Some of the most challenging and exciting areas of research, deal with various forms of ‘origin’ questions. Origin of life. Origin of the Earth. Origin of human beings. Origin of consciousness. And of course, the origin of the universe. These are not only hard problems, but also represent some of humanity’s biggest questions. It is no wonder then, that these ‘origin’ questions not only capture the attention of scientists and general public alike, but often also serve as the conduit into science for budding scientists, in high schools around the world.

But these questions also straddle the boundaries of science and religion. There is perhaps an inherent tension here, between the limits of knowable science and the beginnings of unknowable mysteries. For most people, this tension doesn’t impact their daily lives. Since the belief in miracles is quite common, not just in Muslim societies, but all around the world, it is easy to ascribe origin mysteries, and other unexplained occurrences, to the Divine. A medical doctor or an engineer may still approach their work in a pragmatic way, without being affected by their outlook on ‘origin’ miracles.

The origin of Life?

For a scientist or a scientist in training, such an approach poses problems. I have run into students and educated individuals, who take pleasure in the failure of science to provide answers. The origin(s) of life, in particular, is an area in their crosshairs. I can understand the desire for this. To use a sports analogy, science has been so successful in explaining physical phenomena, that there is an urge to root against it. If for nothing else but to say “See – science doesn’t have all the answers”. Unfortunately, they often go one step further and ascribe God’s miraculous action, as the default alternative to the as yet unsolved problem, thus unwittingly creating an either/or relation between science and religion.

Indeed, scientists do not know how life started here on Earth. But science usually thrives on the boundaries of failures and unknowns. After all, it is these very areas of unknowns, that become fertile grounds for future PhDs, that end up solving hard problems. A resort to a belief in miracles in such instances, would in fact, be anathema to this whole enterprise.

We can take lessons from history of science. Just a few centuries ago, the origins of the Earth and the Solar System were considered problems beyond the limits of science. Today, we have an excellent scientific understanding of the formation of the Sun and the planets that make up our Solar system. No gaps, no miracles. In fact, I find the ‘nebular theory of the formation of solar system’ to be quite beautiful, as it elegantly explains not only the origins of rocky and gaseous planets, but it also elucidates the reasons why planets have particular rotations around their respective axes, and the origins of asteroids and comets. If one desires, the elegance of the physical laws behind the explanations, can indeed be attributed to the Divine, but the rest is fully explained in a naturalistic framework.

In order to produce good scientists at a consistent level in the Muslim world, we have to instill a mindset in science classrooms, that eschews the notion of miracles when it comes to the physical world. All unsolved problems, including those at the boundaries of science and religion, may then be approached within the framework of methodological naturalism – an assumption that for practical purposes, all causes are empirical and natural. At the same time, we must appreciate, that beliefs in various historical miracles, are also central to most religions, including Islam, and numerous rituals, tenets, and practices revolve around these very beliefs. In this sense, a belief in miracles is about religion and not about seeking a physical explanation, of how the world works.

But this is a fine needle to thread. After all, how does one demarcate the domains of miracles and science? And if one accepts that there is a precedence of violation of physical laws (I’m using miracles here in this particular sense) in history, it is easy to extend such explanations to the present as well. Furthermore, for many, the questions of ‘origin of life’ fall squarely in the miraculous domain, and it is the encroachment of science, that is the problem. And yet, the introduction of miracles as an explanation, is an end to scientific inquiry.

This is a hard problem. But a Deistic/naturalistic approach to the physical world may be essential to building an effective scientific culture in the Muslim world. There cannot be an end to inquiry – especially when it comes to ‘origin’ questions. A belief in miracles, in this sense, will have to be banished from any scientific question, but may still play a role in religious life. When it comes to the future of science in the Muslim world, this is an important needle to thread. I hope that the scientific answer to how life began on Earth (and perhaps on other planets), comes from a laboratory somewhere in the Muslim world.

Salman Hameed is Director of Center for the Study of Science in Muslim Societies (SSiMS) and Associate Professor of Integrated Science and Humanities at Hampshire College, USA. He writes on Irtiqa blog at irtiqa-blog.com.

Dr. Saleem H. Ali, Member of the Editorial Committee, localhost/muslim

Inculcating scientific empiricism within Muslim societies, continues to be a challenge task across the world because of continuing perceptions, that science is an antithesis to theology. However, environmental science has the potential to provide a neutral platform for driving science education because it has a fundamental connection with the enchantment of natural systems, within Quranic narratives.

Although much has been written about ecological themes within Islamic societies, the time has now come, for a more concerted effort at promoting environmental education within Islamic schools. There is an emerging environmental movement within Muslim societies, that needs to be further professionalized within the educational system, through practical programs of experiential learning.

An experiment in environmental education

Environmental Education

Last year, I had the pleasure of organizing a one-week environmental service-learning program at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, aimed at training key Muslim educational leaders in experiential education tools. Zaytuna is the first undergraduate Muslim college, which is aiming for full academic accreditation within the next 2 years.

Our goal in this program was to “train the trainers” by inviting school principals from leading Muslim schools around the United States, to incorporate environmental science and hands-on experiential education in gardens, forests and other natural systems, as part of their curriculum. These school leaders, in turn, agreed to develop long-term environmental educational modules within their Islamic schools and allow for positive systemic awareness of ecological ethics.

The time I spent with this group of around 15 dedicated Muslim educators and our field visits with community members, gave me hope for fostering greater connectivity between Islamic societies and science and also using this as a mechanism, for fostering better community relations.

Infusing environmental activism within Muslim communities

The infusion of environmental themes in communities, has been widely documented in the literature on ecological psychology, to help in community peace-building. An overarching objective of this program, was to utilize a common humanistic issue, such as environmental conservation, which is predicated on fundamental scientific facts as a means of creating social resilience, while making connections with theological tenets on stewardship of the earth. The primary impact metric for this program, will be the dissemination of the curriculum in as many schools as possible, after the training of the imams and school leaders has been established. Since environmental education can also be measured in terms of on-the-ground impact in behavioral change, we will strive to get data on how specific projects and student behavioral changes occurred through survey tools, which are also included in the budget. Metrics in this regard could include: a) improvement in recycling rates on sites; b) changes in student consumer behavior in terms of food product choice decisions; c) Water and energy conservation metrics.

Conflict between science and faith

Science remains contested within Islamic societies because of entrenched inertia among theologians, on issues such as evolution or cosmological origins. Yet, proximate understanding of the basic principles of ecology, can help Muslim students realize that the wonders of natural systems and their development, do not ultimately contradict Islamic beliefs, so long as they are willing to move beyond textual literalism.

Even if some of the Faithful are reluctant to accept adaptive interpretations that accommodate modern scientific tenets, the instrumental importance of environmental science in conserving the Creation, is enough reason for its inclusion in Islamic curricula.

Introducing localhost/muslim’s special issue on climate science

The advent of a dynamic educational portal, such as MuslimScience.com, can create much more interaction between environmental educators in Islamic countries. Sharing field experiences, research findings and conservation ideas across communities, is profoundly empowering to educators. An organic garden planted in a primary year of school, can grow and flourish, as students move through their years of education and understand the functioning of the natural system they helped to nourish.

This special issue of MuslimScience.com, which covers a broad range of environmental issues facing the planet from water scarcity to climate change to energy shortages, is intended to spark a quest for ecological solutions, but also a broader quest for learning, understanding and respecting our natural systems, on which all life depends.

Dr. Saleem H. Ali is the Director for Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining at University of Queensland, Australia. Twitter @saleem_ali