Islamic Theology, one of the intellectual disciplines, was cultivated in Islamic tradition and has its roots in the Quran and hadith and its influence is seen on many different areas of Muslim thought. The Muslim theologians have produced a vast corpus of literature in the course of time. This course aims to critically analyse the development of Islamic theology. In this historical approach, the main concepts, different schools and great Muslim thinkers of the field and the loyalty of these thinkers to the Quran and hadith will be examined and evaluated.

Syllabus:

• History of kalam
• Theological Schools and Sects
• Mu`tazilism
• Ash’arism
• Shi`ism
• Early Peripatetics
• Philosophical theology
• Existence of God; approaches by Abrahamic Faiths
• Islam’s Theological encounter with Judasim and Christianity
• Liberation Theology
• Modern and contemporary theological debates

Learning, Teaching, and Assessment Strategy

All learning materials are developed according to the SCATE format. Students are advised to study units available online followed by timetabled activities which are of crucial importance and require a serious attention. Students need to consult suggested reading materials which are not necessarily available online. At the same time, students are expected to contribute to Discussion Group as an integral part of their study. They would receive feedback regarding their activities and contribution by the module tutor. Extra reading and activities are provided for students who are interested to have a deeper and broader understanding of the issues of concern.

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment for this module will consist of written feedback from the lecturer, questioning and discussion through the online forums. One draft of the students’ final essay (coursework) may be handed in to the lecturer at the 12th learning week for formative assessment, in which the lecturer will give the student feedback on how to improve their research and quality of writing.

Summative Assessment:

Students are required to submit 3 out of 5 Review Questions (RQ) and 3 out of 5 Activities (Act) as the weekly assignments for each module during the semester. All of these assignments as well as students’ final essays at the end of the semester will be commented and marked by tutors. Students can see those comments and marks in their drop box which are available in their D2L accounts. Finally, students are required to submit an Individual coursework -final essay (4000 words) on a relevant topic approved in advance by the module tutor.

Assessment Weighting

Activities: 30%
Review Questions & Discussion Group: 10%
Final Essay (Coursework): 60%
Students should get at least a pass mark for all three above components.

Core readings:

1. Abrahamov, B. (1988) Islamic Theology: Traditionalism and Rationalism. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
2. Ess, Josef van. (2006) The Flowering of Muslim Theology, trans. by Jane Marie Todd, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England.
3. Fakhry, Majid, (1997) Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Mysticism, A Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.
4. Madelung, W. (1997) The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate, Cambridge University Press
5. Mutahhari, M. (2011). The Theory of Knowledge: An Islamic Perspective. London: ICAS Press.
6. Nagel, T. (2000) The History of Islamic Theology: From Muhammad to the Present, T. Thornton (trans.), Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers
7. Rabbani Gulpaygani, A. (2013) Discursive Theology. Qum: Al-Mustafa International University
8. Schmidtke, S. (2015), The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology (Oxford Handbooks in Religion and Theology). London: OUP Oxford
9. Watt, W. M. (1985) Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
10. Watt, M. (1998) The Formative Period of Islamic Thought, UK: Oneworld Publications
11. Winter, T. (2008) The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology, Cambridge University Press
12. Wolfson, H. A. (1976) The Philosophy of the Kalam, Cambridge: Harvard University Press
13. Yazdi, M. T. M. (2009) Theological Instructions, London: Institute of Islamic Studies