The Quest for an Islamic Methodology

Abstract

The Islamization of knowledge is one of the dominant themes that continue to preoccupy contemporary Muslim intellectuals. Since Isma'il a1 Fiifiqi presented this thesis little over a decade ago, numerous papers, monographs, and books have been written on the subject. This paper attempts to examine the progress of the project of Islamization in the last decade by outlining the general framework of Islamization and examining the work of its proponents and critics. Modifications aimed at overcoming the difficulties inherent in the original plan are then proposed. I argue that the project of Islamization is still in its premethodological stage. This is due partially to the limitations of the original work plan, which does not take into account some important logistical and psychological factors. I therefore propose a slightly modified strategy in which the emphasis is placed on a critical examination of methock and techniques developed in both the classical Muslim and the modem Westem scientific traditions. Islamization Framework Any study concerned with analyzing writings on methodology in the context of the Islamization of knowledge has to start from the two essays written by al Faruqi (IIIT 1987). In this monograph, he Singled out two factors as being responsible for the present condition of the ummah-conditions he termed the "malaise of the ummah"-namely, the cutrent secular-religious duality of education systems in Muslim societies ...