The Tree, the Compass, and the Mirror: Toward a Sacred Philosophy of History in Sarawak

This article proposes a sacred philosophy of history grounded in Sarawak’s political memory, symbols, and contemplative traditions. In a post-truth era, where knowledge is frequently distilled into emotion, spectacle, and data, there is an imperative to restore significance in the study, remembrance...

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Main Author: Mohd. Shazani, Masri
Format: Article
Language:en
Published: UNIMAS Online Journal System 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/51101/1/The%2BTree%2C%2Bthe%2BCompass%2C%2Band%2Bthe%2BMirror_%2BToward%2Ba%2BSacred%2BPhilosophy%2Bof%2BHistory%2Bin%2BSarawak.pdf
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/51101/
https://publisher.unimas.my/ojs/index.php/BJK/article/view/9602
https://doi.org/10.33736/jbk.v11i1
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author Mohd. Shazani, Masri
author_facet Mohd. Shazani, Masri
author_sort Mohd. Shazani, Masri
building Centre for Academic Information Services (CAIS)
collection Institutional Repository
content_provider Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
content_source UNIMAS Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
description This article proposes a sacred philosophy of history grounded in Sarawak’s political memory, symbols, and contemplative traditions. In a post-truth era, where knowledge is frequently distilled into emotion, spectacle, and data, there is an imperative to restore significance in the study, remembrance, and dissemination of history. Guided by Tawhidic epistemology, this paper reimagines history not merely as a record of events, but as a field of signs and responsibilities that connect human life to higher truths. Through the metaphors of the tree (rooted memory), the compass (sacred tradition), and the mirror (collective reflection), it draws on the works of Sarawakian historians such as Sanib Said, Suffian Mansor, and Adibah Yusuf to show that a contemplative, spiritually grounded approach to history already exists within local traditions. The proposal resonates with the metaphysical insights of Muhammad Umar Faruque and responds to Jason Stanley’s critique of political knowledge in the post-truth era. By calling for the reintegration of the humanities and social sciences with science and technology, the article suggests that Sarawak’s unique historical consciousness may offer a path towards restoring meaning, dignity, and balance in education, leadership, and global civilisational discourse.
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spelling my.unimas.ir-511012025-12-22T07:39:23Z http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/51101/ The Tree, the Compass, and the Mirror: Toward a Sacred Philosophy of History in Sarawak Mohd. Shazani, Masri B Philosophy (General) BD Speculative Philosophy BF Psychology BJ Ethics BL Religion BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc D History (General) This article proposes a sacred philosophy of history grounded in Sarawak’s political memory, symbols, and contemplative traditions. In a post-truth era, where knowledge is frequently distilled into emotion, spectacle, and data, there is an imperative to restore significance in the study, remembrance, and dissemination of history. Guided by Tawhidic epistemology, this paper reimagines history not merely as a record of events, but as a field of signs and responsibilities that connect human life to higher truths. Through the metaphors of the tree (rooted memory), the compass (sacred tradition), and the mirror (collective reflection), it draws on the works of Sarawakian historians such as Sanib Said, Suffian Mansor, and Adibah Yusuf to show that a contemplative, spiritually grounded approach to history already exists within local traditions. The proposal resonates with the metaphysical insights of Muhammad Umar Faruque and responds to Jason Stanley’s critique of political knowledge in the post-truth era. By calling for the reintegration of the humanities and social sciences with science and technology, the article suggests that Sarawak’s unique historical consciousness may offer a path towards restoring meaning, dignity, and balance in education, leadership, and global civilisational discourse. UNIMAS Online Journal System 2025-06-27 Article PeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/51101/1/The%2BTree%2C%2Bthe%2BCompass%2C%2Band%2Bthe%2BMirror_%2BToward%2Ba%2BSacred%2BPhilosophy%2Bof%2BHistory%2Bin%2BSarawak.pdf Mohd. Shazani, Masri (2025) The Tree, the Compass, and the Mirror: Toward a Sacred Philosophy of History in Sarawak. Jurnal Borneo-Kalimantan, 11 (1). pp. 28-38. ISSN 2289-2583 https://publisher.unimas.my/ojs/index.php/BJK/article/view/9602 https://doi.org/10.33736/jbk.v11i1
spellingShingle B Philosophy (General)
BD Speculative Philosophy
BF Psychology
BJ Ethics
BL Religion
BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc
D History (General)
Mohd. Shazani, Masri
The Tree, the Compass, and the Mirror: Toward a Sacred Philosophy of History in Sarawak
title The Tree, the Compass, and the Mirror: Toward a Sacred Philosophy of History in Sarawak
title_full The Tree, the Compass, and the Mirror: Toward a Sacred Philosophy of History in Sarawak
title_fullStr The Tree, the Compass, and the Mirror: Toward a Sacred Philosophy of History in Sarawak
title_full_unstemmed The Tree, the Compass, and the Mirror: Toward a Sacred Philosophy of History in Sarawak
title_short The Tree, the Compass, and the Mirror: Toward a Sacred Philosophy of History in Sarawak
title_sort tree, the compass, and the mirror: toward a sacred philosophy of history in sarawak
topic B Philosophy (General)
BD Speculative Philosophy
BF Psychology
BJ Ethics
BL Religion
BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc
D History (General)
url http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/51101/1/The%2BTree%2C%2Bthe%2BCompass%2C%2Band%2Bthe%2BMirror_%2BToward%2Ba%2BSacred%2BPhilosophy%2Bof%2BHistory%2Bin%2BSarawak.pdf
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/51101/
https://publisher.unimas.my/ojs/index.php/BJK/article/view/9602
https://doi.org/10.33736/jbk.v11i1
url_provider http://ir.unimas.my/