As our readers remember THE FOUNTAIN announced in its third and fourth issues a WRITING COMPETITION –The Islamic approach to the modern science,natural,social,and, applied. We invited our readers to reflect on the meaning and final end of the meaning and final end of the world around us with its wonderful variety and usefulness.
It is really pleasing for us that,although THE FOUNTAIN is a new,humble voice among many of its counterparts,we had more entries than expected.
The topic we asked you to address was,we acknowledge,not a simple one. It required deep research ,scholarship,reflection and discernment.
The response showed how scholarly ,expressive and analyctical our readership . Almost all entries were informative,well written and thoroughly researched. It was clear that the writers came from a variety of backgrounds and academic fields. Each entry showing great individuality.
It was extremely difficult to make a preference between such thoughtful essays. We hope our readers and venerable participants will excuse us for having to make a choice from among so many exceptional pieces of work. it goes without saying that any evaluation depends upon the scope of the jury. We do not claim that our jury is infallible or even that they are the most authoritative people on the subject,but we can assure our readers that their judgements are fair and as reliable as possible.
The competitors were expected to compese their reflections into a concise,well-designed essay without going into great detail. They should have concentrated on the quality of science and scientific knowledge,offered a short historical analysis of Muslims`attitude toward science and critically assessed the Western approach to science including mechanistic,materialistic and the “most modern”trends which have been shaped by the latest developments in`Atomic or Quantum physics`. Any critical analysis should have been made from the Islamic perspective. Issues may have included the falsity of western scientism,the excessive role apportioned to science in shaping our minds,the true recognition and comprehension of things and events,and the restriction and inadequacy of human knowledge and efforts.
The Islamic perspective stresses the following points:
-The vicegerency of man on the earth;
-The factors which give man preference over the angels and the meaning of the “names” instructed man by God;
-The existence of two sets of Divine laws one governing the universe which, is the subject matter of sciences; and other governing man’s ‘religious’ life;
-Deductive and inductive reasoning and the fact that Islam lays emphasis on the truths beyond man’s limited senses-the invisible existence and realities-emanating from the principles of faith like belief in the Hereafter,angles and the Unseen World.
-The apparent law of ‘cause and effect’,which God has made a veil before His operations as a requirement of His Grandeur and Majesty;
-The nominal significance of causes and God’s direct disposal of the universe as a principle required by Divine Unity
-The apparent uniformity of the universe,which enables man to lead an earthly life; but ,by contrast,the ever-renewal of the universe by God’s ever-activity;
-Wholistic view of the universe and modern compertmantalization.
The jury,after a strict examination of the entries with respect to content,strength of argument,comprehensiveness,language and composition,declined to give a first rank to any of these essays and made the following graduation.
Second: Dr. Yamine Mermer, with her essay: An Islamic assessment of the modern approach to science.
Third: Abasi Kiyimba, with his essay titled, Modern Science: A Muslim Perspective
Fourth: Riffat Hassan, with his essay, The Islamic Approach To The Modern Sciences, Natural, Social and Applied
Fifth: Abdullatif Bello,with his essay,Islam and Modern Science: A Critique.
Upon all of us to be Gods peace,dear readers.
