The The Implications of the Clash Between Islamic Worldview and Modernity in the Thought of Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59944/amorti.v5i1.858Keywords:
Islamic worldview Modernity Al-Attas Islamization of knowledge Islamic epistemology.Abstract
Contemporary Muslims face a crisis that is not merely material or technological but strikes at the very foundations of their worldview. This study aims to examine the concept of the Islamic worldview in the thought of Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, identify the forms of its clash with the Western modern worldview, and analyze the implications of that clash for the epistemological and spiritual condition of contemporary Muslims. The research employs a qualitative method based on a biographical study approach with a library research design, utilizing descriptive-analytical-critical content analysis of al-Attas's primary works, chiefly Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam (1995) and Islam and Secularism (1978). The findings reveal that al-Attas's Islamic worldview, which he terms ru'yat al-Islam li al-wujud, is composed of eight fundamental elements centered on God (Allah) and characterized by theocentrism, a vertical-hierarchical order, an integrative nature, and an eschatological orientation. The clash between the Islamic worldview and Western modernity operates simultaneously on four levels: metaphysical, epistemological, anthropological, and axiological. This clash produces at least three major epistemological implications: confusion of knowledge, the dichotomy between religious and secular sciences as a colonial legacy, and an intellectual identity crisis resulting in the rise of leaders lacking an adequate worldview. On the spiritual level, the clash triggers loss of adab as the root of all crisis, spiritual disorientation, and the desacralization of life, reducing religion to formal ritual disconnected from daily living. As a solution, al-Attas proposes the Islamization of knowledge, which operates at the worldview level rather than merely the methodological one. The study concludes that the crisis of the Muslim community stems from the erosion of the Islamic worldview as the foundation of thought, and its restoration is a prerequisite for any sustained civilizational renewal in Islam.
References
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1978). Islam and Secularism. Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia.
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1980). The Concept of Education in Islam. Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia.
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1995). Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam: An Exposition of the Fundamental Elements of the Worldview of Islam. ISTAC.
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1996). Konsep Pendidikan dalam Islam (7th ed.). Mizan.
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (2020). Islam dan Sekularisme (K. M. A. Harris, Trans.). PIMPIN.
Amalia, N., Salsabela, I., & Amrillah, R. (2025). Islamic Worldview Dalam Sudut Pandangan Naquib Al-Attas. MARAS: Jurnal Penelitian Multidisiplin, 3(1), 235–241. doi: 10.60126/maras.v3i1.716
Annur, A. shifa, & Rijal, S. (2025). Dimensi-Dimensi Aksiologis dan Implementasinya dalam Pendidikan Islam. Ameena Journal, 3(2), 105–122. doi: 10.63732/aij.v3i2.166
Fahmi, M., & Muharam, S. (2024). The Studi Komparasi Pemikiran Syed Naquib Al-Attas dan H.M Rasjidi tentang Konsep Islamic Worldview. DIAJAR: Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Pembelajaran, 3(1), 131–140. doi: 10.54259/diajar.v3i1.2395
Garwan, M. S. (2019). Urgensi Islamisasi Ilmu Syed Naquib Al-Attas dalam upaya Deskonstruksi Ilmu Hermeneutika Al-Qur’an. Substantia: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Ushuluddin, 21(2), 125-147. doi: 10.22373/substantia.v21i2.5668
Hidayatullah, E. A., & Arif, S. (2022). Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas’ exposition on the concept of ethics. Afkar: Jurnal Akidah dan Pemikiran Islam, 24(1), 409–446. doi: 10.22452/afkar.vol24no1.12
Ika, Ahmad, N., & Damhudi, H. J. A. (2024). Eksistensi Manusia Dan Evolusi Perspektif Agama Islam Dan Sains. Jurnal Kajian Islam Dan Sosial Keagamaan, 2(1), 90–96.
Kadir, I. (2021). Pendidikan Sebagai Ta’dīb Menurut Syed Muhammad Naquib Al- Attas. Pustaka Amanah.
Kartanegara, M. (2007). Mengislamkan Nalar: Sebuah respon Terhadap Modernitas. Erlangga.
Kosim, M., Kustati, M., & Murkilim, M. (2021). Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas’ideas On The Islamization of Knowledge and Its Relevance with Islamic Education In Indonesia. Miqot: Jurnal Ilmu-ilmu Keislaman, 44(2), 250–267. doi: 10.30821/miqot.v44i2.724
Maman, Suhartini, A., & Nurwadjah, A. (2022). Konsep Pengenalan Allah (Ma’Rifatullah) dan Implikasinya Dalam Pendidikan Islam. Asian Journal of Philosophy and Religion (AJPR), 1(1), 37-50. doi 10.55927/ajpr.v1i1.357
Muhibuddin, M. (2022). Gagasan Islamisasi Ilmu Pengetahuan: Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas Dan Intelektual Muslim Indonesia. At-Tafkir, 15(2), 184–201. doi: 10.32505/at.v15i2.4672
Natsir, N. F., Haryati, E., & Putra, M. A. (2026). Transmisi Ilmu Pengetahuan dari Dunia Islam ke Eropa pada Masa Renaisans: Jembatan Menuju Era Modern. Journal for Islamic Studies, 9(1), 2348-2357. doi: 10.31943/afkarjournal.v9i1.1965
Nuryanti, M., & Hakim, L. (2020). Pemikiran Islam Modern Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas. Substantia: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Ushuluddin, 22(1), 73-84. doi: 10.22373/substantia.v22i1.5531
Purnama, S. (2021). Islam dan Ilmu Sosial Humaniora. CV Multiartha Jatmika.
Rahman, B. A. (2020). Membangun Peradaban Ilmu Al-Attas dan Istac. Dirasat, 15(2), 84-97. doi: 10.1001/ds.v15i02.128
Rahmania, S., & Bakar, M. Y. A. (2023). Studi Pemikiran Pendidikan Islam Perspektif Naquib Al-Attas. Al-Mada: Jurnal Agama, Sosial, Dan Budaya6(2), 323-338. doi: 10.31538/almada.v6i2.3085
Rahmawati, M., Aini, F. N., Nuraini, Y., & Mahdi, B. M. (2020). Islamic Worldview: Tinjauan Pemikiran Syech Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas dan Budaya Keilmuan Dalam Islam. NALAR: Jurnal Peradaban dan Pemikiran Islam, 4(2), 77–91. doi: 10.23971/njppi.v4i2.2165
Ratnasari, A. R., & Miftahudin, U. (2025). Konsep Adab dalam Pendidikan Islam: Relevansinya di Era Postmodern. TA'DIB Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 3(1):61-70 doi: 10.69768/jt.v3i1.67
Rohman, A., Reza, A., & Firdausi, M. A. (2021). Melacak Makna Worldview: Worldview Barat dan Islam. Kanz Philosophia, 7(1), 45-64. doi: 10.20871/kpjipm.v7i1.147.
Rohman, P. S. (2023). Islam Sebagai Worldview. Acitya: Jurnal Vokasi Bisnis Digital, Akuntansi Lembaga Keuangan Syariah dan Usaha Perjalanan Wisata, 3(1), 53-63. doi: 10.70871/acitya.v3i1.30
Sahidin, A. (2022). Islamisasi Sains Dan Kampus Perspektif A.M. Saefuddin: Studi Deskriptif Analisis. Citizen: Jurnal Ilmiah Multidisiplin Indonesia, 2(4), 603–614. doi: 10.53866/jimi.v2i4.173
Saleh, A. H. (2020). Permasalahan Bangsa Dalam Perspektif Adab Syed Muhammad Naquib Al Attas. Jurnal Al-Aqidah, 12(1), 29–47. doi: 10.15548/ja.v12i1.1566
Sari, N. D., Mustajadah, N., Damayanti, W., Amrullah, A., & Nelson, N. (2023). Pemikiran Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas Tentang Pendidikan Islam Menghadapi Era Globalisasi. Jurnal Literasiologi, 10(1), 187-199. doi: 10.47783/literasiologi.v10i1.631
Setiawan, E. S., & Inayah, S. N. A. (2024). Pemikiran Pendidikan Naquib al-Attas Dalam Pendidikan Islam Kontemporer. Journal for Islamic Studies, 7(4), 831-842. doi: 10.31943/afkarjournal.v7i4.303
Tumanggor, S., Bakti, H., & Farabi, M. A. (2024). Islamic Worldview Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas dan Implikasinya Terhadap Paradigma Pendidikan Islam. Islamic Management: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 7(01), 443-458. doi: 10.30868/im.v7i01.7277
Yana, V. Y., & Hermansyah. (2024). ISLAMIC WORLDVIEW: MENEROKA PEMIKIRAN SYECH MUHAMMAD NAQUIB AL-ATTAS. Perspektif Agama dan Identitas, 9(6), 72-76. https://ojs.co.id/1/index.php/pai/article/view/1394
