Modern Development 1 : What is The Islamic View on Education,

Science And Technology?

What is Islam?
Islam is a religion that began in the 7th century with the prophet
Muhammad in Mecca. Muhammad believed that he was a messenger sent
by God to teach people the right way to live. Islam is an Arabic word
which means submission to God.
The holy book of Islam is the Quran (Koran), and the centre for
Muslim worship is the House of Prayer in Mecca.
During the 6th century, Arabia had two powerful neighbours: the
Byzantine empire and the Sassanian empire. The Byzantine empire was
Christian and its capital was Constantinople which is now the city of
Istanbul in Turkey. The people of the Sassanian empire worshipped the
sun-god, Ahura Mazda, and followed the teachings of an ancient
philosopher, Zoroaster. Islam grew and spread rapidly east and west from
Arabia to become a powerful rival to Christendon.
Muhammad had to leave Mecca because his teachings angered
many of its citizens. He went to Medina where he was accepted and
became an important religious leader. In 622, Muhammad made a special
journey to Mecca from the city of Medina which is 350 km to the north of
Mecca. This journey is known in the Islamic calendar as the Hirja. The
Islamic calendar begins in the year 622.
After the death of Muhammad in 632, Muslims came together to
choose a new leader or khalifa (caliph) to be the successor of
Muhammad. The caliph was to be the symbolic head of the Muslim
community throughout the world.

What is science?

Science is the concerted human effort to understand or to

understand better, the hidtory of the natural world and how the natural
world works, with observable physical evidence as the basis of that
understanding. It is done through observation or natural phenomena,
and/or through experimentation that tries to stimulate natural processes
under controlled conditions.
Consider some examples. An ecologist observing the territorial
behaviors of bluebirds and a geologist examining the distribution of fossils
in an outcrop are both scientist making observation in order to find
patterns in natural phenomena. They just do it outdoors and thus
entertain the general public with their behavior. An astrophysicist
photographing distant galaxies and climatologist sifting data from weather
ballons similarly are also scientist making observations, but in more
discrete settings.
Early Islam spread rapidly from its centres in the Middle East to the
west to Cairo (Egypt), across North Africa and into southern Spain, and to
the east through Persia (now Iran) towards Asia. The period of
approximately 750 to 1050 AD was a golden age for the Islamic world.
Muslim scholars and scientists made great developments and discoveries.
building on the achievements of previous civilisations.
The first dynasty of caliphs, or Muslim rulers, was the Umayyad who
ruled from Damascus in Syria. They were replaced by the Abbasid caliphs
in 749 who ruled for the next 500 years from Baghdad in Iraq.
Arabia was at the crossroads between Asia, Africa, and Europe and
the Arab people traded widely with merchants from places as diverse as
China, India and southern Europe. Trade and conquest led to cultural
exchange and the spread of knowledge. The practical problems of trade
over long distances also led to the development of techniques for
navigation by the stars and a greater understanding of time. Great centres
of scholarship were established in cities such as Baghdad (in modern-day
Iraq) and Alexandria.

Early Islamic teaching encouraged and promoted the pursuit of

scholarship and science. Seeking knowledge about the natural world was
seen as the duty of every Muslim as the following Hadith (sayings of the
Prophet Muhammad) show:
He who pursues the road of knowledge, Allah will direct to the road of
Paradise (From Science in Medieval Islam by H. Turner)
The scholars ink is holier that the martyrs blood
Things that improved the quality of life, like science and technology,
were encouraged and welcomed. These included practical things like
navigational aids for travellers, geographical maps, medical knowledge,
ways of measuring and calculating, and tools for agriculture.
Some of the science and technology that has been created ages ago
are Astronomy. Astronomy was important to Muslims for very practical and
religious reasons: Astronomy aided navigation for purposes of trade and
travel, and it was important in determining an accurate lunar calendar,
prayer times and the direction of Mecca. Important Islamic observatories
were established in many cities across the Islamic world in order to make
accurate observations of the sun, moon and stars. Accurate calendars
were important to determine religious festivals such as the period of
fasting known as Ramadan.
Islamic astronomers developed new and improved instruments for
observation such as the astrolabe and quadrant. Astronomers such as AlTusi and Al-Farghani, as distinguished astronomer of the House of Wisdom,
wrote significant books on astronomy which were later translated into
Latin and influenced European astronomers such as Copernicus and
Galileo.
Next is, Medicine and surgery. Islamic medicine depended a great
deal on knowledge of pharmacy, anatomy and surgery. Medical theory was
combined with traditional herbal lore, alchemy and a huge range of
material medica natural materials used to create medicines. Like
alchemy, medical theory was based on the Greek concept of the four

elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water). These elements were related to four
humours, and disease was supposed to be caused by an imbalance in
the humours.
Some of the first medical schools and hospitals were established in
medieval Islam and were places of study and teaching as well as
treatment. They provided a model for later western hospitals.
Under Islamic law dissections were forbidden, so Islamic knowledge
of anatomy was mostly derived from ancient Greece and other sources.
Surgery was generally a last resort, but some procedures such as
cauterisation of wounds were developed by Islamic physicians.
Lastly, Technology. The dry and arid environment of Arab lands
meant that it was important to develop technologies especially for water
and agriculture.
Islamic engineering included reservoirs, aqueducts, water wheels
and elaborate systems for irrigation. New knowledge of plants and natural
history also contributed to agriculture.
Islamic technology included paper-making, the manufacture of steel
and other metals, building and great technical advances in the tools and
scientific instruments.

Education and Development

The importance of education has been emphasized repeatedly in the

Quran, which is the ultimate source of guidance for Muslims.
Verse 20:114 says, My Lord! Increase me in knowledge. This verse
indicates that whatever we know is limited as we need to keep asking
Allah to increase our knowledge. Therefore, a Muslim should constantly be
seeking more knowledge (ilmu). The Quran treats knowledge as a means

to reaching Iman (faith) for all Muslims, males and females, to becoming
true believers.
This is demonstrated in the following verses: (Verse 2:269) Allah
grants wisdom to whom He pleases and to whom wisdom is granted
indeed he receives an overflowing benefit. (Verse 35:28) Those truly
fear God, among His servants, who have knowledge: for God is exalted in
Might, Oft-Forgiving. (Verse 39:9) Are those who know equal to those
who do not know? Only they will remember [who are] people of
understanding.
The Hadith of Prophet (PBUH) also emphasizes the value of
knowledge. As the following Hadith narrated by Abu Hurrairah notes:
(Sahih Muslim: Book 12, Hadith 4005) When a man dies, his acts come to
an end, but three, recurring charity, or knowledge (by which people
benefit), or a pious son, who prays for him (the deceased).
Therefore, in the Quran and Hadith, the importance of education is
explicit; in Islam seeking education is obligatory, and that knowledge is
considered to be the path towards greater closeness to Allah.
Knowledge can be broadly divided into two types, one is the
knowledge of religion, and second is the knowledge required by
community. It is the duty of every parent that we should educate our
children with the proper knowledge of both the types. Such as in religious
knowledge which comes at first is Tawheed (believing in one God),
Offering Salah (the act of prayer), Reading Holy book, fasting etc; then the
second type of knowledge is the knowledge required by the community.
Such as knowledge which makes a person doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, a
scientist, an agriculturist etc. This is too required to the betterment of
community and to the betterment of society. But when we acquiring
second type of knowledge we should make sure that knowledge should
take you closer to almighty God, but not to make far from.
The Glorious Quran itself teaches about various religious as well as
formal teachings of the world, such as:

Surat An-Nahl (Verse 16:66) talks about the production of milk and
pulmonary blood circulation:
[And indeed, for you in grazing livestock is a lesson. We give you drink
from what is in their bellies - between excretion and blood - pure milk,
palatable to drinkers.]
Surat Al-Anbya (Verse 21:30) talks about the theory of Big Bang (the
creation of Universe):
[Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the
earth were a joined entity, and we separated them and made from water
every living thing? Then will they not believe?]
Surat Az-Zumar (Verse 39:5) talks about alteration of Day and Night:
[He created the heavens and the earth in true (proportions): He makes
the Night overlap the Day, and the Day overlap the Night.]
Surat Adh-Dhariyat (Verse 51:47) talks about expansion of universe:
[With power and skill did we construct the Firmament: For it is We Who
create the vastness of Space.]
Surat An-Nahl (Verse 16:79) talks about Flight of Birds:
[Do they not see the birds controlled in the atmosphere of the sky? None
holds them up except Allah . Indeed in that are signs for a people who
believe.]
And in the same manner there are several scientific facts mentioned
in The Glorious Quran about Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Botany,
Geology, and Hydrology etc.
In Islam, the duty of seeking knowledge and learning is obligatory
for every Muslim. Islam affirms the right to education for all without
gender discrimination. For example, in The Glorious Quran Verse 39:9
the Quran addresses all people and indicates that people will be judged
by their knowledge and understanding.

Furthermore the principles of charity in Islam offer a way through

which Muslims can support education programs that will empower the
disadvantaged section of society. Waqf, apart from zakat and sadaqah, is
one way that Muslims engage in ongoing charity. Waqf can be in the form
of paying for or declaring a building or land as a communal space, with
schools and training centers falling within this category.
Islam has a holistic view of human development, which views
education and knowledge as central. Islam encourages the acquisition of
knowledge and its use for the benefit of humanity. Furthermore, the
principles of justice, equality and equity are important in Islam; by
extension this entails acquiring knowledge, wisdom and skills to carry out
ones duties. While knowledge is needed to fulfill religious and spiritual
responsibilities, it is also highly important for achieving social and
economic development, for wellbeing of the community, and for ensuring
social harmony, freedom and human rights.

Islam, Science and Technology

The framework of Islamic idea represents an extensive view of life

and universe. A Muslim is therefore used to obtain both religious and
worldly knowledge. In fact, Islam advocated understanding at a time when
the entire world was swallowed up in lack of knowledge. In a matter of
years the early generation of Muslims ended up being refined people, for
Islam had actually awakened their intellect. Those early Muslims
understood from the teachings of their religious beliefs that this
understanding is essential for the benefit of the self and of mankind. For
this reason, they pursued it to such a degree that they went beyond other
countries in development and productivity and carried the torch of
civilization for lots of centuries.
Muslim history is full with examples of scientific and cultural
repository. Muslims inherited the knowledge of the countries that came

prior to them, established it and put it in the context of an accurate moral

framework. Muslim scholarship made an important contribution to the
enrichment and development of human civilization.
While Europe was still in the dark ages, religious Muslims were
making terrific advances in the fields of medication, mathematics,
physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, literature, and history. Lots
of important but innovative treatments were adopted by middle ages
Europe from Muslim areas, such as Arabic characters with the principle of
the absolutely no vital to the innovation of mathematics and using
algebra. Advanced instruments, consisting of the astrolabe and the
quadrant, as well as good navigational maps, were first developed by
Muslims. Just after individuals forgot their religions and obligations did the
scientific accomplishments of the Muslim world stop and fall into obscurity.

Similarly, Islam does not now oppose any contemporary inventions

that are beneficial to mankind. It suffices that they be used in the name of
God and for His cause. In reality, devices, instruments and devices have
no religion or homeland. They can be used for either good or bad goals,
and the way they are used can influence much of the earths population.
Even something so simple as a glass can be filled either with a nourishing
beverage or with a toxin. TV can provide education or immorality. It is up
to the user to decide, and a Muslim is regulated to make good use of all
the methods at his disposal while being forbidden from causing damage to
himself or others. Failure to use the appropriate methods towards
advantage is, in effect, a deprecation of Islamic teachings.
A really Islamic government is used to the best of its capability to
supply all methods that promote sufficient education for its residents.
Education is a right for all individuals and the needed moral task of every
capable Muslim. All able, intelligent and experienced people in an Islamic
society are used to inform themselves not just in the fundamentals of their
religious beliefs however in needed worldly affairs. Further, it is obligatory
upon competent individuals to study every advantageous field of

understanding. For example, since every society needs doctors, it ends up

being obligatory for some people to enter into the field of medication to
fulfill the requirements of society.
Advancements in science and technology are among the ways and
means to achieve development of the Muslim world.

Islam calls upon

Muslims to pursue knowledge in the broadest sense of the word. Prophet

Muhammad said, Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every
Muslim.[Narrated by Ibn Majah] He also said, For one who treads a path
to knowledge, Allah will make easy the path to Paradise.[Narrated by
Muslim] And the Quran contains numerous references to knowledge and
its importance, such as:
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation
of night and day are signs for those of understanding.[3:190]
Say, Are those who know equal to those who do not know?[39:9]
Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were
given knowledge by degrees.[58:11]

Quranic verses encourage study and contemplation of the universe

that surrounds us and is particularly concerned with those sciences that
give human beings the ability to benefit from the world around them.
While encouraging investigation, the Quran contains references to a
variety of subjects which have been shown to be scientifically accurate.
This is the fulfillment of Gods statement over 14 centuries ago:
We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until
it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.[41:53]
Hence, when a Muslim has a sincere and wholesome intention to
acquire understanding, it will certainly also have a positive effect on his
faith. For understanding enhances textual proof for the existence of the

almighty Creator and assists in appreciation of the many scientific

allusions discovered in the Quran.
There has actually never ever been an established scientific reality
that contradicted the teachings of Islam. Whatever modern science finds
only enhances the Muslims knowledge of Gods splendid production.
Thus, Islam actively motivates scientific ventures and the study of Gods
signs

in

nature.

advances

and

It

likewise

allows

welcomes

individuals

to

advantageous

enjoy

the

fruits

technological
of

human

resourcefulness.
To

Muslim,

dispute

between

science

and

religion

is

an

impossibility, for religious beliefs originates from God and so does His
system

of

creation

and

development.

The

contemporary,

simply

materialistic method to scientific and technological improvement has

actually indeed given man a measure of physical comfort, however not
psychological or spiritual convenience. Islam advocates the incorporation
of understanding within a just and well balanced value system where
anything advantageous for ones spiritual and worldly enhancement is
encouraged and promoted.
The conclusion for this topic is all muslim must know the importance
of education. It had been emphasized repeatedly in the Glorious Quran.
Education is extremely important in our life. It gives us a knowledge of the
world around us and changes it into something better. It also develops in
us a perspective of looking at life. For science and technology, in the
Quran has explained a lot of the miracle of science in Islam. Such as, how
the baby grow step by step in a mothers womb, the alternation of night
and day and so much more. Science and technology gave improved our
life in many ways.