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KNOWLEDGE CITY: ITS DIVINE PRODUCTION
1. Introduction The concerted effort focusing on the spiritual component in the making of cities, and globally discussing it is indeed commendable. However it is hoped this reaction to the current practice and theory of city planning will not just draw from materials grounded in Eurocentrism which has produced endless disinformative mindsets in its global governance campaign.[1] One recent example is the Universal Planning Doctrine (Doktrin Perancangan Sejagat) which calls for the strengthening of the inter-relationship between three elements (Figure 1) Creator (P), Man (M) and Environment. [2] Locating the human (M) in the center somewhere, the model seem to evoke a link to renaissance anthropocentrism.
Figure 1: Universal Planning Doctrine (left) Vs Production Trinary (right) As opposed to the Universal Planning Doctrine, there is an alternative model, the Production Trinary[3] which centralizes the Creator (see plan) and locates below the Creator (see elevation), three elements all on the same level, Man (Actor), Environment (Site) and Law (Rules) which does not exist in the Doctrine. This model demands that man as Actor enslaves himself to the Master (Allah the Creator), manages using the Rules of the Ruler (Allah the Creator), the environment (on earth as a Site) owned by the rightful King (Allah The Creator). The trinary is further detailed so as to generate an operative model called the Production Model (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Production Model The Production Model consists of six elements which may be described in the context of the production of a city in this manner: A city located on a site somewhere is the product of different actors with different intentions acting on an order (get brief, design, build, market, sell, buy, inhabit, demolish), based on (by breaking/ bending) rules. These six elements may be generalized to represent any form of production. The production of a pyramid along the Nile (site) for example was the product of the Egyptians and others (actors), housing (act) a dead king (and his entourage)who wanted to display the eternality of the King's power (intention) based on the belief of life-after-death (rule). The production of Knowledge City as a concept (spirit), a formal idea (character) and utilizable form and space (manifestation), may also be developed using this Production Model. Because this production necessarily involve the Creator (Allah as Al-Khaliq), the first task in the understanding production therefore is to act by close reading Al-Khaliq's own text.[4] The product of this close reading would be the definition the spirit of production. The first instruction/ commandment to be understood and then carried out is revealed in Al-Qur’an, Chapter 96, Verse 1 (96:1),[5]
Figure 3: 96:1 “Read in the name of your Lord who created!” The usual practice of dynamic reading any text (in this case, the commandment “Read in the name of your Lord who created!” ) renders the above instruction almost inoperative, if not quite meaningless. For a start there is the term Rabb (translated as Lord), Al-Khaliq (The Creator) and there is always the implicit Allah which interestingly, is not the name Muhammad was instructed to read in. Given these variables it is suggested that the instruction is impossible to act on, unless it is close read [6] as follows (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Expunge all isms in the Ism of Rabb who created Understanding the instruction as “expunge/ debunk/ dispose/ displace/ uninstall all other isms in the ISM of your Rabb who created” makes possible the very first step of this inquiry (i.e. the attempt to understand the ideology/ ism of Rabb who created). The instruction literally means the denial of other sources of knowledge (other than that from Allah, The Creator) and the affirmation of the single source of knowledge, i.e. from Allah.[7] Once this is practiced, the process of the acquisition of knowledge shall be likened to the creation of a human being from a clot (96:2) which just does not appear out of the blue, but formed by first receiving/ accepting what is delivered. It is only after this conception can the body of knowledge develop incrementally, cell by cell, without shortcuts!.[8] Knowledge as a product would therefore be similar to the unique human individual without duplicates just as there are no two congruent identical twins nor the same leaves or snowflakes. And close reading must be consistently deployed (96:3) in order to be further informed by The Creator who “teaches via His Pen” (96:4) and teaches what humans know not (96:5), implying the consistent endowment of “new” knowledge to the reader.[9] This is Creator-taught and termed here as Divine Knowledge. Why humans must go through this ideological cleansing exercise is shown in 16:78, And Allah has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gives you hearing, sight, and hearts that you may give thanks. Reading the above verse as is, we are informed that we are brought to this earth (not even the mother possesses the knowledge of the time of delivery), without knowledge but equipped with the tools to acquire it. How to go about the acquisition however requires close reading. This is illustrated in Figure 5.
Figure 5: Acquisition of Divine Knowledge Given the tools to acquire knowledge at birth, we would already have acquired knowledge by the time we realize that we are doing so, the process involving the accumulation of information (ism of Rabb) and disinformation (other than the ism of Rabb). This process is normally indicated by the learning curve where the growth of knowledge is a factor of human biology, thus implying the reduction of knowledge with age until death. The accumulated knowledge under the learning curve consists of the ism of Rabb and all other isms muddled up. As we continue with our inquiry nevertheless, we shall come to a point of conflict[10] where things do not any longer make sense and we therefore need a more infallible source to ground in our understanding. If from this point on we start deploying 96:1-5, we shall begin to unlearn and as we do, the New Learning Curve would be formed, drastically transforming the nature of the post-natal acquisition of knowledge. While unlearning may be difficult at the outset because we are not used to it, it would get easier as we continue to filter out all isms other than the ism of Rabb.[11] This “new” knowledge which develops in increments within the limits of our understanding, leads to the same end, the absence of all isms other than the ism of Rabb who created. To ensure that the knowledge remains virus-free, there shall always be pop-up reminders such as 2:42 “And mix not truth (the haq) with falsehood (the batil), nor conceal the truth while you know” or 3:71 “O people of The Book, why do you mix truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know?" This is the nature of reading. And “reading” is defined in 2:185 Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an (reading), as a guide (huda) to mankind, also clear (Signs) (baiyinat) for guidance and judgement (furqaan) (between right and wrong), read as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6: Read Reading therefore is accomplished only upon understanding, and possible only after an experience. It is only from this single source of experiential knowledge then that each element of Production Model would be fine-tuned so as to meet the prerequisite of what may qualify as Divine. If Knowledge City must be divine, which it should, then it would have to be the product of the whole process of Divine Production consisting of the six divine-adjectived elements shown in Figure 7. Otherwise, it may not be worth the effort, even if it is just to think about.[12] Divinity is therefore the spirit of the holistic Production of Knowledge City . This spirit embodied in all six elements may be exemplified as follows:
Figure 7: Divine Production Quick Links2.1 Divine ActorOne (or a group) bound by the purpose of creation as revealed in 51:56,
Actors are all the time subjected to ridicule, being called names, but that would not affect the actor in any way; conversely it may even reinforce them. 2.2 Divine IntentionIt is a conscious objective embedded in those who say as per instructed in 6:162-163,
From birth to death (everything, knowledge included) is all for Allah and no one else but He. 2.3 Divine ActIt is carrying out the instruction, at the same time refraining from doing what is forbidden as per 42:13,
Clearly indicated also, this Divine Act is loathed by the musyrikin; musyrikin defined as “those who divide The Diin and become sects every sect rejoicing in what they have with them”.[13] This must knowledgeably be recognized. 2.4 Divine RuleThe law and jurisprudence derived from The Book (Al-Kitab) as per 5:50,
As opposed to the rule of Allah there is also the rule of Thaghut.[14] 4:60 Have you not seen those who assert that they believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you? They desire to summon one another to the judgment of the Thaghut though they were commanded to deny him… 4:61 And when it is said to them: Come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger, you will see the munafikun turning away from you with (utter) aversion. Again, these reactions are also to be acknowledged. 2.5 Divine SiteA territory endowed upon those with divine intention, performing the divine act as per 24:55,
It must also be known that the Divine Site is not merely a theoretical space but a place, a Divine Kingdom where the Divine Rule is enforced. 2.6 Divine ProductOn the Divine Site shall be located the Divine Product, ( 9:33).[15]
This Divine Product would be the result of a Divine Act (establishing the Diin) and this is termed as The True/Real Diin (Ad-Diinul Haq). Ad-Diinul Haq is therefore the spirit of Divine Production. 3. CharacterKnowledge City in the context of Divine Production is located in the Place of The Diin (MaDIINah). Muhammad’s MaDIINah which went beyond the City-State of Madinah proclaimed over Yathrib, had structure, form and regenerativity that constituted its character. 3.1 Structure
Figure 8: Basic Structure of MaDIINah MaDIINah placed its administration as the basic component within which citizens as slaves of Allah, were vertically linked to their representatives, Rasul and Allah (Executive); horizontally linked to other citizens who abided only the Rules of Allah which were reworded in the contemporary legal language (Legislative); inhabited the site endowed by Allah under the jurisdiction of, thus defining the extent of the site (Judiciary). This is the seed of Allah’s administration, the identity of the City-State of Madinah. Upon the Proclamation of Madinah, armed-warfare, the method to maintain what was established,[16] was made manifest. The production of warfare was also based on the Production Model.
Figure 9: Basic Form of MaDIINah As the forces trying to prevent the establishment of The Diin (Makkan forces) inevitably crashed, MaDIINah’s administration moved in to Makkah and realized another element, the Forbidden City (Haram Land), further detailing out the form of the Divine Product. Surrounding it were three areas of simultaneous development – Citizen Development, Site Development and System Development (Figure 9).
Figure 10: MaDIINah’s Regenerativity MaDIINah is a living entity and possesses, among others, the regenerative characteristic. On any terrain (site endowed by Allah) on this face of the earth, the form and structure of MaDIINah could be physically adjusted to the conditions of the site. This enabled it to be expanded to other continents including Asia, details of expansion would also be going by the Production Model, the Product being jannah/ garden/ paradise as a place of safety/ security/ prosperity, Darrussalam, Jerusalem[17] (Figure 10). 4. ManifestationKnowledge City, emulating the spirit and character of MaDIINah may choose to make the city in the real and cyber forms.[18] 4.1 RealThe dire need to see the manifestation of MaDIINah has led some to physically create villages and communities which, not surprisingly, have been under attack.[19] Perhaps there is no need to panic and therefore act on conjecture to realize The Diin. The key in “establishing The Diin” is bringing up what was once established de facto and de jure but somehow brought down (sunnah). In other words, the Diin has its history so as to earn it a matter of fact and that it is universally unquestionable. As the Ism of Rabb demands 17:36 And follow not that which you have not the knowledge; surely the hearing and the sight and the heart, shall all be questioned…
Figure 11: MaDIINnah has History. In the absence of the historical facts then, our task in this Grand Unlearning Exercise may need to prioritize the discernment of historical events based on Divine Production and those constructed in other isms which do nothing more than fragment, disinform, distort, mislead. Without the benefit of local divine narratives, which we are also to knowledgeably produce, we can only reflect on the events that had happened at the time of Muhammad, the very reason why the Sunnah is mandatory. It is from here that we look at our time to identify the usage of the Risalah in our time.
The establishment of MaDIINah should see the downfall of the state currently suppressing it. This would be followed by an exodus as per 110:1-2 When there comes the help of Allah and the victory (1). And you see men entering the Diin of Allah in companies (2) to benefit from the holistic production. As further exemplified by the Khilafah, the refinement of the application of Divine Rules will ensue to ensure that justice prevailed; this was followed by the refinement of the Divine Actors who should be economically dependent only on Allah. It was only after this that the world should witness the flowering of knowledge. For knowledge to flower however, seeds must now be sown. The recent conference held in UII,[20] although in the realm of architecture should accommodate the range from nano-architecture to the cosmos. While the seeds are being gathered,[21] it is suggested here that a bed be prepared now for the seeds to be sown. In the absence of a real site, cyber space can be a viable alternative. 4.2 Cyber
Figure 12: Cyber Manifestation Cyber Knowledge City may only be meaningful with the manifestation of the real. Assuming that the real exists,[22] making manifest the cyber Knowledge City can be as real. As shown (Figure 12), cyberreality can be part and parcel of the real when the time comes. It is upon the real that the cyberreal rides to function the way it should, to clearly inform. This cyberreality would also provide the missing spirit in the numerous cities[23] and communities (real and cyber) who are currently toying with knowledge management from cities to the planet.
Figure 13: Seed of Knowledge for All. This next scenario is not far-fetched as this Knowledge City MaDIINah using the same seed, shall not only flower but also fruit. 14:24-25 Do you not see how Allah sets forth a parable? A good word like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the heavens (24). It brings forth its fruit at all times, by the leave of its Lord. So Allah sets forth parables for men, in order that they may receive admonition (25). 5. ConclusionEurocentrism in whatever guise, shall come to an end only to be displaced, for another period of time, by the Ism of Rabb which had first introduced the notion of The Book since time immemorial. The ideology is however only accessible by close reading. Close reading shall reveal that we are to install the ideological anti-virus program and be consistently updating it. The usage of the anti-virus program shall gradually develop into a fully running program which does not work as a standalone but always part of a network that uses the same original program. The program has an infinite possibility for customization, which for this very reason, a single platform powered by the Most Infinite is mandatory. The whole setup needs to be earthed in a state, even if it is at the outset, a city-state which every member of the network must be a citizen of. Until we find the state, the best option would still be leaving everything behind, and if need be, bite the root of a tree even if we have to die so.[24] Perhaps biting the tree of knowledge would help? Allah knows best. 6. References1. Al-Hadeeth: Sahih Bukhari. Volume 4, Book 56, Number 803, http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/reference/searchhadith.html 2. Al-Qur’an: http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/, 3. Bellinger, Gene. “Knowledge Management- Emerging Perspectives”, http://www.systems-thinking.org/kmgmt/kmgmt.htm, 2004. 4. ____________. “Mental Model Musings”. http://www.systems-thinking.org/index.htm, 2004. 5. Haekal, Muhammad Husain (diterjemahkan dari bahasa Arab oleh Ali Audah). Sejarah Hidup Muhammad. Penerbit Pustaka Jaya, Jakarta Pusat, Cetakan Kelima, 1980, http://media.isnet.org/islam/Haekal/Muhammad/index.html. 6. Hosein, Imran. “The Strange World Today.” Video Lecture. http://imranhosein.org/media/Strange_World_1.wmv 7. MIT Open Courseware. http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html 8. Open Courseware Consortium. http://ocwconsortium.org/index.html. 9. Pangarsa, Galih W. Merah Putih Arsitektur Nusantara, UBM, Malang, 2006. 10. Solihah (ed.), Proceedings of International Conference Challenges and Experience in Developing Architectural Education in Asia, Yogyakarta, 2007, p A-10 – A10-11. 11. Technology Review. http://www.technologyreview.com/. 12. Treder, Mike. “Turn on the Nanotech High Beams.” In Future Brief. http://www.futurebrief.com/miketrederbeams001.asp, 2005.
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Intellectual Explorations of Wan Burhanuddin, 1995-2006 USM |
