“It remains a question why discussions of the ISLAMIC JESUS have not heretofore stressed the IMPORTANCE of the THOUGHT of these ISMAILI scholars with regard to what is probably the great single obstacle in Muslim-Christian relations not to mention an extremely important feature of Muslim identity.”
– Todd Lawson, (The Crucifixion and the Qur’an, 95)
Applying esoteric interpretations (ta’wil), characteristic to Ismaili Muslim theology, Fatimid Ismaili thinkers developed truly creative and ecumenical perspectives on the theological status and spiritual role of Jesus, while staying true to the shared Abrahamic heritage of Christianity and Islam.
Khalil Andani’s lecture, Jesus in Esoteric Islam: Ismaili Muslim Christology, delivered on March 1 2013, before the Society of Comparative Theology at Harvard Divinity School, summarizes various interpretations of Jesus put forward by these and other Ismaili philosophers.
Ismaili Muslim understandings of Jesus are very unique and would contribute to a deeper and more nuanced understanding to otherwise polarized discussions between Christians and Muslims. For example, Ismaili Muslim thinkers regard Jesus as the human manifestation or mirror (mazhar) of God’s Attributes, affirm the legitimacy of the Gospels and the crucifixion of Jesus, and creatively engage with the Eucharist and the Trinity using esoteric interpretation.
The lecture covers the following:
– An introduction to the Ismaili Muslims
– Shi’a Imamology and Christian Christology Compared
– Ismaili Cosmology and Theology of Religions
– An esoteric perspective (ta’wil) of the Christian Trinity
– An esoteric perspective (ta’wil) of the Christian Eucharist
– An esoteric perspective (ta’wil) of the Crucifixion of Jesus
– An esoteric perspective (ta’wil) of the unity between Christian Cross and the Shahadah.
Khalil Andani is a doctoral (Ph.D) candidate specializing in Islamic intellectual history, theology, philosophy, and mysticism at Harvard University and holds a Master of Theological Studies degree (MTS 2014), specializing in Islamic philosophy and Ismaili thought, from Harvard University.
Khalil’s publications include a book chapter on Nasir-i Khusraw’s philosophical thought in the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Islamic Philosophy, two articles on Ismaili Philosophy in Sacred Web, and an article on Ismaili views of the Crucifixion of Jesus in The Matheson Trust.
He was recently interviewed on CBC Radio about the Aga Khan Museum. He is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA-CPA) and has completed Bachelor of Mathematics (BMath) and Master of Accounting degrees at the University of Waterloo (2008). Over the last few years, Khalil has been invited to deliver several guest lectures and conference presentations on various topics pertaining to Islamic thought and Ismaili philosophy.
Source: The Essential Ismaili
