TAHA JABIR ALWANI

BY HAMZA SULEIMAN DANLADI & MOHAMED SOFWAN AHMED ADHIL

BIOGRAPHY OF TAHA JABIR

AL ALAWANI
Born in Iraq 1935

Received early education in Iraq, then

graduated with an Honors Degree at
Azhar university 1959 Obtained Master
(1968) and PHD (1973) in same university
Lectured in Usul Figh(1975-1985)at Imam
Muhammed Saudi University in Riyadh
Participated in the founding of the
international institute of Islamic thought
and was the president of IIT

SOME PUBLISHED WORKS

Toward an islamic alternative in

thought and knowledge

The islamization of knowledge
yesterday and today
Issues in contemporary Islamic
thought
The islamisation of methodology of
behavioural sciences

DEFINITION OF IOK
The islamization of knowledge may

be brought about by the combined

readings of the two books and the
establishment, on the basis of their
similarity and complementary of a
methodology for research and
discovery

(Taha Jabir 1995 IOK Yesterday and Today)

(Abdul Rashid Moten 2008, Taha Jabir al-Alawanis Approach to

islamisation: Combining the two readings)

PRESENT STATE OF ISLAMIC

THOUGHT
Traditionalist- They believe that

ummah can be revived through this

approach
Western There views are emphasis
on rationality. They believe that only
with the western approach can we
attained development
Thus ascribing partners to Allah is
the greatest injustice!

Cont
Elecentric approach- One must select

from the traditional approach what

is sound and from modern sciencees
which is considered to be modern

PRESENT STATE OF MUSLIM

EDUCATION
The education we have is a dual

education system
The traditional Islamic System, which
offers students a program consisting of
shariah sciences
This system confined to preparing and
enabling graduates to deal with personal
affairs, meet some educational needs,
and lead to prayers in mosques

Cont
This system remains a private affair that

has limited access to public funds

The second is the secular system, which
present all kinds of contemporary
knowledge and science during the
students educational career
It advocates un-islamic orientations and
elbows out the islamic system
Consequently, the un-islamic system
secular system produces the ummahs
intellectual, political, and social leaders
as well magers of the means of
production

TOWARDS AN ISLAMIC
ALTERNATIVE
We must reform muslim thought as a hole

and reassess its methodologies

We must understand the position regional
and nationalistic thought, as well as
western thought, both Maxist and Liberal
We must revise and correct the ummahs
inherited historical and cultural structure
and rid it of weakness, dichotomy and
lack of reality that hampers its efficiency
and effectiveness

Cont
We must reexamine all the prevalent

concepts and works to achieve the

correct perspective on life, the
universe, humanity and all other
related issues
In addition, we must agree on these
perspectives, sources and design
islamic system and institutions that
can define a role for each of them.

Book of
Revelation
Boo
k
Exis of Real
ten
ce

Book of Real
Existence

f
Book o
ti on
Revela

BASIS OF KNOWLEDGE Cont

Book of
Revelation

Book of Real
Existence

HINDRANCES FOR REFORM

1) Confusing Doctrine with thought
Thought might be correct or incorrect
2) The belief that knowledge has no

religion
Thought has a tendency that he would
think without any limits
3)Limiting the treatment to the classes of
extra subject
Revival can be achieved if more quran
classes are held

FACTORS THAT LED TO

ACCEPTING OF WESTERN
4) Belief In the Universal Applicability of
CULTURE

Contemporary Western Culture. Number

of factors led to this university
A)Victory and defeat, and the effects of
western victory on the mentality of
those who have been defeated
B) Widespread of media promotion of
Western Culture and values employing
a variety of methods
C) Excessive expansion of number of
muslims being sent to the west to study
social sciences

D) Establishment of Western and

theological universities in in the capitals of
islamic countries and entrusting them to
educate the local population
E) Imitation of the western educational
system in form and in content, importation
of the western social sciences, and
conformity to the west in all related areas
F)Abandonment of originality, creativity and
thinking by the Muslims

2nd Fundament : the

elaboration of the
paradigms of
knowledge

1st Fundament
activation of the
articles of faith
Articulating the
islamic paradigm of
knowledge

Six
Discours
es

Rexamining the
islamic
intellectual
heritage

1
2

Dealing with the

Western Intellectual
Heritage

Developing a
Quranic
Methodology

Methodology for
dealing with sunnah

Methodolo
gy for
dealing
with Quran

General Principles
1)Affirmation the unity of God.
2)The Unity of the created realm
3) The Unity of Truth
4)The unity of life: There is no disparity
between the revelation and truth of cosmos
5)The unity of humanity: People are a single
creation and no one is superior to anyone
else
6)The unity of complementarity of revelation
and reason; There is no contradiction on
which is revealed and Gods Contradiction
7)Comprehensiveness of both means and
method; Islam is a religion which is inclusive
of all aspects of life

Goal
The Goal is to achieve is to attain

enlightened Muslims. There are two

paths which we can attain this
A)By reconstructing intellectual
scheme based on the Quran and
epistemological methodology
B) Basing the comprehensive Islamic
epistemological and cultural paradigm
on what was mentioned above
These two paths require action based
on five fundamental focal points.

The First Focal point is thought: whereby

bringing two pieces of knowledge in order to
form a third
The first task is to define the features of the
islamic thought. The second task is to deal
with the issues and difficulties of the islamic
thought
The Second Focal point is Methods: One
Reconstructing an epistemological vision
based on the components of Islamic
conceptualisation 2)Rebuilding, reshaping
and rebuilding the rules and the methods of
Islamic methodology 3)Dealing with the
Quran through the lenses provided by this
vision on the view that quran is law 4)

5) Constructing a method of dealing with the

sunnah based on this methodological vision
given that sunaah is givens a means to
clarify law 6)Re-examining our islamic legacy
by means of critical, analytical and
epistemological reading which frees us from
the three loops which govern the area a)total
rejection b)total acceptance c) selective
arbitrary education 6) Constructing a method
for dealing with the contemporary human
heritage in a way which frees the Muslim
mind from the current approaches

The THIRD focal point is science and

knowledge- To accommodate this there should
be reading which should have the
characteristics of including the revelation of
knowledge and which is manifested in the
creation of universe.
The FOURTH Focal point is Culture and
Civilisation : The people has the ability to
refine it. The civilisation has to be combined
with monotheism and affirmation of Gods
sovereignty
The FIFTH Focal point is The Islamic and
human heritage: There are reasons for us to
reinterpret our Islamic legacy and to read in a
critical analytical and knowledge oriented

Comparing Taha Jabir

with Ismail Faruqi
Name

Taha Jabir

Faruqi

Intellectual
approach

Rationalist

Rationalist

Field of study

Islamic
Jurisprudence

Comparative
Religion

The Problem

Worsening condition
of the ummah

Worsening Condition
of the ummah

Root Causes

Bifurcation of
education

Lack of vision in
education

Reform process

Thought and
Knowledge

Thought & social

life

Approach
The Undertaker

Six discourses
12 step approaches
Scholars who are endowed
Reversalwith
method
knowledge of revelation human
efforts

Goal

Producing Islamic

Producing text

Comparing Taha Jabir

with Sayyed Hussein Nasr
Name

Taha Jabir

Hussein Nasr

Intellectual
approach

Rationalist

Western science

Field of study

Islamic
Jurisprudence

Natural sciences,
philosophy and
Islam

The Problem

Worsening condition
of the ummah

Loss of sacred
science

Root Causes

Bifurcation of
western sciences

Secular Western
science

Reform process

Thought and
Knowledge

Science

Approach
The Undertaker

2)
Six discourses
Developing
islamic
Scholars
who are endowed
with
community
knowledge of revelation
human
efforts

References
Shaykh Taha Jabir Alwani (2005) Issues in

Contemporary islamic thought The International

Institute of Islamic thought
Aslam Haneef Mohamed (2009) A critical survey of

islamisation of knowledge IIUM Press Kuala Lampur

Shaykh Taha Jabir Alawani (2006) Islamic thought An

approach to reform The International Institute of
Islamic thought

Rashid Moten Abdul (2008) Taha Jabir Alawanis

Approach to islamisation: Combining the two readings

Kulliyah Research Bulletin Vol 3 No 2 pp 5-7
Seyyed Hossein Nasr (1981) Islamic Life And thought

George Allen & UNWIN