ISLAMIZATION OF SOCIOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE: A REVIEW

MD SAYED UDDIN

This paper presented by

MD SAYED UDDIN

PhD candidate in Sociology and Anthropology

Presented at

Postgraduate Islamization Seminar in conjunction with 25 anniversary of Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences

May 08, 2015 (FRIDAY)

Time: 9.00 Am -12.00 NOON

Organized by Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Islamisation of Human Knowledge

• Intellectual movement

• Hasan Dzilo (2012): it is an Islam-related way of thinking that has been continuously re-established throughout Islamic history.

• WHY THIS MOVEMENT WAS INITIATED—

• response to the problems which Muslim face

• Muslim thinkers find Muslim situation catastrophic due to external and internal causes and relates it two aspects

• Muslims are backward

• Occupying low positions

• Divided

• Facing debacle (a sudden failure) in every aspect of life

• Not taking advantages of their ideology but deviating from it by adopting antagonistic and contradictory alien ideologies

• As Ismail Raji Al-Faruqi (1982) – ‘malaise of the Ummah’ and finds its root cause in the education systems of the Muslim world and lack of vision

• Abdul Hamid AbuSulayman (1994) – (Islamization : Reforming contemporary knowledge) – Crisis of thought in Muslim Mind

• It caused Muslims to rely on West• Instead of developing knowledge linking it with reason

• Syed Muhammad Al Naquib Al Attas (1993): • He observes that the problematic situation of Muslims is internal, caused by

colonization and confrontation with Western culture and civilization• Loss of Adab• That is the discipline of body mind and soul; the discipline that assures the

recognition and acknowledgement of one’s proper place in relation to one’s self, society and community…’

• It according to him loss of justice that causes confusion in knowledge.

• All Muslim thinkers and proponents of IOK question the validity of the structure of contemporary knowledge

• Based on worldview which is different from Islamic Intellectual Tradition or W.V• Not neutral but based on secular and materialistic – life and the world

• They claim that the Muslims are relying on knowledge produced in the West based on its own assumption, supposition and vision of the world

• 16th century – America and Europe – sociopolitical scenario of the time• Influenced by the natural sciences

Definition

• Al-Attas: (1993:44)

• “man’s liberation from non-Islamic tradition as well as from secular control over his reason”

• Al- Faruqi (1982):

• “Recasting knowledge according to Islamic tenets. It according to him includes various activities including removing dichotomy between modern and traditional systems of education and producing university level text books”.

• Sayyed Hossein Nasr (1994: 130):

• IOK is integrating various subjects into the Islamic worldview”.

• Mohd. Kamal Hassan (2009:6)

• Prefers the term “Islamization of Human Knowledge’ and considers it an alternative paradigm for pursuing, teaching, developing, organizing, dissemination, utilizing and evaluating contemporary human knowledge … in accordance with the worldview, fundamnetal principles, ethical values and norms of Islam.

• Above all expalnation of IOK show Muslim thinkers discomfort about the existing corpus of modern knowledge and their concern to find an alternative in the form of Islamization of Knowledge.

Application of sociology by western social scientists

• M.K.A. Siddiqui (1992) Western Sociology : A Critique (JOS Vol.4 No.1 July 1992  pp.22-30)

• Critically evaluates how Western social science was used to study subjugated societies and the application of the knowledge gathered and theories developed for the efficient governance of the dominated people.

• Both field of sociology and anthropology emerged – Arab –West and subjugated Asian and African societies by the new power

• The research and theories developed by these colonial period sociologists aided the colonial administrative powers in maintaining their status quo

• Tool of Western colonial administration

• Period studies in India and Africa

• Some sociologist – such as Lyall, became so powerful within the British Empire

• Their advices were sought for formulation of imperial policies• These anthropologists had a stake in the continuation of the empire and

looked down upon the religions, traditions, and cultures of the subjugated Indians

• They used their observations to conclude that united the Muslims and the Hindus posed a threat to the regime

• Communal conflicts• The author blames these scientists for betraying the cardinal principles of

non-involvement, liberal mindedness, and sympathetic outlook and instead focusing on cultural differences in order to serve their elite and exploiting colonial masters.

• A.R Momin (1992) “Islamic sociology towards a conceptual framework”

• Before he submitted the outline of an Islamic sociology the author discusses the discipline of sociology and its emergence situation and contemporary critique

• In 16th century Europe progress its modern science, which established the scientific worldview

• Scientific worldview refers to the Cartesian-Newtonian cosmology, which is based on scientific methodology of Francis Bacon, the philosophy of Rene Decartes and the mathematical theory of Isaac Newton

• Also the scientific worldview based on two inter-linked epistemological premises are rationalism and empiricism

• In western world has gain by the success of the Cartesian-Newtonian worldview which also influenced physics, chemistry, physiology, biology, medicine, philosophy and as well as human and social sciences.

• Thus, anyhow at that time human and social sciences were modeled by natural sciences.

• The worldview, methodology and even the vocabulary of the natural sciences were thoroughly borrowed by the social sciences.

• It was 18th century – when philosopher sought to fashion an ideal-critical science of man as an instrument of human welfare and betterment, which is under of the scientific worldview

• At the end of the 19th century – separation of sociology and anthropology had divided due to subject matter –

• Anthropology – primitive societies and non-literate communities (Asia and Africa)

• Sociology– largely study of Western societies

• Sociology is based on positivism and Eurocentrism

• The conception of man, methodology and model are the adoption of natural sciences

• Formulating Islamic sociology the auhtor suggested Islamzation of Knowledge, which is rooted from Islamic epistemology and ontology

• And the methodological and theoretical framework for an Islamic sociology is guided by the Islamic view of Knowledge and the Islamic ethos

• Ilyas Ba-Yunus (1981)

• His article critically analyzes the ideologies and biases of modern sociological thoughts and approaches; and outlines why the so-called Western sociology misinterprets the beliefs, practices, and ideologies of the Muslim world.

• Biases: first: though sociology begun in the seminal works of Ibn Khaldun late 1300s – whereas French philosopher Auguste Comte 1800s treated the father of sociology

• Thus, sociology from its birth had a bias towards the Western mode of thinking

• Second: Most of its theories, observations, practices and conclusions have been derived from studying Western civilizations in America and Europe, especially since the time of the industrial revolution.• Therefore, the teachings and motives of contemporary sociology fail to

understand the ideals of Muslims;• Its avoids one of the major realtions ad its followers perspective• To them, Islam is a very confusing way of life, set outside the norms and

practices of contemporary sociology

• He expounded in detail the three main approaches in modern sociology:• Structural Functional approach or consensus model: • Marxian Approach or conflict model• Symbolic interactionism or self-theory

• Richard Tapper (1995): “Islamic Anthropology and the Anthropology of Islam”

• Paper reviews different proposals and new approach to Islamic anthropology.

• Critically analyzes four notable works:• First book by Ilyas Ba-Yunus and Farid Ahmed;• Second and third: two main publications on the topic by Akbar Ahmed

(Towards Islamic anthropology and Discovering Islam)• Fourth: Book by Wyn Davies (knowing one another)

• Richard Tapper claims that although the book differ on their proposal of what should be the ideal Islamic Anthropological Approach, they are all based on the study of the same Islamic texts.

• Problem faced by Muslim anthropologist:• Some oriental anthropologist• Western sociology, cncluding anthropology s ethnocentric and influence by

colonial connections

• The author then menifest his views about the ideals type of Islamic anthropology. He believes that Islamic anthropology, like the teaching of Islam, should be holistic and thus address all levels of human life, including international relations and ethnic houndaries.

• The problematic and controversial area in Islam like gender, polygamy, and Koranic punshment should also be addressed in order to gain universal acknowledgements.

•

Thank YouThis paper presented by

MD SAYED UDDIN

PhD candidate in Sociology and Anthropology

Presented at

Postgraduate Islamization Seminar in conjunction with 25 anniversary of Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences

May 08, 2015 (FRIDAY)

Time: 9.00 Am -12.00 NOON

Organized by Department of Sociology and Anthropology