What is Tawhidi String Relationship (TSR) and The Tawhidi Scientific Research Program (TSRP)?

The foundational epistemology of any truly Islamic intellection must be premised in Tawhid, the oneness of Allah. The oneness of Allah as monotheism is reflected in the oneness of the divine law. This is explained in terms of the episteme of unity of knowledge in the general and particular issues of diverse subsystems comprising the grand world-system. The epistemology of unity of knowledge is derived by deeply analytical investigation. The Qur’anic A’lameen (world-system), of which Allah is the Lord, is the field of the analytical study. Thus Tawhidi epistemology governs over the details of ‘everything’. This comprises the interrelating, interacting, and unifying and dynamic learning variables and their relations. These together comprise the world-systems as comprehended by intellection on the Tawhidi worldview in the form of a general-system intellection.

The axiomatic premise of TSRP using the TSR epistemology is unity of knowledge. The study of the opposite, namely differentiated subsystems is also comprised within the overarching methodology of the Tawhidi worldview. Both the design and consequences of knowledge (unity) and de-knowledge (differentiation) are well defined by the Qur’an combined with the Sunnah. The understanding of the criterion of oppositeness between truth and falsehood — that is between unified world-system and differentiated world-systems requires learning by degrees.

The evolutionary learning epistemology premised in Tawhidi unity of knowledge grounds human intellection concerning the generality and particularity of the grand design of the world-system in system and cybernetic dynamics. These attributes are namely, interaction, integration and creative evolution across learning systems; and the cybernetic worldview of organic interrelations formed by unity of knowledge. On the other hand, the epistemology of Tawhidi unity of knowledge also explains the nature of the differentiated world-system. In the latter case, the themes under investigation are subjected to critical evaluation leading to the prospects of moral and social reconstruction of fallen world-system. Such an opposite world-system is characterized by methodological individualism and Darwinian character of competition and conflict.

The Islamic methodological worldview, as it arises from the Qur’an and is carried through by the Sunnah for worldly transmission into general and specific problems and issues, is indispensable to TSRP. Anything that calls itself Islamic without the substantive Tawhidi epistemological invocation fails to be authentic and justifiably conceptual, analytical, and applicative of the Islamic worldview. Within the Tawhidi epistemological grand design are the subsystems of economics and finance, science, society, institutions and other ones. Subsystems of such types embed each other by organic relations of unity of knowledge, causing pervasive complementarities to arise; or pervasive differentiations to arise oppositely in an ethically fallen world-system between variables.

Finally, the evolutionary measure of unity of knowledge gained by learning is empirically evaluated by the succinct method of Circular Causation. Thereafter arise the studies of policies, structures, transformations, and sustainability by the continuity of evolutionary learning from the reoriginating episteme of Tawhid on to the closure of the learning multiverse in the Akhira (Hereafter). Likewise, the closure of Tawhid at the end is dimensionally the same as Tawhid in the beginning.

What Students Learn in IEF Doctoral Program Trisakti University

Students of the Doctoral Program in IEF study the generality of the Islamic methodological worldview of Tawhid in terms of organic inter-relations of unity of the world-system. This study is most general for all areas of scientific intellection. It is particularized to the case of economics, finance, science, society, institutionalism, and diversely many areas by the approach of ‘knowledge and economy’, ‘knowledge and finance’, ‘knowledge and institutionalism’, ‘knowledge and science’, ‘knowledge and socio-scientific cybernetic system’ etc. TSR methodology in TSRP is thus the rigorously analytical study of the relationally embedded grand design of the unified world-system vis-à-vis Tawhid. Students specialize in the application of the understanding of the Qur’an and the Sunnah by the intellection of philosophy of science, theoretical and analytical intellection, mathematical methods, computer science, and empirical applications.

Doctoral Dissertation

Completion of a six-credit supervised Doctoral Dissertation in an original piece of research is a necessary requirement for the Doctoral Degree. The Doctoral Dissertation is preceded by (1) successfully completing all courses; and passing of (2) The TSR Examination; (3) Preliminary Exam; (4) Proposal defense. IEF prescribes supervisors or the student can express their preference in this regard.

The TSR methodological focus is essential in any research for the dissertation. Also every dissertation must have an empirical or informational content even if the dissertation is of the conceptual nature. This informational or empirical approach must use the Circular Causation model, although the mathematical, statistical and informational method could be of diverse categories. Students can write their dissertation in English or Indonesian language. In the latter case, a summary of 30-pages in English must be submitted along with the dissertation for approval by IEF. The Doctoral Program leading to the award of Ph.D. (Economics) with specialization in Islamic Economics and Finance requires a minimum of three years including the time for all examinations