Dissertation Defense: Mohamed Lamallam
Candidate: Mohamed Lamallam
Major: Theological and Religious Studies
Advisor: Paul Heck, Ph.D.
Religion and Secularity in Classical Islam: The Formation and Functions of the Dīn/Dunyā Differentiation in the Practical Philosophy and Cultural Context of Abu L-Hasan of al-Māwardī (d. 450 AH/1058CE).
Is it accurate to speak of “religion” and “secularity” as distinct domains of thought and activity in classical Islam? Does premodern Islamic tradition have analogous distinctions? How can these terms be defined? And how can an examination of the premodern religion/world differentiation contribute to our understanding of the global history of “religion” and the nature of premodern Islamic tradition and culture?
This dissertation provides specific answers to these questions by analyzing the formation and functions of the categories of dīn (religion) and dunyā (the world) in classical Islam (ca. 750-1100 CE), primarily through the works and intellectual context of al-Māwardī (d. 450 AH/1058 CE). It argues that the dīn/dunyā distinction, inherited and refined by al-Māwardī, gradually emerged from converging processes in formative and classical Islam. These processes include the administrative structures of the burgeoning Arab-Muslim empires starting in the seventh century CE, interreligious encounters in the Near East, access to non-revealed knowledge systems, and the evolution of a philosophy of law within discussions among the religious class about the benefits of revealed religion and the limits of its interpretation. Consequently, dīn emerged as a reified category that denotes a threefold domain of religious beliefs and practices within a moral community while dunyā referred to worldly affairs and ways of conducting them. The study introduces the concept of “dunyā meta discourse” to describe al-Māwardī’s reflective and evaluative discourse on the human condition, including an examination of dīn as a cross-cultural social force regardless of the truth claims made by its adherents.
By tracing the purposes of the dīn/dunyā distinction in various areas of al-Māwardī’s practical philosophy, this study demonstrates how the gradual formation of this differentiation facilitated a robust analysis of religion as an object of inquiry while serving as a paradigmatic principle that legitimated various forms of plurality in al-Māwardī’s ethical, legal, and political thought, thus challenging prevailing generalizations about his political thought, which stems from a narrow focus on his religious-legal works. This dissertation then demonstrates the need for more case studies that trace the conceptual history of dīn and analyze the functions of this central category in premodern and contemporary Islam.