Antiscience is the Right Course

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Blessings and salutations of peace be upon you my Master, Apostle of Allah

Advancements in science and consequently in technology has been the greatest driving force for the spread of atheism in the world. Many apologists for religion have felt compelled to reconcile science with their faith, but in my view it seems that they have placed science in judgment over faith. While it is true that, as far as Islam is concerned, the subject matter of our Faith is not what science is concerned with, which is the study of material world and nature, there are certainly some so-called scientific discoveries that pose a challenge to aspects of the Faith. Human evolution is certainly one of them, if not the greatest such challenge. Some Muslims have felt compelled to revise the traditional Islamic narrative concerning Adam, the first man, whom we believe was created without a mother and father, a view shared by Orthodox Jews and fundamentalist Christians. Others, unable to reconcile what they consider to be undeniable scientific facts with the core doctrines of the Faith have turned to apostasy, having chosen science over religion. I say that science is certainly a danger to the faith of many if not most Muslims. This is not to say that we must absolutely reject science, or that Islam can easily be proven false through the hard sciences, but that the feeble mindedness of many of our people will result in them either turning to apostasy or such a severe heresy where they disfigure the theology of Islam to such an extent it becomes wholly unrecognizable. In our time it is vital for the Muslims to cling to their Faith, even if that clinging may seem irrational or illogical. The attitude of humility and submission to Allah, blind acceptance of His revealed Word is what will save souls from eternal damnation. As Muslims, we can only approve of such apologetics that utilize the tools of science and rationality which do not question even an iota of our traditional and established religious teachings and beliefs. It is critical to understand that scientific discoveries are of two kinds, one of which is theoretical, addressing those matters of history through extrapolations and even mathematical calculations. Muslims must be extremely skeptical and cautious about this field of science. Human evolution is one of those matters which belongs to the field of the theoretical. Likewise, much of what is called physics and cosmology belongs to the realm of the theoretical too. And certain fields of science are much more empirical, such as medicine and chemistry. Yet even here the Muslim should be cautious, and reject those aspects of modern medicine which clearly contravene the teachings passed down from the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, concerning health and treatments. To summarize, I advocate for Muslims to take the course which the world may describe as antiscience and “anti-intellectualism”. We must believe that Adam was the first human, however long ago he appeared on the Earth, and that he was created and shaped directly by Allah, from clay, and that he was created without the agency of parents. We must believe that every body in the Heavens is in motion – whether modern science accepts it or rejects it – as Allah says:

کُلٌّ فِیۡ فَلَکٍ یَّسۡبَحُوۡنَ

Everything floating in an orbit

(Surah 21, Ayah 33)

Certainly, there are many matters which Allah and His Apostle صلى الله عليه وسلم have revealed to us that are from the unseen, matters which we are unable to perceive with our physical senses or even some matters we are unable to comprehend with our limited intellect. It is in these matters we are commanded to believe because of our trust and faith in the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم that he is a truthful Prophet and whatever he says on the authority of divine revelation is the certain truth. An attempt to rationalize, or worse, reinterpret these matters so they accord with human scientific understanding is foolish and dangerous. It is one thing to try and rationalize the miracle of the splitting of the moon by interpreting it as an eclipse, but to go to the extent of reinterpreting the reality of Angels to mean the hidden forces of nature is an extremely heretical approach that inevitably results in unbelief.

A common objection to the approach I am advocating for is that it will result in the weakening of the Ummah, and we will be bereft of the fruits of material progress which other civilizations are reaping and enjoying. This is certainly true. But material progress in exchange for the vitality of faith and spirituality is a terrible deal. This is a time in which we must guard our Faith jealously and zealously, come what may. The triumph and manifestation of the glory of Islam shall come about shortly through a divine intervention at the hands of the Mahdi and the Messiah.