Science and Religion: Never Take Short Ones as the Measurer

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

If we wanted to reach the fact of the universe, we should not only using our own logical thinking. We have many components in our soul namely the mind, the sentiment or feeling, and the will. Even religious person is not guaranteed to have deep feeling in his religious belief if he only uses logical thinking in everything or in considering something. There are many wicked law-makers and jurists who used their minds and thinking to distort divine law or other kind of laws for their own benefits. If you wanted to escape from the ties of burdening religious practices, there are jurists who are good at finding the way out.

In tasawwuf science and Islamic terminologies, a person who is good at using the logic to reach the facts of truth is known as 'alim or 'ailom. When a person reached the highest stages in "feeling", they are known as an 'arif. The extension of the knowledge and sciences is known as ma'arifat.

Life itself has shown that a human though how strong his thought or thinking trying to achieve knowledge and faith, but it is only with feeling that he could get to reach to the mind. We are urged to maintain pure feeling in our religion. In this matter, prophet Muhammad s.a.w says that: "Sinful act is what you feel in your chest when you commit it". That is why spiritual ulamas had developed spiritual exercises according to their orders and chains in order to train the "feeling" to be closer to Allah. This is known as riyadhat or in English I would translate it as recreational activities to train mind and soul.

There are people with strong thoughts and intellects but weak in his feeling. They are just scholars. There are those with strong will but intellectually weak in thoughts and mind. He commenced the journey and later the journey will be continued by others after him. There are people who are discreet in their feeling and these kind of people usually become artists. They perhaps creating beautiful masterpiece of arts but forgotten to shave beards or even looking at their appearance in the mirror.

So, let the scholars and scientists researching the world as much as they want. Let them analyze it and comparing it. Continue with researches. But never forget that it is not enough to be called as a complete puzzle. The same thing to artists. Let them researching and observing the beauty of nature and absorbing them into their selves before presenting them to others. But never forget that it is not enough. Beside science and art, listen also to the prophets, messengers of Allah and honest sufis. These people are those who would bring us up toward the peak of knowledge and art.

As long as scholars letting off their egoism and arrogance because they are intellectuals. As long as religious people leaving behind their fanaticism and rough narrow faith which had walled themselves in their throne of ignorance. As long as they free their selves from interpretations of previous religious clerics that were thought as part of religion while they are just interpretations of previous people. Then the conflicts between "science" and religion could be avoided. Regarding the interpretations, what has been told in glorious Quran to us actually does not touching other people but it is also intended to us.  

Sometimes, I feel weird when listening to some Muslim brothers and sisters talking about this Yahudi or that Nasara while they are displaying the same attitude like what had been uttered on those Yahudi or Nasara from their mouth. The real problem is not about the Yahudi or Nasara or Sabeans or etc. The real thing that we need to conquer and understand is our selves.  

Knowledge and science would be complete with religion. Religion would be complete with knowledge. Both religion and knowledge are two inseparable components in the universe. Both of them exposed us to the secret of universe in many angles. Both them are inseparable drinks to satisfy the thirst of human soul so human could achieve a balanced life.

The goal of religion is to reach the truth and the fact of life. The goal of the science and knowledge is to get closer to the "ultimate truth". Knowledge to know and religion to feel it because we can't touch it with our hand. Knowledge is for the outer self. Religion is for the inner self.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aali Muhammad. Allah please protect us with Your wisdom and boundless sea of mercy compassionate. 

- finished the last part all praise due to Allah -

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin! 

Science and Religion: Introduction and the Influence of Western Science

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

This is modern, haha

 

Reference Preface

My little room is quite dusty, maybe I need to do some cleaning chores. Was so busy with thesis refining until forgotten to check my room cleanliness. I've been reading to some Islamic books while doing researches for my thesis including of the Sharia. In relation to what had recently happened, I would just post the translation of this message from a humble ulama from Indonesia, Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah. In European continent and some parts of United States, the divinity sciences has been separated with the earthly ones but in Eastern world it is on the other hand different. We're not as extremist as some Europeans or those who think that they would be advanced if they put themselves in certain group or way of thinking because of the inferiority complex that they are facing. 

It's not Muslims or anyone to be blamed for their inferiority complex. It's their own fallacy and failure to know their self. This literature is not of mine, I'm just translating it roughly into English and adapting it so the ulama's message would reach the world. The source is from the magazine known as "Panji Masyarakat" or "Banner of the Society" around 1959-1961 published in Jakarta, Indonesia. I checked the stats and many people are reading the post about the absurd movie so I decided to play the responsibility as an unanimous person among world community to cure the situation around the world by propagating our ulamas' teachings and views from South East Asia. Thanks for spending some time at this humble site. Brothers and sisters around the world may use the source for research and the translator is me. Just put unanimous translator at your literature since this is polluted with my commentary, hehe. However, please don't forget to mention the real writer which is Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah as all credits only belong to the real writer. Hope it is useful to see how Muslim view the Life. I guess there should also be in Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Urdu and Chinese translations for this.

Introduction

In the history of man-kind, there are various waves that influencing his or her life. At certain point of life, he's influenced by the poetry. At some points of life, philosophy is influencing him. In the other point of life, religion and faith influencing him. The development of thought also going through stages as such; poetry, philosophy, religion and sciences. 

Before the era of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the Greeks were influenced by the poetry especially those of Homerus. The Arab society in Arabian Peninsula during the age of spirituality ignorance were also influenced with the wave of poetry as such they also organized annual competitions in term of poetry. For the Malay nations, they were in fact influenced by poetry known as pantun, syair, gurindam and etc. Whatever being seen by a Malay since the wind blows, sea waves swashing about the beaches, mountains scratching the sky and other natural phenomenon were made parts of their poems. 

The Middle Ages were known as the era of religious wave whether in Europe or Western world or in the Eastern world which also includes Muslims, Jews, Oriental Christians, Hindus and other religious groups. Then, there were the era known as the era of science and technology in the 19th century. It is the time where the so-called "framed technology science" in its wave influencing people around the world.    

In the ancient time before the globalization of the world; The wave of the "science" is like the fire burning inside the bushes. There are countries or nations who are still influenced by the poetry, while other neighboring nations for example are influenced by the philosophy. In the same time, there are also those who are influenced by the religion. Since 19th century, the result of the science which researching the physical realm becomes more advanced. The relation of those who stays far away from the other could be closer. The world seems boundless with the development of communication technology such as radio, television, internet, youtube, blogs, websites, and others. So, the wave of "physical science and knowledge" that has influenced Europe since Renaissance period and 19th century is also covering the whole globe where the internet and other means of communication could reach the land.

Influence of Western Style Science

The influence of "physical and materialistic science" has covered the Western world namely Europe. The influence of religion decreases. It is still there just the influence is not as intense as in the Middle Ages. People are searching and desire for something which is "concrete". They do not prefer the "abstract" anymore. This wave is also reaching the Eastern world in Asia and other continents such as in Africa and America. The people who are influenced by this wave in Asia, Africa and America were influenced not due to their advancement in knowledge, but is because they are merely copycats. What kind of persons are these copycats? As what I understood, they are those who takes others style and the reason they do it is just to look good and they wanted to look as good as Europeans. This has to do with the self-confidence as they think they are ugly if they copy others style. These obnoxious individuals are also in academics field today or at least trying to claim academician title for themselves. Ibnu Khaldun who were a famous Muslim sociologist has said: "Loser nations would be addicted to imitate those who wins". This is what happened for e.g in the production of a cheap movie does not matter if the producer is of any faith, belief or ideology.

The weakness of religious influence and the shining of "physical and materialistic science" in the European continent was the reasonable result of the "science" which has risen since it was in 17th century. Researches, analysis, empiricism, continuation between these possibilities to those possibilities, interrelating the reasons and impacts, fallacies in theories and experiments being developed time by time that brings to the preferable or satisfying results were generically made up as "science". These were made structures for scientific opinions, belief and arguments. This is what many of us even in our country understood as "science". Those who rejected this nowadays being cast out of the system and left aside just like what happened to myself or perhaps many other "madrasah" oriented young people : ) 

After this development in Europe, most of them believed that it is not favorable to merely following what has been inherited to them by their ancestors. The quotes inherited from Socrates, Plato or Aristotle could not be accepted before being experimented or tested. This also includes the words of divine scriptures and orders from the Church must undergo the experiment and researches in laboratory.   

Through these ways, they had produced not only hundreds but thousands new opinions to be practiced and enjoyed in their daily life. These opinions and arguments become the structure for "modern" Europe today and it also amazes those loser individuals who can't produced their own or even comparable science of their own. When looking at the concrete results of their inventions, some people takes their hats off the Europeans' science and they become less respective to religion and its sciences become sunken under the Europeans' materialistic sciences. Faith in the God and His messengers and chosen sages only promising the hereafter paradise in form of uncertain prophecies. While Western sciences has produced paradise in the current life. Radio, TV entertainments, phones, cars, planes, electricity, air conditioner and many more has turned the attention of man-kind from the Heaven to the Earth. People are giving their attention to the "science and technology" and not to hermits, monks, religious teachers or ascetics anymore. They believe and paying attention to the life which is now. The hereafter and resurrection are something which never been experienced by them and could not concretely being seen with man-kind physical eyes.

When the time passing, people becoming more excited to drag even metaphysical stuffs into their so-called "science". Although religious knowledge or science is not their specific field and task but they still to make it "scientific" according to their way. The hereafter matters according to them has no "scientific" proves. Paradise and hell-torments are persuasion and threats only for those who still has no knowledge, ignorant, marginalized and no scholar.

More shattering the faith of these people toward religion is after the rise of Nicholas Copernicus study about the solar system. Before this, Europeans have a belief which could not be contested that the Earth is the center of the Universe. While the Sun, the Moon and stars were circulating around the Earth. Stars were created for the benefit of man-kind and Earth is for the human's interest. The whole universe was under the rule of human and man-kind were the most noble beings in the whole system. Copernicus had strongly demolished this belief system through his studies and research questions. He said that the Earth is like a tiny particle of dust among zillions of stars in the universe. The Earth circulating around the Sun and not otherwise. Other than that, there are many other stars which is more huge as compared to the Earth. Man-kind are nothing to be compared to other realms which are wider and huge. My comment about astrology studies in Europe, the primitive Chaldean of Babylon in the early Mesopotamian civilizations and ancient Yemeni Arabs who revered the Sun and stars had already know about this though they were not baptized into Christianity or any other "celestial" religion nor living in Renaissance age of Europe. Even this knowledge were wide spread as far as to Indus civilization as we could see in the Navagraham system of Hindus' astrology. After reviewing the studies of Copernicus, Roman Catholic Christian clerics in the 14th C Europe were so furious. They were furious as the authority of humanity were lowered.

After Copernicus, there was Charles Darwin who had introduced the Theory of Evolution. He theorized that beings were created according to well-arranged stages and it took millions of years for being evolve from the imperfect ones to the more perfect ones. Beings evolved from the lowest to intermediate ones and later reaching human form stage. Beings started to evolve from microorganism, plants, insects to animals. The highest of animals' advancement was when they evolved to be primates or apes. From primates, the beings starting to evolve to be human in its form. My personal comment about this naturalist theory, it is choppy. It is still a "theory" to also be considered as a belief or creed and could be developed or repaired if other better arguments could come up to counter this existing theory. I was once bounded to Buddhism belief and practices before Allah moved my heart to return to my ancestral religion, Islam. I believed in reincarnation of beings in the different physical forms such as insects, animals, human, angels or demon. Gautama Buddha has taught this thousands of years earlier than Copernicus and I think Gautama Buddha was more sophisticated and clear in his view or "theories" about "beings" as compared to Darwin as he's not only talking about the physical beings but also without leaving behind metaphysical stuffs. According to Buddhism and Hinduism theories of acts' law, beings regardless animals, angels, demons or man-kind are subjects to the fruits of their acts and thoughts. However the form which is auspicious to achieve 'peaceful blast' according to Buddhism is in human-form and it is the most difficult form to be achieved since it took thousands of years to be incarnated as human.

The portal which was opened by Copernicus was extended in its opening with Darwin who over lays a further views about the universe. Europeans began to experience changing in their world view and the way they look at human-being becomes different as before. Their pure and innocent views about the universe were transformed to mechanical views as they learned about the theories and findings such as proposed by Darwin and Copernicus. Their view is now about the survival is the fittest. Those who are weak will eventually be eliminated. It further leads them to the belief that the Universe has no Creator. Universe is creating itself and thus it leads to Atheism. The Europeans were not inventing anything new. They were just repeating the same thing which happens thousand years before them in many parts of the Earth. In the age of spiritual ignorance, the polytheist Arabs in the Holy City, Mecca were oppressing those who were weak. Those who were unfortunate were enslaved by those who are more strong. Women were looked down like a toy to be used as what happened in sex-maniac movies in nowadays Western style movies. Women also looked them selves as sex-slaves to men. Nowadays, this kind of view is still in existence be they in secular or religious society. There is no difference at all, just the grouping and classification of their groups is different : )

Church organizations in Europe at that time became more enraged. The view that most of man-kind have now to be classified as modern is opposing to the view that human are noble beings that they hold for so long. After astrology and natural theory studies, there were studies on geology in Europe. They researched the Earth and its contents. The inquired on how the Earth tried to be separated from the Sun. Then they researched the beings known as the biology. They researched the beginning on how the beings started to develop. Then, other researches developed out of the one existed. All of these inquiries had also affected the view of people about religion and affected the influence of religious leaders. These researches in Europe had also influenced how they interpret the meanings of the Bible at least for those who still wanted to have faith in the God.   

Out of the Context

Last night I went out with a friend to Setapak. We talked until 3:00 in the morning and I get some ideas about life-planning after this. I also asked him few questions about LGBT groups which is now a hot stuff in our country and he has few LGBT friends and acquaintance. I just feel not comfortable to judge others and before making up my mind I would make all sorts of inquiries. So, I always ask people who know more about the issue or at least asking them to show me the place where I can get the needed information. It is important for sharia students as contemporary issues are among the problem of ummat. That is why I was late in updating this post though I am excited to check this work.

Thankful to Allah he does not forget me though he is busy with his newly found job. We just went to Japanese restaurant but I can't have seafood. So I just ordered green tea and non-vegetarian Soba noodle. It is also not recommended to take meat but it comes with package so I just accept it. Well, it was his treat so again I'm thankful and not wasting it. As long as he does not say that it is a kind of alms giving I'll accept it. These weeks to come is actually our high holy days so there are limits to everything. We share some points of holy days with the Jews especially those related to Yawm al-Qiyamat (the Resurrection Day). This is not a binding law for other Muslim brothers and sisters but only to us as we have to accept the life of poor ascetics and praying for other brothers and sisters well-being. Insha Allah if He gives me the opportunity I would update the post about this ulama's view on the science and religion. I'm going to make some milk for my father. Poor he is, he still can't swallow anything. Brothers and sisters, please take good care of your health. It's vital for us to perform worship to Allah...

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!   

Arabian Chronicles : Introduction

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

This is actually what we had learned in our school in subjects called as seerah or our history either before or after the rise of our noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w in the Arabian Peninsula. Some notes actually came from Muslim scholars of South East Asia such as Dr. Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah and most of them are not liars like Orientalists during imperialism period of 19th century. 

We had been looking very closely at those Orientalists. Don't think that the world do not looking at how Western world is making herself a pathetic laughing stock with her boastful 'scholars' who were not guided by the holy spirit but by their blind desire just to bash others and showing their dominion over others. We should also take the account of those 'scholars' life and look at how their life goes on until they see their death. Whether they live a 'happy' or 'blessed' life and also their physical and mental health level, hehehe.

This is how we learn our history in Asia and in underdeveloped countries where people still live on trees, hehehe... Basics must be the same although there are differences here and there right?

Origin of Nations

In modern world today, we have branches of science which is called in universities as anthropology. It means, a branch of science to investigate the origin of a certain nation and its relation with others. Many scholars had made their researches and they founded that Arabic is related to other languages of the Middle East and Mediterranean area such as Phonecian, Hebrew, Akkadian, and Assyrian. All of these people who speak these languages were actually descendents of the same ancestor. Other criteria which proves that they are people who are related to each other is from their appearances, black hair, bushy beard, skin color, and through biological proves such as DNA or haplogroup, and anthropology through their body shape. All of these researches shown that Arabs are among Semite groups.

Gustav Le Bonn said that for few centuries long, Arabs had already exist in this earth. Those who studied and doing archeological researches had founded that the shape and appearance of human body who lived during the period where it was almost the time of iron age is almost the same to each other.

Those who learned about linguistics assumed that, wide plateau which is located between two rivers which are the Tigris and Euphrates, Caucasus area, and Northern part of Arabian Peninsula had already been inhabited by the same nation and they were using the same language which were the language of the Semites. From this assumption, Arabs were considered as apart of Semite nation and related to the Assyrians or Arameans and Hebrews.

Those researchers had also been in conflict in their opinion regarding the place where the Semites came from. In the Old Testament, it was mentioned that the first human lived between the two great rivers which are the Tigris and Euphrates before they were traveling around and resettle again around the world. Human in ancient time was just the same like human today. They have feet to walk around and not just dwelling in a particular place. From the Semite nation, there came the Assyrians and Akkadians of Babylon. Then the Arameans in Syria, Phonecians along the beaches of Syrian sea, Hebrews in the land of Canaan, 'some' Arabian tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, and Ethiopians in Africa.  

There are three views of famous researchers and these people are of course from the West :

I. Rebter and Salet have this view that Semites were originated from Ethiopia in Africa. 

II. Sprenger, Serider, Robertson, and Wenkler believe that Semites were originated from Arabian Peninsula. Later, they were spread all-over the world.

III. Egnazie Guidi said that Semites came from northern of Euphrates river.

Although these people have different opinions regarding the origin of Semite nation but all of them are in common that from the Semites came all of races and nations in the world. As to say, my forefathers are not monkeys. They are all human-being and the first father is Adam a.s who was a sage. But that monkey evolution theory perhaps plausible to Darwin who propose the theory and those who are faithful with it since there were also mentions about sub-human in Old Testament. Old Testament did mentioned about Nephilim, a kind of monster who look like human but were not human. They plundered and polluted human-being genetics too.

Language of human was just one but because of world climate changed and there were development in human life, language became different according to regions. Written languages too became different. Grammar and language structure of human turns to be different to each other. 

to be continued...