Fatwa ID: 02853
Answered by: Maulana Muhammad Afzal Hussain
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
I am currently trying to start a movement to utilize technology and economics to serve Islam and the Creation. Could you please help me in this by providing the fundamental view of Islam on Science and Technology, based on which I can build my project?
Below I have written what Allah (swt) has made me understand until now:
Science is an effort to form laws which can explain the way the world around us operates and why it does so without considering the actions of Allah (swt). Science is a search for Asbaab which is false, useless, has failed miserably and also it leads us away from the Yaqeen in Allah. It is very similar to the philosophy of the past. Just like Imam Ghazali (r.a) destroyed philosophy we need to destroy science.
Technology (in today's world) is the creation of new ways and means to increase the luxury and enjoyment of the Dunya. The blind rush after the technology is very dangerous and has lead to this utter destruction all over the earth. It fools us by making us think that it will make life easier for us, but in reality, life is getting tighter and tighter. It is similar to building large houses, pursuit after the Dunya etc which were discouraged by the Sahaba (r.a).
The actual solution for all the problems created by technology is to leave all technology and go back to the way people lived during the time of the Prophet (swt) and 1300 years after him. But, most of the people will not accept this solution.
Hence, the only possible way for us is to try to fight against these evils of technology by creating other good technologies. (like the way we are asked to in Quran 8:60, Hadith on virtues of growing horses, making arrows etc, Sahaba (r.a) using their new ideas and technologies for Jihad, digging of trench in the Ahzab war, building of ships by Muawiyah (r.a), the strategies of Khalid bin walid (r.a).
Although we may attempt to solve the problems of the world by creating new technology, we should always keep in mind that it is not going to provide ultimate solution to the problems. Even the 'good' technology may have some bad effects and can be used in bad ways by selfish individuals. Thus, in the long run creation of more technology will not solve the issues.
The real solution lies in Zuhd. Most of the issues occur due to the overuse of resources and the blind rush after the Dunya. If we control our desires and live with minimal consumption all these problems will be solved.
We need to understand this properly and keep it in our mind so that if we reach such a stage where we have authority over the whole earth we should implement laws force people to adopt zuhd, to stop the development of technology and use that time instead in the Ibaada of Allah (swt). (like the rule of Umar (rad)).
Could you please verify whether what I have understood is right or not?
If needed I have also written this with a more detailed explanation in the PDF in the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SZaK77RnAxZ1TbHj20PylSYhbQnHZlFb/view?usp=sharing
Please help me in this as the youth are getting very interested in my project. If you as Islamic Scholars do not help us it is highly possible that we will go astray and work for wrong aims.
Jazakallah khair
Please include me in your Duas.
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of ALLAH the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Shah Waliyullah Dehlawi (r.a) said "Every man is created for a particular thing. Every profession has two facts, and should therefore, be adopted and followed carefully and after deep thinking. One is the acquisition of workmanship which may suffice a person's needs. The other is to care for what his intention is and thus make the right selection. When a person enters some business, it is his duty to first look into its principles and instruments to be used, when he has understood them properly he should then look to its finer points and related requirements." [Al-Budur Al-Bazighah, publisher: Kitab Bhavan New Delhi, page: 71]
Shaikhul Hind Mahmudul Hasan (r.a) once said to his students while he was teaching 'Qutbi' (a book of Logic) that "learning logic can be an act of worship if it is learnt with good intention." [Heard from Mufti Taqi Uthmani in a speech in Walsall in 2016]
Allah said:
(1) "Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!” [Sura Baqarah: 202]. Hence, Allah (swt) praised those who ask for the affairs of both this life and the Hereafter. The supplication mentioned and praised in the Ayah includes all good aspects of this life and seeks refuge from all types of evil. The good of this life concerns every material request of well-being, spacious dwelling, pleasing mates, sufficient provision, beneficial knowledge, good profession or deeds, comfortable means of transportation and good praise, all of which the scholars of Tafsir have mentioned regarding this subject. All of these are but a part of the good that is sought in this life. [See: Tafsir Ibn Kathir, commentary of above Ayath]
(2) "He creates whatever He wills." [Ash-Shura: 49]
(3) "And (He created) the horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and (as) adornment. And He creates that which you do not know." [Al-Nahal:8]
In these verses, there is a clear indication of future inventions. Thus, present scientific inventions were things that previous nations did not know and perhaps the future inventions are which we do not know about now.
Shah Waliyullah Dehlawi (r.a) also said "Acquired philosophy is, that you may look for comforts and elegant life, and that you may make such efforts by which, through other dealings, you may attain all you need in the best and noblest possible manner. If it is not done that way, you might be involved in difficulty and hardship, and then needs will make a rush on you with the result that it will be difficult for you to fulfil any of them."[Al-Budur Al-Bazighah, publisher: Kitab Bhavan New Delhi, page: 69]
Therefore, using materials (Asbab) of this world is not against Islamic belief. However, the believer should follow what the companion Hudhaifah said "I embraced Emaan before Ilm (knowledge). So, I take (from knowledge) whatever matches my belief (Emaan), and reject that which conflict it." A person with profound Emaan, technology cannot divert him from his destination of paradise. The movement of Emaan should be the first and foremost before any other movement.
RELIGION AND SCIENCE [From: The Quran and Modern Science by Dr. Maurice Bucaille (Edited by Dr. A. A. Bilal Philips)] :
There is, perhaps, no better illustration of the close links between Islam and science than the Prophet Muhammad’s (s.a.w) often-quoted statements.
“Seeking knowledge is compulsory on every Muslim.” [Ibn Majah: 224]
“wisdom is the lost property of the believer.” [Tirmidhi: 2687]
“whoever follows a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make his path to paradise easy.” (Sahih Muslim)
These statements and many others are veritable invitations to humanity to enrich their knowledge from all sources. It comes as no surprise, therefore, to learn that in Islam religion and science have always been considered as twin sisters and that today, at a time when science has taken such great strides, they still continue to be associated. Nor is it a surprise to learn that certain scientific data are used for the better understanding of the Qur’anic text. What is more, in a century where, for many people, scientific truth has dealt a deathblow to religious belief, it is precisely the discoveries of science that, in an objective examination of the Islamic scripture, have highlighted the supernatural nature of revelation and the authenticity of the religion which it taught.
When all is said and done, scientific knowledge seems, in spite of what many people may say or think, to be highly conducive to reflection on the existence of God. Once we begin to ask ourselves, in an unbiased or unprejudiced way, about the metaphysical lessons to be derived from some of today’s knowledge, (for example our evolving knowledge of the smallest components of matter or the questions surrounding the origin of life within inanimate matter), we indeed discover many reasons for thinking about God. When we think about the remarkable organization presiding over the birth and maintenance of life, it becomes clear that the likelihood of it being the result of chance lessens quite considerably.
As our knowledge of science in the various fields expands, certain concepts must seem increasingly unacceptable. For example, the idea enthusiastically expressed by the recent French winner of the Nobel prize for medicine, that living matter was self-created from simple chemical elements due to chance circumstances. Then from this point, it is claimed that living organisms evolved, leading to the remarkably complex being called man. To me, it would seem that the scientific advancements made in understanding the fantastic complexity of higher beings provide stronger arguments in favour of the opposite theory: that the existence of an extraordinarily methodical organization presiding over the remarkable arrangement of the phenomena of life necessitates the existence of a Creator.[The Quran and Modern Science by Dr. Maurice Bucaille (Edited by Dr. A. A. Bilal Philips)]
Only Allah Knows Best
Answered by Maulana Muhammad Afzal Hussain
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
