INTRODUCTION
The rise of the
Muslims to the zenith of civilization in a period of four decades was based on
Islam's emphasis on learning. This is obvious when one takes a look at the
Qur'an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (SAS), which are filled with
references to learning, education, observation, and the use of reason. The very
first verse of the Qur'an revealed to the Prophet of Islam on the night of 27th
of Ramadan in 610 CE reads:
Read: In the name of
thy Lord who created man from a clot Read: And thy Lord is the Most Generous
Who taught by the
pen, taught man that which he knew not…. Surah AL ALAQ, 96:
1-5
And they shall say
had we but listened or used reason
We would not be
among the inmates of the burning fire.
Surah AL MULK, 61:
10
Are those who have
knowledge
And those who have
no knowledge alike?
Only the men of
understanding are mindful.
Surah AL
ZUMAR, 39:
9
And the Qur'an
exhorts the Muslims to do scientific research:
And whoso bringeth
the truth and believeth therein such are the dutiful.
Surah Al ZUMAR, 39:
33
Every Muslim man's
and every Muslim woman's prayer should be:
MY LORD!
ENRICH ME WITH KNOWLEDGE... Surah TA HA, 20: 114
The pursuit of
knowledge and the use of reason, based on sense observation are made obligatory
on every Muslim, man and woman.
The following
traditions of the Prophet (SAS-Sallallaaho Alaihi Wa Sallam) supplement the
foregoing teachings of the Qur'an in the following way:
(1)
Seek knowledge "even though it be In China."
(2)
"The acquisition of knowledge is compulsory for every Muslim, whether
male or female."(2)
(2) "The ink of
the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr.
(3)
"Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave."
(4)
"God has revealed to me 'Whoever walks in the pursuit of knowledge I
facilitate for him the way to heaven.' Increase in knowledge is even superior to
increase in worship."
(5)
"The best form of worship is the pursuit of knowledge."
(6)
"Scholars should endeavor to spread knowledge and provide education to
people who have been deprived of it. For, where knowledge is hidden it
disappears."
(7)
Some one asked the Prophet (SAS): "Who is the biggest scholar?" He
replied: "He who is constantly trying to learn from others, for a scholar is
ever hungry for more knowledge."
(8)
"Seek for knowledge and wisdom, for whatever the vessel from which it
flows, you will never be the loser."
(9)
"Thinking deep for one hour (with sincerity) is better than 70 years of
(mechanical) worship."
(10)
"Worship, without knowledge, has no goodness in it and knowledge without
understanding has no goodness in it. And the recitation of the Qur'an, which is
not thoughtful has no goodness in it."
(11)
"To listen to the words of the learned and to instill unto others the
lessons of science is better than religious exercises."
(12)
"Acquire knowledge: it enables its possessor to distinguish right from
the wrong, it lights the way to heaven; it is our friend in the desert, our
society in solitude, our companion when friendless; it guides us to happiness;
it sustains us in misery; it is an ornament among friends and an armor against
enemies."
PAST
The Islamic Empire
for more than 1,000 years remained the most advanced and civilized nation in the
world. This is because Islam stressed the Importance and respect of learning,
forbade destruction, developed in Muslims the respect for authority and
discipline, and tolerance for other religions. The teachings of Qur'an and
Sunnah drove many Muslims to their accomplishments in science and medicine. The
Muslims recognized excellence and, hungering intellectually, were avid for the
wisdom of the world of Galen, Hippocrates, and Rufus of Ephesus, Oribasius,
Dioscorides and Paul of Aegina. By the tenth century their zeal and enthusiasm
for learning resulted in all essential Greek medical and scientific writings
being translated into Arabic in Damascus, Cairo, and Baghdad. Arabic became the
international language of learning and diplomacy. The center of scientific
knowledge and activity shifted eastward, and Baghdad emerged as the capitol of
the scientific world. The Muslims became scientific innovators with originality
and productivity. For example Islamic medicine is one of the most famous and
best-known facets of Islamic civilization, and in which the Muslims most
excelled (2). The Muslims were the great torchbearers of international
scientific research (3). Some of the best and most eloquent praises of science
ever written came from the pens of Muslim scientists who considered their work
to be acts of worship. The same motives led to the establishment of Al-Azhar
(800 CE) the first university in the world. They hit the source ball of
knowledge over the fence to Europe. In the words of Campbell (4) "The
European medical system is Arabian not only in origin but also in its
structure. The Arabs are the intellectual forebearers of the Europeans. "
In 700 CE a
movement of Muslim scientists and scholars, known as Mutazillites, who believed
that both the mysteries of nature and the religious belief could be explained
and expressed in terms of human reason, provoked the emergence of a
counter-movement called the Asharites who emerged in 900 CE. They contested the
over-zealous use of reason and condemned bidah or innovation in religious
belief. In the end the Asharites won but gave rise to taqlid - the tyrannical
attitude to passive acceptance. When taqlid was accepted as the dominant
paradigm, Islamic science and technology truly became a matter of history and
the practice of Islamic science and technology disappeared.
PRESENT
The first word
revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAS) was "Iqra" (read). Ironically 70 to 80 per
cent of the Muslim Ummah who constitute over one billion Muslims (the largest
followers of a religion in the world) cannot read. For several hundred years,
Islamic countries were colonial countries ruled by foreigners. The Muslim
masses were without education and without natural resources and lacked inspiring
and guiding leaders. Without these they could not struggle and could not
compete and keep pace with the rest of the world, which has been developing
fast. Awakening from its slumber, the Ummah is today confronted with formidable
problems on all fronts. It's economic, social and political problems, which are
overpowering by any standard are "iceberg tops" of its deeper-lying malaise on
the intellectual and moral level (5). All or most of the Muslim countries are
blindly following the western science and technology without any modification or
change. This will again result in injury to the Islamic personality and culture
at all levels and also it will destroy the physical environment. Muslim
scientists and technologists who are in pursuit of building a new Islamic
civilization must understand and solve the Ummah's problems. They must
understand them correctly and analyze them critically. They must assess with
precision how their solutions will affect the life of the Ummah. There is no
cooperation and unity among the Islamic nations. There is always in fighting and
inter-national fighting. Differences between ideologies, nationalism, economic
status, etc., should be overcome.
There are
international organizations such as the United Nations Organization and its
several branches (FAO, UNESCO, IAEA, IITP, etc.), World Health Organization, and
others. But their help in solving the problems of the Muslim Ummah is
miniscule. Therefore the Muslims should solve their own problems. Muslim
countries should tap the talents of Muslim scientists working in the Americas
and Europe on matters concerning research, manpower utilization, material
resources, motivating young scientists, sharing of intellectual wealth, etc.
FUTURE
There is nothing
in the teachings of Islam that contends against learning, against science, and
against technology. The pursuit of knowledge and scientific research is the
birthright of every Muslim woman and every Muslim man.
The rediscovery
of Islamic science and technology in the 21st century is an
intellectually formidable task requiring a sustained effort over several
decades. The first step to be taken for scientific rebirth is ijtihad, to exert
the utmost effort, to struggle; to do one's best to know something. Ijtihad,
after the Qur'an and Prophetic traditions, is the third source of Islamic law.
Muslim countries
should unitedly aim at applying science and technology in the building of a new
Islamic civilization. This will prevent the imbalance, disharmony and
disintegration in almost every field of human endeavor such as social, economic,
cultural, political or any other. This goal can be achieved by simultaneously
implementing the following:
1. The
Islamization of Muslim scientists and technologists who are trained by western
science and technology.
The training of
young Muslims in Islamic science and technology.
Currently the
problem in the Muslim countries is that the Ulema do not have any knowledge of
modern science and technology and the Muslim ' scientists and technologists do
not have mastery of Islamic sources of knowledge. As we know the Ulema exert the
greatest influence on the Muslim masses. It appears that it is easier and
practical to train Muslim scientists and technologists trained in western
education in Islamic sources of knowledge instead of training our Ulema in
science and technology.
To train our
younger generation into Islamic science and technology there is a need to
develop a new curricula incorporating Islamic values in science and technology
and also writing of textbooks in science and technology at all levels of
education: primary, secondary, and higher education.
Muslim countries
have established organizations to meet their religious, political, economic and
social needs such as the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference), Arab League,
Muslim World Bank, Muslim World League, World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY),
etc. But to my knowledge, no organization or institution has been established to
meet the scientific and technological needs. Therefore there is an urgent need
to establish the following:
Islamic Academy of
Sciences.
Think-Tank
institutions to solve scientific and technological problems of the Muslim
countries
Islamic Foundations
to award grants.
Recognition of
Muslim scientists.
Establishment of
Alternatives to Nobel Prizes, such as King Faizal Awards.
Prizes for work done
or accomplishments of Muslim scientists and technologists.
Islamic Atomic
Energy Agency where Muslim scientists and engineers from Muslim countries can be
trained in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Exchange of Muslim
scholars in the sciences and engineering.
Holding of Annual
Meetings at the national and international level.
Fortunately,
Allah (SWT) has given a bounty to many Islamic countries, an income over 100
billion dollars per year. Hence, Islamic countries have the opportunity and
resources to make Islamic sciences and technology NUMBER ONE in
the world, once again. Let us ignite the spark of our great achievements to be
materialized in the near future. Let the Muslim scientists and engineers in the
western world contribute to the health, welfare and prosperity of our less
fortunate brothers and sisters in the Islamic countries by contributing our
brilliance. Insha'Allah, the First World Conference on Science, Technology and
the Islamic Civilization will offer the opportunity to tap the cream of Islamic
intelligentsia.
REFERENCES
1. Syed, I.B.:
"Islamic Medicine-1,000 Years Ahead of its Times". Journal of Islamic Medical
Association (USA), 13(1): 6-13, 1981.
2. Nasr, S.H.:
"Science and Civilization in Islam." New American Library, Inc., New York, 1968,
pp. 184-229.
3. Salam, A.: IAEA
Bulletin, 22(2), 81-83, and 1980
4. Campbell, D.:
"Arabian Medicine", Vol. I, Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd., London, 1926.
5. Faruqi, I.R.: "
Islamization of Knowledge: General Principles and Workplan." International
Institute of Islamic Thought, Washington, D.C., pp. 43-48,
1982.
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