Science and Islam
Islam is a system of life that originated from the
Allah, the Creator. Allah is the One who created man, life, and the universe
and subjected man to the physical laws that He imposed on the universe. The
Qur'an, as revealed to Muhammad SAW, directs man to think and study
the physical world in order to understand the reality and to appreciate more
the greatness of the Creator.
Many verses in the
Qur'an point to the physical world and explain natural phenomena, as a confirmation
for humanity that this revelation came from the Creator. Some of these
explanations could not be understood at the time of the revelation because
mankind did not have the tools that are taken for granted in modem times, such
as the microscope, X-rays and so on. lt
is only during the last hundred years that some of these explanations became
understood as a result of advances in Science.
The examples in the
Qur'an are many and range from the creation of the universe down to the
fertilization of the egg by the sperm. It
will suffice here just to quote few of these verses.
"Verily! In the creation of
the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the
ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the
rain which Allah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive there with
after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He
scatters therein, and
in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the
earth, are indeed proofs for people of understanding." [Translation
of the meaning of the Qur'an, 2: 164]
And
"Verily, in cattle there is
a lesson for you. We give you to drink of what is inside their bodies, coming
from a conjunction between the contents of the intestines and blood, a milk
pure and pleasant for those who drink it. "[Translation of the
meaning of the Qur'an, 16:66]
And
"Do you not see that Allah
has made subservient to you what so ever is in the earth, and the ships that
sail through the sea by His command? He with holds the heaven from falling on the
earth except by His Leave. Verily, Allah is. for mankind. full of Kindness,
Most Merciful. [Translation
of the meaning of the Qur'an, 22:65]
And,
"Then We placed him as (a
drop) sperm in a place of rest, firmly fixed. Then we made the sperm into a
thing which clings (to the womb), then of that thing We made a (fetus) lump,
then We made out of that lump, bones and clothed the bones with flesh, then We developed
out of it another creature. So blessed
be Allah, the perfect Creator. "[Translation of
the meaning of the Qur 'an, 23: 13-14]
Although Qur'an points to the physical world to make
people think, and it encourages people to discover physical laws, the
Qur'an is not a book of science. Rather, it came to organize human
relationships with the self, with other humans, with the Creator, and with the
surroundings. Islamic law therefore deals with the proper use of scientific
facts and not with their discovery. For example, Islam does not prevent people
from designing a space craft or a laser gun, but
it does lay down principles for their use.
Evidence that Islam does
not interfere with scientific discovery can be seen from an incident that took
place during the time of the Messenger of Allah , who once suggested to farmers
that it might be better if they left palm date trees without cross-pollinating
them as they did every year. The following year,
farmers complained that the trees did not produce normal yield,
so the Messenger of Allah said, "You know the affairs Of your world better." This means that this advice was not
from Islamic text; rather it was a personal opinion
of the Messenger of Allah (saw) as a man. Thus, people were left to their own
scientific discovery and applications.
Also, there are no
records in history to show that the Islamic Government, its scholars
or learned people ever gave Islamic rulings on scientific
matters, unlike the Church in Europe, which interfered with scientific
discovery. In fact, many of the leading scientists were also Islamic scholars,
and they did not see any contradiction between science and Islam.
However, few scientists went beyond their subject matters and propagated
incorrect ideas about Islamic belief, for which they were rebuked and corrected
but not tortured or persecuted.
There is, therefore, no contradiction
between Islam and science.
