Knowing the Unknown: Through Science and Sufism

Book excerpt: Knowing the Unknown Through Science and Sufism touches on the creation of the universe, starting from the Big Bang and following through the phases of evolution until the present day, discussing the appearance of life on earth after billions of years of turmoil. It looks at the early beginnings of religion in prehistoric societies and how this progressed into organized religion as we know it today. This book explores the similarities between the scientific concepts related to evolutionary change and the concepts that Sufis have highlighted with reference to verses of the Quran. It discusses the history of mankind and the journey through theological, philosophical, and spiritual phases. The book attempts to expand on the concept of time in relation to evolution and the difficulty in defining time and why the Quran mentions different times in different verses and also on an understanding of time in the present day. The subject matter is vast, but this book has attempted to address it in a more easily accessible way.