Science and Islam provides a detailed account of the relationship between Islam and science from the emergence of the Islamic scientific tradition in the eighth century to the present time. This relationship has gone through three distinct phases. The first phase began with the emergence of science in the Islamic civilization in the eighth century and ended with the rise of modern science in the West; the second period is characterized by the arrival of modern science in the Muslim world, most of which at that time was under colonial occupation; and the third period, which began around 1950, is characterized by a more mature approach to the major questions that modern science has posed for all religious traditions.
Based on primary sources, the book presents a panorama of Islamic views on some of the major issues in the current science and religion discourse. Written in accessible language, Science and Islam is an authentic account of the multi-faceted and complex issues that arise at the interface of Islamic intellectual tradition and science. Rich in historical details, the book is a fascinating survey of the interaction of Islamic beliefs with the enterprise of science.
Reviews
“This is an excellent book. It is a model for any studies on the relation of a particular religious tradition to science.” – Catholic Library World
“[The author] has an agreeably caustic and aggressive approach to outdated and erroneous ideas about the history of science. The book is a polemical essay, rather than a history, and welcome as such.” – Times Literary Supplement [TLS]
“Scientist, Islamic scholar, novelist, and poet Iqbal first explains why the two-entity model of science and religion developed to analyze Western Christianity does not apply to Islam. Then he explores such questions as what was Islamic in Islamic science, whether there were tensions within the Islamic tradition that may have inhibited the full blossoming of scientific activity, how Islamic scientific knowledge was passed to Europe, and what new facets of the relationship between science and Islam have appeared in the post-Scientific Revolution era.” – SciTech Book News