Salam All
Bismillah
I’m troubled about how the Reason vs Revelation debate is presented to students.
Often it is framed as if Reason and Revelation are at odds.
In the case where one believes that Reason (on its own) can be a source of knowledge then yes Reason and Revelation will come into conflict.
More likely however is that Reason can only help one speculate, and ultimately we rely on empirical evidence to help us make predictions about the world.
In that case Reason vs Revelation might be better presented as Speculation vs Revelation.
Speculation about what though? If we believe in God, then in the absence of Revelation I believe we can only speculate about:
- Allah’s purpose for us here.
- What Allah will reward and punish.
- What Allah’s intention(s) are for every event that occurs.
- The final meaning(s) of any Revelation He sends down.
It is important to notice that Science cannot address those questions.
I believe that Science is useful for evaluating how the Quran is a Miracle (Evidence of God). After that, we need the Science of Revelation (Islamic Sciences) to inform us of what Allah is likely telling us.
Importantly, the Islamic Sciences should NEVER undermine the very Science we use to establish belief in God in the first place.
After all, Allah does say in 3:80:
“And he would never ask you to take angels and prophets as lords. Would he ask you to disbelieve after you have submitted?” (Translation by Dr Mustafa Khattab)