Author: Mohajer Azizi
Analysis and Criticism of Modernism in the Light of Islam (Part 8)
D: Islam and Scientism
The revealing religion of Islam gives a special and unique place to science; to the extent that no other religion or school has called human to study, think, and reason as much as Islam.
The first verses that were revealed to the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Cave of Hira are clear evidence of Islam’s concern for science and reading; because the beginning of the Islamic call was marked by an explicit command to read and learn: “اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ” Translation: “Read in the name of your Lord who created.” [1]
Romanian Islamic scholar Giorgio says: “Although the Prophet of Islam was illiterate, in the first verses that were revealed to him: “اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ” is talking about the scientific realm, i.e. writing, authorship, learning, and teaching. In none of the great religions has knowledge been given such importance, and no religion can be found that has science and knowledge as valuable and important at its origin, and he says: I congratulate Muslims that the acquisition of knowledge has been considered so important at the origin of their religion. [2]
Professor Henry Corbin says: “If the thought of the Prophet of Islam was superstitious and if the Quran was not a divine revelation, he would never have dared to invite mankind to science and knowledge. No human being and no way of thinking has invited people to knowledge as much as the Prophet of Islam and the Quran, to the extent that knowledge, reason, and thought have been mentioned nine hundred and fifty times in the Quran.” [3]
The religion of Islam is not in any way incompatible with science and progress. Contrary to the view of some modernists and scientologists who consider religion an obstacle to scientific progress and the recognition of truths, Islam introduces science as an essential part of its divine mission. They (modernists and scientists) believe that religion and Sharia do not have the necessary efficiency to recognize realities and scientific development and consider empirical science to be the only means of recognizing truth; but this view is in contradiction with the truth of the Islamic religion.
In the Islamic perspective, heavenly revelation is one of the most accurate, reliable, and trustworthy sources of knowledge that, along with reason and experience, paves the way for true recognition of existence.
Islamic religion and Sharia are themselves a type of science; a science that has reached human through revelation and contains knowledge that not only does not conflict with empirical science and other sciences; but also complements and directs it.
E: Scientists’ Doubts About the Conflict of Religion with Science
Modernists and proponents of scientism usually raise two basic doubts about religion:
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Religion is opposed to science and progress and hinders human progress.
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The only way to recognize the truth of the world is to use empirical science.
In response to these views, it should be said:
First: Islam is not only not opposed to science and progress; it has always encouraged its followers to acquire knowledge, research, and development in various fields; even Islamic law itself is a type of divine science that has reached mankind through revelation and has illuminated the path to guidance and happiness.
From an Islamic perspective, human can acquire knowledge and awareness in various ways:
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Through the five senses, such as seeing, hearing, and touching. This method is the basis of experimental science; but it is not always accurate. The human eye may see something wrong or the ear may misunderstand a sound.
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Through reason and thought, which is accompanied by research and experimentation. This method is the basis of many scientific advances, such as traveling to the moon or discovering the unknowns of nature. However, reason also sometimes makes mistakes and cannot discover all the truth on its own.
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The Third Way: Acquiring Knowledge Through Honest News
Another way to acquire knowledge is honest news; that is, news that is reported by a truthful person. This type of news is divided into two categories:
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News from a truthful person: Although the speaker is an honest and upright person; he may have made a mistake; for example, he may have heard something wrong or misunderstood reality; therefore, this type of news is not always completely and definitely reliable.
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Revelation or divine news: This type of news is revealed by Allah, the All-Wise and All-Knowing, and there is no error or mistake in it; because its source is the perfect Creator of the universe; therefore, divine revelation (such as the Holy Quran) is the most comprehensive and reliable guide to human life that guides him towards happiness, justice, and perfection.
Contrary to the claims of some modernists and scientologists, religion is not only not in conflict with science; rather, many religious teachings are themselves a form of scientific and epistemological knowledge that originate from a very reliable source, namely divine revelation. Religion invites human to think, to know himself, to know Allah, and to grow intellectually and spiritually; and it has no opposition to real and proven sciences. [4]
Imam Ghazali (may Allah bless him) says in this regard: “Science is the food of the soul and religion is its medicine; and each has its own place and cannot take the place of the other.” [5]
It becomes clear from this statement that science and religion are related, not rivals or opposites. If religion were opposed to science, Muslims would have been prohibited from acquiring knowledge; while the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) said: “طلب العلم فریضة على کل مسلم” Translation: “Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim man and woman”. (6]
Also, Allama Tantawi (may Allah bless him) said in his famous commentary: “Learning all the useful sciences and skills is a Kefayyah obligation for Muslims; that is, if a group of society does not learn it, everyone will be responsible and guilty.” [7]
Second: Contrary to what modernists and advocates of absolute scientism believe, empirical sciences alone are not capable of answering all the fundamental questions of the universe. Claiming the absolute sufficiency of empirical science is a kind of simplistic and narrow-mindedness; because:
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Heavenly revelation is the most complete and reliable source of knowledge; among all sources of knowledge, only divine revelation (the Holy Quran) is immune from any error and mistake and its words are always in harmony with human reason and nature, while many scientific theories, after the passage of time, their incorrectness has been revealed or they have undergone changes.
An example of this is dozens of scientific theories in the fields of medicine, physics, astronomy, etc. that have been rejected or modified after years of research; But none of the verses of the Quran that refer to creation, nature, human, history or the future have been scientifically contradicted or refuted; rather, many new scientific facts are in complete agreement with the Quranic references, and this is considered one of the aspects of the scientific miracle of the Quran.
Even Western scientists admit that the Quran is the source of truth, and the teachings of many sciences, such as natural sciences, astronomy, philosophy, etc., are taken from the Quran; as Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous French emperor, said: “I hope it will not be long before I can gather the wise men and civilized people of the world and formulate laws that are all based on the basic instructions of the Quran with their help; because the Quran is the source of truth. This book alone is responsible for the happiness of mankind.” [8]
That is, according to Napoleon, the Quran is the source of truth, through which the truth of the universe can be understood, not just through empirical science.
Renbort, a famous orientalist, says: “It must be admitted that the natural sciences, astronomy, philosophy, and mathematics that revived Europe in the tenth century were taken from the Quran, but rather Europe is the hostage of Islam.” [9]
Similarly, Sir William Moyes, an English scientist, has said about the Quran: “The Quran of Muhammad (peace be upon him’) Is a book full of clear logical arguments and countless scientific issues and judicial and legal laws and supreme commands that have been presented in this holy book in simple yet firm and systematic terms to preserve social and civil life, which fascinate the readers.” [10]
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Experimental science is limited in terms of scope and power: Experimental science is born from the idea of scientism; a belief that says: “Only what science (experience) confirms is true.” This statement is scientific on the surface, but inwardly, it does not have strong logic and evidence. Because:
If experimental science does not express an opinion on a subject, what should be done?
Should we ignore that issue? For example, topics such as the existence of Allah, resurrection, the soul, revelation, ethics, the meaning and purpose of existence are topics that are fundamentally outside the realm of empirical science. Empirical science, which deals with experience and material observation, is neither able to prove nor deny these concepts.
Unfortunately, some, relying on “scientism,” try to take the silence of science as a denial of truth; that is, if science has nothing to say about something, then that thing does not exist! This is the same common fallacy that is the result of the dominance of secular thinking over today’s epistemological fields.
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Empirical science is only part of the path of knowledge: Although empirical science is useful and effective for understanding natural phenomena and the material world, it can never replace religious knowledge, revelation, intuition, reason, and nature. If someone sets empirical science alone as the standard of knowledge and rejects other sources, he has actually suffered from a kind of “epistemological blindness”; Such a view is not only incompatible with reason and religion, but is even rejected from the point of view of the philosophy of science.
So the conclusion is this: empirical science, with all its value, is not sufficient to discover all dimensions of truth. Absolute trust in it and the exclusion of other sources of knowledge (such as revelation, reason, intuition, and Sunnah) is contrary to reason, logic, experience, and healthy human nature.
Continues…
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References:
- Alaq: 1.
- Constantin Virgil Georgiou, translated by Zabihullah Mansouri, “Muhammad is a Prophet Who Must Be Re-Known”, p. 57.
- Mahmoud Ahmadi, Confessions of 82 of the World’s Greatest Scientists about Islam and the Quran, p. 25.
- Abdul Ghafoor Barshan, Islam and Contemporary Rationality, p. 21.
- Al-Jawahiri fi Tafsir al-Quran, vol. 1, p. 36.
- Sho’ab al-Iman, vol. 1667.
- Al-Jawahiri fi Tafsir al-Quran, vol. 2, p. 8.
- Confessions of the World’s Greatest Scientists, p. 43.
- Ibid., p. 47.
- Ibid., p. 51.
