251028P - KNOWLEDGE CHANGE IS A PRE-REQUISITE FOR STATE TRANSFORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Presented at the 2nd International Conference on State Transformation and Development in a Changing World themed ‘The Madani approach to State Transformation and Development’ by Professor Omar Hasan Kasule Sr MB ChB (MUK), MPH (Harvard), DrPH (Harvard). Chairman of Research and Medical Ethics Committees at King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Princess Noura University, Riyadh.

Knowledge Is A Necessary Condition For Building A Civilisation:

• The first human civilization started with knowledge; Adam was given the names of all things, and that knowledge gave him superiority over angels.

• ﴿ وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنبِئُونِي بِأَسْمَاءِ هَٰؤُلَاءِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ﴾ [ البقرة: 31]

• Human civilization did not develop until the isolated groups of hunter-gatherers settled permanently in villages and towns, where knowledge could be shared and spread
• Islamic civilization started with knowledge. The Prophet spent 13 years in Makkah and 10 years in Madina, essentially teaching. The prophet dispensed higher-quality knowledge that encouraged thinking (تفكر). 
• The Muslim civilization that spread to Western, Central, and South Asia, as well as Africa and Europe, was inspired by that high-quality knowledge
• When the quality of citizen knowledge in the ummah declined, Muslim civilization had to decline, and it is now being revived by reviving knowledge.

• سأل أحد الناس الإمام علي خليفة المسلمين الرابع: لماذا كثرت الفتن في عهدك وعهد عثمان ولم تكن هناك فتن فى عهدى أبى بكر وعمر؟ قال الإمام: لأن على عهدى أبى بكر وعمر كانت الرعية مثلى ومثل عثمان. أما الرعية على عهدى وعهد عثمان، فهى مثلكم

High Quality Knowledge Builds Strong Civilizations:

• Communities with low-quality knowledge based on superstition, magic, and sorcery could not build and sustain a civilization.
• There was knowledge in Hejaz at that time, but it was of low quality and could not sustain a civilization. Islam raised the quality of existing knowledge by adding value to i,t such as thought and purpose. It laid the foundation of a civilized society by strict time management and hygiene
• Example 1: The knowledge of helping a brother was the same before Islam and after Islam, but its conceptual basis was of higher quality in Islam and could therefore sustain a civilization.

• روي البخاري عن انس بن مالك انْصُرْ أخاكَ ظالِمًا أوْ مَظْلُومًا. فقالَ رَجُلٌ: يا رَسولَ اللَّهِ، أنْصُرُهُ إذا كانَ مَظْلُومًا، أفَرَأَيْتَ إذا كانَ ظالِمًا، كيفَ أنْصُرُهُ؟ قالَ: تَحْجُزُهُ -أوْ تَمْنَعُهُ- مِنَ الظُّلْمِ؛ فإنَّ ذلكَ نَصْرُهُ.

• Example 2: Islam introduced exact timings of 5 salats that resulted in the organization and systematization of activities of daily living. 
• Example 3: Islam introduced taharat of a higher level because it was dual (physical and spiritual). Ritual bath (ghusl) and wudhu 5 times a day. Cleanliness is a necessity to prevent disease in a civilized community where many people live together.

Knowledge As A Catalyst of Strength And Victory:

• The great commander Salah Al-Ddiin al-Ayyubi opened Quds in 1187M (637H). Many people, including historians, are not aware that good education initiated by Nur Al-Ddiin al-Zanki and Salah Al-Ddiin al-Ayyubi was behind this great achievement. The soldiers of the citizen army that entered the Quds had been well educated and had a deep understanding of the vision of victory.
• Nur Al-Ddiin al-Zanki (1118-1174M) was concerned about education. He set up a council made up of great scholars and leaders to supervise education. He set up schools, got the best teachers, and ensured their salaries from the Waqf. Each school has a principal with teachers specialised in different disciplines.
• Salah Al-Ddiin al-Ayyubi (1137-1193) came after Nur Al-Ddiin al-Zanki and built schools to teach the citizens. He built on the educational foundations laid by Nur Al-Ddiin al-Zanki and was able to achieve victory.

Bottom-Up State Development By Education: Formal And Informal - 1:

• My opinion is that sustainable state building takes time and must be bottom-up. We start by spreading high-quality knowledge in the political base then building higher structures and functions of the state will be easier
• We need to set up strong education systems that teach the young to be good, capable, skilled citizens. 
• An educated citizenry will build, sustain, and defend a strong state
• The education should provide all-around education and development. It should have both formal school-based education as well as informal education based at home and the community

Bottom-Up State Development By Education: Formal And Informal - 2:

• We need to plan and support informal education because, in my mind, it is more important in personality development. Success will require changing the work-family balance so that parents have time to spend with the children. 
• Community programs should be funded and given enough time (at the moment, the formal education sector takes almost all the daylight hours to allow parents more time at work).
• The concept of the weekend needs to be reviewed. The family and the community should have 3 days to impart their informal education

Top-Down State Development:

• I think that top-down state development should complement the bottom-up educational development by providing security and infrastructure for the society to thrive. 
• The state should think about turning over to the community many of the functions that burden it. 
• The state should focus its energies on the weak and vulnerable who are not able to help themselves.
• The state should set itself the high goals of good governance, sustainable development, helping the weak and vulnerable, social and economic justice, and respect for social and religious diversity.

Sustainability In Madani:

• "MADANI" is a Malay acronym for SCRIPT, which stands for:
• S: ustainability (KeMampanan) 
• C: are and compassion (Ihsan) 
• R: espect (Hormat) 
• I: nnovation (Daya cipta) 
• P: rosperity (Kesejahteraan) 
• T: rust (Keyakinan) 
• The main part of Madani is sustainability, which is ensured by political stability and rule of law over a long time while society grows and prospers
• The Prophet emphasized the importance of sustainability in work «أحب الأعمال إلى الله تعالى أدومها وإن قَلَّ». (رواه مسلم)

• A wise saying on continuity of work  "قليل دائم خير من كثير منقطع"