Spiritual Interpretation of Science

Prof Bilal Kuspinar bilal-kuspinar Professor & Chair Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya-Turkey Spiritual Interpretation of Science Abstract: At the center of the Islamic spiritual tradition there lie, among others, these two fundamental -one Qur’anic and the other Prophetic- statements: “I created the jinn and humankind only to worship Me.” (51:56) “I was a hidden treasure and I loved to be known and therefore I created the creation.” (hadith qudsi) In both cases God speaks to human beings and the words “to worship Me”, in the former Qur’anic verse, appear to have been interpreted by the early Muslims, including the Prophet’s learned companion Ibn ‘Abbas, as “to know Me.” It is on the basis of these scriptural declarations, along with some others, that most of the Sufis and gnostics, such as Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, Ibn al-’Arabi, and Rumi, as well as their subsequent followers, have maintained that all knowledge concerns itself with God and that all things must be known in relation to God or all things must be viewed, studied, examined, and interpreted in the context of the One (Tawhid). In this sense, knowledge and science (‘ilm) and self-experiential knowledge and gnostic science (ma’rifa) have been conceived not only as being complementary to each other but also being merged in the heart, which is the seat of all knowledge. In this presentation, we shall attempt to delineate some of the spiritual-epistemological implications of the above-cited Qur’anic and Prophetic statements as discussed in the writings of the Muslim spiritual thinkers named above. Biography: Professor & Chair Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya-Turkey. He received his B.A. in theology from Selçuk University, Konya, his M.A. in philosophy, logic and history of science from the Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, his first Ph.D. in the history of philosophy from Selçuk University, and his second Ph.D. in Islamic philosophy and mysticism from McGill University. He specializes in history of medieval philosophy and mysticism. His research investigates into various philosophical and mystical traditions flourished in Islamic civilization, especially within the context of the Ottoman intellectual milieu. Prior to joining Konya Necmettin Erbakan University, he taught at several academic institutions and universities, including Selcuk University, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), Kuala Lumpur, and Concordia and McGill Universities, Montreal, and Ahlia University, Bahrain. He has also made extensive contributions to the field of philosophy and humanity studies with his many articles. He has so far published three books: The Lamp of Mysteries (Misbāh al-Asrār): A Commentary on the Light-Verse of the Qur’an: Arabic text critically edited, translated, and annotated. (Oxford: Anqa publishing, 2011) Ismā‘īl Ankaravī on the Illuminative Philosophy: His Izāhu’l-Hikem, Its Edition and Anaylsis in Comparison with Dawwānī’s Shawākil al-Hūr, Together with the Translation of Suhrawardī’s Hayākil al-Nūr. Kuala Lumpur: International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), 1996. Ibn Sina’da Bilgi Teorisi (Avicenna’s Theory of Knowledge). 2nd ed. Istanbul: MEB, 2001. (1st ed. in 1995)