ABSTRACT
The nature and process of research are determined and conducted within a specific theoretical framework of research and this is referred as the research paradigm based on philosophical perspective and worldview. The need to understand the epistemology, ontology and sources of Islāmic knowledge is of paramount importance. How do the Qur’ān and the Sunnah form the basis of the sources of knowledge and Islāmic research? The sources of knowledge in Islām are from the Qur’ān and Sunnah (ilm ‘naqli), and from rational knowledge based on human intellect (‘akl), observation and empirical. (ilm ‘aqli). There are two foundational paradigms in the social sciences (positivist–quantitative research and interpretivist–qualitative research), but there are several other paradigms emerged from the foundational paradigms. Philosophy is a broader term having a generalised picture of the world and the place of man in it, whereas worldview has the notion of perspective and more restrictive. However, worldview is indicative of a person’s philosophy. The Muslim researcher’s philosophical position is based on the Islāmic worldview (Tasawur or Ru’yah al-Islām li al-Wujud), which is based on a system of values and principles, derived from on the Qur’ān and Sunnah; and the Islāmic civilisation. It is valuable to note that Ibn Al-Haytham’s philosophy on scientific research noting is anchored in Islāmic worldview, epistemology and Islāmic ontology. He has been identified as the main pioneer who’s responsible for exploring the scientific methodology and is often referred to as the world’s first true scientist. The focuses of this chapter are to provide an understanding of the Muslim researcher and examine their philosophical orientation and examine Ibn Al-Haytham’s philosophy on scientific research.
