Points of harmony between modern physics and the Islamic Doctrine

نقاط الانسجام بين الفيزياء الحديثة والعقيدة الإسلامية

Abstract

This study examines the key points of harmony between modern physics and Islamic doctrine, demonstrating that both perspectives share a surprisingly congruent worldview. Firstly, both modern physics and Islamic theology reject a static universe, instead affirming a dynamic cosmos characterized by motion and change. Secondly, the atomic theory—central to modern science—resonates with Islamic thought, where the concept of an infinite creation aligns with the Qur’anic verse, “He increases in creation what He wills” (Surah An-Nur, 24:35). Furthermore, the Big Bang theory corresponds closely with the Ash‘arī view regarding the temporal origination (ḥudūth) of the universe in terms of time, space, and matter. The metaphorical use of “light” in the famous “Verse of Light” is also more compatible with modern scientific interpretations than with the Neoplatonic or Avicennian idea of light as the “Active Intellect.” Additionally, the article explores the law of causality, analyzing whether it should be viewed as deterministic or probabilistic in both physics and theology. This discussion leads to a profound question: how can the cause of the Big Bang be conceived in contemporary physics, and how does it relate to Islamic metaphysical understandings? The study concludes that Islamic doctrine, particularly in its Ash‘arī articulation, aligns more naturally with the principles of modern physics than with the deterministic worldview of classical physics or the speculative metaphysics of Greek philosophy.