Islam in China : The Hān Kitāb Tradition in the Writings of Wang Daiyu , Ma Zhu and Liu Zhi : With a Note on Their Relevance for Contemporary Islam

Alexander Wain

doi:10.12816/0027166

Abstract

This paper examines the unique Chinese brand of Islam known as the Han Kitab. Beginning with a brief historical overview of the Sinicised Muslim community which created this tradition, the paper proceeds to examine the work of three key Han Kitab figures: Wang Daiyu, Ma Zhu and Liu Zhi. All active between the mid-seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the paper argues that their utilisation of the Islamic concept of din al-fi t ra (or humanity’s innate inclination towards a belief in God), coupled with a willingness to engage positively with Neo-Confucian thought, resulted in a uniquely multicultural form of Islam; the Han Kitab , we will conclude, represents an early example of Islamic ‘ecumenical thought’. By actively seeking to appreciate and acknowledge the commonalities between Islam and Chinese tradition, the Han Kitab overcame exclusivism and stressed moderation. In the context of the challenges posed by contemporary Salafi-inspired Islamic extremism, this paper will argue that the Han Kitab has never been more relevant than it is today.

Highlights

This paper examines the Hui (Sinicised Muslim)[1] tradition known as the Hān Kitāb
In the context of the challenges posed by contemporary Salafīinspired Islamic extremism, our paper will argue that the Hān Kitāb has never been more relevant than it is today
Liu Zhi intended these three texts to be read together; through them he was attempting to describe the three stages of Sufism – namely, the sharī’a, the ṭarīqa and the ḥaqīqa. By utilising this threefold division, Liu Zhi was paralleling traditional Chinese thought, where discussions begin with the dao, before moving on to the jiao and the Sage who acted as the bridge between these points.[77]

Summary

Introduction

This paper examines the Hui (Sinicised Muslim)[1] tradition known as the Hān Kitāb (from the Chinese han qitabu, lit. a Chinese Islamic book). A conceptually sophisticated and rich tradition, very little is known about the Hān Kitāb – or, for that matter, the Muslim community which created it – outside a handful of (almost entirely western) scholars. Given this level of unfamiliarity, our paper will begin with a brief historical survey, outlining the history of the Hui up until the mid-seventeenth century, when the first Hān Kitāb texts began to emerge. This background will serve as historical context, helping to illuminate the tradition as a whole. Our paper will examine the ICR 7.1 Produced and distributed by IAIS Malaysia

ALEXANDER WAIN

The History of Islam in China up until the Seventeenth Century

ISLAM AND CIVILISATIONAL RENEWAL