Adventures of an Amazing Concept: Some Wanderings of “Miracles” in the Discourse on Islam and Science

Abstract

This essay scrutinizes how the conceptualization of the notion of ‘miracle’ varies in the works of contemporary Muslim authors who share (but differently define) the assumption that Islam and science enjoy a special harmony. Their positions are analyzed after a brief reconstruction of the multiple meanings of the very term ‘miracle’ and an historical excursus on the Christian and Muslim tradition respectively. I argue that such variation is dependent on each author’s understanding of science and technology, and complementarily, on the prestige and appeal exerted by science and technology on the authors’ respective readership.

This paper is one of a collection that originated in the IAHR Special Conference “Religions, Science and Technology in Cultural Contexts:  Dynamics of Change”, held at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology on March 1–2, 2012. For an overall introduction see the article by Ulrika Mårtensson, also published here.