SCIENCE VERSUS MIRACLES — Authentication of Religious Truths

The Prophet of Islam brought the divine message to mankind in the first quarter of the 7th century A.D., and the scientific age appeared a thousand years later. This scientific age was not a mere co-incidence but was the direct result of the revolutionary message conveyed by the Prophet. With the Prophet’s message, for the first time in the history of mankind, the domination of nature worship was abolished. After the end of the worship of nature, a new process of exploration began. The result of this process was the scientific revolution. In ancient times man had taken the wonders of nature as objects of worship. What was thus revered as divine was not treated as a subject of study and research. In this way, the spirit of enquiry was missing due to this mental block. After the revolutionary message of the Prophet of Islam, a new process in history began. Man became engaged in the research and the study of nature. This continued relentlessly till the scientific discoveries of the modern age. The hitherto hidden secrets of nature were unveiled as natural events. The Quran refers to this as 'the appearance of signs in nature and universe'. Modern Science is the other name for Natural Sciences. It was the manifestation of the predictions of the Quran. Looking at it in this context, modern Science is a replacement for the miracles of ancient times. It has become the theology of the true religion. Modern Science now provides the veracity to religion that in earlier periods was provided by supernatural miracles. Modern Science now provides the veracity to religion that in earlier periods was provided by supernatural miracles. There are two aspects of modern science — Theoretical Sciences and Technical Sciences. Theoretical Science uses modern methods to discover the realities of nature. In contrast, Technical Science is the practical application of the scientific discoveries of Theoretical Science. Technical Science led to the development of modern technology which makes use of machines. In this matter, our reference is with regard to Theoretical Science and not Technical Science. According to one Hadith, this matter is mentioned in the following words: Amongst the Prophets, every Prophet was given such signs that his contemporaries would accept or acknowledge, and to me was given the miracle of revelation (Quran). Therefore, I hope that on the day of judgement the people who believe in my message will be more in number.