The purpose for the creation of mankind and Man’s role as stated in the Quran is that human beings have been placed on the earth as Almighty Allah’s representative or ‘Khalifah’. The Quranic doctrine of vice-regent or ‘Khālifah’ placed Man in the role of Amāna or trustee and custodian of the earth, thus responsible for building the earth and utilizing its resources with a sense of justice to oneself and to fellow mankind. While nature can be said to be man’s testing ground, man is instructed to read its ‘signs’ in order to understand Almighty Allah. Thus Muslims developed natural science in order to understand Almighty Allah and fulfill their role as Almighty Allah’s representatives. The role assigned to ‘Man’ by the Quran included accountability of the numerous resources given by Almighty Allah. Moreover, the Islamic concept of knowledge includes both the transcendental knowledge as well as the knowledge based on sense perception and observation. Consequently, all knowledge gained through scientific activities aims to result in human welfare; and seeks to utilize the resources of the universe for beneficial purposes; that is, there is both social justice and compassion. Hence all scientific endeavors by scientists need to be scrutinized by the values, ethics and theological standards as encompassed in Islam. In Islam the purpose of nature is for man ‘to study nature in order to discover Almighty Allah and to use nature for the benefit of mankind’. Nature can be used to provide food for mankind and its bounty is to be equally distributed among all peoples. All activities that cause harm to mankind and in turn destroy nature are forbidden.
“Mankind is inspired to study, understand and mould the natural forces for its own purposes. The point to note is the general empirical attitude of the Quran that engendered in its followers a feeling of reverence and thus made them founders of an enlightened society. This view of nature influenced the scholars of the so-called ‘Golden Age of Islam’ to undertake scientific activities that resulted in the vast corpus of scientific works of that era”.
Destruction of the natural balance is discouraged, for example, unnecessary killing of animals or removal of vegetation may in turn lead to starvation due to lack of food. This view is an extension of the idea that ‘Man’ has been placed on earth as Almighty Allah’s representative. Modern-day Muslims scholars advocate that scientists and scholars are best motivated by these underlying values when undertaking scientific endeavors. The Islamic view of nature has its roots in the Quran, the very word of Almighty Allah and the basis of Islam. Quran illustrate the relationship between nature and man and how this relationship inspires Muslim scholars to study natural phenomenon, in order to understand Almighty Allah. Quran says: “We created not the heavens, the earth, and all between them, merely in (idle) sport; we created them not except for just ends. But most of them do not understand” (Surah Al Dukhān). “Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth; In the alternation of the night and the day; In the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; In the rain which Allah sends down from the skies And the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; In the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; In the change of the winds and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth – (here) indeed are Signs for a people that are wise” (Surah Al-Baqarah). Thus mankind is inspired to study, understand and mould the natural forces for its own purposes. The point to note is the general empirical attitude of the Quran that engendered in its followers a feeling of reverence and thus made them founders of an enlightened society. This view of nature influenced the scholars of the so-called ‘Golden Age of Islam’ to undertake scientific activities that resulted in the vast corpus of scientific works of that era.
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