EDITORIAL 

The news of Professor Mahmoud Abu Saud’s death has saddened us 
all. For several decades, he has been a prominent figure in the seminars 
and conferences of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS), 
the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), the Islamic Society 
of North America (ISNA), the American Muslim Council (AMC), and 
other Islamic and interfaith organizations. His passionate commitment to 
the reconstruction of Islamic thought, as well as his tireless involvement 
in writing, lecturing, and touring from country to country and from city 
to city, were a great inspiration to our young scholars. As a learned 
scholar, Social scientist, and, in particular, an economist, friend, and men- 
tor, he will be missed in many forums. He served as a referee for the 
American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (AJISS), and his comments 
were always objective and straightforward. His ideas, ideals, and intel- 
lectual and moral heritage will continue to inspire his friends and 
students. We pray that Almighty Allah will cover him with His mercy 
and also grant us patience and help us to emulate some of his extra- 

The growth and development of M I S S  was one of the aspitations of 
the late Mahmoud Abu Saud. Our constant struggle to enhance the intel- 
lectual content of the journal will be a source of reward to the departed 
soul of that great mujdhid. For verily “we belong to Allah and to Him we 
return.“ 

This issue begins with Mahmoud Dhaouadi’s paper on Islamic 
knowledge and the rise of the new science. In the last few decades, 
Mahmoud Dhaouadi argues, western science has begun to shift from what 
is called classical science to new science. This vision of the emerging 
new science promises to heal the division between matter and spirit and 
to do away with the mechanical dimension of the world. However, the 
process of reconciliation between religion and science in modem western 
culture still faces a great many hurdles. Islam, on the other hand, looks 
at knowledge and science as a continuum whereby divine and human 
knowledge and science both cooperate with and complement each other. 
He gives examples from the practices of classical Muslim scholars, such 
as Ibn Khaldin, who based their research on this approach. Knowledge 

ordinary qualities. 



vi The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 102 

and science are a means of salvation par excellence for human beings. 
These learned scholars then teach people how to overcome their destruc- 
tive tendencies with their strong commitment to serve only the good of 
humanity. 

Karen Harding has submitted for publication the results of an interest- 
ing research she conducted on causality in recent scientific thought. 
During the course of her investigation, she discovered a sharp similarity 
between modem concepts of causality with the thought of al Ghaziili. 
She discusses the assertion of quantum theorists that the physical world 
is actually very different from what we are told by those who adhere to 
the traditional mechanical model. In quantum theory, as well as in al 
Ghaziili’s thought, objects are viewed as having no inherent properties 
and no independent existence. In order for an object to exist, it must be 
brought into being by God (according to al Ghaziili) or by an observer 
(according to the Copenhagen Interpretation). 

M. H. Kamali takes us through the Islamic heritage to explore the 
various meanings of jhzah, its occurrences in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, 
the precedents of the Companions of the Prophet, and in juristic literature. 
He develops the concept of fitnuh and then relates it to the contemporary 
discussion on freedom of expression. He also develops the theme that 
modem interpretations of seditious speech and conduct have done a great 
deal to restrict the scope and substance of freedom of expression. The 
Shari‘ah, on the other hand, demonstrates Kamali, advocates the opposite 
as it confines the scope of restrictions to measures necessary to repel an 
imminent danger to the normal order of a given society. The freedom of 
individuals to investigate facts and ideas and to formulate and express 
opinions are part of the Islamic approach to the dignity of the individual 
and the quest for ascertaining the truth. 

Abdul Aziz shows the importance of human resources for the eco- 
nomic development of the Muslim world. The principles and techniques 
required for this task are stated in the Qur’an and the hadith. Although 
western practices are steadily gravitating towards the priorities set in the 
Islamic teachings through trial and error, their adherence to materialistic 
values and the absence of spiritual factors will hinder their success in at- 
taining the objective of committed, loyal, and dedicated employees. Abdul 
Aziz recommends that the highest priority in this area should be given to 
educating the masses. He urges firms to establish independent depart- 
ments in order to develop and institute plans, policies, and methods 
designed to ensure the application of Islamic teachings with respect to 
various commercial practices, particularly in the area of personnel and 
production management. Educational institutions can assist in this effort 
by offering a required course in religious studies. This will allow students 
to become familiar with the Islamic positions on a variety of issues. 



Editorii V i i  

Waqar I. Ahmad's and Charles Husband's paper on "Religious Iden- 
tity, Citizenship, and Welfare: The Case of Muslims in Britain," was ori- 
ginally ptesented at the "Islam in a Changing E m p e "  conference held te 
cently at the University of Bmdfotd Management Centte. We also have 
a complete tepott of the confeence in this issue. The authors have dis- 
cussed the two concepts of citizenship: the "formal" and the Msubstantive." 
The former refers to membership in a nation-state, and the latter to 
various civil, political, and, especially, social rights involving also some 
kind of participation in the business of government. We are glad to wel- 
come this discussion, because so much debate is t r a d i t i o ~ l l y  concenttated 
on the role of dhimmis in an Islamic state and little is available on Mus- 
lim minorities in modem western secular states. 

Charles Buttetwotth has been given a Woodrow Wilson fellowship 
to study the Islamization of Knowledge project. We invited him to give 
a "work in progress" teport on 9 April 1993. The presentation genetated 
a lively discussion and we hope to publish it in a mote detailed form in 
the futwe. We ptesent the essence of it here as a reseawh note. 

Once again we have TilG J. a1 'AlwSni reflecting on his familiar 
theme: the dynamism of ijtihad and the stagnation of taqlid. His earnest 
hope is to see the Muslim ummah make a breakthrough from stagnation 
to dynamism by opening the doom of ijtihad so that this practice will 
once again find its expression. 

A. R. Agwan reflects on the role of religions in creating an ecological 
consciousness. The Islamic ummah, in particular, will have to reflect its 
wisdom in providing sound life systems promoting sustainable human en- 
deavor in the midst of the present environmental crisis. 

We also have a review of a book on the same theme: Islam and 
Ecology. The other reviews range from Malek Bennabi's book on Islam 
in history to the history-in-the-making of Muslims in the United States. 

We have an enlightening address on the future of Islam and the 
ummah by Mahdi El-Mandjatah, who discusses the importance of future 
studies and then gives some of his own analysis of the state of the 
ummah. We also have reports of confemnces held in Britain and Indo- 
nesia, a viewpoint on the attitude of scholars on the teaching of Islam, 
and the usual crop of absttacts of dissertations on Muslims and Islam. 

Muhammad Y. Faruqi brought to out attention two transliteration er- 
rors in his "Consideration of 'Vrfin the Judgments of the Khvlafd' a1 
&hidin and the Early FuqQha'" (AJISS 9:4, Winter 1992). On page 
484, line one, hakim should have been b k u m  and, on page 485, line 
twenty-one, ah1 a1 wuraq should have been uhl al wariq. We thank him 
for these corrections and feel sorry that the ettors managed to elude the 
scrutiny of sevetal experts. 

Sayyid M. Syeed