Theology in Thirty-Six Dialogues (and Sixty Lessons)

Rumee Ahmed is a Canada Research Chair in Theology and Ethics and professor of Islamic law at the University of British Columbia.

• Translator’s Foreword Introduction Lesson 1: On Studying, Teaching, and Writing about Theology Dialogue I: Objects and Perceptions Are Real Dialogue II: How Humans Know ThingsLesson 2: How Things Are Inferred Lesson 3: The Senses Lesson 4: Verbal Reports Lesson 5: What Is Knowledge? Lesson 6: The Different Kinds of Knowledge Lesson 7: Understanding the Universe Lesson 8: On Accidental Properties Dialogue III: The Universe Materialized at Some Point Lesson 9: God Is Singular and Has No Partners Dialogue IV: God Most High Is Unlike Anything and Nothing Is Like God Dialogue V: God Most High Has No Direction Dialogue VI: God Most High Hears and SeesDialogue VII: On the Attributes of God Most High Lesson 10: God Most High’s Will and Intent Dialogue VIII: Every Object and Act Materializes by the Will of God Most High Dialogue IX: God’s Speech Subsists Eternally with God Most High Dialogue X: On Bringing-Into-Existence and Bringing-Into-Being Dialogue XI: On Seeing God Most High Dialogue XII: Names, Naming, and the Named Dialogue XIII: On the Advent of Messengers, upon Whom Be Peace Dialogue XIV: The Messengerhood of Adam, upon Whom Be Peace Dialogue XV: Against Those Who Would Deny the Messengerhood of Particular Messengers Dialogue XVI: All Human Acts Are Created by God Most High Lesson 11: The Two Kinds of Material Acts Dialogue: XVII: Indirect Consequences Dialogue XVIII: Acts Are Not Preceded by the Power to Act Dialogue XIX: The Energy Bestowed by God for One Act Can Be Diverted to a Different Act Dialogue XX: On Being Tasked Beyond One’s Endurance Lesson 12: Corollaries to the Position That the Power to Act Comes to Be Alongside the Act Itself Dialogue XXI: Nothing Whatsoever is Compulsory for God Lesson 13: Why Did God Most High Create the Universe? Dialogue XXII: Muslims Who Commit Major Sins Will Not Enter Hell Dialogue XXIII: Does Avoiding Major Sins Expiate Minor Sins? Dialogue XXIV: Understanding Belief Lesson 14: Does One Need to Know All the Details of Belief, or Just Its General Outline? Lesson 15: Blind Followers Are Still Believers Lesson 16: On Belief Increasing and Decreasing Lesson 17: The Difference Between Belief and Islam Dialogue XXV: Is Belief Created? Lesson 18: The Resurrection Is Real Lesson 19: The Path Is a Reality Lesson 20: The Accounting on the Day of Judgment Is Real Lesson 21: The Fountain of Kawthar and Intercession Are Real Dialogue XXVI: Will People Be Punished in Their Graves? Lesson 22: The Questioning in the Grave by Munkar and Nakir Lesson 23: The Garden and the Fire Are Both Created Lesson 24: Heaven and Hell Will Never Be Destroyed Lesson 25: A Person Who Is Murdered Dies at Their Appointed Time Dialogue XXVII: On the Infallibility of Prophets and Messengers Dialogue XXVIII: Can a Damned Person Become Felicitous and a Felicitous Person Damned? Dialogue XXIX: The Caliphate after the Prophet Lesson 26: The Legitimacy of the Caliphate of ʿUmar, May God Be Pleased with Him Lesson 27: The Legitimacy of the Calpihate of ʿUthman, May God Be Pleased with Him Lesson 28: The Caliphate of ʿAli, May God Be Pleased with Him Lesson 29: Must There Always Be a Leader? Lesson 30: The Qualities of a Leader Lesson 31: When a Lesser Candidate is Named Caliph and the Best Candidate is Passed Over Lesson 32: When a Caliph Appoints a Successor at the End of Their Life (and When No Successor Is Named at All) Lesson 33: When Two Leaders Demand Allegiance Lesson 34: Should a Leader Be Deposed for Corruption or Similar Crimes? Lesson 35: How Should a Corrupt Leader Be Dealt With? Lesson 36: What If a Leader is Overthrown? Lesson 37: Did the Prophet Delegate Leadership to Anyone After Him?Dialogue XXX: The Best People after the Prophet Lesson 38: On the Dispute Between ʿAli and Muʿawiya, May God Be Pleased With Them Both Lesson 39: On Muʿawiya’s Leadership After the Death of ʿAli, May God Be Pleased with Him, and on Yazid ibn Muʿawiya Dialogue XXXI: Who is Better, Angels, upon Whom Be Peace, or Muslims? Lesson 40: Ranking Human Messengers, Angelic Messengers, and Humans Lesson 41: Reward and Punishment for Jinns Lesson 42: The Intellect Is a Tool for Cognizing Things Dialogue XXXII: Can the Intellect Make Things Compulsory? Dialogue XXXIII: The Pledge Taken from the Progeny of Adam, upon Whom Be Peace Dialogue XXXIV: On Non-Existents Dialogue XXXV: Evil Thoughts Lesson 43: On Language Lesson 44: On the Miraculousness of the Qurʾan Lesson 45: Each Part of the Qurʾan Is Equally Superlative Lesson 46: On Islam and Belief Lesson 47: The Difference between Prophets and Messengers Lesson 48: God Most High’s Regalia Lesson 49: Can Anything Be Said about the Spirit? Lesson 50: Life and the Spirit Lesson 51: What Is Air? Lesson 52: Jinns, Devils, and Their Acts Lesson 53: What Is Repentance and When Is It Accepted? Lesson 54: On Supernatural Acts Performed by Saints Lesson 55: Children’s Place in the Afterlife Lesson 56: On the Co-Presence of Atoms in a Single Space Lesson 57: Sharia and Reality Dialogue XXXVI: Can a Thing Be Known in One Sense and Unknown in Another?Lesson 58: Defining the Ahl al-Sunna wa-l Jamaʿa Lesson 59: The Ahl al-Qibla Broke into Sects Lesson 60: Enumerating the Schools and Sects of the Ahl al-Qibla Afterword