Islam and Secularism

by Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas

Written more than twenty years ago, this book is one of the most creative and original works of a Muslim thinker in the contemporary Muslim world. The author deals with fundamental problems faced by contemporary Muslims and provides real solutions, beginning with a discussion on ‘The Contemporary Western Christian Background’ in Chapter (I), followed by his analysis of the concepts (which he newly defines) of ‘secular’, ‘secularization’, and ‘secularism’ in Chapter (II). All this is then contrasted in Chapter (IV) of the book entitled ‘Islam: The Concept of Religion and the Foundation of Ethics and Morality’. Based on all the preceding explanation, the author proceeds to analyze the Muslim ‘dilemma’ by declaring that it should be resolved primarily through what he calls the “dewesternization of knowledge” or, conversely, the “islamization of contemporary knowledge”, an original concept conceived and elucidated by the author for the past three decades. Numerous original and profound ideas are contained in this book—arrived at chiefly through critical study of the Muslim tradition—such as the concepts of din,‘adl, hikmah, adab, ma‘na, and ta’dib, and their significance in the development of an Islamic system of education. The rationale for the islamization of contemporary knowledge and the establishment of a truly Islamic university was in fact provided for the first time in contemporary Muslim thought by this author long before the appearance of the present book, which explains these interconnected subjects more concisely. Further, the appendix entitled, ‘On Islamization: The Case of the Malay-Indonesian Archipelago’ is an actual explanation and application of the seminal ideas discussed in the book. This is a must read for all Muslims and those concerned with the problems and effects of secularization in our world today. This book has been translated into most of the major Islamic languages of the world— Turkish, Arabic, Urdu, Indonesian, Bosnian, and Persian.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Politics, History, Theology

195 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, born September 5, 1931 in Bogor, Java, is a prominent contemporary Muslim thinker. He is one of the few contemporary scholars who is thoroughly rooted in the traditional Islamic sciences and who is equally competent in theology, philosophy, metaphysics, history, and literature. His thought is integrated, multifaceted and creative. Al-Attas’ philosophy and methodology of education have one goal: Islamization of the mind, body and soul and its effects on the personal and collective life on Muslims as well as others, including the spiritual and physical non-human environment. He is the author of twenty-seven authoritative works on various aspects of Islamic thought and civilization, particularly on Sufism, cosmology, metaphysics, philosophy and Malay language and literature.



Al-Attas was born into a family with a history of illustrious ancestors, saints, and scholars. He received a thorough education in Islamic sciences, Malay language, literature and culture. His formal primary education began at age 5 in Johor, Malaysia, but during the Japanese occupation of Malaysia, he went to school in Java, in Madrasah Al-`Urwatu’l-wuthqa, studying in Arabic. After World War II in 1946 he returned to Johor to complete his secondary education. He was exposed to Malay literature, history, religion, and western classics in English, and in a cultured social atmosphere developed a keen aesthetic sensitivity. This nurtured in al-Attas an exquisite style and precise vocabulary that were unique to his Malay writings and language. After al-Attas finished secondary school in 1951, he entered the Malay Regiment as cadet officer no. 6675. There he was selected to study at Eton Hall, Chester, Wales and later at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, England (952 -55). This gave him insight into the spirit and style of British society. During this time he was drawn to the metaphysics of the Sufis, especially works of Jami, which he found in the library of the Academy. He traveled widely, drawn especially to Spain and North Africa where Islamic heritage had a profound influence on him. Al-Attas felt the need to study, and voluntarily resigned from the King’s Commission to serve in the Royal Malay Regiment, in order to pursue studies at the University of Malaya in Singapore 1957-59. While undergraduate at University of Malay, he wrote Rangkaian Ruba`iyat, a literary work, and Some Aspects of Sufism as Understood and Practised among the Malays. He was awarded the Canada Council Fellowship for three years of study at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University in Montreal. He received the M.A. degree with distinction in Islamic philosophy in 1962, with his thesis “Raniri and the Wujudiyyah of 17th Century Acheh” . Al-Attas went on to the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London where he worked with Professor A. J. Arberry of Cambridge and Dr. Martin Lings. His doctoral thesis (1962) was a two-volume work on the mysticism of Hamzah Fansuri.



In 1965, Dr. al-Attas returned to Malaysia and became Head of the Division of Literature in the Department of Malay Studies at the University of Malay, Kuala Lumpur. He was Dean of the Faculty of Arts from 1968-70. Thereafter he moved to the new National University of Malaysia, as Head of the Department of Malay Language and Literature and then Dean of the Faculty of Arts. He strongly advocated the use of Malay as the language of instruction at the university level and proposed an integrated method of studying Malay language, literature and culture so that the role and influence of Islam and its relationship with other languages and cultures would be studied with clarity. He founded and directed the Institute of Malay Language, Literature, and Culture (IBKKM) at the National University of Malaysia in 1973 to carry out his vision.



In 1987, with al-Attas as founder and director, the International Institute of Islamic Thought a

Reviews

[Idealist- Realist · Rating 4 out of 5]

The aim of this book is to highlight the effect of secularism on Islam particularly its repercussions that beset Muslims nowadays. The author began in giving emphasis on the religion Christianity.
From the book itself, I have learned that secularism stemmed from the nature of Christianity. It is imperative to point out that christianity is a mixture of conflicting concepts. History tells us that Christian doctrines or beliefs are from gospel which is taken from the original message of Prophet Jesus. It was Paul who departed from original revelation then later set his own version, who began to preach his own version which later on becomes the religion Christianity.

I said Christianity is a mixture of conflicting concepts because of assimilation and amalgamation of Roman influence particularly Roman laws and Greek philosophy which is Aristotelian Philosophy. The latter was transformed from the symbolic interpretation of nature to become more concerned with explaining nature in plain naturalistic and purely rational terms reducing its origin and reality to natural causes and forces. From this world view, divine intervention to interpret nature is definitely out of context which means that there is no presence of God's role.

The proliferation of secularism began in the westernization of Christianity. It is the result of misapplication of Greek Philosophy in western theology and metaphysics which in 17th century logically led to the scientific revolution enunciated by Descartes, who opened the doors to DOUBT and SKEPTICISM, to utilitarianism, dialectical materialism, EVOLUTIONISM and historicism. From this, there began doubts on the existence of Supreme Being and that accept the idea of evolutionary or development which means that man is evolutionary and so his ideas. Those ideas will serve the needs of man and those ideas of man are according to his own purely rational thinking without reference to spiritual significance. Here comes that notion of 'becoming' versus 'being' which Islam rejects the first notion because man is being in which he was sent to earth by God with absolute set of values and purpose.

We now proceed to the confrontation of Islam and western civilization. The advent of Islam challenged Christianity. Islam claimed as true religion. It realized the true universal religion as it addressed the whole mankind and forged a firm bond of brotherhood among members if multiracial community. The western counter-attack emerged at the age of scientific revolution in the 13th century. The weakening of the Muslim world which was caused primarily by internal elements signaled as a boon for the western world. In the 17th century, the west began to colonize the Muslim world; western world view has proliferated through its educational system which ultimately brought the deislamization of the Muslim mind.
The basic internal problem that brought about by western educational system is the loss of ADAB. This refers to the loss of discipline of body, mind, and soul; the discipline that assures the recognition and acknowledgement of one's proper place in relation to one's self, society and community; the recognition and acknowledgement of one's proper place to one's physical, intellectual, and spiritual capacities and potentials; the recognition and acknowledgement of the fact that knowledge and being are ordered hierarchy.

To cut this short, this is the main goal of this book that is to address the fundamental problems that beset Muslim mind which primarily caused by the infiltration of western educational system. And of course the solution is to Islamize the foreign concepts that are alien to Islam. I am not going to emphasize it but according to the author, our main task will be first to isolate the elements including the key concepts which make up the culture and civilization. After isolation of the key concepts, then infuse Islamic elements and key concepts which, in view of their fundamental nature as defining the fitrah, in fact imbue the knowledge with the quality of its natural function and purpose and thus makes it true knowledge. Our next important task will be the formulation and integration of the essential Islamic elements and key concepts as to produce a composition which will comprise the core knowledge to be deployed in our educational system from the lower to the higher levels in respective gradations designed to conform to the standard of each level.

In my own opinion, the author focuses on the loss of adab as the effect of the western world view then Islamize the knowledge is the solution to this Muslim dilemma. However, he never touched the Islamization of one' self that is to purify the heart which I think is one of the most crucial in combating our internal problems.

[Naim al-Kalantani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Power gila buku ni! *akan review kemudian apabila sempat.

[عبدالله اليعقوبي · Rating 5 out of 5]

مدخلات فلسفية في الإسلام والعَلمانية لسيد محمد نقيب العطاس ، ترجمة محمد طاهر الميساوي
يرى الفيلسوف العطّاس أنّ العناصر المكونة للعَلمانية هي الآتي :
-عدم الإنبهار بالطبيعة ، تجريد الطبيعة من الإيحاءات الدينية الزائدة حسب ماكس ويبر، بحيث لا يرى الإنسان أيّ أثر في الطبيعة للخلق الإلهي
-تحرير السياسة من الدين
- نزع القداسة من القيم، الانخراط في المسار التطوري للعالم وينظر إلى الإنتاج الثقافي ومنظومات القيم على أنّها نسبية .
الكتاب مكون من ست فصولٍ
- الجذور التاريخية للغرب المسيحي المعاصر، شدّني هنا سعة اطلاعه وإلمامه بالتيارات الفلسفية المختلفة وصراعها مع الكنيسة.
جرّدت الطبيعة من مغزاها الروحي بانتشار فلسفة أرسطو الإغريقية أولا ثم تروّمت latinized

ثم بعد ذلك جاءت ثورة ديكارت لترسّخ ثنائية بين الجسد والروح بشكل جعلت الطبيعة مطاوعة لعلم ذي نزعة علمانية.
- عَلماني وعلمنة وعلمانية، أعطى تعريفات وتصوره لهاته المفاهيم.
- مفهوم الدين وأساس الأخلاق في الإسلام. الدين أساسه أنّنا ندين لخالقنا بخلقنا. ثمّ عرّف العلم الذي به نعرف ديننا وهو نوعان علمٌ يهبه الله للعبد عن طريق العبادة وآخر يكتسب بواسطة التجربة والخطأ.
- المأزق الإسلامي وأظنُه أهمّ فصلٍ يصل إلى تصور مفاده أن المأزق هو " إنعدام الأدب " فبالإضافة للأدب الأخلاقي هناك الأدب التعليمي ، فرسول الله أدّبه ربّه عزّ وجل أي علّمه . فما ينقص العالم الإسلامي هو العلم والتعلم والتربية الروحية التي تنبثق عن المذهب الصوفي..
- تحرير المعرفة من الرؤية الغربية
- في الأسلمة : دراسة حالة الأرخبيل المالاوي الماليزي

إن كان من لوم فهو أن ترتيب وتنظيم الأفكار غير سلسٍ.
---------------------------------

[Fitri Khairuddin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As other readers have pointed out, this book is not an easy read and definitely requires multiple read and examination in order to grasp the essential idea that the writer is trying to get across. One thing that strike me the most is constant reminder that islam, as a revealed religion came to enlight ourselves by way of rational and empirical experience, attainable through knowledge, and not merely a mythological idea. For reason of my own shortcoming alone, i have not been able to picture this revolution of educational system that the writer has mentioned but hopefully we will be able to implement it for the betterment of us all.

[Lutfi Ishak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku ini, sebagai salah satu karya agung dalam seratus tahun belakangan, mesti dihadam dan dibaca dari kulit ke kulit oleh semua Muslim, terutamanya golongan muda. Sebelum menghadam Prologomena, elok buku ini dihadam dahulu. Nikmati saja setiap frasa, ayat dan wacana. Di sana, keindahan fikiran dijalin dengan bahasa yang indah dan kemas. Saya sering kembali ke buku ini, dan setiap kali kembali, pasti ada sesuatu yang baru akan tersibak.

[Sami]

This is a pretty original and thought provoking piece. The bulk of the book focuses on critiquing modernity and secularism of governance and knowledge. He also takes a hard look at Christianity from the lens of revelation, diving into how Western civilization - especially post-Constantine Christendom - became this complex mix and fusion of conflicting ideas: ancient Greek philosophy, Jewish and Christian religious doctrine, and European cultural practices. It's a pretty ambitious scope, and al Attas gives it a solid intellectual effort, but there are some places where it feels like he oversimplifies things.

He seems to really like Huntington's Clash of Civilizations, which is fine but kind of reduces the complexities of inter-civilizational interactions into a bit of a binary. Plus, when it comes to Islamic traditions and the splits within Muslim history, he tends to gloss over those too easily, almost idealizing them.

That said, one of the most fascinating parts is his concept of /Adab/ - the idea of discipline within oneself that then extends to the cosmos. The way he ties it into the microcosm-macrocosm idea, the influence of Spinoza's monism and Ibn al-‘Arabi’s Wahdat al-Shuhood is clearly present and certainly adds depth.

So, overall, it’s a big intellectual attempt. It's full of interesting insights, but I finished it wanting more depth on some of the historical and intellectual complexities.

[Reda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh God!
Writing a review of this book has proven to be a difficult task. It’s an incredibly dense and compact work, packed with a tremendous amount of knowledge and ideas — the kind that could each warrant a series of commentaries or lectures.

So here are my comments, keynotes, and takeaways — as I understood them — not necessarily in the order they appear in the book (or even whether they appear at all).

And yes, I know… they’re long! I just hope they don’t end up becoming a booklet of their own.


What is a Religion :
At the heart of the polemica between Islam and both Secular Westernization and Western Secularization (I’ll address the difference later) lies the concept of "Religion" : what is it, and what place does — or should — it occupy in people’s lives?


Some background, maybe?
The dominant cultures throughout Western history — still influencing it to varying degrees today — were: the Hellenic, the Greco-Roman, the Judeo-Christian, followed by various admixtures of these in different forms and intensities: the Scholastic/Ecclesiastic, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, then came Modernism with Traditional Liberalism, and finally Post-Modernism.


The Greco-Roman world :
In the antique world, religions were not generally taken very seriously — they were mostly mythological, deistic, animistic aesthetics..
Just a bunch of archetypal, symbolic myths and fables about nature’s acting forces IN humans and ON humans, represented in various forms of spirits and deities — competing, fighting, and intriguing in a perpetual drama where humans seemed to be mere toys.

And besides this role, this Mythos laid out systems of values, sets of traditions, social behaviors, and rituals to bring people together under shared cultures..

There were countless varieties of these myths and deities across mainland Greece and its thousands of scattered islands. But when the City-States and islands began to federate and expand into more unified entities, they had to merge and synthesize their various beliefs — agreeing on common, unifying myths and values.
Thus, in the Greco-Roman world: the State was born first, and it ruled over the "Religion" that followed. It was the State that decided which deities to worship, and which myths and values to live by.

But all of these myths were ultimately symbolic and aesthetic. They had very little to do with the deeper existential questions such as: “What is reality?”, “What is being?”, “Where did it all come from?”, “Who are we?”, “Why do we exist?”, “Where is it all going?”, etc. Nor did they exert strong imperatives on everyday life — neither on how society should be organized, nor how the individual should behave in a binding moral sense.

These existential and normative questions — and all that stems from them — were not part of the Hellenic/Roman concept of "Religion". They belonged rather to the realm of philosophy and pure rational inquiry: the “Physica,” “Metaphysica,” “Ethica,” “Politica,” “Organon,” “Categorica,” and all the rest of the Logos of that era — which had no religious connotation whatsoever.

What about God? The Creator of all?
Well, the Greek philosophers were mostly deistic — meaning they believed in some sort of "First Cause" that initiated all existence. But due to the philosophical Problem of Evil , they deduced that this "Cause" had set up the clockwork of the universe and then likely withdrew, playing no further role in its unfolding. A deity who had almost nothing to do with people's lives — except, perhaps, for the burden of existence itself.

Thus, they believed that Man is essentially alone — in a perpetual struggle and suffering, fighting against the animistic and mythical forces of existence, striving only to assert himself, satisfy himself, and reign over all else.

Consequently, this "First Cause" held no practical role in Greco-Roman legislation, political theory, or ethical systems. It was up to Man — and Man alone — to decide what best suited him. Or so they thought.

At this point, you can already discern the early seeds of a kind of secularism embedded within this conception of "Religion" in Western Greco-Roman culture.


Judeo-Christian..
Judaism and Christianity were originally one and the same core faith or creed. They were both theistic and monotheistic belief systems — originally revealed "Religion" from the One and Unique, all-Omnipotent, Omnipresent God: the Creator, Ruler, and Sovereign of the Earth, the Heavens, and all that lies between.

A divine message declaring that God is real — and that He is here! He is everywhere, with everyone, at all times. He was never absent, nor unknowing, nor impotent, nor unjust.

He revealed — and continuously reveals — Himself to all, through existence itself: through the signs on the horizons, in the skies, the earth, in life, in the extremely vast and the extremely minute, in the extremely simple and the extremely complex, and deep within the human logos, pathos, and ethos — all the time. This is the revelation of Nature.

Moreover, God Almighty revealed His presence, intentions, and instructions to humankind through the revealed Books — the existential truths about the ontological and transcendent nature of being and becoming. Whether metaphysical, ritual and aesthetic, legal, moral, spiritual, or psychological — this is the revelation of the Scripture.

So, the essence of the theistic/monotheistic message — the revealed religion — is that God Almighty communicated intentions and instructions, both natural and scriptural, in the form of ethics and laws, to be adopted and followed mandatorily by believers, individually and collectively, for the sake of their harmony, well-being-and-becoming — in accordance with nature, and in harmony with all other forms of beings in the universe, each fulfilling what it was created for.



Compare..
You can immediately notice the stark contrast between this notion of "Religion" and that of the Greco-Roman world. You can also sense the potential tension — even competition — between the Semitic concept of "Religion" and the Western role of Philosophy, both vying to be the source of questions and answers.
A mutual exclusion that would persist for centuries within the European/Western collective subconscious — only to be revived and reinforced by the events of Europe’s Dark Ages, and what followed during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.

The merger.. or the 'Hellenic deviation':
What happened when these two cultures came into contact?

Judaism gradually succumbed to a form of Hellenization under the hegemonic pressure of the Roman Empire — first at the theological level, with the rationalized Judaism of the Sadducees intelligentsia among the Hellenized Jewish upper class; then came Romanization at the ethical, moral, and legal levels, favoring the more Epicurean, Roman hedonistic lifestyle.
This culminated in a quasi-totally disenchanted Jewish society — reaching its peak among the Herodian Jewish plebs during the reigns of Herod and Antipas... which happens to be precisely the time when Jesus Christ (blessings of the Lord be upon him) was sent as a renovator of the faith, reiterating the same creed and reviving the divine morals and laws of the Torah.

As for Christianity: after Jesus Christ and his first "true" Apostles, it didn’t take long before Christians began compromising with the hegemonic Roman worldview — especially in Europe and Asia Minor.
It started with the teachings of Paul the "Apostle — not so sure about that" in Corinth, and was formalized in the Council of Nicaea, where Emperor Constantine enforced the infusion of Roman mythos into the Christian faith. This was achieved through the lobbying of the already 400-year-old political Catholic Church, celebrating the marriage of Rome and Jerusalem — the inception of Christian doctrine blended with Greco-Roman animism and myth: the deification of Jesus Christ himself, the animistic doctrine of the Trinity, the myth of original sin, the sacralization of perpetual suffering, atonement, and salvation, etc.

To accomplish this merger, they first had to corrupt the interpretations of Biblical scriptures. In the next stage, they went further — falsifying the scriptural text itself as it passed through successive translations: from Hebrew/Aramaic to Greek, then to Latin — all in an attempt to blur the differences and reconcile the growing conflict between the two "Religions" that had begun to collide within the already weakening and collapsing Western Roman Empire.

What about Greek philosophy?
With this Hellenization, Aristotelian Metaphysics made its way into Christian doctrine as a form of tentative rationalization — in the Greek understanding of what is "rational" — by using the idea of Essence and its manifestations, a notion based mainly on the categorical Modus Ponens of Aristotelian Formal Logic.
The Ecclesiastics and Scholastics also adopted the argument of the First Cause and effect in the same way the Greeks had exposed it, and they attempted — again in a very Aristotelian fashion — to use this categorical logic framework to justify the genesis, the deification of Jesus (peace be upon him), making him sometimes a God, other times a half-god half-human, or both, or even a three-natured animistic entity, as in the Trinity… then came salvation and atonement as a solution to the perpetual suffering problem inherited from the Greek mythos, etc.

By this attempt at Hellenistic Rationalization — to fit Christian theology within Greek Logic — the Ecclesiastics ended up bending and warping their faith quite significantly. The result was a hybrid, weak, and doubtful amalgam: an inconsistent Christian narrative riddled with contradictions, including circular arguments in the relationship between cause and effect.
One way they tried to resolve this paradox was by claiming that the Universe is eternal, which made the Ecclesiastic/Scholastic school a kind of perpetualistic — but non-materialistic — philosophy.

This fused new Christian doctrine turned out worse than the original Greek and Roman mythos/logos — for it was a falsified version of both doctrines: lacking divine truth, and lacking actual philosophical rationality — thus, lacking any narrative consistency.
As Voltaire would describe it 1700 years later: "A doctrine more insulting to God than pure Atheism."

When the Roman Empire finally collapsed and fractured into countless fighting polities, it marked the beginning of the totalitarian, dogmatic reign of the Church and Holy Empire(s), where the Romanized Catholic Church imposed its doctrine through a rigid top-down hierarchy, decreeing what was "orthodoxy", holding inquisitions and trials for heresy, and eliminating — even burning at the stake — any thoughts or ideas that did not submit to Church authority.

That was the beginning of the West's Dark Ages.



The Inheriting/Renewing mission of Islam :
The contrast between the concept of "Religion" in the divine Revelations and that found in the Western Mythos and Logos is one of the major points the Qur’an — as a revealed book — stresses.

You see, Islam is the final revealed monotheistic religion — the renewing and inheriting of the previously deviated Judeo-Christian doctrines — and it constitutes their generalization and universalization to all mankind for the rest of time.

Thus, the Qur’an first sets the frame of reference:
The understanding of existential truths is not to be submitted to any specific man-made or unnatural thinking framework. The Qur’an itself is the framework — all at once: the Source, the Message, and the Key to understanding the message — a highly hyperlinked and hyper-converged Scripture. And it clearly declares that it will be based on a Natural Linguistic Logic:

"A.. L.. R..
These are verses/signs of the Scripture that make plain/clear (Mubeen)..
We have sent it down as an Arabic reading/recital : so that you may reason.."—12:1-2

(Why Arabic specifically? I will return to that later in the Author's presentation of Islam.)

Within that same natural linguistic logic, even the pagan, polytheistic, and superstitious Arabs of the 7th century — who were the utter masters of rhetoric of all time, yet worshipers of idols, deities, and spirits — those very people whom the Qur’an first addressed and who resisted its message at the beginning — were asked:

"Say : Who provides for you out of Heaven and Earth?
Who controls hearing and eyesight?
Who brings the living forth from the dead and brings the dead forth from the living?
And Who regulates the affair (of the world)?
They will say: God !
So say: Will you not then do your duty?
That is God —your True Lord. So what is beyond the truth except falsehood?
So Where are you then being turned away? "—10:31-32

And again:

"He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly,
and the sun, the moon, the stars subjected to His Command.
Surely, His is the Creation and Commandment." —7:54

In that logic:
God is not a myth, nor a passive spectator, nor a mere symbol, nor a philosophical abstraction.
He is The Truth — the Transcendental, the Answer to all ontological questions.
He is the Creator, the Sovereign Ruler, and the Commanding Law-Giver.

The Qur’an does not compromise on the legitimacy of any source for ethical, moral, or legal derivation. It is from Him — and Him alone. Not from myths or fables, nor man-made ideologies or invented philosophies:

"O my fellow-prisoners! Are divers conflicting deities better, or God the One Almighty?
Those whom you venerate beside Him are but names(stories) which you have named(invented) you and your forefathers, God has not sent down any authority for them.
The authority rests with God alone, He commanded you to venerate Him alone.
This is the right religion, but most people realize not." —12:39-40

And from this worldview, the entire system of creed (theology), values, and laws was historically developed in the Muslim world — from east to west — in varied adaptations across geography and time, yet all rooted in the same texts and principles. Alongside the exegetic Prophetic tradition, the soul of this tradition is total submission to God's will and command, followed by best-effort jurisprudence (ijtihad) to derive rules for life.

These rules permeate every layer of life: individual routines, rituals, and spirituality; social conduct and gatherings; civil affairs, economic transactions, penal code, politics and foreign policy, war and peace — God is present in every aspect of a Muslim's life:

"He is with you wherever you are;
And God is Seer of whatever you do."- 57:4

Conflict :
You can again spot the major differences — and potential conflicts — between this worldview and the Greco-Roman Mythos and its half-secular Logos.

Hellenization of Islam?
Didn’t Islam face any deviation through its encounters with surrounding — and sometimes conquered — cultures, including the Hellenic and Roman traditions?

The answer is: Not the mainstream Islam.
There were indeed deviations of all sorts in the periphery — from Eastern mysticism to Western rationalism — but these were all sectarian minorities.

However, one of the most prominent and impactful attempts at deviation in Islamic intellectual history was indeed the movement of Hellenization, and specifically its engagement with the Greek Logos.

Between the 9th and 10th centuries CE, Muslims began encountering the remnants of Greco-Roman civilization through a massive translation movement. This was part of the Caliphate's broader effort to assimilate the sciences and intellectual legacies of previous civilizations, as a way of "modernizing" and administrating the vast territories under its rule.

Aristotelian philosophy found its way into the hands of some of the new scientific elite in the Abbasid court. Formal Logic began to be employed as an epistemic tool — first in the natural sciences, mathematics, and applied disciplines like medicine, engineering, and architecture — with great success.

But it did not take long before some of these scholars extended the use of Aristotelian Formal Logic to Islamic theology, attempting to analyze, test, and frame the Islamic creed using Greek logical categories.

That was the beginning of the Hellenized branch of Islamic theology known as the Mu'tazila — literally, "Those who stand aside."
As their name suggests, they were a minority, standing apart from the mainstream. Yet due to their pragmatic, technocratic proximity to the Caliphal courts, they managed to impose their theological vision as the official doctrine of the state — reminiscent of how certain councils and churches operated in the Greco-Christian tradition.

This attempt to Hellenize Islamic theology did not last long.
By the early 11th century CE, the Mu’tazilite school had progressively faded out. The main reason was that their rationalist and speculative theology was consistently refuted and marginalized through public intellectual discourse — not violence — by the mainstream intelligentsia of Islam, namely: Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah — “The People of the [Prophetic] Tradition and the United Community.”

This mainstream was not a centralized church, nor even an organized institution.
Rather, it consisted of generations of scholars — scattered acrioss a wide geography and spread across different epoch— who all studied the same primary texts (the Qur’an and the authentic Prophetic tradition) and, remarkably, came to largely the same conclusions.

This spontaneous consensus, reached without geographical or institutional coordination, might seem strange or even implausible — but it becomes entirely reasonable when you consider two key factors:

##### due to characters limit in a review, the rest is posted hereunder as comments#####

[Amira Abdullah]

Islam and secularism. The tittle direct me to think that this book must be about politics. Ternyata aku salah. Politic have little to do with self development as it is to social development. In this modern (or post modern?) world, unlimited access to information buat kita keliru, as to what is the root of knowledge.

Apa kaitannya dengan secularism? Persoalan kepada asas confusion tadi was due to the secularization of knowledge by the West yang akhirnya tiada link between knowledge dengan Man (inner self) in pertaining to development, progress and goal in this world as a preparation for the next world.
Syed Naquib did a good job in explaining the root of knowledge and addressing the issue of secularism of knowledge and how it affected muslims today.

[Ola Almasri · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب عميق يستحق القراءة يضع المشاكل التي ادت بالاسلام الى ما نحن عليه اليوم ويلخص المشكلة ب"انعدام اﻷدب" ويعطي المعاني للمفاهيم بجيث يسهل على القارئ استيعابها
ولا يكتفي بطرح المشكلة وانما يطرح الحلول ايضا
نظرته للتصوف جميلة ومنطقية

[Syafiq · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Islam dan Sekularisme]

Buku terakhir tahun 2020.

Buku karya Prof Dr. Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas, yang diterjemahkan oleh Dr. Khalif Muammar.

Tak berniat nak buat review panjang tentang buku kerana buku ini memang perlu dihadam betul-betul. Di sini hanya nak beritahu apa yang kita mungkin akan dapat dari buku ini.

Pada awalnya, buku ini menceritakan latar belakang Kristian Barat masa kini. Apa sejarahnya, apa ajarannya sehingga sekularisasi tumbuh di dalam Kristian itu tumbuh di dalam agama Kristian itu dan memberi kesan juga kepada munculnya sekularisasi di dalam agama Islam.

Kemudian diterangkan maksud sekular - sekularisasi - sekularisme. Sekular yang dari erti waktu merujuk kepada 'sekarang' atau 'kini' , sedangkan dari erti ruang merujuk kepada 'dunia' atau 'duniawi'. Sekular yang hanya mempedulikan masa kini di dunia, tidak kisah tentang hidup selepas dunia. Hanya kisah tentang peristiwa di dunia ini.

Menarik juga diterangkan bahawa maksud dunia itu adalah sesuatu yang dibawa dekat. Diambil dari kata danā. Dunia itu adalah apa yang dibawa dekat kepada pengalaman dan kesedaran yang dapat dirasa dan difahami oleh manusia.

Berbeza pula dengan al-ākhirah (akhirat) iaitu yang datang terakhir. Maka al-ākhirah dirasakan jauh. Jadi, dunia yang dibawa dekat inilah yang menganggu tujuan terakhir hidup kita yang berada di luar dunia.

Dalam buku ini juga, diulas tentang maksud dīn yang difahami sebagai agama. Yang mana konsep dīn sebagai agama ini tidak sama seperti mana maksud agama dalam konteks sejarah keagamaan di Barat.

Konsep dīn adalah sesuatu keadaan kita yang berhutang. Berhutang kepada Tuhan yang memberikan kita nyawa. Yang mana hutang ni kita tidak mampu untuk tebus sehinggakan kita berada dalam suatu keadaan yang kerugian (khusr).

Hutang ini hanya mampu dibayar dengan kita menyerah diri secara sedar dan mahu kepada Allah. Berserah diri kepada Kehendak Allah bermakna ketaatan kepada Hukum Allah. Inilah yang dinamakan Islām.

Boleh tahu juga tentang beza warganegara yang baik dengan manusia yang baik dalam Islam. Barat memecahkan masyarakat kepada tiga generasi; muda, pertengahan usia dan tua. Yang mana mutu kehidupannya hanya diukur melalui kebergunaannya, tenaga kerja, dan penghasilannya kepada negara.

Setakat tu lah dulu. Banyak lagi sebenarnya yang kita boleh dapat dari buku ini. Boleh baca lagi dalam buku ini. (panjang lah pula 😅)

#IslamDanSekularisme
#MalaysiaMembaca2020

[Naim Hassan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku ini dengan jelas menerangkan perbezaan antara pandangan alam dunia Barat dan Islam. Sekularisme yang berbelit-belit falsafahnya begitu mengelirukan apabila penulis memberi penerangan dalam bab yang pertama. Sekularisme yang memisahkan roh dan jasmani secara tidak langsung melahirkan fahaman materialisme, iaitu fahaman yang mementingkan kebendaan semata-mata. Rentetan itu terjadilah pembangunan yang melampau, kosong dari roh sehingga memusnahkan alam. Benarlah firman Allah bahawa kerosakan di atas muka bumi adalah disebabkan tangan manusia; mencipta fahaman yang merosakkan bukan hanya roh, bahkan jasmaninya sendiri. Sedangkan konsep Islam yang diterangkan menerusi sudut bahasa Arab memberikan penjelasan yang terang dan jelas. Penulis turut memberikan solusi untuk mengatasi masalah sekularisme dengan ide Islamisasi sistem pendidikan. Kerana konsep universiti dalam pandangan masyarakat Barat tidak dapat diterima disebabkan telah terpengaruh dengan pemikiran sekularalisme.

[Anam Azam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I just found a treasure to explore.
What a quick read it was, and how beautifully the author explains the differences between western concept of secularization in general and in Christianity and some of their proponents tend doing so in Islam as well.

[Imamul Ariffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply comprehensive book stating the core problems of the crisis of knowledge within the contemporary Islamic educational framework.

[naila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started as my reading assignment but I became liking it

[Keyvan Hemiari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book assesses a plethora of topic related to the challenges us Muslim have following the secularization process of both Western and Muslim societies.

The author starts with describing how historically Christianity was always more prone to be victim of secularism.

Secularism is explained throughout the book as having multiple forms. The one that attracted my attention the most was clearly the denaturalism meaning the detachment of God and nature. In order words, the science world started to detach the meaning of God of its creation (nature, animal, even human) which lead to the reduction of God’s relevance and weight inside human existence and interaction with the world.

The main difference brought by the author on why Christianity was more prone to securalism goes to back its creation while Islam is consider a revelled religion where the saying of God were reveled to prophet Mohammad by the angels, Christianity on the other hands based its gospel / creation on Jesus thoughts and sacrifice. Meaning that while Islam is a revealed religion based on the direct saying of God, Christianity is based on the thoughts, teaching and understanding of Jesus sacrificed. Meaning that Christianity was always based on understanding and interpretation rather than pure facts which came directly from the creator, the almighty.

This place for interpretation as well as the many gospel that were written through history made Christianity more prone to change, development and thus more prone to misinterpretation and confusion which secularism used in order to assert its place in Western culture where individual could more easily misinterpret and be confuse from the religion. But in Islamic countries since the saying and the belief are anchor as God’s words, the message is quiet and isn’t open to development. Allah gave the perfect guidance and the perfect framework on how human should act and not only that he also brought many prophets to earth where they acted in perfect accordance with the Coran and its principles meaning that we have not only a perfect framework on how to act as Muslim based on the Coran but we also have example of individual who accomplished multiples tremendous accomplishments in this Dunya while having the biggest blessing from God.

While the author is advocating for the strength of Islam in a time where secularism is everywhere, the author still criticized the Muslims as they lost “adab" / the right discipline and knowledge. Not only the knowledge to differentiate the right and false based on the Holy book principles but also the lack of proper judgement in their own capacity and their own role as proper Individual of a society but also of the Ummah.

I could go on and on discuss about the importance of this book for any Muslim individual who lives in a Secular Western country, but my hands hurts…

Very educative lectures, I would just say that there is a lot of information and it is a very hard read as your knowledge in Arabic need to be on point especially for the second part of the book which isn’t my case. While the author explain the meaning of the word, he also go on rant where the sentence never stop… bro I have never seen someone used the term "which it means" so many time. Some phrase were half a page long where "which it means" was used 5-6 times.

[Sarip Dol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will re-read soon.

[Ebaa Momani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book! Readers may find it a little bit hefty but it's worth the time spent on it.

It summarizes the problem and gives solutions.

We are living in a time were Arabic has weakened, and concepts have been made vague or forgotten.

The solution is in an education systen that has not lost the islamic heart and genuine spirit.

[Abdul Ahad · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐮𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐛 𝐀𝐥-𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐬
Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas's Islam and Secularism is a seminal work and a key contribution to Islamic intellectual discourse, the book provides a thorough examination of the profound challenges posed by secularism to Islamic thought and society. Al-Attas, a prominent Islamic scholar, critiques the impact of Western epistemology on Muslim intellectual traditions and emphasizes the need for the Islamization of knowledge. This foundational work is particularly aimed at engaging Muslim youth, fostering an understanding of secularism’s dangers and its effects on Islamic epistemology, ethics, and governance.

Al-Attas’s intellectual journey in this book revolves around the rejection of secularism’s hold on Western philosophy, science, and political structures. By grounding knowledge in divine revelation, Al-Attas seeks to protect Islamic civilization from the erosion caused by secular ideas. His book, though concise with only 197 pages, is as comprehensive as an encyclopedia, touching upon a diverse array of subjects ranging from philosophy and epistemology to politics, ethics, and comparative religion.

𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠
The work is organized into five chapters, each dedicated to an in-depth exploration of different aspects of Islam’s relationship with secularism. The review captures the essence of each chapter, beginning with an analysis of the crisis in Western Christianity and its influence on secular movements, and culminating in a call for the restoration of an Islamic framework of knowledge.

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑶𝒏𝒆: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑾𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅
The book opens by addressing the crisis facing Western Christianity, a crisis exacerbated by secularization and philosophical shifts that challenge traditional Christian beliefs. Al-Attas explores how secularization weakened Christianity, with many theologians reinterpreting Christian doctrine to align with modern ideas. This movement reached its zenith with Nietzsche’s declaration that "God is dead," symbolizing the full displacement of religious belief in favor of secular ideologies.

Al-Attas’s critique extends beyond secularism’s theological effects to its broader cultural and societal implications. By referencing thinkers like Jacques Maritain, Al-Attas paints a picture of a Christianity that, rather than resisting secularization, began to embrace it, ultimately leading to a weakened form of faith.

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒘𝒐: 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓-𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏-𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎
In this chapter, Al-Attas outlines the process of secularization, explaining how religion’s authority over reason and societal structures has been progressively undermined in the West. He compares the effects of secularization on Christianity, noting how Islam, with its immutable divine framework, has resisted these influences. The chapter also delves into the various historical events that accelerated secularism, such as the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and the rise of modern scientific thought.

Despite the encroachment of secularism, Al-Attas argues that Islam remains resilient because of its foundational adherence to divine law and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. In contrast to Western traditions that have evolved to accommodate secular ideas, Islam’s comprehensive system of knowledge provides a steadfast defense against such forces.

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆:𝑰𝒔𝒍ā𝒎: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑬𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚
Al-Attas distinguishes between Islamic and Western conceptions of knowledge, highlighting the moral and ethical dimensions that Islam imbues into the pursuit of learning. In Islam, knowledge is not merely an intellectual endeavor but a means to cultivate virtue and righteousness. This section explores how Islamic knowledge aims to produce morally upright individuals, as opposed to Western secular education, which focuses on citizenship without moral guidance.

The chapter also emphasizes the Quran’s repeated call for knowledge, framing it as central to both personal and societal well-being. Al-Attas argues that Islam’s conception of religion, or din, is not limited to personal faith but encompasses a holistic approach to life, integrating governance, law, and ethics into a cohesive system of divine submission.

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒓: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒎 𝑫𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒎𝒂
The fourth chapter explores the challenges facing the Muslim world, both internally and externally. Al-Attas identifies the loss of adab (respect and ethical discipline) as a central issue that has led to intellectual confusion and a disconnection from authentic Islamic values. This loss of adab has also contributed to the rise of misguided leadership and the secularization of Islamic thought.

Al-Attas further critiques the influence of Western colonialism and modern secular ideologies on the Muslim world, calling for a return to traditional Islamic scholarship and a renewed commitment to the principles outlined in the Quran and Sunnah. The chapter presents a vision for the revival of Islam through education, respect for genuine scholarship, and a rejection of false interpretations that have diluted the faith.

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒊𝒗𝒆: 𝑫𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆
The final chapter addresses the crisis of knowledge in the modern world, particularly within the context of Western intellectual traditions. Al-Attas critiques the secularization of knowledge, which he argues has led to moral instability, materialism, and the rejection of divine guidance. In contrast, Islamic knowledge is portrayed as a harmonious and holistic system that integrates both the rational and the spiritual.

Al-Attas advocates for the Islamization of knowledge, urging the Muslim world to reassert its intellectual sovereignty by rejecting Western secular influences. He calls for the development of a new educational model that prioritizes spiritual wisdom and ethical values, while engaging with modern knowledge in a way that aligns with Islamic principles.

𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙭: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙮-𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙜𝙤
Al-Attas provides a case study of how Islamization historically transformed Southeast Asia and argues that a similar process can be applied in the modern world. He outlines the stages of Islamization in the Malay-Indonesian Archipelago, highlighting how Islamic civilization was built on traditional knowledge and spirituality before being disrupted by colonialism.

Phases of Islamization:
Phase I (1200–1400 CE): Early conversions focused on Islamic law (fiqh), but elements of animism persisted, leading to a superficial adoption of Islam.

Phase II (1400–1700 CE): The spread of Sufism and rational theology deepened Islamic thought, leading to a more profound spiritual transformation.

Phase III (1700 CE onwards): Western influences disrupted the Islamization process, but also contributed to intellectual advancements by further dismantling mythological worldviews.


𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣
Islam and Secularism offers a comprehensive critique of the secularization of modern thought and the existential threats it poses to Islamic civilization. Through a careful analysis of history, philosophy, and theology, Al-Attas articulates the necessity for the Islamization of knowledge and the restoration of an Islamic worldview. His call to reframe education and knowledge within the context of divine revelation is a powerful plea for the intellectual and spiritual renewal of the Muslim world. This work remains an essential text for understanding the intellectual struggles of the contemporary Muslim world and the ongoing battle against secularism.

[Naureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential read, as Sheikh al-Attas mentions, for all the young Muslims. Yes, the writing is above the level of our youth readers of today, but that is on purpose. It is to draw out the intellectuals among us, to rise and take action to safeguard and revive the Islamic concept of education. Let's not pretend that we don't know that the concept of education we know of today across the world, the university especially, is derived from the Islamic concept of education. If we went back to the roots of everything, the concept of man being free when he/she acquires knowledge will find its origins in the first word of the Qur'an revealed to Muhammad (pbuh): "Read".

We are fighting a battle against this new deviated Western idea of education. I mean, can you imagine, just 20 years ago, a university degree meant man was educated and free, and now, high education means nothing. The universities are failing their students, because, as the Sheikh points out, their origins were corrupt. "Actions are according to intentions, and a person will get as he intends" said the Prophet (pbuh). Sheikh points also out the most important reason why us Muslims are losing this battle and falling for the secularized, glittered version of education and life: the loss of adab among Muslims. This deserves a whole deeper lecture from our scholars, especially in the context of modern times.

This book took months to finish, and actually I started reading it two years ago but put it back down and restarted this year. It deserves a deeper re-read, hopefully soon. There is so much information to extract from this. I loved the Sheikh's pedagogical philosophy at the end, very vital information as I am soon starting my own research for my M.Ed thesis. His concepts are worth expanding on.

[Muhammad Syamir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ape yang saya gemar ttg penulisan syed naquib ialah ia seakan satu penceritaan daripada satu point ke satu point yang lain tidak terputus - putus diantaranya. Oleh kerana itu, ia membentuk satu gambaran yang besar dan mudah ttg pemikirannya secara am. Namun mudah juga utk terlepas beberapa point2 penting.

Mungkin kerana penguasaan bahasa beliau, maka sesetengah interpretasi dan pandangan beliau merupakan dari sudut bahasa. Seperti perbezaan secular, secularism and secularization, termasuk juga ttg beberapa konsep2 dalam islam dan penerangan kepada beberapa potongan ayat2 quran.

Perbincangan contentnya pula lebih kepada perkara2 yang asas ttg secularism seperti disenchantment of nature, desacralization of politics, dan disecretization of values dan bukanlah ttg hal2 yang bercabang seperti perincian satu persatu pemikiran2 yang lahir dari secularism. Namun begitu, ia merupakan satu pendedahan penting dan baik bgi saya.

Bagi saya tema utama yang sering diulang adalah the problem of knowledge. Termasuklah didalamnya.. Perbezaan besar dalam Worldviewnya, manusia sebagai penerima knowledge, kesan2nya dan juga cadangan2 solusi kepada permasalahan.

Oleh sebab itu, utk berbahas konsep secular as a political model (not as an ideology) dengan buku ini adalah tidak memadai kerana buku ini tidak membahaskan perihal tersebut malainkan hal2 yang asas.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Al Attas with his non-structural style of writing takes his readers to an enlightening mind opener of the presence of secularism in the world and its threat to Islam. Al Attas described secularism in three aspects: 1. disenchantment of nature, 2. desacralization of politics, 3. deconsecration of values (giving temporary meanings to objects)
Secularism is the final goal of secularization. The latter is described as the process, while secularism can also be regarded as an idealism. Islam opposes secularism since nature is a "Created Book" and has become signs or symbols of the transcendental presence of God. Nature, therefore, can never be disenchanted. The disenchantment of nature in Islam only pertains to the banishing of any mythological aspects that are ungodly (legends, etc).Islam also rejects the idea of postmodernist since there would never be a constant deconstruction in Islam such as proposed by Derrida. This is because every object has a permanent meaning or value that are inherent as they were created for purposes by God.

It is the loss of "adab" that is caused by confusions and lack of knowledge that let secularization enter Islam. This can be hindered by education.

Great thoughts for a small book!!

[Irfan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb book and a serious reader should give it a try. By the way all the chapters are written brilliantly but the third chapter is the life and soul of this book. He convincingly argued that all the problems in muslim world is due to these pseudo scholars of Islam who without understanding and knowledge challenged the work and personality of the classical ulemas and the author stressed that the root problem is the "loss of adab"

[Izzat Isa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sememangnya buku ini layak dijadikan panduan untuk generasi hari ini mengetahui tentang hakikat proses sekularisme dalam kehidupan beragama kita. Penulis memulakan dengan kemasukan unsur sekularisme dalam agama Kristian. Seterusnya disentuh topik yang lebih berat iaitu tentang faham dalam agama dan asas akhlak yang dilihat penulis bahawa kemunduran umat Islam ialah berpunca daripada kehilangan adab.

[Buchori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alhamdulillah, saya dipertemukan dengan buku ini. Buku yg menjawab banyak pertanyaan 'kebingungan dan kegoyahan umat islam' sekarang, yg semuanya harus dibenahi melalui pribadi dan juga masyarakatnya. Penulis memaparkan baik dampak sekuler di internal maupun eksternal islam dan apa yg harus dibenahi oleh ummat. Senang banget selesai baca buku ini.

[Irsyad]

Islam and Secularism

[Istikomah]

religon,kowledge and education

[syafiqah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!essential read for everyone.

[Ade Rully · Rating 4 out of 5]

karya yg renyah sangat bernas, karena al Attas faham kondisi Barat pun faham pula kondisi Islam..

[Nur Izzan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional magnum opus!

[Haris Rahim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly one of the most profound books written in our times. If you desire to understand the underlying issues at the root of our dilemma as Muslims then this book is a must read.