|
;For
a Muslim, believing in the unseen is a very important requirement next to
Taqwa. Allah (SWT) in Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse # 3 tells: “Who (those who
fear Allah) believe in the unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of
what We have provided for them.”
Is such a faith illogical from scientific
point of view? This question is often raised. Sir Arthur Edinburg, in his
famous Cambridge lectures, showed that most of the fundamental laws and
constants of physics are deduced from a priori consideration [Ref.: The
Philosophy of the Physical Science, The University of Michigan Press, 1958].
These laws are in most cases very successful in explaining the objective
world. So he concluded: “In the age of reason, faith yet remains supreme,
for reason is one of the articles of faith.” A few illustrations would make
this point more clear.
Quantum physics starts with the assumption of
a strange particle called photon which carries light energy. This particle
does not have any dimension or charge. It does not have any property found
on any physical object. Its rest mass is zero and moving mass is
indeterminate. The branch of science that this assumption has given birth to
is considered to be one of the greatest achievements of the human
intellect.
De Broglie assumed that all microscopic
particles can be associated with a wave when in motion. This is known as a
matter wave. Since this is a complex wave, it does not have any physical
parallelism and it is purely abstract in nature. A wave is completely
determined by any two of the three parameters, namely, wavelength, frequency
and velocity. It is possible to measure all the parameters for the well
known electromagnetic and mechanical waves. But for the matter wave,
frequency and wave velocity can never be determined by any instrument. The
matter wave is a mathematical artifice and its precise determination is
inaccessible to observation. Yet believing this matter wave solves many
complicated problems in atomic and nuclear physics. It is a faith that
moving particle behaves like a wave, and wave mechanics is based on this
faith.
Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle states that
the position and momentum of a particle can not be accurately measured
simultaneously and the product of the uncertainties in these measurements
can not be below a certain minimum. The existence of this lowest limit was
initially an article of faith. This faith is verified experimentally and the
smallest unit is found to be h = 6.63 10 -34 joule-sec, known as Planck’s
constant. This constant multiplied by the frequency gives the minimum energy
associated with each quantum of light called a photon.
In the theory of relativity it has been
possible to combine the effects dependent on time with space. But the theory
itself is a priori assumption. Scientists and mathematicians have not yet
been able to remove subjective effects of generic characteristics common to
all observers. The theory of relativity again is another magnificent triumph
of human intellectual endeavor.
The role of faith is also discernible in the
pronouncement of Einstein, the greatest scientist of modern age, in respect
of the ‘Unified Field Theory’. This scientist spent the last 30 years of his
life in search of a wider law covering both gravitation and electromagnetic
fields. He firmly stuck to his faith to the last day of his life that such a
law exists. Scientists including Prof. Abdus Salam worked on it with partial
success. The researches of Salam have been concerned with finding a ‘Grand
Unification Theory’ of interactions namely the gravitational interaction,
the electromagnetic interaction, the weak nuclear force and the strong
nuclear force. Why should one attempt to unite these apparently disjointed
interactions? After all there is no difficulty in our understanding the
nature even without the unification of these forces. The desire of the
physicists to unite these forces into a single one emanated from a faith:
that these forces are different manifestations of one and the same entity.
In fact, there are hosts of other such matters in the scientific domain that
are based on ‘Faith’.
All these discussions from the point of view
of modern science point to the role of faith in man’s knowledge. So faith as
ordained by Allah in the ‘Unseen’ is not illogical. For the Unseen is beyond
our comprehension due to our generic limitations. Faith in the Unseen is
never inconsistent with the correct understanding of the materialistic
world.
[Edited from “ Scientific Indications in the
Holy Quran”, written by a Board of Researchers under the project: Science in
Al-Quran, published by Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, Baitul Mukarram,
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh]
FANTASTIC USE OF LOGIC :-
WHY SCIENCE FAILS TO EXPLAIN GOD?
At an educational institution: Professing to
be wise, they became fools ....
"LET ME EXPLAIN THE problem science has with
God."
The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks
one of his new students to stand.
"You're a Muslim, aren't you, son?"
"Yes, sir."
"So you believe in God?"
"Absolutely."
"Is God good?"
"Sure! God's good."
"Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"
"Yes."
The professor grins knowingly and considers for a moment.
"Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can
cure him. You can do it. Would you help them? Would you try?"
"Yes sir, I would."
"So you're good...!"
"I wouldn't say that."
Why not say that? You would help a sick and maimed person if you could in
fact most of us would if we could... God doesn't.
[No answer]
He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Muslim who died of cancer even though
he prayed to God to heal him. How is this God good? Hmmm? Can you answer
that one?"
[No answer]
The elderly man is sympathetic. "No, you can't, can you?" He takes a sip of
water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. In
philosophy, you have to go easy with the new ones.
Let's start again, young fella."
"Is God good?"
Er... Yes."
"Is Satan good?"
"No."
"Where does Satan come from?" The student falters.
From... God...
That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? The elderly man runs his bony
fingers through his thinning hair and turns to the smirking, student
audience.
"I think we're going to have a lot of fun this semester, ladies and
gentlemen."
He turns back to the Muslim. "Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?"
"Yes, sir."
"Evil's everywhere, isn't it? Did God make everything?"
"Yes."
Who created evil?
[No answer]
Is there sickness in this world? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All The
terrible things - do they exist in this world?"
The student squirms on his feet. "Yes."
Who created them? "
[No answer]
The professor suddenly shouts at his student.
"WHO CREATED THEM? TELL ME, PLEASE!"
The professor closes in for the kill and climbs into the Muslim's face.
In a still small voice: "God created all evil, didn't He, son?"
[No answer]
The student tries to hold the steady, experienced gaze and fails. Suddenly
the lecturer breaks away to pace the front of the classroom like an aging
panther.
The class is mesmerised.
"Tell me," he continues,How is it that this God is good if He created all
evil throughout all time?
The professor swishes his arms around to encompass the wickedness of the
world.
All the hatred, the brutality, all the pain, all the torture, all the death
and ugliness and all the suffering created by this good God is all over the
world, isn't it, young man?
[No answer]
Don't you see it all over the place? Huh? Pause. "Don't you?"
The professor leans into the student's face again and whispers, Is God
good?"
[No answer]
"Do you believe in God, son?"
The student's voice betrays him and cracks.
"Yes, professor. I do."
The old man shakes his head sadly. "Science says you have five senses you
use to identify and observe the world around you. You have never seen God,
Have you?
"No, sir. I've never seen Him."
"Then tell us if you've ever heard your God?"
"No, sir. I have not."
"Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God or smelt your God...infact, do
you have any sensory perception of your God whatsoever?"
[No answer]
"Answer me, please."
"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."
"You're AFRAID... you haven't?"
"No, sir."
"Yet you still believe in him?"
"...yes..."
"That takes FAITH!" The professor smiles sagely at the underling. According
to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says
your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? Where is your God
now?"
[The student doesn't answer]
"Sit down, please."
The Muslim sits...Defeated.
Another Muslim raises his hand. "Professor, may I address the class?"
The professor turns and smiles. "Ah, another Muslim in the vanguard! Come,
come, young man. Speak some proper wisdom to the gathering."
The Muslim looks around the room. "Some interesting points you are making,
sir. Now I've got a question for you.
"Is there such thing as heat?"
Yes, the professor replies. "There's heat."
"Is there such a thing as cold?"
"Yes, son, there's cold too."
"No, sir, there isn't."
The professor's grin freezes. The room suddenly goes very cold. The second
Muslim continues.
You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, white
heat, a little heat or no heat but we don't have anything called 'cold'.
We can hit 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any
further after that. There is no such thing as cold, otherwise we would be
able to go colder than 458 - - You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to
describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold.
"Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not
the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."
Silence. A pin drops somewhere in the classroom.
"Is there such a thing as darkness, professor?"
"That's a dumb question, son. What is night if it isn't darkness? What are
you getting at...?
"So you say there is such a thing as darkness?"
"Yes..."
"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something, it is the absence of
something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing
light but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called
darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In
reality, Darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness
darker and give me a jar of it. Can you...give me a jar of darker darkness,
professor?"
Despite himself, the professor smiles at the young effrontery before him.
This will indeed be a good semester.
"Would you mind telling us what your point is, young man?"
"Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start
with and so your conclusion must be in error...."
"The professor goes toxic. "Flawed...? How dare you...!"
"Sir, may I explain what I mean?"
The class is all ears.
"Explain... oh, explain..." The professor makes an admirable effort to
regain control. Suddenly he is affability itself.
He waves his hand to silence the class, for the student to continue.
"You are working on the premise of duality," the Muslim explains. That for
example there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You
are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can
measure. Sir, science cannot even explain a thought. It uses electricity and
magnetism but has never seen, much less fully understood them. To view death
as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot
exist as a substantive thing.
"Death is not the opposite of life, merely the absence of it." The young man
holds up a newspaper he takes from the desk of a neighbour who has been
reading it.
"Here is one of the most disgusting tabloids this country hosts, professor.
Is there such a thing as immorality?"
"Of course there is, now look..."
"Wrong again, sir. You see, immorality is merely the absence of morality. Is
there such thing as injustice? No." Injustice is the absence of justice. Is
there such a thing as evil?"
The Muslim pauses.
"Isn't evil the absence of good?"
The professor's face has turned an alarming colour. He is so angry he is
temporarily speechless.
The Muslim continues. "If there is evil in the world, professor, and we all
agree there is, then God, if he exists, must be accomplishing a work through
the agency of evil. What is that work, God is accomplishing? Islam tells us
it is to see if each one of us will, choose good over evil."
The professor bridles. "As a philosophical scientist, I don't vie this
matter as having anything to do with any choice; as a realist, I absolutely
do not recognize the concept of God or any other theological factor as being
part of the world equation because God is not observable."
"I would have thought that the absence of God's moral code in this world is
probably one of the most observable phenomena going," the Muslim replies.
"Newspapers make billions of dollars reporting it every week! Tell me,
professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?"
"If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes,
of course I do."
"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"
The professor makes a sucking sound with his teeth and gives his student a
silent, stony stare.
"Professor. Since no-one has ever observed the process of evolution at work
and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you
not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a priest?"
"I will overlook your impudence in the light of our philosophical
discussion. Now, have you quite finished?" the professor hisses.
"So you don't accept God's moral code to do what is righteous?"
"I believe in what is - that's science!"
"Ahh! SCIENCE!" the student's face splits into a grin.
"Sir, you rightly state that science is the study of observed phenomena.
Science too is a premise which is flawed..."
"SCIENCE IS FLAWED..?" the professor splutters.
The class is in uproar.The Muslim remains standing until the commotion has
subsided.
"To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, may I
give you an example of what I mean?"
The professor wisely keeps silent. The Muslim looks around the room.
"Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen air, Oxygen, molecules,
atoms, the professor's brain?"
The class breaks out in laughter. The Muslim points towards his elderly,
crumbling tutor.
Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain... felt the
professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain?"
No one appears to have done so. The Muslim shakes his head sadly. It appears
no-one here has had any sensory perception of the professor's brain
whatsoever. Well, according to the rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable
protocol, science, I DECLARE that the professor has no brain."
NOW IT IS EVERYONE'S CHANCE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ISLAM, ABOUT GOD, ABOUT THE
PURPOSE OF Existence, creation & life, ABOUT THE PROPHETS OF GOD, & ABOUT
HIS HOLY BOOKS, ESPECIALLY THE HOLY QUR'AAN. THEN IT IS YOUR CHOICE TO
BECOME A MUSLIM, OR NOT. ALLAAH SAYS IN THE HOLY:
"THERE IS NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION "
There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly
distinct from error; And he who rejects false deities and believes in
Allaah(The God) has grasped a firm handhold which will never break. and
Allaah is ALL-Hearing, All-Knowing(256)
Allah is the Protecting Guardian of those who believe. He brings them out of
the darkness into the light; As for those who disbelieve, their guardians
are false deities. They bring them out of light into darkness...(257)"
AL-QUR'AAN (CHAPTER # 2, VERSES # 256-257) They are much nicer and more
sound in Arabic) |