Ismail al-Faruqi
Ismaʻīl Rājī al-Fārūqī (Arabic: إسماعيل راجي الفاروقي January 1, 1921 – May 27, 1986) was a professor from Palestine who lived in America. He is known for his work in Islam and talking with people of other faiths. He studied at Al-Azhar University in Cairo and taught at schools in North America, like McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Al-Faruqi was a religion teacher at Temple University, where he started and led the Islamic Studies program. He also started the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT). He wrote over 100 articles and 25 books, including Christian Ethics and Al-Tawhid: Its Implications For Thought And Life.
Ismaʻīl Rājī al-Fārūqī | |
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| إسماعيل راجي الفاروقي | |
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| Born | 1 January 1921 Jaffa, Palestine |
| Died | 27 May 1986 (aged 65) Wyncote, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Cause of death | Murder by stabbing |
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| Website | ismailfaruqi.com |
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Early Life and Education
changeAl-Faruqi was born in Jaffa, in British-mandate Palestine.[1] His father was a judge of Islamic law.[2] He got his early learning at home and in the local mosque. In 1936, he went to the French Dominican Collège des Frères in Jaffa.
In 1942, he worked for the British Mandate government in Jerusalem. In 1945, he became the district leader of Galilee. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, he moved to Beirut, Lebanon, and studied at the American University of Beirut. Later, he went to Indiana University and got his master's in philosophy in 1949.[3] He earned another master's from Harvard University in 1951 and a PhD from Indiana University in 1952.[4]
His studies made him see that moral values are fixed. This made him return to his Islamic roots and study Islam more at Al-Azhar University.[5]
Academic Career
changeIn 1958, al-Faruqi was a guest teacher at McGill University's Faculty of Divinity. He joined McGill's Institute of Islamic Studies and taught there until 1961.[6] Then, for two years, he was a visiting teacher at the Central Institute of Islamic Research in Karachi, Pakistan.[7]
In 1964, Al-Faruqi went back to the United States. He taught at the University of Chicago's Divinity School and Syracuse University. In 1968, he became a religion teacher at Temple University and started the Islamic Studies Program. He stayed there until he died in 1986.[8] Al-Faruqi helped many students, including John Esposito.[9][10]
In 1977, al-Faruqi helped set up the First World Conference on Muslim Education in Makkah, which led to the start of Islamic universities in many countries.[11]
Philosophy and Thought
changeAl-Faruqi's early work focused on Arabism, the belief that the Arabic language and culture are important to Muslim identity.[12] Later, he focused more on a broad Islamic identity, giving importance to tawhid (the belief in one God).[13] He believed in a united Islamic identity to improve talks with people of different faiths.
He also worked on the idea of whole knowledge, mixing Islamic principles with modern study areas.[14] His "Islamization of knowledge" project aimed to include Islamic values in various fields of study.[15]
Views on Zionism
changeAl-Faruqi was against Zionism, believing it did not match with Judaism because of its national ideas.[16] He thought that the wrongs of Zionism needed to be fixed and suggested that former Israeli Jews could live within the Muslim world under Jewish law.[17]
Scholarly Achievements
changeIn 1980, al-Faruqi co-founded the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT). He wrote much about Islamic studies and talking with people of different faiths, writing more than 100 articles and 25 books.[18] His work on "Islamization of knowledge" aimed to mix Islamic principles with modern sciences.[19]
Al-Faruqi also pushed for talks between different faiths, focusing on the things common between Islam, Christianity, and Judaism to make peace and respect among different religious groups.[20]
Death
changeIn May 1986, al-Faruqi and his wife were killed at their home in Pennsylvania by Joseph Louis Young, also known as Yusuf Ali.[21][22][23] Young confessed to the crime, was sentenced to death, and died in prison in 1996. Their daughter survived the attack but was badly hurt.[24][25][26][27]
References
change- ↑ Imtiyaz Yusuf, ed. (2021). Essential Writings: Ismail Al Faruqi. Kuala Lumpur: IBT Books. p. 3.
- ↑ Imtiyaz Yusuf, ed. (2021). Essential Writings: Ismail Al Faruqi. Kuala Lumpur: IBT Books. p. 3.
- ↑ Al-Faruqi, Isma'il Raji (1949). The Ethics of Reason and the Ethics of Life (Master's thesis). Bloomington: Indiana University.
- ↑ Al-Faruqi, Isma'il (1952). On Justifying the Good (PhD thesis). Bloomington: Indiana University.
- ↑ Fletcher, Charles (2014). Muslim-Christian Engagement in the Twentieth Century. United Kingdom: I.B.Tauris. p. 34.
- ↑ Balfour, Clair (July 31, 1986). "Islamic scholar slain in U.S. was figure in Montreal". The Gazette. Montreal.
- ↑ Imtiyaz Yusuf, ed. (2021). Essential Writings: Ismail Al Faruqi. Kuala Lumpur: IBT Books. p. 4.
- ↑ Fletcher, Charles (2014). Muslim-Christian Engagement in the Twentieth Century. United Kingdom: I.B.Tauris.
- ↑ Quraishi, M. Tariq (1986). Ismail al-Faruqi: An Enduring Legacy. MSA Publications. p. 9.
- ↑ "Editorial". The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences. 28 (3): ii–xii. 2011.
- ↑ "Editorial". The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences. 28 (3): ii–xii. 2011.
- ↑ Al-Faruqi, Isma'il R. (1962). 'Urubah and Religion. On Arabism. Vol. 1. Amsterdam: Djambatan.
- ↑ Al-Faruqi, Isma'il R. (1962). 'Urubah and Religion. On Arabism. Vol. 1. Amsterdam: Djambatan.
- ↑ Ahsan, Muhammad Amimul (2013). "Islamization of Knowledge". Global Journal of Management and Business Research Administration and Management. 13 (10).
- ↑ Al-Faruqi, Isma'il Raji (1982). Islamization of Knowledge. IIIT.
- ↑ Al-Faruqi, Isma'il R. (1980). Islam and the Problem of Israel. London: The Islamic Council of Europe.
- ↑ Al-Faruqi, Isma'il R. (1980). Islam and the Problem of Israel. London: The Islamic Council of Europe.
- ↑ Al-Faruqi, Isma'il Raji (1982). Islamization of Knowledge. IIIT.
- ↑ Hashim, Rosnani; Rossidy, Imron (2000). "Islamization of Knowledge". Intellectual Discourse. 8 (1): 19–45.
- ↑ Yusuf, Imtiyaz (2012). Islam and Knowledge. London: I. B. Tauris.
- ↑ "Black Muslim Charged in Slaying of Islamic Scholar and His Wife". The New York Times. January 18, 1987.
- ↑ O'Bryan, Ruth (July 8, 1987). "Confession Details Stalking, Slaying Of Islamic Scholars". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Bell, Adam (March 11, 1996). "Inside the Capitol (Joseph Louis Young dies of natural causes on death row)". The Patriot News.
- ↑ Toth, Anthony B. (November 1986). "Focus on Arabs and Islam". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.
- ↑ Fletcher, Charles (2014). Muslim-Christian Engagement in the Twentieth Century. United Kingdom: I.B.Tauris.
- ↑ "Assassination motive behind al-Faruqi killings". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. August 20, 1986. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ↑ "Zionist backlash against Arab intellectuals". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. August 21, 1986. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
Other websites
change- Ismail Faruqi Online Archived 2010-02-06 at the Wayback Machine Website on the life and works of Dr. Isma'il al Faruqi