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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Scientific Dimension of the Quran The Qur’an as a Source of Scientific Knowledge ================================================= In our times we see many people who try to interpret some of the Qur’anic verses in the light of our present scientific knowledge.

The main aim of these people is to show the miracle of the Qur’an in the scientific domain to convince non-Muslims of the glory and uniqueness of the Qur’an, and to make fellow Muslims feel proud of having such a great scripture. But the view of considering the Qur’an as a source of all knowledge is not a new one, and we see many great Muslim scholars of the past who are proponents of this view. One is Imam al-Ghazali.

In his book Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din (The Revival of Religious Sciences), he quotes Ibn Mas’ud as saying: “If one desires to have the knowledge of the sciences of the ancients and the moderns, he should ponder over the Qur’an.” He further adds: In short, all sciences are included in the works and attributes of Allah, and the Qur’an is the explanation of His essence, attributes, and works.

There is no limit to these sciences, and in the Qur’an there is an indication of their confluence.1 And in his other book Jawahir al-Qur’an (The Jewels of the Qur’an), which was written after the Ihya, he has more to say about this matter.

In the chapter on “The Stemming of the Sciences of the Ancients and the Moderns from the Qur’an”, he says: The principle of these sciences, which we have enumerated and of those which we have not specified, are not outside the Qur’an, for all of these sciences are drawn from one of the seas of knowledge of God-may He be exalted-i.e., the sea of His works.

We have already mentioned that the Qur’an is [like] a sea which as no shore, and that “if the ocean became ink for [transcribing] the words of my Lord, surely the ocean would be exhausted before the words of my Lord came to an end.” Among the works of God-may he be exalted-which [for their vastness can be called] the sea of His works are, for instance, recovery and disease, as He-may He be exalted-narrating the words of Abraham, said, “When I fall ill it is He who restores me to health”….

This single work can only be known by him who knows the science of medicine completely, for this science means nothing but the knowledge of all aspects of disease together with their symptoms, and knowledge of their cure and its means.