Integration of Knowledge

This is a paper written as a partial fulfillment to the requirement of  Contemporary Issues in Usuluddin subject. Any citation is allowed as long as it does not breach the rules and ethics, and please do not plagiarise.

Muslim is a person who embraced Islam. Islam came from the Arabic root word “aslama” which means to submit, and Islam means submission of one’s own will to the will of  Allah s.w.t. Therefore, a Muslim is the one who submit his own will to the will and laws of the only true god worthy of worship; Allah s.w.t.

            The modern period began in the 17^th century until the mid 19^th century. In this period, the world has been exposed with so many new ideologies rooted from the ideas emerged in the Renaissance period.  Modernism dominated the society in that particular time as secularism has came to its peak.

            Rene Descartes as the father of the modern philosophy has laid down the basic scheme for the subsequent ideologies to follow. His famous Cartesian doubt has brought the concept of reason’s independent from revelation. This concept was then applied in almost all modern ideologies, including modernism.

            Modernism has several characteristics, namely; devoid of God and religion, emphasis on capability and superiority of human reasoning over revelation and it function as the sole faculty in attaining truth and knowledge, science as authority replacing religion, and every single thing in this universe is the product of natural causes and circumstances, not of God or by interference of Divine Power and Intelligence.

            Education is the process of receiving and giving systematic instruction; the process of teaching, training and learning, especially at school and university, to improve knowledge and improve skills (Hornby, 2010). Education also sometimes occurs naturally or informally through experience and observation.

            Integration is the act or process of combining two or more things so that they work together (Hornby, 2010).

            Islamization is the act or process of reconstructing and reorganizing modern disciplines from Islamic perspective.

            Knowledge is the information, understanding and skills that is gained through education or experience (Hornby, 2010).

History

“Read, in the name of your Lord who created!”. This first revelation sent down to the Prophet (pbuh) signifies the great emphasis put by God for mankind to search for knowledge. “Read” connote the importance of knowledge in man’s life as guidance and monitor in everything that one do, speak, and think. This revelation and many other verses in the Holy Book Quran have encouraged the Muslims, especially in the medieval period, to seek knowledge and to demonstrate to other the miracles of God’s creation. Muslims were the pioneer of the establishment and development of natural and social science.

            The emergence of science in Islam can be traced way back to the history of Islamic Golden Age, between the 8^th and 16^th centuries. The Islamic Golden Age was the most important and triumphant period for Islam as at this time, Islam has attained its utmost progress and achievement in many aspects; religious, politics, social world, knowledge and technology. This period of time was really important to the development of knowledge and technology. The establishment of Bayt al-Hikmah or the House of Wisdom by Caliph Harun al Rashid has shown the great emphasis on knowledge at that time by the leader. This building has become the centre of knowledge, where translation works were done here. Then, under the sponsorship of Caliph al-Ma’mun; the son of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, Bayt al-Hikmah took a new function related to mathematics and astrology.

          The Holy Quran, as stated before, contains hundreds of verses reflecting the knowledge and science. From the most obvious, observable knowledge to the complex, complicated science, Quran has it all.

           “The Qur’an offers hints that could lead to major discoveries if followed up diligently. This is why earlier generations of Muslim scholars, who combined Qur’anic knowledge with scientific curiosity and competence, excelled. Contemporary scholars have analyzed Qur’anic references to various scientific subjects and have produced major texts in astronomy, embryonic biology, the movements of bees, mountains, Earth’s composition, plants and many other subjects. Even those who deny the presence of science in the Qur’an have to admit defeat when studying such verses as 96: 1-5 (embryology) and 36: 36-40, 91: 1-4, 21: 30, 55: 7, 79: 28, and many others (cosmology). These hints give useful insight to researchers as well as blessings and encouragement to Muslims to engage in science. If pursued intelligently and without bias, such hints can lead to startling discoveries and inventions.” (Kiyimba, Gulen, Unal, & Mermer,1998,p 12)

          Among the first scientists in Islam is Ibn al-Haytham or known in West as Alhazen. He has contributed in the physics with his research in optic. Other Muslim scientists are Jabir ibn Hayyan who distilled vinegar and made nitric acid, al-Razi who made Plaster of Paris and studied antimony, alKhawarizmi in astronomy, Ibn Sina in medicine and many others.

          Science’s development and advancement in Islamic civilization has declined in parallel with the declination of Islamic civilization. The decline (science’s decline), which began around 1100 CE, was nearly completed two hundred and fifty years later. This was due to several factors; external and internal.    In the view of Professsor Abdus Salam; the first Muslim Nobel Laureate to receive the prize in the Sciences, the demise of living science in Islamic civilization has occurred much earlier due to internal factor; namely the inward-tuning and the isolation of our scientific enterprise, and the active discouragement to innovation (taqlid). Then the periods were the decline began is the period where intense politically –motivated, sectarian, and religious strife occurred.

“The Ottoman scholar Katip Chelebi’s penetrating judgement related the decline to conceptual problems which were mostly political in nature such as the Crusades in the 12^th century and the destruction (especially of libraries and men of knowledge) by the Moghul invasions in the 13^th century. He also related the deterioration to several economic factors such as the decline of the importance of the Silk Road, and the accompanying shift of economic power from Islamic countries to Europe as a consequence of the geographical discoveries that took place in the 15^th and 16^th centuries.”  (Kocabas, 2006)

            Renaissance in Europe took place in the 17^th century. Europe has come out from The Dark Ages into the era of knowledge and development. Since then, Muslim countries were colonized by European countries. This is where the real problem began. The colonial power brought together the ideologies from the West and penetrated these ideologies, i.e secularism, rationalism, modernism, into the Muslim society.  Modernism, as an ideology devoid of religion, and put great emphasis on human reasoning and judgment as the mean of attaining truth and knowledge, is contradicting the Islamic tenets and values.

            Muslim scholars lost confidence to deal with modern science and became over conservative. They were left behind with their traditional knowledge as they did not master the knowledge left by the great scholars of medieval ages, and they also refuse to accept the knowledge brought by the West.

             These scholars, particularly the traditional religious scholars saw no need to reform the knowledge and education of the Muslim.

By time, Muslim countries attempted to adapt to modernism in the aspect of education.

There are three positions in this issue:

1.                   Total rejection. The group of people who subscribed to this stand is the extremist, who only learn traditional Islamic knowledge, like in Malaysia, the people who study religious knowledge in traditional religious school called pondok.

2.                   Total acceptance. The group of people who subscribed to this viewpoint is the one who were in secular education and science stream. For example, in Malaysia, the people who totally accept modernism in education were the one studied and are studying in secular schools such as Malay College Kuala Kangsar, and other schools.

3.                   Accept the positive aspects and reject the negative aspects. The group of people who subscribed to this stand includes great figures like al-Faruqi, Iqbal, al-Attas, and present day societies who are well versed in education and Islamic knowledge.

            Science nowadays is the weakest part of Islamic civilization. There are only a few Muslim scientists who are noticeable and recognized by the world, in contrast to the Western scientists. As Islam and Western diverse in terms of religion, the same thing happens in this very aspect of science. Though science as knowledge should be accepted globally, parts of it has been subject of clashes between both Islamic world and Western world. The dispute between Islamic science and Western science began much earlier in the history of Western science, where the Westerners credited their development in scientific knowledge to ancient Greek. They denied the contribution of Muslim scholars to things they called “modern sciences”.

            Intellectual tradition of Islam does not distinguish science and philosophy. Both issues are crucial, and stressed, because it was among the first to enter the Islamic world through the works of translation from the Greek and India. But unfortunately, today, the Muslim world suffers from the fact that many of the knowledge of the spiritual tradition depends on Western studies of Islamic philosophy and sciences. (Nasr, 2007)

Case Study

International Islamic University of Malaysia: Model of the Outcome of Integration and Islamization of Knowledge.

The idea of an international Islamic education institution was first conceived in 1982 by the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad during a special meeting between OIC leaders to establish an international institution for tertiary education based on Islamic principles, known as the Islamization of Knowledge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Islamic_University_Malaysia). It was then actualized and officially established on 23^rd May 1983. In the beginning, IIUM was not started with the Kuliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Science though it was based on those Islamizing principles. Instead, it started with the establishing of Kuliyyah of Economics, Ahmad Ibrahim’s Kuliyyah of Law and Centre for Language and Pre-University Academic and Development.

            International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) is the first higher learning institution in Malaysia to implement the concept of integration of knowledge. Therefore, it is not an overstatement to say that IIUM is the model for the integration of knowledge. For years, IIUM has excellently produce graduates with both Islamic and contemporary knowledge who eventually served the nation and Ummah. IIUM’s achievement is rooted in its vision and mission:

IIUM’s Mission

11)      Integration

22)      Islamization

33)      Internationalization

44)      Comprehensive Excellence

while its vision are;

1. Undertake the special and greatly needed task of reforming the contemporary Muslim mentality and integrating Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences in a positive manner.
2. Produce better quality intellectuals, professionals and scholars by integrating the qualities of faith (iman), knowledge (`ilm) and good character (akhlaq) to serve as agents of comprehensive and balanced progress as well as sustainable development in Malaysia and in the Muslim world.
3. Foster the Islamization of the ethics of Muslim academic and administrative staff of IIUM, and certain aspects of human knowledge- particularly in the social sciences and humanities- with the view to making them more useful and more relevant to the Muslim Ummah.

and many more.

            Scheming through IIUM mission and vision, it is apparently noticed that this institution put great emphasis on integration and islamization of knowledge. Instead, these two missions are the priority in the education here. The implementation of integration of knowledge in IIUM can be seen in various plans; particularly involving Kulliyyah (Faculty) of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences and Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences. The major-minor programme and double degree programme within these two kulliyyat arethe major testimonies, while several other testimonies can be seen in the other kulliyyat; in term of subjects learned and values instilled.

Example of study plan for major-minor programme

Major in Usuluddin with minor in Psychology

Generic skills Bahasa Melayu English for Academic Purpose Arabuc for Academic Purpose	Co-curricular Halaqah 1 & 2 Leadership & Parenting Basic Counselling Skills 1 & 2
Fundamental Courses Ulum Hadis                                                          Ulum Quran Fiqh Sirah                                                          Islamic Aqidah Islamic Ethics                                                        Quranic Prophetic Text Survey of History and Islamic Civilisation              Critical and Creative Thinking Madkhal ila al-Fiqh                                              Madkhal ila Usul al-Fiqh Dirasat fi Ulum al-Quran
Common Core Courses Logics for Islamic Studies                                  Methods of  Da’wah Islam and Modern Ideologies                           History of Western Philosophy History of Islamic Philosophy                            Statistics for Islamic Studies Islam and Religious Pluralism                            Research Methodology Contemporary Islamic Movement                     Islamic Social Institution Arabic for Islamic Studies
Concentration Course Issues in Tasawwuf                                         Contemporary Religious Moral   Issues Contemporary Issues in Usuluddin                   Philosophy of Science Usul al-Din I                                                    Usul al-Din II Philosophy of Religion                                      al-Firaq al- Islamiyyah Modern Muslim Thinkers                                 Quranic Perspective of other Religion
Psychology Courses Introduction to Psychology                              Islam and Psychology Research Methodology                                   Statistics Psychology of Learning                                  Personality Psychology Developmental Psychology                             Social Psychology Child Psychology                                            Psychology of Religion

There are underlying issues in the integration of knowledge.

            1. The objective: To gain hidayah (divine guidance)

             In Islam, the purpose of education and knowledge is to gain hidayah (divine guidance).  Research in both religious sciences and rational sciences is crucial in attaining hidayah. Research in religious sciences is meant more to guide behaviour (e.g to differentiate between halal and haram food) while research in rational sciences is meant more to answer the questions of how (e.g how the food was processed), to describe and understand behavior (e.g why people in some context do not abide by this halal/haram ruling) (Alias & Noor, 2009). Integration between these two sciences will aid the process of attaining hidayah by providing more information and understanding on God’s miracle of creation, thus making the knowledge attained more beneficial to the seekers and people around.

2.                        2.The integration between science and religion

Modernism brought rational sciences into the Muslim countries. It is a need that Muslim learns this knowledge with true foundation and true understanding. IIUM integrate religious knowledge and rational science with reference to the fact that, in Islam, both sciences and knowledge study the signs of God. Religious sciences are derived from the study of revealed sources, i.e Quran and Sunnah while rational sciences are derived from the study of universe as the phenomenal signs of God. This situation forms the basis for integration of religious sciences and rational sciences.

3.                    3.Integration of Sources of Knowledge

Modernism denies revealed sources or sacred texts of religion as the source of knowledge. The same goes to human emotions and instincts; they are all cannot be considered as the source of knowledge. In religious science, which is to say Islamic studies; revealed sources, senses, reason and heart are the valid sources of knowledge. They are inseparable from one another, but can be differentiated according to their functions and benefits (Alias & Noor, 2009):

•               Senses function to perceive empirical-material objects

•               Reason capture non-empirical objects, such as mathematical and metaphysical entities

•               Heart perceive non-empirical realities immediately without any representations or  symbols

The case of IIUM reflects integration of sources of knowledge especially in the economics, laws, and social sciences subjects, not to exclude natural sciences.

             4.   Integration of Scientific Methods

            In research of any field, quantitative and qualitative methods play their own important roles. 


Particularly in social sciences, both methods are complementing one another in proving a theory or in conducting a research. Experiments, correlations, case studies, and naturalistic observation are the commonly used quantitative methods. 


These methods are proven not contradicting Islamic religious sciences, for example the case in Rasulullah’s time when Rasulullah came across a date palm plantation while the workers are doing cross fertilisation. Rasulullah said that it is unbeneficial. They withdrew from doing it. When the yield of dates decreases, Rasulullah commented that “ you know better your own worldly matter” (Alias & Noor, 2009). This situation shows the importance of experiment. Qualitative methods concerning people and the information obtained from those people are more appropriate in situations involving feelings, emotions, attitudes, ideas and so on. In IIUM, particularly in human sciences division, integration of Islamic knowledge and social sciences are seen in the research done by the students, in which both methods were being used, or else it is integrated in the product of the research.


References

Alias, A., & Noor, N.M. (2009). An integrated methodology for the social sciences. In Noraini    M. Noor (ed.), Psychology from an Islamic Prespective: A Guide to Teaching and Learning, Kuala Lumpur: IIUM Press

International Islamic University Malaysia (n.d). Retrieved 16 November 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Islamic_University_Malaysia

Kiyimba, A., Gulen, M.F., Unal, A., & Mermer, Y. (1998) in Ali Unal (ed.) (2007), Islamic             Perspectives on Science: Knowledge and Responsibility, New Jersey: The Light, originally published Izmir: Kaynak

Kocabas, Sakir (2006), Islam and science. In Rais Ahmad (ed.), Islam and Scientific Debate:               Searching for   Legitimacy, India: Global Vision Publishing House

Nasr, Seyyid Hossein, Islam and Modern Sciences. Retrieved 13 October 2010 from                            http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/nasr1.htm on 13th October 2010