Understanding Al-Fārūqī’s Methodology of Studying Religion

Abstract

Ismāʿīl Rājī al-Fārūqī (1921-1986) was one of the foremost Muslim scholars to engage in academic study of religion in the modern age. One of his tremendous contributions to this field was his methodology of studying religion which he believed was a theology-free approach based on universal rational thought acceptable and applicable to all religions. Al-Fārūqī disagreed with Western approaches in studying religion because he believed they were either too subjective or too reductionist. This article aims to reveal Al-Fārūqī’s views on Western approaches to studying religion, and at the same, it discusses his own methodology of studying religion. The researcher uses an analytical approach to analyze Al-Fārūqī’s methodology or principles of understanding religion and examine their general applicability. Al-Fārūqī’s approach is presented as suitable to study all religions since it does not rely on religious assumptions from the outset, but on purely rational arguments. Al-Fārūqī challenges the prevailing Western approaches in studying religion and presents an alternative approach which is well-developed, rational, scientific and systematic that is intended to be applied to study all religions.