Religious and Modern Sciences: causes of Conflict, and the Necessity of Integration

Abstract

     Religious and Contemporary Sciences: Motivations for Conflict and the Necessity of Integration This article explores the tension between religious sciences (ʿulūm sharʿī) and contemporary sciences in modern Islamic societies. This estrangement stems not only from historical and colonial experiences but also from deeper epistemological shifts that have impacted the intellectual and civilizational trajectory of the Muslim world. Using a historical-analytical and comparative methodology, the study seeks to address two key questions: why and how did scientific inquiry enter the Islamic world through a paradigm of conflict, and what strategies can foster meaningful engagement between these two bodies of knowledge? Through conceptual and comparative analysis, drawing on both classical Islamic sources and contemporary views of Muslim scholars, the research finds that during the golden age of Islamic civilization, there was no separation or conflict between religious and natural sciences. Rather, knowledge was viewed as a unified, theocentric pursuit embedded within the Islamic epistemological framework. This epistemic harmony was sustained by institutions such as the Nizamiya madrasas, Bayt al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom), observatories, and other centers of learning. However, the introduction of secular Western intellectual paradigms during the colonial era fragmented this integrated worldview, leading to a bifurcation in knowledge systems across the Muslim world. The study concludes that reviving Islamic civilization requires the rational, epistemological, and institutional reconstruction of connections between religious and contemporary sciences. Accordingly, the research recommends the development of a unified educational system, the redefinition of scientific philosophy from an Islamic perspective, and the strengthening of interdisciplinary dialogue in line with the objectives of the Sharia and the intellectual tradition of Islamic civilization.