Each of the classical schools of Muslim theology must be seen as representing its own vision of the Islamic theological ideal. While there is significant overlap between them, there is also sizeable disagreement--often expressed in a polemical tone. These differences, moreover, are often a matter of emphasis, priority, and degree rather than categorical contradiction. This obliges one to recognize that while one might legitimately point to the views of any of these schools as an Islamic position, no single one of them should be taken independently to represent the Islamic position. At the same time, this sustained disagreement highlights not only the pluralistic nature of premodern Islam but also the extent to which a common commitment to monotheism (tawhid) can sustain palpably divergent perspectives on God and God's relationship to Creation. (24)
-from the introduction of Dr. Jackson's Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering
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