Woman Between Islam and Western Society
1. A Survey
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1. A SURVEY
Human intelligence having its limits, the universe
seems difficult to interpret. Man can only guess at
facts: he is in no position to comprehend them. The
history of man’s struggle to come to grips with the
baffling factors in his terrestrial and celestial
environment has been recorded throughout the
ages in the writings of sages, philosophers and men
of religion, one more recent, and very commendable
effort being a book by Sir James Jeans (1877-1946)
which gives us prior warning in its very apt title —
The Mysterious Universe
— of just how impenetrable
the secrets of the cosmos can be.
It was this mystery surrounding the universe which
gave rise in ancient times to many stories, now
called myths. On the basis of pure conjecture, man
developed many suppositions which, in the course
of time, became widespread beliefs, rooted in the
human imagination.
We find that in every age man has had a set of
beliefs which molded his thoughts and deeds. In
ancient times this set of beliefs was entirely based
