INTRODUCTION TO ISLAMIC THEOLOGY (TH-553)

Transcription

1 INTRODUCTION TO ISLAMIC THEOLOGY (TH-553) This course explores the content and structure of Islamic belief, as elaborated by Muslim classical thinkers (7th-15th centuries), in relation to a selection of representative texts. The Introduction questions the nature and modalities of theology in Islam. The History studies the origins and growth of the science of Kalâm in its interaction with the other major religious disciplines of Sunnism -- exegesis, Prophetic tradition, jurisprudence, sects, philosophy (falsafa) and Sufism. The Creed is then analyzed more theoretically in its major components: the lordship and divinity of God, the mediation of the Messenger, the servitude and ethics of the believers. Society offers a last avenue for enquiry, in so far as it was shaped by particular theological doctrines. The Way/Law (sharî a), power, love, innovation, and alterity -- religious or other -- are among the topics envisaged. No knowledge of Arabic is required for this course. Class will meet once a week for 12 weeks on Thursdays, 6 9:30 p.m. Each of these twelve classes will be divided in two parts: A) Lecture; B) Discussion of the required readings. Course Objectives 1) Students should be able to find their way around in the major reference works on Islamic theology. 2) They are expected to gain an acquaintenance with the most important classical definitions of the Islamic Creed ( aqîda): divinity and prophethood, divine attributes and justice, Sunnism versus Shî ism, Ash arism versus Mu tazilism and Ḥanbalism, sects and other religions 3) They should have some general accurate knowledge of the ways classical Kalâm developed, the historical and ideological contexts in which it evolved, its key figures and the main doctrines, schools or movements it crystallized into. 4) In reference to the classical period, they should also be able to take an informed view of the modern theological developments and debates in the Muslim world, as well as of contemporary positions of Islam towards other world religions. Course Requirements 1) It is strongly recommended that the student arrive at the first class already having a general knowledge about the religion of Islam, as well as about the history and geography of Muslim peoples. They should also be able to find their way around in the major reference tools for Islamic Studies (Encyclopaedia of Islam, Index Islamicus ).

2 2) Attendance in class is required. If you know that you will be unable to attend a session please inform the professor in advance. Missing two classes will result in an automatic lowering of your final grade by 20%. Missing three or more classes will result in automatic failure of the course. 3) For each class of weeks 2-12, students shall submit a summary of one and/or two of the reading assignments and be ready to speak about it in class. Each student can skip any one week during that time for a total of 10 submissions. Here are the guidelines for these summaries: - Approximately 2 pages (3 pages maximum) - One modern study must be used in each summary - Students must make copies of their summaries for all students in the class 4) A final handwritten examination, as described below. The final grade will be based upon the following: 1) Weekly summaries (25%) and class participation (25%). 2) During the week of the last class, a final two hour long handwritten examination consisting of ten multiple choice questions (20%) and a short essay on a question (to be chosen among three) relating to the content of the course (30 %). * All written work is to conform to the seminary writing guidelines, which can be found online at: It must use the transliteration system given in class I. It must be run through a grammar and spell-check program or read by the writing tutor if necessary before submission. The Hartford Seminary Grading Guidelines will be the standard of evaluation for work in the course. IMPORTANT: Plagiarism, the failure to give proper credit for the words and ideas of another person, whether published or unpublished, is strictly prohibited. All written material submitted by students must be their own original work; where the words and ideas of others are used they must be acknowledged. Credit will not be given for work containing plagiarism, and plagiarism can lead to failure of a course. Please see the Hartford Seminary Catalogue for the full plagiarism policy. General references ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF ISLAM, INDEX ISLAMICUS ENDRESS, Gerhard, Islam: An Historical Introduction. Translated by Carole HILLENBRAND (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, d ed.), viii & 301 p., ISBN DS35.6.E RUTHVEN, Malise, with Azim NANJI, Historical Atlas of the Islamic World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), 208 p., G1786.S1 R HEWER, Christopher, Understanding Islam: The first ten steps (London: SCM Press, 2006), xi & 244 p WINTER, Tim (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology (Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2008), xi, 337 p., BP166.1.C VAN ESS, Josef, The Flowering of Muslim Theology. Translated by Jane Marie TODD (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006), 220 p., BP166.E FARFUR, Shaykh Muhammad Salih, The Beneficial Message and the Definitive Proof in the Study of Theology. Translation, Introduction and Notes by Wesam CHARKAWI ( London: Azhar Academy, 2010), 318 p. BP166.F CASPAR, R., A Historical Introduction to Islamic Theology. Muḥammad and the Classical Period. Translated by P. JOHNSTONE (Roma, Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d Islamistica - P.I.S.A.I., 1998), 278 p. (OCoLC) , Islamic Theology II: Doctrines. Translated by P. JOHNSTONE (Roma, Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d Islamistica - P.I.S.A.I., 2007), viii & 229 p., BP166.C WATT, W. M., The formative period of Islamic thought (Oxford: Oneworld, 1998), [v]-vi, [6], 424 p. BP166.1.W PAVLIN, James, Sunny kalâm and theological controversies, in Seyyed H. NASR & Oliver LEAMAN (ed.), History of Islamic Philosophy. Part I (London & New York: Routledge, 1996), xx & 780 p.; p (OCoLC) CLASS SCHEDULE Class I. Introduction: Kalâm and Islamic Theology

3 AVICENNA (d. 1037), in MICHOT, Y., A Mamlûk Theologian s Commentary on Avicenna s Risâla Aḍḥawiyya. Being a Translation of a Part of the Dar al-ta âruḍ of Ibn Taymiyya, with Introduction, Annotation, and Appendices, Part I, in Journal of Islamic Studies, 14:2 (Oxford, 2003), p IBN KHALDÛN (d. 1406), The Muqaddimah. An Introduction to History. Translated and Introduced by Franz ROSENTHAL. Abridged and edited by N. J. DAWOOD. With a new introduction by Bruce B. LAWRENCE (Princeton - Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2005), xliv & 465 p. Pages (Sections 8 18). (D16.7.I ) a. AL-GHAZÂLÎ (d. 1111), The book of Knowledge. Being a Translation with Notes of the Kitâb al- Ilm of Iḥyâ Ulûm al-dîn, by N. A. FARIS (Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1962). Pages B753.G33 I b. CASPAR, R., A Historical Introduction to Islamic Theology. Muḥammad and the Classical Period. Translated by P. JOHNSTONE (Roma, P.I.S.A.I., 1998). Pages 1 7. BP166.C c. RAHMAN, Fazlur, Islam and Modernity, in KURZMAN, Ch. (ed.), Liberal Islam. A Sourcebook (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998). Pages BP60.L Class II. History: The Early Debates and the Establishment of the Religion General reference: SCHOELER, Gregor, The Oral and the Written in Early Islam. Translated by Uwe VAGELPOHL. Edited by James E. MONTGOMERY (Abingdon: Routledge. Taylor & Francis Group, 2006), viii & 248 p. PJ7519.I84 S a. AL-SHÂFI Î, Muḥammad b. Idrîs (d. 820), al-risâla fî uṣûl al-fiqh - Treatise on the Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence. Translated with an Introduction, Notes, and Appendices by Majid KHADDURI (Cambridge: The Islamic texts Society, 1987), xii & 379 p. Pages , KBP S53 A b. BLANKINSHIP, Khalid, The early creed, in T. WINTER (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008). Chapter 2, pages BP166.1.C c. LAPIDUS, Ira M., A History of Islamic Societies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988). Chapter 6, pages DS35.63.L Class III. History: the Construction of Orthodoxy I VAN ESS, Josef, The Flowering of Muslim Theology. Translated by Jane Marie TODD (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006), 220 p., BP166.E WOLFSON, Harry, The Philosophy of the Kalam (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1976). a. ABD AL-JABBÂR (d. 1024), Kitâb al-uṣûl al-khamsa - Book of the Five Fundamentals. Translation in R. MARTIN, M. WOODWARD, D. ATMAJA, Defenders of Reason in Islam. Mu tazilism from medieval School to Modern Symbol (Oxford: Oneworld, 1997). Pages (OCoLC) b. CASPAR, R., A Historical Introduction to Islamic Theology. Muḥammad and the Classical Period. Translated by P. JOHNSTONE (Roma, P.I.S.A.I., 1998). Chapter VII, pages BP166.C Class IV. History: the Construction of Orthodoxy II PATTON, Walter Melville, Aḥmed ibn Ḥanbal and the Miḥna: a biography of the Imâm including an account of the Moḥammedan Inquisition called the Miḥna, A.H. (Leiden: Brill, 1897), [5] & 209 p. (OCoLC) COOPERSON, Michael, al-ma mûn (Oxford: Oneworld, 2005). (OCoLC) NAWAS, John A., The Miḥna of 218 A.H./833 A.D. Revisited: An Empirical Study, in Journal of the American Oriental Society, 116.4, 1996, p CERIC, Mustafa, Roots of Synthetic Theology in Islam: a Study of the Theology of Abû Manṣûr al-mâturîdî (d. 333/944)

4 (Kuala Lumpur: International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 1995), vii & 276 p. BP166.C a. AL-ASH ARÎ (d. 935), Risâlat istiḥsân al-khawḍ fî ilm al-kalâm - A Vindication of the Science of Kalâm. Trans. R. J. MCCARTHY, The Theology of al-ash arī (Beirut: Impr. Catholique, 1953). Pages BP166.A7 1953a b. AL-ASH ARÎ, Kitâb al-luma fî l-radd alâ ahl al-zaygh wa l-bida - Highlights of the Polemic against Deviators and Innovators. Trans. R. J. MCCARTHY, The Theology of al-ash arī. Chapter Three: Discussion of the Divine Willing and its Embracing all Temporally Produced Things. Pages BP166.A7 1953a c. FRANK, Richard, Abû Hâshim s Theory of states, its structure and function, in Actas do Congresso de Estudos Arabes e Islâmicos, Coimbra - Lisboa 1 a 8 de setembro de 1968 (Leiden: Bril, 1971). Pages Class V. History: Alternatives & Challenges WINTER, T. (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008). Chapter 3: Islamic philosophy (H. ZIAI); Chapter 4: The developed Kalâm tradition (O. LEAMAN & S. RIZVI). IBN ṬUFAYL (d. 1185), Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓân; a philosophical tale translated with introd. and notes, by Lenn Evan GOODMAN (New York: Twayne Publishers, [1972]). B753.I53 R AL-GHAZÂLÎ, al-munqidh min al-ḍalâl, in Richard Joseph MCCARTHY, Freedom and Fulfillment. An Annotated Translation of al-ghazâlî s al-munqidh min al-ḍalâl and other relevant works of al-ghazâlî (Boston: Twayne Publishers, Library of Classical Arabic Literature, 4, c. 1980). P BP88.G47 E5 1980a a. IBN TAYMIYYA (d. 1328), in MICHOT, Y., A Mamlûk Theologian s Commentary on Avicenna s Risâla Aḍḥawiyya. Being a Translation of a Part of the Dar al-ta âruḍ of Ibn Taymiyya, with Introduction, Annotation, and Appendices, Part I, in Journal of Islamic Studies, 14:2 (Oxford, 2003), p Pages b. Pseudo-IBN ARABÎ (d. 1240), Whoso Knoweth Himself, from the Treatise on Being (Risale-t-ul-wujudiyyah). Translation by T. H. WEIR (Abingdon: Beshara Publications, 1988), pages. Class VI. History: Mysticism, Failure, & Reformism IBN TAYMIYYA, in SWARTZ, Merlin, A seventh-century (A. H.) Sunni creed: The Aqîda Wâsiṭîya of Ibn Taymîya, in Humaniora Islamica. An Annual Publication of Islamic Studies and the Humanities, vol. I. Ed. by H. W. MASON, R. L. NETTLER, M. L. SWARTZ, J. WAARDENBURG (The Hague - Paris: Mouton, 1973), p MICHOT, Y., From al-ma mūn to Ibn Sab īn, via Avicenna: Ibn Taymiyya s Historiography of Falsafa, in F. OPWIS & D. REISMAN (eds.), Islamic Philosophy, Science, Culture, and Religion. Studies in Honor of Dimitri Gutas (Leiden Boston: Brill, 2012), p (OCoLC) a. ÖZERVARLI, M. Sait, The Qur ânic Rational Theology of Ibn Taymiyya and his Criticism of the Mutakallimûn, in Y. RAPOPORT & Sh. AHMED (eds), Ibn Taymiyya and his Times (Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2010), xiv & 400 p., P BP80.I29 I b. MICHOT, Y., Al-Ghazâlî s Esotericism According to Ibn Taymiyya s Bughyat al-murtâd (Forthcoming). 20 pages. Class VII. Creed: Tawḥîd or the Oneness, Lordship and Divinity of God WATT, W. M., Islamic Creeds. A Selection (Edinburgh: Ed. University Press, 1994), 107 p. BP166.I MICHEL, Thomas F., A Muslim Theologian s Response to Christianity. Ibn Taymiyya s Al-jawâb al-ṣaḥîḥ. Edition and translation (Delmar - New York: Caravan Books, Studies in Islamic philosophy and science, 1984), ix & 465 p., P BP170.I a. AL-ASH ARÎ, Two Creeds. Trans. R. J. MCCARTHY, The Theology of al-ash arī (Beirut: Impr. Catholique, 1953). Pages BP166.A7 1953a

5 b. MEIER, Fritz, The Cleanest about Predestination. A Bit of Ibn Taymiyya, in MEIER, Fritz, Essays on Islamic Piety and Mysticism. Trans. by J. O KANE & B. RADTKE (Leiden: Brill, 1999). Pages BP25.M Class VIII. Creed: Nubuwwât or Prophethood MAWDÛDÎ, Abû l-a lâ, Finality of Prophethood (Lahore: Islamic Publications [Pvt.] Limited, 7th ed., 1994), vi & 71 p. FARFUR, Shaykh Muhammad Salih, The Beneficial Message and the Definitive Proof in the Study of Theology. Translation, Introduction and Notes by Wesam CHARKAWI ( London: Azhar Academy, 2010), 318 p. Chapter 2: The Functions and Significance of prophets and Messenger (Nubuwat), p (BP166.F ) WHEELER, Brannon M., Prophets in the Quran. An Introduction to the Quran and Muslim Exegesis (London - New York: Continuum, Comparative Islamic Studies, 2002), viii & 391 p., BP134.P745 W48 MICHOT, Y., Revelation, in The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology, ed. by Tim WINTER (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), p BP166.1.C a. ABÛ ḤÂTIM AL-RÂZÎ (d. ca. 933), The Proofs of Prophecy - A lâm al-nubuwwa. A parallel English-Arabic text translated, introduced, and annotated by Tarif KHALIDI (Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 2011), xxiii & 243 & 269 p. Pages & b. AL-JUWAYNÎ (d. 1089), A Guide to Conclusive Proofs for the Principles of Belief (Kitâb al-irshâd ilâ qawâṭi aladilla fî uṣûl al-i tiqâd. Translated by Paul E. WALKER. Reviewed by Muhammad S. EISSA (Reading: Garnet Publishing, Great Books of Islamic Civilization, 2000), xxxvii & 250 p., Section: A Statement in Proof of the Prophetic Missions, pages (OCoLC) c. MICHOT, Y., Ibn Taymiyya: Against Extremisms. Texts translated, annotated and introduced. With a foreword by Bruce B. LAWRENCE, Beyrouth - Paris, Albouraq, Ṣafar 1433 / janvier 2012, xxxii & 334 p. Chapters 12 & 13, pages Class IX. Creed: Ubûdiyya or Servanthood and Praxis Mystica BELL, J. N., Love Theory in Late ḥanbalite Islam (Albany: State University of New York Press, Studies in Islamic Philosophy and Science, 1979). BP L68 B44 KHATTAB, Nasiruddin (al-), Al- Ubûdiyyah. Being a true Slave of Allah. By Shaykh al-islam IBN TAYMIYYAH. Translation (London: Ta-ha Publishers, 1420/1999), 144 p., BP166.2.I a. MICHOT, Y., Ibn Taymiyya: Against Extremisms. Chapters 9 & 10, pages b. MICHOT, Y., The Image of God in Humanity from a Muslim Perspective, in Abraham s Children: Jews, Christians and Muslims in Conversation, ed. by R. HARRIES, N. SOLOMON, T. WINTER (London: T&T Clark, 2006) Pages BR127.A Class X. Society: Sharî a or a Way/Law of Loving Obedience KAMALI, Mohammad Hashim, Shari ah Law: An Introduction (Oxford: Oneworld, 2010), x & 342 p, KBP144.K ABD-ALLAH, Umar F., Theological dimensions of Islamic Law, in The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology, ed. by Tim WINTER (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), p BP166.1.C a. MICHOT, Y., Ibn Taymiyya: Against Extremisms. Chapters 8 & 11, pages & b. BELL, J. N., Love Theory in Late ḥanbalite Islam (Albany: State University of New York Press, Studies in Islamic Philosophy and Science, 1979). P BP L68 B44 (Nov : Reading week)

6 Class XI. Society: God s Multiple Paths and Ways General reference: JACKSON, Sherman A., On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam. Abû Ḥâmid al-ghazâlî s Fayṣal al-tafriqa Bayna l-islâm wa al-zandaqa (Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2002), xv & 156 p., P B753.G33 F WAARDENBURG, Jacques (ed.), Muslim Perceptions of Other Religions. A Historical Survey (New York - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), xv & 350 p., a. MICHOT, Y., Ibn Taymiyya: Against Extremisms. Pages & b. RÛMÎ (d. 1273), The Mathnawî. Ed. and trans. by Reynold A. NICHOLSON, 8 vols. (London: Luzac, ). Vol. II, pages (OCoLC) c. KELLER, Carl-A., Perceptions of Other Religions in Sufism, in Jacques WAARDENBURG (ed.), Muslim Perceptions of Other Religions. A Historical Survey (New York - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), xv & 350 p., P BP171.M Class XII. Society: Adl or Justice among God s Creatures COOK, Michael, Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong in Islamic Thought (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), xvii & 702 p., BJ1291.C FARRUKH, Umar A., Ibn Taymiyya on Public and Private Law in Islam. Or Public Policy in Islamic Jurisprudence. Translation (Beirut: Khayats, 1966), 202 p. a. IKHWÂN AL-ṢAFÂ (10th c.), Epistles of the Brethren of Purity: The Case of the Animals versus Man before the King of the Jinn. An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistle 22. Edited and Translated by L. E. GOODMAN & R. MCGREGOR ( Oxford: Oxford University Press - London: The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2009), xxv & 389 & 280 p. Chapter 37, pages b. MICHOT, Y., Ibn Taymiyya, Salafism and Mercy (Forthcoming). 12 pages.