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Holistic Determinism and God’s Action in Nature’s World: David Bohm and Quantum Theology
By Carl Peterson, Columbus State University; Ted Peters, Graduate Theological Union
Can a theology of divine action within nature's world be rendered coherent and consonant with (1) classical determinism, as plied by Newtonian mechanics? No! With (2) quantum indeterminism as plied by Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg? Yes! With (3) holistic determinism as plied by David Bohm? Maybe, if we take the perspective of proleptic holism. The proleptic theist will test the viability of downward causation from whole to part and future to past, knowing that the whole of the history of God's creation is only proleptically complete.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/14746700.2025.2592327
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Tags: #Science #Determinism #QuantumTheology
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Ibn Rushd on Miracles: Between Natural Law and Public Belief
By Maryam A. Alsayyed, Institut Français du Proche-Orient
This article explores the philosophical foundations of religion in Ibn Rushd’s thought, with particular attention to his treatment of miracles. It argues that Ibn Rushd relocates the discussion of miracles from the domain of natural philosophy to that of practical philosophy, where religion fulfills a civic and ethical function by shaping public belief and encouraging virtuous action. The study begins by examining Ibn Rushd’s critical engagement with the Ashʿarī theologians, focusing on his deconstruction of their arguments on miracles and his rejection of al-Ghazālī’s occasionalism in the debate over causality and the proof of miracles. It then turns to Ibn Rushd’s constructive position, which rests on three central elements: first, belief in miracles is fundamental to religious faith and not open to philosophical dispute; second, the miracle that validates prophethood consists in the establishment of divine laws that regulate thought and conduct; and third, this conception is grounded in the Qurʾān, representing the most authentic understanding of revelation. While the primary aim of the article is to clarify Ibn Rushd’s philosophical account of miracles and his reorientation of the debate toward practical philosophy, it also highlights his broader concern with the role of Sharīʿa in guiding communal beliefs and moral practices. This study also brings to light Ibn Rushd’s reliance on tawātur as a form of self-evident knowledge that secures certainty without the need for rational proof.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121516
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Tags: #Miracles #IbnRushd #Religion
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From “What” Makes It Miraculous to “How” It Is Miraculous: The Qurʾān’s Methodological Revolution
By Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour, Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies
This article reinterprets the doctrine of iʿjāz al-Qurʾān (the inimitability of the Qurʾān) by shifting the question from whatmakes the Qurʾān miraculous to how it is miraculous. It argues that the Qurʾān’s primary miracle lies not merely in its content, i.e., its eloquence or correspondence with scientific truth, but in its method: the transformation of the very frameworks through which knowledge, reason, and revelation were understood. Using Muḥammad ʿĀbid al-Jābirī’s tripartite epistemology of bayān (expressive reasoning), burhān(demonstrative reasoning), and ʿirfān (reflective reasoning) together with Gadamer’s “fusion of horizons,” the article argues that the Qurʾān can be read as fusing and transcending these three systems, uniting Arabic eloquence, Greek rationalism, and Persian–gnostic spirituality into a single, holistic discourse. Through close analysis of key passages, such as Abraham’s dialectical reasoning in Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ and the metaphysics of light in Āyat al-Nūr, the article shows how the Qurʾān integrates poetic language, rational argument, and mystical depth to create an epistemic design that addresses intellect, emotion, and spirit simultaneously. This synthesis allows the Qurʾān to be interpreted, within classical and later exegetical traditions, not only as a linguistic or theological miracle but as a paradigmatic reconfiguration of cognition: one that these traditions understood as teaching readers how to think, reflect, and awaken.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17010037
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Tags: #Quran #God #Islam #Miracle
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Descartes, Principal Attributes, and God
By Eric Stencil, Utah Valley University
Scholars generally agree that René Descartes's God has no principal attribute. In this paper, I argue against this consensus. More specifically, I argue that Descartes's God's principal attribute is infiniteness qua ontological independence. Descartes's God is a res infinita in very much the same way as a mind is a res cogitans and a body is a res extensa. In order to make my case, I begin in section 1 with Descartes's account of principal attributes and argue that nothing about this account precludes God's having one. In section 2, I offer a prima facie case for the view that God's principal attribute is infiniteness qua ontological independence. And in section 3, I consider several passages which reveal the central role ontological independence plays in Descartes's account of God's nature and other attributes. I conclude that Descartes's God's principal attribute is infiniteness qua ontological independence.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/ejop.70045
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Tags: #Descartes #God #Metaphysics
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Certain Human Doubt
By Ahmed Amer, Santa Clara University
Professor Green's eloquent provocations encourage technological humility. Modern human advances, like the production of energy that surpasses Zeus's lightning, and computing power that seems to dwarf humans' ability to remember and calculate, can indeed be seen as a “power of the gods,” tempting us toward hubris. Green wisely cautions against such temptation, but as a computer scientist and in light of theological teachings (particularly Islamic teachings emphasizing intellectual humility), I urge that such humility must not be limited to our view of technology, but that to claim any special worthiness, humanity must hold a certain doubt about human exceptionalism.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/14746700.2025.2592345
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Tags: #Islam #Gods #Theology
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Defending the Gate of Inimitability: Abū Rashīd al-Naysābūrī (d. After 415/1024) and the Freethinker Critiques
By Omar Aladwani, SOAS University of London
The intellectual legacy of the Baṣrān Muʿtazila has had a profound and lasting impact on the development of discussions on Qurʾānic inimitability. Numerous writings have been composed by Baṣrān Muʿtazila on the topic; among them is Iʿjāz al-Qurʾān by Abū Rashīd al-Naysābūrī, an unpublished manuscript preserved in the King Saud University Library under the number 7752. This paper focuses on the development of al-Naysābūrī’s understanding of Qurʾānic inimitability in the context of this manuscript, especially analysing his reception of early Muʿtazilī (specifically Bahshamī) thoughts on Qurʾānic inimitability. Moreover, it pays particular attention to al-Naysābūrī’s engagement with the critiques directed against the Bahshamī theory of Qurʾānic inimitability. This paper adopts a source-criticism approach to studying the manuscript and evaluating the historical development of its contents. It argues that the theoretical foundation underlying the theory of miraculous eloquence developed by ʿAbd al-Jabbār drew al-Naysābūrī’s attention towards a deep engagement with hypothetical dialogues inspired by the refutations of questions concerning Qurʾānic inimitability posed by the freethinkers’ movement. This engagement prompted al-Naysābūrī to adopt and assess numerous hypothetical frameworks and conditional views, including the ṣarfa theory, in his defence of Qurʾānic inimitability. This approach of addressing the freethinker critiques aligns greatly with the dynamic and responsive nature of Baṣrān Muʿtazila’s thoughts against freethinkers’ movement.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121584
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Tags: #Islam #Quran #History #Miracles
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Using the concept of the Mashwarah in family group conferences with British muslim families
By Deanna Edwards, University of Salford
This paper makes use of a case study approach to explore the use of Family Group Conferences (FGCs) with British Muslim families. In particular, it focuses upon the use of the concept of Mashwarah (here defined as consultation and deliberation) by the FGC coordinator to build relationships and trust with families. It discusses the importance of a culturally competent approach to FGCs, which includes the importance of faith. It debates whether this needs to include the employment of Muslim FGC coordinators to work with British Muslim families.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2025.2601981
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Tags: #Islam #Sociology #Muslims
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Anselm's Temporal-Ontological Proof
By Daniel Rubio, Toronto Metropolitan University
In his Reply to Gaunilo, Anselm presented two additional arguments for the existence of God beyond those that appear in the Proslogion. In “The Logical Structure of Anselm's Argument,” Robert M. Adams isolates each. One, he develops into a modal ontological argument along the lines of other 20th century ontological arguments (e.g., those of Malcolm, Hartshorne, and Plantinga). The other he sets aside with the following remark: “[this argument] turns on the philosophy of time, not the philosophy of logic.” Now the argument's time has come. In this paper, I show the following: (i) this argument is valid in system K, and so requires fewer logical resources than other modal ontological arguments; (ii) its axiological premise is plausible, requiring only the judgment that a perfect being cannot begin to exist, and can be defended; (iii) its metaphysical premise follows from David Lewis's recombination approach to modal plenitude; (iv) unlike other modal ontological arguments, it requires as a premise only that a perfect being is possible, not that one is necessarily possible; and (v) while it avoids parodies and the charge of begging the question, it does face a symmetry counterargument, although one that is more complicated than standard symmetry objections.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/nous.70028
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Tags: #Anselm #God #Philosophy
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Treaty (Mu’ahada) Making in Islam
By Labeeb Ahmed Bsoul, Khalifa University
This study explores the concept and practice of treaty-making within the Islamic tradition, delving into its theological, legal, and historical underpinnings. The study highlights the principles and processes that have governed treaty-making in Islam by examining key sources such as the Qur’an, Hadith, and classical Islamic jurisprudence. The research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the drafting, negotiation, and implementation of treaties within an Islamic context, focusing on the ethical and legal norms that guided Muslim rulers and states in their engagements with Muslim and non-Muslim entities. Through analysis of notable historical treaties and the jurisprudential debates surrounding them, the study underscores the significance of treaties in Islamic governance and diplomacy, offering insights into how these practices have evolved.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17010018
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Tags: #Religion #Islam #IslamicLaw #Quran
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A Comparative Analysis of Woman Imagery in Imruʾ al-Qays’ Muʿallaqaand the Qurʾānic Depiction of Ḥūr al-ʿĪn
By Ahmed Ali Hussein Al-Ezzi, Dumlupinar University; Soner Aksoy, Sakin Taş, Sakarya University
This study explores the Qurʾānic portrayal of ḥūr al-ʿīn in relation to pre-Islamic poetic traditions, with a particular focus on Imruʾ al-Qays’s Muʿallaqa—a foundational text in Arabic love poetry. It aims to examine how the Qurʾān reconfigures familiar expressions of female beauty—such as luʾluʾ al-maknūn, qāṣirātu al-ṭarf, kawāʿib atrāban, ʿuruban, and abkāran—within a spiritual and eschatological framework. The research problem centers on understanding the rhetorical and semantic shift from the sensual, body-centered depictions of women found in Imruʾ al-Qays’s couplet to the morally elevated and symbolically charged representations presented in the Qurʾān. Using a comparative textual analysis method, the study draws on classical tafsīr literature and selected passages from Muʿallaqa to trace the semantic transformation of key terms and metaphors. The findings demonstrate that while the Qurʾān retains the linguistic forms and imagery familiar to its audience—including poetic conventions of beauty from Imruʾ al-Qays—it redirects them toward a higher moral and theological purpose. Female beauty becomes not a site of fleeting desire, but a symbol of divine reward, integrating physical perfection with spiritual purity. Ultimately, the research argues that the Qurʾān does not reject the aesthetic legacy of pre-Islamic poetry, but absorbs and elevates it, establishing a new rhetorical paradigm grounded in revelation and ethical transcendence. This study encourages further comparative research between Qurʾānic discourse and early Arabic poetry to illuminate the cultural and expressive transformations shaped by Islam.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17010022
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Tags: #Religion #Islam #Quran #Women
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Modelling the Divine
By Ben Page, Eton College
There are different approaches to modelling the divine, with each raising questions one needs to consider when employing them to produce a model. Outlining some of the most widely used methods is one of the goals of this Element, providing something of an introductory 'how-to' guide for divine modelling. Through discussing what models are, the different sources of data acquisition, how to acquire data via reason, how to sort data, and what we might think a model provides us with, this Element aims to give readers the resources to take on the task of modelling informatively and effectively for themselves.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009270991
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Tags: #Religion #God #Theology
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Ecotheological Implications of the Qur’anic Verses on Tawbah(Repentance): An Analysis from a Sufi Perspective
By Ibrahim Ero, Trabzon University
This study examines the ecotheological implications attributed to tawbah (repentance) in the Qur’an and the interpretations of the subject by Sufi exegetes. While numerous Qur’anic verses address tawbah, some indicate that it extends beyond the forgiveness of individual sins to encompass ecological consequences. In the Sufi exegetical tradition, tawbah is interpreted as a bridge between the transformation/awareness of the heart and the divine order of nature. The central research question of this study concerns how Sufi interpretations, in light of the relevant Qur’anic verses, contribute an ecotheological perspective to human–nature relations. In this context, the transformative power of tawbah in fostering awareness of oneself and one’s environment is examined from a Sufi perspective. The secondary problem of this study is the analysis of Sufi interpretations concerning the ecological afflictions encountered by individuals and societies as a consequence of the absence of repentance, as well as the psychological states of those subjected to such afflictions. Sufi scholars fundamentally associate environmental crises with the spiritual corruption of individuals and, more broadly, society, arguing that tawbah is not merely a process of spiritual purification but also provides a foundation for developing ethical and responsible engagement with the environment. Their ecotheological interpretations demonstrate that tawbah can serve as a spiritual and ethical basis for addressing environmental problems and support environmentally oriented behavioral models.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121529
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Tags: #Religion #Islam #Quran #Sufism
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Incorporating religious moderation values into the Islamic religious education curriculum in secondary education: a systematic review of goals, experiences, methods, and evaluation
By Abdul Muis, Universitas Islam Negeri Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq Jember
Religious moderation, or wasatiyyah in Arabic, refers to the principle of balance in faith, practice, and social interaction within Islam. It is, therefore, an essential aspect of Islamic religious education which promotes tolerance, justice, and inclusivity. However, the systematic integration of these values into the secondary school curriculum development remains underexplored. Grounded in Tyler’s model of curriculum development (1949), this study examines how religious moderation is embedded in the curriculum through learning goals, learning experiences, teaching methods, and assessment systems. This qualitative systematic review approach employs the PRISMA method, analysing articles from Scopus and Web of Science indexed journals published between 2015 and (early March) 2025. The findings highlight the representation of moderation values in Islamic religious education enacted across secondary education institutions. Furthermore, they identify key strategies through which religious moderation can be effectively integrated into the Islamic religious education curriculum in secondary education. This study provides practical recommendations for educators and policymakers to design a more adaptive curriculum that strengthens religious moderation values in secondary schools.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2025.2598619
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Tags: #Religion #Islam #Pedogogy
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Generative AI and Theology: A Three-Year Retrospective
By Mark Graves, Fuller Theological Seminary
In November 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, making accessible the transformative potential of Generative AI that had been emerging within the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) research communities. Soon after, the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences and the AI and Faith community of experts began collaborating on an AI and Faith editorial series to explore the theological and ethical implications of emerging AI technologies. As the ninth installment in the series, the present editorial reflects over the past three years, reviews those earlier editorials and some additional publications, and reexamines some significant changes since 2022.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/14746700.2025.2592326
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Tags: #Religion #Science #AI #Theology
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The Aḥmad Enigma: Unveiling Qur’anic and Matthean Scriptural Engagements
By Hadi Taghavi & Alireza Heidari
Through meticulous philological analysis of Arabic, Syriac and Greek lexica, this study posits that Qur’an 61.6–9 manifests a purposeful literary, contextual and etymological engagement with Matthew 12.16–31, proposing a novel interpretation of the qur’anic reference to aḥmad. Surmounting the hitherto common association of aḥmad in Q 61.6 with the Johannine Paraclete discourse, the research contends that the term aḥmad functions not merely as a proper noun or superlative adjective, but as a verbal construction – ‘I [God] praise’ – functioning as a citational echo of the divine declaration in Matthew 12.18: ‘whom I desire, in whom my soul delights’. This specific connection intimates that the qur’anic islām(‘self-surrender to God’) actualizes the Matthean malkūteh da-llāhā (‘the Kingdom of God’), positioning divine sovereignty within the human heart. A salient insight of this Isaianic-Matthean-qur’anic parallelism resides in underscoring the core concept of dīn as ‘divine judgement’, rather than merely ‘religion’, powerfully evoking the semantic domain of dīn in the frequent qur’anic phrase yawm al-dīn (‘the Day of Judgement’). The study furthermore asserts that Sūrat al-Ṣaff’s thematic nexus centres on the ultimate manifestation of ‘the light of God’ and ‘the judgement of truth’, superseding earlier interpretations that prioritized martial exhortation.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/09596410.2025.2592172
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Tags: #Religion #Quran #Islam #God
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Omnisubjectivity as a Divine Attribute from Islamic Perspective
By Kemal Kikanovic, University of Bonn; Enis Doko, Ibn Haldun University
The paper aims to demonstrate how the concept of omnisubjectivity can be drawn upon in an attempt to solve philosophical problems pertinent to the divine attribute of omniscience in the Islamic context. Notably, we will address the charge that the concept of omniscience is logically impossible and incoherent. We will argue that omnisubjectivity could be an attribute of God in the Islamic paradigm. Furthermore, we will show that this attribute can be inferred from the primary Islamic source; the Qur’an, and that it sufficiently responds to the historical problems in terms of understanding omniscience faced by Islamic philosophers and theologians. We will argue that omnisubjectivity fulfills the conditions of both groups without facing common problems. Lastly, we will mention the benefits of adopting this model and show some philosophical and theological implications within an Islamic framework.
Link: https://doi.org/10.14428/thl.v9i2.86823
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Tags: #Islam #Omniscience #Quran #God
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Why Revelation Cannot Favor Panpsychism Over Physicalism
By Songchi Lin, Xiamen University
The revelation thesis, namely the claim that introspection or phenomenal concepts reveal the full essence of conscious states, has recently become a central topic in the philosophy of mind. On the one hand, many argue that the plausibility of anti-physicalist arguments (such as conceivability arguments) depends on it. On the other hand, the revival of panpsychism has also invoked the revelation thesis against physicalism. However, physicalists have pointed out that if the revelation thesis is true, panpsychism faces a parallel difficulty. David Chalmers has proposed a strategy, which I call the distinction strategy (DS) that seeks to defend panpsychism by distinguishing between the essence of phenomenal properties and their grounds. However, this proposal faces a dilemma: either it fails to genuinely rescue panpsychism, or it can equally be used to rescue physicalism. Consequently, Chalmers's proposal does not render panpsychism superior to physicalism, and the revelation thesis cannot serve as a reliable weapon for panpsychists against physicalism. Finally, this paper will offer further reflections on this debate.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/rati.70015
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Tags: #Panpsychism #Physicalism #Religion
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Ṣibghat Allāh in Q 2.138: A New Reading of the Qur’an in Light of pre-Islamic Christian Literature
By Ana Davitashvili, University of Tübingen
Scholars of Qur’anic Studies have commonly highlighted the relationship between ṣibghat allāh in Q 2.138, millat Ibrāhīm (‘the religion of Abraham’) in Q 2.135 and Christian baptism. Contrary to previous scholarship, this article proposes that ṣibghat allāhrelates to āmannā bi-llāhi wa-mā unzila ilaynā (‘we believe in God and what was sent down to us’) in Q 2.136, the baptismal rite inclusive of chrismation, and the Eucharist. In the baptismal rite and the Eucharist, humans acquire the dye of God and Christ by means of purification by and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Through the baptismal rite, the Holy Spirit purifies and begins to dwell in the baptized person. During the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit transforms the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ and remains present in them upon consumption, while the recipient receives the body and blood, is purified and becomes one with God, united with Christ. By contrast, in the Qur’an, if humans have faith in God and all His revelations including the Qur’an, they acquire the dye of God. Acquiring the dye of God nonetheless remains linked to purification and the Holy Spirit, given that, in Q 2.129, 151; 3.164; 62.2 and 5.41, humans are purified via faith and God’s revelation, the Qur’an, and, in Q 58.22, those who have faith written upon their hearts are strengthened with God’s spirit.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/09596410.2025.2592171
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Tags: #Quran #God #Islam #Christianity
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Ethics and Theism
By Bruce A. Russell, Wayne State University
In this essay I argue that there are necessarily true synthetic a priori moral propositions whose truth does not depend on the existence of God. To make my case, I appeal to an analogy with arithmetic truths such as 2 + 2 = 4 whose truth does not depend on the existence of God. I criticize views like Peter Railton’s that hold that moral truths are like truths about natural kinds such as water and heat, and non-cognitivists who hold that there are no robust moral truths. The point of my criticisms is to answer challenges to my view that there are necessarily true synthetic a priori moral propositions and, in the case of Railton, to block an argument by Robert Adams for a Divine Command Theory of ethics. Second, I argue by example that there can be conflicts between what is best for me and those for whom I care and what is morally required that cannot be reconciled by a theistic ethics. It can be rational to violate moral requirements that have the same contents as the commands of a loving God even if there would be most reason to adhere to those requirements IF God exists, just as it can be rational to leave your umbrella at home even if there would be most reason to take it IF it rained. This will be true regardless of whether the reason to adhere to God’s commands, IF God exists, is because our greatest good is the love of God (and that requires adhering to his commands) or because God will punish you if you do not and reward you if you do. The problem of evil is the primary reason to believe that God does not exist, and so to believe that there are no divine commands that there would be most reason to follow if God did exist.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121575
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Tags: #Islam #God #Theism #DCT #Ethics
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Miracles Between Modern Science and Classical Thought: A Contemporary Perspective
By Suleyman Sertkaya, Charles Sturt University
This paper explores the function of miracles in classical and modern Islamic theology, focusing particularly on Fethullah Gülen’s interpretation and its relevance to contemporary discussions on revelation, rationality, and science. Traditionally, miracles are viewed as divine signs confirming prophethood by surpassing natural laws and serving as challenges to disbelievers. While classical scholars upheld their evidentiary role, modern thinkers—under the influence of positivism and rationalism—have sought to reinterpret or dismiss their validity, particularly sensory or physical miracles. In this context, Gülen presents a distinctive perspective that reframes miracles not merely as supernatural phenomena, but as signs pointing to both spiritual truths and technological inspiration. Drawing from the insights of Said Nursi, Gülen highlights how prophetic miracles have anticipated and guided scientific advancements, thereby integrating material progress with spiritual wisdom. Gülen’s holistic understanding of human nature and prophetic guidance, rooted in the concept of human beings as the most refined creation (ahsani taqwīm), positions prophets as leaders of both spiritual and intellectual advancement. This dual role challenges the perceived conflict between revelation and reason, asserting that rationality reaches its full potential only when informed by prophetic insight. The paper also situates Gülen’s thought within broader modern theological discourses, particularly in response to critiques that Islam is incompatible with science. Gülen affirms the necessity of revelation not as a hindrance to rational inquiry but as its essential guide, likening prophets to expert physicians who administer the elixir of revelation to protect and elevate the human mind. By analysing Gülen’s approach to miracles and prophetic intellect (fatānah), this paper argues that his theology offers a balanced framework for reconciling religion and science, and contributes a meaningful response to contemporary debates surrounding the rationality of faith and the enduring relevance of prophethood.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121579
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Tags: #Islam #Modernism #Prophet #Miracles
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A Miracle for Whom? Al-Sharīf Al-Murtaḍā’s Theory of Audience-Relative Miracles
By MohammadReza Moini, University of Tehran
This article examines the theory of miracles formulated by the distinguished Shī’ī-Mu’tazilī theologian, al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā (965–1044 CE), specifically to contextualize his controversial doctrine of Qurʾānic iʿjāz, known as ṣarfah. The study reconstructs al-Murtaḍā’s general theory of miracles by analyzing his primary works and comparing his positions with standard Muʿtazilī theology. The investigation focused on how his metaphysical and moral frameworks interact to define the nature of miracles. I argue that al-Murtaḍā articulated a “minimal theory of miracles,” wherein miracles function as restricted, localized, and audience-relative “breaches of norms” (khawāriq al-ʿādāt) rather than violations of universal laws. In his view, miracles are morally necessary but temporally restricted acts of God, designed solely to authenticate a prophet to their immediate community. Al-Murtaḍā’s theory shifts the evidential burden of prophetic proof—including the Qur’ān—from continuing intrinsic supernatural qualities to discrete historical testimony. Finally, this study suggests that al-Murtaḍā appears to offer a rationally coherent alternative notion of miracles, that may well succeed from some of the most pressing contemporary intellectual challenges.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121592
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Tags: #Islam #Occasionalism #Morality #God #Miracles
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Powers of the Soul Beyond AI
By Angus John Louis Menuge, Concordia University Wisconsin
Could Large Language Models (LLMs) exhibit rational characteristics traditionally attributed to the human soul? I argue that five features of human rationality will likely remain beyond LLMs and other adaptive physical systems. Insight into truth: using billions of pages of text, a LLM may harvest a sound rule of inference. However the LLM has no insight into why the rule is true. Meta-insight: both humans and machines can follow instructions that constitute an infinite loop. Yet humans can, but machines cannot, recognize that they are in an infinite loop. Free will: once humans realize they are trapped in a loop, they can exercise free will to break out of the loop. By contrast, when a machine is trapped in an infinite loop, an external intervention is required to end the task. Access to necessary conceptual relations: LLMs are inductive learners and cannot justify universal necessary truths. By contrast, a human being can, via insight, see that a conceptual relation is necessarily true. Non-combinatorial creativity: LLMs can recombine the products of human creativity in amazing ways. But unlike humans, they cannot use universal concepts to find a possible item that is not derived from items already instantiated in the world.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17010008
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Tags: #AI #Soul #Metaphysics
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An Abduction About Aristotle’s Apagoge with Inspiration from al-Fārābī
By Mahdi Azimi and Morteza Motavalli, University of Tehran;
In the Prior Analytics, book 2, chapter 25, Aristotle presents a strange type of argument called apagoge. Some, such as Ross, consider the situation in this chapter problematic, and some, such as Peirce, do not. Ross believes that apagoge is a semi-demonstrative, semi-dialectical syllogism, in the form of the first figure, with a probable conclusion that is obtained from a more probable minor premise with an apodictic major premise. Peirce says that apagogeis the very abduction or −in a more recent term−inference to the best explanation. Al-Fārābī, however, without explicitly discussing apagoge, replaces it with the Arabic translation of epagoge, i.e. ‘ 'istiqrā’ (induction)’, which inspires the hypothesis that apagoge is a miswriting of epagoge. Inspired by al-Fārābī’s words, we formulate another abduction, based on which the strange and problematic situation of Chapter 25 is explained by accepting the hypothesis that apagoge is a miswriting of epagoge. However, this reading is neither economical nor consistent.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/01445340.2025.2587538
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Tags: #Aristotle #AlFarabi #Philosophy
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Word Pairs as Rhetorical Elements in the Qurʾān: In Memoriam Alexander Sima (1969–2004)
By Kathrin Müller, Independent Researcher
Anyone who starts reading the Qurʾān out of linguistic and literary interest—whether in the original language or in a translation—very quickly becomes aware of the strong rhetorical effect of the text in its forcefulness and intensity. But by what means is this effect achieved? One means is duality, which, in Arabic, is already inherent in thought through the existence of the dual between singular and plural and is therefore of particular importance. The constantly repeated mention of God’s attributes in the Qurʾān—usually two terms of similar meaning, such as ġafūrun raḥīmun “All-forgiving, All-compassionate” (Arberry) or ʿalīmun ḥakīmun“All-knowing, All-wise” (Arberry)—determines the text as caesuras, and a second term is also often added to other terms in order to emphasise and intensify the statement, such as mā la-hū min waliyyin wa-lā naṣīrin “to have neither protector nor helper.” The phenomenon of merism—the totality ‘everything,’ ‘everywhere,’ and ‘always’ expressed by two opposing terms—is also used in the Qurʾān, for example, in ẓāhirun/bāṭinun “inward/outward,” meaning ‘all.’
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17010019
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Tags: #Religion #Islam #Quran #God
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The Disaffected Wife: Reinterpreting Nushūz, Authority, and Punishment in Qurʾān 4:34
By Fateme Najjarzadehgan, University of Tehran
In this research, I examine the concept of nushūzas it appears in verses 34 and 128 of Surah An-Nisāʾ, tracing its interpretive development across classical and modern Islamic discourse. I explore how exegetes have understood nushūz to include resentment, defiance, challenges to spousal authority, and a desire for separation, as well as how more recent interpretations associate it with spousal infidelity.
These readings are considered in relation to pre-Islamic and early Islamic sources. While the former approach has shaped Islamic legal and social norms for centuries, the latter seeks to harmonize Qurʾānic teachings with contemporary perspectives on gender equality and human rights.
The analysis follows a three-phase framework: (1) a linguistic study to assess the term’s consistency with Qurʾānic usage and structural patterns; (2) a contextual study to evaluate its coherence within the immediate passage and thematically related verses; and (3) an isnād–matn analysis of relevant narrations (ḥadīth reports) to examine their transmission chains and textual variations.
This re-examination proposes a revised understanding of nushūz as a state of relational estrangement or disaffection. This definition invites a reinterpretation of several key elements: the identification of the subjects in verse 34; the relationship between nushūz and the expressions al-lātī takhāfūna and fa in aṭa’nakum; the connection between nushūz and the description of al-ṣāliḥāt women; the meaning and practical application of the three prescribed measures (ʿiẓūhunna, uhjurūhunna fī al-maḍājiʿ, and iḍribūhunna); and its relationship to related passages, including al-Nisāʾ 4:35 and al-Baqarah 2:229.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/muwo.70018
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Tags: #Religion #Islam #Quran #Hadith
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Ibn Battuta’s Journey–Analytical Study: Eliciting Values and Curious Customs from Ibn Battuta’s Journey: “Tuhfat An-Nuzzar fi Ghara’ibal-Amsar wa-‘Aja’ib Al-Asfar”
By Gamal Adawi, The College of Sakhnin
The research aims to derive the positive and negative values and strange habits included in Ibn Battuta’s journey called “Tuhfat An-Nuzzar fi Ghara’ibal-Amsar wa-‘Aja’ib Al-Asfar” by Shams al-Din bin Abdullah al-Lawati, the Moroccan al-Tanji, known as Ibn Battuta (d. 1377 AD), presented and investigated by Ali al-Muntasir al-Katani (D.T), which was included in Ibn Battuta’s trip, to the peoples of the countries he visited on the African and Asian continents. A total of 440 respondents participated in the study: 195 teachers in the supplementary track and 245 fourth-year regular track students at an Arab College of Education from all disciplines: early childhood, Arabic language, science, mathematics and computer science, English language, and special education. The respondents were asked to select an enrichment text or a story of one or more pages from Ibn Battuta’s travels, with the aim of eliciting the positive and negative values and strange customs of the peoples and countries Ibn Battuta visited in Africa and Asia. The study results indicated that Ibn Battuta’s travelogue, “Tuhfat An-Nuzzar fi Ghara’ibal-Amsar wa-‘Aja’ib Al-Asfar,” is considered an important literary reference, rich with texts and stories from which we can deduce the values and customs of the people of the countries Ibn Battuta visited in Africa and Asia. Teachers can use this information for discussion and constructive dialogue with their students in schools, in various educational subjects such as social studies, religion, literature, Arabic language, history, and geography. Most of the study participants support the idea of integrating Ibn Battuta’s travelogue into various lessons. The study recommends the importance of integrating and expanding it to include other subjects in schools, colleges, and universities. This integration should be systematically built around various activities that achieve “meaningful learning,” ensure active student participation, and enhance value for the learner and society. In conclusion, I recommend conducting detailed studies and research on the educational values derived from travel literature.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121520
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Tags: #Religion #Islam #History
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Policing (Im)Modesty in Modest Fashion: Islamic Feminist Renegotiations of Modesty in Influencer Culture
By Inaash Islam, College of the Holy Cross
This article examines how Muslimah influencers based in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are policed for, and negotiate with the policing of their Islamic modesty in influencer culture. Data come from interviews with 14 Muslimah influencers, and a survey distributed amongst 188 self-identified followers of Muslim female influencers. Findings show that Muslimah influencers are policed by their followers, fellow modest fashion participants, and sometimes their families for prioritizing their nafs(self), violating Islamic principles of awrah(covering of private parts), and inviting their sexualization by others through the pursuit of influencer celebrity. Data show that Muslimah influencers respond to this policing through Islamic feminist Ijtihād (critical reasoning), positing their aesthetic labor as a form of dawah(proselytizing). This article argues that Muslimah influencers operate as ‘pious critical agents’ who employ Islamic feminism to broaden understandings of modesty as it operates in the lived realities of Muslim women in anti-Muslim contexts.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2025.2598619
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Tags: #Religion #Islam #Feminism #Sociology
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The Veil in the Abrahamic Faiths: A Cross-National Analysis
By Mansoor Moaddel, The University of Maryland
Explanations for veiling among Muslim women fall into two main clusters of ethnographic studies. The first, from the 1990s, sees veiling as an accommodation strategy through which women navigate tensions between autonomy and patriarchy or subvert such norms to cultivate piety—though the evidence still reflects fundamentalism's influence. The second, emerging after the 2011 Arab Spring, focuses on women doffing the veil. Viewed together, the two reflect the spirit of their times: veiling aligned with the rise of fundamentalism, unveiling with its decline. Using a clash-of-values framework, this paper analyzes data from 10 Middle Eastern countries and among adherents of the Abrahamic faiths. Findings show veiling preference skews more conservative in fundamentalist contexts, while liberal ones support more relaxed dress codes. Sartorial conservatism weakens with greater female employment and social media access, but strengthens in countries with more men and younger populations. At the individual level, conservative veiling correlates with stronger fundamentalist orientation, religiosity, and support for gender segregation, but weakens among those committed to liberal values or with higher socioeconomic status. Since clothing projects power, future research should examine how the nature of political power mediates religion–clothing dynamics.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.70013
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Tags: #Religion #Islam #Sociology
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An Exploration into a Decenteredness: A Multireligious Approach to Science and Religions
By Greg Cootsona, California State University
This paper explores a decentered, multireligious approach to science. It first looks at three broad waves in religious studies with a focus on the third, which features leading voices like George Lindbeck and Stephen Prothero. It then brings this approach into an interchange with science. Next, it presents A. N. Whitehead’s philosophy through what Michael Welker has called a “polycontextual” and “multi-perspectively adjusted” concept of the world. It closes with one specific example of reframing how science and religion can interact and three implications for helping unwind the predominant models that have shaped and constrained the field.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/14746700.2025.2592339
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Tags: #Religion #Science #God
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Monotheism and Creation
By David Cheetham, University of Birmingham
This Element discusses the idea of creation ex nihilo as an expression of monotheistic belief mainly with reference to Jewish and Christian traditions. It outlines the philosophical and theological discussion about monotheism and creation, considering key historical figures such as Philo, Irenaeus, Augustine, and Aquinas as well as contemporary thinkers. It reviews key topics such as divine sovereignty, the goodness of creation, pantheism, process, and feminist thinking on creation. It argues for creation ex nihilo over other models. In particular, it examines the notion of 'creaturehood' as an overlooked and under-developed dimension in contemporary debates about the relationship between created humanity and the one God. The doctrine of creation does not just address the question of origins, it also serves to affirm the finite or immanent aspects of life.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009357395
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Tags: #Religion #God #Theology #Evolution #Creationism
