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Series:   Elements in Islam and Science

Islam and Pseudoscience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2025

Stefano Bigliardi
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.
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Keywords

Islam and pseudoscienceiʿjāz ʿilmīmiraculous scientific content of the Qur’anIslamic creationismProphetic medicine

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Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in Islam and Science
Online ISBN: 9781009608237
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 14 August 2025

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Islam and Pseudoscience
  • Stefano Bigliardi, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco
  • Online ISBN: 9781009608237
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Islam and Pseudoscience
  • Stefano Bigliardi, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco
  • Online ISBN: 9781009608237
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Islam and Pseudoscience
  • Stefano Bigliardi, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco
  • Online ISBN: 9781009608237
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