AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF AL FARUQI'S THEORY OF ISLAMIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THOMAS KUHN'S PARADIGM SHIFT THEORY

Abstract

The discourse of Islamization of Knowledge proposed by Ismail Raji al Faruqi (d. 1986), which essentially seeks a paradigm shift from modern science to Islamic science, is increasingly interesting with more evidence being studied, either with an applied model, a comparison, or a critical one. In addition, the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), an institution founded by al Faruqi in 1981, which is responsible for realizing real Islamization, continues to grow to this day. These two things prove that al Faruqi's Islamization is one step ahead, when compared to other Islamization initiators such as Sayyed Hossein Nasr, Ziauddin Sardar, Najjar, or even Naquib al Attas. Al Faruqi's Islamization, which is based on a paradigm shift and the scientific community, seems to align with Thomas Kuhn's model of scientific revolution, which also requires a paradigm shift and the scientific community. Therefore, this article aims to examine the Islamization theory proposed by al Faruqi from Thomas Kuhn's paradigm shift perspective. This study is a literature review. The data would be analyzed using content analysis, where the researchers perform an interpretation of the data. The approach used is the philosophy of science approach, which serves to outline the structure of science schemed by al Faruqi and Kuhn. This study concludes that the Islamization of knowledge proclaimed by al Faruqi and his scientific community is certainly a process of shifting the paradigm of Western science to the paradigm of Islamic science. Thus, al Faruqi's Islamization is a scientific revolution.