Can science answer all our questions?

Anything about which reason can be fully convinced falls under the "umbrella of science." Science is expanding day by day, conquering the whole earth from inside and outside, across the Maghrib and the East. The earth is narrow for mankind, and he is able to learn the secrets of the universe as long as Allah makes him able.

There are many definitions of science. The most common of them, and the closest to the truth, is "taking something at face value". That is, any concept existing in the human mind that corresponds to the reality of the external world is considered direct science. As linguists have noted, despite the fact that science and enlightenment are slightly different in terms of word and meaning, their meanings intersect at one point.

But despite its great progress and amazing achievements, science still falls short of its goals.

The meaning of the word "Science" includes all the elements that revealed the truth and showed the reality as it is during the past centuries through feelings and experiences or various forms of rational reasoning and its parts (the importance of correlation and comparison).

Everything that the mind can be sure of (whether in the past or in the present) is within the scope of science if it is determined by the appropriate rational method.

The word "science" kept its broad and free content until the Renaissance (a series of literary and cultural movements in Europe in the 14th and 16th centuries), which limited its meaning, narrowed its horizons, and limited it to a single path consisting of experience, intuition, and observation. In any case, by science I mean medicine, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and a number of experimental sciences.

Now a slightly different question arises: Can the empirical sciences explain everything? Can they afford it?

Answer: No! As we said above, science, despite all its great progress and great achievements, is still lagging behind its goal and unable to fully conquer this infinite universe. In the Holy Qur'an, Allah has blessed us like this:

"You have been given very little knowledge" (Surah Isra, verse 85).

The gift of the mind, through which we received knowledge, studied, analyzed and researched, conducted experiments, was created by Allahu Ta'ala with certain limits. It reaches this limit and stops there. Man cannot understand anything he wants through the mind. Naturally, intelligent people do not object to this. Man's mind is limited just as his senses are limited. Imam Ghazali, may God have mercy on him, says:

"O one who longs for the world of the mind, do not falsely think that behind the mind there is another stage that reveals secrets that cannot be revealed through it"...

"Follow me, because I have a light from the light of the Creator, which is blessed. He guides me to his path, guides me to the right path, and gives me knowledge that you do not know. And the way to him can be reached only through me"...

Shaykh Abdurrahman Hasan Habannaka interprets Ghazali's words in the book "Fighting Atheists":

"Things beyond the limits of the mind can be too far for the mind and beyond imagination. Because the mind is limited in a certain place and it cannot cross the limit. But things that are judged as absolutely impossible for the mind cannot be beyond the limits of the mind. There is a big difference between what the human mind cannot perceive and what it absolutely rejects or affirms. What the mind cannot perceive is what it cannot judge, but what the mind absolutely affirms or rejects is another matter altogether.'

Therefore, there are such topics as the essence of the soul, heaven, hell and the afterlife, angels and demons, about which neither reason nor science can say anything. In terms of miracles, as well as in topics such as virtue, beauty, happiness, especially in our life, "Why was I created?" What is my mission in this universe? Where will I go after I die?' Science cannot give any explanation or explanation to the most important questions like; can't find a clear answer that convinces the heart, comforts the soul...

In the face of these truths, the dreams of science fail, and the hopes of reason end. Because such questions are not among the things that reason and science can judge and do not belong to their scope. At such a time, the true religion, which has not been corrupted or destroyed by the corrupters, appears on the scene, and in response to what reason and science consider a miracle, it says to them: "Follow me, for I have a light from the light of the Creator, which is blessed. He guides me to his path, guides me to the right path, and gives me knowledge that you do not know. This path can be reached only through me"...

The position of the human mind and scientific research methods regarding unseen things (truths not visible to the eye) can be summarized as follows:

1. Determining the reliability of the message and verifying the validity of its content;

2. Do not accept messages that have not been verified based on the message verification rules;

3. Rejection of thoughts and ideas that are logically impossible and contrary to the strict judgments of the mind, such as uniting opposites or affirming the existence of a partner with Allah Ta'ala.

Also, science itself is powerless to explain and explain everything. If he wants to discover hidden truths, he must use a beacon to guide him. And this beacon of light is the true religion. To be more specific, this religion is Islam.

This method is also called "rules of the science of narration" or "determining and checking the correctness and reliability of the message" developed by Muslim scholars on the basis of three scientific fields - the science of hadith, the science of jarh and ta'dil, and the science of biography.

Our conclusion about the inability of science to reach all its dreams and the dominance of religion over science is based on Roger Trigg's Can Science Explain Everything? is also supported in

The author firmly believes that science must rely on a power higher than itself, and emphasizes that it is necessary to receive guidance from this power - the unseen world. He says on page 9 of his book:

"Religion undoubtedly played a historical role in providing the intellectual environment in which modern science developed. This may seem strange to those who believe that science and religion are opposed to each other. But considering a Creator as the source of intelligence and the ultimate explanation of the logical structure inherent in the world provides a useful scientific alternative model based on prima facie acceptance of truth."

So, science alone cannot explain everything, it is powerless. Whoever wants to discover the hidden, unseen truths, he must use religion, especially Islam, as a guiding beacon.

Bashar Bakur, Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Faculty of Science and Humanities, International Islamic University of Malaysia.