Conference, Symposium, and Panel Reports 157 The Second International Conference on Contemporary Scholarship on Islam: The Legacy of Ismail Raji al-Faruqi The International Islamic University, Malaysia’s (IIUM) Department of Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion, along with the Kulliyyah of Islamic Re- vealed Knowledge and Human Science (IRKHS), organized an international conference to analyze the work of Ismail Raji al-Faruqi, a leading twentieth- century thinker who had had a significant impact on Islamic thought and com- parative religion. Held at IIUM’s Senate Hall on October 22-23, 2013, in collaboration with Kolej Universiti Islam Sultan Azlan Shah (KUISAS), par- ticipants discussed the legacy of this influential scholar, who is best known for his pioneering work in the Islamization of Knowledge movement. One of his books, Al Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life (Herndon, VA: IIIT, 1992) has attracted the attention of scholars and been introduced into various university courses worldwide as an important resource book. The main theme was “Infusing the Creativity and Excellence of al-Faruqi’s Scholarship into Contemporary Islamic Thought.” The seventy-five accepted papers were divided into five sub-themes: tawḥīd, the Islamization of Knowl- edge, Islamic civilization, Islamic thought, and comparative religion. The or- ganizers invited scholars to (1) study and examine the relevance of al-Faruqi’s thought, (2) examine his vision and mission in various areas of Islamic thought, (3) regenerate the tradition of Islamic scholarship in academic disciplines, (4) enhance the intellectual understanding of Islam’s tawhidic worldview, and (5) develop a comparative approach to the study of Islamic thought in relation to modernity. This unique event enabled scholars, intellectuals, and academicians to meet and deliberate on al-Faruqi’s intellectual and scholarly output. This event began with three inaugural speeches. Zambry Bin Abdul Kadir (chief minister, State of Perak) pointed out that only intellectual and moral de- velopment can cause human civilization to reach its zenith. In the case of Is- lamic civilization, this development was achieved by grounding the civilization on the core values of research, criticism, and creativity. He stated that al-Faruqi dedicated his life to calling upon Muslims to revive that sprit. Ibrahim M. Zein (dean, IRKHS) highlighted the conference’s importance and expressed his hope that it would be a resounding success. Mohamed Ridza Wahiddin (deputy rec- tor, Research and Innovation, IIUM) called for excellence and innovation in contemporary Muslim scholarship and emphasized that tawḥīd and the tawhidic worldview must be the base of Islamic discourse. He further remarked ajiss31-3_ajiss 5/28/2014 1:24 PM Page 157 the just as al-Faruqi claimed, a deep understanding of kalimat al-tawḥīd in the contemporary context can engender an exemplary Muslim unity and lead hu- manity at large to success, for it is the “foundation of everything.” These speeches were followed by three keynote addresses. Kamal Hassan relayed al-Faruqi’s worldview: Tawḥīd as the principle of knowledge is the recognition that Allah, the Truth (al-Ḥaqq) is, that the truth is indeed knowable, and skepticism which denies this truth is the opposite of tawḥīd. Īmān, therefore, is not just an ethical cat- egory, but is firstly a cognitive category. The unity of God implies the unity of truth. The usual translation of lā ilāha illā Allāh is “There is no God but God” could be better translated as “There is no object of worship other than the One True God.” The unity of truth also means the unity and harmony of the two sources of truth: revelation and reason. The capability to know the truth is made possible by the fiṭrah is inherent in all human beings. Anis Ahmad, a former student of al-Faruqi, spoke on his teacher’s life and thought, both of which stressed the importance of adopting a universal ap- proach to the issues of the ummah and of humanity in general. Malik Badri discussed al-Faruqi’s intellectual development. According to him, al-Faruqi went through several stages before submitting to Islam as the real binding force of the ummah, in which Arabs are no more than a small minority. He recalled an oft- recounted event: Al-Faruqi was a patient at Johns Hopkins Hospital when he told Ilyas Ba-Yunus: “Until a few months ago, I was a Palestinian, an Arab, and a Muslim. Now, I am a Muslim who happens to be an Arab from Palestine.” Ba-Yunus attributed this dramatic change to the latter’s interest in Islamic spirituality, which causes all other gods (e.g., nationalism and worldly achievement) to disappear into thin air. In this psychological state, al-Faruqi realized his true relationship with his Creator and submitted to Allah who had, in His wisdom, created him an Arab from Palestine. The following day, a special panel composed of Ibrahim M. Zein (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion, IIUM), Imtiyaz Yousuf (program director, Department of Religion, Assumption University, Bangkok), and Zakyi Ibrahim (associate professor, Department of Comparative Religion, California State University, Fullerton), reflected upon the “Contributions of Ismail Raji al- Faruqi.” Zein spoke on his personal experiences with the late scholar, empha- sizing that he was a colorful man who produced diversified and profound writings. He redefined Islamic studies in the West, and his development of phenomenological methods and meta-religion principles will remain with scholars and academicians for a very long time. Yusuf recounted al-Faruqi’s 158 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 31:3 ajiss31-3_ajiss 5/28/2014 1:24 PM Page 158 efforts in comparative religion and advised participants to keep ideology out of the class room. Ibrahim spoke on al-Faruqi’s involvement with Islamic thought and on various aspects of his life and ideas. After pointing to his re- formative and revivalist efforts, Ibrahim argued for the establishment of more think tanks. Along the same line, Yousuf urged that the student-teacher rela- tionship practiced by al-Faruqi be revived. During the first day’s two parallel sessions, several papers on the confer- ence’s sub-themes were presented: “Tawḥīd in the Discourses of Sayyid Qutb and Ismail Raji al-Faruqi: A Comparative Study,” “Methodological Dimen- sions of Tawḥīd towards Understanding the Essence of Islamic Civilization: The Perspective of Ismail Raji al-Faruqi,” “Dīn al-Fiṭrah (Primordial Reli- gion): Nurturing Inter-Religious Dialogue and beyond in al-Faruqi’s Thought,” and “The Monotheistic Concept of God in Inayat Khan’s and Ismail Raji al-Faruqi’s Ontology.” The speakers talked about tawḥīd as a compre- hensive and all-embracing concept and process that includes sovereignty, guardianship, power, legislation, direction for human life, submission, and devotion to God. Al-Faruqi interpreted tawḥīd as the principles of, among other things, knowledge, ethics, metaphysics, social order, economic order, the principle of political order, history, and the world order. All of the speakers stressed the late scholar’s understanding that tawḥīd needed to be reinstated as the basis of Islamic religiosity and spirituality. Those who addressed the “Islamic Civilization” sub-theme contended that there is an urgent need to bridge misunderstandings between Islam and the West, as well as to study al-Faruqi’s influence on Islamic thought in the West. The “Comparative Religion” sub-theme consisted of such papers as “Is- mail Raji al-Faruqi in the Context of Muslim Scholarship in Comparative Re- ligion,” “Ismail Raji al-Faruqi and His Methods in the Study of Religions,” “Meta-Religion and the Discipline of Comparative Religion,” “Wilfred C. Smith and Ismail R. al-Faruqi on Religion and Religious Experience,” “The Role of Inter-Religious Dialogue in Resolving Religious Conflicts,” and “The Role of Islam in Global Inter-Religious Dependence.” The “Isalmization of Knowledge” sub-theme asserted that scholars must develop theories on vari- ous subjects according to this framework and contended that al-Faruqi’s ide- ological approach to it must be emphasized. In the final session, the conference director thanked the department’s mem- bers for ensuring the event’s success. Thameem Usama (head, Department of Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion, KIRKHS), thanked everyone who had helped to organize the conference. Ibrahim M. Zein (dean, KIRKHS) expressed his gratitude for the members of the organizing committee and the department Conference, Symposium, and Panel Reports 159 ajiss31-3_ajiss 5/28/2014 1:24 PM Page 159 160 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 31:3 for their services and commitment. that was in the resounding success of the conference. Hanapi Hj. Mohd. Nor (associate professor, Department of General Studies, KIRKHS) closed the event with several du‘ahs. The lively question-and-answer sessions saw the airing of important ques- tions and relevant observations. Not only did this event provide a platform to revitalize al-Faruqi’s views and spirit, it also highlighted the need for scholarly contributions to Islamic thought. The well-researched papers, robust discus- sions, and vigorously asserted and defended points of view reflected the event’s overall atmosphere of mutual respect and meaningful dialogue be- tween participants and presenters. Muhammad Mumtaz Ali Department of Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ajiss31-3_ajiss 5/28/2014 1:24 PM Page 160