Dirasat Ilm al-Adyan - Ahammiyatuha wa Manahij al-Bahithin Fiha -
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- Dirasat Ilm al-Adyan - Ahammiyatuha wa Manahij al-Bahithin Fiha -
Dirasat Ilm al-Adyan - Ahammiyatuha wa Manahij al-Bahithin Fiha (The Study of the Science of Religions: Its Importance and the Methodologies of Researchers in It) is a contemporary treatise on Islamic theology and comparative religion by Abd al-Majid bin Muhammad al-Wa'lan . The book examines the theological legitimacy, religious objectives, and legal parameters of studying non-Islamic faiths, presenting an exposition of the methodological approach of Ahl al-Sunnah alongside a critique of alternative theological, Western, and Orientalist approaches .
Scope and Structure
The book is arranged into an introduction, a preliminary overview, six core chapters, and a conclusion :
- Preliminary Overview: Defines the "science of religions" (ilm al-adyan) as the discipline concerned with studying the doctrines of non-Muslim communities, contrasting it with ilm al-firaq (the study of internal Islamic sects) . It reviews related designations—such as al-milal wa-l-nihal, ilm al-maqalat, the history of religions, and comparative religion—and notes that the field encompasses the descriptive history of religions, the study of religious principles and divinity, and comparative analysis .
- Chapter One: Outlines the scriptural legitimacy of studying religions across three sections, drawing evidence from the Quran, the prophetic Sunnah, and traditions from the Companions of the Prophet and early generations (al-Salaf) .
- Chapter Two: Details five primary benefits of the discipline: safeguarding Islam, proselytizing non-Muslims, refuting misconceptions, deriving moral lessons, and clarifying the path of error .
- Chapter Three: Delineates seven legal and ethical guidelines governing religious research: sincerity (ikhlas), sound knowledge, weighing benefits and harms, reliance on primary sources, shedding personal bias, observing justice and fairness, and adhering to Islamic legal terminology .
- Chapter Four: Explores general research methodologies in religious studies across four sections, discussing the definition and significance of methodology and outlining six analytical modes: the descriptive-historical, critical-analytical, comparative, empirical scientific, dialectical/refutational, and comprehensive scientific methods .
- Chapter Five: Examines the methodological paradigm of Ahl al-Sunnah across three sections: epistemic reception and authoritative sources of evidence, methods of deduction, and techniques of presentation and refutation .
- Chapter Six: Offers a critical analysis of opposing methodologies across four sections, covering scholastic theologians (Ahl al-Kalam) and their foundational premises, the emergence of comparative religion in the Western post-Renaissance context, and Orientalist approaches, including their underlying assumptions and techniques in Islamic studies .
Methodological Approach
The author employs standard academic conventions by citing Quranic verses with their chapter names and verse numbers, documenting hadiths and historical reports with precise volume, page, and narrative references where available, and appending comprehensive subject and reference indexes .
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