Ebook: Islam, Christianity and Tradition: A Comparative Exploration

A unique comparative exploration of the role of tradition in Islam and Christianity

The idea of 'tradition' has enjoyed a variety of senses and definitions in Islam and Christianity, but both have cleaved at certain times to a supposedly 'golden age' of tradition from the past.

Key Themes

• The roles of authority
• Fundamentalism
• The use of reason
• Ijtihad (independent thinking)
• Original comparisons between Islamic Salafism and Christian Lefebvrism

Ian Richard Netton suggests there has been a chain of thinkers from classical Islam to the 20th century who share a common interest in ijtihad (or independent thinking). Drawing on past and present evidence, and using Christian tradition as a focus for contrast and comparison, he highlights the seemingly paradoxical harmony between tradition and itjihad in Islam. By using a variety of primary and secondary sources including contemporary newspaper and journal articles, documents and letters, he adds an immediacy to this lucid and stimulating text.

Key Features

• Proposes a new vocabulary for the articulation of Islam
• Offers original comparisons between Salafism and Lefebvrism
• Highlights the paradoxical harmony between tradition and itjihad in Islam
• Articulates the yearning amongst today's Muslim and Christian traditionalists for a revival of a 'golden age' from whence, they believe, all good traditions derive