The intellect is a friend of faith, not a foe. The Qur’an appeals to it in many places and urges us as its readers to use it in a sound way. We are repeatedly encouraged to deeply reflect and ponder on the creation around us in order to appreciate the magnificence and greatness of its Creator – Allahﷻ. However, the reality is that we are not properly trained on how to use our intellect to inquire, search, think and reason according to how its Creator intended it to be done.
This course will offer tools for the student to use the intellect in a critical way that defines sound rational thinking in order to deal with controversial, taboo and difficult questions concerning Islam within the modern world. It will also help students to break down these questions that often come in complex forms to remove the underlying misunderstanding and misconception that cause unnecessary doubt and confusion.
This course aims to provide the student with the following outcomes:
- Strengthening conviction in core Islamic beliefs by addressing doubts surrounding common controversial issues through clarity.
- Building appreciation of tools such as logic and critical thinking and their role within the Islamic theology to clarify and articulate doctrine.
- Learning how to understand, probe and interrogate complex questions by challenging the unstated assumptions behind the questions before offering responses.