the field of
gastroenterology
Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- “belly”, -énteron “intestine”, and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract ...
who was appointed as the family physician of
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, فيصل بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود ''Fayṣal ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'', Najdi Arabic pronunciation: ; 14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975) was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat who was ...
in 1973.
His patients included the members of the family of Egyptian President
Anwar Sadat
Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat, (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 ...
.
Bucaille is primarily known for his book ''The Bible, The Qur'an and Science''
that he wrote following his study of the
mummy
A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay fu ...
of the Egyptian
pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...
Ramesses II
Ramesses II ( egy, wikt:rꜥ-ms-sw, rꜥ-ms-sw ''Rīʿa-məsī-sū'', , meaning "Ra is the one who bore him"; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Along with Thutmose III he is oft ...
. The book contained multiple references to the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
, which gave rise to speculations that Bucaille had converted to Islam; a fact that he had never confirmed or denied. Literary critic
Sameer Rahim
Sameer Rahim is a British literary journalist and novelist. He became Managing Editor (Arts and Books) at ''Prospect'' magazine, having previously worked at the ''London Review of Books'' and at ''The Daily Telegraph'', and his reviews of both fic ...
wrote in ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' that some of Bucaille's "assertions have been ridiculed by scientists and sophisticated theologians."
The book gave rise to a movement called Bucailleism, which tries to relate modern science with religion, especially
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
. Since the publishing of ''The Bible, the Quran and Science'', Bucaillists have promoted the idea that the Quran is of divine origin, arguing that it contains scientifically correct facts.
[Explorations in Islamic science](_blank)
Ziauddin Sardar, (1989), retrieved 28 March 2011[An illusion of harmony: science and religion in Islam (2007) ]Taner Edis
Taner Edis (born August 20, 1967) is a Turkish American physicist and skeptic. He is a professor of physics at Truman State University. He received his B.S. from Boğaziçi University in Turkey and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins Universi ...
, retrieved 28 March 2011 According to ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', Bucailleism is "in some ways the Muslim counterpart to Christian creationism" and although "while creationism rejects much of modern science, Bucailleism embraces it."
Publications
* ''La Bible, le Coran et la Science : Les Écritures Saintes examinées à la lumière des connaissances modernes'', Seghers 1976, (), Pocket 2003, ()
*''Les Momies des pharaons et la médecine'', Séguier, 1987 (). Mummies of the Pharaohs: Modern Medical Investigations by Maurice Bucaille. Translated by Alastair D. Pannell and the author. Illustrated. 236 pp. New York: St. Martin's Press.
* ''Réflexions sur le Coran'', with
Mohamed Talbi
Mohamed Talbi ( ar, محمد الطالبي), (16 September 1921 – 1 May 2017) was a Tunisian historian and professor. He was the author of many books about Islam.
Biography
Professor Emeritus at University of Tunis, Mohamed Talbi was a Tunisi ...
, Seghers, (Reflections on the Koran), 1989 ().
* ''L'homme d'où vient-il? Les réponses de la science et des Écritures Saintes'' (Where does man come from? The responses of science and Scripture), Seghers, 1980 7ème éd.().
**
* ''Moïse et Pharaon ; Les Hébreux en Egypte'' ; (Moses and Pharaoh, The Hebrews in Egypt) Quelles concordances de Livres saints avec l'Histoire, Seghers, 1995 ().
See also
*
Keith L. Moore
*
Islam and science
Muslim scholars have developed a spectrum of viewpoints on science within the context of Islam.Seyyed Hossein Nasr. "Islam and Modern Science" The Quran and Islam allows for much interpretation when it comes to science. Scientists of medieval Mu ...
*
Religion and science
The relationship between religion and science involves discussions that interconnect the study of the natural world, history, philosophy, and theology. Even though the ancient and medieval worlds did not have conceptions resembling the modern u ...
References
Further reading
*
*
* (A philosophical criticism of Bucaille's theories)
External links
The Qur'an & The Modern Science - Dr. Maurice Bucaille , , All in One , , Via
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
* Bucaille speaking
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
Dr. Maurice Bucaille -The Qur'an & Modern Science - Part 01.flvThe Bible, Qur’an and Science book and history of Dr Maurice Bucaille – by Dr Zakir NaikOn
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bucaille, Maurice
1920 births
1998 deaths
French Sunni Muslims
French Muslims
French former Christians
People from Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados
French gastroenterologists
Islam-related controversies
Writers about religion and science