Part IV
The Relationship
of the Qur'an
to the Sciences
Praise of Knowledge and the Stimulation of the Desire to Study
No other revealed book praises and encourages science and knowledge
as does the Qur'an and it is for this reason that the Qur'an names the
age of the desert Arabs, together with their pagan cultures, before Islam
as the "age of ignorance." In over a hundred verses reference is made to
science and knowledge in a variety of ways; and many of these verses praise
the value of scientific knowledge. In XCVI:5 God indicates the favour he
has done man by bringing him out of his state of ignorance. "He teaches
man what he did not know."
Likewise, we read in LVIII:11, "God will exalt those who believe
among you and those who have knowledge to high ranks," and in XXXIX:9
God says, "Are those who know equal to those who do not" Besides the many verses in the Qur'an concerning knowledge,
there are also countless traditions of the Prophet and the Imams on this subject
which rank second only in importance to the Qur'an.
The Sciences which the Qur'an Invites Men to Study
In verses too numerous to mention, the Qur'an invites one to reflect upon
the signs Of creation: the heavens, the shining stars and their astonishing
celestial movements, and the cosmic order which rules over them all. Similarly,
the Qur'an urges one to reflect upon the creation of the earth, the seas, the
mountains, the desert, and the wonders contained below the surface of the earth,
the difference between night and day and the changing cycle of seasons. It urges
mankind to meditate on the extraordinary creation of the plants and the order
and symmetry governing their growth, as well as the multiplicity of the animal
kingdom.
The Qur'an invites one to witness the interdependence of beings and how all
live in harmony with nature. It calls upon man also, to ponder on his own
make-up, on the secrets of creation which are hidden within him, on his soul, on
the depth of his perception, and on his relationship with the world of the
spirit.
The Qur'an commands man to travel in the world in order to witness other
cultures and to investigate the social orders, history and philosophies of past
people. Thus it calls man to a study of the natural sciences, mathematics,
philosophy, the arts and all sciences available to man, and to study them for
the benefit of man and the well-being of society.
The Qur'an recommends the study of these sciences on the condition that it
leads to truth and reality, that it produces a correct view of the world based
on an understanding of God.
Knowledge, which merely keeps a man occupied and prevents him from knowing
the reality of his own existence, is equated with ignorance. God says in
XXX:7, "They know only some appearance of the life of one world and
are heedless of the Hereafter" and in chapter XLV:23, "Have
you seen him who makes his Desire his goal, and God sends him astray purposely
and seals up his Heart and sets a covering on his Heart. Then who will
lead him after God (has condemned him)."
The Qur'an not only stimulates the desire for study but is itself a complete
system of education of divine knowledge; it provides, too, a model for human
behaviour and thought. This complete way of life is called Islam, the way of
submission.
The Sciences Particular to the Study of the Qur'an
There are many sciences devoted to the study of the Qur'an itself. The
development of such sciences dates from the first day of Qur'anic revelation;
over a period of time they were unified and perfected. Today countless books are
available on these sciences, fruit of the labour of different researchers over
the centuries.
Some of these sciences investigate the language and vocabulary of the
Qur'an, and some the meanings. Those concerned with language are the sciences of
correct Qur'anic pronunciation and reading (tajwad and qira'ah). They explain
the simple changes which certain letters undergo when occurring in conjunction
with others, the substitution of letters and the places prescribed for
breath-pausing, and other similar matters. They also study the different ways
the Qur'an has been written down and the several generally accepted ways of
recitation, together with the three lesser known ways and the rarer modes of
recitation.
Other works enumerate the number of chapters and their verses, while others
relate these numbers to the whole Qur'an.
They discuss the tradition of Qur'anic calligraphy and how it differs
from the normal Arabic script. They research, too, into the meanings of
the Qur'an and the general division of subject matter, such as the place
and circumstance of revelation, the interpretation of certain verses, the
outward and inner meanings, the muhkam (clear) or the mutashabih (ambiguous), and the abrogating and the
abrogated verses.
Others study the verses containing the laws (which, in fact, are part of
what is known as Islamic fiqh or jurisprudence). Others specialize in the
commentary of the meanings (already seen in a previous section of the book).
Specialists in each of the different sciences have published numerous works on
each subject.
The Sciences which Developed because of the Qur'an
The sciences of the din of Islam came into being at the beginning of the
Prophet's mission and the revelation of the Qur'an, including laws governing the
behaviour and transactions of Muslims. Study of these sciences developed in the
first century after the Hijrah although initially, not in any formal way. Since
the Caliphs had prohibited the writing down of the tradition, they were handed
down by word of mouth by the companions and their followers.
A small number of Scholars wrote on jurisprudence and on the science of the
traditions at the beginning of the second century when the prohibition was
lifted, allowing Scholars to record the traditions.
It was at this point that a number of disciplines came into being including
the Science of Traditions and the Science of establishing the authority and
sincerity of those men who transmitted it; the Science of analysis of the text
of the traditions; the Science of the foundations of jurisprudence and
jurisprudence itself; the Science of belief in the judgement after death and the
after-life. Even philosophy, which entered the Islamic arena via the Greek, and
remained there for some time in its original Greek, took on the colour and
beliefs of the people after a time.
Changes in the subject matter and the structure of disciplines took place
such that today, amongst Muslims, all subject matter concerning divine gnosis is
supported by proofs and reasons taken from the Qur'an and the traditions.
All these subjects were also studied as an integral part of the Arabic
language: mastery of the science of verb declensions grammar, meanings of words,
commentary and explanation, the art of metaphors and good style, and the
philosophy and science of derived meanings allowed greater precision and clarity
in the study of the Islamic Sciences as a whole.
Indeed what stimulated scholars to record and arrange coherently the laws of
the Arabic language was the sense that they were serving God; love of Him drew
them to a clarity and sweetness of style which in turn generated the Science of
correct speech and composition.
It is thus related that Ibn 'Abbas, who was one of the commentators
amongst the companions, explained the mean- ings of verses by taking examples
of the vocabulary in question from Arabic poetry. He advised people to
collect and learn Arabic poetry saying, Poetry is the court of the Arabs
(meaning the place where the finest language may be heard).
The famous Shi'ite scholar Khahl ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi wrote the book
al-'Ayn on the subject of language and also described the science of poetic
rhyme.
Many others also wrote on the same subjects. The subject of history was
initially derived in Islam from stories of the lives of prophets, in particular
that of the Prophet Muhammad, and the description of the course of past nations.
To this basic material was added an account of the events during the period
immediately following the appearance of Islam. All this was developed into a
history of the world in the writings of such men as al-Tabari, al-Mas'udi,
al-Ya'qubi and al-Waqidi.
The original reason the Muslims translated and transmitted the natural
Sciences and mathematics from other cultures and languages into Arabic was the
cultural stimulation given to them by the Qur'an. Many different Sciences were
translated from Greek, Syriac and Sanskrit into Arabic.
Access to these sciences was at first available only to the Caliph (who was
at that time leader of only Arab Muslims). Gradually they were made available to
all Muslims and improved upon as research methods, structuring, classification
and ordering of the subjects developed.
One of the main reasons the civilization of Islam, which formed after the
death of the Prophet, came to include a large part of the inhabited world (and
which today numbers over six hundred million inhabitants), was the Qur'an. We as
Shi'ahs, however, deny that the caliphs and the kings who followed them had
legitimate claim to the guardianship and execution of the law even though they
expanded Islamic civilization, and do not fully agree with the way they
explained the realities of Islam.
Indeed the light of wisdom which illuminated the world was from the light of
the miracle of the Qur'an. The apppearance and diffusion of the revelation
caused a change in the direction of history and generated a chain of important
events resulting in the progress and development of the culture of
man.