Al-Biruni has explicitly stated that the motive behind his...

Al-Biruni has explicitly stated that the motive behind his research in scientific fields is Allah’s words in the Qur’an: …And reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: our Lord! You have not created this in vain….(3:191) which persuades human beings to ponder about the creation of the heaven and the earth, a creation which is purposeful and not vain.

The study of the so-called scientific verses in the Qur’an should motivate Muslims to go after natural and physical sciences, and not remain content with the hints given there. b) The aforementioned verses state that everything in this world is orderly and purposeful and there is no fault in the works of Allah: …And He created everything, then He ordained it very exactly. (25:2) And We did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between them for sport.

(21:16) …You see no imperfection in the creation of the beneficent God. Then look again, can you see any disorder? Then return back the eye again and again, your look shall come back to you dazzled, aweary. (67:3-4) c) The Qur’an invites us to recognize the laws of nature (i.e., Allah’s patterns in the universe) and to exploit them for the welfare of human beings and without transgressing the limits of the Shari’ah: The sun and the moon follow reckoning….

And the heaven, He raised it high and set the balance. Transgress not the balance. (55:5-8) Of course, the exploitation of material means should lead to the spiritual development of human beings and not to their decay. d) In the Qur’anic outlook, all sciences are different manifestations of a world which is created and governed by one God. Therefore their combination should lead to a single picture of the world.

e) Lastly, one of the most important things that we learn from the Qur’an, in relation to science, is its unique world-view and epistemology. Most of the evil resulting from the growth of science has its origin in the materialistic outlook accompanying modern science. The Qur’an warns us against these pitfalls and informs us of the impediments to correct cognition of nature.

It teaches us what tools to use for the cognition of nature and what prevents us from using those tools properly.18 In short, we believe that the most important lessons we learn from the so-called scientific verses of the Qur’an are: Priority should be given to the discovery of nature using human senses and intellect. The Holy Qur’an can give us the correct world-view.