The Vicegerency of Man By Abd al Majid al Najjar, tr. Dr. ArefT. Atari (Herndon, Virginia: International Institute of Islamic Thought, 2000, 2d ed 90 pages.)

Abstract

This short book deals with the seemingly perennial problem confounding the Muslim community: the nature of the relationship between reason and revelation. That the ultimate purpose of human existence is to serve the divine will, as expounded by the latter, problematizes this relationship in terms of how can humanity fulfill this purpose based on a dialectical nexus between the foundations of human belief and human rationality. The failure to address this question led to painful consequences and the historical emer­gence of communal intellectual polarities between text-oriented schools of thought and reason-oriented counterparts.
According to Najjar, this apparently perpetual deep schism between both proponents called for painstaking attempts to articulate their rela­tionship. Najjar seeks to actualize such an articulation. He stresses the complementary link between revelation and reason, arguing that both are tools for revealing the truth and according to which humanity adopts par­ticular modes of thought and attitudes toward the universe in ways intended to accomplish the role of vicegerency (khilafah). In this frame­work, text and reason must be placed in an ideological context within which humanity's multidimensional existence is investigated. This includes humanity's position in the universe, significance, duties, and ultimate goals ...