A Different Approach to Islam's Exclusivism (Qirā’atun Muġāyirah fī Haṣrāniyyat 'al-'Islām)

This article discusses the concept of ‘Islam’ in linguistic, terminological and jurisprudential areas with the aim of clarifying certain aspects of this concept. In research, attention is usually paid to lexical and religious meanings that are characterized by literality, stereotyping and closed understanding of the text. That is observed in part of contemporary Western philosophical thinking. For example, the British philosopher of religion John Hick, who is considered the founder of contemporary pluralism, has labeled some religions, including Islam, as exclusive religions that limit the truth to them excluding other religions and philosophies. But he did not pay attention to the nature of Islamic exclusivism that is not absolute, giving some space to non- Muslims and to other believers. This paper comprises four parts: the concept of Islam as defined in Arabic etymologically, linguistically and semantically; the concept of Islam according to a number of Western linguistic dictionaries and specialized encyclopedias; the meaning of Islam in the Qu’ran and in the Hadith; and finally, the concept of “ahl al-fatrah” that is associated with exclusivism of Islam, as John Hick supposed, is analyzed and criticized.Keywords: Islam; exclusivism; pluralism; John Hick.

Jaar van publicatie:2019