Towards the Harmonisation of Reason and Revelation in Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52282/icr.v8i2.194Keywords:
knowledge, Qur'an, rationality, ijtihad, taqlidAbstract
With the emergence of empiricism, a perception developed that rationality and faith are ‘incompatible.’ According to this view, religion is based on faith rather than knowledge. Attachment to faith is fundamentally arbitrary and lacks a rational foundation. In education, the ‘separation’ of reason from faith produces either graduates with knowledge for the purpose of employment but little spiritual awareness or persons with religious beliefs that have few marketable skills. What is required is balanced education, where instruction in revealed knowledge is provided together with training in present-day knowledge. To facilitate holistic education, it is necessary to recognise that faith and present-day knowledge complement rather than exclude each other. Present-day knowledge is used primarily for the purpose of employment. Revealed knowledge is intended for the purpose of guidance. The two are complementary rather than mutually exclusive.