{"id":187453,"date":"2026-06-15T14:34:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T14:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=187453"},"modified":"2026-06-15T14:34:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T14:34:37","slug":"awaken-our-consciousness-beyond-credit-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=187453","title":{"rendered":"Awaken our Consciousness Beyond Credit Hours"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By, Nur Zahirah<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the start of last semester, the one unfulfilled credit hour was the only thing I discussed with my acquaintances after graduating from foundation. I decided that, by hook or by crook, I needed <\/em>to manually register for that UNGS subject\u2014it wasn\u2019t like I had any other choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, the next morning I went to the Department of Fundamental and Inter-Disciplinary Study (FIDS) with my friend. We wandered around the Islamic Revealed Knowledge (IRK) building, climbed up and down stairs for what felt like hours until we finally<\/em> stumbled upon the office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, after all the effort it took to reach this very place, I saw a notice pasted in front of the door. The notice asked us to email the application form, stating that the application would be considered unsuccessful if no response was received within a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notice was clearly being ignored because the office was packed like sardines right up to the glass door, and with some sitting on the black couches each holding their forms. I contemplated this situation for a minute and decided to join the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, my turn arrived. I was allowed to join a random section despite all sections already being at maximum capacity. And with that, my form was stamped and signed by the Head of Department. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I finally turned my attention to the course itself that had appeared on my timetable: Basic Philosophy and Islamic Worldview. I wasn\u2019t sure what my expectations of this course were. I didn\u2019t even know what worldview <\/em>means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyhow, I attended my first class of that course that week. The first thing that my lecturer asked us was a question that has never come across my mind: \u201cWhy<\/em> are you <\/em>here in this class?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I straightened my spine while focusing all my senses on what he was about to say. My lecturer explained that we need to change our intentions,attending this class should not merely be about\u00a0fulfilling credit hours. Instead, it is to change our mindset.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Really? I thought in astonishment. It made me realise how often my intentions to attend class, to study, and do assignments were confined because of the rules and credit hours, and less for the sake of Allah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It prompted me to rethink my own worldview in facing situations on a day-to-day basis. A worldview, as I learned, is a word that came from the German word Weltanschauung<\/em>. In simple terms, it\u2019s basically the way we see and understand the world. How <\/em>we see the world definitely matters, because in turn it will affect our mindset and actions towards others. Interestingly, our worldview is formed through all our senses; what we see, hear, and even eat every day actually influences how we see the world and how we react to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is quite sad to think that many of us, including me, have yet to consciously shape our own worldview. We don\u2019t even have the realisation that we need to consciously form it. We live in an era where we\u2019re comfortable being followers who accept things as they are, without questioning the reasons behind it. Due to this, we tend to have a lack of understanding of the most basic thing we do everyday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take this as an example, though as a Muslim I pray everyday and fulfill Allah\u2019s obligations, yet failed to realise the science I once learned in school such as physics, chemistry, and biology ultimately point back to Allah.\u00a0 From gravitational forces that hold this universe together to atoms and to cell division\u2014all showcase that Allah is the Creator that none of this, even our very existence, would not exist if not for Allah\u2019s will.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why I realised that this and all UNGS courses are important for the purpose of shaping a worldview that is grounded within the Islamic framework. Throughout the last semester I was introduced to previously obscure scholars both from the Western and Islamic worlds that I\u2019ve never heard of, whose ideas reshaped my worldview. To some extent, the thought-provoking ideas of scholars like Sayyid Qutb, Muhammad Iqbal, and Maududi often lingered after class, causing my friend and me to further discuss and reflect on them over lunch nearly every week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I  believe this awareness of the basic Islamic thoughts is crucial for the young generation of Muslims especially in a world where every field of knowledge is often shaped by the Western thought system. Much of it seems to lean back on the core of the theory of Darwinism, based on the premise of human survival that leads people to do everything by all means at the expense of others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, this was merely a piece of my thought based on my experience of learning this course last semester. There is still much to learn, improve, and reflect upon consciously. I believe this was just the very beginning of a lifelong journey that continues until the end of our time. Certainly, this is not the end.***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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