SPRING 2005 ==================================================================================== ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY, THEOLOGY AND MYSTICISM (PHIL 190A-B/REL 190A-B) ROOM: COMENIUS 114 CATEGORY: M5 (CULTURAL VALUES AND GLOBAL ISSUES) INSTRUCTOR: SHALAHUDIN KAFRAWI Contents: The course explores key notions and figures in Islamic philosophy, theology, and mysticism. It traces the interactions of Islam with Greek, Judeo-Christian, and Hindu traditions. Some issues embedded in the enormous body of scholarship in Muslim intellectual heritage as a result of these encounters are employed to examine current global issues such as the struggle for justice and peace and the fight against violence and absolutism. Special attention is given to the structure of Being, the notion of the truth, and the way to attain the truth in the three systems. Course Objectives: At the end of the course, students are expected to achieve the following objectives: 1. to distinguish main characteristics of three major perspectives in Islamic intellectual tradition: philosophy, theology, and mysticism; 2. to discuss the measure of truth in Islamic philosophy, theology and mysticism; 3. to explain the notion of Being in the tripartite system of Islamic intellectual tradition; 4. to discuss the pragmatic of the tripartite system in looking at global issues such as human rights, feminism, multiculturalism, tolerance, and struggle for peace and justice. Grading Format: 1. Participation (15%); 2. Three structured short papers (2-4 pages each; 15%); 3. Mid-term exam (20%); 4. Research paper (8-15 pages; 30%); research proposal and first draft of the paper are required prior to final submission; 5. Final exam (20%); 6. A 5% will be added to the total for those who have a complete attendance; Academic Honesty: Students are required to honor academic integrity. The course imposes the application of Moravian College s Academic Honesty Policy. The policy is to be found at Moravian College s Student Handbook: 2004-2005, pp. 52-8. Attendance Policy: Students are encouraged to attend all scheduled meetings for this course. An extra credit of 5% will be awarded to those who have a complete attendance. Students have the liberty to miss four classes without penalty. Those who miss more than four classes will be downgraded by one 1
point of the total grade for each missed meeting after the four absences, unless they provide the instructor with a justified reason(s) in writing. Students are encouraged to attend Human Rights Forum to be held on the following: Thursday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. (Topic: Human Rights: Domestic Issues); Tuesday, March 22, at 7:00 p.m. (Topic: Human Rights: Latin America & Africa); and Thursday, March 31, at 7:00 p.m. (Topic: Human Rights: Asia). Attendance and participation will be counted toward participation record. Paper Submissions: All papers including (1) short papers, (2) research proposal, (3) draft of research paper and (4) final research paper should be electronically submitted through Blackboard on or before the indicated dates. If for some reason there is a problem with electronic submission, the printed copy of the paper should be submitted to the instructor s office on the same day. Late submissions will be downgraded for that specific assignment by one point per day. Students are encouraged to rewrite the three short papers. Final research papers cannot be rewritten. The rewritten papers are due within a week after the papers are electronically distributed. Since the grades of the rewritten papers can be better or worse than the originally submitted papers, the best grades will be counted toward the final. Meeting Time: PHIL 190A/REL190A: Tuesday and Thursday, 8:50-10:00 AM PHIL 190B/REL190B: Tuesday and Thursday, 12:50-2:00 PM Contact Information: Office: Zinzendorf 201 Phone: (610) 861-1628 E-mail: skafrawi@moravian.edu Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM; or by appointment. Required Textbooks Available at Moravian Bookstore: Mehdi Faridzadeh. Philosophies of peace and just war in Greek philosophy and religions of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. New York: Global Scholarly Publications, 2004. Oliver Leaman. A Brief Introduction to Islamic Philosophy. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 1999. Parviz Morewedge. Essays in Islamic Philosophy, Theology, and Mysticism. Oneonta: Department of Philosophy, 2003. Abdulaziz Sachedina. The Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Required Readings Available at Library Reserves: Binyamin Abrahamov. The Bila> Kayfa Doctrine and Its Foundations in Islamic Theology. Arabica. Vol. 42, no. 3 (1995). Pp. 365-79. Al-Ash ari>. Kita>b al-luma. In Richard J. McCarthy. The Theology of al-ash ari>. Beirut: Impremiere Catholique, 1953. Asma Barlas. Believing Women in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur an. Austin: University of Texas, 2002. Pp. 93-128 and 129-66. 2
D.M. Donaldson. Truth and Falsehood in Islam. Muslim World. Vol. 33, no. 4 (1943). Pp. 277-85. Asghar Ali Engineer. Islam, Women, and Gender Justice. In John C. Raines & Daniel C. Maguire, eds. What Men Owe to Women. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2001. Pp. 109-28. Farid Esack. Islam and Gender Justice: Beyond Simplistic Apologia. In John C. Raines & Daniel C. Maguire, eds. What Men Owe to Women. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2001. Pp. 187-210. Kristen E. Evam et al. Eve and Adam: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Readings on Genesis and Gender. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999. Pp. 464-77. Abu> H}a>mid al-ghazali. The Niche of Lights. Trans. David Buchman. Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1988. Pp. 3-24. Peter Heath. Allegory and Philosophy in Avicenna. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992. Pp. 80-106. Ali b. Uthman al-hujwiri. The Kashf al-mahjub. Trans. Reynold A. Nicholson. Lahore: Islamic Book Foundation, 1982. Pp. 30-44 Jon McGinnis. Scientific Methodologies in Islam. Journal of the History of Philosophy. Vol. 41, no. 3 (July 2003). Pp. 307-27. Sachiko Murata and William C. Chittick. The Vision of Islam. St. Paul: Paragon House, 1994. Pp. 8-27 and 164-92. Seyyed Hossein Nasr. The Heart of Islam: Enduring Values for Humanity. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2002. Pp. 1-54, 237-72 and 273-306. Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Unity and Diversity in Islam and Islamic Civilization. In Abdul Aziz Said and Meena Sharify-Funk, eds. Cultural Diversity and Islam. Lanham: University of New York, 2003. Pp. 31-8. Bernard Radtke and John O Kane. The Concept of Sainthood in Early Islamic Mysticism. Richmond: Curzon Press, 1996. Pp. 98-137. Fazlur Rahman. Islam. 2 nd edition. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2002. Pp. 85-99 and 128-49. Anne Sofie Roald. Feminist Reinterpretation of Islamic Sources. In Karin Ask and Marit Tjomsland, eds. Women and Islamization: Contemporary Dimensions of Discourse on Gender Relations. New York: Berg, 1998. Pp. 17-44. Averroes. Decisive Treatise and Epistle Dedicatory. Trans. Charles E. Butterworth. Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 2001. Pp. 1-33. Abdul Aziz Said and Meena Sharify-Funk. Dynamics of Cultural Diversity and Tolerance in Islam. In Abdul Aziz Said and Meena Sharify-Funk, eds. Cultural Diversity and Islam. Lanham: University of New York, 2003. Pp. 17-29. Abdul Karim Soroush. Non-Causal Theory of Justice in Rumi s Work. Binghamton: IGCS, 1993. Pp. 1-6. Amina Wadud. Qur an and Women. Kuala Lumpur: Fajar Bakti, 1992. Pp. 15-28. Schedule: No Date Subject and Reading Due 1 01/11/05 Introduction: Syllabus Tripartite Perspective 1: Theology [Readings: Morewedge, Essays in Islamic Philosophy, Theology, and Mysticism, 1-35 and 2 01/13/05 Rahman, Islam, 85-99] 3
Tripartite Perspective 2: Philosophy [Reading: Leaman, A 3 01/18/05 Brief Introduction to Islamic Philosophy, 1-51] Tripartite Perspective 3: Sufism [Reading: Rahman, Islam, 4 01/20/05 128-49] Tripartite Perspective 4: Harmony [Reading: Ibn Rushd, 5 01/25/05 Decisive Treatise, 1-33] 6 01/27/05 On the Notion of Being 1: Philosophy [Readings: Morewedge, Essays in Islamic Philosophy, Theology, and Mysticism, 57-138 and Leaman, A Brief Introduction to Islamic Philosophy, 88-107] Short Paper 1 7 02/01/05 On the Notion of Being 2: Theology [Reading: Ash ari, The Theology of Ash ari, 6-73] 8 02/03/05 On the Notion of Being 3: Mysticism [Readings: al- Ghazali, The Niche of Lights, 3-24 and Morewedge, Essays in Islamic Philosophy, Theology, and Mysticism, 183-218] Research Proposal 9 02/08/05 On truth and Epistemology 1 [Reading: Donaldson, Truth and Falsehood in Islam, 277-85 and Abrahamov, The Bila Kayfa Doctrine, pp. 365-79] 10 02/10/05 On truth and Epistemology 2 [Readings: Heath, Allegory and Philosophy in Avicenna, 80-106] 11 02/15/05 On truth and Epistemology 3 [Reading: Radtke and O Kane, The Concept of Sainthood in Early Islamic Mysticism, 98-137] 12 02/17/05 The Way of Salvation 1 [Reading: McGinnis, Scientific Methodologies in Islam, 307-27] Mid-Term Exam 13 02/22/05 The Way of Salvation 2 [Reading: Murata and Chittick, The Vision of Islam, 8-27] 14 02/24/05 The Way of Salvation 3 [Reading: Hujwiri, Kashf al-mahjub, 30-44] 02/25/05 Mid-term 15 03/01/05 Human Rights [Reading: Nasr, The Heart of Islam, 273-306] Short Paper 2 Justice 1 [Readings: Nasr, The Heart of Islam, 237-72 and Soroush, Non-Causal Theory of Justice in Rumi s 16 03/03/05 Work, 1-6] 03/08/05 Spring Break 03/10/05 Spring Break Justice 2 [Reading: Raines & Maguire, What Men Owe to Draft of Research 17 03/15/05 Women, 109-28 and 187-210] Paper 18 03/17/05 Peace and War 1 [Reading: Faridzadeh, The Philosophies of Peace and Just War, 13-27 and 49-70] 19 03/22/05 Peace and War 2 [Reading: Faridzadeh, The Philosophies of Peace and Just War, 73-116] 20 03/24/05 Peace and War 3 [Reading: Faridzadeh, The Philosophies of Peace and Just War, 135-46] 21 03/29/05 Feminism 1 [Reading: Evam et al, Eve and Adam, 464-77 and Wadud, Qur an and Women, 15-28] 22 03/31/05 Feminism 2 [Reading: Roald, Feminist Reinterpretation Short Paper 3 4
of Islamic Sources, 17-44] Feminism 3 [Reading: Barlas, Believing Women in 23 04/05/05 Islam, 129-66] Feminism 4 [Reading: Barlas, Believing Women in 24 04/07/05 Islam, 93-128] Unity in Multiplicity 1 [Reading: Said and Sharify-Funk, 25 04/12/05 Cultural Diversity and Islam, 17-38]. 26 04/14/05 Unity in Multiplicity 2 [Reading: Nasr, The Heart of Islam,1-54] Research Paper 27 04/19/05 Unity in Multiplicity 3 [Reading: Murata and Chittick, The Vision of Islam, 164-92] 28 04/21/05 Unity in Multiplicity 4 [Reading: Sachedina, The Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism, 3-62] 29 04/26/05 Unity in Multiplicity 5 [Reading: Sachedina, The Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism, 63-131] 30 04/28/05 Concluding Remarks 5