From Takfīr to Takhṭiʾah

Rethinking the Grammar of Monotheism in the Abrahamic Tradition

Abstract

This article proposes a new theological framework for Muslim–Christian–Jewish dialogue rooted in humility, epistemic openness, and shared reverence for divine mystery. Beginning with the Qurʾānic affirmation of God’s ineffability, it contrasts the distinct yet complementary theological “grammars” of the Abrahamic faiths: Islam’s emphasis on divine attributes (ṣifāt), Christianity’s on divine essence (dhāt), and Judaism’s on divine action (afʿāl). The article argues that these divergent emphases reflect not contradiction but divine intentionality, each revealing partial dimensions of the unknowable God. Central to the paper is the recovery of the Qurʾānic principle of taṣdīq (confirmation) as a hermeneutical corrective to the polemical use of naskh (abrogation), positioning the Qurʾān as a confirmer rather than a canceller of prior revelations. Building on this, the author advances a shift from takfīr (excommunication) to takhṭiʾah (assuming error without exclusion) as a model for intra- and interfaith theological engagement. The article concludes by reframing Christian–Muslim relations as an intra-Abrahamic dialogue grounded in shared pursuit of divine truth, proposing a maqāṣid-based theology oriented not toward boundary defence but toward truth-seeking as a spiritual vocation.