Fiona’s Reviews > The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology > Status Update
Fiona
is on page 91 of 352
Al-Ghazali's work is the epitome of a moral & spiritual "revival" of deen, it does not reject the "modernity" of his day & he shows that aspects of falsafa like Aristotelian logic & ethics may be employed by theology, whilst arguing that philosophers themselves err in their use of philosophic principles- they cannot revive a moribund muslim world, but neither can the ulama trapped in formalistic, polemical exercises.
— Oct 20, 2022 07:25AM
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Fiona’s Previous Updates
Fiona
is on page 120 of 352
Trends in the construction of Orthodoxy, cont:
3) State power: the state's intervention in theological matters was to diffuse their perception of possible political threats, as state legitimacy was intertwined with religious authority through sovereignty being supported by claims of guarding orthodoxy, political opposition became heresy.
— Nov 30, 2022 06:12PM
3) State power: the state's intervention in theological matters was to diffuse their perception of possible political threats, as state legitimacy was intertwined with religious authority through sovereignty being supported by claims of guarding orthodoxy, political opposition became heresy.
Fiona
is on page 120 of 352
Historical trends in the construction of Orthodoxy:
1) Early ulema had no formal distinction & made their living through trade or industry, Ottoman bureaucracy & the standardisation of knowledge professionalised scholarly activity.
2) Beliefs within the ummah underwent constant change bc of waves of conversion, cultural diversity in the Islamic world supported the proliferation of localised forms of popular religion.
— Nov 30, 2022 06:09PM
1) Early ulema had no formal distinction & made their living through trade or industry, Ottoman bureaucracy & the standardisation of knowledge professionalised scholarly activity.
2) Beliefs within the ummah underwent constant change bc of waves of conversion, cultural diversity in the Islamic world supported the proliferation of localised forms of popular religion.
Fiona
is on page 101 of 352
However, a side-effect of the emergence of the ijaza system was the decline (though not disappearance) of two important educational institutions:
1) The journey in search of knowledge, or the rihla.
2) The apprentice-like relationship/suhba. The apprentice was socialised into the culture & etiquette of his field by his mentor, whose role was not limited to academic guidance.
— Nov 04, 2022 06:23AM
1) The journey in search of knowledge, or the rihla.
2) The apprentice-like relationship/suhba. The apprentice was socialised into the culture & etiquette of his field by his mentor, whose role was not limited to academic guidance.
Fiona
is on page 100 of 352
The decline in samā' & qirā'a in Islamic sciences indicated the development of a more mature, literature, scholarly culture. With the explosive growth of Islamic sciences, it became impossible for a student or scholar to study all the works he desired to master by reading them aloud or having them read aloud to him. And as disciplines became more sophisticated they acquired common terminologies & accepted paradigms.
— Nov 04, 2022 06:21AM
Fiona
is on page 100 of 352
There were two ways someone could claim to truly know a text: 1) He heard the text out loud by its author or someone who received it through authentic transmission, known as samā'. 2) He himself had read read the copied text aloud to such a person, who could correct any mistakes, known as qirā'a. Through a certificate given specifying which process was used, the student became incorporated into the isnād of a text.
— Nov 03, 2022 02:34PM
Fiona
is on page 98 of 352
The history of orthodoxy cannot be a history of ideas only, but a history of how claims to truth came to be enshrined in social practices (like rituals) & institutions (like the community of scholars). Scholars were socialised into a specific culture of learning with established modes of inquiry & standards of authenticity & the government in turn employed its coercive potential & diffused perceived threats.
— Nov 03, 2022 02:29PM
Fiona
is on page 97 of 352
Thinkers like Abd al-Razzāq Kāshāni & Sayyid Haydar Amuli sought to reconcile twelver theology with the Sufi metaphysics of monorealism espoused by Ibn Arabi, a synthesis between these was later initiated by Ibn Abi Jumhur al-Ahsa'i.
Traditionalism also did not die out but re-emerged with the Akhbariyya movement in the 17th century & its rejection of rational phil in favour of adherence to the imams' narrations.
— Oct 20, 2022 09:40AM
Traditionalism also did not die out but re-emerged with the Akhbariyya movement in the 17th century & its rejection of rational phil in favour of adherence to the imams' narrations.
Fiona
is on page 94 of 352
The Mu'tazilite teachings of Abu AlHussain Al-Basri (d. 1044) became more significant for the twelvers in the 12th century, resulting in a philosophical theology where the metaphysics of God as a Necessary Existent who produces a contingent world was incorporated into a theology of divine nature & human agency.
— Oct 20, 2022 09:37AM
Fiona
is on page 92 of 352
The development of theology among shias was a function of the historical & intellectual encounter with Mu'tazilite rationality & later falsafa traditions, & mainly sought to address issues on the imamate, infallibility, imams' knowledge & ability to intervene in the fate of humans. The Zaydis did not believe the imams to be infallible, whilst the Ismailies- who were neoPlatonists- saw the imams as spiritual leaders.
— Oct 20, 2022 07:28AM
Fiona
is on page 90 of 352
The Hanbalis argued against the Murji'i view by reiterating the many teachings of the Prophet PBUH which emphasise the importance of performing good deeds correctly, and that we can deduce character from actions.
Māturidi sought to establish something between the Mu'tazila & Asharis, his theology is a natural derivation of Murji'ism & it came to dominate Turkey & much of the Islamic world through the Ottoman empire.
— Oct 19, 2022 05:35PM
Māturidi sought to establish something between the Mu'tazila & Asharis, his theology is a natural derivation of Murji'ism & it came to dominate Turkey & much of the Islamic world through the Ottoman empire.
