THE LEGACY OF INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE IN ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION: APPROACHES TO RESOLVING CONTEMPORARY CIVILIZATIONAL CONFLICTS

Abstract

This study examines the legacy of interfaith dialogue in Islamic civilization, highlighting its potential to address contemporary civilizational conflicts and promote cultural and religious coexistence. The research begins with the concept of religious dialogue as an ethical imperative, grounded in the Qur’anic texts and the Prophetic model, and explores the philosophical and theological traditions of dialogue through the works of al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd, and Maimonides, as well as the ethical role of classical Islamic literature on dialogue.The study also reviews historical models of coexistence, such as Andalusia, the Abbasid House of Wisdom, the dhimma system, and Islamic-Buddhist interactions from Central Asia to the global context. It analyzes the decline of the Islamic dialogical heritage and proposes contemporary approaches for its revival through maqasid al-sharia, pluralistic ijtihad, institutional initiatives, and the development of traditional and digital dialogical platforms.The study concludes that interfaith dialogue constitutes a renewed civilizational necessity, requiring the mobilization of Islamic historical heritage in ways compatible with modern challenges, to foster justice, mutual respect, and sustainable peaceful harmonious relations (instead of coexistence).