Syed M Waqas | Cincinnati Christian University (original) (raw)
Videos by Syed M Waqas
I presented this paper at the American Academy of Religion Upper Midwestern Region and Society of... more I presented this paper at the American Academy of Religion Upper Midwestern Region and Society of Biblical Literature's joint conference held virtually in April, 2021. It was originally scheduled to meet in April 2020 at Saint Paul, Minnesota, but was cancelled due to the pandemic. The paper has been previously published as an academic article in the Islamic mysticism journal, Teosofi, under the title, "View of the Qur'anic Dialogue with the Logos of John's Gospel."
83 views
This video covers Islam Panel's presentation at the AAR/SBL Midwestern Region's 2021 annual confe... more This video covers Islam Panel's presentation at the AAR/SBL Midwestern Region's 2021 annual conference. The panel met on April 11, Sunday, in the afternoon. The Islam panel consisted of panelists, Dr. Samuel Kessler (host), Prof. David Penchansky, Syed M. Waqas, and Dr. Terry Kleven. The presentations follow the same order as the names listed above.
211 views
یہ دستاویزی ویڈیو موجودہ سپین کے صوبہ اندلوسیہ کے شہر قرطبہ میں واقع تاریخی مسجد قرطبہ کے متعلق ب... more یہ دستاویزی ویڈیو موجودہ سپین کے صوبہ اندلوسیہ کے شہر قرطبہ میں واقع تاریخی مسجد قرطبہ کے متعلق بنائی گئی ھے۔ مسجد قرطبہ اور شہر قرطبہ کی شاندار لیکن دلخراش داستان کو ایک منفرد انداز میں پیش کرنے کی کوشش امید ھے کہ تاریخ کے سنجیدہ طالب علموں کو پسند آئے گی۔
1 views
Papers by Syed M Waqas
Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam, 2020
The Qur’ān, the “Holy Writ” of Islam, builds its rationale of revelation on the scriptural model ... more The Qur’ān, the “Holy Writ” of Islam, builds its rationale of revelation on the scriptural model of biblical tradition. Embracing direct divine intervention in worldly affairs as the first principle within the constrictions of monotheistic theology, the Qur’ān resurrects biblical purview of an intermediary agency linking the transcendent divine with the terrestrial human, which the author of John’s Gospel identifies as “Logos”. This article argues that the Qur’ānic conception of kalām-Allah, at a conceptual level, engages with John’s mystical theology of the divine origin of the Logos-incarnate and reinterprets the conception as well as its application. This cornerstone of John’s theology formulates a crucial basis for the Qur’ānic narrator’s self-reflection through both content and form of revelation as such. Biblical literature written prior to Johannine appropriation of Logos does not cohere with John’s mystical paradigm, which the Qur’ān, on the other hand, brings to a whole new...
Athens Journal of Mediterranean Studies
Sex, when discussed in a public setting, turns out to be a controversial subject within the conte... more Sex, when discussed in a public setting, turns out to be a controversial subject within the context of the hypersensitive inner workings of modern society. It often touches simultaneously upon both extremes of humanity’s rational disposition towards sex, namely sex being a matter of free choice on the one hand and being a cultural taboo on the other. One cannot freely talk about sex or practice sex in the public sphere in order for maintaining a sense of civic decency and public morality. This article attempts to look behind the notion of guilt associated with sex in the Judeo-Christian civilization of the West and rise above the prevailing pietistic cultural framework that came to dominate the globe after the conversion of the Byzantine Empire to Christianity. I will, therefore, treat sex as the enshrinement of the said concept in the sanctuary of human religious practice through history. Ritual sex is an artifact of the prehistoric times, which, within the fringes of pagan spiritu...
The American Journal of Theology
Ulumuna, 2021
This article addresses the question of the messianic motif of Christianity making its way into th... more This article addresses the question of the messianic motif of Christianity making its way into the Qur’an without wearing a badge of high New Testament Christology. It attempts to explore and understand a potentially underlying connection among the Islamic ‘Isā, the New Testament Jesus, and the Jewish messiah in a quest for the configuration of a historical Christ through the ideological and historical minefields that exist between the Islamic and the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. The person of Jesus is, therefore, understood to be historical in the article without positing a response to the fundamental questions raised by the historical Jesus skepticism. What I will try to avoid in the following pages, on the contrary, is to treat and brand the Qur’anic portrayal of Jesus as a “stand-alone” concept—indifferent to the historical context of the Bible—hanging in a theological balance, as some critics would be inclined to call it. The article is linearly structured according to the major...
Ḥadīth cannot take on the role of the second principal source of Islamic theology and law without... more Ḥadīth cannot take on the role of the second principal source of Islamic theology and law without a grounding in the belief that the speech of the Prophet is miraculously preserved against human corruption. Such a conviction provides for the sanctification of hadīth that begrudges critical inquiry of the brick and mortar of this grand edifice. It may sound like a simple question to an unsuspecting mind whether hadīth was reported or created at the outset. There is, however, no facile answer to this question, for such is difficult to definitively determine even for scholars despite their general consensus that the hadīth was both reported and created in early Islamic history. This article revisits the problem of the creation of hadīth versus its reporting and investigates some of the fundamental issues pertaining to the forgery of hadīth that may have far reaching implications and can be relevant even today.
ULUM Journal of Religious Inquiries, Jul 31, 2021
This article argues that the Qur'ān seeks to place its modality of revelation within the oracle o... more This article argues that the Qur'ān seeks to place its modality of revelation within the oracle of Arabia and recognizes it as such a valid "form" of revelation. It inducts its medium of revelation within the familiar apparatus of the pagan divination institution by tapping into the realm of supra-rationality while, simultaneously, making a radical departure from it at the doctrinal level. The Qur'ānic oracle speaks for one universal God as opposed to a tribal deity, pantheon of gods, or an anthropomorphized divinity that partakes of the experience of humanity. The article seeks to work with the core Islamic concept of revelation in dialogue with the notion of the Word of God in a semantic slash historical context. 1 The inquiry glances at the historical presentation of what Islam warrants as a rationale of revelation by maintaining a propositional and qualitative distinction from the pagan oracle. It projects the dialectics of quality versus quantity and principle versus form rather than undertaking a complete break with the existing metaphysical and epistemological cosmos. Such a claim of external guidance, from the above, as laid by all three Semitic religions is, inherently, based upon, and rooted within the source of a higher realm attributed to the divinity. Islam's hierarchy of being and non-being revolves around an essential Being, the one true God, as a theological necessity, whereas all contingency, the creation including mankind, is granted existence in the sanctuary of the divine will that takes place through God's grace. The will of God, Logos, defines the relationship between the necessity and the contingency in the self-consciousness of the Qur'ān.
Ulumuna Journal of Islamic Studies, Jul 1, 2021
This article addresses the question of the messianic motif of Christianity making its way into th... more This article addresses the question of the messianic motif of Christianity making its way into the Qur’an without wearing a badge of high New Testament Christology. It attempts to explore and understand a potentially underlying connection among the Islamic ‘Isā, the New Testament Jesus, and the Jewish messiah in a quest for the configuration of a historical Christ through the ideological and historical minefields that exist between the Islamic and the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. The person of Jesus is, therefore, understood to be historical in the article without positing a response to the fundamental questions raised by the historical Jesus skepticism. What I will try to avoid in the following pages, on the contrary, is to treat and brand the Qur’anic portrayal of Jesus as a “stand-alone” concept—indifferent to the historical context of the Bible—hanging in a theological balance, as some critics would be inclined to call it.
This short work on religious research methodology consists of the contents of a Zoom webinar pres... more This short work on religious research methodology consists of the contents of a Zoom webinar presentation. The presentation was given to the scholars of comparative religion associated with the Muslim Maseehi Mukalma Academy. The interfaith group of Islamic background requested a training session on methodological research in religious studies via Zoom conferencing.
Journal of Ḥadīth and Sīra Studies, Jan 17, 2021
Ḥadīth cannot take on the role of the second principal source of Islamic theology and law without... more Ḥadīth cannot take on the role of the second principal source of Islamic theology and law without a grounding in the belief that the speech of the Prophet is miraculously preserved against human corruption. Such a conviction provides for the sanctification of hadīth that begrudges critical inquiry of the brick and mortar of this grand edifice. It may sound like a simple question to an unsuspecting mind whether hadīth was reported or created at the outset. There is, however, no facile answer to this question, for such is difficult to definitively determine even for scholars despite their general consensus that the hadīth was both reported and created in early Islamic history. This article revisits the problem of the creation of hadīth versus its reporting and investigates some of the fundamental issues pertaining to the forgery of hadīth that may have far reaching implications and can be relevant even today.
Theosophy: Journal of Sufism and Islamic Thought, 2020
The Qur'ān, the "Holy Writ" of Islam, builds its rationale of revelation on the scriptural model ... more The Qur'ān, the "Holy Writ" of Islam, builds its rationale of revelation on the scriptural model of biblical tradition. Embracing direct divine intervention in worldly affairs as the first principle within the constrictions of monotheistic theology, the Qur'ān resurrects biblical purview of an intermediary agency linking the transcendent divine with the terrestrial human, which the author of John"s Gospel identifies as "Logos". This article argues that the Qur'ānic conception of kalām-Allah, at a conceptual level, engages with John's mystical theology of the divine origin of the Logos-incarnate and reinterprets the conception as well as its application. This cornerstone of John's theology formulates a crucial basis for the Qur'ānic narrator's self-reflection through both content and form of revelation as such. Biblical literature written prior to Johannine appropriation of Logos does not cohere with John's mystical paradigm, which the Qur'ān, on the other hand, brings to a whole new level of theological maturation. The Qur'ān dialogues with John's Gospel at multiple levels on the principal question of God's personal interaction with humanity and presents its nuanced metaphysical construct in conversation with the Logos principle, but in distinction from John's incarnation theology.
Al-Islam Real Research Journal, Nov 3, 2020
مسیحی حلقے اکثر اِس حقیقت کا انکار کرتے ہوئے نظر آتے ہیں کہ بائبل مقدس تحریف شُدہ ہے۔ بعض اوقات م... more مسیحی حلقے اکثر اِس حقیقت کا انکار کرتے ہوئے نظر آتے ہیں کہ بائبل مقدس تحریف شُدہ ہے۔ بعض اوقات مسیحی احباب جوشِ ایمانی میں یہ تقاضا بھی کر بیٹھتے ہیں کہ اگر بائبل واقعی تحریفات کی حامل کتاب ہے تو اِس کا ثبوت پیش کیا جائے۔ مُسمانوں کے ہاں عمومی مزاج قرآن کے بیان کردہ اصُولی نقطہء نظر تک ہی محدود ہے جہاں یہ تاریخی حقیقت ایک اصُول کی صورت میں بیان کر دی گئی ہے کہ مسیحی اور یہودی کاتبین اور علماء نے اپنی مذہبی کُتب میں تحریفات کرنے سے گریز نہیں کیا، تاہم قُرآنِ کریم اپنے مزاج کے مطابق زیادہ وضاحت فراہم نہیں کرتا اور مزید تحقیق کا عُنصر قاری پر چھوڑ دیتا ہے۔ یہی وجہ ہے کہ اکثروبیشتر مسلمان مسیحی افراد کے سوالات اور اعتراضات کا مُدلّل جواب دینے سے قاصر رہتے ہیں۔
یہ مقالہ اُردو کے اندر بائبل کی تحریف پر ایک شاہکار کی حیثیت رکھتا ہے۔ کسی بھی مسیحی دعویدار یا معترض کو اگر صرف یہ ایک مقالہ بائبل کی تحریف کے ثبوت کے طور پر پیش کر دیا جائے تو مجھے یقین ہے کہ بڑے بڑے مسیحی عُلماء کے پاس بھی اِس کا ردِّ جواب نہیں ہو گا۔
What Quran Says: A Modern Reconstruction, 2008
"God in Islam" is the first chapter of the book What Qur'an Says: A Modern Reconstruction. It pre... more "God in Islam" is the first chapter of the book What Qur'an Says: A Modern Reconstruction. It presents a study of the concept of God in Islam from an objective, but essentially apologetic, perspective. The chapter, therefore, does not furnish an Orientalist case for the study of Islam's God. The work is, however, scholarly driven and challenging owing to the intense research and resourcefulness. A reader with scholastic interests in Islamic theology, philology, and history will, most definitely, appreciate this work.
Al-Islam Real Research Journal, 2020
ماہانہ تحقیقی مُجّلے "الاسلام رئیل" میں شائع ہونے والے اِس مضمون کی اہمیت کا اندازہ آپ اِس بات سے... more ماہانہ تحقیقی مُجّلے "الاسلام رئیل" میں شائع ہونے والے اِس مضمون کی اہمیت کا اندازہ آپ اِس بات سے لگا سکتے ہیں کہ اُردو زُبان میں یہ اپنی نوعیت کا پہلا مضمون ہے جو قُرآنِ کریم اور آلِ یہود کے صحائف کے مابین باہمی تعلق کی حقیقت اور تاریخی حیثیت کو تلاش کرنے کی سعی کرتا ہے۔ بُنیادی طور پر یہ مضمون اِسلام کے دفاع کے نقطہ نظر سے لکھا گیا ہے اور اِس کے اندر الحاد پرستوں کے اعتراضات کا مُدلّل جواب دیا گیا ہے۔ یہ مُختصر مضمون لکھنے کے لیے مصنف کو بےتحاشہ تحقیقی عرق ریزی کرنا پڑی جبکہ اِس تحریر کو مزید جامع اور مُستند بنانے کے لیے عبرانی ذرائع سے بھی براہِ راست استفادہ کرنا پڑا۔
اُمید کی جا سکتی ہے کہ آپ کو یہ تحقیقی کاوش ضرور پسند آئے گی۔ مضمون کسی حد تک طویل ضرور ہے لیکن انتہائی دلچسپ اور تاریخی علم سے بھرپُور ہے۔
You can read the journal at www.alislamreal.org
Al-Islam Real Research Journal, 2020
قرآنِ کریم میں بیان کردہ آتشِ نمرود کے واقعہ پر اُٹھائے گئے ملحدین کے اعتراضات کے ردّ میں لکھی گئ... more قرآنِ کریم میں بیان کردہ آتشِ نمرود کے واقعہ پر اُٹھائے گئے ملحدین کے اعتراضات کے ردّ میں لکھی گئی یہ تحریر اپنی جامعیت اور قطعیت میں کوئی کسر چھوڑتی ہوئی نظر نہیں آتی۔ اگر آپ لسانیات اور مذہبیات میں باہم ربط دیکھتے ہیں اور اِس موضوع میں دلچسپی رکھتے ہیں تو یہ تحریر آپ کے لیے ایک بہترین تحفہ ہے۔ اِس تحریر کے متعلق یہ دعویٰ کیا جانا مناسب معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ اِس کا جواب تحریر کرنا کسی ملحدانہ خیالات کے حامل شخص کے بس کی بات نہیں۔
You can read the journal at www.alislamreal.org
The Athanasius-Arius conflict is a major debate of, as well as in, the history of Christianity. B... more The Athanasius-Arius conflict is a major debate of, as well as in, the history of Christianity. Being more of a phenomenon than an event, it took place in the fourth century. The controversy it brought about started raging throughout the Christendom, particularly in the major city of Alexandria and the Middle East, almost immediately. The pivotal point of the controversy was the true nature of Christ, which triggered an enormous debate throughout the Roman Empire after the conversion of Constantine the Great to Christianity and his promotion of Christian religion under discreet official patronage.
Studies in Comparative Theology, 2019
Thomas Aquinas is most renowned for his so-called "Five Ways" developed in the pursuit of determi... more Thomas Aquinas is most renowned for his so-called "Five Ways" developed in the pursuit of determining and demonstrating the existence of God. The Five Ways originally revolve around the principles of natural theology, which is the basis of the cluster of arguments Thomas Aquinas presents within the five mainline arguments. These five arguments constitute only an introduction to a rigorous project in natural theology. In order to understand his work on natural theology, it is important that we define and appreciate the nature and scope of natural theology within the proper context of his arguments. In principle, natural theology is such that is purely and properly philosophical and hence it does not make use of appeals to religious authority in order to establish a basis for truth. Thomas Aquinas' work on natural theology, which reflects Aristotelian metaphysics, runs through thousands of tightly argued passages and assigns a new dimension to the subsequent work on theology within the Catholic Church.
Al-Islam Real Research Journal, 2021
The Gospel of Luke is the third book in the canonical arrangement of the New Testament. The two o... more The Gospel of Luke is the third book in the canonical arrangement of the New Testament. The two other so-called "Synoptic Gospels," the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark, are placed before the Gospel of Luke in the structure of the New Testament, whereas the Gospel of John, a different sub-genre within the Gospel narrative, occurs after that of Luke's account of the euangelion of Jesus. This paper will attempt to explore the life story of Jesus as recorded in the third Synoptic Gospel, the Gospel of Luke.
The author of the gospel of Luke is a historian of an era when history writing was still on its primitive stages. We cannot expect a purely historical picture from the author of Luke's Gospel because there was no such a thing as pure history in the first century. If we compare, for example, Luke's work with those writings of Josephus, Herodotus, or Plutarch, the element of legend is present everywhere as an important source of history. It is quite obvious from those writings that ancient historians could not distinguish between actual history and legendary slash mythical history along scientific lines as it is the standard practice in modern academia.
I presented this paper at the American Academy of Religion Upper Midwestern Region and Society of... more I presented this paper at the American Academy of Religion Upper Midwestern Region and Society of Biblical Literature's joint conference held virtually in April, 2021. It was originally scheduled to meet in April 2020 at Saint Paul, Minnesota, but was cancelled due to the pandemic. The paper has been previously published as an academic article in the Islamic mysticism journal, Teosofi, under the title, "View of the Qur'anic Dialogue with the Logos of John's Gospel."
83 views
This video covers Islam Panel's presentation at the AAR/SBL Midwestern Region's 2021 annual confe... more This video covers Islam Panel's presentation at the AAR/SBL Midwestern Region's 2021 annual conference. The panel met on April 11, Sunday, in the afternoon. The Islam panel consisted of panelists, Dr. Samuel Kessler (host), Prof. David Penchansky, Syed M. Waqas, and Dr. Terry Kleven. The presentations follow the same order as the names listed above.
211 views
یہ دستاویزی ویڈیو موجودہ سپین کے صوبہ اندلوسیہ کے شہر قرطبہ میں واقع تاریخی مسجد قرطبہ کے متعلق ب... more یہ دستاویزی ویڈیو موجودہ سپین کے صوبہ اندلوسیہ کے شہر قرطبہ میں واقع تاریخی مسجد قرطبہ کے متعلق بنائی گئی ھے۔ مسجد قرطبہ اور شہر قرطبہ کی شاندار لیکن دلخراش داستان کو ایک منفرد انداز میں پیش کرنے کی کوشش امید ھے کہ تاریخ کے سنجیدہ طالب علموں کو پسند آئے گی۔
1 views
Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam, 2020
The Qur’ān, the “Holy Writ” of Islam, builds its rationale of revelation on the scriptural model ... more The Qur’ān, the “Holy Writ” of Islam, builds its rationale of revelation on the scriptural model of biblical tradition. Embracing direct divine intervention in worldly affairs as the first principle within the constrictions of monotheistic theology, the Qur’ān resurrects biblical purview of an intermediary agency linking the transcendent divine with the terrestrial human, which the author of John’s Gospel identifies as “Logos”. This article argues that the Qur’ānic conception of kalām-Allah, at a conceptual level, engages with John’s mystical theology of the divine origin of the Logos-incarnate and reinterprets the conception as well as its application. This cornerstone of John’s theology formulates a crucial basis for the Qur’ānic narrator’s self-reflection through both content and form of revelation as such. Biblical literature written prior to Johannine appropriation of Logos does not cohere with John’s mystical paradigm, which the Qur’ān, on the other hand, brings to a whole new...
Athens Journal of Mediterranean Studies
Sex, when discussed in a public setting, turns out to be a controversial subject within the conte... more Sex, when discussed in a public setting, turns out to be a controversial subject within the context of the hypersensitive inner workings of modern society. It often touches simultaneously upon both extremes of humanity’s rational disposition towards sex, namely sex being a matter of free choice on the one hand and being a cultural taboo on the other. One cannot freely talk about sex or practice sex in the public sphere in order for maintaining a sense of civic decency and public morality. This article attempts to look behind the notion of guilt associated with sex in the Judeo-Christian civilization of the West and rise above the prevailing pietistic cultural framework that came to dominate the globe after the conversion of the Byzantine Empire to Christianity. I will, therefore, treat sex as the enshrinement of the said concept in the sanctuary of human religious practice through history. Ritual sex is an artifact of the prehistoric times, which, within the fringes of pagan spiritu...
The American Journal of Theology
Ulumuna, 2021
This article addresses the question of the messianic motif of Christianity making its way into th... more This article addresses the question of the messianic motif of Christianity making its way into the Qur’an without wearing a badge of high New Testament Christology. It attempts to explore and understand a potentially underlying connection among the Islamic ‘Isā, the New Testament Jesus, and the Jewish messiah in a quest for the configuration of a historical Christ through the ideological and historical minefields that exist between the Islamic and the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. The person of Jesus is, therefore, understood to be historical in the article without positing a response to the fundamental questions raised by the historical Jesus skepticism. What I will try to avoid in the following pages, on the contrary, is to treat and brand the Qur’anic portrayal of Jesus as a “stand-alone” concept—indifferent to the historical context of the Bible—hanging in a theological balance, as some critics would be inclined to call it. The article is linearly structured according to the major...
Ḥadīth cannot take on the role of the second principal source of Islamic theology and law without... more Ḥadīth cannot take on the role of the second principal source of Islamic theology and law without a grounding in the belief that the speech of the Prophet is miraculously preserved against human corruption. Such a conviction provides for the sanctification of hadīth that begrudges critical inquiry of the brick and mortar of this grand edifice. It may sound like a simple question to an unsuspecting mind whether hadīth was reported or created at the outset. There is, however, no facile answer to this question, for such is difficult to definitively determine even for scholars despite their general consensus that the hadīth was both reported and created in early Islamic history. This article revisits the problem of the creation of hadīth versus its reporting and investigates some of the fundamental issues pertaining to the forgery of hadīth that may have far reaching implications and can be relevant even today.
ULUM Journal of Religious Inquiries, Jul 31, 2021
This article argues that the Qur'ān seeks to place its modality of revelation within the oracle o... more This article argues that the Qur'ān seeks to place its modality of revelation within the oracle of Arabia and recognizes it as such a valid "form" of revelation. It inducts its medium of revelation within the familiar apparatus of the pagan divination institution by tapping into the realm of supra-rationality while, simultaneously, making a radical departure from it at the doctrinal level. The Qur'ānic oracle speaks for one universal God as opposed to a tribal deity, pantheon of gods, or an anthropomorphized divinity that partakes of the experience of humanity. The article seeks to work with the core Islamic concept of revelation in dialogue with the notion of the Word of God in a semantic slash historical context. 1 The inquiry glances at the historical presentation of what Islam warrants as a rationale of revelation by maintaining a propositional and qualitative distinction from the pagan oracle. It projects the dialectics of quality versus quantity and principle versus form rather than undertaking a complete break with the existing metaphysical and epistemological cosmos. Such a claim of external guidance, from the above, as laid by all three Semitic religions is, inherently, based upon, and rooted within the source of a higher realm attributed to the divinity. Islam's hierarchy of being and non-being revolves around an essential Being, the one true God, as a theological necessity, whereas all contingency, the creation including mankind, is granted existence in the sanctuary of the divine will that takes place through God's grace. The will of God, Logos, defines the relationship between the necessity and the contingency in the self-consciousness of the Qur'ān.
Ulumuna Journal of Islamic Studies, Jul 1, 2021
This article addresses the question of the messianic motif of Christianity making its way into th... more This article addresses the question of the messianic motif of Christianity making its way into the Qur’an without wearing a badge of high New Testament Christology. It attempts to explore and understand a potentially underlying connection among the Islamic ‘Isā, the New Testament Jesus, and the Jewish messiah in a quest for the configuration of a historical Christ through the ideological and historical minefields that exist between the Islamic and the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. The person of Jesus is, therefore, understood to be historical in the article without positing a response to the fundamental questions raised by the historical Jesus skepticism. What I will try to avoid in the following pages, on the contrary, is to treat and brand the Qur’anic portrayal of Jesus as a “stand-alone” concept—indifferent to the historical context of the Bible—hanging in a theological balance, as some critics would be inclined to call it.
This short work on religious research methodology consists of the contents of a Zoom webinar pres... more This short work on religious research methodology consists of the contents of a Zoom webinar presentation. The presentation was given to the scholars of comparative religion associated with the Muslim Maseehi Mukalma Academy. The interfaith group of Islamic background requested a training session on methodological research in religious studies via Zoom conferencing.
Journal of Ḥadīth and Sīra Studies, Jan 17, 2021
Ḥadīth cannot take on the role of the second principal source of Islamic theology and law without... more Ḥadīth cannot take on the role of the second principal source of Islamic theology and law without a grounding in the belief that the speech of the Prophet is miraculously preserved against human corruption. Such a conviction provides for the sanctification of hadīth that begrudges critical inquiry of the brick and mortar of this grand edifice. It may sound like a simple question to an unsuspecting mind whether hadīth was reported or created at the outset. There is, however, no facile answer to this question, for such is difficult to definitively determine even for scholars despite their general consensus that the hadīth was both reported and created in early Islamic history. This article revisits the problem of the creation of hadīth versus its reporting and investigates some of the fundamental issues pertaining to the forgery of hadīth that may have far reaching implications and can be relevant even today.
Theosophy: Journal of Sufism and Islamic Thought, 2020
The Qur'ān, the "Holy Writ" of Islam, builds its rationale of revelation on the scriptural model ... more The Qur'ān, the "Holy Writ" of Islam, builds its rationale of revelation on the scriptural model of biblical tradition. Embracing direct divine intervention in worldly affairs as the first principle within the constrictions of monotheistic theology, the Qur'ān resurrects biblical purview of an intermediary agency linking the transcendent divine with the terrestrial human, which the author of John"s Gospel identifies as "Logos". This article argues that the Qur'ānic conception of kalām-Allah, at a conceptual level, engages with John's mystical theology of the divine origin of the Logos-incarnate and reinterprets the conception as well as its application. This cornerstone of John's theology formulates a crucial basis for the Qur'ānic narrator's self-reflection through both content and form of revelation as such. Biblical literature written prior to Johannine appropriation of Logos does not cohere with John's mystical paradigm, which the Qur'ān, on the other hand, brings to a whole new level of theological maturation. The Qur'ān dialogues with John's Gospel at multiple levels on the principal question of God's personal interaction with humanity and presents its nuanced metaphysical construct in conversation with the Logos principle, but in distinction from John's incarnation theology.
Al-Islam Real Research Journal, Nov 3, 2020
مسیحی حلقے اکثر اِس حقیقت کا انکار کرتے ہوئے نظر آتے ہیں کہ بائبل مقدس تحریف شُدہ ہے۔ بعض اوقات م... more مسیحی حلقے اکثر اِس حقیقت کا انکار کرتے ہوئے نظر آتے ہیں کہ بائبل مقدس تحریف شُدہ ہے۔ بعض اوقات مسیحی احباب جوشِ ایمانی میں یہ تقاضا بھی کر بیٹھتے ہیں کہ اگر بائبل واقعی تحریفات کی حامل کتاب ہے تو اِس کا ثبوت پیش کیا جائے۔ مُسمانوں کے ہاں عمومی مزاج قرآن کے بیان کردہ اصُولی نقطہء نظر تک ہی محدود ہے جہاں یہ تاریخی حقیقت ایک اصُول کی صورت میں بیان کر دی گئی ہے کہ مسیحی اور یہودی کاتبین اور علماء نے اپنی مذہبی کُتب میں تحریفات کرنے سے گریز نہیں کیا، تاہم قُرآنِ کریم اپنے مزاج کے مطابق زیادہ وضاحت فراہم نہیں کرتا اور مزید تحقیق کا عُنصر قاری پر چھوڑ دیتا ہے۔ یہی وجہ ہے کہ اکثروبیشتر مسلمان مسیحی افراد کے سوالات اور اعتراضات کا مُدلّل جواب دینے سے قاصر رہتے ہیں۔
یہ مقالہ اُردو کے اندر بائبل کی تحریف پر ایک شاہکار کی حیثیت رکھتا ہے۔ کسی بھی مسیحی دعویدار یا معترض کو اگر صرف یہ ایک مقالہ بائبل کی تحریف کے ثبوت کے طور پر پیش کر دیا جائے تو مجھے یقین ہے کہ بڑے بڑے مسیحی عُلماء کے پاس بھی اِس کا ردِّ جواب نہیں ہو گا۔
What Quran Says: A Modern Reconstruction, 2008
"God in Islam" is the first chapter of the book What Qur'an Says: A Modern Reconstruction. It pre... more "God in Islam" is the first chapter of the book What Qur'an Says: A Modern Reconstruction. It presents a study of the concept of God in Islam from an objective, but essentially apologetic, perspective. The chapter, therefore, does not furnish an Orientalist case for the study of Islam's God. The work is, however, scholarly driven and challenging owing to the intense research and resourcefulness. A reader with scholastic interests in Islamic theology, philology, and history will, most definitely, appreciate this work.
Al-Islam Real Research Journal, 2020
ماہانہ تحقیقی مُجّلے "الاسلام رئیل" میں شائع ہونے والے اِس مضمون کی اہمیت کا اندازہ آپ اِس بات سے... more ماہانہ تحقیقی مُجّلے "الاسلام رئیل" میں شائع ہونے والے اِس مضمون کی اہمیت کا اندازہ آپ اِس بات سے لگا سکتے ہیں کہ اُردو زُبان میں یہ اپنی نوعیت کا پہلا مضمون ہے جو قُرآنِ کریم اور آلِ یہود کے صحائف کے مابین باہمی تعلق کی حقیقت اور تاریخی حیثیت کو تلاش کرنے کی سعی کرتا ہے۔ بُنیادی طور پر یہ مضمون اِسلام کے دفاع کے نقطہ نظر سے لکھا گیا ہے اور اِس کے اندر الحاد پرستوں کے اعتراضات کا مُدلّل جواب دیا گیا ہے۔ یہ مُختصر مضمون لکھنے کے لیے مصنف کو بےتحاشہ تحقیقی عرق ریزی کرنا پڑی جبکہ اِس تحریر کو مزید جامع اور مُستند بنانے کے لیے عبرانی ذرائع سے بھی براہِ راست استفادہ کرنا پڑا۔
اُمید کی جا سکتی ہے کہ آپ کو یہ تحقیقی کاوش ضرور پسند آئے گی۔ مضمون کسی حد تک طویل ضرور ہے لیکن انتہائی دلچسپ اور تاریخی علم سے بھرپُور ہے۔
You can read the journal at www.alislamreal.org
Al-Islam Real Research Journal, 2020
قرآنِ کریم میں بیان کردہ آتشِ نمرود کے واقعہ پر اُٹھائے گئے ملحدین کے اعتراضات کے ردّ میں لکھی گئ... more قرآنِ کریم میں بیان کردہ آتشِ نمرود کے واقعہ پر اُٹھائے گئے ملحدین کے اعتراضات کے ردّ میں لکھی گئی یہ تحریر اپنی جامعیت اور قطعیت میں کوئی کسر چھوڑتی ہوئی نظر نہیں آتی۔ اگر آپ لسانیات اور مذہبیات میں باہم ربط دیکھتے ہیں اور اِس موضوع میں دلچسپی رکھتے ہیں تو یہ تحریر آپ کے لیے ایک بہترین تحفہ ہے۔ اِس تحریر کے متعلق یہ دعویٰ کیا جانا مناسب معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ اِس کا جواب تحریر کرنا کسی ملحدانہ خیالات کے حامل شخص کے بس کی بات نہیں۔
You can read the journal at www.alislamreal.org
The Athanasius-Arius conflict is a major debate of, as well as in, the history of Christianity. B... more The Athanasius-Arius conflict is a major debate of, as well as in, the history of Christianity. Being more of a phenomenon than an event, it took place in the fourth century. The controversy it brought about started raging throughout the Christendom, particularly in the major city of Alexandria and the Middle East, almost immediately. The pivotal point of the controversy was the true nature of Christ, which triggered an enormous debate throughout the Roman Empire after the conversion of Constantine the Great to Christianity and his promotion of Christian religion under discreet official patronage.
Studies in Comparative Theology, 2019
Thomas Aquinas is most renowned for his so-called "Five Ways" developed in the pursuit of determi... more Thomas Aquinas is most renowned for his so-called "Five Ways" developed in the pursuit of determining and demonstrating the existence of God. The Five Ways originally revolve around the principles of natural theology, which is the basis of the cluster of arguments Thomas Aquinas presents within the five mainline arguments. These five arguments constitute only an introduction to a rigorous project in natural theology. In order to understand his work on natural theology, it is important that we define and appreciate the nature and scope of natural theology within the proper context of his arguments. In principle, natural theology is such that is purely and properly philosophical and hence it does not make use of appeals to religious authority in order to establish a basis for truth. Thomas Aquinas' work on natural theology, which reflects Aristotelian metaphysics, runs through thousands of tightly argued passages and assigns a new dimension to the subsequent work on theology within the Catholic Church.
Al-Islam Real Research Journal, 2021
The Gospel of Luke is the third book in the canonical arrangement of the New Testament. The two o... more The Gospel of Luke is the third book in the canonical arrangement of the New Testament. The two other so-called "Synoptic Gospels," the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark, are placed before the Gospel of Luke in the structure of the New Testament, whereas the Gospel of John, a different sub-genre within the Gospel narrative, occurs after that of Luke's account of the euangelion of Jesus. This paper will attempt to explore the life story of Jesus as recorded in the third Synoptic Gospel, the Gospel of Luke.
The author of the gospel of Luke is a historian of an era when history writing was still on its primitive stages. We cannot expect a purely historical picture from the author of Luke's Gospel because there was no such a thing as pure history in the first century. If we compare, for example, Luke's work with those writings of Josephus, Herodotus, or Plutarch, the element of legend is present everywhere as an important source of history. It is quite obvious from those writings that ancient historians could not distinguish between actual history and legendary slash mythical history along scientific lines as it is the standard practice in modern academia.
Athens Journal of Mediterranean Studies, May 1, 2022
This paper discusses the most controversial subject of sex within a spiritual setting, as the hol... more This paper discusses the most controversial subject of sex within a spiritual setting, as the holy yoke presented itself among fertility cults of ancient pagan cultures. It presents a fine treatment of the subject with findings rarely traced in modern scholarship.
The paper will be soon available again. It is under review after having been updated.
Martin Luther, the father of the Christian Reformation Movement, translated the New Testament fro... more Martin Luther, the father of the Christian Reformation Movement, translated the New Testament from Greek into the German language in 1522 CE. Luther's primary goal in doing the translation work was to educate German people and make the Bible more easily accessible to the lower echelons of society. He was not happy with the Roman Catholic tradition of keeping the understanding and interpretation of the Bible to a select few within the vehicle of a language that was not widely understood.
Bab-ul-Ilm Research Foundation, Pakistan, 2013
یہ كِتاب اُردُو زُبان میں لكھے گئے مذہبی ادب كے اندر اِكلوتی مُدلل كِتاب ہے جو عذابِ قبر جیسے قبُ... more یہ كِتاب اُردُو زُبان میں لكھے گئے مذہبی ادب كے اندر اِكلوتی مُدلل كِتاب ہے جو عذابِ قبر جیسے قبُولیتِ عامہ حاصل كر چُكے موضوع سے بحث كرتی ہے اور اِس كی افسانوی نوعیت كا پردہ چاك كرنے كے لئے اپنا مُقدمہ قائم كرتی ہے۔ "عذابِ قبر: حقیقت یا افسانہ؟" بِلاشُبہ تحقیق كا ایك مُنفرد شاہكار ہے جس كا رد آسانی سے مُمكن نہیں۔ یہ كِتاب مذہبی، دینیاتی، اسرائیلیاتی، تاریخی، سائنسی، فلسفیانہ، حتٰی كہ دیگر اِبراہیمی مذاہب سے بھی ثبُوت اور دلائل تلاش كر كے اپنے متن میں شامل كرتی ہے تاكہ قاری كہیں سے بھی اِس موضوع پر تِشنگی محسُوس نہ كرے۔ تاہم، سب سے اہم چیز جو اِس كتاب میں آپ كو نظر آئے گی، وہ ہے آیاتِ قرآنی اور احادیثِ نبویﷺ كا كِتاب كے متن میں كثرت سے استعمال، جس كی بدولت عذابِ قبر كے مُتعلق قائم عقائد كو "چیلنج" كرنا كافی آسان ہو جاتا ہے۔
اُمید ہے كہ قارئین كو یہ تحقیق كاوش پسند آئے گی اور آپ اِس كو تعصب كی عینك اُتار كر پڑھیں گے اور نتائج پر بحث كریں گے۔
The Puzzle of Islamic Christ is not a work of apologetics. It is, in fact, a multi-aspect study o... more The Puzzle of Islamic Christ is not a work of apologetics. It is, in fact, a multi-aspect study of the little-understood Islamic Jesus, the Christ, and as such, the author has attempted to offer a fresh perspective on the messianic motif of Christianity in dialogue with the perception of a messianic Jesus developed through the period of scriptural transition and the tradition received in the Qur’ān. The quest for solving the "puzzling" origin of the Islamic Christ makes this book particularly interesting. It is, nonetheless, also important to understand that no work on Jesus can be deemed final, for there is and will always be more to the Islamic Christ in particular and Jesus Christ in general to explore.
Do we have a blueprint available for understanding and reconstructing Christ? Does the church recognize the New Testament Christ in the Islamic Christ? Does even rabbinic Judaism see a glimpse of the Jewish messianic concept in the Islamic Christ? Does Islamic Christ make sense in any possible way? Is there a historical Christ behind the façade of mythical, fabled, and/or ecclesial Christs? These are some of the very important questions the author engages with in this book. While investigating the Christ mystery, it is also to be acknowledged that there are no straightforward, clear, and satisfactory answers available to such questions, for the answers, for the most part, will only reflect the personal inclinations and faith perspectives of the interpreters as well as the historians. The author, therefore, unpacks his vision of history in the book and argues that there is no definitive answer to the questions posed by history regardless of the number of resources and amount of data available. Our vision of the past will vary—at times differ—even at the subtlest of points and will cause to bring about the formation of unique versions of the past.
This book is an academic exercise and is based on the methodological approach of historical criticism. The reader of the book is presumed to have sufficient background knowledge of both Christianity and Islam. Some familiarity with the Second Temple Judaism will be considered an added advantage to the recipe of making an engaging read for this book.
The Islamic Christ is a mystery that continues to be an enigma for contemporary academics and researchers alike. To a believer, the Christ of Islam is a prophetic character and his ministry is absolutely compatible with the monotheistic paradigm of the Qur'ān. To a nonbeliever, however, the Islamic Christ will neither represent the biblical image of the Christ nor the historical one. There is, therefore, much grey area to navigate in the search for retrieving a more concrete background for the façade of the Islamic Christ.
The Puzzle of Islamic Christ is by no means a unique piece of work on the subject, but it is nonetheless a fine addition to the existing scholarship on the rare topic of “Islamic Christ” whom Islam recognizes in the person of ʿĪsā. It goes without saying that this area of religious research is gravely ignored in Western academia and as such is thus in need of being more consistently taken up for serious academic consideration and concentration.
Bab-ul-Ilm Research Foundation, 2010
Grammar is, in the simplest expression, “the system of the arrangement of a language.” It may be ... more Grammar is, in the simplest expression, “the system of the arrangement of a language.” It may be interesting to note that people sometimes describe grammar as the "rules" of a language; but the matter of fact is that no language has rules. If we use the word "rules", we thereby suggest that somebody created the rules first and then spoke the language, very much like a new constitution. However, no natural language started like that. Languages were started by people making sounds which evolved into meaningful words, phrases and sentences. No commonly-spoken language is fixed. All languages are subject to change over time. What we call "grammar" is simply a reflection of a language at a particular time in the history of that language.
مرزا قادیانی اور جماعتِ احمدیہ کا نفسیاتی جائزہ, 2011
یہ کتاب 2011ء میں "باب العلم ریسرچ فاؤنڈیشن" کے زیرِ اہتمام شائع کی گئی۔ مرزا غلام احمد قادیانی ا... more یہ کتاب 2011ء میں "باب العلم ریسرچ فاؤنڈیشن" کے زیرِ اہتمام شائع کی گئی۔ مرزا غلام احمد قادیانی اور موصوف کی قادیانی تحریک کے مختلف پہلوؤں کا جائزہ اِس تصنیف کے اندر نفسیاتی اعتبار سے لیا گیا ہے اور یہ سمجھنے کی کوشش کی گئی ہے کہ آیا کہ ایسے کون سے نفسیاتی عارضے مرزا صاحب کو لاحق تھے جن کے زیرِ اثر وہ خود کو نبی، رسول، مسیحِ موعود، مہدی اور خُدا کے اوتار کی حیثیت میں دیکھتے اور سمجھتے رہے۔ راقم الحروف نے اِس کتاب میں جو اسلوب استعمال کیا ہے وہ احترام کے صیغے کے اندر رہ کر قلمکاری پر مبنی ہے، کیونکہ عمومی مزاج میں اِس عُنصر کی کمی پائی جاتی ہے۔ یہ کتاب اگرچہ ضخامت کے اعتبار سے مختصر ہے، تاہم تحقیق کا معیار اور پیش کردہ مواد عالمی معیارات کے عین مطابق ہے اور مطالعہ کے دوران قارئین کی دلچسپی کہیں بھی بھٹکنے نہیں پاتی۔
مرزا صاحب کی قادیانی تحریک کی تحلیلِ نفسی کے اِس عمل میں اِس بات کا جائزہ لینے کی بھی کوشش کی گئی ہے کہ کون سے ایسے وہ نفسیاتی عارضے ہیں جنہیں مرزا صاحب نے "وحی والہام" کے نام پر
اپنی مذہبی منہج وتحریک کا فکری مزاج تشکیل دینے کے لیے اپنے مُقتدیان کو منتقل کر دیا اور آج اُن کے دفاع میں کس قسم کی تاویلات قادیانی جماعت کی طرف سے استعمال کی جا رہی ہیں۔ یہ کتاب "ختمِ نبوت ﷺ" کے موضوع پر محدود صفحات میں ایک جامع ترین تحریر اور عُمدہ ترین خدمتِ دین ہے! (الحمد اللہ)۔
دُنیا قیامت کے دہانے پر, 2010
دُنیا قیامت کی دہلیز پر ایک ایسی شاہکار کتاب ہے جو عصرِ حاضر کو قُربِ قیامت کے اہم ترین دور کی حی... more دُنیا قیامت کی دہلیز پر ایک ایسی شاہکار کتاب ہے جو عصرِ حاضر کو قُربِ قیامت کے اہم ترین دور کی حیثیت سے پیش کرتی ہے۔ راقم الحروف اِس تصنیف میں معاون مصنف کی حیثیت سے شامل رہا۔ یہ کتاب اِس موضوع پر ایک اچھُوتا انداز اختیار کرتے ہوئے 2012ء میں 21 دسمبر کی تاریخ ایک نئے عہد کے آغاز کے طور پر زیرِ بحث لاتی ہے۔ کتاب کا اسلوب، اندازِ تحقیق اور پیش کردہ مواد اِس موضوع پر لکھی جانے والی اب تک کی سبھی کتابوں سے مختلف ہے۔ اِس کتاب کو بُک کارنر جہلم نے 2010ء میں شائع کیا، جس کے بعد یہ ملک بھر میں سب سے زیادہ فروخت ہونے والی کتاب بن گئی۔ یہاں کتاب کے عنوان کو تھوڑی تبدیلی کے ساتھ شائع کیا گیا ہے، تاکہ مصنف اور ناشر کے حقوق محفوظ رہیں۔
اِس مُختصر تحریر كے اندر آفاقی وُسعتوں كو جاننے كی كوشش كی گئی ہے اور ساتھ ہی ساتھ یہ بھی معلوم ... more اِس مُختصر تحریر كے اندر آفاقی وُسعتوں كو جاننے كی كوشش كی گئی ہے اور ساتھ ہی ساتھ یہ بھی معلوم كرنے كی كوشش كی گئی ہے كہ اِنسان كا كائنات كے ساتھ تعلق بھی سمجھا جا سكے اور یہ جانا جا سكے كہ كائنات ہمارے لیے كیا خاص مُقام ركھتی ہے۔
یہ مُختصر تحریر درحقیقت ایك فكری كاوش ہے جو چیزوں كو اُن كے فطری رنگ اور منطقی انداز میں پیش كرتی... more یہ مُختصر تحریر درحقیقت ایك فكری كاوش ہے جو چیزوں كو اُن كے فطری رنگ اور منطقی انداز میں پیش كرتی ہے۔ اِس موضوع پر ایك الگ كتاب "عذابِ قبر: حقیقت یا افسانہ؟" كے نام سے پہلے ہی موجود ہے۔ اِس تحریر كا مقصد فكری اذہان كی توجہ كچھ خاص موضوعات كی طرف مبذول كروانا ہے۔ آپ كی جانب سے اِس تحریر پر تبصرہ ایك قابلِ تحسین عمل ہو گا۔
This short writing contains the contents of a Zoom webinar presentation. It was prepared exclusiv... more This short writing contains the contents of a Zoom webinar presentation. It was prepared exclusively to address the problem of the choice of research methods among the writers of various Islamic backgrounds. Although it is not a detailed work and only outlines some of the areas of methodological research in Religious Studies, it is still a fine document for a quick insight into this important subject.
باطنیت سے مکالمہ ایک ایسی تحریر ہے جس کو تحقیق کی نسبت ذاتی مشاہدہ پر مبنی رائے کہنا مناسب معلوم ... more باطنیت سے مکالمہ ایک ایسی تحریر ہے جس کو تحقیق کی نسبت ذاتی مشاہدہ پر مبنی رائے کہنا مناسب معلوم ہو گا۔ یہ مصنف کے ایک عرصہ تک تصوّف کے تہواروں اور اطوار کے مشاہدہ کا نچوڑ ہے جسے تحریر میں لا کر قارئین تک پہنچانا ایک شخصی فریضہ کی سی صورت محسوس ہوتا ہے۔
اُمید ہے کہ یہ مختصر تحریر آپ کو پسند آئے گی اور آپ کسی حد تک اِس سے متفق ضرور ہوں گے۔ یا رہے کہ یہ تحریر ہندوستانی تصوّف کے پسِ منظر میں لکھی گئی ہے۔
تصوّرِ خُدا سے مکالمہ مصنف کی جانب سے "مکالمہ" سیریز کا ایک اور مضمون ہے جس میں مصنّف نے اِس موضو... more تصوّرِ خُدا سے مکالمہ مصنف کی جانب سے "مکالمہ" سیریز کا ایک اور مضمون ہے جس میں مصنّف نے اِس موضوع پر اپنے تاثرات درج کیے ہیں اور خُدا کے متعلق تصوّرات کو مختلف زاویوں سے دیکھنے اور سمجھنے کی کوشش کی ہے۔ اُمید ہے کہ آپ کو یہ کاوش پسند آئے گی اور آپ کے لیے ایک کارآمد فکری سرگرمی کا سامان ثابت ہو گی۔
The Mu’tazilah school of falsafa and kalām has been generally vilified and villainized throughout... more The Mu’tazilah school of falsafa and kalām has been generally vilified and villainized throughout Muslim theological history, primarily, owing to their overwhelming emphasis upon the rational understanding of the principle and essence of divine unity and its direct relation to, and implication for order in the universe and justice in the affairs of the world. The complexity of their argument rests upon a simple fundamental premise, namely God is one in every possible facet of approaching and understanding the concept of one and his unity is above and beyond any perceivable layers of multiplicity. Even though the Mu’tazilah philosophers used the Qur’ān to both defend and project their position, the orthodox model of theology prevailed at length over the philosophical schools and made the rationalizing attempts of the Mu’tazilah tradition to bear the tag of a heresy. I intend, therefore, to take a rather positive approach to the Mu’tazilah philosophy in this paper in an attempt to critically understand the gist and framework of their rationalization of the Qur’anic metaphysics. The Mu’tazilah, as I propose, ought to be evaluated objectively on the basis of their own philosophy rather than through the lens of the orthodox theology. This will, in all probability, shake the petrified edifice of Islam’s theological epistemology.