Eighth to the Sixteenth Century - Rashid Islamic Center

204 • The Making of Islamic ScienceThe Metaphysical PerspectiveHow does modern science relate to the concept of Tawhid, theheart of Islam which tells us that there is no deity except Allah,the Creator? What are the implications of the subtle metaphysicalassumptions of modern science? What are the consequences of theseassumptions in terms of our understanding of physical reality? Howdoes this understanding differ from the Islamic understanding of thephysical world? How are space, time, and matter understood in Islamand modern science? These and similar questions have informeda different kind of strand in the Islam and science discourse. Asopposed to sociological and philosophical studies on modernscience from an Islamic perspective, this strand of Islam and sciencediscourse has been built upon a metaphysics whose roots go back tothe centuries-old Islamic tradition of reflection on physical realityfrom the perspective of its ontological dependence on the Creator,its relative position in the overall scheme of creation, and its purposeand ultimate end. While exploring this strand of the contemporaryIslamic discourse on science we encounter different terminologythat deals with the physical cosmos in terms of its sacredness, itsinviolability, its ontological status, and its unfathomable links with thehigher realms of existence.Built on the insights of sages of previous centuries, this strandof Islamic discourse on modern science came into existencethrough the work of a handful of scholars who are often called“traditionalists” for their links with the living spiritual traditionof Islam. This view places the enterprise of modern science in ametaphysical framework and compares it with the premodernscientific tradition to highlight its main features. The traditionalsciences that studied the physical cosmos derived their principles fromrevelation, the traditionalists argue, whereas modern science derivesits principles from human reason. As a result of this foundationaldifference between modern science and the traditional sciences ofnature, modern science has embarked upon the study of the physicalcosmos in total disregard to its sacredness, and the results have beendevastating for the planet as well as for those who inhabit it. Treatingthe emergence of modern science as a historical process set in adefinite geographical region, this view of science links its emergence