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230815P - INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND CHALLENGES OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

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Presentation at the International Virtual Camp for Muslim University Students Islamabad August 15, 2023, by Professor Omar Hasan Kasule Sr MB ChB (MUK), MPH (Harvard), DrPH (Harvard)

 

THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (2015- interconnectivity and automation) - 1

  • Artificial intelligence.
  • Cyber-physical systems.
  • 3D printing.
  • Automation of production without human involvement (smart factory).
  • M2M communication.
  • IoT.


THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (2015- interconnectivity and automation) - 2

  • Metaverse and augmented social reality.
  • 5G wireless, Nanotechnology.
  • Advanced robotics.
  • The knowledge economy relies on intellectual capabilities and not physical inputs or natural resources.
  • Problems: loss of privacy, easy discrimination, loss of jobs, social media addiction.


THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Youth problems from 4IR

  • Loss of touch with immediate reality and living in a virtual world
  • Too much information is right and wrong, virtuous and evil.
  • Waste of time in addition to the media
  • Loss of privacy
  • Loss of social interaction
  • Loss of self-control …. AI
  • Loss of control over the cosmos taskhiir


SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE

  • Primary sources of knowledge. Revelation (wahy) and empirical experience (tajribat) are primary sources of knowledge.  Reason (‘aql) is a secondary source that envelopes empirical knowledge because it provides the hypotheses and the interpretation of experimentation. As will be argued later in the paper the term ‘aql can cover both rational and empirical knowledge. In the Muslim experience reason as free philosophical speculation not related to empirical reality became jadal and caused a lot of confusion.
  • Doubtful sources of knowledge with no unanimity about their independent standing from the primary sources: ‘ilm laduniy [18:110], inspiration (ilham)[91:8], experiential intuition (hadas)[16:78], natural instinct (ghariizat, jabilliyat)[1],  physiognomy (firasat)[15:75][2,3,4], dreams (ru’uyat)[12:5-7], and Sufi unveiling (kashf)[5]


SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE, con’t.

  • Invalid sources of knowledge: magic & sorcery (sihr)[2:110, 7:126, 113:4]; astrology (tanjiim)[Abudaud 11021]; divination, augury (kahaanat & tatayur)[69:42, 52:29, 36:19, 7:131, 27:47] and other forms of superstition.


IBN TAYMIYAH’S ARGUMENTS AGAINST CONTRADICTION - 1

  • Ibn Taymiyah rejected the contradiction in his major work ‘Rejection of the contradiction between aql and naql dar’u taarudh al aql wa al naql. The main purpose of the book was to reject the general rule Ibn Taymiyah used rational arguments supported by the Qur’an to reject the contradiction between ‘aql and naql.
  • Ibn Taymiyyah like others in his times looked at ‘ilm aqli mainly as rational knowledge so his arguments are difficult to follow by those in our generation where data-driven empirical knowledge is the main expression of ‘ilm aqli.


IBN TAYMIYAH’S ARGUMENTS AGAINST CONTRADICTION - 2

  • The book has a lot of relevant digressions that are difficult to follow for those of our generation who did not experience the philosophical battles in the era of ilm al kalam.
  • The conclusion of Ibn Taymiyah was that clear aql (sariih al ma’aquul) does not contradict correct naql (sahih al manqul).
  • We can reach the same conclusion from the tauhidi paradigm: all knowledge (‘aqli and naqli) is from the same Creator God so it cannot be contradictory.


CRISIS OF DUALITY IN MUSLIM KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION - 1

  • Traditional Muslim Education: Sciences (natural and social) declined with the general decline after the early Abbasid era. A traditional education system based on ‘ilm naqli (Qur’an, sunnat, fiqh, siirat, language) continued unchanged in its curricula to our day.
  • Surviving institutions of traditional education: Azhar in Cairo, Qarawiyin in Fez, Qairawan/Zeytouna in Tunis, Dar al Uloom in South Asia, Pondok/Pesantren in South East Asia, Madrasat in the Middle East.
  • Institutions of traditional education that disappeared: Nizamiya of Baghdad, Nishapur, Balkh, Herat, and Isfahan; Timbuktu University in West Africa; the University of Cordoba in Andalusia; Ottoman Madrasahs, etc).


CRISIS OF DUALITY IN MUSLIM KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION - 2

  • Modern secular European education: was introduced by colonial rulers who marginalized/neglected the traditional Muslim education system as well as its graduates and set up a European system. This became the second encounter between Muslims and Greek epistemology. It presented a worldview different from that of Muslim society.
  • Crisis of duality in knowledge and thought: The crisis was due to 2 systems of education with different and contradictory world views and epistemologies. The educated elite of the ummah was bifurcated by education systems. Neither group had the integrated knowledge needed to solve the complex problems of the ummah. Those who studied in both systems were even more confused.
  • The consequences of the education crisis were intellectual schizophrenia, intellectual stagnation, intellectual dependence, lack of innovation, social decline, and weakness (political, economic, military, etc.).


RE-INTEGRATION OF WAHY INTO EPISTEMOLOGY - 1

  • 'Ilm ‘naqli is revealed and transmitted knowledge whose recognized source is the Qur’an and Sunnat; other alleged sources are not unanimously accepted.
  • 'Ilm ‘aqli is rational knowledge based on human intellect, human observation, and experimentation. Historically There was a time when ilm aqli was based on logical reasoning without empirical observation and experimentation. This has now reversed and ‘ilm aqli is mostly the same as empirical knowledge, ‘ilm tajriibi. The question is why reason out phenomena deductively when you can observe them inductively. In practice deduction makes hypotheses that are tested experimentally and the intellect is necessary to interpret experimental findings.


RE-INTEGRATION OF WAHY INTO EPISTEMOLOGY - 2

  • There is no essential contradiction between transmitted knowledge (‘ilm naqli) and rational empirical knowledge (‘ilm ‘aqli). Any apparent contradictions are either due to incorrect empirical observations or due to human intellectual deficiency in understanding ‘ilm naqli.
  • There has been confusion about what source of knowledge to use. ‘Ilm naqli is used exclusively in matters of ethics and morality. ‘Ilm ‘aqli is used to answer questions of an empirical nature but requires the guidance of ‘ilm naqli regarding fundamentals like objectivity (istiqamat), ethics (akhlaq), and purposiveness (gha’iyyat).
  • We are going to see next how this integrated epistemology solves the problem of duality in Muslim education.


ROLES OF IOK IN 4IR: RESTORE THE NATURAL STATE BY INTEGRATING QUR’ANIC CONCEPTS

  • The technological part of 4IR does not require input from ilm naqli it is purely ilm aqli.
  • The contributions of ilm naqli is in underlying guiding concepts and ethics that will guide the technology and stop it from causing grievous harm.
  • We shall now review some of these concepts and there are many others we will not mention for lack of time.
  • Muslims have the responsibility to disseminate these concepts to the rest of humanity to push back against harm to human civilization.


PURPOSIVENESS (غائية)

  • Each discovery leads to another automatically and every new innovation is accepted without questioning; nobody wants to be left behind.
  • No overall vision of where we are going. Technology has become an automaton that cannot be stopped as long as it generates revenue for the owners.
  • The Qur’anic term ‘abath = no wisdom, play.
  • Building an elevated place to sit and make fun of those passing Surat Al Shuara: 128
  • اتبنون بكل ربع آية تعبثون. سورة الشعراء ١٢٨
  • Humans were created for a purpose and wisdom Surat Muminuun: 115
  • افحسبتم انما خلقناكم عبثا. سورة المؤمنون ١١٥


BLIND FOLLOWING TAQLIID (تقليد)

  • Social media and commercials force people to get the latest gadgets and the latest applications without first asking the question of whether they need them: just following the crowd.
  • Blind following of the forefathers... Baqara: 170-171
  • اذا قيل لهم اتبعوا ما انزل الله قالوا بل نتبع ما الفينا عليه آباؤنا.... البقرة ١٧٠-١٧١
  • The followed will deny the followers… Baqara: 166-167
  • اذ تبرآ الذين اتبعوآ من الذين اتبعوآ وراؤا العذاب... البقرة ١٦٦-١٦٧
  • Blind obedience of the elites Surat Ahzab: 67
  • انا  اطعنا ساداتنا وكبراءنا فاضلونا السبيل. سورة الأحزاب ٦٧

 

THE LOWLY CONCRETE vs. THE HIGHER CONCEPTUAL THINKING

  • Enhanced imagery will encourage concrete thinking and discourage abstract thinking which is an essential part of tafakkur/tadabbur al Qur’an.
  • Thinking about Allah’s creation. Al Imran 190-191.
  • ان في خلق السماوات والأرض واختلاف الليبل والنهار لآيات لاولي الالباب الذين يذكرون الله قياما وقعودا وعلي جنوبهم ويتفكرون في خلق السماوات والأرض ربنا ما خلقت هذا باطلاا  سبحانك فقنا عذاب النار. ال عمران ١٩٠-١٩١
  • Iitikaaf and qiyam al layl have their impact because they decrease environmental sensory input to allows the mind to think of higher things.
  • Concern with the concrete and imagery is reaching extremes in the 4th industrial revolution because people prefer virtual reality to the beauty of Allah’s creation in humans, animals, plants, and the earth.


VIRTUAL VS. CONCRETE REALITY

  • Non-believers asked for virtual evidence instead of concrete evidence of Allah’s majesty before their eyes.
  • Banu Israil asked Musa to show them Allah before they could believe it. Surat Baqara 55.
  • وإذ قلتم يا موسي لن نؤمن لك حتي نري الله جهرة فاخذتكم الصاعقة وانتم تنظرون. البقرة ٥٥.
  • Non-believers challenge the prophet to bring angels coming down as a tribe. Surat al Isra 92.
  • او تسقط السماء كما زعمت علينا كسفا او تاتي بالله والملائكة قبيلا. الاسراء ٩٢.
  • The prophet is but a human messenger with the intellectual miracle of Islam. Surat Isra 93.
  • او يكون لك بيت من زخرف او ترقي في السماء ولن نؤمن لرقيك حتي تنزل علينا كتابا نقفرؤه قل سبحان ربي هل كنت الا بشرا رسولا. آلاسراء ٩٣ .


PASTIME (لهو) vs SERIOUSNESS

  • Robots and other forms of technology perform jobs that humans used to perform creating a lot of leisure time. This time should be spent in ibadat but is misguided.
  • The current culture emphasizes fun and pastimes to waste time: games and all sorts of entertainment.
  • The lowly life on earth which is play and pastime but real life is that of the hereafter Ankabut: 64.
  • وما هذخ الحياة الدنيا الا لهو ولعبوان الدار الآخرة لهي الحيوان لو كانو يعلمون. العنكبوت:٦٤.


LOSS OF BALANCE (توازن)

  • Humans are so engrossed in virtual reality that they have lost the natural balance that Allah enjoined for their lives as individuals or as families.
  • Balance in dealing with wealth. Surat al Furqan: 68.
  • والذين اذا انفقوا لم يسرفوا ولم يقتروا وكان بين ذلك قواما الفرقان ٦٧.
  • Balance in the rights of the body and the family: The story of Salman and Abudardau was the background to this hadith. Bukhari 1968.
  • ان لربك عليك حقا ولنفسك عليك حقا ولاهلك عليك حقا فاعط كل ذي حق حقه. رواه البخاري ١٩٦٨.
  • Loss of emotional balance. Artificial emotions of happiness and anger can be caused by virtual reality with anxiety and depression being more common than elation and happiness.


LOSS OF EQUILIBRIUM (اعتدال)

  • We live in a culture of extremes with a loss of equilibrium.
  • We are supposed to be a community of the middle (moderation). Surat Baqara 143.
  • وكذلك جعلناكم امة وسطا لتكونوا شهداء علي الناس ويكون الرسول عليكم شهيدا. البقرة ١٤٣.
  • Seek the equilibrium of moderation between the earth and the hereafter, do good and do not do evil. Surat Qisas: 77.
  • وابتغي فيما آتاك الله الدار الآخرة ولا تنسي نصيبك من الدنيا واحسن كما احسن الناس اليك ولا تبغي الفساد في الأرض ان الله لا يحب المفسدين. القصص٧٧ 


LOSS OF PUSHBACK, ACTION-REACTION (تدافع)

  • Voices of protest against the current culture do not find a medium. Social and other media are powerful and overwhelming. There is no corrective mechanism to save civilization.
  • Reaction/pushback against evil. Surat Baqara: 25.
  • ولولا دفع الناس بعضهم ببعض لفسدت الأرض. البقرة ٢٥.


RIBA IN A NEW FORM

  • Riba was condemned by the Qur’an because unlike trade it leads to gain without effort. Trade was permitted because of gains commensurate with effort while riba was forbidden. Surat Baqara: 275.
  • الذين ياكلون الربا لا يقومون الا كما يقوم الذي يتخبطه الشيطان من المس ذلك بانهم قالوا انما اليع مثل الربا واحل الله البيع وحرم الربا فمن جاءه موعظة من ربه فاتهي فله ما سلف وامره الي الله ومن عاد فاولئك أصحاب النار هم فيها خالدون. البقرة ٢٧٥.
  • Riba is exploitative because of exorbitant multiplicative gains. Al Imran: 130.
  • يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا تاكلوا الربا اضعافا مضاعفة واتقوا الله لعلكم تفلحون. آل عمران ١٣٠
  • The owner of AI can get multiplied gains from the same equipment with no extra effort which is exactly the same as monetary riba.


REFERENCE:

  1. The instinctive animal behavior for example the bees is from Allah (Nahal:68-69]. Humans have instincts of love of women, sons, and material things [Al Imran:14]
  2. Firaasat is knowing the inner hidden from the external obvious. Firaasat differs from suu al dhann in that it is based on external signs whereas suu al dhann starts with a negative emotion or feeling like jealousy that leads to negative conclusions. Firasat is based on empirical signs whereas ilham is automatic knowledge without any external medium. Firaasat unlike kahanat does not claim knowledge of the unseen. 
  3. قال أبو الدرداد: اتقوا فراسة العلماء فانهم ينظرون بنور الله يقذفه الله في قلوبهم وعلي السنتهم. وقال رسول الله اتقوا فراسة المؤمن فانه ينظر بنور الله
  4. قال ابن القيم: الفراسة الايمانية ..  نور يقذفه الله في قلب عبده يفرق به بين الحق والباطل والصادق والكاذب وهذه الفراسة علي حسب قوة الايمان وكان ابوبكر الصديق اعظم الامة فراسة
  5. The Sufi’s talk about knowledge of the heart that is above the intellect.