A Different Examination of Islamic Social Sciences: The Dimension of Description

Various dimensions can be identified for different branches of science. Paying attention to these dimensions and their implications can clarify the distinction between Islamic social sciences and Western social sciences. Reflecting on the different dimensions of science is essential for researchers who seek to establish an alternative form of science. In fact, delving into the essence, scope, and various aspects of science is a prerequisite for any kind of inquiry along this path. The main question is whether Islamic and Western social sciences differ across all these dimensions, or whether such distinctions pertain only to specific ones. If so, which dimensions are they? Through reflection and inductive reasoning, at least twelve dimensions can be identified in scientific disciplines: description, discovery, understanding, explanation, justification (or the method of justification), theory, hypothesis acceptance, prediction, concepts, application, recommendation, and the object of study. This paper first briefly outlines the differences among these dimensions, then focuses on the dimension of description. Using an analytical-logical method, it seeks to answer whether descriptions in Islamic social sciences differ from those in Western social sciences. The study demonstrates that the distinction between Islamic and Western social sciences, in the specific sense of the descriptive dimension, exists and can be explained through three stages.