Can Knowledge Be In Two Parts - Of Science and Religion
By
Rashid Samnakay, New Age Islam
10 January
2023
Does It Therefore Not Suggest That The Two Are
Inseparable - As The Knowledge, The Pen, The Word, And The Tablet? That The
Clergy And Scientist Need To Be Equally Knowledgeable? Hence Religion Cannot Be
Worship Alone Nor Science Be Treated As Knowledge Alone?
------
It is
generally accepted that people all over the world are distancing themselves
more and more from their Churches; that is, they are becoming less and less
Church goers.
This generalised
statement has to be moderated with the observation that emotional Spirituality
is expressed openly in public now when it comes to saying goodbyes to ones
idols, heroes and celebrities like the Pope, Sportsperson, Political leader and
Celebrity etc.
People
shower emotionally charged Good Wishes on them; as was evident recently where
Religious Funerals rites of Celebrities were held. Huge crowds gathered in Churches and public
spaces expressing good wishes for them on their "next journey",
showering their cortege with flowers.
Thus giving
rise to the unanswered Question among some "intelligent and the curious”
minds; as to what or where is this next journey and where it will end?
In short,
asking as to where is the demarcation that defines Scientific knowledge of some
Certainty and Spiritual speculations of Religion, and who are the custodians of
that Knowledge, and many more.
Strangely,
these enquiries arose during this last festive holidays of Christmas and New Year,
in a gathering of likeminded friends while watching Pele's send-off to the
other world, on TV....."Where is that other world?" ...A Spanish
speaking friend exclaimed when a lady in the crowd on the TV spoke emotionally
into the mic of the Reporter. Our friend explained to us that the lady was
wishing Pele the soccer king, a place in Paradise!
One thing
led to another and the unsolved question: Where does KNOWLEDGE reside among
Human society, raised its head? Is it the Community of Scientist or the
Priesthood of Houses of Worship-the custodians of the mother church?
As it happened,
our friendly group was composed of a pritty mixed bunch of "them and
us". There were a few Doctors, medical and Scholars, including one Muslim
lady, Science based scholar but very Religious, and her husband, a maths
teacher, with full length Religious beard etc.
The discussion gravitated into a sort of debate on Space Travel and its necessity and benefits to Humanity in general.
Astonishingly
the lady Scientist and her husband too; turned out to be the ardent opponents
of the need for such human effort. They both termed it a waste of time, life
and resources, futile and against God's plan, citing the Quranic verse which
refers to the keys (Maqalid) of the heaven being with God, reinforcing it with
Biblical references too. Further, giving references of the failure of Apollo
13, The Challenger disaster and some of the Rover crashes on the Moon and Mars
surfaces. Thus according to them, the keys are not available to mankind, as
these events have proved.
Have we not
heard the same disbelief expressed from members- pulpit in 1969/70, when N
Armstrong and B Aldine made the One Giant leap for mankind, landing on the
Moon, all those years ago!
It is said
that the Wright Brothers' Father, a Reverend, said to his sons that if mankind
was meant to Fly, The good Lord would have given them wings!
Heated discussion
on successful Moon landing was to no avail. That was brushed aside as false
propaganda; and in fact attention was drawn to a film that was made on the
issues of the falsehood of Moon landing.
Few others,
too were of the same mind, gingerly arguing that in scientific terms, it seems
"unscientific" that something can go up against Gravity and then
never fall back to Earth!
With reference
to Quran, many verses extol the virtues of studies of the functions and working
of the Universe...."Alam Taraa...?" -why don't you observe? In
Verse 16-12 of Quran is given:
"....And
He (God) has subjected to you for your benefit the Day and the Night and the
Sun and the Moon. And the Stars have been subjected to you by God's
command..."
A Comic by
nature among us had to shout in whisper: ".... Fasajadu Illa Iblees..." 2-34.
Even after
this and many more references to verses
where contemplation and study of heaven and heavenly bodies are given were referred
to, there was no conclusion to the dilemma as to who was right let alone who
was supposed to be the custodian of Knowledge or what is Knowledge?
Yet, in the
context of Quran, a book that is commonly supposed to be RELIGIOUS Book, a
Bible for Muslims, Believers in God and God's commands and which refers to phenomenon
of the Universe such as, the Rain, the Lightning, the Clouds, the Night, the
Day, the Sun, the Moon, planets Orbits, the Time and.... the Duty to God, taken
as Religious worship. It was argued that, it combines these two aspects that is
the Mundane and the Spiritual into one frame.
It was
asked: Does it therefore not suggest that the Two are inseparable - as The
Knowledge, the Pen, the Word, and the Tablet? That the Clergy and Scientist
need to be equally knowledgeable? Hence Religion cannot be Worship alone nor
Science be treated as Knowledge alone?
Since there
was no consensus, fortunately it was agreed to live and let live and as
civilised and perhaps enlightened people, it was decided to leave it more
appropriately to:
Lakum
Deenukum, Waleya-Deen--your
ways to you and mine to me!
So it has
been since mankind stood up straight and erected Churches and Schools!
The Priests
retaining their respective A'limud-Deen (Scholars of Deen) distinctive
status by their distinctive attire, -- "so as to be Noticed by men
107-6 ", inviting acknowledging salutations from passers-by--and the
humble Scientist of 35-28 Surah
Fatir, walking the streets as ordinary
creature, hardly attracting a glance, like the
Polymaths of ninth and tenth century in Middle East!
But that is
a hollow claim, as the one with Knowledge had asked: -
"They
were your forefathers, what are you?"
----
A
regular contributor to New Age Islam, Rashid Samnakay is an Indian-origin
Engineer (Retd.) based in Australia for over forty years.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-science/knowledge-science-religion--/d/128838
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