The Islamic Worldview

The worldview relates to people’s perceptions or outlooks to their worldly life and the universe. This ‘well grained perceptions and outlooks’ later will form the worldview of people which then create the meaning and purpose of their life in this world.

In the secular perspective, each individual has different set of perceptions in his life which leads to the formation of different worldview among the people. According to Chapra, the different worldview among the people is being a source of dissimilar end means of human life. He further denotes that the worldview as a set of implicit or explicit assumptions about the origin of the universe and the nature of human life.

Referring to the Islamic point of view which proposed by a modern great thinker and scholar Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas where he asserted about the vision of reality and truth (ru’yat al-Islam li al-wujud). In the real life, knowledge is a light (an-nur) of life which shaping its meaning and purpose. In order to reach at that point, the worldview must be instilled with the knowledge so that to create ‘a meaningful and purposeful life’. The worldview itself cannot ‘stand alone’ without the formation of systems or institutions in the society. There are two major systems which having great impacts to the life of the people namely as social and economic system. A part from that, secularism treats knowledge as an essential ground in shaping and developing of any systems in order to bring ‘fruitfulness’ or ‘manfaat’ to the people. The economic system under the ‘secular roof’ is developed on the ground of ‘secular worldview’ where the source of knowledge derives from rationality and passions of men. There is no connectivity with the source of divine knowledge. So, this brings ‘no real fruitfulness or ‘manfaat’ of the system to the people which they only are not supposed to live in their ‘own economic circle’ by accumulating mass wealth in the absence of feeling to others and forget their hereafter’s portion after the death. This is because ‘rationality and passions’ always dealing with only the reality and very far from something that is not real like people’s feeling, punishment of heaven and hell and life after death. Thus, the economic transactions are being conducted with the manner of ‘selfishness’ and far from ‘fear of God’. In the long run, it will create ‘havoc’ in the society which leads to injustice to people. Pertaining to this, Islam also emphasizes the concept of knowledge in shaping the worldview as the ‘formulating ground’ of the economic system. This was proven when ALLAH SWT first created the Prophet Adam, he was taught to learn things as stated in the Holy Qur’an:

“And He taught Adam the nature of all things; then He placed before the angels, and said; “Tell me the nature of these if you are right” (al-Baqarah: 31)

Akin also to the prophecy of Muhammad SAW, the first revelation sent down to him started with the word of ‘iqra’ which means to read. ALLAH SWT said in surah al-Alaq:“Read in the name of God who created” (al-Alaq : 1)

In Islam, the source of knowledge is more comprehensive, not only compounded to the ratioality and passions of men. The prime source of knowledge is prolonged to the divine guidance inclusive al-Qur’an and al-hadith. The rationality and passions are only treated the secondary sources and subjugated to the tracts of ALLAH SWT. This is a contrary to the secularism, which placed the rationality and passions as the prime source of knowledge. Islam argues on this proposition due to the limitations and weakness nature of men which are not able ‘to know’ or ‘predict’ something far behind the reality. That is why we need the divine guidance to tackle such limitations and weakness so that the economic system created implies the true color of men nature to live in peace and harmony.

The worldview will establish the doctrine regardless whether it is Islam or secular. In secularism, the ‘economic doctrine’ is absolute and no influenced by the other superior doctrines such as religion. Then, it is very ‘adjustable’ towards to the reality against people’s needs, passing of times and geographical differences at ‘any angles’ inclusive the ‘grounded principles and methodology’. Anyhow, Islam does not place the economic system as an absolute doctrine. It is subjected to the doctrines of Islam as a final and superior doctrine. As far as we are concerned, Islamic worldview is developed based on three principles of ‘Aqeedah’ (belief in ones of God), ‘Ibadah’ (God to man relationship) and ‘Muamalat’ (Man to man relationship), the adjustments to suit the reality only occur to ‘branches (furu’) of the principles ‘ and the methodology, not to all ‘angles’ as what practiced by secularism.