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2 results

  • 2 - What Is Islam?

  • from Part I - Specialist versus Tacit Knowledge
  • Masooda Bano, University of Oxford
  • Book:
    The Revival of Islamic Rationalism
    Published online:
    19 December 2019
    Print publication:
    16 January 2020, pp 51-91

  • Summary

    Chapter 2 presents a detailed analysis of what we mean by Islamic rationalism. It explains the emphasis Islamic rationalism places on adherence to a madhhab, rational theology, and deep mystical experience, and how this approach is credited to Al-Ghazali. The chapter shows how Islamic rationalism was the mainstream Sunni orthodoxy until colonial rule displaced traditional Islamic learning practices in most Muslim countries. The chapter also shows how understanding the approach of the scholars leading this network requires understanding not just these conceptual debates but also their actual method of teaching. Emphasis is placed on acting as a model for the student.

The Revival of Islamic Rationalism
  • Logic, Metaphysics and Mysticism in Modern Muslim Societies
  • Masooda Bano
  • Published online:
    19 December 2019
    Print publication:
    16 January 2020
  • In this book, Masooda Bano presents an in-depth analysis of a new movement that is transforming the way that young Muslims engage with their religion. Led by a network of Islamic scholars in the West, this movement seeks to revive the tradition of Islamic rationalism. Bano explains how, during the period of colonial rule, the exit of Muslim elites from madrasas, the Islamic scholarly establishments, resulted in a stagnation of Islamic scholarship. This trend is now being reversed. Exploring the threefold focus on logic, metaphysics, and deep mysticism, Bano shows how Islamic rationalism is consistent with Sunni orthodoxy and why it is so popular among young, elite, educated Muslims, who are now engaging with classical Islamic texts. One of the most tangible results of this revival is that Islamic rationalism - rather than jihadism - is emerging as one of the most influential movements in the contemporary Muslim world.