Islamic Theology and the Problem of Evil

Islamic Theology and the Problem of Evil
Safaruk Chowdhury
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Hardback
Not defined - 260pg
6 Apr 2021 US
International import eta 10-19 days
9781617979934
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A rigorous study of the problem of evil in Islamic theologyLike their Jewish and Christian co-religionists, Muslims have grappled with how God, who is perfectly good, compassionate, merciful, powerful, and wise permits intense and profuse evil and suffering in the world. At its core, Islamic Theology and the Problem of Evil explores four different problems of evil: human disability, animal suffering, evolutionary natural selection, and Hell. Each study argues in favor of a particular kind of explanation or justification (theodicy) for the respective evil. Safaruk Chowdhury unpacks the notion of evil and its conceptualization within the mainstream Sunni theological tradition, and the various ways in which theologians and philosophers within that tradition have advanced different types of theodicies. He not only builds on previous works on the topic, but also looks at kinds of theodicies previously unexplored within Islamic theology, such as an evolutionary theodicy. Distinguished by its application of an analytic-theology approach to the subject and drawing on insights from works of both medieval Muslim theologians and philosophers and contemporary philosophers of religion, this novel and highly systematic study will appeal to students and scholars, not only of theology but of philosophy as well.
"This fascinating work of constructive theology is a significant new contribution to reflection on the problem of evil. Writing from a contemporary Muslim perspective that draws on the rich resources of the Islamic tradition and recent analytical philosophy of religion, Chowdhury ventures fresh interventions on God' s purposes in human disability, animal suffering, evolutionary natural selection, and hell that seek to be both thoughtful and caring. "--Jon Hoover, University of NottinghamSafaruk Chowdhury has skillfully summoned a diverse range of sources in the Islamic intellectual tradition, producing a rigorous and systematic contribution, both to the contemporary discussion of the problem of evil carried out among contemporary analytic philosophers of religion and to the currently developing field of Islamic analytic theology. "--Edward R. Moad, Qatar UniversityThe question of why humans and non-human creation suffer is a troubling issue even for the most staunch and dedicated religious devotee. In this groundbreaking study, Safaruk Chowdhury has provided an articulate and fascinating exposition of how this question was tackled by the Islamic intellectual tradition through the lens of theodicy and employing contemporary analytical theology as his guiding method. Thus, it is a vital addition to the emergent literature on this underdiscussed and challenging topic. --Gavin Picken, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar
Safaruk Chowdhury is a teacher, examiner, and educational consultant. He is currently a senior instructor at Whitethread Institute and a research fellow at the Ibn Rushd Centre of Excellence for Islamic Research, both in London. He studied philosophy at King' s College, London, and Islamic Studies at al-Azhar University, Cairo, before completing his PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He is the author of Sufi Apologist of Nishapur: The Life and Thoughts of Abu Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sulami (2019).
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781617979934
Published: 6 Apr 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: American University in Cairo Press
Publisher: American University in Cairo Press
Format: Hardback
Pages: 260

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