RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGION WITH SCIENCE

IN

CONTEXT OF STUDY OF SCIENCE AND SCIENCE TRADITION

IN WEST

Abstract

The relationship or relationship between science and religion

today must be adjusted and aligned because social life has made him
have the ability to apply what must be done in every aspect of life.
Science and religion are interpreted as two languages whose meanings
and meanings are not related to one another because of their respective
functions different. The language of religion is a set of guidelines that
offer a moral principled way of life, while science itself is a science that
encompasses the natural surroundings and everything in it. Science is
often considered as a series of concepts to predict or predict something
related to nature. Religion and Science are not always in conflict with
conflict or incompatibility. Many scientists and figures are trying to find a
connection or relationship between the two. On one hand there is an
opinion that religion does not lead the way it wants and religion does not
force science to submit to its will. On the other hand there is also an
opinion that science and religion can never be united, both are different
entities and stand alone, have a separate scope both in terms of objects
formal-material, research methods, criteria for truth, and the role
contained therein.

preliminary

Discussing the relationship between religion and science is always

a pretty interesting topic. Science in human life is always developing and
changing. While religion is always considered a hereditary tradition that is
maintained by certain communities. Science and technology are currently
achieving very rapid development, even as if it had never been predicted
before. Science and technology in the West such as steam engines,
computers, mechanics, and others experienced rapid development in the
17-18th century , 1 which since the scientific revolution against religious
authority in the 12-13th century . 2 Since then science has separated itself
3
from Christian religious authority. Countries that currently contribute
most to the field of science and technology are the majority of Western
countries. This has become an empirical fact, in terms of research and
academics, public facilities owned by the community, public order, and
others always impress outsiders visiting the place. The development of
science is also followed by the development of the existing human
paradigm.
The development of science and technology faces many obstacles
and problems. Many in-depth studies of the long-term effects of the
rapid development of science. Matthew Orr provides an illustration from
research on the influence of human aspects in the problem of global
climate change. From this explanation, an idea emerged to synthesize the
teachings and ethics of religion into scientific activities to control the
development of the technology. Scientists and clerics in America once
discussed the need for integration of science and religion. The use of
science and technology that is not limited by morals and ethics, has
proven to be detrimental to human life. Humans need guidelines in the
form of moral values in the development of these technologies.

Another case with the experience of science and religion in the

Islamic world. Religion brought by the Prophet Muhammad even
epistemologically emphasizes the obligation to seek knowledge in order
to recognize the existence of God. History has recorded scientific
traditions at a time when Islamic civilization was highly developed, but
did not necessarily "raise the banner of the revolution"

1 Century Enlightenment took place in Europe. Century to the 17th is "Age of

Reason" (Age of Reason) is a new step for modern science, which occurred during the
century to the 18th "Enlightenment". His influence was the work of Newton, Descartes,
Pascal and Leibniz, the path now clearer towards the development of mathematics, physics
and modern technology.
See https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_Science1
2 A European intellectual revitalization began with the birth of a medieval university
in the 12th century . European contact with the Islamic world in Spain and Sicily, and during
the Reconquista and Crusades, allowed European access to Greek and Arabic scientific texts .
See
https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciences_Science
3 Conflict caused by the conflict of Galileo, Copernicus and other scientists against
church doctrine concerning geocentricity and heliocentricity. See
http://www.religioustolerance.org/ scirel_ov1.htm

against existing religious authorities. Many historians of Western science

also acknowledge this. Even the scientific traditions in Andalusia also
4
contributed in bringing Europe to the Enlightenment. This paper will
briefly describe the relationship between science and Islam in the context
of studies of the tradition of science and science in the West.
Discussion The Traditions of Modern Science in the West

Science has a general and specific meaning review. Science in

Indonesian is interpreted as science or science. 5 Apart from that, science
can have a special meaning as natural science, namely systematic natural
6
knowledge about botany, zoology, chemistry, geology, and others.
Science actually comes from English, which is science which means
knowledge of the structure and behavior of nature and the physical
world, based on proven facts. The meaning of science in various
dictionaries is more conceptual in reference to the above. Science also
means knowledge of something in a comprehensive and systematic way,
not only partial or partial knowledge. The meaning of science according
to the West and Islam has their respective conceptions. If traced further,
science which is interpreted as science in the Western scientific tradition
is not the same as science which is interpreted as' science that is in the
Islamic scientific tradition.

The implication that the West is the center of modern science

raises several important things. This will be seen clearly if viewed from
the paradigm of science. One of them is the assumption that has been
circulating so far, that science is "value free" or free of value. Gauch, a
scientist states that science is neutral because it is based on scientific
methods that are corroborated by proof with a reality. Gauch regards
science as interrogation

4 Osman Bakar, "Religion and Science in Islamic Perspectives", in the Insist Team,
Islamic
Science: Paradigms, Facts and Agendas, (Insist: Jakarta, 2016) cet. 1, p. 16-17
5 Language Editor Team, Indonesian Language Thesaurus, (Language
Center Ministry of National Education: Jakarta, 2008), p. 420
6 Compilation Team Dictionary of Language Centers, Large
Indonesian Dictionaries, (Language Centers: Jakarta, 2008), p. 1244

towards nature and then draw conclusions from it. Science is only limited
to things that appear in physical reality. Gauch concluded that science is
neutral.

Matthew Orr stated that religion and science produce different

scientific disciplines and different operational procedures. For example,
belief has little part in science, while religion is not only limited to things
that can be observed empirically. 7 Emile Durkheim (1982) states that if a
researcher wants to achieve the truth of a study, he must observe the
reality of reality as it is to maintain the objectivity of the findings.
Therefore, methodologically, a researcher uses an empirical-
experimental methodology to ensure that the findings obtained are truly
objective in describing the actual situation. They look for high accuracy,
accurate measurements, and also test hypotheses by analyzing numbers
that come from measurements. 8

Based on the brief description above, we can draw conclusions

about the meaning and paradigm of science in the Western scientific
tradition. There are many discourses between the scientists themselves,
and indeed this is the spirit of Western science that is always changing.
This matter, if explored further, turns out to be the implications of the
uniqueness of Western epistemology itself. Fundamentally, modern
Western science thinking is realism and rationalism. For this reason,
science is a product of the human mind, which is the structure of the laws
of thought and the laws that exist in the outside world of thought. The
aspects are subjective and objective, both are equal in position and it is
unlikely that this natural law will change.

The Tradition of Science in Islam

To clarify the relationship between Science and Islam is needed a

thorough study of the meaning of Islam itself. Islam is a religious name

7 Matthew Orr, What is A Scientific Worldview …, hlm. 437 8

Mohammad Muslih, Philosophy of Science Study of Basic
Assumptions, Paradigms and Framework for Theory of Science, (Thicket:
Yogyakarta, 2007) cet. 7, p. 91

which if searched for the meaning of its ontology in Arabic means safety
or obedience to the command without rejecting it. Islam from the word
aslama means to convert to Islam, either to consecrate din to Allah or to
surrender to Allah. It is based on the words of your Muslims who are
safe, submissive and willing to obey a law and your religions are obeying
and obeying the Syari’a brought by the Messenger of Allah, obeying the
commands of Allah and devoting themselves to worshiping Allah. While
Muslims are Muslims and submit to the teachings of the Messenger of
Allah.

Generally, Islam is considered a religion that is sometimes

translated as religion or in Arabic means din. This translation and
interpretation actually need to be studied in more depth. The difference
in words and language will greatly affect human beliefs and worldview in
9
understanding the conception of everything. If Islam is considered a
religion, in the Indonesian language, it means a system that regulates the
order of faith (belief) in God Almighty, worship, and rules that relate to
the association of humans and humans and their environment with that
belief. 10 Whereas religion means belief in the existence of God which has
implications for carrying out rituals to worship it and the existence of
various teachings that have spiritual dimensions. If Islam is considered a
din, then the meaning will also be different. The word din is an Arabic
word daana-yadiinu which is a gift for a certain period of time, giving
assets for a certain tempo or giving a debt, while dayn is a debt. Dayn in
the sense of din is also interpreted as a debt to dayyan namely God. The
word also refers to the term din meaning obedience, holding fast, and
attachment being a hamba. Or dinnayah in Islam means faith with the
heart, pledge verbally, and work on harmony in physical terms.

9 of Hamid Fahmy Zarkasyi, “Islamic Worldview as the Paradigm of Islamic Science”, in Insist Team,
Islamic Science: Paradigms, Facts and Agendas, (Insist: Jakarta,
2016) cet. 1, p. 16-17

10 Compilation Team of Language Center Dictionaries, Large Dictionaries ..., p.

18

In various interpretations of the verses of the Koran, the most

11
complete, best, and blessed din is Islam to God. Whereas the main
meaning of the din is philosophically concluded by al-Attas into four
elements, namely the existential human debt to God, the surrender of
human beings to God, the exercise of judicial authority, and a reflection
of human natural tendencies or fitrah that return on the first Covenant
12
Day. According to Jujun S. Suriasumantri, the translation of the word
sciene into science or science has a major problem. Furthermore, he
13
proposed a suffix for science is knowledge, while science is science.
Likewise, Syed Naquib al-Attas also gave a special note regarding the
mention of science as science because science is a term from the Arabic
language ‘ilm. While the meaning of ‘ilm in Arabic includes ma’rifah
(introduction science) and science (science). Because both have their own
implications.

In Islam, science is very much bound by science of knowledge and

faith. Because the nature of the propositional content is the same as the
nature of the first principle of logic and metaphysical, ethical, and
aesthetic knowledge; then by itself in the subject he acts as a light that
illuminates everything. That faith is a vision that puts all data and facts in
perspective that is in accordance with, and necessary for, a correct
understanding of them. It is the basis for a rational interpretation of the
universe as it is the main principle of reason, cannot be non-rational and
self-contradictory. The universe which is the source of the reality of
scientific reasoning is an inseparable picture of the form of God. Because
behind the appearance and reality of the universe there is a metaphysical
dimension and the purpose of its creation. Science in Islam is intended
for

11 lihat al-Qur'an surat Ali 'Imran (3) ayat 83 dan 85, an-Nisa (4) ayat 125, al-
An'am (6) ayat 161, at-Taubah (9) ayat 29, an- Nur (24) ayat 2, al-Bayyinah (98) ayat 5, dan an-
Nashr (110) ayat 2.

12 Philosophy and Practice of Islamic Education Syed Muhammad

Naquib al-Attas (Mizan Main Media: Bandung, 2003) paint. 1, p. 191-192
13 Jujun S. Suriasumantri, Philosophy of Science: An Introduction,
(Jakarta: Sinar Harapan, 1984) p. 291-299

do proof of the cues for the search for knowledge as stated in the Koran.
14

Conclusion

To see the relationship between Islam and science in depth

clarification needs to be done. Nowadays, there are many people who
misunderstand Islam which is understood by people other than Muslims
that Islam is only a religion that is commensurate with Christianity,
Hinduism, Buddhism, and even other animism-dynamism
beliefs. Of course this is seen especially by Westerners as a nation that is
currently developing in terms of science and technology, as their history at
the time when they were ruled by the Church (Dark Age). Assuming that
religion is very much in conflict with science and technology. What should
have happened, that between science and Islam has a very close
relationship, because Islamic science is born from worldview and Islamic
way of life derived from the Qur'an and Hadith as
authority of truth. And we must not interpret science and religion as it is
in Western tradition, or even see it in the framework of Western
thinking. Because if so, we will come to the conclusion that in science and
religion there is no relationship whatsoever.

14 Osman Bakar, The History and Philosophy of Islamic Science,

(Brooklands Avenue: Islamic Texts Society, 1999) hlm. 64

Reference

Al-Qur'an al-Karim

Al-Attas, Syed Muhammad Naquib, Islam and Philosophy of Science,

(Mizan Publisher: Bandung, 1995)

Bakar, Osman, "Religion and Science in Islamic Perspectives", in the Insist

Team, Islamic Science: Paradigms, Facts, and Agendas, (Insist: Jakarta,
2016)

Muslih, Mohammad, Philosophy of Science Study of Basic Assumptions,

Paradigms and Framework for Theory of
Science, (Thicket: Yogyakarta, 2007)

Suriasumantri, Jujun S, Philosophy of Science: An Introduction, (Jakarta:

Sinar Harapan, 1984)
The Drafting Team of Language Center Dictionary, Big Indonesian
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