Admission requirements
Completion of the course: “Modern Thinkers and Trends in Islam,” and “Islamic Theology and Philosophy;” or any other equivalent level or knowledge (in agreement with the lecturer)
Description
The course builds upon the course “Modern Thinkers and Trends in Islam,” and “Islamic Theology and Philosophy.” As a matter of fact, the field of Kalam (Islamic Theology) occupies a prominent place within Islamic sciences. Beacuse this discipline treats the Islamic basic principles of belief, God, prophethood and revelation, Muslim scholars, both Sunni and Shi’i, have stressed the need for its renewal and reform in the modern age in order to find answers to the contemporary pressing theological, philosophical and scientific issues, such as Darwinism and Causality. In this course, we shall deal with the renewal movements within modern Islamic theology, which have emerged in the late nineteenth century until nowadays. Special attention will be given to the new theological views in relation to the most significant characteristics of the traditional epistemology, philosophy and theology. We shall read the works and ideas of such thinkers as Sayyid Ahmad Khan, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh, Shibli al-Nu’mani, Isma’il Haqqi, Mohammed Iqbal, Fazul Rahman en Hasan Hanafi.
Course objectives
Knowledge: upon the completion of the course students are expected to have gained knowledge regarding the most important modern theological interpretations of the Islamic faith and dogma in the light of modern philosophy and sciences.
Insight: Students should get insight into the developments of the new kalam sciences and the different re-interpretations and critical methods of the old kalam.
Skills: students can 1) analytically deal with the reformist and modernist views and methods used in modern Islamic theology, 2) place the most important theological issues in a broader cultural and social context, and 3) deepen his/her critical knowledge of the most important sources in this theological field.
Timetable
See Time table
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Students are expected to take active participation by carefully reading the given assignments (see below) and giving a brief presentation on the materials during the class. The student should make a critical analysis of the selected chapter or article in the light of at least one scientific work (book, chapter, article, etc.) cited by the author. The teacher’s task will be to give scientific supplements and detailed comments on the students’ presentations. Students are required to discuss an outline which will be a guideline for a research paper.
Assessment method
Written exam: 60%
Active participation in class + paper: 40%
Blackboard
Yes
Reading list
Examples:
M. Sait Ozervarli, “Attempts to Revitalize Kalam in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries”, The Muslim World, 89: 1 (January 1999), 89–105
Christian W. Troll, Sayyid Ahmad Khan: A Reinterpretation of Muslim Theology, Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi, 1978
Nikki R. Keddie, An Islamic Response to Imperialism: Political and Religious Writings of Sayyid Jamāl Ad-Dīn “al-Afghānī, University of California Press, 1983
Registration
Via uSis
In addition to the registration in uSis, students are also expected to self-enroll in blackboard a few weeks before the course starts.
Exchange and Study Abroad students, please see the Study in Leiden website for information on how to apply.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Registration Studeren à la carte via: www.hum.leidenuniv.nl/onderwijs/alacarte
Registration Contractonderwijs via: http://www.hum.leidenuniv.nl/onderwijs/contractonderwijs/
Contact information
Dr. Umar Ryad + 31 (0) 71 5272568
Homepage: http://www.hum.leiden.edu/religion/organisation/ryad.jsp.
Remarks
Course language: English (or in Dutch: when all participants have a working knowledge of Dutch)
Presence is obligatory; the student can be excluded from the exam with more than 3x absence