SCIENTIST

SCIENTIST 

 What is a science? The word science derived from the Latin word scienta, meaning knowledge. It may be defined as follows; systematic knowledge of the physical or material world; or a branch of knowledge dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws; and a set of rules which one seeks a rational comprehension of the physical universe. While, Islamic science is a scientific activity which takes place within the Islamic worldwide and the inborn desire to learn and understand the complexities of Allah’s works for the benefit of humanity and to seek Allah’s pleasure. 1

 Islam is a complete and comprehensive system of life, and not merely a religion describing the relations between man and his Creator. Therefore, far from discouraging a life of well-being in this world, the Qur’an raises those “who say: Our Lord! Give unto us in this world that which is best and in the Hereafter that which is best, and guard us from the torment of fire” (2:201). It is this quest for the well-being which urges man to study and learn, in as perfect a manner as possible, of all that exists in the universe, in order to profit by it, and to be grateful to God. As to the method of increasing knowledge, it is inspiring to note that the very first revelation that came to the Prophet, who was born among illiterate people, was a command to read—“Read with the name of Lord…” (96:1). The Qur’an has repeatedly urged the Muslims to mediate over the creation of the universe, and to study how the heavens and earth have been made subservient to man. Therefore, there has never been a conflict between faith and reason in Islam. Thus it is that the Muslims began very early an ever-progressive and serious study of the sciences.

They did not merely attain political and intellectual supremacy and found extensive empires, but also surpassed all other nations in the field of knowledge and intellectual endeavors. Muslims scholars did not limit their studies to religious sciences like tafsir (exegesis), hadith (traditions), fiqh (jurisprudence), usul al-fiqh (principles of legal system), ‘ilm al-kalam (theology), comparative religion etc., but also studied chemistry, physics, astronomy, botany, mathematics, medicine, geography, historiography, and a host of other disciplines of the physical, natural, social, and a human sciences. Some of these scholars have guided the world in the sciences for several centuries and a left an indelible mark on the world of knowledge. 2 deals not only with what man must and must not do, but also with what he needs to know. The first art of the testimony of faith in Islam, La Ilaha Illa Allah ( “There is no god but God”), is a statement of knowledge concerning Reality. Muslims look upon the various sciences, natural, social and others as so many different bodies of evidences which point to the truth of this most fundamental statement in Islam. This statement is what is popularly known in Islam as the Islam -Munawar Haque –Islamic Knowledge And Civilization –IIUM Press –IIUM –p.13 -2009 -Muhammad Hamidullah –Muslim Contribution to the Science and Arts (Islamabad: Da’wah Academy –IIU – pp.5-6 and p.15 -1989 principle of tawhid of Divine Unity. 3 What is the classification of sciences? The early Muslim philosophers and thinkers such as al-Kindi, followed by al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd and others classified the sciences. The classification made by al-Farabi has remained intact and was followed with minor changes by all subsequent Muslim thinkers, especially al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd. In his work Ihsa al-Ulum (Enumeration of the Sciences), al- Farabi makes the classification of the sciences as follows; science of language, logic, Science of Mathematics, Physics (science of nature) and Metaphysics (sciences concerned with the divine and the principles of things).4 The benefit of to be a scientist is, the importance of knowledge itself in the eyes of Allah as well as His prophet, that He instructed His Prophet to pray for the increase of knowledge, the prayer being “Oh my Lord, increase my knowledge”.5 of knowledge is obligatory on very Muslim.” In other Prophetic Traditions, an individual is encouraged to “seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave,” even if this means “seeking knowledge in China.”

 Knowledge is light and guidance. Revelation raises it to the farthest heights of honor, and makes it a key to righteousness and success. Knowledge raises a person to the most elevated ranks in this life and hereafter. Furthermore, the scientific spirit of Muslim scientist and scholars flows, in fact, from their consciousness of tawhid. The origin and development of the scientific spirit in Islam differs from that in the West. Nothing better illustrates the religious origin of the scientific spirit in Islam than the fact that this spirit was first demonstrated in the religious sciences. Muslims did not begin to cultivate the natural sciences in earnest until the third century Islamic Era (the ninth century of the Common Era). But when they began, they were already in the possession of a scientific attitude and scientific frame of mind, which they had inherited from the religious sciences. The passion for truth and objectivity, the general respect for empirical evidence, and a mind skilled In the classification of things were some of the most outstanding features of early Muslims religious scholarship as can be seen in their studies of jurisprudence and the prophetic traditions.6 In an attempt to preserve the Sunnah of the Prophet from extraneous contaminations, willful mutations and unfounded innovations, the early Muslims introduced the methods of reporting and evaluating, known as the system of the authority (isnad) and the system of antecedents of the narrator (asma’ al-rijal). At that time neither the Greeks nor the Romans, Persians and others were aware of the necessity and utility of the scientific ways of evaluating, recording and preserving historical data.

Thus by “initiating this method the Arab Muslims According to a hadith, “Pursuit S.Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi –Islam and Knowledge (Oxford: The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies) –pp.7-8 - Osman Bakar,pp. 43-54 (Taha 20:114). Ibid., 2-3 became the founders of scientific history and modern historiogprahy.7 There are three sources of knowledge8 perceived by the senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch); Knowledge acquired through reason; Knowledge obtaines through revelation (wahy). Both the senses and reason or intellect are susceptible to certain constraints and their ability to perceive knowledge is confined to material aspects only. If one closes one’s eyes or plugs one ears, one cannot recognize a colour or the nature of a sound. Likewise, there are different aspects which could only be understood by reason and not by senses. Similarly, there are various phenomena which can neither be understood through senses nor reason, such as nature, creation, purpose of creation, eschatology etc. Therefore, to understand these areas, wahy is the only source and guide. Wahy is the secret inspiration that is felt by the one who inspires and the other who is inspired. Wahy may take any of the followings; Natural inspiration; The sudden spontaneous idea preceding any great discovery, invention, work of literature, art etc; wahy to animals; wahy to the prophets who are fully conscious and have a conviction that it is sent down from Allah. The Qur’an as a source of knowledge. The Qur’an declares that it is an exposition for all things (tibyan li kulli shay’) as guidance and mercy, in which nothing is neglected.9 development of the various branches of knowledge in Islam is a proof of this.

The Qur’an itself proclaims that it is the word of Allah and not the word of any else.10 Qur’an contains scientific facts only discovered recently by modern science is all life originated from water (41:11), the universe was in the shape of a fiery gas (41:11), and the embryo in the womb is enclosed by three coverings (39:6). In Qur’an recitation, the qur’an appreciates and praises the “people of knowledge”. “There is no god but He: That is the witness of Allah, His Angels, and those endued with knowledge, standing firm on justice…”.11 with knowledge. “…and such are the parables we set forth for mankind but only those understand them who have knowledge.”.12 for those who have knowledge. “…Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?” It is those who are endued with understanding that received admonition.”. In this verse, Allah differentiates between those who know and those who do not know and asserts that it is only men of understanding who get a lesson from His signs and verses. “Those who truly fear God among his servants are those who have knowledge” (Fatir 25:28). Here Allah says that only those who have God-consciousness and fear of Allah (Taqwa) are the ones who have knowledge. “ We have honored the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them that scientist usually apply it; Knowledge The Some examples of how the Here Allah honours the witnessing of those endued This shows that real comprehension matters is only Abd Rauf, The Story of Islamic Culture (Chicago: Kazi Publications, n.d.), pp.8-9 Ibid., p.69 (Al-Nahl 16:89). (Al-Nisa 4:82). (Ali-Imran 3:18). (Al-Ankabut 29:43). for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of our creation” (Bani Isra’il 17:70). This verses reveal that Adam’s mission of vicegerency and his superiority over the Angels are because of his knowledge. Many of the works written by the Arabs13 were so significant that they were translated into Latin and remained major references in the universities of Europe till the sixteenth century and later become a starting point of Europian research. In places such as Baghdad, Kufa, Basra, Cairo and Cordova, where there were only some religious schools, they sprang up great universities which acquired such world fame that students from all parts of the world, particularly Europe, began to flock to those institutions in search of knowledge.14 works of Muslim scientist, the Renaissance of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries in Western Europe would not have taken place and the modern Western civilization would have never seen the light.

 Logical thinking, mathematical analysis, observation, experimentation, and even rational interpretation of Scriptures all have their legitimate roles to play in the scientific enterprise of early Muslim scientist. Science therefore, became an extensive cultural undertaking that occupied the minds and energies of many of the leading intellectuals in medieval Muslim societies. Indeed, science was practiced on scale unprecedented in earlier human history. In urban centres from the Atlantic to the borders of China, thousands of scientist pursued careers in diverse scientific disciplines. Countless artifacts, ranging from architectural monuments to intricate automatic machines and instruments provide a vivid testimony to the scientific and technological achievements of these scientist. Numerous scientific manuscripts, from various regions of the medieval Islamic world are scattered in modern libraries all over the globe. Until the rise of modern science, no other civilization had engaged as many scientists, produced as many scientific books, or provided as varied and sustained support for scientific activity.15 The Muslims continued their work in the service of science until great misfortunes afflicted their principal intellectual centres, Baghdad in the East, and Cordova-Granada in the West. These were occupied by barbarians, to the great misfortune of science, at a time when the printing press had not yet come into being. The burning of libraries with their hundreds of thousands of manuscripts led to untold and irreparable loss. What had been constructed in centuries was destroyed in days.

Once a civilization declines due to such calamities, it takes several centuries as well as numerous resources before one can make up for the losses.The calamity that befell the ummah is not only factor for its political and intellectual decline. Among factors which make up the chemistry of the political domination and intellectual supremacy of a community over other communities of the world are intellectual ingenuity, academic creative pursuits and ijtihadic endeavors as rightly pointed out by Mawdudi. Some of the most talented muslim scientist also works in a science, astronomy, medicine, surgery, engineering, philosophy At the time to which these events relate, Arab thinkers had been joined by Muslim philosphers and scientist who were not of the Arab stock. However, they were all Muslims. Briffault, The Making of Humanity 165. Ahmad Dallal, “Science, Medicine, and Tecnology” in John L. Esposito ed., The Oxford History of Islam (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), p.155. Without the and etc. Such as, Muhammad Ibn Musa Al-Khawarizmi. Khawarizmi was a mathematician, astronomer and geographer. He was perhaps one of the greatest mathematicians who ever lived. Other famous scientist like Al-Razi, Ibn Sina, al-Biruni, Ibn al-Haytham, al –Zahrawi, Nasir al- Din al-Tusi, and Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi. The examples of contribution of Muslim scholars to the sciences is such as Ibn Sina contribution, Islamic scientist. Abu Ali al-Husayn Ibn Sina, the Avicenna of the Latin scholars (d.428/1037) was born in Ashfana in Transoxiana (northern Iran) around 370/980, lived in the court of several Samanid and Buyid princes and died in Hamadan. He was the greatest name of Neolatonist Islamic philosophy and of medieval medicine. He had al-Farabi as a master to whom he owned his understanding of Aristotle’s Metahphysics. His major treatise of philosophy is Kitab al-Shifa’ (“The Book of Healing”). It is an encyclopedia of Greco-Islamic knowledge in the fifth/eleventh century, covering anything from logic to mathematics.

Avicenna himself wrote a summary of this book which he called Kitab al-Najat (“The Book of Salvation”). His great Al- Qanun fi al-Tibb (“The Canon of Medicine”) remained the basis of medical studies in the West for centuries and in the East practically to this day. His other major work Kitab a-Isharat wa al- Tanbihat (“The Book of remarks and Admonition”) inaugurated a gnostic-illuminist trend in Islamic philosophical thinking.16 Ibn Sina elaborated the “double-truth” doctrine launched by al-Kindi, applied to politics by al-Farabi, then revised and given wide recognition by Ibn- Rushd. The superior intuitions of men of intellect contrast greatly to the uncritical, literal thinking of the masses. Leaders with clear minds and vivid imaginations can create solutions to society’s problems and then persuade the populace to implement those solutions. The ruler, who is an embodiment of the Divine Active Intellect, can translate the truth into the symbolic language of faith of ordinary men, who will then take it literally and act upon it.17

 Hence, the conclusion we have to gain knowledge. Knowledge has two purposes to serve: the divine and the worldly. The divine purpose is to recognize Allah. If nature is studied carefully, numerous instances pointing to the invisible hand that guides and controls all worldly happenings would be found. This hand is the hand of the Almighty. The worldly purpose of knowledge is to enable people to live successfully and usefully by utilizing this knowledge for the benefit of individuals and the societies they live in. the Qur’an requires Muslims to subjugate the forces of nature for the good of mankind, and this would not be possible without proficiency in the sciences. However, our sole purpose of seeking knowledge should not be just for worldly gains but to seek the pleasure of Allah in whatever we do. The Rizq (sustenance and provision) is provided for all creatures by Allah. “How many are the creatures that carry not their own sustenance? It is Allah who feeds (both) them and you: for He hears and knows (all things)”.18