Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Alhassanain (p) Network for Islamic Heritage and Thought

The Holy Quran andThe Sciences of Nature

Author(s): Dr. Mahdi Golshani

Publisher(s): The Islamic Propagation Organization

www.alhassanain.org/english

Table of Contents

Preface 4

Part 1: Science and the Muslim Ummah 5

Islamic Conception of Knowledge 5

Proposals 22

Notes 23

Part 2: The Significance of Physical and Biological Sciences in Islamic Perspective 25

Introduction 25

Islam and Science 28

1. The Role of Science in Knowing God 29

2. The Role of Science in the Stability and Advancement of an Islamic Society 35

Conclusion 40

Notes 44

Part 3: Philosophy of Science, A Qur’anic Approach 46

The Aim of Understanding Nature 46

The Possibility of Understanding Nature 46

The Main Issues in Understanding Nature 47

1. Origin and Evolution of Beings and Phenomena 48

2. The Discovery of Order, Coordination and Purpose in Nature 49

Ways of Understanding Nature 51

The Role of Observation and Reasoning in Understanding Nature 53

The Role of Revelation and Inspiration in Understanding Nature 63

Stages in Understanding Nature 68

On Mediators 68

On the Wise 69

On People who Understand 69

On the Believers 69

On the Pious 70

On the Mindful 70

On Those who Listen to Truth of God’s Word 70

On the people who are sure 71

On those who examine truth, have insight, and understand 71

Impediments of Cognition 77

1. Lack of Faith 78

2. The existence of the factors causing intellect’s deviation 79

A. Following one’s desires, fancy and wishes 79

B. Blind love or hatred and unjustifiable prejudice 80

C. Pomposity 82

D. Blind Imitation of the Ancestors’ Opinions, Men of Authority, and the Sediments of One’s Own Thoughts 83

E. Haste and Judgments 84

3. Ignorance 85

A. Subjection to Conjecture 86

B. Unfounded Confirmations and Rejections 86

C. Superficiality 87

Indifference towards Craving for or Acceptance of Truth 88

Guiding Principles in Understanding Nature 89

1. Faith in the Principle of Divine Unity (al-Tawhid) 90

2. Belief in the Reality of the External World 93

3. Faith in Supra-physical reality and Limitation of Human Knowledge 95

A. Human Knowledge is Limited 95

B. There are many things we cannot get through our senses 95

C. We should believe in the occult, for example, in the super-natural realties 95

4. Believe in the Principle of General Causality 96

Notes 105

Preface

The three essays assembled here are based on lectures delivered by the author on three different occasions. They are united in which they all concern the Holy Qur’an and the sciences of nature.

The first essay deals with the Islamic conception of knowledge. There I have tried to show Islam’s recommendation for the acquisition of knowledge is not restricted to the particular teachings of Shari‘ah, but it applies to any kind of knowledge which is instrumental in bringing us closer to God. All sciences, whether theological or physical, are a means for obtaining proximity to God, and, as long as they play this role, they are sacred.

In the second essay, I have tried to spell out the reasons from the desirability of the physical and natural sciences in Islamic outlook. There, we find two fundamental reasons for the significance of these sciences in Islamic world-view:

1. The role of these sciences in knowing God.

2. The role of these sciences in the stability and glorification of the Muslim Ummah.

The third essay deals with some basic problems of epistemology from the Qur’anic view-point. This is an area in which very little work is done, and here our concern is to stimulate Muslim scholars to spend more time and energy on this subject of fundamental importance.

I hope and pray these essays may be a humble aid in stimulating further research in this area, in the revival of scientific spirit in the Ummah, and in promoting scientific knowledge in the Muslim world.

Mahdi Golshani