Review Essay Reconstruction of Islamic Thought and Civilization: The Cas tion of Knowledge Moharnmad Murntaz Ali This article reviews the intellectual manifestations of Islamic revivalist movements in general and the Islamization of Knowledge movement in particular. The paper argues that the intellectual crisis of the Muslim Ummah was identified by most of the earlier thinkers and leaders but it did not receive sufficient attention. It reviews the assessment of the intellectual crisis by Muslim thinkers, such as Iqbal and Mawdudi, and identifies their understanding of the need and nature of ijtihad. The paper then proceeds to reflect on the foundations and achievements of the Islamization of Knowledge movement. The paper explores the rela- tionship between sociopolitical revival and intellectual revival and con- cludes that the reconstruction of Islamic thought is a prerequisite to the regeneration of Islamic civilization. The two ends of the twentieth century present two different pictures of the Muslim world. At the beginning of this century, the Muslims were in a state of disarray. Most of the Muslim countries were under the control of the colonial powers. Some of the adversaries of Islam thought that its chapter in history had been closed. . . . The inner vital- ity of Islam proved too strong to be annihilated by the forces of polit- ical, intellectual and economic subjugation. Resistance blossomed into resurgence and the tide began to turn. Now in the last quarter of the twentieth century, the Muslim world, despite much in it that is heartrending, presents a somewhat encouraging picture. . . . There is an increasing desire to draw upon the intrinsic resources of Islam to Mohammad Mumtaz Ali is an Assistant Professor at the International Islamic univcrsiry of Malaysia. 94 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 16: 1 build a new order. What lies, to a large measure, at the root of these political, economic, cultural and intellectual manifestations of resur- gence is a rediscovery of the relevance of Islam to the problems and challenges of the time. Undoubtedly, the problems facing the Muslims are formidable and the threats that confront them are legion. It is encouraging, nevertheless, that they are exhibiting a new confidence and vitality in their striving to regain their lost position and to con- tribute their share in rebuilding the world.' This lengthy but genuine statement of Khurshid Ahmad and Zafa Ishaq Ansari rightly reflects the inner vitality and confidence which the revival- ist movements and the movement of Islamization of Knowledge have been manifesting through their different activities in different parts of the world. The whole thrust of the Islamization of Knowledge movement, as we shall demonstrate, is to reconstruct contemporary Islamic thought for the revital- ization of Islamic civilization. It seems to us that the contemporary Muslim Ummah does not exist as a dominant civilization, despite all the efforts made by Muslims. The basic reason, it is argued, lies in the crisis of contemporary Muslim thought.2 In general, contemporary Muslim thought is ,a conglomeration of different methodologies and, therefore, does not manifest originality. The only fea- sible and viable solution lies, as it is argued by the pioneering thinkers of the movement, in the reconstruction of Islamic thought on the basis of a new methodology which incorporates the tawhid paradigm? The resulting thought will demonstrate creativity and a spirit of ijtihad and as a result will prove capable of meeting the challenges of modernity. It may stand by itself as a guide and model for a peaceful and just civilization. But this is not an easy task rather, it requires the efforts of many intellectuals of the Muslim Ummah for several decades: This challenging task of developing a new methodology is identified and taken over by this new intellectual school of Islamization of Knowledge within the legacy of the contemporary Islamic Revival M~vements.~ Toward the end of the twentieth century, it has emerged as a global movement in most parts of the world. The aim of this article is twofold. First, explore and highlight the contri- butions of the Islamization of Knowledge movement toward the recon- struction of the Islamic thought. The view that conceives and confiies the Islamization of Knowledge movement to the production of textbooks seems to us to be doing it an injustice. We argue here that the Islamization Knowledge as a philosophy and movement refers to the intellectual, methodological, and epistemological efforts of the Muslim Ummah, initi- Ali: Reconstruction of Islamic Thought and Civilization 95 ated and engineered by the International Institute of Islamic Thought, based in Hemdon, Virginia (metropolitan Washington, D.C.), U.S.A. The Institute stands for the reconstruction of Islamic thought on the basis of a sound and viable scientific methodology, for the revitalization of the Islamic civilizationP Second, we examine some of the views and strategies that are expressed and adopted by the movement. To achieve the above objectives the paper is divided into two parts. The first part presents a brief analytical survey of Islamic thought on the issue of its reconstruction produced by the twentieth century reform and revival movements. The second part ventures into a critical appreciation of the Islamization of Knowledge movement as a new emerging school of thought, which started with the ideas of Ismail al-Faruqi and Abdul Hamid Abu Sulayman and is now incorporating the ideas of Taha Jabir al-Alwani, Imaduddin Khalil, and others. On the Reconstruction of Islamic Thought The predicament of the Muslim Ummah during each and every period of history was examined by Muslim thinkers and revivalists, and the twenti- eth century has been no exception. The views and strategies of Muslim scholars of the twentieth century for the revitalization of Islamic civiliza- tion are also studied and examined by both Muslim and non-Muslim schol- ars. The significance of analyzing twentieth century Islamic thought, and what distinguishes it from earlier periods, is the peculiar approach of the analysts of the twentieth century. It seems that most of the models of analy- ses have adopted a criterion which is not suitable for the analysis of Islamic thought. The recent studies of Islamic thought, for example, have consid- ered the phenomenon of Islamic resurgence in contemporary times as reac- tionary or anti-Western. Some of the scholars have generally attributed the consciousness of the Muslim Ummah to the impact of modernity or as a response to Western hegemony. However, if we study contemporary Islamic resurgence in its proper epistemological background, we find that the real strength of the consciousness of the Muslim Ummah comes from within, that is, from the understanding of the divine texts in theii proper context along with the proper methodology. It clearly signifies that the divine texts possess sufficient strength and dynamism to motivate the fol- lowers forward. This is what we find in every period of history: scholars asking for a return to the divine texts. They also demanded that to under- % The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 1 6 1 stand the divine texts there must be genuine creative efforts instead of blind following of the earlier interpretations. Iqbal, for example, analyzed the Muslim Ummah and its conditions in the light of the divine texts. He, there- fore, for the first time in the twentieth century, identified the urgent need to reconstruct Islamic thought. He warned Muslims against the adaptation of alien ideas and models and asked forcefully for the reconstruction of Islamic thought. He called on Muslims to critically watch the progress of human thought. He writes: Our duty is carefully to watch the progress of human thought, and to maintain an independent critical attitude toward it.' I q M and (later) other revivalist thinkers such as Mawdudi and Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi in the Indian subcontinent and Malik bin Nabi, Sayyid Qutb, and others in the Arab world deeply analyzed the factors that have contributed to the stagnation of Islamic thought and civilization. They all identified the following four factors which have contributed to the decline of the Muslim Ummah: the negligence of the universal mission of the Muslim Ummah, the disintegration of the caliphate into monarchy, the close of ijtihad, and the negligence of jihad (one's utmost struggle and efforts for the cause of Allah). Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi examined the caus- es of the decline of the Muslim Ummah and argued that the Muslim com- munity lacked both jihad and ijtihad.* Sayyid Mawdudi, on the basis of a profound historical analysis of the Muslim Ummah, argued that the lack of ijtihad and jihad has been the main s o m e of the decline of the Muslim Ummah. Iqbal expressed the same opinion during his sixth lecture in the Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam series. Discussing the prin- ciple of movement in the structure of Islam, he said What then is the principle of movement in the structure of Islam? This is known as ijtihad? Iqbal asserted that it is the responsibility of the scholars and leaders of the Islamic world to comprehend and ponder over the progress of Islamic law in history and the necessity of fresh interpretations in every period. He writes: I have given you some idea of the history and working of ijtihad in modem Islam. I now proceed to see whether the history and structure of the Law of Islam indicates the possibility of any fresh interpretation of its principles.'O Ah: Reconstruction of Islamic Thought and Civilization 97 Like Iqbal, Mawdudi also raised the question of a fresh interpretation of the divine texts. He observed: The world has changed beyond recognition. The conditions prevailing in the world, its views, trends and theories have entirely changed. The social problems and issues have taken many a turn, but our religious leaders are still living in the same old conditions five or six centuries back . . . If their leadership fails to guide them in the evemew intel- lectual, academic and practical issues and problems, then it is quite natural that their followers will discard their leadership.” Commenting on the need for fresh interpretation of the divine texts in their proper context, Mawdudi thus identified the need to develop a new methodology of Islamic thought. According to him, it is indispensable to revise not only the principles of fiqh but the true meaning of the term fiqh. He argued that unfortunately the concept of fish is confined only to the understanding of the legal principles of Islam. The truth is, he said, the word “fiqh” in Arabic signifies understanding and in Islamic terminiology fiqh connotes the understanding of the divine din al-Islum.‘2 It is implicit in the term “fiqh” that it includes a comprehensive understanding of Islam as an empirical reality to establish it in the form of effective structures and systems. For this purpose one has to acquire all knowledge and skills. No area of life is beyond the fold of Islam. Mawdudi, therefore, asks for prop er development of the methodology of Islamic thought. In his discussion on the right course of the reconstruction of the Muslim Ummah he emphasizes the proper utilization of the basic sources of Islam. For him, Islamic socie- ty is based upon the commandments of the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet, and the interpretations of the Qur‘an and the Sunnah by the Islamic scholars and jurists, respectively. He says: This order has been totally reversed and changed. Now the first and foremost importance is given to the opinions and findings of the mod- em scholars and jurists, then to the Sunnah of the holy Prophet, and lastly to the teachings and commandments of the holy Qur’an. This reversed order is really responsible for the stagnation, reducing Islam to something static and stale.I3 Muslims were leaders as long as they derived knowledge and guidance directly from the main somes of Islam and tried to solve the problems of their time in the light of the divine guidance through proper thinking and sincere contemplation. But they declined when their leaders and scholars 98 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 1 6 1 stopped direct reflection of the Qur’an and the Sunnah and followed blind- ly the interpretations of the imams and jurists. They did not realize that the works of the earlier jurists and scholars do help and guide us in several ways but cannot be regarded as sacred and eternal sources because all human wisdom and knowledge is subject to human limits and time.14 TheEfore, Mawdudi suggests that creative research, new inventions, and discoveries of new things, based on the spirit of ijtihad, guarantees the growth and development of the Ummah on the right path. Both Iqbal and Mawdudi discuss different tools and sources of knowl- edge. For example, Iqbal argues that the Qur’an regards both anfus (plural of nafs, meaning “self”) and afaq (the horizons, by extention “the world”) as the sources of kn0w1edge.l~ He writes: The constant appeal to reason and experience in the Qur’an, and the emphasis that it lays on Nature and History as sources of human knowledge are all different aspects of the same idea of Europe, Iqbal says, has been rather slow to recognize the Islamic origin of her scientific method. “Ibn Hazm, in his Scope ofLogic, shows that induction is the only form of reliable argument. Thus arose the method of observation and e~periment.”’~ The Qur‘an, in fact, has engendered in its followers the general empirical attitude toward the acquisition of knowl- edge of ontology and cosmology. It is, therefore, a mistake to suppose that the experimental method is a European discovery. Iqbal says that acquiring complete perception of Reality is possible if sense perception is supported by the faculty of what the Qur’an callsfu’ad or qaZb.’* In addition, Iqbal reminds us that it is necessary to examine, in an independent spirit, what Europe has thought and how far the conclusions reached by her can help us in the revision and, if necessary, reconstruction of theological thought in 1slam.19 Like Iqbal, Mawdudi identifies the sources of knowledge and its tools. For Mawdudi, sama‘, basr, andfi’ad are the tools of knowledge. In the Qur‘an, these words are used with deeper meaning. Basr (seeing) implies gaining knowledge through personal observation; sama‘ (listening) signi- fies knowledge by way of reading and understanding, both ancient and modem works on different subjects; andfu’ad means perceiving or arriving at conclusions based on sama‘ and basr. Those who do not utilize fully these faculties remain behind while those who make use of them excel.m Ali: Reconstruction of Islamic Thought and Civilization 99 Discussing sources of knowledge, Mawdudi identifies two kinds of things. The first category of things are those which one can perceive through the senses, and having gathered a body of knowledge by means of the senses one can proceed to classify them by deduced laws with the help of reflec- tion, argumentation, observation, and experimentation. The second catego- ry of things is transcendental; things of this category are beyond the reach of one’s perception. They cannot be comprehended; they cannot be weighed or measured by scales, nor discovered by pressing into service any of the instruments of gaining knowledge which one has at his disposal. Mawdudi, therefore, concludes that the theories of philosophers and scien- tists on this subject are mere conjectures which do not come within the scope of knowledge?l He makes a clear distinction between scientific facts and scientific theories. He accepts the former and rejects the latter. He also argues that scientific research is a combination of experimental work and intellectual activity. He rejects the belief that our knowledge of the physi- cal world is the result of mere description or sensory experiences. He argues that all of our observational and experimental activities are basical- ly influenced by our preconceived notions. According to him, our interpre- tation of experimental data and our view of reality are not free from our pre- conceived ideas. Hence, he strongly asserts that there is no such thing as pure experimental data. Muslims of today are not in a position to under- stand and appreciate this difference because their minds and thinking are molded in the Western frame. They do not dare to judge Western ideas with a critical mind, distinguish between right and wrong, and choose the right alone. Mawdudi, therefore, recommends that the Muslims think independently and formulate opinion on the basis of their own deductions. He further asserts that Muslims should look into the facts of life with a Muslim eye and think in the Muslim way. To achieve this, they have to produce free and independent thinkers. Islam today needs a renaissance. The work and research of past Muslim scholars and thinkers may not adequately guide and assist in solving today’s problems. If Islam is to lead the world it must produce thinkers and researchers who can distinguish between the philo- sophical foundations of Western materialist civilization and Islam. Contemporary Muslim scholars should produce pure Islamic thought that can revive the Muslim Ummah to lead today’s world. They should develop their own Islamic philosophy and Islamic natural and social sciences based on their own worldview.22 100 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 16:l Evidently, Muslim thinkers and revivalists have diagnosed the malaise of the Muslim Ummah in its proper context. The civilizational crisis of the Muslim Ummah was identified in the crisis of Islamic thought. It was, therefore, suggested that the solution to the crisis of the Islamic civilization lies basically at the intellectual level and that the reformation of Islamic thought can be achieved if the door of ijtihad is once again opened. The main argument of Muslim thinkers early in this century was that there is an integral relationship between thought and civilization. Abu Sulayman has recently said that “thought is an element that works at a more fundamental level, one that qualifies any understanding or program for producing real results.” Thus we can say that the majority of Muslim thinkers realized that all the challenges of our time by nature are intellectual and these should be addressed and resolved at the intellectual level intelligently and strategical- ly on the basis of the spirit of ijtihad. Initially, the importance and signifi- cance of the intellectual dimension of the Muslim Ummah was felt, empha- sized, and even at some extent discussed. However, the present situation of the Muslim Ummah in general and the conditions of the Islamic revival movements in particular demonstrate that the importance of the intellectual dimension gradually became obscure under the shadow of a sociopolitical umbrella. The reasons are obvious. Although the need for the reformation of Islamic thought and methodology was identified at an intial stage, it was neither seriously discussed and debated nor explained in terms of effective mechanisms and structures. Even the shortcomings of the methodology were not explained in detail. Muslim intellectuals, academicians, and scholars are not in a position to apply the empirical tools to the study of the divine texts or the human phe- nomena despite Iqbal’s reminder that the Qur’an wants an empirical attitude in its followers. There was a need to discuss and explain in detail how a Muslim student in Islamic thought, in natural sciences, and in human sci- ences can apply the principles of empiricism and positivism. What are the principles of an Islamic methodology that can provide sustainable premis- es upon which an Islamic discipline in human sciences can be developed? What should be the principles of an Islamic epistemology? If we are to develop Islamic thought in political science then we have to explain in what way the theory of modem nation-states is different from the theory of the modem Islamic state. All these answers were not given in a systematic and scientific way. Even today we do not have Islamic-oriented textbooks which can be used in modem Islamic universities in the Muslim world. As Ali: Reconstruction of Islamic Thought and Civilization 101 educators we know that no educational system can be successful without proper curriculum and syllabi. The tslamizatian of Knowledge According to Abu Sulayman, a pioneering thinker and leader of the Islamization of Knowledge movement, for the reform of the Muslim Ummah change must come from within, on the basis of the beliefs and values of the Ummah. Reform must begin at the intellectual level, especially with the development of disciplined and systematic methodology for thought based on rational principles and approaches that incorporate Islamic objectivesu He strongly asserts that if Muslim thought is reformed, the Muslim Ummah will be able to resolve the acute problems of civilization. Unfortunately, the process of reform, particularly intellectual reform, has been hindered due to the static nature, fears and ignorance of the Muslim leadership. Therefore, he argues that it is imperative for us to encourage a new beginning of the reform of Islamic thought and Muslim society.% It is appropriate that the movement of Islamization of Knowledge be studied from this perspective. Taha Jabir al-Alwani, another pioneering leader of the movement, has recently clarified that the Islamization of Knowledge movement should be seen and understood as an intellectual and methodological movement for the development of Islamic thought for the revitalization of Islamic civi- lization. Those who conceive and consider it as an academic endeavor, or confiie it only to the production of certain textbooks, do it an injustice.= In the second edition of the work plan of the Islamization of Knowledge, it is made clear that it aims at reinvigorating Islamic thought and its methodology by giv- ing it access to the main fountainheads of the legacy of the Ummah. Likewise, its purpose is to achieve mastery of Islamic thought in var- ious branches of human knowledge (social, physical, and practically applied) in order to build a sound contemporary Islamic base for dynamic action in all spheres of life and civilization. . . . It means that we should give due attention to the provision of various spiritual and material resources for reformation in the intellectual sphere. . . . 102 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 1 6 1 It is important to remember that, without reformation of thought and methodology and in the absence of genuine and clear vision, all efforts are bound to be ineffective and all sacrifices to be useless. This is how the civilization of Islam and those before it grew and progressed?6 The Islamization of Knowledge movement, therefore, should be taken as an epistemological or methodological movement for civilization building. In view of the above reflections of the pioneer thinkers of the movement, it is clear that it did not emerge solely from the Muslim critique of Western social sciences as it is misunderstood by some Muslim scholars.27 We, therefore, genuinely feel that it should not be confined to the Islamization of social science alone nor to the production of textbooks. We fail to see any reason for this kind of narrow understanding. Contrary to this, it appears to us that it is a comprehensive concept and Islamization of Knowledge represents only one albeit basic aspect of Islamization in gen- eral. In its entirety, Islamization of Knowledge is the comprehensive, nor- mative framework for individuals and society, for thought and action, for education and practice, for knowledge and organization, for the rulers and the ruled, for this world and for the world to come.28 In its widest sense, “Islamization” means a framework for human life, civilization, and human t ransf~rnt ion?~ According to Al-Alwani, Those who are involved in the movement of Islamization of Knowledge, have realized that the intellectual undertakings represent the most important and complex activity and that their fruits may not be seen for decades or even generations.30 The Islamization of Knowledge movement has identified the intellectual dimension as the crucial one. The contemporary Muslim Ummah is suffer- ing from an intellectual crisis caused by a methodological crisis. To under- stand the divine texts, the Qur’an and the Sunnah, and social and natural phenomena, our earliest scholars developed principles, but those principles were neither improved nor modified according to changing circumstances, thus causing intellectual stagnation. As a result, traditional methodology has become inadeq~ate.~~ To overcome this problem, it is necessary to make a clear distinction between the divine and the human. Islamization of Knowledge argues that though we all agree on the need to return to the pris- tine teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, few of us really understand that it is not an easy matter to determine how, in practical terms, this might be achieved. The real issue does not lie in the absence of the principles and Ali: Reconstruction of Islamic Thought and Civilization 103 values; the real issue lies in their appplication which involves the issue of meth~dology.~~ Here we find two main issues. First, we are asked to make a clear dis- tinction between divine texts and the human understanding of them. Second, we have to understand that methodology is the result of human exertion, therefore, subject to scrutiny. Due to the lack of this understand- ing, the vigorous intellectual movements of the recent past that have emerged as a response to the intellectual anarchy that had engulfed the Muslim Ummah could not achieve their primary objective-the revitaliza- tion of the Islamic Ummah as a civilization. In fact, the new solutions put forward by the various movements have become themselves a subject of debate and argument, and as a result have led to more pr0blems.3~ Therefore, the need to standardize methodology in Islamic thought has become more urgent and more pressing. Traditional Islamic methodology has been characterized by its linguistic approach in analysis and research. It had paid no attention to the analytical, experimental, and quantitative approaches in examining the issues at hand.34 There is an urgent need to develop a new methodology to use ana- lytical, critical, and comparative approaches to integrate the Islamic vision with the facts of contemporary life. In the interest of improvement and transformation, the Islamic vision should focus upon and resolve the prob- lems and difficulties of contemporary life?5 For this purpose what is need- ed is a comprehensive understanding of the divine texts and social realities, which, again, requires correct methodology. Abu Sulayman examines the causes of the decline of the Muslim Ummah. For him the main cause lies in the methodology of Islamic He argues that if we develop a sound and viable methodology we can solve the crisis of the civilization. Like Iqbal, he discusses the method- ology of ijtihad in detail. Iqbal raises the question of the mechanism and structure of ijtihad. For Iqbal, modem times require that the right of ijtihad not be confined only to the ulama class; rather, it should be open to all. Abu Sulayman also discusses the problem of ijma. For him, like for Iqbal, it is no longer the exclusive prerogative of the ~h tna .3~ Furthermore, Abu Sulayman comments that the contemporary narrow traditionalist examination of the usul on the one hand, and the modernist and onentalist overemphasis on the ques- tion of the authenticity of the hadith on the other, can only distract us 104 The American Joumal of Islamic Social Sciences 1 6 1 from what seems to be the basic problem of modem Muslim thought?* He raises the question of the space-time dimension of traditional method- ology. He also emphasizes the use of the empirical approach in and sys- temization of me tho do log^?^ Abu Sulayman suggests that it is indispensa- ble for us to understand the social realities of our own time in their proper context. This requires us to develop distinct Islamic social sciences offitrah and Muslim society, the negligence of which has already caused the social and cultural backwardness that eventually caused the Ummah‘s decline and fall.@ Abu Sulayman emphasizes the full application of the faculties of sama‘, basr, andfu’ad, as well as the realization of ‘ilm al-yaqeen, ‘ayn al-yaqeen, and haqq al-yaqeen as described by the w a n . We need to conduct seri- ous intellectual studies on the general organization of society and the issues of authority, government, caliphate, and politics. Here it would not be out of context to refer to an important observation of Mawdudi. He not only suggested the need for the critical study of the Western social sciences; he also invited Muslim experts of different aspects of society to develop the practical models and structures for the organization of the Muslim society and state. He plainly admitted that it is not his field to develop practical models and structures. He wrote toward the end of one of his celebrated books, The Islamic Law and Constitution, that the Islamic principles of political system in general are elaborated in the book but that it is the responsibility of politcal science and administration experts to develop and elaborate them further and use the proper terms in time and space context?’ Abu Sulayman emphasizes the need for social sciences because of the importance of organizing social life. He makes a clear distinction between scientific investigations and those premises upon which all scientific knowledge and theories are developed. He says, “There are also premises and methodological issues that are particular to each scientific field and dis- cipline.” These general premises a ~ e the result of some assumptions. Abu Sulayman considers it the responsibility of a contemporary Muslim schol- ar to determine exactly what these premises are upon which a Muslim scholar can develop his scientific investigations?2 (The “First Principles of Islamic Methodology,” developed by Ismail al-Faruqi, are the preliminary steps toward the formulation of these general ~remises.4~) He also feels that these general premises shall have to distinguish Islamic social sciences from Western social sciences. He makes a clear distinction between empiri- Ali: Reconstruction of Islamic Thought and Civilization 105 cism and empirical tools and attitudes. Categorically rejecting empiricism which holds positivist tools, observation, and experiment as the only authentic sources of scientific knowledge, he strongly advocates the empir- ical approach for building Islamic social sciences. Why Western social sci- ences occupy primary importance in the scheme of the Islamization of Knowledge is obvious. They not only provide the general premises, they develop the worldview as well. It is these very sciences and their hypotheses that, in the case of Western civilization, determine the definition of man, his ideals, his purposes in life, and his final According to the authors of Islamization ofKnowledge, series no. 1, psy- chology, sociology, and anthropology provide the theoretical bases upon which all of the other social and human sciences rest. But this does not mean that the movement only gives importance to these social sciences (psychology, sociology, and anthropology) and excludes the other branch- es of knowledge, such as the natural sciences, from the scheme of Islamization. Another important dimension identified by the movement of Islamization of Knowledge invites our attention-critical analysis of the heritage of Islamic thought. Generally, Muslim scholars have developed an attitude of reverence toward the views of our past scholars, or they may even be con- sidered above criticism. Such an attitude has done unimaginable damage to the growth of Islamic t h ~ ~ g h t ? It is imperative for us to re-examine care- fully our legacy in all branches of knowledge. The researchers of contem- porary Islamic thought first have to look critically into the Islamic legacy and identify what is truly Islamic and what is not.& We need to understand and appreciate the Islamic content in our legacy which has scientific value and the ability to influence our present and future. Arguably, the Muslim legacy is open to critical study to distinguish the alien Greek, Persian, Indian, Jewish, and Christian elements from the Islamic elements. The entire heritage cannot be incorporated into contemporary Islamic thought if it lacks the Islamic elements to be operationalized in the present time. In this connection, Al-Alwani has objected to the tendency of according a sacred place to the views of our past scholars, vehemently rejecting the blind imitation of the heritage. In order to benefit from the heritage, a sys- tematic and critical study is essential. Hence, a proper methodology is indispensable to benefit from the rich heritage!' Al-Alwani maintains that 106 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 16: 1 the basis of the criticism must be the divine texts. Here, he applies a fun- damental principle that the divine texts are above the historical context but that its human interpretation is subject to historical criticism. Hence, the past ijtihad and the interpretation of the divine texts both are open to criti- cism. There is a need for a critical and pragmatic attitude toward the her- itage. Whatever is Islamic and applicable in present times is useful and shall be assimilated; whatever is not Islamic and inapplicable in the present context shall be discarded.48 He cautions contempomy scholars not to regard the past heritage as self-sufficient for our present and fum direc- ti0n.4~ He emphasizes that ijtihad is an absolute necessity and that it is not possible unless the heritage is critically investigated. Furthermore, he says, Ijtihad needs to be studied as a distinct Islamic methodology which will produce a comprehensive and uniquely Islamic understanding of sociological phenomena, their agents, essential elements and relation- ships along with their goveming laws and principles. It is through ijti- had that Muslims will be able to construct a new specific method- ological infrastructure capable of addressing the crisis of Islamic thought and so, propose alternatives for the many problems of the con- temporary world.So A thought-provoking debate is being generated among the intellectuals of the Muslim Ummah over the urgent need to reconstruct Islamic thought for the reconstruction of Islamic civilization. The national and international conferences organized by IIIT are a witness to this fact. However, the movement is aware of the fact that for the development of Islamic method- ology there are still many issues that require concentrated effort on the part of the Muslim scholars. Hence, we strongly feel that to improve the exist- ing condition of the intellectual activities of the Ummah, all its sections should realize the importance of the intellectual dimension as a fundamen- tal and strategic step to bring sociopolitical change in the society. It is indis- pensable for all of us to re-examine our strategies of sociopolitical change. The sociopolitical dimension cannot be overemphasized at the cost of the intellectual dimension or vice-versa. We have been emphasizing sociopo- litical or moral and spiritual activities more than intellectual and educa- tional. In the beginning of his call to Islam, the Prophet was asked to read, reflect, and invite people to the Truth, then later he was asked to establish Islam through social and political strategies. Thus it seems that without developing vigorous Islamic thought we cannot resolve the complex prob- lems of the Ummah. To invite the attention of the intellectuals and activists Ali: Reconstruction of Islamic Thought and Civilization 107 of the Ummah, it is important for the Islamization of Knowledge movement to create an atmosphere of creative and ijtihad-like thought. Unless the call to ijtihad becomes a widespread intellectual trend, there is little hope that the Ummah will be able to make any useful contribution to world civilization?’ Concluding Remarks The intellectual crisis of the Muslim Ummah was identified by most of the earlier thinkers and leaders of the Ummah, but sufficient attention was not paid to it. This study proposes that intellectual and educational activi- ties, more specifically epistemological and methodological, are vital for the revitalization of the Islamic civilization. However, it also suggests that there should be a greater collaboration and understanding among all those who are involved in the intellectual, educational, and sociopolitical activi- ties of the Muslim Ummah, in order to bring a positive and meaningful change. All this implies that it is imperative for us to understand and appreciate that the reconstruction of the Islamic thought is a prerequisite for the regen- eration of the Islamic civilization. Hence, it should be adopted by the Muslim Ummah as a top priority agenda in the twenty-first century, as sug- gested by Abu Sulayman.52 Nates 1. Khurshid Ahmad and Zafar Ishaq Ansari, Islamic Perspectives: Studies in Honour of Mawlana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi (Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 1979), 359-360. 2. For a detailed analysis of the intellectual and historical roots of the crisis of con- temporary Muslim thought, see Abdul Hamid A. Abu Sulayman, Crisis in the Muslim Mind (Hemdon, Va.: HIT, 1993). 3. Although some scholars have identified some of the aspects and issues of the Islamic methodology, Abu Sulayman generated a serious debate on the urgent need of the reformulation of a new methodology of Islamic thought. He strongly argued that the decline of the Muslim Ummah can be reasonbly attributed to the inadequacy of the methodology of Islamic thought. Abdul Hamd for the first time raised this issue in his book Towards an Islamic Theory of International Relations, which was completed in 1975. Later on the same issue was discussed and elaborated further in the series no. 1 of the publications of IIIT. See Abu Sulayman, Towards an Islamic Theory of International Relations: New Directions for Methodology and Thought, 2nd edition (Hemdon, Va.: IIIT, 1993); see also “First Principles of Islamic Methodology,” in Islamization of Knowledge: General Principles and Work Plan (Hemdon, Va.: IIIT, 1989), 33-51. 4. Taha Jabir al-Alwani has recently discussed this in detail. See “The Islamization of Knowledge: Yesterday and Today,” The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 12(2) (Spring 1995): 81-101. 108 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 161 5. Yasien Mohammad has rightly categorized the scholars of the Islamization of Knowledge school within the revivalist tradition. It is true that some of the pioneering scholars and leaders of it like Ismail al-Famqui, Abu Sulayman, Taha Jabir, Imaduddin Khalil, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Mohammad al-Ghazzali, Jamal Barzinji, and Ishaq Farhan are all inspired by the Islamic revival movements. Some of them are even leading the Islamic revival movements in different parts of the world. It seems necessary, therefore, to per- cieve the movement of Islamization of Knowledge from a broader perspective of revival for constructing Islamic civilization. See, for example, Yasien Mohammad, “Islamization of Knowledge: A Comparative Analysis of Faruqui and Rahman,” Muslim Education Quarterly 1 1( 1): 27-40; see also “Indispensable Clarifications,” Islamization of Knowledge series no. 1: 83-88. 6. Here, it seems important to clarify that all the Muslim scholars who are involved in studying and presenting Islam as a complete system of life and civilization and want to establish it in an empirical reality, directly or indirectly, constitute the Islamization of Knowledge movement. 7 . Mohammad Iqbal, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, new edition (New Delhi: Kitab Bhawan, 1994), vi. 8. Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, Isani Dunia per Musalmanu ke Urooj-o-zawal ka asar (The Impact of the Rise and Fall of Muslims on Humanity) (Damascus: IIFSO, 1977), 191-200. 9. Iqbal, The Reconstruction, 163. 10. Ibid. 11. Sayyid Mawdudi, Tanqihuat (New Delhi: Markazi Maktaba Islami, 1991). It has undergone several editions since 1934 to 1991. The quotation is taken fmm its newly revised English translation by S. Waqar Ahrnad Gardezi and Abdul Waheed Khan, entitled West versus Islam (Lahore: Islamic Publications, 1991), 180-181. 12. He argues that the actual words of this verse li yatafaqqahufi al-din in the later peri- od is misconceived and its effects are reflected in the system of religious education and the life of the Muslims. Further, the term ‘Yiqiqh” was confined to jurisprudence as a branch of knowledge which took away all its spirit and presented Islam as a skeleton, “a soulless reli- gious formalism.” See the commentary of Surah al-Tawbah by Mawdudi in Towards Understanding the Quran, vol. 3., translated and edited by Zafar lshaq Ansari (Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 1%), 273-274. 13. Mawdudi, Tanqihaat, English tr., 181. 14. Mawdudi, Tanqihaat, English tr., 182. 15. Iqbal, The Reconstruction, 127. 16. Ibid., 126. 17. Ibid., 129. 18. Ibid., 15. 19. Ibid., 8. 20. Mawdudi, Mawdudi on Education, tr. by S.M.A. Rauf (Karachi: Islamic Research 21. See Mawdudi, The Message of the Prophet‘s Seerat (Delhi: Hindustan Publications, 22. Mawdudi, Tanqihaat, English tr., 14-16 and 87. 23. Abu Sulayman, Towardr an Islamic Theory, xiii. 24. Abu SuIayman, Towards an Islamic Theory, xvii. 25. Taha Jabir al-Alwani, “Islamization of Knowledge: Yesterday and Today,’’ 81. 26. Islamization of Knowledge: General Principles, 85-86. 27. The Islamic revival movements and the Islamization of Knowledge movement are generally misconceived as reactionary or anti-Western movements. Such a misconception is for us, an expression of a defeatist mentality, a mentality which is dazzled by the apparent glories of the Western civilization and fails to understand the inner vitality of Islam which can still rise to a challenge. To reconstruct the human civilization is a universal mission of Muslims for all times, not a timely reaction against any challenge. Academy, 1988), 56-57. n.d.). 2-3. Ali: Reconstruction of Islamic Thought and Civilization 109 28. Islamization of Knowledge: General Principles. 84. 29. Ibid., 87. 30. Taha Jabir al-Alwani, “Islamization of Knowledge: Yesterday and Today, 82. 31. See Abu Sulayman, Towards an Islamic Theory, chapter 3; and Crisis in the Muslim Mind. 32. See the proceedings of a seminar on Methodologies of Change in the Contempomy World, jointly organized by IIIT and Kuwait, Dept. Awqaf, January 24-26, 1994. Kuwait City. For a brief report of the seminar see Yusuf Talal DeLorenm, “Methodologies of Change,” MISS, 11(2) (Summer 1994): 269-271. 33. Taha Jabir al-Alwani, Ijtihad (Hemdon, Va: IIIT. 1993), 16. 34. Islamization of Knowledge: General Principles, 84. 35. Islamization of Knowledge: General Principles, 84. 36. See Abu Sulayman, Crisis in the Muslim Mind. 37. Abu Sulayman, Towards an Islamic Theory, 86. 38. Ibid, 65. 39. See for funher details, Abu Sulayman. Towards an Islamic Theory, 63-%. 40. Abu Sulayman, Crisis in the Muslim Mind, 44. 41. Mawdudi, Islamic Law and Constitution (Lahore: Islamic Publications), 252. 42. Abu Sulayman. Crisis in the Muslim Mind, 123. 43. For further details, see Islamizution ofKnowledge: General Principles, 33-56. 44. Islamization of Knowledge: General Principles, 73; Imaduddin Khalil. Islamization qfKnowledge: A Methodology (Hemdon, Va.: I I I T , 1994), 6; also see Taha Jabir al-Alwani, “Islamization of Knowledge: Yesterday and Today. 45. Imaduddin Khalil, Islamization of Knowledge: A Methodology, 10. 46. Ibid., 11. 47. Yasien Mohanlmad. Islamization of Knowledge: A Comparative. 29. 48. Taha Jabir al-Alwani. Fib-e-Islam‘ ki Islah (Reformation of Islamic Thought), tr. 49. Taha Jabir al-Alwani, Fib-e-Islam’, 84. 50. Taha Jabir al-Alwani, Ijtihud, 31. 51. Taha Jabir al-Alwani. “The Crisis of Thought and Ijtihad,” AJISS lO(2): 234. 52. Abu Sulayman, Crisis in the Muslim Mind, 158-159. into Urdu by Shafeeeq ur-Rahman Nadwi (New Delhi: Kazi Publishers, 1994). 73-90.