Islamic Philosophy and Theology

by Watt, William Montgomery

• ISBN13: 9780748607495
• ISBN10: 0748607498
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1984-01-01
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Summary

This is the standard general account in English of Islamic philosophy and theology. It takes the reader from the religio-political sects of the Kharijites and the Shiites through to the assimilation of Greek thought in the medieval period, and onto the early modern period. Watt concludes with an analysis of Western influences on modern Islamic theology.

Table of Contents

Note on the Sources	vii
Part One THE UMAYYAD PERIOD AND ITS PRELUDE
The Beginnings of Sectarianism	1	(6)
The Kharijites	7	(7)
The Early Shi'ites	14	(5)
The General Religious Movement	19	(6)
God's Determination of Events	25	(8)
Part Two THE FIRST WAVE OF HELLENISM
Politics and Theology under the 'Abbasids	33	(4)
The Attraction of Greek Thought	37	(9)
The Mu'tazilites	46	(10)
The Polarization of Sunnism and Shi'ism	56	(8)
Al-Ash'ari	64	(5)
Part Three THE SECOND WAVE OF HELLENISM
The Flowering of Philosophy	69	(6)
The Progress of Ash'arite Theology	75	(10)
al-Baqillani	76	(3)
the Ash'arites of Nishapur	79	(6)
Al-Ghazali and later Ash'arites	85	(13)
his life	86	(3)
his study of philosophy	89	(2)
his practice of sufism	91	(1)
the successors of al-Ghazali	92	(6)
Other Sunnite Theologians, 950--1250	98	(14)
the Hanbalites	98	(6)
the Maturidites	104	(2)
the Mu'tazilites	106	(3)
minor schools	109	(3)
Theology and Philosophy in the Islamic West	112	(10)
The Elaboration of Shi'ite Theology	122	(11)
the Imamites	122	(2)
the Isma'ilites	124	(4)
the Zaydites	128	(5)
Part Four THE LATER ISLAMIC MIDDLE AGES, 1250--1850
The Stagnation of Philosophical Theology	133	(9)
The Vitality of the Hanbalites	142	(7)
The Transformation of Shi'ism	149	(8)
the Imamites	149	(4)
the Isma'ilites	153	(4)
Part Five THE MODERN PERIOD
The Theological Response to the Impact of the West	157	(7)
General Bibliography	164	(3)
Index	167