About the Podcast:
- How do we understand revelation in a world governed by reason and science?
- Is the Qur’an truly the word of God, or does it reflect the creative imagination of Prophet Muhammad (s)?
- Is revelation like poetry or a dream?
In this episode, we grapple with fundamental questions about revelation and prophetic experience with Dr Abdolkarim Soroush. Drawing from his groundbreaking theory of the expansion and contraction of religious knowledge, Dr Soroush presents a radical reimagining of how revelation occurs, suggesting that the Qur’an might be better understood as “Kalam Muhammad” (the speech of Muhammad) rather than literal divine dictation.
We examine how prophetic experience can be interpreted in our post-prophetic age, from the essentials and accidentals of the Qur’an to the paradoxical nature of prophetic life. Dr Soroush challenges traditional maximalist views by arguing for a more dynamic and interpretive understanding of scripture, rooted in both reason and spirituality. The episode also touches on the emotional dimensions of divine communication, including how God’s speech might be metaphorical, and reflects on the implications of prophetic finality and Imamate.
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Learn More About Our Guest:
Dr Abdolkarim Soroush is a distinguished philosopher of religion and a leading figure in Islamic intellectual reform and critical religious studies. He is currently a Visiting Scholar at the University of Maryland and formerly served as Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tehran. Dr Soroush has held prestigious visiting positions at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia Universities. His work on the theory of “contraction and expansion of religious knowledge” has profoundly influenced contemporary Islamic thought, challenging traditional understandings of scriptural interpretation and religious authority. His controversial yet deeply thoughtful writings on prophetic experience, revelation, and the nature of religious knowledge continue to spark vital debates about Islam’s engagement with modernity, reason, and pluralism.
Read More of His Insights:
Soroush, A. (2009) The Expansion of Prophetic Experience: Essays on Historicity, Contingency and Plurality in Religion. Leiden: Brill.
Soroush, A. (2000) Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam: Essential Writings of Abdolkarim Soroush (trans. and ed. Sadri, M. and Sadri, A.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Soroush, A. (2002) ‘The Evolution and Devolution of Religious Knowledge’ in Kurzman, C. (ed.) Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 244-251.
