Shadowing Practice: The Most Overlooked Qur'anic Verse About Human Origins! - Learn English Speaking with Video
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a couple of weeks ago i recorded a video about my astonishment at a verse of the quran
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that i come across which seemed to suggest the remarkable scientific accuracy of the quran
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and i'll just show you the video we're not going to go through it uh this time
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because i've discovered another astonishing scientific fact in the cram
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so the video i did was called no way the prophet
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muhammad upon whom be peace knew this in the seventh century it's about the cram uh chapter 40 verse 67
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and the funny thing is uh is actually in the same verse
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and i've just spotted this you may already know it of course um
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but uh i've just come across it for the the first time
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so what does this verse say well it says he is
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the one who created you from dust then from a sperm drop then developed you into a clinging clot
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and as i said in the last video the translators put
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a footnote at the bottom saying alaka meaning the embryo resembles a leech
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and this is a remarkable uh observation uh how could a
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a man a man possibly know about this microscopic phenomena in in the human body
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so clearly this is a scientific uh marvel really in the crumb
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but in the same passage
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and i didn't spot it the first time around i kind of just moved through
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and didn't see it it says he is the one who created you from dust now
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when i first read this i thought well dust is just
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a a metaphor for you know our human nature we're made
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out of material things we're not we're not made of angels
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we're just base really very mundane creatures in our in our physical composition
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that's not actually what it necessarily means the claim is
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that he is the one who created you from dust how
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can we be made from dust literally scientifically i'm not made of dust neither are you we're made of flesh
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and blood water things like that so i just took it metaphorically Then I thought,
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well, you know, the Quran is very accurate when it comes to the alaka, this leech-like thing.
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What does it say about dust?
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Is there any scientific basis for it?
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So I went back to chat GBT and I discovered this explanation.
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By the way, I have checked this with independent scientific sources.
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And I'll come to this in a minute.
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So I asked ChatGBT about this passage about human beings made of dust.
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And it said, excellent question.
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The Koran's mention of dust as the origin of human life, such as in Koran 4067,
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he created you from dust has prompted both spiritual and scientific interpretations.
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Let's break it down.
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Is dust scientific?
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Surprisingly, yes.
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On some levels, modern science confirms that the chemical elements making up the human body originate in the earth and stars.
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Humans are composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, plus trace elements
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like calcium iron zinc etc these elements are found in soil dust
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and wider cause and the wider cosmos in fact astronomers often say we are made of stardust
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so the Quranic statement
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that humans were created from dust can be interpreted scientifically as an allusion to our elemental origins
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so then it contrasts the classical and scientific readings it's interesting here is
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that the classical interpretation of this passage is the one
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that i got kind of spontaneously adopted without even realizing it
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was the classical interpretation where dust equals a metaphor for human lowliness mortality and creation ex nihilo
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out of base material that's kind of what i assumed it meant
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but then it says modern reflection dust equals biochemical fact since
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the earth contains all the raw elements of the human body thus it's not pseudoscientific it's poetic
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and scientifically coherent so that
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that we are created from dust is a biochemical fact isn't this extraordinary
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and what i also uh realized as i'm sure you have
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as well is is the incredible way the quran speaks at two different levels
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so for the most of the last 1400 years i would think people didn't realize of course
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that we were made of stardust
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that our biochemistry is made up of dust particles from the cosmos they didn't understand about these things at all.
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But they would have understood the truth of the point
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that we are made of dust in the sense
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that we come from material substance and we are mortal
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and quite lowly in our physical constituency and that they would have got
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that point and that's what I understood
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but then there's another layer another level of discourse
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that we have discovered very recently in astronomy of course and
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that is our celestial origins as star dust and
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that still is true what the quran is saying
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so it's true on one level
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and it's true on the scientific level as well at the same time
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so isn't it extraordinary the quran can can speak in these
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different registers to different people at different times it doesn't become obsolete it remains true scientifically
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and it remains true to a non-scientific audience say of the past
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or even of today of course and i thought wow that
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that is absolutely uh remarkable uh by the way i'm reading from uh this quran the uh the clear quran
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which is uh as i mentioned before i'm getting through we're trying to get through the quran in one year
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which means i read about one page a day basically
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and i should be through it uh in a couple of months actually
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so it's been extraordinary experience and i've learned
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so much even though i've read the crown through before it
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seems a very new book now uh actually every time i encounter the crown it speaks in a different way
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so what about the science uh
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so i've checked with chat gpt i know some of you are skeptical
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and rightly so it's not always accurate sometimes makes mistakes
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so let's look at what the independent scientific community say about this
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because there are things we can share
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so go to i'm going first to the natural history museum uh
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which is a very venerable institution here in london
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and it addresses this question um are we made of stardust
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so an amazing photograph there
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and it says the veil nebula is 110 light years across it's the remnants of a massive star supernova
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that exploded about 8 000 years ago this small section of
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the nebula was captured by the hubble space telescope the colors
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correspond to different gases oxygen is blue hydrogen is red sulfur
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is green this is a photo from nasa as we can see
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so are we made of stardust stars that go supernova meaning
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that they explode powerfully are responsible for creating many of the elements of the periodic table including those
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that make up the human body
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our planetary scientist dr Ashley King explains how
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because of this spectacular phenomenon we might actually be made of dust of star dust most of the elements
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that make up the human body were formed in stars
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so are we made of stardust yes of course we are
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and there's a very long article here about generation of stars
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and we're not going to go into to
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that it's all above my pay grade
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but let's look at just one other scientific source
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which I found to be very interesting this one is from the American Museum of Natural History
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which boldly proclaims we are stardust
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and there's a picture there of an exhibit uh wherever the american museum is um
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and it says every atom of oxygen in our lungs of
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carbon in our muscles of calcium in our bones of iron
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in our blood was created inside a star before earth was born hydrogen
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and helium the lightest elements were produced in the big bang
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almost all of the other heavier elements were produced inside stars
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and then it goes uh goes on there
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so the short answer is yes uh we are stardust and
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and that is proven uh clearly by the science um
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so again i i'm astonished i haven't even moved from this one verse
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and i'm now making two videos uh one is
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that the marvel of the crime getting the science exactly right when it comes
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uh to the embryo resembling a leech something so microscopic
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that would not have been able to detect by the human eye
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and secondly he is the one who created you from dust literally scientifically
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and metaphorically true we are made of stardust
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and again the crime could easily have got this wrong
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if it was a human uh opinion if it's speculation but no it gets it precisely right
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this is very impressive i i must say
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and i have stumbled across this by accident
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and these have been mentioned before i'm not claiming at all to discover anything that's not been known
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but i myself wasn't aware of it
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and it's just nice to have it corroborated by independent scientists
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and chat gbt
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and it helps to increase our imam uh our belief in the kram as the actual speech of allah himself
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so uh there we go until next time
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Exploring a Fascinating Quranic Verse and Boosting Your English
The video dives into a thought-provoking Quranic verse, discussing its scientific and spiritual layers. As the speaker shares their discovery about human origins—from dust to a developing embryo—they use conversational English that’s perfect for english speaking practice. The dialogue flows naturally, with pauses and reflections that mimic real-life conversations, making it ideal for honing your listening and speaking skills.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "I come across" – Useful for sharing discoveries: "I came across a great article yesterday."
- "Remarkable scientific accuracy" – Describe impressive findings: "The study showed remarkable scientific accuracy."
- "Moved through" – Talk about skimming content: "I moved through the book quickly but missed key points."
- "Prompted both spiritual and scientific interpretations" – Discuss multi-layered ideas: "The poem prompted both emotional and intellectual interpretations."
- "Allusion to" – Refer to indirect references: "Her speech made an allusion to climate change."
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video
The shadowing technique (or shadow speak) works well here because the speaker’s pace is moderate and expressive. Here’s how to try it: 1. Listen once: Focus on the main idea—how the verse connects dust to human origins. 2. Shadow short segments: Pause after 5-10 seconds and repeat the speaker’s words, mimicking their tone and rhythm. For example, when they say, "How could a man possibly know about this microscopic phenomena?", copy the emphasis on "possibly" and "microscopic." 3. Focus on linking words: Phrases like "then," "so," and "but" guide the conversation. Practice these to sound more natural in shadowspeak. 4. Repeat tricky parts: The term "clinging clot" might be new—say it slowly, then speed up to match the speaker. 5. Record yourself: Compare your version to the video. Notice if you’re pausing in the right places or stressing key words correctly. This video’s mix of explanation and personal reflection makes it a fun way to practice shadow speech while learning something new. Give it a try—you’ll improve your English and gain insight into a fascinating topic!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | i've discovered · i've just spotted · i've just come |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was called · be made · are composed |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | one who created |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.