Qur’anic Proofs Which Show that the Religion of Islam Embodies the Beneficial Contemporary Sciences and Professions – Part 13
In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Imaam As-Sadi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said:
The Qur’an is an elucidation of everything, a guidance and mercy for a people who believe. Indeed, when affairs are explained, its wellbeing is accomplished, and every affair that is not explained will be corrupted and deficient. The real state of affairs is a testimony to this. Sound (uncorrupted) intellect agrees with the (unadulterated) divine legislation and bears witness to it; and that whoever opposes the divine legislation has indeed opposed it with an unsound intellect; rather the person has opposed it with ignorance and misguidance, just as Allāh [The Most High] stated about all those whom He has judged to be dwellers of the eternal fire- who wilfully turn away from the divine legislation – that they will say:
[لو كنا نسمع أو نعقل ما كنا في أصحاب السعير – Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!” Then they will confess their sin. So, away with the dwellers of the blazing Fire]. [Surah Al-Mulk. Verses 10-11]
Allāh informed us that they were deprived of the (sound) hearing and intellect. How can one possess (sound) intellect when he associates one of the created things – deficient in every way – as partner with Allāh, The Creator, The One Who Controls and Regulates all affairs of the Universe and The One Singled Out with every Attribute of Perfection?! Rather, what is the intelligence of the person whom the Creator provided with sufficient proofs, which even if a person were to harbour doubt in everything that is perceivable and can be understood by the intellect, he would not have been able to allow his intellect to harbour doubt about Allāh? And this why the Messengers said to their nations:
[أفي الله شك فاطر السماوات والأرض – What! Can there be a doubt about Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth?] [Surah Ibraaheem. Verse 10]
This is affirmed by everyone with a residue of intelligence that to harbour doubt about Allāh is tantamount to foppery, madness and arrogance, and there is no pride greater than it.
And regarding the statement of some of them, “If the intellect and the divine revelation go against each other, we give precedence to the intellect”. (See Footnote a) Indeed, based on what the intelligence of people with real intellect has manifested, this above statement is tantamount to great ignorance because (sound) intellect agrees with divine revelation and bears witness to it. Would a person with (sound) intellect think that the All-Wise One Who gives perfect commands and prohibitions (free from all faults, deficiencies, shortcomings, weaknesses) would give rulings that contradict sound intellect, let alone informs us of things that contradict the real state of affairs?! This is a mighty slander, and therefore Allāh notified the (sound) intellects and (uncorrupted) natural dispositions about the mighty obligations, Islamic Monotheism, Prophethood and the Hereafter. Allāh said:
قل ادعوا الذين زعمتم من دون الله لا يملكون مثقال ذرة في السماوات ولا في الأرض وما لهم فيهما من شرك وما له منهم من ظهير ولا تنفع الشفاعة عنده إلا لمن أذن له
Say: (O Muhammad to those polytheists, pagans, etc.) “Call upon those whom you assert (to be associate gods) besides Allah, they possess not even the weight of an atom (or a small ant), either in the heavens or on the earth, nor have they any share in either, nor there is for Him any supporter from among them. Intercession with Him profits not, except for him whom He permits. [Surah Saba 22-23]
Allāh notified the sound intellects about a matter they know and do not deny, which is that everything that is worshipped besides Him neither possess dominion nor a share of dominion, neither power to support nor intercede. Therefore, when all these four affairs are cut off, the falsity of worshipping others besides Allāh is established. Likewise, Allāh [The Most High] said:
ومن أضل ممن يدعو من دون الله من لا يستجيب له إلى يوم القيامة وهم عن دعائهم غافلون وإذا حشر الناس كانوا لهم أعداء وكانوا بعبادتهم كافرين
And who is more astray than one who calls (invokes) besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls (invocations) to them? And when mankind is gathered (on the Day of Resurrection), they (false deities) will become enemies for them and will deny their worshipping. [Surah Al-Ahqaaf 5-6]
Likewise, Allāh [The Most High] said:
ما اتخذ الله من ولد وما كان معه من إله إذا لذهب كل إله بما خلق ولعلا بعضهم على بعض سبحان الله عما يصفون
No son (or offspring or children) did Allah beget, nor is there any ilah (god) along with Him; (if there had been many gods), behold, each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have tried to overcome others! Glorified be Allah above all that they attribute to Him! [Surah Al-Muminoon. Aayah 91]
And likewise Allāh notified us that He alone is the One Who created and that there is no Lord besides Him, the One without partner, co-equal, associates and resemblance, and He is free from all imperfections, shortcomings, weaknesses. Allāh said:
أم خلقوا من غير شيء أم هم الخالقون أم خلقوا
السماوات والأرض بل لا يوقنون
Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, but they have no firm Belief. [Surah At-Toor. Aayaat 34-35] [An Excerpt from Ad-Dalaa’il Al-Qur’aaniyyah Fee Annal Uloom Wal-A’maal An-Naafi’ah Al-Asriyyah Daakhilatun Fid Deen Al-Islaamiy. page 26-27. Slightly paraphrased]
How to Approach the Contemporary Worldly Sciences
Shaikh Saaleh Aala Ash-Shaikh [may allaah preserve him] said: The Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said: Verily, the creation of each of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days as a drop [of water, semen], then he is a clot for a similar period, then a morsel for a similar period…. [An-Nawawi’s Forty Hadeeth. Hadeeth 4]
It is well known that during that era, the Sahaabah did not know these stages (of development of the human being in the womb) through experimental knowledge, vision [i.e. by way X-rays or ultrasound that enables the human to see something in the womb) or other than that; rather it was simply (a statement of the Prophet) which they (believed and affirmed). They were scholars by way of the revelation sent down to the Prophet and not by way of experimentation (examination). [Sharh Al-Arba’een. Hadeeth 4]
Imaam Muhammad Bin Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: We do not say, “We do not give consideration to anything stated by the people in the subject matter regarding medicine, astronomy and the celestial bodies”, however, we do not accept everything they say. If what they say opposes the Book and the (authentic) Sunnah, then indeed we do not accept their statements. We take [i.e. believe and affirm without any doubt] that which is conveyed in the Book and the Sunnah], and we say, “An era will come in which the people will bear witness to the falsity of those statements of theirs – at present – that are in opposition to the Book and Sunnah and (bear witness) to the soundness of that which has been conveyed in the Book and the Sunnah. [An excerpt from the ‘Explanation of Bulooghul Maraam’ Vol 1. page 130. Shared by Ustaadh abu Tasneem (Mushaf Al-Banghaalee- may Allaah preserve him)]
Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: Indeed, that which is stated by the astronomers about the celestial bodies, their sizes and the distance between them, and that which is said about the earth [i.e. by the geologists etc] is categorized into three affairs: [a] That which is backed by the sound knowledge-based proofs [i.e. the Sharee’ah], therefore it is accepted. [b] That which the knowledge-based proofs [i.e. the sharee’ah] declares to be false, therefore it is rejected. [c] That which there is no proof to either accept or reject it, therefore it is unproven until a person from the people of knowledge [i.e. upright scholars of Ahlus Sunnah] examines it [i.e. examines what it indicates based on the Book and Sunnah] to show whether it should be accepted or rejected. As for accepting it without [sound] investigation and observation, but merely accepting it by blindly following them [i.e. the astronomers, geologists etc], then this is impermissible because of the numerous mistakes that occur as a result of that and speaking -without knowledge – about Allaah and that which He has created [i.e. the entire universe and all that is within it]. [An Excerpts from ‘Al-Adillah An-Naqliyyah Wal-Hissiyyah Alaa Imkaanis Su’ood Ilal Kawaakib Wa Alaa Jarayaan Ash-Shams Wal-Qamar Wa Sukoon Al-Ard’ page 74. slightly paraphrased]
Therefore, we return to those honest investigators – those students of sound Aqeedah who are well acquainted with both the statements of the upright scholars and the contemporary worldly sciences, such as the likes of Dr. Shaikh Abu Iyaadh Amjad Rafiq [may Allaah preserve him, increase him in beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds. And likewise preserve all the students and Ahlus Sunnah Aameen].
Read: Understanding the Two Definitions of ‘Science’ in Operation – By Shaikh Dr. Abu Iyaadh:
http://www.aboutatheism.net/articles/juvtbpd-understanding-the-two-definitions-of-science-and-scientific-enquiry.cfm
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