A Model for Reconciling Islamic Teachings with the Intellectual and Scientific Achievements of Modernity

Abstract

The current article seeks to present a model that reconciles Islamic teachings with the intellectual and scientific achievements of modernity. It attempts to develop a model that systematises the discourse on Islam and modernity while preserving its Islamic identity using qualitative methods. Thus, this article introduces a model called ‘moderate Islamic modernism’. This model does not acknowledge the achievements of modernity in their entirety, but only those intellectual and scientific achievements that are free from certain bias elements. This article will first distinguish between the proposed moderate model and that of ‘extreme Islamic modernism’. Secondly, this article compares the model with ‘Islamic traditionalism’. In brief, the proposed moderate model advocates the reconciliation of Islamic teachings with the intellectual and scientific achievements of modernity, as well as reforming the traditional method. The article concludes that the ‘moderate Islamic modernism’ approach to modernity and its rational elements not only provides a theoretical solution but is also compatible with genuine Islamic teachings. It is hoped that the two methods proposed by the model, particularly its method for differentiating elements within modernity, and its new approach on Islamic studies, will benefit future research on the subject matter.