Islamic Epistemological Model

Islamic epistemology is premised on Divine Unity as the source of all knowledge.
From this premise are derived flows of worldly knowledge. The emanating
knowledge-flows in relation to all world-systems are shown to give form and meaning
to cognitive and material constructs.
In this paper we will explain the Islamic epistemology and interactive, integrative and
evolutionary process as a methodology. The objective of this process can delineate
such a worldview or praxis in the Islamic context that could have the power to help
construct a new conscious future for the Muslim World and mobilize her own
resources towards realizing this future prospect. This new model will be shown to
stem from the normative background of Islamic epistemology premised deeply on
Divine Unity as the source of absolute, perfect and complete knowledge. We will call
this primal source as the Stock of Knowledge because of its immutable and
unchangeable nature. From the Stock that comprises the Divine Law will be deduced
flows of knowledge for understanding the world-systems according to the
organization of thought, axioms, instruments and dynamic evolution of ideas. This
value-based praxis will be shown to be contrary to the theory of knowledge of the
Western genre. Hence the implications on human well-being, the material and
cognitive perspectives emanating from the understanding and the application of the
episteme of Divine Unity through the knowledge-flows will be shown to be quite
different from those gained from Western epistemological roots. This
epistemological methodology of the Islamic worldview can be applied to the practical
problem, such as trade and development. We will discover here the role of unity of
knowledge on the issues at hand.
The Islamic Epistemological Model
Islamic theory of knowledge is premised on the Unity of God, which in the context of
knowledge we will treat as the complete and absolute. In mathematical terms we will
refer to this Stock of Knowledge as the primal topology. Topology is a dimensionless
mathematical method capable of creating extensive relations. In our case we will treat
the extensively relational and process-oriented orders generated by the topology of the
knowledge-flows.
We will show below that such relationships between the Stock and flows of
knowledge take the form of a relational process-oriented order. Within and by it
knowledge-flows appear as rules, laws, instruments and guidance, all derived from a
combination of the fundamental sources and are discoursed among participants in
organizations and institutions. The fundamental sources of Islamic knowledge are the
Qur'an and the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad (Sunnah). Upon these are also the
reinforcing consensus of the community and the Islamically learned. While Qur'an
and Sunnah remain immutable, yet their interpretation and comprehension are to be
continuously evolved by discourse and consensus. Thus consensus formation assumes
a dynamic nature over time and space in compliance with the immutable nature of the
principal sources.
Since we are treating the episteme of Divine Unity as the primal topology in
mathematical terms, its subsets of elements, which are knowledge-flows and their
induced forms, must also be a topology. Hence the principal characteristic of unity of
knowledge of the Divine origin is carried through in the nature and function of the
knowledge-flows. This unraveling or manifestation in the material and cognitive
worlds from increasing unity among the various knowledge-induced forms becomes a
process of social becoming within the framework of the unifying entities. Such a
process is referred to as unification of knowledge and its induced forms.
Entities and forms mentioned above are material and cognitive elements of all kinds
of systems, for the Unity of God as the absolute and complete in knowledge pervades
all possible domains. By a system we will mean a relational order formed by
knowledge-flows and their induced entities. Thus there are knowledge-induced worldsystems
within which abide agents, social, economic, scientific and similar variables,
their relations in functional and structural categories and similar systems of
interrelating but diverse entities. If unity of knowledge is to be derived from the
divine core and then carried through in a functional and meaningful way into living
experience, then all the material and cognitive entities together with the instruments
used on them, must be uniquely derived on the framework of unity. This framework
or medium of deriving the worldly laws of unity from their Divine moorings is called
Shari'ah, the Islamic Law.
On a methodological sense, creative evolution of the continuum of interacting and
consensual entities is seen to be engineered by simulation of such knowledge-induced
states as opposed to attaining optimum states. Optimal states are essentially nonlearning
due to their loss of creative novelty. Interactions in the sense of gaining
knowledge-flows through extensively relational and participatory orders require the
existence of diversity of possibilities. Then between such extensively relational orders
of diverse possibilities emanate the convergent or equilibrium forms. Such a
manifestation of unity by linkages among the Shari'ah recommended diverse
possibilities being of the pervasive nature within and across relational systems, is
termed as the principle of universal complementarity. We then have complementarity
among knowledge-induced entities and their systems as the sign of integration
following from the background of interactions among diversity of possibilities
recommended by Shari'ah. This is equally the sign of unification through a process of
learning.
Interactions thus lead to integration among the material and cognitive entities of the
knowledge-induced domains. Finally, from the interactions and integration comes
about post-evaluation of the performance of the rules, laws, guidance, policies and
programs set in motion by the existing set of Shari'ah instruments and knowledgeflows
and followed by the corresponding organization. Such a creative evolution is
termed here as the evolutionary stage of the process of unification. The complete
process is formed by interactions leading to integration and these two are followed by
creative evolution towards more of the same kind in continuum. We thus derive the
interactive, integrative and evolutionary (IIE) process-oriented worldview of unity of
knowledge.
The Interactive, Integrative and Evolitionary Process-Oriented Methodology
The knowledge-inducing process of unification is explained in figure 1 by the
sequences of functional relations appearing and continuing by cause and effect. We
first define the symbols.
Figure 1:
The interactive, integrative and evolutionary process (IIE)
 Interactions Integration Evolution 
Epistemology of Knowledge Unification: Knowledge Unification:
Divine Unity Shuratic Process I Shuratic Process II
W denotes the topology of Stock of Knowledge, which is non-dimensional and
without form, but creates all knowledge-flows and their induced forms. The same
argument applies to 'de-knowledge' as the mathematical complementation (opposite)
of knowledge-flows. The concept of 'de-knowledge' and its model of rationalism will
be explained later on.
Since W is axiomatically complete and absolute, it must close itself in the very largescale
universe of all space-time subsystems. Consequently, W at the beginning is
shown to complete itself at the end. In other words, W maps on to itself through the
process of the knowledge-flows and their induced world-systems.
The world-systems are defined by knowledge-flows, {q}, and their induced forms,
{x(q)}, which appear as vectors and matrices because of interactions among diversity
of possibilities. Between these entities exists pervasive complementarity as the sign of
unification of knowledge through the {q}-values, which comprise various tenets of
Shari'ah. The performance of the knowledge-induced world-system is post-evaluated
by the well-being function, SW(q, x(q)), after the enactment of policies, programs,
institutions and the realized praxis based on the previous values of {q, x(q)}. The test
of the well-being function is on the degree to which unification has been realized in
the sense of interactions leading to integration.
Thereafter, the creative evolutionary function of interactions and integration is shown
by the emergence of new sequences of knowledge-flows arising from the realization
of the material and cognitive proof of unity in a given process. The corresponding
variables appear in the accented form. This knowledge-induced interactive,
integrative and evolutionary (IIE) process continues on in continuity together with
their induced forms, x(q) and SW(q, x(q)). 
One notes the strong methodological properties of the above IIE-process and
methodology. The deductive premise of knowledge-flows derived is the episteme of
Divine Unity. Continuous reference to this episteme is made in realizing the process
of unification in world-systems and thereby deriving new rounds of knowledgeinduced
processes. Therefore, the deductive conception is circularly integrated with
the inductive process of knowledge -- from the world-system to the emergence of new
knowledge-flows. Such a methodology of circular causation and continuity of unified
reality is a strong proof of intrinsic unification in the Divine roots of human
knowledge brought about by cause and effect between deductive and inductive
sensations.
Secondly, we note that knowledge-flows and their induced forms being circularly
linked to each other over evolutionary processes become endogenous in Islamic
world-systems. The IIE-methodology is therefore essentially endogenous in morals
and values. Consequently, by such a praxis the organization of institutions,
technology, policies and instruments becomes endogenous in nature. Endogenous
variables and functions are seen as those that causally relate with systemic variables
and are themselves regenerated within the given systems under examination. For
instance, if price, which is an endogenous variable relates with money and so does
money relate with price level, then there is an endogenous relationship between
money and prices. On the other hand, if only the quantity of money affects price level
and not vice versa, then money is an exogenous economic entity. Knowledge-flows
generate all variables as endogenous ones except for God and His Stock of
Knowledge that remains the Creator of all. But in the very large-scale universe of all
knowledge at the end, even God becomes endogenous in the end revelation of W.
Contrasting Islamic Epistemology with Occidental Epistemology
In what ways is the Islamic theory of knowledge as explained by its IIEmethodology,
different from the occidental theory of knowledge? The premise of W
as the functional core of knowledge is missing in the latter. Kant who critiqued pure
reason on the pretext that God cannot be sensed in real-world situations and hence His
existence and functional need lies outside human domain, invoked the beginning of
scientific rationalism (Kant trans. Friedrich, 1987). Before Kant Descartes on similar
grounds propounded his logical positivism premised on a similar reductionist
rationalist philosophy. Popper's falsification hypothesis and Darwinism are other
classes of rationalism that are inextricably premised on multiplicity as opposed to
unity of knowledge (Popper, 1972). In all of these thoughts we note that rationalism is
a praxis of multiplicity as opposed to unity of the epistemes. Consequently,
competition among such falsifying doctrines replaces the essence of participation and
interactions leading to integration and creative evolution. In occidental epistemology
and its methodology we find no sustained process-oriented worldview or unification
of knowledge explaining such a process. If process exists it remains random.
Rationalism and unity of knowledge are thus opposite views of reality (Etzioni,
1988). Rationalism was thus termed as 'de-knowledge' previously. Its methodology
and worldview being of the non-interacting and non-relational type, it cannot sustain
systemic interrelationships for long. The new systems arising from such organisms
being of the competing type in gaining their optimal share of benefits, must
necessarily adopt the methodology of marginal substitution, optimization and steadystate
equilibrium. The rationalist methodology is thereby linear in the long run. The
methodology of unity of knowledge is continuously non-linear and complex.
Predictability is enforced axiomatically in the occidental scientific methodology at the
expense of realism. Realism is gained in the IIE-methodology but only bounded
predictability can exist over the long run in such a complex and extensively relational
order.
Conclusion
This paper was an introduction to a topic of the IIE-model. The epistemology of this
worldview is premised on Divine Unity, which acts as the foundation of unity of
knowledge. It governs and sensitizes the world-systems with a universal processoriented
methodology of unification among entities within and across systems. When
functionally and structurally comprehended and used, such a paradigm of unity of
knowledge becomes not merely a powerful alternative to the occidental
epistemological worldview, but also powerful because of its vast application and
meaningful social, economic and scientific content. Indeed, this is a message not
simply for the Muslims, but the life-fulfilling worldview of unity of knowledge can be
applied for all of mankind.