Özet:

After defining objective scientific knowledge as information extracted from repeatable experiments or observations, which could not be refuted by another experiment or observation, Islamic responses given to objective scientific knowledge as examples of water cycle and large scale structure of the universe were studied. Former one is a typical example of objective scientific knowledge which Muslim society react wrongly. For the latter one, there could be positive and negative responses. The former one is related in starting and latter one is linked with continuation of biological life on the Earth. Such two subjects, one is popularly known and the other only astrophysicists know, were chosen intentionally as special examples in this study to emphasize how powerful the method of interpretation, which may work whether the subject is popular or not and valid for very different kinds of knowledge. The method of the study: after defining objective scientific knowledge, it has been concluded that science is interested in only the questions starting “how?” but not “why?” according to a popularly known reference and various examples. After that, information coming from “why?” is defined as subjective knowledge and/or interpretation of the objective knowledge. Subjectivity of knowledge does not reduce its value; on the contrary, it opens a road for validating Islamic interpretations. How these two examples of objective scientific knowledge are interpreted according to Islam is shown by sample answers from Qur’an and Risale-I Nur. Concluding remark: objections by Muslims against water cycle are not about the objective scientific knowledge, but against its non-Islamic interpretation, that is, improper answer to the question “why?”. Since there would not be any interpretation without objective scientific knowledge, it is emphasized that the un-interpreted scientific knowledge is important and valuable at least as much as its Islamic interpretation.

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