“From the very beginnings of Islam, the search for knowledge has been central to our cultures…Astronomy, the so-called “Science of the Universe” was a field of particular distinction in Islamic civilization…”
His Highness the Aga Khan
Commencement Ceremony of the American University, Cairo, Egypt
June 15, 2006
Speech at Press Centre, AKDN
“As the Holy Quran so powerfully affirms, “Allah is the Creator and the Master of the heavens and the earth.” And then it continues: “Everything in the heavens and on earth, and everything between them, and everything beneath the soil, belongs to Him.” But in Islamic thought….beauty and mystery are not separated from intellect – in fact, the reverse is true. As we use our intellect to gain new knowledge about Creation, we come to see even more profoundly the depth and breadth of its mysteries. We explore unknown regions beneath the seas – and in outer space. We reach back over hundreds of millions of years in time…..And the more we discover, the more we know, the more we penetrate just below the surface of our normal lives – the more our imagination staggers. Just think for example what might lie below the surfaces of celestial bodies all across the far flung reaches of our universe. What we feel, even as we learn, is an ever-renewed sense of wonder, indeed, a powerful sense of awe – and of Divine inspiration.”
His Highness the Aga Khan
Inaugural Ceremony of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat
Ottawa, Canada
December 6, 2008
Speech at Press Centre, AKDN
“The famous verse of ‘light’ in the Qur’an, the Ayat al-Nur,…inspires among Muslims a reflection on the sacred, the transcendent. It hints at a cosmos full of signs and symbols that evoke the perfection of Allah’s creation and mercy.”
His Highness the Aga Khan
Opening Session of ‘Word of God, Art of Man: The Qur’an and its Creative Expressions’ An International Colloquium organised by The Institute of Ismaili Studies
The Ismaili Centre, London, UK
October 19, 2003
Speech at The Institute of Ismaili Studies
“If the frontiers of Physics are changing, it is due to scientist discovering more and more about the universe, even though they will never be able to probe its totality, since Allah’s creation is limitless and continues.”
His Highness the Aga Khan
Inauguration of the Aga Khan University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Aga Khan University Hospital
Karachi, Pakistan
November 11, 1985
Compiled by Nimira Dewji
Ismailimail 