Mrs. Jenkins* ruined me.
I wish I had never learned how the sunrise is a result of the Earth's rotation.
I wish I had never learned that earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic plates.
I wish I had never learned how rain comes from condensation of water vapor carried within clouds.
I wish I had never learned that lightning is the discharge of atmospheric electricity accumulated within clouds.
I wish I had never learned how seasons are a result of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.
I wish had never learned about the body's immune system, white blood cells and all that other physio-medical-biological crap.
Can you imagine how much sweeter my faith in Allah would have been if I attributed all these natural phenomena solely to His direct involvement in my life, instead of viewing them as some bio-chemical reactions?
Every sunrise would be a reminder how Allah has 'pulled' this blazing ball of fire out from the horizon.
Every deluge of rain would be an instant cause to run to prayer thanking Allah for the blessing.
Every earthquake or volcanic eruption would be an immediate reminder of Allah's power and wrath.
Sickness and health would be the domain of Allah, not doctors and pharmacists.
I'm convinced that pre-Industrial Age Muslims had a sweeter taste of Iman due to their lack of scientific knowledge. We may laugh off their ignorance and backwardness, but I'm sure they were stronger in Iman than most of us - they attributed all these mysterious occurrences in nature to God.
They had no other recourse. They didn't analyze and rationalize every single natural phenomenon.
They took them as communications from their Creator. The universe was one great blessing (or trial) after another.
Merely looking up at the sky would inspire immediate awe in them as how could Allah place above them this magical canopy without pillars or poles.
But for us, the sky is simply an empty vacuum we call space.
I imagine every spring renewing and re-energizing their faith by their mere witnessing of the dead plants coming back to life.
But not us - we see photosynthesis in action.
Just great.
Damn you Mrs. Jenkins.
*Original names have been altered to protect the identity of stupid 8th grade science teachers.
WAW
4 days ago
37 comments:
Heh .. I wouldn't be so pessimistic :) The beauty of all the phenomena you mentioned is that the more you understand about their internal workings the more in awe you are of how everything comes together and works together as a system. Just seeing the outside of something (rain, skies, human body functions) perhaps doesn't induce as much wonder as examining the internal intricacies and individual perfections.
And Allah is Al-Khallaq and Al-Aleem :)
BrNaeem,
I strongly disagree with you on this issue. I'm taking Latin and we have weekly readings and quizzes on mythological characters from Greek and Roman Mythology. I've come to understand the Greeks/Romans and their way of life. Every phenomenon they did not have an answer for, they created a god for. For example, rainbows made no sense so Iris became the goddess of rainbows.
If we follow the same no-logic, no rational, pure faith idea you've presented, we might fall victim to that idea of 'making up' an understanding of how the universe works.
But of course, we have the Quran! How can we be misguided when we have that? And what about the sahaba and the generations before us who lived without this science mumbo-jumbo; there faith was stronger than ours.
I think the rational behind that is that whatever the Quran said and was consistent with the science available to them, they accepted, anything else they put faith in. (Which is what I believe we are supposed to do?) Rather than what you've presented having of no logic only pure faith that this is how God works.
Aren't we commanded to seek ayahs or signs of God to further our belief in Allah? We can never understand the creator yet we can try to understand his creation which reflects his greatness.
I think here is a great way to look it. I read this quote today. Subhannallah, maybe I was destined to paste it here.
“For instance, if a man ceases to take any concern in worldly matters, conceives a distaste for common pleasures, and appears sunk in depression, the doctor will say, “This is a case of melancholy, and requires such and such prescription. The physicist will say, “This is a dryness of the brain caused by hot weather and cannot be relieved till the air becomes moist.” The astrologer will attribute it to some particular conjunction or opposition of planets. “Thus far their wisdom reaches,” says the Koran. It does not occur to them that what has really happened is this: that the Almighty has a concern for the welfare of that man, and has therefore commanded His servants, the planets or the elements, to produce such a condition in him that he may turn away from the world to his Maker.The knowledge of this fact is a lustrous pearl from the ocean of inspirational knowledge, to which all other forms of knowledge are as islands in the sea.”
-The Alchemy of Happiness, Imam Al-Ghazali
Who makes the Earth Rotate? Who moves tectonic plates? who condenses water vapor into rain clouds? who accumulates discharge in clouds that leads to lightning? who rotates the suns dictating the seasons? why do white blood cells exists?
ALLAH or BECAUSE OF ALLAH.
I hope my point is logical. I'd like to actually thank my science teachers. (I remember being the only one listening and amazed when my physics teacher told us how the universe was created. Everyone else fell asleep but my mind was going through a revolution being lead by my heart (faith).
I have to say I am very saddened by this posting "science stunted my faith" which represents one of the very many negative factors that are plauging the contemporary muslim mind.
If the brother had looked at how the muslims of the past integrated their love for empirical scientific observation with Quranic injuctions to reflect on the world around them you would not be making such sweeping statments.
Take Ibn rushd who when the muslims were deliberating on the beneifts of medical human disection he stated "practice of dissection strengthens the faith" due to his view of the human body as "the remarkable handiwork of God in his creation"
Ibn Rushd also agreed with Imam Ghazali on the issue of anatomy and dissection, and wrote
"Whoever has been occupied with the science of anatomy/dissection (tashrfh) has increased his belief in God."
The integration of empirical observation with the Quranic worldview is how the muslims reached the heights of scientific excellence they did in the middle ages, an era we often like to boast about but our present day understanding completly undermines any progression in science of any other "worldly" subject.
The Muslims saw no distinction between the two.
I do agree the Western philosphy of science generally does not lead to an increase in faith, that is because it operates on a different framework and model.
If you have an intrest on how the two models differ, I would advise you to have a look at "The History and Philsophy of Islamic Science " by Osman Bakar and "Prolegomennna to rhe Metaphysics of Islam" by Naguib al- Attas
Salam alaikum,
Personally, I find that images generated by the Hubble Space Telescope strengthen my faith.
So alhamdulilah to that dimension of science.
AA-
I think you folks may have missed the gist of my post. I'll blame it on my idiosyncratic writing style. :-)
I'm not arguing that we all hop on the 'stupid train' and ditch school and education and science. Obviously we all live in the Internet age and science is an integral part of our lives.
And thus we are blessed to observe and understand the minutiae of life. Yes, that can increase one in faith.
However, I am just expressing how sweet it must have been to live in a simplified world where normal events of nature (ones we give no pause to reflect upon) such as the rising of the sun or blossoming of a flower would be so mysterious and awe-inspiring that it could only be attributed to a divine Being, and not some soul-sucking understanding of our universe.
Am I making any sense here?
salam wa alaikum,
I think one can appreciate the beauty of the rising sun, parting clouds, or the process of metamorphosis. One can be bewildered by it all and be in awe of the Almighty. Yet, at the same time one can be aware of the intricate "rules" He has placed in nature. Perhaps, such knowledge only increases bewilderment and humility. Some are inspired by osmosis, others by the full-moon. There is beauty in all, but it requires a believing Eye to appreciate it.
Many primitive people did not appreciate Nature just as the "soul sucking science" man does not. They have not the believing heart!
- A passer by.
@BrNaeem - I was planning to leave a comment of the same vein as the ones that have been already posted above. But I'll try seeing things your way for a few minutes. :)
I suspect the perspective you are trying to explain, is like that of a child. I don't mean naive and immature: rather, the innocent wonder that comes from engaging with a world you have no real understanding of.
A child giggles with glee when he sees a caterpillar crawling across a branch. And gasps with awe when the wind suddenly blows the autumn leaves into the air.
They don't know the 'why' of such things: but are simply amazed by their incidence. Therefore, every moment, every seemingly mundane happening, is for the child, filled with inspiration.
It's almost a shame that most of us lose that 'child's sight' as we grow into adults. Perhaps you wish to rediscover it? :)
Science did stunt my faith for a long time in my life. I, like some other people (and I know Naeem read this post because he was the first person to comment on it ;) ), fell into what I've called the "Cult of Rationality," where "Dhikr, the remembrance of Allah (swt), gets pushed back by the cultists in favor of a reliance upon rationality, thinking that rationality is the panacea for mankind's problems. Not all problems can be solved by science, logic or technology."
I'm not convinced, however, that "pre-Industrial Age Muslims had a sweeter taste of Iman due to their lack of scientific knowledge." In fact, it's helpful to remember that the introduction of Islam sparked a scientific revolution among the Muslims of the Middle East and South and Central Asia, with many advances being made by Muslim scientists and doctors in fields such as astronomy, chemistry, physics and medicine. For those Muslims of the classical age, iman provided the motivation to learn more about the world from a scientific perspective.
And this is where I feel I've benefited from having a knowledge of science prior to becoming a Muslim. My faith is strengthened from the knowledge that natural phenomena are the daily, continuous flood of ayat coming to us from Allah (swt). Science explains the phenomena, but it can't remove the message inherent in the phenomena that Allah (swt) sends to us. In other words, nature can provide to us a two-fold meaning for our understanding, one scientific and one spiritual, and the atheists and agnostics who only focus upon the scientific meaning are the poorer for their lack of understanding or disregard for the spiritual meaning in these ayat.
Behold! in these things there are signs for people who believe. (6:99)
Asalamualaikum bro,
While i can't deny that you may have a point when you think of it one way, I also think there are other forces at work today which prevent or direct people towards another conclusion or perspective, and these forces aren't natural, no, they are intentional and in my opinion 'dark forces'*.
Discoveries and knowledge of the intricate details and design of what has been created should naturally put one in a position of greater awe, as they only further emphasise how ridiculous it is to deny the greatness of a Creator. However it's about HOW THINGS ARE PRESENTED to us.
Anybody educated in the "West" (and probably East aswell) will remember that the concept of a Creator is no more in our secular 'modern' societies. When we're taught about the astrology, biology, physics you name it, it's taught from 'Scientific' perspective which doesn't accept the idea that this universe was designed on purpose, but instead puts it down to chance, hence sucking the beauty out of it, rather than drawing our intention to the Creator of such an awsome system, we're shown how amazing the system is, but that's as far as we're asked or shown to think, why? Because Science claims you can't proove it.
However how can such a truth be denied even if they don't ask us to think? Well, it is presented like this constantly and it's so smartly done that we now have 'faith' in Science, despite science often being based on theory only. You see the indoctrination starts young when we're children in school, then we're further bombarded on tv, in books, documentaries, everywhere, in essence we are victims of a form of mind control. Some reject this, saying "how?"!
Well, if our education system, the media we see etc was fair and looked to explore and truly open the mind, they would teach us the various perspectives that exist, but they aren't. Despite for example the evolution theory being just that, A THEORY, it's made out as if that's the most reliable stance. If we think a little deeper, we'll see there are patterns in this 'modern' world and they always lead to everything, but the realisation of a Creator.
Anyway, in conclusion, i'd say it's about perspective and how you look at the great miracles that exist before our eyes. Limit your mind and you'll only think as far as how great a DESIGN the universe is, open your mind and you can start to appreciate how great the DESIGNER of the universe must be.
ISLAMSAURUS
*Those forces that work behind the scenes and control what we see on TV, what we read in magazines, what we hear on the news etc. Truly, we might think we live in a modern secular world, but in actual fact the media is owned by a few and THEY control what you see. Don't take my word for it or say it can't be possible, research it yourself insha Allah.
Asalaam alaikum wa Rahmatullah,
I agree that the "awe factor" of easily observable events must have been an iman strengthener, however in these days we can experience that same awe and strength through the lens of science... its like the saying the more you know, the more you realize how much you don't know (something like that)
Science has exposed the microworkings of the human body for example but can still not explain it... and we can feel the awe of the amazing creation of Allah in His creation of our cells, our DNA, how perfectly in precision it is... or thinking about the vastness of space and how Allah created all the planets in their orbits... Its like we are now looking at the world from a different angle than before but all angles point to "SubhanAllah" :D
Also, just be careful re: the last line of your post, since we shouldn't curse people (even tho i know u are joking n it is a fake name, but just to be on the safe side~)
goAssalamu alaikum,
I think I get what you're getting Brother Naeem. It is indeed ironic that the Messenger's generation produced the greatest Muslims of all time even though they did not have the means to study and understand in depth the meaning behind the many wondrous Signs of Allah in nature. I think what we as Muslims and non Muslims suffer from today is an arrogant belief that our minds are capable of finding the answer to everything (despite the reality of its many real limits). That's why we simply and boringly teach our kids science (and history, social studies, language) in a mechanical fashion. I believe Muslim parents and teachers can change that method of teaching by relating everything that is taught to students back to the reality of Allah (SWT). For example I remember a history documentary my husband and I once watched about a tiny Greek island (that inspired the mythical Atlantis) that was wiped out by the sea; my husband and I were soon overcome with the realization that this civilization was destroyed because it worshipped the sea (calling it the god Poseidon) instead of Allah. Just watching it as the historian presented it, you would never get that sense of realization if he/she hasn't come to it themselves. You have to come to it yourself.
(sigh)
It's so hard to find good loyal blog readers nowadays.
What happened to the days of blogging yes-men? When the only comments found were 'Adda boy Naeem!' or 'Great post buddy!'
But not anymore...the '10s are here and everyone's got a (differing) opinion.
Wooooe am I!!!
(sigh)
AA-
OK, more seriously, I think the last few comments seemed to get my point. I like iMuslim's innocent kid outlook on the world. Yeah, it's that innocence and simplicity in looking at the world that has been ripped away by Science.
Also, I agree with Islamasaurus in that Science isn't the culprit (after all the pursuit of knowledge is a pillar of the Islamic worldview), but the WAY its presented and taught as being the only true source of knowledge, removing God from the equation.
Finally, the awe-factor is what I was trying to get at. The way we look at *miracles* (events beyond explanation) and how they affect our faith is how I envision past Muslims looking at daily acts of nature.
Like the mysteries of the DNA or a cure for AIDS or antimatter or the GUT theory or other phenomena inexplicable by science. Yes, they increase my belief in the existence of God, but my complaint is "why, oh why must I dig soo deep to find them??"
Why couldn't a simple sunrise give me that sense of awe and mystery?
I miss those days of pre-science intellectual virginity. Science has stolen that from me.
I have a friend and he got married to an uneducated girl. All the uneducated people I know, have strong faith, they do not question things based on scientific observations, but just believe them to be true based on what their holy books say.
On the other hand when I have conversations with "so called" educated people, they do not sound to have faith at all, nothing is godly or heavenly, everything is cause and effect.
I totally agree with you, even before reading this article, I knew that science stunted my faith.
I understand where you're coming from, but I disagree. I think that many of us have stopped being awed by natural phenomena simply because we don't take the time to look at and appreciate the world around us. We are too busy - or so we think - to notice such things.
Were not some of these earlier Muslims leading scientists and mathematicians of their times?
I don't think the knowledge of how certain natural phenomena occurs is the problem. The problem is the failure to appreciate the devine purpose that only Muslims are aware of it through the Quran or the prophetic hadith. You see why "discharge of atmospheric electricity accumulated within clouds" are infinitely not expanding but must be realeased and unleashed on earth and when does this happen? Is it not Allah's will to strike the clouds to rain!!. I think pre-Industrial Age Muslims were advanced in science as well as art but a pace conducive to their environment at the time. Today, I am afraid Muslims are way behind in technology and even far behind in the arts of living. The problem is not science or scientific but who is doing the explanation and discovery? When Muslims who are trained in the Islamic tradition do the research and discovery there is no incongruency between scientific knowledge and Devine natural world. When the discoverer and researcher is unbeliever with no knowledge of the devine revelations you have a scientist with no road map and their discoveries sometimes seems contradictory to Islamic teachings.
Good article, science deff. has stunted my own dedication to the enthetowercr of Allah. I think it's important, however for us in incorporate the enthetowercr into our understanding of science so we can have a world where both exist in harmony.
THIS ARTICLE IS VERY GOOD AND JUST SHOWS THAT ISLAM IS NOT OUT OF DATE!
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Science does not explain all.
Quite honsestly - he more I know of science, the more fascinated I get with life.
Just think of the millions of years it took for the animal species to evolve. Think, how one small flower over the ages learned to grow a fur, and be immune to freezing cold, until it coud live in the highest recesses and mountain ledges in the alps. How humans, instead of being stood on their legs, finished, able to talk, in only one day, grew and learned and changed slowly, ever so slowly, and how there was an ape called van Beethoven one day, composing his piano sonata 111 -
Why would you find the world less of a miracle. of a revelation, just because it evolved out of it's own wish to exist?
The pre-industrial arabs were some of the most advanced in the world, in fact they had instruments to measuer the rotation of the earth and knew its circumference. It is the science that Allah created, his rules for governing his universe that I find infinitely complex and beautiful.
http://lethbridgeuthoughts.blogspot.com/search?q=Islam
very informative arctile .. thanks for sharing ..
Faith Of Muslims
I found God in the mysteries of universe at first I was muslim just because my parents were but after reading science and than Quran my soul shouted that their is God and only one God
salam
I really like that topic and do understand everybody's different point of views.
All id like to say is that i understand the import of science in our lives and i think whenever i learn something new i am amazzzed by how Allah swt has created this univers' this world even our bodies ...
Bt on the other i agree that the more u lern about science the less you can do ur ibadaat . We spend so many years in school, college, uni and during that time we can't do our ibadaat proprely we miss ur 5 times prayers...
Moreover, the more people study the less they believe in God because they try to find every answer in science .
I remember that most of my teachers did not believe in god at all they used to say that only people who are weak in knowlegde believe in god like my econmics and philosophy teacher.
I feel so bad for them coz actually they are amongst those people who reflect the definition of ignorance ....
So id like to say that ur right in a certain way buddy !!!!!
You should read Islamic articles with scientifically proved at http://hidayaresearch.com
wow. I couldn't relate more personally to this post. (even though we Muslims don't believe in coincidences...) coincidentally enough, I stumbled across this particular post on a day when I really needed an "Iman boost", to say the least. (not that this gave me an "Iman boost". It was just interesting to find that there are other people in the world who think like I do)
Something else I've had an issue with: I know Islamically we don't believe in anything being "random", but sometimes things just feel random. And we know that humans have free will, but not free action, but it doesn't feel that way.
This is going to sound horrible but even if I make dua for something to happen and my dua comes true, my nafs always finds some explanation other than "Divine Intervention" as to why my dua came true. Real life experience: "Allah, please allow me to find a missing important document that I need for legal purposes". I looked all over the house but couldn't find it. Next day, mom finds document in a drawer that I had also looked in. Initially I was very grateful that Allah had fulfilled my dua, but sometimes I think that the only reason my document was found is because my mom did a better job of looking in the drawer than I did, and dua played no part in the finding of my important document.
This is just one example..
Thoughts?
AA- Emine,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. About your example, I'm the exact opposite. :-)
I've come to appreciate any and every sign as an interjection of the Mercy of Allah (swt). I find mere annoyances (like misplacing my car keys) as an answer to a previous dua (those extra 10mins looking for the keys saved me from a possible car accident).
I've become much more conscious of these minor 'miracles', like in your example, and I find them so refreshing in bringing me closer to Allah (swt).
Hmmm...you've given me food for a possible new blog post...I need something to kickstart me back into writing. :-(
SCIENCE INCREASES FAITH.
FOR EXAMPLE: ALLAH SAID THAT IN QIYAMAH YOUR ACTIONS WILL BE REPLAYED. I THINK WE CAN UNDERSTAND THIS PHENOMENON BETTER THAN THE PEOPLE OF 7TH TO 15TH CENTURIES,BECAUSE OF VIDEOS AND ACTION REPLAY. ISINT.
SO SCIENCE CANT STUNT FAITH. ISLAM AND SCIENCE IS BOTH SIDE OF A COIN.
i disagree as well.
You're right, the surest way to maintain your faith is to stay willfully ignorant of the truth. Knowledge is the quickest way to atheism.
NO WAY..instead science and todays technology is proving what was revealed to PROPHET MUHAMMAD (pbuh) 1400 years ago
wazaaif.blogspot.com
And i suppose I shouldn't learn about health science at all. I've becoming to see Human, animal, Plants and those "dead" things are the same.
Why can we freely kill bacteria, Plants, and animals we eat, but we can't kill Humans.
AA- Opik
"And i suppose I shouldn't learn about health science at all."
I think you (and Wazifa) misunderstood my post. I am not calling for a return to the Stone Age. Without doubt the history of Islam is replete with examples of Muslims embracing technology and scientific advancement.
I was simply wondering how it may have felt to live in an age of scientific ignorance (relative to our current day).
Simply pointing out that there are pros and cons to each and every age.
Unfortunately, all muslims fall short of really learning what it is that the koran says. That is why you still read it.
Hi Naeem,
I think it's sweeter to be able see the intricacies of the world and the universe that scientists have helped us to see and then to know that God designed all this.
Also I don't see any contradiction between saying that atoms have caused something and at the same time God has caused something. If a young child asks his dad why water is boiling in a pan, his dad might say: "the gas is reacting with the oxygen to generate heat in the flame. The heat from the flame transfers to the pan which transfers to the water which affects the atoms in the water causing it to boil." The he asks his mum why the water is boiling. She says: "Because I am making a cup of tea". Both answers are true.
Similarly earthquakes occur because of the movement of tectonic plates but they also occur to show the power of God, the mortality of man and the brokenness of this world.
Hello KAQ,
Thanks for the comments. As always, much appreciated.
I agree, there is no *contradiction* between science and faith. There is no epic battle being waged between the forces of good and evil (you can choose which side science and faith fall on)...
My post was just about the subtle sweetness of faith in being able to simply explain everything as a miraculous act of God.
With your example of the boiling water, how much more in awe of God would your child be if the explanation was that water is boiling because God has mysteriously provided mankind with this blessing by which we are able to enjoy tea?
I adamantly believe that ignorance is NOT bliss and thus am not calling for everyone to leave pursuit for knowledge and run to the jungles.
Just saying...
I can find the God by nature. The Problem is we don't look into nature. Nature is what is all about around us like Forest, Mountain, soil, Greens , Trees, Moon and Sun etc every sort of beauty may lead to enhance the faith of an individual towards Allah Almighty.
Science concept is to investigate the universe what God made for us and how?
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