Transcendent God, Rational World - (Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Scripture and Theology) by Ramon Harvey (Paperback)

About the Book

Ramon Harvey revisits the Muslim theologian Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944) from Samarqand and puts his system, and that of the Māturīdī school, into lively dialogue with modern thought to show that a contemporary Muslim philosophical theology (kalām jadīd) can provide original and constructive answers to perennial theological questions.

Book Synopsis

Ramon Harvey revisits the Muslim theologian Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944) from Samarqand and puts his system, and that of the Māturīdī school, into lively dialogue with modern thought. Combining rigorous study of Arabic Māturīdī texts with insights from Husserl's phenomenology and analytic theology, Harvey explores themes from epistemology and metaphysics to the nature of God and specific divine attributes (omniscience and wisdom, creative action, divine speech and the Qur'an). His systematic treatment of these topics shows that a contemporary Muslim philosophical theology, or kalām jadīd, can be true to the past, yet dynamic in the present, and can provide original and constructive answers to perennial theological questions.

From the Back Cover

'Harvey's Transcendent God, Rational World shows incredible facility in the nuances of Islamic theology and philosophy and argues for the unique - and overlooked - contribution of al-Māturīdī and his later interpreters. By engaging with this original source material and bringing this tradition into dialogue with contemporary philosophy of religion, Harvey makes important contribution to Islamic Studies, philosophical theology, and the history of Islamic intellectual thought on reason, revelation, proofs of God's existence, and the divine attributes. What is even more exciting is how Harvey draws on this rich legacy to argue for the revival of Islamic theology in the 21st Century. ' Joshua Ralston, Reader in Christian-Muslim Relations, University of Edinburgh Constructs a contemporary philosophical theology from the Māturīdī tradition of kalām If reading a theological tradition is a journey into the past, is it possible to retrace our steps to discover a new way forward? In this book, Ramon Harvey revisits the Muslim theologian Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944) from Samarqand and puts his system, and that of the school taking his name, into lively dialogue with modern thought. Combining rigorous study of Arabic Māturīdī texts with insights from Husserl's phenomenology and analytic theology, Harvey explores themes from epistemology and metaphysics to the nature of God and specific divine attributes (omniscience and wisdom, creative action, divine speech and the Qur'an). His systematic treatment of these topics shows that a contemporary Islamic philosophical theology, or kalām jadīd, can be true to the past, yet dynamic in the present, and can provide original and constructive answers to perennial theological questions. Ramon Harvey is Aziz Foundation Lecturer in Islamic Studies at Cambridge Muslim College. He is the author of The Qur'an and the Just Society (Edinburgh University Press, 2018) and series editor of Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Scripture and Theology Cover image: detail of mosaic of ceramic tiles in the Ulugh Beg Madrasah in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, (c) Nicola Messana/Shutterstock.com, under-set with stars (c) guteksk7/Shutterstock.com

Review Quotes

Harvey'sTranscendent God, Rational World shows incredible facility in the nuances of Islamic theology and philosophy and argues for the unique--and overlooked--contribution of al-Māturīdī and his later interpreters. By engaging with this original source material and bringing this tradition into dialogue with contemporary philosophy of religion, Harvey makes important contribution to Islamic Studies, philosophical theology, and the history of Islamic intellectual thought on reason, revelation, proofs of God's existence, and the divine attributes. What is even more exciting is how Harvey draws on this rich legacy to argue for the revival of Islamic theology in the 21st Century.--Dr. Joshua Ralston, Reader in Christian-Muslim Relations, University of Edinburgh

About the Author

Ramon Harvey is Aziz Foundation Lecturer in Islamic Studies at Ebrahim College. He is the author of The Qur'an and the Just Society (EUP, 2017) and has published articles in Journal of Qur'anic Studies, Islamochristiana and International Journal for the Semiotics of Law.