Reflection 6: Islamization of Knowledge

Have you ever think about the intention of acquiring knowledge? What will benefit us if we do well in studies? To do so, we need to integrate the teaching of Islam. It is important for us to realize that not all knowledge is beneficial to us. Some of them need to islamicize.

We have many experience on Islamization of Knowledge (IOK) throughout our studies at IIUM. I bet you might want to know about this business of Islamization thingy. One of the subject that teach us about IOK is 20th centuries and contemporaries. For instance, many Western poets glorify love so much that sometimes they are too exaggerating.  They put their love ones at the utmost level and forget Allah as the Most Powerful.Therefore, as Muslims, whatever that we learnt, we need IOK to balance it. IOK in this sense is practiced in the course whereby out lecture, Dr. Mahmudul Hasan had included the teaching contained in Al-Qur'an and Hadith. In short, we can explore on Orientalist poets and writers but at the same time we need IOK to balance it. 

Another subject that we learn in IIUM which practice IOK is Literary Criticism. We learn many theories brought up by the Westerners and some of their beliefs are opposite to Islamic teachings. The practice of IOK in this subject helps students to think critically about what they learn. The inclusion of IOK in this course causes us to think which is right and which is wrong according to Islam. We are exposed to the teaching that we should not just "parroting the ideas of the Westerners".