What Can the Muslims and the Muslim Theologians Learn from the Western Philosophers?

Epigraph Have they not reflected in their own minds that Allah has created the heavens and the earth and all that is between the two with a sublime purpose and a fixed time? (Al Quran 30:8) Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD Majority of the Western philosophers are atheists almost 75-80% of them.…

June 30, 2024

3–4 minutes

allah, hadith, islam, Quran, religion

Epigraph

Have they not reflected in their own minds that Allah has created the heavens and the earth and all that is between the two with a sublime purpose and a fixed time? (Al Quran 30:8)

Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD

Majority of the Western philosophers are atheists almost 75-80% of them. But, there are enough theist philosophers, mostly Christians, who keep contributing to the understanding of the Abrahamic God, afterlife, freewill and human consciousness.

Even though the Muslim theologians have engaged the Western sciences to some degree and used it for defense of the Quran and Islam, they have largely ignored the Western philosophy.

This article is an attempt to engage this broad area of scholarship and how it contributes towards understanding and service of Islam in the contemporary world.

I have shared the above video of the well known Muslim theologian from Pakistan background Javed Ghamidi to show as initial baby-step towards engaging Western philosophy.

I will outline some of the fertile areas of study in this regard that will serve the truth of the Quran and Islam.

The principal source of information below, about the number of philosophy PhDs awarded in the United States each year, is the Survey of Earned Doctorates prepared by the National Science Foundation. Although this survey is conducted annually, the most recent report is for 2021 (2021 Survey of Earned Doctorates, issued October 18, 2022). The information below is taken from Table 3-1 of the 2021 survey and Table 13 of the 2020 survey.

Philosophy PhDs Awarded in the United States, 2012–2021:

Year	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
PhDs	497	494	454	463	454	419	477	437	442	399

The average number of PhDs awarded annually in the United States during this period is 454.¹ In addition, there are 11 active doctoral programs in philosophy in Canada listed in the APA’s Guide to Graduate Programs in Philosophy. Based on data provided by these programs to the APA, approximately 45 philosophy PhDs are awarded annually in Canada. Thus, for the United States and Canada, the average number of philosophy PhDs awarded annually is about 499.

The Muslim Times has an extensive collection of articles on the theme of freewill, consciousness, metaphysics, limitations of science, psychology and more. A few examples are included below:

Video: Is God Necessary and the Crown Verse of the Quran?

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ […]

The Crown Verse of the Holy Quran and the Limits of Human Knowledge

Epigraph Allah — there is no God but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining. Slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep. To Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and […]

What Would Happen If Everyone Truly Believed Everything Is One?

Epigraph — The Crown verse of the Quran: Allah — there is no God but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining. Slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep. To Him […]

Video: Can Metaphysics Discern God?

Epigraph اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ […]