Moḥammad Mojtahed Šabestari: The Search for New Modes of Being Muslim
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
First Statement of Responsibility
Fazeli, Saman
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Ali, Aun Hasan
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
University of Colorado at Boulder
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2019
GENERAL NOTES
Text of Note
105 p.
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
M.A.
Body granting the degree
University of Colorado at Boulder
Text preceding or following the note
2019
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
This thesis is a reflection on the works of Moḥammad Mojtahed Šabestari. The aim of this study is to discuss how Mojtahed Šabestari's ideas expand the horizons of being Muslim. This thesis specifically concerns one of Šabestari's major ideas The Prophetic Reading of the World (Qerāʾat-e Nabavi Az Jahān). In his theory, Mojtahed Šabestari tries to understand the Quran free from all metaphysical presuppositions, as the speech of the Prophet. In the first chapter, I examine Šabestari's relationship to philosophical hermeneutics and how Western philosophy becomes a way to rethink the concept of revelation among Muslims. The second chapter examines the evolution of Mojtahed Šabestari's thought throughout his works. It aims to show how deeply Šabestari's ideas are rooted in the Islamic tradition, despite influences from the West. The third chapter discusses the significance of new forms of mysticism in contemporary Iran and how these forms of mysticism construct the significance of Šabestari's thought. Finally, in the conclusion, I address the significance of the concept of ambiguity in tradition and how Šabestari's notion of ambiguity stands against Fundamentalism of the state and modernity.