Monday Majlis: The Definitive Zoroastrian Critique of Islam
2024-05-20 17:00 - 18:30 | Online
This lecture will explore early relations between Zoroastrians and Muslims by examining the most important polemical treatise in the Zoroastrian tradition, the Å kand GumÄnÄ«g-WizÄr (â€œThe Doubt-Dispelling Disquisitionâ€), written by the ninth/tenth century theologian and philosopher MardÄnfarrox son of OhrmazddÄd. A sophisticated work of rationalist theology, the treatise systematically critiques several rival religions of the late antique and medieval Middle East, including Islam. The critique of Islam in chapters 11 and 12 is the only sustained, systematic polemic against Islam in premodern Zoroastrian literature, one that attacks monotheism by focusing on the problem of evil. This lecture will consider Zoroastriansâ€™ relationship with Muslims, the influence of Islamic theology on Zoroastrian thought, and the place of the Å kand GumÄnÄ«g-WizÄr in Middle Persian literature. http://www.exeter.ac.uk/events/details/?event=13656
