Lote Tree Foundation

All lesson recordings available on-demand!

This 7 lesson course, in collaboration with Academy of Divinity and Science and delivered by Dr Shoaib Ahmed Malik, introduces students to Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s proofs for God’s existence as presented in The Landmarks of the Foundational Principles of Religion (Maʿālim Uṣūl al-Dīn). The course focuses on the four major arguments al-Rāzī presents in this work: the contingency argument, the kalām cosmological argument, the specification argument, and the design argument. Through these proofs, students will explore not only al-Rāzī’s theological reasoning, but also the wider metaphysical assumptions, causal theories, cosmological models, and scientific ideas of his time that shape his approach to proving God’s existence.

Each lesson unpacks a central dimension of al-Rāzī’s arguments for God’s existence, examining the philosophical principles, theological assumptions, and logical structures underlying his proofs. Alongside the primary text, students will engage selected passages from the important commentaries of Najm al-Dīn al-Khūnajī and Sharaf al-Dīn al-Tilimsānī, gaining insight into how later scholars interpreted, refined, and expanded al-Rāzī’s thought. Arabic text and English translation will be provided throughout, ensuring accessibility for students of all backgrounds and levels.

By the end of the course, participants will have developed a clear understanding of al-Rāzī’s theological method, the major classical arguments for God’s existence within the Islamic intellectual tradition, and their wider significance in debates surrounding theology, philosophy, and the nature of reality.