The Vision of Islam
A working command of the vocabulary of Islamic metaphysics — wujūd, māhiyya, the gradation of being — used precisely, not loosely.
The capacity to read primary texts of Ibn Sīnā and Mullā Ṣadrā with comprehension rather than reverence alone.
An understanding of why the tradition treats metaphysics as the science of realities — and what that claim asks of the knower.
Direct exchange with Professor Nasr in open Q&A after every session — the part no book can replace.
A syllabus, not a playlist.
Description
We begin this class almost twenty-five years after 9-11. Since the “war on terror” that followed in its wake, Islam has been called everything from a “religion of peace” to the “most evil religion in the world.” Popular characterizations of this faith, however, have in most cases not risen beyond simplistic clichés. This was evidenced recently in the polarizing responses to the mayoral election campaign of Zohran Mamdani in New York. How are we to understand a religion that claims a quarter of the world’s population, and which, according to Pew forecasts, may become the world’s largest faith by 2070? Can a single statement do it justice? The purpose of this course is to provide a nuanced perspective to a religion that has been—and continues to remain—the subject of intense scrutiny and debate. The class serves as an introduction to the Islamic religious tradition with particular attention to the beliefs and practices that lie at its heart, and which unite the world’s diverse Muslim population. Our analysis shall be guided by the famous Hadith of Gabriel which divides the religion in the three dimensions of “surrender” (islam), “faith” (iman), and “doing the beautiful” (ihsan).
Text
Chittick, William and Sachiko Murata, The Vision of Islam (Paragon House, 1994)
Schedule of Meetings & Readings
April 6
Topic: Introduction, E. Said & the Legacy of Orientalism, Method & Theory in the Study of Islam
Readings: The Vision of Islam, Preface (pp. ix-xiii)
April 13
Topic: The Hadith of Gabriel & the Four Meanings of ‘Islam’ (Freedom, Nature, Religion)
Readings: The Vision of Islam, Introduction + ‘The Word Islam’ (pp. xiv-7)
April 20
Topic: Islam (Praxis I): The Shariah & the Pillars
Readings: The Vision of Islam, Chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 8-34)
April 27
Topic: Islam (Praxis II): The Shariah & the Pillars
Readings: The Vision of Islam, Chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 8-34)
May 4
Topic: Iman (Theoria I): God, Prophecy & Death
Readings: The Vision of Islam, Chapters 3 to 6 (pp. 45-265)
May 11
Topic: Iman (Theoria II): God, Prophecy & Death
Readings: The Vision of Islam, Chapters 3 to 6 (pp. 45-265)
May 18
Topic: Ihsan (Aesthetics I): The Virtues
Readings: The Vision of Islam, Chapters 3 to 6 (pp. 267-317)
May 25
Topic: Ihsan (Aesthetics II): The Virtues
Readings: The Vision of Islam, Chapters 3 to 6 (pp. 267-317)
Associate Professor in the Department of History and Religion at the University of Lethbridge (Alberta, Canada) where he has been teaching for more than fifteen years.
