Islam: The Covenants Fulfilled
Completed at the age of 92, and originally written in long-hand like all of his books, Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas offers an original contribution to global scholarship by clarifying further on the question of the Covenant of the Children of Adam and their descendants with God; of the Covenant of the Prophets; and how Islam, which was brought by Prophet Muhammad, fulfilled both Covenants.
This highly penetrating book will be most instructive for thoughtful Muslims and their leaders to always be vigilant of how some of the most important key terms and concepts of Islam have been mis-translated under the guise of sophisticated scholarship, which can cause serious deviation from the original and traditional understanding of the Holy Qur’an.
01 Inaugural Lecture
02 Extempore Speech
03 Extempore Speech II
04 Extempore Speech III
INAUGURAL LECTURE
ISLAM: THE COVENANTS FULFILLED
(PART I)
The lecture is on Professor Al-Attas' culminatory exposition of the nature man with special emphasis on the nature of the soul in Islām. He then discussed the concept of millah throughout history based upon Qur'anic evidence. Followed by the discussion on dīn and it's differences to millah. Crucially, Professor Al-Attas also discusses the name of the religion of Islām.
EXTEMPORE SPEECH I
ISLAM: THE COVENANTS FULFILLED
(PART II)
The focus of the extempore lecture was on the clarification on the name of the religion of Islām and the name of Allāh in opposing against the false claim that the name Islām and Allāh had existed before the coming of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The lecture also discuss the concept of dīn (religion) and wahy (revelation).
EXTEMPORE SPEECH II
ISLAM: THE COVENANTS FULFILLED
(PART III)
Summarising the discussion on the religion of Islām, Professor Al-Attas then focused on the story of Prophet Ibrahim (with regards to millah) and the nature of submission followed by the exposition regarding wahy (revelation) with the story of Prophet Musa on Mount Sinai and the event of Isra' and Mi'raj of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
EXTEMPORE SPEECH III
ISLAM: THE COVENANTS FULFILLED
(PART IV)
This time around Prof. al-Attas further distinguishes millah from din, and asserts that the word Muslim and Islam were not present in earlier Arabic language or revelations. Furthermore, he examines the divine origin of the name "Allah," asserting its non-human linguistic derivation, and briefly touches on the nature of prophetic revelation.
EXTEMPORE SPEECH IV
ISLAM: THE COVENANTS FULFILLED
(PART V)
This speech celebrates the profound historical and religious significance of Hajar, the mother of Prophet Ismail, particularly emphasizing her unwavering faith and resilience during a challenging period in her life. Professor al-Attas highlights Hajar's desperate search for water for her infant son between the hills of Safa and Marwa, an act divinely inspired and memorialized in the rites of pilgrimage (Hajj).
Furthermore, the address challenges common misconceptions about Hajar and the origins of the Arab people, asserting that the Arab nation's lineage descends from Ismail, and refuting claims that Islam degrades women by pointing to Hajar's revered status.
INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR
SYED MUHAMMAD NAQUIB AL-ATTAS
CONTRIBUTION TO CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIC THOUGHT
Throughout his life, he has been at the forefront in putting forth cogent responses to the big questions posed by secular Western thought, based on the worldview of Islam as a metaphysical framework; and in advancing an educational vision to break the vicious circle spiraling within the Muslim community.
While many have duly recognized Al-Attas’ pioneering contributions in contemporary Islamic thought, lack of proper recognition and acknowledgement of his ideas remain widespread. As a result, the contemporary Muslim world has been largely misled concerning the worth of his contributions, thereby depriving the Community of knowledge of the right direction out of the vicious circle engulfing them.