The Seminar on "The Sunnah and its Methodology for Structuring Knowledge and Civilization"

Abstract

The Seminar on "The Sunnah and its Methodology for Structuring Knowledge and Civilization" was held as the Seventh General Assembly of the Jordanian Royal Academy for Islamic Civilizational Research (The Aal Al-Bayt Foundation), and in coopertion with the IIIT of Washington, D.C. One hundred and twenty six Muslim scholars took part in the Seminar. The Discussions: The Seminar revolved around three axes. The first included an overview of previous Sunnah conferences and seminars. The second encompassed current efforts in compiling and serving the Sunn.ah in the spheres of publication, exacting research, explanation, epitomization; and in whatever pertains to compilation, indexing, and the utilization of computers in classification. The third axis. which included the presentation of nine papers with two commentaries on each, dealt with the main topic of the Seminar, namely, the explication of the Sunnah. the methodology of utilizing it in argumentation, and the precepts and methods involved therein; the means of comprehending it and dealing with it in the past and present; and the refutation of the allegations made against it. The presentations and commentaries spoke of the Sunnah as a source of knowledge, Islamic legislation, and education-emphaS'izing its role in international law and its function in erecting the Ummah's cultural/inteUectual edifice, and civilization. In addition, three reports on the use of computers in the service of the Sunnah were presented at the Seminar. The participants were also informed of the efforts of a number of foundations actively serving the Sunnah in different parts of the world. There were widespread discussions in the Seminar emphasizing the importance of the noble Sunnah, since it is the Qur'an and the Sunnah which constitute the two main sources of Shari'ah. Together, both sources should be adopted as the cornerstone in building contemporary Islamic life, and as a foundation for the Islamization of the Hwnanities and the Social Sciences that would depend on two sources of knowledge: revelation and reason ...