Keywords:Â Modernity, Spirituality, Nature of religious language, Faith, Ideology, Intellect, Formative period, Islam, Interdisciplinary convergence, religious studies, Islamic studies, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, ITREB.
Abstract:
Institutions stand to benefit from a periodic inquiry into, and review of their essential purpose and mission. In the Muslim context, as in that of the other kindred religions, modernity compels a renewal analysis of the place of religious belief and imagination in society. In outlining this analysis, the author explores the nature of religious language, elaborates a distinction between faith and ideology, and considers the relation of intellectual life to these issues. He illustrates these points through the example of Islamic history. After making a case for re-thinking the premises of Islamic historic research, he defines the possible contribution of an institution like the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ to this endeavour. Lastly, the article describes, in brief, some of the concrete programmes envisaged or in existence at the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ at the time of its writing.
This is an edited version of an article that appeared in The Ismaili, UK Supplement No. 1, pp. 1-8 in July 1992.
