A Comparative Analysis of Ahmad
Sastra’s Thought within Contemporary Islamic Intellectual Discourse
Ahmad
Abstract
The contemporary Muslim world is confronted with
multidimensional crises encompassing moral degradation, epistemological
confusion, political injustice, and technological domination driven by
secular–capitalist ideologies. Muslim intellectuals have responded to these
challenges through various frameworks, ranging from Islamization of knowledge
to cultural reform and political activism. This article examines the thought of
Ahmad Sastra as a contemporary Islamic thinker who articulates tauhid as a
comprehensive civilizational paradigm, emphasizing systemic and ideological
transformation rather than partial reform.
Employing a qualitative comparative method, this study
analyzes Sastra’s ideas in relation to prominent Muslim thinkers such as Syed
Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Ismail Raji al-Faruqi, Nurcholish Madjid, and
Taqiyuddin an-Nabhani, focusing on ontological, epistemological, axiological,
and socio-political dimensions. The findings reveal that Sastra’s contribution
lies in his integration of Qur’anic worldview, critique of global ideologies,
and structural analysis of modern power systems, including capitalism, liberal
democracy, and algorithmic technology.
This article argues that Ahmad Sastra represents a
distinctive strand of critical-structural Islamic civilizational thought,
enriching contemporary discourse by reaffirming Islam not merely as a moral or
spiritual framework, but as a coherent system capable of guiding societal
transformation in the modern world.
Keywords: Tauhid, Islamic civilization, secularism,
political Islam, contemporary Islamic thought
1. Introduction
The question of how Islam should respond to modernity
remains one of the most contested issues in contemporary Islamic intellectual
discourse. The legacy of colonialism, the rise of secular nation-states, and
the global dominance of capitalism and liberal democracy have profoundly
reshaped Muslim societies. These transformations have generated a persistent
tension between inherited Islamic norms and imported modern paradigms,
resulting in what many scholars describe as a civilizational crisis rather than
a merely political or economic one.
Muslim intellectual responses to this crisis have
varied significantly. Some thinkers have sought to reconcile Islam with modern
secular frameworks, while others have emphasized epistemological reform, moral
revival, or political restructuring. Within this diverse landscape, the thought
of Ahmad Sastra emerges as a distinctive attempt to reassert tauhid as the
foundational principle of civilization, encompassing ontology, epistemology,
ethics, and socio-political organization.
Unlike reformist approaches that focus on adapting
Islam to existing modern systems, Sastra’s thought advances a systemic critique
of modernity itself, particularly secularism, capitalism, and liberal
democracy. He argues that the fragmentation of knowledge, the commodification
of human life, and the erosion of moral authority are not accidental phenomena
but logical consequences of a worldview that divorces revelation from
governance, economics, and technology.
This article aims to situate Ahmad Sastra’s thought within
contemporary Islamic intellectual discourse through a comparative analysis with
selected influential thinkers. By doing so, it seeks to clarify both the
originality and the limitations of his approach, while highlighting its
relevance for ongoing debates on Islamic civilization in the twenty-first
century.
2. Literature Review
2.1 Contemporary Islamic Thought and the Question of
Civilization
The discourse on Islamic civilization in the modern
period has been shaped by key themes such as decolonization, modernization, and
identity reconstruction. Scholars such as Marshall Hodgson and Wael Hallaq have
argued that modernity represents not merely technological advancement but a
fundamentally different moral and institutional order. For Muslim societies,
the challenge lies in responding to this order without dissolving the normative
foundations of Islam.
Within this context, Islamic thought has often been
categorized into reformist, modernist, revivalist, and Islamist currents.
However, such typologies often obscure deeper philosophical divergences
concerning the nature of reality, knowledge, and authority. Ahmad Sastra’s
thought aligns more closely with what may be termed civilizational Islam, a
paradigm that views Islam as an integrated system governing all aspects of
life.
2.2 Tauhid as Worldview
The concept of tauhid has long been recognized as the
core of Islamic belief. Yet its implications for social and political
organization have been interpreted differently. For al-Attas, tauhid
constitutes the metaphysical foundation of knowledge and adab. Al-Faruqi
expands this notion into the unity of knowledge and life, while an-Nabhani
frames tauhid as the ideological basis of Islamic governance.
Ahmad Sastra builds upon this tradition but extends it
by emphasizing tauhid as a civilizational operating system, capable of countering
the systemic injustices produced by secular modernity.
3. Methodology
This study adopts a qualitative, comparative, and
conceptual methodology. Primary sources include major writings and publicly
articulated ideas of Ahmad Sastra, alongside canonical works of al-Attas,
al-Faruqi, Nurcholish Madjid, and Taqiyuddin an-Nabhani. Secondary sources
consist of scholarly analyses on Islamic thought, secularism, and modern
political systems.
The analysis is structured around five analytical
dimensions:
- Ontology
- Epistemology
- Axiology
- Conception of state and governance
- Orientation toward social transformation
This framework enables a systematic comparison that
highlights both convergences and divergences among the selected thinkers.
4. Results
4.1 Ontological Foundations
Ahmad Sastra’s ontology is firmly rooted in tauhid as
the organizing principle of existence. Reality is understood as a unified order
governed by divine sovereignty, rendering any separation between sacred and
profane fundamentally artificial. This position closely aligns with al-Attas
and an-Nabhani, yet differs from Nurcholish Madjid’s acceptance of ontological
differentiation between religious belief and social reality.
4.2 Epistemological Orientation
Sastra asserts the primacy of revelation as the
ultimate criterion of truth. Reason and empirical observation are valid only
insofar as they operate within the framework of divine guidance. This stance
contrasts with al-Faruqi’s integrative epistemology and Madjid’s emphasis on
contextual rationality.
4.3 Axiological Commitments
Justice, protection of intellect, and preservation of
human dignity constitute the core values in Sastra’s thought. These values are
not abstract ideals but are inseparable from the structural arrangements of
society. Consequently, systems that institutionalize inequality—such as
capitalism and oligarchic democracy—are categorically rejected.
4.4 Political and Social Vision
Sastra views the modern nation-state as deeply
embedded in secular assumptions. While not always articulating a fixed
institutional model, he insists that governance must be rooted in Islamic norms
and objectives. In this respect, he shares common ground with an-Nabhani,
though his approach is more sociological and less juridical.
5. Discussion
5.1 Ahmad Sastra and the Critique of Secular Modernity
One of Sastra’s most significant contributions lies in
his systemic critique of secularism. Unlike thinkers who view
secularization as a neutral historical process, Sastra interprets it as an
ideological project that systematically marginalizes divine authority. This
critique extends to contemporary phenomena such as algorithmic governance and
the commodification of education and religion.
5.2 Comparison with Selected Thinkers
Compared to al-Attas, Sastra moves beyond
epistemological reform toward political and economic critique. In contrast to
al-Faruqi, he expresses skepticism toward the reformability of modern
institutions. His divergence from Nurcholish Madjid is most evident in his
rejection of secular pluralism, while his convergence with an-Nabhani is
moderated by a more contextual and discursive approach.
5.3 Contribution to Contemporary Islamic Thought
Ahmad Sastra’s thought enriches contemporary Islamic
discourse by bridging normative theology with critical social analysis. His
emphasis on structural transformation challenges approaches that
prioritize moral exhortation without addressing systemic injustice.
6. Conclusion
This study has demonstrated that Ahmad Sastra
represents a distinctive voice in contemporary Islamic thought, characterized
by a tauhid-centered, critical-structural approach to civilization. By
situating his ideas within a comparative framework, the article highlights both
their intellectual lineage and their unique contribution to debates on Islam
and modernity.
Ultimately, Sastra’s thought underscores the necessity
of reimagining Islam not merely as a source of personal ethics but as a
comprehensive framework for organizing collective life. In an era marked by
ideological fragmentation and technological domination, such a perspective
offers a compelling, though contested, vision for the future of Islamic
civilization.
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(Ahmad Sastra, Kota Hujan, No.1215/29/12/25 : 09.50
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