Islam, by keeping only goals within its domain and leaving...

Islam, by keeping only goals within its domain and leaving the form and means to the domain of science and technology, has avoided any clash with culture and civilization. Not only that, but by encouraging the factors helping the expansion of civilization, namely, knowledge, labor, piety, will, courage and perseverance, it has undertaken the role of the main factor working for the cause of the expansion of civilization. Islam has set up traffic signposts all along the route of human progress.

They, on the one hand, indicate the route and the destination, and, on the other, warn against pitfalls and dangerous spots. All Islamic laws are posts, either of the first kind or of the second. The means of life in every age depend on the degree of the sum total of human knowledge. As human knowledge expands, more perfect means of life come into existence, and automatically take the place of the imperfect ones.

The external and material forms of these means have no sanctity in Islam, and the Muslims are not bound to preserve them forever. Islam has not said that such and such tools are to be used for the purpose of tailoring, weaving, cultivation, transport, war or any other jobs. Hence, there can be no question of any conflict between science and Islam, in case any tools or implements become obsolete.

Islam has not prescribed any particular design of shoes or dress, nor has it suggested any particular style of construction for buildings. Similarly, it does not insist on any particular methods of production and distribution. This is one of those aspects of Islam, which have facilitated its applicability to all the developments of time.

Stable Laws for Stable Requirements And Varying Laws for Varying Requirements Another characteristic of Islam, which is of great importance, is that it has envisaged stable laws for the stable human requirements and varying laws for the varying requirements. A part of the human requirements, both individual and collective, is of a permanent nature. They do not undergo any change with the change of time.

The principles of the systems regulating human instincts and social relations always remain uniform. We are aware of the theories of the “Relativity of Morals” and the “Relativity of Justice” which have their supporters, and would express our views with regard to them, later. Another part of the human requirement is of a varying nature and this demands varying laws.