Parallel Grammars of Engagement: Reframing Mission Studies and Da‘wah fī Sabīl Allāh in Comparative Missiology

Abstract

This article explores Christian mission and Islamic daʿwah fī sabīl Allāh as two distinct yet structurally comparable forms of theological engagement with the world. While both concepts have traditionally been studied in relation to religious transmission, doctrinal fidelity, and institutional expansion, contemporary scholarship increasingly recognizes their broader significance as practices of ethical responsibility, public witness, and interreligious encounter. The study proposes a comparative theological framework that goes beyond descriptive comparisons to examine the underlying structures that shape mission and daʿwah. Both traditions are approached as embodied practices through which religious communities cultivate specific forms of moral agency, religious subjectivity and interaction with others. From this perspective, mission and daʿwah are not merely understood as communicative activities, but as expressions of lived socio-ethical and theological commitments. The article posits that both traditions are organized around three interconnected dimensions: divine agency, human mediation, and epistemic orientation. These dimensions provide a common analytical framework while preserving the theological distinctiveness of Christianity and Islam. By developing this comparative axis, the study contributes to comparative theology in three ways: it offers a new conceptual framework for analysis; it highlights the dynamic and self-reflective nature of both traditions; and it demonstrates how mission and daʿwah can serve as platforms for interreligious understanding, fostering meaningful dialogue and deepening theological self-awareness through engagement with religious diversity.