Allah refers to all things as “His āyāt” (His signs).
A sign is something that points to a meaning.
A word is a sign. It points to a meaning.
A sign with a picture of a seesaw on it, is a sign. It points to a physical park.
Allah refers to a leaf as a sign.
This means that a leaf points to meanings.
E = mc2 is a sign (of a different kind), and it, too, points to meanings.
(Another way to express this is “the fact that energy is the same thing as matter, sped up” points to meaning).
Gravity is a sign. It points to meanings.
The sunset is a sign. It points to meanings.
The proton is a sign. It points to meanings.
What does all of the above tell us? The following: since Allah has spoken the word “ayah”, this means that we cannot say that meaning is only subjective. For that which Allah has spoken is objectively true.
All of the above is to say: the truest purpose of studying the natural sciences is the discovery of nature’s meanings.
Some questions follow:
What are nature’s meanings? Is there any way to know?
Does this change how we understand, learn and teach the natural sciences?
Or to put it another way: “how should the existence of the word ‘ayah’ change the way we think about, learn and teach natural science?
I have heard it be said that the purpose of all knowledge, not just knowledge of nature, is the discovery of meaning. If that is true, how would that change how we understand, learn and teach… all subjects?
These are some of the questions I asked myself as a father when we began homeschooling our children.
Inara was born out of seeking these answers.
(Some of you may have more questions about meaning or what it means for something to be objective. We hope to share what we learned with you as we go along).
