Category Archives: Science

Medicine and Muslims

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At-Talib has a post on a transcribed talk by Khalid Baig giving an overview of the state of medicine today and in the past, and how Muslims can play a part in steering it.

Revival of any Islamic science is part of the revival of Islamic civilization and will pave the way for the revival of other sciences as well. But unlike other Islamic sciences, Islamic medicine has the distinction that despite all the efforts to wipe it out — many at the hands of Muslims themselves—it is still a living tradition, unlike physics and chemistry. Reviving it is thus easier.

There are things our physicians can do individually.
Our physicians need to recognize the great and unique opportunity that they have for doing good not only for the body but also for the soul of their patients. Doctors are in the best position to promote Islamic lifestyle, which is the best protection against the diseases brought on by our modern lifestyles. This refers to diseases of all kinds— physical, mental, and spiritual, although the last one is not always recognized. Today we are more concerned about the hardening of the arteries than we are about the hardening of the hearts. But Muslim physicians can furnish treatments for both.

Environmentalism and Islam

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Dawud Israel explains to us the importance of preserving the environment, citing verses from the Quran that urge us to contemplate what is in the heavens and the earth:

“Had Allah not given us the world around us with its beautiful nature, would we be able to realize that it had a Creator? That is to say, that if we were the only ones here on Earth–wouldn’t we think that we were ‘gods’? But Allah has put the world around us and shown us that there is One who is much greater than us.

But there is more to consider. The above ayah mentions that we are to contemplate upon the creation of the Heavens and Earth. How exactly are we to do this?

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Now consider how people all around the world are destroying the Earth. Are we not losing wisdom and understanding? It’s one thing to lose nature by damaging the environment but to lose the wisdom that Allah teaches through it–means that we will eventually lose our understanding of ourselves and therefore a key avenue for coming closer to Allah SWT. That is why we must take a serious and hard look at preserving the environment.”

The complete post at Muslimology.

On Earthquakes

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At-Talib draws our attention to Br. Mohammed Sidat’s explanation of how earthquakes can be a manifestation of the wrath of Allah SWT:

“Our turning away from Allah simply results in Allah’s anger, and this is why Muslims suffer many calamities. You must remember that Allah warns his people and he gives enough time for his servants to repent, but if they still don’t take heed, then Allah only shows a slight spark of his anger which results into cities and countries left helpless when struck by disasters.”

The full article.

On Spirituality and Technology

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Abu Mus’ab at IslamBlog analyzes the relationship between technology and spirituality, and how the synergy of the two can lead a nation to triumph.
Nanotechnology

So think of a society that uses both, technology and spirituality together. That’s what Muslims did during the Abbassid caliphate. We were the best in technology at the time and we were a military power. Our collapse, which came many centuries later, came because we lagged technologically and spiritually.

Being watched

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Vehicle Assembly (large)

Having just returned from a visit to NASA Kennedy Space Center myself, the following reminder from In Shaykhs Company seemed appropriate.

“During a visit to America, Mufti Taqi Uthmani hafizahullah, visited the NASA space centre. The respected Mufti narrates that when he reached there, he noticed, to his amazement, that there were no security guards visible; there was just one sign which stated that “You are being watched.”

A Millenia of Science

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The Earth was at the center of the universe. The movement of the stars above the moon decided the fate of the world below. This was the science of Aristotle.

The scholars of the new Islamic empire, established when the Roman Empire had given way to the Christian Byzantines, began to translate Greek books. They were astonished by the originality of the Greek sciences in measuring and determining the orbit of the stars. Whereas the Christians of that era had been extremely suspicious of such “pagan” texts, the Caliphate had been continuously absorbing books and sciences from Greece, Rome, Persia, India and else where, since the early days of its inception. During this time, the Greek sciences were subject to criticism and development; a process especially highlighted when they became difficult to reconcile with religion.

Continue reading →

Divine Semantics

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Hamdy of Muslim Europe analyzes the relationship of Judeo-Christian theology with Islamic belief through the Divine Names and Attributes of Allah.

Muslims often point to the connection between the word “Allah” and the Hebrew ”El” or its plural “Elohim” (which is used in the Bible as a reference to God) to show that Muslims don’t worship a pagan Arab god (as claimed), but rather the God of Abraham and all the Prophets. One Christian argument has been that even though the connection between “Elohim” and “Allah” (and the Aramaic equivalent “Alaha“) may be there, Muslims still don’t worship the One True God since His name, according to them, is Jehova or Yahweh.

The earlier piece on Science in the Quran is also a very interesting read.