Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering

by Sherman A. Jackson

Overview

In his controversial 1973 book, Is God a White Racist?, William R. Jones sharply criticized black theologians for their agnostic approach to black suffering, noting that the doctrine of an ominibenevolent God poses very significant problems for a perennially oppressed community. He proposed a "humanocentric theism" which denies God's sovereignty over human history and imputes autonomous agency to humans. By rendering humans alone responsible for moral evil, Jones's theology freed blacks to revolt against the evil of oppression without revolting against God. Sherman Jackson now places Jones's argument in conversation with the classical schools of Islamic theology. The problem confronting the black community is not simply proving that God exists, says Jackson. The problem, rather, is establishing that God cares. No religious expression that fails to tackle the problem of black suffering can hope to enjoy a durable tenure in the black community. For the Muslim, therefore, it is essential to find a Quranic/Islamic grounding for the protest-oriented agenda of black religion. That is the task Jackson undertakes in this pathbreaking work. Jackson's previous book, Islam and the Blackamerican (OUP 2006) laid the groundwork for this ambitious project. Its sequel, Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering, solidifies Jackson's reputation as the foremost theologian of the black American Islamic movement.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199368013
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2014
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	234
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Sherman A. Jackson is Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies and African-American Studies at the University of Michigan.

Table of Contents

Introduction
William R. Jones and Challenge of Black Theodicy
The Perduring Problem of Blackness: Beyond Ontological Suffering

Chapter One: The Formative Development of Classical Muslim Theology
The Arabians and Atheological "Peripheral Vision"
Muhammad b. Idrîs al-Shâfi'î and the Arabian Versus Arab Régime of Sense
Traditionalism and Rationalism: The Rhetoric of Transcendence and the False Détente

Chapter Two: Mu'tazilism and Black Theodicy
Early Development and Basic Contours of Mu'tazilite Theology
Relevant Details of Mu'tazilite Theology
Mu'tazilism and Jones

Chapter Three: Ash'arism and Black Theodicy
Early Development and Basic Contours of Ash'arite Theology
Relevant Details of Ash'arite Theology
Ash'arism and Jones

Chapter Four: Mâturîdism and Black Theodicy
Early Development and Basic Contours of Mâturîdite Theology
Relevant Details of Mâturîdite Theology
Mâturîdism and Jones

Chapter Five: Traditionalism and Black Theodicy
Early Development and Basic Contours of Traditionalism
Relevant Details of Tradtionalist Theology
Traditionalism and Jones

Conclusion

Notes
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"Jackson's work has added a thought-provoking response by Islamic studies and is long overdue in the debate of Black theodicy." --Black Diaspora Review

"It goes without saying that any theological discussion is bound to be academic, yet this is an excellent book and a fascinating read." --ARNet

"Jackson's book is a work of theology, and in this dimension it is a skillfully argued plea for Islam as a religion capable of meeting the challenge of black suffering as well as a clear explication of Islamic theodicy. It remarkably succeeds in both the academic register and as a sustained personal plea." --The Azanian Sea

"Jackson is a welcome addition to the writings of American Islamic scholars, most of whom are non-idigenous Muslims; such thinkers are not qualified to write from an Islamic-centric perspective about the numourous social, political, and economical ills that plague Muslim African Americans."--Yusef Sala, BEACON

"Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering warrants high praise for it's scholarship and deserves the attention of Islamic jurists, imams, religious scholars, and coverts."--Latif A. Tarik, Aerican Public University

From the Publisher