The Impact of the Doctrine of Redemption in Catholicism on Mahmoud Ayoub's Theory of Redemptive Suffering in Islam

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Mohammadmahdi Keshavarz Moraveji 1
Christopher Paul Clohessy 2
Rasoul Rasoulipour 3
1 Ph.D. Graduate in Islamic Theology, Shahid Motahari University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Professor, Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI), Rome, Italy.
3 Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.
10.30497/prr.2024.245542.1880
Abstract
This paper investigates the impact of the doctrine of redemption in Catholic theology on Mahmoud Ayoub's theory of redemptive suffering in Islam. In this regard, we need to understand how Christian theological views of Jesus Christ’s redemptive work affected and inspired Ayoub, and how the Christian terminology in this area helps him to model his thoughts. Therefore, the main question of this research is: How has Ayoub’s model of Islamic redemption been inspired by Christian theological teachings? Then, three important realms in Christian teachings that have the possibility to inspire Ayoub in his theory, i.e. terminology, functionality, and the role of enduring suffering, will be studied. In the first realm, Ayoub’s definition of redemption does not fully adhere to the Judeo-Christian understanding, as he offers a broad definition to avoid potential conceptual challenges. In the second realm, as just as Christ liberates humanity from the slavery of sin, intercession in Ayoub’s theory, saves the sinners from punishment. As a result, despite differences between Islamic and Christian perspectives on sin classification, redemption in both faiths involves deliverance from sin. Finally, the third area claims that the sufferings of Jesus Christ and Imam Husayn have been a main source of inspiration for Ayoub’s theory of Redemptive Suffering in Islam, however, enduring suffering alone cannot lead to redemption.
Keywords
redemptive suffering
Mahmoud Ayoub
Catholicism
Islam
Twelver Shi’ism
Subjects
The Holy Bible
New Testament: Gospel of John (Jn.), Gospel of Matthew (Mt.), Gospel of Mark (Mk.), Acts of the Apostles (Acts), Pauline Epistles: Epistle to the Romans (Rm.), Epistle to the Ephesians (Eph.), Epistle to the Colossians (Col.), First Epistle to Timothy (1 Tim.), Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb.), Book of Revelation (Rev.)
Old Testament: Book of Exodus (Ex.), Book of Leviticus (Lev.), Book of Numbers (Nm.), Book of Judges (Judg.), Psalms (Ps.), Book of Jeremiah (Jer.), Book of Hosea (Hos.), Book of Micah (Mic.)
    
Ayoub, Mahmoud. 1976. “Towards an Islamic Christology: An Image of Jesus in Early Shīʿī Muslim Literature”. The Muslim World, LXVI (3).
Ayoub, Mahmoud. 1978. Redemptive Suffering in Islam: A Study of the Devotional Aspects of in Twelver Shīʿīsm. The Hague in the Netherlands: Mouton Publishers.
Ayoub, Mahmoud. 2007. A Muslim View of Christianity: Essays on Dialogue. Edited by Irfan A. Omar. New York: Orbis Books.
Baker. 2017. “The New Pagans and the Church. A 1958 Lecture by Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).” Homiletic and Pastoral Review, 30th January.
Botterweck, Johannes G. & Ringgren Helmer (Eds.). 1975. Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. USA: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Clohessy, Christopher. 2018. Fātima, Daughter of Muhammad. New Jersey: Gorgias Press.
Georgios I. Mantzaridis. 1997. The Deification of Man. New York: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press.
John Paul II. 1984. Salvifici Doloris.
Kelly, J. N. D. 1968. Early Christian Doctrines. London: Adam & Charles Black.
Kreeft, Peter. 2001. Catholic Christianity: A Complete Catechism of Catholic Beliefs Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
O’Collins, Gerald, & Mario Farrugia. 2003. Catholicism: The Story of Catholic Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Powell, Mark Allen (ed.). n.d. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 3RD Edition. New York: HarperOne.
Rathe, Alan. 2014. Evangelicals, Worship and Participation. New York: Ashgate Publishing Company.
Ratzinger, Joseph, & others. 2000. Catechism of the Catholic Church. Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
VandenBerg, Mary. 2007. “Redemptive Suffering: Christ’s Alone.” Scottish Journal of Theology, 4.