Ideological and Theoretical Prerequisites for the Anthropology of Nonviolence in Early Islam

Abstract

In this article, based on the study of the doctrinal primary sources of Islam (the Koran and the Sunnah), the works of medieval Islamic theologians, the authors consider the ideological and theoretical prerequisites for the anthropology of nonviolence in early Islam. The features and main sources of the anthropology of nonviolence in early Islam are identified. Considering the historical and theoretical prerequisites of the anthropology of nonviolence in Islam, the authors of the article, based on the anthropological concept of T. Asad, outline methodological approaches to the study of the ideology and practice of nonviolent religious reform movements of Islam. Revealing the specifics of the anthropology of nonviolence in early Islam, the authors of the article come to the conclusion that the principle of nonviolence is embedded in Quranic anthropology and it is based on the provisions of the sinless nature of man and divine trust in man. It is concluded that the principle of nonviolence is not passive submission to the will of the aggressor, but is based on active rejection of aggression and injustice, and resistance to them. This understanding of nonviolence is quite compatible with Quranic norms. The theology of classical Islam did not demand unconditional observance of the principle of nonviolence, but limited violence to the rigid framework of Muslim law.