By: Dr. Meraj Ahmad Meraj
INTRODUCTION
Islam has its own golden history almost in every sectors of knowledge. Islam torches every aspect of human life for the growth, development and advancement of society. Acquisition of knowledge of humanity, social sciences as well as the pure and applied sciences is comprehensively expressed in Islamic education. Islamic civilization plays high premium on technological advancement that established the spirited and essential base of modern science and technology. The story of the Muslim sciences takes the form of fascination of knowledge from different civilizations, accumulating their original and significant contributions, and increasing knowledge across countries and regions through trade, cultural interactions, and education. In Islam, science, the study of nature, is linked to the concept of “Tawhid” the Oneness of God. This is so because; Muslims are called to reflection of the creations of Allah. The Qur’an explains how Allah has honoured man over and above other creatures, such that he is empowered to go into the sky and deep into the sea[1]. In Islam, nature is not seen as a separate entity, rather as an integral part of Islam’s holistic outlook on God, humanity and the world. This link implies a sacred aspect to the pursuit of scientific knowledge by Muslims, as nature itself is viewed in the Qur’an as a compilation of signs pointing to the Divine. By and large, the study of various aspects of sciences and arts flourished and brought development and honour to humanity. Subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Medicine, Astronomy, Chemistry, Geography and Agriculture. Others are: Philosophy, Literature, Theology and Grammar. In Islam, Science is the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence.
The Qur’anic Views on Science
The Qur’an is not a book of science but a book of signs. However, there are more than six thousand “signs” in the Qur’an deal with science. One of the most remarkable things about the Qur’an is that it contains many verses, which correctly describe natural phenomena in various disciplines such as human embryology, meteorology, astronomy, geology, and oceanography. Many of the processes and functions mentioned in the Qur’an have been discovered only recently. Some examples are the Big-Bang Theory, Sex Chromosomes, Sex determination, solar orbit, human embryology, etc. However the Qur’an is not meant to be a “textbook of science”. The Qur’an, the main source of the Islamic faith is a book believed by Muslims to be of completely Divine origin. Muslims believe that it contains guidance for all mankind. Since the message of the Qur’an is believed to be for all times, it should be relevant to every age. The Holy Qur’an is not intended to be a book of Science; however, it contains many references to scientific facts in the context of the Divine plan and the working of the universe and to show the all inclusive knowledge of its Creator, the omnipotent God, only a partial listing of verses of the Qur’an dealing with science. The Holy Qur’an frequently requests Muslims to travel for knowledge and to communicate with other cultures. The holy Qur’an was the dynamic force behind the development of sciences in the early history of Islamic civilization. The Qur’an shows the relationship of God, nature and man as central worldview which inspired for study of the natural phenomena. The early Muslim Scientists motivated by the revealed knowledge studied nature in the context of the Qur’anic worldview. Guided by the divine sources they were able to make great achievements in science, technology and civilization. The Qur’an has proved an important stimulus to learning. The word Ilm “knowledge” occurs in the Qur’an about 750 times[2]. One of the highest word counts in the text and one of the most repeated words in the Traditions of the Prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an strongly emphasizes the beauty of nature and presence of God’s miracles in the physical world. In many places the Qur’an references nature and elements of science and connects these with God’s creation, even encouraging scientific research[3]. Islam does not merely consist of religious rituals; it consists of both religion and the law. All public and private aspects of life are taken into account in it and for each one some guidelines have been provided. In Islam, there is a relationship between human nature and religious obligations. In these two fields, all legal applications are interconnected[4]. Early Muslim scholars had already concluded the earth was round based on their interpretation of a description in the holy Qur’an.
Modern Science and Islam
The purpose of Islam is to awaken in man the higher consciousness of his manifold relations with God and the universe. The character of the universe in the Qur’an is that of a dynamic, active, and ever-growing universe. One of the most remarkable qualities of the Qur’an is the complete consistency between most of the discoveries of modern Science and the Qur’an. The Qur’an expatiates that God created the heavens and earth in six separate layers[5], the earth was created in two eras[6]. The heavens form layers, one above the other[7]. The angels inhabit the seventh heavens. The lowest heaven is adorned with lights[8], the sun and the moon which follow a regular path[9], the stars and the constellations of the Zodiac[10] among others. Sciences are explicitly explained in the Qur’an as branches of knowledge for the need of man. These include those that are relating to modern biology, botany, zoology, chemistry, physics, electricity, heat light, scales, and measurements, sound and weight. Other knowledge raised in the Holy Qur’an includes agricultural sciences to consist farming, horticulture, and irrigation. Among other considerations in the realm of science in the Holy Book is health science which includes physiology, psychiatry psycho-analysis, dietary regulations and medicine. The holy Qur’an also calls for general reflections on other branches of natural science concerning the sky, water cycle and seas, the earth atmosphere and its relief, geology and mineralogy and of course geography and anthropology. The Qur’an explained how God created everything in the universe and brought all lives out of water. He created humans from earth and there is no need to attempt fabrications of “links” to the animal world in Islam. This is expressed by a number of references from the Qur’an verses. The Qur’an says: “And Allah has created every living thing from water; of them are some creeping on their bellies; some walk on two legs; and some on four. Allah creates what He wills: for sure Allah has power over all things [11].
In Islam the purpose of nature is for man “to study nature in order to discover God and to use nature for the benefit of mankind”. Nature can be used to provide food for mankind and its bounty is to be equally distributed among all peoples. Furthermore science from an Islamic outlook must show the interrelatedness of all parts of the universe. According to Islamic teaching, the God summons humanity to investigate and reflect upon the heavens, the earth, mountains, stars, plants, seeds, animals, the alternation of the night and the day, the creation of man, the rain and many other created things. Examining these, man comes to recognize the artistry of Allah’s creation in the world around him, and ultimately, to know the Creator, Who created the entire universe and everything in it from nothing.
The Progress of Islamic Civilization
The Islamic civilization, which had been a major source of knowledge and morality; and given birth to a great nation that brought peace, prosperity and development to the humankind. Islam and its followers had created a civilization that played very important role on the world stage for more than a thousand years. One of the most important specific qualities of the Islamic civilization is that it is a well-balanced civilization that brought together science and faith. This is what distinguishes the Islamic civilization from other civilizations which attach primary importance to the material aspect of life, physical needs and human instincts. Islamic Civilization which may be synonymous to Tawhidic civilization is based on a unity of God which stands completely against any racial or ethnic discrimination. The most important specific characteristic of Islamic civilization is that it is a civilization of balance and middle way, because it has united learning and faith, established a balance between the spirit and matter, and it hasn’t separated this world from the next. Islam was not opposed to learning from the earlier civilizations and incorporating their science, learning, and culture into its own world view. The Islamic worldview equipped Islamic scholarship with unity of philosophy of science.
In the golden era of Islamic civilization, scientists were financially sponsored by rulers of the Islamic empire. That was clearly illustrated by the establishment of institutions of advanced learning, such as Baitul Hikmah “House of Wisdom”, Al-Nazzamiyyah Schools of Baghdad, and other institutions and centres of higher learning. The reformation and revivalism discourse in Islamic civilization is original and deeply rooted in Islamic tradition. Islamic civilization produced great achievements and the intellectual legacy of a faith that transformed the world. Islamic civilization at its height was the model of human progress and development. Islam was one of the world’s leading civilizations for a thousand years. Its language Arabic was the international language of science [12].
The Islamic civilization penetrated into Europe through trade, crusades, translation of hundreds of Arabic books into Latin. Hence, Islamic civilization transmitted them to Europe and prepared the ground for scientific development in the West. Due to influence of Islamic teachings and due to their turning to sciences, Muslims progressed rapidly in all different aspects of civilization including the arts, architecture, fine arts, textile industry, geography, discoveries, physics, chemistry, medicine, astronomy, botany and agriculture, irrigation, music, calligraphy, urban development, book and library, religious sciences so forth and so on. They founded the brilliant Islamic civilization even no one can deny its impact on Europe. Muslims scholars who have marked the history of universal science by their discoveries and innovations in the humanities science, mathematics, medicine and technology, gave it credits to Islamic civilization.
The development of science under Islamic civilization between the 8th and 16th centuries is known as the Islamic golden age. It is also known as Arabic science since the majority of the texts during this period were written in Arabic, the lingua franca of Islamic civilization. The scientific method has been greatly inspired by Muslim scientists who introduced a modern empirical, experimental and quantitative approach to scientific inquiry. As part of its contributions to knowledge, “House of Wisdom” Bayt al–Hikmah was founded by Abbasid Caliph Ma’mum in Baghdad to be a centre of science[13]. He was a great scholar and a lover of scholarship. He gave liberal patronage to men of learning and encouraged scholarly discussions in his court. Thus, his court became the resort of philosophers, astronomers, physicians, scientists, poets and other men of letters. There were adequate provisions for scholars and students to remain in this academy for study and students came from various parts of the world to this academy. (to be cont.)
References:
- The Quran: 17:70
- The Quran: 41:11
- The Qur‟an 21:30, 24:45, 25:53-54, 34:9.
- Vaglieri, The Call of Islam from the heart of Italy, p. 94
- The Quran 7:54
- The Quran: 41:9
- The Quran: 67:3
- The Quran: 41:12
- The Quran:71:16,14:33
- The Quran: 15:16
- The Quran: 24:45
- Roberts, J. M. (1980). The Penguin History of the World, UK: Penguin Books, 378.
- Rosenthal, F. (1975). The Classical Heritage in Islam, the University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 6.