The Islamization Of The Sciences Its Philosophy And Methodology

Abstract

Introduction
The idea of Islamizing the sciences, whether they be natural or social,
raises some philosophical and methodological questions which must, in my
view, be settled before any serious program of Islamization can be carried out.
I shall, in this paper, do no more than give examples of these fundamental
questions, give brief answers to some of them and throw out hints as to
how others can be answered. In doing so I shall do my best to keep as close
as possible to the Qur’an and the Sunnah, but I cannot claim that whatever
answers I give are the Islamic answers to the questions I raise.
Philosophical Questions
What does it mean to Islamize knowledge?
The elucidation of this question and the answer to it are given in the following
imaginary dialogue between a Western philosopher, call him W, and a
Muslim propounder of the Islamization of knowledge, call him M.
W: Is Islam compatible with all forms of truth?
M: Certainly.
W Would you agree that if something is known, then it is true, i.e. that
knowledge implies truth?
M: I agree provided that you make a distinction between knowledge and
claims to knowledge and provided that you agree that there are degrees of truth.
W I accept the qualifications, but if knowledge implies truth, and truth in
all its forms is compatible with Islam, then knowledge in all its forms is Islamic.
But if this is so, what does it mean then to Islamize knowledge? How do you
make something Islamic which is already so? Or is it your intention merely
to give each form of knowledge an Islamic flavour by injecting an ayat here,
imposing a hadith there, making an opening with bismillahi-rrahmani-rrahim
and a closing with alhamdu lillahi rabbi-l'alamin? ...