ISLAMIC INTUITIONISM: THE CASE AGAINST ATHEISTIC EVIDENTIALISM BY ASADULLAH ALI (KEVIN MICHAEL MACKABEN) A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Islamic Philosophy, Ethics, and Contemporary Issues International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization International Islamic University of Malaysia JUNE 2014
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ISLAMIC INTUITIONISM: THE CASE AGAINST
ATHEISTIC EVIDENTIALISM
BY
ASADULLAH ALI (KEVIN MICHAEL MACKABEN)
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the
degree of Master of Arts in Islamic Philosophy, Ethics, and
Contemporary Issues
International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization
International Islamic University of Malaysia
JUNE 2014
ii
ABSTRACT
Non-belief in God has existed alongside belief since the dawn of humanity, but has
manifested itself in various forms throughout. In the contemporary period, atheism no
longer is promoted as a belief in the non-existence of God, but as a mere disbelief
given the supposed lack of evidence for His existence. This prompts contemporary
atheists to reject belief in God as irrational and its proponents as unreasonable. Since
the recent polemics by atheists, such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late
Christopher Hitchens, many Muslims across the world have begun to become
skeptical of their faith in Islam and are even abandoning it across the world. This
research attempts to provide a solution to this problem by challenging contemporary
atheistic thought through a systematic critique of its historical roots and dogmatic
preconceptions. Through an in depth review of the relevant literature, we arrive at the
understanding that contemporary atheism is driven by an ideology known as
―scientism‖, or the belief that knowledge can only be acquired through a scientific
worldview. We then trace this belief to the early 1900‘s when it was manifested as an
ideology known as ―logical positivism‖ and show how such a perspective was dealt
with by philosophers in the past. Remarkably, there is very little difference between
scientism and logical positivism, including the errors each view commits to, which are
unjustified objectifications of reality and the abilities of human reason. We find that
given these limitations of the atheist perspective, an alternative is necessary in
understanding the rationale behind belief in God. Our solution is a reappraisal of a
traditional Islamic argument for belief in God through intuition, which we have come
to call ―Islamic Intuitionism‖.
iii
ملخص البحث
لقد وجد الايدان بالله والالحاد جنبا إلى جنب منذ فجر الإنسانية ، وقد تجلى ذلك بأشكال مختلفة خلال العصور التاريخية الدتعاقبة. اما في الفترة الدعاصرة لم يعد يروج للإلحاد كاعتقاد
على وجوده سبحانو بعدم وجود الله ، ولكن بوصفو لررد كفر نظرا لعدم توفر الأدلة الداديةوتعالى كما يدعون. وبهذا فان الدلحدون الدعاصرون يرفضون فكرة وجود الخالق لكونها حسب رأيهم غير معقولة وان الدؤمنين بالتالي يفتقرون الدنطق والعقلانية. ومنذ انتشار وترويج
ثل ريتشارد دوكينز ، المحاورات الانتقادية والذجومية مؤخرا على الايدان من قبل الدلحدين ، مسام ىاريس ، والراحل كريستوفر ىيتشنز ، فان بعض من الدسلمين في جميع أنحاء العالم قد
يحاول ىذا أصبحوا يشككون في إيدانهم في الإسلام حتى ان منهم من انقلب على دينو.ره البحث توفير حل لذذه الدشكلة من خلال تحدي الفكر الدلحد الدعاصر بنقد منهجي لجذو
التاريخية و العقائدية. بعد الاستعراض الدتعمق للأدبيات ذات الصلة وصلنا إلى فهم أن الإلحاد الدعاصر تحركو أيديولوجيا معروفة باسم "العلموية " أو الاعتقاد بأن الدعرفة لا يدكن
1099الحصول عليها الا من خلال النظرة العلمية للعالم. وقد تتبعنا ىذا الدعتقد الى العام عندما تجلى ذلك كفكر معروف باسم " الايجابية الدنطقية " ، واظهرنا كيف تم التعامل مع ىذا الدنظور من قبل الفلاسفة في الداضي. وىناك فرق ضئيل جدا بين العلموية و الايجابية
الدنطقية ، بما في ذلك أخطاء ترتبت على كل منهما، وتشمل الاعتراض غير الدبرر لواقع العقل البشري على الاستنباط. لذا فاننا نرى بان ىناك قصور في منظور الجهة الدلحدة قدرات
مما يستدعي استنباط منظور بديل لادراك مفهوم الايدان بالله. الحل الذي لدينا ىو الدعوة الى إعادة تقييم الجدل الإسلامي التقليدي وراء الاعتقاد في الله سبحانو وتعالى من خلال
"الحدسية الاسلامية".لذا قد سمينا ىذا البديل الحدس.
iv
APPROVAL PAGE
I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms
to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and
quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Arts in Islamic Philosophy,
Ethics, and Contemporary Issues.
…………………………………......
Mohamed Ajmal Bin Abdul Razak
Al-Aidrus
Supervisor
I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms
to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and
quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Arts in Islamic Philosophy,
Ethics, and Contemporary Issues.
…………………………………......
Abdullah al-Ahsan
Co-Supervisor
I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable
standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a
dissertation for the degree of Master of Arts in Islamic and Other Civilization.
…………………………………......
Ahmad F. Yousif
Examiner
This dissertation was submitted to the International Institute of Islamic Thought and
Civilization and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master
of Arts in Islamic Philosophy, Ethics, and Contemporary Issues.
…………………………………......
Mahmood Zuhdi
Dean, International Institute of
Islamic Thought and Civilization
v
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigations, except
where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently
submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.
No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except
as provided below.
1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may
only be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement.
2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print
or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes.
3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieval system
and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other
universities and research libraries.
Affirmed by Asadullah Ali (Kevin Michael Mackaben)
……………………………. ………………..
Signature Date
vii
Dedicated to the Most Gracious and Most Merciful Allah and His Prophet,
Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) the greatest mercy of this world and the
example for all mankind.
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I first wish to thank Allah for His infinite Mercy and Compassion towards me
throughout my life; from the moment I was born, to the moment I learned of the truth
from His Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), to the present day, for which I have
much to be thankful for despite being a poor and undeserving servant.
I am also tremendously grateful for my loving parents, Vallelyn and Dan
Mackaben, whom Allah has given me, for whom without I would not have been able
to succeed without their support, both emotionally and financially throughout my life
and studies. I am also tremendously grateful for my in-laws, Haton Bee Ismail and
Abdul Majid Yusuff for all their love, support, and duas. I pray that I have made them
all proud.
I am also truly blessed and thankful for my loving wife, Haseena Abdul Majid,
whom Allah has gifted me with, for whom I am not worthy of in all of her devotion
and love to our religion – for I have always seen her as my better half. Without her
love, support, and motivation, I would not be the man I am today. Her example has
served as a major influence and guide in my life for which I trust will also be the light
that guides our future children, insh‘Allah.
The blessings I have been gifted further extends to my spiritual guide, Shaykh
Umar Vadillo, who brought me out of the darkness of my liberal understanding of
Islam and brought me back to the Sunnah of our Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wasallam).
To be in his presence alone has made me a better Muslim.
I am also immensely grateful for my best friends, Imran Karim, Kazem
Behbahani, and the late Josh Melvin, whom Allah gave me in my greatest times of
need for brotherhood and support during some of my worst trials. Without these
brothers, I would have made far worse decisions in my life than they allowed me.
They are truly my family. My thanks and love extends equally to their families.
I am also extremely grateful to those who guided me intellectually and in
matters of adab, such as Professors Martin Tracey, Bernard Toussaint, Patrick Flynn,
Syed Mohamed Ajmal Bin Abdul Razak Al-Aidrus, Shaykh Uthman Muhammady,
Ahmad Yousif, Amir Zekrgoo, Abdullah al-Ahsan, Kamal Hassan, and Shaykh
Abdalqadir as-Sufi. All of these amazing figures deserve to be credited for my
intellectual and ethical development throughout the years.
Finally, I am grateful to my generous sponsors whom assisted me throughout
my studies in Malaysia, including but not limited to, my grandparents, Mohammad
Aslam, Nouman Ali Khan, and Mohammed Sayeed. May Allah reward them greatly
for their kindness and hope for my future.
ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract .................................................................................................................... ii Abstract in Arabic .................................................................................................... iii
Approval Page .......................................................................................................... iv Declaration ............................................................................................................... v
Declaration of Copyright ......................................................................................... vi
Dedication ................................................................................................................ vii
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. viii
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................. 2 Justification of Study .................................................................................... 4 Literature Review ......................................................................................... 4
CLASSICAL RESPONSES .................................................................................. 11 What is Atheism? ......................................................................................... 11 Evidentialism and Justification .................................................................... 17
Classical Responses to Atheism ................................................................... 21
The Cosmological Argument ................................................................ 22 The Kalām Cosmological Argument ............................................. 23 The Falsafa Cosmological Argument ............................................ 25
The Teleological Argument .................................................................. 27 The Argument from Hikma............................................................ 27
The Arguments from ‗Inayah and Ikhtira‘ ..................................... 28 The Argument from Religious Experience .................................... 32
Abrogating the Classical Arguments ........................................................... 34
CHAPTER TWO: THE FOUNDATIONS OF ATHEISTIC
EVIDENTIALISM ................................................................................................. 38 The Origins of ‗Scientism‘ ........................................................................... 38 A Heresy in Vienna ...................................................................................... 43
Logism .................................................................................................. 44 The Tractatus ......................................................................................... 48 Verificationism ...................................................................................... 51
The Demise of Logical Positivism ............................................................... 54 The Return of Pragmatism .................................................................... 56 Kuhn vs. Popper .................................................................................... 58
CHAPTER THREE: ABROGATING ATHEISTIC EVIDENTIALISM ....... 63 A Repeat of History ..................................................................................... 63
Meaning ‗Beyond‘ ................................................................................ 69