There are
two reasons for studying science given to us in Quran. The first is that it is something special in
our nature and the second is that it is a way to see our Creator in exploring
His creation and thus strengthen our faith and knowledge of His existence.
Remember
the verses in Quran about the creation of Adam.
Allah told the angels that He would create a vicegerent, or successor on
earth. Then He taught Adam the names of
all things. Then He challenged the
angels to name things, but they couldn’t, because that was not their
nature. Then He had Adam display his
knowledge before the angels. Then He
ordered the angels to bow down to Adam. (2:30-34) So what is this special
quality to ‘know the names of things’?
It
couldn’t be that Allah simply filled Adam’s mind with names, like a
databank. What language would He have
used? And why would there be so many
other languages in the world today if Allah had made one special language for
man? It would be a program like He gave
to the angels and indeed to animals.
They know what He told them and no more.
The gift to Adam was different. He was taught the skill of naming
things.
Giving
something a name is the first part of knowing it. See that thing hanging from a tree. Name it ‘apple’. Describe it by taste, color. Investigate the
cycle of the tree to know when the apple will be available and when it will be
at peak flavor. Investigate how it smells.
What part of the apple creates the odor? How strong does the tiny stem
need to be to keep the apple on the tree?
Study how long the apple can be kept before it withers or rots and explore
the conditions needed to protect it. We
could continue on deepening our knowledge about ‘apple’, using biology,
chemistry, and even a little physics.
We are
human. Allah taught us to be scientists.
We explore our world, building on knowledge passed down by those before
us. We name it, compare it, and describe
it, and share that information with others and pass it down to those who come
after us. We could not have invented the
wheel or learned to make and control fire without this ability to name things,
to study their characteristics and learn what we can do with them.
Allah
explains how He created us with this nature and then He calls on us to use this
nature as a way to know Him.
"Verily!
In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and
day there are indeed ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs,
revelations, etc.) for men of understanding” (Surah 3:190-1).
There are
multiple verses in Quran that encourage us to observe the world around us as a
way of knowing Allah. A few examples:
“Have you not seen how Allah has sent down
water from the sky and has caused it to penetrate the earth as water springs,
and afterward thereby produces crops of diverse hues; and afterward they wither
and you see them turn yellow; then He makes them chaff. Lo! Here indeed is a
reminder for men of understanding.” (Surah 39:21)
“And He
it is Who has set for you the stars that you may guide your course by them amid
the darkness of the land and the sea. We have detailed Our revelations for a
people who have knowledge.” (Surah 6:97)
“Allah it
is who has created seven heavens, and of the earth the like thereof. The
commandment comes down among them slowly, that you may know that Allah is able
to do all things, and that Allah surrounds all things in knowledge.” (Surah 65:12)
“We have
built the heaven with might, and We it is who make the vast extent
(thereof). And the earth have We laid
out, how gracious was the Spreader (thereof)!
And all things We have created by pairs, that maybe you may reflect.” (Surah
51:47-49)
There are
these and other verses of Quran that refer to the orbits of the sun and moon,
to the formation of the fetus in the womb, to the destruction of mountain
ranges and the separation of salty sea water from fresh water, along with many
other topics. Allah calls on our
intellect.
If we
look at Islamic history, a major contribution to the world was the House of
Wisdom in Baghdad, created by the Caliph Haroun El Rashid, precisely to acquire
the science of the Greeks, India, and Persia, and introduce it to the Muslim
world. The scholars of science who worked there didn’t worry that they might
contaminate their religion by learning the wisdom of others. Instead, they
filtered anything that conflicted out. Muslim scientists built on these
translated sciences, established the basics of scientific enquiry, and expanding
world knowledge in all directions. They
understood that an understanding of science can provide important paths toward
a better appreciation of the Glory of Allah.
So what
are some suggestions for integrating Islam into a science lesson for children?
It is rather simple to do and doesn’t need a lot of effort or planning time. Simply include the marvel of the spirit in
with all the other observations children make.
And include a bit about being responsible toward creation.
For a
young child, watch a bug wandering around on the dirt. If you catch it in a container to observe
with a hand lens, examine it and count the things you can identify about
it. Subhanallah! It’s so tiny but it has so many parts and
each one of its legs knows how to work with the others. It knows where to find its food even though
the world around it is so big. Where
does it live? Allah made it know how to
find shelter. Then teach the child not
to harm the bug, but to release it outside again because vicegerents take care
and don’t hurt things if they can help it.
Explore
all the animals, dogs, cats, tigers, sharks, each so different. What a great imagination it took to make all
these, each eating different food and finding its food and its home that Allah
provided for it. Observe things in the
environment. What did Allah make? What did man make? People rely on what Allah has created to get
what they need to make cars and sofas and spaghetti. Watch the moon and the sun. Observe how they move through the sky. We sense the marvel of it all. Allah made this movement happen and we can
tell time from these movements. Look at
the snow through a hand lens. See each
snowflake different from the other.
Allah creates all kinds of difference in something that at first looks so
much the same. How Allah is Great!
For an
older child, study ecosystems. See how
each living and nonliving thing has a role to play in the ecosystem. See how it is all one system, everything
linked. There is a great design and in
that design we can see the intelligence of the one Creator.
Study the
weather. Follow the cycles. Look at the complex and yet unified system of
water, temperature, and pressure. How
does energy flow through the system?
The same basic principles apply all over the world. Weathering wears away the rocks and mountains
fall into ruins. The Earth changes over
time. Time to Allah is different from
time for us.
Then look
at the Periodic Chart. Is it not a sign
of Allah? It is simple. The atoms change
by one proton from left to right. But the elements created are so different! All matter is made of protons, neutrons, and
electrons. One simple yet complex
system, one intelligence, we see the signs of the Creator in His creation. Subhanallah!
Now look
at DNA. As atoms are made of protons,
neutrons, and electrons, DNA is made of just 4 nitrogen bases, adenine (A),
thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C). The code for living organisms is
simple at its beginning. But different
combinations of these nitrogen bases form very different organisms. For those
worried about man’s relationship with monkeys, yes, 98 to 99% of our DNA is the
same, but that 1% difference is really about 40 million base pairs, and look at
the evidence of difference we see between us and them. And think, we share 50% of our DNA with
bananas. Subhanallah! All living things are part of one system. We
are part of the system. The system is simple at its base, showing the single
intelligence that created it, but the results of minor changes create such
varied species. As a species, actually,
humans share 99.9% of their DNA with each other. Look at all the different people in the
world, so alike, yet each with his or her own fingerprints and
personalities. We stand in awe of our
Creator!
A small
change of one proton is the difference between nitrogen and carbon. A small change in DNA is the difference
between a chimpanzee and man. At some
point in evolution, Allah created the right change to make the organism to
which He would give a soul, and He would teach this organism, Adam, the names
of things. Alone of all animals, man can
name, describe, put into categories, classify.
That is the basis of science. Man
is more than this, of course. With his
soul he can choose to follow the will of Allah or not, unlike any other
animal. But he also has this side of his
nature as well.
A
scientist who has no faith in God will see the mutations that occur in DNA as
random occurrences. On the micro level
they look that way. But a Muslim looks
at the big picture, how these random occurrences create a grand order in each
ecosystem, and sees the signs of Allah.
He sees the connections between all of Creation, from the microscopic
bacteria to the multitude of galaxies.
Let us
teach our children to see these wonders and encourage them in the study of
science in the tradition of Muslim scientists throughout the centuries.
