Harun Nasution (September 23, 1919 – September 18, 1998) was an
Indonesian Islamic scholar and philosopher whose works and thoughts are part of Islamic thought which prioritizes
rationalism
In philosophy, rationalism is the Epistemology, epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "the position that reason has precedence over other ways of acquiring knowledge", often in contrast to ot ...
,
scientific
Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
and
humanism
Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and Agency (philosophy), agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The me ...
principles.
He was known for his advocacy and support of
Mu'tazilite thought, which he saw as a potential solution to the multidimensional decline of many countries in the
Muslim world
The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...
. He is also known for reforming the
education system
The educational system generally refers to the structure of all institutions and the opportunities for obtaining education within a country. It includes all pre-school institutions, starting from family education, and/or early childhood education ...
at Islamic universities in Indonesia.
Biography
Harun Nasution was born on September 19, 1919 in North Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. He was born from a family background of traditional
Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
scholars and traders. His father had been a traditional religious scholar, who despite his own immersion in
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
and
Islamic culture
Islamic cultures or Muslim cultures refers to the historic cultural practices that developed among the various peoples living in the Muslim world. These practices, while not always religious in nature, are generally influenced by aspects of Islam ...
sent his son to a Dutch primary school. Nasution's did, however, attend an Islamic secondary school, although one that taught secular as well as religious subjects. Then he spent most of his youth outside Indonesia, living in Saudi Arabia and Egypt before moving to Canada.
He was initially sent by his father to study Islam in
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
. When he arrived in the 1930s, Harun saw the bitter reality of Mecca as one of the centers of Islam. He came at a time of severe
poverty
Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
and
backwardness for the people there before the
Saudi oil boom occurred.
After an unhappy period of further study in Mecca, he went to Egypt, where he attended lectures at
al-Azhar University
The Al-Azhar University ( ; , , ) is a public university in Cairo, Egypt. Associated with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Islamic Cairo, it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic ...
in Cairo. Just like during his time in Mecca, during his time at al-Azhar he also did not fit into the teaching model there which emphasized teaching through rigid traditional memorization. He finally moved to
American University in Cairo
The American University in Cairo (AUC; ) is a private research university in New Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs at undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels, along with a continuing education program. ...
and succeeded in obtaining his bachelor's degree.
In 1962 he began studying at the
Institute of Islamic Studies at
McGill University
McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
in Montreal. His doctoral studies were on the theology of
Muhammad Abduh
Muḥammad ʿAbduh (also spelled Mohammed Abduh; ; 1849 – 11 July 1905) was an Egyptian Islamic scholar, judge, and Grand Mufti of Egypt. He was a central figure of the Arab Nahḍa and Islamic Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th ce ...
, focusing on the extent to which Abduh had been influenced by
Mu'tazila
Mu'tazilism (, singular ) is an Islamic theological school that appeared in early Islamic history and flourished in Basra and Baghdad. Its adherents, the Mu'tazilites, were known for their neutrality in the dispute between Ali and his opponents ...
teachings. Harun Nasution completed his PhD in 1969 and then returned to Indonesia, where he took the position as rector at
UIN Syarif Hidayatullah in Jakarta.
Philosophy and thought
Harun Nasution considers that the technological and economic decline of the
Muslim world
The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...
was partly due to its embrace of the
Ash'arite school of theology, which he regarded as
fatalistic
Fatalism is a belief and philosophical doctrine which considers the entire universe as a deterministic system and stresses the subjugation of all events, actions, and behaviors to fate or destiny, which is commonly associated with the cons ...
. He was particularly hostile to the
occasionalism
Occasionalism is a philosophical doctrine about causation which says that created substances cannot be efficient causes of events. Instead, all events are taken to be caused directly by God. (A related concept, which has been called "occasional c ...
that had become dominant in other common Islamic thoughts, stating that its rejection of the existence of secondary (created) and
scientific law
Scientific laws or laws of science are statements, based on repeated experiments or observations, that describe or predict a range of natural phenomena. The term ''law'' has diverse usage in many cases (approximate, accurate, broad, or narrow ...
causes hindered scientific inquiry.
Nasution's solution was to defend a revival of the
Mu'tazila
Mu'tazilism (, singular ) is an Islamic theological school that appeared in early Islamic history and flourished in Basra and Baghdad. Its adherents, the Mu'tazilites, were known for their neutrality in the dispute between Ali and his opponents ...
view, which was (and still is) widely regarded by Muslims as a heresy. What Nasution admired in Mu'tazila thought was its emphasis on human reason without having to deny religious principles. In the basic teachings of the Mu'tazila, he writes,
It is possible to discern a form of rationalism, but not a rationalism that opposes religion or rejects the absolute truth of revelation... It is also possible to discern a form of naturalism, but not an atheistic naturalism that denies the existence and greatness of God... There is also human freedom and dynamism, but not absolute freedom from the design established by God... The doctrines of dynamism, human freedom and accountability, rationalism and naturalism taught by the Mu'tazila contributed significantly to the development of philosophy and the religious and secular sciences during the Classical Period of Islamic civilization.
Legacy and impact
Nasution's influence on his fellow Indonesia thinkers is significant. His fellow Indonesian thinker
Nurcholish Madjid argues that Nasution was an important influence in the development of modern Indonesian religious thought, particularly through his influence on students at
IAIN
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, which is derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponds to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. This name is a pop ...
.
[Saleh, ''Modern Trends in Islamic Theological Discourse in 20th Century Indonesia'' pp.230,233] He is less known outside that country but he forms part of a significant movement that includes other "modernist" thinkers such as
Mohammed Arkoun
Mohammed Arkoun (; 1 February 1928 – 14 September 2010) was an Algerian scholar and thinker. He was considered to have been one of the most influential secular scholars in Islamic studies contributing to contemporary intellectual Islamic refor ...
and
Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd.
Bibliography
Dissertations
*
*
Books
*''Islam ditinjau dari berbagai aspeknya'' (Islam is viewed from various aspects) (Indonesia University Press, 1985);
*''Teologi Islam: Aliran-aliran sejarah analisa perbandingan'' (Islamic Theology: historical schools of comparative analysis) (Indonesia University Press, 1986);
*''Akal dan wahyu dalam Islam'' (Reason and revelation in Islam) (Indonesia University Press, 1986);
*''Filsafat Agama'' (The Philosophy of Religion) (Jakarta: Bulan Bintang, 1991);
*''Islam Rasional: Gagasan dan Pemikiran'' (Rational Islam: Ideas and Thoughts) (Mizan, 1995);
*''Pembaharuan dalam Islam: Sejarah pemikiran dan gerakan'' (Renewal in Islam: A history of thought and movement) (Jakarta: Bulan Bintang, 1996).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nasution, Harun
1919 births
1998 deaths
20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
Indonesian Muslim scholars of Islam
Al-Azhar University alumni
McGill University Institute of Islamic Studies alumni
Muslim reformers