Editorial

Abstract

In keeping with our tradition, this issue starts with the Guiding Light contributed by Dr. ‘AbdulHamid AbuSulayman, Rector of the International Islamic University in Malaysia. We reflect on the direction we have taken with an English rendering of Taha Jabir Al ‘Alwani’s paper which was presented as a keynote address at the Fourth International Seminar on Islamic Thought at Khartoum, Sudan. Al ‘Alwani defines thought here as the product of all sources of knowledge, of education, experience, ability and social concepts and trends. In the case of Muslims it is formulated both by Revelation and by man’s inherent intellectual capacity. He discusses a balanced approach to the role of reason and revelation during the earlier generations of Muslims. He shows how deviations have led to laziness, indifference and apathy. The social sciences and humanities in the disciplines of psychology, sociology, education, economics, politics, media and others, he writes, shape the contemporary man. All these reflect the Western mind. The role of Islamic universities is to enhance the Muslim commitment to give Islamic character to the methodologies, principles, results and aims of social sciences. In his paper, Al ‘Awani pleads for a complete revision of “Shari’ah studies: its methods and materials, and the orientation of researchers and teachers. He argues for adding humanities and social sciences to the syllabus of the fuqaha’ to enable them to understand various aspects of life so they may interact with it. Al ‘Alwani also summarizes the achievements of the first three international conferences on Islamic thought organized by the Institute. From thought we proceed to an issue of economics. A.H. M. Sadeq deals with the importance of mobilization of resources for economic or noneconomic development. The economic development in particular requires investible sources for capital formation and for acquiring all other factors of production. He shows how the Islamic code of life provides an enormous incentive and a favorable framework for efficient mobilization and utilization of resources, both material and human. The Islamic way of living has great potential for savings and an efficient institutional setting for their mobilization and utilization. Sadeq cautions the Muslim countries that in accepting investible resources from external sources Muslim countries should direct carelid study to its sociocultural and politicoeconomic implications. The best choice of action, he suggests, is for Muslim countries to cooperate among themselves for resource use ...