Epistemological Integration

Abstract

Nancy Roberts’ translation of Fathi Malkawi’s most recent study representsthe latest addition to the corpus of literature dealing with the Islamization ofKnowledge project. The author’s core argument is that a truly Islamic approachto the study of any phenomenon, whether biological, physical, or social,is definitively characterized by its inherent ability to incorporate both theadvances made in scientific theory as well as those made in applied scienceby any person. However, there is one caveat: these advances cannot befounded upon any underlying principles that contradict the only sources ofknowledge available to humanity: divine revelation and physical, psychological,and social reality. This book, which falls squarely within the branches ofepistemology that deal with education theory and knowledge assessment,strives to go beyond mere academic discussion into practical application forall major fields of scientific inquiry. It is primarily addressed to Muslim scientistsand educators, regardless of discipline, who seek a coherent set of principlesand a clearly delineated foundational worldview, inspired by the Qur’anand Sunnah, from which to ignite intellectual and material progress withincontemporary 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 appendixprovides clear instructions on organizing such events in order to teach themethodology of epistemological integration as explained by Malkawi. Onealso finds charts and diagrams that present the relationships between the sourcesof knowledge and the means of interpreting this knowledge, as well as the connectionsamong epistemology, methodology, and worldview interspersedthroughout 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