Civilizational Renewal and the Legacy of Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas

On the 20th day of the holy month of Ramadan this year, which fell on March 8, 2026 (20 Ramadan 1447) Royal Laureate Professor Tan Sri Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas passed away at the age of 94. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas (1931-2026) was a prodigious author and esteemed scholar of theology, language, culture, history and metaphysics. His earliest education was shaped by Islamic knowledge and devotion as exemplified by his forefathers, one of whom is known as the saint of Bogor. Al-Attas left a permanent impact on Malaysia, Southeast Asia and globally through his legacy of an Islamic intellectual revival and the Islamization of knowledge. He established several institutions including the Institute of Malay Language, Literature and Culture (IBKKM), at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia which was later changed to the Institute of Malay World and Civilization (ATMA) followed by the Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) of the International

Islamic University Malaysia. He inspired the establishment of The Raja Zarith Sofiah Centre for Advanced Study of Islam, Science and Civilization (RZS-CASIS) in the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and many organizations. He was awarded the prestigious Royal Laureate Professor title by Malaysia’s monarch (Yang di-Pertuan Agong) in October 2024.

Islamica sat down with Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud to ask him to reflect on the life and teachings of Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas. Professor Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud is Founder and Former Director of RZS-CASIS at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and the first Chairholder of the Distinguished Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas Chair of Islamic Thought (2023–2025). He has been a student of al-Attas since his university days in the United States of America prior to earning his doctorate from the University of Chicago under the late Fazlur Rahman.

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ISLAMICA | Thank you for sitting with us today to discuss the life of this intellectual giant that the world recently lost, Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas. We wish to paint a fuller picture of his life and legacy. We know you had decades of time spent with him as his assistant, in your capacity as the deputy director of the Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), and as his close student. So to start us off, could you tell us from your vantage point, who was al-Attas? How do you think he should be remembered?

Wan Mohd Nor | I was fortunate to be able to learn from, and work with him from 1988 until he died. We had regular meetings and I was at times, traveling with him and met many visitors who came to see him from various institutions, nations and religious backgrounds. So I observed not only his writings but also his conduct.

Of course we should remember a scholar like him like any truly great scholar in our history and civilization. A scholar like him doesn’t appear in history too often. I’m saying this, not because he was my teacher and my companion of more than thirty-five years. I say this because of the breadth and depth of his knowledge, as well as his personal courage and integrity. There are many scholars who are experts in one or two fields. But in the case of Professor al-Attas, he was an authority in many different fields, in metaphysics, history—including that of the Malay world—in manuscript studies, in philology and education.

In Islamic art and literature, he is an expert practitioner. When people came to visit ISTAC, they were amazed by the fact that somebody who was not trained professionally as an architecture scholar could do something that many trained architects could not do. When asked, his answer was simple but so meaningful. He said, “well, if you know Islam, you can do these things”. By Islam, he was not referring to its legal aspects or doctrines only but also Islam as a religion and civilization. Al-Attas studied Islamic civilization, not just from books, but from his visits—he was there, in Spain, North Africa, and Türkiye. So when he designed the two campuses of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), it was designed based on his particular framework. Therefore, he should be remembered not just as a great scholar of the present time, but in relation to other great scholars of the past, who don’t come easily.

Royal Laureate Professor Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas © Edib  Kurt

So how should we remember him? We should remember him as a gift of God to our Ummah of the present time; as a scholar, a human being, a mujaddid—I mean by this, a reformer. A great scholar may be great in writing important books, propounding profoundly great ideas, but they might not be capable of reform. In order to reform, there must be courage and the consistency to repeat and defend ideas, thus delivering them to all levels of peoples’ understanding. Al-Attas presented his ideas to the parliament, the palaces and the classrooms, everywhere … big and small seminars and conferences, even in his house. He also spoke to the fishermen when his research brought him to them. That’s what a reformer does. So a reformer is not just somebody who articulates something profoundly and correctly, or revives what was lost and forgotten, but one who actualizes it in his very self, the people and the institutions that he built. People can testify to this.

People should remember him as a great scholar and a reformer who was entirely comfortable with traditional Islam while articulating modern intellectual discourse to the highest level of engagement and practice. This is very important because in our world today, scholars are regarded as impractical; residing only in ivory towers, and being detached from reality—this is true to some extent. However, a true scholar like al-Shafi’i, al-Ghazali, al-Bukhari and others—they were already practical without building any physical structure. Writing great works that actually solve many problems is a practical endeavour.

ISLAMICA | Considering all the multidisciplinary areas that al-Attas excelled in, such as his artistic creations which he manifested in the design of ISTAC in many places, do you think the term ‘polymath’ can be used to describe him?

Wan Mohd Nor | Yes, people use the term polymath for him, though others called him a Renaissance man. “Polymath” is more general and is perhaps more accurate than Renaissance man. The European Renaissance was a period of great artistic and intellectual development, but morally they were not known to be that great. So to say that al-Attas was a Renaissance man implies that he was intellectually and artistically good, though morally, he might be questionable. He was not like that. He was not only authoritative in many intellectual and artistic fields but also morally, spiritually and ethically praiseworthy following what Prophet Muhammad and the Companions had been teaching.

Following this, he defined Sufism—of which he was a practitioner—as a practise of Islamic law or Shari‘ah at the station of excellence (ihsan). He often told me in our private discussions, “Prof Wan, God-fearingness (taqwa) is not just to fear God and to follow His orders, but to be ever conscious that He is always watching even your very thoughts”. So if we think about something or someone wrongly, we must quickly remove this thought even though nobody is watching. That’s what he understood by that and he tried to practise that.

Professor Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud © RZS-CASIS

ISLAMICA | You seem to be saying that al-Attas is performing the function of an educator through the practical aspects that were manifested in his art, architec- ture, and musical appreciation. Can you explain how he did this?

Wan Mohd Nor | The practical aspect of music and architecture are the manifestations of his intellectual, spiritual and moral development. If we compare this to al-Faruqi’s Islamization, there is a difference in focus, as al-Faruqi focused heavily on intellectual and political development. Al-Attas also emphasized the intellectual aspect along with the Sufi approach which can develop the human soul, human spirit, human knowledge as reflected in sound knowledge, right and just and harmonious actions (akhlaq and adab). All these will be manifested in the practical aspects of art and music too. So, his emphasis on education is related to art and architecture. 

ISLAMICA | Is there a dichotomy between the self (nafs) that needs spirituality, the soul (ruh) that needs intellectual sciences and a body which requires the ability to express this in the form of art, music, architecture in institutions?

Wan Mohd Nor | No, there is no dichotomy, because to al-Attas, the heart (qalb), the self (nafs), the intellect (‘aql), the spirit (ruh), they all reflect a single reality called the soul (ruh). But when this soul deals with problems of an intellectual nature, it functions as the intellect. When this soul deals with physical and emotional matters, it functions as the self. But when it deals with spiritual matters, it functions as the heart. Even though they are all of the same reality, they work differently, as realities that deal with specific objects in their various roles. To al-Attas the unifying element is so important because Islamic art and architecture are expressions of Islamization of the human soul.

ISLAMICA | That must be part of the reason why al-Attas’s overall system managed to make beauty a centre-piece together with spirituality and intellectual sciences. Other Islamization processes did not seem to understand the spirit nor the conception of beauty. Do you think that other programmes of Islamizations have failed to produce what was required in a civilizational revival?

Wan Mohd Nor | Yes. And this is due to their perception that Islamic civilization declined after the Companions of the Prophet. To al-Attas, it is true that the best generations of Muslims were the first three. But Islamic civilization underwent a flowering period after the Companions, transforming and integrating local culture into Islamic tradition and innovating. But all the fundamental requirements of the worldview, rituals, and legal and moral-ethical principles of the Prophet and the next two generations are there. There was no change in Islam.

Royal Laureate Professor Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas © RZS-CASIS

ISLAMICA | As you mentioned, many assumed that the fundamental things were in decline after the passing of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad. Instead, the Muslims were interacting with diverse cultures. The way al-Attas explained the role of Islam in Malay culture is unique, yet it all works because Islam as practised in Africa, Central Asia, Europe, America, Southeast Asia is distinct from each other in cultural terms. But it is also Islam.

Wan Mohd Nor | From my understanding, Professor al-Attas would say that Islam is the same in every age and region but Islamic cultures may express certain differences. This is the reason he did something no reformers have done before. In his opinion, it is a collective responsibility (fardh kifayah) of Muslim leaders to study the history of Islamic civilization, particularly how Islam shaped the world. One would not know how to implement Islam today without the awareness of how it was done before. Not in Madinah alone, but also in other parts of the world. So our civilization is a reflection of that.

When al-Attas was constructing the ISTAC building, and leading its programme, he told me on several occassions: “Dr Wan, people do not know what is in our mind because what is in our mind is hidden. But when they see what we publish, the people we build, the buildings, when they see the art, the architecture, then perhaps they can understand.

You see, the building and decoration of ISTAC, reflect not just Islamic, but also Chinese tradition and Western tradition, as can be seen from the Chinese porcelain and pottery, the Western tapestries that were there, as well as the Malay calligraphy work (khat). By employing local artists, al-Attas was able to bring out local symbolisms and represent other traditions.

For example the water fountain in the courtyard is made of lions carrying water. The lions reflect courage, while the water represents knowledge. So courage must be guided with knowledge, and you may ask why he highlighted “courage” in a centre of learning? We believe scholars must be courageous, and not timid, not afraid, not subservient to power or wealth. So this courage is supposed to uphold knowledge.

ISLAMICA | Al-Attas referred to the word “adab” to highlight the characteristics of Islamic civilization. Could you explain this to us because adab is commonly referred to in the simplistic sense—more like propriety, and then there is also the sense of adab as high works of literature, art and all that, but al-Attas also has the intellectual understanding of adab. Could you help us understand the centrality of this term in the larger scheme of his theological outlook?

Wan Mohd Nor | First we need to clarify that his outlook is more than just theological. It is a higher Sufistic outlook, a Sufi conception. I say higher Sufistic outlook as opposed to the lower Sufistic outlook as the lower outlook refers to sincere worship and remembrance while the higher outlook includes these and also the intellectual dimension, and certain metaphysical and deeply spiritual experiences (ma‘rifah). Referring to it as theological, limits this scope. Of course al-Attas respected the theologians, but he explained that theologians are pointing correctly toward the spiritual truth, which is to be confirmed by the higher Sufis based on their trans-empirical and supra-rational experience.

One of the biggest problems facing Muslims is the problem of education. In modern Arabic Muslim discourse, educational terms, just like many other key terms and concepts, are derived from a Western understanding which is then given Arabic equivalents to refer to the concepts. So al-Attas rea-lized that the term “education” itself, in modern Arabic, which is a significant key term in Islam, was taken from the West, before a proper Islamic Arabic terminology was selected to describe it. The terms in modern Arabic that are commonly applied to “education” are ta’lim and tarbiyah, which are limi-ted in scope. “Ta’lim” refers to mere cognitive development of a human being, a process of imparting knowledge. Whereas true education in Islam, is more than that.“Tarbiyah” is more about training: emotional training, physical training, intellectual training, which is no doubt a part of true education, so it is cognitive training. But true education encompasses a larger meaning than intellectual cognition and training. It includes adab. So to al-Attas, the true Islamic concept of education is ta’dib, the inculcation of right adab. And by right adab he means the right recognition and acknowledgement of things according to the Islamic worldview. For a Muslim, this will lead the owner of this adab to finally recognize and acknowledge the proper place of Allah in the order of being and existence. The final goal of education in Islam, is to make the seeker see Allah as He truly is and to worship Him as He truly is. Other than that, it’s not education.

But why is it that we are not educating in that aspect now? Because we have disconnected God from our education, even in Islamic studies. Some thought of it as only a Sufistic interpretation. It is a Sufi conception of course, but in a particular sense, based on the deeper teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and thus it is actually an Islamic conception. Because the purpose of knowledge is to be God’s servant, God’s representative on earth (khalifah). But how can you be his servant and representative if you do not recognize and acknowledge Him properly?

Royal Laureate Professor Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas © Edib  Kurt

ISLAMICA | I understand that a person who cultivated this adab—in the sense of a proper Islamic education would acquire an awareness of the Islamic worldview. Why did al-Attas choose the term “worldview” to describe his metaphysically-based framework of knowledge? Is the way he uses this term different from the terms that’s used in let’s say creed (aqidah), principles of the religion (usul al-din), theology (kalam), or as espoused by various modern Muslim thinkers?

Wan Mohd Nor | Al-Attas was trying to solve the problems of the modern world. That’s what a reformer does. For example, when he discussed Sufism, he didn’t prefer the word Sufism, but he preferred metaphysics of Islam. Because Sufism now has been burdened by many misunderstandings, this narrow image of men in turbans doing dhikr. But metaphysics is linked to a deeper intellectual analysis on the nature of reality for the global community, not just Muslims. The term he used, ‘worldview’, does not deny the Islamic terminologies of, say, usul al-din or aqidah, but it is an English term that addresses educated Muslim people and others.

A worldview is how people look at what is real and what is true. He uses the Arabic phrase, ru’yatul Islam li’l wujud. Aqidah is the core of it. But the worldview encapsulates more, such as on science, the nature of man and his psychology, on happiness, and the understanding about the degrees of various existences. Aqidah is more focused, by focusing on certain topics like the nature of God, the nature of the prophets, the angels. But the modern world is asking more questions. The fact that he is not using these terms does not indicate his negation of those terms. He is using a term that is more comprehensive and inclusive of those terms, which he intended for solving the problems of modern intellectual discourse for Muslims and non-Muslims.

Al-Attas writes about Islam in an intellectual and philosophical manner, which drew the interest of non-Muslim readers. When the Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam was translated into Russian, the Russian Academy of Science held a conference, where the President of the academy said “our Academy of Science doesn’t discuss religion because we are focused on science. But this book is not about religion per se. It’s about the science of reality.” Al-Attas transcended the boundaries of the philosophy of science through deeper discussion on religion and thus, he offered a deeper discourse for science.

ISLAMICA | Al-Attas wrote about the Islamization of science in Islam and the Philosophy of Science. Given the current advanced levels in scientific research and scholarship, the divide between religion and science seems to be ever greater. Can the Islamic worldview allow for a meaningful dialogue between religion and science? How can we bridge this gap?

Wan Mohd Nor | From the Islamic worldview, science came out of religion. Science, like civilization, is a product of religion. It cannot be opposed to religion when science is our understanding of the real reality of the natural order. What are all these things for? What are they made of? What are their purposes?

Al-Attas discusses the three channels of knowledge in the chapter called “Islam and the Philosophy of Science” in his Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam. He also stresses that knowledge can be known with great authority through sense perception, through sound reason, through true reports—and by reports we mean the reports of not only from scholars and historians but from the Prophet. Therefore there is no contradiction between Islam and science. Except that in the modern Western secular worldview, they have divorced religion from science. They have divorced the use of intellect and the use of sense perception from the report of the Prophet vis-à-vis Qur’an and hadith in that sense. Therefore science, sense perception and reason have been disconnected from higher interpretation of the nature of reality and human deeper
experience. Science becomes like a horse without a rider. It gallops everywhere.

Because when human beings are supposed to be the Vicegerent of Allah (khalifah) on earth, you must know science, to be a khalifah. How can you govern this world without knowing how this world works? And this world doesn’t work only spiritually, it works scientifically too. The least a Muslim must do is to know the things to perform their religion, in the basic sense. And what more, to have advanced knowledge of the world as a whole, to protect and utilize it responsibly, to know about the geographies of other nations, to know their rivers, their mountains, what they produce, and how to trade with them.

So that unity is very important. That’s why al-Attas said, Islam should not ever fear science. Because no scientific discovery will ever change the fundamental of Islam.

ISLAMICA | That is a brilliant analogy you gave, of science becoming like a horse without a rider, galloping everywhere. Isn’t that what is happening now with Artificial Intelligence especially when their creators’ goal is for them to develop consciousness. What do you think is the impact of Artificial Intelligence on society, particularly Muslim societies in the coming years?

Wan Mohd Nor | Of course, no one should deny the great benefits of modern science and technology. But both have serious limits and dangers. Especially in their basic philosophical suppositions, implications and applications. In Islam and the Philosophy of Science, al-Attas presented the concept called false facts, which is something that can be created as true when it is not. A fact is not necessarily true if not interpreted or put in its right and proper place. So just because something exists in reality, does not render it true. For example, the state of Israel is a fact. It’s a big fact right now. But it’s not true because it is based on falsehood, on a mis-narration of history. Today there are many facts that are false because they are not put in the right place. Unjust leaders in many fields, they are facts, but they are not true so they must be changed in the right way.

Secondly, al-Attas never mentioned artificial intelligence back then, in early 1990s, but he stated that in some ways modern science and technology were behaving like magic because it can confound people. It can confuse people. It is not magic but it has a similar effect: changing how people understand reality. Even though the reality itself doesn’t change essentially, it makes you think it is changing constantly. If AI is not being put in the rightful place, governed by proper understanding and application of religion, deep ethical-moral principles and reason, it can profoundly alter our understanding of reality and truth. It can cause tremendous confusion and anarchy in the world.

ISLAMICA | Do you think the gap between Islam and Science is becoming bigger perhaps because science doesn’t have metaphysics anymore, to connect it to religion?

Wan Mohd Nor | Even if some science claims that it is not based on metaphysics, it still has undeclared metaphysical assumptions. But then those fields of science that admit to metaphysics in their methods, are cut off from God. They have a godless secular metaphysics. They may not be bad, but they are not based on complete knowledge of the total nature of reality. Thus, they are not able to come up with solutions on the question of final reality. Whereas Islamic science is based on God-centric metaphysics derived from authentic Divine Revelation. Meaning that the more we understand nature, the more we become closer to God.

However, modern science is becoming more dynamic and is developing an increasingly better understanding of nature, such that serious scientists came to admit the existence of supernatural reality, including God. But the majority go in the opposite direction: such that they become more uncertain about the idea of existence of fundamental reality. Seeing deep uncertainties at the sub-atomic level makes many peo-ple doubtful of the permanence of other realities.

So the more they understand the subatomic uncertainties, the more they become uncertain of the bigger picture such as ethics, or even the identity of God Himself. But with regard to Islam, the more you understand the subatomic level, the more you affirm the idea that everything you see is finally an aspect of God, Al-Haqq, which is the truth in that sense. So although our understanding of modern nature is almost the same, our conclusions will be different. And that difference is because of the Qur’an.

Al-Attas had written before that the Muslim theologians (mutakallimun) knew that an entity is “something” that cannot be further divided (al-juz’ allazi la yatajazza). The Sufis had a deeper understanding. This “something” is an aspect of Allah, of Al-Haqq. Therefore the deeper you understand, the more dependent you are on God.

Ultimately, modern science should make us confirm, recognize, and acknowledge God better than without science. A Muslim who understands science would be more godly in that sense. And those scientists in the West who use science to find the truth, many of them become Muslims because they found the God-centric metaphysics to it. But for those scientists who disconnected from God, they will be lost in the labyrinth of alternatives. The more they study, the more confused they are about the most fundamental matters including their own identity.

ISLAMICA | There is now vast relativism in science with different approaches by scientists who try to create something, despite it being not true. However, their approaches might help us to understand multiple degrees of being and existence. These had been so difficult to understand in the past, but now with science looking into atoms, looking into outer space, we have a better way of approaching and understanding them. Many scientists might not care whether what they are pursuing is true as long as they are building knowledge, focusing on the pragmatic aspect. How should Muslim scientists deal with this approach? Should they accept this or should they reject it?

Wan Mohd Nor | Seeking to increase knowledge and understanding about everything is natural to man. Adam was taught by God the names of everything, and Prophet Muhammad prayed for God for an increase in his knowledge. But we are taught also by the Prophet to pray for beneficial knowledge.

With regard to the study of modern science, al-Attas would highly encourage that, within the context of collective obligations (fardh kifayah) and guided by the worldview of Islam. Also it is important to study the history, philosophy as well as the methodology of all sciences including those of modern science and technology. These courses were taught at ISTAC by learned scholars.

We measure the usefulness of each discipline from many aspects including its religious, philosophical, ethical, social even economic and ecological aspects. It is fardh kifayah. There must be enough experts who research on modern sciences so that they can harness all their useful aspects while knowing their limits, and prevent the negative aspects.

The right adab and justice is important in this case. Well-trained scientists of high calibre—even if there are a small number of them—must be given proper trust and responsibility that befits them, instead of misusing or suppressing their talents and expertise. It is pointless to have a thousand talented individuals if they are not entrusted with the right responsibility that they were trained to do. It amounts to  a lack of reverence towards knowledge, a disrespect to the experts and the failure to fulfil collective obligations (fardh kifayah).

As an example of the success of these collective obligations, look at Iran today. People are surprised that a country with so little resources, and being  economically and scientifically isolated for many decades, created a relatively economical defence system that can defeat multi-billion dollar weaponry. They created a war strategy which surprised everyone. This is due to the right usage of collective obligations (fardh kifayah). When you train experts and trust them fully, while providing full support, then you are going to save billions of dollars. Iran is fighting a war, and instead of following the standard procedure, she created her own method, patiently. The war against intellectual colonization too, requires a new method. That’s why al-Attas set up ISTAC. Because now academicians and institutions of learning are competing using modern Western academic philosophies, contents and methods. We are not using the proper Islamic ones. So how can you challenge the West, by uncritically following the Western method when they are so far ahead and with much larger resources?

ISLAMICA | Given the contemporary challenges that we face in all the sciences, it appears that emphasizing Social Science or its Islamization did not solve the pro-blems you mentioned. Theological and spiritual know- ledge might be the only toolkit that can help us dialogue with others. I believe this is where the legacy of Professor al-Attas has become fundamental in the modern period. Do you agree that many institutions don’t have that
outlook?

Wan Mohd Nor | Social sciences and humanities, I think are important to be properly studied, analyzed, and even transformed in the spirit and method of Islamization as espoused by al-Attas in order for them to be beneficial for Muslims. He suggested that the key terms and concepts in these sciences must be identified and interpreted according to the worldview of Islam and its social and civilizational principles. Those that are entirely contradictory to this worldview and its other principles must be rejected, and other key terms and concepts of Islam should be introduced and properly applied.

‘Ilm kalam or theology is important for an intellectual and Islamic articulation of articles of Faith. Even Fazlur Rahman, despite being a Muslim neo-modernist, taught theology to his students not in the sense that he deems it as necessary for modern Muslim revival but to properly understand Islamic intellectual tradition. Although he does not believe in the theologians’ approaches, he taught his students Maturidi and Asha’ari doctrines including reading their basic texts. I remember we read for example, al-Maturidi’s Kitab al-Tawhid, and Muhammad Abduh’s Risalah al-Tawhid among others.

I think you are right with regard to the efficacy of al-Attas’ approach. To engage in a proper dialogue with others, Muslim leaders and scholars must be deeply knowledgeable of the works of the great theologians, jurists and Sufis as well scho-lars in other fields. Al-Attas reminded us that many of the basic intellectual, spiritual and cultural, and even some scientific problems of our time have been discussed profoundly by these earlier authorities. In his own writings he uses many of them especially in Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam. So that’s why at ISTAC, the students were taught theology, Sufism and jurisprudence—not only the content, but also their methods, history, including the history and philosophy of Western philosophy and science, etc. Scholars need to know their philosophy and methodology in order to appreciate the strength and the limitations of their sciences. There are also courses on Oriental philosophies. Al-Attas also stressed the importance of the course on Islam and Comparative Religion to be taught properly such that the proper place of Islam as brought by Prophet Muhammad and its role in world history is understood vis-à-vis other religions. And the library is built to prepare the students for that.

ISLAMICA | The Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas library in ISTAC is home to a superb and venerable collection of amazing books, journals and manuscripts that showcase the vitality and depth of human intellectual journey. Could you share with us the challenges that both you and al-Attas confronted in building the library collection?

Wan Mohd Nor | Professor al-Attas educational vision has always been integrally linked to libraries. When he set up the Institute of Malay Language, Culture and Literature (IBKKM) at the newly established University Kebangsaan Malaysia—National University of Malaysia (UKM) of which he was the only senior founder being already a full professor, he established a relatively small but excellent comparative library there. When he was appointed as the first holder of Tun Abdul Razak Chair at Ohio University, Athens, he helped acquired many important works of Malay history especially on Islam in the Malay world for the University’s library.

The ISTAC Library, which was renamed Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas Library, is one of the most unique compa-rative referenced library, not only in this region but perhaps also in the Muslim world. He personally planned, identified, and acquired the vast majority of its holdings in various Islamic and major non-Islamic languages on all aspects of Islam and its civilization, as well as on those of other religions, philosophies and civilizations. I think it has close to 200,000 volumes of reference books, and journals, and manuscripts, and libraries of very important Muslim and Western scholars.

One challenge is the lack of understanding and the reluctant support of the establishment because they do not see the importance of having multilingual works and works on other religions and civilizations in our library. They asked if anyone was going to read the books in these foreign languages, and whether it was a waste of national resources. However, al-Attas was conscious of the significance of these collections. Take for example, the Qur’an translation in Latin, a 600- year-old Qur’an which contained an introduction by Martin Luther. There were only several copies of this Qur’an remaining in the world. ISTAC was the only Muslim organization holding it. Despite the superbly high cost of acquiring the Latin translation of the Qur’an, al-Attas bought it so we can learn more about how Martin Luther was able to develop his Protestant movement. Most possibly there is a link between his departure from Catholicism with his familiarity with the content of the Qur’an.

Al-Attas also acquired the huge and unique collection on Urdu history and literature, as well as that of André and Oleg Grabar’s collection on Islamic Arts and Architecture, one of the richest collections in the world.

To find those who can catalogue is not easy, so we got our students to do that. After the first librarian Mr. Haji Ali Ahmad, he appointed Dr Zaini Uthman as the first curator of the library because he was a scholar in manuscript and Sufi studies, with expertise in computer technology as well.

ISLAMICA | Oftentimes, when you go to institutions in the West and the East, you can tell a university’s vitality by seeing the state of its library. The reason why Western institutions spend so much money on library resources and documentation is because they place value on understanding other people’s cultures, including their languages and so on. The situation is reversed in Muslim countries—despite inheriting fantastic libraries. Now in the modern world Muslims appear to have discounted the role of scholarship, or the importance of the library. In the digital age where people consume and digest digital information but read very little in terms of books, what impact can libraries have in our current predicament?

Wan Mohd Nor | It has a tremendous impact. We do not deny and we accept and admire the role of technology, digitalization and AI. But first we need the hard copy of all important materials with us, in order to have them digitalized or kept in different forms. This soft copy version can be corrupted, leaving us with limited access to the originals.

With increasing use and influence of AI, people tend to be totally dependent on the soft copy version of the material. It is very dangerous for people to rely only on the soft copy, believing that it entirely reflects the original copy.

For example, imagine if the Qur’an was not documented by the first generation of Muslims who were also the closest companions and scribes of the Prophet. And we don’t have the original copies of mushaf Uthmani! In that case, it would have stayed in the form of memories in the mind of people, which is like the “soft copy”. Human memories are quite dependa-ble but they might make mistakes, especially after several generations.

But the Companions of the Prophet decided that the Qur’an had to be collated after many of the memorizers of the Qur’an had died. So unless we document all important materials and store them properly for future reference, something similar could happen because of AI.

Do not rely entirely on what is in the soft copy. Right now we have so many Qur’an texts, hadith texts everywhere online and in our libraries. But 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 100 years from now, we might not have the access to the authentic hard copies anymore because they may be lost, or damaged. So despite the importance of AI our libraries must keep hard copies of important materials in order to verify what is put on a digital platform. Content can be distorted easily. And that’s why I think there is wisdom in the story about the writing of the Qur’an following the death of the memorizers. It’s a small warning to us.

ISLAMICA | My next question is on the growing Islamophobia around the world. Muslims in various countries have experienced a climate of hate and polarising rhetoric. As a scholar who understands al-Attas’s worldview of Islam, what do you think Muslim scholars and leaders should do to appeal to a wider audience and build brid-ges of dialogue with others?

Wan Mohd Nor | So with regard to Islamophobia, first, it happens due to the misunderstandings of non-Muslims about Islam and Muslims and what Islam has contributed to human civilization. Secondly, it is due to the excessive behaviour of Muslims who lack an understanding of Islam. Thirdly Islamophobia spread significantly because of the Western media and those depended on it. Before this, historically, non-Muslims did not have any serious problems with Islam. Even in Europe, there were not many problems until certain parties who controlled the media, began to spread several lies and misunderstandings about Muslims and their practices to the non- Muslim public. And that creates fear in them, even among some Muslims as well.

Al-Attas used to receive foreign visitors who asked him about Islam and tolerance. He told them to learn from the Malaysia model where Muslims live with people of other races and religions in relatively large numbers as neighbours, and despite their large numbers, their economic and political dominance, the Muslims did not feel threatened. The non-Muslim religious rights and practices are generally not hampered. And in this part of the world, in Indonesia and others, we have more positive experience dealing with Hindus, Christians and Buddhists, at the practical level.

ISLAMICA | So do the Muslim scholars in Southeast Asia play a role in this?

Wan Mohd Nor | Yes, and they were mostly of Sufi orientation. The Sufi scholars who came here especially from the 14th century onwards studied the language of the locals and they used Malay language to spread Islam, not Arabic. As they learned Malay culture, they integrated into the Malay political elites and larger community. They invented what al-Attas calls, Arabo-Malay script creatively inventing certain letters to reflect the Malay consonants. Of course, they also brought the Arab cuisine too, Arabic Biryani, and music such as the Ghazal. But this is not Arabization.

These scholars are the ones who introduced Islamic Malay terms that are taken from the original Arabic. There were also pre-Islamic Hindu terms that were Islamized by transforming Sanskrit term, to reflect Islamic meanings. These are words like syurga, neraka, guru and others. They help elevate the Malay social ethical norms to higher Islamic ones, and transform Malay culture from a predominantly class-based hierarchy and aesthetics centric to a more democratic and rational and scientific orientation. So this is partly what Islamization is.

Thus the spread of Islam is not through military conquest. The scholars were not members of the central army that came from elsewhere: from the Arab world, Indian Subcontinent, the Mughal empire or the Ottomans. Only scholars and traders came to the Malay Archipelago.

As I had told Sheikh Hamza Yusuf and his colleagues, if you studied the Islamization of the Malay world you can use this as a modus operandi for the spread of Islam in the Western world. Muslims should not focus on political dominance, but concentrate on intellectual, and moral-ethical excellence.

ISLAMICA | What advice did al-Attas give to youths in his later years? How should the younger generation overcome prejudices against their faith?

Wan Mohd Nor | Al-Attas would always stress on the importance of right knowledge and adab in every aspect, in theory and practice. We should be firm and confident but never be an extremist in our interpretation and practice of Islam. We should be true to our self, individually and collectively. He is a very strong Muslim, a Sunni Muslim. In a conversation with Hamza Yusuf, he said, if people ask about him, say that he is Sunni, a Shafi’i in his legal thinking, Ghazalian/Junaydi in his Sufi orientation, and Ash’arite in his theological orientation. It doesn’t mean that he is anti-Shi’a or is against other legal schools (madhhab), but that’s where he came from. So we should be honest about our general framework. In his practise that I observed since knowing him especially during his leading ISTAC, all his noble qualities were beautifully manifested.

ISLAMICA | Is there anything about al-Attas that you feel the world doesn’t know about but should. Is there any part of his story and his life, upbringing that is not commonly understood and should be?

Wan Mohd Nor | I think first is that his lineage is in line with the Prophet. This is proven in documentation, silsilah. Secondly, through his knowledge he is trying to explain what the Prophet and the greatest Muslims had been espousing. And he’s sincere in that. He never asked for any reward. Thirdly, he tried to exhibit the ethical and the moral attitude of the scholars and the Prophet in the profound way he understood it. That’s why to him the Prophet is very central, not as a symbolic figure, but as a real metaphysical and historic figure also. And whoever tried to make the Prophet just as the last prophet, or as one of the prophets, is doing injustice to the Prophet himself.

I think that his intellectual and moral integrity and courage, tenacity, his vision, his multi-disciplined expertise should be properly studied, enhanced and elaborated. And the educational institution which he established with great love, sacrifice and hope should continue to fulfil his mission sincerely for the sake of God. I think it will be a great contribution not only to his legacy but also to all Muslims during this turbulent age, and even to non-Muslims looking for basic answers to their intellectual and spiritual quest. He had told me many times that in the future when people look back to our time, they’d recognize the great significance of what we were trying to do at ISTAC. Already in these past years, more and more people in the world have understood what he was trying to do and what he had done in this great and significant place. Therefore I think we must try to sincerely and properly understand that legacy and try to spread it.