FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for people with intelligence, those who remember God standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying) “Our Lord! You have not created all this in vain (without purpose), Glory be to You!” (3: 190-91) This, we can say, was the intellectual seed which in academic circles is referred to as the spirit of enquiry. According to Arnold Toynbee and other world historians, this spirit of enquiry was the first and foremost prerequisite for the inauguration of the scientific era and the elimination of a superstitious outlook on nature and life. So, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is the Quran that has laid the foundation of modern science. On the other hand, the Prophet himself has dealt with day-to-day problems of life in accordance with this realistic approach taught by the Quran. Consequently the same realistic approach became an integral part of the frame of mind of his Companions. They all became curious, inquisitive and realistic in all matters of life. For example, once the Prophet passed by an oasis where he found the farmers, who were date planters, at work. When he asked what they were doing, he was told that they were pollinating the clusters of dates in order to produce a better yield. The Prophet expressed his disapproval of this process. Knowing this, the farmers immediately stopped it. Later on the Prophet was told that due to lack of proper pollination, the yield had been very low as compared to the previous years. On hearing this, the Prophet replied: “You know your worldly matters better.” (Sahih Bukhari). In other words, experiment and observation should be the final criterion in such worldly matters. The invitation of the Quran to enquiry on the one hand, and the encouragement of the Prophet to engage in direct observation and reflection on the other, led the Muslims to study everything objectively. They started learning eagerly from everyone irrespective of their religious and cultural origins. This trend of insatiable curiosity and open mindedness motivated the succeeding generations during the Umayyad and Abbasid times to enthusiastically learn and translate the cultural legacy of other nations, particularly the Persian, Greek The Quran and Hadith both hold men of knowledge preferable to the ignorant.