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The Science and Religion in Islam research group is the result of a collaboration between a number of Muslim academics who have decided to work together to explore the interface between science and religion from the perspective of different disciplinary horizons. We hope to contribute to the emergence of a working culture which is based on a double perspective: on one hand that of a rationality that is open to problems of a metaphysical, spiritual or theological order and, on the other hand, that of a spiritual life, of a religious conscience, and an inner experience that is open to philosophical problems that arise from investigations in the area of contemporary science. We advocate this double perspective in the sense that we consider that science and religion have things to say to one another. But, at the same time, this requires a great deal of clarity in our intentions as well as rigour in our method. The bringing together in a illusory side-by-side, or a fallacious analogy, of Islamic religious knowledge and the findings of contemporary science can lead to disappointing results since, by ignoring the specificities of the two areas and the singularity of the principles which govern their respective movements, this approach prevents, in reality, the emergence of a real "convergence" between science and religion. For this reason, unlike a certain reading which dominates in the Islamic World, we do not think that these two spheres of knowledge can seriously enter into dialogue with each other in a direct fashion. In our opinion, the nature of the relationship between the two areas requires an "internal", philosophical, theological or spiritual inquiry. Hence we will be able to phrase the question as follows: what is it within science that can enter into a meaningful dialogue with Islam? And what is it within Islam that can enter into a meaningful dialogue with science?
When we speak of Islam we are not only talking about the religious component. In order to promote the emergence of a serious dialogue between science and religion in the perspective of religion, we need to consider all the dimensions of the culture that has arisen from the civilisation that has been nurtured by this religion. It is one of the reasons why our research group includes not only mathematicians, physicists, and astrophysicists but also theologians, historians and philosophers. An interdisciplinary approach is an important aspect of our work: creating links between the findings of each discipline while keeping within the rules of each discipline.
The science-islam site intends to function as a knowledge forum in view of the emergence of a genuine scientific modernity that is rooted in the conscience of intellectual, spiritual and ethical values. Under these four section-headings (articles, abstracts, bibliographical references and links) our site will propose a certain number of tools, concepts and methods, theses and structures which may, in some way, contribute to the renewal or, more accurately, the "revitalisation", of Islamic thought based on a profound comprehension of the challenges and the advancements that are being made in the 21st century.
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Latest developments in the debate between Science and Religion in Islam
Dialogue between civilisations
History of philosophy and Islamic thought
Study of the history of Arab-Islamic sciences
Problems of current science
Cosmology
Life Sciences
Natural Sciences
Humanities
Other current debates on the dialogue between Science and Religion
The dialogue as seen by scientists
The dialogue as seen by philosophers and theologians
The dialogue as seen by Christians
The dialogue as seen by Buddhists
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Science and Religion in IslamThe Science and Religion in Islam research group is the result of a collaboration between a number of Muslim academics who have decided to work together to explore the interface between science and religion from the perspective of different disciplinary horizons. We hope to contribute to the (...) Articles
The middle ages While the scientific, philosophical and theological contribution of Islamic civilization to medieval Europe is an established fact and enjoys relative recognition among Westerners, the influence of Sufism and Islamic spirituality in general, on the European continent is not (...)
One can summarize the philosophical presuppositions of classical physics in the following way: There is a physical reality independent of us. This reality is understandable, and the aim of physics is to understand this reality as it is. This reality is decomposable into recognizable (...)
1 Think of the last two hundred years. Incredible things were given to us by human beings, in art, music, and social structure – who will question the value of the poems of Rabindranath Tagore, a Cezanne still-life, the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Or the end of slavery, the empowerment of (...) In his brilliant The Definitive Discourse on the Harmony between Religion and Philosophy, Ibn Rushd (Averroes) addresses the question of the possible conflict between Religion and Philosophy (today he and we would be saying ‘Science’). Reviewing the problem from a religious perspective in (...)
The world in which we live today is very different from the medieval times and the difference can be attributed to science and its technological offspring. The advances made during the last two hundred years in the physical and biological sciences, have expanded our understanding of the world (...)
Scientific work is a human activity for understanding how the natural world works and is structured. Why do human beings seek scientific knowledge? Science, by itself, cannot provide the answer. The response comes from a more comprehensive framework that defines, among other things, one’s goal (...)
Motivated by the extraordinary lives and thoughts of Einstein and Gandhi, the aim of this presentation is to show that science and spirituality provide us with complementary perspectives on truth – both unbiased and universal. Such a perspective motivates us to realize the futility of human (...)
We live, it is said, in the Scientific Age. Members of the public, and even most scientists, take science for granted. They expect it to work. But why is science so successful in describing our world, and how is it that human beings have evolved the capability of understanding the deep (...) News
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