BAYAN

INSTITUTE

THE WORLDVIEW
 THE WORLDVIEW

■ DEFINITION
■ A collection of values & beliefs about conception of the world held by
society is called ‘Worldview’.
■ It is lens from which a person or society perceives the world and its
objects.
■ Worldview drives the acts and define the relationships of the objects of
the world.
 THE WORLDVIEW

■ BUILDING BLOCKS OF WORLDVIEW

■ Epistemology/Concept of Knowledge

■ Concept of Man

■ Concept of Cosmos

■ Concept of Morality
EPISTEMOLOGY
 EPISTEMOLOGY

■ INTRODUCTION
■ In general, knowledge is justified true belief while the epistemology is a
study of knowledge.
■ Every Discipline of knowledge has its own epistemology as well as set of
terminology which is quite different from any other discipline.
■ The terms used in physics are not taken with same sense in any other
discipline of knowledge. For example, the term “Time” as used in physics
cannot be taken with same sense in poetry or in religion.
■ Epistemology includes perspective of knowledge, meaning of knowledge,
nature of knowledge, sources of knowledge & types of knowledge.
EPISTEMOLOGY OF SCIENCE
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF SCIENCE

■ PERSPECTIVE OF KNOWLEDGE
■ Perspective is a mode to perceive something or someone. Every
knowledge originates from its perspective.
■ Every discipline of knowledge has its own perspective & before
understanding any discipline, it is essential to understand its perspective.
■ For example, before studying physics, one must understand its perspective.
Perspective of physics is a study of universe with reference to its origin
and beginning.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF SCIENCE

■ There are two perspectives/modes of perception, “Natural mode of

perception” and “Rational mode of perception”.
■ The perspective of science is Rational.
■ A perspective related to the object/thing and its working, mechanics,
function & mechanism is called rational perspective. [Methodological
Naturalism]
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF SCIENCE

■ MEANING OF KNOWLEDGE
■ Knowledge is awareness of an object with reference to its reality.
■ According to the episteme of science, if the object has physical existence
or appearance, then it is real.
■ It is a temporal and spatial knowledge.
■ In this knowledge explains ‘What’ and ‘How’ type of questions related to
the object/s.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF SCIENCE

■ NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE
■ In the science, only that concept or idea becomes a knowledge that can be
proved by the senses. Therefore, the nature of the knowledge of science is
empirical & physical.
■ The knowledge of science is a knowledge of horizontality.
■ Science cannot prove metaphysical or meta ethical concepts like the God or
good & evil, therefore these concepts are regarded as non scientific and
irrelevant to the science.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF SCIENCE

■ SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE
■ In science, all source to getting knowledge are Empirical.
■ Empirical sources (Physical senses) refers to the ‘Observation’ & the
‘Experiment’.
■ ‘Observation’ is a process of closely observing or monitoring something
or someone and ‘Experiment’ is a scientific process, especially in a
laboratory, to determine something.
■ A knowledge get through empirical source is called Acquired knowledge.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF SCIENCE

■ TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE
■ Religious Knowledge/Sciences
The science of Quran and Tafsir, The science of Hadith, Islamic law &
Jurisprudence, The science of Aqidha, The science of Tasawwuf and The
science of history.
■ Non-Religious Knowledge/Sciences
Human Sciences and Natural Sciences.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF SCIENCE

■ Human Sciences
Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Political Science, History and Law etc.
■ Natural Sciences
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, Medical and Engineering etc.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF SCIENCE

■ ASSUMPTIONS
■ Science is only route of knowledge; Science is only route of knowledge to
render the truth about the world because it gives lot of benefits.
■ Science leads to atheism; Science cannot render the truth about God,
therefore God does not exist.
■ Science leads to truth/certainty; Since, the science works, therefore its
conclusions are true and certain.
SCIENCE IS ONLY ROUTE OF KNOWLEDGE

■ GIVE THE ANSWERS THROUGH SCIENCE

■ Do we have a moral duty to help injured child?
■ Did Isaac Newton exist?
■ Do we solve this equation
■ Can we explain how it works?
Premise 1: All bachelors are unmarried men; Premise 2: Ahmed is
bachelor Conclusion: Ahmed is an unmarried man
■ Why did the moon come to exist?
SCIENCE IS ONLY ROUTE OF KNOWLEDGE

■ CONCLUSION
■ A conclusion derived from observations and experiments is called Science.
■ Observations are required for the science but scientific theories and
conclusions are not just observations.
■ The promotion of science as only route of knowledge is called Scientism.
It is a self defeating assumption because science is limited & restricted
which can not give the answer of all questions.
■ Science is an amoral and cannot give a value judgment, because according
to scientific perspective, good & evil acts are just rearrangement of
atoms.
SCIENCE IS ONLY ROUTE OF KNOWLEDGE

■ History, logic & Mathematics are valid sources of knowledge which is

independent of science.
■ Science as an explanation is ‘What’ and ‘How’ explanation. It can not
explain ‘Why’.
 SCIENCE LEADS TO ATHEISM

■ NATURALISM
■ Methodological Naturalism; is a governing method of science is to try
to explain phenomena by natural cause (rather than by supernatural cause).
■ A person can be a methodological naturalist, while they are within the field
of science.
■ Somebody who's a methodological naturalist, he don't have to be an atheist
because he, as an individual, is free to embrace reality that transcends
nature. [Todd, Scott. C. (1990)]
 SCIENCE LEADS TO ATHEISM

■ In philosophy, naturalism is the idea or belief that only natural (as opposed

to supernatural or spiritual) laws and forces operate in the universe. It is
called Philosophical Naturalism.
■ So, there is nothing beyond natural world. Everything can be explained
Naturalistically in Philosophical Naturalism.
■ Philosophical Naturalist would be an atheist.
 SCIENCE LEADS TO CERTAINTY

■ PROBLEM OF INDUCTION
■ Science is based on inductive method in which the general conclusion
infer from limited observational data. [example of black crows]
■ So any universal conclusion can be challenged by new future observation.

■ PROBLEM OF UNDERDETERMINATION
■ When different conclusions are drawn from the same observational data,
then it is quite difficult to determine true conclusion because both of which
can’t be true at the same time. [Both Einsteinian Mechanics & Quantum
Mechanics are valid at the same time].
 SCIENCE LEADS TO CERTAINTY

■ So scientific theories can be valid even they contradict each other.

■ False model can sometimes work better than true ones. [Elliot Sober, Evidence &
Evolution]

■ PROBLEM OF UNCONCEIVED ALTERNATIVES

■ It might be possible that with the help of available data, such a conclusion
can be derived which is not conceived yet. [Einsteinian explanation about
Space-Time & Gravity]
■ So there are alternatives equally well confirmed by evidence, even when
scientists are unable to conceive of them at the time. [Philosopher of Science Kyle
Stanford]
EPISTEMOLOGY OF QURAN
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF QURAN

■ PERSPECTIVE OF KNOWLEDGE
■ Quran is not a book of definitions or theories. It just gives a perspective to
theorize ‘Worldview’.
■ The Quran addresses through “Natural perspective/mode of perception”.
■ When a mind proceeds from the perception of an
object/thing/form/creation to a perception of reality/ultimate cause/creator,
that is called “Natural perspective/mode of perception”.
■ In natural perspective, the evidences are given from microcosm (‫& )انفس‬
from macrocosm ‫ق‬ ( ‫ )ٓافا‬to perceive something or someone.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF QURAN

■ According to perspective of Quran everyone and everything with their

all mechanics and mechanism are the signs of God and each of their
analysis must preserve them as a creation of God.
■ Therefore, in Quranic perspective, physical analysis of anyone or anything
can be a correct or incorrect but its ‘Reality’ can’t be changed.
■ This mode of perception is obvious, evident, apparent & common in to
all individuals, societies, eras & civilizations.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF QURAN

■ MEANING OF KNOWLEDGE
■ Knowledge is an awareness of an object with reference to its reality.
■ According to the epistemology of Quran, reality is independent. It does
not govern by any other thing. Therefore only God is real & independent.
■ According to Quran, there is a horizon – the horizon of transcendent
reality – which is beyond the space, time and matter.
■ This transcendence is only possible through extraordinary experience.
■ This knowledge entertains ‘Why’ type of questions.
■ If you know the ‘why’, you can live any ‘how’ [Friedrich Nietzsche]
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF QURAN

■ NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE
■ The nature of the knowledge of Quran is metaphysical & non empirical.
■ The knowledge of Quran is a knowledge of verticality, in which mind
proceeds from object/form to transcendent reality.
■ The knowledge having only physical & empirical nature be regarded as
ignorance (Jahiliy’yat) because it is a Godless knowledge.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF QURAN

■ SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE
■ There are two types of sources; Divine source and Historical source.
■ A knowledge comes form divine source is called Divine knowledge. It is
the knowledge coming from the higher dimension and cannot be acquired
through senses.
■ There are two types of Divine Source; Wahi (Prophetic Revelation) and
Ilham (Personal Revelation).
Wahi (Prophetic Revelation) have two further sources, Wahi Jali (Apperant
Revelation) and Wahi Khafi (Hidden Revelation). Prophetic Revelation
continued to the Final Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF QURAN

■ After the Prophet (PBUH), the chain of sending the Messengers to the
mankind came to an end and the door of Wahi was shut forever.
■ A knowledge comes form Wahi is called Revealed knowledge.
■ Ilham (Personal Revelation) is a second type of Divine source. The
knowledge granted through Ilham is called Gnostic knowledge.
■ According to Sufis, Allah has granted spiritual senses to a man. These
spiritual senses have five dimensions, known as five subtleties ‫طائف‬
( ‫)ل‬.

■ These subtleties are; the subtle essence of the heart ‫) ق ل (ب‬, the subtle
essence of the spirit (‫)روح‬, the subtle essence of the secret (‫)س ر‬, the hidden
subtle essence‫)خفی‬
( , the subtle essence of most secret of the secret (‫)اخفا‬.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF QURAN

■ When a man revives these subtleties with self purification, then these
subtleties provide light to the eye of the heart. Spiritual ears start hearing
and the heart learns about such realities that our senses and Intellect cannot
comprehend like the true and actual picture about Allah, Jannat, Jahanum,
Malaika, Akhirah, Jaza and Saza etc.
■ Historical source consist on “Established history” and “Strange
history”. “Established history” is like an eye-seeing reality. It is an event
narrated by such a large number of people that it cannot be expected to
agree upon a lie, all of them together.
■ Any event which is narrated by a countable number of people is called
“Strange history”. It can be a authentic as well as week.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF QURAN

■ TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE
■ Revealed knowledge (via Wahi) [Revealed on Prophet (PBUH)]
Quran (via apparent Revelation) & Sunnah (via hidden Revelation)
■ Gnostic knowledge (via Ilham) [Granted to Sufi]
■ Transmitted knowledge [Transmitted from Prophet (PBUH) to us]
Hadith, Kabar, Athar etc.
 EPISTEMOLOGY OF QURAN

■ CONCLUSION
■ God is the Prime cause of the causes, and without involving God, ‘Reality’
of the things/objects can’t be explained.
■ Quranic knowledge is certain, true and reliable.
■ “Natural perspective/mode of perception” fulfills “Believing self” of
man, but it does not necessarily mean that the Quran does not fulfill any
other self like Rational self, Aesthetic self, Ethical self etc.
■ The Qur'an wants to make its statement, a belief rather than idea or
doctrine. So a person who studies it in order to believe it, is the original &
actual addressee of the Qur'an.
CONCEPT OF MAN
CONCEPT OF MAN OF SCIENCE
 CONCEPT OF MAN OF SCIENCE

■ ORIGIN OF MAN
■ Everything is evolving over the time from one specie to another.
■ Man is a biological being also evolved over the time. (Evolution)
■ All the individuals including human are originated from one origin.
(Evolutionary Tree of Darwin theory).
■ This evolution is based on the mechanism of natural selection through
some random consecutive coincidence , which explains how individual
evolves in such a way that they become adapted or better-suited, to their
natural environments over time. (Mechanism of Darwinian Evolution)
 CONCEPT OF MAN OF SCIENCE

■ With in any population, there is a natural variations. Some individuals have

more favorable variations than others.

■ The struggle for survival eliminates the unfit individuals. The fit
individuals having favorable variations survive and reproduce.
■ The individuals having favorable variations pass on these variations to
their progeny from generation to generation.
■ These variations when accumulated over a long period of time lead to
origin of new species.
 EFFECTS OF DARWINISM

■ EFFECTS OF DARWINISM
■ Humans are not a creation of God. They evolved from one origin over the
time by means of the fight for survival and reproduction.
■ There is no ‘purpose of life’ or ‘absolute standard to determine good &
evil’ because the human like all other animals came into being by chance.
MAJOR VALUES OF DARWINIAN SOCIETY

■ TWO MAJOR VALUES

■ Liberty
■ Progress

■ LIBERTY
■ Liberty at individual level
■ Liberty at collective level
 LIBERTY AT INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

■ INDIVIDUAL ASPECT
■ Since a man is not under any creator/master, so he is absolutely free to
determine the standard of good & evil or a purpose of his life.
(Liberty)

■ There is nothing valuable by itself and no other tool to determine the

standards of good and evil except human desire.
 LIBERTY AT COLLECTIVE LEVEL

■ SOCIAL ASPECT
■ All standards of good & evil are equal and everyone has equal right to
determine the standards of good & evil or a purpose of his life.
(Equality/Equal Freedom)
■ The concept of good and evil is relative. Therefore plurality of good & evil
are equally tolerated. Anyone has no right to discard or cancel the
standard of good & evil adopted by others. (Tolerance)
■ One standard of good & evil has no superiority over the others and every
standard must be treated neutrally. (Neutrality)
 LIBERTY AT COLLECTIVE LEVEL

■ ECONOMIC ASPECT
■ Capitalism is the only system which protects liberty at economic level.
■ Capitalism means the complete separation of economy and state, just like
the separation of religion and state (secularism).
■ Capitalism recognizes that each and every person is the owner of his own
life, and has the right to live his life in any manner he chooses as long as
he does not violate the rights of others.
 LIBERTY AT COLLECTIVE LEVEL

■ POLITICAL ASPECT
■ Democracy is the only system which ensures the maximization of equal
freedom at state level.
■ People govern themselves according to their desires but they are bound to
accept equal freedom (Fundamental value of society) & can not negate it.
■ Every citizen vote for their representatives and majority elected
representatives represent the concerns ideas of the citizens in government.
■ Secularism ensures neutrality at state level because Secular state remains
neutral in religious matters.
■ Secularism is the principle of separation of the state from religion.
 PROGRESS

■ PROGRESS TO ACHIEVE GOOD

■ Progress is a struggle to increase in wealth in order to achieve good
(governing by human desires).
■ For the achievement of good, its is necessary to overcome the nature &
the forces of nature which is impossible without unlimited wealth.
CONCEPT OF MAN OF QURAN
 CONCEPT OF MAN OF QURAN

■ INTRODUCTION
■ Man is a created being and it is the Creator who created him only for
His worship.
■ Life is a period of test & trail for a man. The purpose of this test is to
judge who accepts good and who accepts evil.
■ The Creator has given to man the freedom to choose good or evil.
■ Good and evil are permanent and Taqwa is the differentiating factor
between them.
■ He who adopts good will be rewarded and he who adopts evil will be
punished after the death.
 ISLAM AND VALUES OF WEST/SCIENCE

■ ISLAM AND LIBERTY

■ In Islam, Abdiy’yat (to be the servant of God) is permanent &
fundamental value instead of freedom & liberty.
■ According to Islam, liberty means ability to choose between the good &
evil. In other words, standard to determine good and evil is fixed &
permanent and a man is free only to choose one of them.
■ Western freedom & liberty is an evil itself because it is an anti-Abdiy’yat.
 ISLAM AND VALUES OF WEST/SCIENCE

■ ISLAM AND EQUAL FREEDOM

■ No equality or equal freedom to determine the standard of good & evil
exists in Islamic paradigm.
■ There is nothing valuable by itself and Prophets is the only standard
to determine good & evil (No neutrality)
■ The person whose standard is according to the Prophets will be
superior & the person whose standard is not in accordance with Prophet is
inferior.
■ All standards instead of Prophets are evil and they must be wipe out. (No
tolerance for evil)
 ISLAM AND VALUES OF WEST/SCIENCE

■ ISLAM AND PROGRESS

■ Progress is process to follow good (Prophets) in all aspects of life.
■ In developed state or society, all issues are resolved under the guidance of
Prophets.
 EFFECTS OF DARWINISM ON SOCIETY

■ INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
■ )۴:‫ل َ َق ْد َخلَ ْقنَا ا ن ْ َس َان يِف َأ ْح َس ِن تَ ْق ِو ٍمي(التنی‬
‫ِإْل‬
Indeed, We created humans in the best form.

■ )۲۹:‫َو ن َ َفخ ُْت ِف ْی ِه ِم ْن ُّر ْویِح ْ (احلجر‬

CONCEPT OF COSMOS
CONCEPT OF COSMOS OF SCIENCE
 CONCEPT OF COSMOS OF SCIENCE

■ ORIGIN OF UNIVERSE
■ Any study of the cosmos involves the question of its origin and beginning.
■ Science tells us the universe has a beginning. It came into being at an
infinitely dense, infinitely hot gravitational singularity, & began expanding
everywhere at once. (The Big Bang)
■ Universe has been expanding since its beginning with Big Bang. Galaxies
outside of our own are moving away from us. (Expansion of Universe)
■ At a certain point in time, the universe will stop expanding. Then, it will
begin to shrink, pulling everything with it and finally it turns into the biggest
black hole. (The Big Crunch)
 CONCEPT OF COSMOS OF SCIENCE

■ For scientists to predict with certainty the possibility of a Big Crunch, they
will have to determine certain properties of the Universe. One of them is its
density. It is believed that if the density is larger than a certain value,
known as the critical density, an eventual collapse is highly possible.
 CONCEPT OF COSMOS OF QURAN

■ The concept of Quranic cosmos comes from God, is governed by Him,

and returns to Him.
■ It is not an self-governing and independent reality with an unknown or
simply material beginning and end. Nor are its laws developed by chance or
by its own inner workings, nor are the changes and transformations taking
place within it solely dependent upon its own forces and energies.
■ Creative power always belongs to the Creator, not the created order.
CONCEPT OF MORALITY
MORALITY OF SCIENCE