- Book
- 240 pages
- Level: university
The person wanting some interesting insight into thinking on Islam and extraterrestrial intelligence will find interesting material in this 2024 collection of essays, edited by Shoaib Ahmed Malik and Jörg Matthias Determann and published by I. B. Tauris/Bloomsbury. The focus of the book is largely, but not entirely, on historical interpretations of certain verses from the Quran, such as 42:29: “And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and all living beings He dispersed throughout both….” Authors range from religious scholars to science fiction enthusiasts; topics range from “nonhuman moral personhood“ under classical Sunni theology and law, to science fiction, to the views of Muslim UFO enthusiasts. The book is centered on the idea that the discovery of extraterrestrial life “could be imminent” (as is stated on the back cover); how Islamic thinkers might consider things if such a discovery continues to elude science is not taken up by any of the authors.
From the publisher:
Over the last thirty years, humanity has discovered thousands of planets outside of our solar system. The discovery of extraterrestrial life could be imminent. This book explains how such a discovery might impact Islamic theology. It is the foundational reference on the subject, comprising a variety of different insights from both Sunni and Shi’i positions, from different Muslim contexts, and with chapters that compare and contrast Islamic perspectives with Christianity. Together, they address some of our biggest questions through an Islamic lens: What makes humans unique in the cosmos? What are the ethics of dealing with other sentient beings? And how universal is salvation?
Given the accelerating advances in exoplanet research and astrobiology, the book is at the frontier of science and Islamic thought. Contributors include a range of leading experts from Muslim theologians, scholars of comparative religion and philosophers, to historians, social scientists and natural scientists.
Click here for a preview, courtesy of Google Books.
