CHAPTER SIX — Modern Possibilities

Modern Possibilities become established, it had to be demonstrable. But now this concept is no longer subscribed to. The latest academic stand in this regard is that if such facts exist as may enable a scientist to infer a theory therefrom, the theory thus inferred will be accepted as a scientifically established fact. According to this same modern criterion, evolution has been claimed to be an established fact for, even if it cannot be demonstrated, biologists hold that such facts have been discovered as prove evolution through scientific inference. This method of reasoning being validated by modern scientific discoveries is highly significant from the Islamic viewpoint. Fifty years ago, it was not possible to prove religious beliefs on the basis of scientific criteria, for science at that time accepted only demonstrable truths. It gave no credence to inferred truths. But now the Quranic method of reasoning, explaining the unseen world with reference to the seen world has become, in principle, an argument which is scientific in nature. Half a century ago, no one was willing to accept this argument as scientific. Now with this new development, we can formulate an effective theology (al-Kalam) in favour of Islam. The intellectual framework of the time of Averroes (1126-1198) was based on the Aristotleian system of logic (syllogism). When Averroes saw the universe within the framework of hypothetical logic, he did not know how to reject the eternity of matter. He thus accepted matter as being primordial and based his divine philosophy thereon. If matter is taken as eternal, i.e. never having had a beginning, then there remains no real basis for divinity. To accept matter as having existed for all time is to openly reject God as the Creator of all things. Then God, at best, is equated with the ‘First Cause.’ In modern times, however, such discoveries as the second law of thermodynamics have quite finally rejected the notion of matter being eternal. Innumerable truths of a similar nature have provided us with very firm grounds for presenting Islamic beliefs on a strong rational basis. This had been a great, unsolved problem which engaged the