Editorial

Abstract

In this issue of AJISS, we present four main research articles. In a
critique of modernist synthesis in Islamic thought, M. A. Choudhury
sets the horizon for his inquiry with this question: Is there a possibility
for the unification of knowledge in modernist epistemological comprehension?
This is, of course, a pivotal question for Muslim social
scientists, for whom social and epistemological theories are the main
concern. What prompted this line of inquiry from a small but
growing body of Muslim theorists was their realization of the
conflictive and dichotomous nature of the dominant western
theoretical constructs. Of equal importance is the ubiquitous and
profound sense of crisis that has afflicted the human soul and life in
the postindustrial age.
For more than a century, Muslim ulama, intellectuals, and
reformists statesmen could discern no alternative to the adoption of
western sciences and, subsequently, its concepts of social order and
knowledge. What was simply seen as a benign synthesis between
Islam and modernity led to the obscuring of the taw&& traditions and
worldview, as well as to the hindering of the possible emergence of
an alternative route for humanity’s future.
Choudhury’s focus on theory is met with Mawdudur Rahman’s
concerns about reality. In his endeavor to provide a holistic analysis
of Islamic education, however, Rahman strictly avoids separation
between what is theoretical, moral, and normative on the one hand,
and what is practical, worldly, and positivist on the other.
Also in this issue, Taha J. al ‘Alwani concludes his study of the
rights of the accused in Islam. Our hope is that he has succeeded in
bringing to light the relevance of the Islamic fish heritage to contemporary
Islamic societies, as the debate over civil and human rights has
intensified significantly. In another sphere of inquiry, Shahid Vawda
makes a substantial contribution to the understanding of anthropological
aspects of the spread of Islam in a South African township ...