Qawaid Tanawul al-Ijaz al-Ilmi wa al-Tibbi fi al-Sunna wa Dawabituh
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Qawaid Tanawul al-Ijaz al-Ilmi wa al-Tibbi fi al-Sunna wa Dawabituh (Rules and Controls for Approaching Scientific and Medical Miracles in the Sunna) is a methodological treatise by the Saudi scholar Abdullah al-Muslih on the criteria, linguistic rules, and scientific principles governing research into scientific and medical miracles in prophetic hadith .
Background and Purpose
The treatise contextualizes research on scientific miracles within the institutional framework established after the creation of the Commission on Scientific Signs in the Quran and Sunna, founded by a resolution of the Supreme Global Council for Mosques in 1404 AH (1984 CE) . The author articulates the purpose of such research as presenting objective evidence for the truth of Muhammad's ﷺ message, refuting skepticism, encouraging scientific inquiry among Muslims, and opening effective avenues for Islamic outreach (da'wa) . Recognizing that past reservations by some scholars were largely reactions to hasty and ungrounded claims, the work establishes a disciplined, moderate methodology (al-manhaj al-wasat) to safeguard research from speculative excess .
Methodological Rules and Criteria
The work outlines five sequential steps required to substantiate any claim of a scientific miracle in the Sunna :
- Verifying that the hadith is authentic (sahih) or good (hasan), explicitly barring weak or discarded narrations from evidentiary use .
- Confirming that the text contains a clear indication of the cosmological or scientific phenomenon without far-fetched extrapolation .
- Scientifically validating the physical phenomenon through established, peer-accepted empirical evidence, rather than unproven hypotheses .
- Demonstrating the impossibility of human knowledge possessing that specific fact at the time of revelation .
- Establishing full, natural concordance between the textual meaning and the proven scientific reality .
For textual interpretation, the author sets out principles derived from classical legal theory (usul al-fiqh) and Quranic exegesis. Researchers must consider the context of transmission (sabab al-wurud), interpret texts through other scriptural passages, adhere strictly to the linguistic usage of the Arabic language at the time of revelation, respect grammar and rhetoric, avoid delving into metaphysical unseen matters (ghaybiyyat), and refrain from relying on Israelite traditions (isra'iliyyat) or undermining classical scholarly consensus .
The book also details general research standards and the review procedure used by the Commission on Scientific Signs, classifying submitted studies into three categories: approved (mujazah), pending revision, and rejected . Research submitted for official endorsement undergoes examination by both a Sharia reviewer and a scientific specialist, followed by evaluation in an expert seminar .
Applied Medical Examples
To demonstrate these principles, the author analyzes two hadith-based case studies subject to experimental and clinical investigation :
- Black seed (al-habba al-sawda'): Citing the hadith transmitted by Abu Hurayra in Sahih al-Bukhari stating that black seed contains healing for every disease except death, the author contrasts classical uses with modern clinical research on immunity enhancement, anti-bacterial properties, and the isolation of its active compound Nigellone .
- Treatment of sciatica ('irq al-nasa): Citing the narration of Anas ibn Malik in Sunan Ibn Majah prescribing the melted tail of a desert sheep taken in three portions on an empty stomach, the treatise references clinical studies by rheumatologist Dr. Zuhayr Qirami examining its fatty acid composition, particularly omega-3, and its relation to intestinal enzyme absorption and prostaglandin production .
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