I
slam & Our World
The Prophet (saw) said that seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim whether
male or female. This hadith to seek knowledge in Islam has often been interpreted as being all knowledge including worldly
knowledge. This interpretation has been argued and it needs to be understood within the context of the Qur’an and Sunnah,
in which the meaning of Ilm is knowledge of deen - religion. Therefore we need to find the relationship between
religious and worldly knowledge, and how one is linked to the other.
Islam is the complete way of life and everything is within Islam, then how does the Qur’an and Ahadith
lead to obtaining worldly knowledge and how does application of this knowledge fit into our religious duties. This is when
we investigate further and discover all the avenues of knowledge and basis of science that have been discovered through the
Qur’an and Sunnah.
The knowledge of the world we live in and everything around us can only exist by the infinite grace, knowledge
and the sublime will of Allah (swt). He has revealed the secrets of His kingdom, bestowing upon us sufficient knowledge of
His world in order for us to achieve the means by which we can earn our Rizq - living. However earning a living is
a small reward for obtaining knowledge, in fact true reward for seeking knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah is to become
closer to Allah (swt) and becoming wiser and pious. The great scholars of Islam searched for the knowledge of the world and
creation, not for worldly rewards of fame and fortune but to achieve wisdom and intellect. The result was that the first scientists
in history came from the Arab world as well as mathematicians and great historians all originated from the land of Islam.
The study and development of Medicine also had an Islamic base.