ABSTRACT
This chapter does not discuss the obstacles to Shariah sciences’ engagement with the social sciences, but points out three approaches that guarantee the quality of teaching the Shariah sciences and their bridging with the social sciences: Cultivating knowledge according to the “separation, connection and pluralistic praxis,” the Maqasid methodology, and the ethical approach to religion. These approaches have been tested to a reasonable degree in three important institutions discussed in the book: the College of Islamic Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa, the International Islamic University of Malaysia, and Dar al-Hadith al-Hasaniyya. Providing methodological and epistemological grounds for future interdisciplinary dialogue between Shariah and social sciences, the great bet is to develop the education of liberal arts inside Shariah colleges and Islamic studies, which means working on curricula and educational courses through new means to compare their efficacy in providing integrated and comprehensive education, producing individuals capable of thinking and writing effectively, and who have a critical ability with regard to their sources of knowledge, understanding the universe and society through it, understanding themselves and others, being informed of other cultures and times, and have an understanding and experience with regard to ethical problems.
