07_revelation & science

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Revelation and Science

First Published 2011

Copyright Usman Balarabe Aliyu 2011

ISBN 978-978-

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted inany form or by any means, except for use in any review, without theprior written permission of the Copyright owner.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, byway of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise

circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published andwithout a similar condition including this condition beingimposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Printed by Usana Prints,Published by: Usana Publishing Company Limited,

Usana Complex, 39/41 Broadcasting Road,P.O. Box 1584Minna NigeriaE-mail: [email protected]


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REVELATION

ANDSCIENCE:

ON THE MISCONCEPTIONS

By

Usman Balarabe Aliyu


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The writer:

Usman Aliyu was born of Aliyu Mu'azu, Sarkin Yakin Minna,and a fairly quiet lady, Amina Usa, on Wednesday June 17, 1953in Minna, Niger State.

His Academic quest ran thus:Elementary Education, Minna and Sokoto: 1960-66Secondary Education, Birnin Kebbi: 1967-71Higher School Certificate (HSC) in 1973, SokotoBachelors Degree (BA), (ABU) Kano: 1974-77Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in 1982, London.

His other engagements were:Co-operatives, Abuja until June 1972.National Youth Service (NYSC) 1977-78, Lagos.Employment with (NTA) from 1978-84, MinnaFilm Production, Usana Complex Minna 1984-96.Bricks Manufacture, 1997-2006, Minna and Funtua.

His authorial endeavour:Gone missing, ISBN 978-978-8200-14-7: Adventure 1

Eye for Order, ISBN 978-978-084-699-2: Adventure 2 A Widows Dew, ISBN 978-978-085-658-8: Adventure 3 Beyond Guilt, ISBN 978-978-085-824-7: Adventure 4

Retailing Power, ISBN 978-978-087-272-4: DramaThe Children of the Republic, ISBN 978-978-088-779-7 Loners Flash , ISBN 978-978-088-990-6: PoetryRevelation & Science , ISBN 978-978-

Usman Aliyu was a family man with childrenght daughters andseven sons, including a double set of twins!


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When death finally came, his epitaph was:

Allow me cry God for those who cant cryMake me be heard for those who cant beLet me die free,

Let me not live in chains,I thank you God for allowing me be

All that I had wanted to be

Dedicated to:

Muhammad Nataala Malam MurtalaYusuf Ali

Aliyu Muazu 1

For much of what I am today


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CONTENT

1. The Concepts2. Revelation3. The Book called the Qur'an4. Content of the Qur'an5. Profiling the Creator6. The Creator's Way7. Man's Place in the Scheme of Things8. Signs and Indicators9. Science10. Revelation and Science11, Science and the Truth12. The Physical and the Truth13. Believers of God and Science14. Investigation15. Arising Questions16. Science and Time17. The Historical Oddities18. The Consequences19. Propositions


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1. THE CONCEPTS

The aim in this discourse is to show that, contrary to commonopinion, revelation and science should not be seen to be inconflict; while one is construed to be a divine statement of a fact,the other is understood to be the human search for the explanationof that same fact. The treatment seeks to demonstrate howhumanity generally had missed much from those booksconsidered to be Holy, especially the Qur'an which is the finalinstruction from God, the supreme creator, by failing earlier toreact fully to the references made in the books to the everydayphysical phenomenon.

The ultimate goal of this discourse is to remove some of thesuperstitious mist shrouding the Holy Books, and the particularantagonism against the Qur'an, by most non-Muslims, especially.

These precious divine documents were sent to humanity for agrand purpose, certainly, not meant to be treated commonly as"read-and-keep Books", but "read-and-react-to" sources of inspiration and as a constant spur for further action. Man is meantto fulfil the worthy destiny intended for him by his Creator, bytaking the cue from the books, for the judicious use of theabundant resources created and made useable for him.

The last Prophet i

sent to mankind, peace be upon him, wasreported as saying, on every believer there is enjoined (acompulsory) charity (Sadaqat). They (his companions) said, if one has nothing? He said, he should work with his hands so thathe may benefit himself and give in charity. They said, if hecannot work or does not work? He said, then he should help theoppressed unhappy person (by word or action or both). Theysaid, if he does not do it? He said, then he should enjoin what is


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good (or what is reasonable or beneficial). They said, if he doesnot do that? He said, then he should refrain from doing evil, for

that will be considered for him as a Sadaqat (charity). Hadith8.51 (Al-Bukhari Hadith)

Certainly, the best to realize this, to bring the greatest benefitto mankind, would be the one with the greatest capacity toproduce and to distribute. Unquestionably, only science andtechnology present man with such prospects; they are meant togive humanity, most especially those who believe in God, and

accept his authority, this unique opportunity.

2. REVELATION

REVELATION, as opposed to insight or thought articulation,is understood to be the actual communication, in words, mentalimages or dreams, of God sent through a medium quite unusual,not generally perceived, other than by those going through suchexperience, therefore, much subject to disputes and speculation.However, such occurrences are accepted as factual, though withinthe circle of those who believed and accepted the possibility of such happenings.

The most common medium, generally accepted as spurningthrough the history of mankind, one also agreed upon, by mostpopular religions, to be the regular deliverer of such message wasthe archangel Gabriel ii. This message, in here referred to as therevelation, was essentially the same, in theme, though varying incontent, to all the past Prophets, men of exceptional morallatitude, at the time of their prophetic mission, a period in whichthey appeared actively engaged in such communion. It wastransmitted to them in their native languages, understandably,which they, as teachers, instructors or admonishers, repeated to

their compatriots.


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The revealed messages, whether committed to texts as booksor just mere verbal instructions, iii were the central sacred reality of

Gods way , thats, the pattern on which the creator designed forhis creatures. iv This way, no matter in what language it isexplained, is one and the same. It is the one on which the whole of the universe was erected. It is also the one that regulates the veryexistence of all there is. Each community, in the annuals of humanhistory, has its own terms for defining or describing that way. Forexample, the Jews refer to it as the covenant, the Confucians callit li, the Japanese see it as Shinto, the Buddhists encapsulate it asthe Noble truth, to the Chinese, Tao, while the Christians call ittestament, and in Arabic, it is called Islam v. Nonetheless, it is theonly submissive way of behaviour, generally known as religion, approved by God, the one and only creator of all there is, since thebeginning of Time. Normally, these books contain knowledgerelating to specific and general truths on personal and publicconduct. They give both detailed and broad outlines of the sourceof all operations of the fundamental laws of both observable andunexplainable phenomena.

As the direct Word of God and the embodiment of His Will,the revealed Books contain Laws and regulations on conduct andrituals meant to be observed by humans. They show theconnectivity and interactivity of Matter and Non-matter withTime, recognizable as Events, and the relationship and

dependency of all matter and non-matter on the Originator, who isGod. These sacred Books also deal with the physical world and itsphenomena, and a constant appeal is made, in them, to man for hisunbiased observations of his surroundings and of his past vi.They invite man to investigate, to discover and to reflect on thepurpose of such faultless arrangement behind which lies the truththat there is a Deity, that He is One and that He is Alive andAble .vii


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Revelation, as defined above, is not the only way with whichthe creator keeps in touch with his subjects; there are other forms

of contact through which the Creator connects to his creation.These are the inspiration which Allah viii sends to both human andnon-human elements. They may be permanent imprints as theinstinctive behaviour of all animals: large and small, as typifiedby the bee ,ix and of all other creatures and the natural elements:the winds, the rains, the lightening etcetera, or the occasional.These occasional contacts can be instantaneous, or covering aperiod for the execution of a particular order. They could be forpunishment as of the visitation of Angels at the destruction of Lot's people, x or preservation, as to that sent to Prophet Moses'mother , xi instructing her on what to do with her baby. At times, itis instantaneous as to the Fire ,xii when Prophet Ibrahim wasthrown into it, or to a bird, Raven xiii to show the son of ProphetAdam what to do with the dead body of his murdered brother, orwhile Prophet Joseph was in the well. xiv In whatever form ormanner such revelation or inspired message turned up, it vividlyindicates the omnipresence of the creator, and his ability to dowhatsoever he decrees to be.

3. THE QUR'AN

If there is one book causing much anxiety and controversy inthe world, it is the Quran; it stirs consternation in those who donot know it; it raises storm among those who believe in it! Yet,this is a plain book meant to be a solace for all! xv

The holy Qur'an is one of the revealed Books from Allah -the creator of heavens and earth irrespective of what namehumans locally refer to him. The Qur'an, as the last of suchBooks, is a testimony and a confirmation to all the scriptures sentbefore it to all the Prophets of Islam -irrespective of where or

when they were raised. It was revealed, in the Arabic Language,


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through a favoured noble man of Arabia, Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessing be upon him) to the whole of

mankind -irrespective of their geographical location. As afulfilment of Allahs covenant , the Qur'an is safeguarded againstcorruption, in text or content, and is destined to have a universalappeal.

4. CONTENT OF THE QUR'AN

The Qur'an primarily contains the broad sign-posts and

distinguishable path-marks essential to guide man to reach adestined status of nearness to God. The believers in the book believe the book is the detailed behaviour checkmate promised toman, at his assignment as a Khalifa, vicegerent, on earth. Itexplains to him who his creator is, and specifies what he is to doand what to avoid in order to have a prosperous stay on earth anda pleasurable homecoming, as he meets his Lord, at the end of hisearthly sojourn. Its worth noting that the content of the book isnot arranged as recipe book with items listed as index. Throughnarratives, parables, instructions and commands, the book toucheson all areas of human, physical, metaphysical concerns. TheQur'an, in fact, contains man's terms of contract which is betweenhim and his creator. Thats, to receive Allahs Mercy (Rahma), touse it, and to show gratitude by exercising mercy (Rahma) on allas Allah has done on him. xvi

5. THE PROFILE OF THE CREATOR

Man's sphere of activity is the earth. Because earth is a placeunder limiting Laws of time and space, man is only equipped withsuch limiting senses designed to react to that kind of environment.For man to be taught anything about God, cognizant of theselimitations, the Qur'an dwells lengthily on the physical to explain

to man who his creator is, and which attributes do or do not apply


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to him. It describes what Allah does and how he does it, and whathe, by his own will, does not do. The Qur'an is therefore the most

detailed and most accurate pointer to Allahs Sunnah, depictingAllahs way of doing things, the straight way .

6. ALLAH'S SUNNAH

Sunnah is the way of conduct; a catalogue of ways of doing oravoiding things. It is a character, an observable pattern of behaviour, constant and attributable to its possessor. Allah's

Sunnah is the generality and totality of his attributes, the conductof his power and authority over his limitless domain and all itscontents, the minutest and the gigantic, the physical and themetaphysics. Allah has endowed man with sufficient sensoryabilities to comprehend some of Allah's way of doing things,especially as it relates to the repetitive pattern on physical entities,and the occurrences of duals and opposites; the alternation of night and day, the change of seasons and vegetation, death afterlife, the flow of ocean currents and winds, the universe and themotion of the stars, geometry and the geographic variety of thelandscape. xvii

But, without direct revelation, man is most liable to makeassumptions on the purpose or the rationale behind what he sees,hears or feels. It is Allah's favour to man, from Adam downthrough the ages, that he raised other men as prophets withmessages to teach their contemporaries on knowledge andmanners of which their senses are ill-equipped to comprehend orevolve. The crux of these messages is to show that there is aGod , and that he is One, the only one, who is the creator and thecherisher of all things, and that he is everlastingly able to imposehis will and to dispose his affairs .xviii

The most effective way to educate man , on these issues, is to


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invite him to look around him to see the unity of creation; itsdiversity and functionality, its energy and evolution, its continuity

and cessation. The governing laws of Events are illustrated to himin relation to actions and consequences; good for good, reward foreffort, approval for obedience, punishment for rebellion, successfrom perseverance, contentment from honesty, and so is justicefor order. Thus far man can accept the Oneness of the creator, hisomnipresence, his beautiful attributes, and the care for hiscreation. The man of the Quranic generation is therefore preparedto be a liberated universal being, open minded, inquiring andmobile, free from any shackles of superstition, race or politicalcoercion. xix

7. MAN'S PLACE IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS

Man's creation was at the last stage of the evolutionary year;as such, he is bequeathed the pre-deposited treasures of theuniverse for his use as long as he lasts, which is for a short periodindeed! The Qur'an delineates mans place in the scheme of Allahs creation, and his role within that framework. Like allcreated things, man is to worship God . For anything other thanhuman and jinn, that worship is encoded in their constituency, andembedded in their structure, their creator knows best how theydo it. xx

Their essence is dependent on their functionality and itsresponsiveness to their surroundings as they react to other stimuli,proportionately. Man's constituent parts equally respond, as thenon-human, instinctively based on the encoded geneticinstructions. But his rational response is to be governed by a set of rules and regulations that are extensively and efficiently detailedin the revealed books and graphically demonstrated by theprophets.


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All things, as created, submit unquestioningly to the Creatorthrough such codes. Equally, throughout human history, any sane

mature person, man or woman, irrespective of race, colour ortongue, who consciously and voluntarily accepts the existence of Allah as one God and the singular Originator or existence, isconsidered submissive to God , a Muslim, a believer. Such personis expected to react submissively in accordance with the teachingsof the prophets. Beside the few and limited ritual duties to beobserved, the Muslim has the huge and varied socialresponsibility to practice and enjoin constant good conduct andto avoid and prevent shameful acts and wickedness.

Man is therefore not made a vicegerent on earth to be passive.Above the Angles, he has been granted armful knowledge of Allah's Sunnah for him to react to any stimuli encountered.Consequently he bears certain responsibility. The scale of hisresponsibility is based on his reaction , by action or inaction,physical or emotional, brief or sustained, strong or weak. At theend, it is such reaction that makes the difference to oursurrounding as it responds to our input or non-input, for thatmatter.

We are here to affect the reactive instinct of the other beings, just as the Angles bowed to Adam ; man is to subdue theUniverse for his use and to give thanks to God for that grant. xxi

8. SIGNS AS INDICATORS

The Holy Qur'an contains large number of Ayahs whichexplain the natural phenomena as proof of Allahs existence, hisoneness and of his ability in creation and of its sustenance. Whilesome ayahs are similes for better understanding of the Sunnah of Allah, others are stories , detailed and educative, given to illustrate

the consequences of various reactions throughout history of the


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generations gone by. Many of these ayahs however are indicators for further investigation, pointing to a wider area of knowledge to

be pursued. Though we rehearse them in prayers and qiraa, theywere meant to lead us to greater spheres of activity. The mosttested and proved efficient method of investigation on thephysical phenomena, is called Science .xxii

9. SCIENCE

Science is broadly taken to mean any system of knowledge

that deals with the physical world and its phenomena: thatessentially means unbiased observations, systematicexperimentation and meticulous documentation. Science is alsothe pursuit of knowledge relating to general truths of matter or theoperations of the fundamental laws of observable phenomena.Science therefore is a universal trait of people gifted with highperception and a deep desire to find satisfactory answers toquestions on issues with general appeal. It is the crown jewel of the mental capability granted to man by God.

10. REVELATION AND SCIENCE

Allah creates a fact. The Qur'an states the fact. Scienceattempts to explain the conceivable fact. Both Revelation andScience are instruments, which Allah, the creator uses to explainto man the way the Lord conducts his affairs, his Sunnah. Thelatter, through man's own reaction to his surrounding and hisinner desire for enlightenment, footnoting the former, a directcommunication which explains to man not only the apparent, butalso the intricate, that which is impossible to imagine orcomprehend, because of man's mental or sensory limitations.

Revelation and science are therefore not antithesis; butessentially complementary. Because they originate from the same


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source, none is designed to operate independently orantagonistically to the other. Science, by the favour of God, is

available to everyone , at every time or place, while revelation, inorder to maintain its purity of transmission and implementation,needs specially chosen people as its recipients and custodians. Itis important not to confuse the role of the two to derive thedestined benefit of each. One is a pointer to the Ultimate, theother, a perceptive description of steps towards the Ultimate. Afinding of a fact in science is empirical, subject to change throughmore investigation with better means and additional knowledge. Itis never meant to be the last word on the meaning of a revealedstatement. What science at any given time cannot certify is notnecessarily false, or nonexistent. Revelation, on the other hand,provides a fixed statement of fact which only time verifies ,though not subject to its being certified as truth by man's limitedskills or knowledge. It is therefore wrong to measure thetruthfulness of a revelation through the current findings of science, but to use such finding as a spur to gain more insight intothe revealed statements, in order to discover the fact alluded to.

The only undisputable explanation of the physical fact and thespiritual reality behind it comes from the prophets as shown tothem by Allah, the Knower of the Hidden . Their understandingdoes not come with a string of statistical data upon which thescientist pry. It is rather a streak of light, a vision , an awareness

of a fact without the combative data. We, the non-prophets, needtechnical data for proof to our colleagues and for reconstructioninto workable proposals. When Prophet Noah constructed thefloating ark he had neither a drawing board nor thesis on hydro-dynamics but the revealed instructions and the supervision of hisLord on the matter. When Prophet Ibrahim was shown the secretof the skies above, he needed no telescope or cosmologicalargument. Likewise, when the people of Prophet Lot were being


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destroyed, the prophet didnt document data on nuclear physics.In the same vein, Prophet Joseph did not use climatology for his

interpretation of the Egyptian draught, or a manual onagriculture for the preservation of the produce. Prophet Moseshand glows without him referring to any data on electro-magnetism or electricity. When Prophet Dawood used chain mail he didnt need to describe the properties of metal. ProphetSolomon didnt study aerodynamics to scale the winds . Nor wasProphet Jesus in need of any surgical procedure or instruments tocure the dumb and the blind or to resurrect the dead . Equally,when Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessing of Allah be uponhim) was taken to be shown the heavens , neither the relativitytheory nor shuttle or astrophysics was discussed. All theseseemingly impossible events came up, naturally, from the Source,Allah, the creator of the physical and the fact behind the physical.The same or similar signs are shown in virtually all the creatures;birds flying , ants building complex structures, whales roamingthe vast oceans, bees running their colonies, microscopic bacteriaand viruses living in quite amazing fashions. All these things havetheir instructions coded for them.

It follows therefore that it is not everything that science can beable to explain, either for lack of recourses or because of itsintricacy, or simply because such is not in God's Plan to reveal toman, at that time or ever. It is a truism that whatever sciencediscovered should not be seen as the final certification of arevealed truth; with better equipment and time, more knowledgemight be acquired which might contradict the current scientificposition. Such findings may be viewed however as another step inhuman attempt to comprehend Allahs way of doing things, hisSunnah.

11. SCIENCE AND THE TRUTH


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Understandably therefore, science in itself is not an aberrationto faith. Though man's reaction to it or application of its findings

may be at variance with the divine approval, it is still man's mosteffective available tool with which he attempts to exercise hiscaliphate on earth; to effect the interactive ripples of creation inTime. Science therefore has always been a necessity to man ;we always want to understand, we always want to control.Science is meant to show us, as much as Allah wills, the extent of the operatives of the fundamental laws governing the Universe,through which we realize the interrelationship between ourobservation and the scriptures.

The prophets of God were all shown those facts, in varyingdegree, to make them fit for their mission. Their followershowever had longer period to cover the same scope usinginstruments that were being gradually perfected. It must be madeplain that Science, though it probes to find facts, it does not createanything. The discovery of a thing or a fact about it is an evidenceof the pre-existence of that thing or its fact before that discovery.Columbus did not create America, but went to see it. Newton didnot create gravity but described it. Neither Faraday nor Maxwelloriginated magnetic flux or induction but explained it. Nor didEinstein create Time or Space, but theorized Space/TimeRelativity.

Equally, the application of the knowledge of such fact to affectthe building blocks of another thing does not dispose God theownership of the thing or the derivative. The mixer of A and B tohave C, or its extraction out of B or C does not imply theoriginating of A, B or C. In reality, both the timing of thediscovery and its application is well arranged and planned "to be",for a purpose, by the Originator of all; the fact, the scientist andTime.


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Finally, it is through science that we see ourselves as part of alarger scheme; the true position of our lives and conduct within

Time, a scale of Allah's Sunnah. We are subjected to the sameLaws as with all the other created things. Such realization revealsthe truth, that there is no escape from Allah's decree at any timehe assigns to it to take effect.

12. THE PHYSICAL AND THE TRUTH

There is no branch of knowledge which has not been

indicated in the Qur'an. The study of Geography, biology,sociology, ecology, Cosmology, armoury & weaponry,architecture, history & archaeology, chemistry, agriculture,technology, physics and all the present fields of studies and manyareas of which now we cannot conceive, are pointed to in theQur'an. The Qur'an describes an event, item or concept and callssuch a sign. Each of these signs is not only to be rehearsed, butalso to be considered.

Such observation is to lead to more signs and moreunderstanding of the fundamental laws of the Universe whichreveal the Truth about all things. Everything is a Sign . Inanything and all things there is an encasement of Allah's stamp of creation, possession and authority. There is nothing that is self-originating or accidental. Each iota is designed, perfected andapportioned a terminal role, specified and restricted byappropriated restraining conditions and Laws. The underlyingspiritual fact on any physical data so acquired is that;

1. In the beginning there was nothing2. God commanded everything to "be", so it was3. Each created thing is fashioned most suitably for its

proportionate role.4. Each thing reacts accordingly to its surroundings, whether


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that is within it or outside it.5. This reaction continues, on a fixed Time Scale.

6. Occasionally the reaction is locally suspended by Allah'scommand as indicative of his power over his own Laws.7. One day a "Be not" command will issue out from Allah then

all will cease to be.8. This is proof that all things are proportionately

interconnected, reactive and dependent, and that only God, theOriginator, who is one and only, is and will always beIndependent and Supreme.

By inviting us to contemplate on the physical, the Qur'an aimsto lead us to the truth, to make our hearts contented to the fact thatthere is only one God and that all things point to him, the creatorto whom they are subservient.

All the prophets of God were taken through the physical intothe realm beyond. They were shown the underlying truth behind

the physical. Our progression was supposed to be gradual throughthe Qur'an. If we had pursued the leads in the Qur'an , wewould have been much more aware of Allahs power andgrandeur. We would have been more God-fearing, and wouldhave much cause to obey the other commandments. Then wewould have been shown the straight path, and would have beenmore assured of our place as companions of the prophets.

13. MUSLIMS AND SCIENCE

Allah has asked us to look, to see, and to exploit the resourcesof the world and the universe for our benefit and to give praise tohim, the creator, who has created all these, subdued them andgave us the knowledge to use them .

It is therefore the Muslim who should be fore most in science;


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after all he has a clear and doubtless lead. He has submitted,together with all the other beings to Allah, the one true God, and

he is therefore free from restriction of superstition orarrogance . He has a desire to do much good and he is certain of adouble reward, for the attempt and the attainment, in life and afterdeath. He is a one taught to investigate and to document. He isbeing trained; through prayers to be patient and constant, throughfasting to be sympathetic and enduring, through Zakkat to beenterprising and unselfish and through Hajj to be widely travelledand adventurous. A Muslim would like to go for the fact, not to bepresumptuous and not to give lie to God. He would like to learn toteach others to appreciate the favours of the Lord. Finally he isencouraged to discover the working principles of the naturalelements, and to find a way to maximize their utilization, as"Sadaqatil Jaria ", for humanity's advantage.

14. INVESTIGATION

Consider this precious holy Book in much more detail to seehow its contents and arrangement envisaged a highly curious,inquisitive and reactive audience. If an ayah in the Qur'an asks usto look at something, we are expected to look at that particularthing, not just to read the reference to it. We are told that there isan ayah in the thing itself and unless we pause and take a look, wewill never see the ayah referred to. The ayah in the Qur'an is a keyto other doors. Opening those doors could take many forms suchas follows;

1. An Ayah is read2. Its meaning is explained3. Any arising questions are addressed4. An outdoor investigation is launched5. The findings are documented and discussed6. Practical implications are evolved for further exploitation of


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the resources created for man.

A little effort, in pausing, contemplating and, in most cases avisit outdoor, will make a huge difference. In such effort Allahrewards the inquirer with more signs leading to his betterunderstanding of the Sunnah of the lord. Consider for instant thetwo verses on the bee in "Sarah An-Nahl;"

68: And thy Lord taught the BeeTo build its cells in hills on trees

And in (men's) habitations;

69: Then to eat of all the produce(Of the earth)

And find with skill the spacious pathsOf its Lord:

There issues from within their bodies a drink Of varying colours wherein is healing for men:

Verily in this is a SignFor those who give thought.

15. ARISING QUESTIONS

We have great potential for the pursuit of many branches of knowledge within the two ayahs referred to above;

1. What is a Bee?2. What is the structure of the bee?3. What is the behaviour of the bee?4. What is the instructional instinct of the bee?5. How do they establish and run their colony?6. What is their habitat and how is it constructed, maintained

and defended?7. What is their nourishment, and how is it acquired, eaten and

used?

8. How does the bee communicate, and how does it find its


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bearings?9. What is honey?

10. How is the honey produced?11. What are varying colours of honey and why?12. How is honey acquired by man?13. What is medicine?14. What makes honey medicinal?15. What is illness?16. What illness is cured by honey?17. What is cure?18. How does honey effect cure?19. How are the bees related to other insects?

The questions arising could go on and on, there seems no limitto how far we could search and how much we could get.

If Muslims, through out history, had only reacted to the ritualcodes in the revealed Books, and most especially the Qur'an,

while neglecting the call for action in research on thefundamentals of Allah's Sunnah, they had certainly lost out.Others who followed no such divine direction, yet have made useof the embedded divine grant of human sensory facilities, havefinally been rewarded for that effort, while the Muslims have beenleft out in constant deprivation and enveloping humiliation.

The prevalent practice in learning has been as follows;

1. An ayah is read.2. Its meaning may or may not be explained.3. Unless on the rituals, no arising questions are entertained.4. Subsequently no investigation outside old literature is done.5. No findings are there to document or discuss.6. The holy Book is clothed heavily with mystery.7. Superstition finally grips the generally ignorant society.

8. The result has been poverty and weakness among the people


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since they have not made use of the bounty provided by Allah.God had created these things but God is in no need of

sustenance . He has placed all the resources of the earth and theheavens at our disposal, just for us, to use to be thankful. We mustuse them, or lose them, with Time.

16. SCIENCE AND TIME

The Qur'an tells us that Allah is the Originator. He is theCausation. He creates everything, fashions it , provides its

capacity, and assigns to it its theatre and extent of activity, its roleand the scope of its ripple in Time. At the Command "Be", allthings, as created start responding according to their in bornnature. Each thing responds to the reaction of its neighboursaction. Man as one of Allah's creation is not excluded from thispattern, this endless chain of reaction.

Unlike the others, we bear the burden of a gifted freedom of

choice, of selecting from multiple alternatives. This freedomstems out of the reservoir of knowledge given to us. All the otherbeings have no such choices like ours. The fire, for example, hasno choice but to burn the cotton, as long as the other factors arefulfilled: the cotton is with air without water, and is near the fire.These are some of the conditions laid down for the fire, thecotton, water and air by their creator. Each is reactingaccordingly, without hesitation, irrespective of what the outcomewould be. Man's acquired knowledge affords him multiplicity of choices within the constraint of Time to set up unlimitedmultidimensional reactions at a more extensive, deeper, andlasting scale.

The more man understands this fact, the multifarious hisreactions, the deeper would be his appreciation of the underlineprinciples; the Originator of this orderliness and constancy of


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creation must be overwhelmingly able, considerate andeverlastingly vigilant. The acceptance of this fact is to lead man to

gratitude. That is what Allah is asking of us. Our reaction shouldbe as close to the purity of creation, irrespective of our freedom tochoose to act to the contrary. If we so act in that fashion, timebecomes for us a vehicle of success; maximizing effort,minimizing time, widening scope, sustaining exploits, benefitinggreater number of people. If on the other hand, we assumed ourlimited knowledge is enough to change the course or pace of time,or to stop it, we certainty would lose and be guilty of unjustifiedarrogance.

By Time;Certainly man is at lossExcept those who believe and do good work Exhort one another to truthAnd exhort one another to constancy and perseverance.

Science shows us the constancy and perseverance of thecreated things, and affords us the best possible alternatives fordoing the best work of calling to the truth, that the creator is one.

17. THE HISTORICAL ODDITIES

Historically science and Revelation had been at odds. This hadrisen unfortunately for quite the wrong reasons; division betweenthose gifted with high degree of sensory perception and those whomade believing in God a non-questionable issue . This dichotomyhas been a disaster for mankind. Those who are acquainted withthe Signs, the revealed words and the creatures of God, are bestfitted to be the ardent believers of the Creator. Our sensory giftsare therefore meant to reinforce our belief in God, while sincerebelief can only be cultured through certainty.

Allah has given instances in the Qur'an to show the benefit of


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such certitude. Prophet Ibrahim asked God to be shown how thedead are raised . Prophet Moses had asked to see God . Prophet

Jesus companions requested for Table Spread from heavens.Or by the one passing by a desolate city , pondering how Godwould raise it after its death. These men of God asked for thesemanifestations, not because they doubted God, but to have deeperand fuller insight which is an in built yearning for knowledge.Allah, the Compassionate, demonstrated to each enquirer howwhat he asked for would come to pass.

It is insufficient therefore to suggest that man should suppressquestions when they arise, or that he should accept the contrary of what God himself has made apparent to all, as sign of belief.

The theologians accepted the scriptures and refused to look outside, yet they gave some circumstantial explanation of thePhysical facts . The Scientists abandoned the scriptures, lookedoutside and gave quantifiable explanation of the Physical facts .What was supposed to be a profitable merger of the physical andthe spiritual for man became a seemly unbridgeable gap with farreaching consequence.

Subsequently the scientists erred by acknowledging the factswithout the presence of the Originator of the facts, which is a veryunscientific thing to do. The theologians on the other handaccepted the Originator of the facts without giving attention to thefacts of his creation, which is rather odd. At the end, it is thosewith deeper perception on the governing laws of creation thatcame up with much material benefit for the whole of mankind,including the theologians. This gave the scientists the flimsyexcuse of cheekily disowning God , making "nature", theregulatory system of his Sunnah, the Deity himself.

The Quranic generation Muslims had not been spared this


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unwanted conflict, at least in the later part of its development.Though the Muslim Ummah has for centuries involved itself in

the reading and studying of the Qur'an and many renowned andhonourable scholars had written a lot on the holy book, muchappeared hinged on theology. No sustained interaction on issuesof everyday life with the populace was evolved; there was nopractical help for a farmer, trader or artisan in pursuit of their profession . Other than legalistic rulings, the Ulamah left thepeople in limbo when it comes to actual tolls of life; yet theQur'an contains so many leads to possible avenues of technicaladvancement .

Certainly, others had undertaken certain research on some of the signs mentioned in the Qur'an. Such names as Al-jab, forAlgebra , Jabir ibn Hayyan and Al-Razi for Chemistry , Ibn Juljuland al-Ghafiqi for Pharmacology , al-Khwarazmi and AbuAbdullah al-Idrisi for Geography , al-Jawaliqi, al-Damiri and AbuYahya al-Qazwini for Botany and Zoology , Ali bin Rabban al-Tabari for Medicine , Sa'd al-Katib of Cordoba on gynaecology, Ibn Battuta, Ibn khaldun and Ibn Rustem for History and Al-Bukhari on Hadith , to mention but few, had surfaced in the annulof Muslim history. Such examples became fewer and far apart.Subsequently the zeal fizzled out. The relapse on such educationaland scientific pursuit was attributable mainly to the followingfactors;

1. The Muslims became more preoccupied with conquestrather than with nation building ; unmanageable chunks of territory were always hurriedly being added to the intermingledcaliphate.

2. The establishment of Hereditary leadership robbed theMuslims the opportunity of electing the most fitting among their

rank; court sycophancy and mortal rivalry gained ascendancy.


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3. Consultation, which is a stamp of the believers , wasextinguished; thereby, utilization of talents was extinct.

Subsequently small Holier-than-thou islands of learning rearedout all over the place with diverse behaviour pattern.

4. The leaders had no urge for central planning on suchissues as agriculture, education, transportation or social welfare.They were more preoccupied with Court attendance and militaryadventures.

5. The Muslim Ummah constricted itself and therefore missedthe opportunity of being the benefactor of research anddevelopment in science and technology. The deeply fracturedUmmah missed this favour, though it was the first to hear it, itappeared the last to see it. Allah's plan has to run its course . Thediscovery of the laws of the physical turned out from Europeinstead.

18. THE CONSEQUENCES18.1 Because of this development, some of the learned of the

Ummah became over-engaged and overcharged with the minute,individualistic interpretation of the Qur'an over and over againwhich gave rise to divisions and diversions.

18.2 Lack of systematic and coordinated pursuit of knowledge

narrowed the Ummah, limiting its intellectual ability in manyareas. The educational setup finally stagnated at the Zaurelevel , without a well defined curriculum or an agreed schedule.Schools were set and ran at whim, without institutionalmonitoring or control.

18.3 The centre of knowledge shifted. We had to wait for agesto learn much about the ayahs of the Qur'an referring to the


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natural phenomenon from people who do not believe in anythingother than their curiosity and fervent quest for knowledge .

Those who rebelled against God ultimately developed what Allahmeant for the benefit of mankind. Yet because they do notbelieve, they give no thanks for all his favours to humanity . If the Muslims had pursued the leads in the Qur'an rightly, the worldof Islam would have been target of emulation by all. The worldwould have been a better place.

18.4 Instead, the whole community has remained ritualistic,poor and generally weak and fatalistic. It is thus liable to beattacked, easily conquered and dominated by non-believers whonow patronize the world using science and technology to spreadcorruption instead of God's light.

19. PROPOSITIONS

Allah has sent the Prophet with a Clear book . The choice is

left to man to accept or reject the guidance sent to him. But manmust know that his freedom of choice by itself gives rise tomultiplicity of choices and of evolving countless pattern of behaviour. Of necessity, there must be a single pattern approvedby the provider of such freedom , and this pattern must be shownand explained for any that would decide to choose it. The choiceof the preferred pattern must have an outcome distinctly uniquefrom the other patterns. Though we as Muslims claim to havechosen God, our situation has speedily deteriorated. We mustundertake a review of our Ummah to discover what went amiss.The Qur'an is certainly from God, and it is always current andrelevant. To redress our condition, I would propose that we investa lot of our collective energy and resources in such areas as;

1. Leadership: The entire Muslim world is at present infestedby lack of honest, broadminded leadership based on the respected


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wish of the populace. This unhealthy dictatorial culture is farremoved from the legacy of Prophet Muhammad (Peace of

blessing of Allah be upon him ). We must evolve a leadershipaccording to the tradition of the prophet based on election , nothereditary or military coups, as an apparatus for progress. It isironic that America, because of its material strength, is now thechampion of this God-given right to mankind .

2. Education: Our educational setup had stagnated for ages, wemust now be thankful to God for an educational system, though

from the sceptic Europeans, which we can easily structure toaccommodate our needs. Our Ulamah should recognize the needfor them to acquire the current scientific knowledge availableto the world as an integral part of faith to be able to guide thecongregation rightly. They should not remain passive andexclusive leaving the generality of the Ummah in utter ignorance.

3. Consultation is a Muslim legacy . Yet this trait hasevaporated from all levels of the Ummah. Fraction has led to theestablishment of countless holier-than-thou self-ruling sects.There must be consultation among the people in order to evolve aunified responsible citizenry and to attain a merger of our materialand spiritual knowledge for the uplift of the community.

4. Equity & Justice : the Muslim world is at the moment themost inequitable society, full of dictators. The people are squarelyoppressed by the hungry Ulamah, the westernized elite, the kingsand their royalists, the corrupt lobbyists and for the woman, addthe ignorant, over-bearing and enslaving husband. Equity and

justice are seemingly unattainable foreign luxury for the Ummah.We had to wait for these virtuous divine gifts to humanity to bebrought to the Muslims through the cannon of the Europeans orrecently by the jet-bombers of the Americans .


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5. Research & Development: Though some early scholars hadundertaken certain research on some of the signs mentioned in the

Qur'an, much of such work was theological. Subsequently, theQur'an came to be regarded only in the light of rituals andtalisman, instead of being a stimulus for scientific research touphold the Divine Unity. Through the untiring efforts of manynon-Muslim people of the world in scientific and technologicalresearch and development, Allah has opened the gate of hisendowment to humanity, for which we must be grateful. It is apity that, not only did the Muslims stopped contributing to thescientific endeavour, but they initially shunned away from themultifold gifts which Allah has sent to mankind. The generalimpression is wrongly given that Islam is retrogressive, standingfor ignorance, deprivation and unwarranted violence.

The Muslim Ummah has only itself to blame for thismisfortune. It neglects the ayahs outside the Qur'an itself asreferred to by the Qur'an. This neglect has costs it dearly, and it isnow suffering some of its consequences. Did we assume wecould delay Allah's Timetable ? Certainly not! We must beparticipants, not just recipients of development. The believers inGod are expected to be the vanguard of this discipline, calledscience, to contribute to the material and spiritual well-being of humanity as a means of celebrating the Glory of God.

6. Invitation to Mankind: Now that the world had movedtechnologically forward without the restraining knowledge of therevealed Truth of God, the believers in God must wake up. Theymust find the most suitable manner of inviting humanity ingeneral , and the scientists in particular, to the Truth behind thephysical phenomenon. Such calling should not be through envy orhatred but through real knowledge and compassion for thesalvation of the whole of mankind. Humanity is one with One

God . It is destined now to have One Prophet with One Book. God


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has finally made the world a small place for us.

7. The Qur'an is always there for us, a mould of character, asexemplified in the personality of our Prophet , and as a guideleading to the straight path. With the best of intention, wecertainly will find in it ease. We do not need to abandon theQur'an to use the resources of the world, but we need the formerto enjoy the latter. Both are favours from the Merciful andCompassionate God, Allah, the Creator of all the Worlds.

It is of interest to note, yet not surprising, that there are manywho, implicitly or outwardly, deny the existence of a being calledGod. They see no centrality of purpose in creation or events; allare mere accidents, they claim. Yet this same group, singularlynor collectively, have not offered any explanation for their havingnot chosen their gender, colour, race, fortune or even lifespan!


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Special Note

I have raised so many issues in this write-up. Mine is neverintended to be the last word. I am aware of the fact that, thoughthe Qur'an is one, it has the most varied interpretations of anybook in man's possession. For this write-up however, I restrictedmyself generally to the wildly read translations and interpretationsbroadly consulted by the English readership. My statements havecorresponding Quranic ayahs and the explanatory sayings of theProphet behind them. A detached index and footnote section is

made available for further consultation. So be confident that,Allah willing, there is no intention in making up a claim, knowingsuch to be false, to support any point of view. I intend only to getpeople to be more interested in looking deeper and at anotherangle while reading the Qur'an. Allah permitting, anyone can seethe links between the issues, so far, raised.

I seek forgiveness of my Lord, whether I erred or not; my

hope is for his blessing for my intention, and not the imperfectionof my effort.

"Inil hukmu illa billah, yaqqussul Haq, wa huwa khairulfasilin."

May the blessing of Allah be on Prophet Muhammad and thefamily of the Prophet, and on all those who trend in their path;

amen.

Usman Aliyu,Sunday, June 15, 2003

i Since the beginning of time, God has sent men amongst various

communities for the purpose of instructing them on good conduct;


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the man sent to the last generation of mankind is Mohammad, an

Arab, some 1500 years ago; his message is destined to be currentand relevant till the end.

ii The name and description of this being may differ fromgenerations or locations, but the central thread is his (the gender isconstrued to be phonetic) being the one communicating with thosechosen to pass over the destined messages to their communities.

iii

The form of preserving the messages, as records, depends on thetechnological advancement of the communities concerned; itcould be on tablets as the case of Moses, or parchments as thecase of Abraham, or scrolls as it was with Jesus, or complete book form as the case of Muhammad. Peace of God be upon them all.

iv It appears much easier for the scientists or those who can notaccept the idea of an invisible being as creator of all things torefer to Gods way as Nature. Well, Nature is actually the patterndesigned by the creator, God, for his creation.

v It is a parody that this Arabic word has stirred muchconsternation in human history; most current believers of Godthrough the Arabian prophet tend to think Islam is theirmonopoly, or that certain groups of people could be excludedfrom it. Equally, those outside the fold of Islam tend to think thatthe religion is an Arabian issue, something that has nothing to dowith them. Far from it, Islam, as a word, stands to a way of lifethat is universal, irrespective of time or location. The tenants of the faith are meant to be applicable to all.

vi Surah Al-Araf 185 Do they see nothing in the government of the heavens and the earth and all that Allah hath created? (Dothey not see) that it may well be that their term is nigh drawing to


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an end? In what message after this will they then believe?

viiSurah Al-Mulk 3 He Who created the seven heavens one above

another; no want of proportion wilt thou see in the Creation of (Allah) Most Gracious so turn thy vision again: Seest thou anyflaw?

Surah Al-Mulk 4 Again turn thy vision a second time;(thy) vision will come back to thee dull and discomfited in a state

worn out.viii There is a general tendency for the western word to think of Allah as a deity totally different from their God! Equally, manyMuslims tend to think that the word God refers to something elsethan God, Allah, the one and only creator of the heavens andearth. God has ninety attributes, which stand as his names. Eachof these names describes the uniqueness of God. They are alsounderstood universally by all men to be the preserve of thecreator; certainly, they would be linguistically and phoneticallylocalized by each people!

ix Surah An-Nahl 68 And thy Lord taught the Bee to build its cellsin hills on trees and in (men's) habitations.

x Surah Hud 70 we have been sent against the people of Lut(Lot).xi

Surah Al-Qasas 7 So We sent this inspiration to themother of Moses: "Suckle (thy child) but when thou hast fearsabout him cast him into the river but fear not nor grieve: for Weshall restore him to thee and We shall make him one of Ourapostles."


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xii Surah Al-Anbiyaa 69 We said "O fire! be thou cool and (ameans of)) safety for Abraham!"

xiii Surah Al-Maida 31 Then Allah sent a raven who scratched theground to show him how to hide the shame of his brother.

xiv Surah Yusuf 15 and We put into his heart (this Message): "Of asurety thou shalt (one day) tell them the truth of this their affairwhile they know (thee) not."

xv Surah Ta-ha 2 Ma_ anzalna_ alaikal qur a_na litashqa_

xviSee the authors discourse of Mercy titled, Rahma- the

Core of Worship. 2005

xviiSurah Al-Baqara 164 Behold! In the creation of the

heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day;in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Allah sends down from the skies andthe life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in thebeasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the changeof the winds and the clouds which they trail like their slavesbetween the sky and the earth; (here) indeed are signs for a peoplethat are wise.

xviiiSurah Al-Anbiyaa 25 Not an apostle did We send before

thee without this inspiration sent by Us to him: that there is nogod but I; therefore worship and serve Me.

xixSurah Al-Anbiyaa 22 If there were in the heavens and

the earth other gods besides Allah there would have beenconfusion in both! But glory to Allah the Lord of the Throne:

(high is He) above what they attribute to Him!


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xxSurah Al-Mulk 14 Should He not know He that created?

And He is the One that understands the finest mysteries (and) iswell-acquainted (with them).xxi

Man is prepared to maintain the balance which is theessence of creation. That is, willingly distributing resources basedon equity and proportionality from those with to those without.

Surah Ar-Rahman7 And the Firmament has He raised high and He has set

up the balance (of Justice)8 In order that ye may not transgress (due) balance.9 So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the

balance.xxii

The history of science is as old as man.

07_revelation & science

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