Nature and Possibility of Existential Kalām

Abstract

The metaphysical approach, the product of abstract and conceptual thinking about God and religious beliefs, and the existential approach, based on concrete reflection about these subjects, are two different approaches in Ilm al-Kalām. My concern in this article is whether or not Islamic Kalām can receive the advantages of the existential approach in understanding, interpreting, and explaining religious beliefs. The basis of the existential Kalām in Islamic thought is the existence of many expressions and ideas in the Qur'an and Hadith that are more appropriate to deal with using the existential approach. Existential theology has been practicing since the twentieth century in western communities, but despite the capacity of Islamic tradition for this kind of Kalām, it has not been yet fulfilled in Muslim societies. This article deals with nature, characters, content, constituting and effectual parts, and method of existential Kalām, its difference from similar disciplines, the possibility and procedure of its accomplishment, and its efficiency. Concerning the data collection and the content, the article uses library research and analytical methods.

Keywords

• ilm al-kalām
• metaphysical kalām
• existential kalām
• god
• religious beliefs