The Possibility of Recourse to the Religious Other in Islamic ‎Comparative Theology: An Analysis Grounded in the Qur’an, Hadith, and Reason

Within the confessional approach to comparative theology, epistemic recourse to engagement with other religious traditions aims at attaining a deeper understanding of the home tradition while maintaining fidelity to the boundaries of its orthodoxy and orthopraxy. In this framework, the religious data of other traditions are consulted, examined, and brought into comparison with those of one’s own tradition. From the standpoint of Islamic orthodoxy, however, such engagement requires theoretical justification. This foundational epistemological concern constitutes the central problem addressed in the present study. The guiding question is therefore: within Islamic comparative theology, how can engagement with and benefit from the religious data of other traditions be justified? The study employs a descriptive‑analytical and comparative method. Its findings suggest that the legitimacy of such engagement may be inferred through the cumulative force and mutual corroboration of evidences derived from the Qurʾan, the hadith, and reason. Elements of truth present in other religious traditions may be understood as vestiges of humanity’s historical and prehistorical encounters with the Sacred Source, as well as products of human reason and fiṭrah (the primordial human disposition). Such elements are dispersed across diverse times and places, yet remain accessible to discerning theological inquiry. Furthermore, interreligious learning is not limited to drawing upon the object of comparison—that is, appropriating religious data from another tradition. The act of comparison itself also possesses intrinsic epistemic fecundity. Accordingly, this study concentrates on establishing the justificatory grounds for such engagement, while leaving the systematic articulation of the methodological and inferential frameworks required for interreligious learning to future research.

کلیدواژه ها:

Islamic comparative theology ، confessional approach ، engagement with the religious other ، interreligious learning