Islam Creator of the Modern Age
1. Islam: Creator of the Modern Age
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thinking as could undermine the central position of
the earth. It was this belief that came in the way of
free investigation of the solar system.
Holding the non-sacred to be sacred had thus
locked the doors to all progress. Holding the moon
sacred came in the way of nurturing the thought of
man setting foot upon it. Holding the river sacred
came in the way of man ever planning to produce
electricity by conquering the river. Holding the cow
sacred came in the way of man gauging the
importance of its protein-rich meat and making it a
part of his diet. All such research and investigation
could start only when natural phenomena could be
brought down from their pedestal of sanctity to a
level on which man could look at them as normal,
everyday things.
Prior to Islam, the stars were objects of veneration.
But after the Islamic revolution, observatories were
built and the stars were subjected to observational
research on a large scale, something which had
never previously been attempted. The minerals
embedded in the earth’s crust were likewise
regarded as sacred. But Muslims, having developed
