Specialties in scientific and technological fields, the ummah’s need for them, and guidelines and advice thereon
Question

                In light of the fast-paced world in which we live, what the ummah is going through of trials and calamities, what every Muslim hopes for of seeing these calamities lifted from the ummah, for which every Muslim is prepared to strive hard to raise the ummah in status, and as we believe in the importance of specialisation, and we believe that everyone should play a role in striving to help the ummah to advance in various fields, my question is: What are the most important area in regular fields or narrow specialties, that the ummah needs during the upcoming stage, or as a strategic plan for the next twenty years? Are there any books or websites that discuss this issue and lay out a plan for the future?
Praise be to Allah.
	There are many 
	issues and guidelines that we need to bear in mind when discussing the 
	branches of knowledge that are essential for the Muslim ummah, including the 
	following:

	1.
	Undoubtedly the Muslim ummah needs its members to be pioneers 
	in both humanities and sciences, and it should not be dependent on other 
	nations in that regard. Islam is the religion of knowledge, and Allah, may 
	He be exalted, began His revelation to His Prophet (blessings and peace of 
	Allah be upon him) with the word: “Read (Iqra’)”. Islam urges people to seek 
	knowledge, highlights the high status that knowledge should have among 
	Muslims, and made the learning of different branches of knowledge a communal 
	obligation upon the Muslim ummah.

	2.
	Our advice is that those who want to specialise in a 
	particular field should already have an inclination towards and aptitude for 
	that field. It is well-known that Muslims, like any other people, vary with 
	regard to what they have an inclination towards, and it is better to 
	encourage each of them to pursue the fields in which they are interested and 
	have an inclination towards, and not to force them to learn something they 
	are not interested in, let alone force them to do something that they 
	dislike.

	This matter was 
	discussed by the leading scholars of Islam, both during the classical period 
	and in modern times. In fact they advised that the child should be allowed 
	to learn that towards which he is inclined from an early age (so that he 
	grows up with it), without waiting until he gets older in order to be 
	directed to pursue that field.

	Ibn al-Qayyim 
	(may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

	Attention should 
	be paid to the child’s situation and the aptitudes that he has towards 
	different fields, and what is available to him. Thus we may conclude that he 
	is created for a particular field, so he should not be forced into something 
	else, so long as it is something that is allowed according to Islamic 
	teachings. If he is forced to do something for which he has no aptitude or 
	inclination, he will never succeed in that field, and he will miss out on 
	the opportunity to work in a field for which he has an aptitude. So if (a 
	father) sees that his son has a clear grasp of a particular field and a 
	clear understanding of it, and what he learns of it sticks in his mind, then 
	these are signs that he likes that field and has an aptitude for it, and he 
	will be able to become well grounded in that field, provided that there are 
	no distractions, and he will become well versed in that matter and become 
	established in that field, and then he will be able to progress with it. But 
	if the father sees the opposite of that in all aspects, and instead the 
	child has an inclination towards horsemanship and everything connected with 
	it, such as riding, archery and spear play, and he has no aptitude for 
	seeking knowledge and was not created for that, then the father should let 
	him learn horsemanship and train in it, for that will be more beneficial for 
	him and for the Muslims.

	If the father 
	sees that the child is not interested in that (horsemanship) either, and 
	that he was not created for it, and instead he sees that he is interested in 
	some handicrafts, for which he has an aptitude and inclination, and it is a 
	kind of handicraft that is permissible and useful for people, then he should 
	let him learn it.

	All of this 
	comes after teaching him what he needs to know of religious issues, for that 
	is easy for anyone to learn, so that Allah may establish His proof and 
	people will be left with no excuse, and Allah is the source of all 
	blessings.

	End quote from
	Tuhfat al-Mawdood fi Ahkaam al-Mawlood (p. 243, 244)

	Whoever reflects 
	on the stories of the Companions, and sees how the Prophet (blessings and 
	peace of Allah be upon him) helped them to develop their character, will see 
	how accurate what we have suggested above is, as we can see its application 
	in their lives (may Allah be pleased with them). Some of them were well 
	versed in Islamic jurisprudence, some of them became prominent reciters of 
	the Qur’an, some demonstrated their talents in jihad, and some of them 
	became brilliant poets. Each of them did what he was good at, and 
	contributed to the building of the state. Just as Islam could be defended 
	through debate and presenting proof, it could also be defended by the sword 
	and spear. For each of these fields, there are people among the Companions 
	who excelled in it and achieved great things, but all of them had something 
	in common, namely good knowledge of Islam in general, which did not prevent 
	them from specialising in some field or craft.

	3.
	It is essential to differentiate between men and women when 
	setting out guidelines as to what specialisations are best in various 
	sciences and other fields. Some fields that are suitable for men are not 
	necessarily suitable for women. Fields having to do with heavy industry, 
	political matters and military affairs may not be appropriate for women, but 
	there are some fields that may be appropriate for both men and women, such 
	as education, light industry and medical fields; in the field of medicine 
	there may be a specialty that is not appropriate for men, namely gynaecology 
	or women’s health.

	It is not 
	permissible for men or women to go against the laws of Allah, may He be 
	exalted, when specialising in a particular field and learning it. They 
	should avoid mixing, travelling to non-Muslim countries, and women 
	travelling alone without a mahram. Other matters that are contrary to 
	Islamic teachings include going to a non-Muslim country to study when this 
	study and this specialty is available in the Muslim world.

	4.
	If the Muslim ummah needs specialists in some essential 
	field, then they should choose the right people to undertake that study, and 
	they should not open the door to everyone. So they should not let a young, 
	single man who is lacking in Islamic knowledge go to non-Muslim countries, 
	because that is more likely to make him fall into temptation and confusion, 
	in which case we would lose him and miss out on the purpose for which he 
	went there, and we would not benefit from him at all.

	Shaykh ‘Abd 
	al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

	If it becomes 
	necessary to send some students abroad, because there are no specialised 
	colleges or institutes (in our country), especially in the fields of 
	manufacturing and the like, then I think that a committee of people of 
	knowledge and integrity should be formed to choose the right young men who 
	are sound in terms of religious commitment and morals, who have good 
	knowledge of Islam and are very committed to their religion, and to choose a 
	supervisor for this group, someone who is known to have religious knowledge, 
	be righteous, and be active in da‘wah, so that he can accompany this group 
	and call people to Allah in that land. At the same time, he can supervise 
	the students, check on them, watch their conduct, and advise them and show 
	them the right way, and discuss with them what they come across of specious 
	arguments or doubts, and so on.

	They should have 
	an orientation or training course before they leave, even if it is short, 
	where they can be alerted to problems and troubles that they may encounter, 
	or specious arguments that they may face, in the country to which they are 
	being sent, and they can be taught about the Islamic teachings on those 
	matters, and the wisdom behind Islamic rulings, as indicated in the Book of 
	Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him), and the views of the scholars, such as rulings on slavery, polygamy in 
	general, the reason why the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him) in particular had several wives, the rulings on divorce, the wisdom 
	behind jihad, both proactive and defensive, and other matters that the 
	enemies of Allah usually raise with the Muslim youth, so that they will be 
	fully prepared to refute any specious arguments with which they are faced.

	End quote from
	Majmoo‘ Fataawa ash-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (1/386-388)

	The scholars of 
	the Standing Committee said:

	If the situation 
	is as described, that you want to study a specialisation that is available 
	in your Muslim country, and that studying abroad may lead to a lot of 
	negative consequences with regard to your religious commitment and morality, 
	and may affect your wife and children, then it is not permissible for you to 
	travel for the purpose of this study, because it is not necessary to do so 
	when it is available in your Muslim country. 

	There are many 
	sound reports from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) 
	which warnn against living in non-Muslim countries without any legitimate 
	reason, such as when he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “I 
	disavow any Muslim who lives among the mushrikeen”, and other hadiths. What 
	some Muslims have fallen into of travelling to non-Muslim countries 
	unnecessarily comes under the heading of carelessness which is not 
	permissible when it comes to the religion of Allah. This is the result of 
	giving precedence to this world over the hereafter, and Allah, may He be 
	glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

	“But you prefer 
	the worldly life,

	While the 
	Hereafter is better and more enduring”

	[al-A‘laa 87:16, 
	17]

	“Say, The 
	enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for he who 
	fears Allah. And injustice will not be done to you, [even] as much as a 
	thread [inside a date seed]”

	[an-Nisa’ 4:77].

	And the Prophet 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever is mainly 
	concerned about the Hereafter, Allah will make him focused and content and 
	will make him feel independent of others, and his worldly affairs will fall 
	into place. But whoever is mainly concerned with this world, Allah will make 
	him distracted and unfocused and will make him fear poverty constantly, and 
	he will get nothing of this world except what is decreed for him.”

	Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez 
	Aal ash-Shaykh, Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Ghadyaan, Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, 
	Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd

	Fataawa al-Lajnah 
	ad-Daa’imah 
	(26/93-96)

	5.
	Finally, there are many fields of knowledge, and in each 
	field there are many specialties. Medicine has many specialties, and for 
	just one part of the body there may be many specialties. The Muslim ummah 
	needs specialists in all permissible branches of knowledge and skills, 
	including medicine, engineering, physics, chemistry, nuclear and atomic 
	science, military fields, heavy industry, and other branches of knowledge 
	and skills, provided that the right field is chosen and provided that it is 
	done for some legitimate or permissible purpose; people must adhere to 
	Islamic teachings whilst learning the specialty, and they must have 
	sufficient knowledge of Islam.

	At present, we 
	do not know of any particular book to refer you to.

	We ask Allah, 
	may He be exalted, to help the Muslims to do that which He loves and which 
	pleases Him, and to grant them glory and power.

	And Allah knows 
	best.