伊斯蘭科學家海什木：對於神學

01-29

海什木可以說是世界上第一個科學家。早在公元一千年就有了光學的許多著作，甚至推斷出了光的近似速度。他早期學習工程，讀希臘科學的書，和關於安達盧西亞學說的精華，接收並發展了這些學說。當時的埃及哈里發召集他參與控制尼羅河泛濫的工程，但是經過他的研究發現那是不可能實現的，從而招致哈里發非常憤怒。於是海什木就以裝瘋的方式避免了嚴重懲罰，轉而被軟禁，直到哈里發1021年死去。在此期間他完成了大量重要的數學論文。

對於他的科學成果在此不贅述，因為筆者對他對於神學的看法更感興趣。相關資料維基上只找到三段：

Doubts Concerning Ptolemy:

Truth is sought for its own sake ... Finding the truth is difficult, and the road to it is rough. For the truths are plunged in obscurity. ... God, however, has not preserved the scientist from error and has not safeguarded science from shortcomings and faults. If this had been the case, scientists would not have disagreed upon any point of science...

Therefore, the seeker after the truth is not one who studies the writings of the ancients and, following his natural disposition, puts his trust in them, but rather the one who suspects his faith in them and questions what he gathers from them, the one who submits to argument and demonstration, and not to the sayings of a human being whose nature is fraught with all kinds of imperfection and deficiency. Thus the duty of the man who investigates the writings of scientists, if learning the truth is his goal, is to make himself an enemy of all that he reads, and, applying his mind to the core and margins of its content, attack it from every side. He should also suspect himself as he performs his critical examination of it, so that he may avoid falling into either prejudice or leniency.
尋找真理的目的就是真理本身。探尋到真理是很困難的，而探尋的道路也是充滿艱辛。因為真理總是會被埋沒在模糊的表象中。神沒有庇護科學家不受錯誤的困擾，也沒有守衛科學免於缺陷與謬誤。如果不是這樣的話，科學家在所有問題上都應該毫無爭論地達成一致。
所以，真理的尋求者不是那些隨著自己的本性，豪不懷疑地埋頭古典書籍的人，而是那些對於經典抱有懷疑態度，對於經典傳授的知識大膽質疑的人。真理的尋求者同樣應該服從於論據與演示，而不是聽憑一個人的隨口一言，因為人本身天性就是充滿各種不完美與缺陷。一個追逐真理研究科學的人的義務，就是與他所有讀到的東西為敵，用他的大腦去仔細思索內容的方方面面，對於讀到的東西全方位地質疑。他也同樣應該對於自己的分析抱有謹慎懷疑態度，以至於不落入偏見與寬容的陷阱中。

In The Winding Motion:

From the statements made by the noble Shaykh, it is clear that he believes in Ptolemy』s words in everything he says, without relying on a demonstration or calling on a proof, but by pure imitation (taqlid); that is how experts in the prophetic tradition have faith in Prophets, may the blessing of God be upon them. But it is not the way that
mathematicians have faith in specialists in the demonstrative sciences.
（核心部分大體翻譯）對於崇拜先知的人來說，不用證明與演示就能用比擬的方法讓他們對先知充滿信念，期盼著神降臨恩賜於他們。但對於那些研究演示科學的數學家來說，這是不行的。

Alhazen described his theology （對於神學的看法）:

I constantly sought knowledge and truth, and it became my belief that for gaining access to the effulgence and closeness to God, there is no better way than that of searching for truth and knowledge.
我始終尋求著知識與真理。我漸漸地覺悟到，如果要拉近與神的距離而看見他的光輝，除了堅持這樣做之外別無他法。

這三段海什木的宗教觀念中，沒有一句談及古蘭經。他還口出狂言要「質疑經典」，擺出一份「路漫漫其修遠兮，吾將上下而求索」的尋道精神，不給先知好看。

一千年前那個被科學打臉氣得跳腳的哈里發到現在還在跳腳，而伊斯蘭世界與真理為友即是與安拉為友的海什木，卻是真真切切死了一千年了。