INAF-468 Islamic Theological Texts

Faculty:

Brown, Jonathan

Unlike its counterpart in Christianity, Islamic theology did not emerge as the most ornate and well developed genre of thought in the faith tradition. Islamic theology did, however, address core concerns of understanding God, metaphysics and the defense of Islamic doctrines against outside attacks. Islamic theology’s chief influence was on the epistemological foundations of Islamic thought, which informed law, legal theory, communal identification and mysticism. Islamic theology has taken on new importance in the modern period, when pluralism and ecumenicalism have raised anew the questions of who is a Muslim and who can expect salvation.

This course provides an introduction to Islamic theology, focusing on Sunni Islam for the sake of brevity. In addition to reading representative Islamic theological texts, we will focus on signal debates such as the permissibility of seeking the intercession of saints and grave visitation.

This class will center on reading Arabic texts, with supplemental secondary-source readings in English. Students must have an effective working knowledge of Arabic.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: None

Course syllabi
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Spring '11: Brown, Jonathan AC (description, file download)

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Other academic years
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• 2004-2005 Fall and Spring
• 2007-2008 Fall and Spring
• 2009-2010 Fall and Spring
• 2012-2013 Fall and Spring
• 2013-2014 Fall and Spring

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