UTM CASIS hosted Syed Naquib al-Attas’ special lecture
UTM
CASIS hosted Syed Naquib al-Attas’ special lecture
Published by sabri
Kuala Lumpur, 20 Nov : UTM
Centre for Advanced Studies of Islam, Science and Civilization
(CASIS) hosted a lecture by renowned Muslim scholar, Tan Sri Prof. Dr
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas on his latest book Historical Fact and
Fiction last night.
The book is published by UTM Press and
bears the maiden imprint of CASIS, a centre of excellence that is
poised to position UTM at the global level as an institution that
offers high level humanities studies and research program as well as
maintaining its status as a highly advanced science, technology and
engineering-based University.
The book is the latest in a
series of thought provoking and landmark books by Tan Sri al-Attas,
from his Origin of The Malay Sha’ir, The Concluding Postscript of
the Malay Sha’ir, The General Theory Of Islamization of the Malay
Archipelago, The Correct Date of the Terengganu Inscription, and many
others that redirect the interpretation and conclusion of Islam in
the Malay Archipelago, and of Islam and its role in World
history.
Tan Sri Prof. al-Attas in many of his intellectually
stimulating works and this book in particular, brought forth a method
of analyzing and scrutinizing the problematic aspects of the
interpretation of our history that have been left unsolved, and many
have taken for granted, from the legacy of European historians of the
Malay Archipelago.
We all would agree unanimously that among
the characteristics of a great work is that it gives its readers long
lasting guidance, either at the personal level or societal level.
This book is destined to fill that position because not only it
guides us individually, but more importantly, as a nation the
penetrating insights therein have rekindled a newly-found confidence
in each and every one of us – that our history, its problems,
explanations and solutions, are ours.
The weak logical
analysis and rational estimation of the European scholars of our
history, must be put in their proper place, for Islamization of our
region is a process that is uniquely ours and it is innate in our
consciousness.
This book reminds and guides us of that process
in the past and it will continue to guide and inspire our generations
in the future, like many other books of Tan Sri Prof. al-Attas.
At
the global level, this book reignites the illuminating knowledge of
Muslims in this region of their veritable history and one that should
not be construed by spurious thinking due to errors and fallacies in
chronological frameworks by
European historians who write
concerning Islam in this region. Tan Sri Prof. al-Attas has drawn the
intellectual charts of the global Islamization process for the Malay
Archipelago.
History is indeed a very important element in a
nation’s self-understanding and identity, and in facing
contemporary and future challenges. Contrary to popular belief,
erudite scholarship in history and other so-called non practical
subjects are of profound importance; albeit not in the narrow
material sense, but in a deeper sense of our being as a sovereign
nation and people.
A proper understanding of our own history
can offer us greater unity, and fortifies us against grave historical
challenges. We cannot move forward with confidence and unity of
purpose without properly understanding how we have come to be what we
are as a nation and people without drawing inspiration from our
sacrifices and successes, and lessons from our mistakes and
failures.
True knowledge of our history points us to our true
leaders and heroes as well as enemies. The prominent poet
philosopher, Muhammad Iqbal of Pakistan, once said in the first third
of last century: “In order to move forward we must look backward.’
In this sense also, we concur with Marcus Tulius Cicero, the great
Roman writer, politician, and orator who declared more than two
millennia ago: “Not to know what has been transacted in former
times is to be always a child. If no use is made of the labours of
past ages, the world must remain always in the infancy of
knowledge.”
Ever realizing the importance of History, Tan
Sri al-Attas has profoundly inscribed in the Dedication Page of his
latest book:
“He in whose heart no History is
enscrolled,
Cannot discern in life’s alloy the gold
But
he that keeps the records of the Dead
Adds to his life new
lives a hundredfold.”
In this latest and very exciting work,
Historical Fact and Fiction, Tan Sri al-Attas argues, with
irrefutable evidence and characteristic incisive logic, the cultural
and personal identity of the early missionaries who, with great
spiritual vision, planning and sacrifice, brought the religion of
Islam to various parts of Southeast Asia, including Indo China, the
Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, Brunei, and Southern Philippines without
the attendant benefits of military force or external sovereign
power.
He starts by offering a definition of the nature of
Islamic civilization and the Malay civilization of which it is an
integral part. This concise definition of what an Islamic
civilization is is arguably done for the first time. He gives a
penetrating insight into the ways of spurious thinking and analytical
reasoning among the historians of the Malay world in their
explanation and interpretation of historical events pertaining to the
coming and spread of Islam in the Archipelago from the 8th century,
and especially from the 12th-16th centuries of the Common Era.
He
also offers compelling empirical, rational, and genealogical
evidence, supported by a wide knowledge of the religion of Islam and
its cultural and political history, that almost all of the early
Muslim missionaries in this region descended from al-Husayn, the
grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and came from the Great
House of Ahmad bin Isa al-Muhajir, the ancestor of the Sayyids of
Hadramaut, Yemen. They brought Islam to the Malay world directly from
the Arab world and some through Persia, while some others via India
and Indo-China. All the great Muslim missionaries in Southeast Asia
originated from Imam Muhammad Sahib Marbat, who is descended from
Ahmad Isa al-Muhajir.
He exposes factual errors and logical
fallacies in the chronological framework and the educated conjectures
of the prominent historians of this region, as well as their tainted
assumptions on the religious and cultural effects of Islamization in
our history. In dealing with the Islamic past, his critique of their
empirical estimation deserves due appreciation. Nevertheless, he
always maintains his intellectual integrity and honesty by
acknowledging the important and useful contributions of these
historians.
In contradiction to what the historians assume as
the facts of history, the author demonstrates his own explanation and
interpretation of the major issues and casts new light on many basic
matters that have hitherto eluded inquiry. For example he offers
compelling arguments as to the true origin of the name of Sumatra and
Melaka, the correct name and identity of the earliest Muslim rulers
of Pasai, Melaka, Brunei and Mindanao. He also brilliantly
demonstrates the creation of the several distinctive Malay phonemes
in the Arabo-Malayo Jawi script.
This latest book of Tan Sri
al-Attas was written in a difficult period of convalescing from an
accident, and without any institutional and financial support. It is
indeed a great testimony to his sincerity, dedication and passion in
his services to the academic world and to this nation. This should be
an inspiring lesson not only for academicians but also for other
citizens of this country.
This book, and those that he has
written, should be used as basic texts in the study of our history in
our schools and universities. Since most of them are in English, this
and the others should be promptly translated into the National
Language. In fact, it will be better if these are also translated
into other Muslim languages such as Arabic, Turkish and Urdu, which
will further enhance mutual historical understanding between Muslim
nations.
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