Shibli nu'mani's contribution to revitalization of `ilm al-kalam

Abstract

The The present research is an attempt to explicate Shibli Nu`mani’s contribution of `ilm al-Kalam which to Muslim is a pivotal matter in terms of both its doctrine and practice. The discourse of `ilm al-Kalam has become a matter of debate since the early 12th century. It continued to develop during the late of nineteenth century in which many Muslim thinkers believed that `ilm al-Kalam needed a substantial methodological change in order to cope with the rapid development of science and philosophy posed by the West. Shibli Nu`mani’s was one of the Indian scholars who advocated a new approach to `ilm al-Kalam. This study attempts at examining Shibli Nu`mani’s’s views in dealing with religious problems in his community, and how he propagated his ideas in revitalization of `ilm al-Kalam. The approach of this study is based on textual analysis, using descriptive and analytical methods from various works of the subject under study. It seeks to discover several aspects of Shibli Nu`mani’s thoughts of `ilm al-Kalam, such as the coherent relationship of religion and science, Islamic culture, Islamic legal system, Islamic educational system, Islamic political science, reason and revelation, prophecy, and tawhid. This study concludes that Shibli Nu`mani’s understanding of `ilm al-Kalam is in line with the teaching of ahl al-sunnah wa al-jama`ah, and he was very much influenced by ImÉm al-Ghazali’s and Jalal al-Din Rumi’s thoughts. He also succeeded in harmonizing traditional and modern system of thoughts as well as synthesizing the theologian’s approach with the sufi tradition.