INTRODUCTION OF IOK

Islamization of knowledge (IOK) can be defined as the description of practical

knowledge-based activity and sciences according to tauhid paradigm or islamic point of viev
and identity as a way of life. IOK has inspired many scholars to criticize the existence of
knowledge that is controlled by Western education spread throughout the world, including in
Muslim countries, to show the superior position of Western education compared to other
countries. Though not all of them excel in the West, therefore, Islamize knowledge to show
that not all Muslims are left behind in knowledge.

Muslims have a belief based on God. Allah SWT is the creator of the universe and our
duty as Muslims to follow His commands and live life as explained in the Quran and As-
Sunnah. Islamization project has, as a result, 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 which they seek to
revolutionize.

Moreover, rigorous methodology has not been informed with faith, but has been sub
stituted by it. As a result, Islamization of knowledge has been narrowed to mere
implementation of the assorted teachings of the Sharfah on a variety of topics, with the effect
of eviscerating the Islamization project of its creative potential, and reducing it to a glorified
definition of religious observance. Rather than contributing to knowledge, and furthering its
cause by injecting the Islamic world-view into the philosophy of the sciences, the
Islamization project, in its current form, has created an enervating disjunctive between faith
and knowledge in Islam, which is made ever more apparent with the more vociferous claims
of a facile intermeshing of Islam and scientific thought. In fact, in the face of the
omnicompetent and immovable colossus of Western scientific thought, and the jejune nature
of the current approaches to the issue in many Muslim circles, the discursive onslaught of the
Islami zation project has been reduced to apologetic polemics. The fate of "Islamic
economics" is a case in point in this regard.

The summarize of this paper divided into 5 parts: First, the definition of Islamization
of Knowledge(IOK) its self. Second, The Background of IOK. Third, The History of IOK.
Fourth, about Discussion and Conclussion about Islamization of Knowledge(IOK). The last,
writers comment of IOK.
 I. The Definition of IOK

Islamization of Knowledge(IOK) has separate into two types, islamization and

knowledge. Islamization its comes from word “islam”, it means that something related with
the muslim rules or principles. The second type is knowledge, it can refer to
a theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. It can be implicit (as with practical skill
or expertise) or explicit (as with the theoretical understanding of a subject); it can be more or
less formal or systematic. In other words, knowledge is skill in understanding of something
through learning or experience. Islamization of knowledge can be defined as the description
of practical knowledge-based activity and sciences according to tauhid paradigm or islamic
point of view and identity as a way of life.

Al-Attas call for the Islamic vehicles to promote and implement IOK not only the
conceptual discussion but also the real action. Thus, the development of IIUM and ISTAC
was one of the means in order to achieve the purpose of IOK. However, the process of IOK
can not finish in a whole night because the target of IOK, modern secular science, has
dominated in almost all parts of knowledge. Therefore, Muslim scholars should work
together in order to create indigenous Islamic disciplines.

However, al-Faruqi (1988) has outlined Islamization of knowledge as the process of

mastering the disciplines (as they are) and then integrating the new knowledge into the corpus
of Islamic legacy by “eliminating, amending, re-interpreting and adapting its components as
the world view of Islam and its values dictate” (p30).

II. Discussion

The aim of this paper is to analysis islamization of knowledge nowadays. There are
two discoverer who developing Islamization of Knowledge both in theory and practice,
firstly Syed Naquib al-Attas was a malaysian Muslim philosopher. He is one of the few
contemporary scholars who is thoroughly rooted in the traditional Islamic sciences and who
is equally competent in theology, philosophy, metaphysics, history, and literature. He is the
pioneer in proposing the idea of Islamization of Knowledge. Al-Attas' philosophy and
methodology of education have one goal: Islamisation of the mind, body and soul and its
effects on the personal and collective life on Muslims as well as others, including the spiritual
and physical non-human environment. He founded International Institute of Islamic Thought
and Civilization (ISTAC) in 1987 as one of the vehicle to support the idea of IOK. Al-Attas
envisioned the plan and design of every aspect of ISTAC, and has incorporated Islamic
artistic and architecturan principles throughout the campus and grounds.

Secondly Ismail Raji al-Faruqi was a Palestinian-American philosopher philosopher

who was recognized by his peers as an authority on Islam and comparative religion. He was
Professor of Religion at Temple University, where he founded and chaired the Islamic
Studies program. Al-Faruqi was also the founder of the International Insitute of Islamic
Thought. He wrote over 100 articles for various scholarly journals and magazines in addition
to 25 books, of the most notable being Christian Ethics: A Historical and Systematic Analysis
of Its Dominant Ideas. He also established the Islamic Studies Group of the American
Academy of Religion and chaired it for ten years. He served as the vice-president of the Inter-
Religious Peace Colloquium, The Muslim-Jewish-Christian Conference and as the president
of the American Islamic College in Chicago.

There are five classification and evolution of knowledge methodologies. First is from
Al Attas, he classified into two step process which are isolation of the key elements that make
up Western culture and civilization from every branch of knowledge and infusion of islamic
elements and key concept into all branches of knowledge. Second is from Al Faruqi, he
claimed about a strategic in Islamization of Knowledge which have five stages, mastery of
the modern discipline, mastering the islamic legacy, establish spesific relevance of
Islamization of Knowledge, Creative synthesis between islamic and modern knowledge, and
dessemination. Third is from Abu Sulayman that insist of practical in islamization of
knowledge which are rectifying relationship between revelation and reason, redefine
knowledge and clarify key Islamic concept, and reorganize and reorient the methodology of
islamic education. Fourth is Al-Khalil, he divide it into theoretical and practical. Theoretical
are definition, aims, objectives, stages, and implementation of Islamization of Knowledge.
While practical is to reshape all branches of humance knowledge. Fifth is from Al-Alwani
about discourses of Islamization of Knowledge, that have 6 stages which are articulating the
paradigm, developing Al Qur’an methodology, methodology for dealing with Al Qur’an,
methodology for dealing with the Sunnah, re-examining the Islamic intellectual heritage, and
dealing with the western intellectual paradigm.

III. The history of IOK

The history of Islamization of Knowledge is begin after second war. Beside that, there
are two discovers who influence about IOK, which is Syeb Naquib Al-attas and Ismail Raji
Al-faruqi. Syeb Naquib Al-attas is Malaysian Muslim philosopher. He founded of
ISTAC“International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization” in 1978. He is one of the
few contemporary scholars who is thoroughly rooted in the traditional Islamic Sciences and
who is equally competent in theologhy,philosophy, metaphysics, history, and literature. The
idea of Islamization of modern knowledge in certain metaphysical contexts can be
meaningful because of these basic theoretical differences in metaphysics and concepts of
knowledge. He asserted that the Western vision of reality and truth is not based on revealed
truth but is based on philosophical speculation marked by uncertainty and relativity.

In the other hand, Ismail Raji Al-faruqi was a Palestinian-American philosopher,

widely recognised by his peers as an authority on Islam and comparative religion. He spent
several years at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, then taught at several universities in North
America, including McGill University in Montreal. He was Professor of Religion at Temple
University, where he founded and chaired the Islamic Studies program. Al-Faruqi was also
the founder of the International Institute of Islamic Thought.