Professional Documents
Culture Documents
(UNGS 2030)
STANDARD CONTENTS
Department of Fundamental and
Interdisciplinary Studies, 2016
WEEK 1
Worldview:
Definition, necessity, and a brief
historical development
Meanings
Worldview is an English translation of the
German term Weltanschauung.
It is rendered in Arabic as Ruyat al-Islam lilwujud, ())
A set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of
reality that around us
Ones perceiving, knowing and doing
Study of the world and its aspects
A view of life
A perception of the world
A particular philosophy of life
Meanings
A concept of the world held by
individuals and groups
A philosophy of life
A mind-set and outlook on life
A formula for life
An ideology for faith
Definitions
A set of attitudes on a wide range of
fundamental matters
A comprehensive set of propositions about
various aspects of the world
A unified and comprehensive view of the world
around us and mans place within it.
Basic
assumptions
and
images
toward
understanding all existing things and beings
A guide or a map toward realizing ones
religious, social, political, economic and cultural
views and relationships
Revelation
Technology
Man-Structure
Conception
of society
Political
Dealings
Science
Scientific
conceptual
scheme
KnowledgeStructure
Worldview-Structures
Development
Value-Structure
Morality
Life-Structure
Legal Dealings
.
9
Necessity of Understanding
Worldviews
1. Human life:
Knowing about the worlds different people,
cultures and civilization
2. Human behavior:
assisting
us in interacting with nature,
individuals, peoples, nations, cultures and
civilizations
Guiding us to correct our perceptions, ideas,
values, perspectives, attitudes and behavior
Formulating theories of politics, society, culture,
and civilization
Understanding worldviews
NATURALISM:
Understanding worldviews
SECULAR HUMANISM:
viewed as a system of values and beliefs that are opposed to
the values and beliefs of traditional religions
Relating to worldly things as distinguished from things
relating to church and religion; not sacred or religious;
temporal; worldly
Humanism as any system of thought or action based on the
nature, interests and ideals of man; specifically, a modern,
nontheistic, rationalist movement that holds that man is
capable of self-fulfillment, ethical conduct, etc. without
recourse to supernaturalism
In the 1930s, "humanism" was generally used in a religious
sense by the Ethical movement in the United States, and not
14
much favored among the non-religious in Britain.
Understanding worldviews
POST-MODERNISM:
The
term
postmodernism
first
entered
the
Classification of Worldview
Worldview
Religious
Revealed and
preserved
Atheism
Revealed but
Interpolated
Non-religious
Materialism
Positivism
Rationalism
16
scientism
Another classification
Worldview
Philosophical
worldview
Religious
worldview
Scientific
worldview
17
Week 2
Naturalism:
Concept, development, and characteristics.
Concept of Naturalism
Naturalism derives from the word nature, means;
self-contained or self-explanatory
A theory of life and universe
An atheistic and materialistic
A mechanical view of the world of nature
All beings and events in the universe (whatever their
inherent character may be) are natural
Universe has been evolved by itself
Denies the existence of truly supernatural realities
Denies the existence of the creator
A form of realism that particularly focuses on how
technology and science affect society as a whole, as
well as how society and genetics affect individuals
Development
In 5th/6th centuries B.C., Greek
thinkers
and
philosophers
i.e.
sophists who are paid intellectuals in
Ancient Greece and Roman Empire
specialized in using empirical method
or tools of philosophy to develop
naturalism or religion of nature
In Europe, in the late 19th and 20th
centuries, first advocated explicitly
by mile Zola (1840-1902) in his
1880 essay entitled Naturalism on
Naturalism defined
A theory that relates scientific method to
philosophy by affirming that all beings
and events in the universe (whatever
their inherent character may be) are
natural
Denying
the
existence
of
truly
supernatural realities, it makes allowance
for the supernatural, provided that
knowledge of it can be had indirectly
22
Naturalism defined
An approach to philosophical problems
that interprets them as tractable through
the methods of the empirical sciences
Showing the philosophical problems
as traditionally conceived are illformulated and can be solved or
displaced
by
appropriately
naturalistic methods
23
Characteristics of Naturalism
The debate about naturalism ranges across many
areas of philosophy, including metaphysics,
epistemology, ethics, and philosophy of mind, just to
mention areas where it is especially prominent
Two basic dimensions in which the debate takes
place; one is concerned , what there is and the
second is the methods of acquiring belief and
knowledge
There are several affiliated issues (supervenience,
objectivity, various realism/antirealism debates, the
character of norms of epistemic justification, the
theory of meaning, and so forth) but they are all
connected through those two main concerns
24
Week 3
Secular Humanism:
Concept, development, and
characteristics
Secular Humanism
What is Secular Humanism?
Secular: Of or relating to worldly things as distinguished
from things relating to church and religion; not sacred or
religious; temporal; worldly.
Humanism: Any system of thought or action based on
the nature, interests and ideals of man; specifically, a
modern, nontheistic, rationalist movement that holds
that man is capable of self- fulfillment, ethical conduct,
etc. without recourse to supernaturalism
Secular Humanism
Secular Humanism is a secular
ethical philosophy that emphasizes a
world view based upon naturalism:
the belief that the physical world or
nature is all that exists or is real
It emphasizes scientific inquiry and
rejects revealed knowledge as well as
theistic morality.
Development
Development
Characteristics of
Secular Humanism
Characteristics of
Secular Humanism
Characteristics of
Secular Humanism
Characteristics of
Secular Humanism
Components of secularism
1. Disenchantment of nature
components
3. De-sacralization of politics
components
Week 4
Postmodernism;
Concept, development,
characteristics and principles
Concept of postmodernism
Concept
In fact, postmodernism is a reaction towards
dominance culture of modernism. This is the real
problem which was faced by people in the early of
21st century until the present day
Nevertheless, postmodernism is not limited to art
and architecture alone, yet it is an universal
concept for every field of knowledge and human
affairs as well, eventually topples the roots of
modernism, as can be considered as the end of
modernism.
Concept
Concept
Concept
Development
Development
Characteristics of
Postmodernism
i. Skepticism
-as the essence and innate nature of the structure of Postmodernism
-Truth as a subjective matter
-All worldviews are needed to be deconstructed and reevaluate in
order to trace the lies and bias imbued within the worldviews
ii. Anti-dualistic
-appreciations of various perspectives rather than conflicts
-pluralistic co-existence rather than dualistic approach
Characteristics
iii. Questioning texts
-no inherent authority or objectivity of the texts
either historical or literal or otherwise in revealing the
author's intent
-information provided by text might be partly true to a
particular group but not to others
-happening as uncertain, no authority knows what really
happened
-reevaluate text has to happen otherwise the text is not
relevant.
Characteristics
Characteristics
REFERENCES:
of
Western
Philosophy
(New
York:
Principles of post-modernism
No
No
reality
Simulacrum:
Meaningless
and valueless
Total
Doubt
Multiplicities
cultures
Equal
WEEK 5
the Islamic worldview
Definition by selected Muslim scholars
Definitions
Understanding
the
fundamental
questions
pertaining to the issues of God, the existence of
the seen and unseen, universe, man, life, belief,
khilafah, ethical values and standard norms,
history and Shari`ah
The vision of reality and truth that appears before our mind's eye
revealing the world of existence in its totality (Al-Attas)
WEEK SIX
Characteristics of the Islamic
worldview
Al-Rabbaniyyah
(Divine
origin)
Al-Thabut
(The Permanent
Realities)
Al-Suhumul
(Comprehensive)
Al-Tawazun/Al-Wasatiyyah
(balance)
Al-Waqiyyah
Al-Ijabiyyah
Al-Tawhid
Allah)
(Realism)
(Dynamism)
(the Oneness of
Rabb
Rabbaniyyah
One
Guardian,
One
Leader,
Owner
or Master
Comprehensiveness (Shumul)
Comprehensive aqidah
Comprehensive ibadah
Comprehensive shari`ah.
Moderation/ Balance
(Tawazun)
Balanced
humans
Blanced
in Religion
Balanced
Balanced
Aqidah/belief/thought
Ibadah(worship)
Balanced
in actions
Balanced
Balanced
Shari`ah
AlWaqi`iyyah(Realism/practicality)
Practical Aqidah
Practical Ibadah
Practical Shari`ah
Stand
of various ideologies :
Christianity s asceticism :
Hinduism
Practical `Aqidah
18-( 110)
Practical `Ibadah
2- ( 286)-.
Practical Morality:
(
133
)
)(134
) (135 3-
-.
) (40 42-
-.
) (126 16-
-.
Practical Shar`iah
Al-Ijabiyyah (Dynamism)
Week 7
Allah ; Essence, Attributes and
Worship
Muslim
His
His
Every
All
Climates,
command
His essence
His Attributes
Al-Ilah
The connotation of the word ilah includes the
following:
The capacities:
And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of worship]
except Him, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially
Merciful.(2:163)
Allh! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever
Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. (3:2)
[All] praise is [due] to Allh, Lord of the worlds - (1:2)
Al-Khliq
al-Mlik
Al-Malik means: The real authority and the Real King, Who is SelfSufficient in Himself and His attributes and needs nothing but all
things in existence need Him for everything
Say! O Allah , Lord of Power and Rule, you give power to whom you
want, and you stripes off from whom you want(3:26)
The term mulk has been mentioned 206 times in the Quran such
as malakat (possess) and mulku (dominion)
Al-Hakim
His wisdom is ultimate who did not create and legislate anything in
vain
His decrees, inflicts, and relieves are in the most rightful way,
place, and time
Week 8
Tawhid and
Mans Life
Its
Effects
on
Tawhid defined
The
It
The
Absolutely
As
Tawhid defined
As
As
Signifying
The
As
Man
As
Freeing
3.
Modesty(25:63)
4.
5.
6.
7.
Bravery ( 62:8)
8.
9.
Week 9
Universe
And the earth We have spread it and cast therein firmly set
mountains and caused to grow therein [something] of every wellbalanced thing. [15:19]
The sun and the moon [move] by precise calculation, and the stars
and trees prostrate. And the heaven He raised and imposed the
balance, that you not transgress within the balance. [55:5-8]
Also, It is not allowable for the sun to reach the moon, nor does the
night overtake the day, but each, in an orbit, is swimming. [36:3840]
Allah (swt) clearly says in the Quran about the purpose of the
creation of mankind:
The ultimate purpose of creation: And I did not create the jinn and
mankind except to worship Me.(Surah Ad-Dhariyat 51:56)
The concept of
ayat kawniyyah
Taqdeer
Taqdeer
Taqdir
And He has made subservient to you the sun and the moon pursuing
their courses, and He has made subservient to you the night and the
day. (14:34), 45:13, (16: 5,10-11, 68), (4:1)
Tasbih of nature
The seven heavens and the Earth and all they contain glorify
Him, and there is not a thing but extols His glory; but you do not
understand how they glorify Him. (17:44)
Allah is al-Aakhir, mean the One who is last the ultimate. He is the
One who remains after creations perish and He is the One beyond
whom there is nothing. (See 57:3)
We learn from the Quran that this world will come to an end: We
have adorned everything on earth, in order to test them, and thus
distinguish those among them who work righteousness.
Inevitably, We will wipe out everything on it, leaving it completely
barren" (18:7-8)
In Surah Ar-Rahmaan (26 and 27) Allah says that all the residents
of earth will perish and die. Even the residents of the heavens will
die, except whomever Allah wills. He is the One who remains.
Week 10
Man: Origin and Fitrah
"
And certainly We created man of an extract of clay;
Then We placed him as (a drop of) sperm in a place of rest,
firmly fixed; Then We made the sperm into a clot of
congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus)
lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the
bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another
creature. So blessed be Allah, the best to create!
(Quran 23:12-14.)
"
We have honoured the sons of Adam; provided
them with transport on land and sea; given them
for sustenance things good and pure; and
conferred on them special favours, above a great
part of our creation. (Quran 17: 70).
106
"
"
It is He Who has made you (His) agents,
inheritors of the earth: He has raised you in
ranks, some above others: that He may try you
in the gifts He has given you: for your Lord is
quick in punishment: yet He is indeed Oftforgiving, Most Merciful. (Al-Anam, 6: 165)
107
Meaning of khalifah
Khalifah is the one who exercises delegated power
on behalf of the Supreme Authority. He is not the
master but the deputy of the One who has
entrusted him with power
Meaning of khalifah
Entrusted with certain powers to govern the world
Given freedom of action, choose right over wrong
Has duties and responsibilities to His Creator; to
himself, to his fellow men and to other creatures of
Allah.
Equipped with knowledge to establish justice.
Held responsible and accountable for all his
actions on the Day of Judgment.
Promised Paradise if he succeeds in fulfilling his
responsibilities and hell-fire if he fails to do so.
Allah sent Messengers to guide mankind [al-Araf (7):
35].
109
Functions of khalifah
To defend and maintain the religion
To protect the territory of Islam
To safeguard the citizen of the country
To head the political institution and guide the subordinates
To punish the evildoers and protect the society from
aggression
To maintain the public fund
To remember Allah (swt)
To obey completely the guidance of Allah
7. As a spiritual being
. Maintaining a constant attitude of respect and love
towards Allah (swt) for acquiring the blessing of Divine
pleasure and Divine love (5:57) Whom He will love and
they will love Him.
b. Faith in the unity of Allah (swt) perfects monotheism
and it implies loyalty to Him. (6:102)
c. Trust in Allah (swt) cultivates His goodness, mercy and
help. (39:9).
d. Submission to Him and improving relationship with
Him (5:26).
e. Seeking guidance from Him as the possessor and the
source of knowledge (1:5).
f. Showing respect to Him by believing in all His prophets
(3:179).
g. Disobedience and arrogance in respect of Him is
prohibited (32:15).
a
Meaning of Nubuwwah
God has created no community of beings in the world
without a guide or leader.
God has created everything with a purpose and left
humanity with Prophets to guide them to spiritual,
intellectual and material perfection.
Prophethood is translated into Arabic as nubuwwah
(). Nabi refers to prophet who gives news from God
Prophetic experience has been described by Muslim
theologians as something out of ordinary experience
3.
)(33:21
"
6. The Prophet never told any lies. Whatever he
said is revelation from Allah (swt).
"
"
Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is
no less than inspiration sent down to him. [al-Najm
(53): 3-4].
"
"
He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah; but if any
turn away, We have not sent thee to watch over their
(evil deeds). [al-Nisa (4): 80].
"
Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but
(he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the
Prophets (33:40), it means that the institution of Risalah
( Messengerhood) has also been terminated since
the closure of a general cadre automatically means that
the upper ones have also been terminated.
127
Week 11
Life: al-Dunya and al-Akhirah
Concept:
In Islam, there is not only the life of this
world but also life in the world to come.
This world is like a field in which our
actions are sown like seeds and they
grow into plants which are then
harvested in the next world, much like
the Prophet (p.b.u.h) saying: this world is
the growing field or the planting field for
the next world.
130
Names of al-Akhirah
The Day of Resurrection (Yawm al-Qiymah/alBath) when all the dead bodies will be brought back
to life and then assembled
The Day of Assembly Yawm al-Jam to stand trial
The Day of Judgment Yawm al-Dn and account
for individual deeds of commission and omission
The Day of Reckoning Yawm al-isb
It is also named in more than 40 ways in the
Quran such as al-Qriah, al-qqah, and Yawm alKhuld).
132
"
"
We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of
Resurrection, so that not a soul will be dealt with
unjustly in the least, and if there be (no more than) the
weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it (to account):
and enough are We to take account.(21:47; see also
10:61; 31:16)
134
135
of
human
"
"
Say: "You shall not be questioned as to our sins, nor
shall we be questioned as to what you do Say: "Our
Lord will gather us together and will in the end decide
the matter between us [and you] in truth and justice:
and He is the one to decide, the One Who knows all."
(34:25-26)
136
Social Benefits
Belief in al-Akhirah has the primary place in
preserving social security and preventing the spread
of corruption, crime and violation of law. It is a force
capable of taming the rebellious desires of the soul.
Its of the teleological implication of ones conduct
within ones society that will produce good citizens.
Anyone seriously concerned with his eternal abode,
will accustom himself with good behaviours and the
society will thus be protected from the crimes or
immoralities that he might otherwise have
committed
138
Civilizational benefits
Belief in al-Akhirah when everyone will be
accountable for his deeds and misdeeds will imbue
one with the sense of responsibility, which is a
condition of sustainable development. Man will
consequently choose the right course of action.
To conclude, we may ask is there anything to lose if
one believes in al-Akhirah and works for it? The
answer is one will lose nothing.
139
Week 12
Globalization: Definition,
advantages and disadvantages
Globalization defined
A process of integration and democratization of
the worlds culture, economy, and infrastructure
through transnational investment, rapid production
of communication and information technologies,
and the impacts of free-market forces on local,
regional and national economies
Globalization defined
-A global village and the expansion of global
Globalization defined
-A process by which capital, goods, services and labor
Advantages of globalization
Help reduce poverty by creating jobs and improving
incomes.
Information technology have helped disseminate
knowledge in many fields of study and disciplines.
Communication is cheaper and easier. Costs of
telephone calls as well as travel have fallen.
Communities although heterogeneous, can be more
cooperative now that are more means of
understanding each other.
Possible for humanity to have compassion for each
other when calamities natural or man-made
affect others.
Issues such as human rights and public
144
accountability are brought to the fore.
Disadvantages of globalization
Environmental degradation due to unrestrained
logging activities of transnational corporations
whose sole aim is to multiply profits.
Economic disparities have been created. There are
stark regional disparities in poverty.
Basic necessities in life are set aside in favor of
profits. Many countries in the South have been
occupied with facilitating foreign investment in
industries that are lucrative to foreign markets and
forsaking the most fundamental needs of the
people.
145
Disadvantages of globalization
Globalization aids the removal of national controls
over cross-border financial flows. Dramatic outflows
of capital from one country to another have caused
havoc in some currencies, particularly in Southeast
Asia.
Advances in technology aggravated by the outflow
of capital to low cost production sites in the South
has caused growing unemployment in the North,
which is an affront to human dignity.
Globalization has popularized the consumer culture.
Consumerism has given birth to materialism where
people are more interested in what they have rather
than the essential aspects of humanity.
146
challenges of globalizaton
environmental crisis
the global order
post-modernism
the secularization of life
the crisis of science and technology
penetration of non-islamic values
the image of islam
the attitudes to other civilization
internal challenges
violation of human rights
feminism
Week 13
Liberalism: definition and
challenges
Liberalism defined
Liberal means:
a. a free mind from prejudice or discrimination
b. to reform a new idea of progress, tolerant of idea
and behavior
c. The way of thinking which is broad minded
liberal tradition in politics, for instance, should
have a religious tolerance, government by consent,
personal liberty, economic freedom and social
freedom etc
Liberalism defined
Liberalism a political philosophy based on belief
in progress, the essential goodness of the human
race, and the autonomy of the individual and
standing for the protection of political and civil
liberties;
Liberal means: broad-mindedness; especially not
bound
by
authoritarianism,
orthodoxy,
or
traditional forms.
151
liberalism defined
Liberalism means:
* The primacy of individual freedom and
choice to believe in and to do according to his
will.
Religious law should be brought into open fully
dressed in reason and argument towards
exercising Islamic teachings in all aspects of
human life
Development
In 1904 a reformist Abdul Aziz al-Tasaalabi
wrote a book on Liberal spirit in the Quran in
Tunisia and Morocco, translated into Arabic
Ruhut Taharrur fil Quran
Issues: revitalizing womens role, tolerance,
rejecting fanaticism, reinterpretation of jihad
verses etc.
It also includes freedom of thinking, faith, and
action
Development
Hassan Hanafi (Egypt, born 1935) wrote: "There is no
one interpretation of a text, but there are many
interpretations given the difference in understanding
between various interpreters. An interpretation of a text
is essentially pluralistic. The text is only a vehicle for
human interests and even passions. ... The conflict of
interpretation is essentially a socio-political conflict, not
a theoretical one. Theory indeed is only an
epistemological cover-up. Each interpretation expresses
the socio-political commitment of the interpreter."
Developemet
Abdullahi An-Na`im (Sudan, born 1946) said: "there
is no such thing as the only possible or valid
understanding of the Qur'an, or conception of Islam,
since each is informed by the individual and
collective orientation of Muslims...."
Challenges
Liberal Muslims object to the implementation of
the Shariah on several grounds:
Against theocracy
For democracy
Rights of women
Right of non-Muslims
Freedom of thought
They call for the re-interpretation of the Shariah;
they argue that the revelation is divine, but
interpretation is human and fallible and inevitably
plural. Emphasize on reason and condemn Taqlid
156
Challenges
Liberal Islam opposes the idea of theocracy- a
system of government comprised of priests, in
which laws of the state are believed to be the
laws of God. Liberal Islamists, like Ali Abd alRaziq and Khalaf Allah argue that the silence of
sharia regarding the form of government has
left it for human construction, so it depends on
their choice
Challenges
Liberal Islamists re-examine the tradition and
statements of Prophet(pbuh) and find them less
hostile to womens right that is conceived for
long generation after generation. They try to
reform the traditional society to extirpate the
gap between the fallen historical reality and the
desired model of Islam
Challenges
Liberal Islam has been denounced by many Muslims.
Hassan Hanafi (Egypt), Amina Wadud-Muhsin (United
States), Abdullahi An-Na`im (Sudan) are the
examples of Liberal Muslims
The proponents of Liberal Islam has been called by
so many names including Secularists and
Apostates.
159
Week 14
Extremism: Definition, development,
manifestations, causes and remedies
Extremism defined
"
Say: O People of the Book! Exceed not in your religion the
bounds [of what is proper] (5:77)
In hadith, beware of excessiveness in religion before you
have perished as a result of excessiveness
Extremism means:
being situated at the farthest possible point from the
center going to great or exaggerated lengths
exceeding the ordinary, usual, or expected limit
Figuratively, a similar remoteness in religion,
politics
161
and ethnicity
Extremism defined
Development
Extremism as an old phenomena found in
all religions such as Judaism, Christianity and
Islam
Religious extremism:
-In the early period, there were many sects
with different thoughts and beliefs such as
Al-Khawaarij, Mu`tazilah, and Al-Murjiah
and so on
163
Misconception of Al-Khawaarij
A person who commits a major sin will remain in
the Hellfire forever
People against them are disbelievers and heaping
curses upon the companions of the prophet and
Ansar
Not to believe in the torment of the tomb ['adhab alqabr], nor in the Basin [Hawd], nor in the right of
intercession [shafa'a]
164
Misconception of Al-Murjiah
Actions are deferred from Iman (Al-Irjaa),
part of it
are not
Manifestations of Extremism
1. Bigotry and intolerance
2. Commitment to excessiveness and forcing
others to do so
3. Obsolete religious excessiveness and
overburdening toward others
4. Harshness in the treatment of people and
crudeness in calling people to Islam
5. Suspicion: O believers! Avoid suspicion as
much as for suspicion in some cases is sin
(49:12)
166
Causes of extremism
1. Lack of knowledge of the Shari`ah
2. Lack of insight into reality and history as
well as Allahs Sunan
3. Laxity or indifference to Islamic values and
corruption
4. Fanned by political oppression practiced by
rulers or regimes
5. Hatred and aggression factors
Causes of extremism
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.