Ali Malik
Biographic Data
| ID | 123743 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ali Malik |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ali |
| FAMILY NAME | Malik |
| SIGNATURE | MALIK A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Zayed University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5050-474X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 24 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Human Evolution and Islam: Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī and the Origins of Language
The relationship between Islam and human evolution remains contested. One possible tension concerns language, since Q. 2:31 is often read as implying that Adam was taught a complete revealed language, leaving little room for gradual linguistic development. Yet Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 1210), in The Compendium on the Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (al-Maḥṣūl fī ʿilm uṣūl al-fiqh), examined four theories of language origin and suspended judgem…
Rethinking Humanity: New Directions in Islamic Theological Anthropology
The question of what it means to be human has long preoccupied theologians across religious traditions. In Christianity, theological anthropology has matured through sustained reflection on doctrin
Engaging Jeffrey Koperski’s decretalism: Is occasionalism really avoidable
This article critically evaluates Jeffrey Koperski’s decretalism, which presents the laws of nature as divine decrees functioning as constraints rather than dynamic forces. Building on his work, we explore whether his model successfully avoids the implications of occasionalism, as he claims. By analysing his latest publications, we first reconstruct Koperski’s argument and then present three key objections. These include (1) issues related to sci…
Understanding Miracles in Ashʿarī Theology: A Systematic Presentation
Drawing on a range of scholars from the Ashʿarī tradition, this article offers a systematic presentation of their understanding of miracles, beginning with the general metaphysical principles such as God’s omnipotence, occasionalism, and the contingent nature of creation. From this metaphysical foundation, the article explores the seven types of miracles recognized within the Ashʿarī tradition: (1) prophetic miracles (muʿjizāt), (2) pre-prophetic…
Introduction to the Special Issue: Advancing Islamic Philosophy and Theology in Contemporary Discourse
More than words: English as an additional language in police recruitment and promotion processes
This study explores the under-representation and potential under-utilisation of officers with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in British policing. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research identifies findings that highlight the prevalence of a problematic ‘deficit’ model that undervalues the cultural and linguistic competencies EAL officers bring to policing. Instead, the perceived challenges of accommodating EAL officers dominate orga…
Science as Divine Signs: Al-Sanūsī's Framework of Legal (sharʿī), Nomic (ʿādī), and Rational (ʿaqlī) Judgements
This article examines the Ashʿarī theological framework of Imam Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf al-Sanūsī (d. 1490) and its potential for shaping contemporary Muslim engagement with science. At the heart of al-Sanūsī's thought is a tripartite typology of judgements-legal (ḥukm sharʿī), nomic (ḥukm ʿādī), and rational (ḥukm ʿaqlī)-as articulated in The Preliminaries of Theology (al-Muqaddimāt). This classification distinguishes between rulings g…
Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī on the Existence and Nature of the Jinn
This article reconstructs Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī's (d. 1210) systematic treatment of the jinn in his Great Exegesis (al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr) and his summa The Sublime Objectives in Metaphysics (al-Maṭālib al-ʿĀliya min al-ʿIlm al-Ilāhī). In these works, al-Rāzī treats the jinn not as a marginal curiosity but as a test case for probing core metaphysical categories such as substance, embodiment, and divine action. His analysis unfolds through a sequence …
Polycentric governance, epistocracy and the limits of policing knowledge in preparing for the climate crisis
The last two decades have seen an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, placing complex demands on police and emergency services in the UK. Despite the growing recognition of the cascading and multidimensional threats, there is limited understanding of how policing and local governance actors are preparing for the climate crisis. In this paper, we argue that polycentric governance approaches, such as the Local Resilie…
A Historical Introduction to Islam, Science, and Evolution: The Book Symposium on ‘ Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm
This book symposium begins with a concise historical overview of the emerging dialogue of Islam and Science. Against this, we trace the historical developments and pertinent discussion of Islam and Evolution, culminating in the release of Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm. For those unfamiliar with the subject, the introduction provides a breakdown of the monograph and its core thesis. The final section contains…
The Use of Philosophy of Science in the Creationism-Evolution Debate: An Ashʿarī Perspective
This article critically reviews how creationists or antievolutionists are using discussions in philosophy of science to undermine the efficacy of evolution to defuse the tension between evolution and religion. They include (1) the scientific realism debate, (2) the distinction between historical and experimental sciences, (3) the problem of induction, and (4) the definitional problem of species. It then discusses how using these specific argument…
Defending ‘ Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm ': Abrahamic Dialogues and Interdisciplinary Insights
In this article, I respond to my interlocutors, who have raised various points while engaging my book, Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm. In addressing their arguments and points of engagement, I have ordered this article into four parts: (1) methodological issues, (2) scientific issues, (3) metaphysical issues, and (4) hermeneutic issues
Introduction to the Special Issue on Philosophy of Science and Islamic Thought
This is an introduction to the special issue
Artificial Intelligence and Islamic Thought: Two Distinctive Challenges
The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has presented novel questions across various intellectual and theological landscapes. This article seeks to explore two distinctive challenges that AI poses to Islamic thought. First, it examines the potential role of AI in Islamic knowledge production and scholarship, questioning the feasibility of an AI-powered religious authority, the concept of the iMufti and techno- madhhabs , along with capabilitie…
Challenges and Opportunities in Teaching Interdisciplinary Courses on Islam and Evolution: A Theology-Centric Perspective
In the nascent discourse of Islam and science, the discussion of how to reconcile evolution with Islam is one of the most, if not the most, pressing concerns. This article reviews the various studies that have looked at the reception of evolution in multiple contexts to highlight the pedagogical challenges that materialise for Muslim students and teachers. It argues that, while recognising the obstacles and challenges mentioned in other studies, …
Nullius: The Anthropology of Ownership, Sovereignty, and the Law in IndiaKritiKapila (Chicago: HAU Press, 2022)
Linking climate-smart agriculture to farming as a service: Mapping an emergent paradigm of datafied dispossession in India
Naturalizing God? A Critical Evaluation of Religious Naturalism by Mikael Leidenhag (review)
Reviewed by: Naturalizing God? A Critical Evaluation of Religious Naturalism by Mikael Leidenhag Shoaib Ahmed Malik (bio) Naturalizing God? A Critical Evaluation of Religious Naturalism Mikael Leidenhag Albany: State University of New York Press, 2021. 271 Pages. The field of science and religion has evolved significantly in the past two decades, with various threads gaining maturity. One of those threads is determining the function and understan…
Negotiating Boundaries of Tolerance: The Scottish Police Authority and the Doctrine of Operational Independence
In Scottish Affairs in 2001, Kenneth Scott and Roy Wilkie, while discussing the appointments of chief constables, noted that ‘the real power in Scottish policing is probably revealed where those elements in the tripartite system [chief constables, local government and central government] interact’ (2001: 57) irrespective of the constitutional and legislative boundaries. This paper examines the nascent police governance arrangements by shining a s…
Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm
This book attempts to equip the reader with a holistic and accessible account of Islam and evolution. It guides the reader through the different variables that have played a part in the ongoing dialogue between Muslim creationists and evolutionists. This work views the discussion through the lens of al-Ghazālī (1058-1111), a widely-known and well-respected Islamic intellectual from the medieval period. By understanding al-Ghazālī as an Ash’arite …
Accepting Evolution Entails Kufr: A Critical Appraisal of Nuh Ha Mim Keller’s Fatwa
Muslim scholars who oppose the compatibility of Islam and evolution usually advance three kinds of arguments: scientific, metaphysic, and hermeneutic. This paper will examine the position of Nuh Ha Mim Keller, a prominent Sunni scholar who employ these three lines of arguments and proposes that believing in human evolution entails kufr. In this article we will critically analyze Keller’s understanding of the science of evolution in which he claim…
Al‐ghazālī's Divine Command Theory: Biting the Bullet
This article reviews al‐Ghazālī's conception of Divine Command Theory (DCT) in light of contemporary philosophical developments. There are two well‐known objections against DCT. These include the problem of arbitrariness (PoA), which states that God randomly chose our moral framework for no reason given His capability to choose any moral commands; and the problem of God's goodness (PoGG), which questions God's goodness if morality could be other …
Financialisation, Welfare Retrenchment and Subsistence Debt in Britain
This paper investigates the dynamics of low income household (LIH) indebtedness under austerity in Britain. Building on a range of political economy studies on the role of the state in the process of financialisation, the paper discusses the transition in the nature of LIH indebtedness in connection to the recent welfare retrenchment. The analysis of survey data and semi-structured interviews establishes the fact that LIHs experienced the greates…
Local governance in the new Police Scotland: Renegotiating power, recognition and responsiveness
A marked, but by no means universal, trend in Europe over the last decade or so has been the centralization or amalgamation of regional police organizations into larger or single units. Scotland is a case in point, its eight regional services becoming one Police Scotland in April 2013. Although the reform process was relatively consensual, the new organization has been the subject of numerous controversies, some of which reflect an actual or perc…
Police Governance and Accountability in Scotland Following Reform: Revisiting the Policy Rationale for the Creation of the Scottish Police Authority
This article critically assesses the policy discourse for police reform in Scotland, specifically focusing on the rationale for the creation of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA). Through a chronological review of official policy reports and consultations that took place prior to the 2012 Act, and by drawing on a select number of interviews 1 conducted as part of the wider study (Malik, 2017a), I argue that while austerity became the catalyst fo…
Financialisation, Welfare Retrenchment and Subsistence Debt in Britain
This paper investigates the dynamics of low income household (LIH) indebtedness under austerity in Britain. Building on a range of political economy studies on the role of the state in the process of financialisation, the paper discusses the transition in the nature of LIH indebtedness in connection to the recent welfare retrenchment. The analysis of survey data and semi-structured interviews establishes the fact that LIHs experienced the greates…
Linking climate-smart agriculture to farming as a service: Mapping an emergent paradigm of datafied dispossession in India
Negotiating Boundaries of Tolerance: The Scottish Police Authority and the Doctrine of Operational Independence
In Scottish Affairs in 2001, Kenneth Scott and Roy Wilkie, while discussing the appointments of chief constables, noted that ‘the real power in Scottish policing is probably revealed where those elements in the tripartite system [chief constables, local government and central government] interact’ (2001: 57) irrespective of the constitutional and legislative boundaries. This paper examines the nascent police governance arrangements by shining a s…
Local governance in the new Police Scotland: Renegotiating power, recognition and responsiveness
A marked, but by no means universal, trend in Europe over the last decade or so has been the centralization or amalgamation of regional police organizations into larger or single units. Scotland is a case in point, its eight regional services becoming one Police Scotland in April 2013. Although the reform process was relatively consensual, the new organization has been the subject of numerous controversies, some of which reflect an actual or perc…
Artificial Intelligence and Islamic Thought: Two Distinctive Challenges
The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has presented novel questions across various intellectual and theological landscapes. This article seeks to explore two distinctive challenges that AI poses to Islamic thought. First, it examines the potential role of AI in Islamic knowledge production and scholarship, questioning the feasibility of an AI-powered religious authority, the concept of the iMufti and techno- madhhabs , along with capabilitie…
Police Governance and Accountability in Scotland Following Reform: Revisiting the Policy Rationale for the Creation of the Scottish Police Authority
This article critically assesses the policy discourse for police reform in Scotland, specifically focusing on the rationale for the creation of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA). Through a chronological review of official policy reports and consultations that took place prior to the 2012 Act, and by drawing on a select number of interviews 1 conducted as part of the wider study (Malik, 2017a), I argue that while austerity became the catalyst fo…
Police Governance and Accountability in Scotland Following Reform: Revisiting the Policy Rationale for the Creation of the Scottish Police Authority
This article critically assesses the policy discourse for police reform in Scotland, specifically focusing on the rationale for the creation of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA). Through a chronological review of official policy reports and consultations that took place prior to the 2012 Act, and by drawing on a select number of interviews 1 conducted as part of the wider study (Malik, 2017a), I argue that while austerity became the catalyst fo…
Financialisation, Welfare Retrenchment and Subsistence Debt in Britain
This paper investigates the dynamics of low income household (LIH) indebtedness under austerity in Britain. Building on a range of political economy studies on the role of the state in the process of financialisation, the paper discusses the transition in the nature of LIH indebtedness in connection to the recent welfare retrenchment. The analysis of survey data and semi-structured interviews establishes the fact that LIHs experienced the greates…
Local governance in the new Police Scotland: Renegotiating power, recognition and responsiveness
A marked, but by no means universal, trend in Europe over the last decade or so has been the centralization or amalgamation of regional police organizations into larger or single units. Scotland is a case in point, its eight regional services becoming one Police Scotland in April 2013. Although the reform process was relatively consensual, the new organization has been the subject of numerous controversies, some of which reflect an actual or perc…
Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm
This book attempts to equip the reader with a holistic and accessible account of Islam and evolution. It guides the reader through the different variables that have played a part in the ongoing dialogue between Muslim creationists and evolutionists. This work views the discussion through the lens of al-Ghazālī (1058-1111), a widely-known and well-respected Islamic intellectual from the medieval period. By understanding al-Ghazālī as an Ash’arite …
Accepting Evolution Entails Kufr: A Critical Appraisal of Nuh Ha Mim Keller’s Fatwa
Muslim scholars who oppose the compatibility of Islam and evolution usually advance three kinds of arguments: scientific, metaphysic, and hermeneutic. This paper will examine the position of Nuh Ha Mim Keller, a prominent Sunni scholar who employ these three lines of arguments and proposes that believing in human evolution entails kufr. In this article we will critically analyze Keller’s understanding of the science of evolution in which he claim…
Al‐ghazālī's Divine Command Theory: Biting the Bullet
This article reviews al‐Ghazālī's conception of Divine Command Theory (DCT) in light of contemporary philosophical developments. There are two well‐known objections against DCT. These include the problem of arbitrariness (PoA), which states that God randomly chose our moral framework for no reason given His capability to choose any moral commands; and the problem of God's goodness (PoGG), which questions God's goodness if morality could be other …
Naturalizing God? A Critical Evaluation of Religious Naturalism by Mikael Leidenhag (review)
Reviewed by: Naturalizing God? A Critical Evaluation of Religious Naturalism by Mikael Leidenhag Shoaib Ahmed Malik (bio) Naturalizing God? A Critical Evaluation of Religious Naturalism Mikael Leidenhag Albany: State University of New York Press, 2021. 271 Pages. The field of science and religion has evolved significantly in the past two decades, with various threads gaining maturity. One of those threads is determining the function and understan…
Negotiating Boundaries of Tolerance: The Scottish Police Authority and the Doctrine of Operational Independence
In Scottish Affairs in 2001, Kenneth Scott and Roy Wilkie, while discussing the appointments of chief constables, noted that ‘the real power in Scottish policing is probably revealed where those elements in the tripartite system [chief constables, local government and central government] interact’ (2001: 57) irrespective of the constitutional and legislative boundaries. This paper examines the nascent police governance arrangements by shining a s…
A Historical Introduction to Islam, Science, and Evolution: The Book Symposium on ‘ Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm
This book symposium begins with a concise historical overview of the emerging dialogue of Islam and Science. Against this, we trace the historical developments and pertinent discussion of Islam and Evolution, culminating in the release of Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm. For those unfamiliar with the subject, the introduction provides a breakdown of the monograph and its core thesis. The final section contains…
The Use of Philosophy of Science in the Creationism-Evolution Debate: An Ashʿarī Perspective
This article critically reviews how creationists or antievolutionists are using discussions in philosophy of science to undermine the efficacy of evolution to defuse the tension between evolution and religion. They include (1) the scientific realism debate, (2) the distinction between historical and experimental sciences, (3) the problem of induction, and (4) the definitional problem of species. It then discusses how using these specific argument…
Defending ‘ Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm ': Abrahamic Dialogues and Interdisciplinary Insights
In this article, I respond to my interlocutors, who have raised various points while engaging my book, Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm. In addressing their arguments and points of engagement, I have ordered this article into four parts: (1) methodological issues, (2) scientific issues, (3) metaphysical issues, and (4) hermeneutic issues
Introduction to the Special Issue on Philosophy of Science and Islamic Thought
This is an introduction to the special issue
Artificial Intelligence and Islamic Thought: Two Distinctive Challenges
The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has presented novel questions across various intellectual and theological landscapes. This article seeks to explore two distinctive challenges that AI poses to Islamic thought. First, it examines the potential role of AI in Islamic knowledge production and scholarship, questioning the feasibility of an AI-powered religious authority, the concept of the iMufti and techno- madhhabs , along with capabilitie…
Challenges and Opportunities in Teaching Interdisciplinary Courses on Islam and Evolution: A Theology-Centric Perspective
In the nascent discourse of Islam and science, the discussion of how to reconcile evolution with Islam is one of the most, if not the most, pressing concerns. This article reviews the various studies that have looked at the reception of evolution in multiple contexts to highlight the pedagogical challenges that materialise for Muslim students and teachers. It argues that, while recognising the obstacles and challenges mentioned in other studies, …
Nullius: The Anthropology of Ownership, Sovereignty, and the Law in IndiaKritiKapila (Chicago: HAU Press, 2022)
Linking climate-smart agriculture to farming as a service: Mapping an emergent paradigm of datafied dispossession in India
Polycentric governance, epistocracy and the limits of policing knowledge in preparing for the climate crisis
The last two decades have seen an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, placing complex demands on police and emergency services in the UK. Despite the growing recognition of the cascading and multidimensional threats, there is limited understanding of how policing and local governance actors are preparing for the climate crisis. In this paper, we argue that polycentric governance approaches, such as the Local Resilie…
Understanding Miracles in Ashʿarī Theology: A Systematic Presentation
Drawing on a range of scholars from the Ashʿarī tradition, this article offers a systematic presentation of their understanding of miracles, beginning with the general metaphysical principles such as God’s omnipotence, occasionalism, and the contingent nature of creation. From this metaphysical foundation, the article explores the seven types of miracles recognized within the Ashʿarī tradition: (1) prophetic miracles (muʿjizāt), (2) pre-prophetic…
Introduction to the Special Issue: Advancing Islamic Philosophy and Theology in Contemporary Discourse
More than words: English as an additional language in police recruitment and promotion processes
This study explores the under-representation and potential under-utilisation of officers with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in British policing. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research identifies findings that highlight the prevalence of a problematic ‘deficit’ model that undervalues the cultural and linguistic competencies EAL officers bring to policing. Instead, the perceived challenges of accommodating EAL officers dominate orga…
Science as Divine Signs: Al-Sanūsī's Framework of Legal (sharʿī), Nomic (ʿādī), and Rational (ʿaqlī) Judgements
This article examines the Ashʿarī theological framework of Imam Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf al-Sanūsī (d. 1490) and its potential for shaping contemporary Muslim engagement with science. At the heart of al-Sanūsī's thought is a tripartite typology of judgements-legal (ḥukm sharʿī), nomic (ḥukm ʿādī), and rational (ḥukm ʿaqlī)-as articulated in The Preliminaries of Theology (al-Muqaddimāt). This classification distinguishes between rulings g…
Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī on the Existence and Nature of the Jinn
This article reconstructs Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī's (d. 1210) systematic treatment of the jinn in his Great Exegesis (al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr) and his summa The Sublime Objectives in Metaphysics (al-Maṭālib al-ʿĀliya min al-ʿIlm al-Ilāhī). In these works, al-Rāzī treats the jinn not as a marginal curiosity but as a test case for probing core metaphysical categories such as substance, embodiment, and divine action. His analysis unfolds through a sequence …
Human Evolution and Islam: Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī and the Origins of Language
The relationship between Islam and human evolution remains contested. One possible tension concerns language, since Q. 2:31 is often read as implying that Adam was taught a complete revealed language, leaving little room for gradual linguistic development. Yet Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 1210), in The Compendium on the Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (al-Maḥṣūl fī ʿilm uṣūl al-fiqh), examined four theories of language origin and suspended judgem…
Rethinking Humanity: New Directions in Islamic Theological Anthropology
The question of what it means to be human has long preoccupied theologians across religious traditions. In Christianity, theological anthropology has matured through sustained reflection on doctrin
Engaging Jeffrey Koperski’s decretalism: Is occasionalism really avoidable
This article critically evaluates Jeffrey Koperski’s decretalism, which presents the laws of nature as divine decrees functioning as constraints rather than dynamic forces. Building on his work, we explore whether his model successfully avoids the implications of occasionalism, as he claims. By analysing his latest publications, we first reconstruct Koperski’s argument and then present three key objections. These include (1) issues related to sci…
Philosophy (14 works) · Epistemology (11 works) · Islamic Studies and History (11 works) · Medieval and Classical Philosophy (11 works) · Theology (9 works) · Islam (8 works) · Political science (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Education and Islamic Studies (5 works) · History (5 works)