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Over the past century, some Muslim and non-Muslim thinkers person centred their reformist discussions connected decolonisation. The sheer measurement of books, articles, and seminars connected this taxable has go overwhelming to the constituent of saturation. Muslims entered this statement seeking to recognize however to regain planetary relevance, if not influence. They struggled to pinpoint precisely wherever and however the Muslim docket went disconnected course. The colonisation of Muslim countries became the nearest and astir convenient people to criticise and demonise. As a result, Muslim thinkers of the 20th period were profoundly absorbed successful the process of decolonisation. Analysing the basal causes of our diminution and disintegration is undoubtedly an indispensable measurement towards self-correction and revival. The question, however, is however overmuch advancement person we made arsenic an Ummah by endlessly repeating age-old analyses that permission down lone a bitter aftertaste? Where has each this speech of decolonisation really taken us?
I situation accidental it has led america to prosecute assertive efforts to further secularise Muslim values and beforehand misplaced priorities, specified arsenic pushing for a nation’s introduction into the World Cup, gathering the tallest skyscraper, hosting euphony festivals, spending billions to enlistee the world’s apical shot players, and staging Formula One races. As an afterthought, determination is besides an appreciation for education, often reduced to importing Western universities into the Muslim world. The important publication of Ismail al-Faruqi, a salient Muslim philosopher who championed the conception of the Islamisation of knowledge, defined arsenic the integration of Islamic principles into each fields of learning to realign modern cognition with a monotheistic worldview, has softly faded from focus. It has been progressively overshadowed by an apologetic stance towards liberalism.
In striving to regain planetary standing, we look to person replaced meaningful betterment with superficial displays of progress.
In Western academia, discussions connected decolonisation began with examinations of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s paradox of founding and aboriginal expanded to ideas specified arsenic Frantz Fanon’s mentation of spontaneity, Sukarno’s conception of guided democracy, and Ali Shariati’s paradox of colonisation. With Ismail al-Faruqi’s telephone for the Islamisation of knowledge, Muslims came to recognise that existent self-determination indispensable besides impact a revival of Muslim epistemology. This aligns with the Peruvian student Anibal Quijano’s statement that decolonisation requires a captious situation to Eurocentric power implicit knowledge.
The Eurocentric and Western dominance implicit planetary knowledge, peculiarly successful areas wherever they person small legitimacy to lead, is evident successful galore examples. Curators who oversee immense collections of Muslim manuscripts often assertion the authorization to narrate their past according to their ain interpretations, which often diverge from the perspectives of the archetypal authors and accepted commentators.
As the laminitis and manager of Darul Qasim, an Islamic seminary dedicated to precocious studies successful the classical Islamic sciences, I witnessed this present successful Illinois successful the United States astatine an accumulation of uncommon Qur’anic manuscripts, wherever a non-Muslim pistillate had been appointed to “tell the stories” of the texts. When a pupil from Darul Qasim corrected respective inaccuracies successful her account, her lone reply was a dismissive: “I’m successful complaint here.”
Another illustration involves a student from Darul Qasim who submitted a manuscript connected classical Arabic grammar to a salient Western steadfast who refused to people it, stating: “We cannot judge this enactment arsenic you person not cited immoderate Western sources.” Such incidents item however Western world gatekeeping continues to reenforce Eurocentric power implicit knowledge.
Ismail al-Faruqi sought to rescue Muslim cognition from Western dominance. His imaginativeness was to “Islamicise” cognition by cleansing the sciences of concepts that are fundamentally incompatible with Islam. His theories were grounded successful a monotheistic attack that integrated each sciences with the worldview of the Ummah. The conception gained traction and was promoted by the International Institute of Islamic Thought, a probe organisation founded to beforehand the Islamisation of cognition and embed it wrong world discourse. While al-Faruqi’s telephone to reevaluate our strategy of cognition was undoubtedly a measurement successful the close direction, it does not afloat pb america to the eventual extremity of broad decolonisation.
What is needed is simply a mentation that goes beyond the Islamisation of knowledge. I suggest digging deeper into what scholars telephone the coloniality of knowledge, the persistent dominance of Eurocentric frameworks that proceed to signifier planetary intelligence thought, and advancing a mentation of the desecularisation of knowledge. This requires realigning cognition astatine the level of its epistemology, not simply successful presumption of authorities oregon economics. Muslim scholars indispensable instrumentality connected the task of presenting and representing a coherent and effectual mentation of our epistemology.
In summary, Islamic epistemology recognises 3 superior sources of knowledge: that which comes done the 5 senses, that which is derived from quality intellect, and that which is conveyed done authentic and existent reports, specified arsenic revelation to a Prophet. These 3 encompass each root of cognition known to humankind, with intuition and dreams besides understood arsenic products of the intellect.
Historically, Muslims played a starring relation successful mastering these sources of cognition and disseminating them crossed the world. In Islam, cognition is ne'er separated from Allah, who is the archetypal root of each knowledge. Unlike Western intelligence traditions that sought to abstracted cognition from God successful pursuit of modernity and prosperity, Islam affirms that existent creativity flows from Allah, and that inventions and innovations originate from honouring Allah’s cognition of the world.
Unfortunately, determination is contiguous a heavy hostility successful the Muslim satellite implicit however to separate betwixt Islamic and secular knowledge. Many look to judge that Muslims indispensable acquisition a Western-inspired renaissance to reclaim past glory, doing truthful without respect for the afterlife, oregon akhirah. The occupation is that Muslims bash judge successful the akhirah, and this has created a self-imposed and mendacious dichotomy, calved of misunderstanding Islamic principles, that suggests Muslims indispensable vie with the West portion simultaneously upholding the rules of salvation. This perceived struggle forces an artificial wedge betwixt what is considered Islamic and what is considered secular.
I judge this dichotomy is false, and anyone acquainted with Islamic law, oregon fiqh, would recognise that. Islamic instrumentality governs however Muslims act, react, and interact with the mundane satellite successful ways that person nonstop implications for their afterlife. Human actions successful this satellite person consequences successful the next. While this is not a treatise connected Islamic law, this reflection unsocial should code the doubts of sceptics. Muslims are generous not lone due to the fact that it helps those successful need, but due to the fact that they judge specified acts bring immense reward successful the akhirah. Charity, therefore, is not simply a humanitarian value, but a profoundly spiritual one. Belief successful the akhirah desecularises adjacent the simplest acts of kindness, reaffirming however Islamic thought integrates the worldly and spiritual.
I suggest that Islamic epistemology views each cognition not arsenic secular oregon sacred, but arsenic either beneficial (nafi’) oregon much beneficial (anfa’). Any cognition that benefits an individual, quality oregon non-human, successful this satellite is considered beneficial. The Quran itself provides examples of specified knowledge: Allah taught Nuh (Noah) the trade of gathering an ark from woody planks that withstood a monolithic storm, and taught Dawud (David) the accomplishment of forging armour from iron. In some cases, the cognition is described arsenic coming straight from Allah, and therefore, cannot beryllium considered secular. Building bridges, highways, hospitals, and schools besides falls into this class of beneficial (nafi’) knowledge, arsenic these works service quality payment successful this life.
Knowledge that benefits quality beings successful the akhirah is anfa’, oregon much beneficial. This includes cognition of reciting the Quran, knowing ritual worship, and knowing however to service Allah. Establishing spiritual schools (madrassas), mosques, and zakat foundations, for instance, belongs to this class of anfa’ knowledge.
Muslims bash not request to make a mendacious dichotomy successful knowledge, for tawheed, the oneness of Allah, besides encompasses the unity of knowledge. With this understanding, determination is nary request to desecularise knowledge; rather, we indispensable due it correctly according to its inferior successful this satellite and the next. The cardinal lies successful affirming the beingness of the different world. I situation accidental that, successful an property wherever content successful parallel universes is entertained, beingness beyond this satellite is not arsenic far-fetched arsenic secularists mightiness person america believe.
The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the author’s ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
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