Islamic Mysticism and Interreligious Dialogue
Poligrafi December 23, 2020 DOI: 10.35469/poligrafi.2020.237 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Keywords | Islam Epistemology Theology |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Proposes that three Islamic mystical principles—the unity of existence, fitra, and Qur'anic hermeneutics—can serve as bases for promoting productive interreligious dialogue in doxastic and moral domains. |
Abstract
My aim in this paper is to investigate Islamic Mysticism and find out how and to what extent mystical views can build good grounds for a productive and fruitful interreligious dialogue. First, I provide a brief clarification of what I mean by the notions of ‘interreligious dialogue’ and ‘Islamic mysticism.’ Then, I explain three mystical principles as three bases for the promotion of interreligious dialogue. These are the metaphysico-theological principle of ‘the unity of existence’ (waḥdat al-wujūd), the anthropological thesis of fitra (primordial nature), and the hermeneutic method for interpreting the Qur’an. Finally, I explore the implications of these principles for interreligious dialogue and discuss the role of mystical teachings in promoting interreligious dialogue in two different, though interrelated, areas: doxastic and moral.