Prof Attas Lecture Summary 26 Oct 2013

8/12/2019 Prof Attas Lecture Summary 26 Oct 2013

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In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

On the Nature of the Man in Islam and the West in the Context of

World History

Being a Summary of the CASIS Saturday Night Lecture by Prof. Dr. Syed

Muhammad Naquib Al -Attas on 26thOctober 2013

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Prepared by

Muhammad Syafiq Bin Borhannuddin, Master of Philosophy Candidate, CASIS

I

On 26thOctober 2013, Professor Dr. Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas continued his

illuminating exposition on the nature of man.2

He began by stating that we have to understand world history or history of man in the

world in order to understand properly the context of his discussions. First, when he

speaks about world history, we must realize there are only two main civilizations that

have influenced a great deal of world history: Christianity and Islam. He noted that

other religions such Hinduism and Buddishm have influence too but remain insulated

in their own region and did not have a mission that caused it to spread all over the

world as Christianity and Islam did. He points out however that Islam has the idea of

spreading throughout the world not just for political reason but for spreading the

Truth, for Prophet Muhammad (may God bless and give him peace!) was sent to

spread the Truth and to correct the errors of the past.

He stresses that in order to understand a lot problems we face today, we have to know

something about how the ideas of today emergedwhich is derived primarily fromthe experience and consciousness of Western man. For example, today Muslims are

confused about the meaning of man. The usage of the term Homo referring to the

ancient skeletons of the past indicates this. This idea already implies that as far as the

West is concerned, the idea of evolution is implied in history from the very beginning,

which we can find in the mythology of the Western nations.

The ancient Greeks (represented by the likes of Plato, Aristotle and others) on the

otherhand did not think in terms of evolution. They did not conceive their ideas

aligned with the state of nature theory or transition to human (Homo sapiens). Thiswas something the later philosophers and thinkers of the West have developed.

Prof Al-Attas then proceeded to explain what happened in the history of the West

stating that from the time of the Greeks, there was a lacunanothing seemed to behappening in the West. The Romans emphasized a lot on law, order and

administration, whereas the earlier Greeks talked a lot about the soul, education and

1The next lecture is scheduled on 9

thNovember 2013. For more information, please contact Syafiq

Borhannuddin, Public Relations Head of the CASIS Students Society: +60193488050 or visit our

website: www.utm.my/casis2To read further on his exposition, see Chapter IV from hisProlegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam:

An Exposition on the Fundamental Elements of the Worldview of Islam, ISTAC, 1995.


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ethics. This was later adopted by the Romans themselves, but because of their empire,

they dealt with more statemanly matters. From that time until the rise of Christianity,

nothing very much seemed to be happening except the spread of Christianity. They

were occupied with the problems on answering how to define their religion, how to

understand the nature of God, of Jesus. They called this period of time as the dark

ages because there were no discussions on the soul, on man, etc. They emphasizedmore on explaining the trinity. Then they established the Council of Nicaea, which is

about 350 years after Jesus, where they had to discuss these things and come to a

consensus, as there were so many interpretations. This was how Catholicism

gradually came to existence.3

Hence explains Prof. Al-Attas, there were no great changes happening in the West at

that time. It was only in the 7 thcentury when the Roman Empire was overcome by the

Germanic peoples who came down into their empire and destroyed them. However,

the Germans themselves did not have a high culturethey did not bring anythingsuperior to what the Romans had. Thus they themselves converted to the Roman way

of life. They brought about their national traditionthe Celtic, Nordic peoplesfromtheir mythology, and so we can see that they have a more less similar worldviewasin how they understood the world around them.

It was only after the rise of Islam that they became acquainted again with the Greek

philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus and the others. Because of that,

gradually they begin to include into Christianity these ideas from the philosophers i.e.

about the soul, education, and governments.

Prof. Al-Attas reiterates what he said two weeks ago that the Bible, Gospels and even

the Jewish interpretation of sacred scriptures, did not mention much about the soul

and about spiritual matters. There is nothing very much there about the nature of man,

discussions about the soul, etc, whereas the Quran talks about this and everything

about our life here. The Jewish scriptures did mention something about the creation in

the Book of Genesis (which is part of the Bible), but it did not explain many things

about God, about the soul, about how creation comes into existence; and who is He.

The Quran, on the otherhand, clarifies about matters on the universe, science,

knowledge, soul, justice, virtues, ethics, governments, etc.

II

There was a time when the Muslims were discussing about these matters and thediscovery of Greek works was mainly through the Muslims. Some of the Muslims

were very much impressed by the intelligence of the Greeks in terms of how they

interpreted things, how they employed their minds and intellects to the understanding

of this world, life and nature. Citing al-Kind (d. circa 873), Prof Al-Attas maintainsthat the early Muslim philosophers acknowledged the Greeks while at the same time

recognized there are errors in their views.4 Prof. Al-Attas holds that the Greeks (i.e.

philsophers) must have been influenced by the followers of the Prophet Musa, who

3There were 500 interpretations of what they call the Gospel. Thus they had to determine a consensus

on what they considered to be the real interpretation or what lead to be the orthodox or catholic one.4

According to Al-Attas, this statement was was from Al-Kindisletter to the Abbasid Caliph, al-Mamn (d. 833), which is not published and not known very much. I have not been able to locate thistext myself.


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some of them lived in Athens, those of the Bani Israel. How then can Aristotle, who

was a pagan, yet talked about One God and tried to interpret the nature of that

Onennes? This is because these ideas were already floating about in the air due to the

followers of Prophet Musa who lived in Athens. However, when these philosophers

talked about the One God, they couldnt practice their lives in accordance to this

conception, as they were not properly guided by revelation. Thus their idea of ethicsis only related to politics and government i.e. how to behave as citizens, how to

behave in a society, etc.

The Revelation comes to the ancient civilisation in the Middle East:

Prof. Al-Attas reminded the audience that when he said last year that civilizations

seemed to have begun in the Middle East, in Egyptwhat they call Mesopotamia,where the ancient excavations reveal the way of life of the Egyptians, the

Babylonians, the Assyrians and the Sumerians. As far as the study of archaelogy is

concerned, the most ancient are these. Other civilizations such as the Chinese,

Persian, and others came later. In addition, the Prophets as far as we knowas

reported in the Quran, Biblethey all seemed to be coming from that region. Andsince civilisation began in that part of the world, Al-Attas arrived to the conclusion

that it is religion that causes the rise of civilisation. He argues further that we cannot

relegate religion into the background, as if discovery of agriculture is the cause of

civilisation as opposed to religion. Furthermore, the Quran did mention about God

created certain animal so that we can domesticate, about the creation of Sun and

Moon for our use; the seas, the ships that float on the seas; God speaks to the children

of Adam that these are for their use and control with justice.

But gradually, with the introduction of Greek Thought through Islam through

Western/Christian worldthis has caused great changes. Their great ImamSt.Thomas Aquinas (d.1274) introduced Aristotle into Christianity (hence Aristotleian

Christianity): he talked about ethics, the soul, nature of God, etc. following mainly

Aristotle.5

III

Then, Prof Al-Attas reminded the audience that in the medieval era, the Muslims

defeated the Romans, which was a very vast empire, and went on to conquer North

Africa, Spain, Europe, Russia as well as the Malay worldall in the span of 150years after the rise of Islam. Islam spread very fast which was a big shock for the

West. The rise of Islam had challenged their hegemony and soverienty over theworld.6The Muslims also tried to correct their intellectual findings and their religion.

These challenges are something very traumatic that has happened to Western man and

his consciousness. The idea of Europe was also not something ancient. It has been

written in the history books as if Europe have been all the time existing. Even at the

time of first crusade, when the Pope encouraged the crusade, he refers to the people as

the Franks. There was no idea of Europe. This came later. It was because of Islam,

which made them gradually unite. Many of their leaders tried to create a Europe: there

was Napoleon who tried to conquer; Hitler tried to do the sameto try to create a

5

See for example his Summa Theologica.6For a discussion on the rise and spread of Islam and its influence on the West and world history, see

hisIslam and Secularism, ISTAC (1993)


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Europa. But looked at how they created the name Europethey took it from someancient Goddessgiving us the impression that it existed since ancient times. Even inArabic, the idea of urubba is something new.

In their history, in their case, they talked about the Classical Period in which they

mean the Greeks and the Romans. Then there was the Dark Period and then Medieval,and the Modern. Some are now talking about post-modern. Between the Medieval and

Modern, they had the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Renaissance in Latin means to

be born againit means in their experience and concsiousness, they are now new,they are born again, they are trying to rediscover the classical. Then the

enlightenmentcomes the idea, the philosophers of the Westthis is where the ideaof man today orginated. This is not the case with earlier Western scholars like Plato,

Aristotle when they discuss on the soul. Later especially in the time of German

philosopher Immanuel Kant (d. 1804) started to imply that man is not soul. Because

of that, this psychology, which is what the Greeks call the science of the soulshould be changed to anthropology. Gradually the conception changed and the soul

part was suppresed.

After the Enlightenment, the Western scholars began to study man as a man of flesh

and blood, as an animal. When they define man as rational, they interpret rational as

the mindhow he can understand nature, how he can associate similars, associateand connect the meaningsthey try to interpret this idea of rational as use of themind or reasonfor the purpose of understanding, discovering, association ofsimilars by analogygradually 200 hundred years earlier, psychologist like WilliamJames and Sigmund Freud began to talk about psychoanalysis: the soul is no longer

something spiritualit has something to do with the physical which they callconsciousness. Thus for Freud, psychology is the study of the action that has come

out of menhow men act, how he understands. And gradually, the discpline ofpsychology has become secularized. A group of philosophers such represented by the

likes of August Comtelong before Darwin, have already been talking aboutsomething likeevolutionit is their experience and consciousness. They are the oneswho experience enlightenment and renaissance. It is not what the Muslims and Islam

experience. In other words, what Darwin is sayingalthough he brought a lot ofscientific details, this idea of evolution was with them from before minus the

scientific interpretations of Darwin.

IV

Today, the Western mansexperience have impinged and surreptitiously infused intoour experience. As a result, the Muslims today are confused. In Aristotles conceptionof man being a rational animal for example, Prof. Al-Attas clarified that what

Aristotle meant by animalor anima is not in the sense of binating(Malay wordfor an animal). Rather, it means animal as a soul, as far as the Greek is concerned.

With regards to the word rational in Western history, it gradually suffered whatProf Al-Attas calls the loss of original integrity. It gradually refers only to theneuro-biological mind. But if one refers to the early Muslim thinkers, sufis,

theologians (mutakallimn), jurists (fuqaha), their definition is: al-insn hayawn al-Niqmeaning man is a living being that speaks.

According to Prof. Al-Attas, the representatives of Muslim thought have defined


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Additional:

This is Al-Attas paraphrase of Abu Ysuf Yaqb ibn Isq a-abbal-Kind: The Greeks wereright in some views but it is not complete and there are some things in error. It is up to us to complete it

and correct the errors.

1. Without understanding that and of how the world has changed, we will never

understand all the things that Prof talks about / the background of these discourses.

2. The CASIS Saturday Night Lecture on 26th October 2013 saw the return of the

Director and Professor of CASIS, Prof. Dr. Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daudwho was ona three week hiatus to Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina for a series of official

visits on behalf of CASISat the side of his distinguished teacher and friend, theDistinguished Visiting Professor of CASIS, Tan Sri Prof. Dr. Syed MuhammadNaquib al-Attas.

3. Before commencing, following the pedagogical method of great Muslim scholars

of the past, Prof. Al-Attas stressed the need to continually repeat on matters like these

and to clarify8. He needs to repeat and to clarify, exclaims the Professor. To clarify.

Things needs to be continually repeated.

4. As if man is just a different from the past, from ancient past. They used the word

Homo, which means the same. The skulls they found a million years ago, as if they

are also human and the same as us (insan)

5. This idea, according to Prof. Al-Attas, already implies that as far as the West is

concerned, the idea of evolution is already implied in (their) history from very

beginning and that we can find in the mythology of the Western nation the same kind

of thingsan idea reflecting something like evolution in their worldview.

6. they speak of ratnaro; then the emergence of new things.

7. At the time of first crusade, the Pope encouraged this crusade; in his speech, he was

referring to the Franks: you are fighting with each other let us unite to fight our

common enemey

8. They disagreed among themselves. Those who agree with Darwin say we went

through evolution from animals; our difference from animals is a matter of degreesome others say it is a matter of kind; man is not evolved from the animals. Animals

cannot conceive, cannot put ideas together into a grand conception into the

interpretation of nature, cannot understand the meaning of beauty, cannot relate

association/similar into knowledge. Whereas man by looking at things, they look at

8

According to the students of Prof. Al-Attas, he has been practicing this method consistentlythroughout his career. Read for example, The Educational Philosophy and Practice of Syed

Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas, by Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud, ISTAC, 1998.


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nature, compare certain similars, its characteristicshow the development in theirminds i.e. species, genus, etc.

9. Although they know their identity as Arabswhich is based on geneology. TheJews were originally like that but they have made it something ethnic/peculiar only to

them.

He recounts a story while doing research at Beserah, Kuantan in 1956. in which a

French orientalist visited Malaysia and made remarks that Muslims dont understandthe Quran, their religion and that they are just like parrots. As a result it was reported

in the newspapers.

In that village as he was doing some research, they were discussing this in the coffee

shopshe would attend the Isha prayers at the masjid and he wouldtalk about Islam.On that occasion he said: You have heard what the French orientalist said, maybe

there is some truth in what he said but nevermind because repition is something

importantthe words in the solat are not your words, they are Gods wordsGodunderstands, He knowshe is praising Himself through you. Dont compare your

prayer with their prayer. There is no solat in other religions. Ultimately only God

praises Himself. Prophet said: I really cannot praise you So what he said to thatman in Baserah: Ofcourse you dont understand but you do understand what thislanguage is talking about. For example I said, there is that verse: Allahu nur sama wa

ti wa-l ard [Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth (SuratAn-Nr24:35)]isit that light? (pointing to a bulb)they said noshows they are not confused.

Christianity have become confused on the nature of Jesusthats why they have thisproblem with trinityabout his nature. When Quran say its a word from God. Theorientalists have studied Islam for hundreds of yearsthey begin to try to make useof Quranic terms.

Some things Muslims dont answer properly that they are not becoming more bold i.e.wanting to take the word Allah. We used that word a lot, its not just a wordthatname that we say hundreds of times a day, in prayer 5 times at leastbecause theQuran says remember; therefore we remember the 99names; this means we love Allah

swt; love also includes fear--fear of being absent from the Belovedfear in the senseof being absentthats why the hadith of the prophet: death is a bridge between thelover and the Beloved. Because of that we feel hurt when ppl want to take it and put it

somewhere it does not belongthey must understand this by us giving properarguments. Its not derived from any other word; it is a name expressed in a word. Onthis matter, it should not be brought into the paperspread to idiotswritten byeverybodyit means we have thrown the pearl to the swines.

It is interesting how those symbols become soundsmust be great intellectual step.Ancient Egyptians used symbolshow did it become sound? Only recent western

philo that language is the root of what makes man rational. It is language that

conceived idea. How can you relate this and that without language? Some of them do

accept that.

We have to understand because I talked about how important language is; about theconcept of nationin our context, as far as we are concerned, it is language that can


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be the basis what you call the malaysian nationbecause malaysia is composed ofdifferent races, religions etchow can there be a nation from that? How there arise asentiment of solidaritythat was the problem that I was talking about after theindependence 1957. As far as our situation is concerned, this can only be if you have

language as the basis of the nation. You cant use religion, historytakes hundreds

even thousands to create culture; Ibn Khaldun said at least 100 years for culture to betransmitted; that also based on education; have to be plan it in the way that is

agreeable to everyone.

We have a serious problem because we want to make sure language is used in a

proper wayyou cannot change that.

you cannot speak of the development of Islam; its already developed. Westerncivilisation have already been thinking about things like thatwhat they calleddialectic; thesiswhat is established/understood/accepted; then there is anti-thesiswhat contradicts it; when both joined together it becomes synthesis; then it becomes a

thesis againwe dontsubcribe to an idea like this. If we use terms like that, we havealready reached the synthsis. Adding things/innovation in knowledge, govt, etc is

good, but not in religion.

He was told that people in the government (of Malaysia) do not talk about Islam.

Rather, they are encouraged to talk about patriotism. Thus Prof Al-Attas argues: If we

ask what is this partriotism? They may answer national identityif you come to that,how can a Muslim not connect that to Islam? Yes they are important, but if we talk

about Islam doesnt mean we are not patriotic.

Muslims are looking for a scapegoat for their predicaments; therefore they chose al

ghazali as the scapegoat; these ppl who study maths, science etc must not think that

only science, etc is the only avenue to knowledge. Ultimately as far as we are

concerned we are putting our trust in the Quran. That is why religion is a trust.

Muslims must keep the truth and be worthy of the trust and not betray the trust.

There is a tendency to make the ones who are not of the same station in their

intelligence, experience, knowledgeyou cannot put ibn khaldun in the level of ibnsina, al-ghazali; ibn khaldun was only known to Muslim very recently. Al Ghazali

was heard since he was alive. Must not talk about ibn khaldun as if he is a savior.

Muslims known him as a historianit is the west who regard him as a sociologist.

Ibn Khaldun is not saying what the modern sociologist among the muslims are saying.Ibn khaldun also said that you cannot change the integrity of the language. Prof Al-

Attas gave the example of the word pedas, he asked Winsted and he refers to it ashot i.e. hot temperpedas doesnt have thatif you use hot as pedas then it doesntreally capture the meaning.

The method of tafsir, tawilit is a highly intellectual method; tafsir means simplyinterpreting what is immediately obvious, whereas tawil interpreting what is notimmediately obvious.

We end this summary with a particular statement by the Professor which is of

importance for the relevant parties to take heed:We are hoping the wise amongst us


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must not allow deviations from correct usage. How? The mass media must not spread

all kinds of confusion, they must be responsible, must not be arrogant.

He ends with a: I thank you very much for being patient listening to me.

Main theme:Connected theme:

Quran verses cited:

Main purpose:

Significance:

Citing evidence from the Quran, even Jesus was sent to Bani Israel to correct what

was deviating from the teachings of Prophet Musa and to bring glad tidings. Jesus

said there will be someone who come after him, whose name is Ahmad.

Even in theological terms, God has planned it in that way: gradually, according to

stages. For the nature of God or Tawhid cannot be understood by man without beingproperly educated. Therefore stage by stage He sent Prophets to their own people:

Nuh to his own ppl; Musa to Bani Israel; other prophets to Bani Israel also; Yunus

was sent to his own ppl; Isa was also sent to his own pplthis is what mentioned inthe Quran. The Prophet Muhammad (may God bless and give him peace), whom

Prophet Isa (A.S) predicted would come, was not sent to his own peoplebut tomankind as a whole. Hence the Quranic expression: Ya Ayyuh al-ladhna manu.

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Prof Attas Lecture Summary 26 Oct 2013