Bioacoustic In Quran
For centuries, humans have observed that birds communicate through complex calls, songs, and signals. Modern science studies these vocalizations under bioacoustics, which analyzes sound production, perception, and communication in animals. Certain indigenous communities even interpret bird calls to understand environmental cues, such as the presence of predators or other animals. This aligns remarkably with the Quranic mention of Solomon learning the language of birds, highlighting an ancient awareness of animal communication.
📖Quran 27:16
And Solomon succeeded David. He said, “O people, we were taught the language of birds, and we were given from everything. This is indeed a real blessing.”
- This shows that Solomon was granted the ability to understand the messages conveyed by birds, a special knowledge given by Allah.
The Quran also emphasizes that all creatures glorify Allah, though humans cannot comprehend their forms of communication:
📖Quran 17:44
The seven heavens and the Earth and everyone in them glorify Him [Allah]; and there is nothing that doesn’t glorify Him thankfully; but you (humans) do not understand their glorification. He is Compassionate, Merciful.
This demonstrates that animals have their own ways of communicating and expressing praise, which humans can partially study today through bioacoustics.
- For centuries, Native Americans have relied on so-called “bird language” to learn the whereabouts of people and other animals that would otherwise remain invisible to the human eye. “A lot of indigenous people have been using bird language to know where mega-predators are,” says Pinar AteÅŸ Sinopoulos-Lloyd, co-founder of Queer Nature, who leads courses on bird language. “They are able to decipher how birds communicate and warn each other in the forest.”
Reference: How to decode the secret language of birds
Additional Information
The Quran is not a scientific textbook, nor does it explicitly use modern scientific terms such as bioacoustics. However, it describes phenomena that fall under this category, such as the ability of Solomon (Prophet Sulaiman) to understand the language of birds and, more broadly, the communication of animals. In modern science, the study of sounds produced by animals, including birds, and how these sounds are used for communication, is known as bioacoustics, While the Quran does not name bioacoustics directly, its verses describe events and abilities that align with what we today understand as this field of study. For example, Quran 27:16 mentions that Solomon was taught the language of birds, and Quran 17:44 explains that all creatures glorify Allah, even if humans cannot comprehend their forms of expression. These descriptions illustrate that animals communicate in ways humans may not naturally understand, which resonates with the modern study of bioacoustics, In this sense, bioacoustics as a scientific discipline can be seen as a category that reflects, in modern terms, what the Quran described more than 1400 years ago, without the Quran being a scientific manual itself. It provides insight into natural phenomena and animal communication, showing that what is revealed in scripture can correspond to knowledge later explored and explained by modern science.