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The Return of God?

Medieval Islam & the Nature of God

Musa Mumtaz meditates on two maverick medieval Muslim metaphysicians.

Islam’s scriptural foundation, the Quran, unequivocally asserts as its core metaphysical tenet tawhid – the uncompromising and absolute oneness of God. For the sake of human comprehension, it also seeks to define God through supreme degrees or perfections of qualities that are found in a limited way in humans. This has oftentimes caused Muslim theologians to think of God, a fundamentally non-human entity, in a somewhat human-like way. It’s a habit further reinforced by the innate tendency of humans to attribute human qualities to non-human entities, and also to clothe ineffable divinity with fathomable covers just out of complete desperation. However, this ‘humanised’ idea of God has long bothered Muslim theologians and philosophers alike.

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