Islam And Science (1/2)

Western thought today is in the midst of a raging battle between religion and science.  It is almost impossible for a western thinker today to accept the fact that there may be a meeting ground between religion and science. The Bible, in which the Christians believe, states that the tree from which the Prophet Adam (‘alaihis salam)[1]  was forbidden to eat was the tree of knowledge. Thus, after he ate from it, he gained certain knowledge that he had not had before. For this reason, Europe spent two centuries arguing whether or not to accept scientific knowledge coming from Muslims.

The Church ruled that the pursuit of such scientific knowledge was the cause for the original sin. The bishops drew their evidence from the Old Testament, where it is mentioned that when Adam ate of the tree and gained some knowledge, Allah was displeased with him and denied him mercy. Scientific knowledge was therefore rejected entirely by the Church as a taboo.

Finally, when the free thinkers and scientists of the West were able to overcome the power of the Church, they took revenge by going in the opposite direction and suppressing any power of the religion. They went to all possible extremes in order to overcome the power of the Church and reduce its influence into a narrow and a confined corner.

Therefore, if you discuss the issue of religion and science with a westerner, he readily goes into sheer wonderment. They do not know Islam. They do not know that Islam accords a very high status to knowledge and men of knowledge, regarding them as witnesses, after the angels, to the fact that there is no Allah but Allah. As Allah Himself has told us in the Qur'an:

“There is no Allah but He: That is the witness of Allah, His angels and those endued with knowledge.” (Qur'an, Surah Al-‘Imran, 3: 18)

And Allah, may He be Exalted and Glorified has also told us:

“Know, therefore, that there is no true deity but Allah.” (Qur'an, Surah Muhammad, 47: 19)

It is known  from  the  Qur'an   that  Adam  ('alaihis   salam)  was  favored over  the angels  by  virtue  of the  knowledge   given  to  him  by  Allah.  The Qur'anic   story  contradicts  that  of  the  Bible  which  Muslims  hold  to have been  distorted.  According   to  the  Qur'an,   the  fact  that  Adam  was  given knowledge  is a mark  of  honor  and  not  the  cause  of  his  expulsion   from Paradise.  Hence,  if one discusses  Islam and science  with  Western  thinkers, they  tend  to  expect  an  argument  similar  to  what  they  have  in their  own religious  and  cultural  context.  That is why they react with surprise when they are presented with the crystal clear facts of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Among those who were taken by surprise is Dr.  Joe  Leigh  Simpson, Chairman  of the Department  of Obstetrics  and Gynecology,  and Professor of  Molecular   and  Human   Genetics  at  the  Baylor  College  of  Medicine, Houston.   When we first met him, Professor Simpson insisted on verifying the   Qur'an   and the   Sunnah.   We were   able,   however,   to   remove   his suspicion.  We presented to him the text outlining the development   of the embryo.  We proved  to him  that the Qur'an   informs  us that  the hereditary and  the  chromosomal   make-up  of  the  new  being  take  place  only  after  a successful union  between the sperm and the ovum. As we know, these chromosomes contain all the characteristics   which the new human being will have such as the color of the eyes, skin, hair, etc.

Hence,   many   of   the   details   in   the   human   being's    make-up   are determined in his chromosomes.  These chromosomes begin to form during the early nutfah stage of embryonic development.  In other words, the distinguishing  features  of  the  new  human  being  are  determined   from  the very  beginning  at  the  nutfah stage.  Allah, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorified, has stated this fact in the Qur'an:

“Woe to man! What has made him reject Allah? From what stuff has He created him? From a sperm-drop: He has created him, and then molded him in due proportion.” (Qur'an, Surah Abasa, 80: 17-19)

(Continued)