Once, Napoleon asked Laplace (m 1827), a great French mathematician of who was the author of this miraculous universe. Laplace replied, "I do not need that hypothesis." (Karen Armstrong, God's Future: Rebuttal to Fundamentalism and Atheism, Bandung: Mizan, 2009).
For Laplace, the presence or absence of God is not important to science because by knowing the laws of nature, all questions can be answered.
Laplace's answer can be said to represent the views of Western scientists on science and religion. Since Copernicus threw the idea of Heliocentrism in the 16th century, modern science is slowly moving away from religion. Since then, associating science with God and religion is regarded as an absurd and futile idea. All existence and dynamics that occur in nature comes from the laws of nature alone.
This is what Hawking says in The Grand Design (2010), "Their creation does not require the intervention of some supernatural being or god. Rather, these multiple universes arise naturally from physical law. "(Such creation does not require the intervention of supernatural powers or God, this universe emerges naturally from the laws of physics).
As known, science teaching in Indonesia is generally oriented to Western countries, especially America and Europe. That is because ne gara-country is seen as advanced in science and technology. Simple indication can be seen from the science curriculum used in schools and universities in Indonesia. The material structure and contents are practically copy-paste from the West.
In the realm of physics, for example, science books are filled with theories of Western scholars, such as Copernicus, Gauss, Descartes, Newton, Planck, Snellius, Maxwell, Pascall, Celcius, Boyle, Kirchoff, de-Broglie, Einstein, and many more. Similar conditions also occur in other science lessons, such as biology, chemistry, and astronomy.
In the West, connecting science to God and religion is seen as haram. Therefore, religion is seen not a source of knowledge. Religion is considered a collection of unscientific dogma because it is not empirical and rational. Religion is not a science. This kind of paradigm also colored the concept of their science education.
It is ironic if the atheistic worldview of this cam ra may color science education in Indonesia. Religion is thrown away from science. The Qur'an is considered not a source of knowledge. In fact, Indonesia is a country based on God Almighty. Meanwhile, Law No. 20 of 2003 on the National Education System explicitly states the purpose of national education is to print citizens who believe and fear God Almighty.
Some science lessons in Indonesia, if examined carefully, actually imply an atheistic view of life that is contrary to the Islamic creed and the basic value of the Indonesian nation. For example, in Physics Lessons is taught the law of conservation of energy and matter.
In this law it is stated that energy and matter are two things that can not be created or destroyed (see, Integrated Science textbook class IX, output Pusbuk Depdiknas, 2008).
Such a theory implies a rejection of the existence and power of God. The same can be found in the discussion of the origin of living things in biology lessons. There are proposed various theories about the origin of living things. There are theories of abiogenesis (living things derived from inanimate), the theory of biogenesis (living things derived from living things), the theory of chemical evolution (living things derived from the evolution of matter compounds in nature), and others.
Although different concepts, all these theories imply a commonality, namely the rejection of the existence of God the Creator and Nature Controller. The question arises, how is it possible for Muslim children to be taught the creed of Islam in religious studies while on the other side they are crammed with atheistic teachings in science lessons?
What is even more concerning is how God has been lost from the science books. Try to note the science books used from elementary school to college. Expressing gratitude to God alone in the textbook seems to be a taboo subject. In fact, how many parts of nature that God gave to humans!
In the meantime, a little bit of the Qur'an in science textbooks, as Harun Yahya does, is pouted as matching verses with the discovery of science. Not long ago a professor at one of Indonesia's leading universities protested against the 2013 Curriculum that carries religion in science lessons, when he himself is a Muslim. (http://edukasi.kompas.com/Curriculum 2013 Naked in ITB).
So many verses of the Qur'an that enjoin believers to pay attention to nature. According to Ratib an-Nabulsi, there are at least 1,300 verses or a fifth of the Qur'an talking about nature (7 Pillars of Life, Jakarta: Gema Insani Press, 2010).
The goal is to know God and His greatness so deeply in faith and the greater their gratitude. That is, in the Islamic perspective, separating science with belief in the Creator is not only imprecise, but contrary to the Islamic creed.
Muslim scholars of the past have very often linked science with religion. It is noteworthy that the debate on the relation of science and religion has never occurred in the Islamic world, except only in the last century because of the rapid infiltration of Western thought.
For Muslim scientists, the universe is a holy verse of God. That is why they often express their faith, not only in the religious books, but also in their scientific works. They did not even hesitate to quote the Qur'an in their scientific works.
Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, for example, when describing the vision in his work Al-Jamahir fi Ma'rifat al-Jawahir (Maktabah Syamilah) which contains various theories of geological science, says, "The vision of his position takes ibrah from what we see with signs of God's wisdom in his creation and as a means of seeking the direction of Allah.
Then he quotes Fushshilat verse 53, 'We will show them Our signs in all regions of the earth and in themselves, until it is clear to them that the Qur'an is true. Is it not enough that your Lord be witness to all things? '"
Surely it would be too long to mention similar examples in the works of other Muslim scientists. Integrative science with ketauhidan is now popularly called "Islamic science". The integration of teaching science with religion is important rather than avoided. Because, this nature was created by God to bring people to know God better. Of course all this must be done with the concept of mature thinking and not just put the verse so that it can degrade the dignity of religion.
For that, it's time to dig again the history of science development in the Islamic world of the past. And, this is a huge obligation of Muslim scientists today.