Stages of Producing Islamic Humanities: A Practical Approach
Mohammad Fanaei Eshkevari
A Practical and Applicable Strategy for Achieving Islamic Humanities
Attaining Islamic humanities requires three fundamental steps:
Step 1: Compiling an Encyclopedia of Humanities Based on Islamic Sources
This stage involves collecting and categorizing Quranic verses, narrations (hadiths), and the conduct of the Infallibles (sirah) across various fields of humanities (e.g., economics, education, politics, law, etc.). For example, in economics, all texts related to concepts such as ownership, trade, charity, etc., are extracted from the Quran and hadiths and systematically compiled.
Step 2: Extracting and Systematizing Islamic Teachings in Humanities Subjects
In this stage, Islamic teachings in each field (economics, education, politics, etc.) are systematized using ijtihadi methodology. These teachings can be organized into three sections: 1 .Theological and doctrinal foundations (e.g., economic justice in Islam).
2. Jurisprudential rulings (financial laws, transactions, etc.).
3 . Applied ethics (etiquette of trade, social responsibilities, etc.).
In other words, Islamic teachings in each branch of humanities can be divided into descriptive and prescriptive, with prescriptive teachings further divided into jurisprudential and ethical-jurisprudential.
The outcome of this stage is the formation of “applied theology” (e.g., theology of economics, theology of education), which defines Islam’s theoretical framework for each discipline.
It is important to note that compiling the theology of humanities is not a one-time task but a continuous, dynamic process that requires regular revision, completion, and modernization.
To accomplish the first two steps, expertise in humanities is not essential, but a general familiarity with the relevant discipline (e.g., psychology or sociology) and its key concepts is necessary to properly categorize and organize the subjects.
Step 3: Entering the Process of Islamicizing Humanities
This is the most complex and specialized step, comprising two phases:
a. Theory Production.
b. Empirical Validation.
Phase 1: Theory Production
This phase has two essential prerequisites:
1 . Mastery of contemporary humanities (e.g., classical economics or modern psychology).
2 . Proficiency in religious ijtihad and analysis of religious sources.
At this stage, relying on the philosophy and methodology of Islamic humanities (which gradually evolves alongside scientific progress), existing theories in humanities are reinterpreted, revised, or reconstructed in alignment with Islamic teachings.
The philosophy of Islamic humanities (encompassing ontological, anthropological, methodological, and axiological foundations) is initially formulated in a preliminary and general form. However, its advanced and detailed development is only possible after progress in discovering and systematizing Islamic humanities—similar to how the philosophy of physics evolved after Newtonian laws and relativity were established.
Thus, any attempt to Islamicize humanities without completing the first two steps, or without considering this dynamic interaction, will face theoretical and practical challenges.
Phase 2: Theory Validation
Since humanities are not merely theoretical knowledge but deeply connected to practical and social life, producing Islamic humanities cannot be accomplished solely through theoretical work, research, or publishing books and articles. The more critical step is testing these theories in practice. Practical success is the ultimate validation of humanities theories, and real-world application serves as the “laboratory” for verifying their credibility.