<Home> <IOMS> <Sciences in Islam> <Recommendations>

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

IOMS Symposium on
Sciences in Islam
29 Shawwal - 1st Dhul-Qa'dah 1421A.H
23 - 25 January 2001 A.D.
Kuwait

Recommendations

Praise be to Allah, the Lord and Cherisher of the universe, prayers and peace be upon the One who was sent as mercy for the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and all of His Household and Companions.

IOMS has already held several scientific conferences and symposia on embryology and abortion, hereditary and genetic engineering, various medical disciplines related to the inception and end of human life, organ transplantation and other issues of great significance to humanity.

Since these and similar disciplines are of great benefit to the Ummah, the 5th IOMS Conference on Medical Education held in Cairo, 1988, recommended that their study is a collective duty. Although it is an indisputable fact that these disciplines are included in the branches of knowledge that Islam has urged Muslims to pursue, there are still people who claim that Islam does not recognise the natural sciences and that knowledge in Islam is confined to Sharia disciplines only. This ignores the fact that Islamic civilisation was built on a strong foundation incorporating not only faith but also practical knowledge in fields such as medicine, pharmacology, astronomy, oceanology, engineering and many others that are still very significant today.

In the light of its commitment to the aforementioned duty, and in order to provide some guidance on the matter, IOMS aimed at elucidating the true status of the concept of knowledge and science in Islam by holding its 14th Symposium under the title "Sciences in Islam." Collaborating bodies were:

1. The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, Kuwait. The holding of this symposium in the year 2001 was especially significant as it is the year when Kuwait assumes its role as the Capital of Arab Culture.
2. The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO).
3. The International Academy of Islamic Jurisprudence, Jeddah.

The symposium was held under the auspices of the First Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Al-Sabah, from 28th Shawwal - 1st Dhul-Qa'dah 1421A.H (23rd-25th January 2001 AD). The Inauguration Ceremony, which took place in the hall of the Islamic Medical Centre, started with a recitation from the Glorious Quran which was followed by speeches by:

• His Excellency Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Al-Jarallah, Minister of Health, on behalf of the First Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the sponsor of the symposium.

• Dr. Muhammad Al-Habeeb bin Al-Khouja, General Secretary of the Academy of Islamic Jurisprudence in Jeddah.
• Dr. Abdul-Azeez Al-Twaijri, General Secretary of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO)
• Dr. Muhammad Al-Rumaihi, General Secretary of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, Kuwait
• Dr. Abdul Rahman Abdullah Al-Awadi, IOMS President

Then followed the distribution of IOMS prizes which were provided by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) to:

1. Dr. Muhammad Rawwas Qal'ahji,
2. Dr. Muhammad Dhafir Al-Wafa'i,
3. Dr. Mraizin Said 'Aseeri.

The opening ceremony concluded with the keynote speech, "Islam and Science", delivered by Dr. Muhammad Haitham Al-Khayyat, after which the symposium moved to the Crown Plaza Hotel to continue its program of specialised papers in the fields of jurisprudence, medicine and science.

The main themes covered by the symposium were:

1. The Concept of Sciences in Islam.
   
   
2. The Status of Science and Scientists in Islam.
   
   
3. The Islamic Perspective on the Concept of Academic Freedom in Research.
   
   
4. Explorations of Islamic Civilisation in Cosmology, Medicine, Pharmacy, Astronomy, Mathematics etc.
   
   
5. Towards a Future Islamic Civilisation Based on Religion and Science.

Many of the participants submitted their recommendations in written form. After thorough study of these and of the points raised in the discussions and comments during the sessions, the Recommendation Committee extracted the following:

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. There should be emphasis on the fact that the sciences and scientists, highly praised by Islam, particularly in the Quran and Sunnah, are not confined to the specific area of Islamic studies. Instead, they encompass all Islamic, physical and natural sciences. It should also be stressed that all sciences are estimable, but the level of respect depends on their subject matter; the most highly-esteemed discipline is that which deals with issues relating to Allah and His Noble Attributes.
2. It should be further emphasised that studying the physical and natural sciences is a duty and that it should be shared by all Muslims until there are sufficient scholars and specialists in these disciplines to meet the needs of the Muslim Ummah. Part of this duty is the provision of all types of support, including financial aid, required for achieving this objective.
3. The obligation should be stressed of benefiting from the findings of the physical and natural sciences in reaching legal rulings in relation to new issues. Emphasis should also be put on the importance of strengthening relationships between scholars of Sharia and those of physical and natural sciences through similar symposia, meetings, circles, and conferences. Such a policy would help achieve better mutual understanding and facilitate the implementation of future findings based on the solid foundations of Sharia and natural laws, and would also facilitate the adoption of the principle of least effort in the study and issuing of fatwas, thus following the approach of the Prophet (pbuh) who used to choose the easiest alternative as long as it was not a sin.
4. Monotheism requires congruity between knowledge and truth and removes dissension between the sciences related to this world and those related to the Hereafter. Hence, an introductory course on Islamic studies should be taught to students of Faculties of Science, and an introductory course on physical sciences to students of Faculties of Sharia, provided that these courses are sufficiently well-prepared to be both comprehensible and beneficial.
5. A linkage should be established between the study of any branch of knowledge in any field, and the strengthening of religious and moral values in order to guide science judiciously towards benefiting the community.
6. All necessary measures should be taken by those concerned to encourage Muslim scientists to remain in the Islamic world, and to provide the conditions that could attract back emigrant Muslim scholars in order to harness their experience and abilities in improving scientific standards in Muslim countries.
7. Communication with scholars of Muslim minorities in the West should be established in order both to reconnect them to the Ummah and to benefit from their experience.
8. The mechanisms for implementing the scheme set up by ISESCO and approved by the 9th Islamic Summit Conference for developing sciences and technology in Muslim countries should be reactivated.
9. A scientific database should be prepared of all scholars and scientists in Muslim countries and Muslim scientists all over the world, detailing their qualifications, fields of specialisation and scientific contributions.
10. Specialised scientific studies should be linked to any related point or reference in the Quran and Sunnah, and all studies dealing with Islamic Sharia should be backed up by related scientific and cosmological facts.
11. The history of science in Islamic civilisation and the contributions of Muslim scientists should be taught and their research methodologies in scientific, natural and religious fields studied in order to benefit from them in our academic research after making necessary adjustments to allow compatibility with present conditions.
12. Considerable attention should be paid to the anticipated global moral revolution and a research code of ethics from the Islamic perspective prepared in order to contribute to reforming currently-prevailing concepts and to spreading the guidelines and criteria of Islamic ethics in the conduct of scientific activities.
13. Efforts should be exerted to clarify basic Islamic concepts such as the responsibilities of human viceregency on earth; the role and status of intellect as explained by Sharia; proving the existence of the Creator though His Creation; the meaning and implications of Allah's subjection of all that is in the heavens and on earth for the benefit of human beings, according to His laws and purposes; the role of all these concepts in inspiring Muslim scholars to carry out scientific research in order to seek answers to the questions raised in the Quran.
14. The Islamic scientific heritage is felt to be an integral part of the collective memory of the Muslim Ummah and the reviving of this heritage is a prerequisite to consolidating the validity of contemporary sciences, correcting the history of sciences and restoring the true status of the Islamic role in the course of human civilisation. Therefore, the history of science should be incorporated into the curricula of Islamic universities to bring students to an awareness of scientific continuity in Islamic civilisation. Furthermore, the Islamic scientific heritage still hidden in manuscripts should be brought to light and the necessary support should be provided to have these manuscripts authenticated and studied.
15. All Muslim countries should direct educational programs and the media towards implanting in their citizens, particularly the younger generation, the emphasis that Islam places on seeking out all branches of useful knowledge and trying to discover the laws of Allah in His Creation - a process which we now call "Scientific Research".
16. All Muslim countries should give priority to issues of human resource development as providing the basic entry to development and progress and to work towards building a human infrastructure capable of achieving the eagerly-sought scientific change, thereby laying the foundations of excellence in scientific research, particularly in leading disciplines such as microelectronics, information science, communications, genetic engineering and space sciences.

In the closing session, the Symposium expressed its pleasure in extending heartfelt thanks and gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait, to His Highness Sheikh Saad Al-Abdulla Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to His Excellency Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the sponsor of the Symposium, to the government and people of Kuwait for the generous support they give to IOMS and for their sponsorship of its activities and efforts aimed at reaching collaborative academic solutions, compatible with Islam, to the problematic issues raised by modern scientific discoveries and new developments in medicine.

The Symposium delegated His Excellency Dr. Abdul Rahman Abdullah Al-Awadi, President of IOMS, to send cables of thanks and gratitude to His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, to His Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to His Excellency Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and to His Excellency Dr. Muhammad Al-Jaralla, Minister of Health, for their generous support to IOMS and for their generous reception and hospitality to participants in the symposium.

Programme of the meeting