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Hick’s Theory of Religion and the Traditional Islamic Narrative

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Abstract

This article considers the traditional Islamic narrative in the light of the theory of religion espoused by John Hick (1922–2012). We see how the Islamic narrative changes on a Hickean understanding of religion, particularly in the light of the ‘bottom-up’ approach and trans-personal conception of the religious ultimate that it espouses. Where the two readings of Islam appear to conflict, I suggest how they can be reconciled. I argue that if Hick’s theory is incompatible with Islamic belief, then this incompatibility does not manifest itself at the level of belief in the narrative.

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Notes

  1. We might casually refer to the understanding Muslims have of Islam as the Islamic ‘self-understanding’, although I prefer not to personify Islam in this way by attributing understanding to it. I will, however, refer to the understanding Muslims have of Islam as the traditional Islamic narrative.

  2. For classical (although non-canonical) statements of the Sunni and Shia creed, see, respectively, Tahawi 2007 and Ibn Babawayh 1999.

  3. The charge that advocating a specific religious perspective is arbitrary and arrogant follows from Hick’s contention that the universe is religiously ambiguous and that religious belief involves interpreting the universe in a religious way. Hick has also expressed this contention by saying that the best way to support religious belief is through appeal to religious experience. But to consider only one’s own religious interpretation as valid is rather disingenuous to the point of being arbitrary. On the other hand, if one denies religious ambiguity in the universe then one is being closed minded to the point of arrogance.

  4. For some idea of how religious belief can be maintained in the face of evolutionary theory, see Dawes 2007; Haught 2008; Miller 1999; Ruse 2001.

  5. For an overview of Soroush’s view of religion, see Dahlén 2003; Rizvi 2012. Although Soroush (2009: 134) expresses approval of Hick’s pluralism, he clarifies, in response to a question posed to him at the end of a 2010 lecture, that he does not approve of any attempt to demystify or naturalise religion. In his response Soroush mentions his respect for Hick but says that, as a student of Rumi, he cannot neglect the supernatural realm. Listen to Soroush 2010 from 1 h 48 min.

  6. ‘Kingdom of Heaven on earth’ seems to be a phrase that Razwy has borrowed from the Bible to refer to the ideal political state as presided over by Muhammad, that is, the city of Medina. ‘The State of Medina was the physical apparatus of the first and the last Kingdom of Heaven on Earth’ (1997: 87). ‘The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth which Muhammad Mustafa had founded, had ceased, after his death, to be “heavenly”, and had become an ersatz Greek or Persian government’ (1997: 481).

  7. In Islamic terminology, a messenger (rasul) who is human (rather than angelic) is one who receives, through revelation, a new Scripture for propagation. Such messengers include Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad, although others have also been acknowledged. A prophet (nabi), on the other hand, is anybody who has been appointed by God to teach and guide. The class of messengers, therefore, is included in the class of prophets. (See Bearman et al. 2013.) The Qur’an refers to Muhammad as the ‘seal of the prophets’ (33:40) and this is understood to mean that he was the final prophet and, therefore, the final messenger too.

  8. For other short accounts of the Islamic narrative, see Akhtar 1990: 3–6, 2008: 18–35; Shepard 2009: 6–9.

  9. The n-z-l root occurs 293 times in the Quran, in 12 derived forms, including 15 times as tanzil; the w-h-y root occurs 78 times in the Quran, in 2 derived forms, including 6 times as wahy (Dukes 2011). Madigan 2013 discusses both the concept of tanzil and the concept of wahy.

  10. For an examination of religious and naturalist explanations, see Dawes 2009.

  11. The exact cultural and religious environment of the Arabia of Muhammad’s day has been the subject of some discussion. Cf. Crone 1987; Hoyland 2001; Peters 1994; Serjeant 1990.

  12. ‘Trans-personal’ is not a commonly used term and it may seem more appropriate to ascribe belief in an impersonal God to Ibn Arabi, Rumi, and Muslim theologians in general. However, in the light of Hick’s (2004: xx-xxii, 252–296) discussions, this term no longer seems to suggest the opposite of ‘personal’. I am confident that Ibn Arabi, Rumi, and Muslim theologians in general, would not want to suggest that either ‘personal’ or ‘impersonal’ fully captures what it is to be God.

  13. I would like to express my gratitude to the editors and their anonymous reviewers for providing me with both the opportunity and the detailed feedback for revising the article upon which this present study has been based.

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Correspondence to Amir Dastmalchian.

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Dastmalchian, A. Hick’s Theory of Religion and the Traditional Islamic Narrative. SOPHIA 53, 131–144 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11841-013-0374-0

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