| Stating that knowledge should incorporate faith in God, Ayatollah Sobhani said,” It’s likely that in some cases human knowledge reaches a point where it poses a threat against humankind; nuclear bombs are a consequence of knowledge without faith in God.’ |
Hawzah News Agency- Stating that knowledge should incorporate faith in God, Ayatollah Sobhani said,” It’s likely that in some cases human knowledge reaches a point where it poses a threat against humankind; nuclear bombs are a consequence of knowledge without faith in God.’
According to Hawzah News, speaking at his telecast program for IRIB channel 1, Ayatollah Sobhani answered a question on why the holy Quran only invites people to have faith in God while the society also needs knowledge together with faith. He said, “This question is basically wrong since Quran invites humankind to both knowledge and religious faith,”
He then referred to 56th verse of Surah Ar-Rum in Quran
“وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ وَالْإِيمَانَ لَقَدْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْبَعْثِ“
and added, ” How is it possible that the Quran invites people to have faith, but it does not invite them to improve their knowledge and science? More than 700 words derived from the Arabic root ‘Elm’ (knowledge) has been mentioned in the Quran in various forms.”
He also referred to the 11th verse of Surah Al-Mujadilah:
«يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجَاتٍ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ»
And added,” God states in this verse that on the Day of Judgment he will bestow grand positions upon the followers of both Knowledge and religion,”
“When the Holy Quran was revealed to the Holy Prophet, only 28 literate people resided in the cities of Mecca and Medina, Surah Al-Qalam has been revealed in such circumstances of extreme ignorance and illiteracy amongst people, it is then that God swears to the pen,”
Ayatollah Sobhani went on to ask a question that if, as some people claim, literacy and knowledge are not respected in Islam, then why does God swears by the Pen in the Quran. The first Quranic verses revealed to the Prophet (PBUH) were related to reading and writing.
Pointing at the significant position of faith and considering it as a form of proximity to God and human perfection and felicity in life, he remarked, “Knowledge leads to unfolding life’s mysteries and strengthens religious faith,”
“Those who are more knowledgeable are able to know God better, provided that while unfolding life’s mysteries they take God’s existence and authority over the universe into consideration; in addition to their materialistic theories and findings,”
The grand jurist then highlighted the importance of Muslim’s education in Prophet’s (PBUH) words saying, “The Holy Prophet of Islam had said that the liberation of the captives of the Battle of Badr was conditional on them teaching the people of Medina how to read and write.”
Reiterating that human knowledge should be controlled by his faith in God, Ayatollah Sobhani said,” It’s likely in some cases human knowledge reaches a point where it poses a threat against humankind; nuclear bombs are a consequence of knowledge without faith in God.
