Can Science Come Back To Islam

The Muslim world, aware of the paramount importance of scientific knowledge, is searching for the route to an affirmative answer to the question raised in the title, but it seems to shy away from asking some closely related questions, which are: Who brought science to Islam? Who banished science from Islam? Who can bring science back to Islam? This book seeks to answer all these questions. Its author, who has had a lifelong interest in the history of science and religion, and has spent five decades at the forefront of scientific research, tries to convince contemporary Muslims to forsake regressive and anti-scientific interpretations of their scriptures; to warn them that the gap between dogma and fact cannot be papered over, that progress will be possible, and that science will come back to Islam only when a clean break is made from those whose teaching has led to the current malaise. The book ends with the pregnant question: How can Western voters help in this important project?

This is a study of science in Muslim society from its rise in the 8th century to the efforts of 19th-century Muslim thinkers and reformers to regain the lost ethos that had given birth to the rich scientific heritage of earlier Muslim civilization. The volume is organized in four parts; the rise of science in Muslim society in its historical setting of political and intellectual expansion; the Muslim creative achievement and original discoveries; proponents and opponents of science in a religiously oriented society; and finally the complex factors that account for the end of the 500-year Muslim renaissance. The book brings together and treats in depth, using primary and secondary sources in Arabic, Turkish and European languages, subjects that are lightly and uncritically brushed over in non-specialized literature, such as the question of what can be considered to be purely original scientific advancement in Muslim civilization over and above what was inherited from the Greco–Syriac and Indian traditions; what was the place of science in a religious society; and the question of the curious demise of the Muslim scientific renaissance after centuries of creativity. The book also interprets the history of the rise, achievement and decline of scientific study in light of the religious temper and of the political and socio-economic vicissitudes across Islamdom for over a millennium and integrates the Muslim legacy with the history of Latin/European accomplishments. It sets the stage for the next momentous transmission of science: from the West back to the Arabic-speaking world of Islam, from the last half of the 19th century to the early 21st century, the subject of a second volume.

The book describes the rise of science (and technology) in the Islamic Golden Age, examines the causes that led to its decline, reviews failed later attempts for its revival and finally discusses social and religious reformation needed for it to flourish in contemporary Muslim societies. Social reformation covers rule of law, democratic infra-structure and human-rights, while religious reformation involves the reinterpretation of scripture. It is argued that without such a social and religious reformation, Muslims (a quarter of the earth's population) will be less able to participate in the science-driven 21st century world. Note that Muslim leaders in the UK and elsewhere are not addressing the need of such an essential reformation, without which, Muslims as a people will remain in a limbo and thus continue to be vulnerable to extremist ideas. Therefore this book should be a must for all those interested in the creation of a harmonious one-world. Look at www.scienceunderislam.com for more information.

From Musa al-Khwarizmi who developed algebra in 9th century Baghdad to al-Jazari, a 13th-century Turkish engineer whose achievements include the crank, the camshaft and the reciprocating piston, Science and Islam tells the story of one of history’s most misunderstood yet rich and fertile periods in science: the extraordinary Islamic scientific revolution between 700 and 1400 CE.

This volume brings together thematically arranged articles on the relationship between Islam and science and how it has been shaped over the last century. The articles represent a broad variety of approaches and perspectives as well as reflective and analytic views and include some of the most important voices in the Islam and science discourse. This collection, which includes a special section devoted to studies that explore various aspects of the relationship between the Qur'an and science, is a valuable resource for researchers interested in gaining a greater understanding of the broader relationship between religion and science.

The third edition of a standard textbook in Religion and Science - already a classic!