This special issue of the American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences on Ismail al Faruqi is prepared to honor the memory and contribution of Professor Ismail al Faruqi to the academia, the history of Islamic thought, and the...
moreThis special issue of the American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences on Ismail al Faruqi is prepared to honor the memory and contribution of Professor Ismail al Faruqi to the academia, the history of Islamic thought, and the development of the Muslim community (Ummah). Providing a perspective twenty-five years after Professor al Faruqi’s death, it provides thought-provoking papers relating of the person, mission, and intellectual jihad initiated by Professor al Faruqi. Ismail Raji al Faruqi (1921–1986) was a great scholar of Islam in modern times. His scholarship covered a broad spectrum of Islamic studies: the study of religion, Islamic thought, approaches to knowledge, history, culture, education, interfaith dialogue, aesthetics, ethics, politics, economics, science, and gender issues. He had indeed an encyclopedic knowledge, a rare person among contemporary Muslim scholars. Ismail al-Faruqi laid the foundation for a new interpretation and analysis of the quintessence of tawhid and its relevance in various dimensions of human life and thought. He also made unique contributions to the study of Islam and its relevance to the contemporary age. In fact, many of his unique contributions to Islamic scholarship remain especially relevant today and have been carried on and extended by many of his former. Professor al Faruqi was a founder of “the school of Islamization of knowledge,” which has been incorporated at several international Islamic universities. His school of thought, academic approach, and practice is also being applied by hundreds of his students who are teaching and doing research at different universities in all continents. This special issue of the American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, revisits the intellectual legacy and continuing influence of Professor Ismail al Faruqi since his death. Professor Ismail al Faruqi has played a very special role in the lives of his students, including us ‒ John Esposito, his first student to complete a Ph.D. degree in religion, and Imtiyaz Yusuf, who obtained his Ph.D. degree also in religion after Professor al Faruqi passed away. We were among his adopted intellectual children. John Esposito had no desire to study Islam when he came to Temple University in 1968. Today, he is a University Professor of Religion and International Affairs and of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University ’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and the Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim- Christian Understanding; he is recognized worldwide for his contribution to Islamic studies. Imtiyaz Yusuf, engages in Muslim-Buddhist dialogue in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Imtiyaz Yusuf is the Program Director, Department of Religion, Graduate School of Philosophy and Religion, Assumption University, Bangkok, Thailand. He specializes in religion with a focus on Islam in Thailand and Southeast Asia. He is currently, Senior Fellow, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Both John Esposito and Imtiyaz Yusuf were groomed intellectually by Professor al Faruqi.
