Religion–Science Integration in Ismail Raji Al-Faruqi’s Perspective: A Critical Literature Review on the Islamization of Knowledge and Its Relevance for Contemporary Islamic Higher Education

Mohd. Khotibuddin El Islamy; Elbina Mamla  Saidah; Eva  Dewi

doi:10.63922/ijevss.v5i03.4369

Mohd. Khotibuddin El Islamy Pendidika Agama Islam, UIN Suska Riau, Riau, Indonesia
Elbina Mamla Saidah Pendidika Agama Islam, UIN Suska Riau, Riau, Indonesia
Eva Dewi Pendidika Agama Islam, UIN Suska Riau, Riau, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63922/ijevss.v5i03.4369

Keywords: Al-Faruqi, Islamic education, Islamization of knowledge, literature review, religion and science integration, tawhid

Abstract

This article examines the integration of religion and science in the thought of Ismail Raji Al-Faruqi through a critical literature review. The inquiry is grounded in a persistent problem in contemporary Islamic education: the separation of religious knowledge from modern scientific disciplines. For Al-Faruqi, that separation is not merely a curricular arrangement but an epistemological condition shaped by a secular modern worldview. The study draws on Al-Faruqi’s primary works, especially Islamization of Knowledge: General Principles and Work Plan and Al-Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life, alongside recent journal articles published between 2020 and 2025. The data were examined through thematic reduction, conceptual coding, comparative analysis, and critical synthesis. The review finds that Al-Faruqi’s project rests on tawhid as an ontological, epistemological, and axiological foundation. Tawhid affirms the unity of God, creation, truth, knowledge, life, and humanity; therefore, knowledge cannot be treated as value-neutral when its aims, methods, and applications shape human life. The article further shows that the Islamization of knowledge is not a cosmetic attachment of religious texts to modern science, but a deeper reconstruction of scientific disciplines through mastery, critique, and creative synthesis. The article proposes a tawhidic-critical model for Islamic higher education, particularly in curriculum design, integrative teaching materials, lecturer development, and ethical responses to digital science and artificial intelligence.

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