Ataullah Baiazitov vs Ernest Renan: Islamic Dialectical Theology Beats Orientalism

Abstract

The paper deals with treatises of Ataullah Baiazitov — a prominent Russian Muslim scholar and translator. The author gives a brief summary of Baiazitov’s biography and considers his main apologetic book, The Refutation of Ernest Renanʼs “Islam and Science”. In this work Baiazitov argues that Islamic worldview is coherent with modern science and attacks Renan from rational and logical positions. As a consequence, the author remarks, that Baiazitov’s legacy still needs philosophers’ and historians’ attention and must be rediscovered by them in 21^th century.