Science and Islam: History, Philosophy and Thought

Formulation of the relationship between Islam and science has been confused because of misuse and misunderstanding of key terms and their precise context. Which Islam? Which science? If we are aiming at a science molded in the crucible of Islam, we need to approach science as a theoretical construct with four components: a body of knowledge, basic premises, methods of study and goals, all of which must be fully informed by the domain of iman and understood at the level of ihsan. This paper establishes a philosophical framework for the harmonious relationship between epistemological dimensions of science and the Islamic worldview as well as between ethical and societal dimensions of science and Shari'ah.

Keywords: Islam; science; context; normative teachings; theoretical structure; hierarchy of values; conceptual goals; epistemological; ethical; practical application; holistic; Shari'ah.

This Paper, as the title indicates, is meant to look at the topic of ‘Design/non-design’ as well as the question of, “If a Designer designed the Universe, is there a point to science?” To treat this topic with due diligence we introduce to the reader Islamic Epistemology, different terms and methods of logical argumentation, the definition of science and its four major ‘types’ as well as the definitions used throughout. It is the objective of this paper to communicate to the reader, based on the research and findings of several great scientific minds, that we can safely and confidently infer through inductive reasoning that the world and everything in it is by Design rather than non-design. What is more, it is only through the inference of Design that man is capable of doing science; that is, without such constants, patterns and relationships, without organization, structure, function and natural laws, man would be unable to do science at all. In conclusion, rather than inferring Design over non-design hindering scientific progress, it serves as a motivation that drives science forward.

Bilimsel Bilim’in evrensel ve olgusal ve tarafsız olduğuna inandırıldığımız için, dünyada başka bir Bilim Anlayışı, Felsefe ve Yöntemi olabileceğine ihtimal bile ver(e)miyoruz! Müslümanca Düşünce ile Bilimsel Düşünce arasında gidip geliyoruz! Bu iki düşünce arasındaki derin ve geniş uçurumu görmediğimizden; zıtlıklarını uzlaştırıp, aralarını telif edecek köprü ve dolgu malzemeleri toplamakla meşgulüz! Kafamız karışık, zihnimiz bölmeli, davranışlarımız tutarsız! Gerçeklikle bağını yitirmiş bir şizofren gibi; akademide “lâik”, camide “müslüman” rolü oynuyoruz!... Bilim’in iddia ettiği gibi; gerçekten, herşeyi başka nedenlere dayayarak nedensellediğimize ve nasıl işlediğini tasvir ederek açıkladığımıza inanıyorsak; böyle bir evren Rabbimiz’e hangi konuda muhtaçtır veya muhtaç mıdır acaba!? Peki böyle bir evrende “iman”a nasıl yer açacağız!? Maddenin perdesini aralayıp, Rabbimiz’e nasıl delil bulacağız!?...