Epistemological Integration Essentials of an Islamic Methodology By Fathi Hasan Malkawi (London and Washington: IIIT, 2014. pbk. 342 pages.)

Abstract

Nancy Roberts’ translation of Fathi Malkawi’s most recent study represents
the latest addition to the corpus of literature dealing with the Islamization of
Knowledge project. The author’s core argument is that a truly Islamic approach
to the study of any phenomenon, whether biological, physical, or social,
is definitively characterized by its inherent ability to incorporate both the
advances made in scientific theory as well as those made in applied science
by any person. However, there is one caveat: these advances cannot be
founded upon any underlying principles that contradict the only sources of
knowledge available to humanity: divine revelation and physical, psychological,
and social reality. This book, which falls squarely within the branches of
epistemology that deal with education theory and knowledge assessment,
strives to go beyond mere academic discussion into practical application for
all major fields of scientific inquiry. It is primarily addressed to Muslim scientists
and educators, regardless of discipline, who seek a coherent set of principles
and a clearly delineated foundational worldview, inspired by the Qur’an
and Sunnah, from which to ignite intellectual and material progress within
contemporary Muslim society.
One of the work’s most salient features is its focus on training via exercises,
activities, and problems to be dealt with in training seminars. The appendix
provides clear instructions on organizing such events in order to teach the
methodology of epistemological integration as explained by Malkawi. One
also finds charts and diagrams that present the relationships between the sources
of knowledge and the means of interpreting this knowledge, as well as the connections
among epistemology, methodology, and worldview interspersed
throughout the text and then presented again at the end for convenience.
The first chapter, “Concepts of Relevance to Epistemological Integration,”
presents the concept of tawḥīd, God’s singular uniqueness as defined in the