HISTORIJSKI KORIJENI I SAVREMENI RAZVOJ PRINCIPA POUZDANOSTI INŽENJERSKIH SISTEMA KROZ DUHOVNI I ETIČKI OKVIR
HISTORICAL ROOTS AND CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRINCIPLES OF RELIABILITY IN ENGINEERING SYSTEMS THROUGH A SPIRITUAL AND ETHICAL FRAMEWORK

Summary/Abstract: The reliability of technical systems is today most commonly examined through engineering models, standards, and statistical methods, focusing primarily on performance, probability of failure, and process optimization (Imamović, 2012). However, such an approach does not fully encompass its deeper philosophical, social, and ethical dimensions, which are essential for the long-term stability and functional integration of systems within the broader social and natural order. This paper is based on the assumption that reliability is not exclusively a modern technical concept, but rather the result of a multilayered development of human thought concerning order, stability, purpose, and responsibility in technical activity (Nasr, 2007). Through an analysis of the contributions of scholars of the Islamic Golden Age—Al-Jazari, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Al-Farabi, and Al-Biruni—the paper highlights the continuous presence of principles such as order, measure, harmony, and ethical responsibility in the understanding of reliability. In many respects, these principles represent precur- sors to contemporary methods such as FMEA, RAMS, RCM, and probabilistic models.Special emphasis is placed on the role of the human being as the bearer of reliability: technical systems are not merely functional artifacts, but reflectionsof the ontological and ethical state of those who design and use them. The Sufi (tasawwuf) frame- work, in which knowledge must be purified through moral and spiritual discipline, introduces the dimension of inner stability and predictive ethics into the construction and maintenance of systems. The concept of the murshid and ʿilm al-ladunnī further emphasize the importance of corrective intention and early detection of internal imbalance within systems (Hadžimejlić, 2015).The circular diagram of knowledge continuity is introduced as a conceptual model symbolizing the need for a constant return to foundational values— harmony, purpose, and ethics—in order to enhance contemporary technical systems. The paper demonstrates that the reliability of technical sys- tems is not merely a matter of optimization and failure probability, but a question of internal order, ethical responsibility, and long-term stability. In doing so, it transcends the narrow engineering framework and opens the path toward an integral approach to reliability.

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