The "Second Istanbul Workshop: 5D Thinking for Transformative Teaching," organized in collaboration with the Institute of Integration of Knowledge, took place from August 1-7, 2024. Like last year, the workshop aimed to offer educators from various countries a new epistemological perspective that transcends the dominant secular mindset in science education. Using the 5D thinking approach, the goal was to present participants with a new philosophy of science from the perspective of a "tawhidic" worldview. Throughout the intensive seven-day program, which included both theoretical and practical sessions running in parallel, participants received comprehensive training on understanding the 5D model and implementing it in their own schools.

The workshop’s first day began with participants introducing themselves and being informed about the overall structure of the program. Following this, Prof. Necati Aydın, one of the founders of the Institute of Integration of Knowledge and the creator of the 5D model, gave a talk on the dominance of the secular paradigm in scientific education and how this paradigm has led to significant crises of belief in modern education systems. He emphasized that even Islamic schools are not entirely independent of this paradigm. In the afternoon, participants engaged in group discussions on "the effects of secular thinking on science education." These discussions addressed the challenges educators face within existing systems and explored how these challenges could be overcome. The day concluded with an in-depth introduction to the 5D thinking model.

The second day of the workshop began with group activities designed to reinforce the methodology introduced on the first day. Participants engaged in various exercises to better understand the 5D thinking approach and see how it can be applied in practice. The afternoon's theoretical session featured a highly engaging talk by Prof. Yunus Çengel. Çengel emphasized that explaining how events occur in the universe is only the first step, and the most important dynamic is understanding why and by whom these events are brought about. He highlighted this with the following statement: "If there is a law, there must be order. If there is order, there must be an orderer. The order in the universe itself proves that there is a mind that has willed this order to exist. Therefore, science itself is proof of divine will. Otherwise, we would never be able to talk about a system and formulas that allow us to practice science." In another session, Prof. Necati Aydın stressed that one of the most missing dimensions in scientific knowledge is the principles of "interconnectedness" and "mutual dependence."

Aydın also pointed out that the "modern trinity" of causes, chance, and nature has replaced the Christian trinity, explaining how secular reason began to take the place of the church in Europe with the rise of modern scientific philosophy. He continued, saying, "Everything in the universe is created in a way that is interconnected and mutually dependent. The Creator who made the entire universe a proof for us has also set some causes, known as the laws of 'Sunnatullah.' These causes are necessary for the continuation of creation but are not sufficient. Allah's will can transcend these causes if He wishes. The most important point we need to understand is this." Aydın concluded his talk by reciting verse 16 from Surah Ar-Ra'd and explaining how this verse provides a significant foundation for educational philosophy for all Muslim educators.

In the afternoon sessions, three Canadian educators who participated in last year's program shared how they have implemented the 5D model in their schools over the past year and discussed the challenges they faced during this process. However, the educators expressed that the change in students' perspectives became visibly apparent shortly after implementation. Some parents even came to the school to express their gratitude, noting that their children had begun to constantly talk about Allah at home.

The third day began with a lesson by Prof. Dr. Alparslan Açıkgenç, who conveyed the foundations of Islamic philosophy and how religion and the tradition of science form an organic whole. Açıkgenç explained the role of the Islamic thought system in scientific approaches and how this thought system can be harmoniously integrated with modern science. 

 In the afternoon session, Uzma Ahmad elaborated on the five dimensions of the 5D thinking model. Ahmad demonstrated how each dimension can be utilized in education and how this model can be implemented both theoretically and practically. Participants were given more detailed examples of how the model can be applied in education.

The day ended with group work and quizzes aimed at reinforcing the 5D thinking model. Participants worked in small groups to evaluate and apply what they had learned, providing feedback to one another.

The fourth and fifth days of the workshop began with a lesson by Prof. Dr. Necati Aydın, who thoroughly explained the concepts of "mana-i harfi" and "mana-i ismi," as used by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi in Risale-i Nur. Aydın emphasized that these concepts form the foundation of the 5D model and that they represent one of the most crucial thinking systems that educators should possess in their view of the universe. Aydın concluded his lesson by stating, "While everything according to the perspective of 'mana-i ismi' represents disconnected information that only expresses its own meaning, the perspective of 'mana-i harfi' gives meaning to everything based on the meaning it points to. In this respect, while the search for meaning is one of the most important intellectual goals of science, modern philosophy limits science by separating it from meaning and confining it to explaining only the operating system. However, even in everything produced by humans, a purpose and intention are considered. It is not reasonable to think otherwise for the universe."

On the sixth day of the workshop, participants discussed how scientific thinking can be restructured from a tawhidic perspective. They then engaged in practical work on how the 5D model can be integrated into different education systems.

 In the afternoon session, Said Yüce, the president of the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture, delivered a talk on the impact of the secular perspective in everyday life and the moral crises it has caused. Yüce emphasized how the secular perspective, which separates creation from the Creator, has influenced a wide range of areas, from news language to textbooks, and stated that Muslims have not yet fully realized the dangers of this perspective. He also mentioned that a true iman-based perspective would organically solve many of the problems currently seen in our society, from economics to politics, security to family life. Yüce pointed out that at the core of all these issues lies the absence of a genuine "spiritual enforcer" in the human heart.

On the final day of the program, participants designed their own 5D examples to be used in their schools and curricula, based on what they had learned, and presented these designs in groups. The program was an important step in providing participants with a new philosophy of science perspective and in starting a new era in education with a tawhidic worldview. Throughout the workshop, educators deeply discussed how secular ideology has become embedded in the education system and how this has led to an intellectual crisis. As a result, a clear framework for teaching science from a tawhidic worldview perspective was presented, with the aim that participants would integrate these approaches into their own educational institutions.

The program concluded with a closing ceremony where certificates and gifts were presented to the participants.