This article is about the
relationship between Islam and science. For the historical development of
science in the Islamic world, see Science in medieval Islam. For the belief that
the Qur'an scriptural foreknowledge prophesied scientific theories and
discoveries - known as 'Ijaz al-Qur'an, see Scientific foreknowledge in sacred
texts.
Islam and science describes the relationship between Muslim communities and
science in general. From an Islamic standpoint, science, the study of nature, is
considered to be linked to the concept of Tawhid (the Oneness of God), as are
all other branches of knowledge.[1] In Islam, nature is not seen as a separate
entity, but rather as an integral part of Islam’s holistic outlook on God,
humanity, and the world. This link implies a sacred aspect to the pursuit of
scientific knowledge by Muslims, as nature itself is viewed in the Qur'an as a
compilation of signs pointing to the Divine.[2] It was with this understanding
that the pursuit of science was tolerated in Islamic civilizations, specifically
during the eighth to sixteenth centuries, prior to the colonization of the
Muslim world.[3]
According to theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili, the modern scientific method
was pioneered by Arab scientist Ibn Al-Haytham (known to the west as “Alhazen”)
whose contributions are likened to those of Isaac Newton.[4] Alhazen helped
shift the emphasis on abstract theorizing onto systematic and repeatable
experimentation, followed by careful criticism of premises and inferences.[5]
Robert Briffault, in The Making of Humanity, asserts that the very existence of
science, as it is understood in the modern sense, is rooted in the scientific
thought and knowledge that emerged in Islamic civilizations during this time.[6]
Muslim scientists and scholars have subsequently developed a spectrum of
viewpoints on the place of scientific learning within the context of Islam, none
of which are universally accepted.[7] However, most maintain the view that the
acquisition of knowledge and scientific pursuit in general is not in disaccord
with Islamic thought and religious belief.[1][7] Physicist Taner Edis argues
this is because some Muslims are reading into the metaphorical language of the
Holy books what is not there, including recent scientific discoveries.