Islamic world 'is living in a state of backwardness'

[N.O.R.F]

 

"The Islamic nation is currently living in a state of backwardness because Muslim intellectuals and figures have been abandoned and their services are being disregarded." - Dr Zaghloul Mohammad Al Najjar, Egyptian scholar .

 

Islamic world 'is living in a state of backwardness'

By Bassam Za'za', Staff Reporter

 

 

 

Dubai: The Islamic nation has not progressed and remains backward "because Muslim scholars and researchers are being left behind", said the 10th Islamic Personality of 2006 of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award.

 

"The Islamic nation is currently living in a state of backwardness because Muslim intellectuals and figures have been abandoned and their services are being disregarded," said the Egyptian scholar Dr Zaghloul Mohammad Al Najjar, who was named the Dubai International Holy Quran Award's (DIHQA) Islamic Personality of 2006.

 

He called on leaders and decision-makers in the Arab and Islamic world to follow what the DIHQA's Organising Committee has been doing through promoting and serving the Quran and honouring Muslim scholars with the Islamic personality award.

 

"The DIHQA is a noble and righteous event and it revives good guidelines [sunnah] which have been neglected for too many years," said Dr Al Najjar.

 

Honouring Muslim scholars who promote Islam and serve the Prophet Mohammad's (PBUH) guidelines, Sunnah, "is an initiative which revitalises the Nation and brings it progress and affluence and makes it capable of confronting the worldwide powers which have been constantly criticising Islam," he said.

 

Dr Al Najjar is the chairman of the Committee of Scientific Miraculousness in the Holy Quran and member of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Egypt.

 

The outspoken scholar has been chosen as DIHQA's Islamic Personality 2006 for his significant lectures which are rich with information on scientific miracles in the Quran.

 

Ebrahim Mohammad Bu Melha, Chairman of the DIHQA's Organising Committee, said that the winner will be honoured tomorrow evening during the closing ceremony which will be held at Shaikh Rashid Hall at Dubai International Convention Centre.

 

Bu Melha praised His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for his endless effort in serving the Quran and supporting the DIHQA, his "most beloved" award.

 

Bu Melha said the DIHQA will publish and distribute the first book on Scientific Miracles in the Quran during the closing ceremony.

[Naden]

This is rich! The biggest charlatan of our times bemoans the state of muslims. How many millions are enough for him and how many theories and scientific miniature will he squeeze out of the Quran to reach that figure? One thing he has right, the Islamic world is living in a state of backwardness. Only the likes of him engineer and benefit from it.

 

Dr Al Najjar is the chairman of the Committee of Scientific Miraculousness in the Holy Quran and member of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Egypt.

[N.O.R.F]

^^Why so critical of the old chap (whom i dont know nor any of his work/career)?

[Naden]

Neither the old chap nor his work are worth knowing.

 

Scientific discoveries are made by people in labs. and fields, through mistakes and innovation. There are no scientific miracles in the Quran. Some scientific facts, yes, but no miracles to be deciphered centuries later. It is a book of spiritual and moral guidance, meant to complete the message that began with Nuuh.

 

In another time, he would be touring with a circus or selling cure-all charms from the back of a donkey cart. He is certainly appropriate to raise the beaten spirit of muslims who've contributed precious little to scientific knowledge in the past few centuries. Now we can claim that we had all the answers all along and just need this incense-burning fool to show the kuffar who's boss.

 

Blaaaaaah. I should go to bed.

[ElPunto]

^??????????????????????????????????

 

Divine knowledge on the workings of the universe revealed in the Quran and later confirmed by scientists. I've no problems calling this miraculous.

 

I don't think Muslims have all the answers with or without the Quran. What they have is the correct path to God and truth.

[SeeKer]

I agree with Naden. Islamic history is rich with scientific discovery from algorithim to alchemist to discovery of small pox to unearthing that light travels faster than sound to optics. Muslims have been sitting on their laurels on the premise that the Quran contains all the answers, but we forget that it is in this book that we are told to seek knowledge unto the ends of the earth. The last time I heard anything resembling a scientific discovery from the Muslim world was the Somali doctors and their feat with blood transfusion.

 

I will go further and pinpoint the problem to two things. First, the governments (my latest scapegoats). They do nothing to encourage nor fund scientific exploration in the Islamic worlds. No wonder most universities in the West seem to be acquiring very smart muslim scientist who primarly do research. The other factor is that muslim tend to be narrow minded in assuming that western thinking will erode their society. We have to accept the steps the west have taken in the scientific community as the west as to acknowledge that without the muslims historical contribution none of their fruits would have come to bear.

[Socod_badne]

Originally posted by ThePoint:

Divine knowledge on the workings of the universe revealed in the Quran and later confirmed by scientists. I've no problems calling this miraculous.

What divine knowledge? Retro-active science is not miraculous. Neither is post-dicted knowlegde miraculous. There's really no need to imbue the Quran what it isn't and can't provide answers. Quran is spiritual book, not science or medicine book. Why look for science in a holy/spiritual guidance book escapes me.

[ElPunto]

Originally posted by Socod_badne:

quote:Originally posted by ThePoint:

Divine knowledge on the workings of the universe revealed in the Quran and later confirmed by scientists. I've no problems calling this miraculous.

What divine knowledge? Retro-active science is not miraculous. Neither is

post

-dicted knowlegde miraculous. There's really no need to imbue the Quran what it isn't and can't provide answers. Quran is spiritual book, not science or medicine book. Why look for science in a holy/spiritual guidance book escapes me.

It really is not all that complicated saxiib. There are numerous examples of God speaking about the workings of the universe in the Quran - and a number of those statements have been proven as scientifically correct by scientists. There are innumerable websites out there explaining it - search for them. As such there is no imbuing of any kind.

 

I never said the Quran was a science or medicine book - the Quran is a book of guidance and knowledge . Thus, it naturally has aspects of both science and medicine as well as other fields of knowledge. As to things escaping you - I can't say I'm shocked.

[N.O.R.F]

Naden, i think your giving the guy a hard time. I saw one of his show just yesterday (before i went to a talk by Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick ).

 

 

Top DIHQA honour goes to Egyptian scholar

By Bassam Za'za', Staff Reporter

 

 

 

Dubai: Egyptian scholar Dr Zaghloul Mohammad Al Najjar, a prominent figure in scientific miraculousness in the Quran, has been chosen the Dubai International Holy Quran Award's (DIHQA) Islamic Personality of 2006.

 

Dr Al Najjar is the chairman of the Committee of Scientific Miraculousness in the Holy Quran and a member of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Egypt.

 

"He is a prominent and outspoken Muslim scholar in the Arabic and Islamic world. He has been chosen as the Islamic Personality of 2006 for his lectures which are rich with information on scientific miracles in the Quran," Ebra-him Mohammad Bu Melha, the Chairman of DIHQA's Organising Committee, said yesterday.

 

"His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, approved naming Dr Al Najjar who has produced numerous research papers and projects, as this year's Islamic Personality. Shaikh Mohammad also praised this year's foremost Islamic figure for his tremendous and non-stop efforts in serving the Quran," added Bu Melha.

 

Dr Saeed Hareb, the Vice-Chairman of DIHQA's Organising Committee, said Dr Al Najjar, who attained a Bachelors in Science in 1955 from Cairo University, "was the first scholar to link the scientific miraculousness in the Quran with modern science".

 

DIHQA's Organising Committee chooses the Islamic personality of the year. The selection is carried out through nomination by states, universities and specialised institutions. This award can be presented to a scholar or institution provided that the nominee should have provided outstanding and effective services to Islam.

[Captain Xalane]

I disagree with u all and agree with the statement '' the islamic world is living in a state of backwardness'.

The question that every one should be asking is ''why''.The rest are un important.

[SURAMBAYA]

More like Arabic world is living in backwardness.

[Ms DD]

Salaam

 

Islam raised muslims from nomadic and beduion tribes to empires that spanned a thousand years plus. It only survived and maintained this through constant scientific and technological advancements.

 

Muslims were constantly striving to be the best that they could be. I agree that we reached a point were muslims got lazy and stopped striving for success and that was their downfall.

 

The Muslim world is in a state of backwardness because we concentrate so much on nonsensical matters such as niqab, the length of hijab et al and not what really matters that could make us influential and big players in every field.

 

We have bigger problem especially when those who were/are guilty (such as Musharef) of this very backwardness say: "Islamic countries will remain backward unless they concentrate more on scientific and technological development. Muslim nations are internally involved in fratricidal conflicts and perceived by the outside world as terrorists with little attention being given on their uplift" and yet do everything in their power not to empower their people and country.

 

Many muslim countries could do with the inward investment, focusing on education, research and technology development, whilst empowering their women and the diversification of their industry (too many Arab countries rely on oil).

 

It is quite shocking to find out that the GNP of all muslim countries collectively stands at $1,200bn, that of Germany alone is $2,500bn and that of Japan $5,500bn.

 

As someone before was asked "What did our Muslim brothers do wrong?" He replied "Nothing. They just stopped doing a lot of the stuff they'd gotten right, and the world passed them by."

 

Western countries have the institutes, the resources and the infrastructure to provide such education and development in science and technology. Muslim countries should take a note.

 

I would like to mention that if you look at Egypt it has a large number of Graduates and Phd Graduates but that there is no work for them and work as waiters and jobs of such like. Those with intelligence generally have two choices go and study and pot luck if you find a job (education is not free so a big risk unless you come from a wealthy family) or to poor and have to support family.

 

There's nothing better than hard work, modesty and intellectual engagement in life.

 

An excellent article you should read on this:

Challenge of intellectual stagnation — Riaz Hassan

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C10%5C16%5Cstory_16-10-2006_pg3_5

[Naden]

^

Islam raised muslims from nomadic and beduion tribes to empires that spanned a thousand years plus. It only survived and maintained this through constant scientific and technological advancements.

This statement is not historically accurate. The so-called empire flourished like any other empire through pillaging and acquisition of wealth. No shame in that; history attests to the might of the sword. No need to wax poetic or rewrite history by claiming that any 'scientific' advancement expanded the empire.

 

Sure, early muslims from Damascus to Baghdad had flourished in a climate of scientific encouragement. They translated ancient Greek books and built on new knowledge from mathematics to philosophy. The history of knowledge reveals its cumulative nature and the early contributions of these muslims are astounding.

 

Unfortunately, muslims have fallen behind since the 13/14th century and continue to lag.

[Ms DD]

Salaam Naden

No need to wax poetic or rewrite history when it is quite evident. Non-muslim writers have also written about this era and they didnt deny the role the muslim golden age played in scientific and technological developments we now enjoy.

 

The muslim Golden age did lay the ground work for the renaissance. As a consequence of these principles, they were probably the most advanced people in the world, with the possible exception of the chinese.

 

Without the knowledge gained by the islamic golden age, we wouldn't have had the renaissance, and without that, we wouldn't have had the enlightenment i.e human development.

Islam really did kick-start the enlightnement. In the early centuries of islam, muslim countries were exceptionally open-minded, tolerant and intellectually curious. Whilst europe was in the dark ages - hating any critical thought, Islamic centres brought together knowledge from all parts of teh known world - from India, China, Egypt as well as the middle east. There was very little to learn from europe at the time, but they studied the ancient greeks extensively. They realised quite early on that Plato and aristotle in particular were exceptionally important thinkers.

They were particularly advanced in the sciences and even more so in medicine. Al-Razi wrote about 200 books in all, most of them on medicine. He did it with more than a little humour though. One of his books was entitled 'Why some patients revere the advice of quacks and charlatans over skilled physicians'.

 

Baghdad and southern spain (andaluthia) were the most advanced places in the world (with the possible exception of China). Their libraries were legendary. When Europe finally came of the dark ages, the likes of Da Vinci studied the works from the ancients and the arabs (we wouldn't have the former were it not for the translations of the latter).

[Socod_badne]

Cambaro,

 

Are your posts nothing but ostentatious display of irrelevancy? Your uncanny nack of obfuscating; going on a tangent by blaboring about nonsense extraneous to topic at discussion is quite striking. Naden made her objection to your post crystal clear in her very first stentence This statement is not historically accurate.. In reply to this that you said It only survived and maintained this through constant scientific and technological advancements.. She's contesting the historical veracity of your account of Islamic history. The pertinent thing to do on your part is to repudiate her objection by showing Islam didn't spread via through pillaging and acquisition of wealth .