The Fingerprint: A Convergence of Qur’anic Revelation and Biometric Science (مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)

چکیده

Since ancient times, human identification has been of paramount importance, and various methods have been employed to achieve this goal. Over time, advancements in science have mathematically and scientifically proven the uniqueness of fingerprints, making them the most common criterion used by identification systems today. The Qur’an, in many verses, addresses the concepts of the afterlife, the resurrection of the dead, and the accounting of human actions. A fundamental requirement for this accounting, whether for reward or punishment, is the accurate identification of individuals. In verses 3 and 4 of Surah al-Qīyāmah, God emphasizes the precision of human recreation, even down to the restoration of banān (often interpreted to mean fingertips). The primary objective of this research is to answer the question of whether the restoration of banān in the afterlife can be interpreted as the restoration of each individual's unique fingerprint. Employing a descriptive-analytical approach and an interdisciplinary perspective, this study examines the correlation between Qur’anic concepts regarding the restoration of banān and scientific findings in the field of biometrics, particularly fingerprints. Historical records indicate that fingerprints have long been of interest to humanity; however, the mathematical and empirical proof of their uniqueness was not established until the 17th century. The findings of this research suggest that by referring to the  restoration of  fingertips, the Qur’an has  drawn attention to a feature that, while its intricacies were apparent to people at the time of its revelation, was not fully understood in its unique nature. In other words, God has alluded to a unique feature whose complexity and difficulty of restoration were comprehensible to the people of that era but have, with scientific advancements, become the most common and accessible biometric method in the world today.