REVEALED KNOWLEDGE AND SECULAR KNOWLEDGE — Both Are Important

One day, as the Prophet was passing through the outskirts of Medina, he noticed that some people, who had climbed up the date palms, were engaged in some activity. On inquiring what they were busy with, they explained that they were fertilizing the trees. Traditionally, they did this by the artificial pollination of the date flowers, and this ensured a good crop. But when the Prophet asked, “What if you don’t do it?”, the people, in deference to his judgement climbed down the trees without completing their task. That year the yield was very low. When the Prophet inquired why the yield was so low that particular year, the orchard keepers replied that the yield depended on the pollination, which they had been carrying out when he had stopped them. On hearing this, the Prophet replied: “Continue doing as you used to, since you know the matters of the world better than I do.” This incident illustrates how the Prophet separated religious knowledge from a practical matter such as horticulture. In fact, the principle evident in this was applicable not just to horticulture, but to all natural matters governed by the laws of nature. The clear inference is that what is demonstrable in nature, yielding itself to research and experiment, will be accepted by Islam as established, empirical knowledge. Material progress is based on the knowledge of nature. The same principle may be applied to all other scientific disciplines, for instance, to geology, astronomy, engineering and so on. Islam is quite clear on this point that all of these are the subject matter not of religion but of scientific research. For instance, if experiment shows that water boils at 100ºC, it will be accepted as such without any dispute. Only that will be held valid which has been proved by scientific research and experiment. All discoveries must be verifiable. Nothing will be accepted on the basis of mere speculation. Historically, this Islamic policy of the division of religion and science is extremely important, as it opened the door to scientific progress for the first time in human history. Prior to the advent of Islam, this policy of division had never been followed, so that science remained the mere handmaiden of religion.