Religion Encourages Science
Islam is the religion of reason and conscience. A person recognizes the truth proclaimed by God through the use of his wisdom, but derives conclusions from the truth he has seen by following his conscience. A person using the faculty of his reason and conscience, upon examining the features of any given object in the universe, even though he be not an expert in such matters, would understand that it was created by a Possessor of great Wisdom, Knowledge and Might. And, while perhaps only discovering a few of the thousands of factors that render life possible on the earth, it is sufficient for him to understand that the world was designed to sustain life in it. Therefore, one who makes use of his reason and follows his conscience quickly apprehends the absurdity of the claim that the world came into being by chance. In brief, one who applies his mind by using these faculties recognizes God’s signs in their full clarity. A verse refers to such people in the following manner:
Those who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth:’Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire. (Surat Al ‘Imran: 191)
In the Qur’an, God calls on people to reflect upon and examine the signs of creation around them. The Prophet Muhammad, God’s Messenger, peace be upon him, also enjoined people to acquire knowledge. He even stressed that it is our obligation to search for knowledge. We read the following authentic Ahâdîth:
Everyone who probes the inner-workings of the universe, living and non-living things, and considers and investigates what he sees around him, will come to know God’s superior wisdom, knowledge, and eternal power. Some of the issues God invites man to ponder are pointed out in the following verses form the Qur’an:
Do they not look at the sky above them? How We have made it and adorned it, and there are no flaws in it? And the earth- We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)- To be observed and commemorated by every devotee turning (to God). And We send down from the sky rain charged with blessing, and We produce therewith gardens and grain for harvests; And tall (and stately) palm-trees, with shoots of fruit-stalks, piled one over another. (Surah Qaf: 6-10)
He Who created the seven heavens one above another: No want of proportion will you see in the Creation of (God) Most Gracious. So turn your vision again: do you see any flaw? (Surat al-Mulk: 3)
Now let man but think from what he is created! (Surat at-Tariq: 5)
Do they not look at the Camels, how they are made? And at the Sky, how it is raised high? And at the Mountains, how they are fixed firm? And at the Earth, how it is spread out? (Surat al-Ghashiyah: 17-20)
As the above verses make clear, God summons mankind to study and examine various aspects of the world, such as the heavens, rain, plants, animals, birth and geographical landmarks. One way to explore these is, as we previously mentioned, through science. Scientific observation introduces man to the mysteries of creation, and ultimately, to God’s eternal knowledge, wisdom and power. Science is a way to achieve a just estimate of God, for which reason, throughout history, a great number of the scientists who have been of great service to humanity were devout believers in God.
Belief in God Makes Scientists Enthusiastic and Motivated
As we mentioned above, religion encourages science, and those who use their reason and follow their conscience in the pursuit of scientific research acquire a strong faith because they apprehend God’s signs at close hand. They are confronted with a flawless system and a perfect subtlety created by God in every avenue of research they follow, and in every discovery they make. As Prophet Muhammad, God’s Messenger, peace be upon him, said, they act by knowing that "One who goes out to search for knowledge is (devoted) to the cause of God till he returns."
A scientist conducting research into the eye, for instance, discovers, even upon recognizing its complex system, that it could never have come into being through a gradual process of coincidences. Further examination will lead him to realize that every detail in the structure of the eye is a miraculous creation. He sees that the eye is made up of dozens of components working together in harmony,
