Qur’anic Worldview and the Natural Sciences: An Ūlū Al-Albāb Integration Framework for Islamic Secondary Schools

Yıl 2018, Cilt: 2 Sayı: 1, 23 - 52, 01.06.2018

Nur Jannah Hassan

Öz

For the Muslim ummah, the issue of integration in education has been a major concern since the post-colonial period, as the events that transpired during this period left Muslims with the legacy of a dichotomous education. In turn, this type of education results in disharmonies in the person, family, society and the environment. Yet post-modern trends are opening up opportunities for non-conventional alternatives as solutions. This article presents the major rationales for integrating the Qur’anic worldview and the natural sciences. It touches upon the fundamental elements of the Qur’anic worldview in relation to the studies of nature, specifically the notion of “reading” the two Books of Allah i.e. al-Qur’ān and the Open Book of the Cosmos as well as humanity’s relation with Allah, with itself and with the cosmos. This article briefly discusses the worldviews that have brought about the natural sciences to their current pedestal, the ensuing environmental and humanitarian crises of the contemporary world, and experts’ responses in the face of these crises. It puts forward an integrated model for the study of the natural sciences based on a synthesis of al-Ghazālῑ’s methodology of integration and discourse on the qalb, and the Ūlū al-Albāb notion of the Qur’an. The integrated model is for use in Islamic secondary education, where certain aspects of the natural sciences undergo a discreet but holistic reposition, reinterpretation and reorientation from the framework of, and organically infused with the Qur’anic worldview. It is believed that such integration is able to address the conflicts and disharmonies, and in the long run restore the equilibrium, not just within the Muslim person and the ummah but also to bring about sustained goodness for humanity in general and the environments in which they reside.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Tawḥīd , Qur’anic worldview , Integration , Natural science , Western modern science , Ūlū’l-albāb • Qalb

Kur’ani Dünya Görüşü ve Doğa Bilimleri: İslami Eğitim Yapan Ortaöğretim Kurumları İçin Bir Ulül-Elbâb Uyum Çerçevesi

Öz

İslam ümmeti için eğitimde uyum entegrasyon meselesi sömürge sonrası dönemden beri önemli sorun olmuştur çünkü bu dönemde yaşanan olaylar, Müslümanlara ikili bir eğitim mirası bırakmıştır. Bu ikili eğitim türü kişide, ailede, toplumda ve çevrede uyumsuzluklara yol açmıştır. Bunun yanında postmodern yönelimler, çözüm olarak geleneksel olmayan alternatifler noktasında fırsatlar yaratmaktadır. Bu makale, Kur’ani dünya görüşü ile doğa bilimlerini bütünleştirmenin başlıca gerekçelerini ortaya koymaktadır. Kur’ani dünya görüşünün temel unsurlarının doğaya yönelik çalışmalarla ilişkisine temas eden makale, özellikle Allah’ın iki kitabının Kur’an ve Kâinat Kitabı “okunması” kavramı yanında, insanlığın kendisi, kainat ve Allah ile olan ilişkisine yoğunlaşmaktadır. Bu makalede kısaca, doğa bilimlerinin mevcut zeminini oluşturan çağdaş dünya görüşleri, bunların yol açtığı günümüz dünyasının çevre ve insani krizleri ve bu krizler karşısında uzmanların tepkileri tartışılmaktadır. Makale, doğa bilimleri incelemesi noktasında Gazali’nin, Kur’an’ın kalp ve ulül-elbâb kavramlarına dayalı şekilde geliştirdiği söylem ve uyum yönteminden hareketle oluşturulmuş bir entegre model önermektedir. Bu entegre model, doğa bilimlerinin bazı yönlerinin Kur’ani dünya görüşüyle organik biçimde aşılanmış, ihtiyatlı ama bütüncül bir yeniden yerleştirilmiş, yorumlanmış ve uyumlanmış İslami eğitimin ortaöğretim aşamasında uygulanmasına yöneliktir. Bu tür bir uyumlulaştırmanın, uzun vadede Müslüman bireyin ve ümmetin içinde anlaşmazlıkları ve uyumsuzlukları giderebileceğine, bunun yanında genel olarak insanlık ve onun meskûn olduğu çevre için de sürdürülebilir bir iyiliği ortaya koyacağına inanılmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Tavhid, Kur’ani dünya görüşü, Uyum, Doğa bilimleri, Batılı modern bilimi, Ulül-elbâb, Kalp

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