Islamic Thought Through Protestant Eyes Routledge Research in Early Modern History Series

Early modern Protestant scholars closely engaged with Islamic thought in more ways than is usually recognized. Among Protestants, Lutheran scholars distinguished themselves as the most invested in the study of Islam and Muslim culture. Mehmet Karabela brings the neglected voices of post-Reformation theologians, primarily German Lutherans, into focus and reveals their rigorous engagement with Islamic thought. Inspired by a global history approach to religious thought, Islamic Thought Through Protestant Eyes offers new sources to broaden the conventional interpretation of the Reformation beyond a solely European Christian phenomenon.

Based on previously unstudied dissertations, disputations, and academic works written in Latin in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Karabela analyzes three themes: Islam as theology and religion; Islamic philosophy and liberal arts; and Muslim sects (Sunni and Shi?a). This book provides analyses and translations of the Latin texts as well as brief biographies of the authors.

These texts offer insight into the Protestant perception of Islamic thought for scholars of religious studies and Islamic studies as well as for general readers. Examining the influence of Islamic thought on the construction of the Protestant identity after the Reformation helps us to understand the role of Islam in the evolution of Christianity.

PART I

Post-Reformation Protestant Uses of Islam 1

PART II

Religion and Theology 57

1 Moral Laxity of Islam 59

2 Muhammadan Religion 80

3 First Arabic Edition of the Qur’an among the Europeans 107

4 Turkish Muhammadan Theology 127

5 The Trifling Foundations and the Unwholesome Fruits of the Theology, or Rather, Prattlings of the

Jews and Muslims or Turco-Persians 153

6 Concept of Fate among the Turks 161

PART III

Philosophy and Liberal Arts 179

7 History of Rational Philosophy among the Arabs and Turks 181

8 Development of Logic among the Arabs 195

9 Inaugural Speech on Turkish Philosophy 207

10 History of Arabic Logic 224

11 Turkish Philosophy 236

12 Politics of the Turkish Republic 243

13 Fate of Learning among the Arabs 254

14 Turkish Schools and Colleges 267

PART IV

Muslim Sects: Sunni and Shi‘a 277

15 Persian Discourse 279

16 Investigation of Religions: On Turkish and Persian Muhammadanism 289

17 Shi‘ites and Sunnis or the Critical Disagreements between Persians and Turks Concerning Religion 305

Mehmet Karabela is an internationally recognized writer and scholar of religion. He teaches at Queen's University in Canada.