Kalām (Islamic theology)
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For everyone
Kalām is the discipline that explains and defends the tenets of Islamic belief with rational arguments. It discusses topics such as God's existence and attributes, the creation of the world, human will and causality. Its main schools are the Muʿtazila, the Ashʿariyya and the Māturīdiyya. The theologians also developed a distinctive atomism holding that matter consists of indivisible parts.
For specialists
Kalām works by a method based on proof (dalīl), aiming to demonstrate that the world is originated (ḥādith) and to infer from this an originator (muḥdith). The classical period used a substance–accident ontology. After al-Ghazālī and Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, kalām absorbed much of philosophy's concepts and methods (the "later theologians"). In the late 19th century the "New Kalām" movement arose, aiming to respond to modern science and philosophy.
Claims
- The tenets of Islamic belief can be grounded and defended with rational proofs.[1]
Positions
- Historian of kalām H. A. Wolfson
- Kalām developed in interaction with Greek philosophy and built a distinctive system of its own.[2]
Connections
Parent
HumanitySub-branches
New research in this branch
Notable in peer-reviewed journals
- Assimilation and Reaction: The Influence of Greek Philosophy on the Formation of Early Islamic Theology — Aditia Saputra, Faiz Albar Nasution · 2026-02-14 · Pharos Journal of Theology
- Integrating Islamic Theology and Psychology: A Systematic Narrative Review of Religious Coping — Dowlath Nisha Shaik · 2026-02-05 · Pastoral Psychology
- Maturidi school’s scientific and polemical methodology against religious sects — Shamshadin Kerim, Yershat Onggar, Serik Tajibayev et al. · 2026-04-21 · Cogent Arts and Humanities
- The Engineered Messiah: Islamic Theology as Source Code in the Post-Cybernetic Universe of Dune — Nimetullah Aldemir, Emrullah ATASEVEN · 2026-03-17 · Religions
Turkish-language papers
- Osmanlı Kelâmında Eleştiri Kültürü: Çerkeşîzâde Mehmed Tevfik Efendi’nin Naḳdü’l-Kelâm Eleştirisi I — Yunus Öztürk, Mustafa Aykaç, Mete Akcan · 2026-06-30 · Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi
- Klasik Kelâm Metinlerinde Dijital Kodlama ve Anlam Çözümlemesi: MAXQDA ile Teʾvîlâtü’l-Kurʾân (6. Cilt) Üzerine Bir İnceleme — Hümeyra Sevgülü Haciibrahimoğlu · 2026-06-30 · Kader
- Kör Görüş ve Ruh–Beden Problemi: Kelâm ile Nörobilim Arasında Eleştirel Bir İnceleme — Mehmet Ödemiş · 2026-10-19 · Rize İlahiyat Dergisi
- Mâtürîdî Kelâmcı Lâmişî’nin Ahiret Ahvâline Dair Görüşleri Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme — Hasan Sefa Turan · 2026-10-19 · Rize İlahiyat Dergisi
Sources
- EncyclopediaKelâm. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisiislamansiklopedisi.org.trarchive
- Book (1976). The Philosophy of the Kalam. Harvard University Press
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Cite this page
Athena contributors. (2026). Kalām (Islamic theology). Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/kelam/
@misc{athena_kelam,
title = {Kalām (Islamic theology)},
author = {{Athena contributors}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/kelam/}},
note = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history