Sitting comfortably, cuddled in my blanket, I was reading 'The Fundamentals of Tawheed' written by Dr. Bilal Philips, when I came across the following paragraphs:
"Einstein's theory of
relativity (E=mc2 , energy is equal to mass times the
square of the speed of light) taught in all schools, is in fact an expression
of shirk in Al-Asmaa' was-Sifat. The theory states that energy can neither be
created nor destroyed; it merely transforms into matter and vice versa. However, both matter and energy are created entities and both will be destroyed..."
"... The theory also implies that mass and energy are eternal having no beginning or end since they are supposed to be uncreated and transformed into each other. However, this attribute belongs only to Allah who alone is without beginning or end."
These paragraphs really set me thinking. These scientific concepts are being taught to us since Grade seven or earlier and onwards.Are we all guilty of committing shirk? Is there anything we can do about it? Should schools, at least the Islamic ones, exclude these topics from the syllabus? Or can we add the explanation similar to the one of Dr Bilal Philip's to make our future generation more aware?
Have your say in the matter in the comments below...
I think it's safe to say that the Theory of Special Relativity (different from just plain Relativity), like all man-made concepts used to better understand the universe, applies only to human beings. Besides, the theory does not address the initial creation or destruction of the energy as that would be out of its scope. Even the Big Bang Theory does not address the creation of the energy, but rather what likely happened shortly after the energy started to expand into our universe. It's great that you're thinking about concepts that are at the merger of science and Islam, but just because something is written in a book does not mean it is right; I would encourage you to question texts and seek corroborating evidence elsewhere before putting your faith in an idea. I remember reading somewhere (I think the Quran, but possibly in ahadith) that Islam challenges us to try to better understand Allah SWTs signs in the universe, and that the more we understand, the more we will be convinced of (rather than in denial of) His oneness. Warmly, Ibn Fulan, NJ.
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