Confucianism And Islam

The Methodologies Of This Research

The sources of references for Confucianism are The Analects (Lun Yu, 论语), The Works of Mencius (Mengzi 孟子), The Great Learning (Da Xue 大学), The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhong Yong 中庸), The Book of Changes (Yi Ching 易经), and also Xiao Jing (孝经), Xunzi (荀子). These are among the most reliable references, with the first four being The Four Books of Confucianism. [1] See James Legge (transl.), Hua ying tui chao Ssu shu: Ta hsueh, chung yung, lun yu, meng tzu. The Four Books: The Great Learning; The Doctrine of the Mean; Confucian Analects; The works of Mencius (Taipei: Wen hua tu shu kung Ssu, 1962).

The Four Books were the syllabus of the imperial examinations held in China since 206 BCE, a period which ended in the early twentieth century in the Qing dynasty. Thus was the place of Confucian thought in the various dynasties of China, and The Four Books have remained important as sources and references in China, particularly in Chinese studies of Confucianism. A description of The Four Books of Confucianism is provided in the following.

In the comparative analysis extreme care was exercised when writing down the words of the original texts of these classical texts and the Qur’an and hadith, and their respective translations, and other Islamic sources.

Philosopher Cheng says,

“The Great Learning is a book left by Confucius and forms the gate by which the first learner enters into virtue. That we can now perceive the order in which the ancients pursued their learning is solely owing to the presentation of the work. The Confucian Analects and Mengzi come later. Learners must commence their course with this and then it may be hoped they will be kept from error.”

Thus for Cheng The Great Learning is a book of virtues as it describes comprehensively the sincerity of the heart, self-cultivation, the establishment of the family, the management of a good and just nation, and the spread of a happy and peaceful empire.

The second book is The Doctrine of the Mean, with the original version entitled Zhong (中). Yong (庸) denotes ‘the correct course under heaven’ (tian 天). This work contains all the thoughts handed down from one to another in the Confucian school. Zisi (子思), the grandson of Confucius, was a student of Philosopher Cheng, who in turn was a student of Confucius. Zisi was afraid of errors in the book that might have been committed during the course of learning. That is why the terms were combined as The Doctrine of the Mean in writing and delivered to Mencius. The Doctrine of the Mean is thus a very important authoritative book on Confucius. It specifically mentions the path that should not be abandoned once we engage with it and if so, then, it is not the truth.

The Confucian Analects, on the other hand, are a record of the discourse, words and acts of ancient Chinese thinkers, namely Confucius and his disciples. These are discussions that were held annually in the spring and autumn [2] 春秋时期  from 479 BCE to several dynasties after 221 BCE. The book is the most representative work of Confucianism and continues to be a tremendous influence on Chinese values and thought. The Confucian Analects constitutes a comprehensive collection of philosophy, political and economical thought, and educational works. It also contains narrations of the life and difficulties of Confucius and their solutions.

Mengzi or the Works of Mencius was written by Mencius, born either in 371 or 372 BCE. He is the disciple of the grandson of Confucius, Zisi. Mengzi consists of seven parts and offers treatments of the proper regulation of human conducts from the points of society and state. [3] James Legge, The Work of Mencius. Chinese Classics (London: Trübner, 1861)  Mencius was born 479 years after Confucius. His personal name was Ke and courtesy name Ziyu (子舆). His era was more anarchic than the Confucius era. He travelled from place to place and taught in the states of Liang (梁) and Qi (齐) and was an invited consultant and minister by the King Huan (King Qi Xuan 齐宣王) of the latter state. He offered very sharp opinions on the ruling of a state. For instance, in one of his arguments with the king, he said:

“There is no difference if you kill a person by a knife or a stick, if the ruling party has very thick meat in the kitchen, fat horse in the garden, fish jumping in his pond but at the same time, the common people are dying of hunger in the jungle seeking for food. What is the difference between the cruel ruler who let the common people die of hunger and the thief killing people with a knife or a stick?”

He used to give the same types of opinion to King Huan, which fell upon deaf ears. Finally, he resigned and travelled and then retired to write books. He developed the perception of the benevolent (ren 仁), a key component of benevolent government, as he was against one big power taking other smaller states by force or war.

His discourses with the king were recorded in Mengzi, yet there are various opinions on the authority of the book. One source indicates that it was written by him with the assistance of his disciples, chief of whom were Wan Zhang (万章) and Gongsun Chou (公孙丑). Another source states that it is simply a collection of Mencius’ sayings compiled after his death. The book consists of theories and thoughts in politics, education, philosophy and ethics. It is an important document for the study of Confucianism and its development and is essential reading for an understanding of Confucius and his doctrines. [4] A Selected Collection of Mencius (Beijing: Sinolingua, 2006)

As far as Islamic sources are concerned, the Qur’an and hadith are the main sources of reference in this article. The Qur’an is a compilation of revelations, from Allah, whereas the hadith consists of the recorded sayings, actions and tacit approvals of Prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an is the primary source of Islam, with the hadith further supporting and illustrating and clarifying concepts of the Qur’an. Combined, both are seen as the primary sources of Islam, as the hadith does not contradict the word of Allah. Other than these two sources, the consensus of scholars and ijtihad (independent reasoning) and qiyas (analogical reasoning) are included in our analysis of the comparison between Confucianism and Islam.

Particular sources that were utilized included the works of Abdur Rahman I. Doi entitled Shari’ah: The Islamic Law [5] Abdur Rahman I Doi, Shari’ah: The Islamic Law (Kuala Lumpur: A.S. Noordeen, 1984) which depicts the concept of family in Islam, and Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s widely accepted translation of the Qur’an, as they present very rich sources of Islamic spiritualism. [6] Abdullah Yusuf Ali (transl.), The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an (Beltsville MD: Amana Corporation, 1991) The seminal work by the Malaysian scholar Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, entitled Islam and Secularism, was also employed in the research. [7] Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Islam and Secularism (Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC, 1993)

In addition, two other books also provided crucial references, by two scholars who are not only knowledgeable in Islam, but also extremely familiar with Confucianism. The first is Omar Min Ke Din’s work entitled “Ethical Values of Islam and Confucianism: A Comparative Study”. [8] Omar Min Ke Din, “Ethical Values of Islam and Confucianism: A Comparative Study”, unpublished MA thesis (Kuala Lumpur: Akademi Islam, University of Malaya 2002) .Omar Min, a Malaysian Chinese, is a scholar who, after graduating in Confucianism and Islam has been teaching in this very field since 2003.

The second reference is a book entitled Traditional Chinese and Islamic Thought by Ibrahim Ma. [9] Ibrahim Ma, Traditional Chinese and Islamic Thoughts (Brunei: Da`wah Islamic Centre, 1999).  Ibrahim Ma, also a Malaysian Chinese, is a graduate from a French university and one of the former Vice Presidents of the Malaysian Muslim Welfare Organisation. He has spent his whole life so far researching and writing on Confucianism and Islam in Malaysia.

We also took into consideration the works of many scholars from the past and present in both Confucianism and Islam. For example, from Confucianism, we adopted the concept of ren (仁) and li (礼) discussed by Wei-Ming in his article “The Creative Tension between ren and li”. [10] Philosophy East and West 18, nos 1–2 (January–April 1968), 29–39.

Since the analysis involved the Qur’an and doctrines of Confucianism, care was taken in preserving their authenticity. Excerpts from the classical sources were extracted verbatim, with exact transliterations, and then translations given for each of them. Textual analyses were carried out on the texts to further extract the finer points that became data in the comparative analysis. In forming any conclusions, precaution was duly exercised to avoid any forms of unwarranted generalizations, which might cause error on the part of the authors.

Similar attention was paid to the original texts of the classic four books and their translations. On top of this, the transliterated, translated and interpreted texts of the Qur’an and hadith were continuously reviewed by another author/specialist to ensure accuracy and prevent erroneous interpretations and generalizations. From the analysis we were able to extract valuable information which are presented and discussed in the following sections.