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Islam, Paradoxes, Dialectical Tensions and Squaring Circles
Sunday, April 21, 2013 17:24
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“At
the center of Christianity are theological conundrums such as the Trinity and
the hypostatic union. Islam knows nothing of such conceptual muddles; Islam’s
message is pure, clear and coherent, no paradoxical preservatives added.”
the center of Christianity are theological conundrums such as the Trinity and
the hypostatic union. Islam knows nothing of such conceptual muddles; Islam’s
message is pure, clear and coherent, no paradoxical preservatives added.”
I
recently saw a statement like the above for the umpteenth time in connection
with Hamza Yusuf, who was being touted as someone who converted from
Christianity to Islam because the Christian God was so unlike anything in human
experience that he couldn’t wrap his mind around Him.
recently saw a statement like the above for the umpteenth time in connection
with Hamza Yusuf, who was being touted as someone who converted from
Christianity to Islam because the Christian God was so unlike anything in human
experience that he couldn’t wrap his mind around Him.
It
is an old claim, one Muslims never tire of repeating, thinking that the more
they say it and get others to mindlessly chant it with them that it will
somehow magically become true; hence the reason for the word
“dawaganda” (dawah + propaganda), coined by Sam Shamoun.
is an old claim, one Muslims never tire of repeating, thinking that the more
they say it and get others to mindlessly chant it with them that it will
somehow magically become true; hence the reason for the word
“dawaganda” (dawah + propaganda), coined by Sam Shamoun.
I
don’t know if Hamza Yusuf is still repeating this old canard, but I can say for
sure that he no longer has any excuse for doing so after finding out that
attempts to make sense out of the teachings of Islam amount to attempts to
square a circle. According to Hamza Yusuf, when one looks at questions like the
relationship of Allah’s essence to Allah’s attributes, as well as a number of
other issues fiercely debated by Muslims throughout the centuries, Islamic
theology must be defined or described as:
don’t know if Hamza Yusuf is still repeating this old canard, but I can say for
sure that he no longer has any excuse for doing so after finding out that
attempts to make sense out of the teachings of Islam amount to attempts to
square a circle. According to Hamza Yusuf, when one looks at questions like the
relationship of Allah’s essence to Allah’s attributes, as well as a number of
other issues fiercely debated by Muslims throughout the centuries, Islamic
theology must be defined or described as:
“…a
mental activity by nature and often involves paradoxes, in which
seemingly insoluble problems…are dialectically entertained in the mind of the
theologian, who then attempts to reconcile them, using sacred scripture and
intellect—a combination made volatile and dangerous in the absence of a devout
piety that would otherwise illuminate both the effort and the outcome. For this
reason, true theology is, to a certain degree, the squaring of a circle with an
enlightened mind.” The Creed of Imam Al-Tahawi, Translated, Introduced,
and Annotated by Hamza Yusuf (Zaytuna Institute, 2007), p. 13. (Emphasis
original)
mental activity by nature and often involves paradoxes, in which
seemingly insoluble problems…are dialectically entertained in the mind of the
theologian, who then attempts to reconcile them, using sacred scripture and
intellect—a combination made volatile and dangerous in the absence of a devout
piety that would otherwise illuminate both the effort and the outcome. For this
reason, true theology is, to a certain degree, the squaring of a circle with an
enlightened mind.” The Creed of Imam Al-Tahawi, Translated, Introduced,
and Annotated by Hamza Yusuf (Zaytuna Institute, 2007), p. 13. (Emphasis
original)
This
gives rise to another paradox: Muslims pretending that God has to be so simple
that a simpleton could have him all figured out, and Muslims who cling to a
theology that is admittedly fraught with mind-bending and logic-straining doctrines. Maybe someone characterized by “devout piety” and who has an “enlightened mind” could explain that to all of us.
gives rise to another paradox: Muslims pretending that God has to be so simple
that a simpleton could have him all figured out, and Muslims who cling to a
theology that is admittedly fraught with mind-bending and logic-straining doctrines. Maybe someone characterized by “devout piety” and who has an “enlightened mind” could explain that to all of us.
2013-04-21 17:00:24
Source: http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2013/04/islam-paradoxes-dialectical-tensions.html
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