This article looks at some of the salient analyses of the concept ofwasaṭīyah (moderation) in the ancient Greek and the Islamic traditionsand uses them to develop a contemporary view of the matter.Greek ethics played a huge role in shaping the ethical views ofMuslim philosophers and theologians, and thus the article startswith an overview of the...Read More

The polyvalent Qur’anic text lends itself to multiple interpretations, dependingupon one’s presuppositions and premises. In fact, Q. 3:7 distinguishesbetween muḥkam (explicit, categorical) and mutashābih (metaphorical, allegorical,symbolic) verses. As such, this device provides a way for reinterpretingverses that outwardly appear to be problematic – be it in the area ofgender equality, minority rights, religious freedom, or...Read More

In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, some advocated a turn toward “tradition,”thereby raising fears that women would be pushed out of the public arena despitetheir active participation and would even lose those gains made underprevious governments. The debates around gender parity vs. complementaritythat were stirred up were not new, but they did manage to...Read More

This article deals with the issue of causality and its ethical status in al-Ghazali’s epistemological system, which is connected with the issue of Jabr and ikhtiyar (compulsion and choice); the issue of al-šabābiyya and tawakkul (causality and reliance), i.e., dependence on God and trust in him; and the issue of work. These issues are based...Read More