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Flawless Bridge between 'Science' and 'Religion'

By Nadeem Haque and Mehran Banaei

One of the greatest philosophical conflicts in the dynamic
vistas of human dialectical thought, is that of the perceived
incompatibility between science and religion. In the last few decades,
a spate of books, articles and television documentaries have arisen,
dealing with this issue as circumscribed by the Judeo-Christian
tradition. Yet it appears strikingly odd and intriguingly compelling,
that the general debate on such a universal theme has turned
overwhelmingly into an exclusive debate between science and the
Biblical account of the creation of the universe and its multifarious
processes. This has no doubt contributed to highlighting the existing
variances between scientific facts and the Bible, in turn leading many
people to dismiss religion in general, whilst concomitantly fostering
the growth of atheism and agnosticism. It seems even more odd, that
such a discussion, by default, usually excludes all religions except
the Judeo-Christian tradition. Yet, once this tradition is
conclusively shown to be incommensurate with science, all religions,
including the initially excluded ones, are brought back into the fold
of discussion and summarily tainted with the stain of scientific
incompatibility. This is indeed a most bizarre state of affairs,
especially when it emanates from those who advocate the scientific
method of discovery -the very group that claims to value accuracy and
objectivity.

One of these often excluded worldviews is that of Islam, and its
claimed revelatory foundation - the Qur'an. Muslims, however, claim
that no dichotomy or chasm exists between science and the Qur'anic
belief in monotheism. In fact, Muslims acknowledge that any book that
claims to describe the creation of the universe ought to accurately
reflect the essence of the universe in both principles and processes.
It would therefore be most intriguing for the interested and
contending parties to examine whether the Qur'anic model casts some
light or indeed fresh new insights into this ongoing epistemological
divide. Yet in the West, it is felt that Islam, far from being
compatible with modern science, must be the underlying reason that has
directly had something to do with fomenting retrogressiveness,
intolerance and 'fundamentalism'. In fact, in this discourse on
science and religion, Islam seems to have become unfairly excluded,
since it has been misperceived to be an exclusive religion of the
Arabs, emanating from a primitive and outmoded culture. However, it is
not generally known that the word Islam is absolutely non-exclusive,
universal and timeless, since, unlike most religions, it is not tied
to a culture, nationality, race, region, personality or somebody's
personal belief; rather, it is a description of a state of mind and
action, linguistically denoting voluntary peaceful submission to the
singular Creator, where one flows in concordance with the universal
natural order of cosmic scheme (22:18). A Muslim is anyone, anywhere,
at any time, who chooses to follow such ubiquitous natural laws in the
realm of existence.

Yet despite this misunderstanding, evolving incipiently, side by
side with the resultant inordinate rejection of Islam, is an ever-
growing realization among many Muslims, as well as some non-Muslim
academics, that the Qur'an appears to be addressing this age and the
coming 21st Century and beyond, over and above the contents and
approach found in many other scriptures.
Scientific Correlations

In the 20th Century, perhaps the greatest realization or
discovery has been that the universe has evolved from a 'singularity'
- commonly referred to as the Big Bang. Indeed, it has been admitted
by leading atheists, such as philosopher Antony Flew, that this point
has become their nemesis. This is because an origin implies that
there was once 'no thing' - whatever that may mean - and that such a
rude beginning borders on the now taboo or embarrassing question of
'God' or a Creator. This is not to say that many scientists have not
tried to escape the dreaded 'beginning' by postulating an accidental
universe; however, their 'solutions' themselves have been highly
problematic, unprovable or wildly speculative, such as: imaginary
time, quantum fluctuation, multiple-universes, infinitely cyclical
universes, etc. In fact, it appears that all the purported solutions
to escape the singularity problem are haunted by the growing awareness
that there appears to be intelligence embedded within the processes of
the universe. This line of thought, under the right conditions, would
naturally lead to the logical question as to whether there is some
connected overall purpose to the universe and, concomitantly, a
species such as the human being.

The verifiable fact about the Qur'an in this whole debate on
origins, is that unlike other scriptures, in the Qur'an - during the
depths of the Dark Ages, 1,400 years ago - it has been unequivocally
recounted that the whole universe and the earth therein, were once,
one piece and that the Creator ripped them apart and made every living
thing from water (Qur'an: chapter 21, verse 30), that the Creator is
continuously expanding the universe (Arabic word used for expanding is
musiuna, 51:47), and that the universe has evolved to form celestial
systems and the earth, from the coalescence of dust and gas (41:11).
These concepts were not realized until the 20th century, particularly
after the discovery of galactic recession by red shift by Edwin
Hubblein 1925.

Yet another branch of knowledge, among a myriad, where the
Qur'an's correlation with science has been startling, is in the area
of embryology. Although it was linguistically clear as to what was
being said in the Qur'an, about human development before birth, by
Arabic linguists, many of the verses on embryology were
unconceptualizable to them, owing to a lack of specialized education
in the subject. One of these intriguing verses which was queried,
stated: "Read in the name of your Sustainer and Lord, who created the
human from a thing which clings ('alaqa)" (96:1-2). The "clinging
thing" 'alaqa is also the root word for the derivative meaning of
'alaqa which is "a leech-like structure". This is a pristinely
accurate visual-cum-structural description of the embryo from day 7 to
24 when the zygote clings to the endometrium of the uterus much like a
leech clinging to the skin. The University of Toronto embryologist,
Professor Keith Moore, who was approached by linguists on these
verses, explained, in the 1980's, that just as the leech sucks blood
from its host, so too does the human embryo withdraw blood from the
pregnant endometrium. By the 23rd to 24th day, the embryo has a strong
physical and functional resemblance to a leech. The root meaning of
the word for clinging is "'alaqa", which, unfortunately, has been
mistranslated into English incorrectly, as "blood clot", in many
translations of Qur'an.

Yet another verse states that: There is a stage before birth
when the human being is like a "chewed lump" (mudghah, verse: 23:14).
The "chewed lump" verse was explained dramatically by Moore as
follows: He made a plasticine shape resembling the 28-day-old embryo
and then had it bitten into. When juxtaposed, the resemblance between
the special plasticine model and the actual microscopically enhanced
picture of the 28 day old embryo, is strikingly similar, for one can
observe that the structures on the embryo are the somites, which are
the early stages of vertebrae; they do indeed resemble bead-like teeth
marks imprinted on the plasticine model and hence the appropriate
description of this stage as resembling that of a "chewed lump" - the
mudghah. The staging of pre-natal human development was first
described in 1941 by Streeter, and a more accurate system was proposed
by O'Rahilly in 1972.

Another area that the Qur'an covers, most accurately, is
geology. As geologist Z.R. El-Naggar points out concisely, "...the
Qur'an consistently describes mountains as stabilizers for the Earth,
that hold its outer surface firmly lest it should shake with us, and
as pickets (or pegs) which hold that surface downwardly as a means of
fixation. So simply stated, the Qur'an describes the outward
protrusion of mountains from the earth's surface, and emphasizes their
downward extensions within the Earth's lithosphere, as well as their
exact role as stabilizers and as a means of fixation for such a
lithosphere" . Some of the verses pertaining to these geological
phenomena are: 78:6-7; 15:19; 16:15. The notion of mountains having
roots was first hypothesized in the latter half of the nineteenth
century, and their role in connection with providing stability to the
dynamics of the lithosphere, through plate tectonics, has only begun
to be comprehended since the late 1960s.
Nature of Belief in the Qur'an

Given these considerations, one might be led to question how
these verses ended up appearing in the Qur'an. Historically, it must
be pointed out that the undeveloped paganistic Arabic society in the
6th Century had no 20th Century notions of the Big Bang, the expanding
universe, plate tectonics and embryology, for the Qur'an was revealed
to an illiterate Muhammad by God in the Dark Ages, and that the
inductive aspect of the scientific method sprung up after the Qur'anic
period. Several centuries prior to the advent of the Qur'an,
superstitions, mysticism and a non-scientific way of explaining nature
had gained a hold in most societies on earth. In this abysmal
atmosphere, the Qur'an led untutored desert nomads and the people they
came into contact with, to look into the nature of the universe in
order to fathom things, which led to a scientific revolution that
helped foster the Renaissance and the Enlightenment periods in
Europe. Indeed, the Muslims had learned and then further developed
the thought heritages of the Ancients, and in so doing, evolved the
conduction of science to new and novel heights. As medieval historian
Thomas Goldstein has remarked in his book, The Dawn of Modern Science:
From the Arabs to Leonardo Da Vinci: "Every single specialized science
in the West owes its origins to the Islamic impulse - or at least its
direction from that time onwards."

Methodologically and inspirationally, it was the Qur'an itself
that led to the "Islamic impulse" that Goldstein refers to. To
understand exactly why, we need to delve deeper into an analysis of
the Qur'an itself. The Arabic word Qur'an literally means a book "to
be read". It claims to be the complete and absolutely unaltered
communication from the single intelligence that has originated and
developed the entire universe. The Muslims' claim is that if this
assertion is true, then the Qur'an must be able to withstand, at
least, the following tests:

Firstly, there should be no internal inconsistencies and
contradictions within its contents. Secondly, it should not contain
statements that are contrary to known facts, regarding for example,
the structure and function of the universe. Thirdly, it must be
linguistically clear, unambiguous, and precise. All these tests are
necessary so that its contents can be objectively confirmed or
refuted. Passing these tests, successfully, would indeed establish the
credibility of the Qur'anic claim of its 'divine' origin. On the other
hand, if inconsistencies and ambiguities do indeed exist, then the
book in question is either entirely man-made, or might have originated
from the Originator, but was subsequently corrupted by human beings.
In a nutshell, this would mean that the book is not credible.

The analysis of any book, which claims to be a revelation, ought
to include the most important resource accessible to us - the human
intellect. It is only through the human intellect that we can confirm
or negate the presence of contradictions and thereby substantiate or
invalidate claims. Surprisingly, the Qur'an itself emphasizes that the
reader subject its contents to rigorous analytical scrutiny with an
objective and honest intent, in order to ascertain if there are indeed
any internal or external inconsistencies (4:82). In this way, the
Qur'an boldly and confidently challenges its readers not to take its
claim of divine origin at face value, but to examine the book and
always remain alert for any kind of inaccuracy, a challenge which is
unequivocally open to all skeptics and those with a keen interest in
scientific investigation, particularly in the area of the
compatibility or incompatibility between science and religion. The
claim of the challenge, even after 1400 years, has still not been
deposed, even by those who are no friends of the Muslims. More
interestingly, from a scientific perspective, the Qur'anic proposition
to find internal or external incongruity within its contents, as a way
to dismiss its claim, is tantamount to a truly scientific method of
falsifying invalid ideas and concepts.

In general, the aforementioned criteria may be used to test any
claimed revelation. Contemporary Islamic thinkers point out that if
the information contained in this book was unknown 1,400 years ago,
one would perhaps be led to question its presence in so ancient a
document. They ask: Does the Qur'an indeed withstand the tests of
precision, consistency and non-contradiction? And if so, is the
structurer of the Qur'an also the structurer of the universe?

One certainly needs to question, where such 'scientific' verses
came from? However, one thing is certain: If Muhammad did indeed write
the Qur'an, expositing his own ideas and mindset, he would have had to
have gained 20th Century knowledge regarding: embryology, cosmology,
geology, ecology, archaeology, biology, sociology, anthropology,
history, atmospheric sciences and cognitive sciences, whilst being
deprived of libraries, laptop computers, telescopes, microscopes,
universities, the internet and sophisticated databases. Even if they
were somehow miraculously available, of what use would they be to an
illiterate man. However, be that as it may, the central question
remains: Whether one believes that Muhammad procured his knowledge
from earthly or possible extraterrestrial sources, as opposed to from
a Creator who is independent of our space and time conceptions, what
exactly is the thrust and the message of this widely possessed, though
seldom analytically studied book?

To fully understand the Qur'anically inspired re-genesis of
knowledge in the Dark Ages, its multiplier-effects over the ages and
the import of the Qur'anic view of science, we must understand that
the Qur'an unequivocally rejects belief based upon blind faith.
However, many people tend to look upon the Qur'an from a Eurocentric
perspective on the nature of religion, and tend to thereby color Islam
as just another dogmatic belief system. For example, even the word for
'belief' in Arabic does not mean 'belief' construed as 'blind faith',
as it has evolved to mean in Christianity and many other belief
systems. In fact, this blind-faith notion is echoed in the
authoritative proclamation of St. Augustine: "Credo quia abserdum est"
- "I believe, because it is incredible". In stark contradistinction,
the word for 'belief' or 'faith' that is used in the Qur'an, is iman,
which has, at its root amana. This word means to confirm or verify
things. Therefore a real Muslim is one who confirms ideas and
statements, and is not given to accepting ideas without proof and
evidence. There is no room for a leap of faith at any stage. The fact
that many profess to adhere to Islam, but do not in fact follow its
pristinely laid out Qur'anic methodology, in no way diminishes Islam's
pre-eminent position towards evidence and proof (e.g. see 2:44;
3:190,191; 16:90; 8:22; 28:49; 23:17; 67:10). It was, after all, the
Qur'an, which wrought a revolution in science by its emphasis on
intellection. Through the influence of the Muslim philosopher Ibn
Rushd's (Averroes') writings and that of others, the European
Averroists in the Middle Ages set the trend for rationally criticizing
authority based on mystical doctrines. Since the Qur'an fostered such
a transformation of the West itself, it is in reality, a neglected
part of the Western legacy, and is a document that is vitally worthy
of scrutiny. This is because the Qur'an invites self-examination and
proof at the crux of its fundamental framework.

The Qur'anic approach is proof-seeking and teleological, that
is, it is purpose, intention and design based, being identical in many
respects with Unitarian beliefs, which had many well-known adherents
such as Voltaire, Newton, John Locke, Milton and Joseph Priestly. The
message of the Qur'an is that of Unitarianism, albeit an advanced and
completed version of it, as the sample verses on embryology, geology
and evolutionary cosmology illustrate. If one recollects, these
Unitarians within Christendom, like the true Muslims, denounced
mysticism, believed in rationality, and did not regard Jesus as divine
or semi-divine.
Socio-Environmental Implications

Given the consistent rational stance of Islam, the laws of
nature are seen to collectively form the primary revelation. The
exposition of splendid artistry and remarkable engineering contrivance
in divine creation overflows on almost every page of the Qur'an.
Indeed, the quintessence of the Qur'anic outlook, is that by
reflecting on the universe, and the diversity of life forms within it,
we certainly observe a panoramic display of remarkable order and
consistency. Such harmonious order is maintained throughout, by the
structure of the extremely delicate dynamic balances in the physical
universe. The Qur'anic outlook emphasizes that nature's equilibrium
is itself comprised of interlocking and interdependent structures and
processes. These processes by their very design have particular
functions and boundaries that are not arbitrary or ad hoc. Therefore,
the usage of the elements of nature, whether in the ecological or
social spheres, have their usufruct limited to ensuring that they are
not used in a manner in which their structure or function causes
instability and disequilibrium, internally or in the wider domain.
This parameter of universal utility is discernable by examining
structure and function and the context in which structure and function
are embedded or operate. In other words, human-made designs extracted
from natural designs must be part of the balance which gives rise to
absolute social and environmental principles based on: not upsetting
absolute cause and effect relationships that maintain the dynamic
equilibrium. In this discernment of nature, social and ecological
rights are not ethnocentrically conventionalized or man-made synthetic
constructs; therefore they cannot possibly be relative or biased. Such
absolute rights encapsulated by the full recognition of reality are to
be upheld under the auspices of a beneficent Creator, who is the
ultimate Owner and Inheritor of the universe, and to whom all creation
will eventually return (22:64 and 67:15). Indeed, all dominion belongs
to the Creator, and not Man, who oftentimes attempts to be the
arrogant opportunistic usurper. Man must maintain the balance
dynamically inherent in natural order (55:7-9), and be ultimately
accountable to the peerless God, for every action, large or small in
thesocio-ecological realm.
Perfect 'Convergence'

In the globally united vision exposited by the Qur'an, non-
contradiction and teleology are intricately interconnected, as much as
dominant present day indeterminacy and relativism are inextricably
intertwined with the notion of a blind chance-based universe. These
two roads - one of intelligence, the other of chance -tend to lead
individual thought and socio-environmental structuring into
diametrically opposite destinations.

Taking the route of intelligence, rather than that of chance, if
humanity realizes that the Qur'an is nature's precise reflector, to be
used as a prescriptive guide and motivator to prevent or cure our
mounting socio-environmental problems, there would be an eventual
dissolution of the artificial boundary between the sacred and the
profane, science and divinity, through a natural rapprochement based
on the correlation between causality in nature and pristine
revelation. Inevitably, such a rapprochement would further set the
stage for transforming human thought towards a unitary understanding
of the whole purpose of creation and man's role within the vastness of
cosmic order. In fact, anyone imbued with such an outlook would not be
searching for a pristine revelation to act as a bridge between science
and religion. That which is one, needs not to be bridged. Indeed, in
this vein of reality, it can certainly be proclaimed that science is
truly religion and religion truly science.

If these ideas of verifiable unity are eventually realized, then
the whole of humanity would indubitably reap the benefits of a
perfectly complementary relation between the usage of scientific
reasoning and the usage of revelation, where each one symbiotically
reinforces the value of the other, for the enhancement of both
humanity and the rest of nature, whilst simultaneously pointing to the
very same ultimate providence.

Nadeem Haque has a professional background in Civil and Environmental
Engineering, having obtained a degree from the University of London,
King's College and a degree in Economics at the University of Toronto.
His research interests since the mid-1980's have led him to write
several articles and philosophical short stories on Islam, rationality
and the history of science. He co-authored two articles that appeared
in the Organization of Islamic Conference Journal Islamic Thought and
Scientific Creativity. In 1995, he co-authored From Facts to Values:
Certainty, Order, Balance and their Universal Implications, published
by Optagon Publications Ltd. He has also recently finished, as co-
author, two soon to be published books: Nature in Islam: Socio-
Environmental Concern for the 21st Century and Beyond and From
Microbits to Everything: A New Unified View of Physics and Cosmology.
He is currently working on a fourth book that develops the foundations
of an Islamic theory of biological evolution.

Mehran Banaei has a Master's degree in Philosophy from York
University. Toronto. In addition to articles on Islam, he is the co-
author of From Facts to Values: Certainty, Order, Balance and their
Universal Implications and the soon to be published Nature in Islam:
Socio-Environmental Concern for the 21st Century and Beyond. He has
also recently completed a book entitled: "Moderation" in Consumption
of Alcohol: Nonsense upon Flimsy Stilts."

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