Islamization of Knowledge
Islamization of Knowledge
Correspondence:
Md. Helal Uddin
Lecturer, Department of
Business Administration,
International Islamic
University Chittagong,
240,Nawab Sirajuddowla
Road, Chawk Bazar,
Chittagong, Bangladesh.
1. Introduction
Education is the backbone of nation, no nation can develop their fate without education & the
education without ethics is worthless. Anas (RA) narrated that Mohammad(SM) said It is
compulsory to every Muslim Men & women is to acquire knowledge IBN MJAH. Sir
Francis Bacon, said that knowledge is power. In Islam, knowledge (Arabic: , ilm) is
given great significance. Al-Quran asserts that knowledge comes from Allah (2:239) and
various hadith encourage the acquisition of knowledge. Muhammad (SM) said "Seek
knowledge from the cradle to the grave" and "Verily the men of knowledge are the inheritors
of the prophets". Actually knowledge is sacred, but there are some deceitful men who hide
the truth to keep the common mass in ignorance (islamization-of-k...-an-agenda-for-muslimintellectuals.). The knowledge and the science, which are not used for the betterment of
mankind, rather for destruction, cannot be the true knowledge and true science. Islamization
of Knowledge is such type of comprehensive phenomenon, which re-establishes the
knowledge on its original basis. ABDUR-RAZZAQ MUSTAPHA BALOGUN
SOLAGBERU defined Islamization of knowledge as the impact or significance of the
process of Islamization on the concept and pursuit of knowledge. IOK is defined by al-Atlas
as "the liberation of man first from magical, mythological, animistic, national-cultural
tradition, and then from secular control over his reason and his language, further he explains
that Islamization involves firstly the Islamization of languages "language thought and reason
are closely inter connected and are indeed interdependent in projecting to man his world
view or vision of reality. Thus the Islamization of language brings about the Islamization of
thought and reason. This fact is demonstrated by the Holy Qur'an itself when it was first
revealed among the Arabs,42.AI-Fariiqi, asserts that Islamizing knowledge which in concrete
term means to Islamize disciplines or, better, to produce university-level textbooks, is among
the most difficult to realize because it involves recasting some twenty disciplines in
accordance with Islamic visions. HASHIM & ROSSIDY [29] Knowledge is a medium to
perceive the entity of Allah. The purpose of knowledge is to extract the essence of the nature
and the universe and then to prostrate and surrender incomplete humility before Allah, the
most Merciful and the most Beneficent, thank Him and be gratitude to Him. It also makes a
general impression of goodness, purity and piety (Islamization of knowledge: Agenda for
muslim scholar).
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2. Literature Review
Abaza (1998) in her study on Debates on Islam &
knowledge in two Different Context: Egypt & Malaysia.
The work focuses on the development of Islamic
intellectual and academic thought that has taken on a life of
its own and followed a number of different trajectories
following the landmark international conference on Muslim
education that was held in Mecca in 1977. (The Viability of
lslamization of Knowledge Programme in Nigeria:
Motivating
Factors
and
Problems
of
Implementation)Working on such familiar premises, Abaza
attempts to explain deconstruct the workings of the
Islamization of knowledge project, attempting to unearth its
internal mechanisms as well as some of its more obvious
contradictions and blind spots and also to identify the key
actors and agents involved, and to trace the manifold ways
and means through which the project was later taken up by
Islamist, intellectuals, scholars, organizations, think-tanks,
and governments in the Muslim world. The findings of the
study were that the Islam in Egyptian contexts seems to be
developing an inward looking direction. At the root of the
project, Abaza identifies the crisis of confidence and
intellectual dependency that had taken root in the collective
Muslim awareness and the reaction of a whole generation
of post-colonial Muslim intellectuals and political elites to
the enduring dominance and hegemony of the West over
the rest. She locates the Islamization of knowledge project
within the historical parameters of the post-colonial era,
tracing its linkages and similarities with other ThirdWorldist trends, including the Africanist "negritude"
movement, the emergence of inferior studies in the Indian
subcontinent, the calls for cultural particularism in the
West, and the (much later) development of the "Asian
values" school of thought in Southeast and East Asia.
Ismail Raji al-Faruqi (1982) argues that Islamization of
knowledge (IOK) is to recast the whole legacy of human
knowledge from the stand point of Islam. He presented 12
point work-plan aims to produce university level text
books recasting some twenty disciplines in accordance to
the Islamic vision because of the backward and lowly
contemporary position of the ummah in all fields, political,
economic, and religio-cultural. Abdul Hamid A. Sulayman
(1989), Taha Jabir Al-Alwani (1989), Louay Safi (1993),
Ibrahim Ragab (1995, 97, 99), and Mona Abul Fadl (1988)
further elaborated, revised, modified, and updated the
views of Faruqi and his work-plan with critical assessment.
Alwani (1989) sees Islamization of knowledge requires the
combination of two readings that of revelation and the
natural universe. Ibrahim Ragab (1995, 97, 99) sees IOK
term has been used in many confusing ways, so he
prefers it is be used as Islamization of social sciences,
Islamization of specific disciplines, Islamization of
curriculum or Islamization of education etc.
Naqib al-Attas (1978, 1980) states his views regarding
Islamization of knowledge is that, Islamization means the
deliverance of knowledge from its interpretations based on
secular ideology and from meanings and expressions of the
secular. He suggests important ladder to Islamize modern
or contemporary knowledge that is the isolation process;
where knowledge should be freed from the Western culture
and civilization. After isolation, those existing body of
knowledge should be infused with Islamic elements. The
finding & conclusion according to Al-Attas were that there
is a conflict among Muslim intellectuals regarding
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Christian Science. "The position of these secularistmodernists reinforced by another prominent scholar fazlur
Rahman, who argues that one cannot map knowledge; it is
created by Allah (SWT) in the human mind. So Muslims
should not get enamored over making maps and charts of
how to go about creating Islamic knowledge.
Mohammad kamal hasan (A return on the Quranic
paradigm of development & integrated knowledge: The ulu
al-albab model) this paper highlights that the secular and
modernistic paradigm of development that lacks spiritual
and ethical moorings is partly responsible for the 2009
global economic and financial crisis. Muslim policymakers, intellectuals and scholars are duty-bound to
promote the Tawdic paradigm of holistic development
and holistic knowledge. Closely related to the paradigm of
development is the issue of the epistemology of
autonomous human reason which denies the importance
and validity of Divine revelation as a higher source of
knowledge and wisdom. The Qurn projects the model of
the Ul al-Albb, people of sound reason as intellectuals
and scholars par excellence who combine the
understanding of the Book of Nature with the Book of
Revelation, and integrate human reason with Divine
revelation. The paper ends by suggesting that Muslim
countries develop institutions of learning or systems of
education which integrates worldly knowledge with
religious knowledge in a harmonious and symbiotic
manner.
laboratories.
11. Inadequate Funding.
12. Lack of knowledge both secular & Islamic.
13. Aabsence of cultural progress and estrangement from
the basic norms of Islamic civilization
14. Depression of the Islamic state.
15. Blind following.
16. Decline in the political power of the Muslim.
17. Lack of clear vision to guide and direct Muslim action.
Opportunities
1. Muslim Intellectual heritage.
2. Opportunities for Islamization of the social sciences.
3. Multicultural approach will be an added push for many
to venture into Islamization.
4. Many parts of the Muslim world, there is growing
awareness of and receptiveness for Islamized
approaches and products.
5. Muslim countries are beginning to implement Islamic
elements in their financial and legal systems.
6. Improving the quality of Islamic education in
developing countries.
7. Muslim democracy; a positive movement.
8. Islamization of politics in many countries.
9. The possibility of reconsidering spirituality and
religion as sources of moral value in a secularized
society and the consequent requisitioning and
repositioning of the concept of secularism;
10. The need to readjust the legal framework that regulates
churchstate relations, freedom of religion and the
rights of minorities in Europe; and
11. The need to break the association of Islam with
terrorism by breaking the terrorists appropriation of
Islam.
12. Eliminating the obstacles of geographical distance
between universities through the use of internet-based
information technology.
SWOT Template
Strengths
1. Quran and Hadith is the main source for Islamization
of knowledge.
2. Gigantic history of Islam.
3. Rising movements of Islamic educational institutions.
4. Continuous Publication of Textbooks and Journals by
various Islamic organizations.
5. Educational Reform in some countries ie Islamic
curriculum is developed for learners.
6. Organization of numerous national and international
conferences on various aspects of Islamization.
7. Establishment of Centre for Islamization of
Knowledge/Institute of Islamic Education.
Threats
1. The problem of secularism & Dualism.
2. Diverse state mechanism.
3. Worlds supreme leaders are from non-Muslim
background.
4. Rumor against Islam.
5. Effects of colonialism on Muslims.
6. Intellectuals and political elites to the enduring
dominance and hegemony of the West over the rest.
7. The west embarked on the intellectual and cultural
revolutions, caused religious to be separated from all
practical and social responsibility within the ummah.
8. Conflict among Muslim intellectuals regarding
Islamization of knowledge and there are variances
among their attitudes towards this issue.
9. Cultural challenges of Western modernity.
10. Arab world is aggressively embarking upon
modernizing its higher educational institutions by
adopting Western, especially the Anglo-American
educational models.
11. The rhetoric on terrorism and terrorism breedinggrounds may scare some students and scholars from
pro-USA Muslim countries from joining institutions
like IIUM which are clearly Islamic.
12. Islam phobia on the media: The growth of online hate
targeting Muslims.
Weaknesses
1. Lack of unity among the Muslim scholars.
2. Intellectual sterility.
3. Crisis of confidence and intellectual dependency of the
Muslim Ummah.
4. Lack of participation of women.
The lack of impact of the Islamization of social
sciences on the society.
5. Depression of the Ummah.
6. Decadent and despondent of the Ummah.
7. Lack of Muamelat.
8. Acute shortage of islamically oriented educational
institutions.
9. Lack of Islamically oriented curriculum.
10. Dearth of well-equipped islamically oriented
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for
Islamization
of
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.
for
ix.
x.
Elaboration/Discussion of IOk
Numerous writers have elaborated, at different levels of
scholarship, on the iok. Proponents, some critical of certain
aspects of the iok project have developed further the
seminal ideas of the major writers, and many have also
added their own contribution to the ideas of the major
writers. In this category one can find the contributions of
louay safi 1993.ibrahim ragab 1995, 1997, 1999 and mona
abul fadl 1988, who have all elaborated on the views of
faruqi and the IIIT school, while wan mohd. Nor 1998 has
focused on al-attas.in this category, one can also find the
writings of early contributions like jaafar sheikh
Idris(1987) Sayed ali Ashraf (1984,1988,1989)And A.K.
Brohi (1993),who did present slightly varied approaches to
the IOK.
Intellectual Biographical works:
There are a few works that have been written on the ideas
of the two main proponents of IOK, which are biographical
in nature, for example, Ilyas Ba-Yunus(1988) wrote on
Ismail Faruqi, while Wan Mohd. Nor Wan Duad wrote on
al-attas .The letter especially provides an extensive
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believe that this paper will help the learners & researchers
for further study in a large context.
13. Reference
1. Rosnani H, Imron Rossidy. Islamization of
Knowledge: A Comparative Analysis of the
Conceptions of AI-Attas and AI-Fariiqi. Intellectual
Discourse 2000; 8(I):19-44.
2. Abu SA. Islamization of Knowledge: A new Approach
toward reform of contemporary knowledge in Islam. In
source and purpose of knowledge 1998; 93:118.
3. Aliyu UC. Islamic economics versus Fiqh al
muamalah. Albayan no.1 1992; 92-97.
4. Abu S. A From Islamization of knowledge to
Islamization of education. The American Journal of
Islamic Social Sciences 1999; 16(2).
5. Al-Alwani TJ. Outlines of a cultural strategy. London:
International Institute of Islamic Thought. Al-Alwani,
T. J. (1995(. The Islamization of knowledge:
Yesterday and today. London: International Institute of
Islamic Thought 1989.
6. Al-Attas SMN. Islam and secularism (Second edition).
Kuala Lumpur: Institute of Islamic Thought and
Civilization 1993.
7. Al-Attas SMN. The Concept of Education in Islam: A
Framework for an Islamic Philosophy of Education.
Kuala Lumpur: Institute of Islamic Thought and
Civilization 1999.
8. Al-Faruqi IR. Islamization of knowledge: General
principles and work plan. London: International
Institute of Islamic Thought 1982.
9. TheNeedforIslamization:MahmoudHamidAlMigdadim
[email protected] Professor, Faculty of
Educational Sciences, Al al-Bayt University, P.O Box
130040,
Mafraq
25113,
Jordan.email:
[email protected]
10. Ali A. Yusuf the Holy Quran Text, Translation and
Commentary. Maryland: Amana Corporation 1992,
1672.
11. Ahsan0 M. Environment, Human Security and Islam:
A Case study of Pakistan in Muslim Education
Quarterly, Cambridge: The Islamic Academy 2004;
18(3):55.
12. Mikailu A. Islamization of Social Science in Nigeria:
Problems and Prospects. The American Journal of
Islamic Social Sciences, Herndon: The Association of
Muslim Social Scientists and the International Institute
of Islamic Thought 1995; 12(1):102.
13. From its inception, the International Islamic University
Malaysia was intended to respond to the crisis in
knowledge as outlined in the Makkah conference of
1977. For a detailed discussion of this crisis see S. S.
Husain, and S. A. Ashraf, (eds.) Crisis in Muslim
Education. Jeddah: King Abdul Aziz University, 1979.
14. Ssekamanya Siraje Abdallah, a Suhailah Hussien, b
Nik A. Hisham: The Experience of Islamization of
Knowledge at the International Islamic University
Malaysia: Successes and Challenges.
15. Islamization of Contemporary Knowledge and the
Role of the University In the Context of DeWesternization and Decolonization A Professorial
Lecture by Prof Dr Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud
Founder Director Center for Advanced Studies on
Islam, Science and Civilization (CASIS) University