The Concept of Ayatullah The Importance of Scientific Exploration of Nature in Islam

Chapter 10
The Concept of Ayatullah;

The Importance of
Scientific Exploration of
Nature in Islam
RKQS 1030
Dr. Raudlotul Firdaus binti Fatah Yasin
 One of the objectives for the creation of the universe according to
the Islamic perspective is to serve as a sign or evidence (āyat)
indicating to the existence of God – His power, knowledge and
Introduction wisdom
 It is not to create knowledge, but to discover, uncover, disclose
and understand the knowledge about the reality or phenomenon
under investigation
 Āyah = ‘alāmah, which means sign, evidence, proof or indication
that may lead the seeker of knowledge to a discovery about the
true nature of something or phenomena
The Meaning  the entire Qur’ān is an āyat – a clear sign and manifest evidence –
to vindicate the true fact that God exists and all that exists other
of AyātulLāh; than God is not but His creature (makhlūq), and it comes into
ʿĀlam existence as an immediate consequence of God’s Divine Creative
Will in creation.
(Universe) and  Qur’ānic āyat is verbal in nature, whose meaning is
comprehensible to man through reading (qirāʾah) and rehearsal
Kawn (Nature) (tilāwah).
 However, there is another kind of āyat (sign or evidence) that is
not verbal in nature. It refers to the entire world of creation
 Apart from āyātullāh (the signs of Allāh), ʿālam (the world) and
makhlūqāt (creatures), another relevant term commonly used by
CONT… Muslim scholars in reference to the world of creation is al-kawn,
which is today freely translated as nature.
The Meaning  the translation is somehow misleading, because nature in the
of AyātulLāh; Greek conception of universe is in itself a well-ordered reality and
ʿĀlam
self-subsisting
 the generic meaning of “kawn” in Arabic simply implies anything
(Universe) and or being that has come into existence as a consequence of the
process of creation determined by the will of the Maker, Allāh
Kawn (Nature)  ‫ق ِم ْثلَ ُهم بَلَى‬ ْ ‫َاْلَرْضَ بِ َقا ِد ٍر َعلَى أَ ْن ي‬
َ ُ‫َخل‬ ْ ‫تو‬ ِ ‫السمَاوَا‬ َّ ‫ق‬َ َ ‫خل‬َ ‫أَوَلَ ْيسَ الَّ ِذي‬
ُ ‫ن َفي َُك‬
‫ون‬ َ ‫ش ْيئاً أَ ْن ي َُقو‬
ْ ‫ل لَ ُه ُك‬ َ ‫يم \ إِنَّمَا أَ ْم ُر ُه إِ َذا أَ َرا َد‬ ُ ِ‫ق ْال َعل‬ُ ‫خ ََّّل‬
َ ‫َه َو ْال‬
ُ ‫و‬
 Ibn ʿAbbās: have looked at the world of creation, nature or
cosmos, and all things or beings that exist in it as none but Allāh’s
creatures.
 Reality (ḥaqīqah) according to them is divided it into two kinds;
Reality first, • the Transcendent Reality of God (al-khāliq) who is

the Creator, Sustainer, Ruler, the Ultimate Source
(ḥaqīqah) of Authority
• the natural reality of the creation (al-makhlūq)

whose nature is temporary/transient, and whose
Second, existence (mawjūd) is dependent on Allah, the God
 These two realities remain forever separable.
 The Qur’ān has never conceived of them as being monophysite or
constituted one single realm of existence in the Greek sense of
(al-khāliq) and “waḥdat al-wujūd” (unity of existence).
(al-makhlūq)  In the view of Muslim ṣūfī masters, unity of existence does not
imply unity of being or a state of union between two or many
beings in the sense of the Christian or Hindu conception of the
reincarnation of God into man
indescribable spiritual closeness (dhawq)
with God, not in His Being, but of His divine
light, favor, mercy and love
“waḥdat al-
all things derived their being and existence
wujūd” of ṣūfī from the Absolute and Infinite Reality, God.
The meaning of the unity of existence in this
term should be sense is expressed in the Qurʾānic verse “We
interpreted as are but from and for God and unto Him we
shall return”.
follows;
unity of purpose for the purpose of their

creation is but solely to serve and worship the
Creator,
 The term is a collective noun derived from ʿālam, which simply
means the world. Allāh is referred to in the Qurʾān as “rabb al-
ʿālamīn”, the Lord of ʿālamīn (the worlds)
The Qurʾānic
 The collective term ʿālamīn, according to Ibn ʿAbbās, is all
term for embracing used in reference to “the heavens and the earth and all
that exists in them or between them, whether it is visible
nature is (shahādah) or invisible (ghaybīyyah), other than God”
ʿālamīn.  Muslim scholars have nevertheless agreed that ʿālam is
semantically derived from ʿalāmah, which means sign, evidence,
or proof by which one may attain the knowledge of something.
first, the horizontal signs of Allāh (āyātulLāh al-
ufuqīyyah) that consists of everything that exists in the
universe, which is comprehensible to the senses
the natural (maḥsūs) through observation and other empirical
signs of Allāh methods of investigation (mushāhid);
(āyātulLāh) is
devided into
second, the human signs of Allāh (āyātulLāh al-
two nafsīyyah), which is consisted of human kind as
categories; individuals or society. This include psychological,
cultural, historical and civilizational dimensions
Nature and all that The human self (or Human society – this
exist in it, including the center of man’s includes its historical
its natural forces and being) – with all its origin, ethnicity,
Conclusion of causal laws and
phenomena.
physical, mental,
psychological
civilization, culture,
geography, history,
(āyātulLāh) : makes-up and
dispositions as a
development and
etc.
rational creature as
opposed to other
rational and non-
rational creatures of
God.
 Scientific exploration of the world of creation here signifies all the
activities that are aimed at attaining a better understanding or
knowledge of reality by means of empirical methods of
investigation (such as observation and experiments) and the
exercise of reasoning. The activities alone must be truly objective
and unbiased
Scientific  Doing science for them is a righteous deed and a form of worship
(ʿibādah). The application of science is therefore aimed to attain
Exploration of the knowledge of “something” beyond nature= ma‘rifatullāh (the
Ayātullāh and knowledge about Allāh)
 Unlike other religions, Islam has never placed any restriction for
Its Importance Muslim scientists to explore the world of creation
 many of the Prophet’s traditions (aḥādīth) have emphasized the
importance of tafakkur (reflection upon the world of creation in its
both religious and intellectual senses) more than anything else,
thus considered it even greater in spiritual virtue in the sight of
Allāh than to saying a hundred raka‘āt of recommended prayers.
Objectives of
scientific Scientific Deliverance
Mastery of Ma’rifatullah from
exploration of Nature error1qaz
Ayatullah

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Chapter 10

The Concept of Ayatullah;

Reality first, • the Transcendent Reality of God (al-khāliq) who is

• the natural reality of the creation (al-makhlūq)

unity of purpose for the purpose of their

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