Mustafa Mahmoud’s Efforts to Offer A Faith-Based Understanding of Science

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Mustafa Mahmoud was an Egyptian Quran researcher, physician, literary figure and TV producer who strived during his more than five decades of intellectual activities to offer a faith-based understating of science and show the importance of the status of faith and ethics in contemporary era.

Mustafa Mahmoud (December 27, 1021- October 31, 2009) wrote 89 books in the field of Quran interpretation and religious thoughts.

His full name was Mustafa Kamal Mahmoud Hussein Al Mahfouz and he was a descendant of Imam Sajjad (AS), the fourth Shia Imam.

He was born in Menofia Governorate and later the family moved to Tanta. He lived in a house that was next to Sayed al-Badwi Mosque and the mosque had great influence on his thoughts all over his life.  

He began learning Arabic and Quran recitation and later memorized the entire Quran at school. He left school after being punished by a teacher but returned after three years and resumes his studies. This time he showed great talent in different lessons and after graduation from high school went to Cairo’s medical university.

He had to abandon studies at the university for three years due to a long illness. These three years also had great effects on his thoughts. He later resumed his studies and graduated from the medical university.

After some years of activities in the medical profession, he started studying in religions, the Holy Quran and the relation between science and faith.

His most famous book “The Quran - An Attempt to a Modern Understanding” was published in 1970. In this book, Mustafa Mahmoud tries to offer a new interpretation based on modern developments and in accordance with today’s needs. He discusses issues like creation, determinism, Halal and Haram and the resurrection in this book.

He tries to demonstrate the great extent of the Quran’s miracle and based on that introduce a new understanding and interpretation of the verses. The book can be regarded as an efforts to adjust the spiritual sphere with the material one. He says that mankind lives in two attractive worlds: The inner world of free will and the outer world of determinism in which fixed laws have chained human beings and the only path of salvation for them is to recognize the laws and prudently adapt and employ them.