December 16, 2015: CODE PAKISTAN held a discussion on “Are Reason and Religion in Conflict with Each Other” between the students of Abasyn University and various madrasahs of Islamabad. The views of the university and madrasah students were not very different from each other on the subject. Both sets of students subscribed to the view that reason and religion are not in conflict with each other. They argued that on occasions where there appeared to be a conflict between Islam and science, it was either because science had not reached a level where it could understand all the truth of Islam or because there was a lack of understanding about Islam itself.
Some madrasah students argued that reason was subservient to religion, and that it was not true the other way round. They maintained that Islam was more comprehensive and all-encompassing than reason, therefore, reason had to be made subservient to faith. Some other students argued that implying a conflict between reason and religion was like implying a collision between an airplane and a ship. They maintained that the two were completely different fields operating in completely different realms. Shahid Ilyas, Research Analyst at IRS, who was moderating the discussion called for a greater understanding of both science and religion to understand the true spirit and compatibility of both.
The discussion was part of the University Madrasah Interaction Program (UMIP), which aims to bring the students of madrasahs and universities closer to each other by promoting positive and meaningful interaction between them. A total of ten discussions will be held between the students of Abasyn University and madrasahs under UMIP. For more details on UMIP, please click here.