Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Islam and Science | Al-Risala April 1988
When a man is of a truly scientific temperament, he cannot but adopt an authentic religion, one that has been preserved in its original pristine form. An objective survey of the religions of the world reveals that Islam is the only such religion, other faiths having been corrupted by scriptural alternations and interpolations.
At an international Islamic conference held in Tripoli in December, 1982, a Japanese convert– a civil servant from Tokyo– voiced the opinion that “the Japanese are potentially Muslims.” He said so because he felt that the Japanese were straight-forward, realistic, clear-thinking people who would appreciate the simplicity and spontaneity of Islam. He felt that what would finally incline them to convert to Islam was their undoubtedly scientific attitude.
This characteristic is not the prerogative of the Japanese; it is to be found in most nations where the effects of the scientific revolution have made themselves felt. It would be quite true to say that all “scientific” societies of the modern age consist of “potential Muslims,” for Islam need only be presented to them in its true light for them to realize its genuineness and, as a corollary, their own Islamic potential.
The scientific revolution has, therefore, created an intellectual ambience which affords great opportunities for the spread of Islam, for it has given millions of potential converts the objectivity to see Islam as the only authentic religion.