Allah Yatajalla fi Asr al-Ilm
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- دار القلم
Allah Yatajalla fi Asr al-Ilm (God Manifests in the Age of Science) is an Arabic translation of an anthology of essays by modern American scientists presenting arguments from empirical sciences for the existence of God .
Background and Production
The original English collection was compiled and edited by John Clover Monsma, a former Christian pastor and religious journalist who researched the relationship between religion and science across history .
The Arabic translation and introductory study were prepared by Dr. Al-Demerdash Abdel-Meguid Sarhan, a professor at the Faculty of Education at Ain Shams University who earned his bachelor's degree in science from Cairo University in 1936, a diploma from the Higher Teachers' Institute of Education in 1938, and a master's and doctorate in education from Columbia University in 1947 and 1949 respectively . The translation was reviewed and annotated by Dr. Muhammad Jamal al-Din al-Fandi, a professor of atmospheric physics at Cairo University who held a diploma in meteorology from the University of London (1938) and a doctorate in the philosophy of science (1946) . The Arabic edition was published in Cairo by Mu'assasat al-Halabi (reaching a third edition in 1968) and in Beirut by Dar al-Qalam .
Contents and Structure
The book opens with an introduction by the translator addressing the question of God's existence and examining mathematical probabilities regarding the emergence of complex organic molecules, arguing that chance cannot account for the origin of life or cosmic order .
The main text consists of individual articles written by American specialists across physical, biological, and mathematical sciences who present scientific reasons for their religious conviction . These contributions include:
- "The Inevitable Conclusion" by chemist and mathematician John Cleveland Cothran .
- "Physical Evidence for the Existence of God" by biophysicist Paul Clarence Aebersold .
- "Scientific Discoveries Prove the Existence of God" by physicist George Earl Davis .
- "The Logic of Faith" by applied physicist George Herbert Blount .
- "The Great Designer" by engineering consultant Claude M. Hathaway .
- "God and Chemical Laws" by chemist John A. Buehler .
- "Science Supports My Faith in God" by biologist Albert McCombs Winchester .
- "The Validity of Religion" by internist Malcolm Duncan Winter Jr. .
The recurring theme across the essays is that empirical observation and scientific inquiry demonstrate inherent limits in explaining the ultimate causes of matter, energy, and cosmic precision, thereby indicating the necessity of an intelligent Designer .
Reception and Critique
The book gained widespread currency in contemporary Islamic apologetic and theological literature as a resource countering atheism and materialism, frequently recommended alongside works like Wahiduddin Khan's al-Islam Yatahadda and Cressy Morrison's al-Ilm Yad'u ila al-Iman . Official bodies such as Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah have cited it to argue that natural science does not contradict belief in God and that atheism is rejected by leading scientific figures .
Conversely, the work drew criticism from traditionalist authors, such as Abd al-Karim ibn Salih al-Humayd in al-Furqan fi Bayan I'jaz al-Qur'an, who objected to its title by arguing that the modern era represents ignorance rather than true knowledge, which he identified with the era of the Prophet's Companions . Al-Humayd contended that modern scientific methods do not yield certainty regarding theological truths and warned against adopting secular scientific arguments rather than relying on innate human nature (fitra) and prophetic revelation .
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