Islamic Epistemology and the Solution of the Education Crisis
Q&A Session
Dr. Omar Hasan Kasule
People read, exchange views, exchange ideas; these ideas keep on growing, and develop. Instead of meeting here & there, we talk about the same thing year after year. Accumulation of the literature can really help the project to grow ahead. So on my side that’s I want to do. BIIT locally can make good plan to make sure. It’s not that only to talk but there should be follow-up & then the courses will be successful.

Remarks by M. Zohurul Islam FCA
Actually, it has been started. We have four books on research on terrorism, on democracy etc. We have several books. We have about 16 books. We’re working on different disciplines. Now the problem is that those people are working on it they are junior lecturer. Senior peoples are not so much with the program. Now even in the individual section there are lacking. If our senior brothers come out to join us then he will be welcomed. And about the sustainability of the program we are actually committed to make it succeed.
Thank you

Professor Ruhul Amin, Physiology Department, Dhaka Medical College
Assalamu Alaikum warahmatullah,
Thanks to brother Dr. Omar Hasan Kasule for his nice presentation on this issue. But how to initiate it pray to Allah (swt) for the success. According to my view, I think, present education system in home & abroad is not in right track, present existing system of education is defective. Whatever you name it modern education like physics, chemistry, biology, economics, physiology etc.
This education knowledge is good which is useful for men for work to consider as asset but there is something which is not correct.
What we read it should be related with the Quran.

Dr. Omar Hasan Kasule
I think I agree with him we are not talking that we are not throwing the education system in rubbish bean. Its not, we are talking about correcting something to confirm it with our Aqidah. Islamization is not a revolution it’s a corrective movement. Something which things have to correct is very few-in some area its may be huge or in some area there is nothing to correct. Remember that the knowledge Westerners developed they took common to start with in the fundamentals of knowledge but the most things they added is based on experiment. So this is the correct knowledge that is accepted only when they put their world view in the sciences then there is some biases do arrives, those need to be corrected so I agree with the speaker on this mazhab.

Ms. Mahmuda Begum, Research Assistant, Asiatic Society, Dhaka.
1. What changes we can have in Biological Sciences incase of Islamic Epistemology?
2. What are the areas of research in Biological Science in terms of Islamic Epistemology?

Dr. Omar Hasan Kasule
So for Biology, I am not a biologist but as a medical professional, I have got some idea and can give some few examples. This can be introduced. When teaching about echo system the Western world view tells about echo system is that the organism in the subject area that depends one on another. The big animal eat the small animal, small animal eat the plant. The animal produce CO2, plant take it and produce O2, They depend on one another. They eat, benefit, and interact with one another. That’s the westerners told that it happened by chance as there is echo system. But there is Allah to maintain the echo system but they don’t want to mention the name of Allah. The Quranic approach is different. Allah (swt) made everything between the heaven & earth for the service of the human being, everything Allah created for our benefit. We eat the milk & meat of cow; we ride on the camel, on horses i.e. the echo system is for the benefit of the human. That is why human is in the top of the food pyramid. The smaller fish eat the grass, the big fish eat the smaller fish eventually the one who eat everything is the human. We are on the top of the food pyramid. When we are going to teach the echo system, about the food pyramid, about the food webs, there is a small question. What should give to them? There should be a different way Allah put this for our service, but we have to thank him. How can we do it? When we put anything in our mouth unless we say Bismillahir-rah-manir-rahim it is haram. Because Allah gives you permission, you have to acknowledge him. If you don’t say then you can’t eat it. So, in this way the concept of echo-system, food pyramid can create different meaning in the mind of the students, there are many other areas that you can see some of things. I don’t know any book, any body of Muslim biologists has done this, and this means us all starting from zero. And that’s why I am telling it will take a long time. Again, the issue of creation, how the life began? Islam has got a way of explain, but the Western approach uses evolution. The end of life, again you can explain to the students that life is finished, because the concept of urgent. You can relate it to Biology. Like the cell can develop up to 15 generations. Then the end, can’t divide more than 15 times. Because of the talk, the Quran said that, life has got a six span. You can relate it when you teach mitosis & cell division. So, there are so many things. We have to make groups, then discuss, and exchange than accumulate, then we shall be able to present biology, with the Islamic point of view, what I want to emphasize, we are not going to change the facts of biology. But the world view, how it is presented has to be changed. So we have to do more study & research in these fields.

Mr. Mukter Ahmed,Assistant Professor
Thank you Mr Kasule. It’s a useful product, I heard soley, first I would like to say, traditional knowlwdge is not real knowledge & divine knowledge is true/real. Then why Muslims are not advance in knowledge or is not able to invent anything. 2nd observation what is the rules according to the Holy Quran for family planning of the poor countries like us.

Dr. Omar Hasan Kasule
The First question I don’t know what the answer is. Because our Muslim got the same problems.We will stay in problem but will not try to solve the problem. We will not get to the Question to find solution. Howcome we don’t have advances in different sciences. Other people whose background is weaker than us like Japanese, Korean, how can they bring out something. Why we can not do. This Question is difficult to answer. We need a seminar to answer. We have Quran full of inspiration, guidelines, how to think, how to use everything. Quran says to look around us and to understand & discover the signs of Allah (SWT). How come we are not able to make progress in different sciences? Other people whose background is weaker than the Quran like Japanese, Korean, they are progressive. Why we can not do? It’s a difficult question to answer and we need a seminar to answer. If you ask a person who got 10 million taka in bank and you finding him sleeping on the road, no clothing, crying of hunger? You are asking why you are here like this way. You have got money in your bank. You are asking him you have money bring it and at least buy some food. But he replied. “No, No, No, I will not take the money. I will keep it & I will remain like this way”. Muslim is in this like situation. We have got the same kind of problem. But we are continuing with the problem without going to the Quran. This is a lacking I can say. We also know what we need to do. We have to make our Muslims to go back to the Quran, then automatically we will become strong. In the Muslim countries there are some groups in Islamic organizations. In these organizations or universities they have to arrange study. I dont know what is the situation in Bangladesh. If you go to Jordan, Sudan the people who come back to Islam, they become Doctor, Engineer. It is true when people come back to the Quran they make progress. So it may be the main problem that we have migratted from the Quran. What we need to come back than we will be expert over in sciences.

The issue of Family Planning is an administrative issue. The Ulama had made a lot of fatwa regarding this. It will be allowed for couple for their own reason. That may be psychological, economical, health. It is mobah, it means if you want to do it, you can do it, if you don’t need then don’t do it, but Family Planning as a policy on everybody the shariah will not allow us. It has to be left on individual couple. According to shariah the women must agree. It can’t be done by the husband alone. jazakallah.

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