Araştırma Makalesi

Munshi Meherullah’s Theological Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications

Cilt: 13 Sayı: 3 7 Temmuz 2026
Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi Kapak
Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi
PDF İndir
TR EN

Munshi Meherullah’s Theological Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications

Bu makale için 14 Temmuz 2026 tarihinde bir düzeltme yayımlandı. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/atdd/article/1994228

Öz

Munshi Meherullah (hereafter Meherullah) was among the earliest Bengali Muslim scholars to engage systematically with Christian missionary activities in nineteenth-century Bengal. He played a prominent role in Muslim–Christian theological debates during a period when relatively few traditional ʿulamaʾ participated extensively in public responses to missionary discourse. Despite the historical significance of his contributions, Meherullah's theological writings have received limited scholarly attention and remain insufficiently examined within the literature on South Asian Islamic intellectual history. Using qualitative content analysis, this study examines Meherullah's principal writings on Islam and Christianity to explore his theological arguments, comparative method, and responses to Christian missionary claims. The analysis demonstrates that his discussions focused primarily on the status of Jesus Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity, Biblical portrayals of prophets, and related theological questions. Through comparative engagement with the Qur'an and the Bible, Meherullah critically evaluated missionary interpretations and articulated Islamic theological responses within the intellectual and religious context of nineteenth-century Bengal. The study further finds that, despite the absence of formal higher education, Meherullah developed a sophisticated comparative theological approach that enabled him to participate effectively in contemporary religious debates and contribute to the intellectual life of the Bengali Muslim community. His writings illustrate an attempt to combine scriptural analysis, historical awareness, and public religious engagement during a period of significant colonial and missionary activity. The paper concludes that Meherullah's theological discourse constitutes an important source for understanding Muslim responses to Christian missionary engagement in colonial Bengal. More broadly, his comparative method offers a valuable historical perspective for contemporary scholarship on interreligious dialogue, comparative theology, and the interaction between religion, colonialism, and intellectual exchange in South Asia.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Kaynakça

  1. Ahmed, R. (1992). Muslim-Christian polemics and religious reform in nineteenth-century Bengal: Munshi Meherullah of Jessore. In K. W. Jones (Ed.), Religious controversy in British India: Dialogues in South Asian languages (pp. 93–122). State University of New York Press.
  2. Al Masud, A. (2021). Rahmatullah Kairanawi (1818–1891) and Munshi Mohammad Meherullah’s (1861–1907) methodology in the study of Christianity: A comparative analysis [Doctoral dissertation, International Islamic University Malaysia].
  3. Ali, A. Y. (2006). The meaning of the Holy Qur'an: Text, translation and commentary. Islamic Book Trust.
  4. Ali Ansari, M. S. (1983). Munshi Mohammad Meherullah. Rabibashoriyo Sahitto o Samskriti.
  5. Asad, A. (1999, January 2). Jatiyo bektitter shoron [Remembrance of national personalities]. The Daily Sangram.
  6. Banerjee, M. (2017). The tale of the tailor: Munshi Mohammad Meherullah and Muslim-Christian apologetics in Bengal, 1885–1907. South Asian Studies, 33(2), 122–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/02666030.2017.1354483
  7. Banu, A. A. (2018). Munshi Mohammad Meherulla: Dharmoseba somajchinta o sahittyasadhana [Munshi Muhammad Meherulla: Religious service, social thought, and literary practice]. Bangaj Prakashan.
  8. Boyarin, D. (2004). Border lines: The partition of Judaeo-Christianity. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

İngilizce

Konular

Kelam

Bölüm

Araştırma Makalesi

Yazarlar

Yayımlanma Tarihi

7 Temmuz 2026

Gönderilme Tarihi

4 Ekim 2025

Kabul Tarihi

7 Temmuz 2026

Yayımlandığı Sayı

Yıl 2026 Cilt: 13 Sayı: 3

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA34UX96PC

Kaynak Göster

RIS / Bibtex
APA
Masud, A. A., Zakaria, M., & Mahmud, M. A. A. (2026). Munshi Meherullah’s Theological Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications. Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi, 13(3). https://izlik.org/JA34UX96PC
AMA
1.Masud AA, Zakaria M, Mahmud MAA. Munshi Meherullah’s Theological Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications. ATDD. 2026;13(3). https://izlik.org/JA34UX96PC
Chicago
Masud, Abdullah Al, Mohammad Zakaria, ve Md Abdullah Al Mahmud. 2026. “Munshi Meherullah’s Theological Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications”. Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi 13 (3). https://izlik.org/JA34UX96PC.
EndNote
Masud AA, Zakaria M, Mahmud MAA (01 Temmuz 2026) Munshi Meherullah’s Theological Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications. Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi 13 3
IEEE
[1]A. A. Masud, M. Zakaria, ve M. A. A. Mahmud, “Munshi Meherullah’s Theological Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications”, ATDD, c. 13, sy 3, Tem. 2026, [çevrimiçi]. Erişim adresi: https://izlik.org/JA34UX96PC
ISNAD
Masud, Abdullah Al - Zakaria, Mohammad - Mahmud, Md Abdullah Al. “Munshi Meherullah’s Theological Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications”. Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi 13/3 (01 Temmuz 2026). https://izlik.org/JA34UX96PC.
JAMA
1.Masud AA, Zakaria M, Mahmud MAA. Munshi Meherullah’s Theological Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications. ATDD. 2026;13. Available at https://izlik.org/JA34UX96PC.
MLA
Masud, Abdullah Al, vd. “Munshi Meherullah’s Theological Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications”. Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi, c. 13, sy 3, Temmuz 2026, https://izlik.org/JA34UX96PC.
Vancouver
1.Abdullah Al Masud, Mohammad Zakaria, Md Abdullah Al Mahmud. Munshi Meherullah’s Theological Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications. ATDD [Internet]. 01 Temmuz 2026;13(3). Erişim adresi: https://izlik.org/JA34UX96PC

 

Copyright and Licensing Policy

All articles published in the Journal of Academic History and Ideas / Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi are copyrighted by the journal. The journal provides immediate open access to its content under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ 

Under this license, users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, link to, reproduce, adapt, translate, and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the author(s) and the journal.

Any commercial use of the published material requires prior written permission from the Editorial Board. Requests concerning commercial reuse should be addressed to: akademiktarihvedusunce@gmail.com 

The authors bear full scientific, ethical, and legal responsibility for the content of their manuscripts. Opinions and claims expressed in published articles are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or the Editorial Board. The editors and the Editorial Board disclaim any responsibility or liability for the content of published works.

© Academic Journal of History and Idea / Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi (ATDD). This work is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.