The Fad And Fraud of Islamization of Knowledge

 The Fad and Fraud of Islamization of Knowledge

 

Excerpt #30 from my book:  Qur’an, Hadith, and Hikayat:  Exercises In Critical Thinking.

Nov 16, 2025

 

The current fad of the “Islamization of Knowledge” is just that. More pernicious is the arrogant assumption that religious knowledge is superior to its so-called secular counterpart, a recent bida’ah (adulteration) of the faith. That singular conceit wreaks great harm on Muslims and Islamic intellectual development.

 

         As Reza Nasr writes, “The Islamization project has ... been shaped more in the spirit of a political discourse than a level-headed academic undertaking, and more often than not, has been championed by self-styled thinkers who are not specialists in the fields they seek to

revolutionize.”

 

         I share Reza Nasr’s reservation on the concept of Islamization as well as its main advocates, the likes of such luminaries as Syed Naquib Al-Attas. I have tremendous regards for him as an intellectual and sociologist, but when he strayed far away as with his ill-advised Islamization of the natural sciences, I find that hard to fathom. The Syed obtained his PhD in sociology from Britain and his school years were in Malaysia. As such his understanding of the natural sciences is elementary (Form V or Year 11), unlike doctoral candidates in America where they would have to take college-level courses in the sciences and mathematics.

 

         Revisiting open discourse, ancient scholars like the Prophet’s contemporaries were not at all constrained in their criticisms of each other or the man himself. So encyclopedic and breathtaking were the contributions of those ancient scholars that later Muslims decided that there could not possibly be anything new to add. All pious Muslims had to do was to obey the dictates and wisdom of those ancient luminaries.

 

         Thus began the so-called “Closure of the Gate of Ijtihad” (rational discourse), with the focus now shifting to blind obedience or how faithfully we could emulate our illustrious predecessors.

This era of taqlid or strict obedience maintains its tight grip on the ummah right up to this day.

 

         Other factors contributed to this extreme taqlid in contrast to the earlier vigorous tajdid. Every scholar would, with his novel interpretations, start his (always male) own new movement, further

splintering the ummah. If this were to continue, then the ummah would be burdened with endless schisms, weakening the faith. 

 

         Earlier there was the dire prediction of the Prophet that his followers would be split into

73 sects, and that only one would be on the true path, the others misguided and headed for Hellfire. Thus they were busy killing each other and creating hell for themselves and others right here on temporal earth so they could enter Heaven, as they saw it. 

         

         Taqlid (blind obedience) leaves little room for differences, and differences are inherent with human nature. When those develop, as inevitably they would, they lead to an irreversible split. Like a building foundation, make it too rigid and it would not withstand stresses and collapse with the first minor earthquake.

 

         The first and irreversible split of the faithful occurred soon after the Prophet’s death over his successor between those who believed in the prophetic wisdom that “the best among you shall lead” versus those who would have a member of the Prophet’s family having a special divine dispensation. He (again always a male heir) was believed to enjoy or be in the penumbra of the Prophet’s special

blessings from Allah. That signal difference gave rise to the Sunnis who believed in “the best among you” versus the Shiites who believe that the successor should be the Prophet’s male descendent. 

 

         The minority subsect of Shiism, the Ismailis, claim their leader, the Aga Khan, is a direct descendant of the Prophet, s.a.w. The Ismailis are also the most illustrious group of Muslims. They best reflect the inner core of our faith by emphasizing and thus excelling in education, emancipating their women, and building schools as well as hospitals. They stress the giving of zakat, not how many times you perform Tahajjud prayers or undertake the Hajj and Umrah. 

 

         The Ismailis are not interested in “Islamizing” anything. Instead they are busy translating the message of the Prophet and the Qur’an into their daily lives. That singular lesson is missed by most Muslims.

 

Next:  Defenders Of Reason In Islam