THE 16th century philosopher, Sir Francis Bacon, coined a now-famous phrase: “For also knowledge itself is power.”
However, about 1,000 years before Bacon, Islam had already acknowledged this fact. From the very first verse of the Quran, Islam has impressed upon its believers the importance of knowledge.
The first revelation to the Prophet Muhammad (Verses 1 to 5 of Surah al-‘Alaq) is to the effect that:
Read! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created–Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood.
Read! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful, He Who taught (the use of) the Pen, Taught man that which he knew not.”
This first revelation can be interestingly linked to the importance of research and development (R & D).
The word iqra’ (which is the first word of the revelation) means “read.” Reading is recognised as the key to the acquisition of knowledge.
It is, therefore, not surprising to find many verses in the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet of Islam that highlight the magnitude of acquiring and having knowledge.
The second important substance found from this first revelation is the biological aspect of the creation of man.
The mention of man being created of “a (mere) clot of congealed blood” is an accurate description of the development of a foetus in the mother’s womb.
This biological fact was proven scientifically more than 1,000 years after the revelation of the verse to Prophet Muhammad.
While this knowledge is accepted today, this was not the case centuries ago. Only through R & D would this fact be established true.
The third interesting point from the first verse is the mention of the word qalam which is literally translated into “pen”. It signifies the importance of writing.
From this, we can see the Quran is very much consistent with the culture of R & D.
Researchers all over the world know that a research finding has to be published.
Publications of research findings would help in the dissemination of knowledge.
Hence, there is a need for researchers to acquire the skill of putting their research findings on paper. In other words, they need to write. This will enable mankind to be “taught of that which he knew not”–another point raised in the first revelation.
It is therefore clear that Islam and R & D go hand in hand ever since the time when God created the first man.Man has been bestowed with the gift of the mind or ‘aql. The mind has the capacity to gather very large quantity of “data” which is later organised into “information” which is then stored as “knowledge” which makes up his “wisdom”.
However, it must be understood that while man has the ability to learn, only God has the knowledge of all things as God is All-Knowing and All-Wise, as attested in Verse 62 of Surah al-Ankabut of the Quran: “. . . for God has full knowledge of all things.”
In defining the Islamic scientific culture, we can say it is a manifestation of knowledge which emphasises a continuous, systematic and planned effort in obtaining the truth and unveiling the secrets of the physical world using the creativity of the mind ‘(aql),logic and rationale.This effort has the ultimate aim of obtaining the blessings of the Almighty Creator.
This Islamic scientific culture differs from other scientific cultures.
The Greeks, for instance, based their scientific culture purely on “Aristotelian logic” which puts a great emphasis on mathematics.
To the Greeks, the whole world is a huge puzzle waiting to be deciphered by man.
Everything in this world can be classified into groups. In other words, Greek science puts order into chaos. This was the key ingredient that propelled the Greek civilisation into an era of greatness.
Compare this to the Chinese scientific culture. The Chinese scientific approach used the two fundamental forces of Yin and Yang. The classic literature, I Ching, contains a mathematical exposition of the Yin and Yang theory.
Within this theoretical framework, Chinese science achieved tremendous heights.
Looking back at the history of mankind and civilisation, the foundation of modern science and technology was established between 750 and 1500 AD which saw the Islamic civilisation at its peak.
The rise of the Islamic civilisation was mainly due to the emphasis put on research and development in the areas of science and technology.
However, it has to be stressed that the Muslims are not the first to study science.
In fact, it was the Greeks, Indians and Chinese that laid the foundations for science.
Nonetheless, the fact still remains that Muslims were the ones who were responsible in bringing the culture of R & D in science and technology to greater heights.
The Muslims had conducted laboratory experiments over 1,000 years ago. The research findings were recorded and compiled for the benefits of other people.
As the Muslims of the 21st century, we surely do not want to reminisce, in nostalgia, Islamic glories of the past.
The reality of today sees the Muslims as a weak ummah, unable to act on their own terms and without technological advantages.This reality, which is made out to be the stereotypical view of Muslims, must be rectified. Who better to rectify this than the Muslims themselves?
Muslims must go back to the basics. What sets apart our Muslim counterparts of centuries gone-by was their unrelentless pursuit of knowledge.
The Muslim scholars, including Muslim scientists of yesteryears, were motivated by the Divine Revelation. Faith inspired all these great men of science.
The Quran is the summation of human knowledge. Muslim scientists succeeded in giving light on the relationship between faith and reason.
Centuries ago, we see that Muslims were the innovators and inventors of technology.Today, however, we see that Muslims are mere end users of technology. To be a strong ummah, Muslims should strive to develop new technologies, and not just use them.
It is noted that it takes time for new technologies to arrive at the Developing World.
Most Muslim countries are in the Developing World. More often than not, by the time the new technologies finally arrive, they would have already been obsolete.
Therefore, it is important for Muslim countries to institutionalise the culture of R & D to be self-dependent.
It is interesting to note that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, at the recent Asia-Europe Summit, said the transfer of technology from developed nations is very costly. The alternative to transfer of technology would be to develop our own technology based on a strong R & D culture.
While it is true that establishing our own R & D facilities require a huge sum of money but, in the long run, it is for the better.