By Shofi Ahmed

Continuing from the previous article. There was a question I asked about the Qur’an. Later, I asked that to some well known Imams as well. That was, “The Qur’an is secure because it’s changeless over the full time cycle. People in each era only occupy an arc of the time cycle. In our technologically fast progressing or any upcoming much advanced hi-tech era. By some cutting edge phenomenal scientific miracle. If we happen to construct a full circle on the cosmic plane. And through computing the geometry of it we discover the full time cycle. Would we be in a position then to discover the 360-degree view of the secure Quran?”

The response was that it was a highly scientific thought. Perhaps outside the usual domain of our religious teachers and preachers. However, this wasn’t the case during the Muslim golden era. Imam Jafar Sadique was a great scientist, so was Imam Abu Hanifa. He contributed to Chemistry and the illustrious Imam Al-Gazzali wrote a grand book on science and philosophy Tahāfut al-Falāsifa The Incoherence of the Philosophers. That has caused a shift in the consciousness and in many ways have changed the landscape of the muslim ulamas since then.

In this landmark book he critisied leading Muslim scientists Ibne Sina and his followers’ Greek science influenced doctrines. Imam Gazzali set out his propositions in twenty chapters. Therein he successfully refutes twenty points of the Ibne Sina followers that’s known to the contemporary scientific community of our time as well. Al-Ghazali’s views in Tahāfut al-Falāsifa were posited. He showed how these scientists that ushered the scientific era in Baghdad have erred in twenty points by committing heresy.

Good that errors were marked and amended. Later, it was apparent that the spirit of scientific inquiry withered in Islamic lands. That is a loss also. There is no Muslim scientist aces like Ibne Sina to be found in later history of Islam. It’s a pretty clear scenario. Deleting philosophical errors we purified our stance on Islam but notably loss scientific inquisitee. My intention is not to mourn the loss because I am on the happy side that errors were rectified. But I can see clear reasons why we don’t have to give up on science for that.

There are many good reasons. To start with, science is in the Qur’an, it is in the making of the earth, the universe and in our bodies. Islam as the only complete religion it covers everything. Science is included in its inclusive bracket. For instance, we can find in the Qur’an about the Big Bang, the scientific theory of the original event of the creation of the universe. If we analyse the relevant verses we will see that the Qur’an doesn’t only touch on scientific facts it gives 360 degree views of it that science aspires to provide. In Shaa Allah we will show how this Big Bang subject is a perfect example in the next article.

The question is if we do not know science how can we learn these gems that are profoundly disseminated in the Qur’an? Take a moment and give it a thought. Without learning these can we really explore and discover the Qur’an in its entirety?