The Importance of Technology in the Development of Islamic

Counties

What was the means by which the Prophet developed the Sahaba,
their community and the entire Ummah? He taught them:

Seek knowledge even if it be in China.1[1]

It was through a cultural ethos informed by the Qurnic order to seek

Gods Signs in His creation and to ponder on them, that the sciences
were built in Islam on the foundations of rational inquiry and logical
thought while simultaneously seeking the philosophical and
theological underpinnings to their observations. In this way, the
Muslim world quickly surpassed its counterparts in developing
science and research methodology, practical experimentation, and
methods of confirming theory with observation - methods that are still
followed today in modern laboratories and technical institutions.

The hadith:

Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim2[2]

was applied in every sphere of life from the religious to the most
outwardly secular, for in Islam nothing was considered outside the
[1]adth Hasan Mashhr. Narrated from Anas by al-Bayhaq in Shuab al-mn and al-
Madkhal, Ibn Abd al-Barr in Jami Bayn al-Ilm, and al-Khtib through three chains at the
opening of his al-Rila f alab al-adth (p. 71-76 #1-3) where Shaykh Nr al-Dn Itr
declares it weak (daf). Also narrated from Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbs, Ibn Masd, Jbir, and
Ab Sad al-Khur, all through very weak chains. The adth master al-Mizz said it has so
many chains that it deserves a grade of fair (asan), as quoted by al-Sakhw in al-Maqsid
al-asana. Al-Iraq in his Mughn anh aml al-asfar similarly stated that some scholars
declared it sound (sa) for that reason.

[2] A fair (asan) narration in Ibn Mjah because of its many chains as stated by al-Mizz, al-
abarn in al-Kabr, ibn Ad in al-Kmil, al-Bayhaq in Shuab al-mn, while Dr.
Muammad Ajj al-Khtib in his notes on al-Khtib's al-Jmi (2:462-463) declared it
sound due to its witness-chains (sa li ghayrih).

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realm of Gods Divine Command and thus every aspect of existence
was considered addressed by the order seek knowledge

Due to this zeal for knowledge inspired by the Prophet in the hearts of
his followers literally millions of books such were authored and
disseminated across the Muslim world.

It was such inspiration as provided by the Prophet through Sayyidina

Al and his school and the other Companions and their schools that
evolved the sciences of astronomy, physics, chemistry, optics,
pharmacology, botany, zoology, geology, mineralogy, medicine,
dentistry, and surgery, as well as the more abstract fields like logic,
mathematics and philosophy. From these schools came the likes of
Jbir ibn ayn, father of modern chemistry who studied under Jfar
a-diq; Muammad Ibn Ms al-Khawarizm, who founded modern
mathematics - including the fundamentals of algebra - in the early
800s, and studied the sciences of astronomy and geography with his
renowned contemporary al-Kind who did research as well in physics,
music, psychology and medicine. Al-Birn is credited with founding
the modern scientific method. Ibn Sn, known in the West as
Avicenna, was renowned not only for his contributions to medical
science, for which he was known as the 'doctor of doctors.' In
particular his work the Canon (al-Qnn) became the fountainhead of
Western medicine in the early Renaissance, influencing the likes of
Da Vinci and displacing Galen as the primary source of medical
knowledge. Ibn Rushd (Averroes) was known for his tremendous
contributions to the science of astronomy in the form of the book the
Almagest, used by the Europeans long after Islamic civilizations
twilight.

I could go on and on naming the great Muslim scientists and

technologists but the point has been made science, research and
technology are a natural part of the Islamic value-system. And just as
attention to matters of religion have declined in the last half-
millennium, so too has the attention to these finer aspects of the faith.
It is thus no wonder that with the decline in the religiosity of the
Ummah as predicted by the Prophet, the material aspects have faded
as well, so that today the Ummah is a mere shadow of its former

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greatness. We thank Allah that an illness once known can be treated,
as the Prophet informed us, Allah has not made a disease without
appointing a remedy for it, with the exception of one: old age,[3] but
misdiagnosis at this late stage will result in mistreatment and further
degradation. For today, our Ummah is under an illness and only with
inspiration from Allah and guidance from the Qurn and Sunnah can
a remedy be found.

The scientists that developed in Islams civilization knew the

importance of knowledge and discovery. The Qurn repeatedly
admonishes the believers to study Allahs Creation:

And He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is in the heavens
and on earth: Behold, in that are Signs indeed for those who
reflect.[4]

Whoever delves deeply into the understanding of many verses and

adth that reveal information about todays discoveries cannot fail
to understand that Islam builds up the nation and addresses the
importance of stretching the boundaries of knowledge and its
implementations.

We can see this in the teachings of the Prophet in Qurn and hadith
regarding the importance of science and seeking knowledge. All such
discoveries will eventually lead to the development of technology in
its various forms directed towards building the well-being of the
Nation and for use in promoting God-consciousness taqw.

For if we truly believe in Islam and in the Holy Qurn, we must

follow the Prophet. Allah said:

[3] Ab Dwd. Other similar narrations: There is no disease that Allah has created except
that He also has created a treatment (Sa Al-Bukhr, 7:582) and There is a remedy for
every malady, and when the remedy is applied to the disease it is cured with the permission
of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious" (Sa Muslim, 5466) and The one who sent down the
disease sent down the remedy. (Al-Muwa, 50:5:12).

[5] Srat li-Imrn [The Family of Imrn], 3:31.

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Say: If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive
you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.3[5]

The Prophet left us his Sunnah - his way and an essential part of that
Sunnah is to encourage the development of science, research and
technology. That is why, knowing as he did the importance of
technology, he encouraged its development in many adth.

The adth which I intend to explain in the remainder of this paper

demonstrate the importance of science and the importance of
developing the Ummah. At the same time the Prophets teachings
related to the wealthy and their relationship with the poor are an
essential component in the life of the Ummah.

Zakat Obligation of Individuals, Communities and Nations

One of the principal teachings of Islam is the obligation of zakt and

the voluntary donations in the form of saaqah. From this individual
requirement for Muslims to help the poor, whether individually or
collectively through the Bayt al-Ml, one can derived a societal
requirement: the importance of wealthy have Muslim countries to
support the poor have not ones in order to improve their conditions
and raise their living standards. It is only through establishing such
relationships, that the Ummah can be reconstituted after the
fragmentation of the last century.

What better example of this than in the practice of the Prophet and his
Companions? What comes to mind is when as caliph, Sayyidina
Umar used to go out at night in disguise, looking for those in need.
[6] Many incidents of this nature were reported from the Khulaph ar-rshidn, the four
rightly-guided caliphs.

It is related that a blind old woman lived in a suburb of Madina and had no one to support
her. Umar used to go in disguise to the house of the old woman, but was always surprised to
find that someone else had anticipated him and had supplied the wants of the old woman.
One night Umar went to the house of the old woman earlier than usual and hid himself to
watch as to who attended to the wants of the old lady. He had not to wait long for soon a man
arrived who attended to the needs of the old woman, and this man was Ab Bakr .

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He would take food and distribute it to the needy. One time he found
poor woman late at night preparing stone soup for her children who
were crying for want of something to eat. Not realizing that the man
she was speaking with was Sayyidina Umar , she complained about
her condition and that the caliph was not doing his job. Immediately
Sayyidina Umar brought her food and helped to prepare it for her
hungry children.4[6]

Such was the concern of the early Muslim leaders for their people: for
them it was not the job of the state to help rather it was a personal
responsibility on them as the leader to see that each person was fed,
sheltered and safe.

For this reason, Sayyidina Ab Bakr a-iddq said, The weak

among you shall be strong with me till God willing his rights have
been vindicated; and the strong among you shall be weak with me till,
if the Lord wills, I have taken what is due from him.

Today we are fortunate to see such kind of leaders emerging from

within the Ummah yet again. We see nations like Indonesia and
Malaysia, where the leaders have a strong sense of civic duty and feel
the obligation to help each and every individual to obtain a decent
life.

It is the duty of the rich Muslim countries to help the poor ones to
build civic society and to build their standard of living for having an
excellent life. The Prophet always sought refuge in Allah from
poverty saying O Lord I seek refuge in Thee from kufr (unbelief) and
poverty,5[7] for according to another hadith, Poverty, in all
probability, leads to unbelief (kufr).6[8]

[11] Sratul-Anby [The Prophets], 21:92.

[12] Srat li-Imrn [The Family of Imrn], 3:103.

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Allah has granted tremendous wealth to the Muslims. He gave them
oil, gold, natural gas and minerals. Those possessed of such an
overabundance of wealth cannot say to the poor nations, many of
which consist of nothing but deserts and mountains and possess no
resources whatsoever, and tell them, Build yourselves! Rather, it is
the responsibility of the rich to assist the poor. The Qurn states
categorically,

And in their wealth the beggar (or needy) and the deprived (who does
not beg but nevertheless is needy) had due share.7[9]

Simultaneously, Allah ordered zakt as an obligation. Why is it then

that the Muslim countries do not take zakt from their money, at a
minimum 2.5%, and give it to the poorer Muslim nations? How much
oil and natural gas do the Muslim countries possess? Does it not have
a zakt on it? If there is 100 billion barrels of oil reserves, what is its
zakt?

We cannot cheat in Islam by saying, It is in the earth. If you have

gold in your possession, then from year to year you must pay zakt on
it - min hawl ila al-hawl. If you have gold in your house you know
how much zakt must be paid on it. On the other hand gold which is
in the form of reserves requires a process for extraction because it is
mixed within the soil and thus is not subject to zakt. But oil is
something that comes ready from the ground it requires no
extensive process to be used. It is therefore subject to zakt.

A nation is analogous to a house controlled by a government,

particularly if it is owned by certain people. And today by means of
technology it is possible to ascertain exactly the quantity of oil present
in reserve. Zakt must be paid on that oil, just as with dates, with
processed gold and with mines. Consider: the zakt on the Muslim
nations oil reserves is more than sufficient to provide the entire

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Muslim world the wealth to build their nations to maturity and an
advanced level of civilization and technology.

The Prophet said, People are partners in three things: water, grazing
and fire.8[10]

Fire here can be considered to represent all sources of fire, whether

wood, oil or natural gas; and in these the people must be partners.
Rich countries must share with the poor countries it is not that Allah
gave it to one nation and it is not available for the others, who are in
need. Allah made the Ummah of Muhammad one nation where He
said:

Verily, this community of yours is a single community, and I am your

Lord and Cherisher: therefore serve Me.9[11]

and thus regardless of which country it belongs to, the wealth of oil,
gold and other valuables must be shared within the entire Ummah.

So we come to a poor nation and say build yourself. The question is

not should they, but how, for they have nothing. Allah said:

And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for
you), and be not divided among yourselves. And remember the
blessings which God has bestowed upon you10[12]

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So this applies to the entire ummah. If all are holding tight to the rope
of Allah , it is a cause for unity. The Muslims are like one body, if
one part is sick the whole is sick. The ummah is one body. If we have
problems in one part the whole body becomes sick.

And Muslims are brothers and sisters to one another. That is why it is
the responsibility of the wealthy nations to help the poor countries to
develop their technological bases.

But today we see the poor become poorer and the rich become richer.
This is because there is no sincerity, except for a very small number
who are helping the underdeveloped countries. It is the responsibility
of the rich countries to help the underdeveloped ones. Instead of
investing money with people and we are not taking benefit from the
interest given on it, it is better to invest in Muslim countries and give
the benefit to the poor ones.

Presented at a conference of Muslim scholars held by under the

auspices of Nahdlatul Ulama in Indonesia, 2003.

Renowned Scholars of Science and Technology

Dates
Scholar Residence Fields of Contribution
(CE)

Jabir Ibn Died medicine, alchemy,

Kufa
Haiyan 803 chemistry

philosophy,
Yaqub Ibn 800- mathematics, physics,
Baghdad
Ishaq Al-Kindi 873 astronomy, medicine,
geography, music

Mohammad Bin D. mathematics,

Baghdad
Musa Al- 840 astronomer and

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Khawarizmi geographer

Thabit Ibn 836- mathematics, astronomy

Baghdad
Qurra 901 and mechanics

Ali Ibn Rabban 838-

Merv medicine
Al-Tabari 870

Mohammad Ibn music, mathematics,

864- Ray,
Zakariya Al- astronomy, chemistry,
930 Baghdad
Razi philosophy

astronomer,
Abu Abdullah 868-
Raqqa, Iraq mathematician and
Al-Battani 929
astrologer

Abu'l-Abbas
Ahmad ibn
C. Cairo,
Muhammad ibn astronomy, engineering
860 Samarra
Kathir al-
Farghani

Baghdad, science, philosophy,

Abu Al-Nasr 870- Damascus, logic, sociology,
Al-Farabi 950 Cairo, medicine, mathematics,
Aleppo music

Traveled
Abul Asan Ali D. geographer, physicist,
extensively,
Al-Masu'di 957 historian
Cairo

Abu al-Qasim
surgery, medicine,
Khalaf bin 936-
Cordoba Ophthalmology,
'Abbas Al- 1013
dentistry
Zahrawi

Abul Wafa 940- Baghdad astronomy, mathematics

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Muhammad Al- 997
Buzjani

Abu Ali Asan 965- Physics (Optics),

Cairo, Spain
Ibn Al-Haitham 1040 mathematics

Abu Al-Asan 972- political science and

Baghdad
Al-Mawardi 1058 sociology

astronomy,
Abu Raihan Al- 973- trigonometry,
India
Biruni 1048 mineralogy, geography,
history

Medicine, physics,
mathematics, music,
Jurjan,
980- geology, mineralogy
Ibn Sina Hamadan,
1037 metaphysics,
Isfahan
philosophy, ethics,
economics, politics

Abu Hamid Al- 1058- Baghdad,

philosophy
Ghazali 1128 Damascus

[4] Sratu l-Jthya [The Crouching], 45:13.

[7] Ab Dwd.

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[8] Bayhaq, al-abarn.

[9] Sratu dh-Dhriyt [The Winnowing Winds], 51:19.

[10] Arabic: : , Bukhr, Kitb al-

buyu.

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