New Delhi

A major reason for the backwardness of Muslims, according to Dr Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz, is the fragmented nature of their educational system. Education, he argues, has been divided into two separate spheres: religious education on one side and worldly education on the other.

The curriculum taught in madrasas largely excludes modern sciences, while the tradition of deep contemplation and reflection on the Quran has weakened.

At the same time, modern educational institutions focus on contemporary sciences but often lack a moral and spiritual foundation. This division, he says, prevents the development of a balanced and integrated mind.

Dr Aslam Parvaiz, a distinguished educationist and scholar, shared these views in the podcast Din Aur Duniya with Saquib Salim on the Awaz – The Voice portal.

Speaking about the relationship between Muslims, science, and the Quran, he highlighted several factors that continue to hold Muslims back in both scientific and religious pursuits.

According to him, science is not merely a subject but a way of thinking — a method through which human beings understand the world around them. This mindset, he emphasised, begins at home and must be nurtured in children from an early age.

“If the habit of questioning and understanding is not cultivated within the home and society, a scientific mind cannot develop,” he says. In many Muslim households, he argues, children are often raised with an unscientific attitude from the beginning.

To illustrate this, he refers to the practice of teaching children to read the Quran in a nazira form — where they learn to recognise the letters and recite the text but do not understand its meaning. According to him, reading a book without understanding it is itself an unscientific practice. It creates the impression that comprehension is unnecessary and that mere recitation is sufficient. “There is hardly any other book in the world that people read without understanding,” he notes.

Dr Parvaiz points out that the Quran repeatedly invites humanity to reflect upon the universe. It speaks about the creation of the earth and the sky, the movement of the sun and the moon, and the order of nature. These, the Quran says, are signs for those who possess understanding.

In essence, he argues, the Quran encourages human beings to observe nature and understand its laws, which is precisely the foundation of the scientific method.

The real issue, he believes, is not the Quran itself but the attitude of Muslims. According to him, nearly eighty per cent of Muslims across the world do not read the Quran with understanding. Instead, they simply follow what they have been taught since childhood. While practices such as prayer, fasting, and zakat are important, many broader Quranic teachings are often overlooked.

Another challenge, he says, is the lack of individuals who are simultaneously grounded in both science and religious scholarship. Many ulama have little familiarity with scientific disciplines, while scientists rarely engage with religious studies. As a result, meaningful dialogue between the two fields remains limited.

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Dr Parvaiz also observes that Muslims frequently take pride in the achievements of past scholars, often citing figures such as Ibn Sina and other great scientists of Islamic civilisation. However, he emphasises that these belong to history. The Quran itself reminds believers that every community will be judged by its own deeds.

See the Podcast Here: