Revelation in Contemporary Islamic Theology

A Comparative Analysis of Abdul Jabbar Al-Rifai and Abdul Karim Soroush

Abstract

Over the past three decades, calls have increasingly been made for a comprehensive renewal of Islamic kalam (theology)—whether classical or traditional. This renewal is not limited to adding modern topics, but rather extends to critiquing the foundations and methodologies of the old science as a first step toward establishing a new discipline of Islamic theology. This new approach draws on contemporary methods in the social sciences and addresses issues that are now of great concern to human beings, issues that were not previously explored, such as society, the individual, freedom, ethics, human rights, and the human religious experience.

Revelation has emerged as the central theme in this new kalam, particularly in explaining the nature of revelation and the possibility of God communicating with human beings in human language. It is considered a new discipline in that it does not replicate the methodologies of classical theology, but rather liberates itself from many of its repeated debates and problems. At the same time, it expands to encompass new questions linked to metaphysical concerns that have arisen in the minds of contemporary humanity but were unfamiliar to earlier generations—especially questions related to the meaning of human existence, life, and destiny.