This collection of essays assesses various dimensions of dialogue between Islam and other religions, especially Christianity. This book celebrates the work of Professor Mahmoud Ayoub and reflects the themes that are central in his scholarship spanned over the last three decades and which are more relevant than ever at the inauguration of the twenty-first century. The themes reflected are the Qur’an and hadith, theology and philosophy, and Islam’s interaction with other religions. Ayoub needs no introduction to those familiar with and engaged in inter-religious dialogue in general and Muslim-Christian-Jewish dialogue in particular. He is a well-known Muslim scholar and historian of religion, currently director of the Islamic studies program in the department of religion at Temple University in Philadelphia. His broad area of interest is of course Islamic studies but he has also exerted considerable scholarly efforts in comparative religion. As evidenced from Dr. Ayoub’s works, he moves with ease between philosophy and mysticism, scripture and tradition and between Islam and other religions. As a Muslim, Ayoub has provided a model of being religious which combines openness to others without compromising rigorous historical scholarship. Contributors to this volume include some of his close friends and colleagues, as well as former students both Muslim and Christian. This book was previously published as a special issue of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations.
1. Preface: A Word on Mahmoud Ayoub Michael Sells 2. Introduction: Pathways to Dialogue, The Journey of Mahmoud Ayoub Irfan A. Omar 3. Christians, Muslims, Jews, and their Religions Jacques Waardenburg 4. Eschatology: Some Muslim and Christian Data Willem A. Bijlefeld 5. Two Traditions, One Space: Orthodox Christians and Muslims Rev. George C. Papademetriou 6. Christian-Muslim Relations into the Twenty-First Century Alwi Shihab 7. Symbolism and Allegory in the Qur’an: Muhammad Asad’s Modernist Translation Abdin Chande 8. A Versatile Mathal: ‘The Man Who Hired Laborers’ Marston Speight 9. Knowledge, Women and Gender in the Hadith: A Feminist Interpretation Sa‘diyya Shaikh 10. Faith and Unfaith in Pre-occultation Shi‘ism: A Study in Theology and Social History L. Clarke 11. The Notion of Necessary Being in Fakhr al-Din al-Razi’s Philosophical Theology Salahuddin Kafrawi 12. ‘The Poorest Form of Theism:’ Schopenhauer, Islam and the Perils of Comparative Hermeneutics Douglas L. Berger 13. Prophetic Models in Islamic and Christian Spirituality According to Ibn ‘Arabi and Meister Eckhart Etin Anwar
Biography
IRFAN A. OMAR IS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ISLAM AND WORLD RELIGIONS AT MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY IN MILWAUKEE. HE IS THE AUTHOR OF SEVERAL ARTICLES IN SCHOLARLY JOURNALS AND IS CO-EDITOR OF HEIRS OF ABRAHAM (ORBIS 2005, FORTHCOMING).
