The topic of evolution and its potential clash with the mainstream teachings of Islam is one of t... more The topic of evolution and its potential clash with the mainstream teachings of Islam is one of the most contentious and charged issues of our times. How does a person of faith who also respects science reconcile between what science has almost definitively concluded as a fact with the claims of truth made by the Quran? In this comprehensive and highly readable monograph, Shoaib Ahmed Malik has done a commendable job of summarising the various approaches taken by modern Muslim thinkers. The text is accessible to even non-specialists and has enough in-depth analysis to be of interest to specialists in science and religion, theology, and philosophy. I believe this work is essential reading for anyone interested in the topic of Islam and evolution. Dr. Yasir Qadhi, The Islamic Seminary of America, USA Evolution has presented a serious challenge to traditional Abrahamic faiths. The responses have too often fallen short of the rigours exhibited by modern science and the resulting assertions of evolutionists. Here is a serious Muslim response by Shoaib Ahmed Malik who understands that the science of evolution and the faith of Islam and has no difficulty straddling both worlds without losing his faith in either. Dr. Hamza Yusuf, Zaytuna College, USA Shoaib Ahmed Malik's work is timely, thought-provoking, and stimulating. He marries the classical, theological framework of Ashʿarism and modern evolution. The book's focus on the metaphysical and hermeneutic approaches of al-Ghazālī, a globally known Muslim figure, will fill a huge gap in the literature and answer the many questions in the public's mind and academia on the status of evolutionary thought in Islam. Malik's book is a well-written, exemplary work for scholars from a wide range of disciplines who wish to explore evolution in other Sunnī, Shiʿī, and Ismāʿīlī theological schools, among others.
In this paper I intend to illustrate Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and then exten... more In this paper I intend to illustrate Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and then extend the discussion to scaffolding and its relationship with the ZPD. This is then followed by some concerns raised in literature regarding scaffolding as a concept and as a metaphor which involves analysing the arguments for regarding the role of cultural tools and peers as scaffolds akin to instructors. In consideration of some of the criticisms directed at scaffolding, I introduce the concept of the Two Gradient Model (TGM) which is a descriptive model that attempts to clarify the interaction between the instructor and learner. Furthermore, the TGM also demonstrates the need to differentiate between instructors and cultural tools as scaffolds where the latter should be kept relegated as secondary components in the scaffolding process. Additionally, the TGM also differentiates between instructors and peers whereby the latter do not occupy the same interpersonal dynamics as the former in a pedagogical environment.
The topic of evolution and its potential clash with the mainstream teachings of Islam is one of t... more The topic of evolution and its potential clash with the mainstream teachings of Islam is one of the most contentious and charged issues of our times. How does a person of faith who also respects science reconcile between what science has almost definitively concluded as a fact with the claims of truth made by the Quran? In this comprehensive and highly readable monograph, Shoaib Ahmed Malik has done a commendable job of summarising the various approaches taken by modern Muslim thinkers. The text is accessible to even non-specialists and has enough in-depth analysis to be of interest to specialists in science and religion, theology, and philosophy. I believe this work is essential reading for anyone interested in the topic of Islam and evolution. Dr. Yasir Qadhi, The Islamic Seminary of America, USA Evolution has presented a serious challenge to traditional Abrahamic faiths. The responses have too often fallen short of the rigours exhibited by modern science and the resulting assertions of evolutionists. Here is a serious Muslim response by Shoaib Ahmed Malik who understands that the science of evolution and the faith of Islam and has no difficulty straddling both worlds without losing his faith in either. Dr. Hamza Yusuf, Zaytuna College, USA Shoaib Ahmed Malik's work is timely, thought-provoking, and stimulating. He marries the classical, theological framework of Ashʿarism and modern evolution. The book's focus on the metaphysical and hermeneutic approaches of al-Ghazālī, a globally known Muslim figure, will fill a huge gap in the literature and answer the many questions in the public's mind and academia on the status of evolutionary thought in Islam. Malik's book is a well-written, exemplary work for scholars from a wide range of disciplines who wish to explore evolution in other Sunnī, Shiʿī, and Ismāʿīlī theological schools, among others.
In this paper I intend to illustrate Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and then exten... more In this paper I intend to illustrate Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and then extend the discussion to scaffolding and its relationship with the ZPD. This is then followed by some concerns raised in literature regarding scaffolding as a concept and as a metaphor which involves analysing the arguments for regarding the role of cultural tools and peers as scaffolds akin to instructors. In consideration of some of the criticisms directed at scaffolding, I introduce the concept of the Two Gradient Model (TGM) which is a descriptive model that attempts to clarify the interaction between the instructor and learner. Furthermore, the TGM also demonstrates the need to differentiate between instructors and cultural tools as scaffolds where the latter should be kept relegated as secondary components in the scaffolding process. Additionally, the TGM also differentiates between instructors and peers whereby the latter do not occupy the same interpersonal dynamics as the former in a pedagogical environment.
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