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The People of the Book, Ahl Al-Kitāb: a Comparative Theological Exploration

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The People of the Book, Ahl Al-Kitāb: a Comparative Theological Exploration The People of The Book, ahl al-kitāb: A Comparative Theological Exploration By Richard Lawrence Kimball A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Irish School of Ecumenics, The University of Dublin Trinity College, Dublin 2017 i Declaration I declare that this thesis has not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other university and that it is entirely my own work. I agree to deposit this thesis in the University’s open access institutional repository or allow the Library to do so on my behalf, subject to Irish Copyright Legislation and Trinity College Library conditions of the use and acknowledgement. Signed: Richard Lawrence Kimball ii Summary This thesis offers a comparative theological exploration of the challenges and opportunities presented by the Qur’ānic representation of Christianity as the People of the Book, ahl al- kitāb, in the Qur’ānic and commentary tradition. It examines the social, cultural and historical background; through the early Arabic Christian response; and in modern discourse for the purpose of improving of interfaith dialogue and understanding of religious plurality. The research is divided into three parts. The first part explores the Qur’ānic understanding of the People of the Book through traditional Islamic exegesis, known as tafsīr, of four respected Islamic scholars whose work spans more than a thousand years. These scholars are Mujahid ibn Jabr (c. 722), Muhammad ibn Jarir Al-Tabari (d. 923), Ismail Ibn Kathir (d. 1373) and Muhammad Rashid Rida (d. 1935). The research demonstrates a wide range of opinions regarding Christians and Christianity. What the Qur’ān has to say is highly contextual. One very interesting feature of the research addresses the question concerning the salvific merits of Christianity after the arrival of Islam, as well as what it means to be mu’min, a believer, and the opposite, kāfir, unbeliever. Part two takes a closer look at two important themes developed in the traditional commentary. Through the application of a cluster of hermeneutical devices this thesis attempts to create a greater appreciation of the social-cultural landscape leading into the dawn of Islam. The first theme is the historical construct of the pre-Islamic period, the asbâb an-nuzûl, the occasion of revelation, on the Arabia Peninsula and environs. The traditional commentary suggests that this period was a time of lawlessness. Islamic culture refers to the period as al-jāhiliyya, the Time of Ignorance. The research presented takes a wide-angle view of the of the period by examining primary and secondary materials concerning the different social, cultural, religious, economic and political factors affecting the diachronic development of the religions of the People of the Book as it comes faces to face with nascent Islam. Understanding the context of the revelation of any verse is critical for interpreting the Qur’ān. The second theme examines the Arabic speaking Christian response to Islam. From earliest times, the extant Christian communities in contact with Muhammad and the generations that followed rejected key Qur’ānic theological criticisms of Christian faith in the Sonship of Jesus, as the Incarnation of God, as well as the Holy Trinity, as religious excesses. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that many Christians, particularly iii Arabic speaking Christians living as dhimmīs, or protected citizens, take issue with the Qur’ānic depiction of Christianity. The research of the post conquest period examines the nuanced social and political changes that take place in the Levant region of the Eastern Mediterranean. These changes facilitate the adoption of Islamic idiom, including use of asmā allāh al-husnā, the Beautiful Names of God, as an apologetic tool of religious and interfaith dialogue of the time, kalām, a natural progression from the use of Biblical and Greek philosophic reasoning. The scholars examined include Christian Mutakallim Theodore Abū Qurrah, (c. 820 CE), Sulaymān ibn Hasan al-Ghazzī (c. 940 CE) and Paul of Antioch (c. 1200 CE). Part Three of this thesis explores the modern use of the term People of the Book by several Christian and Muslim scholars in the context of our increasingly interconnected and pluralist societies. Here the focus is on the social, political and theological implications of the concept of the People of the Book. The thesis inquires what if anything has changed over the centuries of dialogue. The Muslim scholars examined include Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, Ataullah Siddiqui, Farid Esack, Tariq Ramadan and Nayla Tabbara. The Christian scholars examined include Daniel Madigan, Paolo Dall’Oglio and Fadi Daou. The findings of the research endorse the Islamic hermeneutical science of tafsīr by Christians interested in understanding the Qur’ān. Without a proper understanding of how Muslims form an authoritative understanding of the Qur’ān, Christians are left in a precarious position of attempting to interpret the Qur’ān through literal and personal opinion, ijtihād, which could stray into the area of heretic interpretation, bid‘ah. The science of tafsīr is a formal system of interpreting the Qur’ān based on tradition. However, through diligence and sound scholarship more nuanced interpretations are possible provided that the primary import of a verse is understood in its occasion of revelation, asbâb an-nuzûl. Through the examination of the period of al-jāhiliyya and in post conquest the Arabic speaking Christian it is possible to appreciate the early Christian response to Islam, as Islam becomes a world religion. Through the engaging dialogue of kalām, Arabic Christian scholars employ a blending of Aristotelian reasoning theology and Islamic idiom to support their belief in the Sonship of Jesus as the Incarnation of God, and use of the term Trinity. However, the use of reasoning is different for Muslims and Christians. Whereas Christians are comfortable with reasoning to lead them to greater knowledge of God, traditionally Muslims limit the use of reasoning to strengthening their understanding of the Qur’ān and would never elevate human reason above the importance of the Qur’ān. iv In contemporary times both Muslims and Christians involved in interfaith dialogue and engaged in religiously pluralistic societies, understand the traditional strengths and weaknesses of the concept of the ahl al-kitāb and its importance as a bridge between Muslims and Christians. In societies where religious values are receding concepts like citizenship and human rights offer an alternative means of functioning together as equal citizens, but miss the opportunity to progress together as fellow believers, each coming to understand themselves and the religious other better, as on a faith journey through life and in service to God. v Acknowledgements I would like to thank God for the courage and strength to complete this thesis. May God be pleased with this research and allow it to bear good fruit. Many people helped and encouraged me to persevere over the course of this project. First and foremost I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Norbert Hintersteiner who supervised my research and at key junctions provided constructive insights that helped shape the final outcome of the thesis. Over the course of his supervision he introduced me to some of the most respected minds in the field of Muslim- Christian relations. I am especially grateful to have made the acquaintance of Sidney H. Griffith, Shawqi N. Talia, David Thomas, Tariq Ramadan, Ataullah Siddiqui and Fadi Daou. I would especially like to thank Sidney Griffith for his tutorage with the translation of a text by the 10/11th century Bishop of Gaza, Sulaymān ibn Hasan al-Ghazzī in the summer of 2013 and Shawqi Talia for showing me just how small the world really is. The Irish School of Ecumenics has been a great place to study. I am grateful to all the staff for their encouragemnt over the course of this research. I would like to especially thank Gillian Wylie, who has been a constant source of support, Ina Merdjanova, for her support leading up to the confirmation viva and Carlo Aldrovandi, for a listening ear and shared concerns. In addition, it is important to acknowledge the support of the staff of Berkeley Library and in particular Greg Sheaf, who helped in the final stages of this thesis. The Religious Society of Friends has been a great source of support to me throughout the course of this research. On a number of occasions The Robert and Kezia Stanley Chapman Trust provided timely financial support for my research for which I am grateful and humbled. My friends in the Galway Preparative Meeting have provided me with a nurturing environment and the opportunity to share snippets of my research. I would like to especially thank Joe Fenwick and Rachel Cave for proofreading the many drafts of my thesis and offering their suggestions. I would like to thank my wife Anne, sons, Liam and Tomás, as well as my mother, Susan and brother, David. Their patience, sacrifice and encouragement have been a constant source of inspiration to me. I would also like to thank my Muslim, Christian, Jewish and non-religious friends for their moral support and encouragement. May the research herein provide a bridge to bring us all closer together in pursuit of a more just and peaceful world. In particular I would like to thank my dearest sister, Mai Abu Marasa, my colleagues Marija Kovač and Vicki Crowley and brothers Tareq Natsheh, Ali Selim, Hanna Massad, Eugene Duffy, Billy Hamilton, Eric Stoddard, Khalid Sallabi, Sami Abo Akle, Mohamed Altawil, Ibraham Noonan, Addi Yassin and Yakov Rabkin. In the same spirit, I would like to thank Sumia Sallabi and Abdul Haseeb for their support with the translations of Tafsīr Mujahid and Al Manar, respectively as well as Eoghan Mac Cormaic for his support in laying out this thesis.
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