The objective of this paper is three-fold. Firstly, to critique the viability of ‘Modern Islamic Sciences’ as distinct from ‘Classic Islamic Sciences,’ arguing that the claims of the former are either undifferentiable from modern sciences or misguided and untenable. Secondly, to show that contrary to ‘Modern Islamic Sciences’, ‘Islamic technologies’ are feasible. And thirdly, to demonstrate that mysticism/‘irfan is a proper branch of the humanities and, as such, some of the methodological rules introduced by some mystics are comparable to modern methodological rules applied to modern sciences. To develop my discussion concerning the third point of the paper, I use a book by a well-known Muslim mystic, Ibn Arabi (1165-1240), entitled Ma La Yo’awwalu ‘Alaih (What Cannot be Trusted).

Professor Ali Paya is a professor of philosophy whose research interests include the philosophy and methodology of science, modern Islamic thought, and Islam and democracy.

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