Faris O. Nofal

Scopus Publications

On Early Samaritan ʿAqīdah: A Source Analysis of Ṣadaqah al-Sāmirī’s Kitāb al-Iʿtiqād
Faris O. Nofal
Journal of Islamic Manuscripts, 2026
The Samaritan theological treatises, written in Arabic between the 11th and 18th centuries, have been largely, and unjustly, overlooked by scholars. Unlike early hymnographic and midrashic literature, most of the works produced by this tradition’s representatives remain unpublished and unstudied. Meanwhile, Samaritan theology exemplifies an interesting model of interaction between a closed ethnic-religious community and its broader Muslim environment. The aim of this article is to analyse the sources of Ṣadaqah al-Ḥakīm’s The Book of Belief ( Kitāb al-Iʿtiqād ) to clarify its relationship with Islamic religious and philosophical discourse on the one hand, and with the works of Samaritans on the other.
Directions of Samaritan religious and philosophical thought in the 11th – 18th centuries
Studia Religiosa Rossica, 2026
“Let His Will Permit Me…”: The Druze Shrines of Southern Syria
Faris Nofal
Kunstkamera, 2026
The article presents the findings of a field study of Druze shrines in the al-Suwayda Governorate. On the basis of the collected materials, the author attempts to classify the surveyed Druze sanctuaries, to clarify their role in the folk religion of the region, and to reconstruct the mythological foundations of these documented cults. The main body of the work is preceded by a brief overview of the history of the Druze community, the arrival of the first Druze in the Levant in the 12th century, and the fate of the Tanukhid and Maʽanid states. The second section provides data on thirty-two sanctuaries in southern Syria, their distribution into cells (ḥuǧrāt), shrines — maqāmāt and mazārāt, each analyzed separately in terms of the reasons for their construction, their chronology, and the structure of typical Druze sacred spaces. The third part of the article describes the Druze ritual practices associated in one way or another with the existence of these shrines: pilgrimage, prayers, vows, offerings, and vigil rites. The article also discusses evidence concerning the judicial role of Druze shrines, as noted in informants’ accounts. Referring to the community’s key doctrinal text, the “Epistles of Wisdom,” the author concludes that the folk religion of the Druze of Syria largely develops in parallel with the doctrinal “monotheism” of the initiated, thus preserving archaic, pan-Arabian features such as the erection of cenotaphs or the veneration of local saints, who are believed to be capable of answering the pilgrims’ prayers. At the same time, the visual symbols found in the shrines, as well as the shrines themselves, to this day serve as identity markers for Druze communities, which for the most part consist of the uninitiated.
COMPARISON OF RELIGIONS IN THE MEDIEVAL ARAB AND LATIN TRADITIONS
Alexey V. Appolonov, Faris Nofal
Schole, 2026
According to some recent studies, until the 16th or 17th century, there was no concept of religion as such (“religion in general”), because before then, people only recognised their own faith as religion, and it was only after the European Reformation, which created conditions for religious pluralism, that this situation changed. The purpose of this article is to introduce and validate an alternative perspective. The authors argue that long before the European Reformation, in both the Islamic East and Christian West, the concept of “religion” (“faith,” “sect,” etc.) was utilised by certain scholars, who were engaged in the comparative analysis of religions. Typically, the conceptual framework for such analysis was provided by (proto)science and philosophy: thus, ʾAbū Maʿšar (d. 886) examined religions in the naturalistic context of astronomy (astrology), while al-Fārābī (d. c. 950) used the core concepts of Aristotle’s moral and political philosophy. As early as the 13th century, Roger Bacon (c. 1214 – c. 1294) developed the ideas of his predecessors and produced what might be referred to as a synthetic medieval theory of religion, which, in turn, influenced the later discussions on “religion” and religions.
Munajja ibn Sadaqah’s Eschatology in the Context of Samaritan Theology in 11th–12th Centuries
F.O. NOFAL
Religiovedenie, 2025
The Samaritan theology of the 11th - 18th centuries is a blank spot in the history of religion. It is still waiting for its discoverer. Religious and philosophical constructions scattered across dozens of handwritten sources contain information about Samaritan beliefs that have not been described. These constructions, when compared with each other, can shed light on the evolution of the Samaritan doctrine during the Arab rule in the Middle East. This article is devoted to the eschatological theory of Munajja ibn Sadaqa al-Samiri - a prominent 12th -13th century theologian and jurist, author of the monumental “Book of Distinctions”, widely circulated among Samaritans. Munajj's first part describes the community's legal differences with Rabbinic Judaism and Samaritan views on the posthumous existence of human souls. According to Munajja, the human being, who represents the unity of a body created by nature and emanating from the anima mundi soul, returns to its natural form after death in order to receive its reward for committed deeds. In an anti-Peripatetic vein, Munajja insists on the omnipotence of the Maker, capable of performing both universal and specific actions - and, consequently, re-creating bodies on the eve of Judgement Day. Separately, he brings out textual arguments from the Samaritan Pentateuch in favour of the corporeal nature of resurrection: out of the twelve passages he quotes, four were adopted by later tradition and reproduced in the eschatological treatise of Isaac ibn Amram (19th century). Munajja himself wrote a lengthy commentary on chapter 32 of the Book of Deuteronomy, which was legalized by Abu al-Hasan al-Suri (11th century), as eschatological evidence containing important teachings on anthropology and ontology.
Religious and Philosophical Views of ʼAbū al-Ḥ̣asan al-Ṣ̣ūrī III. Natural Philosophy
Faris Nofal
Voprosy Filosofii, 2025
The history of Samaritan religious and philosophical thought is a true terra incognita of modern humanities: while most of Samaritan scribes remain unpublished, the philosophy of their community has not yet attracted the attention of specialists. The series of articles offered to the reader is intended to fill this gap of philosophical oriental studies and shed light on the heritage of the founder of Arab-speaking Samaritan theology, ’Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ṣūrī (11th century). In his third article, the author examines al-Ṣūrī’s natural philosophy. In particular, the influence of kalam physics on his concepts can be traced: like the early Mu’tazilites, ’Abū al-Ḥasan adheres to the position of strict atomism, declares the body to be the result of the convergence of four indivisible particles, and accidental characteristics to be a consequence of the “incorporation” of modally formed “meanings” into bodies. Al-Ṣūrī also postulates moderate realism in his theory of knowledge, according to which the human mind “grasps” the “meanings” existing in objects and transcribes them using the means of created language. Al-Ṣūrī described the nature of man as the unity of spirit and the autonomous body, the internal acts of which are determined by the combination of a number of natural forces; the Samaritan theologian explained the action of the brain according to peripatetic anthropological teachings.
The Theology of God’s Oneness (Tawḥīd) in Munaǧǧā Ibn Ṣadaqah’s Religious and Philosophical Thought
F. O. Nofal
Concept Philosophy Religion Culture, 2025
The article deals with the philosophical and religious study of the Samaritan concept of al-tawḥīd — “the oneness of God” and is based on the “Book of Differences [between Jews and Samaritans]” (Kitāb al-H̱ ilāf), composed by Munaǧǧā ibn Ṣadaqah al-Sāmirrī, also known as “the Son of the Poet” (Ibn Šāʿir). The relevance of the study is due to the both the unexplored theological systems of the Samaritan writers’ legacy and their connection with the Muslim tradition. Munaǧǧā, as a Samaritan thinker of 12th – 13th centuries, followed Arab-Muslim discourse in his teachings; this was no exception in the field of theology, Muʻtazili’, Ashʻari’ and Maturidi’ versions of which became widespread in Samaritan circles as well as Peripatetic metaphysics. Munaǧǧā considers al-tawḥīd theory in its Muslim aspects — tawḥid al-ḏāt (“the oneness of Divine Substance”), tawḥid al-ṣifāt (“the oneness of Divine Attributes”) and tawḥid al-afʿāl (“the oneness of Divine Action”). “The oneness of Divine Substance” means an absolute numerical and qualitative uniqueness of God in His essence; Munaǧǧā proves it by Mutazilite arguments, directed against dualistic doctrines of East. Another impact of Mutazili’ thought is obvious in tawḥid al-ṣifāt concept, which requires, according to Munaǧǧā, the ontological equivalence of Divine Essence to His attributes; this kind of equivalence makes any multiplicity in God’s eternal and unchangeable Substance impossible. “The oneness of Divine Action” explains the connection between God and world’s variability. Since God is the Actor par excellence, all created actions belong to Him — as Munaǧǧā notes, universally and particularly; in this case, the Samaritan theologist adapts Maturidi’ concept of al-kasb, “appropriation”: human appropriates created, in accordance to his free will, action through created might (qudrah). The impact of Arab Peripatetic philosophy on Munaǧǧā’s theology is evident from his use of terms “necessary — possible” (wāǧib — mumkin); at the same time Munaǧǧā criticizes peripatetic theory of emanation and universal nature of Divine Knowledge and Might. In conclusion the author compare Munaǧǧā’s theological concepts with relevant teachings of ʾAbū al-Ḥasan al-Ṣūrī stated in “the Book of Slaughter” (Kitāb al-Ṭabbāẖ) — the first speculative work of Samaritans. Finding that while Ibn Šāʿir adopts a kalamic-peripatetic synthesis, merging terms used in both traditions, relying on Muʻtazili’ ʼ theology of attributes and Maturidiʼ anthropology, al-Ṣūrī follows the philosophy of kalam in its natural and theological themes, rejecting the concept of emanation and the division of intelligibilia into universal and particular. This article continues the work of its author on Kitāb al-H̱ ilāf, the first part of which was published in 2024.
Religious and Philosophical Views of’Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ṣūrī I. God and His Attributes
Faris Nofal
Voprosy Filosofii, 2025
The history of Samaritan religious and philosophical thought is a true terra incognita of modern humanities: while most of Samaritan scribes remain unpublished, the philosophy of their community has not yet attracted the attention of specialists. The series of articles offered to the reader is intended to fill this gap of philosophical oriental studies and shed light on the heritage of the founder of Arab-speaking Samaritan theology, ’Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ṣūrī (11th century). The first article provides an analysis of fragments from the “Book of Slaughter” (Kitāb al-Ṭabbāẖ), containing the teachings of al-Ṣūrī about God and His attributes. The author concludes that al-Ṣūrī’s arguments for the existence of the First Principle and Its oneness are similar to the Mu‘tazili theological paradigmatics and, in particular, to the teachings of ‘Abd al-Ǧabbār (d. 1025). At the same time, al-Ṣūrī’s theology of the attributes, which is the result of inter-religious polemics of the 9th–11th centuries, synthesizes the Peripatetic doctrine of categories with Asharite realism. The author examines the influence of al-Ṣūrī’s theology on later Samaritan thinkers, and represents the biography of al-Ṣūrī and handwritten sources that formed the basis of the study.
Тhеоrу оf асtiоn in Аrаb Мuslim аnd Sаmаritаn рrimаrу sоurсеs: а fоrmulаtiоn оf thе рrоblеm
Faris Nofal
Filosofskii Zhurnal, 2025
The article examines a number of Arabic medieval concepts that explain the metaphysical foundations of human action. The author analyzes a complex of ontological problems associated with the origin of acts, their causal relationship with human and divine wills, and explicates the paradigmatic differences between Arab-Muslim and Samaritan metaphysical models. In particular, it is proved that the autochthonous Arab ontology is based on the principle of accidental discreteness, according to which any act should be considered a phenomenal manifestation of an elementary actional complex – acts of volition, power and action itself. According to the Mutakallims, who developed their metaphysical models independently of the epigonic constructions of Arab Peripatetism and Ishraqism, each of the three elements of an act is an independent accident produced either by God or man; they are connected due to reasons not so much of ontological as of correlational order. Philosophical Sufism, in turn, insists on the autonomy of human action and human will, antagonistic in relation to the “fixed prototypes” of universe objects established in the self of God. As for the Samaritan “philosophy of action”, it develops, in general, two lines of speculation among the Mutakallims – deterministic and Mu’tazili.
Religious and Philosophical Views of ʼAbū al-Ḥasan al-Ṣūrī II. God and Created Universe
Faris Nofal
Voprosy Filosofii, 2025
The history of Samaritan religious and philosophical thought is a true terra incognita of modern humanities: while most of Samaritan scribes remain unpublished, the philosophy of their community has not yet attracted the attention of specialists. The series of articles offered to the reader is intended to fill this gap of philosophical oriental studies and shed light on the heritage of the founder of Arab-speaking Samaritan theology, ʼAbū al-Ḥasan al-Ṣūrī (11th century). In his second article the author considers the problem of the relationship between God and the world, solved by al-Ṣūrī through the Mu’tazili theory of legal obligation (tаklīf). God, according to the Samaritan thinker, enters with man into a contract, which requires rights and responsibilities of each side. The idea of legal obligation necessarily leads al-Ṣūrī to the conclusion about the existence of eternal reward or eternal punishment assigned by God to the subject in accordance with his this-worldly deeds. As a result, and for the first time in the history of Samaritan theology, al-Ṣūrī creates an original eschatology, supporting it with relativistic arguments drawn from the text of the Samaritan Pentateuch. Human action, according to al-Ṣūrī, is an external consequence of internal accidental power, indirectly associated with the will. Separately, al-Ṣūrī describes the structure of the Samaritan community, the highest power in which belongs to the High priest – the final authority in exegetical and legal theological disputes.
“Samaritan Mysticism”: Religious and Philosophical Teachings of Ibrāhīm al-Qabāsī
Gosudarstvo Religiia Tserkov V Rossii I Za Rubezhom State Religion and Church in Russia and Worldwide, 2025
“The Samaritan Illuminationism”: the reception of Ishraqi' philosophy in Samaritan theology of the 18th century
Faris Nofal
Filosofskii Zhurnal, 2024
“I'M ALONE WITH MY SOUL…”: ABOUT AL-FĀRĀBĪ'S SOURCES IN HIS “THE HARMONY BETWEEN TWO SAGES”
FARIS O. NOFAL and
Schole, 2024
“OH, THOSE WHO WORSHIP THE ACCURSED CALF!” — FOUR APOLOGETIC TREATISES BY IBRĀHĪM AL–‘AYYA
Faris Nofal and
Manuscripta Orientalia, 2022
The space in mutakallimūn teachings (Viii–xiii cent.)
Faris Osmanovich Nofal and
Philosophy of Religion Analytic Researches, 2021
The Last Day of creation M. Naimy's mystical manifesto
F. O. Nofal
Voprosy Literatury, 2021
Apologetic treatises by ibrahim al-'ayyah and the samaritan theology of the 18th century
Faris Nofal
Vestnik Pravoslavnogo Sviato Tikhonovskogo Gumanitarnogo Universiteta Seria I Bogoslovie Filosofia Religiovedenie, 2021
“Philosophical robinsonade” of Ibn al-Nafis
Faris O. Nofal and
Filosofskii Zhurnal, 2021
Religious and philosophical doctrine of Ibn Al-Moqaffa (Based on the material of the treatise answer to Ibn Al-Moqaffa, the heretic by Al-Qasim Ar-Rasi)
Faris Nofal
Vestnik Pravoslavnogo Sviato Tikhonovskogo Gumanitarnogo Universiteta Seria I Bogoslovie Filosofia Religiovedenie, 2019
Art and "Gnosis": Al-'Aqqād and his philosophy of the Creative Act
Voprosy Filosofii, 2017

Faris O. Nofal

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Scopus Publications