CLASH BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RELIGION

The same was the case with mysticism. The mystic philosophers believed that they could attain the higher truth through contemplation and love, without the medium of human reason, or recourse to any other external source. The history of mysticism spans several thousand years. Many have wanted to learn the truth through mysticism, but after long experience found that what man finally attains through mysticism is ecstasy. In the matter of truth, ecstasy has no importance. The highlight of human existence is consciousness, or the mind. The successful seeker of truth finds it at the level of the consciousness, and not at the level of ecstasy. A trance-like condition in a state of unawareness has been given the beautiful name of ecstasy, but truth is about discovering the higher reality at the level of consciousness. A material analogy is that of an electric bulb and the powerhouse. The bulb in its un-activated state is a lightless object. With no inherent light, it lacks the innate ability to give light to others. When connected to the powerhouse, it immediately lights up, becomes bright, giving light to others. This exemplifies the criterion for discovering truth. Finding the truth is like finding a light. Mysticism does not fulfil this criterion; its pursuit leads to abstraction. For a conscious being like man, an un-awakened mind cannot realize the Higher Reality of God. God can be realized only through a developed mind. Science has the last word in this matter. Modern science has undoubtedly given man many things from telecommunication to consumer goods, but in the matter of truth, science has made it clear that the discovery of truth is not its domain. A Western scholar has rightly said that the field of knowledge is vast, and can be classified as knowledge of things and knowledge of truth. Scholars agree that the domain of science is limited only to the knowledge of things. The knowledge of truth is beyond the sphere of science. Science is not even a candidate for the position of purveyor of truth. The study of man tells that deeper knowledge is required to determine how to lead life in this world. This has been dealt with in detail by Alexis Carrel in his book, Man the Unknown. It has to be conceded that man cannot discover this necessary knowledge through his own efforts and, therefore, he requires external guidance. Studying the life of the Prophet Muhammad, we learn that without doubt, the Prophet is the man who is our real guide and God’s representative. o