Doctrines of Islam (Course Syllabus)

Description

Doctrinal Beliefs of Islam are those pivotal principles around which other Islamic teachings and practices are systematically arranged. Knowing the Islamic doctrinal beliefs is a necessary constituent in understanding Islamic creed as a whole, and interpreting ritualistic practices and behaviors of Muslims. The course aims at providing a general outlook of Islamic systematic theology based on its most essential themes, like God and Divine attributes, Prophethood, Human freewill and Eschatological beliefs. Like any other human phenomenon, Islamic theological discussions have emerged, developed and evolved within a certain context and in reaction to their external surroundings; thus, the socio-politico backgrounds and ramifications of such discussions, along other schools of thought and religious traditions influencing and influenced by Islamic theological debates are to be addressed and analyzed in the course.

Aim

To familiarize students with doctrinal beliefs and systematic Islamic Theology

Objectives

Students are supposed to gain basic information about and acquaintance with:

• Doctrinal beliefs of Islam
• The system of Islamic Theology as a whole
• Main Theological Divisions and Denominations in Islam
• Similarities and Differences in general themes of Islamic theology and other religious traditions
• Other schools of thought influencing and influenced by Islamic theological discussions

Course Content

1. Introduction
   1. Origins of Religious Teaching in Islam
   2. The Ternary Division of the Religious Teachings
   3. Sectarian differences in beliefs and authorities
   4. Defensive theology (Apologetics) and Speculative Theology
2. Kalam or Islamic Theology
   1. Meaning, Methods and Goals
   2. Historical Origins, Developments and Evolution
   3. Foreign influences on Islamic Kalam
      1. Greek, Hellenistic Philosophy
      2. Biblical Tradition
      3. Persian, Indian traces
   4. Its Scope and Main Themes (Kalam’s borders with Philosophy and Mysticism)
   5. Classical Works and Literary Styles
   6. Main Kalami Schools
      1. Shia
      2. Sunni
   7. Influences of Islamic Kalam on other Traditions
   8. Modern Kalam
3. God
   1. Arguments for Existence
      1. Argument from Design
      2. Argument based on Fitra (Human innate nature)
      3. Cosmological Argument
      4. The Wager argument
      5. Arguments based on Function and Pragmatism
   2. Divine Attributes
      1. Attributes of Beauty & Attributes of Majesty
      2. Entitative & Operative Attributes
      3. Main Divine Attributes:
         1. One; Unique; Living; Eternal; Self-Sufficient; Beneficent; Omnipotent; Omniscient; Benevolent; Just; Wise; Creator; Merciful; Forgiving
      4. Restrictedness of Divine Names
   3. Divine Creatorship and Lordship
   4. Existential & Legislative Lordship
   5. Divine Unity in Worship (Uluhiyya)
4. Angelology
   1. Iblis, Satan
5. Prophethood
   1. General Prophethood
      1. Miracles
      2. Infallibility
   2. Prophethood of Muhammd
      1. Seal of Prophets
      2. Qur’an; Nature, Integrity and Interpretation
         1. Reason and Revelation
6. Eschatology
   1. End of Times
      1. Coming of the Savoir
   2. Death & Barzakh (residence of souls until final resurrection)
   3. Day of Judgment (Resurrection)
7. Justice
   1. Freewill
   2. Problem of Evil
8. Imamate (Leadership) and Caliphate (Successorship to Muhammad)
9.  Modern Kalam
   1. Rational Analysis of Religious Teachings
      1. Dogmatic Beliefs
      2. Historical Reports
      3. Moral Teachings
   2. Science and Religion
   3. Religious Experience
   4. Religious Tolerance and Pluralism

Course Assignment

Papers, class presentations or mid-term quizzes (depending on regulations or other conditions)

Course Methodology

Lectures, Presentations and Tutorials

Course Sources

al-Qazwini, S. M. (1999). Discovering Islam. Orange County, California: The Islamic Educational Center of Orange County.

al-Shahrastani. (1984). Nihayatu' l-Iqdam Fi Ilm l-Kalam (Summa Philosophiae). (A. Guillaume, Trans.) London: Oxford university Press.

Ess, J. v. (2019). Theology and Society in the Second and Third Centuries of the Hijra (Vol. 3 & 4). Leiden: Brill.

Goldziher, I. (1981). Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law. Princeton : Princeton University Press.

Goldziher, I. (2008). The Zahiris, Their Doctrines and Their History, A Contribution to the History of Islamic Theology. Leiden : Brill.

Gulevich, T. (2004). Understanding Islam and Muslim Traditions . Detroit : Omnipraphics, Inc.

Lammens, S. J. (1929). Islam Beliefs and Institutions . London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.

Martin, R. C. (1997). Defenders of Reason in Islam. Oxford: Oneworld Publications.

Rizvi, S. M. (2004). Islam: Faith, Practice & History. Qom: Ansariyan Publications.

Schmidtke, S. (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Sobhani, J. (2001). Doctrines of Shi'i Islam. London: Islamic Publications Ltd.

Stefon, M. (2010). Islamic Beliefs and Practices. New York: Britannica Educational Publishing .

Tusi, M. b. (n.d.). Tenets of Islam. Islamic Seminary Publications.

Winter, T. (2008). The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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