By Akbar Ahmed (Distinguished Professor and the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, and the Former Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland)
It was the ilm-ethos that Ismail al Faruqi brought with him in his meagre belongings when he arrived in the United States as a Palestinian refugee, having been displaced from his home in Jaffa. At the heart of this vision was Islam’s promotion of knowledge or ilm; indeed, it is one of the most used words in the Quran.
Like other Muslim intellectuals, Faruqi understood that unless he was able to master Western disciplines and then synthesize them with his own intellectual and historical traditions, people would not have a full grasp of the subject. He launched “The Islamization of Knowledge” -- an ambitious project of publications and conferences which created debate and controversy.
Faruqi’s grand project appeared to run out of steam after his premature death, but the principles he had laid down for the Islamization of Knowledge remained valid, and the IIIT, an organization he had helped to create, launched the Integration of Knowledge (IOK) program which has produced relevant literature, books and articles, and comprehensive timetables to run courses.
All those studying Muslim societies need to ask where next and how to proceed? Whether we agree or disagree with him, Ismail Faruqi’s work can still encourage us to think and ask questions. At the heart of his questioning and his methodology was the key concept of ilm (knowledge).