Whose Unseen World Do You Believe In?

Salaam,

Some disbelieve in what they can’t see. They say that things must be proven empirically and scientifically, or else, they can’t be proven at all.

Yet, science itself argues that much of what exists in the world is unseen. These unseen things are detectable through advanced technology yet unperceived by the senses. They are known by their effects. They resist direct observation. How curious.

While there is no reason to deny what scientists claim they’ve detected, it does open up more opportunities for inquiry than it closes. I’d argue it creates more synergy for religious-minded people. After all, haven’t religious people also been saying that there are unseen forces which resist direct observation and yet their effects can be observed in the world?

As Muslims, our belief in the unseen (ghayb) points to this. Angels, jinns, devils… all exist in another dimension that pushes and pulls on our own. How do we know that the invisible forces science speaks of are not spiritual entities doing their part in the cosmos? In fact, aren’t emotions immaterial forces that impact the physical world? Isn’t love, for instance, observed indirectly by its effects?

For a while, it seemed like religion and science had reached a truce: science would speak about the material world and religion the immaterial world. But science certainly speaks about the unseen world in terms of its effects. And that’s fine as long as it doesn’t say that it alone can speak on unseen matters. If science made that claim, it would be engaged in the same so-called tyranny that it accuses religion of.