Tatar modernism (tajdid) in the context of interdisciplinary study of Theology

This article delves into the inherent complexity of the theological concept of God. This concept is traditionally beyond the scope of empirical research. Interdisciplinary methodologies allow us to explore the diversity of conceptions of God and their impact on the live and behavior of believers, thereby revealing patterns of divine action in the world. The author concludes that, although these studies deepen our understanding of human nature and culture, they leave fundamental metaphysical and epistemological problems open and require further critical reflection. Tatar modernism (tajdid) is considered as a historical example of such reflection. Its representatives sought to reform Traditional Theology (kalam). Tatar theologians placed particular emphasis on the need to distinguish between aqidah (belief), which requires indisputable textual evidence, and kalam, which often turned Theology into a field of scholastic debate, generating dubious dogmas. The use of the concept of "revealed theology" by Tatar thinkers was an attempt to restore the epistemic primacy of the Quran and Sunnah as the sole and infallible sources of religious belief. In particular, M. Bigiev criticized not the intellectual study of theological problems per se, but the uncritical methods and conclusions of purely rationalistic approaches, which, in his view, distorted the authentic understanding of Monotheism (Tawhid) and led to the emergence of dogmatic innovations unsupported by sacred texts. He defended a theological approach in which rational conclusions are strictly disciplined and verified through direct, explicit evidence from the Quran and Sunnah.

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