Islam calls for knowledge
Islam came and
it was the first verses of the Holy Quran that
were revealed to the Prophet,
may God bless him and grant him peace:
(1) Recite in the name of your Lord who created (2) Created( man from a clinging substance (3) Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous (4) Who taught by the
pen (5) Taught man that which he knew not.) Al-‘Alaq
The status of science in Islam
Then the revelation of the Qur’an, and many verses were mentioned in it
Say:
"Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding)
Az-Zumar.
(Allāh will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allāh is Aware of what you do)
Al-Mujādalah
(We raise in degrees whom We will, but over every possessor of knowledge is one [more] knowing.)[76]yusuf.
Only those fear Allāh, from among His servants, who have
knowledge... Fatir 28
Adam's succession on earth
And he informed the angels that he had chosen Adam to be a caliph on the earth, to populate it, to reveal its secrets, and to subjugate all that is in it to his service, and to his people for this caliphate with knowledge.
And the first to believe in Islam was Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, And upon him is the grace of knowledge,
And the Almighty said
(Allāh has revealed to you the Book and wisdom and has taught you that which you did not know. And ever has the favor of Allāh upon you been great)113 An-Nisā.
Encouraging knowledge and calling for reflection
So the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) prescribed to spread what God taught him, by giving knowledge to those around him.
Islam required the prisoners to teach a number of Muslim's sons to read and write, and education was considered a ransom for them, with which they would be released, as happened with the Badr (battle between Muslims and their enemies in the beginning of Islam) prisoners.
God Almighty says in His Holy Book
(And in yourselves. Then will you not see?)Adh-Dhāriyāt 21.
In it, he calls for a strong invitation to search within ourselves.. In how God created us and how we die.. and what is in our bodies of precise devices, instincts, emotions, and other sciences that relate to man, which are found in the sciences of medicine and psychology in its branches.
God Almighty says
(Allāh will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allāh is Aware of what you do)
11 Al-Mujādalah,
He teaches us by this that we surround the scholars with appreciation, care and honor for them in life, as God honored them, so that they may be sincere in their knowledge and advance in their production.
And God Almighty says too
(We revealed [Our message]. So ask the people of the message [i.e., former scriptures] if you do not know.)An-Nah.
He teaches us that we should have scholars who specialize in every science, that we refer in our affairs to the people of experience and specialization.
Islam respected the human mind, and called on people to look into the universe in order to realize the greatness of the Creator, the Almighty said:
(
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water (rain) which Allâh sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are indeed Ayât (proofs, evidence, signs, etc.) for people of understanding) 165 Al-Baqarah
Glory be to Him :
( 2. Allâh is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see. Then, He rose above (Istawâ) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty). He has subjected the sun and the moon (to continue going round), each running (its course) for a term appointed. He manages and regulates all affairs; He explains the Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in detail, that you may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord. 3. And it is He Who spread out the earth, and placed therein firm mountains and rivers and of every kind of fruits He made Zawjain Ithnaîn (two in pairs - may mean two kinds or it may mean: of two varieties, e.g. black and white, sweet and sour, small and big). He brings the night as a cover over the day. Verily, in these things, there are Ayât (proofs, evidence, lessons, signs, etc.) for people who reflect. 4. And in the earth are neighbouring tracts, and gardens of vines, and green crops (fields), and date-palms, growing into two or three from a single stem root, or otherwise (one stem root for every palm), watered with the same water; yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat. Verily, in these things there are Ayât (proofs, evidence, lessons, signs) for the people who understand) 2 . 3 Ar-Ra‘d.
The status of thinkers
And God praised those who reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth because they are the wise, the people of understanding and realization, and He said, Glory be to Him:
( In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. 191. Those who remember Allâh (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted are You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.) 190 191 Āl-‘Imrān
