In December 1982, an international Islamic conference was held in Tripoli. The President of the Islamic Centre, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, was one of the participants. Among the delegates to the conference was a Japanese civil servant, who had converted to Islam. His Muslim name was Ali Abe, and he lives in Tokyo.

During a conversation with Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, Ali Abe noted what great opportunities there were for preaching Islam in modern Japan. The Japanese, he pointed out, are straightforward and realistic people, completely free of prejudice. This enables them to look at every matter objectively. “The Japanese are potentially Muslims,” he said. He was certain that, if the Japanese were to come into contact with the true Islam, then its simplicity and spontaneity would appeal to them and many would take it as their faith.

The points which Ali Abe made about the Japanese are the result of their scientific attitude. This is not a characteristic of the Japanese alone; it can be found in most nations which have benefited from the scientific revolution. The truth is that all “scientific societies” of the modern age consist of “potential Muslims.” Islam has only to be presented to them in its true light for them to realize their Islamic potential.

Science, by its very nature, enables people to look at things objectively. Scientific study is based upon objectivity; to accept what is real is the motto of science: no scientific research or experiment can yield results if it is not conducted in an objective manner.

When a person is imbued with this scientific temper, then it does not remain confined to the laboratory or the workshop; it becomes integrated into his overall character. Such a person will look for an authentic religion—one preserved in its original, pristine form. When he surveys all the religions of the world objectively, he will find that Islam is the only such religion; other faiths have been corrupted by alterations and interpolations.

The scientific revolution is, then, a great blessing for Islam, for it has endowed millions with the objectivity to see Islam as the only authentic religion, and convert their Islamic potential into a reality. □