Category: Philosophy
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If the World Is God-Manifest, Why Not Worship Everything?
This introduction is not meant to be a full-fledged exposition of theophanic metaphysics, its implications, and how the apparent tensions that may appear to the one standing outside this tradition may be resolved. The purpose of this introduction is simply to set the context for the reader in as few words as possible, so she…
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Predicament: Iqbal or Iqbal’s?
Muhammad Iqbal is under siege from both sides. Liberal-secular critics dismiss him as a provincial mind intoxicated by the West, whose reconstruction of Islamic thought amounts to European modernity clumsily draped in Qur’anic rhetoric. South Asian hagiographers have made him untouchable. Neither camp serves him well. More recently, a far more serious challenge has emerged…
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Allah’s Signs, Man’s Scalpel: Reframing Islamic Scientific Practice Beyond the Positivist Lens
The modern concept of an Islamic ‘Golden Age’ often oversimplifies a complex historical period, neglecting the integrated worldview where science and theology merged. Al-Zahrawi exemplifies this ideal, blending rigorous inquiry with spiritual reflection.
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Reading Silence: Omission, ʻIbra, and Islamic Philosophy of History
Exploring the dual meanings of history and distinguishing between past events and their historiographical accounts. It analyzes modern historiographical philosophical frameworks, particularly focusing on the pedagogy and moral imperatives in Islamic historiography. Omissions in historical narratives reflect ethical considerations rather than negligence and this shapes how we understand the past.
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Decolonizing the Muslim Mind: Returning to al-Attas’ Vision
This essay argues that the challenges faced by the contemporary Muslim ummah cannot be resolved by political slogans, technical reforms, or cultural revivals alone. Instead, it calls for a deep decolonization of the Muslim intellect—an epistemological transformation that revives adab and re-establishes knowledge in its proper hierarchy.
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What is the Historical-Critical Method and Why Muslims Should Care
This essay examines the Historical-Critical Method (HCM), challenging its claims of neutrality and exposing the naturalistic presuppositions underpinning its application to religious texts. Arguing from a traditional Islamic philosophical perspective, it urges a correction of HCM’s assumptions through the principle of subordination as articulated by Avicenna.
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Murdering Earth: Knowledge as Domination
This piece traces the philosophical roots of environmental exploitation, contrasting the Faustian drive of the West with a prophetic ethic that frames nature as a trust, not a resource.
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Glimpses of Beauty: A Walk Down Philosophy Lane
The continually evolving capabilities of AI raises many questions on the exact nature of the ‘human difference.’ In particular, the expansion of AI’s creative abilities prompts us to ask if AI can reproduce beauty, especially in the domain of art or language. Engaging this question first requires an explanation of what beauty is, how it…
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Journey of the Wayfarers
The modern man in his pursuit of knowledge finds himself inundated with doubts and uncertainty regarding the world he inhabits itself or the fundamental truths that transcend it. In a paradigm wherein skepticism is praised and certainty shunned, subjective truths are forwarded as truly the extent of human capacity, ever-changing across generations. Finding no concrete…
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Good without God: Understanding the Case of Humanism
Humanists often present this anthropocentric philosophy as a progressive alternative to religion, arguing that humanism fosters a rational and harmonious society free from the conflicts associated with religious dogma. This claim rests on two key assumptions: first, that there exists a unified and consensual understanding of what defines ‘Human’; and second, that anthropocentrism fosters societal…