Reflections
Some scientists and mathematicians often speak,
quite enthusiastically, about how various
structures and phenomena can exhibit the
characteristic of being an 'emergent'
property of a system - a property that could
not have been predicted on the basis of what
is known about the physical forces believed
to be at work in such a system, and, yet,
under the 'right' circumstances, the synergy of
the interacting components of a system give rise
to interesting, unpredictable results.
Moreover, these same individuals also tend to
speak about how powerful the process of 'recursion'
is that is operative in the aforementioned systems.
In other words, as a result of certain processes
happening again and again, while feeding the results
of one cycle back into subsequent cycles, even
very simple systems have been observed to generate
very complex, novel results.
Yet, if one were to mention to these same scientists
and mathematicians that recursion also plays an
extremely powerful and prominent role in Islam,
and, as a result, one also can
observe emergent properties arising out of this
process of recursion, their reaction might be
rather skeptical, and the information concerning
recursion and emergent properties might not be
quite so enthusiastically received.
Nonetheless, zikr Allah - that is, the repetitive
chanting of different Names of God, or various
Quranic verses, has been shown to be associated
with transformational qualities in individuals
- qualities which are truly emergent in the sense
that one could not predict, on the basis of 'merely'
repeating certain words, that such qualities would
be likely to ensue.
According to one of modern astronomy's popular
theories involving black holes, as certain kinds
of star begin to collapse at a given juncture in
their life-cycle, the radius of the star becomes
smaller and smaller, and in the process, enormous
gravitational forces and energy is released. Such
forces and energy are said to have the capacity to
curve space-time.
Some scientists believe that as the foregoing
process of collapse continues, a space-time
singularity is created which, from a purely
theoretical perspective, eventually becomes a
dimensionless point that, simultaneously, is a
source for, virtually, infinite gravitational
forces - so great, in fact, that many laws of
physics tend to breakdown.
If, on the other hand, one were to talk about
how laws of physics breakdown or are suspended
in certain spiritual states, many of those who
champion the aforementioned theory of black
holes and feel no discomfort with, simultaneously,
maintaining that a dimensionless point can,
inexplicably, generate infinite gravitational
forces, such people might, very likely, feel
some degree of intellectual discomfort with the idea
that mystical forces can, if God wishes, lead to
the superseding of certain physical laws, leading to
the observance of 'kiramat' or 'wondrous deeds',
sometimes associated with the friends of God.
A famous physicist once said, in connection with
modern physics, that "Reality is not only stranger
than we think, it is stranger than we can conceive
of." These words often have been quoted in many
popularizations of quantum physics and, presumably,
are intended to bring a smile to one's lips, as well
as a sense of intense awe and wonder, concerning the
paradoxes, anomalies, and strange discoveries of
many facets of modern science.
But, if the foregoing words of the physicist were
uttered in conjunction with the realm of mysticism,
the smile on the lips of many people today would
not be one of awe and wonder but derision and
contempt. Apparently, for many individuals who
are enamored with the awe and wonder of science,
what is good for the goose of physical science is
not, similarly, good for the gander of mystical
science, and, in fact, many of them would object to
the idea that there could be anything called
"mystical science", as if this were an oxymoron, or
contradiction in terms.
Ever since Faraday, the idea of a unified field
theory has captured the imagination and efforts of
many scientists and mathematicians. Einstein spent
the last thirty-five years of his life trying to
reduce physical reality to geometry.
Moreover, over the last 30-40 years, there have
been a whole series of grand unified theories
(GUT)- ranging from supersymmetry, to supergravity,
to string theory, to twistors. None of these theories
have been proven, experimentally, to be true, and
all of them contain numerous problems and unanswered
questions, and, yet, such theories are being
entertained seriously by a not insignificant group of
people from the scientific and mathematical worlds.
Nevertheless, if one were to indicate that Islam - which
encompasses both the exoteric and esoteric dimensions,
across all levels of Being - has been operating from a perspective of a grand
unified framework for thousands of years, such a
statement would not be given much, if any, serious
consideration by the same people who are chasing
theoretical-ghosts, of one species or another. And,
one might add that the grand unified perspective of
Islam does not limit itself to merely the physical
universe. Such a perspective includes man, society,
and the metaphysical (in its original sense as that
which lies beyond the physical), as well as the
physical universe.
Scientists and mathematicians speak quite confidently
in terms of n-dimensions, the compactified spaces
of Kaluza-Klein theories, the infinite dimensionality
of Hilbert space, and the infinitesimal nature of
the dimensions to which strings supposedly give
expression. All of the foregoing are entirely
invisible to our senses - even when boosted by
various instruments, are impossible to visualize,
and have not been verified empirically.
Yet, if one speaks of the hidden levels of Allah's
universe, or of the realms of the 'unseen' - that
are invisible to human senses and which are said to
fall beyond even human imagination, many people
from the scientific and mathematical communities
can hardly contain themselves before criticizing
how 'unscientific' and unverifiable such assertions
are. Scientists and mathematicians seem to be far
more forgiving of their own theories than they
are of those things about which they know almost
nothing.
An observer of the history of ideas once remarked
that "One society's technology is another society's
magic." With a little modification, this statement
can be given an interesting, thought-provoking
twist.
More specifically, Edgar Allen Poe once wrote a
short story called 'The Thousand and Second Night'
and was intended to be a continuation of the 1001
tales of the Arabian Nights as told by Scheherazade
to the Sultan in an effort to prolong her life. In
the story written by Poe, Scheherazade did not speak
of Sinbad and Aladdin, nor did she speak of magic
and sorcery, as she had done in the previous tales.
Instead, she told of the scientific and technological
wonders of 19th century America and Europe. She spoke
of the steam engine, the telegraph, and the telescope.
After listening to her tale, the Sultan was critical.
He said that when she had spoken of jinn, magic,
and sorcery, such things were believable, but her
present tale of steam engines and such was quite
preposterous.
What one considers to be preposterous depends a great
deal on the conceptual framework out of which one
engages and interprets experience. When scientists
speak of grand unified theories, infinities,
n-dimensions, the breakdown of physical laws,
and emergent properties, despite the rather amazing, if
not preposterous, character of much of what they say,
they are like the Sultan who is prepared to believe
in that with which he feels comfortable, despite the
many paradoxes, inconsistencies, anomalies, lacunae,
and non-empirical nature of what is being asserted.
The technology, if you will, of essential spirituality is
merely the magic of modern science. Whatever one
does not understand, has something of the magical
about it, and although no Muslim, Mu'min or Mohsin would claim to
know everything, nevertheless, they know what
they know, irrespective of whether, or not,
individuals from the worlds of science and
mathematics accept what the former individuals have to say, or
even understand them.
| Return to Thinking About Islam Menu |
|
