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Editing and Printing Hadith Literature in Nineteenth-Century India: Aḥmad ʿAlī Sahāranpūrī and the Maṭbaʿ-i Aḥmadī Press
By Muntasir Zaman, Qalam Seminary
From manuscripts to various types of printing, the production of written knowledge has undergone drastic changes since the nineteenth century. What impact did this transitionary period have on hadith manuscripts, which enjoyed a complex textual tradition spanning centuries? Through a case study of the North Indian hadith scholar Aḥmad ʿAlī Sahāranpūrī (d. 1880) and his printing press, Maṭbaʿ-i Aḥmadī, this article contributes to the burgeoning scholarship on early-modern editorial practices. Focusing on the use of lithographic printing in nineteenth-century India, this study examines how Sahāranpūrī employed editorial techniques to print hadith literature that paralleled other prolific printing hubs like Cairo while also preserving the distinctive premodern characteristics of these texts. Moreover, this article will showcase the broader editorial trends in India at the time vis-à-vis hadith literature with a focus on what set Sahāranpūrī’s work apart from that of his fellow Indian editors.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1163/24519197-bja10058
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Tags: #Hadith #Islam #History
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Is Christian Belief Supernatural?
Grace, Nature and the Cognitive Science of Religion
By Stanisław Ruczaj, Jagiellonian University
The Cognitive Science of Religion represents a contemporary attempt at a naturalistic explanation of religion. There is debate as to whether its account of how religious beliefs arise is reconcilable with the religious account, which holds that religious beliefs are caused by God. In my paper, I argue that these two accounts cannot be reconciled when it comes to the specific question of how Christian religious beliefs arise if one accepts an important theological doctrine of the supernaturality of Christian belief. This doctrine implies that there can be no natural explanation for how Christian beliefs arise because they are a gift of divine grace. This leads to a conundrum for Christian theists: they can either reject the CSR account of how their religious beliefs arise, or they can reject the supernaturality of Christian belief. I argue that the latter is preferable. I then draw on the work of the theologian Denis Edwards to illustrate how one can drop this doctrine without abandoning some other fundamental tenets of Christian theology.
Link: https://doi.org/10.14428/thl.v8i1.68683
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Tags: #CSR #Religion #Christianity
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Belief, Doubt, and Faith in Life After Death
By Mark Hocknull, University of Lincoln
This essay distinguishes between propositional belief and faith and considers the relationship between these two forms of belief, arguing that faith is not an entirely separate form of belief from propositional assent and that it does require a minimal cognitive content. The essay then goes on to consider beliefs about, and faith in, life after death and develops a metaphorical account of this faith using an Aristotelian concept of the soul as a form of life together with a theological understanding of the death of Jesus in the New Testament. It is argued that the truth claims of assertions about life after death are beyond evidential support, but there are strong reasons for doubting the literal truth of such assertions. Faith in life after death however can be considered rational and truth-seeking. The essay concludes that semantic agnosticism is the proper attitude towards belief in life after death and justifies this position against two possible objections
Link: https://doi.org/10.14428/thl.v8i1.67393
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Tags: #Faith #Death #Resurrection
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The Relationships Between Jews and Muslims in the Past and Present—Pedagogical Implications from an Islamic Religious Education Perspective in a German Context
By Fahimah Ulfat, University of Tuebingen
This article explores the historical and contemporary relationships between Jews and Muslims, with a focus on the implications for Islamic religious education. It highlights the complexity of Jewish–Muslim relations, characterized by periods of coexistence and conflict. Early Islamic history reveals an inclusive community of believers encompassing pious Jews and Christians, challenging modern perceptions of inherent antagonism. The article examines the evolution of these relationships, noting significant changes influenced by political dynamics. In Germany, political discourses further shape mutual perceptions, often exacerbating tensions between Jewish and Muslim communities. Educationally, the article advocates for addressing distorted perspectives and emphasizes the value of intertextual analysis of the Quran and the Torah.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121470
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Tags: #Islam #Judaism #Quran #Torah #Pedagogy
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Religious education: learning what from studying religions?
By Brendan Carmody, University College London
‘Learning from’ in Religious Education, as a mode of moving towards interdenominational and interfaith learning, has a long and fruitful history. However, It has been criticised for being overly subjective as it mainly encourages learning about oneself. Though this has value, it needs to address better the need to understand rather than simply use the religious tradition that is being studied. It raises the question of the objectivity of ‘Learning from’ religions. It is argued that interpreting the correctness of one’s understanding of a text entails more than ‘learning about’ a religious tradition. It should also include a process of self-reflection to enable a judgement of one’s accuracy in comprehending the text’s grammar as well as its underlying more universal truth. This calls for a movement towards what the philosopher-theologian, Bernard Lonergan, named intellectual conversion, a personal appreciation of what true knowledge entails. It is thus contended that ‘Learning from’ religions needs not only awareness of one’s ‘signals of transcendence’ but also of how they can be developed, in light of what is being presented, leading to an informed and wise choice of worldviews about how one is to live, which is an admirable goal of Religious Education.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2024.2436919
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Tags: #Pedagogy #Religion #ReligiousEducation
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Music and Monotheism
By Gareth F. Wilson, University of Cambridge
What connects the phenomenon of music as an art with the belief in one indivisible God? What has music, a non-linguistic medium, to say about the personal, loving, communicative God of Scripture and the Prophets, or the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, transcendent God of the Philosophers and can it bring these 'concepts of God' together? To answer these questions, this book takes divine Creation as its starting point, that the God of monotheism must be the Creator of all that is. It thus argues that anything which instantiates and facilitates communication within the created realm has been enabled to do so by a God who communicates with His Creation, and who wishes that His Creation be communicative. Indeed, it will argue that the communication allowed by music, and aesthetic experience in general, is the very raison d'être of Abrahamic monotheism and might thus allow an opportunity for dialogue between monotheistic faiths.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009158916
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Tags: #Monotheism #Music #God
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Islam, Causality, and Science
Perspectives on Reconciliation of Islamic Tradition and Modern Science
By Özgür Koca, Bayan Islamic Graduate School
This Element intends to contribute to the debate between Islam and science. It focuses on one of the most challenging issues in the modern discussion on the reconciliation of religious and scientific claims about the world, which is to think about divine causality without undermining the rigor and efficacy of the scientific method. First, the Element examines major Islamic accounts of causality. Then, it provides a brief overview of contemporary debates on the issue and identifies both scientific and theological challenges. It argues that any proposed Islamic account of causality for the task of reconciliation should be able to preserve scientific rigor without imposing a priori limits on scientific research, account for miracles without turning them into science-stoppers or metaphors, secure divine and creaturely freedom, and establish a strong sense of divine presence in the world. Following sections discuss strengths and weaknesses of each account in addressing these challenges.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/muwo.12493
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Tags: #Islam #Science #ConflictThesis #Causality
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Bridging the Mackie–Plantinga Debate on Evil with Ibn Arabi’s Metaphysics
By Elif Nur Balci, Sakarya University
This study examines how Ibn Arabi’s metaphysics can address key challenges in the contemporary philosophical debate on the problem of evil. John Mackie famously argues that the existence of an omnibenevolent and omnipotent God is logically incompatible with the existence of evil, suggesting that theism must relinquish one of these divine attributes to resolve this contradiction. Alvin Plantinga, through his Free Will Defense, demonstrates that no logical contradiction undermines the coherence of the theistic conception of God. Although Mackie concedes this point, he contends that Plantinga’s defense does not sufficiently explain why God permits evil. With the resolution of the logical problem of evil, the evidential problem has gained prominence in the theistic debate, where Plantinga’s defense remains inadequate. While Plantinga invites theists to explore potential theological reasons for God’s allowance of evil, he acknowledges that this approach may not yield strong philosophical results. In contrast, Ibn Arabi’s metaphysical framework offers a more comprehensive solution. By integrating ontology, epistemology, and metaphysics to establish a coherent relationship between God, the universe, and humanity, Ibn Arabi renders Mackie’s logical critique irrelevant. Furthermore, his approach fills the gaps left by Plantinga’s defense, offering a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between God and evil.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121463
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Tags: #God #IbnArabi #Plantinga #PoE
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Divine Contradiction: some snippets
By Jc Beall, University of Notre Dame
Two doctrines (or axioms) of christian theology sharply distinguish christian monotheism from its traditional monotheistic siblings (viz. jewish and islamic monotheism): the incarnation of God and the triunity of God. Both doctrines, as many have long observed, face a conspicuous so-called logical problem – namely, apparent contradiction. How should the strong appearance of such fundamental contradiction be explained? Beall's answer: the incarnation and trinity appear to be contradictory because God is a contradictory being – a being of whom some contradictions are true. The full truth of God is expressed only via contradiction, which is why the fundamental axioms of christian theology have long appeared to be contradictory. Divine Contradiction presents the target contradictory account of the trinity; its predecessor The Contradictory Christ presents the contradictory account of the incarnation.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034412524000295
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Tags: #God #Trinity #Jesus #AnalyticalPhilosophy
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Faith and Reality: Marx’s Understanding of an Ontological Argument in Reference to Kant
By Chuantao Feng and Jianmei Li, Luoxue Research Institute of Zhengzhou University
In the Appendix to his dissertation, with respect to Kant, Marx provided an in-depth analysis of the ontological proof of the existence of God. Here, we explore this analysis in detail. Firstly, we argue that “faith” (Glaube) is the foundation of Marx’s interpretation of the ontological proof of God and its difference from that of Kant. On one hand, Marx’s understanding of the ontological argument can be called the “Realization of Belief” (RB). The object of faith is, for the believer, endowed with some kind of real power; that is to say, the object is real for the believer who has faith in it. This line of argument differs from the Kantian Hypostatization of Idea (HI), which attempts to prove the transcendental God as an a priori concept that implies itself as an empirical being or a posteriori phenomenon. On the other hand, “faith” was also the foundation upon which Marx based his interpretation of Kant. Subsequently, in the context of Marx’s dissertation, we clarify the connotations of “reality”, “belief”, and “faith”. “Reality” refers to objects exerting a real force that works on those with faith in their imagination while not necessarily entailing that the imagined object of belief is an empirical one. “Belief” refers either to an opinion (doxa) based on “faith” or to an idea without necessity in the sense of David Hume’s philosophy. As for “faith”, Marx uses this term in the Protestant sense, meaning obedience to the object one believes in, where obedience refers to the absence of self-righteousness. In a state of “faith”, the faithful one possesses “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Finally, on the basis of these two considerations, we reflect on the existing academic interpretations of the theme of this article and highlight some differences between these interpretations and the present article. We show that existing interpretations of Marx’s summary either conflate the two theories of the HI and RB or miss the importance of “faith” in Marx’s arguments. We conclude that Marx, at the time of his dissertation, interpreted the ontological argument by way of the RB, which was based on the concept of “faith”, and that his critical understanding of Kant’s refutation of the ontological proof was founded on the same interpretation.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121427
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Tags: #God #OntologicalArgument #Kant
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God made me this way: same-sex attraction through the lens of evolutionary creation in Christian theology
By Jack A. C. Key, Independent Scholar
In an examination of same-sex attraction through the lens of evolutionary creation and Aquinas’ secondary causality, this paper seeks to challenge the understanding of many Christians today that this trait is a negative result of ‘the fall’. By presenting a new approach called the Evolutionary Evaluation Model, a set of five questions guide this process of fairly evaluating traits in humans today which seem to contradict God’s design for humanity. Using this model to evaluate existing peer-reviewed scientific evidence alongside theological considerations, same-sex attraction appears to have been intentionally designed by God. Within a minority of humans, this trait produces the ability to build social bridges and ensures the survival of their families. Whilst same-sex attraction is not a result of ‘the fall’, such individuals need God’s support to overcome barriers that neutralize the benefits of the trait.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3366/jqs.2024.0584
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Tags: #God #Christianity #Evolution #Gender
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Engaging Jeffrey Koperski’s decretalism: is occasionalism really avoidable?
By Nazif Muhtaroglu, Yale University and
Shoaib Ahmed Malik, University of Edinburgh
This article critically evaluates Jeffrey Koperski’s decretalism, which presents the laws of nature as divine decrees functioning as constraints rather than dynamic forces. Building on his work, we explore whether his model successfully avoids the implications of occasionalism, as he claims. By analysing his latest publications, we first reconstruct Koperski’s argument and then present three key objections. These include (1) issues related to scientific realism, (2) the principle of simplicity, and (3) the reduction of Koperski’s model to occasionalism. We argue that despite his attempts to distinguish his framework, Koperski’s model ultimately collapses into occasionalism due to the continuous divine sustenance required for natural processes. By engaging with recent developments in metaphysical and scientific debates, this article highlights the limitations of Koperski’s decretalism.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3366/jqs.2024.0584
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Tags: #Causality #Kalam #Occasionalism
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On Tang Junyi’s Critique of Anselm’s Argument for the Existence of God
By Yumin Dai, Nanjing University
Anselm’s argument for the existence of God posits that the concept of God inherently implies its existence. Tang Junyi critiques this argument from two fundamental angles. Firstly, he argues that the contingency of human thought places an unwarranted burden of proof on the existence of God, introducing an inherent contradiction within the argument’s premise. Secondly, he contends that Anselm’s argument fails to deduce the existence of God from empirical things. Tang’s empirical approach to critiquing the argument bears a superficial resemblance to St. Thomas Aquinas’s cosmological argument for God’s existence, yet a profound difference exists between the two, precluding their equivalence. Delving deeper, Tang’s critique is rooted in the Confucian philosophy. Nevertheless, Tang’s critique, while insightful, does not fully dismantle Anselm’s argument, underscoring the intrinsic differences and tensions between Chinese and Western perspectives on religion and philosophy.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111374
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Tags: #God #Anselm #Religion
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Genre and Genesis: Locating Covenants in the Qurʾān and the Bible
By Karim Samji, Gettysburg College
The present article considers the intersection between genre and covenant in scripture in order to locate historical covenants and to trace their complex textual boundaries. Standing on the shoulders of Smith, Wellhausen, and Gunkel, the joint legacy left behind by Martin and Albrecht Noth is equally significant for both Biblical and Islamic studies. Nothian scholarship laid solid foundations for reconstructing the history of tribal traditions. Both of them together created a common frame of reference for studying primary and secondary themes (Themen), literary and documentary forms (Formen), introductory and concluding formulas (Formeln), and theological and political perspectives (Tendenzen), in addition to geographical, transitional, and framing devices (Schemata). In spite of this shared scholarly heritage, it appears that both Biblical and Qurʾānic studies have either been talking at cross-purposes or have reached a critical crossroads, as has happened in the case of covenant. All things considered, genre and tradition criticism allow us to move forward beyond the Methodenstreit in covenant studies.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111380
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Tags: #Quran #Bible #Islam #History
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Al-Fārābī’s Poetics Reconsidered
By Syed Maisam Haider Ali Rizvi, University of California
The primary goal of this paper is to read al-Fārābī’s Kitāb al-shiʿr [Book of poetry] between the lines. Though it touches upon his other treatises on poetry and poetics, i.e., Risāla fī qawānīn ṣināʿat al-shuʿarāʾ [Essay on the rules of the art of the poets] and Qawl al-Fārābī fī al-tanāsub wa-l-taʾlīf [al-Fārābī’s saying on harmony and composition), it does so only in passing. Emphasizing the primacy of mimesis (muḥākat) in al-Fārābī’s discussion of poetics, this paper demonstrates how poeticity (shiʿriyya), according to al-Fārābī, goes beyond being a mere “textual” or “oral” quality to even encompass various human actions and activities. In doing so, it also underscores how al-Fārābī’s definition(s) of mimesis is not reducible to comparison, simile, metaphoror even the extended metaphor.
Link: https://doi.org/10.5840/islamicphil202415210
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Tags: #AlFarabi #Philosophy #Arabic
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Ibn ‘Arabī on Divine Atemporality and Temporal Presentism
By Ismail Lala, Gulf University for Science and Technology
Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) is arguably the most influential philosophical mystic in Islam. He is also a presentist. This paper responds to the arguments of contemporary philosophers, Norman Kretzmann, William Lane Craig, Garrett DeWeese, and Alan Padgett, who argue that divine atemporality and temporal presentism are incompatible, through the temporal ontology of Ibn ‘Arabī. Ibn ‘Arabī asserts that all entities in the universe are loci of manifestation of God’s most beautiful Names. These divine Names constitute sensible reality. The principal response of Ibn ‘Arabī to the arguments of contemporary scholars is that the divine Names as they are manifested in the cosmos cannot be conflated with the divine Names as they are in themselves, which, in turn, cannot be conflated with God in His numinous essence. This allows him to simultaneously maintain the atemporality of God and temporal presentism.
Link: https://doi.org/10.14428/thl.v8i1.69673
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Tags: #IbnArabi #God #Time #Presentism
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Eschatology, the Elimination of Evil, and the Ontology of Time
By Andrew Hollingsworth, Temple Baptist Theological Seminary
Part and parcel of the eschatology of the three Abrahamic faiths is the belief that sin and evil will be eliminated upon the consummation of God’s kingdom on earth. Not only do these beliefs affirm that God will ultimately “deal” with the problem of sin and evil, but that sin and evil will be no more. I refer to this eschatological belief as “the elimination of evil” (EOE). The EOE has important implications for how one understands the ontology of time. In this paper, I contribute to this discussion by arguing that ontologies of time that affirm the concrete existence of past moments are incompatible with the EOE. I also argue that solutions based on theories of hypertime, such as those posited by Tyron Goldschmidt and Samuel Lebens, also fail to solve the problems posed to those ontologies of time affirming the concrete existence of the past. I conclude that the ontology of time that best facilitates the EOE is presentism.
Link: https://doi.org/10.14428/thl.v8i1.74563
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Tags: #God #Time #Eschatology #Evil #Presentism
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An Anselmian Defense of Hell
By T. Parker Haratine, University of South Carolina; Kevin A. Smith, Baylor University
This article constructively retrieves St. Anselm of Canterbury’s theory of retributive justice and provides a defense of what can be called the retributive model of hell. In the first part of this article, we develop the place of retributive punishment in Anselm’s thinking and discuss how and when retributive punishment is a good thing. In the second part, we apply Anselm’s thinking on retributive justice to the problem of hell and provide a defense of how hell, defined as a state of receiving retributive, damnatory, and irreversible punishment, is good. We then address a series of objections. Despite some criticism that both Anselm and the retributive model of hell receive in the contemporary literature, Anselm’s account of retributive justice can make unique and constructive contributions to the contemporary discussion of hell; by retrieving and applying Anselm’s thought to the problem of hell, we intend to kill two birds with one stone.
Link: https://doi.org/10.14428/thl.v8i1.67653
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Tags: #Anselm #Hell #PoE #God
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The role of Islamic education teachers in enhancing higher-order thinking: a systematic review
By Sultan Khalaf G Alotaibi, King Saud University
Teaching strategies used by teachers have a direct impact on how well their students learn high-order thinking skills. The purpose of this study was to summarise prior research on the application of higher-order thinking skills from the perspective of a teacher in Islamic education. The PRISMA guidelines were used to search for the relevant literature on five different databases (Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, Google Scholar, and Ovid). One thousand one hundred and fifty-eight relevant studies were found in these databases which were screened for duplicates on Endnote software. The result indicated the main challenges that Islamic education teachers encounter while attempting to teach higher-order thinking skills in their classes. Two of these issues are inadequate professional development and the widespread implementation of conventional teacher-centred practices. Though more people are beginning to recognise the value of critical thinking and problem-solving skills development, there is still a lack of consistency and advancement in their application, especially in areas with inadequate institutional support and policy structures.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2024.2436921
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Tags: #Pedagogy #Religion #ReligiousEducation
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Monotheism and Religious Experience
By Mark Owen Webb, Texas Tech University
In the monotheistic traditions, there are people who report having special experiences that justify their monotheistic beliefs. They see, hear, or otherwise experience directly the one true God, ruler of the universe. In order to understand what is going on in these experiences and how we should respond to reports of these experiences, it is important to understand what religious experiences can and can't be, what the claim of monotheism entails, and therefore how what reports of such experiences mean, both for the experiencer and for the recipient of the report.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108955317
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Tags: #Monotheism #Religion #God #Psychology
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God and Happiness
By Matthew Shea, Franciscan University of Steubenville
This Element explores the connection between God and happiness, with happiness understood as a life of well-being or flourishing that goes well for the one living it. It provides a historical and contemporary survey of philosophical questions, theories, and debates about happiness, and it asks how they should be answered and evaluated from a theistic perspective. The central topics it covers are the nature of happiness (what is it?), the content of happiness (what are the constituents of a happy life?), the structure of happiness (is there a hierarchy of goods?), and the possibility of happiness (can we be happy?). It argues that God's existence has significant, positive, and desirable implications for human happiness.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009270182
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Tags: #God #Spirituality #Theism
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Anglo-Muhammadan Uṣūl al-Fiqh?: The Development of Colonial Legal Theory in British India
By Dr. Sohaira Siddiqui, Georgetown University
The jural colonization of Islamic law in India is predominantly read through the translation of key Ḥanafī fiqh texts in the early colonial period and the adjudication of legal cases relying on these texts. Ostensibly missing in this discussion is uṣūl al-fiqh. To what extent were colonial officials concerned with uṣūl al-fiqh? Were there any texts of uṣūl al-fiqh penned under the guise of jural colonization? And if so, what do these texts reveal about the Ḥanafī tradition in the British colonial period? This essay will analyze the first text of uṣūl al-fiqh, The Principles of Muhammadan Jurisprudence, penned in the late 19th century by a prominent Muslim judge, Abdur Rahim (1867-1952). Abdur Rahim's impetus for writing his text was to respond to specific critiques of Islamic law that characterized it as an incoherent legal system that could not generate legal certainty. Through exploring his text, I argue that despite his lack of ostensible madrasa training, Abdur Rahim situates his text within the intellectual development of the Ḥanafī school. However, because his text was intended for the British colonial elite, he minimizes key features of Ḥanafī uṣūl al-fiqh and ultimately produces a text that reflective more of madhhab eclecticism.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/muwo.12493
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Tags: #Islam #Fiqh #IslamicLaw #History
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Divine Contradiction: replies to critics
By Jc Beall, University of Notre Dame
This is a collection of replies to critics of Divine Contradiction, each critic a symposiast in the Religious Studies symposium on said book.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034412524000283
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Tags: #God #Trinity #Jesus #AnalyticalPhilosophy
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Averroesian Religious Common Sense Natural Theology as Reflective Knowledge in the Form of Teleological Argument
By Kemal Batak, Sakarya University
In his Middle Commentary on Posterior Analytics, the great Aristotelian Commentator Ibn Rushd defines “knowledge” (scientific knowledge, epistemē, ‘ilm) as one of Aristotle’s five intellectual virtues and the faculty of reason, akin to the other virtues, in an Aristotelian way. Ibn Rushd defends the teleological argument, rooted in Aristotle’s teleological reading of nature, and supports the modal strong epistemic status of this argument, which is part of the concept of knowledge, in his early work (Short Commentary on Metaphysics), middle period work (al-Kashf) and late work (Long Commentary on Metaphysics), all in harmony with each other. Ibn Rushd, constructing the teleological argument based on the definition of knowledge, which fundamentally articulates the necessary or essential qualities inherent in objects in defense of de re modality, takes a step that seems quite radical within the context of the Aristotelian epistemic tradition to which he is affiliated: The teleological argument, strongly associated with the concept of knowledge—one of the five intellectual virtues—is presented as a form of deductive inference accessible not only to philosophers but also to ordinary public. In other words, according to him, the argument is both a philosophical and a religious way. This implies, for instance, that natural theology, typically viewed by Aquinas as an activity reserved for the higher epistemic class with talent and leisure, is seen by Ibn Rushd as a robust epistemic activity accessible to ordinary people. This new element, which can be referred to as common sense natural theology, contends that ordinary public knowledge and philosophers’ knowledge differ in details, such as whether it is a simple or complex deductive inference, while remaining the same in terms of their knowledge status.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121429
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Tags: #God #Teleology #Epistemology #Aristotle #IbnRushd
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Religious Doubts and Emotions Toward God in Adolescents: Relation to Self-Esteem and Meaning in Life
By Alice Kosarkova, Palacky University
Religious doubt (RD) and emotions toward God (EtGs) are areas of religiosity and spirituality that can play a role in the development and well-being of youth. The aim of this study is to investigate whether RD and EtGs are related to self-esteem and meaning in life in adolescents and what factors may be associated with them in a secular setting. A sample of Czech adolescents (n = 984, mean age 16.61, SD 1.21; 28% male) participated in the online survey. We measured RD, EtGs, meaning in life (ML) divided into presence (ML-P) and seeking (ML-S), adolescents’ self-esteem (ASE), faith in the adolescent environment, the perception of religion and church, and religious education (RE). RD and negative EtGs were associated with reduced ML-P. Negative EtGs were associated with a reduction in ASE. However, positive EtGs were associated with an increase in ML-P. Respondents experiencing faith in their environment, having a positive view of church and religion, and enriching RE were more likely to report a decrease in RD and an increase in positive EtGs and vice versa. Our findings suggest that RD and EtGs are related to adolescents’ well-being and point to factors to be adequately addressed to minimize the negative impact of RD and promote positive EtGs.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3366/jqs.2024.0584
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Tags: #God #Religion #Spirituality #Pedagogy
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The Prophet Problem
By Reuven Firestone, University Ave
Because scripture represents the direct word of God, it is the most sacred source for authority in the scriptural monotheisms. Scripture is conveyed to humanity through extraordinary individuals known as prophets. But if the purported prophet is a false prophet, then the conveyed message is false, resulting in the collapse of the structure upon which religious authority rests. This problem was recognized in the Hebrew Bible, and accusations of flawed prophecy and deceitful prophets figure prominently in relations between the scriptural monotheisms. Jews do not accept the authenticity of Jesus’ role as messiah (and prophet) in the NT, and Jews and Christians do not accept the authenticity of Muhammad’s role as prophet in the Qur’an. But the rejection is unidirectional. As a rule, established religions cannot accept new prophets, while new religions accept the prophets that lived before, though with certain qualifications. Each of the three classic scriptural monotheisms also declares an “end” to prophecy after the canonization of its scripture. Yet despite these deadlines, each acknowledges that God could nevertheless send another prophet, leaving open the wild card for new prophecy, new revelation, and even new religion; within each of the classic scriptural monotheisms, individuals arose after the canonization of scripture who were deemed by many to be prophets or something “like” prophets. This essay presents a preliminary phenomenology of prophethood, around which much of the religious polemics between the scriptural monotheisms are constructed.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3366/jqs.2024.0584
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Tags: #Prophet #Islam #Christianity #Judaism
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The daʿwa Qur'an? Exploring the Evolution of ʿAbdullah Yūsuf ʿAlī’s Translation
By Charles Ramsey, Baylor University
The Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary by ʿAbdullah Yūsuf ʿAlī (1872–1953) was prepared for daʿwa purposes, to spread the message and guidance of Islam in the English language. The subsequent editorial changes to this translation made in editions published decades later problematise the use of translation in propagating a particular interpretative framework and reflect developments in the practice of daʿwa and in interpretive methodologies during the second half of the twentieth century. This article argues that these interventions in Yusuf Ali's original translation were less to do with the English rendition of the text, and more to do with the paratext that structures the text and filters the experience of the reader.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3366/jqs.2024.0584
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Tags: #Quran #Islam #QuranicStudies
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Propositions with Negative Predicates in Arabic Logic
By Yusuf Daşdemir, University of Jyväskylä
This paper explores a neglected category of propositions in Arabic logic, propositions with negative predicates (sālibat al-maḥmūl), by addressing two pivotal questions concerning this propositional form: first, whether it is possible to defend it as distinct from metathetic and simple negative propositions and second, whether affirmative instances of these propositions have existential import. The paper argues for the existence of two distinct and conflicting theories of existential import frequently implicit in the views of Arabic logicians: one centered on the copula and the other on the predicate.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/01445340.2024.2410107
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Tags: #Arabic #Logic #Negation
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The Concept of Divine Revelation According to Ibn Sînâ and Al-Ghazālī: A Comparative Analysis
By İbrahim Halil Erdoğan
and Sema Eryücel, Akdeniz University
This article examines the conceptions of divine revelation held by two prominent figures in Islamic thought, Ibn Sīnā and Al-Ghazālī, through a comparative lens within the context of metaphysical and epistemological processes. Ibn Sīnā views divine revelation as a metaphysical process occurring at the highest level of intellect. According to him, divine revelation is an abstract reflection of divine knowledge transmitted to the prophet’s imaginative faculty through the Active Intellect. This process, explained within a philosophical framework, is grounded in the development of human intellectual capacity. In contrast, Ghazālī defines divine revelation as a mystical experience and considers it a divine encounter beyond the limits of human reason. For Ghazālī, divine revelation manifests as an expression of God’s attribute of speech and occurs solely by divine will. Moreover, this experience cannot be fully comprehended by reason. Ghazālī’s approach, imbued with Sufi depth, regards divine revelation as an integral part of spiritual growth. This article explores the fundamental similarities and differences between these two thinkers’ understandings of divine revelation and metaphysics. By analyzing how Ibn Sīnā’s reason-based approach intersects and diverges from Ghazālī’s intuition and inspiration-based Sufi approach, this study provides an in-depth examination of how the concept of divine revelation has been shaped within Islamic theology and philosophy, highlighting the contributions of both thinkers to the discourse on divine revelation.
Link: https://doi.org/10.5840/islamicphil202415210
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Tags: #IbnSina #Ghazali #Islam #God
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Al-Junayd’s Epistemic Definition of Monotheism (tawḥīd) and his Theory of Self-Consciousness
By Ahmed Abdel Meguid, American University of Cairo
The objective of this study is to present a new argument for understanding the philosophical roots of Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd’s (d. 909/297) ambiguous definition of monotheism (tawḥīd). Al-Junayd defines tawḥīd in terms of separating the eternally existing (qadīm) from the temporally generated (muḥdath). This study argues that Plato’s distinction between “that which is and always is” and “that which comes to be and never is” in the Timaeus better clarifies neglected aspects of al-Junayds’s definition than the orthodox Neo-Platonic interpretation put forward by Ali Hassen Abdel Kader. Given the lacuna of historically decisive textual evidence in support of either interpretation, this study will demonstrate how the Platonic distinction, which was widely circulating in the theological and philosophical circles of the ninth and early tenth century Baghdad, better furnishes a more coherent interpretation of al-Junayd’s positions. The first part of the study suggests that al-Junayd’s definition of tawḥīd could best be described as a creatively epistemic appropriation and development of the Platonic essentially metaphysical distinction. Through a careful examination of his theory of self-consciousness, the second part of the study explains how al-Junayd developed his epistemic definition of tawḥīd in response to the charges of pantheism addressed to Sufisms. This examination will further support my claim that a Platonic, rather than a Neo-Platonic, framework better explains the philosophical foundation of al-Junayd’s conception and definition of monotheism. I conclude by indicating how this study’s results contribute to the larger scholarship on philosophy and formation of early Sufism.
Link: https://doi.org/10.5840/islamicphil20241529
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Tags: #Islam #Monotheism #Sufism #History
