ATTITUDES TOWARDS DISCUSSIONS IN ISLAM

Life sciences in the contemporary world are fertile ground for religion and science contentions. It could be argued that developments in evolutionary biology in the last two centuries contributed much to the rise of New Atheism. On conducting a survey we find that the study of life sciences within the Islamic scientific tradition never inclined towards atheistic thought. A core characteristic of Islamic science was that rigorous scientific research was conducted within a predominantly Islamic intellectual milieu and a ‘tawhid’ framework. The initial impetus to develop life sciences in the Muslim world came from religious injunctions from the Quran and Sunnah. Many scientists like Muhammad ibn Sirin, Hasan Basri etc pursued a study of the world to understand divine wisdom at work in creation. The necessary starting point of all scientific enquiry in the Islamic world was a recognition of divine unity that is demonstrated best by cosmic unity. Because Islamic science sprang forth from an intellectual tradition rooted in religion and spirituality, the place of symbolism in all literature was inevitable. Understanding this feature of Islamic science is crucial for various reasons like a historical survey of Islamic Science and contemporary efforts in the field of Islam and Science, particularly Evolution.