Scientists and the Creator


Since time immemorial, intellectuals and scientists have wondered about, and discussed, the existence of the Almighty. Many of them accepted and acknowledged the existence of a superpower after seeing and learning about the complex structure of nature, but some of them – known as atheists – were convinced that the whole world (skies, stars, nature, human beings, animals, etc_ was born of a natural phenomenon.
Of the many intellectuals who were convinced of a Creator, some embraced Islam after reading the Holy Quran; and they accepted the words of the Almighty.
Those Muslims and non-Muslims who read the Quran in a language they understood and with explanations, found that the Almighty had, in numerous places, given very simple, unambiguous, highly convincing examples and explanations of the creation of the whole universe. (16:10-14); (67:1-5); (78:6-16); (80:23-32).
Latest advanced technologies proved, without doubt, the veracity of those secrets given in the Holy Quran more than 14 centuries ago through an unlettered Prophet (pbuh). The Almighty challenged anyone to reproduce a trifle of what He had created and advised all to see, understand and learn from the examples so clearly given.
Of the Western intellectuals who studied the Quran and embraced Islam, Dr Maurice Bucaille and Leopold Weiss (Muhammad Asad) are two outstanding examples. Both of them went on to write excellent books on Islam, which in turn became instrumental in convincing many others. In Surah Rahman, the Almighty asks the people to mention anything and deny that it was not made by Him.
Below I quote statements made by a few Western intellectuals.
“The association between the Quran and science is a preference, not a surprise, especially since it is going to be one of harmony and not of discord”, Dr Maurice Bucaille in ‘The Bible, the Quran and Science’.
“Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind”, Albert Einstein in ‘The World As I See It’.
“Science and Faith are in commensurable and there is no antithesis between them”, Arthur Thomas in ‘Introduction to Science’.
Dr A Rasheed Seyal has affirmed the statements of Dr Maurice Bucaille, Albert Einstein, George Sine and Arthur Thomas in his book ‘Faith in the Unseen’, giving several examples from the Holy Quran in the light of modern day scientific achievements.
From the book, ‘The World As I See It’, written by one of the greatest scientists of all times – Prof Dr Albert Einstein – is reproduced below his statement affirming his belief in the presence of the Almighty, the Superpower, the Creator. “The finest emotion of which we are capable is the mystic emotion. Herein lies the germ of all art and all true science. Anyone to whom this feeling is alien, who is no longer capable of wonderment and lives in a state of (crude) fear, is a dead man.
“To know that what is impenetrable for us really exists and manifests itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, whose gross forms alone are intelligible to our poor faculties – this knowledge, this feeling … that is the core of the true religious sentiment.
“In this sense, and in this sense alone, I rank myself among profoundly religious men…. My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind….
“Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe – a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we, with our modest powers, must feel humble….
“The scientists’ religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection….
“There is no logical way to the discovery of elemental laws. There is only the way of intuition, which is helped by a feeling for the order lying behind the appearance…. The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift… One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvellous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity….
“What I see in Nature is a magnificent structure that we can comprehend only very imperfectly, and that must fill a thinking person with a feeling of humility. This is a genuinely religious feeling.”
Many people think that knowledge of science leads us away from God, whereas the truth is that more knowledge of science deepens our love of God and strengthens belief in Him. In fact, a stage comes in the scientific quest of the cosmos when there is no longer any possibility of denying the all-pervasive act of God in designing and sustaining this wonderful world of creation. In the case of the great Muslim scientists of the past, their inspiration was the Quran, which convinced them that it was Divine Will and Purpose that explained the wonderful order, harmony and unity permeating all apparent diversity in the phenomena of nature. Their research confirmed Quranic contentions.
For Muslims, the Quran has always been a source of knowledge. It was this belief that made those earliest Muslim scientists great torchbearers. They believed in the edicts of the Almighty and started their research based on the belief that whatever was mentioned in the Holy Quran was the word of Allah. It enabled them to pursue their work single-mindedly and ultimate in their success in the pursuit of unlocking the mysteries of this marvellous world.

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