Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-55f67697df-gmt7q Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-05-09T19:43:22.189Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
Coming soon

Islam and Pseudoscience

Expected online publication date:  05 August 2025

Stefano Bigliardi
Affiliation:
Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco

Summary

Pseudoscience includes any practice or argument that is presented as scientific but systematically violates criteria that distinguish science, particularly experimental verification. This Element discusses, in critical fashion, different ideas and approaches that combine pseudoscience and Islam. It begins by historically reconstructing the debate on Islam-related pseudoscience developed by Muslim and non-Muslim critics. It then analyzes three areas which these critics have identified as pseudoscience: iʿjāz ʿilmī or the “miraculous scientific content of the Qur'an”; Islamic creationism; ideas and approaches related to hygiene, nutrition, health, and illness. Each area is dissected, identifying the exact reasons that characterize some of its versions as pseudoscientific. After a section discussing other malpractices and erroneous approaches, which do not strictly qualify as pseudoscience but accompany and foster it, the Element ends with the discussion of overarching questions constituting an agenda for future discussions of Islam-related pseudoscience.
Type
Element
Information
Online ISBN: 9781009608237
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Save element to Kindle

To save this element to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Islam and Pseudoscience
  • Stefano Bigliardi, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco
  • Online ISBN: 9781009608237
Available formats No formats are currently available for this content.
×

Save element to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Islam and Pseudoscience
  • Stefano Bigliardi, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco
  • Online ISBN: 9781009608237
Available formats No formats are currently available for this content.
×

Save element to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Islam and Pseudoscience
  • Stefano Bigliardi, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco
  • Online ISBN: 9781009608237
Available formats No formats are currently available for this content.
×