Religions of a Single God - A Critical Introduction to Monotheisms from Judaism to Baha'i - Zeba A. Crook

Religions of a Single God - A Critical Introduction to Monotheisms from Judaism to Baha'i - Zeba A. Crook

Chapter 7: Islamic Theology and Theological Writings

Religions of a Single God - A Critical Introduction to Monotheisms from Judaism to Baha'i - Zeba A. Crook

Zeba A. Crook [+-]
Carleton University
Zeba A. Crook is Professor of Religious Studies at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada. He is a specialist in early Christianity and Graeco-Roman culture, but was drawn to the study of religion more broadly, and the study of these three religions in particular by teaching it. That his course on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam at Carleton University has attracted an average of six hundred students per year since he arrived there in 2003 shows the enduring interest in this material among young adults.

Description

This chapter introduces the theological narrative of the origins of Islam and Islamic beliefs about the life and figure of Muhammad, as well as the core positions that inform much of Islamic theology, the six pillars of faith. Next, we learn about Islamic mysticism, called Sufism, and the productive, though controversial, encounter between Greek philosophy and Islam. In the second part of the chapter, we shall look at the foundational texts that provide the basis of almost all of Islamic theology: the Qur’an, the incarnate word of God for Muslims; the Hadiths, the sayings, stories, and example of a prophet believed to be incapable of error in his knowledge of God’s will; and tafsir, or commentaries on the Qur’an. Muslims rarely agree on how to interpret these various texts, but they all agree that these are the key sources for their competing theologies.

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Citation

Crook, Zeba. Chapter 7: Islamic Theology and Theological Writings. Religions of a Single God - A Critical Introduction to Monotheisms from Judaism to Baha'i. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 167-188 May 2019. ISBN 9781781798065. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=36416. Date accessed: 19 Mar 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.36416. May 2019

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