مطالعہ مذاہب کا اسلامی و مغربی منہاج: تقابلی جائزہ

A Comparative Study of Islamic and Western Approaches to Religious Studies

Abstract

The comparative study of religions, as explored by Hafiz Muhammad Abdul Qayyum, highlights the distinct methodologies and objectives of Islamic and Western approaches to religious studies. The Islamic tradition, rooted in the Quran and Sunnah, engages with other religions to affirm Islam’s truth and refute false doctrines, tracing its origins to early Islamic texts like the Quran’s references to Judaism, Christianity, and other faiths. Muslim scholars, such as Shahrastani and Ibn Hazm, developed systematic methods for studying religions, emphasizing critical analysis while maintaining fairness. In contrast, the Western discipline of Comparative Religion, emerging in the 19th century, adopts a secular, scientific framework, focusing on social and historical analysis without prioritizing the question of truth. While Islamic studies aim to establish Islam’s superiority through reasoned arguments, Western approaches, grounded in evolutionary theory, view religions as human constructs, avoiding judgments on their validity. Despite some shared goals, such as identifying commonalities and differences, the Islamic approach integrates divine revelation, whereas the Western method relies on secular principles. This divergence underscores the unique epistemological foundations and purposes of each tradition, with Islamic studies fostering interfaith dialogue and da’wah, and Western studies seeking objective, interdisciplinary insights.