Author: Abu Raef
The Role of Muslims in the Formation and Development of the Science (the 86th and final part)
Conclusion
In this brief treatise, we have examined the significant and influential role of Muslims in the formation and advancement of various sciences, and we have analyzed the different scientific fields in which Muslims played a fundamental and decisive part.
From this discussion, we have learned that Muslims had an essential and foundational role in the establishment of many sciences, such as medicine in all its branches, mathematics, physics, chemistry, algebra, geometry, architecture, and decorative arts; and that they provided invaluable and elevated contributions to human civilization.
As evidence of this fact, many authors have written extensively on this subject, and a large number of Orientalists and Western scholars have also confirmed and attested to it.
In another part of this work, we assessed the role of Muslims in the building of civilization, and we reached the conclusion that Muslims have had a major and decisive impact in the field of civilization-building, introducing humanity to a new, dynamic civilization; one enriched with knowledge, literature, refinement, and moral excellence.
Now, after studying and evaluating these two important subjects, and after proving the unique and invaluable role of Muslims in both scientific and civilizational development, a fundamental question arises:
With this awareness, what responsibilities lie upon us today?
What role can we play in reviving the true and proper path of the Islamic Ummah?
We can say that we bear various duties and responsibilities toward our precious and noble heritage, and we must fulfill and implement these responsibilities through different means.
These roles can be carried out through the following measures: Our first duty is to practically understand the reality that the salvation and success of the Islamic Ummah lie in adhering to the Noble Qur’an and the pure Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
This is not merely an emotional belief; it is a truth that can be established through reason, logic, and evidence.
The Noble Qur’an says: “وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا مُبِينًا”(1) Translation: “It is not for any believing man or believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, to have any choice in their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly gone far astray.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also said: “تركتُ فيكم أمرين لن تضلوا ما تمسكتم بهما: كتاب الله، وسنتي”(2) Translation: “I have left among you two things; you will never go astray as long as you hold fast to them: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah.
A sincere and comprehensive return to religion guarantees guidance after misguidance, leadership after subservience, and civilization after decline.
It also ensures happiness in this world and the Hereafter, as the Noble Qur’an declares: “مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ”(3) Translation: “Whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer — We will surely grant them a good and pure life, and We will certainly reward them according to the best of what they used to do.
The second duty is to gain a deep and comprehensive understanding of the roots, heritage, and historical and scientific achievements of Muslims.
Studying Islamic history, the lives of the great scholars and leaders, understanding how societies were governed according to divine teachings, and examining the scientific, cultural, and moral accomplishments of past generations are essential for reproducing the successful models of the past.
The history of Islam is an endless treasury of knowledge, art, ethics, and civilization. Studying it serves as a guiding light for the present and the future of the Ummah.
If our present generations seek true success and wish to reach the highest levels of knowledge and thought, they must cling to the lives and achievements of the noble predecessors of this Ummah, taking them as their model and guiding light on the path forward.
The third role we bear is to convey this great heritage to the world and to correct the false perceptions about Islam and the civilization of Muslims.
The message of Islam, from its very beginning, was meant for all of humanity, as Allah the Exalted says regarding the purpose of the Prophet’s mission (PBUH): “وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ”(4) Translation: “And We have not sent you except as a mercy to all the worlds.
The Noble Prophet (PBUH) also said: “وكان النبی یبعَث إلى قومه خاصة وبعثتُ إلى الناس عامة”(5) Translation: “Every Prophet before me was sent to his own people, but I have been sent to all mankind.
This divine mission obligates us to strive earnestly to present Islam and Islamic civilization to the world; to remove historical misunderstandings, dispel distortions, and showcase the intellectual and cultural achievements of Muslims to all nations.
Thinkers such as Bodley (6), after studying Islamic civilization, have stated: “Muslims were like rain; wherever they fell, they brought fertility. The European Renaissance traces its roots back to the generation of the Companions of Muhammad, who carried the torch of knowledge and culture to a Europe engulfed in the darkness of the Middle Ages.”
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) beautifully expressed this idea through a parable: “The example of the guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain that falls upon the earth: some of it is pure and fertile, absorbing the water and bringing forth much vegetation; some of it holds the water, and people drink from it, irrigate, and cultivate; and some of it runs over barren land to other places. This is the example of those who comprehend the religion of Allah and benefit from what Allah has sent me with.” (7)
Final Summary
The revival of Islamic civilization, the return to the path of guidance, and comprehensive development rest upon three main pillars:
-
Practical adherence to the Qur’an and Sunnah,
-
Deep understanding of Islamic history and civilizational heritage, and
-
Conveying this knowledge and experience to the world.
Such an approach not only ensures success in this world and the Hereafter, but also establishes the rightful place of Islam and Muslims in global history and culture — offering humanity a lasting model of civilization based on faith, knowledge, and justice.
As a nation that has inherited such a radiant civilization and glorious past, it is our duty to introduce these beauties to future generations, ensuring that the magnificent achievements of the Islamic Ummah are not buried under the dark and misleading propaganda of the West, nor should future generations be overcome with a sense of defeat or backwardness.
And that is not difficult for Allah.
The End.
Previous Part
References:
- [Al-Ahzab: 36]
- [Al-Muwatta’ of Imam Malik, Hadith no. 2618]
- [An-Nahl: 97]
- [Al-Anbiya: 107]
- [Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 328]
- [Ronald Victor Bodley, a British orientalist who wrote several books about Islam; his well-known book is The Messenger: The Life of Muhammad.]
- [Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 79]
