Tan Sri Professor Kamal Hasan, former rector of IIUM, well known for his ideas of Islamicisation gave a lecture last night on the Islamicisation of Human Knowledge.
The lecture was held at the Experimental Hall from 8.15 to 10.30 pm.
The Islamic Revealed Knowledge & Human Sciences (IRKHS) Secretariat organized the prestigious event, which saw a full house filled with students from various kuliyyahs and also staffs and lecturers.
Professor Kamal started his speech with distinguishing the meanings of Islamisation & Islamicisation, explaining that there is a subtle but significant difference between the two.
According to him, Islamicisation was a more preferable term to use as it indicated that Islam is a comprehensive aspect that can be utilized by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
He said that any knowledge in this world has an Islamic element in it, as it is in line with the values of Islam such as cleanliness, health, akhlak and progress. For example, acupuncture was invented in China, but there it nothing haraam about it.
He continued his lecture by differentiating between Divine Knowledge and Human Knowledge.
According to the Professor, the former needs no Islamicisation as it is Islamic by nature, coming from Divine sources and revealed by protected and sacred means.
The latter, however, is often threatened by the influence of secularism, atheism, naturalism, modernism, evolutionism, materialism, post-modernism, secular humanism and positivism, which is why there is a need to Islamicise it.
The professor too calls for a ‘dekufurisation’ of human knowledge, a term he claimed was invented by Professor Malik Badri, another respected academic in IIUM.
The term Human Knowledge is similar to the one describing Human Sciences in IIUM – Sociology, Political Sciences, Psychology, Communication and History & Civilisation & English.
Tan Sri Professor Dr Kamal Hassan said that all these students have a moral obligation to know and learn their discipline in the Islamic perspective because it is ther responsibility as Muslims and uphold tawhidic values.
As he said, Muslims should be the best and most balanced community, and as such, we must exhibit justice, unity and harmony.
Referring to the IIUM Islamicisation Policy booklet officiated by Rector Professor Zaleha Kamaruddin last Friday, the Professor read out the 5 principles of the IIUM Constitution which includes the principles of taqwa, tawhid, amanah, khilafah, ibadah and tazkiyah nafs of the Quran.
He stressed that we must conform to the Creator’s will and as students of the social sciences in IIUM, we must strive to Islamise everything we learn.
Tan Sri then provided ways to Islamicise the human knowledge.
First, human knowledge needs to be integrated with divine revelations and be related to divine sources.
Second, Muslims must weed out the bad values found in human knowledge.
Third, there is a need to institutionalize holistic quality culture, which means to put a religious element in academia. IIUM is a good place to practice so.
Fourth, the psyche of human needs a tawhidic view.
Fifth, that Muslims regard this effort as a noble jihad and collective responsibility from all followers of Islam.
During the question and answer session, Political Science major Megat Hanis, asked about the practicality of Islamicisation of human knowledge.
The Professor answered it as a necessity for Muslims to live according to the aqidah. It is practical to Islamicise human knowledge as it can be used for all mankind. Professor Kamal also added that the word Islamicisation does not mean conversion of Islam, which is what some non-Muslims perceive it to be. Instead, Islamicisation is about rejecting wrong values.
To end the event, the President of IRKHS Secretariat Brother Karimi gave a final by quoting his lecturer who reminded him that when he graduates from IIUM, he would not only graduate with a degree, but also graduate as a Muslim professional, bearing the Islamic values in his Bachelor title.
Attendees of the lecture enjoyed and were all inspired by the talk. Institute of Education student, Norhafiza, said Professor Kamal was enlightening and she finally understood the difference between Islamisation & Islamicisation.
ELITS Chairman Ata’ Hanifee, one of the organizing committee agreed that the lecture had enlightened him.
The Professor has also validated his perception to today’s media as being overly explicit.
The event concluded by 10.30 pm.