see below

¶ … Islam, Judaism, and Christianity: A medieval dialogue

Today, because of the unfortunate political events that have transpired over the course of the 20th century, Islam has come to be regarded as a largely radicalized religion in the non-Islamic world. In the Islamic world, because of hostility to the religion of Israel, Jewish thought has become anathema. However, despite the often dogmatic interpretations assumed to be characteristic of medieval thought and culture, there was far more cross-pollination of ideas and philosophies between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam during this period of time -- indeed, perhaps more so. Christianity would not be what it is today without Judiasm and Islam, not just as foundational faiths, but because of the explosion of creative intellectual vision of so many philosophers of this era.

Medieval Spain, for example, stands as a beacon of tolerance and light -- a beacon that shone bright until this was extinguished by the legacy of the Inquisition. The Islamic Averroes, the Jewish Moses Maimonides, and later Thomas Aquinas, who was later influenced by these thinkers "lived during a time of unprecedented and reciprocal spiritual intellectual and cultural exchange between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, especially during the so called Golden Age of Muslim Spain that continues to inspire, both by its high level of civilization and its tolerance." Averroes was a noted scholar of medicine, but also produced commentaries and translators of Aristotle that later inspired Thomas Aquinas. "Ibn Rushd begins with the contention that Law commands the study of philosophy. Many Quranic verses, such as "Reflect, you have a vision" (59.2) and "they give thought to the creation of heaven and earth" (3:191), command human intellectual reflection upon God and his creation... therefore, the theologians and philosophers are not so greatly different, that either should label the other as irreligious. and, like the philosophers, the theologians interpret certain texts allegorically, and such interpretations should not be infallible. For instance, he contends that even the apparent meaning of scripture fails to support the theologian's doctrine of creation ex-nihilo." This is a radical and flexible approach to both textual criticisms -- suggesting contradictions in the text, such as the two creation narratives, as well as an explanation of the need for intellectual questioning within a faith tradition as well as dogmatism. Questioning, in fact, is God's commandment in the Quran, says Averroes.