The Higher Objectives of Islamic Theology

Abstract

Abstract On the Higher Objectives of Islamic Theology introduces a whole new genre to the Islamic tradition, entitled Maqāṣid al-ʿAqīda. It challenges the common conception that while Christianity is more concerned with questions of orthodoxy, Islam is more concerned with matters of orthopraxy. The book contends that the Islamic tradition started initially with both: orthodoxy and orthopraxy (embodied in theology, Sufism, and law). However, by Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī’s (d. 1111) time, greater interest in Islamic law developed such that the Islamic tradition has become predominantly law-based. This development was also accompanied by a sense of discouragement against theology in the minds of Muslims, assuming that theology often leads to acrimonious disputes and strife among its practitioners. Resultantly, the theological project in the Islamic tradition has largely become limited to definitions and deliberations about the nature and qualities of the transcendent God but barely developed a systematic discipline with defined boundaries and a clear theory of objectives. Hence, the scope of modern Islamic theology (al-Kalām al-Jadīd) is hardly delineated. Addressing this gap, the book aims to develop a genre of Maqāṣid al-ʿAqīda, grappling primarily with the following questions: How do we chart a guide to the process of founding such a genre? In what ways can the emerging Maqāṣid al-ʿAqīda benefit from the grown-up Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿa (Higher Objectives of Islamic Law)? What are the ramifications of having an underdeveloped theology? In what ways can Maqāṣid al-ʿAqīda help limit the practice of takfīr (excommunication) and enhance the intra- and interfaith relations?