We would like to comment on some of the points Pervez Hoodbhoy raises in his article about the reasons for the decline of Islamic scientific greatness over the past several centuries.
Islam’s Golden Age in the 9th–13th centuries brought about major advances in mathematics, science, medicine, and every field of human endeavor. In addition to translations of Greek, Chinese, and Indian scientific classics, Muslim scientists generated brilliant ideas and unique innovations because they took great inspiration from the Qur’an and from the exemplary life of the prophet Muhammed.
The main reasons for the decline of Islamic civilization, which started in the 13th century, were the removal of secular disciplines from the curricula of religious schools and the development and promulgation by some influential Muslim thinkers of the idea that human intellect can challenge God’s reasoning. Starting from the late 19th century, the popularity of Marx-inspired materialistic philosophy among Muslim intellectuals intensified the identity crisis of many Muslims. Other reasons for the decline were a weakening of genuine faith among Muslims and destruction brought from outside by Genghis Khan and by some European powers.
As stated by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, a great 20th-century Muslim scholar, “History testifies that whenever Muslims as a whole have adhered to their religion, they have advanced in relation to the strength of their adherence,” 1 that is, they were simultaneously strong in their state of knowledge, intellect, worldly affairs, and tolerance toward non-Muslims. But, wrote Bediuzzaman, “whenever they have lost their firmness in religion, they have declined.”
According to Hoodbhoy, some “enlightened” Islamic scholars claimed that the Qur’an “tells us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.” However, Bediuzzaman stated exactly the opposite: “Qur’an and science are like wings of a bird; if you cut one of the wings, the bird will fall and eventually die.” He also strongly encouraged all Muslims to cooperate with the great legacy of Western physical sciences. Bediuzzaman emphasized harmony and moderation between faith and knowledge by stating that a person with faith but without knowledge tends toward bigotry and fanaticism, while a person with knowledge but without faith tends toward atheism and materialism. The trend of faith without pursuit of knowledge is what we often observe in many regions of the present Muslim world, whereas the trend of seeking knowledge with limited attention to faith has been seen in some Western societies for the past 200 years or so. Interestingly, Albert Einstein was a devout religious person who once made a statement similar to Bediuzzaman’s: “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” 2
In addition to the criteria listed by Hoodbhoy to measure Muslim scientific progress, it is also crucial to stress the importance of how much attention Muslim governments currently give to boosting literacy rates and quality of secondary-school education in their countries. For instance, according to The World Factbook from the US Central Intelligence Agency, the seven Muslim countries having the highest literacy rate are former communist-bloc countries: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Bosnia-Herzegovina. 3 Those countries, along with Turkey, Iran, and Indonesia, have led all other Muslim countries in the numbers of gold, silver, and bronze medals their high-school students have won in international science and mathematics Olympiads over the past 10 years. Many observers see students’ drive to participate in these contests as a strong indication of their future in science careers.
Religious moderation and constructive secular humanism, which are inherently compatible with common sense and the principles of logic and reason, are viable options for wise governance and progress in the Muslim world, as anywhere else.
Moreover, the diversity of cultures contributing to science is quite important today. Many bright Muslim scientists are active in non-Muslim countries, just as many non-Muslim scientists are active in Muslim countries. With increasing globalization and cultural diversity, science also transcends the boundaries of any specific state, religion, or culture, so it is difficult to evaluate the specific scientific contributions made by a people of a given state, faith, or culture. Science, now and in the future, is not just shared by Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, or Buddhist scientists. Science is a universally human treasury that belongs to everyone. The important task at hand is to preserve its achievements for future generations.
