Beyond Scientism

About the Book

Beyond Scientism: Towards a Sociology of Islam by Muhammad Al-Ghazali critically examines the empirical method adopted in modern social sciences evolving in the historical context of post-medieval European society. It highlights the points of conflict that this method has with the Islamic worldview which created and sustained a distinct Islamic society on the Madīnan model, arguing for adopting a new method based on the primacy of Islamic criteria of truth and reality.

What You'll Discover

• A critical examination of the evolution of social enquiry in the West, from theocracy to reason and the emergence of scientism.
• Theoretical premises for studying Islamic society, including the Islamic worldview and the nature and cosmic position of man.
• The Prophet's Sunnah as the normative matrix of Islamic culture and society.
• Roots and dynamics of Islamic culture, cultural diversity, social structures, and institutions.
• Socialisation within an Islamic framework, attitudes, education, and the status of 'Ulamā'.

Table of Contents

1. Preface
2. Prologue
3. 1. Evolution of Social Enquiry in the West
   • From Theocracy to the Rule of Reason
   • Problematics of Reason Versus Revelation
   • Intellectual Turning Point: Emergence of Scientism
   • Secularity, Nationalism and Colonisation
   • Early Seeds of Social Thought
   • Concept of Progression in History
   • The Idea of Social Contract and Darwinism
   • Fallacies in the Secular Premises of Social Thought
   • Development of Sociological Perspective
   • Modernist Bias in Western Social Thought: A Critique
4. 2. Theoretical Premises for the Study of Islamic Society
   • The Worldview of Islam
   • The Nature of Man
   • The Position of Man in the Cosmic Order
   • The Concept of Fiṭrah and Human Personality
5. 3. The Prophet's Sunnah as the normative matrix of Islamic culture and society
   • Prophet's Sunnah: A Human Model par excellence
   • Nature of Humanism in the Last Prophet's Sunnah
   • Sunnah: The Pattern of Balance and Moderation
   • The Socio-Political Order of Madīnah
   • Significance of Sunnah for the Social Philosophy of Islam
   • Normative Features of Islamic Culture and Society
6. 4. Roots and Dynamics of Islamic Culture and Society
   • The Religious Roots of Islamic Culture
   • Universal Dimensions of Islamic culture
   • Social Dynamics of Islamic Culture
   • Cultural Diversity and Universality
   • Sub-Cultures and Counter-Cultures in Islamic Cultural Universe
   • The Social Structure of Islamic Society
   • Major Components of Social Structure
   • Groups and Institutions in Islamic Society
   • The Institution of Family and its Place in the Islamic Social Scheme
7. 5. Socialisation in the Islamic Framework
   • Persuasion and Motivation and their Relation to Socialisation
   • Development of Attitudes
   • Education as the Means of Socialisation
   • The Status of 'Ulamā' in Muslim Society
8. Conclusion

More About the Author

Muhammad Al-Ghazali has been Professor at the International Islamic Universities in Pakistan and Malaysia. He is Judge and Member, Shariat Appellate Bench at the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and author of The Socio-Political Thought of Shah Wali Allah.