Thirteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Since the nineteenth century, the Muslim world has been the subject of discussions that reveal its dire state of affairs. How Muslim intellectuals characterize their own predicament is integral to understanding Muslim articulations for reform. Concerned for the state of their societies and cultures, religious intellectuals reflect on the state of society and re-examine religious sources and modes of thinking in an attempt to respond to current needs. More so, there are elements that a diverse selection of Muslim intellectuals from various parts of the Muslim world seem to coalesce around that is suggestive of a constitution of a shared reform vision. These elements include: the reconciliation of the relationship of Islam to modernity/West; the reinvigoration of the Islamic civilizational essence and its tawḥidic epistemology; a centralization of Islamic heritage and its values; and, a restoration of Islamic epistemology. These elements form the theoretical underpinnings of reform and an Islamic alternative; they represent a rigorous intellectual investment in the rethinking of Islam and its role, and in meeting the challenges of modernity, the challenges to Muslim society, and in constituting a trajectory inspiring of change. These intellectuals share a common set of features: a commitment to Islam, with an openness to cultural exchange; the encouragement of the development of Muslim thought; and, a need to respond to modern concerns, coupled with an investment in (re)establishing common boundaries for religious understanding. The anticipation is that there would be a restoration of Muslim society and civilization; thus, civilizational reform, renewal, and progress.