2/5/2009

ISLAM: KNOWLEDGE AND Definition of Knowledge

CIVILIZATION
Al-‘ilm (‫ )العمن‬/Knowledge
(UNGS 2040)

STANDARD CONTENTS
© Department of General Studies, 2008

Al-‘ilm (‫)العلم‬ ….cont.,

 The arrival (Husul:‫ )حصول‬in the soul of the  Realization of the meanings of
meaning of a thing or an object of things (Al-Ghazzali)
knowledge and the arrival (wusul: ‫(وصول‬of
 Realization of something in its
the soul at the meaning of a thing or object
of knowledge true nature through different levels
of understanding and in agreement
‫ ”حصول هعىى أو صورة الشيء في الىفس ووصول‬
with the facts or true to nature.
“‫الىفس إلى هعىى الشيء‬
(textbook, 4)
 (al-Jurjani:160-161)

3 4

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……cont., Opposite of ‫العلم‬

 To know, to understand, to
‫الظو‬: Conjecture
perceive, to be familiar and
Uncertainty
acquainted with things.
Not supported with decisive proofs
 A firm belief that accords with the
It might accord with the reality and it
reality of things (‫) )فاعلم أنه ال إله إال اهلل‬47:
might not
19(.
- Theology (‫)عقيدة‬, Principles of
Jurisprudence(‫ )أصول الفقه‬etc.

5 6

….cont., Degrees of Certainty

 ‫ الشك‬: doubt ‫ العمن‬:knowledge
 ‫ الجهل‬: ignorance •Certainty, conviction (‫اهلظع‬/ًٖ‫)اهل‬

 ‫ السفة‬: foolishness •Accords with the reality

•Certainty by observation ِ‫عيِ اىيقي‬
 ‫الضالل‬: misguidance
•certainty through knowledge ِ‫عيٌ اىيق‬
•Certainty through experience ِ‫حق اىيقي‬

7 8

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Importance of Knowledge
 1. Knowledge is a requirement for the
fulfillment of man‟s obligations as a
khalifah on earth. Allah says:
9 10
2. The first revelation to the
Messenger of Allah is about
seeking knowledge and revealing
scientific knowledge:
‫ل اهذىخوق *خوق االٌشبً يً عوق *اكرا ّرتم‬
-1:‫االنرى *اهذْ عوى تبهلوى *عوى االٌشبً يب هى ٖعوى“ (اهعوق‬
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ٍَِْ ‫به َربُّلَ ىِ ْي ََ ََلئِ َن ِة إِِّّي َجب ِع ٌو فِي ْاْلَرْ ضِ َخيِيفَةً قَبىُىا أَجَجْ َع ُو فِيهَب‬ َ َ‫ َوإِ ْذ ق‬
‫به إِِّّي أَ ْعيَ ٌُ ٍَب‬ َ َ‫ل اى ِّد ٍَب َء َوَّحْ ُِ ُّ َسبِّ ُح بِ َح َْدِكَ َوُّقَدِّسُ ىَلَ ق‬ ُ ِ‫يُ ْف ِس ُد فِيهَب َويَ ْسف‬
َ َ‫ضهُ ٌْ َعيَى ْاى ََ ََل ِئ َن ِة فَق‬
‫به‬ َ ‫) َو َعيَّ ٌَ آَ َد ًَ ْاْلَ ْس ََب َء ُميَّ َهب ثُ ٌَّ ع ََر‬30( َُ‫ََل جَ ْعيَ َُى‬
‫سب َْحبَّلَ ََل ِع ْي ٌَ ىََْب إِ ََّل‬ ُ ‫) قَبىُىا‬31( َِ‫صب ِدقِي‬ َ ٌْ ُ‫أَ ّْبِئُىِّي بِأَ ْس ََب ِء هَؤ ََُل ِء إُِْ ُم ْْح‬
‫به يَب آَ َد ًُ أَ ّْ ِب ْئهُ ٌْ ِبأَ ْس ََبئِ ِه ٌْ فَيَ ََّب‬
َ َ‫) ق‬32( ٌُ ‫ٍَب َعيَّ َْحََْب إَِّّلَ أَ ّْثَ ْاى َعيِي ٌُ ْاى َح ِني‬
ٌُ َ‫ت َو ْاْلَرْ ضِ َوأَ ْعي‬ ِ ‫بوا‬ َ ََ ‫س‬ َّ ‫ْب اى‬ َ ‫به أَىَ ٌْ أَقُوْ ىَ ُن ٌْ إِِّّي أَ ْعيَ ٌُ َغي‬ َ َ‫أَ ّْبَأَهُ ٌْ بِأَ ْس ََبئِ ِه ٌْ ق‬
)33( َُ‫ٍَب جُ ْبدُوَُ َو ٍَب ُم ْْحُ ٌْ جَ ْنحُ َُى‬
……Cont.,
Read! In the name of the Lord and
Cherisher, who created- created
man, out of a mere clot of
congealed blood. Proclaim! And
your Lord is most Bountiful- He
َ ِّ‫”ؤكرؤ تبشى َرب‬ who taught the use of the pen,
)5 taught man that which he knew not‛
(96:1-5)
[‚read, teach , pen‛]
12
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……cont.,
3. Islam is a religion based upon
knowledge.
4. The text of the Qur’an is full of
verses inviting man to use his
intellect, to ponder, to think and to
learn.
5.The total number of verses in which
‘ilm or its derivatives and
associated words are used is 704.
13
……cont.,
7.The Prophet (‫ )صوٓ اهلل عوَٖ ّشوى‬made
seeking knowledge obligatory on
Muslims (men and women):
“‫”ظوة اهعوى فرٖطج عوٓ نل يشوى‬
‚Seeking knowledge is obligatory
on every Muslim‛.
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……cont.,
6. The main miracle and sign of
authenticity of prophethood of
Mohammed (‫ )صوٓ اهلل عوَٖ ّشوى‬was a
book of knowledge; The Qur’an.
14
……cont.,
8. Knowledge is the way through which people
can recognize Allah, fear him, and discover the
truth.
َ‫شخًَُّ فِٕ اهْعِوْىِ يٌُِِْىِ َّاهْ ُيئْيًٌَُِّ ُٖئْيًٌَُِّ تِيَب ؤُ ٌْزِل‬
ِ ‫”هَنًِِ اهرَّا‬
)162 :‫اِهَِٖمَ َّيَب ؤُ ٌْزِلَ يًِِ كَتِوِمَ“ (اهٌشبء‬
‚But those among them who are well-grounded
in knowledge, and the believers, believe in
what has been revealed to you and what was
revealed before you…‛
16
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……cont., ……cont.,
9. Knowledge elevates the status and
َُُّ ‫م‬
َ ِّ‫ل اِهَِٖمَ يًِِ رَت‬
َ ِ‫ً ؤُّخُّا اهْعِوْ َى اهَّذِٔ ؤٌُْز‬
َ ِٖ‫”ََّٖرَْ اهَّذ‬ position of its bearer and makes
(6 :‫َق ََِِّٖدِٔ اِهَٓ صِرَاظِ اهْعَزِٖزِ اهْحَيِٖدِ“ (شتإ‬ َّ ‫اهْح‬ difference between him and
‚And those who are knowledgeable see ignorant.
that the revelation sent down to you “ٍ‫ً ؤُّخُّا اهْعِوْىَ دَرَجَبح‬
َ ِٖ‫ً ءَايٌَُّا يٌِْنُ ِى َّاهَّذ‬
َ ِٖ‫اهوَُ اهَّذ‬
َّ ‫”َٖرِ َف ِع‬
from the Lord is the Truth, and that it )11 :‫(اهيجبدهج‬
guides to the Path of Allah who is
Exalted and Worthy of all praise.‛
‚Allah will raise up, to high ranks
those of you who believe and who
have been granted Knowledge…‛

17 18

……cont., ……cont.,
َٓ‫”َّهَلَدِ ءَاخٌََِٖب دَاُّ َد َّشُوَِٖيَبًَ عِوْيّب َّكَبال اهْحَيِ ُد هَِّوَِ اهَّذِٔ فَطَّوٌََب عَو‬ َُ‫ل ؤَِّّتِٕ يَعَ َُ َّاهظَِّٖ َر َّؤَهٌََّب َه‬
ُ ‫”َّهَلَدِ ءَاخٌََِٖب دَاُّدَ يٌَِّب فَطِوًب َٖبجِتَب‬
)‫اهٌيل‬15:( “ًٌَِِٖ‫نَذِٖرٍ يًِِ عِتَبدٍِِ اهْيُئْي‬ ‫ح َّكَدِّ ِر فِٕ اهشَّرِدِ َّاعِيَوُّا صَبهِحّب‬ ٍ ‫ً اعِيَلْ شَبتِغَب‬ ِ َ‫) ؤ‬10(َ‫اهْحَدِٖد‬
)‫)“ (شتإء‬11(ْ‫إٌِِّ تِيَب خَعِيَوًَُّ تَصِٖر‬
We gave knowledge to David and ‚We bestowed grace on David … and We
Solomon: and they both said: "Praise made the iron soft for him. Make coats of
be to Allah, Who has favoured us mail, balance well the rings of chain armour,
above many of His subjects who and work righteousness; for be sure I see all
that you do."
believe!"

19 20

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……cont., Purpose of knowledge

9:‫”كل ُل ٖشخّٔ اهذًٖ ٖعويًّ ّاهذًٖ ال ٖعويًّ“ (اهزير‬

Divinely Worldly
)

‚ Say: ‚are those equal, those

who know and those who do To recognize God To benefit man

not know?‛
Pleasure of God

21 22

Limitations
Week Two  (a) Absolute (perfect) knowledge:
 this is the knowledge of God who
knows the reality, essence and details
Classification of Knowledge of all things.
 (b) Limited knowledge:
 The knowledge given to His
creations;

24

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……cont., …..cont.,
“ Limited knowledge:
angels,
prophets,  (i) Gifted knowledge:
a. Instinctive knowledge (natural): it
human beings, is imparted in the very nature of
jinn, the creation.
and animals.
b. Revealed/Sacred knowledge: the
knowledge that Almighty God
reveals to human beings.
25 26

(ii) Acquired Knowledge

 Gained through effort by way of General Classification of
reflection, senses and experience.
 (a) Recommended (praiseworthy)
Knowledge in Islam
i- Fard ‘ayn ii. Fard kifayah
 (b) Prohibited (blameworthy)
-Magic (kindly refer to slides 46-48)

27 28

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General classification of
Knowledge in Islam

Al-Ghazzali’s Criteria for

Absolute Knowledge Limited Knowledge Classification of sciences :
1. Theoretical and practical
Gifted Knowledge Acquired Knowledge 2. Presential and acquired
3. Religious and intellectual
Instinct (ilham) Praiseworthy
4. Individual obligatory and
Sacred Blame worthy

By external communal obligatory

influence By itself

Fard „Ain
Fard Kifayah

29 30

Classification of Knowledge
Al-Ghazzali’s Criteria for Classification of sciences
According to al-Ghazali
1. Theoretical and practical (philosophers)

Theoretical Practical Theoretical: to know the states of beings

as they are( to realize/
comprehend the reality of
Presential beings; celestial & terrestrial)
Attained
Practical: deals with man’s actions
Religious Intellectual To find out what is useful to
mankind in this life as well as
in the Hereafter
Fard ‘ayn (Personal Fard kifayah(Collective
Obligatory Knowledge) 31 Obligatory Knowledge) 32

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….Cont.,
2. Presential & acquired (tasawwuf) (the mode of
knowing)
Presential : intuitive, contemplative
spiritual experience - revelation
Acquired : empirical, rational, logical
33
 The intuitive knowledge
claimed by people other than
prophets may not be taken for
granted unless it is judged in
light of the established
principles of Islam
35
2/5/2009
….Cont.,
Which one is better?
Al-Ghazzali:
 the presential is superior to the acquired, It is
free from errors & doubt, certainty on
spiritual truths
 This is true with the revelation and intuition
received by the prophets
34
….Cont.,
3. Religious and intellectual (the source)
Religious (transmitted sciences):
Acquired from revelation/ prophets
1. Roots (Qur’an, sunnah, consensus)
2. Branches (law and ethics)
3. Ancillary sciences (grammar and
lexicography)
4. Complementary sciences (Qira’at,
commentary, history)
Intellectual: attained by human intellect alone
36
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….Cont.,
4. Fard ‘Ayn and Fard kifayah
(the need for learning)
Fard ‘ayn:
 What should be learned by each
and every Muslim.
 Individual responsibilities
 Things which can’t be done on
behalf of others
37
….Cont.,
Fard kifayah :
- the community’s needs that can be performed
by a sufficient group on behalf of others.
- collective responsibilities
 Religious sciences: knowledge that is not
needed for daily practice of Islam.
 Intellectual knowledge: all types of
knowledge needed for the welfare of the
society in this life
39
2/5/2009
….Cont.,
 Beliefs, worship, halal and
haram, core moral values, how to
discharge one’s responsibilities
towards others (man’s
obligations to family and
society), necessary skills for
daily life.
38
….Cont
Praiseworthy sciences:
 Enhances human well being and
the environment within the
boundaries outlined by shari’ah
 All sciences which are useful,
beneficial and satisfy the
requirements of science.
40
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Blameworthy sciences:
 A science which does not meet the
requirement of science, or it is
purely or usually harmful.
 Blameworthy by its nature by an
external factor
41
 “And when there came to them a
Messenger from Allah confirming what
was with them, a party of those who
were given the scripture threw away the
book of Allah behind their backs as if
they did not know. And they followed
what the devils gave out falsely of magic
of the reign of Solomon; for Solomon did
not disbelieve but the devils disbelieved,
teaching men magic and such things
that came down at Babylon to the two
angels Harut and Marut, but neither of
these two (angles) taught anyone (such
43
2/5/2009
….Cont…
Magic:
It is defined as “seeking the help of
demons to perform something
harmful against somebody” or
“showing something to an audience,
which is contrary to reality.
 Reasons why magic is prohibited
in Islam:
 1) It is an act of blasphemy (kufr).
Allah says in the Holy Qur‟an:
42
things) until they had said: we are only for
trial, so don't disbelieve. And from them
(magicians) people learn that through which
they would cause separation between a
person and his spouse, but they could not
thus harm anyone except by Allah's leave;
and they learn that which harms them rather
than profits them. And indeed they knew
that its practitioner would have no share in
the Hereafter. And how bad indeed was that
for which they sold their own selves if they
but knew.” (2:101-102).
44
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 2) According to the following authentic hadith,
magic is a deadly act:
 The Prophet (s.a.w) said: “Avoid the seven
deadly acts which are: ascribing partners to
God, magic, killing the human self which Allah
prohibited except with right, eating usury
(riba), devouring the orphan‟s wealth,
defecting from the battle-field (without a
justified reason) and slandering chaste,
unwary believing women.”
45
Differences between magic and
miracles (mu„jizat)
 Magic is from devils (see the above Qur‟anic
verse: 2:101-102)while miracles are from
Allah.
 On the other hand, miracles are real while
magic is deceptive; it is covering the truth with
falsehood).
 Because miracles are from Allah, they could
only be performed by Prophets while magic,
which is from devils, can be performed by
anyone who associates himself with the devil.
47
2/5/2009
 Magic being harmful and evil act, Allah has
told us to seek His protection against it:
 “Say I seek refuge in the in the Lord of
daybreak From the evil of that which he
created; From the evil of the darkness when it
is intense, and from the evil of malignant
witchcraft, And from the evil of the envious
when he envies.” (Surah al-Falaq)
46
 Horoscope
 Not only magic is prohibited in Islam but also
horoscope or reading one‟s palm to foretell
the future.
 The Holy Qur‟an affirms that no one knows
the future or the unseen except Allah: “He
knoweth the Unseen as well as that which is
Open.” (6:73) “With Him are the keys of the
Unseen, the treasures that none knoweth but
He...” (6:59)
48
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 The Holy Qur‟an also asserts that not
even Muhammad knows the unseen:
 “If I had the knowledge of the unseen, I
should have secured abundance for
myself, and no evil would have touched
me.” (7:188).
49
….Cont..
Example: Horoscope
Capricorn: (Dec 23 - Jan 20)
Today’s stars encourage you to be more
diplomatic and inclusive in your relations with
others
Aquarius: (Jan 21 ” Feb 19)
On the Zodiac’s Day of Metamorphosis, you
need to transform ideals into reality, and turn
dreams into concrete plans. If you work patiently
towards your goals, you can achieve the long-
term success you are looking for.
51
2/5/2009
 The Prophet (s.a.w) said: “Whoever
goes to a fortune teller (a soothe sayer)
or a diviner and believes him, has, in
fact, disbelieved in what has been
revealed to Muhammad.”
50
…Cont.,
Astrology:
 It is the study of the positions and aspects
of celestial bodies.
 Muslims scholars agree that astrology is a
prohibited field to deal with. For example,
Imam Ibn Taymiyah said: “Astrology that is
concerned with studying the positions and
aspects of celestial bodies in the belief that
they have an influence on the course of
natural earthly occurrences and human
affairs is prohibited by Almighty Allah‟s
Book, the Sunnah, and the unanimous
agreement of the Muslim scholars.
52
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 Ibn `Uthaymeen, said: “Astrology is a
kind of sorcery and fortune-telling. It is
forbidden because it is based on
illusions, not on concrete facts. There is
no relation between the movements of
celestial bodies and what takes place on
the Earth.”
53
 The above hadith indicates that the
Prophet (s.a.w) denied all relation
between the movements of the heavenly
bodies and events on the Earth.
55
2/5/2009
 During the Prophet‟s lifetime, it happened that
the sun eclipsed on the same day when the
Prophet‟s son Ibrahim died. The people then
thought that it had eclipsed because of the
Prophet‟s son‟s death. On knowing this, the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
led them in the Eclipse Prayer and then
delivered them a speech saying: “The sun and
moon are but signs of Allah; they do not
eclipse because so-and-so died or was born.”
54
 Ibn „Abbas (may Allah be pleased with
him and his father) reported that Allah‟s
Messenger (s.a.w) said: “He who has
acquired some knowledge of astrology
has acquired some knowledge of
sorcery; the more he acquires of the
former the more he acquires of the
latter.” (Reported by Ahmad, Abu
Dawud, and Ibn Majah)
56
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 Commenting on the above hadith, al-
Shawkani said that the Prophet (s.a.w)
compared between astrology and
sorcery because sorcery was known to
be forbidden; and so, he who would get
some knowledge of astrology would do
something forbidden and would be
sinful.
57
Conclusion
 Sciences are inter-related, and none
of them can exclude the others.
 Humanities, natural sciences, and the
religious sciences unite to produce
true understanding of this world and
the causes behind its existence.
 Religious scholars are in need of
philosophical and natural sciences as
much as scientists are in need of the
religious sciences.
59
2/5/2009
 To sum up, astrology is based on lies and
deceit; it has no scientific basis. The
astrologists‟ usage of computers to convince
people that what they do is technological and
scientific is nothing but deceit. There is no
scientific proof that there is a relationship
between the appearance of a star in a specific
time and the character and behavior of
someone born at that time.
58
 Natural and philosophical sciences are to
enable the Muslim to explore, exploit and
get a better insight into what Allah has
created in this universe.
 Religious sciences are to guide people to
understand the reality of this life, their
origins and their mission.
 And to set the moral and legal guidelines
that should be observed by human beings for
a meaningful and better life.
60
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1. Revelation (‫ اهلرآً ّاهشٌج‬:ٕ‫)اهّح‬

Week Three 2. Reason (‫)اهعلل‬
3. Nature/ physical world )‫)اهظتعٖج‬
4. Five Senses (‫)اهحّاس اهخيشج‬
Sources and Means of
5. Intuition (‫)اإلهِبى‬
Knowledge

62

The Qur’an as a Source of Knowledge

 An introduction to the the Qur’an
 Definition
 Qur’an is the Book revealed from Allah to
His Messenger Muhammad (saw) as written
in masahif and transmitted to us from him
through an authentic continuous narration
Definition analysis:
- Qur’an is the pure speech of Allah (al-
Nisa’:42)
- Only the Allah’s speech revealed to
Muhammad
- It is an exposition of all things (tibyan li
kulli shay’)
- As guidance and mercy
- Nothing is neglected (al-Nahl:89)

63 64

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Revelation & Recording of the Qur’an

 The Qur’an is the Arabic words as
a) Revelation of the Qur’an
well as their meanings (translation  The Qur’an was transmitted directly from
is not a Qur’an) Allah (swt) to the Messenger of Allah
 Transmitted to us by way of ‫جىاجر‬ through Gibril (not a mere inspiration)
 The Qur’an was not revealed to the
[tawatur] (continuous narration by Messenger of Allah all at once.
a large number of people in each  It was revealed to him in stages and
part of the chain of narration) sometimes in accordance with incidents faced
by Muslim community.

65 66

The wisdom behind revealing it by stages

1. To allow people to memorize, 2.To strengthen the heart of the
understand and implement it gradually. Messenger of Allah (saw), give him
ٍُ‫”َّ ُكرِءَاًٌب َفرَكٌَْبٍُ هِخَ ْلرََؤٍُ عَوَٓ اهٌَّبسِ عَوَٓ يُنْدٍ ٌََّزَّهٌَْب‬ courage and moral support to
(106 :‫خَ ٌْزِٖال“ (اإلشراء‬ overcome the difficulties and
It is a Qur’an which we have divided into challenges he was facing. Allah
parts from time to time in order that you said:
might recite it to men at intervals… َ‫”َّكَبلَ اهَّذًَِٖ نَفَرُّا هَِّال ٌُزِّلَ عَوَ َِِٖ اهْلُرِءَاًُ جُيَِو ًج َّاحِدَثً نَذَهِم‬
)32 :ً‫م َّرَخَّ ْوٌَبٍُ خَرِخِٖوًب“ (اهفركب‬ َ َ‫هٌُِذَتِّحَ ِت َِ فُئَاد‬
(17: 106)

67 68

17

 Those who reject faith say: "Why is
not the Qur’an revealed to him all
at once? It is revealed in stages so
that We may strengthen your heart
thereby, and We have rehearsed it to
you in slow, well-arranged stages,
gradually. (25: 32)
69
 Those incidents, cases, and
questions are called occasions for
revelation )‫ (أشتبة اهٌزّل‬and they help
those who came later in a better
understanding and implementation
of those verses.
 The period of revelation lasted for
around 23 years.
71
2/5/2009
3. Live interaction between the divine text and
the socio-political reality and daily practice of
the people.
Some verses came to deal with:
 some situations faced by the Messenger of
Allah;
 solve problems faced by Muslim community;
 respond to the challenges put by disbelievers;
 correct the mistakes committed by the
Muslim community, etc.
70
The Recording of the Qur’an
 The Messenger of Allah used to
memorize the verses revealed to
him then recite them for his
companions who used to memorize
them
 There were scribes who used to
record the verses after their
revelation
72
18

 The original copies of the written
records were preserved in the
house of the Messenger of Allah.
 While some other scribes would
record the verses for themselves
and preserve them for their own
use.
73
The Qur’an and the other Revealed Books
Universality:
 The previous Books were local for
specific people.
 Qur’an as the last revealed Book
and a universal message for all
mankind needs to be comprehensive
and eternally preserved.
75
2/5/2009
 The order of the verses within each surah as
well as the order of the surahs was directed by
Jibril.
 During each month of Ramadan Jibril used to
recite what was revealed in its order with the
Messenger of Allah.
 During the time of Abu Bakr the Qur’an was
compiled in a single official copy.
 The suggestion came after the battle of
Yamamah.
74
ِ‫”َّؤٌَْزَهٌَْب اِهَِٖمَ اهْنِخَبةَ تِبهْحَقِّ يُصَدِّكًب هِيَب تًََِٖ َٖدََِِٖ يًَِ اهْنِخَبة‬
)48 :‫اهوَُ“ (اهيبئدث‬ َّ ‫ل‬ َ َ‫َّيَُِِٖيًٌِب عَوَ ِٖ َِ فَبحِنُىِ تٌََُِِٖىِ تِيَب ؤٌَْز‬
To you we sent the Scripture in truth, confirming
the scripture that came before it, and a watcher
over it. So, judge between them by what Allah
has revealed…‛
76
19
 2/5/2009

2. The way of preservation

‚It was We who revealed the Torah; therein was
 The people of each Book were guidance and light. By its standard have been
entrusted with guarding it against any judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed to
Allah's will, by the rabbis and the priests; for to
distortion or manipulation them was entrusted the protection of Allah's
‫ً ؤَشِوَيُّا‬
َ ِٖ‫”اٌَِّب ؤٌَْزَهٌَْب اهخَِّّرَا َث فَِِٖب ُُدّْ ٌَُّّرْ َٖحِنُىُ تَِِب اهٌَّتًَُِّّٖ اهَّذ‬ Book, and they were witnesses thereto…‛ (5:
َِ‫اهو‬
َّ ‫ة‬ ِ ‫ً َّاهْإَحِتَبرُ تِيَب اشِخُحِفِعُّا يًِِ نِخَب‬ َ ٌُِّّٖ‫هِوَّذًَِٖ َُبدُّا َّاهرَّتَّب‬ 44)
)44 :‫“ (اهيبئدث‬...َ‫َّنَبٌُّا عَوَ َِِٖ شَُِدَاء‬

77 78

Preservation of the Qur’an

 If they fail to do so, Allah sends another prophet to
take people back to the right way. The way Qur’an was preserved:
 Since Muhammad (saw) was the last Messenger,  The Qur’an was made public from the very
Allah (swt) assumed the responsibility of guarding
and preserving His last Book. beginning.
)9 :‫”اٌَِّب ٌَحًُِ ٌَزَّهٌَْب اهذِّنْرَ َّاٌَِّب َهَُ هَحَبفِعًَُّ ”(اهحجر‬  The Qur’an was fully recorded from the time it
 We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; was revealed.
and We will assuredly guard it against any
manipulation or change.  The Qur’an was preserved in the original form
(same language, same words).
 The assurance from God that the Qur’an will
be preserved till the Day of Judgment.

79 80

20
 2/5/2009

،َ‫ ال ٖإخَٖ اهتبظل يً تًٖ ٖدَٖ ّال يً خوف‬،‫”ّاٌَ هنخبة عزٖز‬  No one can alter or change any part of the
)42-41 :‫خٌزٖل يً حنٖى حيٖد“ (فصوح‬ Qur’an; not even the Messenger of Allah
himself.
And indeed it is a Book of exalted ِ‫) َّهَِّ خَلََّّلَ عَوٌََِٖب تَ ِعضَ األَكَبِّٖل‬43( ًَِٖ‫”خَ ٌْزِٖلٌ يًِِ رَةِّ اهْعَبهَي‬
)46( ًَِٖ‫) ذُىَّ هَلَظَعٌَِب يٌَُِْ ا ْهَّخ‬45( ًِِٖ‫ألخَذٌَْب يٌَُِْ تِبهَْٖي‬
َ )44(
power. Falsehood cannot come at it .)47 :‫جزًَِٖ“ (اهحبكج‬ ِ ‫فَيَب يٌِْنُىِ يًِِ َؤحَدٍ عٌََُْ حَب‬
from before it or from behind it. (It This is a Message sent down from the Lord of the
worlds. And if the Messenger were to invent any
is) a revelation from the Wise, the sayings in our name, we should certainly seize him
Owner of Praise. by his right hand, and we should certainly then cut
off the artery of his heart: Nor could any of you
protect him from that.

81 82

The Characteristics of the Qur’an ٍ‫ة فَصَّوٌَْبٍُ عَوَٓ عِوْىٍ ُُدّْ َّرَحِ َي ًج هِلَِّى‬
ٍ ‫”َّهَلَدِ جِئٌَْبُُىِ تِنِخَب‬
1- Guidance for and mercy to )52 :‫ُٖئْيًٌَُِّ“ (األعراف‬

believers For We had certainly sent unto

)2 :‫ة فَِِٖ ُُدّْ هِوْيُخَّلًَِٖ“ (اهتلرث‬
َ َِٖ‫”ذَهِمَ اهْنِخَبةُ ال ر‬ them a Book, based on knowledge,
This is the book; in it is guidance, which We explained in detail, a
sure, without doubt, to those who guide and a mercy to all who
fear Allah. believe.

83 84

21
 2/5/2009

2. Spiritual/ social healer

3- Light
ِ‫عجٌ يًِِ رَتِّنُ ِى َّشِفَب ْء هِيَب فِٕ اهصُّدُّر‬
َ ِ‫س كَدِ جَبءَخْنُىِ يَِّع‬
ُ ‫”َٖبؤََُِّٖب اهٌَّب‬
)57 :‫َُُّدّْ َّرَحِ َي ٌج هِوْيُئْيًٌَِِٖ“ (ٌّٖس‬ ِٔ‫صرٍُُّ َّاخَّتَعُّا اهٌُّّرَ اهَّذ‬
َ ٌََّ ٍُُّ‫َزر‬
َّ ‫”فَبهَّذًَِٖ ءَايٌَُّا تَِِ َّع‬
)157 :‫ؤُ ٌْزِلَ يَعََُ ؤُّهَئِمَ ُُىُ اهْيُفِْوحًَُّ“ (األعراف‬
O mankind! there has come to you a direction from
your Lord and a healing for the (diseases) in your So it is those who believe in him
hearts, and for those who believe, a Guidance and a
Mercy.
(the Messenger), honour him, help
him, and follow the Light which is
sent down with him, it is they who
will prosper.

85 86

"ْ‫ِبهو َِ َّرَشُِّه َِ َّاهٌُّّرِ اهَّذِٔ ؤٌَْزَهٌَْب ‘َّاهوََُّ تِيَب خَعِيَوًَُّ خَتِٖر‬

َّ ‫“فَأيٌُِّا ت‬
)8 :ً‫(اهخغبت‬ 4- Preacher for believers
Believe, therefore, in Allah and )138 :ً‫ع ٌج هِوْيُخَّلًَِٖ“ (آل عيرا‬
َ ِ‫س َُُّدّْ َّيَِّع‬
ِ ‫ً هِوٌَّب‬
ْ ‫”َُذَا تََٖب‬

His Messenger, and in the Light Here is a plain statement to men,

which We have sent down. And a guidance and instruction to
Allah is well acquainted with all those who fear Allah!
that you do.

87 88

22
 2/5/2009

َ ُّ‫ً هَنُىِ نَذِٖرّا يِيَّب نٌُْخُىِ خُخْف‬

ً ُ َِّٖ‫ة كَدِ جَبءَنُىِ رَشُّهٌَُب ُٖت‬
ِ ‫”َٖب َؤُِلَ اهْنِخَب‬
5- Revealing reality and clarifying “ًِْٖ‫اهوَِ ٌُّ ْر َّنِخَبةْ يُت‬َّ ً َ ِ‫ة ََّٖعِفُّ عًَِ نَذِٖ ٍر كَدِ جَبءَنُىِ ي‬ ِ ‫يًَِ اهْنِخَب‬
doubts )15 :‫(اهيبئدث‬
)1 :‫ً َّنِخَبةٍ يُتًٍِٖ“ (اهٌيل‬
ِ ‫“ظس خِوْمَ ءَاَٖبحُ اهْلُرِءَا‬ O People of the Book! there has come to you Our
Messenger, revealing to you much that you used to
Ta. Sin. These are verses of the hide in the Book, and passing over much (that is
Qur’an, a Book that makes things now unnecessary): There has come to you from
clear. Allah a (new) light and a perspicuous Book.

89 90

6- Miraculous  Its miracle is in terms of:

 The Qur’an is the main miracle of i. Structure
the Messenger of Allah and the main ii. Meaning (the knowledge
proof of the authenticity of his
contained in it: historical
prophethood.
events, prediction of what
 The miracles contained in it are the
will happen in the future, and
proof of its authenticity as the real
Book of Allah scientific facts.

91 92

23
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Challenging the Unbelievers b. Ten chapters similar to those of the Qur’an

 The miracle is manifested in a challenge to all
‫ح َّادِعُّا‬
ٍ ‫ل فَإْخُّا تِعَشْرِ شَُّرٍ يِذِْوَِ يُفْخَرََٖب‬
ْ ُ‫ً افْخَرَا ٍُ ك‬
َ ُّ‫”ؤَىِ َٖلُّه‬
mankind to produce: .)‫) ”(ُّد‬13( ًَِٖ‫اهو َِ اًِِ نٌُخُىِ صَبدِك‬ َّ ً ِ ُّ‫ً اشِخَظَعِخُىِ يًِِ د‬ ِ َ‫ي‬
a. Another book similar to it: Or they say: He has invented it! Say: Then bring
ًِِ‫) فَوَْٖإْخُّا تِحَدِٖدٍ يِذِْو َِ ا‬33( ًٌَُِّ‫”ؤَىِ َٖلُّهًَُّ خَلَََّّهَُ تَل ال ُٖئْي‬ ten surahs, the like thereof, invented, and call on
.‫)“ اهظّر‬34( ًَِٖ‫نَبٌُّا صَبدِك‬ everyone you can beside Allah, if you are
Or they say: He has invented it? Nay, but they do truthful!
not believe! Then let them produce a speech like
it, if they are truthful.

93 94

c. One surah similar to those of the Qur’an

َِ‫”َّاًِِ نٌُخُ ِى فِٕ رَِٖةٍ يِيَّب ٌَزَّهٌَْب عَوَٓ عَتِدٌَِب فَإْخُّا تِشُّرَثٍ يًِِ يِذِْو‬
.‫)“ اهتلرث‬23( ًَِٖ‫اهو َِ اًِِ نٌُخُىِ صَبدِك‬
And if you are in doubt concerning that which
We reveal to our Messenger (Muhammad), then
produce a surah like one thereof, and call your
gods and supporters beside Allah if you are
truthful.
Types of Knowledge in the Qur’an
َّ ًُِّ‫َّادِعُّا شَُِدَاءَنُىِ يًِِ د‬ The Universal Book
 Islam is the last and universal religion;
 Human societies are always open for evolution
and development.
 The Qur’an should: Meet the needs of all
human beings in different places and different
times.

95 96

24

To be able to do so, it should:
 Give clear and detailed discourse on what is
important for human life and can’t be known
through human reasoning only (beliefs and
‘ibadat)
 Set the core values and principles which guide
human life to the right way, and safeguard it
against any corruption or deviation from such
a way.
 Be flexible to accommodate the evolution and
development of human life and societies.
97
 In light of these norms, people
are given freedom to innovate
and adopt whatever systems,
procedures, etc they may
consider as good for them as
long as they don’t breach those
norms and values.
99
2/5/2009
 Regarding human life’s aspects which are subject
to change and development, the Qur’an ,
generally, sets norms, standards and universal
values which suit all peoples and all times.
 These values and norms should not be subject to
any alteration or change to ensure the prevalence
of righteousness and justice (immutable values
and norms).
98
Physical and Natural Sciences
 The Qur’an deals with those things which are
needed to be known and may not be realized by
man or may not be understood accurately (man
would speculate about them only)
Such as:
- The origin of mankind, the substance and the
way of his first creation, his first acquisition of
the basic knowledge.
100
25
 2/5/2009

- The origin of the earth and the heavens The aims of scientific references in the Qur’an
 In other fields such as:  It is not to give people details and teach them
natural and physical sciences.
- astronomy
 They are signs to prove:
- Geology,
- The existence of God
- Physics,
- The omnipotence and power of God
- Embryology
- The weakness of men compared to
 The Qur’an just gives some references for the
the power of the Creator
following purposes:

101 102

Cont.,

 For the Muslim who reads and

- Indebtedness of mankind to Allah
for all what we have in life. understands these references, they
- The authenticity of Prophets and
serve to strengthen his or her faith.
ِٕ‫ً ف‬ َ ُّ‫اهو ََ كَِٖبيّب َّكُعُّدّا َّعَوَٓ جٌُُّتِِِىِ ََّٖخَفَنَّر‬
َّ ًَ ُّ‫”اهَّذًَِٖ َٖذْنُر‬
revealed Books i.e. this Qur’an ‫م فَلٌَِب‬
َ ٌَ‫ح َّاألَرِضِ رَتٌََّب يَب خَوَلْحَ َُذَا تَبظِالً شُتِحَب‬ ِ ‫خَوْقِ اهشَّيََّا‬
comes from Allah and it is .)191:ً‫عَذَاةَ اهٌَّبرِ“(آل األعيرا‬
impossible for a human being,
especially at the time of Muhammad
(‫)صوٓ اهلل عوَٖ ّشوى‬. to compose it.

103 104

26
 2/5/2009

Those who remember and praise Allah, standing,
sitting, and lying down on their sides, and
contemplate the wonders of creation in the
heavens and the earth, (with the thought): "Our
Lord! not for naught have you created all this!
Glory to you! Give us salvation from the Penalty
of the Fire. (3: 191)
 For the non-Muslim who
questions the authenticity or
authorship of the Qur’an , these
references provide some
interesting answers.
َُ ٌََّ‫ً هَُِ ِى ؤ‬
َ ََّٖ‫ق َّفِٕ ؤٌَْفُشِِِىِ حَخَّٓ َٖخَت‬
ِ ‫”شٌَُرِِِٖىِ ءَاَٖبخٌَِب فِٕ اٗفَب‬
:‫م ؤٌَََُّ عَوَٓ نُلِّ شَِٕءٍ شَِِٖدْ“ (فصوح‬ َ ِّ‫َق ؤََّهَىِ َٖنْفِ تِرَت‬
ُّ ‫اهْح‬
)53

105 106

How should we deal with these scientific

Soon will We show them Our Signs
in the (farthest) horizons, and
within themselves, until it becomes
manifest to them that it is the
Truth. Is it not enough that your
Lord does witness all things?
[41:53]
facts?
 They should be used for the aforesaid things.
 They can be used to have a better understanding
of those verses dealing with natural phenomena
compared to the way they were understood by
early Muslims.

107 108

27

 We should not over-emphasize the scientific
miracles to the extent that we hurry to relate each
new scientific theory to the verses of the Qur’an .
 Such an act may lead to misinterpreting the texts
of the Qur’an and changing the interpretation
from time to time. This may be
counterproductive and cause some confusion
especially among non-Muslims.
109
The Concept of Prophethood
 God used to send a prophet to every people
 A brief history of prophets (some names
mentioned)
Revelation
 Some revealed books: Suhuf / Ibrahim, Zabur/
Dawud, Torah /Musa, Injil/ Gospel/ Esa
Angels
 Their nature, character, position and relation
with God (not his sons or daughters)
111
2/5/2009
b) Religious, human and social sciences
Belief: (Revelation is the only source)
The Concept of God
 The existence of God; the Creator and Lord
of this universe.
 The concept of tawhid (Unity of God)
Since the concept of God was not new to
mankind, the Qur’an focuses on correcting
the prevalent concepts of God and
demonstrating the Unity of God, His
omnipotence and knowledge, etc.
110
Day of Judgment
 Its existence, what will happen on that day,
Jannah, Jahannam
 No specific date is given for its happening
‘Ibadat (worship)
 Revelation the only source.
 The Qur’an sets the basics of ‘ibadat and the
Prophet gives details
112
28
 2/5/2009

Morality Human and social relations

 Revelation the main source
 Revelation is the main source
 The Qur’an sets universal ethical norms and
 The Qur’an deals with the main principles of
values
these relations:
 Obedience and submission to God, justice,
benevolence, kindness, generosity,  Relationship among family members
brotherhood, honesty, truthfulness, sincerity, - between husbands and wives
trust (amanah), forbearance, patience, - between parents and children
tolerance and forgiveness,
inviting/encouraging people to do good, and - marriage, divorce, inheritance
preventing/ discouraging them from doing  Relations with relatives
bad (munkar)

113 114

 Relations with neighbours

Law:
 Social relations and interaction
- Family law
 Relations between genders
- Criminal law
 Etiquettes and manners
- Procedural law
 Relations with non-Muslims
- Commercial law
 Relations with animals - International law

Halal & haram:

(Revelation is the only source)
Food, drinks, clothes

115 116

29

Economic system
 (Revelation provides guidance to
attain and maintain justice)
 Islam sets some norms and
principles along with some
restrictions to ensure the
observance of those norms and
principles (prohibition of riba,
uncertain contracts, etc.)
117
Political system
 The Qur’an sets norms and
principles
 The establishment of a
government/ central authority
and the duties of subjects to
obey its commands
119
2/5/2009
 Zakat is imposed to secure the
minimum economic and social
justice,
 Rich people are exhorted to spend
and promised to be rewarded for
that.
 Social welfare (59: 7)
118
 The governance should be based on
consultation (ْ‫)شّر‬and the right of
people to select their leaders.
 The format of )ْ‫(شّر‬and government
are left to the choice of people and
are open for development.
120
30

History and Civilization
 The origin of this universe
The Qur’an states that this universe was
created by Allah, and gives short description
of that creation
 The origin of mankind
- The Qur’an states that the first man (Adam)
was created by God from dust/ clay (15: 26),
(15: 28-29), (17: 61), (23: 12), (32: 7), (32:
9), 38: 71-72)
- Eve was created for Adam (4: 1), (7: 189),
(39: 6)
121
 History of Messengers of Allah
- The Qur’an gives a brief account of
the history of the most significant
Messengers.
- The Qur’an does not focus on the
details of that history, instead it
focuses on the lessons that should be
learned from those events.
123
2/5/2009
- Adam was taught the basic
knowledge by God (2: 30-33)
- When Adam and his wife,
mistakenly, disobeyed the commands
of God, they were sent down from
Jannah (Paradise) to the earth where
they and their children settled.
122
- The Qur’an pays enough attention to
civilizational studies by examining the patterns
of rise and fall of civilizations.
- The Qur’an wants Muslims to learn from human
experience.
- The aim of this is to guide Muslims how to build
their civilization and guard it against social
diseases that may lead to its fall and collapse.
124
31

How should we deal with the
Qur’an ?
 Qur’an isan authoritative text that should be
followed and implemented by all Muslims.
 Those texts which are clear and self-
explanatory should be implemented without
any further examination.
 Those texts which are open for interpretation
and may impart more than one meaning can
be examined and construed based on the
following principles:
125
The Sunnah as a Source of
Knowledge
127
2/5/2009
 Grouping of similar texts/ statements which
talk on one topic/category
 Analysis and understanding of each text/
statement in its components and context
 Identification of the rules which unify the
various categories
 Identification of the general rules and
purposes which govern the interaction/
interrelation of various categories.
126
Literal Meaning:
 Sunnah )‫ )شٌج‬means a clear path, an established
course of conduct, the pattern of life, a precedent
and custom.
 The word sunnah and its plural sunan have been
used in the Qur’an sixteen times. In all these
instances, sunnah has been used to imply an
established practice or course of conduct.
128
32
 2/5/2009

 It may be a good example or a bad one, and it
may be set by an individual, a sect or a
community.
‫”يً شً شٌج حشٌج فوَ ؤجرُب ّؤجر يً عيل تِب اهٓ ّٖى‬
ٓ‫اهلٖبيج ّيً شً شٌج شٖئج فوَ ّزرُب ّّزر يً عيل تِب اه‬
“‫ّٖى اهلٖبيج‬
‚Whosoever originates in Islam any good way/
precedent (good sunnah) has its reward and the
reward of whoever acts upon it till the Day of
Judgment. And whosoever originates in Islam
a bad way/ precedent (bad sunnah) bears its
burden and the burden of whoever acts upon it
till the Day of Judgment‛

129 130

 The opposite of sunnah is bid`ah Kinds of Sunnah with respect to the channels of
(innovation), which is the ahkam
characterized by lack of 1. Sunnah which is intended to be a binding
precedent and continuity with the law:
This kind includes the sayings, acts and
past.
approval of the Prophet (saw) through which
Technical meaning: he intended the laying down of the law or the
a. The acts, sayings and approvals explanation of the ahkam (law) laid down by
the Qur’an . This comprises the largest part
of the Messenger of Allah. of the sunnah.

131 132

33

2- Sunnah which is specific to the Prophet( ٓ‫صو‬
‫)اهلل عوَٖ ّشوى‬
This kind includes those acts which are
specific to the Prophet (‫)صوٓ اهلل عوَٖ ّشوى‬.
The number of these acts is very limited. One
example is the number of his marriages,
marriage without dowry, not eating out of
charity (‫)صدكج‬.
133
4. Acts based on human experience
 This may include acts that pertain to his
experience as a human being, like the
organizing of the army, tactics of war,
trading skills.
 These acts don’t become precedents of law,
because their basis is skill and experience
rather than revelation.
 However, if they are still relevant to one’s
situation they might be followed.
135
2/5/2009
3. Ordinary physical acts performed by
every human being
Like eating, drinking, walking. Such acts
are not meant to lay down laws. If one
imitates the Prophet (saw) in these acts out
of love for him and with the intention to
get reward, he will be rewarded for this.
But the etiquettes and manners prescribed
by the Messenger of Allah for the
performance of such acts are part of that
which is meant to be a binding law.
134
Status of the Sunnah
with respect to the Qur’an
 The Sunnah is the second source
just next to the Qur’an which is the
first source.
 There will be no Islam without the
adoption of the sunnah.
136
34

 The Sunnah is basically an
elaboration and commentary on
the Qur’an .
 Some ahkam are found in the
Qur’an in general, in an
undetermined or unelaborated
form.
 The Sunnah restricts, qualifies, or
elaborates these ahkam.
137
The knowledge we get from The Sunnah
 Worship (‫)عتبدث‬
The rulings and teachings related to ‫عتبدث‬
 Halal and haram:
In food, drinks, clothes, and transactions:
- the Sunnah interprets what needs to be
interpreted in the Qur’an .
- The Sunnah may add some prohibitions
which are not included in the Qur’an .
139
2/5/2009
 The Sunnah is a concrete implementation, a
tangible form and the actual embodiment of the
Qur’an
 The Sunnah may lay down some rules that are
not mentioned in the Qur’an
 Qur’an says: ‚And whatsoever the messenger
brought to you, follow it. And whatsoever he
forbids, abstain from it‛ (al-Hashr:7)
138
 Law
(family, criminal, commercial, procedural,
international )
 Manner of conduct:
The biography of the Prophet (saw) is the model
of individual moral conduct.
‚A noble model you have in Allah’s Apostle, for
all whose hope is in Allah, and in the final Day,
and who often remember Allah‛ (al-Ahzab:21)
140
35

 The model in implementing and
embodying the teachings and
principles of the Qur’an
 The model in the relationship
between humans and Allah
(‘ibadah)
 The model in establishing a
family and treating well the
wives as well as the children.
141
Da‘wah:
 How he started from nothing
and ended with hundreds of
thousands of followers after
two decades only.
143
2/5/2009
 A model in dealing with people.
 A model in hard-working,
patience, and perseverance etc.
Leadership:
 He was a model leader from
whom we learn the requirements
of a successful leader.
142
Nation building and social reformation:
 How he established a nation and
changed an almost primitive
society dominated by tribalism and
rivalries among different tribes and
social classes to a civilized and
strong state characterized by unity,
cooperation, and brotherhood.
144
36
 2/5/2009

 Eliminating idolatry and establishing Tawhid

 Eliminating bad social values in dealing with the
weak social classes: women, slaves, poor Reason (‫)اهعلل‬
people, black people, etc.
as a Sources of
Knowledge

145 146

Reason as a Source of Knowledge Meanings/ Functions of Reason:

1.
 The term ‚reason‛ is used in different senses
and meanings:
1. The power of being able to think in a logical
and rational manner, as distinct from
experience or emotions.
2. Ability to think clearly and coherently
3. The ability or process of drawing logical
inferences.
Reason is sometimes used to denote a number
of self-evident principles (such as the
principle of non-contradiction) which govern
the process of thinking of mentally competent
people, regardless of their cultural
background.
- These fundamental truths are intuitively
apprehended
- as opposed to sensation, perception, feeling,
desire (the existence of which is denied by
empiricists)

147 148

37

 In this sense, reason is an instrument used for
examining the coherence and rationality of a
body of statements.
 The examination allows us to conclude that the
examined statements are:
- Either coherent, and hence in conformity
with the principles of reason;
- Or contradictory, and thus in violation of
reason
 Reason which gives a priori knowledge (pure
reason)
149
Reason vs. Revelation
 The faculty of reasoning is one of the most precious
gifts of Allah to mankind.
 Reason is the basis of taklif (legal capacity) because it
is the power of discernment by which humans can
distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘bad’, ‘right’ and
‘wrong’
 Reason is the basis of Iman/ faith, thus, it is given the
authority to examine the authenticity of prophets and
the revelation they claim to bring from God.
151
2/5/2009
2. The capacity of rational beings to acknowledge
the truth of certain assertions and deny the truth
of others with the power to abstract, analyze,
synthesize
 A body of knowledge which has been examined
and systemized by the principle of logic and
considered by certain people as reasonable.
 = Reason as a mental faculty.
 Reason is to be associated with methods and
mechanisms used in science and knowledge,
generally, rather than a source of knowledge.
150
 The Qur’an is full of references which command
and exhort people to think, contemplate, and to
examine the claimed revelation
 This shows that:
- Islam values reason; and
- Islam is confident that there will be no
contradiction between what is contained in the
revelation and what can be reasoned by human
reason
152
38
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 What is claimed by unbelievers to be irrational = Or mere wishes and deluded hopes (hawa)
or unreasonable is either: َ‫”َّكَبهُّا هًَِ َٖ ِدخُلَ ا ْهجٌََّجَ اِهَّب يًَِ نَبًَ ُُّدّا َؤِّ ٌَصَبرَْ خِوْم‬
 = Mere speculation and ignorance, such as )111 :‫ؤَيَبٌُُِِّٖىِ ُكلْ َُبخُّا ُترَُِبٌَنُىِ اًِِ نٌُْخُىِ صَبدِكًِٖ“ (اهتلرث‬
when they deny some beliefs or they
And they say: "None shall enter Paradise unless he
misunderstand them.
be a Jew or a Christian." Those are their vain
َ‫”وَهَب يَتَّ ِبعُ أَكْثَ ُرهُ ِن إِالَّ ظَىًّب إِوَّ الظَّوَّ ال يُغْىِي هِوَ الْحَقِّ شَيِئًب إِوَّ المَّه‬
)36 :‫و“ (يوىس‬ َ ‫عَمِينٌ بِهَب َيفْعَمُو‬ desires. Say: "Produce your proof if you are
truthful." (2: 111)
But most of them follow nothing but
conjecture and speculation: truly conjecture
and speculation can never challenge or replace
truth. Verily Allah is well aware of all that they
do. (10:36)
153 154

 Interestingly, those who claim to reject

religion/ revelation based on logic and ّ‫ق تِيَب ال َٖشِيَعُ اِالَّ دُعَبء‬
ُ ِ‫”َّيَذَلُ اهَّذًَِٖ نَ َفرُّا نَيَذَلِ اهَّذِٔ ٌَْٖع‬
rationality are characterized by the Qur’an as )171 :‫ٌَِّدَاءّ صُىٌّ تُنْىْ عُيِْٕ فَُِىِ ال َٖعِلِوًُّ“َ (اهتلرث‬
those who fail to use their mental faculties/ The parable of those who reject Faith is as if one
reason properly. were to shout like a goat-herd, to things that listen
َ‫شرِٖعَجٍ يًَِ األَ ِيرِ فَبخَّتِعَِِب َّال خَخَّتِعِ ؤَ َُِّاء‬
َ َٓ‫”ذُىَّ جَعَوٌَْبمَ عَو‬ to nothing but calls and cries: deaf, dumb, and
)18 :‫اهَّذًَِٖ ال َٖعِوَيًَُّ“ (اهجبذٖج‬ blind, they are void of wisdom. (2: 171)

“ Then We put you on the right way of religion;

so follow that way, and do not follow the
desires of those who do not know.‛ (45: 18)

155 156

39
 2/5/2009

 Senses as sources of Knowledge: The Qur’an

Hawwas (senses) urges us to use the faculties of senses.

 It blames the Kuffar for not using their senses

as Means to Knowledge properly.

 The faculties of senses will bear witness for or
against one on the Day of Judgment.

157 158

Hearing (al-sam’)
 It is a faculty (quwa) placed in the nerves
Sound Senses (Hawwas al-Salimah) spread out in the cavity of the ear hole, by
which sounds are perceived.
1. Hearing
 It is by way of connecting with the ear hole
2. Sight, the air, which has assumed the quality of the
3. Smell, sounds, meaning that Allah then creates
4. taste, perception in the soul (al-nafs) [E.Elder, 18]
5. touch

159 160

40

Seeing (al-basar)
 It is a faculty placed in the two hollow
nerves which meet each other in the brain,
thence they separate and go to the two eyes;
by this faculty are perceived rays of light,
colours, shapes, measures, motions, the
beautiful and the ugly, and other things, the
perception of which Allah creates in the soul
whenever the creature uses this faculty.
161
Taste (al-zawq)
It is a faculty spread out in the
nerves situated on the organ of the
tongue; by this faculty flavors are
perceived through the mixing of
the saliva which is in the mouth
with the thing tasted, and through
its reaching to the nerves.
163
2/5/2009
Smelling (al-shamm)
It is a faculty placed in the two
protruding lumps on the front of
the brain, which are like the two
nipples of the breast; by this
faculty odors are perceived by
way of connecting with the
cartilage of the nose the air which
has assumed the quality of the
odors.
162
Touch (al-lams)
It is a faculty spread out into
all the body by which heat and
cold, moisture and dryness,
and the like are perceived at
the time of touching and
contact.
164
41
 2/5/2009

Methodology
Definition:  Kinds of Methodologies
Method:
A particular way of doing something, esp. a  i. Methodology in revealed knowledge
systematic one; implies an orderly logical
 ii. Methodology in human knowledge (pure
arrangement.
and social sciences)
Methodology:
1.The theoretical analysis of the methods  iii. Integrative methodology of revealed
appropriate to a field of study or to the body of knowledge and human knowledge.
methods and principles particular to a branch of
knowledge.

165 166

Methodologies used by the early Muslim scholars

Slide Number?
What is Islamic Methodology? Collection of
• Methodology means a technique or method. Ijtihad
Data
(wahy, `aql and Verifications
• It is the field of inquiry concerned with the Hawas)

examination of methods used in the study of

natural sciences, human and social sciences Istihsan
Reliable
and religious sciences in order to understand (Juristic
Narrators
Preference)
the subjects. Islamic
Methodologies

• A comprehensive Islamic methodology

means to Islamize and integrate knowledge Masalih
Mursalah
Chain of
on the basis of the combination between the (public interest)
Transformation

revelation and reason in order to overhaul the `Urf

Consultation
obstacles and challenges facing a modern (a particular &
Consensus
man and the society. Custom)

167 168

42

Islamic Methodology
1. Collection of data of the Qur‟an and Sunnah
2. Verified techniques used by the narrators in
order to ensure the authenticity of narrations.
3. Compilation of the Qur‟an and Sunnah.
4. Considering the reliable narrators with specific
criteria.
5. Chain of transformation, no gap between two
generations and not less than 40 forty
narrators.
6. Memorizations of the Qur‟an and Sunnah.
169
Islamic Methodology
10. Maslahah or Masalih Mursalah (public
interest), supplementary methods, if the texts
of the Qur‟an and Hadith or consensus or
analogy were not available.
11. `Urf (custom of a particular society or a
nation), supporting for adjustment from
avoiding the contradictions and social division
and disunity for the public interest.
171
2/5/2009
Islamic Methodology
7. Consultation among the scholars and
consensus based on majority opinions.
8. Ijtihad (rational arguments, explanation,
interpretation and adjustment with the local
culture and custom)
9. Istihsan (juristic preference), supplementary
methods in order to make up for the growing
number of new situations that were difficult
with the textual and the analogical arguments.
170
 Merits of the Traditional Approach
 Merits of the traditional approach were
the sincerity, piety, enthusiasm,
commitment, and dedication of the early
Muslim researchers, many of whom
looked for their rewards in the Hereafter.
172
43

 Islamic research, experimentation and
empirical investigation were considered
acts of „ibadah.
 The God-consciousness of the
traditional scholars was reflected in their
writings and research, which they would
commence with bismillah (in the name
of Allah), seek His blessings and
conclude by dedicating their results to
Him.
173
 Knowledge was perceived as a
comprehensive whole, with empirically
derived knowledge subject to the
verification of revealed knowledge.
175
2/5/2009
 The holistic nature of the traditional
Islamic educational system made no
distinction between revealed knowledge
and empirically derived knowledge.
174
Tawhidic Criteria for Islamic
Methodology
Three main tawhidic criteria for Islamic
methodology are as follows:
1. Anything which does not correspond with
the reality must be rejected.
2. Ultimate contradictions must be denied and
rejected.
3. Approaches must be open in order to adjust
and accommodate new situations facing the
society and man.
176
44
 2/5/2009

Allah’s

 s pleasure

Merits of Islamic
Knowing
context, Pure
Purpose and Intention
Application of For
the humanity
Texts

Methodology As Ibadah
Commitment to
People and
society

Merit of

Summarized
Islamic
Methodologies

Reflection
Mastery of
Of
Arabic
Allah
Language
Awareness

Self-Initiative
Combination of
(Establishing
Wahy & Aql
Institutions)
Identifying the
Short-comings
Of Empirical
Knowledge.

177 178

Depended on
Traditional
method
Verification
Depended on
of
Western
Validities,
Method
shortcoming

Integrating
Between Creativity and
Wahy and Initiative ness

 Methodology in Human
Aql

Knowledge (pure and social

Obstacles
And
Recommendations
for
Muslim
Scholars
Traditional Absence of

sciences)
Methods as Islamic
Inspiration Curriculum

Mis-
Bilingual Propagation
Competency And
Misconception

Regaining
Unavailability
Sincerity and
Financial and
Pure intention
Technical
For
support
humanity

179 180

45

Science
 From Latin word scientia means
systematic knowledge of the
physical or material world
181
Two scientific methods/ logical
systems : induction & deduction
1. Deductive method
(istinbat)(‫)استىببط‬
 The researcher begins with a
theory and then derives one or
more hypotheses from it for
testing.
183
2/5/2009
Knowledge of Science
 Is acquired through experience,
observation and research
 Discursive: preceded by
arguments
 Inductive and deductive
182
 The researcher implements those
observations to see whether they
confirm or fail to confirms the
hypotheses.
 Next, the researcher defines the
variables in each hypothesis and
the operations to be used to
measure them in specific
observable terms.
184
46

2. Inductive method (istiqra’)(‫)استقراء‬
 A method of discovering general
rules and principles from particular
facts and examples.
 In induction one starts from
observed data and develops a
generalization which explains the
relationships between the objects
observed.
185
2. Evidence based on observation
 Scientific method seeks knowledge
through observed evidence and not
authority, tradition or ideology.
 The evidence should be systematic,
comprehensive, and as objective as
possible.
187
2/5/2009
Characteristics of Scientific Method
1. Everything is open to question
 In our quest to understand things, we should
strive to keep an open mind about everything
we thing we know or we want to understand.
 What we call ‚knowledge‛ is transitional and
subject to refutation!!
“ Is this possible?
“ Can this characteristic be open?
“ To which extent can we hold this
perception?
186
Basic Steps in Scientific
Research:
1. Collection of data
This is a common basis of
all sciences; pure, human,
and social.
188
47

 This is a function of perception and
cognition.
- The mind goes on collecting data
from all kinds of observations and
experiences. Simultaneously, the mind,
by using its power of identification and
retention (the ability to remember
things), goes on establishing
relationships
189
 Observation can be done through senses and
perceptive power or by help of scientific
equipment (devices for measurement) and
technological equipment (devices to facilitate
work and utilizing the resource of
environment).
 The advance of scientific and technological
equipment have contributed to the expansion
of methods and meanings of collection of
scientific data and the horizon of observation.
191
2/5/2009
 The observation will be on some
assumed correlation between some
aspects according to some tentative
hypothesis to prove if there is any
interrelationships between them.
 This observation can be done in a
laboratory (physics, chemistry, biology,
etc.) or in a field when the parts under
study spread over vast areas in time and
space (astronomy, geology).
190
 In Muslim history of science it is a fact
that Muslim scientists realized at an
early stage the importance of scientific
equipment for collection of data,
therefore they introduced big astrolabes
(scientific instrument used for reckoning
time and for observational purposes to
enable astronomers to calculate the
position of the Sun and prominent stars
with respect to both the horizon and the
meridian)…
192
48
 2/5/2009

Measures to guard against distortion:

and quadrants (an instrument  The person taking observations should
for measuring angles, be clear in his mind; he should not be
especially to check your obsessed by any preconceived ideas.
position at sea or to look at  He should record only what is really
stars) for exact observations happening (objective).
of stars and planets, and even  He needs patience and perseverance to
had invented a spherical ensure the reliability of his
astrolabe. observations.

193 194

 Even the observations taken with all this care

cannot be taken at their face value, until
preliminary statistical tests confirm its
reliability, or a number of other scientists
confirm it independently.
 The rules of observation laid down by Jabir
ibn Hayyan (chemistry):
1. The time and season must be carefully
chosen;
2. It is best for the laboratory to be in a
secluded (quiet and private) place ;
195
3. The chemist must have trusted friends;
4. He must have sufficient time to
conduct experiments;
5. Patience and reticence (not disclosing
results hastily before testing them);
6. Perseverance;
7. He must not be deceived by
appearances into bringing his operations
to too hasty a conclusion.
196

49

2. Classification and analysis of data:
 To arrange the data in some regular
order;
 To find out the characteristics of the
population from where the random
sample of data was taken;
 To establish the relations and correlations
between different members of the
population under study or with members
of other series.
197
 This hypothesis will be depending, to
some extent, on guessing. This guess is
based on the past observation, experience
and knowledge.
 There may be many hypotheses
depending on the number of variable
parameters involved.
199
2/5/2009
3. Hypothesis:
 After studying the characteristics of the
members of the population under study, there
comes the stage when the researcher begins
to ask the question ‚How‛ about the working
of those members and their correlations.
 The answer to this question is the hypothesis
which describes in words or in symbols the
relationship that appear to exist between
them.
198
4- Hypotheses testing:
 The hypotheses will be put into
testing through experiments in
different produced conditions to
show their validity and applicability.
200
50

 If the predictions in the hypothesis
come out correct, then the status of
the hypothesis is raised to that of a
‚theory‛. If this theory is found to
be universally applicable, it is
called a ‚law of nature‛.
201
Origination of Scientific methodology
 Muslim scientists were the first ones to
introduce this method and to emphasize
the role of experimentation.
 Jabir ibn Hayyan, for example, stated
clearly in his book on chemistry: ‚the
first essential is to perform practical
work and experiments. One who does not
do so will never attain mastery‛.
203
2/5/2009
Observation
Logical deduction
Experimentation and empirical observations
(under controlled conditions)
The hypothesis is validated = Theory
202
Among the rules of experiments
laid down by him:
1. The operator should know the
reason for performing the
experiment (hypotheses and
predictions should be set clearly);
2. The instructions must be properly
understood;
204
51

 Impossible and profitless
processes should be avoided
(vague hypotheses which don’t
lead to definite predictions, or
hasty experiments which lead
to vague results, are of no
value).
205
 According to this theory the fixed
stars are farther than the stars of
the Milky Way/ the Galaxy (the
system of stars that contains our
sun and its planets) which is
supposed to be close to the earth
and to be situated in the
atmosphere of the earth.
207
2/5/2009
Example:
 Until the 10th century the Greek and
Egyptian theory of geocentric
cosmology was assumed to be true, and
It was held by early Muslim scientists.
206
 In Greek astronomy, this was an axiom and all
other problems of astronomy had to satisfy this
‚truth‛.
 The Muslim astronomer Ibn al-Haytham, based
on his inductive method and with help of the
equipment developed by Muslim scientists,
came to a conclusion that the stars of the Milky
Way were as far off as the other fixed stars, and
that they were not situated in the atmosphere of
the earth.
208
52

 Ibn al-Haytham was facing two
contradicting hypotheses: the
Greek ‚axiom‛ and his
hypothesis.
 And the question was: how to
decide about the validity of
these two opposing hypotheses?
209
3. The result was that if the stars of
the Milky Way are in the
atmosphere of the earth, then, in
both the sets of observations
suggested, their relative positions
will be different.
211
2/5/2009
Ibn al-Haytham suggested an experiment
to decide about these hypotheses:
1. to measure the distance from the
same place in different seasons.
2. to measure the distance at the
same time from two places far
apart on the earth.
210
 If the stars of the Milky Way are as
far as the other fixed stars, there
will be no change in the relative
positions of the two sets of stars in
either cases.
 Observations were taken and it was
found that the stars of the Milky
Way did not change their relative
positions among the fixed stars.
212
53

 Here the validity of the hypothesis was
not tested by the help of deductive logic
alone. Only the predictions were
deduced by logic and geometry. But the
validity of the hypothesis was proved by
experiment and observation. And this is
what is called the inductive method of
modern science.
213
that led them to the invention of all kinds of
apparatus for distillation (to make a liquid pure
by heating it until it becomes a gas, then
cooling it and collecting the drops of liquid
that form), sublimation (conversion of a
substance from the solid to the vapour state
without its becoming liquid), fusion (the
process or result of joining two or more things
together to form one, like the fusion of copper
and zinc to produce brass), filtration (the
process of filtering a liquid or gas), etc.;
215
2/5/2009
Draper, Conflict between Science and Religion
 The characteristics of their (Muslims’) method
are experiment and observation, geometrical
and mathematical sciences that worked as
instruments of reasoning.
 In their numerous writings on mechanics,
hydrostatics, optics, etc. it is interesting to
remark that the solution to a problem is always
by performing an experimental observation.
 It was this that made them the originators of
chemistry;
214
that caused them in Astronomy to appeal to
divided instruments such as quadrants and
astrolabes, in Chemistry to employ the balance,
the theory of which they were perfectly
familiar with, to construct tables of specific
gravity and astronomical tables like those of
Baghdad and Spain, great improvements in
Geometry, the invention of Algebra and the
adoption of Indian numeration in Arithmetic.
Such were the results of the performance of the
inductive method ” their declining the reveries
(imaginations/ dreams) of Plato.‛
216
54

 Francis Bacon, who is considered by
the West as one of the founders of
inductive/ scientific method, in his book
Novum Organum (1st quarter of the 17th
century) while pleading for the
introduction of empiricism in Europe
says again and again that:
‚great authorities‛ follow this and
consider this method better than the old
deductive method of the Greeks.
217
Achievements of scientific method:
 Freed sciences from the domination of
rigid deductive method that is more
suitable to theoretical and philosophical
studies.
 Limited the sphere of intellectual
speculations and made a big room for
empirical knowledge.
219
2/5/2009
 But he never once mentions the
name of the ‚great authorities‛
and the ‚wise people‛
 No one applied this method
before except Muslim scientists.
It is suggested that he did not
mention them by name for fear
of inquisition.
218
 Freed scientific research from the grip
of Greek axioms.
 Limited the sphere of metaphysical
studies and made shift to natural and
physical studies.
220
55
 2/5/2009

 Successful results achieved by scientists  Experimental endeavour led to the

gave them confidence in this scientific transformation of science to
method and encouraged them to further technology, and the invention of
their research.
sophisticated machines and
 This, in turn, led to expansion of the
equipment.
horizon of scientific research;
discovering new laws and opening new
areas.

221 222

‚Side effects‛ of the Empiricism/ logical-positivism

scientific method
 The overconfidence in and
adoration of the scientific method
led to extreme rationality.
 Extreme rationality led to the
adoption of scientific method in the
field of human and social sciences.
(from the Greek word empeiria =
experience.)
 Inaugurated by Francis Bacon and
developed by John Locke (1632-1704) In
philosophy, the attitude that beliefs are to
be accepted and acted upon only if they
first have been confirmed by actual
experience.

223 224

56

 Stressing experience, Empiricism is
opposed to the claims of authority,
intuition, imaginative conjecture, and
abstract, theoretical, or systematic
reasoning (Rationalism) as sources of
reliable belief.
 The essence of empiricism
observation, measurement, and
quantification of sense data available to
the observer.
225
 Most divine knowledge must come
from revelation, and reason has
nothing to do with it. There is such a
thing as divine philosophy (what was
later called rational, or natural,
theology), but its sole task and
competence is to prove that there is a
God.
227
2/5/2009
Early empiricism vs. Revelation
 Although Bacon proclaims the
universal applicability of
induction, he himself treats it
almost exclusively as a means to
is natural knowledge and ignores its
social application.
226
 John Locke one of the fathers of
empiricism did consider revelation, in
principle, as a source of certain type of
knowledge. But he assigned to it a very
marginal and subordinate role.
 He argues that knowledge acquired by
human reasoning is more reliable and
certain than knowledge received
through revelation.
228
57

 Because one may doubt the
preservation of the original
revelation through the act of
narration, or question the lack of
means for validating or
substantiating its content.
 But one can always be certain
about what his faculty of
understanding considers true.
229
Positivism
In philosophy, generally, any system
that confines itself to the data of
experience and excludes a priori
(knowledge that is independent of all
particular experiences, as opposed to
a posteriori knowledge, which derives
from experience alone) or
metaphysical speculations.
231
2/5/2009
 He gives revelation the upper hand over reason
in two instances:
1. In questions belonging to the realm of faith,
because it’s inaccessible to human reasoning.
2. Revelation should supersede reason in the
realm of probable knowledge which does not
rise to certainty.
 (But one can always be certain about what his
faculty of understanding considers true.)
230
 As a philosophical ideology and
movement, Positivism first assumed
its distinctive features in the work of
Auguste Comte (1798”1857).
 It then developed through several
stages known by various names,
such as Empirio criticism, Logical
Positivism, and Logical Empiricism,
etc.
232
58

The basic affirmations of Positivism are:
1.That all knowledge regarding
matters of fact is based on the
‚positive‛ data of experience;
2.That beyond the realm of fact is
that of pure logic and pure
mathematics, which were, in a later
phase of Positivism, classified as
purely formal sciences.
233
Naturalism/ natural method
 A theory that relates scientific
method to philosophy by affirming
that all beings and events in the
universe are natural.
 Consequently, all knowledge of the
universe falls within the pale of
scientific investigation.
235
2/5/2009
3. Strict adherence to the testimony of
observation and experience is the
all-important imperative of the
Positivists.
4. In its basic ideological posture,
Positivism is worldly, secular, anti-
theological, and anti-metaphysical.
234
 Usually naturalism denies the
existence of truly supernatural
realities.
 Naturalists assert that nature is
reality. There is nothing
beyond, nothing ‚other than,‛
no ‚other world‛ of being.
236
59

 Naturalism presumes that nature is
in principle completely knowable.
 There is in nature a regularity, unity,
and wholeness that implies
objective laws, without which the
pursuit of scientific knowledge
would be absurd.
237
Two positive results of bahaviourism
1. Development of neurosciences.
2. Development of behaviour therapy
(behaviour modification), which
focused on modifying observable
behaviour, rather than on the
thoughts and feelings of the patient
(as in psychoanalysis).
239
2/5/2009
 Naturalism has no ontological
preference: dualism and monism,
atheism and theism, idealism and
materialism are all per se
compatible with it.
238
Conclusion
W. M. Smart, The origin of the earth.
 Let us not then exalt the scientific
method unduly as the close
preserve of the scientist nor, which
is much more important, as the only
means by which we attempt to
discover the secrets of nature.
240
60

 It is easy for a scientist to be a
materialist if he sees only in the
universe the apparently relentless
(continuous) unfolding of natural
law, and forgets that there are
domains where the laws of
physics are irrelevant
241
Harris, Kelvin (1979), Education
and Knowledge
 The limitations of empiricism in
human and social sciences can be
manifested in different areas
among them:
 Derived conclusions could not be
logically valid for generalization
because there could be exceptions.
243
2/5/2009
 But more and more scientists are
realizing that they are exploring only one
section of the great world of nature in all
its manifold complexity; beauty, moral,
conduct, spiritual values, religious
experience, are all outside their domain,
yet all come within man’s scrutiny when
he attempts to interpret the universe as a
whole and strives to discern purpose
therein…‛
242
 Methodology of data collection is
theory laden, that is, the
investigator has preconceptions and
motives, which influence his
choice of methodology of
investigation and this subsequently
affects the outcome
244
61

 ‚The humanistic studies of Western
man and the social analysis of Western
society by a Western scientist are
necessarily "Western" and cannot serve
as models for the study of Muslims or
of their society.‛
Ismail Raji al-Faruqi (1977),
"Islamizing the Social Sciences"
245
1. Natural and physical sciences
 The scientific method in its technical
procedures has a universal
application.
 It was initially started by Muslim
scientists and, later developed by
Western scientists, and became as a
heritage of humanity.
247
2/5/2009
The Search for an Islamic
Methodology
Methodology comprises:
1. Technical procedures
2. Conditions for using methods/
conceptual aspects of methodology
246
 There is no objection to adopting
the technical procedures
developed by non-Muslims.
 It needs to be applied within the
Islamic ethical and ideological
frame.
 Production of Muslim scientists
248
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2. Social& human sciences 1. They embody the Western

 The main objects to the Western
methods used in the domain of human
& social sciences are:
1. They are heavily inclined towards
materialism and application of
procedures of the natural sciences.
Exclusion of spiritual aspect.
concepts & values (exclusion of
revelation).
2. They set the Western values &
concepts as universal norms and
models by which other societies
should by judged.

249 250

The issues of:

 The employment of this Western
methodology in the Muslim world is
leading toward Westernization of
Muslim societies.
 Rejecting revelation and contrasting
scientific with revealed knowledge
and;
 Confining reality to the empirical one
under the justification that reason
cannot ascertain transcendental
reality;
 Are not real problems in Islam.

251 252

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- These structures are not immediately e.g.

encountered by the senses. Instead, the
structures of empirical existence are
inferred through the use of categories
abstracted from the sensible, and
mediated by purely ‚rational‛
categories and statements.
Our understanding of the
relationship between the earth and
the sun is mediated by mental
constructs, and hence is completely
at variance with the immediate
impression received from the senses.

253 254

 Both revelation and empirical

2. Revelation, at least in its Islamic form,
knowledge are needed for a
seeks its justification in empirical comprehensive understanding of nature.
reality.
 The science-revelation conflict is
 Divine revelation sees empirical reality neither imperative nor universal, but
as the manifestation of a specific to Western religion and
transcendental reality. experience. There is no need at all to
 The interconnectedness of the reproduce it in Muslim culture.
empirical and transcendental is always
stressed by the Qur’an

255 256

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Setting the norm/ standard/ model  Western scholarship assumes that

 In social and human science norms,
the practices of the Western society
models, standards are crucial for
(which is assumed to stand at the
understanding, judging, and changing
human behaviour as well as social peak of human evolution) become
phenomena. the standard of normality.
 The norms/ standards/ models are used to
deduce conclusions.

257 258

Integrative Methodology of  But when it comes to ‚How‛ the

Revealed Knowledge and answers may be different.
Human Knowledge  Until now, only little has been done,
 The common point among Muslim and more efforts are required to
scholars who are concerned with establish a viable Islamic
Islamization of knowledge/ methodology for different social
Islamic methodology is the and human sciences
incorporation of Revelation into
different fields of research.
259 260

65
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Islamic Methodology should:

 Incorporate revelation as a source of
knowledge and give it its due role in
guiding human inquiry of knowledge.
 Work under the directions of our
worldview (the origin & nature of man
and universe, the purpose of their
creation, and their destiny).
 Reflect the Islamic objectives and
values
 Set our norms/ standards/ models
which are derived from the Qur’an,
the Sunnah, and the practice of the
early Muslim society

261 262

A framework for islamization of knowledge

Conclusion
 Muslims of the past always followed the
Islamic legacy Western knowledge Islamic methodology in their research:
 They based their work on the principle of
Mastery of disciplinary substantive knowledge tawhid;
 They verified the information to ensure its
Mastery of analytical and synthetic techniques authenticity;
 They were sincere, pious, enthusiastic,
University textbooks committed and dedicated researchers;
 They perceived knowledge as a
Islamic University comprehensive whole;
 They avoided any innovation in the religion for
Perfect/universal man fear of Allah‟s punishment;
263 264

66
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 They had greater familiarity with classical

Islam and
Arabic than contemporary Muslim scholars,
which facilitated their understanding and Civilization
analysis of the original texts;
 They used to commence their work with 1. Meaning of civilization
bismillahi al-Rahman al-Rahim (in the Name
of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful), seeking 2. Civilization and Culture
Allah‟s blessings and conclude by dedicating 3. Arabic terms for civilization
their results to Him; in this way they treated 4. Characteristics of Civilization
their research as an act of „ibadah.

265 266

Arabic terms: Meaning of Civilization

An advanced level of development in society
 al- Hadarah/ Al-Tamaddun/ al- that is marked by complex social and political
organization, and material, scientific, and
Madaniyyah artistic progress
 Al-Tamaddun/ al-Madaniyyah:
A society, its culture and its way of life during
derived from the word a particular period of time or in a particular
‘madinah’(city or town), and part of the world.
‘din’(religion).
 Al-‘Umran
267 268

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 The way and level of life of people  Civilization designates a condition of

in the cities as contrasted with the human society characterized by a
way and level of life in rural areas. high level of cultural and
technological achievements;
 The relation between ‘madinah’
 and correspondingly complex social
and ‘din’ indicates the role of
and political development
religion in the establishment of
 It is an advanced state of intellectual,
civilization and refinement of social cultural and material development in
culture human society

269 270

 Each civilization has a body or matter The soul of civilization is the set of;
and a soul.  ideologies,
 The body of the civilization is its  concepts,
material achievements such as buildings,  moral values,
infrastructure, agriculture, industry,
 manners and traditions that are
educational institutions, technological
embodied in the behavior of
equipment, and all that is related to
individuals, groups, and their
various pleasures of worldly life.
interrelations.

271 272

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Characteristics of Islamic civilization  Eliminates idolatry (idols, and

1- Based on the ‫توحيد‬ statues)
 Muslim civilization was the first universal
civilization that was based on a pure and  Frees common people from the
strict unitarianism (unity of God) oppression of the kings, Papacy,
 The only one who deserves submission and Brahmanism
 The only one who deserves worship
 The only one who deserves absolute
 Sets right the relationship between
obedience. the ruler and the ruled (all people
are equal)

273 274

2. Universality
 Islamic civilization was the first  This civilization is attributed to all
civilization which embraced the entire Muslims on an equal basis.
humanity  (Arab nationalism / Western civilization
 It declared equality of all human beings of /supremacy of white man)
all descents, races, and colours  [Universality vs. Globalization]
 ٌْ ‫َّللاِ أَ ْجقَب ُم‬
َّ ‫‚ إَُِّ أَ ْم َر ٍَ ُن ٌْ ِع ْْ َد‬Verily the most  Open to the contribution of all members
honoured of you in the sight of Allah is he of the Muslim ummah regardless of
who is the most righteous of you‛ (49: their race, ethnicity, or colour, and even
13). non-Muslim citizens.

275 276

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3- Moderate Rationalism
 It gives human reason a high position
 Its faith is based on reasoning and conviction
 It rejects superstitious and unfounded beliefs.
 It does not go to the extreme of denying the
truths which are not directly related to
empirical knowledge but are based on
revealed knowledge
4.Tolerance
 Tolerance towards people of different
religions (especially Christians and
Jews)
 Minorities enjoyed a high level of
tolerance and freedom of religion and
economic pursuit.
 This characteristic is peculiar for a
civilization based on religious
foundations.

277 278

5. Integrated and balanced

 It would be reasonable for a
civilization
secularist who does not believe
 Integrates the faith with the state/
in any religion to treat religions rejection of secularism
equally and give people  Integrates the body with the spirit
freedom of belief, but it may be (material vs. spiritual)
difficult for a religious person  Integrates the worldly life with the
to do so. life in the hereafter

279 280

70

 Integrates empirical sciences with
revelation
 Assigns priority to moral principles
= morality vs. pragmatism
 Integration in a balanced manner
 Balance means following a middle
course between two extremes of
thought and action.
281
Western Civilization
Characteristics of Western civilization
 In terms of material progress and
scientific exploration, the modern
Western civilization has surpassed
all civilizations across history.
 Pushing forward man’s incentives
and capabilities to exploit nature and
benefit from it.
283
2/5/2009
Western Culture and Civilization
 Western Civilization is ‚The civilization
that has evolved out of the historical fusion
of cultures, philosophies, values and
aspirations of ancient Greece and Rome;
their amalgamation with Judaism and
Christianity, and their further development
and formation by the Latin, Germanic,
Celtic and Nordic Peoples‛.
282
 Technological achievements =
eased human life, luxury
 Effective management and
organization
 Respect of human rights within
its homelands
284
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The ideologies of the Western  It accepts only things which

civilization are:
are considered by it as of
1. Utilitarian materialism
 This civilization may not deny the
‚practical value‛
existence of God strongly and openly,  The ‚practical value‛ is in
or deny the existence of the spirit. luxury and worldly pleasure =
 But it does not recognize the value of this is the real ‘God’
‚God‛ in its ideological system.

285 286

2. Secularism  religion as a personal matter limited

 Inspired by secular philosophy, to individual practice without any
devoid of certainty, subject to interference in social, economic or
constant review and change political activities
 Its worldview formulation is not upon  religious practice limited to dead
revealed knowledge and religious
rituals
belief but rather upon cultural
tradition, speculations to secular life
centered upon man as physical entity

287 288

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 Destruction of moral values = 4. Humanism

utilitarianism/ pragmatism  Reliance upon the powers of human
reason alone to guide man through life
 Destruction of family (abortion,
neglect of the elderly…)
 Creates an atmosphere of fear,
anxiety and distraction
3. Atheism: The doctrine or belief
that there is no God

289 290

5. Dualism
 Adherence to the validity of dualistic
vision of reality and truth
 Affirmation of the reality of the
The Rise and Decline
temporary/impermanent aspect of of Islamic civilization
existence projecting a secular
worldview

291 292

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A brief chronology of Muslim

Civilization 621: First pledge at Aqaba.
Preparatory phase
The search for a place to
571: Birth of the Prophet.
This year was marked with an invasion
establish Muslim state.
of Makkah and an attempt to 622: Second pledge at Aqaba.
destroy Ka‘bah (the year of the The acceptance of the people of
Elephant).
610: The first revelation in the cave at
Yathrib to receive the
Mount Hira’. The beginning of Prophet (saw) and his
Mohammad’s prophethood. followers
293 294

The Emergence of the State

628: The Prophet addresses letters
622: The Hijrah (migration to Yathrib/
Madina), marks the establishment of the to various heads of states.
Muslim state. Going international
624: Battle of Badr. (beyond Arabian territories)
The new power in the Arab peninsula. 630: Muslims return back to their
628: Truce of Hudaibiya.
homeland Makkah after being
Peace to give people a chance to
know about the new religion, and to expelled from it.
focus on strengthening the newly
emerged state.

295 296

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631: Expedition to Tabuk Transitory instability

Sending a message to the Persian
authorities who had been occupying  Attempts to destroy the new
the Arab territories and were hostile to religion and state
the new religion.
632: Farewell pilgrimage at Makkah.  Pseudo-prophets,
The Prophet addresses his  Rejection of paying Zakat
followers with his last speech.
(disloyalty to the central authority)
632: Death of the Prophet (saw).
Election of Abu Bakr as the Caliph.

297 298

Wars of liberation: 636: The last major battle

633 - 641: Liberation of Arab territories against Persian Empire
(Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Syria,
al-Quds/ Jerusalem, and the (the battle of Qadsiyyah)
remaining parts of Jazirah. the fall of their capital
(occupied by Persians and ‘Madain’.
Roman Byzantines)
636: Defeating the occupying forces
of the Romans (Battle of
Yermuk) followed by the
liberation of Syria and al-Quds.
299 300

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641:
- Liberation of oppressed people in
Egypt.
- The Catholic Archbishop of Egypt
invites the Muslims to help free Egypt
from Roman oppressors.
- This exemplifies the alliances formed
between Muslims, Christians and Jews
due to the Muslims' establishment of
religious freedom for Christians and
Jews.
644: Umar dies and is succeeded by Caliph
Uthman
654: Islam spreads into all of North Africa
which was partly occupied by Romans.
656: Ali becomes the Caliph. Battle of the
Camel. Another period of turmoil and
political instability (fighting between
different political groups)
660: Mu'awiyah declares himself as the
Caliph at Damascus.

301 302

661: Ali assassinated. Accession of  680: Death of Muawiyah.

Hasan. An attempt to transform Accession of His son
the Islamic political system to a Yazid. The monarchy
monarchy system. Al-Hasan bin system successfully
Ali abdicates (gives up/ renounces) established
in favour of Mu‘awiyah. Mu'awiyah
becomes the sole Caliph.

303 304

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710: Tariq ibn Malik crosses the strait
separating Africa and Europe with a
group of Muslims and enters Spain. A
year later, 7000 Muslim men invade
Gibraltar.
718: By this year almost the entire Iberian
peninsula is under Muslim control.
750: Fall of Damascus. End of the
Umayyad rule.
750: The establishment of the Abbasid
rule
756: The first breakaway
Abdul Rahman founds the
Umayyad state in Spain.
763: Foundation of Baghdad.
767: The second breakaway
Khawarij set up their own state by
Ibn Madrar at Sijilmasa.
Third breakaway:
Rustamid state set up in Morocco

305 306

870: Turks revolt against Muhtadi, his

Those breakaways were followed by death and accession of
hundreds of other breakaways and Mu‘tamid.
civil wars across the Muslim world 968: Roman Byzantines occupy
Aleppo.
792: Invasion of South France. 1091: The Normans conquer the
814: Civil war between Amin and island of Sicily; end of the
Ma’mun. Amin killed and Muslim rule.
Mamun becomes the Caliph. 1095: The first crusade.
1099: The crusaders capture al-Quds.
827: Ma’mun declares the Mutazila 1144: Second crusade.
creed as the state religion.
307 308

77

1187: Salah al-Din wrests Jerusalem
from the Christians.
Third crusade.
1212: Battle of AI ‘Uqab in Spain.
Muslims defeated by the
Christians in Spain
1248: By this year Muslim control of
Spain was reduced to the
Kingdom of Granada, which
survives for more than two
centuries.
309
1266: The eighth crusade.
The crusaders invade Tunisia.
Failure of the crusade.
1267: Malik ul Salih establishes the
first Muslim state of
Samudra Pasai in Indonesia.
The Spaniards invade Morocco.
The Marinids drive away the
Spaniards from
Morocco.
311
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1258: Baghdad destroyed by the
Mongols.
End of the Abbasid rule.
1260: Battle of Ayn Jalut in Syria.
The Mongols are defeated by
the Mamluks of Egypt;
and the spell of the
invincibility of the Mongols
is broken.
310
1274: Ninth crusade under Edward
I of England. The crusade ends
in fiasco and Edward returns
to England.
1371: In the Ottoman Turks empire,
Invasion of Bulgaria,
Bulgarian territory up to the
Balkans annexed by the
Turks.
312
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1446: In the Ottoman Turks empire, 1453: Capture of Constantinople

Second battle of Kossova (Istanbul) by the Ottoman
empire.
resulting in the victory of the
Turks. Serbia annexed to 1456: Annexation of Serbia by
Ottoman empire.
Turkey.
1461: Annexation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
1462: Annexation of Albania.

313 314

1475: Annexation of Crimea 1507: The Portuguese under

(peninsula in southeastern establish strongholds in the
Ukraine between the Black Persian Gulf.
Sea and the Sea of Azov). 1511: The Portuguese conquer
Malacca from the Muslims.
Turkey became the master
1517: The Ottomans defeat the
of the Aegean Sea. Mamluks and conquer
Egypt.
1529: Unsuccessful Ottoman siege
of Vienna.

315 316

79

1550: The rise of the Muslim
kingdom of Aceh in Sumatra.
1550: Islam spreads to Java, the
Moluccas, and Borneo.
1687: Defeat of the Turks by
Austria.
317
1812: Madina fell to Egyptians.
1813: Makkah and Taif captured
by Egyptian forces and
Saudis expelled from
Hijaz.
1827: Malaya became a preserve
of the British according to
Anglo-Netherlands treaty
in 1824.
319
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1718: In the war against Austria,
Turkey suffers defeat. By the
treaty of Passarowich
Turkey loses Hungary.
1797: Russia occupied Daghestan.
1811:The British occupied
Indonesia.
318
1830: French forces occupy Algeria,
ending 313 years rule of
Turks.
1832: Turks defeated in the battle of
Konia by Egyptian forces.
1857: British captured Delhi and
eliminated Mughal rule in India
after 332 years. This was also
the end of 1000 years of
Muslim rule over India.
.
320
80
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1918: Syria occupied by France.

1859: Imam Shamil defeated
1921: Abd Allah bin Husayn was
by Russian forces in
made King of Transjordan by the British.
Daghestan
1924: The Turkish khilafah is
1901: French forces occupy abolished.
Morocco. 1948: The official establishment of
1916: Arab revolt against the Jewish state in Palestine.
Ottoman rule. Lawrence
of Arabia leads attacks
on the Hijaz Railway.

321 322

Causes of Rise of Muslim

Stages of the process of rise and
fall
1. Spiritual power: a tremendous impulse
1) Gestation (Hijra ”the end of
Abu Bakar’s khilafah)
2) Expansion/ Universal Empire
3) Decay (the second half of
khilafa Abbasiyyah)
4) Invasion/ fall
Civilization
was given to the Muslim community to
explore life and the world around them
(life and world created for a purpose).
The Muslims spread the word of Allah.
Islam ” way to save people and liberate
them

323 324

81

3. Intellectual freedom, freeing human
2. Ability to transform the ideals of
the Qur’an to daily conduct: Hard-
work, perseverance, sincerity,
honesty, patience
4. Political freedom, equality between
325
5. Openness:
 To learn from human experience
 To people of different races and ethnicities.
 Muslim civilization was a joint endeavour of
Muslims from different peoples and races
 It was not the military power which enabled
early Muslims to dominate half of the then
known world. It was their righteousness and
their humaneness.
 The Muslims intermarried freely with local
people and became part of them.
327
2/5/2009
intellect from superstitions, teaching
people to think critically and creatively
(prohibition of imitation without sound
evidence)
the ruler and the ruled.
‚Allah has sent us to free humans from
worshipping other humans, and to
commit them to worshipping Allah‛
326
6. The spirit of seeking knowledge
 Most of the rulers of Banu Ummayah and
the first two centuries of al-‘abbasiyyin
dynasties were educated or scholars.
 They encouraged learning and scientific
enquiry and used to spend on it
generously (the House of Wisdom).
328
82

 The establishment of hundreds of
schools and universities such as al-
Nizamiyyah, al-Azhar, al-
Qayrawan etc.
329
Causes of decline
 Tribalism
 Ethnocentrism
 The Prophet (saw) was able to suppress
these social diseases and reduce them to
the minimal level among sahabah and
substitute them with a strong brotherhood.
331
2/5/2009
 In addition to the generous spending on
education and scholars, waqf
(endowment fund) was well developed
and played a significant role in
developing educational institutions.
 Although there was a relevant level of
dictatorship, rulers did not use to
interfere in educational institutions and
the affairs of scholars.
330
 The new comers to Islam, who used to live
under the rule of tribes or monarchs and
emperors, brought with them those loyalties.
 Sectarianism
 Obsession with power/ prestige/
 Striving for power ” assassinations ”
overthrowing each other ” civil wars ”
separation ” seeking help from enemies
332
83

 Revolutions / insurgencies here and
there
 Moral decadence:
Dishonesty, indifference, cheating,
laziness, neglecting obligation,
involvement in haram, interest in
pleasure and enjoyment rather than
more serious things…etc.
 Dictatorship/ political injustice/
changing the political system from
shura to monarchy
333
 Deterioration in the educational level of
the rulers: The guardians, soon became
the masters.
 They were men of simple, downright,
brutal character, of energy and common
sense.
 The Ottoman Turks/ Mamalik were
soldiers first. They were soldierly in all
they did.
335
2/5/2009
Weakness of central authority:
 For most of the last three centuries of
the Abbasid rule, the rulers (Caliphs)
became nominal.
 The real sovereign power had passed
already to the Turks.
 The rulers became under their direct
influence and they were frequently
changed or murdered one after another.
334
 They did infuse some manhood into the
declining empire, which would have
perished but for them.
 They managed to free some Muslim
territories, stop the advancement of
Mongols, and expand the Muslim
empire.
 But those rulers were not really qualified
to maintain the Muslim civilization.
336
84
 2/5/2009

 At the beginning, for centuries the Academic decline

civilization of Islam was almost
unaffected by this transfer of power
from a cultured people to a people of
comparative illiteracy, rather it
continued to progress in spite of it.
 But the Empire was apparently
progressing on the wave of a bygone
impulse which was fading away.
 Islamic sciences reached the stage
of stagnation;
 ijtihad was virtually stopped,
 fanaticism to juridical as well as
theological schools of thought
became widespread,

337 338

 The extremism of philosopher and

theologians was met with another
extremism of some religious scholars Muslim Sciences:
who went to the extent of prohibiting
the study of philosophy and the
Origin and
sciences related to it, burning of the
books of some philosophers and
Development
theologians in some areas such as Ibn
Rushd, al-Ghazzali etc.

339 340

85

1. Philosophy, natural and
physical sciences
 The real development of Muslim natural
and physical sciences started after the
era of translation.
 Translation of the intellectual heritage
of other nations and civilizations started
in the 2nd Islamic century from the four
major languages: Greek, Syriac, Persian
and Sanskrit.
341
 Many scientific works were
rendered into Arabic in the field of
mathematics, physics, astronomy,
medicine, pharmacology, history,
philosophy and other sciences.
 The translators were Muslims as
well as non-Muslim citizens.
343
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 In the 3rd century, the
establishment of bayt al-Hikmah
(The House of Wisdom) founded
by Harun al-Rashid and well
developed by his son al-Ma’mun.
 It was a research and educational
institute and the centre for
intellectual development.
342
Translation: advantages & disadvantages
Positive impact
 Benefiting from human knowledge
and experience
Negative impact
 Translation was not confined to
what is useful (pure sciences)
 Extended to theology and
metaphysical issues
344
86
 2/5/2009

 Creating confusion among some

Muslims
2. Islamic sciences
 Led to the creation of an elite group  Established and developed
of philosophers who were fascinated solely by Muslims
with Greek philosophy and to some
extent deviated from the right
principles of Islam
 Tension between this elite group and
religious scholars

345 346

Major Areas of Contribution

The Contribution of 1. The adoption and development of the
Muslim Scholars scientific/ inductive method
2. Development of different fields of
(Natural Sciences) science + inventions
3. Transfer of the intellectual heritage of
the ancient civilizations to the modern
civilization

347 348

87

1- Al-Khawarizmi
 Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Musa Al-
Khawarizmi. (780-850 CE) his birthplace is
Khwarizm (modern name: Khiva) south of
the Aral Sea.
 Al-Khawarizmi was a mathematician,
astronomer and geographer. He was the
founder of several branches and basic
concepts of mathematics.
349
 He is the founder of Algebra (al-Jabr)
 In Arabic, the full expression was ‚Ilm
aljabr wa al-Muqabalah ‛ (the science
of reunion and equations) and Algorithm
(the old name for arithmetic)
 These terms are derived from the title of
his work, HisabAl-Jabr wal al-
Muqabalah (Book of Calculations,
Restoration and Reduction).
351
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 He influenced mathematical
thought to a greater extent than
any other mediaeval writer."
(Phillip Hitti).
350
 His work on algebra was outstanding, as
he not only initiated the subject in a
systematic form but he also developed it
to the extent of giving analytical
solutions of linear and quadratic
equations, which established him as the
founder of Algebra.
 He also gives geometrical solutions
(with figures) of quadratic equations, for
example x2 + 1Ox = 39, an equation
often repeated by later writers.
352
88

 In the twelfth century Gerard of
Cremona and Roberts of Chester
translated the ‘Algebra‛ of Al-
Khawarizmi into Latin.
 Mathematicians used it all over
the world until the sixteenth
century.
353
 He explained the use of zero, a
numeral of fundamental
importance developed by the
Muslims.
 He developed at length several
arithmetical procedures, including
the decimal system and operations
on fractions.
355
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Algorithm = Arithmetic
His arithmetic synthesized
Greek and Hindu knowledge
and also contained his own
contribution of fundamental
importance to mathematics
and science.
354
 He introduced the Indian system of
numerals (now generally known as
Arabic numerals) which was later
passed to Europe.
 He wrote many books on arithmetic,
among them: Kitab al-Jam’a wa al-
Tafriq bi al-Hisab al-Hind, which was
translated to and preserved in Latin
language (the Arabic version was lost)
356
89

 A Latin translation of a Muslim
arithmetic text was discovered in 1857
CE at the University of Cambridge
library.
 Entitled 'Algoritimi de Numero
Indorum‫’آ‬, which is believed to be a copy
of Al-Khawarizmi‫’آ‬s arithmetic text,
which was translated into Latin in the
twelfth century by Adelard of Bath (an
English scholar).
357
 He worked on measuring the
volume and circumference (the
line that goes around the earth) of
the earth (this measurement was
ordered by Al-Ma’mun)
359
2/5/2009
Geography
 He revised and corrected Ptolemy's
views
 He produced the first map of the known
world in 830 CE.
 His geography captioned Kitab Surat al-
Ard,(The Face of the Earth) together with
its maps, was translated to Latin
language.
358
Geometry
 He had many contributions to geometry
including:
 His astronomical and trigonometric tables,
revised by Maslama Al-Majrti (Second half
of tenth century), were translated into Latin
as early as l126 by Adelard of Bath.
 They were the first Muslim tables and
contained not simply the sine function but
also the tangent (Maslama's interpolation).
360
90

 He also perfected the geometric
representation of conic sections and
developed the calculus of two errors,
which practically led him to the concept
of differentiation.
Mechanics
 He contributed to work related to
clocks, sundials (an ancient device for
telling the time when the sun is shining)
and astrolabes.
361
Works:
 1- Kitab al-Mansuri, which was translated
into Latin in the 15th century A.D.,
comprised ten volumes and dealt
exhaustively with Greco-Muslim
medicine. Some of its volumes were
published separately in Europe.
 2-Kitab al-Judari wa al-Hasabah was the
first treatise on smallpox and chicken-pox,
and is largely based on Razi's original
contribution.
363
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2. Al-Razi
 Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Zakariyya
(Rhazes)(ca.250/854-313/925 or 323/935),
in Rayy, Iran.
 Physician, philosopher and alchemist.
 He was first placed in-charge of the first
Royal Hospital at Rayy, from where he soon
moved to a similar position in Baghdad
where he remained the head of its famous
Muqtadari Hospital for along time.
362
 He was the first to draw clear
comparisons between smallpox and
chicken-pox.
 This book was the first book on
smallpox, and was translated over a
dozen times into Latin and other
European languages.
3. Kitab al-Hasa fi al-kula wa 'l-mathana
(Stones in the kidney and bladder) is one
of the most famous of his medical
writings.
364
91

4. Al-Hawi was the largest medical
encyclopaedia composed by then.
 It contained on each medical subject all
important information that was
available from Greek and Muslim
sources,
 and this was concluded by him by
giving his own remarks based on his
experience and views.
365
Medical research:
 His medical research was highly
methodical, as revealed in his
notebooks.
 His medical methods were
characterized by lack of
dogmatism and total reliance on
clinical observation.
367
2/5/2009
Medical system:
 A special feature of his medical
system was that he greatly
favoured cure through correct and
regulated food.
 This was combined with his
emphasis on the influence of
psychological factors on health.
366
 He also tried to test medicines first
on animals in order to evaluate
their effects and side effects.
 He was also an expert surgeon and
was the first to use opium for
anesthesia.
368
92

 He had an independent mind and that was
strikingly revealed in his book al-Shukuk 'ala
Jalinus (Doubts about Galen).
 Here al-Razi rejects claims of Galen's, from
the alleged superiority of the Greek language
to many of his cosmological and medical
views.
 In his criticism of Galen’s medical views, he
used to rely on his experimentation and
clinical records
369
 But the bulk of his work lies in
mathematics and related disciplines (96
titles). Only 22 works have survived;
and only 13 of these have been
published.
 His ‘Al-Qanun al-Mas’udi’ is a most
extensive astronomical encyclopaedia,
slightly short of 1,500 pages.
371
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3. Al-Biruni
 Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Abul-Rayhan
Al-Biruni (973-1050AD), from Haran,
Syria.
 His production exceeds 146 titles in
more than 20 different disciplines,
ranging from astronomy to
mathematics, mathematical geography,
religion, and philosophy.
370
In it:
 he determines the motion of the solar
apogee (the point in the orbit of the sun
in space when it is furthest from the
earth),
 he corrects Ptolemy's findings,
 he was able to state for the first time that
the motion is not identical to that of
precession, but comes very close to it.
372
93
 2/5/2009

he employed mathematical
 Six hundred years before Galileo, Al-
techniques unknown to his
Biruni discussed the theory of the
predecessors that involve analysis earth rotating about its own axis.
of instantaneous motion and
 Using the astrolabe and the presence
acceleration, described in
of a mountain near a sea or flat plain,
terminology that can best be
he calculated the earth circumference
understood if we assume that he
by solving a highly complex geodesic
had "mathematical functions" in
equation.
mind.

373 374

 His book ‘Tahdid’ (the demarcation of the 4. Al-Kindi (Al-Kindus)

coordinates of cities) was written so as to
determine the Qibla.
 Abu Yusuf Ya‫’آ‬qub ibn Ishaq was born
 He determined the local meridian (one of the
lines that is drawn from the North Pole to the
in 801 in Kufah, Iraq.
South Pole) and the coordinates of any locality.  Al-Kindi was best known as a
 With the aid of mathematics, he also enabled philosopher, but he was also a
the direction of the Qibla to be determined physician, pharmacist and he has some
from anywhere in the world.
contributions to physics, mathematics,
geography, astronomy, and chemistry.

375 376

94

 He learned Greek and Syriac languages.
He was proficient in the arts of the
Greeks, Persians and Hindus.
 He was employed as a calligrapher as
he was well known for his beautiful
calligraphy.
 al-Ma'mun (813-833) appointed him as
a researcher and translator in the House
of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikmah), Baghdad.
377
 His other philosophy works include
Rasa’il al-Kindi al-falsafiyya
(Philosophical Treatises of al-Kindi),
 Fi al-falsafa al-ula (On First
Philosophy), Fi wahdaniyat Allah wa
tanahiy jism al-‘alam (On the
Oneness of God and the Limitation of
the Body of the World),
379
2/5/2009
 He was one of the first Muslim
scholars involved in translating and
commenting on Greek philosophical
manuscripts.
 He first wrote treatise in epistemology
and logic books such as Risalah fi
Hudud al-Ashya’ wa Rusumiha (On the
Definitions of Things and their
Descriptions).
378
 Fi kammiyat kutub Aristutalis wa
ma yuhtaju ilaihi fi tahsil al-
falsafa (The Quantity of
Aristotle‫’آ‬s Books and What is
Required for the Acquisition of
Philosophy) and
 Fi al-hila li-daf‘ al-ahzan (On the
Art of Averting Sorrows).
380
95

 Although al-Kindi was
influenced by the work of
Aristotle (384-322 BC), he tried
to put the Greek’s ideas in a new
context and to lay down the
foundations of a new philosophy.
381
 He contributed 11 works to arithmetic.
In these works he wrote on Indian
numbers, the harmony of numbers,
lines and multiplication with numbers,
relative quantities, measuring
proportion and time, and numerical
procedures and cancellation.
 He made rich contributions to the
Arabic system of numerals, which was
largely developed by al-Khawarizmi.
383
2/5/2009
 He first elaborated a system of
thought based on the logic of
Greek philosophy, hence
developed logic and systematic
explanations for some of the
debated theological issues of his
time, such as creation,
immortality, God's knowledge,
and prophecy.
382
 He contributed also to medicine. He
produced 22 publications on medical topics.
One of his major contributions in medicine
and pharmaceutics is to determine and apply
a correct dosage, which formed the bases
medical formulary.
 Several of his books were translated into
Latin and was known as.
 His thoughts very much influenced medieval
Europe.
384
96

5. Al-Zahrawi (Albucasis)
 Abu-Qasim Khalaf ibn Abbas.
 He was born in al-Zahra near Cordoba in
936AD, and died in 1013 AD.
 He was one of the greatest surgeons of his
time.
 His encyclopaedia of surgery was used as
standard reference work in the subject in all
the universities of Europe for over five
hundred years.
385
 This encyclopaedia was intended for
medical students and the practising
physician, for whom it was a ready and
useful companion in a multitude of
situations since it answers all kinds of
clinical problems.
 It contained the earliest picture of
surgical instruments in history, about
200 instruments are described and
illustrated.
387
2/5/2009
 His outstanding contribution in
medicine is his encyclopaedic work
'at-Tasrif li-man ajiza an Al-talif' in
thirty treatise.
 His at-Tasrif, completed about 1000
AD, was the result of almost fifty
years of medical education and
experience.
386
 In places the use of instrument i.e. the
surgical procedure itself is shown.
 In discourse l and 2, al-Zahrawi
classified 325 diseases and discussed
their symptomatology and treatment.
 In page 145, he described, for the first
time, in medical history, a hemorrhagic
disease transmitted by unaffected
women to their male children; today we
call it hemophilia.
388
97

 These two volumes were translated
into Latin and printed in Augsburg
in 1519.
 Volume 28 is on pharmacy and was
translated into Latin as early as
1288 as "Liber Servitoris".
 Volume 30, on surgery, became the
most famous and had by far the
widest and the greatest influence.
389
 He developed all aspects of
surgery and various branches;
ophthalmology diseases of the ear,
nose, and throat, and of the head
and neck, general surgery,
obstetrics, gynecology; military
medicine, urology, and orthopedic
surgery.
391
2/5/2009
 The 300 pages of this volume
represent the first book of this size
devoted solely to surgery, which at
that time also included dentistry
and what one may term surgical
dermatology.
390
 It was translated into Latin by Gerard
Cremona (1114-1187) it went into at
least ten Latin editions between 1497
and 1544.
 The last edition was that of John
Channing in Oxford (I778) this
contains both the original Arabic text
and its Latin translation on alternate
pages.
392
98

 Almost all European authors of
surgical texts from 12th to the
16th centuries referred to al-
Zahrawi's surgery and copied
from him
393
Abu Ali Al-Hassan ibn Abdullah ibn
Sina (981-1037)
 Was born in Asfahan near Bukhara (Central
Asia)
 By the age of ten he had become well versed
in the study of the Holy Qur‟an and basic
sciences.
 Known in the West by the name Avicenna.
 Was the most famous physician, philosopher,
encyclopedist, mathematician, and
astronomer of his time.
395
2/5/2009
Human Sciences &
Law and
Jurisprudence
394
 At the age of seventeen he was successful in
curing Nooh ibn Mansor, the king of Bukhara,
of an illness in which all the well-known
physicians had given up hope.
 On his recovery the king wished to reward him
but the young physician only desired
permission to use his uniquely stocked library.
 He traveled to Jurjan after his father‟s death
where he met his famous contemporary Abu
Raihan al-Biruni
396
99

 His major contribution to medical
science is his famous book known as al-
Qanun fi al-Tibb; which is known as
Canon in the West. In this book he
reviewed the medical knowledge
available from ancient and Muslim
sources and he also made many original
contributions.
397
 He was the first to describe meningitis and
made rich contributions to anatomy,
gynecology and child health.
 Ibn al-Sina was the first scientist to describe
the minute and graphic description of different
parts of the eye, such as conductive sciera,
cornea, choroid, iris, retina, layer lens,
aqueous humour, optic nerve and optic
chiasma.
399
2/5/2009
 The Qanun deals with general medicines,
drugs (seven hundred and sixty), diseases
affecting all parts of the body from head to
foot, especially pathology and
pharmacopoeia.
 His book was recognized as the most
authentic materia medica.
 Among his original contributions are such
advances as recognition of the contagious
nature of phthisis and tuberculosis,
distribution of diseases by water and soil, and
interaction between psychology and health.
398
 Ibn Sina condemned conjectures and
presumptions in anatomy and called upon
physicians and surgeons to base their
knowledge on a close study of human body.
 He observed that Aorta at its origin contains
three valves which open when the blood
rushes into it from the heart during contraction
and closes during relaxation of the heart so
that the blood may not be poured back into
the heart.
400
100
 2/5/2009

Evolution of
 Dr William Osler, author of the Human Sciences:
Modern Science, writes, “The Qanun has
remained a medical bible for a longer period  Philosophy
than any other book.”
 Theology
 Ibn Sina also wrote Kitab al-Shifa (Book of
Healing), known in its Latin translation as  Sociology
„Sanatio‟. It is a philosophical encyclopedia
covering a vast area of knowledge from
philosophy to science.

401 402

 The role of great Muslim Thinkers in the Ibn Rushd

field of ‘aqidah and tasawwuf to the
growth of knowledge and priceless
contribution to the process of learning in
the history of Islamic culture and
civilization.
 To name but a few, al-Ghazzali, al-
Ash’ari, al-Maturidiyy, al-Baqillani, al-
Shahrastani, Ibn al-’Arabiyy, al-Qusyairi,
ect
 Abul Walid Mohammad Ibn Rushd (known as
Averroes)
 He was a physician and philosopher, jurist
 He wrote a 7-volume medical encyclopedia,
Kitab al-Kulliyat fi al-Tibb (Latin name
Colliget, a corruption of the word kulliyat=
generalities), used at European universities
until the eighteenth century.

403 404

101

 Ibn Rushd's philosophy was an
attempt to synthesize Islamic faith
and reason in light of the available
Greek heritage.
 He asserted the "primacy of reason",
or a purely philosophical rationalism
 For him, the primacy of reason is
unquestioned but compatible with
Islamic faith.
405
 European philosophers discovered
Aristotle through Ibn Rushd's writings
and commentaries on Aristotle’s works.
And he used to be called "the Great
Commentator.‚
 His commentaries on Aristotle were
translated into Latin and Hebrew, and
soon became a part of the curriculum at
different European universities and
institutions of learning.
407
2/5/2009
 His contribution to philosophy was
more significant to Europe than to the
Muslim world.
 His contribution to Europe was in two
major areas:
i. transfer and commentary on
Aristotle’s philosophy
ii. spreading rationalism
406
Rationalism:
 He was regarded as the herald of rationalism
long before the Renaissance (Gilson)
 Later, his works became the ruling mode of
social thought in the West. And scholars of
medieval Europe were provoked and
inspired by those writings.
 A dominant and influential school of
philosophical thought emerged under his
name (Averroism)
408
102

 From the end of the twelfth century to the end
of the sixteenth century Averroism remained
the dominant school of thought,
 The results were the Renaissance in the
thirteenth century and the Protestant
Reformation in the sixteenth century.
 His singular influence in stimulating the
Western Renaissance is acknowledged "as the
landmark in the history of Western
civilization" (Gilson, 1938, 30).
409
His Studies:
 His father, however, avoided politics and
devoted his time to study jurisprudence,
philosophy and poetry and excelled in all
these branches of knowledge.
 Unlike his father, Ibn khaldun was
engaged in both learning and politics.
411
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Ibn Khaldun (1332-1395C.E)
 Full name, Abd al-Rahman bin
Muhammad.
 Born in Tunisia in 732 A.H (1332 C.E), in
an influential and learned family.
 Many of his ancestors had held high
posts in the Tunis government.
410
 His close friend and associate, Ibn
Khattab, described him as “a virtuous
man, good natured, shy, opposed to
oppression, difficult to handle, well-
informed on intellectual and traditional
science, wise of judgment and knowing
a lot of things by heart.”
412
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 Ibn Khaldun made great intellectual
contributions in many areas of learning. He is
internationally recognized as the founder and
father of sociology, father of philosophy,
historian of civilization, and the father of the
economic science.
 He is best known for his famous Muqaddimah
(prolegomena) which is a masterpiece in
literature on philosophy of history and
sociology.
413
 He identified an almost rhythmic repetition of
the rise and fall in human civilization, and
analyzed factors contributing to it.
 His views attracted the attention of Muslim
scholars as well as many Western thinkers.
 He pioneered the critical study of history.
 He provided an analytical study of human
civilization, its beginning, factors contributing
to its development and the causes of decline.
415
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 The main theme of Muqaddimah was to
identify psychological, economic,
environmental and social facts that contribute
to the advancement of human civilization and
the currents of history.
 He analyzed the dynamics of group
relationships and showed how group feelings,
al-„Asabiyyah, produce the ascent of a new
civilization and political power.
414
 Thus, he found a new science: the science of
social development or sociology, as it is called
today.
 He wrote: “I have written on history a book in
which I discussed the causes and effects of
the development of states and civilizations,
and I followed in arranging the material of the
book an unfamiliar method, and I followed in
writing it a strange and innovative way.”
416
104

 Thus, by selecting his particular method of
analysis, he created two new sciences:
Historiography and Sociology simultaneously.
 He saw reason as a necessity in judging
history and social events.
 He pointed out that injustice, despotism and
tyranny are the clear signs of the downfall of
the state.
417
 He pointed out that true progress and
development comes through correct
understanding of history, and correct
understanding of which can only be achieved
by observing the following three main points:
 1) A historian should not be in any way
prejudiced for or against any one or any idea;
 2) He needs to conform and scrutinize the
reported information; and
419
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 He remarked that historians have committed
errors in their study of historical events, due to
three major factors:
 1) Their ignorance of the natures of civilization
and people;
 2) Their bias and prejudice; and
 3) Their blind acceptance of reports given by
others.
418
 3) He should not limit history to the study of
political and military news or to news about
rulers and states. For history should include
the study of all social, religious and economic
conditions.
420
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Law and Jurisprudence
 The five major schools of legal
thought
 The impact of Muslim
jurisprudence on European civil
law.
421
 Although he is the author of numerous books,
his most important work is the Kitab al-
Muwatta, which deals with the subject of
Islamic Law based on Ahadith and Sunnah. It
is the earliest surviving book of its kind -
written around 150 A.H.
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IMAM MALIK (93 AH - 179 AH/715 - 795 AD)
 He spent the whole of his life in Madinah
where much of the Qur‟an was revealed and
most of the legal practices of Islam
established.
 He spent his life studying, recording and
clarifying the legal parameters and precedents
which was passed down to him by the first two
generations of Muslims who were the direct
inheritors of the perfected form of Islam left by
the Prophet (saw).
422
 Ibn Abd al-Barr said that Malik was the first
who compiled a book formed exclusively of
sound narrations.
 Abu Bakr ibn al-„Arabi said: “The Muwatta‟ is
the first foundation and the core, while al-
Bukhari‟s book is the second foundation in
this respect. Upon these two all the rest have
built, such as Muslim and al-Tirmidhi.”
424
106

 Shah Wali Allah said something similar and
added that it is the principal authority of all
four Schools of Law, which stand in relation to
it like the commentary stands in relation to the
main text. Malik composed it in the course of
forty years, having started with ten thousand
narrations until he reduced them to their
present number of under 2,000.
425
IMAM ABU HANEEFA (80 AH - 150
A.H. 699 AD - 767 AD)
 It is said that Abu Hanifah was extremely
pious, avoided forbidden things, remained
silent and absorbed in his thoughts most of
the time, and answered a question only if he
knew the answer. He was very generous and
self-respecting, never asked a favour of
anybody, shunned the company of the
worldly-minded and held worldly power and
position in contempt. He avoided slander and
only talked well of people.
 Despite the fact that Abu Hanifa‟s school of
thought is the last to emerge, it is the most
widely followed. 427
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 Imam Malik held the hadith of the Prophet in
such reverence that he never narrated
anything nor gave a fatwa unless in a state of
ritual purity.
426
 He was a man of profound learning and
was as generous with his knowledge as
with his money.
 Despite his wealth and high position in
society, the Imam was extremely gentle
and polite.
 He was a man of few words and never took
part in idle talk. In his classroom he would
sit quietly, letting his pupils freely debate
among themselves, and would speak only
when the discussion had become long and
drawn-out without any conclusion being
reached. He would then give his decision,
which would satisfy all present.
428
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IMAM SHAFI‘I (150 AH - 204

A.H/767 - 820 AD)
 He left behind him three works namely (1)
„Fiqh-i-Akbar‟, (2) „Al Alim Wal Mutaam‟ and
 Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Idris al-Shafi„i
(3) „Musnad‟.
was a descendant from the Quraysh tribe, and
thus, he is the only Imam who is related to the
Prophet (saw).
The most important of books is the Kitab al-
Umm which contains his rulings of on almost
all subjects of Islamic Law.

429 430

 He is known as 'Nasir al Sunnah„ (one who (al-

 He is said to have divided innovation
saved the sunnah). bid„ah) into good and bad on the basis of
 He was honoured as al-Imam al Mujaddid in
that he is the Mujaddid of the 2nd century. „Umar‟s words about the tarawih or
 He was a student of Imam Malik with whom
congregational supererogatory night prayers
he spent eight months. in the month of Ramadan: “What a fine
 Imam Malik made this comment: “No scholar innovation this is!”
more brilliant than Muhammad ibn Idris al-
Shafi„i ever came to me as a pupil.”

431 432

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 Among his sayings is: “The study of hadith is
better than supererogatory prayer, and the
pursuit of knowledge is better than
supererogatory prayer.”
433
IMAM AHMAD IBN HANBAL (164
AH - 241/780 AD. 855 AD)
 Chronologically, he was the last of the four
imams.
 He was a very pious scholar who devoted all
his life in the Science of Ahadith and Fiqh.
 It is said that he learnt almost a million
Ahadith by heart.
435
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 Being a prominent figure, his lectures
attracted a huge gathering of at least 5,000
students among whom nearly 500 took down
notes daily. Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim, and
Imam Tirmizi were also amongst his
noteworthy students.
434
 Harmala said: “I heard al-Shafi`i say: „I left
Baghdad and did not leave behind me anyone
more virtuous (afdhal), more learned, more
knowledgeable than Ahmad ibn Hanbal.‟”
436
109
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 He was probably the most learned in the Challenges Confronting

sciences of hadith of the four great Imams of
Sacred Law, and his students included many Muslims Globally
of the foremost scholars of hadith. Abu Dawud
said of him: „Ahmad‟s gatherings were
gatherings of the afterlife: nothing of this world
 Challenges of Modern Science and Technology
was mentioned. Never once did I hear him
and the Muslim Responses
mention this-worldly things.‟ ... He never once
missed praying in the night, and used to recite  Challenges of reinvention of Islamic civilization
the entire [Qur‟an] daily.

437 438

The challenge of modern Positive Aspects of Western Civilization

science and technology
 Pure sciences and technology in
themselves can be neutral
 But since they are the outcome of
human endeavor, and since human
endeavor cannot be separated from
human values, science and technology
will be always value-laden.
439
 Contributed modern technology that
enable people to achieve great
scientific development at all domains
such as in communication and
transportation
 Introduced good management in
perfecting one’s work
440

110

 Respects human dignity and
concerned with freedom and
human rights
 Exchange of power by democratic
means
 Provides with high quality products
 Introduced computers that eased
complicated tasks
441
 Creation and use of weapons of
mass destruction
 Pollution of clean water, air and
contamination of land by toxic
substances
 Neglecting principle aims of
human life in this world
443
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Negative Aspects of contemporary
Western Civilization
 Breaking up all moral values of Divine
guidance
 Unimportance of family structure
whereby free sexual relations, breaking
of noble human feelings by drying its
sources and drying up the noble
emotions between husband, wife and
children
442
 Modern science and technology is
the product of the West and as a
result is Western oriented/ carries
their thoughts and values.
What needs to be done?
 To develop an Islamic
methodology of scientific research
444
111

 To islamize the existing science and
put them in an Islamic context.
 To produce Muslim minds who will
be able to produce sciences and
technology which may serve
Islamic values and Muslim
interests.
445
Islam Hadari:
Its Role in Reviving
Islamic Civilization
447
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 Brain drain in the Muslim world
- Political instability
- Lack of incentives and facilities
- Bad living conditions
 Sponsorship/Government sponsorship:
- lack of funds,
- unconvinced of the merit of
scientific research
 Joint ventures (OIC, Arab league, regional
groups …etc.)
446
 Historical Background:
 Islam Hadari was publicized nation-wide
for the first time in the 2004 Manifesto
of the National Front for the tenth
General Election held in March 2004.
 Dato’ Seri Abdullah Badawi, as the fifth
Prime Minister of Malaysia, made Islam
Hadari a new policy of his government
448
112

 Literal meaning: the term ‘ Hadari
hadhari’ means ‘civilizational’; thus
‘Islam Hadari’ means ‘civilizational
Islam’. In Arabic, it is termed as ‘al-
Islam Hadari’
 Definition:
 ‚A comprehensive approach for the
development of mankind, society and
country based on the perspective of
Islamic civilization.‛
449
 Islam Hadari is not a new religion.
It is not a new teaching nor is it a
new mazhab (denomination).
 Islam Hadari is an effort to bring the
Ummah back to basics, back to the
Fundamentals, as prescribed in the
Qur’an and the Hadith that form the
foundation of Islamic civilization.
451
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 Islam Hadari is an approach that
emphasizes development, consistent
with the tenets of Islam and focused
on enhancing the quality of life.
 It aims to achieve this via the mastery
of knowledge and the development of
the individual and the nation;
450
Vision:
 To make Malaysia a model Islamic
country, that is, an advanced nation
based on its own indigenous matrix.
Mission:
 To implement the development agenda
of the country and human based on an
Islamic approach which is universal,
advanced, civilized, tolerant and
balanced.
452
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Principles of Islam Hadari
1. Faith in and piety towards Allah
2. A just and trustworthy
government
3. Free and independent People
4. Mastery of knowledge
5. Balanced and comprehensive
economic development
453
Development & Implementation
of Islam Hadari
Obstacles:
Poverty and illiteracy
 Both are considered as the biggest
threat to Muslim societies today.
 Both poverty and illiteracy may
lead to underdevelopment of the
country
455
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6. A good quality of life
7. Protection of the rights of
minority groups and women
8. Cultural and moral integrity
9. Safeguarding of the environment
10. Strong defence capacities
454
Secular Vs Religious knowledge
 It is not a secular approach as
claimed by some people
 It is an approach toward
regeneration and renewal of
society and civilization of the 21st
century in accordance with the
noble values and injunctions of
Islam.
456
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Radicalism and Extremism

 9/11 incident
Inconsistencies and confusions
 From there onwards Muslims have  Lack of advertising made by
been labeled as terrorists. the higher authority.
 Some non- Muslims argue that such  Mindset of people.
guidelines will affect them adversely.
 Solutions: seminars/forums to
be organized.

457 458

Prospects
Development
 balanced development - cultural and religious Knowledge
diversity will be protected based on a value and
 acquiring knowledge is compulsory and an act
moral system
of ibadah
 internalization of high moral values - ensure
 Islam Hadari encourages learning from others
prosperity, harmony and peace in multiracial
society  Prophet Muhammad said ‚Go forth and seek
knowledge even if you have to travel to China
 cultural integration must be consistent with the
noble values of Islam

459 460

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Wealth
 wealth must be acquired in halal way
 society must be bold and independent in
acquiring wealth
 Surah al-Qasas (77)
‚ Life in hereafter depends on the ability of
individual to achieve good life in all aspects ”
spiritual, physical & material‛
461
STRATEGIES
To expend Islam Hadari into the
building of civilization
 Islamic countries should enhance
and develop their institutions of
knowledge at all levels.
 People should be more open-
minded and forward looking.
463
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Health
 Sick and physically weak - unable to carry out
religious duties and responsibilities
 good health ” society with free spirit will
produce positively
 Prophet Muhammad s.a.w has said ‚The
mu’mins who are strong are better and loved by
Allah than those who are weak‛
462
 To work towards
reducing/eliminating poverty
 To increase economic resources and
financial assets.
 To improve the living standards of
people
 To make a continuous effort towards
the physical and spiritual
development of the human beings.
464
116

 To hold religious and civilizational
dialogues
 To expand Islam Hadari that
reflects intellectuality, humanity,
tolerance and critical thinking.
 To persuade our non-Muslim
colleagues not to be prejudiced
against Muslims
465
 To remove Islamophobia from
non-Muslims
 To urge International community
to stop actions that lead to the
perpetuation of injustices against
Muslim countries and the Muslim
Ummah
467
2/5/2009
 To protect the political institution and keep the
country in peace
 To help preparing Muslims in facing global
challenges
 To have long term plans & programs for
instilling responsibility towards the defense and
dignity of the nation, country and individual
466
 Government to cooperate with
nations in the region and Islamic
nations all over the world
 Defending the country from
internal and external aggression
468
117