Richard C. Martin is Emeritus Professor of Religion at Emory University. Mark R. Woodward, an anthropologist specialising in Islam in Indonesia, is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Arizona State University. Dwi S. Atmaja is Professor of Arabic at the Islamic University at Pontianak, Indonesia.

• Introduction - a tale of two texts; the rise and fall of the Mu'tazila in premodern Islam; the life and works of Qadi' abd Al-Jabbar; a "thick description" of the five Usul; Kiab Al-Usul Al-Khamsa (book of the five fundamentals) - a translation; the persistance of traditionalism and rationalism; the significance of Mu'tazilism in Indonesia; Harun Naustion's defense of Mu'tazilism; Kaum Mu'tazilah dan Pandangan Rasionalanya (the Mu'Tazila and rational philosophy) - a translation; modern and postmodern glosses of Mu'tazilism; the implication of modernity - deconstructing the argument.