What is Islam? Flashcards
Ahmed’s main thesis:
Pre-text, text, con-text
Hodgson’s main thesis:
Islamdom and Islamicate
Ahmed’s axes of deficiency
- Historically too much focus upon orthodox or legalistic interpretations
- False Dichotomy between religious and cultural
- Historically too much focus upon orthodox or legalistic interpretations
- False Dichotomy between religious and cultural
Ahmed’s axes of deficiency
Islam definition
Submission or surrender to God
Milla
Aramaic, roughly translated as word or revelation, but describes a community which follows a prophet.
Din
Discharge of debt, refers to religion as a way of life which integrates both faith and culture
Who discards the word ‘religion’ entirely?
Ahmed and Fitzgerald
Who has a more optimistic view of ‘religion’ as a descriptor?
Bellah and Gramsci
What is Matthes’ thesis?
That Islam is ‘sitz en liben’ due to it’s lack of western distinctions
Who saw Islamic law as the kernel of Islam?
Joseph Schacht
Who presented the ‘family resemblances’ theory?
Irwin, based on the ideas of Wittgenstein
What are the drawbacks of the ‘family resemblances’ thesis?
Lack of definitional control due to broad nature of multiple Islams- anything can be Muslim. Also based upon westernised similarities.
What is the pre-text, text, and con-text theory?
That Islamic meaning can be found in hermeneutical engagement with sacred texts.
What is Islamdom?
The spiritual realm of the Muslim community
