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Kenneth Cragg`S Views on Prophethood in Islam with a Special Reference to His Book “Muhammad and the Christian”: a Critical Evaluation

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Kenneth Cragg`S Views on Prophethood in Islam with a Special Reference to His Book “Muhammad and the Christian”: a Critical Evaluation KENNETH CRAGG`S VIEWS ON PROPHETHOOD IN ISLAM WITH A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HIS BOOK “MUHAMMAD AND THE CHRISTIAN”: A CRITICAL EVALUATION BY AKILU ALIYU MUHAMMAD A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge (UÎËl al-Din and Comparative Religion) Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences International Islamic University Malaysia MARCH 2014 ABSTRACT The Prophethood of Muhammad (S.A.W) has been the focal point of Muslim- Christian relations. Many books and articles are published on this issue. One of the most prominent Christian scholars, Kenneth Cragg (2012), wrote a book and entitled it as “Muhammad and the Christian: A Question of Response” presenting his views on Muhammad’s Prophethood. Therefore, this research analyzed and evaluated three areas of the aforementioned book, namely: Muhammad and TaÎliyah, Muhammad and the Qur’an and Muhammad and qitÉl. Principal approaches have been used in this research, namely: historical, analytical, comparative and evaluative. In this research Cragg’s claim that TaÎliyah and Incarnation have the same notion has been evaluated. The researcher argued that these two issues are incompatible and that there is no divinity in the person of Muhammad (S.A.W). It was also found that Cragg’s acknowledgement of Muhammad (S.A.W) as “the Prophet of the Qur’an” is a mere claim, and that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah not the Prophet of the Qur’an. It was also found that Cragg’s argument that the military dimension of Islam is one of the obstacles to the Christian faithful appreciation of Muhammad is also a mere assertion and that not only the Qur’an but even the Bible contains many issues of war. Hence, the issue of qitÉl in Islam cannot hinder any faithful Christian from positive appreciation of Muhammad (S.A.W). ii iii APPROVAL PAGE I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion). ………………………………….. Noor Amali Bin Mohd Daud Supervisor I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion). ………………………………….. Examiner This dissertation was submitted to the Department of Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion and is accepted as fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion). ………………………………….. Thameem Ushama Head, Department of Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion This dissertation was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences and is accepted as fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Islamic Revealed Knowledge (Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion). ………………………………….. Ibrahim Mohamed Zein Dean, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences iv DECLARATION I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigation, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions. Akilu Aliyu Muhammad Signature……….……………. Date ………................... v INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH Copyright © 2013 by Akilu Aliyu Muhammad. All rights reserved. KENNETH CRAGG`S VIEWS ON PROPHETHOOD IN ISLAM WITH A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HIS BOOK “MUHAMMAD AND THE CHRISTIAN”: A CRITICAL EVALUATION No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below. 1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement. 2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes. 3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieval system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries. Affirmed by Akilu Aliyu Muhammad ……..……..…………… ………………….. Signature Date vi I sincerely dedicate this work to my beloved child, Bassam Akilu Aliyu Muhammad. vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS All praises and thanks are to Almighty Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. May the peace blessings and the glorifications be upon our Noble Prophet (S.A.W) his family and his followers till the Day of Judgment. I wish to begin these acknowledgements by appreciating profoundly my caring and amiable supervisor, Dr. Noor Amali Bin Mohd Daud, an intellectual and well- versed supervisor for his untiring supervision, patience, encouragements, and fruitful corrections, irrespective of his countless schedules. Without his advices, instructions, and spending sleepless nights, this dissertation would have not been completed. I profoundly owe him a great debt of gratitude. My profound gratitude and appreciation go to Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Zein who suggested the topic for me and gave me necessary instructions towards understanding and analyzing the book. My regards also go to my H.O.D Prof. Dr. Thameem Ushama who taught me research methodology and helped me in deciding the topic and formulating research proposal painstakingly and tirelessly. My thanks also go to Dr. Anis Malik Thoha who taught me Muslim scholarship in comparative religion, and gave us kind advice towards the success of our studies in general and thesis in particular. My regards also go to all my lecturers that I did mention for their indefatigable engagement and interactions with us in classes. Furthermore, special mention must be made here for my colleagues and friends for their support, assistance and encouragement in one way or the other in the course of writing this dissertation: Huzaifa Aliyu Jangebe, Dr. Amir Isma`l Daud, Habeebullahi Zakariyya, Sheikh Mansur Isa Yelwa, Shuaibu Umar Gokaru, Yusuf Musa Yahya, Abubakar Hassan, Ruqayya Aminu Gar, Mizanurrahman, Muhammad Aminul Islam, Junaid and many others who helped in this research in one way or the other. May Allah bless them all and make their final abode paradise. Ultimately, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my parents, Alhaji Ali Wali and Hajiya Fatima Abubakar for their prayers day and night towards my success this world. May Allah grant them success in all their endeavours and make paradise their final abode. ”. I must conclude these acknowledgements with profound gratitude to my dear wife, Raliya Kabir Musa who encouraged and supported me with her kind words. I must also appreciate my child Aliyul-Bassam who had been making me cheerful and jovial during my program. May Allah reward and bless all. ÓmÊn viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .................................................................................................................... ii Abstract in Arabic .................................................................................................... iii Approval page .......................................................................................................... iv Declaration ............................................................................................................... v Declaration Of Copyright ........................................................................................ vi Dedication ................................................................................................................ vii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 1 1.1 Background ............................................................................................ 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem ....................................................................... 4 1.3 Research Questions ................................................................................ 5 1.4 Research Objectives ............................................................................... 5 1.5 Scope of the Research ............................................................................ 5 1.6 Methodology of the Research ................................................................ 6 1.7 Literature Review ................................................................................... 6 1.8 Justification of the Research .................................................................. 10 1.9 Plan of Study .......................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER TWO: CRAGG’S LIFE, INTELLECTUAL BACKGROUND AND HIS METHODS IN STUDYING ISLAM .................................................. 12 2.1 Cragg’s Life and Intellectual Background ............................................. 12 2.2 Cragg’s Publications .............................................................................. 18 2.3 Cragg’s Methodology in Studying Islam ..............................................
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