But in spite of all that it is obvious that these hints are...

But in spite of all that it is obvious that these hints are meant only for instructional and practical purposes and do not aim at teaching physics, chemistry etc. The Qur'an does not want to take the place of man's creative power, nor does it want to restrain man from using his own talents and capabilities. It is man's indisputable right to make discoveries in all fields of life through his vast knowledge and experience. The Qur'an does not want to occupy this science.

It introduces itself as a spiritual and psychological power which can build man and by causing an explosion within him can make him march forward in the right direction. When we recognize that the Qur'an is a Book of Guidance, not a book of scientific discoveries, it is improper to expect it to discuss the general principles of science. These principles should be discovered by man by means of understanding the laws governing them.

Why should we expect the Qur'an to stipulate any principle in this field or to have any particular point of view in this respect? Why should we ask the Qur'an to give us any scientific conception of the trends of history? What special connection has the Qur'an with this particular field? If the Qur'an begins to deal with such laws and make such discoveries, the character and purpose of the book will be changed.

Instead of being a book revealed for the entire humanity, it will be degraded to being a book for the specialists in a particular science belonging to a particular period. Difference Between History and Other Sciences This objection is valid in itself, and on the whole, it is correct to say that the Qur'an is a-Book of Guidance, not of science, and that it does not want to curtail the scope of human effort, nor does it want to dry up man's powers of development and originality.

But still there is a basic difference between the field of history and the fields of the rest of the sciences of the world. This basic difference turns history and the laws governing it, into a thing which is closely related to the function of the Qur'an as Guidance. That is not the case with other sciences. In short, the Qur'an is a Book of Guidance which brings about the desired change in man, that is, in the words of Qur'an itself, it brings them out o f darkness into light.

(Sarah al-Baqarah, 2:257) This desired change must have two aspects. The first aspect of it concerns actions. Man must come back to the adherence of necessary laws.