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								        | kalam  (kalām) |   |  
								        | (Language:  Arabic) |  
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											        | Alternate Spellings: |  |  
											        | Short Description: | Dialectical theology based upon reason and rational investigation. |  
													| Long Description: | Dialectical theology based upon reason and rational investigation. Kalām seeks to define the articles of faith, but is mostly a polemical and at times apologetic discipline. |  
													| Example(s): |  |  
													| Source(s): | Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition, edited by  Dr. Joseph Lumbard |  
													| Notes & References: |  |  
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													| Related Terms: |  |  |  |  |  |