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New book underscores relevance of medieval Islamic
philosophy
 by
Robie Liscomb
UVic education PhD student Farouk Mitha has written
a scholarly book about a work by a medieval Islamic theologian and
philosopher that reveals an uncanny relevance for the intellectual
predicaments facing contemporary Islam.
Al-Ghazali and the Ismailis: A Debate on Reason and
Authority in Medieval Islam (I.B. Tauris, 2002) provides a cultural
context and interpretation of the Kitab al-Mustazhiri by Abu Hamid
al-Ghazali (1058–1111 AD).
Al-Ghazali was a major Islamic intellectual figure,
comparable in status to Aquinas for Christianity and Maimonides
for Judaism. And, like these other thinkers, Al-Ghazali played a
central role in the debate on reason versus revelation that was
central to these three monotheistic religions.
While Mitha’s book is clearly aimed at a scholarly
audience concerned with Islamic intellectual history, it does raise
issues of general interest and import in the current political context.
“I wrote the book with two audiences in mind:
non-Muslim and Muslim,” says Mitha. “There is great need
for cross-faith understanding today, but we are being seduced into
accepting this picture of a clash of civilizations.”
Mitha says he wants to help the non-Muslim reader enter
into the rich culture of medieval Islam and to realize how much
similarity there is among the three monotheistic religions of the
Middle East. Islam is not some exotic tradition. In Al-Ghazali’s
time, Islam was undergoing a process of self-definition and reformation
comparable to developments in the history of Christianity and Judaism.
“For Muslim readers, I wanted to build an appreciation
of the rigour and intellectual sophistication of the tradition that,
sadly, we have lost today. The ideological pursuit of orthodoxy—who
is a true Muslim?—is a hot issue today and, unfortunately,
much of the debate is carried on at the level of slogans and name-calling.
In Al-Ghazali’s day, Islam was a far more contested tradition
than we are led to believe today, and his work is part of a highly
sophisticated intellectual examination of these issues.
“In refuting the doctrines of the Ismailis, Al-Ghazali
gave his ‘adversaries’ the benefit of a careful analysis
of their claims, allowing their voice to come through,” says
Mitha, indicating that there is a lesson here for contemporary Muslim
communities.
Valerie Shore photo
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