In Love with Islam, Believing in Jesus
Summary
(Rev. Dr. Sidney H Griffith, Catholic University, Washington D. C.)
In Love with Islam, Believing in Jesus is a translation of Fr. Paolo Dall’Oglio’s seminal book Amoureux de l’Islam, croyant en Jésus, written in collaboration with Églantine Gabaix-Hialé.
In the book Fr. Paolo, an Italian born Jesuit who made Syria and the Monastery of Deir Mar Musa his adopted home, explains his affection for Islam and his hope for the Church and Christians to engage in more fruitful dialogue with Muslims through the sharing of everyday life. The ecumenical community dedicated to dialogue welcomes thousands of visitors from all nationalities throughout the year. With his thirty years of experience and commitment, Fr. Paolo takes a position on the relationship between the Church and Islam. Questions addressed in this book include, how to live together and what is the point of living together? How can the mission of the Christian faith take place in a Muslim environment? And what is the theological value for Christians of Muhammad’s prophecy?
In his bold vision of Christian-Muslim dialogue, Fr Paolo explicitly renounces both the polemical approach and the excessively diplomatic approach, rather advocating for a «performative theology» based on radical Christian hospitality, guided by the Gospel as its source, and tending towards a final harmony inspired by the Holy Spirit and common eschatological anticipation.
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- About the authors
- About the book
- This eBook can be cited
- Contents
- Introduction to the English Edition by Dr. Richard Kimball
- Acknowledgements
- Preface by Régis Debray
- Introduction to the French Edition by Églantine Gabaix-Hialé
- History of Saint Moses and the Monastery
- The Frescoes
- The Monastery: Abandonment and Restoration
- A Jesuit Falls Under the Charm of a Ruin
- Itinerary of a Committed Jesuit
- The Community of al-Khalil Today
- Birth of the Community
- Symbolic Presence, Incarnate Exchange
- Daily Life
- Hospitality
- The Monastery’s Projects
- Reward
- The Origin of this Book
- Applied Theology
- Methodological Remarks
- Chapter 1 The Monastery of Mar Musa, a Work of Dialogue
- Monasticism, an Ideal Christianity for Muslims
- Way of Life
- Arabic Language, Community Language
- Understanding Islam
- Solidarity towards the Muslim Community
- Solidarity towards Eastern Christians
- Inculturation
- Chapter 2 My Relationship to Islam
- Bosra and the Temptation of Conversion
- A Dual Belonging?
- Christianity Is a Movement
- The Church Goes to Islam
- Ummah and Church, Impossible Links?
- Islam Perceived as a Rival Community
- The Dual Sense of Belonging Is No Relativism
- The Dual Sense of Belonging Must Be Rooted in the Mystery of Christ
- Faith and Culture, Transcendence and Nature
- The Three Functions of Islam
- Islam as Completion of the Revelation
- Islam as Faith and Natural Revelation
- Islam Perceived as a Challenge
- The Eschatological Challenge
- Islam, a Bulwark against Christian Totalitarianism
- The Christian Crisis of Conscience in the Presence of Islam
- Islam and Church in Relation to Asian Wisdom
- Dual Belonging, One Unique Belonging
- Chapter 3 A Church of Islam?
- A Church for Islam
- The Sacrament of Good Neighbourliness
- Neighbourly Relations despite Discrimination
- The Church of Arab Christians
- Christian Muslims?
- Risks of Direct Evangelisation
- The Church Facing Syncretism
- Religions Facing Globalisation
- Religious Syncretism
- Dialogical and Non-conflicting Identities
- Solidarity with the Local Churches
- Inculturation Takes on Cultural Complexity
- The Hermeneutical Principle of Love
- Eschatological Interpretation
- Chapter 4 Abrahamic Relationships
- An Abrahamic Community
- A Common Experience of Mercy
- The Abrahamic Covenant
- Abraham, Model of Faith
- Ishmael, Son of Abraham
- The Intimate Knowledge of the Patriarch
- In Conclusion: The Path of Abraham
- Chapter 5 The Conditions of Inculturation
- A Missionary Approach
- A More Personal Example
- In a Muslim Context
- Conversion
- Offering Communion to Muslims?
- How to Preserve Freedom of Conscience?
- A Church of Yeast and Leaven in Gentleness and Transparency
- The Interreligious Prayer
- A Harvest of Heads
- Clarification
- Chapter 6 The Prophecy of Muhammad
- The Definition of Prophecy
- Extra-Biblical Prophecy
- Muhammad, a Great Prophet
- Does This Mean That a Christian Can Recognise Muhammad as a Prophet?
- The Meeting Space
- Moses and Muhammad
- The Impact of Muhammadan Prophecy
- Creative Hermeneutics?
- What about Historical Objectivity?
- Bewildering Facts
- Initiation to the Christian and Muslim Faiths
- Initiation to the Perception of Prophetic Sincerity
- Islam Faced with the Christian Absolute
- Universal and Eternal Scope of the Jesus-Christ Event for the Salvation of All
- The Meaning of the World
- Muhammad the Perfect Man
- Revealed Religion
- Sharâbu-l-Fitra, The Drink of Natural Faith
- Resumption of the Question of the Mission
- Recognising the Prophet
- Qur’anic Christology: Is There a Way to Reconcile the Christ of the Church with the Issa of Islam?
- Islam and the Church Faced with the End of the World
- In the Times, Beyond Time
- Other Difficulties
- “Re-figuration”
- Humiliation
- Biblical Jesus, Qur’anic Jesus
- The Relationship between Christian Revelation and Muslim Authenticity
- We Are All God’s Children!
- Is There Still Value in Evangelisation?
- Muhammad as Model
- Reading the Scriptures, Rewriting the Future
- Issa and Jesus
- Hermeneutics of the Bible by the Bible
- The Aleppo Bus
- To Conclude
- Chapter 7 Revelation in Islam
- The Language of Revelation
- The Theological Value of the Qur’anic Revelation and the Universality of Revelation
- A Step Forward
- Legitimacy of the Expression “Muslim Revelation”
- Belief and Faith
- The Witness of Christian de Chergé
- Eucharistic Savour
- The Game of Mirrors
- Perplexity
- The Adventure of Our Souls
- The Qur’an of History and the Qur’an of Faith
- Dogmatic Rationalism
- Inspiration and Revelation
- Predestination and the Freedom of Man
- Divine Writing, Human Writing
- The Text Lives Only by Tradition
- Chapter 8 Death and Resurrection
- Hope in Islam
- Veil
- A Shiite Christmas
- Muslim Faith in the Resurrection
- Intermediary Eschatology, the Passage
- The Living
- In the Cave
- Imminence and Duration
- Prophecy, Person, Futures
- The Failure of Christianity
- Conclusion: Islamophilia in All Cases
- Appendix
- Excerpts from the Rule of Mar Musa Monastery including the Statutes of the Monastic Confederation of al-Khalil Regarding Relations with Islam
- Explanatory Note on the Particular Vocation of the Monastic Community in the Muslim World
- Bibliography
Introduction to the English Translation
On the day that Fr. Paolo Dall’Oglio disappeared, 29 July 2013, I was studying Early Christian Arabic with Sidney H. Griffith at the Catholic University in Washington D.C. This summer module was part of my PhD research concerning the exploration of the use of the Qur’anic appellation and designation ahl al-kitāb [the People of the Book] by Arabic-speaking Christians. The People of the Book is an appellation that governs relations between Muslims and the followers of other monotheistic faiths whose scripture Islam recognises as being revealed by God.
During the course of the summer Griffith told me about Fr. Paolo and his community, how he first met members of Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi Monastic Community back in the 1990s at a Louis Massignon conference held in Notre Dame University, which he had helped organise, in collaboration with Herbert Mason and David Burrell. Through these contacts Griffith came to know and respect the work of Fr. Paolo. They met face-to-face later at a conference in London and then again at a dinner held in a Jesuit residence in Georgetown with a few others who were also very much involved with Muslim-Christian relations and the life of Louis Massignon. On both occasions the two gentlemen had the opportunity for long talks that Fr. Griffith described as inspirational. I was very impressed with what Fr. Griffith had to say about Fr Paolo, as well as the community of Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi. This was my introduction to Fr. Paolo Dall’Oglio, his life and Amoureux de l’Islam, croyant en Jésus.1
As soon as I started reading Amoureux de l’Islam I knew that I would have to incorporate his ideas into my research as an example of modern contemporary use of ahl al-kitāb. Yet, as I scanned the pages for the term, I realised to my surprise that Fr. Paolo used the appellation quite judiciously, ←xi | xii→perhaps even Jesuitically. Typically Fr. Paolo expressed a deep understanding of the scope and implications of ahl al-kitāb when it suited his needs, but would ignore the limitations when it did not. For instance, he accepts that Islam requires Muslims to acknowledge that God established Christianity, and that dialogue and conviviality between Muslims and Christians is the expected and preferred relationship between the two faiths. However, when it comes to the thorny issues of intermarriage and conversion, he opts for the more secular foundation and shifting sands of human rights to progress his arguments, knowing full well that these areas are clearly regulated under “terms and conditions” for ahl al-kitāb. For Fr. Paolo it would seem that the logical product of dialogue and the sacrament of daily life necessitates respectfully challenging the existing boundaries. The more I read and heard about Fr. Paolo from friends and acquaintances, the more I was won over by his insatiable passion to bring Christians and Muslims together, kicking and screaming if necessary, away from their respective isolationist comfort zones, and, as Fr. Paolo would say, away from the “dialogue of the deaf”.
Amoureux de l’Islam encompasses more than the words and philosophy of Fr. Paolo Dall’Oglio. The book also captures many of the hopes and aspirations of those of the Community of Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi in Syria, the sister monasteries of the al-Khalil Community in Iraq, Syria and Italy, as well as the Christians and Muslims around the world who dare to look beyond the haze of social and theological constructs that divide us.
In order to bring Amoureux de l’Islam to the English speaking and reading world, I knew that I would need help. Although growing up in Maine and learning to speak French with les Québécois, seven academic years of French, followed by two years in Tunisia with the U.S. Peace Corps, had enabled me to work through his text for my own purposes, my language skills alone would not be adequate to capture and translate Fr. Paolo’s thoughts, aspirations and humour. Fortunately, I was able to draw upon the service of Marie Salaün. Marie was lecturing in Galway and working at the French Institute at the time. She played an instrumental role at the genesis of this project through her correspondence with Églantine Gabaix-Hialé, who collaborated with Fr. Paolo in the writing of Amoureux de l’Islam, and the French publishers Les Editions De L’Atelier, from whom permission to translate the text for publication was required. Nevertheless, as we worked ←xii | xiii→our way through the text, we found some of Fr. Paolo’s ideas were quite elusive and highly nuanced, especially where he employed expressions and ideas that are in the pioneering stages of interfaith relations. We recognised early on that we needed to enlist the services of someone with closer ties to Fr. Paolo and his community in order to bridge the gap between a translation of mere words and our hope of capturing the spirit of Fr. Paolo’s message. At the suggestion of Nayla Tabbara (President of Adyan Foundation) we approached Masha Refka who knew Fr. Paolo and who had often stayed at Mar Musa on retreat, and who also shares sympathies with the al-Khalil Community’s approach to Muslim-Christian relations. Thankfully Masha not only accepted but also embraced the challenge. Masha’s contribution has been invaluable from the start, not just for her comprehension of Fr. Paolo’s ideas but also with her relentless stamina and attention to detail, infused no doubt by her love and respect for Fr. Paolo.
Over the course of this project we enlisted the advice and support of several people. I would like to begin by thanking Sidney H. Griffith for sharing his thoughts and memories of Fr. Paolo and his community. Little did he realise that he was sowing the seeds that would eventually lead to this translation. Nayla Tabbara and Fadi Daou were always there for us offering advice and support. Tabbara reviewed our project proposal, alongside my dear friend Ali Salim. Their recommendations were instrumental to Peter Lang Publishers accepting the project. Martin Whelan (Diocese of Galway) offered advice and clarification on the use of a few theological terms that aided in our translation. Jens Petzold (al-Khalil Monastic Community, Deir Maryam al-Adhra in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, Iraq) and Sr Carol Cook Eid (Deir Mar Musa) likewise helped us understand how Fr. Paolo viewed and incorporated certain philosophical concepts like “conscience identitaire” into his ideas. Shaun O’Neil (A Church of Islam: The Syrian Calling of Father Paolo Dall’Oglio, 2019) was the first person to proofread a complete draft of the text. His counsel and suggestions are very much appreciated. My friends in the Religious Society of Friends, Rachel Cave and Joe Fenwick, assisted in proofreading our later drafts. Their efforts and advice are also greatly appreciated. Thanks is also due to Greg Sheaf from Trinity College Library for his valuable assistance regarding technical issues with the referencing software. At this stage I would also like to thank Anthony ←xiii | xiv→Mason, Norbert Hintersteiner, Declan Marmion, Gesa Thiessen, Judith Gruber, Shruthi Maniyodath and all concerned at Peter Lang Publishers who patiently waited for us to complete this work.
I would like to gratefully acknowledge financial support for the publication of this book from Fr. Murt Curry and the Galway Jesuit Community, as well as from Bishop Michael Duignan and the Diocese of Galway.
Finally, we have just a few comments to make concerning references. “TN” denotes translators’ notes. We strove as far as possible to allow the words of Amoureux de l’Islam to speak for themselves; however, on rare occasion we felt it necessary to explain a phrase, a term or to direct the reader to source further information regarding the discussion of a particular subject. Unless otherwise stated all Biblical references are from the Jerusalem Bible, English edition, since Fr. Paolo generally used the French edition. Unless otherwise stated all Qur’anic references are by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Wherever possible and unless otherwise stated the English translation of Vatican encyclicals and Epistles are taken directly from the official Vatican online archive: <https://www.vatican.va/archive/index.htm>.
تقبل الله منا ومنكم
(May God be pleased with our Deeds and with Yours)
Acknowledgements (French Edition)
Together, Églantine and Paolo, we would like to offer our heartfelt appreciation to Mr Régis Debray who kindly accepted to write the preface for our work. We are also grateful to Kabira Nait Raiss, Raphaël Denamur and Diane de Pas who were very much involved in this reflection. Thanks are also due to Arielle Corbani, who believed in this difficult project from her very first visit to Deir Mar Musa and who actively participated in improving the text of this edition. Lastly, we would like to offer the entire Community of Deir Mar Musa our gratitude for their Islamophilia in practice without which dialogue would be in vain. It is to each one there that we would like to dedicate this work.
Details
- Pages
- XX, 210
- Year
- 2023
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9781789979978
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9781789979985
- ISBN (MOBI)
- 9781789979992
- ISBN (Softcover)
- 9781789979961
- DOI
- 10.3726/b17528
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2023 (February)
- Keywords
- Interfaith Dialogue Performative theology lived interreligious dialogue Nostra Aetate Sacrament of daily life Religious Inculturation Church for Islam Louis Massignon Charles de Foucauld Muslim-Christian Dialogue
- Published
- Oxford, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, New York, Wien, 2023. XX, 20 pp.
