Islamic Studies of Orientalists

Islamic Studies of Orientalists

Louis Massignon and the Influence of His Epistemology on Islamic Studies in the West

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Faculty member of the Islamic History Department, University of Religions and Denominations
10.22034/iso.2026.2077518.1153
Abstract
Louis Massignon, a French Orientalist, was one of the distinguished figures in twentieth‑century Islamic studies. By interweaving historical research with phenomenology, he introduced a novel approach to understanding Islam and Shiism. The historical trajectory of his thought shows that his studies on al‑Ḥallāj, Salmān al‑Fārisī, and Fāṭima al‑Zahrā were not merely hagiographical accounts of mystical lives, but rather efforts to reconstruct the historical manifestation of faith within the social framework of Islam. This study, employing a descriptive‑analytical approach based on the historical method, draws upon Massignon’s original works as well as those of his disciples such as Henry Corbin, Christian Jambet, and Bernard Lewis to examine the impact of Massignon’s phenomenology of faith on the evolution of Western Islamology. The historiographical findings reveal that Massignon, by combining critical analysis of sources with empathetic reconstruction of religious experience, shifted Islamic studies from traditional, text‑centered Orientalism toward what may be termed a history of the manifestation of faith. The conclusion underscores that Massignon’s historical phenomenological method not only established a new form of understanding Islamic mysticism and Shiite history in the West, but also exerted a lasting influence on the modernization of research methodologies in the study of religion throughout the twentieth century
Keywords

Volume 6, Issue 9 - Serial Number 9
January 2026
Pages 30-62

  • Receive Date 11 November 2025
  • Revise Date 23 February 2026
  • Accept Date 24 April 2026