The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences Vol. 8, No. 3, 1991 Seminars, Conferences, Addresses The International Seminar on Malik Bennabi Institute of Ad,11nced Studies, Uoiversit)' of Malaya Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia �afar 22-25, 1412/September 1-4, 1991 563 This conference was the first international seminar in the Muslim world to focus on the thought of Malik Bennabi (1905-1973), an Algerian thinker known to English readers for his book The Quranic Phenomenon. It was organized by the University of Malaya, the Institute of Policy Research, and several other academic institutions. The seminar's patron was Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian minister of finance, a political activist and intellectual who has a great interest in Malik Bennabi's thought. The eminar's objectives were to generate a greater interest in Bennabi's ideas among Malaysian intellectuals and to highlight his impact on contemporary Mu lim society. The keynote and official address was given by Anwar Ibrahim. In his speech, he emphasized that while Muslims are faced with economic, political, and technological challenges, the most important challenge is the intellectual one, as this penetrates the deepest and has the strongest impact. Ideas which examine this challenge and investigate the static temperaments of our thinking process are urgently needed. Within this framework, 'time has vindicated Bennabi's avowal that ideas are the catalysts behind the growth of civiliz.ation," for civilization is not an accumulation, as Bennabi maintains, but rather a construction and an architecture. In his concise speech, Anwar Ibrahim presented and elaborated on some of Bennabi's insights found in his Islam in History and Sociology, translated from the French Vocation de l'lslam by Asma Rashid of P-akistan. The second printing of his book, containing a forward by Anwar Ibrahim and published by Berita, was released during the seminar along with its translation into Bahasa Malayu, the Malaysian national language. The afternoon session consisted of a special address by Abdullah Na if, the secretary general of Rabitah. Nasif, who had met Bennabi in Cairo very briefly and became acquainted with his ideas later on, stated that these idea as just as relevant to the condition of Mu lims today as they were decade ago. He then highlighted some of Bennabi's speculations by addressing questions such a : Have we identified our dilemma? Are we making use of the trends interacting within the ummah such as those of the last twenty year of the Islamic awakening (�a/J.wah)? Are we making plans for the future? Have we become capable of conducting research and moving from individual 564 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences Voi. 8, No. 3, 1991 work to teamwork? How much can we take from Western methodology and technology? These questions provoked many other questions and comments from the audience. The first paper, entitled “Malik Bennabi and Muhammad Iqbal: A Comparation Study,” was given by Asma Rashid. Her point of comparison between the two thinkers was the economic speculations in Iqbal’s ‘Ilm ul Zqtisiid (1903) and Bennabi’s al Muslimfi ‘Alum al Zqti@d (1!??2). The paper concluded that Bennabi, who developed some of Iqbal‘s economic ideas into a theoretical framework, was the first to use the terminology “North” and “South” to explain the prevailing international economic disparity. His equation of will + power = civilization emphasizes social investment over economic investment. For him, economic dynamics should be conditioned by two axioms: a) Every mouth has the right to a morsel of bread and b) every arm has the duty to work. He also offered profound insights on how to distinguish between haq (right) as a means of istihkik (consumption) and wiijib (obligation) as a tool of intiij (production). The social equation is positive if production exceeds consumption, but if the latter exceeds the former the social equation is definitely negative. If the latter condition were true, then the society in question would be labeled as decadent. The second paper, entitled “The Implications of Malik Bennabi’s Views on Contemporary Muslim Society,” was presented by Abdul Rahman Doi, deputy dean of academic affairs at the International Islamic University of Malaysia, as its author, Dr. Ammar Talbi, an Algerian intellectual who had worked with Bennabi, was unable to attend. In his paper, Talbi explained Bennabi’s theory of the three states (precivilization-civilization -post civilization) and his theory of the three ages (of the thing-of the person - of the idea). Muslim society, according to Bennabi, has expended a great deal of effort to reset itself in motion. Its takeoff, however, appears to be slow when compared with other societies like the Japanese and the Chinese. In his view, this slowness was caused by the absence of a preorganized plan of reform, an oversight which resulted in much time and energy being wasted. Consequently, the ummah’s lack of ideas and intellectual productivity facilitated the adoption of everything available in the West, “even tastes and needs.” A Muslim finds it easier to buy a refrigerator, for example, than to come up with the ideas needed to produce one. This shows that the Muslim world is still in its childhood, a stage characterized by being attracted more to “things” than to “ideas.” The morning session of the following day consisted of two papers. The first one, entitled “Bennabi’s View of the Political-Cultural Crosscurrent Underlying the Contemporary State of Muslim Society,” was presented by Zafar Ansari, director general of the Islamic Research Institute, Islamabad, Pakistan. In his paper, Ansari dealt with Bennabi’s historical categorization The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences Vol. 8, No. 3, 1991 565 of the ummah since the rise of Islam to the recent era of post-al M u a i d - in: The reform movements led by al AfglGni, ‘Abduh, Benbadis, and the modernists were analyzed by Bennabi in an attempt to address the question of mobilizing the ummah so that it could begin a new cycle of civilization. The paper explained how Bennabi considered the symptom of “colonisibfity” a historical necessity caused by inner weakness and decay, something our ummah has had to deal with even after achieving political independence. The second paper, entitled “Reflections of Some of the Ideas and Thoughts of Malik Bennabi,” was given by Muhammad Kamal Hassan, deputy director of the International Islamic University of Malaysia. Bennabi’s significance, according to him, derives from his scientific training combined with a historical, sociological, and philosophical outlook which enabled him to fathom the roots of the European civilization and gain a deep understanding of its culture as well as from his original thinking and analysis of the ummah’s strengths and weaknesses. His scope, therefore, ranged over social, political, economic, moral, and theological speculations. As for Bennabi’s analysis of the ideological struggle (al sirii ‘alflkri), Hassan concluded that “the invasion of anti-Islamic values, ideas and ideologies will undoubtedly continue in many forms and through many channels until the Muslim world is able to stand on its own feet in terms of technological know-how, intellectual and scientific creativity, moral strength and political stability.” The last segment of the morning session was a panel discussion on Bennabi’s thought and its implications for contemporary Islamic movements. The scheduled participants were Mohd. Nor Manuty, president of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia; Asma Rashid, Islamic Research Institute- Islamabad; and Rashid Benaisa, an Algerian intellectual, disciple, and friend of Bennabi. Unfortunately, the latter was unable to attend. The afternoon session featured a paper by Osman Bakr, deputy dean of the Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, entitled “Malik Bennabi’s Philosophy of Science.” Bakr explained that even though none of Bennabi’s works specifically dealt with the philosophy of science, elements of his philosophy may be gathered from his views on science’s place and role in his conception of civilization. Basically, k n n a b i poses the materialist view of the world as the primary cause of itself. He sees the debate as “between ‘Malik knnabi viewed the fall of the North AfricadSpanish a l M u e d dynasty (1130-1269 CE) as “the fall of a civilization at the end of its breath.” Thus Muslims who lived, and live, in the era of decadence that followed (even to the present) were termed by Bennabi as “post al M u a i d . ” He wrote: “Generally speaking, under whatever aspect he exists- p&h&, false ‘ d i m , false intellectual, or beggar-the post al M u a i d man is an essential component of all the problems of the MusIim world ever since the decline of its civilization . . .” Asma Rashid, trans., Islam in Hkrory and Sociefy (Islamabad: Islamic Research Institute, 1987), 14-5. 566 The American Journal of Islamic S&id Sciences Vol. 8, No. 3, 1991 two religions: between theism and materialism, between the religion which has God as a basis and that which postulates matter as an absolute.” A human being, according to Bennabi, is “essentially a religious animal.” As a Muslim philosopher of science, Bennabi asserted that there is no necessary caused link between science and atheism. Science may, in fact, be integrated into any and all metaphysical systems. For Bennabi, the relationship between natural phenomenon and its metaphysical causes is embodied in the Qur’anic idea of kun, fa yukurn (Be! And it is). The last paper of the day was that of Abd a1 Sabur Shaheen, an Egyptian linguist who has translated eight of Bennabi’s books into Arabic. His paper, entitled “Malik Bennabi’s Impact on Muslim Society with Special Reference to the Middle East,” dealt mainly with personal reflections on Bennabi as a person, writer, and thinker. The speech did not really touch upon Bennabi’s impact on the Muslim society of the Middle East as the title indicated, but it is expected that the written paper will. The last day of the seminar was reserved for two papers and the closing ceremony. The first paper, delivered by Fawzia Bariun of IIIT-USA, was entitled “Malik Bennabi and the Intellectual Problems of the Muslim Ummahl’ The paper dealt with Ibn Khaldiin’s influence on Bennabi’s view of the three stages of civilization (birth-peak-decline), his theory of the three stages (spiritual- rational-instinctive), and his three major elements of history and civilization (the realm of things - the realm of figures -the realm of ideas). The intellectual problems of Muslims, according to Bennabi, are embodied in a post-a1 Muwahhidin man who is “out of civilization” and unable to reenter its mainstream. The paper classified the aspects of these intellectual problems as methodological, psychological, and sociocultural. According to Bennabi, the methodological aspect is reflected in referring to external enemies as the cause for decadence while ignoring internal weaknesses. Within the ummah, different problems have been arranged in preestablished categories such as poverty, illiteracy, and external occupation. On the psychological level, post-a1 Muwahhid man holds a “sick soul” shaped in an atmosphere saturated with moral, social, philosophical, and political bankruptcy. On the sociocultural level, the intellectual problem is mainly seen in the absence of what Bennabi called the cultural communication network (shabukut ul izliiqiit al thuqii- J-yuh) as well as in the absence of efficacy (fiiiliyuh). The last paper, entitled “Malik Bennabi’s Contribution to Islamic Social Theory” and presented by Muhammad Tahir al Misawie, a graduate student at the International Islamic University of Malaysia, explained how Bennabi rejected the concept of primitive culture and primitive civilization as expounded upon mainly in ethnographic and anthropological literature. As a group of human individuals, society begins its evolution driven by a sacred ideal or The American Journal of Islamic Social Science Vol. 8, No. 3, 1991 567 belief which acts as a catalyzer. However, when humanity "loses the 'civilizing elan: it also loses the thirst to understand and the will to act." This is the end of a cycle, and the departure of civilization to another place to take on a new biohistorical synthesis is soon underway. The closing ceremony took place in the afternoon and was attended by Dato Raja Ariffin Raja Sulaiman, the deputy minister in the prime minister's department. After the speeches by the chairman of the organizing committee and the vice chanceHor of the University of Malaya, the closing speech was given by the deputy minister. He congratulated the participants and the audience on the success of the seminar and encouraged more intellectual efforts of such a caliber to as ist the ummah in performing its mission in history. Fawzia Bariun University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan