Perspectives on Interpreting Islam in the Contemporary Indo-Pak Subcontinent: Issues and Trends

Chennai, Berlin, Lausanne, and Oxford: Peter Lang, 2025, pp. 242. ISBN:978-1-80374-694-4. Pb.

Abstract

Characterized by its rich and evolving engagement with both tradition and modernity through diverse scholarly approaches, the Indo-Pak Subcontinent has historically served as a vibrant centre of Islamic intellectual thought. In the 18^th century, Shah Wali Allah pioneered a revivalist-synthetic methodology, uniting theology, jurisprudence, and Sufism into a cohesive intellectual framework. His legacy was carried forward by Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Iqbal, Fazlur Rahman and others. In contrast, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, in the 21^st century, reinterpreted Islamic teachings in conversation with secular modernity and promoting interfaith harmony by advanced a conciliatory-apologetic method. More recently, scholars like Muhammad Nejatullah Siddiqi and Muhammad Khalid Masud have adopted reformist-contextual strategies, addressing contemporary in Islamic economics and legal reform through critical engagement with classical sources and adaptive reasoning.