Philosophical Theology in Islamic Thought
Summary
Philosophical theology in the Islamic tradition, often known as kalam, represents a sustained endeavour to articulate and defend core doctrines of Islam through rational inquiry. Emerging in the early centuries of Islam, kalam engaged with Hellenistic philosophy, traversing debates over divine unity (tawḥīd), justice, free will and the nature of attributes. Three dominant schools crystallised by the tenth century: Muʿtazilism, which emphasised rationalism and divine justice; Ashʿarism, which upheld scriptural primacy while employing dialectical argument; and Atharism, which resisted speculative reasoning in favour of literalism. Subsequent theologians such as Ibn Taymiyya revisited these debates, offering novel accounts of God’s relation to space and time, whereas Sufi thinkers like Ibn ʿArabī integrated mystical experience into epistemology, asserting that direct ‘unveiling’ (kashf) could yield theological insight. Over the centuries, Ottoman, Persian and Andalusian scholars further refined discussions of atomism, temporality and metaphysical hierarchy. In the modern era, philosophical theology continues to resonate across disciplines, informing contemporary discourse on interreligious dialogue, bioethics and the reconciliation of tradition with scientific paradigms.
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Philosophical Theology in Islamic Thought publication trend
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Technical terms
kalam: Speculative theology that employs rational argument to articulate and defend Islamic beliefs.
tawḥīd: The doctrine of divine unity, asserting God’s absolute oneness and uniqueness.
kashf: “Unveiling” or mystical revelation in Sufi epistemology, whereby direct spiritual insight complements textual sources.
atomism: A metaphysical theory positing that reality consists of indivisible entities or “atoms” and that physical phenomena arise from their recombination.
References
- The Epistemic Status of Mystical Experience in Ibn ʻArabī’s Legal Reasoning. Religions (2022).
- God Spatially Above and Spatially Extended: The Rationality of Ibn Taymiyya’s Refutation of Faḫr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s Ašʿarī Incorporealism. Arabica (2022).
- Philosophy versus theology in medieval Islamic thought. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies (2023).
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