Tuesday, March 3, 2009

452)Science and Religion in The Islamic World, a Talk by Professor Mehdi Golshani at Cambridge University's Faraday Institute; Quotes of Aga Khans

"And the more we discover, the more we know, the more we penetrate just below the surface of our normal lives - the more our imagination staggers.........What we feel, even as we learn, is an ever-renewed sense of wonder, indeed, a powerful sense of awe – and of Divine inspiration.....the Power and the Mystery of Allah as the Lord of Creation"(Aga Khan IV, Ottawa, Canada, December 6th 2008)

"The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims"(Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan University Inauguration Speech, Karachi, Pakistan, November 11th 1985)

"The God of the Quran is the One whose Ayats(Signs) are the Universe in which we live, move and have our being"(Aga Khan III, April 4th 1952)

"Nature is the great daily book of God whose secrets must be found and used for the well-being of humanity"(Aga Khan III, Radio Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan, February 19th 1950)

The above are 4 quotes and excerpts taken from Blogpost Four Hundred, a collection of about 100 quotes on the subjects of Knowledge, Intellect, Creation, Education, Science and Religion:
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html

http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2008/12/21/easy-nashs-blogpost-four-hundred-updated-with-quotes-from-the-opening-of-the-delegation-of-the-ismaili-imamat/



Science and Religion in the Islamic World

2 March 2009

The scientist and philosopher Mehdi Golshani will discuss the current debate about science and religion in the Islamic World during a seminar at the Faraday Institute at St Edmunds College on Tuesday (March 3).

Professor Golshani is an Iranian theoretical physicist and philosopher and is renowned for his writings on the relationship of science and religion, particularly in relation to Islam.

"The secular worldview is short-sighted, in my view, and does not see beyond science - this has to change," he said. "In the Islamic worldview, you admit there is a God, you have to search nature to find the handiwork of God - there is a purpose in life and there is a moral dimension to the world."

During his talk he will speak about the effects of developments in modern science and the impact of Western thought and how this has created differences of opinion between Muslim scholars.
Professor Golshani will also discuss how historically Muslim scientists 'did not see any separation between science and religion, rather they considered the pursuit of knowledge a kind of religious duty, even as worship.'

Mehdi Golshani is the founder and chairman of the Faculty of Philosophy and Science at Sharif University of Technology, he is also the director of the Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran.

The Faraday Institute of Science and Religion covers topics from stem-cells and cloning, to the Big Bang and the origins of the universe. The Institute also provides accurate and up-to-date information to help inform and improve public understanding of the interaction between science and religion. It also aims to make academic research accessible to the public through close links with a network of experts from diverse disciplines including astrophysics, geology neuroscience, genetics, evolutionary biology, theology and history and philosophy of science.

The seminar is free and open to the public; it will take place on March 3 at 1pm in The Garden Room, St Edmund's College. Lunch is available from 12.30 up until the start of the seminar.

Related:
http://webwanderings.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/science-and-religion-in-the-islamic-world-university-of-cambridge/#comment-330



Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)