Al-Zahwari surgery: Ali Hassan Amro Qu'ranic Foundation of Islamic Science By Senad Mrahorovic Introduction Every aspect of the Islamic religion Sunnah as the key interpretation from intellectual and doctrinal of the former, the implementation to jurisprudential and practical of the said principles by the domains has its origin in the Qur’ān virtue of their origin could not or the Sunnah of the Prophet. The have, but taken place within the concept of Islamic science, which framework of Islamic worldview or includes all of the highly significant environment. Concerning the idea and enormously rich intellectual of knowledge in Islam, it might be and scientific enterprise that said that from the starting point Muslims and non-Muslims living of the Qur’anic revelation, it was under the umbrella of the Islamic given an islamicized character by civilization have produced for the the very first verses of the Qur’ān: past fourteen centuries, is of no “Read in the name of your Lord”. exception. Since the principles An added value to its islamization of Islam are all contained in the is the fact that the first and Qur’ān as the primary source of foremost principle of Islam, namely everything that is Islamic, and the the Shahādah, that is, Lā ilāha 103 ill’Allāh, implies both certainty of Islamic thought, this knowledge knowledge and undeniable faith. is called ‘Ilm al-Tawhīd or in its In this essay, I will discuss the more philosophical treatment al- Qur’ān as the main source for the ‘Ilm al-Ilāhī, that is, the science of development of Islamic science. Divine Unity or metaphysics4. ‘Ilm al-Tawhīd is regarded as the most Qur’anic conception of praiseworthy and most beneficial knowledge knowledge towards which all The notion of knowledge is deeply other avenues of intellectual and rooted in the vocabulary of the scientific inquiries should lead Qur’anic revelation and it has been to. In al-Ghazālī’s classification articulated in a number of different of sciences for instance, the linguistic forms among which science of Tawhīd appears at are the roots ‘ilm, fqh, ‘aql, bsr, the head of the sections of both qlb and their various derivatives religious and intellectual divisions respectively, that were frequently of sciences5. In one of his many employed within the language works, al-Ghazālī writes: “The of the Qur’ān. For example, the Highest and noblest knowledge root ‘ilm with a number of its is the knowledge of God because verbal derivations, appears in all other forms of knowledge are the Qur’ān about 750 times1. sought for the sake of it and it is Regardless of possible reasons not sought for anything else”6. behind the frequent usage of the Another prominent intellectual notions related to knowledge, figure from classical period of understanding, spiritual illumin- Islamic civilization, namely, Ibn ation and vision and other terms, ‘Arabī, like al-Ghazālī, has widely it is certain that the Qur’anic written in this domain of study. In usage of them has brought the his reflection on the importance aspect of knowledge in Islam as of knowledge of Divine Unity, an almost inseparable component Ibn ‘Arabī has stated that “[t]he of the Islamic faith2. Indeed, intelligent person should not seek the first part of the testimony of any knowledge save that through faith in Islam “is a statement of which his essence is perfected knowledge concerning Reality”3. and which is carried along with The knowledge in question refers him wherever he may be taken. to the awareness of God who This is not but knowledge of created the entire cosmos and the God in respect of bestowal and whole chain of hierarchical beings witnessing”7. Today, in a similar contained within. In traditional fashion Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a 104 leading contemporary authority In the case of various branches on Islamic thought and philosophy of Islamic science, the principle of has argued that the “real nature of Divine Unity has always dominated intelligence is ultimately to come other aspects of knowledge. to realize that Lā ilāhe illa’Allāh, Despite numerous methods used that is to come to know that in to study different subjects, the aim the end there is only one Absolute of Muslim scholars and scientists Reality. It is to realize the absolute has always been to underline the nature of Allāh and the relativity Unity of God and consequently of all else that is other than He”8. the unicity of nature in which This knowledge of Tawhīd in everything is being perceived as Islam is regarded as the supreme a symbol pointing to the Divine knowledge or the highest truth Principle as the Cause of all that since it concerns the knowledge exists in the created realm of reality. and truth of the Highest, that is, This is best explained by Seyyed the Supreme Reality9. Hossein Nasr in the following Needless to say, the above- statement: “One might say that mentioned views and numerous the aim of all the Islamic sciences – other statements by Muslim and, more generally speaking, of all scholars on the supremacy of medieval and ancient cosmological ‘Ilm al-Tawhīd over other types of sciences – is to show the unity and sciences are almost solely based interrelatedness of all that exist, so on the Qur’anic and Sunnatic that, in contemplating the unity treatments of the subject of of the cosmos, man may be led to knowledge and its related themes. the unity of the Divine Principle, In both these sources respectively, of which the unity of Nature is the knowledge is often linked to faith image”10. or treated as a Muslim’s religious The relationship between duty. A few instances from knowledge and Islamic faith the Qur’ān and Hadīth may be however, may well be illustrated sufficient to justify this: “Among by considering the first revealed His servants, only those who have portion of the Qur’anic revelation knowledge (‘ulamā) are God- and the symbolism and messages fearing” [Qur’ān, 35:28]; “God they portrayed. Having in mind the will raise in rank those of you importance of knowledge in the who believe and who are given Islamic intellectual tradition and its knowledge” [Qur’ān, 58:11]; “The correlation with religious dogmas, seeking of knowledge is obligatory it is not surprising that the starting for every Muslim”[Ibn Mājah, 224]. point of the Islamic revelation is 105 almost exclusively concerned with in hearts and minds of Muslims knowledge and its source on the is clearly demanded for every one hand, and the way of obtaining action or thought conducted by a knowledge and its ultimate aim on Muslim, especially when it comes the other hand. The first revealed to seeking truth and discerning it verses of the Qur’ān, which form from falsehood11. The act carried the opening part of the Sūrah al- out in this manner partakes in ‘Alaq (the chapter of the Clinging the sacred be it of a worldly or Clot), state the following: “Read! of a spiritual nature. From the (Recite!) In the name of your simplest conduct to the noblest Lord and Cherisher, Who created deed, from the basic education - Created man, out of a (mere) to the higher contemplation, a clot of congealed blood: Read! Muslim is thus able to sanctify or And your Lord is Most Bountiful, transcend his action, intellection - He Who taught (the use of) the and imagination by adhering to Pen, - Taught man that which he the message of the above verses knew not” (Qur’ān, 96:1-5). This or simply to the shahādah which, Qur’anic text immediately projects for its part implies, not only one’s the three main principles among verbal witness to the oneness of others, concerning knowledge God and the messengerhood of in the context of the relationship the Prophet but also a certitude between God and humankind, and intellectual recognition of the namely, the recitation or bearing truth that it expresses. It is in this witness to the reality or truth in the context according to Nasr, that the name of God; Divine creation of a Prophetic hadīth that states: “Say human as an intelligent being; and Lā ilāha ill’Allāh and be delivered”, Divine teaching and illumination should be understood12. of human being. In the traditional On the other hand, the Islamic perspective, each of the imperative form of the verb qara’a above principles reflects certain by which the Islamic revelation has elements that are directly or commenced is very significant for indirectly connected to the Islamic two main reasons. The first one character of science developed is that the infinitive form of this within the Islamic worldview. verb, that is, qur’ān or recitation, Concerning the first principle, is the very name of the Islamic that is, iqra’ b-’i-smirabbika or revelation, while the second one ‘Read (Recite) in the name of is that in Islam a book (al-kitāb), your Lord’, it is strongly indicated yet another name of the Qur’ān13, that the presence of the Divine is the crystallization of the Divine 106 revelation in human language as qualitative to quantitative; practical well as the ultimate container of and aesthetical”16. Here it would the Divine Word14. The Qur’ān be sufficient to mention that the therefore is at once a recitation, a countless facts, occurrences and discernment and a book of Divine sights contained in nature are signs (āyāt) which besides its clear regarded as signs (āyāt) pointing exoteric meaning also possesses to the transcendental reality. In the the inner character or esoteric same way, the verses of the Qur’ān denotation hidden by veils of are called āyāt.