Abdul Kabir Hussain Solihu

Dissolving the Engineering Moral Dilemmas Within the Islamic Ethico-Legal Praxes

The goal of responsible engineers is the creation of useful and safe technological products and commitment to public health, while respecting the autonomy of the clients and the public. Because engineers often face moral dilemma to resolve such issues, different engineers have chosen different course of actions depending on their respective moral value orientations. Islam provides a value-based mechanism rooted in the Maqasid al-Shari‘ah (the objectives of Islamic law). This mechanism prioritizes some values over others and could help resolve the moral dilemmas faced in engineering. This paper introduces the Islamic interpretive-evaluative maxims to two core issues in engineering ethics: genetically modified foods and whistleblowing. The study aims primarily to provide problem-solving maxims within the Maqasid al-Shari‘ah matrix through which such moral dilemmas in science and engineering could be studied and resolved.

Valuing Biodiversity: A Qur"anic Account

Species diversity has been the hallmark of biosphere and invaluable resource for human being as well as for the natural environment. In order to appreciate and conserve these diverse species which are constituents of nature, different values from different frames of references have been proffered. This study examines biological diversity from the Qur‘anic perspective in an attempt to explicate the kinds of value conferred by the Qur‘an on non-human species, particularly among the animals and plants. Collating ayat (verses) of the Qur‘an related to nonhuman species and analyzing key conceptual terms the Qur‘an employs in reference to their diversity, the study found that nonhuman species are presented in the Qur‘an as signs of God and as communities of worshipers worthy of existence and conservation.

Optimizing human memory: An insight from the study of Al Huffaz

We investigated the memory control processes used by a group of people who commit to memory the entire word text of the Quran with complete accuracy. The findings from interviews conducted, revealed the importance of several control processes such as rehearsal, motivation or interest and self-discipline. More importantly, it has been found that it is maintenance and not elaborative rehearsal that plays the most important role in the memorization of the Quran. These findings will help to form a better understanding of the cognitive basis underlying human memory. This knowledge can be incorporated with technology for the purpose of optimizing human potential. More importantly, it gives implications to learning process at large and opens new opportunities and ways to serve the Ummah better.

Ecological conceptualization of Halal-Haram divide

Halal and haram are evaluative concepts that refer to what is permissible or impermissible, respectively, in Islamic law. When applied to minerals, plants, or animals, the duo refers to what is permissible or impermissible to consume therein. There has been upsurge in the production and proliferation of halal products which enormously serves the Muslim religious as well as economic interests. However, in a world of market-driven economy when market profit often clashes with the environmental interests and safety, there is a need to address halal and haram within a broader ecological framework. In attempt to proffer an alternative modality of appreciating nature and its biodiversity, this study explores symbiotic relations in nature and subsume halal-haram divide under two Qur’anic ecological keywords of rizq (sustenance) and haqq (truth). The study reveals that, ecologically conceptualized, haram things are simply haram for humans to consume or to make a direct contact with, but not necessarily haram for other nature’s constituents upon which human existence and sustenance depend.

Revisiting Khilafah: The Role of Nonpolitical Social Factors in Good Governance

Khilafah has been a symbol of the Muslim political system and Islamic politics has often been identified as Khilafah in the same structure it took form in the past. This study argues that Muslims exhausted their energy on political discourse at the expense of other factors which are important for preparing the ground for political maturity. An attempt is made to exhibit normativeness of the Islamic political principles and values and the historicity of the form (Caliphate) it has acquired over the course of Islamic history. Furthermore, greater emphasis is placed on the broader, civilisational sense of Khilafah under which the political sense of Khilafah (Caliphate) is subsumed. In doing so, the study aims to contribute to the discourse on the revitalisation of the contemporary Muslim political culture but through non-political means.