Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi has published a rebuke of the “Scientific Interpretation of the Quran”, an Islamic movement that sees in the Koran signs of future scientific breakthroughs. Qaradawi’s writing contains the following conclusions:
Every attempt to relate general scientific signs in the Quran to changing modern scientific discoveries, or even non-absolute scientific facts as mentioned earlier, involves a basic methodological error, in addition to three meanings that are inappropriate to be related to the Quran:
First: An internal defeat in the minds of the followers of this approach which makes them think that science is supreme and that the Quran is its follower. For this reason, they try to prove the validity of the Quran through the use of science, or infer to the Quran through science. Whereas the Quran is a comprehensive book in its topic and conclusive in its facts, science is still today contradicting what it proved yesterday as ‘facts’, and all scientific discoveries are neither final nor absolute as they are constrained with man’s environment, understanding and tools, which all leads to the inability of producing one final absolute fact.
Second: A misunderstanding of the nature and role of the Quran. The Quran is the absolute final truth that addresses the development of man’s life according to human nature, in a way that is in harmony with the nature of this universe and its divine laws so that he is not in conflict with the environment which surrounds him. The Quran actually encourages man to get to know the universe and discover some of its secrets, and use some of its laws being God’s caliph on earth. These laws of nature are discovered through observation, research, experimentation and application guided by the mind God gave him to use, and not to simply receive ready material information.
Third: A continuous renewed interpretation of the Quranic text in an unnatural way to allow chasing and following the ever-changing scientific theories and hypotheses. All of this does not befit the reverence of the Holy Quran and it involves a methodological error as mentioned above.
Read the whole piece here.
Perhaps the best known proponent of the “Scientific Interpretation of the Quran” is Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood figure Zaghloul el-Naggar. Dr. El-Naggar is most famous in the Islamic world as a proponent of “Bucailleism”, a kind of Islamic creationism that sees in the Koran signs of future scientific breakthroughs. According to a 2002 WSJ article, Dr. El-Naggar is also the mentor of Sheikh Abdul Majeed Zindani who has been designated as a terrorist by the United States in connection with his support of Al Qaeda in Yemen and is also said to be the “spiritual mentor” to Osama Bin Laden. Dr. El-Naggar was extensively profiled in a 2008 post which details both his long background in the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as well as his history of anti-Semitism. A post from November 2009 reported on further anti-Semitic comments made by Dr. El-Naggar. An earlier post discussed Dr. El-Naggar’s talk at a Dubai cultural forum attended by a member of the Dubai ruling family. A post from October 2012 reported that that el-Naggar had appeared on Egyptian TV where he recommended the consumption of camel urine as a remedy for incurable diseases. A post from September 2012 reported that al-Zindani had claimed to have obtained some kind of patent for his alleged cure for AIDS that was first announced in 2007.
Qaradawi, a virulent anti-Semite is often referred to here as the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, an acknowledgement of his role as the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to lead the Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide. Based in Qatar, Sheikh Qaradawi has reportedly amassed substantial wealth through his role as Shari’ah adviser to many important Islamic banks and funds. He is also considered to be the “spiritual guide” for Hamas and his fatwas in support of suicide bombings against Israeli citizens were instrumental in the development of the phenomenon. A recent post has discussed a video compilation of Qaradawi’s extremist statements. A post from August reported that Qaradawi had been included as part of a list of Islamic scholars to be appointed to an Egyptian national board of senior Islamic scholars (Ulema). Al-Azhar is considered to be the main center of Islamic and Arabic learning in the world.