The Worldview of Islam

"Today especially, in our time there is a greater confusion in the Muslim world...Western civilization has forced us to change. And very rapid also, everything is changing. Change is considered to be a reality and therefore you must change, if you do not change that means you are dead, you become petrified...You disappear from history.
And we are trying to follow that. But is it necessary to follow that?"
Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas
WISE Summer School 2017 Special Lecture
Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM)
KUALA LUMPUR
What is meant by 'worldview', according to the perspective of Islam, is the vision of reality and truth that appears before our minds eye, revealing what existence is all about.

The worldview of Islam then is the Islamic vision of reality and truth, which is a metaphysical survey of the visible as well as the invisible worlds including the perspective of life as a whole. It is a restatement and re-articulation of the fundamental elements that constitute the projection of the world of existence in its totality.

These include the conception of the nature of God, the prophet, the concept of religion, revelation, the nature of man, of happiness, the nature of the world, concepts of knowledge, science, language, and education. Each of these elements is brought together in a relation that constitutes a unity (tawhid). All these are discussed against the backdrop of the modern and post-modern challenges posed by the forces of secularisation as a philosophical programme. To address this external challenge faced by the Muslims, the notions of progress, change, and development are put under scrutiny.
WISE is one small initiative to break this vicious circle and reinstitute the proper understanding of Islam through its basic conceptual framework projecting its worldview, in men and women of intelligence, integrity and responsibility. It is hoped that this initial step would lead to subsequent engagements that would continue to further strengthen the understanding and fellowship.
Apart from this, the Muslim community suffers from various internal crises. These internal crises come basically in the form of the loss of adab, which is a result of confusion and error in knowledge, and leading to the rise of false leaders in various fields and domains of life which in turn promote and perpetuate the previous two, forming a vicious circle.
Worldview of Islam Series (WISE) is one small initiative to break this vicious circle and reinstitute the proper understanding of Islam through its basic conceptual framework projecting its worldview, in men and women of intelligence, integrity and responsibility. It is hoped that this initial step would lead to subsequent engagements that would continue to further strengthen the understanding and fellowship.
Worldview of Islam Seminar (WISE)

About

The acronym “WISE” stands for “Worldview of Islam Seminar”, which is a year-long educational programme initiated by the Himpunan Keilmuan Muslim (HAKIM) in collaboration with Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) where participants from various backgrounds, professions and age groups came together to deepen their understanding of the worldview of Islam. This weekly seminar runs on Saturdays and spans three semesters every year. This year (2017), WISE has marked its seventh year running since 2011, with seven batches of students successfully completed its programme. Some of WISE “graduates” continued their studies at graduate and post-graduate levels in various fields, while some others go back to their respective professions with clarity of perspective, a fresh outlook, and a sense of mission.

One of the unique features of WISE is that it brings together people from different backgrounds and experiences to learn and engage in discourses pertaining to the various aspects of the worldview of Islam. The sessions are conducted by a number of scholars who are students of Tan Sri Prof. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, amongst whom are Prof. Dr. Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud, the founder and former director of CASIS-UTM, and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zainiy Uthman, the former director of CASIS-UTM.

Previous participants of WISE include academics, civil servants, corporate managers, entrepreneurs, schoolteachers, businessmen, social and political activists, politicians, university and pre-university students, and freelance workers.

Our Programmes & Activities

  • WISE (Main)

    An Overview on the Worldview of Islam in 10 to 16 Weeks
    ​Offered annually since its inception in 2011. An extension program called WISE-2 began in 2022 specially catered for alumnis.

  • WISE Summer School

    A Seven-Day Intensive In-House Program on the Worldview of Islam
    Began in 2014 in collaboration with RZS-CASIS, UTM Kuala Lumpur. Last offered in 2019 before the pandemic.

  • WISE International

    WISE in Regions Beyond Kuala Lumpur
    Began as an invitation by SMFR, a Muslim Organisation based in Sweden in 2016 and Malaysian Students Group in Egypt in 2017. Offered periodically.

  • WISE Focus

    Specialisation and Application of the Specific Aspects on the Worldview
    Offered as a third semester program in 2011 covering topics such as Logic and Islamic Epistemology, Islam in the Malay World, Islamic Philosophy of Science, Jawi as an Islamic Language, and others. To be revived in the near future.
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