God, Nature, and the Cause (Second Edition)

Baytul Hikma is honoured to announce the release of the second edition of God, Nature and the Cause by Professor Basil Altaie. This important work represents a renewed attempt to harmonise Islamic theology and modern science, showing that the intellectual heritage of Daqīq al-Kalām still speaks with great relevance to contemporary debates. Altaie, both a theoretical physicist and a scholar of Islamic theology, approaches fundamental questions of causality, natural law, and divine action with rigour and balance.

This second edition goes beyond the first, incorporating two new appendices that significantly deepen the discussion. The first is an external critique of Altaie’s model of quantum divine action; the second is his thorough reply, in which he extends his framework to questions of measurement, time, and continuous re-creation. These additions capture the living nature of scholarship, where critique and counter-critique sharpen understanding and open new directions.

Throughout the book, Altaie addresses themes of enduring significance: the distinction between laws of nature and laws of physics, the philosophical and theological dimensions of causality, the role of divine action in a universe shaped by quantum indeterminacy, and the nature of space and time as understood within both kalām and modern cosmology. He revisits debates on the size of the universe and the fate of the Sun, weaving together insights from the Qur’ān, classical mutakallimūn, and modern scientific thinkers. His conclusion, that the Ashʿarite doctrine of re-creation resonates with quantum theory, presents a powerful and original synthesis.

Published in Penang in 2025, this second edition of God, Nature and the Cause is a significant contribution to the philosophy of science within the Islamic tradition. It offers theologians, philosophers, and scientists a framework for dialogue that is faithful to revelation yet responsive to modern discovery. With clarity and conviction, Altaie shows that faith and reason are not adversaries but companions in the search for truth.

Natural Philosophy of Imam Al-Ghazali

We are thrilled to announce the publication of Natural Philosophy of Imam Al-Ghazali by Basil Altaie, a remarkable scholarly work that bridges the timeless insights of Islamic philosophy with the modern insights of contemporary physics. The author, Basil Altaie, is a renowned scholar in theoretical physics and cosmology and currently serves as a Visiting Emeritus Professor at the University of Leeds, UK.

This 220-page volume is available in two formats: a hardcover edition, published in 2025, and a paperback edition. Within its pages, Altaie engages with Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali’s rational analyses of concepts such as space, time, motion, symmetry, the size of the world, and the fate of the Sun, then re-examines them through the lens of modern physics and cosmology, including quantum theory, and themes such as occasionalism and causality.

The book includes direct quotations from Tahāfut al-Falāsifa to underpin its philosophical arguments, and importantly, seeks to correct widespread misunderstandings that suggest al-Ghazali impeded Islamic scientific progress, demonstrating that such claims often stem from mistranslations.

Natural Philosophy of Imam Al-Ghazali stands as a rare and vital contribution to the study of classical Islamic thought in dialogue with contemporary scientific discourse. It offers a profound resource for scholars and readers interested in Islamic philosophy, theology, and the philosophy of science.