IAIS Malaysia aims to engage in high calibre research on Islam and contemporary issues, and in particular to develop the intellectual/academic aspects of Islam Hadhari and its component principles from the Islamic perspective. The Institute seeks to revisit and present mainstream principles and teachings of Islam on such themes of Islam Hadhari as faith and piety, just and trustworthy government, cultural and moral integrity, rigorous pursuit and mastery of knowledge, and balanced socio-economic development. These and a number of other features of the initiative that the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has projected under the rubric of Islam Hadhari since 2004, merit academic development and research that can form the basis for policy recommendations to government agencies and other interested parties.

The Institute seeks to advance moderation and social harmony in the multi-religious environment of Malaysia while offering the prospects of a constructive engagement with other world civilisations. As a uniquely Malaysian initiative, Islam Hadhari responds to the need of the ummah to meet the challenges of globalisation and the claim of the dominant world powers to global pre-eminence. Through its refreshing focus on a cluster of values, Islam Hahdari also seeks to adjust the legalist, ideology-driven and Shari’ah centred orientations of the Islamic revivalist discourse of recent decades toward the broader universal principle of Islam.

The civilisational movement of Islam is founded on the Qur’anic principle of the vicegerency of man on earth and a social order founded on moral virtue, compassion, beneficence, human dignity and justice. The Qur’an requires the Muslims to respect freedom of conscience and religious pluralism, to promote what is fair and prohibit what is unfair/rejected, and to work for the realisation of the people’s welfare. It is emphatic on the preservation of the ties of kinship, honouring of one’s neighbours, the vigorous pursuit and mastery of knowledge, earning one’s living through lawful work and fair trade, and helping the needy and destitute through obligatory taxes and charity.

The Qur’an is a narrative in common humanity, which also characterizes Islam and its civilisational outlook. Although the Qur’an was revealed in an Arabian milieu, its call and message are universal from beginning to end. The principle of Tawhid (divine Oneness), fundamental in Islam, is reflected in a unitarian vision of humanity without discrimination of any kind – moral excellence being the only criterion of distinction in the eyes of God. Mutual recognition among nations, cooperation in good works and fraternity constitute the conceptual framework of man’s vicegerency on earth. These are all integral, according to our reading of the Qur’an, to Islam’s view of itself as both a religion and a civilisation, the latter of which is often rendered, somewhat loosely, perhaps ‘a way of life.’

The Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) received his prophetic call in the bedouin environment of Makkah. From it he subsequently migrated to Yathrib, renaming it Madinah (a derivative of madaniyyah – civilisation). The word din also derives from the same root. The nascent Muslim community thus marked its departure from nomadism into urbanity and civilisation, the latter being synonymous with madaniyyah. Abdullah Badawi’s designation of his call for the regeneration and renewal of the civilisational values of Islam under the rubric of Islam Hadhari captures this often neglected yet vitally important aspect of our tradition. Islam Hadhari reminds the Muslims and non-Muslims that Islam is not only a religion of ritual performances and worship but also a distinct civilisation. Islam Hadhari calls upon the ummah to make a fresh effort to revitalise and reinvigorate some of the most cherished aspects of our tradition and heritage.

Islam calls for the renewal and reform of society and civilization through the modalities of such of its principles as tajdid, islah, fatwa, shura, ijtihad, and ijma’. Islam Hadhari, inspired by the spirit of renewal and reform, focuses on values through which the ummah can overcome the challenges of globalisation, crass secularism and the materialist culture that have become so prevalent in our societies.

The success of this Institute will naturally be measured by the caliber of its staff and the quality of its work. This will be informed by the desire to develop on an atmosphere of harmonious exchange of ideas with the general public, academic institutions, government agencies involved in the study of Islam in Malaysia and abroad. For me as Chairman being able to share this vision and participate in its development is a source of personal enrichment.

Professor Mohammad Hashim Kamali, PhD