Islam, Modern Science, and Ready-Made Garments

Once the attempt of aligning Islam with modern science was considered a “need.” Then it became a “passion.” Today, however, this passion has evolved into a “madness.” In fact, calling it a mania is a concession; it would be more accurate to describe it as a form of “madness.” A modest example of this madness recently appeared in a major national newspaper. The author of this piece is one Asadullah Ghani. This “Lion of Allah,” has made some extraordinary claims in an article titled “Islam and Modern Scientific Progress.” Let’s examine his assertions. He writes:

“We can easily send voice and images from any point on Earth to another using satellites. Common examples of this are fax, electronic mail, or email services, and voice mail services. The widespread use of the Internet makes it easier to understand the reality of the coming of divine revelation in the form of Quran.'”

As you can see, modern scientific inventions have been used to substantiate the concept of divine revelation. But don’t be alarmed; this is just the beginning.

In the next stage, the author has attempted to validate the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) Night Journey (Miraj). He claims that the rocket used to launch satellites is continuously being researched and efforts are being made to increase its speed. It won’t be long before it will be proven that the speed of the Buraq, which carried the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), was indeed so fast that when he returned from the journey, his bed was still warm, and the door latch was still moving. He further explains that the understanding of the Quran’s preservation during its revelation was not clear at the time; it must have been preserved in the ‘Preserved Tablet’ by Allah’s command. But according to the author, a 10-centimeter CD has clarified this. The CD contains not only the Quran but also its translations in Urdu and English.

The “Lion of Allah” has also expressed that robots are a remarkable invention. Their special feature is that they continue performing the task assigned to them; if they are engaged in welding, they will keep welding. According to the author, if we reflect, we will realize that angels do the same work. The “Lion of Allah” suggests that angels are essentially spiritual robots. If an angel is commanded to recite praises in bowing, it continues to do so, or if instructed to recite in prostration, it continues to do so. According to the author, Europe and America will soon have to acknowledge the reality of spiritual robots. The author has also demonstrated the presence of computer technology in the Quran. His concluding sentence is: “The pace of scientific progress will reveal further discoveries in the future, integrating all science into Islam.”

Some elders have commented about Sir Syed Ahmad Khan that although his thought faced many challenges religiously, his sincerity was unquestionable. This might be true, but the problem is that creating disorder with sincerity can be more dangerous than doing so with ill intentions. The former’s mess quickly becomes apparent, while the latter’s disruption can remain hidden for a long time. Sir Syed is mentioned here because he was among the first to encounter issues of the type described above. He believed that angels had no external existence but were instead another name for human inner faculties. Regarding the Night Journey, he thought that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) must have traveled to the heavens in a dream, and since the dreams of prophets are true, the Night Journey was a spiritual one. Observing this, Sir Syed’s thought has now evolved to the point where angels are considered spiritual robots and the Night Journey is explained with the example of rockets. These views are expressed with considerable sincerity and should not be criticized. However, there are dangerous tendencies within this thought that cannot be ignored.

The first issue is that reason and science, which were a measure for Sir Syed, seem to be the measure in this article as well. However, science cannot be a measure for religion because religious truths are eternal, whereas science builds its foundation on experimentation and observation, which are ever-changing. One might argue that in this article, science is not a measure but a tool to verify religious facts in a way that strengthens the faith of the new generation. However, the problem is that this use of science integrates religion and science as if they were two material facts confirming each other, while religion and science can never be equivalent truths. Whether science confirms or denies every detail of religion, religion remains unaffected.

The author had to assume that it was not clear at the time of the Quran’s revelation how it would be preserved in the ‘Preserved Tablet’ and how the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) could have traveled to the heavens on the Buraq. One might ask the author if such matters were unclear at the time of the Quran’s revelation.

You might argue that today’s column is titled “Islam, Modern Science, and Ready-Made Garments,” but so far, only Islam and modern science have been discussed. So what is the significance of the mention of ready-made garments? The matter is that on the same day the article was published, another article appeared in the same newspaper titled “Ready-Made Garments and Tailoring Courses,” also by Asadullah Ghani. It is presumed that both articles are by the same Asadullah Ghani. This assumption is based on the fact that many amateur writers write articles with the sole interest of getting them published, often experimenting with various topics simultaneously. Asadullah Ghani likely did the same. If this is the case, it indicates the nature of the matter. Differences with Sir Syed can be discussed, but he was not an amateur whose sole aim was to get his article published.

Although amateur writers include many knowledgeable and seasoned individuals, they do not usually write on such diverse topics that finding a connection between them is difficult. Nevertheless, Asadullah Ghani succeeded in publishing both his articles, and the responsible individual published the science and Islam article without much thought. This is not unusual; it happens because a mindset has developed that sees science and religion in harmony. We are confident that no objections have arisen or will arise, and where would they come from? This mindset has become quite common, and many scholars share it.