Intellectual Journey

Falsafah Pendidikan Pusat Pendidikan Al-Amin

2011-11-29T17:41:00.000-08:00

Satu usaha pendidikan yang menyeluruh dan berterusan lagi dinamik dengan berteraskan al-Qur’an dan al-Sunnah bagi membangun potensi insan sebagai ‘abid dan khalifah yang dapat menegakkan satu tamadun yang sejahtera di dunia dan seterusnya mencapai kebahagiaan di akhirat.

Latar Belakang
Usaha Pusat Pendidikan Al-Amin (PPAA) dalam menyemak serta menambah baik Kurikulum Ulum Naqliyah adalah bertolak dari kesedaran bahawa pandangan alam Islam mesti diberi nafas yang segar untuk melahirkan kefahaman, pengamalan, penghayatan Islam dan seterusnya melahirkan kecintaan serta ‘izzah kepada Islam. Kehidupan yang sejahtera adalah bertolak dari perlaksanaan prinsip dan konsep yang terkandung dalam al-Qur’an dan al-Sunnah disamping bergerak selari dengan prinsip-prinsip murni sejagat yang diterima oleh semua masyarakat yang bertamadun. Islam mesti dilihat sebagai sesuatu yang dinamik untuk membimbing dan mencorakkan kehidupan di dunia dengan memberi kesejahteraan kepada ruh, aqal, jasmani, emosi, kemasyarakatan, persekitaran serta mahkluk lain. Kejelasan dan natijah dari semua ini diharap akan membuahkan kehidupan yang sejahtera di dunia dan selanjutnya akan memperolehi kebahagiaan di Akhirah.

Peranan Penyataan Falsafah Pendidikan
Falsafah pendidikan bertindak sebagai penyaring yang utama dalam usaha menentukan tujuan-tujuan pendidikan. Tiga unsur utama dalam pembentukan falsafah pendidikan adalah pelajar, ilmu, dan kaedah pembelajaran. Justeru, konsep manusia, epistemologi, dan methodologi mengambil kedudukan yang sentral dalam memfomulasikan sesuatu falsafah pendidikan disamping halatuju yang dipilih.

Falsafah dibentuk berdasarkan hakikat-hakikat yang melingkungi manusia dan alam. Kewujudan falsafah adalah penting untuk membantu menterjemahkan peranan pendidikan dalam ruang lingkup hakikat tersebut. Dalam erti kata lain, falsasah akan menggariskan ilmu dan/atau maklumat yang ingin disampaikan, ruang lingkup atau kaedah ianya disampaikan dan tujuan ianya disampaikan.

Penyataan Falsafah Pendidikan

Falsafah Pendidikan Islam Nasional

Pendidikan Islam adalah suatu usaha berterusan untuk menyampaikan ilmu, kemahiran dan penghayatan Islam berdasarkan al Qur’an dan al Sunnah bagi membentuk sikap, kemahiran, keperibadian dan pandangan hidup sebagai hamba Allah yang mempunyai tanggungjawab untuk membangun diri, masyarakat, alam sekitar dan Negara ke arah mencapai kebaikan di dunia dan kesejahteraan abadi di akhirat.

Falsafah Pendidikan IKRAM-MUSLEH
Proses pendidikan yang berteraskan tauhid bagi membina dan melahirkan insan rabbani yang berilmu, beriman dan berakhlak mulia serta berkemampuan membentuk kehidupan diri, masyarakat, negara dan dunia sebagaimana yang dituntut oleh al-Quran dan al-Sunnah melalui satu sistem yang seimbang, bersepadu, menyeluruh dan berterusan.

Falsafah Pendidikan PPAA
Satu usaha pendidikan yang menyeluruh dan berterusan lagi dinamik dengan berteraskan al-Qur’an dan al-Sunnah bagi membangun potensi insan sebagai ‘abid dan khalifah yang dapat menegakkan satu tamadun yang sejahtera di dunia dan seterusnya mencapai kebahagiaan di akhirat.

Penjelasan Falsafah PPAA

usaha – perbuatan secara sedar dan menjadi pilihan

menyeluruh – i. Luar dan dalam bilik darjah
ii. Meliputi seluruh aspek dan bidang ilmu
iii. Mengembangkan seluruh potensi insan – ‘aql, ruh, badan, emosi dan sosial (JERIS).
iv. Pertanggungjawaban oleh semua – pengurusan, guru, kakitangan,
ibubapa dan rakan sebaya.

berterusan – di sekolah (di dalam dan di luar bilik darjah), di rumah, pasca sekolah

dinamik – selari dengan perkembangan dan keperluan semasa, khususnya yang melibatkan fiqh mu’asir tanpa menggadaikan prinsip dan matlamat.

prinsip dan konsep – yang membentuk pandangan alam Islam (yang menjangkau dunia dan akhirah) serta dasar/asas rangkakerja Islam

seluruh potensi insan – ada keseimbangan dalam pembinaan dan perkembangan insan serta ilmu.

‘abd – pengabdian diri kepada Allah SWT

khalifah – sebagai wakil yang diamanahkan (melalui bidang/kepakaran masing-masing) untuk mentadbir alam dan Ummah.

tamadun yang sejahtera – kefahaman dan penghayatan Islam sebagai cara hidup yang dijelmakan dalam bentuk tamadun yang dimanifestasikan oleh prinsip, dasar, dan struktur dalam pendidikan, politik, kemasyarakatan, perundangan, ekonomi dan kewangan, keusahawan, kesenian, sains dan teknologi, pembangunan (islah), kesusasteraan, penyelidikan, pengurusan dan pentadbiran, alam sekitar, dll.

kebahagiaan di Akhirah – mendapat rahmat dari Allah SWT dengan balasan syurga dan paling utama mendapat rahmat untuk melihat Allah SWT.

Pengukuhan Falsafah Ilmu dan Pendidikan dalam Islam dalam Menghadapi Cabaran Semasa ; Ringkasan

2011-11-26T02:31:00.000-08:00

Pembentang : Dr Mohd Farid Shahran

i) Ilmu hari ini tidak berada pada kedudukan yang sebenar.
ii) Ilmu yang dicari dijadikan sebagai alat untuk mendapatkan sesuatu (knowledge is power),
iii) Ilmu tidak lagi dijadikan sebagai matlamat i.e. untuk mencari keredhaan Allah SWT atau menjadi insan salih (knowledge is virtue).
iv) Falsafah telah dikecilkan skopnya dan tidak lagi dianggap sebagai 'the mother of all sciences'.
v) Sains juga sudah tidak bersifat inklusif sebagaimana kurikulum yang terdapat pada zaman kegemilangan Islam. Hari ini sains juga diwarnai oleh budaya potivisme dan empirisme yang melampau disamping mengiktiraf pancaindera dan aqal sebagai sumber ilmu semata-mata. Maka wujudlah pertentangan antara agama dan sains, wahyu dan aqal.
vi) Untuk melahirkan semula Ibn Sina, al-Biruni, al-Ghazali dan Ibn Rush (multidisiplinary scholars - ahli teologi, falsafah dan saintis), krisis ilmu perlu ditangani.

a) Perbetulkan sikap terhadap ilmu - wujudkan keghairahan dalam mencari ilmu supaya ilmu boleh diterajui oleh Muslim semula.
b) Perbetulkan adab terhadap ilmu dan ilmuan. Ledakan maklumat hari ini bukanlah ilmu sebenar sekiranya ia tidak memberi makna atau kesan kepada penerima untuk menghasilkan tindakan yang positif. Manakala ilmuan dihormati dan diletakkan ditempat yang sebenar supaya dapat memutuskan 'the vicious circle' i.e. kehilangan adab->kecelaruan ilmu->pemimpin yang corrupt->.
c) Budaya ilmu diwujudkan iaitu satu keadaan di mana ilmu dianggap sebagai keutamaan tertinggi dan setiap lapisan masyarakat terlibat secara lansung atau tidak lansung dengan aktiviti-aktiviti yang berkait dengan ilmu pengetahuan.
d) Perbetulkan maqasid ilmu (alat atau matlamat) dan nisbah ilmu (intensive and extensive i.e. specialise in one or certain areas and at the same time make an effort to know other areas in general) - jangan sampai excessive in one area atau wujud dualisma eg. saintis atau the other sebolehnya saintis cum the other.
e) Ilmu dituntut kerana fadhilatnya bukan kerana kuasa yang akan diperolehinya (knowledge is virue vs knowlegde is power).
f) Sistem Pendidikan mesti mewujudkan kesepaduan ilmu yang sebenar ( satu usaha yang serius i.e. tidak sekadar memasukkan al-qur'an dan al-hadith tetapi mesti disertai dengan tasawwurnya sekali). Kesepaduan antara fard 'ayn dan fard kifayah (rujuk d).
g) Bentuk pendidikan juga must go beyond the system i.e. bolehkah SP kita menilai pelajar bersandarkan aqal dan akhlaq i.e.jika akhlaq gagal disekat kenaikannya.
h) Biografi Ibn Sina - jadikan bahan perbincangan untuk membentuk pemuda-pemuda yang betul sikap dan ghairah terhadap ilmu.
i) Saranan : Hidupkan budaya Wacana Ilmiah ini samada berbentuk multidisciplinary atau/dan multiracial/religion.

Reformist Ideas and Muslim Intellectuals : The demands of the Real World

2011-09-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

All reformist work must start with recognition of the world as it is. We must see and understand the world as it exists and not as we would like it to be. Only when we appreciate the true dimensions of contemporary reality, can we contemplate reforms that will create the world we want.

Most Muslim scholars and professionals view the world not as it is but as a rosy-hued mirage which is largely a figment of their own minds. They cannot see that their disciplines are an arena of power politics, where objectivity and neutrality are rhetorical rationales for control, and integrity is simply another name for expedient self-interest. The world of intellectual disciplines, natural or social sciences, is not a world of dispassionate rationality, Platonic pursuit of truth or moral virtuosity. It is a world where ideational and ideological battles are fought and where thought and tradition are divided and demarcated for domination and control. In this game, the Muslim scholar, scientist, economist is very much an outsider: unless he understands and appreciates this, his attempts to islamize this or that discipline will not only fail to usher in any reforms, but can, indeed will, surrender even more intellectual territory to the ideational universe of western civilization.

There are three aspects of contemporary reality that ought to be appreciated by anybody engaged in islamization efforts or working on legal, social and economic reforms in Muslim society. The first aspect is the most obvious, and perhaps the most [painful. Muslim thought is completely marginalized in the modern world. As it has made no input into the philosophical and intellectual pool of contemporary knowledge, it should harbour no illusions that it will be accepted on equal terms by and allowed to participate in the global knowledge industry. The corollary of this is that Muslim people are also totally marginalized and, despite an illusion of independence, are dependent on the dominant civilization, an even more painful fact. That Muslim people will be allowed to determine their own destiny cannot be taken for granted in a world where the umma has a dependent status.

This aspect of contemporary reality has a direct bearing both on reform movements and the islamization debate. Any country wishing to introduce the Shariah will face systematic opposition from the industrialized countries, as was so obviously the case with Sudan. Any discipline that Muslim scholars may islamize, if it is of any significance and presents a threat tot he dominant discipline, will be simply co-opted.

The second stark feature of our time is interconnection and interdependence. In the modern world everything is connected to everything else and is dependent upon developments in other spheres. Things do not exist in isolation; problems cannot be removed as it were from this interconnected, interlocking reality and tackled in isolation. In such a world, it makes little sense, as Parvez Manzoor ponts out in his introduction, to establish the Sahriah without introducitng social, economic and educational reforms. Or as Muhammad Arif argues, introducing Islamic banking without doing anything about the unequal distribution of resources, would not solve much. Economics is intrinsically linked to land reform, which is linked to politics And politics itself is linked to science, technology, medicine, social formation and so on. Reform or islamization, therefore, cannot be undertaken in isolation. The enterprise can succeed only if it is systematically tackled on a number of different fronts, when disciplines are allowed to merge and cross-fertilize, when a new universe of disciplines, geared to the needs of the Muslim people and culture and subordinated to the world-view of Islam, emerges. The present disciplinary structure, as I have noted elsewhere, has evolved in the cultural and intellectual milieu of the western civilization it is a direct response to its needs and world-view. Its boundaries are artificially maintained by the intellectual power and rigour that this civilization commands.

The third feature of our world is that diversity is the essence of survival. Contrary to Darwinian myth, it is not the fittest who survive, but those who use plurality of means. Monocultures dominate, isolate, alienate, decimate and finally bore themselves to death with uniformity. The analogy is most clearly demonstrated in agriculture: too heavy a reliance on a single crop ends in famine, monoculture has a limited future. But a multiplicity of crops produce abundance. Similarly, pluralistic societies have a higher chance of cultural survival and normally thrive.

What does this mean in terms of reform and islamization? It means that monolithic approaches to reform are doomed. The zeal of the righteous and the fanaticism of the revolutionary end in tyranny. All revolutions in history, even the one carried out in the name of Islam, end by replacing one tyranny with another. Iran is a shining example. Reform has to evolve, and be attempted, consistently and constantly, by a number of different means and methods. A reformist is not a revolutionary; he/she is not foolish enough to believe that the world can be put right by a single act of political violence. Changes can be brought about and reforms introduced only by the methodology of the Prophet: by consistent and planned work, step by step, allowing time for adjusting to change, taking stock of the changing situation, occasionally side-stepping for strategic reasons, with unshaking will and determination. Any other method is pure euphoria, a day dram of a card-carrying imbecile.

For islamization, the diversity of modern reality has a special significance. It means that if islamized disciplines become an appendage of western disciplines, they will be co-opted and swallowed up by the monolith. As such, they, like the dominant disciplines themselves, will have no real future. But if the islamized disciplines develop independently of western disciplines, they have a real chance of flourishing in themselves and genuinely enriching the western ones. On this basis, Islamic economics , supposedly the most islamized of contemporary disciplines, has nowhere to go!

Once we have moved into the world as it is, we can begin to shed the fallacies that have enveloped our thought and action. The prime illusion we must abandon is that we can solve our problems by borrowing from others, or tacking them in isolation, or that every Muslim country is an independent, self-sufficient, self-reliant sovereign state. It is the indigenous and the whole that is the key to our intellectual and physical survival in the modern world. Only when Muslim countries begin to see themselves as a civilization and start relying on their indigenous capabilities and intellectual heritage can the umma solve its pressing problems and present a viable challenge to the dominant civilizations. Contemporary reality demands that the Muslim umma, the many and varied nation-states, act a single, autonomous civilization. Only by presenting a civilization front can the umma halt the advance of western civilization at its boundaries and undertake meaningful reforms within it. An individual state seeking to adopt the Shariah would thereofre have the protection and support of the entire Muslim world. Isolationism is out says the stark reality of our time. The same goes for parochialism and sectarianism.

Nothing has forced the Muslim world into subjugation and borrowed solutions more than parochialism and sectarianism. On the physical level, ethnic and sectarian identities have been overblown and turned into civil strife and national conflicts. Those who seek to assert their ethnic identity at the expense of unity are planting the seeds of their own destruction. Those who suppress or persecute ethnic minorities in the name of a national majority, are mortgaging their future. Ethnic diversity is a source of cultural strength for Muslim societies. The motto of our time, we can read out there in the real world, is live and let live.

Parochialism is a widespread feature of Muslim thought. Narrow adherence to fiqh (classical jurisprudence), to the dictates of this or that school of thought, whether it has any contemporary relevance or not, is one manifestation of this parochialism. The real world takes no account of the glories of bygone ages, rulings of historic times, outmoded thought and ideas. Its message is simple: adapt or perish. Muslim people have been on the verge of physical, cultural and intellectual extinction simply because they have allowed parochialism and petty traditionalism to rule their minds. We must break free from the ghetto mentality.

This means thinking imaginatively, boldly and universally. Islam is a universal world-view: it transcends all cultural boundaries and is not limited and confined by a single parochial outlook. This is stating the obvious; but the significance of this truism is seldom appreciated. For example, if Islam is a universal world-view, an economic system based on its principle should also be universal. Islamic economics therefore is a universal economics, not Muslim economics. Thus western economics, which is based on a particular culture and parochial (Eurocentric) outlook, should be an appendage to it, and not vice versa. This means, further, that Islamic economics has to be based on its own axiomatic structure, and not be derivative of western economic thought and its institutional apparatus. However, to develop an entire economic structure from first principles is so formidable that no Muslim economist has had the courage to undertake the exercise. And what is true of economics is also true of other social sciences as well as science.

A universalist world-view, by its very nature, must be dynamic and constantly absorbing change. The real world is changing rapidly; indeed, it is changing at a rate unparalleled in history the rate of change is itself changing! Under such circumstances, we cannot rely on static or pre-modernist formulations of the Shariah. Yet this is the spectacle that we are faced with: obscurantist rulings are dragged out from history as though they were eternal principles and forced into circumstances where they clearly do not belong. We must gain a fresh insight into the Shariah based on the factors that confront us. (1)
Why is it that most Muslim scholars fail to understand the dynamics of the real world? Perhaps it has something to do with the traditional nature of their education. Possibly it has something to do with their westernized thought and outlook which militates against breaking free from the dominant civilization. It could even be that they do not want to see We found our fathers on a course and by their footsteps we are guided (The Quran 43:22). Whatever the reason for the present sate of Muslim scholars, the real world demands a totally new kind of thinker.

In a given period of history, a civilization is judged by its dominant thought, by the prevalent trends in its cultural life as expressed in politics and morality, science and technology, economics and business, arts and crafts. Intellectuals are the voice of this thought and the pulse of the prevalent trends; they are also their instigators, their critics and their bodyguards. A civilization, a country, a community, cannot exist without intellectuals and a constant stream of new ideas. They cannot exist without constant criticism and self-criticism, without those who formulate it and express it. They cannot exist without a body of devoted people whose sole concern in life is ideas and their significance. Indeed, a society without intellectuals is like a body without a head. And that precisely is the position of the contemporary Muslim world.

The Muslim world today Is totally devoid of intellectuals. There are plenty of academics and bureaucrats, professionals and researchers, even a modicum of scientists and technologists but intellectuals are conspicuous only by their total absence. This is partly because traditional societies, drawing their sustenance as they do from classical and historic scholars, and anti-intellectual. Many of the dominant modes of thought in Muslim societies, like Sufism, are aggressively anti-intellectual. A society dominated by taqlid (blind imitation), both of its own past and western civilization, cannot tolerate intellectuals. The acute absence of intellectuals in Muslim societies is also explained by the fact that the few who do exist have let their constituency down: they are much more concerned with fashionable ideologies like Marxism, secularism, westernization than with the physical, intellectual and spiritual needs of the community.

But who are the intellectuals, anyway? And why are they important? A simple definition would be that an intellectual is someone who gets excited by ideas. In his classic study, Intellectuals in Developing Societies, Syed Hussein Alatas defines an intellectual as a person who is engaged in thinking about ideas and non-material problems using the faculty of reason (2). This is a somewhat misleading definition: for while an intellectual may or may not think directly about material problems, all his thought ahs a bearing on the material world. In defining the Muslim intellectual, we must first point out that we are not discussing a creature who inhabits western sociology where, over the last hundred years, his/her social meaning has shifted and changed a number of times. Neither are we talking in the French sense of the term where intellectuals are that section of the educated class which aspires to political power, either directly or by seeking the influence and companionship of the countrys political rulers.

Muslim intellectuals are interested in abstract ideas as well as specifics, the real world demands both. Unlike Socrates, they are not interested in ideas for ideas sake, they search for ideas that lead to reform; but like Socrates, they seek propagation of thought, criticism and a questioning attitude, a goal for which they would eagerly lay down their lives. They move in a world not of total doubt and confusion, but within a world-view well defined by conceptual and ethical parameters. They seek not power but reforms. They do not have acquisitive and analytical minds only but also critical, imaginative and creative minds. They engage and transform.

Intellectuals are important because they do the work that other segments of society either do not know exist or are not equipped to handle, they tackle the problems which cannot be managed by specialists, academics and professionals. As Alatas points out, to lack intellectuals is to lack leadership in the following areas of thinking: (1) the posing of problems; (2) the definition of problems, (3) the analysis of problems; (4) the solutions of problems. Even the posing of problems is in itself an intellectual problem. A society without effective intellectuals will not be in a position to raise problems (3)

Intellectuals are therefore the only group of people in a society who are capable of moving away from the narrow confines of specialism or professionalism to see problems in their holistic and real perspective. Alatas also points out that the area of intellectual activity cannot follow any demarcation laid down by any particular discipline and is therefore transdisciplinary. Moreover, the intellectual attitude cannot be created by formal and discipline-orientated training in terms of syllabus and fixed number of years of study; the object of the intellectual activity is always related to the wider context of life and thought, penetrating into fundamental values and commitments; the intellectual pursuit is not a profession and therefore not subject to the sort of factors which determine the emergence and development of professions; and the intellectual interest involves the past, the present and the future. (4)

Intellectuals are the only group in any society which systematically and continuously, in sharp contrast to the specialist and the profession, try to see things in wider perspectives, in terms of their interrelations, interactions and totality. This is why intellectuals have always been at the forefront of new synthesis and thought. Most of the major changes and reforms in western civilization, for example, have been brought about by intellectuals. The Enlightenment, which laid the foundation of modern science and thought, was a purely intellectual movement. The intellectuals who conceived and perfected the Enlightenment, Montesquieu, Fontenelle, Diderot and Voltaire, are still widely read today and have a profound influence. The European Reformation too was the work of intellectuals. Without the thinking and writing of Luther, Calvin and Zwingli, around whom people rallied in breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church, it is difficult to believe that the Reformation could have taken place. And what better evidence of the importance of intellectuals and their powerful influence can one give than by simply pointing out that the Soviet Union rules in the name of a single intellectual, Karl Marx, who spent most of his life in libraries and whose works over the past century have been studied by countless other intllectuals. In turn Dad Kapital did not spring spontaneously from Marxs head; what he was doing in libraries across Europe was absorbing the thinking of many other intellectuals of previous generations. There is perhaps no more poignant example of how an intellectual who was influenced by other intellectuals finally reaches down even to the most remote peasant. All this simply by way of example.

In Muslim civilization the role of the intellectual is even more important, considering that the words read, ponder and reflect are some of the most oft repeated exhortations of the Quran, itself the Noble Reading. At its zenith, Muslim civilization was a civilization of intellectuals: manes like al-Farabi, al-Kindi, al-Khwarizmi, al-Biruni, al-Razi, al-Masudi, Abdul Wafa, Omar Khayyam come so easily to mind because they dominated entire spans of centuries. And when Muslim civilization faced a crisis, and no one was capable of defining its nature, discovering its cause or assuming the responsibility of formulating a solution, it was rescued by a single intellectual: al-Ghazali. Indeed, without the intellectuals Muslim civilization in history is inconceivable. And, there cannot be a living, dynamic, thriving Muslim civilization of the future without a body of critical and creative intellectuals. At a time when the Muslim world is engulfed in parochialism and sectarianism, when imitation and blind following is the norm, when kindness and tolerance are under retreat everywhere, when the globe is culturally and intellectually dominated by jingoist and chauvinist western logic and social grammar, the umma needs its intellectuals as it has never needed them before.

Much of the desolation of the contemporary Muslim panorama is the result of the almost total absence of vigorously independent and devoted intellectuals. There are, however, indications that intellectuals who are true to the world-view of Islam are coming to the fore; but their number is below the critical mass for take-off. However, if the Islamic movement ideologues, who dominate the reformist scene and the islamization debate, could change a few of their character traits the number of genuine Muslim intellectuals would swell beyond the critical mass and they could begin to make their presence felt both in Muslim society and contemporary Muslim thought.

Three basic features of these ideologues suppress thought and hinder the emergence of the genuine intellectual. The first is their marked tendency to dominate and control: they feel they have a monopoly on reason and judgement. This stems from their belief in their innate superiority and presumed righteousness; which itself is a result of a narrow-minded and blinkered outlook. Movement ideologues are shunned and avoided by many young thinkers and intellectuals because of their tendency to argue from authority and to dominate and control the activities of non-movement groups and societies.

A second and related trait is the guru mentality. This attitude reveals itself in the dictum that the mentor, the teacher or the spiritual leader, is always right, even when he is blatantly in error, and experience has shown him to be wrong. Even the Prophet, when it was pointed out to him that cross-pollination brings beneficial results, corrected himself. The guru mentality plays a great part in subverting critical and analytical faculties as well as the use of imagination. Many devotees would rather edit and translate poor works of the master than produce original scholarship of their own. And as the guru is beyond criticism, his mistakes and fallacious arguments are perpetually repeated.

The third, and related trait, of the movement ideologues, is their inability to take criticism. Most movement scholars regard criticism of their work in terms of personal attack; as a result they either isolate their critics or seek revenge. When faced with arguments, the stock responses are: How can I be wrong? I have been working on this problem for ten years; or You are not an economist, or a specialist in the field; you do not know, I know; or You are trying to discredit me and spread fitna (sedition, strife). Admitting error is a virtue, a strength, not a weakness; this is how knowledge is advanced. Entrenching oneself in an increasingly untenable and irrational position, and defending ones weakness as a matter of honour, is destructive both for the individual concerned and for the contemporary Muslim scholarly tradition. Masasbh, criticism, and self-criticism, must become a cornerstone of Muslim intellectual endeavour.

In addition, the body of Muslim scholars have to modify a few of their characteristics, too. Prime among these is the over-the-top trust and reliance on expertise, Islamic or otherwise. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, in the contemporary scholarly and academic landscape, that is beyond the comprehension of a good intellectual. It is true that contemporary knowledge is so vast, and, in certain areas, so deep that it is beyond the capabilities of a single individual to master. But one does not have to understand all aspects of every discipline. Moreover, once the jargon, which is designed to mystify the outsiders, is stripped away one finds a methodology and a thought process which can be mastered by anyone who is determined to understand it. In this respect, the true intellectual is a polymath: his basic tool is a sharp mind and a transdisciplinary methodology which can lay bare any discipline, any subject, any segment of human knowledge. Quite often the best and most devastating criticism of issues within a discipline comes from intellectuals outside the discipline. Expertise is a shroud behind which professionals hide their shortcomings. The more shallow and intellectually shambolic the foundations of a discipline the more it is defended by a priesthood of experts. (5) You are not an expert, a scientist, an economist, a sociologist, a heart-specialist, and therefore you do not understand is the last ditch defence of a poor professional.

Muslim scholars and ideologues, who aim to become true intellectuals, and participate in the genuine introduction of reforms and evolution of strategies for change need to penetrate the shell of disciplinary expertise. As I stated earlier, and as modern ecology teaches and western science is rediscovering, nothing in nature behaves as an isolated system. Everything is connected to everything else: in the real world an all-pervasive principle of interconnectiveness is in operation. There is therefore no such thing as pure physics or economics devoid of social, political, cultural, environmental and spiritual concerns. As a purveyor of ideas, a true intellectual ought to have mastery of more than one discipline. And as Islam also permeates every sphere of life, we cannot allow Islamic studies to become the sole preserve of experts. By definition, a Muslim intellectual must appreciate and understand the major elements of the world-view, culture, history, and thought of Islam. But a self-respecting Muslim intellectual would go much further: he/she would aim to become a truly interdisciplinary scholar. (6)

And this brings me to the second reason why Muslim intellectuals have to break disciplinary boundaries. Contemporary Muslim thought is not about re-inventing the wheel; where there is a great deal to be discovered and rediscovered, from the perspective of Islam, there is an equal amount of knowledge that we can draw upon and synthesize with the world-view of Islam. But synthesis is not an easy task; it is not a question of mixing this with that. AS Parvez Manzoor has pointed out, synthesis is presented in the Hegelian scheme as conciliation of two antitheses. And this is exactly how both the Muslim and western civilizations have perceived each other in history: as two real and irreconcilable antitheses. Any facile amalgamation of two traditions requires knowledge of the real world. A strong dominant intellectual tradition cannot be synthesized with a weak, ineffectual one; it would simply be co-opted. Synthesis therefore is a hazardous exercise; at the very least it requires knowledge of more than one discipline. Many problems in the whole question of the islamization of disciplines arise, as I have pointed out in Islamic Futures: The Shape of Ideas to Come and Merryl Wyn Davies has shown in Knowing One Another: Shaping an Islamic Anthropology, (8) from the fact that Muslim scholars try to cast disciplines based on western axioms and intellectual heritage in Islamic moulds. These problems arise mainly form their inability to synthesize for synthesis involves axiomatic analysis and examination and raising of fundamental questions. And only true synthesis can make proper use of existing knowledge and generate new ideas and pragmatic solutions.

All this requires the re-emergence, and in a way this is what I have been arguing for throughout this essay, or the classical polymath. Contemporary Muslim intellectuals must become the counterparts of the polymaths who shaped Muslim civilization at its zenith. Muslim civilization of the classical period was remarkable for the number of polymaths it produces. (9) The motives and driving force behind polymathy were not based on just a deep love and respect for knowledge but also on a paradigm which emphasized the interconnection between the sacred and the profane, physics and metaphysics, thought and reality, and pointed out that the material universe was not inferior to the spiritual, that both as manifestations of Allahs bounty and mercy, were the vast creation of God from the mystics ecstasy to the mothers love to the flight of an arrow, the circumference of the earth, the plague that destroys and entire nation, the sting of mosquito, the nature of madness, the beauty of justice, the metaphysical yearning of man were all equally valid and could not be deprived of eternal values and human concern. Methodologies, deeply rooted in the conceptual and ethical parameters of Islam were the essence of enquiry. And classical polymaths were masters of methodology. It was this paradigm that the polymaths used to syntehesize the learning of earlier civilizations, transforming it totally for synthesis always produces something entirely new which is like neither one nor the other of the original components and integrating it completely with the world-view of Islam. Contemporary Muslim intellectuals have to rediscover this paradigm and develop into the kind of polymaths who can perform the great synthesis that is needed.

In a world that is shaped and controlled by another civilization, the real task facing the Mulsim umma is the creation of an intellectual space which is a genuine embodiment of the world-view and culture of Islam. Without this intellectual space, reformist ideas and programmes will bear no fruit. Muslim civilization has a dire need of genuine intellectuals; unless Muslims societies cultivate the barren lands of today intellectual vacuum, the ummas marginalized existence will be institutionalized. The real world offers us no choice but to start our homework immediately.

The article is from Abdullah Omar Naseef (Editor), Today’s Problems, Tomorrow’s Solutions: Future Thoughts on the Structure of Muslim Society, Mansell, London, 1988.

Science As the Servant of Faith

2011-07-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

Professor Nazeer Ahmed

www.historyofislam.com

Summary: The pursuit of the sciences is obligatory on Muslims. Science and faith are not incompatible. They are both in search of the Truth. Science concerns itself with the physical and seeks its validation in observation and reason. The domain of faith has many more dimensions. It embraces both the physical and the spiritual. Where faith intersects and interacts with the physical, it must also seek its validation in observation and reason.

Religion is not just dogma as many people assume it to be. It is also a way of relating to creation. The conceptual structure of this relationship has given humankind some of the most basic scientific ideas.

Disagreements between science and faith emerge when scientists forget the assumptions upon which they base their world view and when people of faith discard empirical and rational evidence and assert their beliefs as dogma.

Science is not the privilege only of the West. Every civilization has produced great men and women of science. The center of gravity of scientific endeavor is now shifting to Asia. For a thousand years Muslims dominated the world of science. This shows that the reasons for the decay of science in Muslim lands are not religious but social, historical and political.

Man is a Trustee of God on earth. The discharge of the Divine Trust requires a profound understanding of nature and of the interdependence of man and nature. Muslims must recreate that integrated vision of knowledge that combines the sciences of nature and history with the sciences of the Qur’an and spiritual insights into the soul. The separation of the sacred and profane has no place in Islam. Nature is suffused with the Signs of God. Indeed, science is a servant of faith and supports it.

Several questions are addressed in this brief article:

Is science compatible with faith?
How is history related to natural science?
Isn’t science the product of western rational thought while the societies of the east have been mired in religious superstition?
The ultimate goal of science and faith is the same: to find the Truth. Science and faith are not incompatible. Indeed, a search for truth through the scientific method reinforces faith.

The apparent contradictions between science and faith arise from an insufficient understanding of both. The scientific method is inductive. This means that it is based upon observation and reason. A scientist observes nature, interacts with it, measures and analyses it, and builds simplified models to extrapolate his observations. These models are a powerful tool with which humankind attempts to comprehend the complexity that surrounds it. In addition, man uses his understanding of natural laws to control and exploit nature for his own benefit.

The scientific method is not deductive, although deductive logic is used to extrapolate models of behavior that are built up using the inductive method. A physical model must be validated through observation. Otherwise, it remains speculative and theoretical.

True faith is also inductive. This means that it is supported by observation and reason. Faith is not deductive or a product of philosophical speculations. Faith supported by observation and reason is on a solid footing and elevates humankind towards the Truth.

We offer some perspectives to elaborate on our assertions.

The interconnectivity of man with nature

“Whatever is in the heavens and the earth ask of Him,

Every moment, He (reveals His beautiful Names) with majesty”

The Qur’an (55:29)

Some religious traditions, even though they do not believe in God, assert the interconnectivity of creation. Mahayana Buddhism is an example. The Qur’an asserts this interconnectivity through God. Man and nature are not independent of each other; they are connected through Divine Grace which manifests itself through nature and through history.

“We shall show them Our Signs
On the horizon (in nature and in history)
And within their own souls, Until it is clear to them
That it is indeed the Truth.” (The Qur’an, 41:53)

The same view is expressed in quantum mechanics. It has been experimentally demonstrated that when a particle is observed, it changes its nature. In other words, the universe that man lives in is a knowing, breathing universe, animated by Divine Grace. It talks to man. It is not a dumb universe.

In contrast to quantum mechanics, classical mechanics takes the position that man and the universe are subject and object. In other words, man as the subject is separated from nature which is the object of his observation. This is called the Principle of Objectivation.

Every world view is colored by its own assumptions. If you wear red glasses, the world looks red. The Principle of Objectivation separates man from nature and results in disastrous consequences for his world view. By assuming that nature is separate from him, man finds that nature is devoid of those human qualities that make it beautiful. Let us look at an example.

Consider the rainbow. Whether it is a highly trained person from a scientific academy or an unlettered person, they will both agree that the rainbow is beautiful. Ask a physicist to explain the rainbow. His explanation will proceed along the following lines: Sunlight consists of electromagnetic waves of different wavelengths. In the visible spectrum, these wavelengths occupy a space from approximately 0.5 micrometers to 0.7 micrometers. When these waves pass through moisture laden air, they are refracted, that is, they bend. The degree of refraction depends on the wavelength. After refraction, they are projected on the horizon as a rainbow which has multiple colors.

Observe this objective explanation. The wavelengths and refraction are there. But where in this explanation is that enchanting rainbow as it vaults the sky from horizon to horizon? It is not there in the objective explanation because the Principle of Objectivation has separated the Self (the subject) from the rainbow (the object).

By contrast, a man of true faith will carry the observation of the rainbow one step further. He knows through his faith that he and the rainbow are interconnected through Divine Grace. He does observe and measure, as does the scientist, but he does not stop at wavelengths and refraction. He looks upon the natural phenomenon as a Sign that projects the beauty of the Divine Name onto his own soul. The color is not in the wavelengths and refraction. The color is in the soul. The rainbow is beautiful because the soul has a sense of beauty bestowed upon it and nature reflects that beauty.

By the soul

And its (sense of) order and proportion.

(The Qur’an, 91:7)

This example brings out the difference between blind faith and faith based upon observation and reason. A blind man can also believe but is his belief the same as the faith of a man who can see and witness? A deaf man can believe but is his faith the same as the faith of a man who hears and reinforces his faith?

Nature offers an infinite variety of Signs. A person of knowledge and faith not only validates his theories by observing these Signs but also reinforces his faith and uses it as an occasion to contemplate the mystery of creation and the purpose behind it. An ignorant believer does not observe or reason; he merely believes. A disbelieving scientist stops at observation and reason and does not concern himself with issues that make life beautiful. Whose faith is stronger? The Qur’an offers an insight:

“Is one who is blind (to realities of the invisible world)
The equal of one who can see (with his inner eye)?”
Will you not then reflect? (The Qur’an, 6:50).

The Deductive Method is insufficient to know the Truth

At the other extreme, the deductive method leads to an impasse in knowing the Truth because it assumes the Principle of Before and After. The classical example is offered by the question: What came first, the chicken or the egg?

The deductive method fails because it falls into the time trap. Is time real? What is time? In our ordinary existence, we live by clock time. But when we debate the questions of Truth, time itself becomes the subject of discussion. Scientists recognize clock time, relative time, perceived time, timeless time, time as quanta of energy and so on. The Qur’an specifically mentions clock time (103:1), relative time (70:4), perceived time (87:16) and timeless time (76:1). The time frame in which an issue is discussed has an outcome on the deduction.

Here is an example from history: In the eighth century CE, the Mutazalites, Muslim philosophers who had adopted the Greek rational approach, fell into the trap of the deductive method. For almost a hundred years (765 to 846 CE) they were the darling of the Abbasid courts in Baghdad. But they tried to apply their rational methods based on logic to God and His Word and fell flat on their faces. Arguing that God and His Word cannot be same because that would compromise the transcendence of God (in their view), they separated God from His Word. To preserve that transcendence (as they perceived it), they came to the absurd conclusion that the Word of God was created in time. This was a classical trap wherein the assumption of before and after, and of time in its clock sense was applied to an issue that was beyond time. How can you apply the measure of time to the Creator of time? The reaction from the ulema, led by Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, was furious. The Mutazalites were discredited and expelled from the Abbasid courts.

No! This is the magnificent Qur’an,

From a Tablet, secure. (85:21)

It was after the deductive approach was abandoned that the inductive method based on observation and measurement flourished in the Islamic world. And the Muslims went on to dominate the world of science for a thousand years.

Some scientists make the error of not stating the assumptions upon which their theories are founded, or worse yet, overlooking these assumptions and stating their theories as if they are the absolute truth. The Big Bang Theory and the Theory of Evolution both fall into this category. Those who champion these theories must be aware of the assumptions underlying these theories.

The interrelationship of the laws of natural science, history and the soul

There is an inherent relationship between the laws that govern the physical universe and human history as well as the individual soul. The Qur’an expresses it thus:

And the heavens has He raised High,

And established (dynamic) equilibrium (justice and balance) therein,

So that you do not violate justice (in your own lives). The Qur’an (55:7-8)

Justice (balance, equilibrium) is the common denominator that binds nature to the world of man. There is a dynamic balance in nature which makes it possible to understand it and express it in mathematical language. For instance, it is astonishing that the seemingly complex physical behavior of natural phenomenon can be expressed through differential equations in mathematics and physics. The same laws of balance, proportion and equilibrium apply individually to the soul and collectively to sociology and history. When human beings violate justice, they destroy themselves. The just mean is the law of life. Similarly, a civilization that overextends itself and violates justice is doomed. Whether it is over cultivation of land, over exploitation of resources or imperial overreach, the result is the same. The Qur’an expresses it as follows:

Behold! Many were the (historical) events

That have transpired before you.

So, travel through the earth,

And observe what was the fate of those

Who gave the lie (to the Truth) (The Qur’an, 3:37)

The edifice of faith is supported by three pillars: the sciences of the soul, the sciences of nature and the sciences of man, sociology and tasawwuf (spiritual dimension of Islam). The sciences of nature and of man are called Ilm al Ibara. These include mathematics, logic, physics, chemistry, biology, history and sociology. Those of the soul are called Ilm al Ishara. These are the sciences of tasawwuf. The unity of knowledge dictates that the Source of all knowledge is One and both Ilm al Ibara and Ilm al Ishara are Signs to the transcendent.

Thus faith is reinforced by the sciences of nature, the sciences of history and the sciences of the soul. They are interrelated in as much as the laws of nature, of history and of society have a common origin in Divine Grace.

Nature, History and the Soul as Divine Signs

For reasons that are rooted in history, science has become secular, devoid of human qualities. In the world of science, there is no color and no music, only wavelengths. This happened because in the eleventh century, as the scientific method travelled from the Middle East and Spain into Europe, the Latin west was faced with the challenge of reconciling its dogma with the empirical and rational. Difficulties were enormous. It was therefore decided to separate science from faith, church from state. Scientific enquiry, free from the fetters of irrational dogma took off and has reached its current zenith. But the price that was paid was enormous. Science was cut off from the soul and became merely a tool for exploiting nature.

The genii of science can be put back in the bottle by affirming that nature and history are Divine Signs. Just as there are Divine Signs in nature and in the world of man, there are Signs within the soul. Man and nature are both beholden to the Divine, and the connectivity of natural science and human history with the soul is reestablished.

There are Signs in the alteration of the day and the night, in the creation of animals of all kinds, in the birds that fly, in the winds that carry aloft the clouds, in the rain that gives life to a dead earth and in the creation of man.

Similarly, there are Signs in the history of man. Divine mercy has established justice as the arbitrator of human affairs. When man violates justice he destroys himself. Such destruction can come from within as an implosion of a society or from without as an invasion.

The soul is the mirror of the visible and the invisible worlds. The physical attributes that find their expression are processed in the soul. Color, shape, form and beauty are attributes of the soul. So is justice and a sense of right and wrong. The Prophet said:

“Man ‘Arafa nafsahu, faqad ‘arafa rabbahu”

(He who knows his own soul, knows his Creator and Sustainer).

The soul, nature and history create a triad of integrated knowledge which together invite man to observe, experiment, understand, reflect and strive towards higher horizons.

“God is the Light of the heavens and the earth”, declares the Quran. The same Light animates nature, history and the soul of man. Looked at from this perspective, science becomes a servant of faith, and faith a servant of service and worship.

There are numerous Signs enumerated in the Quran. For those who would like to research further, a reference index is provided as an appendix.

The purpose of Creation:

One of the consequences of the separation of the soul from nature is that man finds himself all alone in the universe, disconnected from his surroundings, without purpose. Faith not only reconnects man to his surroundings but offers him a purpose and a destiny.

The Qur’an declares:

“I created not the Jinns and humankind except to serve and worship Me” (The Qur’an, 51:56)

A Hadith e Qudsi (Divinely inspired Hadith) declares:

“I was an unknown treasure;

I willed that I be known.

Therefore, I created”.

There is a purpose to the creation of man, and that is, to know, serve and worship Him. Thus knowledge and service are obligatory for humankind. To be alive is to know God through His Signs and to serve Him.

Divine Mercy does not leave humankind without the Signs to find Him. Nature and the rise and fall of civilizations are Signs through which humankind can confirm and reinforce its faith.

Man and nature are interconnected: man is the knower and nature is the means for knowing.

Religion: the Incubator of Basic Scientific Ideas

Religion is not all dogma as many people assume it to be. It is also a way of relating to creation. The conceptual structure of this relationship has given humankind some of the most basic scientific ideas.

Take the concept of zero. It is agreed that the Mayans and ancient Indians independently came up with the concept of zero. Both civilizations took a cyclic view of the cosmos, of birth, death and resurrection. In this cyclic view of life, as an event passes from life to death, there is necessarily a moment of suspension when it is neither alive nor dead. This is the moment of nothingness, or su-na-ya in Sanskrit. When the idea passed onto the Muslims it became sa-fa-ra or cipher. Then, as it travelled further west into Latin Europe in the eleventh century, it became zero.

Many civilizations claim the idea of infinity. The Greeks and the ancient Indians understood it in the abstract. The most concrete description of infinity is to be found in the works of the Muslim scholar Nasiruddin al Tusi (d1273). He took his inspiration from the Qur’anic verse:

“Indeed, We have granted you without limit (boundless).” The Qur’an (108:1)

The idea of boundlessness led him to the idea of infinity and his discovery of the Tusi Couple (two opposing forces that do not intersect).

Great Scientists from centuries bygone

Science is not the exclusive privilege of the west. Every civilization has produced its share of great ideas and great scientists. In the Islamic perspective, all knowledge is a manifestation of Tawhid (Unity of God). This unity manifests itself through His Names which have been taught to humankind.

“And He taught Adam all the Names”, (The Qur’an 2:31)

Nature, as the stage upon which God manifests His grace, takes on a nobility which man is charged to study, cultivate and preserve as God’s Khalifa (trustee) on earth.

The modern scientific method was invented by the Muslims after their experimentation with and rejection of Greek philosophy during the Mutazalite period (765-846 CE). Alhazen ( d 1040) is generally considered the father of the scientific method. The classical Islamic scientists took their cue from the Qur’an which directs men and women of faith to observe nature and be a witness to the Signs of Divine presence:

“Lo! In the alteration of the night and the day,
And in what Allah has created in the heavens and the earth,
Are Signs for a people who are conscious of the Divine.” The Qur’an (10:6)

Many are the scholars from every civilization who have contributed to the development of scientific ideas. The names of some of the universally acknowledged men of science from the Islamic tradition are given below. What is important is to note that these scholars were at the same time men of faith and well versed in the religious disciplines. They were al Hakims (men of wisdom) who had mastered physics, mathematics, astronomy, grammar, the languages (Arabic, Farsi, Greek), logic, philosophy, Qur’an, Hadith and tasawwuf (the spiritual dimension of Islam). This is what distinguishes a scientist with faith from a secular scientist. The former takes a holistic, integrated view of creation; the latter segments knowledge into disconnected compartments.

Jabir Ibn Hayyun (d 815) was the inventor of Chemistry.
Al Kindi (d 873) is widely credited with inventing the scientific empirical method along with Al Hazen.
Al Khwarizmi (d 863) was the father of Algebra and the inventor of algorithms that are widely used in software development.
Al Masudi (d 956) was an outstanding historian and the first to use the empirical method in history.
Al Farabi (d 850 CE) was a master of logic and one who systematically documented the limits of each of the sciences.
Ibn Sina (d 1037) was the greatest physician of his age. His book Canon of Medicine was used as the standard medical textbook in Europe until the seventeenth century.
Al Hazen (d 1040) was the father of modern optics.
Al Baruni (d 1051 CE) was the inventor of historiography and a master astronomer and geographer.
Al Tusi (d 1274 CE) was the inventor of the Tusi couple and the builder of a famous observatory in Maraga, Azerbaijan which was a part of ancient Persia.
Ibn Rushd (d 1198) was the greatest philosopher after Aristotle.
Ibn Khaldun (d 1406 CE) is widely recognized as the father of modern historiography and sociology. His Muqaddama was the first attempt to formulate the laws that govern the rise and fall of civilizations.
Muammar Sinan (d 1588 CE), one of world’s great architects built more than a hundred mosques and schools, the best known of which are the Suleymaniya mosques in Istanbul and Edirne.
Ustad Ahmed Lahori (d 1645 CE ?) was the architect of the Taj Mahal, the most refined structure the world has known and a monument to love.
Ask and You Shall Find

“Ask about it from the One Who knows” The Qur’an (25:59)

The common denominator of all scientific endeavors is an inquiring mind. One must ask before nature reveals its secrets.

Every scientific field has its own assumptions, its principles, its knowledge base, its approach, its methodology and its limits. One who engages in scientific enquiry spends years acquiring the knowledge, getting trained in the methods, and learning the principles as well the limits of his discipline..

Islam emphasizes not just the importance of acquiring knowledge but the need for a disciplined, sustained struggle in its pursuit. The Prophet said: “Pursue knowledge even if you have to go to China to acquire it”. China, in those days, was an alien land, far, far away. This edict commands the believers to acquire knowledge even if comes from a culture or a country that is alien to your own. The importance of asking is emphasized in the Qur’an again and again.

In the secular perspective, nature is an unwilling antagonist, the secrets of which need to be pried open, by force if necessary. In the Qur’anic perspective, man and nature are related through God. That is the essence of Tawhid. A disbelieving scientist asks: What is the law of nature? A believing scientist asks: What are the Divine laws that govern nature? The disbeliever questions while the believer asks.

The importance of discipline is inherent in the Shariah. The discipline of prayer enhances focus. The discipline of charity furthers the common good. The discipline of fasting promotes self control. The discipline of hajj proclaims the brotherhood and sisterhood of man.

Muslims fell behind in the scientific pursuits because they stopped asking. They took a passive, fatalistic approach to the laws of nature and were content to sleep in their ignorance. They stopped asking and nature stopped revealing its secrets to them. Lethargy set in. Civilizational decay took over.

Man as the Trustee on Earth

The Qur’an asserts that man was created as the custodian of the Divine Trust on earth, to know, serve and worship Him:

(Recall) When your Rabb (Creator, Sustainer and Cherisher) said to the Angels:
“I shall indeed place on earth a Trustee”. (The Qur’an, 2: 30)

The Qur’an presents man as the Divine trustee, responsible for his own actions, with authority to manage the resources of the earth in accordance with Divine commands. Man is not an antagonist to nature as he is construed by modern man who exploits the earth with unbridled greed. In the Qur’an, nature, and all it has to offer, is a Divine trust that must be used only to know, serve and worship God. Protection of the environment is not just a legal obligation mandated by human authority but is a responsibility decreed by God. The resources of the earth, the environment, the air and the water, the plants, the animals and the minerals are gifts so that man may use them with balance, proportion and justice to create Divine patterns on God’s earth.

The discharge of the Divine Trust requires a profound understanding of nature and of the interdependence of man and nature. Muslims must recreate that integrated vision of knowledge that combines the sciences of nature and history with the sciences of the Qur’an and the prophetic Sunnah. The separation of the sacred and profane has no place in Islam. Nature is suffused with the Signs of God. Indeed, science is a servant of faith and supports it.

References from the Qur’an

Divine Signs in nature: 2:29; 3:190; 6 38; 6:95; 6:97; 6:99; 6:101; 10:5-6; 10:31; 10:101; 13:2-4; 13:65; 15:16; 16:10-16; 20:50; 24: 41; 29:19; 30:11; 31:28; 50: 6; 51:20-21; 78: 6-7; 87:2

Divine Signs in history: 3:137; 6:6; 6 42; 12:110-111; 14:5; 29:20

Divine Signs in the Soul: 2:48; 2:123; 2:231; 2:233; 2:272; 2:281; 2:286; 3:25; 3:30; 3:39; 3:63; 3:161; 4:1; 4:84; 4:110; 4:111; 4:128; 5:116; 6:70; 6:104; 6:152; 6:164; 7:42; 7:188; 7:189; 7:205; 10:30; 10:54; 10:100; 10:108; 12:23; 12:26; 12:30; 12:32; 12:51; 12:53; 12:68; 12:77; 13:33; 13:42; 14:51; 16:111; 17:14; 18:28; 18:35; 18:74; 20:15; 20:15; 20:67; 21:35; 21:47; 23:62; 26:3; 27:40; 27:44; 27:92; 28:16; 29:6; 31:12; 31:28; 31:34; 32:13; 33:37; 35:8; 35:18; 35:36; 36:54; 39:41; 39:42; 39:70; 40:17; 41:46; 45:22; 47:38; 48:10; 50:16; 50:21; 59:18; 64:11; 64:16; 65:2; 65:7; 74:38; 75:14; 75:26; 81:14; 82:5; 82:19; 86:4; 89:27; 91:7

Contemporary Muslim Intellectuals & Their Work

2011-07-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

Most of us resort to social activitism as a means to enliven Islam in the lives of the people. Programs and activities are planned to attract and reach out to the masses. Volunteers come in droves with high spirit to have a share of their contribution in the work of da'wah. Alhamdulillah with Allah SWT's help, a sizeable number come to a realiazation of their past follies and willingly adjust their life styles in accord to the dictates of Islamic principles and injunctions. The work thus continues on ends....programs & activities, realization and adjustment.

Another, believes strongly that meaningful changes can be brought about via political means. Once, the hold of power is already in their hands it's just a matter of instructions that the way of life envisioned by Islam, could be enforced upon the people. Thus, Islam is alive again in their lives. What if they fail to retain the political power? Will the masses opt out of to their chosen life styles? That being the case, enforcement fails to make the masses abide by the Islamic principles and injunctions.

Where do the well thought ideas, philosophies and academic researches stand? As of today, the Muslims are not short of their intellectuals. Unfortunately, these few Muslim intellectuals are not seen actively enggaging in social activism or political dynamism so much so they are left out in the cold. The likes of Tariq Ramadan, Syed Naquib al-Attas, Syed Hussain Nasr, Kalim Siddiqui, Ziauddin Sardar, Muzafar Iqbal, Hisham Heller, Shaykh Mohd Dr Afifi etc are seen as not revolutionary enough or as liberals or modernists.

It is really unfortunate, if we simply ignore their work. Their vast experience in enggaging with the West, the multi cultural/racial and multi religious society at the international level have undoubtedly enriched and matured their thoughts and actions. We abide by the unchanging principles but man made ideas and thoughts at least deserve our attention and consideration. The intent is to educate the think tank, the policy makers, those in authority and not least the leadership with well thought and fruitful strategies.

In restrospective, if the social and political activists are to thread the same path, they may come to appreaciate or better still will be more acceptable to these intellectuals' ideas and researches.

It is these activitist who are in the position to translate those ideas into a reality. On another note, we simly can't by pass the work of well established Muslim scholars in the person of al-Ghazali, al-Shafi'i and the other three Imams, Ibn Taimiyyah, Fakr al-Din al-Razi and others by going straight to al-Qur'an and al-Sunnah.

Intellectual Journey : Search Results on 22/06/2011

2011-06-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Alhamdulillah, Intellectual Journey is placed fourth out of 30,400,000 results on 'Intellectual Journey'. What's the significance? No idea.

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'The Making of Islamic Science'

2011-05-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

"The Making of Islamic Science is in-depth exploration of the relationship between Islam and science from the emergence of the Islamic scientific tradition in the eight century to the present time."

"Three distinct phases of the relationship between Islam the religion and the enterprise of science.

1) The first phase began with the emergence of science in the Islamic civilization in the eight century and ended with the rise of modern science in the West.

2) The second phase began with the arrival of modern science in the Muslim world in the late 18th and 19th centuries at the time when most of the Muslim world was under colonial occupation.

3) The third phase began around 1950 and continues..."

Facts about Sciece and Islamic Science

i) Prior to the emergence of the 17th century and dating back two hundred years, the scientific activity is termed by many historians of science as "Natural Philosophy".

ii) No known scientist or religious scholar of between the 8th and 17th centuries felt the need to explicitly describe the relationship between Islam and science by writing a book on the subject. "The absence of "Islam and science" discourse as a differentiated discipline is proof in itself that during these long centuries - when the Islamic Scientific tradition was the world's most advanced enterprise of science - no one felt the need to relate the two through some external construct." The need did arise with the arrival of modern science in the traditional Islamic lands during the era when almost the entire Muslim world had been colonized.

iii) "Islam does not view nature as a self-subsisting entity that can be studied in isolation from its all-embracing view of God, humanity, and the cosmological setting in which human history is unfolding."

iv) "In Islamic classification of knowledge, science - the discipline that
studies nature - is taken as but one branch of knowledge, integrally connected with all other branches of knowledge, all of which are linked to the concept of Tawhid, the Oneness of God."

v) "A fundamental difference between the nature of science that existed in Islamic Civilization between the 8th and 16th centuries and modern science; they approach nature in two different manners and hence one cannot use the same methodology for narrating the stories of the interaction of Islam with both premodern and modern science."

vi) "With the arrival of modern Western science in the Muslim world, Islam and science discourse entered a new period...Now Islam had to interact with a science based on a philosophy of nature foreign to its own conception."

vii) "In the post-World War II era, the current fervor of intellectual activity in the Muslim world - as it reshapes and reconfigures in a world largely constructed by Western science and technology - is accompanied by tremendous amount of intellectual and physical violence and chaos."

Excerpts from Muzaffar Iqbal (2009), 'The making of Islamic Science', Islamic Book Trust : Kuala Lumpur.

REVISIT - A CHANGE OF PARADIGM IN THE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION OF ‘ULUM NAQLIAH : THE EXPERIENCE OF AL AMIN ISLAMIC SCHOOLS

2011-03-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

10 years ago, this paper gives the reflection of PPAA's effort at reviewing and refining Islamic Studies curriculum. It's time for another review and hence design a new curriculum.

Abstract

This paper presents the experience of a private Islamic educational institution in an effort to introduce a relevant and dynamic approach in the curriculum and instruction of ‘Ulum Naqliah (revealed sciences). The five most salient features adopted in the curriculum are the absence of a traditional division of subjects into ‘aqidah (Islamic creed), fiqh (jurisprudence), sirah (life of the Prophet SAW), and akhlaq (Islamic character); the emphasis in presenting principles, concepts, and hikmah (underlying reason) in teaching and learning; the effort to inculcate love, internalization of Islamic principles, concepts, and ‘izzah (self esteem) with respect to being a true and practising Muslim; the emphasis on the end products as to be shabab du’at (youths as callers to faith) equipped with the necessary skills to tackle the challenges of a contemporary society; and lastly, evaluation of students is based on written, oral, practical assessments and reports by teachers and parents. This innovative and significant effort is embodied in the school curriculum project paper, which is Projek MERKURI (2001).

Introduction

Education being the main vehicle of civilization, undoubtedly occupies the attention of serious Muslim minds. The state of backwardness and weakness of the present Muslim Ummah (community of Muslims) is thought to be partly attributed to the system of education in the Muslim World. Muslim intellectuals and scholars are most concerned with the pivotal role to be assumed by the Islamic system of education as means to revitalize the Ummah. They discussed issues on Islamic education ranging from simply establishing an Islamic school to the complexities of designing the right curriculum. Efforts at repositioning and empowering Islamic education system culminated in the staging of the Makkah World Conference of Islamic Education in 1977. Thereafter, rigorous actions in the form of series of conferences, seminars and workshops discussed and proposed ideas and workplans in an effort to raise the Ummah to a level of dynamism that once characterized Muslim intellectual, cultural, and scientific traditions. In the fast changing world and its challenges, the solution does not stop short at having more Islamic schools, its’ effective management and administration (Nor Zalmiah, 1999), implementing islamization of contempory knowledge but it extends to designing and developing the right curriculum for Islamic studies and its instruction.

Muslim scholars and intellectuals observe that element of high intellectualism portraying analytical, critical, and innovative thoughts are missing in today’s Islamic studies curriculum and its instruction. Sardar (1985) states that, ‘both the classical and the modern approaches to Islamic studies concentrate on Islam as a religion and culture. Be it memorizing the Qur’an or Hadith, mastering the opinions of the classical jurists or learning Islamic history, the emphasis is on rote learning and collecting facts’, thus amounting to students being vast storehouses of facts and opinions. Contemporary literature on Islamic education also highlights the traditional approach to curriculum and instruction of Islamic studies. Among the practices are the emphasis on memorization (hifz) than understanding (fiqh), memorization of facts than internalization, fiqh originally intended to mean religious insight and discernment becomes restricted to mean jurisprudence, and becoming huffaz (those who know the Qur’an by heart) assumes as the primary objective as compared to the early generation of huffaz’s engagement towards understanding al Din. Al Qardhawi (1996) boldly states that the existing Islamic education system gives preferance to hifz and thus be a silent witness than deep comprehension. This methodology of learning corresponds to the lowest level of obtaining knowledge, thus the Muslim mind does not have enough courage to analyze its intellectual legacy or what it holds as sacred resulting in not understanding what is really important, distinguishing between what is fundamental and absolute, and what is temporary and limited as emphasized by AbuSulayman (1993). On the other aspect, Al Attas (1999) attributes the present state of treating knowledge to adopting a wrong epistemology and methodology as effected by loss of adab and rise of false leaders. To add to the injury, the use of force, emotional and psychological means on the Ummah in order to keep them in check by certain quarters of Muslim leaderships also has an effect of inhibition of their minds (AbuSulayman, 1993).

It is timely to note the point made by Rahman (1982) that Islamic intellectualism should be the essence of especially higher Islamic education for the growth of genuine, original and adequate Islamic thought is the real criterion for judging the success or failure of an Islamic education system. Thus, Sardar (1985) proposes that Islamic education system should aim at producing insan whose ‘strength lies in the ability to perceive Islam not as a mere religion but as a dynamic world-view, to synthesize the historical and the modern, and to appreciate the concerns of the traditional sectors of the Muslim population while possessing the intellectual apparatus to communicate with the modernists.’ This kind of insan is further refined by al Attas (1999) as man of adab (insan adabi), that is a man with a disciplined body, mind, and spirit with respect to his obligations towards his Creator, Allah SWT. Of late, the issue of designing and developing the right curriculum and its instruction for Islamic education system has claimed the attention of Muslim intellectuals and scholars. A number of models were proposed of which are ‘Islam for Life’, ‘Constructing Moral Personality’, and ‘Integrated Islamic Studies Curriculum’ (ISNA Education Forum, 2005 and 2006). These initiatives are towards generating a new breed of Muslim intellectuals, scientists, technologists, scholars, specialists and others with the ability to deal with challenges of the contemporary world by providing Islamic solution to the problems of their time in an effort to play their roles as ‘abd (Allah’s SWT obedient servant) and khalifah (Allah’s SWT vicegerant on earth) in their respective fields of specialization. The intent of this paper is to have an overview of the effort of Pusat Pendidikan Al Amin (Al Amin Education Center) in implementing changes in the existing Islamic studies (‘Ulum Naqliah as referred to in PPAA) curriculum and its instruction.

Background Setting : Pusat Pendidikan Al Amin (PPAA)

PPAA constitutes three privately run Islamic schools namely Sekolah Menengah Islam Al Amin Gombak, SMIAAG (Al Amin Islamic Secondary School), Sekolah Rendah Islam Al Amin Kuala Lumpur, SRIAA KL (Al Amin Islamic Primary School Kuala Lumpur), and Sekolah Rendah Islam Al Amin Gombak, SRIAAG (Al Amin Islamic Primary School Gombak). The establishment of SRIAA KL in 1986 was itself a significant milestone in the history of an integrated Islamic education system in Malaysia. With a view of producing students exemplifying an integrated personality, the previous PPAA Board of Governors made a conscious decision in offering national school curriculum and ‘Ulum Naqliah curriculum in one school session. The overwhelming response from parents became the catalyst for developing the integrated system further. Hence, the birth of SMIAAG in 1991 and SRIAAG in 1993 helps to fulfill their aspiration. Thereafter, PPAA Board of Governors is committed to bring this Integrated Islamic Education Institutions to a level of high competency and professionalism.

In line with PPAA’s mission to produce salih wa muslih (good and enjoining good) students, the Board envisages that they will in future develop into a new breed of specialists in their respective fields, who are also fuqaha (sufficiently versed in matters of Din al Islam) and muttaqin (God consciousness). As practioners of Islamic education system, one of the commitments of PPAA Board of Governors is to continuously be sentitive to the needs of time with respect to the products of the school system. In view of the complex society and the world that we live in, traditional approach in the curriculum and intruction of ‘Ulum Naqliah needs a revisionist’s viewpoint. This bold move is propelled by the ability to differentiate between beliefs (unchanging principles) and thoughts (ideas) so as to be able to move forward without the fear of transgressing the limits as prescribed in Din al Islam.

The spirit of all the above statements translated into unpublished paper, Dynamics of SRI-SMI (Islamic Primary School-Islamic Secondary School) Curriculum : Ideals versus Realities (Nor Zalmiah, 2001) and following that A New Model and Primary Components in Al Amin Curriculum : A Paradigm Shift in the focus to produce Salih wa Muslih Generation (Saari Sungib, 2001) serve as impetus for Board of Directors of PPAA to embark onto a comprehensive MERKURI project in 2001. These two working papers project the philosophy, rationale, conceptual framework, and aims for designing a new curriculum.

The MERKURI Project

The MERKURI project involves an effort to revise the existing PPAA curriculum. The Curriculum Committee, who is held responsible for the project consented to name it MERKURI, an acronym for merubah kurikulum (curriculum change). The MERKURI project was listed as one of 2001 objectives of PPAA Board of Governors to be implemented in 2002 (PPAA Strategic Planning, 2001). The rationale behind the project states :

Since the inception, the three schools have been utilizing the same curriculum. In the span of fifteen years there has been dynamic changes in today’s world education both locally and globally, thereby an evaluation of the existing curriculum is inevitable. The school curriculum demands some changes to be implemented so as to accomodate the students’ need to move forward, thus enabling them to face the challenges of the new millennium.
(Projek Merkuri, 2001)

MERKURI project proposes revision and changes in the curriculum of ‘Ulum Naqliah, Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Rendah, KBSR (New Curriculum for Primary School) and Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Menengah, KBSM (Integrated Curriculum for Secondary School), Arabic Language, Information Technology (IT), and and Hifz al Qur’an (memorization). The proposed changes involve :

• All subjects categorized under ‘Ulum Naqliah are replaced by a single subject Tasawwur Islami.
• KBSM and KBSR subjects are to be presented within the Islamic perspective (islamization of contemporary knowledge).
• A new curriculum and instruction is proposed for Arabic Language.
• Information Technology curriculum is designed as compulsory subject for all levels.
• Methodology of Hifz al Qur’an is made standardized between primary and secondary levels with the adoption of Al Barqi method.
(Projek Merkuri, 2001)

Thereafter, series of four nightly discussions were thereby organized for the PPAA community, which comprises PPAA Board members, school management committee (JPS), Parent Teacher Association (PTA), teachers, and members of non-governmental organization JIM (Jama’ah Islah Malaysia), which is also PPAA interest group in an effort to convey the proposed curriculum revision and changes and assess their views or feedbacks. The audiences were specifically exposed to the pertinent ideas in the two working papers besides acknowledging the experiences of IBERR (International Board of Educational Research and Resources). The prepatory efforts culminated in a day seminar held in September 2001 at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), which signifies a momentous development in the history of PPAA curriculum revision and change. During the seminar, the PPAA community were exposed to key ideas as means to instill readiness in implementing the new curriculum. Among the issues and topics highlighted are history and philosophy of Islamic education, IT, analytical and critical thinking, tasawwur islami as a discipline, postmodernism, Islamic metaphysics, Islamization of contemporay knowledge, and products of Islamic education system. Upon approval short-term and long-term objectives were formulated, and the frame of work and the expected time of compeletion were outlined to initiate the implementation stage at the ground level. Thereafter, PPAA Curriculum Committee launched series of workshops and meets to discuss the stages for textbook and workbook production. The new curriculum of Tasawwur Islami was gradually introduced in stages with the completion of year one textbook in 2002.

Curriculum and Instruction of subjects categorized under ‘Ulum Naqliah : The Earlier Practice

Early compartmentalization of knowledge in the process of instilling the understanding of Islam, in a way deprives students from being exposed and able to internalize the comprehensive conception (tasawwur) of Islam as dynamic and vibrant worldview. At the primary level (SRIAA), the curriculum and instruction of ‘Ulum Naqliah as fiqh, aqidah, akhlah, sirah are treated separately. In this practice over emphasized and overlapping of facts are also evident. This situation is further aggravated by the fact that the evaluation system of dual curriculum (KBSR-KBSM and ‘Ulum Naqliah) based solely on formal tests and written examinations produce too exam-oriented students. When examination mark becomes the sole criteria in determining the students’ success, it indirectly relegates their mission to practize and internalize the obligations as required by ‘aqidah, ‘ibadah, and akhlaq islamiah to secondary endeavor. The burden of accomplishing dual syllybus also acts as a hinderance in implementing islamization of contemporary knowledge at primary and secondary (SRIAA and SMIAA) levels. The islamization effort should reinforce the role of Islam in the conception of world view. The implementation of dual syllybus also leaves insufficient time for SRIAA-SMIAA to integrate character building component in the education system. This component is vital for SRIAA-SMIAA in their effort to generate salih wa muslih students, and hence shabab du’at. Finally, the use of al Qur’an and al Sunnah as the foundation, axis, and primary source for all kinds of knowledge, its purpose, obligations, and application has not assumed its central place at SRIAA-SMIAA. It is only through sound foundation on revealed knowledge that profound understanding of Din al Islam is developed.

Curriculum and Instruction of Tasawwur Islami : Philosophical and Conceptual Framework

PPAA’s mission to develop salih wa muslih students is facilitated through an integrated system of education. As an integrated system of education, PPAA upholds that,

the foundation, transmission and internalization of of knowledge, are without any separation whatsoever between the components of knowledge. Early compartmentalization of knowledge into its components is to be avoided. This compartmentalization will deprive students from conceptualizing and visualizing Islam as a comprehensive system of life. All types of knowledge are aimed at the growth of mind and personality of students strongly founded on the basis of Tawhidic values, which are aimed at leading closer to their Creator. The inculcation of knowledge must be based directly and primarily on the al Qur’an and al Sunnah.
(Saari Sungib as cited in Ruzainah, 2004. p. 29)

The above conceptual framework serves as condusive environment for the introduction of Tasawwur Islami. Ulum Naqliah subjects at the primary level, which are ‘aqidah, fiqh, akhlak,and sirah are to be treated as a single subject Tasawwur Islami. PPAA Board of Directors concurs with the view that Islam has to be presented as a world view above and over Islam as religion and culture. Tasawwur Islami should be understood as one that encompasses the world view of Islam. Hence, its main elements are comprized of the concept of God (theology), the concept of metaphysics, the concept of cosmology, the concept of man, the concept of epistemology, the concept of axiology, and not least the concept of Prophethood. Those very elements when further expanded encompass the whole gamut of Din al Islam, which are usul al Din (principles of Din al Islam) , shari’ah (Islamic law), Islamic civilization (politics, economics, education, jurisprudence, law, arts, historiograhy), Islamic thought (philosophy, metaphysics, theology), and not least Islamic science. The emphasis on themes, concepts and principles derived from al Qur’an, and as translated into practice in al Sunnah is primarily to equip students with the ability to innovatively apply those concepts and principles in changing circumstances, an approach understood as Islamic Asalah (AbuSulayman 1993). Most importantly, the students are made to appreciate al hikmah encompanying the commandments of those principles and concepts. Themes, concepts and principles such as oneness of Allah SWT, the Omnipotent and Omniscient God, shahadah (proclaimation of Islamic faith), enjoining good forbidding evil, Muslim as the best Ummah, the Prophet SAW as a blessing to all mankind, Islam as a way of life, ‘ibadah (worship) in Islam, ukhuwah (brotherhood) in Islam, Maqasid al Shari’ah (purpose of Shari’ah), resurrection (life after death), and many others properly transmitted within Islamic worldview will have great bearing on the life of an individual and society.

At level one SRIAA, themes are based on Asma al Husna (beutiful Names of Allah SWT). The themes are then expanded by relating to the appropriate stories of the Prophets AS, sahabah RA (companions of the Prophet SAW), verses from al Qur’an, and the accompanying obligations with respect to ‘ibadah, ‘aqidah, and akhlaq islamiah. At level two SRIAA, al Qur’an and al Hadith as primary sources, Islam as society and civilization, and Islamic history are introduced as main chapters in Tasawwur Islami. Nevertheless, elements of inter-disciplanary approach are employed especially in relating the obligations of ‘aqidah, ‘ibadah, and akhlaq islamiah to al Qur’an and al Hadith. With respect to injuctions of ‘ibadah, which are not yet obligatory on the students (for example haj (pilgrimage to Makkah) and zakah (paying poor due) at SRIAA level, and nikah (marriage), al buyu’ (sale), faraid (distribution of wealth) at SMIAA level), hikmah is more emphasized as preferance to processes and details. Proper understanding of fard ‘ayn (obligation towards the Self) and fard kifayah (obligation towards Society) is here exercised whereby fard ‘ayn does not end at secondary education but it develops with respect to one’s maturity, responsbility, and intellectual ability and at certain stage one’s fard kifayah becomes fard ‘ayn (Al Attas, 1999). Similarly, in sirah of the Prophet SAW, stories of the Prophets AS and sahaba RA, and Islamic history, chronology and facts are less emphasized and in its stead lessons are drawn from each events.

At the secondary level (SMIAA), the same philosophical and conceptual framework is adopted. In spite of that, ‘ulum al Qur’an (sciences of al Qur’an), ‘ulum al Hadith (sciences of al Hadith), comparative religion, and science and ‘aqidah are included as main chapters in Tasawwur Islami. Of significance, the curriculum at this level accomodates an appropriate and relevant syllybus for module to produce shabab du’at and to fulfill their needs towards executing their roles as salih wa muslih in the contemporary society. Contents of the modules are integrated into the curriculum, and their practical implementation are channeled into co curricular activities. This special module is developed primarily according to Islam two primary sources to equip the students with the necessary knowledge and skills in their mission to convey the message of Islam and mould their lives accordingly. Sirah of the Prophet SAW concentrates on how the events in the Prophet’s SAW life prepare him for the work of da’wah (call to Islam) throughout his mission. For that reason, chronology and details seem obscure; and instead emphasis on concepts and principles drawn from the al Qur’an, and the manner in which they are translated into practice in the sirah of the Prophet SAW are highlighted. The concept of ukhwah, leadership, war, treaty, shura (mutual consultation), hijrah (the emigration from Makkah to Madinah) and others are focussed on aswering the questions of why’s and how’s. This exercise will cultivate a sense of appreciation as well as analytical, critical and creative thinking

The effort to make Tasawwur Islami less exam oriented is realized in the adoption of formative evaluation of students in SRIAA and SMIAA. The evaluation is based on written, oral, and practical assessments, and supported by teachers’ and parents’ bi-yearly reports. These reports indirectly invite the parents’ participation in strengthening the habits or character supportive of the school’s mission. Love, internalization, and ‘izzah with respect to being practicing Muslims is realized by methods of instruction in which emphasis is placed on comprehending and emulating the acts of ‘ibadah over memorization of facts and details. Analytical, critical, and innovative thoughts are helped to flourish by the manner in which knowledge is presented in written materials and learning methods, which also incorporate element of problem based learning. This is supported by designing questions, which appeal to higher level thinking. Teaching and learning, which include deliberation on contemporary issues that relate to fiqh al waqi‘ (reality) helps build appreciation of al hikmah of principles and injunctions. Profound understanding of principles and concepts translated in the lifetime of the Prophet SAW helps guide application of them in the changing circumstances by way of Islamic asalah approach and not imitative historical approach (AbuSulayman, 1993). Application of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach in teaching and learning, whereby events are deliberated not as chronology as such but more on the processes involved. This methodology helps contribute towards comprehending Islam as a worldview (Sardar, 1985). Implementation of module for shabab du’at complements teaching learning aspect because it prepares the students to utilize the knowledge and skills acquired in the curriculum at the practical level. Social service, which forms part of service learning whereby students are encouraged to utilize the relevant knowledge and skills for the good of the community represents as part of education programs.

Curriculum and Instruction of Tasawwur Islami : Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Having laid out the philosophical and conceptual framework, PPAA Curriculum Committee organized a day workshop at IIUM in 2002. After intense brainstorming session, agreement was reached in the formulation of general and specific objectives for all levels of SRIAA-SMIAA. Both objectives reflect heavily on the philosophy and concept of Tasawwur Islami (PPAA Curriculum Committee, 2002).

General Objectives of Tasawwur Islami
• Recognition and acknowledgement of Islam as a way of life
• Inculcation of love and ‘izzah through translating principles and values into practice to result in their internalization.
• Sufficiently equipped in knowledge of revealed sciences , which facilitates conveyance and transmission of the message of Islam.
• Al Qur’an and al Sunnah as pivotal with respect to being source of referance and guidance.
• Accountable being with a readiness to contribute to Din al Islam, nation and the country.

Specific Objectives of Tasawwur Islami for SRIAA
• Recognition and acknowledgement of Allah SWT as the Creator by means of Tawhid Rububiah, Tawhid Uluhiah, Tawhid Asma Wa Sifah.
• Acceptance of Islam as a way of life in whatever situation.
• Execution of responsibility and role as a Muslim in ‘ibadah and mu’amalah (social intercourse).
• Inculcation of ‘izzah towards Islam.
• Building life to be always in close proximity with al Qur’an and al Sunnah.

Specific Objectives of Tasawwur Islami for SMIAA
• ‘aqidah salimah and iman sahihah to be firmly ingrained.
• Comprehension and internalization of Islam as comprehensive system of life as a way of seeking mardhatillah (the Pleasure of Allah SWT)
• Cultivation of Islamic attitude and identity towards greater commitment towards building oneself, family, and society.
• Escalation of ‘izzah through recognition of Islam’s contribution and role in human civilization as a whole.
• Al Qur’an and al Sunnah as principles in life.

During the workshop, PPAA Curriculum Committee was also able to formulate learning outcomes for SRIAA and lower secondary of SMIAA according to their respective levels. In this new paradigm, efforts to turn Tasawwur Islami in its objective, curriculum and instruction, and written materials as fertile ground for inseminating analytical, critical and innovative thoughts are attempted.

Curriculum and Instruction of Tasawwur Islami : Implementation

The year 2002 is significant with the implementation of the curriculum and instruction of Tasawwur Islami in SRIAA and SMIAA. The implementation stages of selection and training of teachers, organization of syllybus, issuance of textbook and workbook, teachers’ preparation, transmission of knowledge through teaching and learning, supervision of teachers, and execution of measurement and evaluation were duly observed. Nevertheless, those stages or processes need upgrading in some aspects. This is to ensure the expectation out of the new curriculum will result. However, the existing practice in PPAA educational programs complements whatever shortcomings that exist in its implementation.

Curriculum and Intruction of Tasawwur Islami : Reevaluation

After six years of plaughing and trodding, AAEC Board of Governors bold effort has progressed quite significantly. Evidence of co operation and approval especially from PPAA community is manifested. The whole thing about Tasawwur Islami might have been misunderstood. The traditional practice of great number of subjects offering is not evident and similarly facts and details in written materials. Accumulation of revealed knowledge at hand sits heavily on the scale of success in traditional Islamic education. However, from outright objection they are now more accomodating. The shift in attitude is towards improvision of the curriculum and instruction of Tasawwur Islami. In the span of six years, PPAA Curriculum Committee has successfully issued syllybus, primary school text books and work books; and lower secondary school textbooks. Despite the fact, quality and compliance to philosophical and conceptual framework of Tasawwur Islami are still much to be desired. Finally in the second half of the year 2007, the first batch of primary students will sit for school based summative evaluation of Tasawwur Islami. PEKERTI an acronym for evaluation of written, oral, practical of Tasawwur Islami is expected as indicator of the measure of success in the implementation of the new curriculum and its instruction. As for the lower secondary students, the first batch sat for the newly formatted Tasawwur Islami written examination in the year 2004. Nevertheless, students’ performance in these examinations is not the sole measure of success of curriculum and instruction of Tasawwur Islami since a number of other interelated factors are also contributable.

Despite the progress, the effort is still hampered by a sizeble fraction of the school community for not acquiring a good grasp of philosophy and concept of Tasawwur Islami. This lack of comprehension leads to not being supportive in some aspects. Questions are raised with respect to significant decrease in facts and details be it in fiqh, sirah or stories of sahaba and other Prophets AS. Similarly, this understanding leads to the accusation of lacking in efforts towards tafaqquh fi al Din (comprehending Din al Islam). The writing of textbook does not fully adopt the inter disciplinary approach thus compartmentalization of ‘aqidah, ‘ibadah, sirah and akhlaq into main chapters still remains at certain levels. Lack of technical experts such as authors, editors, and instructors also lends due weight on the quality and standard of written materials and instruction. The SRIAA-SMIAA school system is still unsuccessful to integrate contents of modules for shabab du’at into the curriculum of Tasawwur Islami except for a short period in SMIAA indirectly due to time table reshufling. Similarly, implementation of its practical obligations in the co curricular activities has not materialized. Separate meet session is thus required to accomodate the module and co curricular activities are organized irrespective of curriculum of Tasawwur Islami.

Large scale survey has not been conducted to assess the success or failure of the curriculum and instruction of Tasawwur Islami. However, feedbacks from SMIAAG teachers during review discussions in April 2007 lead to a number of initiatives being proposed. PPAA Curriculum Committee should conduct a reorientoring program for PPAA community. In this session, sharing of the philosophical and conceptual framework, the objectives and learning outcomes, and the processes involved in the implementation of curriculum and instruction of Tasawwur Islami will be initiated, thus make them partners in realizing the objectives of Tasawwur Islami. Contents of Tasawwur Islami specifically that requires practical implementation is to be integrated into other co curricular activities. In this manner, curriculum and instruction of Tasawwur Islami will assume its central place in the school system. Curriculum and instruction of Tasawwur Islami is to be strongly reinforced by Islamization of contemporary knowledge as proposed in the MERKURI Project (2001). It is unacceptable for unislamic philosophy, concepts, spirit, and culture to have an easy access to invade and encroach the minds of our youths despite the effort to nurture the right spirit, mind, and attitude with the introduction of this new paradigm. Educational specialists and established writers, and editors should seriously be considered to be engaged in the reviewing of the educational materials. Lastly, right selection of teachers and their trainings must claim top priority. These two factors are very crucial in the successful implementation of curriculum and instruction of Tasawwur Islami.

Conclusion

Despite introducing a change of paradigm, other efforts at improvision the curriculum and instruction of Islamic Studies is warmly applauded. Undoubtedly, Muslim intellectuals and scholars with sound grounding in knowlegde of the world and knowledge of Din al Islam will unceaselessly strive to find the right formula and solution towards revitalizing the Ummah. The Muslim’s role as ‘abd and khalifah in the face of Westernization, post Modernism, and globalization strongly demands the right and relevant knowledge to be sufficiently embedded in the mind of Muslim youths.

The change in the curriculum and instruction of Tasawwur Islami stands insignificant vis a vis vast aspects of Islamic education, which still demand attention. Educational issues with respect to epistomology and methodology of knowledge, islamization of contemporary knowledge, curriculum of Islamic Studies in higher institutions, the position of Islamic Studies as core discipline with respect to other disciplines, the right usage of terms and meanings with respect to Islamic education, relevant emphasis of fard ‘ayn, fard kifayah, and ideas on specialization require serious thoughts and sound commitment. Through diligent effort of Wan Mohd. Nor (1998), these issues are extensively elaborated and discussed in The Educational Philosohy and Practice of Syed Muhammad Naquib Al Attas : An Exposition of the Original Concept of Islamization.

References

AbuSulayman, ‘AbdulHamid A. 1993. Crisis in the Muslim Mind. Herndon : IIIT.

al-Attas, Syed Muhammad Naquib, 1999. The Concept of Education in Islam. KL :
ISTAC

Al Qardhawi, Yusuf Abdullah. 1996. Fiqh al Awlawiat. Trans. Asmawi A.N. Kuala Lumpur : Thinker’s Library.

Board of Directors, Al Amin Education Center. Strategic Planning : Objectives 2001.

Curriculum Committee, Al Amin Education Center, 2001. Projek MERKURI.
Unpublished Document : PPAA.

--------------------------------------------------------------, 2002. Objektif Tasawwur Islami.
Unpublished Document : PPAA.

Nor Zalmiah Jahidin, 2001. Dinamika Kurikulum SRI-SMI : Antara Ideal dan Realiti.
[Dynamics of SRI-SMI (Islamic Primary Schools-Secondary Islamic Schools) Curriculum : Ideals versus Realities]. (Unpublished paperwork presented at Pusat Pendidikan Al Amin).

-------------------------, 1999. Covey’s P rinciple Centered Leardership : Its Applicability
to the Leadership and Management of Islamic Schools in Malaysia. Unpublished
Master Thesis : IIUM

Rahman, Fazlur. 1982. Islam and Modernity. Chicago : University of Chicago Press.

Ruzainah Ishak. 2004.The English Curriculum of Sekolah Menengah Islam Al Amin : A
Critical Analysis. Unpublished Master Thesis : IIUM

Sardar, Ziauddin. 1985. Islamic Futures : The Shape of Ideas to Come. London and New
York : Mansell Publishing Limited.

Sungib, Saari. 2001. Model Baru dan Komponen Utama dalam Kurikulum Al Amin :
Satu Anjakan ke arah Fokus Melahirkan Angkatan Salih wa Muslih [A New Model and Components in Al Amin Curriculum : A Paradigm Shift in the Focus to Produce Salih wa Muslih Generation]. (Unpublished paperwork presented at Pusat Pendidikan Al Amin).

Wan Daud, Wan Mohd Nor. 1998. The Educational Phillosophy and Practice of Syed
Muhammad Naquib Al Attas : An Exposition of the Concept of Islamization. Kuala Lumpur : ISTAC.

Mencintai Rasulullah SAW

2011-02-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

Ummati ….Ummati…Ummati….

Di saat-saat akhir kehidupannya, kebimbangannya hanya tertumpu kepada nasib yang akan diterima oleh ummat yang bakal ditinggalkan.

Rela diejek…dipulau….diseksa….berhijrah…berjihad dengan tenaga, masa, pemikiran, harta, bahkan nyawa…..

untuk menyelamat dan memenangkan Kalimah Tauhid dan Islam.

Sama ada sebagai,

Kanak-kanak….pemuda…..suami…..ayah….sahabat….pemimpin…….

Kehidupannya menjadi contoh teladan bagi yang celik menilai dan memilih.

Al-Qur’an menjadi cermin kehidupannya

Apakah model yang kita inginkan?

Keibubapaan…Kekeluargaan…Kepimpinan…Kerohanian…Pendidikan…Sosial…
Ekonomi… Ketenteraan… Perhubungan Antarabangsa…Politik… Perhubungan
Antara Agama… Perhubungan Antara Kaum…bahkan sebuah peradaban

Rasulullah SAW telah meninggalkan prinsip, konsep dan asas untuk menjadi rujukan serta ditranslasikan dalam kehidupan moden. Kenapa model Barat juga yang menjadi ikutan dan sumber-sumber lain yang sering menjadi 'citation'?

al-Qur’an & al-Sunnah…

Kita warisi darinya untuk memimpin kehidupan yang sejahtera di dunia dan seterusnya melayakkan kita menerima Rahmah dari Allah SWT untuk diterima masuk ke dalam syurgaNya.

Marilah cermin kehidupan kita hari ini, sudahkah akhlaq kita dihiasi dengan sifat

rahmah…pemaaf…kesamarataan…keadilan…toleransi…kelembutan…merendah diri… mengutamakan orang lain…penyantun…amanah…dll

yang menghiasi peribadi Rasulullah SAW untuk melayakkan dia diiktiraf oleh kawan dan lawan sebagai yang paling berpengaruh.

Selayaknyalah, Selawat dan Salam serta Maqam yang Terpuji bagi Rasulullah SAW.

'Izzah Terhadap Sains Islam

2011-01-25T20:08:00.001-08:00

Al-Qur’an yang diturunkan pada lebih 1400 tahun yang lalu adalah sebagai Petunjuk bagi manusia. Masyarakat Arab ketika itu, hidup dalam keadaan huru-hara, berbalah-balahan, mengamalkan rasuah, berbunuh-bunuhan dan yang lebih menjengkelkan ialah amalan-amalan syirik dalam upacara penyembahan. Al-Qur’an dengan menakjubkan telah berjaya mengubah cara hidup sebahagian besar dari mereka . Dengan kata lain, Islam yang dibawa oleh al-Qur’an telah memperkenalkan sifat kemanusiaan, saling menghormati, kasih sayang dan keadilan dan berjaya telah mengeluarkan mereka dari kejahilan.

Disamping itu, al-Qur’an telah mencetuskan pemikiran saintifik yang terbit di atas perasaan ingin tahu tentang alam semula jadi serta bagaimana alam berfungsi. Terdapat beberapa konsep sains yang terkandung di dalam al-Qur’an. Tanpa perasaan ingin tahu, manusia hidup hanya untuk mendapatkan keuntungan dan kesenangan. Sikap yang sebegini tidak membantu sains untuk berkembang dan ini akan membawa kepada kejahilan. Sebaliknya al-Qur’an menyarankan untuk berfikir dan dan menyelidik serta menganjurkan semua bentuk sains secara implisit bagi Muslim. Perkembangan sains yang berlaku selepas ilmu menjadi nadi kepada kehidupan sosial masyarakat Islam bergerak selari. Satu fakta yang menakjubkan ialah kebenaran sains yang terkandung di dalam al-Qur’an hanya dapat dibuktikan oleh teknologi abad ke 20. Al-Qur’an bukanlah buku sains di mana fakta mengenainya tidak diketahui pada masa ia diturunkan. Teknologi pada abad ke 20 secara tidak langsung telah membuktikan bahawa ilmu yang terkandung dalam al-Qur’an itu adalah datangnya dari Allah SWT yang Maha Mengetahui lagi Maha Bijaksana. Sewaktu al-Qur’an diturunkan, masyarakat hanya mengetahui sedikit mengenai astronomi, fizik, biologi yang membincangkan fakta-fakta penting tentang penciptaan alam dan manusia, struktur atmosfera serta keseimbangan yang harmoni untuk membolehkan kehidupan diteruskan. Sebahagian besar daripada kebenaran sains yang dibuktikan hari ini terdapat dalam al-Qur’an. Di antara contoh-contoh yang terdapat dalam al-Qur’an ialah :

i) Orbit
ii) Langit yang melindungi
iii) Cap jari
iv) Langit yang mengembalikan
v) Fungsi gunung
vi) Lapisan atmospera
vii) Misteri besi
viii) Sukatan Hujan
ix) Lautan tidak bercampur di antara satu dengan lain
x) Jantina Bayi

Apakah impak yang diberi oleh era yang berlainan dalam sejarah kepada dunia moden seperti Greek (Yunani), Roman dan Zaman Gelap (Zaman Pertengahan). Adakah Zaman Pertengahan menjemukan kerana tiada kaitan dengan kita dan dunia moden. Adakah Zaman Pertengahan seburuk yang digambarkan seperti 1000 yang merugikan, lompong hitam dalam sejarah, zaman yang berlumpur, berpenyakit, kematian, kemusnahan, manusia bersikap tidak bertamadun, dan tidak meninggalkan apa-apa untuk dikenang? Sebaliknya, adakah Bangsa Yunani dan Bangsa Rom telah mencipta segala-galanya ? Jika jawapannya ia, ini adalah satu kesilapan yang perlu diperbetulkan.

Sebenarnya, mengenal sumbangan Zaman Pertengahan (Zaman Kegemilangan Islam) seolah-olah membawa manusia dari kegelapan kepada cahaya dan dari lautan kepada daratan. Ia menyerlahkan satu zaman yang sangat gemilang. Peradaban Islam ketika itu, merentasi dari Sepanyol ke China yang merangkumi tiga benua iaitu Asia, Afrika dan Eropah. Perlumbaan dalam penemuan dan penciptaan penting dibuat dalam masa itu oleh intelektual dan saintis dari bangsa dan agama yang berlainan. Penemuan-penemuan penting ini bersandarkan ilmu-ilmu dari bangsa Yunani yang telah diterjemah, dikembangkan serta diolah supaya menepati pandangan alam Islam. Ilmu-ilmu inilah yang telah menghubungkannya dengan dunia moden. Sebagai contoh :

i) al-Jazari : jurutera serta pencipta genius yang berjaya mencipta mesin masa (Jam Gajah) yang menggabungkan komponen dari budaya India,Yunani, Arab, Mesir, China.
ii) Ibn al-Haytham : meletakkan asas untuk kamera moden, menunjukkan bagaimana mata berfungsi, membuat eksperimen untuk mendapatkan imej dalam bilik gelap (camera obscura) yang menjjadi asas kepada camera dan cinema.
iii) Abbas Ibn Firnas – menghabiskan masa memandang ke langit dengan mengimpikan manusia boleh terbang. Ia telah mendahului the Wright Brothers.
iv) Abu’l Kasim al-Zahrawi : bapa pembedahan di mana peralatan pembedahannya masih digunakan oleh hospital-hospital moden hari ini. Malah, benang jahitannya yang diperbuat dari usus binatang juga masih digunakan hingga ke hari ini.
v) Maryam Astrolabi : seorang pintar mencipta astrolabe yang berfungsi untuk pengiraan dan mengukur masa. Asas kepada jam, kompas, pengemudian satelit, berguna kepada pengembara.

Contoh yang didedahkan cuma the ‘Tip of the Iceberg’ kerana terdapat lebih dari 1000 penciptaaan lagi dari segenap lapangan kehidupan seperti al-Kindi, al-Farabi, al-Kwarizmi, Ibn Sina, al-Biruni, Nasr al-Din al-Tusi dan ramai lagi. Penemuan dan penciptaan ini telah mempengaruhi dan merentasi Eropah pada zaman pertengahan dengan penemuan kitab-kitab ilmu dalam bahasa Arab di Andalusia oleh orang-orang Eropah. Diantara ‘Ground breaking advances’ dalam kejuruteraan ialah menukar ‘rotary motion’ kepada ‘linear motion’. Tanpa device seperti ini Revolusi Industri tidak mungkin boleh berlaku. Jelasnya, Zaman Gelap sebenarnya adalah zaman kegemilangan kerana pada masa itu terdapat berbilang ahli-ahli sains yang mempunyai kaitan dengan dunia moden.

Mari kita selami bagaimana budaya ilmu berperanan ketika itu. Dalam masa dua kurun, Islam berkembang dari Sepanyol hingga ke pinggir India dan Baghdad sebagai ibunegara yang kaya terletak di tengah-tengah. Semasa kegemilangannya, ia menyaingi bandaraya lama Athens dan Rom. Ia menyerlahkan kehebatan senibina dan menjadi bandaraya kebanggaan. Ia dihias oleh park, bazaar, taman, villa dan dipenuhi dengan masjid dan tempat mandi yang halus sekali buatannya disepanjang kedua-dua belah sungai Tigris. Intelektual menjadikan Baghdad sebagai permata dunia dan bermula pada kurun ke lapan ia mejadi pusat ilmu. Inovasi besar-besaran berlaku di sana atau datang ke sana kerana orang-orang yang terbaik datang ke Baghdad samada ahli fikir, ahli falsafah mahu pun sasterawan. Kepesatan yang berlaku di Baghdad telah mencetus masalah kejuruteraan yang besar dan penyelesaianya memerlukan minda yang hebat. Keperluan penduduk seperti kesihatan, pasar, barang-barang dan lain-lain memerlukan pengetahuan sains yang asas. Peradaban memerlukan sains untuk mentadbir kerajaan oleh itu minda yang hebat berlumba-lumba menyerlahkan kehebatannya.

Bait al-Hikmah, sebagai pusat ilmu menjadi tarikan kepada intelektual yang datang dari seluruh dunia yang terdiri dari Muslim, Yahudi dan Nasrani. Cabaran besar bagi intelektual ini ialah mentranformasikan ilmu dari Yunani kepada sekumpulan ilmu yang baru. Perebutan jawatan mula berlaku seperti yang berlaku kepada birokrat dan akademia moden. Ada intelektual yag dihantar merentasi dunia untuk mendapatkan teks-teks lama – ia merupakan satu penerokaan saintifik yang pertama dalam sejarah. Bagi Muslim, tidak ada pertentangan di antara iman dengan undang-undang yang mengawal alam semula jadi. Oleh itu mereka boleh menerima bukan sahaja Aristotle dan Plato tetapi juga ilmu yang dihasilkan oleh tamadun Parsi, India dan China. Dari India, intelektual Muslim menghasilkan konsep matematik dan menemui sistem nombor Arab yang digunakan hingga sekarang, menterjemah dan mentransformasi ilmu dari Yunani sebagai sumbangan kepada dunia moden dengan mencetuskan renaissance yang dimulai dari Baghdad. Ilmu yang diterjemah ke dalam bahasa Arab boleh didapati dengan mudah diperpustakaan seluruh bandar-bandar besar Dunia Islam. Penemuan kertas dari Asia Tengah, membolehkan ilmu disalin dan dikongsi dengan beberapa bandaraya dalam dunia Islam seperti Bukhara, Khiva, Rayy, Tus, Basra, Kufa, Shiraz, Damsyik, Kahirah, Ghazna, Tunis, Fez, Andalus dll. Dengan cara ini, ilmu yang dikongsi telah mentransfomasi serta menyerlahkan sesebuah pemerintahan atau kerajaan. Bahasa Arab menjadi bahasa ilmu di seluruh dunia, satu perkembangan yang signifikan dalam sejarah intelektualisme. Berikutnya lahirlah proses saintifik dimana pemikiran inkuiri, kreatif, inovatif dan kritikal yang dipunyai mereka telah menlahirkan Sains Islam. Ringkasnya, algebra, trigonometri, kejuruteraan, astronomi yang sampai kepada kita hari ini bermula dengan saintis Muslim. Sejarah boleh berulang jika sekiranya sikap Muslim terhadap ilmu dan pendidikan berada di atas landasan yang betul.

Sumber
1) al-Qur'an Leads the way to science
2) Miracles of the Qur'an
3) Empire of Faith : Intellectual Awakening

Memupuk Semangat dan Pemikiran Saintifik serta Semangat Bereksperimentasi

2010-12-24T07:34:00.001-08:00

Semangat atau Sikap Saintifik

Sebagai seorang Muslim, kita perlu belajar daripada sikap dan semangat yang ditunjukkan oleh cendiakawan-cendiakawan Islam terdahulu terhadap ilmu. Keseluruhan aspek kehidupan mereka berkisar di sekitar pembudayaan ilmu. Tawhid atau beriman dengan Allah Yang Esa berperanan sebagai pemacu keinginan yang berkobar-berkobar untuk meneroka kebesaran dan keagungan penciptaan Allah SWT. Sikap mereka terhadap Al-Qur’an dan al-Hadith sebagai sumber ilmu utama menjadi pemangkin kepada penemuan-penemuan ilmu yang baru. Layanan terhadap al-Qur’an sebagai al-huda serta zikrullah meletakkan mereka di atas landasan yang betul berhubung dengan ilmu yang diperolehi. Ilmu menjadi alat untuk memperolehi keyakinan serta membawa kepada mengenal al-Haqq dan selanjutnya melayakkan mereka untuk mencapai kebahagiaan di dunia dan di Akhirah.

Bagi cendikiawan-cendikiawan ini, semua jenis sains samada tabi’i, sosial, matematik, fizik serta kemanusiaan dan lain-lain berperanan untuk memperkukuhkan lagi kenyataan kebenaran yang terkandung di dalam shahadah iaitu prinsip Tawhid atau Keesaan Allah SWT. Hasil daripada beriman dengan Tawhid, membawa mereka kepada pengakuan dan penerimaan tentang setiap sesuatu di alam maya adalah berhubungkait di antara satu sama lain di bawah kawalan undang-undang alam maya yang satu. Oleh itu, setiap pemerhatian atau dapatan yang berhubung dengan alam atau penciptaaan yang dilakukan oleh mereka telah memperkukuhkan lagi keimanan mereka terhadap kebesaran dan kekuasaan Allah SWT dalam mencipta dan mengawal alam semesta.

Tidaklah berlebihan jika ditegaskan bahawa kesedaran kepada Tawhidlah yang telah melahirkan semangat saintifik dari kalangan saintis-saintis Muslim terdahulu.

Pemikiran atau Minda Saintifik

Perkembangan ilmu dalam sains wahyu khususnya Ulum al-Qur’an, Ulum al-Hadith dan Usul al-Fiqh dalam kurun ke dua Hijrah / ke lapan Masihi telah meletakkan asas kepada pemikiran atau minda saintifik. Sebagai contoh, ketelitian dalam memastikan kebenaran dan objektiviti, keperluan kepada bukti empirikal yang menyokong serta kemahiran dalam mengklasifikasikan sesuatu menjadikan Muslim terdahulu telah bersedia untuk meneroka secara saintifik. Mutakallimun yang berdepan dengan falsafah dan logik Yunani serta persoalan-persoalan tentang ketuhanan telah dapat memperkayakan ilmu dan hujjah mereka. Kecintaan kepada definisi, analisis secara konsepsual atau semantik serta penekanan kepada logik yang jelas dan ketepatan khususnya dalam pemikiran berhubung dengan hukum-hukum telah memperkayakan pemikiran saintifik mereka. Apabila sains tabi’i mula diterokai oleh saintis Muslim pada kurun ke tiga Hijrah / ke sembilan Masihi, mereka telah bersedia untuk menggabungkan semangat dengan pemikiran saintifik untuk menghasilkan semangat bereksperimentasi bagi melahirkan Sains Islam.

Semangat Bereksperimentasi dalam Sains Islam

Hasil kerja saintifik yang ditinggalkan oleh al-Razi, Ibn Sina, al-Biruni, Ibn al-Haytham, al-Zahrawi, Nasr al-Din al-Tusi, Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi dan lain-lain lagi adalah kerja-kerja saintitik yang bersandarkan kajian-kajian empirikal berhubung dengan alam. Mereka melakukan pemerhatian dan eksperimen seperti menentukan diameter bumi, latitud dan longitud sesuatu tempat, ‘specific gravity’ sesuatu logam, sifat cahaya, kedudukan matahari dan bintang-bintang, kaedah-kaedah penyembuhan dan lain-lain. Walaupun Saintis Muslim menggunakan pemikiran logik, analisa matematik, pemerhatian, eksperimen malah interpretasi secara rational terhadap Kitab Agama tetapi semuanya berlaku di dalam kerangka Tawhid. Kefahaman terhadap martabat serta kesatuan ilmu dalam Islam dapat mengelakkan mereka daripada penyanjungan yang berlebihan terhadap bukti-bukti empirikal serta kaedah eksperimentasi. Mereka menerima pengalaman secara sensual tetapi akur akan keterbatasannya.

Justeru, Sains Islam yang terhasil adalah berunsur keagamaan di mana ia didasari oleh prinsip-prinsip metafizik, kosmologi, epistemologi, serta etika dan moral dalam Islam. Matlamat dan methodologi Sains Islam amat jelas berbeza dengan Sains Moden. Sains Moden telah dimungkinkan penemuaannya oleh keperhatinan terhadap aspek ‘particular’ berbanding dengan aspek abstrak yang menjadi ciri falsafah Yunani. Dengan mencabar beberapa asas falsafah Yunani yang bersifat mekanikal, ia telah memberi ruang untuk Sains Moden berkembang.

Sains Islam, Sains Moden dan al-Qur’an

Saintis Muslim terdahulu telah berjaya mengunjurkan satu bentuk sains yang terhasil dalam kerangka pandangan alam Islam. Ia adalah satu bentuk sains yang menepati undang-undang alam semula jadi iaitu Sunnatullah dan oleh itu, ia membawa kesejahteraan kepada manusia dan alam. Usaha untuk menyerlahkan pembezaan di antara Sains Islam dan Sains Moden telah dipelopori oleh beberapa nama besar dekad ini. Sains Moden jelas berlawanan dari segi falsafah, methodologi dan matlamat namun tidak dinafikan ada teknologi yang bersifat neutral dan memberi keselesaan kepada kehidupan duniawi.

Justeru, keghairahan untuk memadankan penemuan Sains Moden dengan ayat-ayat al-Qur’an telah mengundang sedikit kontoversi. Persoalan yang timbul dari usaha ini ialah :

i) bagaimana mungkin al-Qur’an membenarkan Sains Moden yang mempunyai falsafah, methodologi dan matlamat yang berbeza atau dengan erti kata lain Islam tidak bertentangan dengan Sains Moden
ii) mereka yang menemukan Sains Moden ini tidak pernah merujuk kepada al-Qur’an.
iii) orang-orang Islam menggunakan kajian, pendapat atau penemuan berhubung Sains Moden untuk mengukuhkan keyakinan terhadap ayat-ayat al-Qur’an.
iv) berkemungkinan data empirikal yang berbeza akan menghasilkan penemuan baru yang mungkin bercanggah dengan penemuan sebelum ini yang telah dibenarkan oleh sesuatu ayat dari al-Qur’an
v) seolah-olah telah memandang sepi usaha serta penulisan-penulisan akademik dekad ini yang mencanggahi Sains Moden atau mempelopori pembinaan Sains Islam
vi) Implikasinya ialah ummat Islam tidak berusaha mencontohi Saintis Muslim terdahulu dari aspek semangat, pemikiran dan sikap sebaliknya hanya menanti orang lain untuk membuat penemuan-penemuan baru dan usaha kita hanya setakat membenarkan penemuan-penemuan itu. Kesannya secara implisit ialah ummat Islam tidak perlu bimbang kerana penemuan sains (sains moden) boleh dibuktikan oleh al-Qur’an dan ini akan menjadikan ummat Islam pasif berhubung dengan pencarian ilmu dari al-Qur’an untuk medzahirkan sains.

Tindakan Seterusnya

Kita perlu menerima hakikat bahawa Sains Moden itu tidak bersifat neutral. Ilmu yang terhasil oleh sesuatu kelompok manusia itu tidak lari dari dipengaruhi oleh pandangan alam, budaya serta pegangan mereka. Pengislaman ilmu kontemporari boleh dijadikan sebagai usaha yang bersungguh-sungguh. Pengislaman yang dimaksudkan adalah berbentuk :

Takrif : Pengislaman atau Islamisasi ialah daya usaha untuk membebaskan
i) manusia daripada ikatan kepercayaan terhadap kekarutan kuasa ghaib (magical), mitos (mytholological), tradisi tahyul (animistic) dan tradisi kebudayaan kebangsaan (national-cultural tradition) yang bertentangan dengan Islam
ii) aqal (reason) dan bahasa dari kongkongan dan pengaruh secular (secular control)
iii) diri dari penyerahan kepada tuntutan-tuntutan jasmani yang cenderung kepada sesuatu yang sekular dan zalim terhadap dirinya yang sebenar serta menjadi jahil tentang matlamatnya yang sebenar dan tidak berlaku adil terhadap dirinya yang sebenar itu.
Proses : Islamisasi adalah proses dua hala iaitu pembebasan diri (liberation) dan
pengembalian diri (devolution) kepada kejadian asalnya iaitu fitrah.

Secara praktikalnya, usaha pengislaman atau islamisasi ini perlu merangkumi dari :
i) sudut falsafah : membezakan antara falsafah sains Islam dengan sains moden
ii) sudut sejarah : menghayati pandangan alam Islam dan sikap terhadap al-Qur’an dan ilmu yang telah dan akan membawa kepada perkembangan Ilmu
iii) sudut perlaksanaan dan penterjemahan Sains Islam secara praktikal

Wallahua’lam

Rujukan

Ahmad Bazli Shafie. (2001, September). Islamisasi Ilmu. Kertas Kerja dibentang semasa Seminar Pendidikan Nasional anjuran Pusat Pendidikan Al-Amin.

Osman Bakar, (1999). The History and Philosophy of Islamic Science.
Cambridge : Islamic Text Society

Shaharir Mohd. Zain. (2004, Ogos). Pengamiran Islam dengan Sains : Gusutan dan Pelepasnya. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, Jilid 11 Bil 1.

Di Mana Sebenarnya Terletak Mu'jizat al-Qur'an

2010-12-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

Fakta-fakta saintifik yang telah terbukti?

Ramalan-ramalan yang telah berlaku?

Gandaan angka 19 yang mengkagumkan?

Jaminan daripada Allah SWT yang ketulinan al-Qur'an akan tetap terpelihara?

Bukankah al-Qur'an itu diperakui sebagai muk'jizat al-Rasul SAW dari awal penurunannya?

Jadi di manakah letaknya mu'jizat ini?

Hanya yang memahami Bahasa al-Qur'an sahaja yang benar-benar dapat menjiwai keajaiban al-Qur'an melalui susun atur bahasanya.

Untuk menghargai aspek ini sila layari :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWUy_luMq0Q&feature=channel

Semoga lebih bersemangat untuk mempelajari Bahasa Arab.

Menyusun Tenaga-Tenaga Pakar ke arah Memperkasakan Ummah

2010-11-14T07:33:00.000-08:00

Kemelut Ummah hari ini dikenal pasti oleh sebahagian besar daripada pengkaji sebagai tipisnya iman Keadaan ini dicerminkan oleh tahap kerohanian, keintelektualan serta akhlaq mereka. Peranan tenaga-tenaga pakar serta kepentingan mereka ditempatkan pada kedudukan yang sesuai perlu diberi perhatian dalam menangani permasalahan ini. Sering kali kita memberi tumpuan yang berlebihan untuk mencari penyelesaian kepada permasalahan kerohanian dan akhlaq tetapi mengenepikan usaha untuk mempertingkatan intelek yang menjadi asas kepada kedua-duanya. Usaha semasa oleh mereka yang anti kepada Islam ialah untuk meruntuhkan asas ini. Mereka melibatkan diri dengan kajian yang terperinci dan spesifik berhubung dengan Din al-Islam dan mempersiapkan hujjah-hujjah bertentangan yang mampu memberi kelebihan kepada mereka terutama dalam menimbulkan keraguan berhubung dengan iman dan keyakinan kita. Oleh kerana itu, adakah memadai peranan yang dimainkan oleh sarjana-sarjana

i) al-Qur’an hanya setakat mengajar qiraat, tajwid, dan taranum dengan mengabaikan perhubungan bermakna dengan al-Qur’an dan ulum al-Qur’an?

ii) al-Hadith hanya setakat memberi tumpuan kepada pembacaan dan syarahan matan dengan mengabaikan ulum al-Hadith?

iii) Fiqh hanya setakat mengesa pengikut-pengikutnya supaya sempurna dalam fiqh al-ibadah dan fiqh al-mu’amalah dengan mengabaikan fiqh al-mu’asirah oleh kerana pandangan-pandangan alam pasca-moden sedang menenggelamkan asas-asas kepercayaan Ummah?

iv) Sirah hanya setakat menanam dalam hati pengikut-pengikutnya perhubungan emosi dengan ar-Rasul SAW, keluarganya, dan para Sahabah RA dengan mengabaikan kaedah bagaimana untuk menterjemahkan konsep dan prinsip Islam dalam masa dan suasana yang berubah?

Pada masa yang sama, tenaga-tenaga pakar dalam bidang yang berlainan terutamanya pakar sains dan teknologi mesti ke hadapan untuk menawarkan kepakaran mereka kepada bidang-bidang yang kritikal dan penting. Dalam usaha untuk memperkasakan Ummah,

i) pakar-pakar dalam media dan ICT perlu berusaha untuk memanafaat bidang ini kerana ia adalah alat yang paling berkesan dalam membentuk sikap dan perlakuan manusia.

ii) pakar-pakar sains tabi’i merebut peluang untuk meneroka tanda-tanda dan ilmu-ilmu Allah SWT yang tiada sempadan.

iii) pakar-pakar teknologi mesti terpanggil untuk membangunkan teknologi alternatif dalam kerangka falsafah dan pemikiran peradaban Islam – ini kerana teknologi yang dipinjam atau dipindah hanya akan menjadikan Ummah terikat disamping kedua-duanya mempunyai implikasi terhadap budaya dan persekitaran.

iv) pakar-pakar sains dan teknologi sebagaimana yang dicadangkan oleh seorang pemikir Islam perlu

a) melihat kepada polisi-polisi dalam sains dan teknologi yang boleh
membawa negara-negara Islam bersama dan mempamirkan kebaikan
pendekatan yang berkerjasama dan bersatu.

b) meningkatkan kerjasama sains dan teknologi di antara negara-negara Islam ke tahap di mana pengumpulan sumber-sumber manusia menjadi satu proses semula jadi.

c) melihat kepada peranan yang boleh dimainkan oleh sains dan teknologi dalam mencipta negara Ummah sejagat.

Pakar-pakar sejarah, sains sosial, geografi, matematik, pengamal perubatan, geologi, antropologi dan lain-lain mempunyai peranan dan kedudukan yang ditentukan dalam memperkasakan Ummah. Di sana mesti ada perbincangan yang serius, mengikat dan mendalam berhubung dengan Din al-Islam dan usaha untuk memperkasa Ummah dan seterusnya peradaban. Perbincangan-perbincangan ini mesti dipimpin oleh pakar-pakar dalam bidang masing-masing. Melibatkan diri dalam perbalahan yang berkait dengan urusan-urusan Din al-Islam akan hanya memberi kesan kepada generasi pelapis iaitu keraguan dalam menentukan kebenaran. Keprihatinan kita mesti ditumpukan kepada membentuk komuniti bukan ‘cult’. Membekalkan Ummah dengan kerangka falsafah dan pemikiran berlandaskan ilmu-ilmu yang sahih adalah penting untuk melindungi iman mereka. Ilmu itu sangat berpengaruh dan ia mempunyai kuasa untuk merubah Ummah. Wallahu’alam.

Positioning the Specialists towards Empowering the Ummah

2010-11-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

The Ummah’s current state, which is identified by majority as lack of iman is reflected in their spiritual, intellectual, and moral strengths. The role of the specialists and that they be positioned at the right place is crucial in this matter. Oftentimes we fall back to merely finding solutions to the spiritual and moral problems by neglecting the foundation of the two that is the intellectual. The contemporary effort of those hostile to Islam is to undermine this foundation. Their in depth and specialized studies of our Din and counter arguments will have the upper hand with respect to creating doubts in our iman and Din. Therefore, is it a sufficient role for our scholars of

i) al-Qur’an to just teaching qiraat, tajwid, and taranum at the expense of meaningful engagement with it and the sciences of al-Qur'an?

ii) al-Hadith to just engage in reading and lecturing at the expense of sciences of al-Hadith?

iii) Fiqh to just exhort the followers to be immaculate in fiqh al-ibadah and fiqh al-muamalah at the expense of fiqh al-mu’asirah as the post modernism worldviews are engulfing our very fundamental belief.

iv) Sirah to just imbue the followers with the emotional attachment to the Prophet SAW, his family and Sahabah RA at the expense of not knowing how the Islamic concepts and principles are to be translated into practice in changing time and circumstances?

On the other hand, the specialists in other fields specifically the scientists and technologists must come forward to lend their expertise in critical and vital position. In empowering the Ummah,

i) the media and ICT are thought to be the most powerful tools in molding and shaping their thoughts and actions

ii) the natural scientists are yet to explore the limitless signs and knowledge of Our Creator

iii) the technologists are to develop an alternative technology within the philosophical and intellectual framework of Islamic Civilization as borrowed or transfer technology will only make the Ummah becoming more dependent besides it has cultural and environmental consequences

iv) the scientists and technologists as proposed by one Muslim thinker, are to

a) look for policies in science and technology that will bring Muslim countries
together and demonstrate the benefit of cooperation and a unified approach,

b) increase scientific and technological cooperation between Muslim states to a
level where pooling of resources become a natural process ,

c) look for the role that science and technology can perform in the creation of
a global Ummah state.

The historians, the social scientists, geographers, mathematicians, medical practitioners, geologists, anthropologists et cetera each has their assigned role and position in empowering the Ummah. Let there be serious, engaging, and profound discourses on Din al-Islam and empowering the Ummah conducted by the experts in their respective fields. Engaging in disputes concerning matters of Din will have its consequences in the next generation for they will be left in doubt as to what is the truth. Our concern should be in building a community, an ummah not a cult. Equipping the Ummah with solid philosophical and intellectual framework based on sound knowledge is vital to safeguard their iman. Knowledge is powerful and has the power to change the Ummah. Wallahu’alam.

Menjadi Khulafa’ dalam bidang Sains dan Teknologi

2010-10-25T20:09:00.001-07:00

Setiap orang adalah pengembala dan dia bertanggung jawab ke atas gembalaannya. Perencanaan dan kebijaksanaan Allah SWT menjadikan manusia dengan berbagai kelebihan dan kekurangan. Melalui kehendak Allah SWT juga manusia dianugerahkan dengan kecenderungan dan minat yang berbeza. Persoalannya sekarang ialah bagaimana hendak menjadi ‘ibad dan khulafa’ dalam bidang pilihan khususnya sains dan teknologi?

Menurut seorang intelektual Muslim, sains adalah ‘a problem-solving tool’ yang asas bagi mana-mana peradaban. Ia mampu mencorakkan persekitaran fisikal, intelektual dan budaya serta mempromosikan jenis pengeluaran ekonomi sesebuah peradaban. Pendek katanya lagi, sains adalah alat di mana akhirnya membentuk sesebuah peradaban yang menjadi manifestasi fisikal ke atas sesuatu pandangan alam.

Oleh kerana itu, ia mesti menjadi pilihan kita untuk mencorakkan sains dan teknologi dengan pandangan alam Islam, megamalkannya dalam kerangka ketawhidan atau ‘Islamic framework’ dan seterusnya menghasilkan sains dan teknologi yang sejahtera atau rahmatan li’l ‘alamin dengan cara mengamalkan etika-etika kerja yang menjamin kelestarian kehidupan. Pada tahun 1981, di Stockholm ‘International Federation of Institutes of Advanced Study’ (IFIAS) telah mengenal pasti sepuluh konsep Islam yang perlu menentukan ‘the nature of Scientific Inquiry’ secara keseluruhan. Konsep-konsep ini adalah :
i) tawhid
ii) khilafah
iii) ‘ibadah
iv) ‘ilm
v) Halal
vi) Haram
vii) ‘adl
viii) dhulm
ix) istislah (kepentingan awam)
x) dhai'a (pembaziran)
Saranan ini perlu disambut oleh kita yang ingin menjadi ‘ibad dan khulafa’ dalam bidang sains dan teknologi. Ia perlu menjadi sumbangan kita kepada pembentukan sebuah peradaban yang sejahtera di dunia dan seterusnya melayakkan kita untuk mencapai kebahagian di akhirah.

‘Islamic Science’ adalah satu warisan yang hilang dan perlu ditebus kembali. Menurut seorang lagi intelektual Muslim, ‘Islamic Science’ merangkumi semua ‘ulum yang dihasilkan semasa peradaban Islam terdahulu khususnya dari tahun ketujuh Masihi hingga ketigabelas Masihi. Ia menyenaraikan bukan sahaja sains tabi’i, fizik, dan matematik bahkan ‘religious sciences’, falsafah, logik, muzik, geografi, sejarah serta ‘human sciences’. Jelasnya, kandungan sains Islam berbeza dengan sains moden malah yang membezakan keduanya adalah metodologi. Tumpuan yang diberikan kepada kaedah, pemerhatian, eksperimen dan bukti empirikal semata-mata oleh sains moden telah mengeyampingkan sains yang didapati daripada interpretasi rasional dalam teks agama disamping analisis matematik, pemikiran logik serta pemerhatian objektif yang di praktikkan oleh sains Islam.

Usaha untuk menebus warisan yang hilang perlu dimulakan dengan menyediakan kerangka yang betul iaitu pandangan alam Islam. Selanjutnya, ‘intellectual setting’ yang diwujudkan pada awal peradaban Islam yang diwarnai oleh ‘lively discourses’ berhubung dengan agama, falsafah, teologi, metafizik dan logik dikalangan bukan sahaja Muslim tetapi disertai oleh pelbagai agama, budaya, dan bangsa perlu menjadi contoh. Dengan budaya intelektual yang sebegini, khazanah ilmu Islam yang terhasil telah diperkayakan serta menyentuh pelbagai aspek dengan luas dan terperinci. Justeru, usaha untuk menanam ‘scientific attitude and spirit’ serta memupuk ‘izzah terhadap warisan dan ‘the spirit of experimentation’ yang bersumberkan tawhid perlu menjadi agenda utama.

Hari ini, kita tinggalkan ‘Islamic Science’ sebagai sejarah, ‘Islamic Science sebagai falsafah’ sebaliknya tumpuan perlu dihalakan kepada menterjemahkan ‘Islamic Science’ yang memberi kesejahteraan kepada peradaban manusia supaya melayakkan ‘khulafa’ dalam sains dan teknologi mencapai kebahagiaan di Akhirah. Peranan ‘the experts’ khususnya dalam sains dan teknologi dalam usaha transfomasi berbanding reformasi amat didambakan sehinggakan ada seorang intelektual Muslim yang terkenal menyeru untuk menilai semula autoriti dalam agama untuk mereka ini duduk sama level dengan ‘the religious experts’ supaya sama-sama dapat bersepakat dalam ijma’ dan ijtihad. Wallahu’alam.

Small yet Significant

2010-09-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

My pastime of reading comments on Islamic videos on youtubes especially coming from non-Muslims is indeed an eye opener.

-how a simple adhan is able to move a non-Muslim's heart

-how a beautiful recitation of al-qur'an is able to bring someone to testify the shahadah

-how a simple kindness to a non-Muslim is able to bring out the realization that his world lagged behind Islam in terms of humanity

-how a meaningful rendition of a nashid or du'a is able to shed their tears

-how they point out that there's no big deal in a white western man becoming a convert because everyone has to make a choice at one time or another even if you are a born Muslim

-how the perfect creation of the worlds and the laws regulating them only point to the existence of the Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent Creator

-how the injustices to Islam and Muslims make them much more determined to learn more about Islam

All these point to the wide opportunities for any Muslim to make their contributions, to leave a legacy, to perform 'amal jariah...most importantly to invite everyone to the Mercy of Allah and save themselves from the torment of the fire on the day of judgment by conducting their lives and affairs in this world in accordance with Allah's wishes.

Wallahua'lam

Ramadhan : Menuju ke Puncak Ruh Ibadah

2010-08-29T00:06:00.000-07:00

10 hari terakhir Ramadhan bakal menemui kita insyaAllah. Pastinya keghairahan penantian datangnya Ramadhan bakal berakhir. Sebelum ianyanya benar-benar berlalu, adakah kita sudah merasakan hal-hal ini?

i) Kita merasa rugi jika tidak dapat memanafaatkan saat-saat sebelum iftar untuk berdoa - kerana doa ketika itu tidak tertolak

ii) Kita merasa rugi jika tidak dapat menhabiskan sekurang-kurangnya satu juzuk al-qur'an dalam sehari

iii) Kita merasa rugi jika tidak dapat menyempurnakan sekurang-kurangnya 11 raka'at sembahyang malam

iv) Kita merasa rugi jika melepaskan peluang untuk memberi makan orang-orang yang berpuasa.

v) Kita merasa rugi jika apabila berlalunya Ramadhan, kita mungkin terlepas peluang untuk menemui lailatul qadr

vi) Kita merasa rugi jika melepaskan peluang untuk bersedekah di dalam Ramadhan

vii) Kita merasa rugi jika tidak berpeluang untuk beri'tikaf di masjid

viii) Kita merasa rugi jika tidak bersahur walaupun dengan seteguk air kerana di dalam sahur ada barakahnya

ix) Kita merasa rugi jika....banyak lagi

Maka bagi yang merasa beruntung, mereka mungkin sedang menuju ke puncak ruh ibadah

Sekadar peringatan...Wallahua'lam.

Fikrah dan Harakah : Langkah Selanjutnya

2010-08-02T01:28:00.000-07:00

Bertolak dari penerimaan Islam hanya sebagai warisan, fikrah yang ditanam dan dibaja telah membenihkan kefahaman, kesedaran dan penghayatan yang syumul terhadap Islam. Islam yang diterima atas dasar kebebasan memilih menatijahkan amalan penuh sedar dan bertanggungjawab. Justeru, rahmah yang dibawa oleh Islam ingin dikongsi, dirasai dan disebarluaskan dikalangan manusia sejagat. Langkah disusun, keseragaman dibentuk, dan kekuatan dijana dengan terbentuknya satu harakah di mana ahli-ahlinya mendokong dan berkerjasama untuk menyuburkan tarbiyyah, menyemarakkan ukhuwwah dan menyebarkan dakwah. Persoalan selanjutnya, apakah yang ingin dijelmakan dalam kehidupan yang sementara ini sebagai kayu ukur bahawa peranan ahli-ahli sebagai ‘ibad dan khulafa’ telah disandang dengan jayanya selaras dengan bidang kemampuan dan kepakaran masing-masing? Cukupkah dengan perlaksanaan aktiviti-aktiviti dan program-program kebersamaan yang menjurus kepada islah dalam setiap aspek? Apakah perlaksanaan Shari’ah dan pembentukan sebuah Negara Islam menjadi ‘the ultimate aim’? Adakah Islam yang bersifat sejagat dan inklusif itu membenarkan hanya manusia mukmin sahaja yang mengecap dan menikmati keadilan, kesamarataan, kebebasan, kebaikan, dan peradaban sejahtera yang ditawarkan oleh Islam?

Keperluan Fiqh al-Harakah kepada Fiqh al-Hadharah

Fiqh al-Harakah memberi kefahaman bahawa untuk menegakkan kembali Islam, perjuangan mestilah bersama jamaah atau gerakan Islam. Manakala Fiqh al-Hadharah menjurus kepada kefahaman penghayatan Islam secara Ilmiyyah, Ruhaniyyah dan Adabiyyah ke arah merealisasikan Peradaban Islam sebagai Rahmatan lil ‘Alamin. Fiqh al-Hadharah adalah satu penzahiran shakhsiyyah Islamiyyah dalam kehidupan secara peribadi dan kolektif dipelbagai peringkat samada keluarga, kelompok, komuniti mahupun kenegaraan.

Fiqh al-Hadharah memainkan peranan besar dalam menangani serangan pemikiran hari ini. Hari ini, kewujudan masyarakat sebagai sebuah unit sosial begitu kompleks. Kepesatan dan dinamika perubahan yang menguasai pemikiran, tingkah-laku, kerohanian, dan kemasyarakatan memerlukan disiplin ilmu yang baru untuk dikuasai. Lebih tepat, hari ini kita berdepan dengan satu peradaban yang begitu canggih dan mencabar. Di sinilah keperluan kepada fiqh al-hadharah yang menjadi tunjang kepada fiqh al-harakah.

Fiqh al-Hadharah sebagai satu kerangka besar kehidupan adalah lanjutan dari tradisi kesarjanaan Islam berhubungan dengan peranan dan kedudukan insan dalam melaksanakan amanah sebagai 'abid dan khalifah. Jika Ilmu Peradaban Islam atau Fiqh al-Hadharah adalah kaedah atau maksud peradaban maka Fiqh al-Hadharah adalah tidak lain dari penelitian/pengkajian ilmiah/saintifik proses pembinaan peradaban Islam. Untuk merealisasikan Wawasan Ilmiyyah-Ruhaniyyah-Adabiyyah Fiqh al-Hadharah ini, satu penelitian terhadap 7 komponen utama yang menjadi tunjang kepada memahami proses pembinaan peradaban dalam konteks dan realiti kehidupan semasa hari ini iaitu epistemologi, metodologi, peradaban, modeniti, teknosains, isu semasa dan agenda bertindak perlu diperincikan (Amran Muhammad, 2009).

Pengkajian ini nanti akan memungkinkan prinsip-prinsip dan konsep-konsep yang terkandung dalam al-Qur’an dan al-Sunnah dapat dijelmakan atau ditranslasikan di dalam situasi yang berubah-ubah atau dalam kata lain menggunakan pendekatan ‘contemporary Islamic Asalah’. Malah untuk natijah yang optimum, teks yang telah dibekalkan akan dapat difahami dan diaplikasi menurut konteks hari ini. Ia akan menzahirkan tindak-tanduk yang terbentuk oleh pandangan alam Islam yang berupaya menilai dan menganalisa permasalahan semasa dan mengutarakan penyelesaiannya dalam kerangka pemikiran Islam.

Berasaskan Fiqh al-Hadharah, dapatlah Hadharah Islamiyyah dizahirkan sebagai sebuah peradaban yang mengamalkan budaya hidup murni berteraskan keadilan, keihsanan, kebebasan, kebenaran, kesamaan dan ketamadunan dalam semua aspek kehidupan. Ini membawa maksud prinsip-prinsip asas tersebut dijelmakan dalam keagaman dan kerohanian, kemasyarakatan dan kebudayan, keilmuan dan pendidikan, kesenian dan kesusasteraan, perundangan dan pemerintahan, ekonomi, sains dan teknologi, serta persekitaran dan kesihatan.

Jika fasa Makkah adalah fasa pembentukan fiqh al-hadharah di mana pandangan alam Islam telah terbentuk bermula dengan penurunan lima ayat pertama. Peristiwa ini memulakan revolusi pemikiran di mana segala pemikiran, idea, pengibadatan dan pengamalan telah terkawal di dalam kerangka Islam. Manakala Madinah di zaman al-Rasul SAW adalah permulaan kepada pembentukan satu Hadharah Islamiyyah. Bermula dari saat Islam bertapak di Madinah dan selanjutnya, Islam berhenti diamalkan sebagai hanya satu agama, atau satu sistem etika, atau hatta sebagai satu institusi politik. Sebaliknya, Islam berkembang sebagai hadharah yang merangkumi satu cara hidup lengkap dalam membimbing dan mengawal semua aspek kehidupan individu dan masyarakat di mana hadharah terbina di atas kekuatan peribadi, keluarga serta biah yang dibayangi oleh iman dan menatijahkan kekuatan ukhuwah dan ummah. Harakah atau jamaah adalah alat untuk menjana perjuangan iaitu kehidupan berhadharah sesama ummat Islam di mana sebagai alat, harakah atau wadah boleh bertukar ganti… tetapi hadharah atau bentuk dan ciri-ciri Hadharah Islamiyyah sama sekali tidak berubah seperti yang dibina oleh al-Rasul SAW dan generasi pertama Islam dahulu.

Masyarakat Madani Teras Peradaban

2010-07-14T00:25:00.000-07:00

"Our task is to dream and work for the future -- for a time when a new Muslim civilization will emerge -- a dynamic, thriving, growing, healthy and happy civilization; a civilization in which man will be at peace with himself, with the physical environment and, above all, with his Creator. In the meantime, we must plan and produce the prerequisites for such a civilization." Kalim Siddiqi.

Menurut kamus Arab -English Hans Wehr, madani membawa maksud 'civilized, humanized, urbanized, polished, refined'. Oleh itu, masyarakat madani dapatlah diertikan sebagai sebuah masyarakat yang mengamalkan budaya hidup murni berteraskan keadilan, keihsanan, kebebasan, kebenaran, kesamaan dan ketamadunan dalam semua aspek kehidupan. Ini membawa maksud prinsip-prinsip asas tersebut dijelmakan dalam keagaman dan kerohanian, kemasyarakatan dan kebudayan, keilmuan dan pendidikan, kesenian dan kesusasteraan, perundangan dan pemerintahan, ekonomi, sains dan teknologi, serta persekitaran dan kesihatan.

Dalam ertikata yang lebih tepat, 'ia adalah masyarakat yang menghormati hak-hak asasi manusia dan amalan demokrasi yang berpaksikan kehidupan beragama, berakhlak dan keutamaan menunaikan tanggung jawab individu dan masyarakat bagi memelihara serta mempertahankan kesejahteraan dan keamanan berlandaskan undang-undang. Masyarakat madani juga sebuah masyarakat yang memberi keutamaan kepada keperluan asas, dinamika budaya, kecerdasan dan perkembangan ekonomi, menjaga persekitaran dan mewujudkan pembabitan aktif di kalangan rakyat daripada pelbagai sudut. Ia juga sebuah masyarakat yang menyanjung tinggi perkembangan serta penghayatan ilmu, pembentukan peribadi mulia, kaya dengan daya cipta yang kreatif dan inovatif. Model bagi masyarakat madani daripada perspektif Islam meletakkan kedaulatan rakyat terbanyak sewajarnya dihormati tetapi tidak bertentangan dengan kedaulatan suci dan murni daripada Allah swt. Ia menekankan kepada hak asasi berteraskan martabat kemanusiaan, bentuk kerajaan yang berteraskan keadilan dan membenarkan kritikan daripada pelbagai lapisan rakyat. Bentuk persaingan yang sihat digalakkan dan mengutamakan pendekatan damai berbanding permusuhan dan peperangan.' (petikan dari penulisan).

Oleh yang demikian, 'masyarakat madani merujuk kepada sebuah masyarakat bertamadun, beradab, berilmu, memiliki kehidupan bermasyarakat yang teratur dan tertib dalam kawalan hukum serta undang-undang dan penguatkuasaan keadilan. Ia juga dikaitkan dengan tamadun yang digambarkan sebagai kehidupan insan yang bermasyarakat dan telah mencapai satu kehalusan tatasusila dan kebudayaan luhur bagi seluruh masyarakat. Ia juga mempunyai sistem sosial yang subur dengan prinsip-prinsip moral yang dapat menjamin keseimbangan antara kebebasan individu dengan kestabilan masyarakat serta mendorong kepada daya usaha dan inisiatif individu.'(petikan dari penulisan)

Penghijrahan al-Rasul SAW ke Madinah menjadi titik permulaan kepada pembentukan masyarakat madani selepas pembentukan individu-individu beradab diasaskan di Makkah. Sahifah al-Madinah menjadi perlembagaan bertulis terawal yang membuktikan bahawa Islam sebagai peneraju kepada pembentukan masyarakat madani. 'Di dalam perlembagaan ini, setiap puak dan kaum di dalam kota Madinah perlu memberi pengakuan dan berjanji menghormati hak-hak individu lain tanpa melihat kepada perbezaan agama dan menjadi umat yang bersatu dengan hak-hak dan kewajipan yang sama. Dengan itu, Islam telah membawa perubahan radikal dalam kehidupan individu dan sosial di Madinah kerana keupayaannya mempengaruhi dan meningkatkan kualiti seluruh aspek kehidupan. Konsep masyarakat madani di Madinah menjadi asas kepada satu kehidupan bertamadun dengan kombinasi elemen perundangan, penyertaan politik daripada pelbagai kalangan rakyat dan kaum serta kesediaan memenuhi keperluan pelbagai budaya'. (petikan dari penulisan). Satu transformasi telah berlaku dengan berubahnya sistem nilai kepada yang berlandaskan etika, moral, adab dan agama. Inilah permulaan kepada sesebuah peradaban.

The Universality of Islam

2010-06-30T02:34:00.000-07:00

The universality of Islam is translated by its very mission as rahmatan li al-'alamin (a mercy to all creation). In Islam,the commandments from Allah SWT are to be obeyed and translated in day to day practices. As such, the basic principles of shura, justice, freedom, and equality prevail in a society and are experienced by all the creatures.

In this kind of ambiance, one is assured of his or her right - honor, progeny, religion, wealth, life, and intellect are protected. Ecological balance is preserved which shall contribute towards sustainable development. The minority enjoys the same standing except in matters of religion. No authority is above the law. As far as Muslims are concerned, iman and ihsan assume the role of moral sanctioning. Age, color, position, race and gender are all blind as long as the state of the former remains operative.

As such, why is it Islam remains exclusive? Are the Muslims not playing their roles or the Others are still imbued with prejudice mind?

Di Mana Pegangan Hidup?

2010-06-16T01:06:00.000-07:00

Kecelaruan hidup manusia hari ini menuntut satu penyelesaian atau jalan keluar.

Pegangan hidup yang kabur, tidak tetap bahkan salah telah mendorong manusia untuk membuat pilihan yang salah lagi merosakkan.

Berapa ramai yang mengambil jalan mudah dengan membunuh diri apabila dihimpit dengan masalah atau tekanan hidup.

Berapa ramai bayi-bayi yang tidak berdosa menjadi korban demi menutup ketelanjuran pelaku zina yang memilih keseronokan pantas.

Berapa ramai kanak-kanak, gadis-gadis sunti, wanita-wanita tua dan kurang upaya yang menjadi mangsa hawa nafsu dek kerana teransang oleh tarikan seksual dari perempuan-perempuan yang mendedahkan tubuh mereka.

Berapa ramai yang menjadi mangsa kecederaan hatta kematian dek kerana anak, adik, abang, cucu, suami atau jiran yang kehabisan bekalan stok yang memberi kenikmatan atau keseronokan palsu.

Berapa ramai yang angkuh dan berlagak sombong dengan menindas orang lain seolah-olah kekuasaan dan pangkat yang dimiliki mereka adalah hakiki.

Berapa ramai yang diberi amanah sewenang-wenangnya memperlakukan alam serta khazanah yang ada di dalamnya sebagai hak milik peribadi hatta menidakkan hak manusia dan makhluk lain.

Berapa banyak keruntuhan rumahtangga yang berlaku dek kerana isteri atau suami dengan mudah meleraikan ikatan suci akibat dari panahan asmara yang palsu.

Betapa kuatnya tarikan kebendaan sehingga anak-anak menjadi yatim piatu seharian malah lebih lama dari itu apabila ibubapa disebukkan dengan menambahkan harta pencarian.

Betapa terhimpitnya kehidupan sehinggakan dengan mudahnya nyawa dikorbankan untuk mendapatkan seratus atau dua.

Gambaran di atas adalah sebahagian daripada kehidupan yang berlaku dalam masharakat yang tenat - masharakat yang telah hilang pegangan hidup atau masharakat yang berpegang kepada pandangan alam yang salah atau menyeleweng.

Bukankah kehidupan ini sementara dan akhirat itu kekal abadi.

Bukankah manusia itu asalnya hina dan kerdil tetapi diberi tanggungjawab untuk memakmurkan bumi agar keadilan Allah SWT dapat dijelmakan.

Bukankah alam itu dijadikan indah dan terbentang luas supaya manusia dapat merasakan kewujudan Penciptanya seterusnya memanafaatkannya dengan mentadbirnya dengan penuh rahmah.

Jawapan afirmatif kepada persoalan di atas memberi asas atau panduan kepada manusia untuk mencorakkan kehidupannya supaya sejahtera di dunia dan mendapat kebahagiaan di akhirah.

A Reminder - al-Isra : 16

2010-06-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

The rampant ills in the society today only reflect our deviation from the way of life enjoined upon us as bearers of rahmatan lil 'alamin. Our negligence of the injunctions only lead us to much sorrow and pain. In our haste to solve our problems, we resort to means and ways, which unfortunately create more problems. The roots of the ills remain. Let not this be the beginning of the destruction of our Ummah - those in power please play your roles....a reminder from Surah al-Isra : 16 (EN 18 from The Meaning of the Qur'an).

"Here a definite form of Divine procedure for the destruction of a people has been stated. When the well-to-do people of a habitation become disobedient, it is a portent that it is doomed to destruction. After their persistent and continuous transgression, the well-to-do people become so obdurate in their disobedience that they begin to discard the instinctive dictates of their conscience. The same thing has been stated in v. 16: "When We decree that a habitation should be destroyed We give Commands to its well-to-do people and they show disobedience." This is because Allah has created conscience for the guidance of man. Therefore, the dictates of conscience are really the commands of Allah. Thus it has become quite obvious that by "When We decree that a habitation should be destroyed" is not meant that Allah intends to destroy it without any reason. It is destroyed because after their disobedience "that habitation incurs Our just wrath and We totally exterminate it." The habitation deserves such a punishment because its common people follow the well-to-do people who are the factual leaders of a community and are mainly responsible for the corruption of the community. At first the well-to-do people commit acts of disobedience, wickedness, mischief, cruelty and tyranny and then the common people follow them and incur the torment of Allah. Incidentally, this is a warning for every community that it should be very discreet and prudent in choosing and electing its leaders and rulers, for if the latter are mean and wicked, they will inevitably lead the community to destruction."

Islam : Bagaimana Harus Ia di Persembahkan

2010-05-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

Islam yang di tanzilkan oleh Allah SWT bersifat shumul, sejagat dan bersesuaian untuk sepanjang zaman. Ini kerana Islam merangkumi pandangan alam yang berkisar di sekitar prinsip dan konsep asas yang boleh diterjemahkan dalam bentuk model-model untuk dipraktikkan menurut zamannya. Prinsip dan konsep ini bertujuan untuk membentuk pemikiran dan kefahaman shumul tentang Islam yang menjangkau aspek agama dan budaya atau cara hidup. Malah untuk kemashalatan hari ini, Islam perlu diterjemahkan sebagai satu peradaban yang merangkumi aspek agama dan kerohanian, ibadah dan muamalah, perundangan dan keadilan, politik dan pemerintahan, ekonomi, pendidikan dan keilmuan, seni dan kesusasteraan, kebudayaan, pemakanan dan kesihatan, sains dan teknologi serta alam sekitar. Cabaran dan permasalahan kontemporari hari ini memerlukan satu model penyelesaian dalam kerangka pemikiran Islam yang berlandaskan satu pandangan alam yang sahih.

Pandangan alam Islam yang berkisar di sekitar ketauhidan, kerasulan, tujuan dan kejadian insan, akhlaq dan nilai, ilmu, serta kejadian dan kesudahan alam akan menjadi benteng yang kukuh untuk menepis segala macam kecelaruan serta kekeliruan yang terhasil dari pandangan alam Barat. Pandangan yang salah ini telah berjaya membentuk pemahaman dan pemikiran sebilangan besar Ummah berhubung dengan aspek-aspek agama, ilmu, adab dan pendidikan, sains dan teknologi, tradisi, kemodenan serta pembangunan. Satu penjajahan pemikiran secara senyap ini telah menghasilkan satu nilai, budaya, pemikiran malah pegangan yang asing di kalangan generasi Muslim hari ini. Oleh kerana itu, tindakbalas yang terhasil atau penyelesaian yang ditawarkan kepada permasalahan hari ini bukanlah penyelesaian sebenar malah menghasilkan masalah baru atau membawa kepada lebih banyak kemusnahan.

Untuk menterjemahkan Islam sebagai satu peradaban, pembelajaran kurikulum tradisi pendidikan Islam perlu disampaikan dalam bentuk pandangan alam. Dua pra-sharat untuk melaksanakan ini ialah :

i) Kurikulum tidak harus dipisah-pisahkan kepada bidang-bidang yang tradisi tetapi menyepadukan aspek-aspek aqidah, ibadah, akhlaq, sirah serta al-Qur’an dan al-Hadith.

ii)Pendekatan pengajaran dan pembelajaran harus berbentuk multi-disiplin dan inter-disiplin, hikmah diserlahkan, ‘izzah dipupuk dan pengumpulan maklumat yang terlampau dielakkan.

Ilmu-ilmu Islam perlu diolah supaya berasaskan bidang-bidang utama berikut :

1. Sumber Pemikiran Islam

2. Pandangan Alam Islam

3. Asas-Asas Peradaban Islam

4. Fahaman Kontemporari (Fiqh al-Mu'asirah atau Fiqh al-Waqi')

5. Program Khalifah

Pemikiran Islam adalah bersumberkan wahyu dan akal. Wahyu yang terkandung di dalam al-Qur’an dan diterjemahkan oleh al-Sunnah telah dikembangkan lagi dengan penggunaan akal fikiran yang terpimpin. Oleh kerana itu perkembangan pemikiran Islam merangkumi skop yang luas seperti ulum al-qur’an, ulum al-hadith, usul al-fiqh, ilmu kalam, tasawwuf, falsafah, logik dan sains.

Pandangan alam Islam berkisar di sekitar prinsip-prinsip dan konsep-konsep asas dalam Islam yang terdiri daripada ketuhanan, kerasulan, kejadian manusia dan alam, ilmu serta nilai. Kesimpulanya bahagian ini akan tertumpu kepada iman,Islam dan ihsan serta perkara-perkara yang berkaitan untuk menjelaskan lagi prinsip dan konsep yang dibincangkan.

Sirah al-Rasul SAW menjadi asas rujukan kepada peradaban Islam kontemporari. Usaha dan sumbangan awal oleh Khulafa’ al-Rashidun diikuti dengan pemerintahan Islam sebelum dan selepas serangan Tartar memberi kefahaman mengenai bentuk peradaban terdahulu dalam mana terbentuk sistem-sistem dan institusi-institusi yang mendokongnya. Berpandukan prinsip-prinsip asas dari al-qur’an dan al-sunnah serta model-model ini, satu bentuk peradabanan kontemporari dapat direalisasikan.

Kehidupan hari ini memerlukan kefahaman yang sebenar tentang realiti dan perubahan. Keadaan masyarakat dan Ummah hari ini terbentuk atas sebab pelbagai faktor. Usaha untuk mengenal pasti faktor-faktor ini penting supaya satu penyelesaian yang sahih dapat diutarakan. Cabaran pemikiran, globalisasi, sains dan teknologi serta perubahan dan pembangunan perlu dinilai mengikut kerangka pemikiran Islam. Selanjutnya, menawarkan usaha-usaha pembaikan.

Program Khalifah memberi peluang kepada pelajar untuk mempraktikkan teori dalam situasi yang sebenar. Ia juga memberi peluang untuk berkhidmat kepada masyarakat, ummah dan alam. Program ini juga perlu membentuk pelajar secara keseluruhan termasuk memperkenalkan Islam kepada Ummah.

Dengan pendedahan yang sebegini, pelajar-pelajar dapat membentuk jatidiri Islam dari aspek pemikiran, penghayatan, kejiwaan dan kemasharakatan. Pelajar juga berupaya melihat kepada cabaran dan permasalahan kontemporari selari dengan kepesatan kemodenan, sains dan teknologi, dan pembangunan menurut pandangan alam Islam serta berupaya menawarkan penyelesaian berpandukan contoh-contoh dari peradaban Islam terdahulu. Dengan itu pelajar dapat menghayati peranannya sebagai ‘abid dan khalifah yang akan menjurus kepada membawa rahmatan li al-‘alamin bersandarkan keupayaannya :

1. Memahami dan menghayati keshumulan Islam.

2. Memahami dan menghayati pandangan alam Islam.

3. Memahami dan menghayati peranan sebagai ‘abid dan khalifah ke arah
pembaikan diri, ummah dan alam.

4. Menilai dan meanalisa permasalahan semasa.

5. Menyelesai permasalahan semasa menurut kerangka pandangan alam Islam.

Wallahu'alam

Reflection : Belief has a value only as long as..........

2010-04-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

There are a number of verses stated in the al-Qur'an that belief in Allah, His Oneness and the Hereafter appeal to mind and reason. One such verse is hereby explained as :

"Allah has sent man to this world to undergo a test. He has revealed the Truth through His Messengers and given man the freedom to believe or not to believe in it, and after believing in it to submit or not to submit to it. He keeps the Reality hidden from man and leaves it to him to judge it rationally in the light of the teachings of his Messengers, His Books and the Signs shown by His Messengers. He never makes the Reality so naked as to leave no alternative but to acknowledge it, for after that no question of a trial is left and success or failure in the test becomes meaningless. That is why Allah gives warning, as if to say, "Do not wait for that time when Allah with His angels will come before you in His glory. At that time your doom shall be sealed" and no more chance left for any test. Then belief and submission will have no value.

Belief has a value only as long as the Reality remains hidden from your senses and you recognize and acknowledge it by means of your own reasoning and then prove your moral courage by submitting to it without any coercion.

When you see with your own eyes Allah on the throne of His glory and angels functioning on the earth and in the heavens and find yourself completely in His power, then belief and submission will have no value. At that time even confirmed sinners and obdurate unbelievers will not dare to disbelieve or disobey. But then it will be useless because the time for test will be over. When the curtain is raised and the `Reality' is seen by everyone, then no more chance shall be given nor shall there be any more test because that will be the time of the Judgment."

Meaning of al-Qur'an, al-Baqarah : 210 EN 228

Membina Tamadun : Khazanah dari Sirah & Sunnah

2010-04-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

Berasaskan kepada kata akarnya, din mempunyai pelbagai manifestasi seperti rasa berhutang, penyerahan diri, kuasa kehakiman, dan fitrah. Satu daripada nama terbitannya ialah madina iaitu satu perbandaran yang berperanan sebagai sebuah negara di mana Madinah di zaman al-Rasul SAW adalah permulaan kepada pembentukan satu tamadun Islam. Bermula dari saat Islam bertapak di Madinah dan selanjutnya, Islam berhenti diamalkan sebagai hanya satu agama, atau satu sistem etika, atau hatta sebagai satu institusi politik. Sebaliknya, Islam berkembang sebagai tamadun yang merangkumi satu cara hidup lengkap dalam membimbing dan mengawal semua aspek kehidupan individu dan masyarakat.

Malangnya, setiap kali penulis-penulis dan intelektual Islam membincangkan Islam sebagai satu tamadun, ia sentiasa berkisar di sekitar tamadun yang telah menjadi sejarah, tidak sekali-kali sebagai tamadun kontemporari atau masa hadapan. Dengan cara menghadkan aspek-aspek tamadun Islam kepada sejarah semata-mata, mereka secara tidak langsung telah mengabaikan Islam untuk masa hadapan. Perbincangan hanya berkisar di sekitar sama ada aspek-aspek Islam yang telah nyata seperti akhlaq dan keimanan, kegemilangan-kegemilangan silam, dan lebih malang membekukan lagi sekumpulan fiqh, pemikiran undang-undang, dan falsafah keilmuan yang seolah-olah sudah tidak boleh dikembangkan lagi. Hanya dengan menawarkan Islam sebagai satu tamadun yang hidup, dinamik, dan mempunyai warisan intelektual yang berupaya mezahirkan institusi dan kepelbagaian pendekatan untuk menangani permasalahan, maka barulah generasi Islam hari ini mampu berdepan dengan cabaran dan ancaman ideologi, falsafah, dan pemikiran yang asing serta budaya dan ‘agama’ lain.

Pendekatan

Usaha pembinaan tamadun Islam harus bermula dengan proses penjelasan mengenai pandangan alam Islam yang merangkumi tawhid, kerasulan, hari kebangkitan dll. Pandangan alam yang hakiki ini bakal memperbetul dan meperkukuhkan pegangan, pemikiran, dan tindakan setiap individu Muslim sebagaimana yang berlaku pada fasa awal Islam. Islam sebagai satu cara hidup yang lengkap perlu diterjemahkan dalam bentuk satu tamadun di mana setiap individu di dalamnya terdidik dengan aqidah, iman dan adab Islami. Sebagai khulafa’, mereka berusaha untuk membangun dan mengerakkan institusi-institusi menurut prinsip, ruang dan polisi yang shar’iyyah dalam zaman dan situasi yang berubah-ubah.

Kumpulan ilmuan yang berpegang dengan ‘Islam sebagai satu cara hidup’ tidak boleh berpuas hati setakat menyatakan semula pendekatan-pendekatan klasikal dan tradisi seolah-olah ilmuan-ilmuan dan imam-imam terdahulu telah menyelesaikan segala permasalahan. Pendokong gerakan Islam hari ini dituntut untuk pergi lebih jauh daripada itu dengan menyediakan alternatif dan penyelesaian yang jelas Islamik kepada segala macam permasalahan yang dihadapi oleh masyarakat hari ini. Proses pembinaan tamadun Islam mesti berlaku secara teori dan praktikal di mana pembinaan ini memerlukan usaha dari sebilangan ilmuan yang datang dari pelbagai latar belakang pendidikan dan disiplin. Mereka dikehendaki supaya menumpu dan memfokuskan keupayaan kepada usaha yang berbentuk inter-disiplin yang menjurus kepada pembinaan tamadun Islam untuk hari ini dan masa hadapan. Tamadun Islam adalah satu ‘historic continuum’ iaitu ia telah wujud sebelum ini, boleh wujud pada hari ini, dan akan wujud pada masa hadapan. Apa yang lebih penting ialah setiap langkah untuk hari esok memerlukan penghuraian yang lebih mendalam dan kontemporari terhadap pandangan alam Islam. Kefahaman yang benar tentang pandangan alam Islam akan menghasilkan tindakan yang selari bagi mendokong peranan sebagai abid dan khalifah iaitu mengabdikan diri kepada Allah SWT serta melaksanakan tanggungjawab untuk mewujudkan kesejahteraan kepada alam dan ummah. Untuk ini, ia memerlukan satu kerahan intelek di atas prinsip ijtihad yang dinamik supaya prinsip dan konsep Islam boleh bergerak selari dengan situasi yang berubah-ubah untuk ditranslasikan di dalam sesebuah tamadun hari ini dan masa hadapan. Eksplorasi untuk menterjemahkan Islam sebegini perlu dilakukan dalam keseluruhan julat konsep-konsep Islam yang tulin seperti tawhid, khilafah, ‘adl, ‘ilm, ta’dib, ijma’, maslahah, istislah, istihsan, ‘ibadah, iman, zulm, halal, haram, riba, dan lain-lain.

Kehidupan al-Rasul SAW adalah satu contoh penerusan tindakan-tindakan yang berorientasikan masa hadapan dan pembentukan ‘taqdir’ yang terangkum di dalam spektra kemungkinan yang boleh direalisasikan. Al-Rasul SAW menjangkakan kemungkinan-kemungkinan masa hadapan sebelum mengambil tindakan sebagaimana Hijrah al-Rasul SAW dari Makkah ke Madinah yang bersandarkan jangkaan masa hadapan yang lebih ‘viable’ bagi sekumpulan kecil pendokong Islam ketika itu. Begitu banyak contoh yang ditinggalkan oleh al-Rasul SAW yang menjanjikan jangkaan positif pada masa hadapan di antaranya ialah perjanjian ‘Aqabah dan ‘Hudaibiyyah, penetapan Sahifah al-Madinah (hak asasi dan pertahanan), mengasaskan institusi-institusi seperti masjid, pendidikan (ahl al-Suffah) dan ekonomi (zakat, bait al-mal, awqaf) serta perhubugan internasional (jemputan kepada Pembesar-Pembesar Negara untuk menerima atau bernaung di bawah Islam). Sirah dan Sunnah al-Rasul SAW perlu di ambil sebagai khazanah yang mengandungi prinsip, data, struktur dan hikmah bagi menghasilkan disiplin-disiplin baru atau rumusan-rumusan berbentuk teori untuk mendapatkan penyelesaian bagi permasalahan politik, social, ekonomi dll dan bukan sekadar memastikan ketepatan fakta, peristiwa, percakapan dan perlakuan.

Bersandarkan contoh yang ditunjukkan oleh al-Rasul SAW, pendokong gerakan Islam hari ini mesti berupaya untuk melahirkan satu senarai yang lengkap mengenai kaedah-kaedah alternatif bagi menjelmakan semula tamadun Islam yang dinamik dan hidup pada zaman ini. Ianya perlu disuburkan oleh tindakan dan pemikiran yang berorientasikan masa hadapan. Justeru, pendidikan memainkan peranan yang sangat penting untuk membentuk kefahaman bahawa Islam menawarkan satu pandangan hidup yang lengkap dan mampu dijelmakan sebagai sesuatu yang sistematik, praktikal, dinamik dan menyeluruh. Islam sebagai tamadun yang merangkumi agama, budaya, dan cara hidup IAnya menawarkan masa hadapan yang sejahtera : di dunia dan di akhirat.

p.s. Sebahagian drp artikel dalam Risalah Pemimpin JIM 2009

Peranan Pendidikan dalam Kebangkitan Islam dan Membina Tamadun

2010-03-23T00:07:00.000-07:00

Penurunan lima ayat pertama daripada surah al ‘Alaq telah berjaya merevolusikan pemikiran Arab Jahiliyyah. Sebaik sahaja perkataan Iqra’ dilafazkan dan dituruti dengan dua puluh tiga tahun pendidikan secara langsung yang bersifat rabbani telah berjaya membentuk tasawwur yang menjadi tunjang kepada setiap tindakan masyarakat Islam terdahulu. Tasawwur ini telah mengubah dan membentuk kepercayaan, peribadi, pemikiran, ide, dan pengamalan mereka dan berhasil mencorakkan masyarakat di atas satu sistem yang memberi kebaikan kepada semua. Sistem yang menjamin masyarakat Islam di atas maqasid shari’ah juga menitik beratkan hak dan tanggung jawab masyarakat bukan Islam sebagaimana yang termaktub di dalam Sahifah al Madinah. Di atas persefahaman sebegini telah terbentuk satu kesepakatan dan kerjasama di antara setiap anggota masyarakat yang terdiri dari pelbagai etnik dan agama.

Berikutnya, satu tamaddun agung telah terhasil yang didasari oleh satu budaya ilmu yang sungguh mengkagumkan. Usaha sama di antara Muslim, Yahudi, Nasrani, Nestorian, Syriac, Majusi yang terdiri dari bangsa Arab, Parsi, Turki, Rum, Yunani dan juga India telah meninggalkan satu warisan intelektual yang tidak ternilai. Perkembangan dalam setiap disiplin ilmu samada dari ilmu wahyu atau ilmu aqal menjadi asas kepada disiplin ilmu yang terdapat pada hari ini. Ilmu bukan sahaja menjadi nadi kepada segenap cabang kehidupan malah ia didukung oleh usaha pendidikan yang bermula dengan ahl al Suffah dan berkembang kepada maktab atau kuttab, majlis, halaqah dan akhirnya madrasah. Akademi seperti Bait al Hikmah dan Dar al ‘Ilm, perpustakaan, hospital, saloon dan balai cerap sebagai pusat ilmu di samping ‘ulama’ (scholars) mendapat tajaan dan naungan para pemerintah. ‘Ulama’ yang dilahirkan selain dapat menguasai kedua-dua cabang ilmu, keilmuan mereka bersifat multi disiplin dan inter disiplin. Malah ramai di antara mereka yang diiktiraf sebagai ensaiklopedik. Peranan ‘ulama’ adalah sebagai pembimbing, penyelesai masalah, dan peneroka kepada bidang-bidang yang baru. Warisan intelektual peninggalan mereka telah menjadi pencetus kepada era pembaharuan (renaissance) di Barat khususnya dari khazanah ilmu di Cordova dan Toledo.

Berbalik kepada masyarakat hari ini, satu usaha perlu dilakukan untuk mendidik masyarakat mengenai peranan Islam dalam membentuk peribadi dan membina tamaddun di atas kesedaran bahawa pendidikan adalah landasan terpenting dalam membina sesebuah masyarakat yang berilmu dan bertamaddun. Peranannya adalah untuk menyokong usaha-usaha mengislahkan masyarakat di atas prinsip-prinsip sejagat yang selari dengan tuntutan Syariah Islam. Oleh yang demikian, satu perancangan yang lengkap dan terperinci mengenai landasan yang terpenting ini perlu diwujudkan. Adalah penting untuk menghasilkan hala tuju dan perancangan pendidikan yang semestinya bergerak di atas satu falsafah yang komprehensif dengan mensasarkan setiap peringkat umur, etnik dan agama.

Peranan pendidikan dalam kebangkitan Islam tidak hanya sebagai sindrom tindakbalas sebagaimana yang telah mengesani usaha-usaha sebahagian kesarjanaan kontemporari dan intelektual. Walaupun tidak dinafikan bahawa usaha-usaha ini berhasil meniupkan inspirasi serta membekalkan generasi dengan semangat kebangkitan tetapi dari pandangan intelektual ianya gagal untuk memotivasikan minda pembaca untuk berfikir (penerokaan intelektual yang dapat membezakan di antara prinsip yang perlu dipatuhi dan pemikiran yang boleh dihujjah). Adalah sesuatu yang merugikan jika kebangkitan Islam itu tidak berlandaskan di atas dasar intelektual yang sepatutnya memberikan tapak yang kukuh bagi ide-ide dan analisis kontemporari. Dengan kata lain, usaha-usaha kebangkitan mestilah berdasarkan satu sintesis epistemologi dan falsafah daripada al Qur’an dan al Sunnah yang bersifat futuristik. Realitinya, kebangkitan Islam perlu kepada perancangan, pemikiran dan perlaksanaan sistematik serta selari yang akan menjurus kepada kuasa politik dan intektual serta keupayaan saintifik, teknologi dan ekonomi yang sebenar dari kalangan pribumi sendiri. Islam adalah satu tasawwur pelbagai dimensi. Dalam merancang kebangkitan Islam, penekanan sewajarnya perlu diberikan kepada semua aspek kemasyarakatan ; ijtihad (perjuangan intelektual) mesti selari dengan jihad (perjuangan all out), ruang untuk kedua-dua persamaan matlamat dan diversity of actions perlu diberi, sejarah perlu diberi pengiktirafan yang sewajarnya, tetapi masa hadapan juga perlu diberi penekanan.

Usaha sosial dan aktivisme politik semata-mata tidak akan mendatangkan hasil yang berpanjangan jika bersandarkan ijtihad yang lemah. Penyelesaian yang sebenar bagi permasalahan kontemporari masyarakat Islam mesti lahir dari lubuk khazanah intelektual Islam yang unified yet diverse. Mana-mana tamaddun yang tandus dari kandungan intelek yang original dijangka akan dikesampingkan. Metodologi dan teknik pengajaran-pembelajaran terutamanya bagi subjek pengajian Islam perlu menyimpang jauh dari kaedah tradisi pengumpulan maklumat dan mengeluarkan semula teks-teks yang dihafal. Di sinilah pendidikan perlu berperanan. Keluaran pendidikan hari ini tidak hanya perlu mempunyai pemikiran dan tingkahlaku Islam yang tersendiri tetapi yang lebih penting lagi mereka bersifat kreatif dan inovatif dalam mengaplikasi dan menterjemahkan prinsip-prinsip dan konsep-konsep Islam dalam keadaan yang sering berubah.

Curriculum & Instruction of 'Ulum Naqliyyah : Pusat Pendidikan al-Amin's Experience

2010-03-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

This is a glimpse of Pusat Pendidikan Al Amin's experience at introducing a relevant and dynamic approach in the curriculum and instruction of ‘Ulum Naqliyyah (revealed sciences). The five most salient features adopted in the curriculum & instruction of 'ulum naqliyyah are :

i) the absence of a traditional division of subjects into ‘aqidah (Islamic creed), fiqh (jurisprudence), sirah (life of the Prophet SAW), akhlaq (Islamic character. ii) the emphasis in presenting principles, concepts, and hikmah (underlying reason) in teaching and learning.
iii) the effort to inculcate love and internalization of Islamic principles and concepts, and ‘izzah (self esteem) with respect to being a true and practising Muslim.
iv) the emphasis on the end products as to be shabab du’at (youths as callers to faith) equipped with the necessary skills to tackle the challenges of a contemporary society.
v) evaluation of students is based on written, oral, practical assessments and reports by teachers and parents. This innovative and significant effort is embodied in the school curriculum project paper, which is Projek MERKURI (2001).

Rationale

Education being the main vehicle of civilization, undoubtedly occupies the attention of serious Muslim minds. The state of backwardness and weakness of the present Muslim Ummah (community of Muslims) is thought to be partly attributed to the system of education in the Muslim worlds. Muslim intellectuals and scholars are most concern with the pivotal role to be assumed by the Islamic system of education as means to revitalize the Ummah. They discussed issues on Islamic education ranging from simply establishing an Islamic school to the complexities of designing the right curriculum. Efforts at repositioning and empowering Islamic education system culminate in the staging of the Makkah World Conference of Islamic Education in 1977. Thereafter, rigorous actions in the form of a series of conferences, seminars and workshops discussed and proposed ideas and work plans in an effort to raise the Ummah to a level of dynamism that once characterized Muslim intellectual, cultural, and scientific traditions. In the fast changing world and its challenges, the solution does not stop short at having more Islamic schools, its’ effective management and administration, implementing islamization of contemporary knowledge but it extends to designing and developing the right curriculum for Islamic studies and its instruction.

Muslim scholars and intellectuals observe that element of high intellectualism portraying analytical, critical, and innovative thoughts are missing in today’s Islamic studies curriculum and its instruction. Sardar (1985) states that, ‘both the classical and the modern approaches to Islamic studies concentrate on Islam as a religion and culture. Be it memorizing the Qur’an or Hadith, mastering the opinions of the classical jurists or learning Islamic history, the emphasis is on rote learning and collecting facts’, thus amounting to students being vast storehouses of facts and opinions. Contemporary literature on Islamic education also highlights the traditional approach to curriculum and instruction of Islamic studies. Among the practices are the emphasis on memorization (hifz) than understanding (fiqh), memorization of facts than internalization, fiqh originally intended to mean religious insight and discernment becomes restricted to mean jurisprudence, and becoming huffaz (those who know the Qur’an by heart) assumes as the primary objective as compared to the early generation of huffaz’s engagement towards understanding al Din. Al Qardhawi (1996) boldly states that the existing Islamic education system gives preference to hifz and thus be a silent witness than deep comprehension. This methodology of learning corresponds to the lowest level of obtaining knowledge, thus the Muslim mind does not have enough courage to analyze its intellectual legacy or what it holds as sacred resulting in not understanding what is really important, distinguishing between what is fundamental and absolute, and what is temporary and limited as emphasized by AbuSulayman (1993). On the other aspect, Al Attas (1999) attributes the present state of confusion and error in knowledge to adopting a wrong epistemology and methodology as effected by loss of adab and rise of false leaders. To add to the injury, the use of force, emotional and psychological means on the Ummah in order to keep them in check by certain quarters of Muslim leaderships also has an effect of inhibition of their minds (AbuSulayman, 1993).

It is timely to note the point made by Rahman (1982) that Islamic intellectualism should be the essence of especially higher Islamic education for the growth of genuine, original and adequate Islamic thought is the real criterion for judging the success or failure of an Islamic education system. Thus, Sardar (1985) proposes that Islamic education system should aim at producing insan whose ‘strength lies in the ability to perceive Islam not as a mere religion but as a dynamic world-view, to synthesize the historical and the modern, and to appreciate the concerns of the traditional sectors of the Muslim population while possessing the intellectual apparatus to communicate with the modernists’. This kind of insan is further refined by al Attas (1999) as man of adab (insan adabi), that is a man with a disciplined body, mind, and spirit with respect to his obligations towards his Creator, Allah SWT. Of late, the issue of designing and developing the right curriculum and its instruction for Islamic education system has claimed the attention of Muslim intellectuals and scholars. A number of models were proposed of which are ‘Islam for Life’, ‘Constructing Moral Personality’, and ‘Integrated Islamic Studies Curriculum’ (ISNA Education Forum, 2005 and 2006). These initiatives are towards generating a new breed of Muslim intellectuals, scientists, technologists, scholars, specialists and others with the ability to deal with challenges of the contemporary world by providing Islamic solution to the problems of their time in an effort to play their roles as ‘ibad (Allah’s SWT obedient servant) and khulafa' (Allah’s SWT vicegerant on earth) in their respective fields of specialization. The intent of this paper is to have an overview of the effort of Pusat Pendidikan Al Amin (Al Amin Education Center) in implementing changes in the existing Islamic studies curriculum and its instruction.

Background Setting : Pusat Pendidikan Al Amin (PPAA)

PPAA constitutes three privately run Islamic schools namely Sekolah Menengah Islam Al Amin Gombak, SMIAAG (Al Amin Islamic Secondary School), Sekolah Rendah Islam Al Amin Kuala Lumpur, SRIAA KL (Al Amin Islamic Primary School Kuala Lumpur), and Sekolah Islam Al Amin Gombak, SRIAAG (Al Amin Islamic Primary School Gombak). The establishment of SRIAA KL in 1986 was itself a significant milestone in the history of an integrated Islamic education system in Malaysia. With a view of producing students exemplifying an integrated personality, the previous PPAA Board of Governors made a conscious decision in offering national school curriculum and ‘Ulum Naqliyyah curriculum in one school session. The overwhelming response from parents became the catalyst for developing the integrated system further. Hence, the birth of SMIAAG in 1991 and SRIAAG in 1993 helps to fulfill their aspiration. Thereafter, PPAA Board of Directors is committed to bring this Integrated Islamic Education Institutions to a level of high competency and professionalism.

In line with PPAA’s mission to produce salih wa muslih (good and enjoining good) students, the Board envisages that they will in future develop into a new breed of specialists in their respective fields, who are also fuqaha (well versed in matters of Din al Islam) and muttaqin (God consciousness). As practitioners of Islamic education system, one of the commitments of PPAA Board of Directors is to continuously be sensitive to the needs of time with respect to the products of the school system. In view of the complex society and the world that we live in, traditional approach in the curriculum and instruction of ‘Ulum Naqliyyah needs a revisionist’s viewpoint. This bold move is propelled by the capacity to differentiate between beliefs (principles) and thoughts (ideas) so as to be able to move forward without the fear of transgressing the limits as prescribed in Din al Islam.

Further Reading @ http://www.al-amin.edu.my

A Tribute to ISTAC

2010-02-22T00:06:00.000-08:00

ISTAC is instrumental in nurturing my intellectual growth - the institution, the program and most importantly the curriculum have taught me to look at many things from a different perspective. Now that I am finally it's alumni, here's a sharing about ISTAC by one of its international professors.

"The fame of ISTAC and the name of its director had spread in the late 20th century not only in Malaysia and the rest of the Islamic world, but throughout the whole world, wherever there were universities with a department devoted to the study of the Islamic world, past and present......It was like working at a university and at the same time it was not like an ordinary university. Students and lecturers came from all parts of the world, so the condition for an 'exchange of cultures' were present. The teaching was at the graduate level and all students had the interest and capacity to pass their exams at this level, some of them continuing for the doctorate degree.

The subjects of teaching and research covered the whole range of Islamic studies. It comprised the traditional Islamic subjects such as a study of Qur'an, hadith and fiqh, theology, logic and philosophy; it also comprised the history of Muslim thought in the fields of science, medicine, psychology, history, economics and politics, until the present time. In this way the program was a continuation of a 14-centuries-old tradition of Islamic intellectual life. On the other hand, the program also intended to give the student an outlook on the ways of thinking in the modern world, so that they would be able to take their position and function well in the 'global civilization' of the present time. Therefore, subjects were taught such as the history of Western philosophy and science, and the religion and civilizations of the Eastern, non-Muslim countries.

In order to be able to study the sources of all this learning and to do research in this variety of fields, knowledge of Arabic language is necessary, while other languages are also needed, depending on the field of civilization, such as Persian, Greek, Latin, French and German. ISTAC offered the opportunity to study these languages.

An institute of teaching and research cannot function without a library. In fact, the library of ISTAC contains almost everything a or scholar in Islamic studies needs...and even more than that. Its collection of books and journals in this field is outstanding and unique, and by far the best in Southeast Asia......

Thus, one may safely say that the level and the range of teachimg and research, and the sources in the library of ISTAC could be compared to that of any high ranking university in the world....." (P. Lettinck," Science in Adab Literature," in Knowledge, Language, Thought and Civilization of Islam ed. by Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud and Muhammad Zaini Uthman Skudai, JB: UTM, 2010), 297-298.

That much sharing maybe sufficient for anyone of interest.

'Aql and the Freedom of Choice

2010-01-18T23:56:00.000-08:00

Today - another significant milestone in my life has made an entry. At 55 years, it is indeed a blessing had one's choice in life fulfills the very purpose of man's creation. Man is superior to other animate beings for being endowed with 'aql and the freedom to choose. Is it not Islam based on rational choice? Taqdir does not compelled everyone to be good or bad. Allah SWT has not send down miracles to make everyone belief in His Oneness as well as His Omniscience and Omnipotence. It is al-'aql that needs to be used wisely. Once, we are clear that the signs of the Universe points to our Very Creator, humbly seek for His Guidance. Al-Qur'an and al-Hadith are there to lead us to a correct choice in life.Had Allah SWT wish, He would make everyone Muslims - but that would only defeat the purpose of His Creation i.e to test which one of us is the best in deeds. Allah knows best.

Knowledge is retained in the subconcious mind as a potentiality

2009-12-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

And (remember)when your Lord brought from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (or from Adam's loin his offspring) and made him testify as to themselves (saying) : "Am I not your Lord?" They said: "Yes! We testify," lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: "Verily, we have been unaware of this." al-A'raf : 172

The Meaning of the Qur'an Vol IV : Abul a'la Maududi PP. 87-90
Based on the Qur'an & several traditions that the whole mankind that was born up to the Day of Resurrection was brought into existence at one and the same time and imbued with common-sense and brought forth in Allah's presence and asked to testify that Allah is their Lord.The Qur'an and al-Hadith describe this event as one which actually took place. We (the author) believe that this event actually took place in the physical world.The All-Powerful Allah, Who is bringing human beings into existence in the way he is doing now, has also the power to assemble all mankind before its birth and after its death.

The Covenant was taken from the whole of mankind for the reason: it was to make each and every individual fully and consciously responsible for his deeds so that those who would rebel against their Lord should be held accountable for their guilt. By taking this Covenant Allah has imbued in the heart of every individual that He alone is his Allah and Lord.How can this be justified when we do not remember it nor conscious of this Covenant? The answer is, its remembrance and consciousness has been removed from the memory and the conscious mind but it has been retained in the subconscious mind.

Its removal from the memory and the conscious mind is for the reason that the purpose of man's creation (test & trial) would not be rendered meaningless.It has, however, been retained in the subconscious mind as a potentiality, and can be brought into consciousness by intuition and internal factors as in the case of all other branches of subconscious knowledge. The fact that whatever man has achieved in culture, civilization, morality, sciences and all other aspects of human activities, lay hidden as potentialities and was brought out by external factors and intuition. But it ts also a fact that no education, no training, no environment, no external factor, no intuition is capable of creating any other thing than the one that already lies potentially in the subconscious mind.

The following is true for the branches of potential knowledge : All these exist as potentialities in our subconscious minds and prove their existence when they appear as actual actions. All potentialities require external stimuli, teaching and training to take practical shapes which, in fact, are a response of our potentialities to the external stimuli. All these things can be suppressed and made dormant by wrong desires and environment and perversions but can never be effaced totally from the subconscious mind. Therefore these can be reformed and converted by the help of inner feelings and external efforts. Exactly the same is true of the intuitional knowledge we have regarding our own position in the universe and our relationship to the Creator of the universe.

BAHASA AL-QUR’AN : MEMUPUK KECINTAAN DAN MEMARTABATKANNYA

2009-11-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

1. Muqaddimah
Dari saat ﺇﻘﺮﺍﺀ diwahyukan sehingga beberapa kurun selepasnya, bahasa Arab kekal menjadi bahasa ilmu. Yang lebih penting, penggunaannya dari awal sebagai bahasa al-qur’an, telah merubah pandangan hidup orang-orang Arab Jahiliah kepada pandangan hidup Islam. Beberapa perkataan Arab yang pada awalnya memberi maksud yang berbeza di kalangan orang Arab Jahiliah telah diberi celupan Islam yang berbeza dan menjangkau kepada perhubungan dengan Pencipta. Begitu jugalah yang berlaku kepada bahasa-bahasa agama Islam yang lain seperti Turki, Parsi, dan juga Melayu. Lebih utama, bahasa-bahasa yang memperkenalkan terma dan kata kosa Arab di dalamnya, membawa sekali kefahaman Islam. Dengan kata lain, telah berlaku islamisasi melalui bahasa terhadap bahasa-bahasa agama Islam yang lain.

2. Bahasa Arab dan Al-Qur’an
Di dalam al Qur’an, bahasa Arab dikaitkan sebagai satu phrasa 'qur'aanan 'arabiian'
sebanyak sebelas kali. Ini menunjukkan pentingnya bahasa Arab untuk memberi kefahaman kepada al qur’an itu sendiri. Dengan kata lain, untuk mendapatkan kefahaman yang sebenar tentang pengajaran yang diturunkan melalui al qur’an, mestilah melalui bahasa Arab. Ini bermakna, tidak mencukupi jika sesorang itu mendalami al qur’an melalui penterjemahan sahaja samada dalam bahasa Turki, Parsi, Melayu, Inggeris, hatta dalam apa jua bahasa pun.

Para sahabah memahami al qur’an dalam bahasa Arab. Dengan sebab itu, rata-rata kita didedahkan kisah keajaiban al qur’an di dalam kehidupan mereka. Yang Islam bertambah keislamannya, yang kafir datang untuk mengubah aqidahnya, dan yang berkepentingan di kalangan orang-orang kafir, tidak dapat tidak memperakui kehebatan bahasa al qur’an. Oleh kerana keunikan bahasa al qur’an, tiada yang percaya ia adalah semata-mata hasil dari seorang manusia yang waras. Oleh kerana itu, ar Rasul S.A.W, diberi gelaran majnun, ahli silap mata, dan penyair.

Para sahabah juga mengetahui bahawa ilmu itu adalah al qur’an dan meninggalkan al qur’an atau memahaminya tanpa melalui bahasa Arab akan mengurangkan kefahaman dan keilmuan mereka. Mereka memahami bahawa ilmu akan berkurang atau hilang apabila ummah tidak lagi memahami al qur’an.

3. Sikap Ummah hari ini dan al Qur’an
Sikap ummah pada hari ini terhadap al qur’an adalah rata-rata seperti yang ditunjukkan oleh Yahudi dan nasrani. Perkataan ﺃﻤﻨﻲ di dalam surah al Baqarah
membawa maksud bahawa mereka mempunyai kitab-kitab mereka tetapi hanya untuk dibaca dan dihafal, tetapi bukan untuk difahami. Bukankah ini sikap yangdipamirkan oleh sebahagian besar daripada ummah. Kelas-kelas tahfiz tumbuh bagai cendawan dibandingkan usaha untuk memahami al qur’an sendiri.

Tidak dinafikan bahawa ramai yang memberi pengakuan bahawa bahasa Arab itu penting kerana al qur’an adalah dalam bahasa Arab. Malangnya, belajar al qur’an dikalangan sebilangan besar ummah hanyalah setakat qiraat dan hifz tetapi tidak kefahaman.Kalau ada pun yang berusaha untuk mendapatkan kefahaman, ia dilakukan melalui penterjemahan. Oleh kerana itu, tahfiz hanya berputar disekitar membaca dan menghafal.

Hakikatnya, mempelajari al Qur’an mestilah merangkumi ketiga-tiganya iaitu
qiraat, hifz, fahm.

4. Bahasa Arab adalah sebahagian daripada Mu’jizat al Qur’an.
Perutusan rasul-rasul yang terdahulu didokong oleh mu‘jizat yang berbentuk fisikal untuk dipertontonkan kepada manusia. Adalah sesuatu yang sukar untuk membuktikan diri mereka sebagai seorang rasul dari kalangan mereka sendiri. Oleh itu mu‘jizat dalam bentuk membelah lautan, menghidupkan orang yang telah mati, menyembuhkan orang yang sakit dan lain-lain menjadi bukti kepada perutusan mereka.

Sebaliknya, ar Rasul S.A.W. didatangkan dengan mu‘jizat untuk diperdengar dan difahami oleh manusia iaitu al qur’an diturunkan dalam bahasa Arab. Apabila Allah S.W.T memilih:
i) ﻔﻜﺒﺮ ﺆﺮﺒﻚ
ii) ﺃﻠﻠﻪ ﺨﺒﻴﺮﺒﻤﺎ ﺘﻌﻤﻠﻮﻦ dan ﺃﻠﻠﻪ ﺒﻤﺎ ﺘﻌﻤﻠﻮﻦ ﺨﺒﻴﺮ
iii) ﻘﻠﺐ dan ﺃﻔﺌﻴﺪﺓ serta ,ﺮﻮﺡ dan ﻨﻔﺲ,
Ini hanya membuktikan bahawa bahasa Arab al qur’an itu unik. Pilihan terma dan susunan ayat-ayatnya membawa maksud yang tepat dan tersendiri tanpa boleh ditiru atau diterjemahkan.

5. Memperbaiki sikap terhadap bahasa Arab.
Dari sekarang, kita perlu memasang niat untuk mempelajari bahasa Arab. Rata-rata persepsi yang mengatakan bahawa bahasa Arab itu sukar, akan dipermudahka insyaAllah Allah S.W.T sendiri memberi jaminan bahawa kita hanya perlu berniat selebihnya akan permudahkan

Segala kesukaran yang kita hadapi dalam usaha untuk mempelajari bahasa Arab, Allah S.W.T akan megandakan ganjaran bagi mereka. Mereka yang pada masa ini dengan memudahnya menuturkan bahasa Arab atau menafsirlan al qur’an pun pernah menempuh jalan kesukaran pada waktu permulaan. Hanya selepas percubaan yang berkali-kali, mereka dapat mencapai tahap yang ada sekarang.

6. Penerusan Tradisi Keilmuan dan Jambatan Penghubung
Ilmu-ilmu Islam rata-rata masih tertulis dalam bahasa Arab
Ini adalah satu lagi keutamaan untuk mendalami bahasa Arab. Khazanah warisan intelek Islam yang terhasil oleh ulama’ Islam dalam jangkamasa tujuh kurun yang pertama selepas hijrah, masih menuntut untuk diterolai dan diperdalami supaya warisan itu dapat dimanafaatkan oleh ummah pada hari ini. Telah banyak penyelesaian kepada permasalah ummah dibincang dan dicari penyelesaiannya, dimana permasalahan yang serupa berulang pada hari ini dalam bentuk atau rupa yang berbeza.

Kelemahan ini ditampung oleh penterjemahan manuskrip oleh orientalis barat. Adalah satu keaiban jika sebagai ummah yang ditujukan rirasah yang terakhir, kita masih bergantung kepada orang yang bukan seagama untuk memahami warisan intelektual kita sendiri. Penyelewengan dan berpikak mungkin dan telah berlaku dalam penterjemahan ini yang akan mengakibatkan kita akan tersalah mengambil tindakan.

7. Penutup
Susunan dan penggunaan Bahasa Arab dalam al Qur’an adalah sebahagian daripada mu’jizat nya iaitu i‘jaz al qur’an (the inimitability of al qur’an).Untuk mendalami, menjiwai dan menghayati pengajaran dari al Qur’an, memerlukan kepada penguasaan bahasa Arab dan bukan semata-mata bergantung kepada penterjemahannya sahaja.

Khazanah warisan intelektual Islam yang ditulis dalam bahasa Arab masih banyak yang belum diterjemahkan dan masih menunggu-nunggu orang Islam untuk menerokainya selain daripada orientalis yang lebih menampakkan kesungguhan mereka dengan agenda tersendiri.

Allah SWT telah memberi jaminan akan mempermudah dan mengandakan ganjaran bagi yang berusaha untuk mendalami ilmu.

Pengenalan sebutan bahasa Arab di dalam bahasa agama Islam lain – Parsi, Turki, Melayu telah berjaya mengubah pandangan alam kepada yang Islamik.

p.s. Juga dalam Berita Pendidikan di http://www.al-amin.edu.my

An Abstract : Contemporary Muslim Educational Thoughts

2009-10-12T01:37:00.000-07:00

Education being the main vehicle of civilization, undoubtedly occupies the attention of serious Muslim minds. In the last century, Muslim scholars were very much preoccupied with finding causes to the failure of the Muslim Ummah to rise to a level of dynamism that once characterized the Muslim Intellectual and Scientific Traditions. As rightly pointed out by Rosenthal, that Islamic civilization is characterized by ‘ilm for ‘ilm is of those concepts that have dominated Islam and gives the Muslim civilization its distinctive shape and complexion. This is further supported by Iqbal by stating that the birth of Islam is truly the birth of inductive intellect. Hence, the birth of Muslim scholars whom were not only known to be multi disciplinary and encylopedic but competent in providing original Islamic solution to the problems of their time. Sadly however, element of high intellectualism is missing in today’s Muslim education. Sardar observes that both the classical and the modern approaches to Islamic studies concentrate on Islam as a religion and culture. Whether it is memorizing the Qur’an or Hadith, mastering the opinions of the classical jurists or learning Islamic history, the emphasis is on rote learning and collecting facts, thus amounting to students being vast storehouses of facts and opinions. As a consequent, the Muslim mind does not have enough courage to analyze its intellectual legacy or what it holds as sacred resulting in not understanding what is really important, distinguishing between what is fundamental and absolute, and what is temporary and limited as emphasized by AbuSulayman. It is timely to note the point made by Rahman that Islamic intellectualism should be the essence of especially higher Islamic education for the growth of genuine, original and adequate Islamic thought is the real criterion for judging the success or failure of an Islamic education system. As practioners of Islamic education, our vision as proposed by Sardar should be to produce insan whose strength lies in the ability to perceive Islam not as a mere religion but as a dynamic world-view, to synthesize the historical and the modern, and to appreciate the concerns of the traditional sectors of the Muslim population while possessing the intellectual apparatus to communicate with the modernists.

Of importance, the future system should concentrate on providing an intellectual atmosphere that will encourage and ensure the development of truly inquisitive minds, original thinking, and creativity. This significant change will ensure that the products of the system are in a position to employ the contemporary Islamic Asalah solutions to changing circumstances. These initiatives are towards generating a new breed of Muslim intellectuals, scientists, technologists, scholars, specialists and others with the ability to deal with challenges of the contemporary world by providing Islamic solution to the problems of their time in an effort to play their roles as ‘abd (Allah’s SWT obedient servant) and khalifah (Allah’s SWT vicegerant on earth) in their respective fields of specialization.

Comment : This abstract is meant to be elaborated to a complete working paper.

Mixed Priorities

2009-09-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

15.09.2009 was another day filled with commitments.

i) to attend a meeting scheduled to take place in the morning - a brainstorming session on Pusat Pendidikan Al-Amin's innovation(s) in Islamic Education System, which is to be evaluated at the state level.
ii) to accompany a mother-to-be (a daughter)for the arrival of her first born
iii)to fulfill the appointment arranged a few days earlier with my co-supervisor on the final version of the thesis for publication.
iv) to be a gracious host to a group for iftar and tarawwih.

Alhamdulillah, Allah SWT has eased things for me, which enabled me to still play a part on each occasion directly or indirectly. I was committed to meeting the co-supervisor (owing to his tight schedule) and consequently was gladly informed of the 'very good' grade of the submitted thesis. The prior intention of committing myself to the simplest and the least demanding of all thesis has turned out the finished product otherwise. Indeed, in every ease and pain there is a test, may Allah SWT help me in this one.

Today, 27.09.2009 wanummi and tok ki have Allah SWT to thank for the 33 years of blissful married life and His never ending bounties, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'Alamin.

Peradaban : Hari Ini dan Masa Hadapan

2009-09-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

Satu Anjakan

Islam hari ini dan masa hadapan tidak boleh lagi dilihat sebagai lemah, lesu, mundur dan ketinggalan zaman.

Islam hari ini dan masa hadapan tidak boleh lagi bergantung semata-mata kepada slogan dan kekuatan emosi.

Islam hari ini dan masa hadapan menuntut Islam diterjemah dan diamalkan menjangkau agama, budaya, dan cara hidup.

Islam hari ini dan masa hadapan perlu diperjuangkan bukan sahaja sebagai agenda politik dan sosial semata-mata.

Islam hari ini dan masa hadapan memerlukan intelektual-intelektual untuk melaksanakan agenda perubahan pemikiran.

Islam hari ini dan masa hadapan perlu dibina di atas kekuatan pemikiran Islam yang merangkumi ilmu-ilmu kalam, tasawwuf, falsafah, dan shari‘ah.

Islam hari ini dan masa hadapan menuntut pemahaman fard ‘ayn yang berkembang selari dengan kematangan, pemikiran, kedudukan, status, dan pertanggungjawaban.

Islam hari ini dan masa hadapan menuntut pemahaman menegakkan fard kifayah adalah lebih diutamakan dalam suasana dan persekitaran yang asing

Islam hari ini dan masa hadapan memerlukan ilmuan-ilmuan yang berupaya melaksanakan ijtihad untuk menterjemahkan prinsip dan konsep dari tasawwur al Islam kepada situasi yang berubah-ubah (‘contemporary Islamic’ Asalah)

Islam hari ini dan masa hadapan memerlukan fiqh al haraki untuk menyokong fiqh al hadharah ke arah merealisasikan satu peradaban.

Islam hari ini dan masa hadapan mesti diterjemahkan sebagai satu peradaban yang dinamik dan hidup dengan mengamalkan ciri, prinsip, dan nilai yang unik dan agung dalam struktur hidup beragama dan kemasyarakatan, pemerintahan dan politik, ekonomi dan kewangan, keutamaan serta penekanan saintifik dan teknologi, senibina dan pelan perbandaran, pendidikan dan pembangunan insan, serta kesenian dan kesusasteraan.

Hanya dengan cara memahami dan mengkaji Islam sebagai satu peradaban masa hadapan yang hidup dan dinamik, barulah keadilan sepenuhnya berlaku kepada din al Islam di atas keyakinan dan keimanan bahawa Islam adalah sempurna dan lengkap yang membawa kesejahteraan kepada kehidupan di dunia dan akhirah di atas sifatnya sebagai rahmah li al ‘alamin.

Perubahan : Di Sini Bermula

2009-09-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

Pendidikan Islam bertujuan untuk membekalkan murid dan pelajar dengan pandangan alam yang sahih. Pandangan alam yang sahih akan membimbing mereka dalam menentukan arah tuju kehidupan di dunia yang inshÉAllah akan membuahkan kebahagiaan di akhirah. Pandangan alam yang sahih berkisar di sekitar pemahaman dan penghayatan sebenar tentang hakikat Allah SWT, kenabian, kehidupan manusia, dan kehidupan di Akhirah. Pandangan alam Islam yang merangkum perkara-perkara utama ini menjadi benteng yang kukuh untuk menepis segala macam kecelaruan serta kekeliruan yang terhasil dari pandangan alam Barat yang berjaya menguasai pemahaman dan pemikiran sebilangan besar Ummah hari ini. Kefahaman hari ini tentang agama; ilmu; adab dan pendidikan; sains dan teknologi; serta tradisi, kemodenan, dan pembangunan rata-rata dicorakkan oleh pandangan alam asing ini yang telah berjaya menguasai kerangka pemikiran manusia. Satu ‘philosophical program’ yang berlaku secara senyap ini telah menghasilkan nilai, budaya, pemikiran, dan malah pegangan yang asing di kalangan generasi Muslim hari ini.

Sistem pendidikan hari ini terutama pendidikan tinggi mesti mengambil tanggung jawab untuk menanam kefahaman sebenar tentang pandangan alam Islam yang berorientasikan masa hadapan. Ini hanya boleh berlaku sekiranya penggerak dan pendokong sesebuah sistem pendidikan mengambil langkah untuk mereorientasikan:

i) Falsafah
- usaha pendidikan yang menyeluruh, seimbang, dinamik dan berterusan
- bersandarkan prinsip dan konsep tasawwur al Islam yang terkandung dalam al Qur’an dan Sunnah.
- membangun seluruh potensi insan : jasmani, emosi, rohani, intelek, sosial
- menjadi ‘abd dan khalifah : mengabdikan diri kepada Allah SWT dan memberi khidmat kepada alam dan ummah menurut bidang yang dipertanggungjawabkan ke atasnya.
- mewujudkan kesejahteraan di dunia dan mencapai kebahagian di akhirah.
ii) Matlamat – melahirkan insan salih wa muslih
iii) Kurikulum
- ada kesepaduan : menyediakan dua aliran kurikulum yang bukan sahaja terdiri daripada ilmu ‘aqli dan ilmu naqli secara selari tetapi memastikan ada usaha untuk menyepadukan antara kedua-duanya. Usaha ini bermaksud kurikulum ilmu naqli dan aplikasinya diterjemahkan ke dalam suasana yang berubah-ubah manakala kurikulum ilmu ‘aqli dan penyampaiannya diolah supaya menepati pandangan alam Islam (usaha jangka pendek)
- bersifat inter dan multi disiplin – menekankan kepada proses berbanding kronologi
- tiada pemetakkan yang ketara kecuali untuk pengkhususan (pengajian tinggi) untuk mendapatkan fahaman kesyumulan, dinamika dan getaran Islam serta mengelak dari pertindihan dan pengulangan.
- Fard ‘Ayn : berkembang selari dengan tahap umur, kematangan, pemikiran, kedudukan, status, dan pertanggungjawaban ini bermakna ianya tidak terhenti di peringkat menengah.
- Fard Kifayah : al qiamu bifardi al-kifayah ahammu min fard al-'ayn (kaedah yang dimulakan oleh ayah Imam al-Juwayni dimana al Juwayni ialah guru kepada Imam al-Ghazzali) - jika sekiranya menegakkan fard al-kifayah itu lebih penting, maka mempelajari ilmu-ilmu yang berkaitan adalah dituntut dan menjadi fard 'ayn bagi yang boleh memenuhinya (dialah satu-satunya yang dipertanggungjawabkan dalam bidang itu).
iv) pengajaran dan pembelajaran
- menyerlahkan hikmah serta melahirkan ‘izzah berbanding fakta : pendedahan kepada prinsip dan konsep seperti yang diterjemah dalam kehidupan al Rasul SAW dan para sahabah
- kreatif, inovatif dan kritis (perlu dapat membezakan di antara pemikiran yang dihasilkan dengan prinsip-prinsip yang kekal
- penghafalan diutamakan kepada nas dan dalil sahaja.
v) penilaian dan pentaksiran
- menyeluruh : kognitif, afektif dan psikomotor
: formatif dan summatif
: di dalam dan di luar institusi
: kumpulan penilai : guru/pensyarah, ibubapa/penjaga, rakan
sebaya/kuliah
- pemikiran tahap tinggi diperbanyakkan (kenapa, mengapa, dan bagaimana)
- mempraktikkan muhasabah, muraqabah, dan ihsan.
vi) pendidikan guru
- kurikulum pendidikan guru bersifat integrated : ilmu pendidikan moden diintegrasikan dengan amalan dan falsafah pendidikan ilmuan Islam terdahulu seperti epistemologi, dan falsafah pendidikan al Farabi; epistemologi, falsafah, psikologi pendidikan Ibn Sina; epistemologi, falsafah, psikologi, dan methodologi pendidikan al Ghazali; epistemologi, falsafah dan methodologi pendidikan Ibn Khaldun dan lain-lain.
- guru sebagai mu’addib (terkandung di dalamnya murabbi, dan mu‘allim)
- tugas mendidik adalah sumbangan khidmat kepakarannya untuk membangun ummah dan peradaban.

Produk sistem pendidikan hari ini dituntut supaya bukan sahaja mempunyai kemantapan aqidah serta mempamerkan sahsiah Islam tetapi mampu mengutarakan pemikiran yang boleh mengolah dan menterjemah dalam kerangka Islam bersandarkan pandangan alam Islam yang dikuasainya. Lebih daripada itu, mereka mesti berupaya untuk mengaplikasi dan menterjemah prinsip dan konsep Islam secara kreatif dan inovatif dalam suasana yang berubah-ubah.

p.s. Sebahagian besar dalam Berita Pendidikan di
http://www.al-amin.edu.my

The Motivating Factor

2009-09-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

I am very much impressed with the attitude of the early Muslims towards knowledge and their scholarly accomplishment in terms of its breadth and scope. However, the same vigor is noticeably absent today among Muslims and Muslim countries. This may be due to alienating the real purpose of knowledge and education. Here's the reflection of what transpired then.

The Muslim intellectual and scientific traditions will always remain as the Muslim foremost and invaluable heritage and legacy. These rich traditions have not only fascinated and benefited the Muslims but others as well though seldom acknowledged. Right from the first verse, the Muslims of the pioneer generation were being furnished with the worldview of Islam, which after a series of stages, commencing with the early period in Makkah; the latter period; and then the period in Madinah; the Muslims had grasped and acquired sufficient vocabularies enough to form the Islamic knowledge structure. The latter in turn provided the Islamic scientific framework for the Muslims to embark on their intellectual and scientific activities, which after a series of expansion and enrichment by the later generations of Muslims; we inherit their rich and sometimes unsurpassed intellectual legacy. A number of them displayed originality of thoughts whilst some others brilliantly appropriated sources from other than their own. To top it all, they set a precedent in many fields of scholarship. It is from this fountain of intellectual and scientific traditions that the Europeans in the renaissance period quenched their thirst and inherited the Muslim legacy, which served as basis of their intellectual awakening.

It is important to note that ‘certain worldviews cannot lead to the rise of sciences’ and thus generate the unprecedented intellectual vigor and scholarly activities as exemplified by the Muslims of the formative period; the Graeco-Arabic translation movement period ; and the assimilation and transmission period . This is attested by the fact that, although Greek sciences were prevalent during the Roman Byzantine period among its subjects, and yet books, schools, and scholars were met with much indifference or hostilities, apart from the whole of Greek legacy becoming obsolete. In retrospective, it is therefore amazing that Muslim civilization of the past provided fertile ground for a staggering number of erudite figures of cosmopolitan background to engage seriously in knowledge, virtually covering all that of their time, whose treatment by two selected personalities, al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta, becomes the interest of my study.

Sharing

2009-09-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here's the presentation during viva for anyone of interest.

SUMMARY OF THE THESIS (1)
 In the treatment of knowledge, al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta becomes the subject of this study.
 They represented the Muslim traveler, geographer, and even scholar of the Middle Period (950 A.D. – 1500 A.D.). Al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta lived during the early and the later Middle Period respectively.
 Studying the lives of these two personalities, indirectly unfurls the socio-culturo-political milieu of the Middle period, whose political, social, and intellectual order very much determined al-Biruni’s and Ibn Battuta’s treatment of knowledge.
 Treatment of knowledge as the central theme of this thesis revolves around their philosophy, objective, attitude, epistemology, methodology, transmission, and contribution of knowledge.

(2)
 Post 950 A.D. witnessed the political instability of the Central Asian region, which was caused by the rising of provincial governors to power in the faraway regions, thus reduced the Abbasid Caliphs to mere figureheads.
 The development compelled al-Biruni to flee from one country to another as dynasties such as Banu Iraq at Kath, Buyid at Rayy, Samanid at Bukhara, Ziyarid at Gurgan, and Ma’munid at Jurjaniyya were threatened by wars and disorders. Al-Biruni finally settled and buried at Ghazna ruled by the Ghaznavid dynasty after spending approximately 30 years, serving the rulers.
 The political chaos and instability did not in the least hamper cultural and intellectual growth. The rulers and their courts became the foci of cultural and learning activities as each of them competed in the accumulation of the greatest books, building of impressive libraries, and gathering or patronizing prominent and celebrated scholars and intellectuals.
 As such, al-Biruni driven by his philosophy and attitude towards knowledge availed himself to these opportunities and saw the scope and depth of his knowledge expanded even during the years as ‘prisoner-scholar’ of Sultan Mahmud.

(3)
 Ibn Battuta set out on his celebrated journey in 1329 A.D. almost a century after the Mongol invasion. Soon after being responsible for the second massive destruction of lives and properties in 1258 A.D., they established peace and stability in the regions they controlled, thus provided safe passages for merchants, traders, royal ambassadors, scholars, theologians, jurists, Sufi shaykhs and students, as well as officers looking for lucrative posts in the outlying regions under the Muslim rules.
 The relative peace assured by the Mongols of Ilkhanid dynasty in Iraq and Persia, Kipchap dynasty in the province of Crimea (Golden Horde), and Chaghatay dynasty in Transoxiana was further enforced by the Marinid of Morocco, the Mamluk of Egypt, the Delhi Sultanate of India, and the Mali kingdom of Africa, some of which were commerce minded states.
 The sea routes and caravan trails, which thronged with personalities with each of their definite purpose, became Ibn Battuta’s constant companions for the next three decades.
 His knowledge of people, places, food, customs, culture, geography, plants, animals, sciences, and last but least religious sciences be they theology, Sufi practices and jurisprudence expanded as he interacted with them, lodged as madrasah, khanqah, zawiyah, attended halaqah and circles in mosques, as well as visited places, Sufi shaykhs, and tombs.

(4)
 Al-Biruni’s travel was confined to the Central Asian region and parts of North Western India (actually Pakistan), whose part of the journey was retraced by Ibn Battuta as part of his 75,000 miles distance, which covered over 44 modern countries situated in 3 different continents.
 They were both governed by the worldview of Islam, which helped determine their philosophy, attitude, objective, epistemology and methodology of knowledge aside from the socio-culturo-political order of the early and later Middle Period.
 Al-Biruni’s philosophy embraces his belief that Allah is Omniscient and therefore does not justify ignorance, man has instinctive tendency to acquire knowledge, the quest for knowledge is the supreme goal in human life, and knowledge has almost a divine quality and very much in conformity with the fundamental tenets of Islam.
 They both demonstrated determination, objectivity, passionate, and being observant in their educational pursuits.

(5)
 Ibn Battuta’s philosophy maybe embodied in his determination to visit all the Muslim countries of his time, not to follow the same route twice, that to outdo what the others travelers had done.
 Both religious and rational sciences were available during their time but somehow the emphasis differed. Two centuries after the acquisition and translation of foreign sciences, post 950 A.D. period was ready to venture into rigorous assimilation, appropriation, enrichment, and transmission movement, which introduced new fields of knowledge or the existing knowledge being molded in the worldview of Islam. The new excitement and the practicality of certain fields of knowledge, dominated the interest of scholars and intellectuals of the period.
 Thus, al-Biruni’s preoccupation with as diverse a field as medicine and astronomy, mathematics and chronology, physics and history, anthropology and religion, geography and natural science, astrology and meteorology, history and sun clocks, ethics and geology, medicine and poetry seemed natural. Religious sciences though conspicuously absent, as the other Muslim scholars, al-Biruni worked within the confine of the framework of Islam.

(6)
 When the Saljuqs assumed power in 1055 A.D. from the Buyids, they ensured that religious sciences in Sunni flavor became the central curriculum of the madaris, with the objective of neutralizing the Shi’i’s influence particularly in the regions under the Fatimids and the Buyids.
 The Saljuqs pioneered in the madrasah establishment throughout the empire according to the Nizamiyah model in Baghdad. Sciences other than religious were taught outside the madrasah at the houses of the patrons and learned or other places. Thus, the situation remained until the time Ibn Battuta set foot to almost all the Muslim countries of his time.
 Apart from, maktab or kuttab, majalis, halaqah, madaris, there appeared zawiyah, khanqah and ribat, which were Sufi lodges and institutions along with the development of Sufi order thus added other avenues for learning mystical religious sciences. Being born into the family of jurists, Ibn Battuta’s inclination towards religious sciences particularly jurisprudence and theology apart from his interest in Sufi practices had the upper hand.

(7)
 Early education of al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta must have been at maktab or kuttab, being responsible for the removal of illiteracy and the teaching of reckoning, grammar, poetry, history (akhbar), and above all al Qur’an..
 Al-Biruni’s higher or advance education must have been sitting in the majalis in the court of rulers or houses of the learned or other institutions or even self instructed or individual instruction in the form of subhah, discipleship.
 Likewise Ibn Battuta advanced his knowledge of religious sciences by sitting in halaqah in mosques or he could have attended lectures in madrasah as well as being a disciple to certain theologians, jurists or Sufi shaykhs.
 Apart from these, his knowledge of other things was due to direct observation by being among the subjects understudy, which was also practiced by al-Biruni with respect to his study on the Hindus and their land.

(8)
 Al-Biruni’s immense contribution is testified by the number of books, which as revealed by a number of sources is between 113 – 180 books of which only 22 survived. Out of these only 13 have been published most of which from Arabic and a handful in Persians had also seen the light.
 Among the notables are Tahqiq Ma li’l Hind, al-Athar al-Baqiah, al-Qanun al-Mas’udi, Tahdid li’l Amakin, Tafhim, al-As’ilah wa al-Ajwibah, al-Jawahir, and al-Saydanah. Spread throughout these books is his knowledge of anthropology, astronomy, mathematics, natural sciences, astrology, geography, history, geology, minerals, et cetera.
 Cultural contacts with the other religious communities and sects, and manuscripts of ancient nations were accessible in his home country and while living in India, provided first hand knowledge in their religious, philosophical, and sciences aspects.
 Al-Biruni was a pioneer in many other sciences and some of his works are yet to find their match.

(9)
 Tuhfat al-Nazar fi Ghara’ib al-Amsar wa ‘Aja’ib al-Asfar (The Gift of those Beholders on the Pecularities of the Cities and the Marvels of Journeys) or simply Rihla Ibn Battuta is the sole written document attributed to Ibn Battuta, which unfortunately was received with much incredulity.
 That aside, Rihla provides a wealth of information on the culture-socio-political conditions of 14th Century Muslim Countries together with the non Muslim countries under the Christian King Andronicus III of Constantinople, the Hindu King Arya Chakravarti of Sri Lanka, and the Emperor Qan of Yuan Dynasty.
 As some claimed, Rihla Ibn Battuta had also provided much of the only or surviving knowledge of the 14th century. His interest in people, food, celebration, clothes, manners, local practices, plants, animals et cetera has certainly add interests to his Rihla.
 Most significant, al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta who lived to experience the hustle and bustle of the cosmopolitan and metropolitan Muslim cities of the Middle Period, and interacted with foreign cultures and elements were both objective with their views and reactions as opposed to their attitude towards fellow Muslims, who committed or inclined to acts of transgression.

(10)
 Undoubtedly, al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta were two outstanding figures that Muslim civilization of the Middle Period had ever produced. Al-Biruni’s extensive scholarship and learning surpassed his reputation as a traveler whilst Ibn Battuta’s celebrated journey camouflaged his intellectual achievement. Irrespective of these facts, our study largely revolves around their treatment of knowledge.
 In so doing, their educational and intellectual geography; philosophy, objective, epistemology, and methodology of knowledge; and their contribution to Muslim intellectual and scientific traditions dominate our discussion.
 In the course of our analysis, similarities and differences surface much to our delight for the knowledge that they seemed worlds apart at the preliminary stage of this study. Al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta can be considered pioneers in their field. Up to the time of modern means of communication, Ibn Battuta surpassed others in his feat whilst al-Biruni’s major works still need to find their match.

(11)
 The Muslims rejoice and celebrate their achievements but most importantly the positive attitude towards knowledge as exemplified by both and the early Muslims, must be upheld. The Muslim intellectual and scientific traditions should be the beacons, thereby help maneuvering in the uncharted grounds. In other words, Muslims of the past and their achievement should not be sidelined in the face of Western achievements.
 Today’s challenge demands some original and creative thoughts in providing solutions to contemporary problems. This could only be achieved by embracing Islam as the Worldview replete with concepts and principles in building a real civilization, which include the real purpose of pursuing knowledge and education.
 For this to materialize, our approach to the Muslim intellectual and scientific traditions must be that of contemporary Islamic Asalah. To again play our role of ‘abd and khalifah, the dynamic role of the towering Muslim figures of the past must be emulated and treatment of knowledge should result in ta’dib and thus formed the foundation and basis of future Muslim Civilization.

D Day - Viva Voce

2009-09-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

1.9.09 is indeed significant. My works over the years is presented before the experts. Alhamdulillah, due to the barakah of Ramadhan, it lasted in hardly an hour. It was indeed a surprise that my external examiner, a very prominent scholar in the area of Islamic Science recommends that my thesis is to be accepted without modifications or amendments. He further suggests the publication of the thesis. It is a real acknowledgment, praise be to Allah the Most Omniscient.

The End

2009-08-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

After years of intellectual toiling, this abstract reflects the amount of effort labored for my thesis.

ABSTRACT

Al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta were two outstanding figures that Muslim civilization of the Middle Period had ever produced. Al-Biruni’s extensive scholarship and learning surpassed his reputation as a traveler whilst Ibn Battuta’s celebrated journey camouflaged his intellectual achievement. Irrespective of these facts, our study largely revolves around their treatment of knowledge. In so doing, their educational and intellectual geography; philosophy, objective, epistemology, and methodology of knowledge; and their contribution to Muslim intellectual and scientific traditions dominate our discussion. In the course of our analysis, similarities and differences surface much to our delight for the knowledge that they seemed worlds apart at the preliminary stage of this study. Al-Biruni and Ibn Battuta can be considered pioneers in their field. Up to the time of modern means of communication, Ibn Battuta surpassed others in his feat whilst al-Biruni’s major works still need to find their match. The Muslims rejoice and celebrate their achievements but most importantly the positive attitude towards knowledge as exemplified by both and the early Muslims must be upheld. The Muslim intellectual and scientific traditions should be the beacons, thereby help maneuvering in the uncharted grounds. Today’s challenge demands some original and creative thoughts in providing solutions to contemporary problems. This could only be achieved by embracing Islam as the Worldview replete with concepts and principles in building a real civilization. For this to materialize, our approach to the Muslim intellectual and scientific traditions must be that of contemporary Islamic asalah. To again play our role of ‘abd and khalifah, the dynamic role of the towering Muslim figures of the past must be emulated and treatment of knowledge should result in ta’dib, which should form the foundation and basis of future Muslim Civilization.

The Beginning

2009-08-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

It is only through Allah’s Plan and Will that I am guided to pursue my intellectual journey in this blessed institution. A one time resolution of a pensioner under the optional retirement scheme to quietly settle down to a life of frequenting mosques for Arabic classes and Islamic studies, changed dramatically to being a full time Ph.D student at ISTAC. ISTAC is unique in the sense that,

Its program – make it possible for prospective seekers of knowledge coming from any background to pursue post graduate studies in Islamic thought and civilization.

Its impressive library collection – housing the works, classical or contemporary, of almost all leading scholars in every discipline

Its professors – masters of their own fields with whom intellectual encounters become fulfilling and enriching.