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Muhammad Legenhausen

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Muhammad Legenhausen
Personal Information
Full NameGary Carl Legenhausen
Religious AffiliationShi'a Islam
BirthMay 3, 1953
Place of BirthNew York, United States
ResidenceIran
Scholarly Information
WorksIslam and Religious Pluralism • Contemporary Issues of Islamic Thought
Scholarly
Activities		Faculty member of the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute


Muhammad Legenhausen (born Gary Carl Legenhausen, 1953) is an American Christian convert to Shi'ism and a faculty member of the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute. Following a period of study and research, and influenced by religious dialogues with his Muslim students, he converted to Shi'a Islam in 1983 CE. Legenhausen attributes his initial inclination towards Shi'ism to his reading of Nahj al-balagha.

Legenhausen, who completed his education in the United States and holds a PhD in Philosophy from Rice University in Texas, immigrated to Iran following his conversion to Shi'ism. In Iran, he maintains academic collaborations with various institutions, including the University of Qom, the University of Religions and Denominations, Mofid University, and the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute. He previously served as a professor at Texas Southern University from 1979 to 1989.

He was designated as an Eternal Figure (Chehre-ye Mandegar) in Philosophy in 2010 and recognized as the top researcher at the 33rd Book of the Year Award of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2015. He has authored and translated numerous works, among which the book Islam and Religious Pluralism is considered his most prominent. In 2019, a commemoration ceremony was held in Qom to honor Legenhausen's scholarly contributions. The volume Filusuf-i furutan (The Humble Philosopher) is a collection of articles and interviews compiled in his honor.

Conversion to Shi'ism

Muhammad Legenhausen was raised in a Christian family and attended Catholic schools. However, during his adolescence, he began to question Christian doctrines, rejecting the divinity of Jesus (a) and the doctrine of the Trinity while in high school. Upon entering Rice University, Legenhausen began teaching at Texas Southern University, where he encountered Muslim students from diverse countries, including Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Nigeria. Religious dialogues with these students prompted him to undertake a deeper study of various religions, particularly Islam. After three years of study and research,[1] Legenhausen embraced Islam in 1983[2] and adopted Shi'ism from the outset. He cites his reading of Nahj al-balagha, a gift from one of his Iranian students, as a pivotal factor in this decision.[3]

Legenhausen's narration of his conversion to Shi'ism by reading Nahj al-Balagha

Biography

Gary Carl Legenhausen was born on May 3, 1953,[4] into a Catholic Christian family in New York, United States. Legenhausen completed his undergraduate studies in 1974 at the State University of New York, obtaining a bachelor's degree in Philosophy. He subsequently earned his master's and PhD in the same field from Rice University in Texas in 1978 and 1983, respectively.[5] In 1984, Legenhausen was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship in comparative studies at the University of Hawaii.[6]

Following his conversion to Islam, Legenhausen founded the Islamic Association at the University of Texas in collaboration with several Muslim students. However, due to administrative disagreements, he resigned from his university professorship. Concurrently, encouraged by an Iranian student, he developed an interest in Islamic philosophy and considered traveling to Iran to further his research. Upon deciding to relocate to Iran, Legenhausen received invitations from the Wisdom and Philosophy Association and the Baqir al-Ulum Foundation, the latter of which was subsequently renamed the Imam Khomeini Institute.[7] Consequently, Legenhausen arrived in Iran in 1989.[8] He initially resided in Tehran to study Islamic philosophy before settling in Qom at the invitation of Muhammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi to join the Imam Khomeini Institute.[9]

Scientific Activities

Teaching

Legenhausen serves as a faculty member at the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute[10] and has taught at various universities, including Tarbiat Modares, Mofid, Baqir al-Ulum, Religions and Denominations, the Imam Khomeini Institute, and the IIIS.[11] throughout his career, he has instructed courses such as Introduction to Logic, Introduction to Philosophy, Aesthetics, Philosophy of Science, Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, and Metaphysics.[12] He was previously a professor at Texas Southern University from 1979 to 1989.[13]

Works

Commemoration ceremony of Muhammad Legenhausen at Imam Khomeini Institute with the presence of Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi

Among Legenhausen's most notable works is Islam and Religious Pluralism. Another significant book, Siyahat-i andisha dar sipihr-i din (Survey of Thought in the Sphere of Religion), examines religiosity through three dimensions: "Law and Politics", "Religion and Ethics", and "Philosophy of Religion".[14] Contemporary Issues of Islamic Thought is another authored work.[15] In addition to books, Legenhausen has authored numerous articles, the most significant being "On the Plurality of Religious Pluralism".[16] His series The Revival of the Philosophy of Religion in the United States in the Present Age appeared in the journal Al-Tawhid.[17]

Legenhausen has also engaged in research and editing. His edited volumes include The Soul: A Comparative Approach, Proofs for the Existence of God: Concept, Structure, and Relevance, and Essence and Attributes: A Dialogue between Christian and Islamic Traditions.[18] Furthermore, he has translated several works into English, such as Philosophical Instructions, Wine of Love: A Selection of Famous Mystical Ghazals of Imam Khomeini, Wine of Love: Mystical Poems of Imam Khomeini,[19] Philosophical Instructions: An Introduction to Contemporary Islamic Philosophy, and Jesus through the Qur'an and Shi'a Narrations.[20]

Honors and Commemoration

Legenhausen was named an Eternal Figure (Chihra-yi Mandigar) in Philosophy in 2010.[21] He was also recognized as the top researcher at the 33rd Book of the Year of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2015.[22] Additionally, Legenhausen received accolades at the first Farabi International Award (2007) for Islam and Religious Pluralism. In 2009, his article On the Plurality of Religious Pluralism was selected as the distinguished article of the International Journal of Wisdom at the fifth Allama Tabataba'i Festival.[23]

The Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought honored Legenhausen's scientific contributions at a ceremony in Qom in April 2019.[24] Subsequently, in 2021, the institute published Filusuf-i furutan: Majmu'a-yi maqalat wa musahiba-ha-yi nikudasht-i Professor Muhammad Legenhausen (The Humble Philosopher: A Collection of Articles and Interviews Honoring Professor Muhammad Legenhausen), compiled by Hamid Amirchaqmaqhi. This volume comprises 13 articles detailing Legenhausen's life and thought.[25]

Notes

  1. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. "Āshnāyī bā Muḥammad Legenhausen".
  2. ↑ Nūrmuḥammadī, Barrasī-yi ʿilal-i garāyish-i mustabṣirīn bi tashayyuʿ, 1394 Sh, p. 327.
  3. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. "Āshnāyī bā Muḥammad Legenhausen".
  4. ↑ Young Journalists Club. "Tajlīl az khadamāt-i ʿilmī-yi Professor Legenhausen dar Qum.
  5. ↑ Nūrmuḥammadī, Barrasī-yi ʿilal-i garāyish-i mustabṣirīn bi tashayyuʿ, p. 326.
  6. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. Āshnāyī bā Muḥammad Legenhausen.
  7. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. Āshnāyī bā Muḥammad Legenhausen.
  8. ↑ Nūrmuḥammadī, Barrasī-yi ʿilal-i garāyish-i mustabṣirīn bi tashayyuʿ, p. 326.
  9. ↑ International Estebsar Foundation. Muṣāḥaba bā mustabṣir Professor Muḥammad Legenhausen.
  10. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. Āshnāyī bā Muḥammad Legenhausen.
  11. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. Āyīn-i nikūdāsht-i Professor Muḥammad Legenhausen barguzār shod.
  12. ↑ Young Journalists Club. Tajlīl az khadamāt-i ʿilmī-yi Professor Legenhausen dar Qum.
  13. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. Āshnāyī bā Muḥammad Legenhausen.
  14. ↑ Nūrmuḥammadī, Barrasī-yi ʿilal-i garāyish-i mustabṣirīn bi tashayyuʿ, p. 328.
  15. ↑ Legenhausen, Contemporary Issues of Islamic Thought, p. 1.
  16. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. Āshnāyī bā Muḥammad Legenhausen.
  17. ↑ Nūrmuḥammadī, Barrasī-yi ʿilal-i garāyish-i mustabṣirīn bi tashayyuʿ, p. 328.
  18. ↑ Institute for Social and Cultural Studies. "Professor Muḥammad Legenhausen; A semantic philosopher.
  19. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. Āshnāyī bā Muḥammad Legenhausen.
  20. ↑ Institute for Social and Cultural Studies. Professor Muḥammad Legenhausen; A semantic philosopher.
  21. ↑ Young Journalists Club. Tajlīl az khadamāt-i ʿilmī-yi Professor Legenhausen dar Qum.
  22. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. Āshnāyī bā Muḥammad Legenhausen.
  23. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. Āshnāyī bā Muḥammad Legenhausen.
  24. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought, Āyīn-i nikūdāsht-i Professor Muḥammad Legenhausen barguzār shod.
  25. ↑ Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought, Majmūʿa-yi maqālāt wa muṣāḥiba-hā-yi nikūdāsht-i Professor Muḥammad Legenhausen muntashir shod.

References

Further Reading

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