Eighth to the Sixteenth Century - Rashid Islamic Center

Facets of the Islam and Science Relationship • 65outlook and basic doctrine, non-Aristotelian concepts of matter,space, time, and causality were also present.For example, the mutakallimun developed atomistic theorieswhere even time was atomic and where the only true causalityworked downward from God. And at the other extreme ofreligious respectability, al-Razi had an idea of absolute spacethat pushed towards the Newtonian view and was oppositeAristotle’s ‘place’-determining plenum. Certain epistemologicaland methodological issues were important concerns ofdynamics: the possibility and legitimacy of abstraction (toempty space, to forceless conditions), the possibility or reliabilityof mathematical treatment. (Hall 2001, 319–20)Geology and MineralogyGeology (as a science that deals with the dynamics and physicalhistory of the Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and thephysical, chemical, and biological changes that the Earth hasundergone or is undergoing) was of special interest to Muslimscientists and philosophers of the medieval times for two reasons: (i) itwas a branch of science to which attention was directed by the QurāĀnitself and (ii) it was practically useful. What was observable on theEarth was a vast system of change over long periods of time, and thissystem was taken as a Sign of God. For Muslim scientists of the periodbetween the eighth and the sixteenth centuries, the Earth was createdby God for a fixed duration and for a definite purpose. It was a placeof wonders and of observations that led to an understanding of DivineWisdom, Power, and Mercy, with sustenance provided for every livingcreature on Earth. For these scientists, the QurāĀnic descriptionsof various processes such as the regeneration of water and of theEarth’s coming back to life after having been barren (Q. 36:23) wereobservable realities that directed human reflection to the Creator.They studied various geological processes (such as weathering,erosion, and transportation), the stratigraphic arrangement of strata,and long geological spans of time within the context of the QurāĀnicdescriptions of creation.The earth was considered to have a special position in theuniverse. Special attention was paid to the formation of rocks,