Australian Journal of Islamic Studies

Decolonising the Sociology of Religion

2026-09-22T09:55:14+00:00

The sociology of religion has been predominantly shaped by Eurocentric and Christocentric frameworks that universalise Western historical experiences while marginalising non-Western religious traditions. This article advances a decolonial intervention by engaging the thought of Malik Bennabi to construct an alternative sociology of religion grounded in Islamic epistemology. Rather than treating Bennabi’s work as normative, the article articulates his ideas as a constructive sociological paradigm that addresses colonial domination at the epistemic level, particularly through the colonisation of ideas and modes of knowledge production. Positioned within decolonial and postcolonial scholarship, the study places Bennabi in dialogue with classical sociological theories of religion and decolonial thinkers such as Anibal Quijano, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, and Syed Hussein Alatas. Relying on Bennabi’s key texts, the article demonstrates how his framework integrates revelation, reason, and social reality within a unified civilisational perspective. The article argues that education constitutes the operational core of Bennabi’s paradigm. Conceived as a holistic-integrative civilisational strategy, education functions to liberate the mind, restore moral agency, and overcome epistemic dependency. By foregrounding education, the article contributes to the sociology of the Islamic Golden Age and offers a coherent model for a decolonised sociology of religion that moves beyond critique toward paradigm construction.

Ibn Mājid’s Kitāb Al-Fawā’id and the Concepts of ‘Trial and Error’ and ‘Methodological Doubt’ I

2026-09-21T20:36:25+00:00

The well-established concepts of ‘trial and error’ and ‘methodological doubt’ can be compared to concepts found in the book of navigation “Kitāb al-Fawā’id” [The Book of Benefits] by the great Arabian navigator and writer Aḥmad ibn Mājid. While these concepts were developed in the 19^th century by Conwy Lloyd Morgan and in the 17^th century by René Descartes, respectively, we show that comparable concepts were developed and applied more than 200 years earlier by Ibn Mājid. We present textual evidence from his work highlighting how the observer’s psychological and physical characteristics are integral to the scientific process of accurate measurement, calculation, and the reliable transmission of knowledge. Specifically, we provide an exhaustive (complete) catalogue of the sections within the Kitāb al-Fawā’id where Ibn Mājid details his protocols for data collection, evaluation of inherited knowledge, and professional interactions with fellow navigators and mariners. This catalogue is required for later analysis.

Ibn Mājid’s Kitāb Al-Fawā’id and the Concepts of ‘Trial and Error’ and ‘Methodological Doubt’ II

2026-09-21T20:36:24+00:00

The concepts of ‘trial and error’ and ‘methodological doubt’ are given in the context of the book of navigation Kitāb al-Fawā’id by the great Arabian navigator and writer Aḥmad Ibn Mājid. In a preceding paper (I) we summarised and commented on the text sections in his book that are essential for the analysis. While these concepts were developed in the 19^th century by Conwy Lloyd Morgan and in the 17^th century by René Descartes, respectively, we show that comparable concepts were also developed and applied more than 200 years earlier by Ibn Mājid. We highlight the emergence of these concepts in recent history as they are closely linked to the development of evolutionary theory and epistemology. We also place our findings into the scientific and philosophical context of Ibn Mājid’s time. Finally, we discuss our results in the framework of the transfer of knowledge from Arabic sources.

Terminological Drift and the Reordering of Knowledge from Al-Ghazali’s Perspective

2026-07-07T07:46:34+00:00

This article examines al-Ghazali’s (d. 505/1111) critique of terminological distortion in the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) as a diagnosis of epistemological disorder within the Islamic sciences. It argues that al-Ghazali understood semantic contraction not merely as a linguistic shift or rhetorical concern, but as a process that reshaped the hierarchy of knowledge, scholarly prestige, and the spiritual telos of learning. Focusing on five interrelated terms – fiqh (jurisprudence), ʿilm (knowledge), tawḥīd (the Oneness of God), dhikr/tadhkīr (remembrance/admonition), and ḥikmah (wisdom), the study traces a recurring pattern in which originally expansive concepts became narrowed through disciplinary capture, performative usage, or reduced doctrinal formulation. Methodologically, the article combines qualitative content analysis with close textual reading of the Kitāb al-ʿIlm (Book of Knowledge) and related passages in the Iḥyāʾ. It maintains interpretive discipline through repeated re-reading of chapters, cross-checking individual passages against the architecture of the Kitāb al-ʿIlm, and limiting claims to meanings explicitly supported by the text. The article concludes that al-Ghazali’s reflections on terminology are best understood as part of a wider sociology of the Islamic sciences, in which the governance of key terms helped order scholarly status, regulate authoritative knowledge, and shape the social life of learning in the Islamic Golden Age.

A Sociology of Law, Institutions, and Social Order in the Islamic Golden Age

2026-02-10T20:18:37+00:00

This article examines law as a central social institution during the Islamic Golden Age (8^th–14^th centuries) through a sociological and legal lens. While this period is widely recognised for its scientific and intellectual achievements, the social foundations of its legal order and the institutional practices that sustained justice have received comparatively limited sociological analysis. Drawing on the sociology of law, the article argues that Islamic law during the Golden Age functioned not merely as a normative system of rules, but as an embedded social institution shaped by courts, legal professionals, ethical norms and communal practices. The study explores how legal institutions, such as courts, judicial offices and scholarly networks, operated within broader social, political and economic contexts, enabling legal pluralism, accountability and social cohesion. By analysing the interaction between Shari’ah (Islamic law), fiqh (jurisprudence), customary practices and administrative governance, the article demonstrates how justice was experienced as a lived social reality rather than an abstract legal ideal. Methodologically, the article adopts a historical-sociological approach informed by classical legal sources and contemporary sociological theory. It contributes to ongoing debates on the sociology of the Islamic Golden Age by highlighting the formative role of law in structuring social order, resolving conflict and sustaining institutional trust.