ADVANCES IN SCIENCE

Thinking is essential to recognize the wonders and beauties surrounding us. The Qur'an invites people to ponder so as to see the signs of Allah encompassing them. This is the only way to appreciate Allah's superior wisdom and power, which He manifests in living beings. Subtleties concealed in the creation of the heavens, Earth, animals, plants, and human beings deserve our deep thought. In the following verses, Allah invites people to think on these subtleties:

Complying with Allah's commands, which encourage people to think, analyze, and research, will open new scientific horizons. These very developments, which flourish wherever people live according to the real spirit of the Qur'an's moral teachings, will be evident in the Golden Age, a time of unprecedented scientific development.

In the Golden Age, the major factor that will enable such scientific development will be science's purification from some dogmas and erroneous goals. In recent centuries, such bigoted beliefs as materialist philosophy and Darwinism have impeded scientific progress. Many scientists concentrated their efforts on proving entirely mistaken assumptions, and great amounts of effort and time have been wasted. In the Golden Age, the scientific world will embrace the fact that Allah created the universe and everything that it contains. This will allow science to be practiced on sound foundations. Available resources that were used to support Darwin's fantasies or to produce chemical weapons and nuclear bombs will be channeled to humanity's service in compliance with Allah's consent. Aware that serving humanity will earn Allah's good pleasure, scientists will engage in more fruitful research.

Developments in Genetics

Each development in the Golden Age will lead to great advances in medicine. The discovery of the structure of DNA in the mid-twentieth century opened new horizons in medicine and biology. Similarly, all scientific and technological developments in the Golden Age will add momentum to medical studies, minimize errors, shorten the time required for an accurate diagnosis, and enable patients to receive the optimum treatment.

Genetics, which will be the science of this new century, will be the impetus behind medical advances. Studies on the human DNA code seek to disclose the genetic causes of many diseases. One goal of the Human Genome Project, originally planned to last for 15 years and being worked upon by thousands of scientists from more than eight countries, is to identify the genes in human DNA and thereby uncover its mysteries. Determining the sequences of human DNA's 3 billion chemical base pairs, entering this information in databases, and using the related technologies to serve science will open a new era. The project's primary goals are to protect people against disease by altering the DNA code, predetermining how the body responds to medicines, and ensuring protection by predetermining every human beings' weaknesses. Devising medicines solely for an individual's needs, as well as forming a database of genetic features and a genetic card for a person, are also on the scientists' agenda. As science can progress only as far as Allah wills, we should not be worried about such undertakings, as many people are today. Such research either will succeed and benefit humanity, or fail due to Allah's will.

Thanks to these developments, doctors will be able to detect minute differences of the same diseases and then use individualized treatment procedures or techniques. As a result, people living in the Golden Age will not suffer from maltreatment and feel desperate. Everyone will immediately receive the appropriate medical assistance, for ideal morality and good conduct complies with the duty to help patients and save their lives. In the Golden Age, enhancing an individual's health and quality of life will be of primary importance.

Advances in Medicine

People guided by the Qur'an's values consider human life to be very precious. In a society of believers, therefore, people pay great attention to issues related to human health. Regardless of their status or qualities, anyone, whether rich or poor, young or old, will receive the treatment he or she deserves. All solutions will be exhausted, and great sacrifices will be made to save a person's life, for according to the Qur'an's values, people receive great rewards for trying to treat and cure those who are sick so that they might have healthier and fuller lives.

In compliance with this verse, Muslims in the Golden Age will make serious efforts to develop and implement workable strategies to promote quality health care for all and to ensure that patients receive optimal care.

Advances in City Planning

In the twenty-first century, scientists will strive to spread the use of more efficient technology further afield.

One of today's primary goals is to use computer technology to assist people with basic day-to-day tasks, tasks that are otherwise unrelated to technology and thus minimize the labor force. Many technological devices, thought to be limited to science fiction movies only, have already been incorporated into our lives and started to offer comfort. Maintaining cities by making use of computer technology, which will change the faces of cities today immensely, will be instrumental in monitoring infrastructure systems; handling urgent help needs, traffic, and city planning; and improving security and health services. People will not waste time by waiting in lines to receive public services, for all sorts of administrative information related to a person will be available in computers.

Thanks to earthquake-resistant technologies, buildings will be able to survive severe earthquakes. Now, a single intense jolt can reduce an entire city to heaps of rubble. In the Golden Age, however, both the construction systems and materials will, by Allah's Will, help buildings withstand intense shakes. In this way, technology will ensure people's security and make it easier for them to cope with urgent situations.

Due to changes in energy resources, every city will become an energy-generating unit. In this context, they will rely heavily on wind and solar power, and especially upon solar reactors for purifying drinking water, and generating electricity and heat. These renewable energy sources will meet all of humanity's needs and reduce energy transportation between different cities and countries. Coastal cities will obtain their energy from water or wind, thereby ending their problems related to environmental pollution. In cities, people will grow all kinds of food through hydroponics (growing plants without soil) and aquaponics (growing plants in water).

Furthermore, there will be great improvements in the way cities look. Their cleaning and ordering will be maintained via computers, and their appearance will change, for greening the cities will become a policy. The congestion, pollution, and chaos dominating our contemporary urban areas results from our distance from the Qur'an's concept of morality. When people adhere to the Qur'an, they seek to establish an environment similar to that of Paradise. They always think about how to improve and better their surroundings, and thank Allah for the great comfort, relief, and beauty He has granted. In return, they receive more of the beauties that Allah promises to His servants who give thanks:

In another verse, Allah warns the people of `Imran, who lived in a very beautiful city:

Scientists are currently working on chips that can conduct DNA tests for identification. A piece of hair or skin taken from the crime scene is tested on this little chip, and the result is matched with data bank. The process delivers quick and reliable results.

In genetics, the Human Genome Project is one of the most important projects of recent years. The results of this project, which consist of thousands of dedicated scientists working on teams from more than eight countries, will be a breakthrough. The project's primary goals are to protect against diseases by making changes to the DNA code, to predetermine how the body responds to various medicines, and to take precautions against bodily weaknesses. This project will make it possible to determine every human beings' weaknesses. As all progress comes about through Allah's will, the resulting knowledge and data will only benefit humanity, for the prevailing Qur'anic values and morality will make its abuse impossible.

In an environment where people are guided by the Qur'an's values, human life is considered very precious. For this reason, in a society of believers, people pay the utmost attention to issues of human health. The latest technology is used in treatments and operations. All solutions are exhausted and great sacrifices are made to save a person's life. One of the technological breakthroughs in medicine is picturing the area on which an operation is carried out by sending a powerful source of light into an organism through fiber optic cables.