Reza Hajatpour – författare

This anthology deals with aspects of rationality in the modern age, examining current positions in Islamic rationalist theology. The structure of the book reflects how the so-called modern period of Islamic rationalist theology did not develop any fixed schools of thought. Rather, individual thinkers cooperated with each other by pursuing certain lines of inqury together, while mainly pursuing their research independently from one another. Rational modes of thinking in the modern age can be divided into three sub-areas: the new kalām science, philosophical thinking, and human rights. These three areas provide the structure for this second volume. The first part covers those thinkers who are concerned with reviving the medieval kalām with the help of modern theories. The second part takes up Muslim philosophers whose research extends beyond religious topics, such as Islamic ethics, democracy and secularism. The third part is dedicated to those writers who have studied human rights from an Islamic perspective, including women's rights, tolerance and interreligious dialogue.

Der vorliegende Sammelband behandelt Aspekte der Rationalität in der Moderne, wobei gegenwärtige Positionen der islamisch-rationalistischen Theologie untersucht werden. Die Struktur des Buches ist der Tatsache geschuldet, dass die sogenannte moderne Periode islamisch- rationalistischer Theologie keine festen Denkschulen ausgebildet hat. Es äußern sich vielmehr jeweils einzelne intellektuelle Denker, die zwar miteinander kooperieren, indem sie gewisse Grundlinien gemeinsam verfolgen, jedoch hauptsächlich unabhängig voneinander forschen. Auch wenn es aufgrund dieser Gegebenheit schwierig erscheint, moderne Entwicklungen der islamischen Theologie zu klassifizieren, lassen sich die rationalen Denkweisen der Moderne in drei Teilbereiche untergliedern: die neue Kalām-Wissenschaft, das philosophische Denken, und die Menschenrechte. Im ersten Teil behandeln die Beiträge jene Denker, denen es darum geht, den mittelalterlichen Kalām unter Zuhilfenahme moderner Theorien, wie der historisch kritischen Methode und neuerer hermeneutischer Systeme neu zu beleben. Die Beiträge im zweiten Teil behandeln muslimische Philosophen, deren Forschungen sich auf Bereiche jenseits religiöser Themen erstrecken, wie islamische Ethik, Demokratie und Säkularismus. Der dritte Teil des Bandes widmet sich jenen Denkern, die sich intensiv mit der Frage der Menschenrechte aus islamischem Blickwinkel befasst haben, wobei die Beiträge wiederum drei Themenbereiche behandeln: Rechte der Frauen, Toleranz und Interreligiöser Dialog.

In the quest for true knowledge, mysticism goes one step beyond philosophy. While philosophy and mysticism are considered two distinct disciplines with their own methodological approaches in the history of Islamic thought, their metaphysical concepts reveal significant points of intersection. Their convergence follows an inherent logic. In many Muslim circles, the methodological differences between the two are not regarded as an irreconcilable opposition.  Philosophy seeks knowledge through rational reflection, whereas mysticism deepens these insights by experiencing them in a transcendent state of consciousness. The French orientalist Henry Corbin (d. 1978) argued that Islamic philosophy found its true purpose only after Averroes (Ibn Rushd) and especially with the Isfahan School and Ṣadr ad-Dīn Muḥammad Shīrāzī (known as Mullā Ṣadrā, d. 1640), within the tradition of “spiritual intellect” in Oriental wisdom. This school of thought is also referred to as “Oriental theosophy.”  A central question in this context is whether this form of philosophizing, in Corbin’s sense, should be understood as a departure from rationalist tradition and a return to a spiritual mode of thinking, or whether, as Pierre Hadot (d. 2010) put it, philosophy is not merely a particular way of viewing the world but rather a way of life. In this understanding, philosophizing does not simply mean speculating, analyzing, or theorizing but rather leading a consciously reflective life.  Whether Islamic philosophy adheres strictly to rational inquiry or transcends rationality to serve the mystical wisdom tradition ultimately depends on how philosophy is perceived within Islam and what role mysticism plays in this context.  This edited volume examines the complex relationship between these two domains of human thought and way of life through concrete examples from the history of Islamic intellectual traditions. It not only elucidates the ways in which philosophy and mysticism are interconnected but also delineates the precise boundaries of their connection. The contributions in this volume explore both dimensions from various perspectives, highlighting their mutual influence and the intricate relationship between philosophy and mysticism.