In recent years, Muslim scholars have written on the need of the revival of Islamic science and its philosophical foundation. The main aim of this paper is to examine the views of Sayyed Hossein Nasr, who is considered as one of the pioneers in the area of the revival of Islamic science. Other than Nasr, Muslim scholars argued that the Islamic science is different from modern Western science in terms of its purpose and philosophical foundation and delineated their viewpoints within (...) the philosophical foundation of modern Western science. In terms of method, Islamic science may not be different from modern Western science but it differs in its philosophy and purpose. This paper uses a qualitative method employing content analysis to examine the insights of Seyyed Hossein Nasr critically and analytically with reference to other scholars such as Muzaffar Iqbal, Naquib al Attas, Osman Bakar, Alparsalan and Ziauddin Sardar. (shrink)

Shibli Nu’mani, a late 19th century scholar, advocated a balanced educational philosophy for the Muslims in India. While most of his contemporaries wanted to teach traditional education to make Muslims retain their religious identity in the changed political situation, others stressed on modern science and learning to face the challenges of modernity. Traditional Islamic education aimed at the attainment of virtues while pursuing knowledge as an obligation and produced scientists and philosophers but these promoters of traditional education were ignorant of (...) the demands of their time, whereas the modernist group considered traditional education unnecessary. Shibli used history and kalām to teach Muslims the unique characteristics of Islamic education and stressed that both groups need to make the Qur’ān their main guide and urged the ulamā’ to take the lead. (shrink)