Document Type : Research
Authors
1 M.A. in Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, Iran; Researcher at the Khorasan Seminary
2 Professor of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, Iran Faculty Member in Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
Abstract
An examination of Shaykh al-Mufid’s works indicates a degree of instability and lack of coherence in his account of the relationship between reason and revelation, particularly with regard to determining the ultimate criterion for understanding and evaluating transmitted texts and their apparent meanings. The central problem of the present study is to analyze two seemingly contradictory claims in Shaykh al-Mufid’s account of the relationship between reason and revelation and to assess whether they can be reconciled. On the one hand, reason is regarded as dependent on revelation in the process of acquiring religious knowledge; on the other hand, in interpreting and evaluating the apparent meanings of transmitted texts, reason is presented as the ultimate criterion.
The present study employs a historical-analytical method, focusing on the epistemological foundations of Shaykh al-Mufid and Sayyid al-Murtada. Within this framework, various interpretations proposed for reconciling the two aforementioned claims, based on Shaykh al-Mufid’s statements, are examined and evaluated.
The findings indicate that the proposed interpretations for reconciling these two positions are not sufficiently compatible with Shaykh al-Mufid’s epistemological foundations. Accordingly, it is possible to speak of a certain lack of coherence in the formulation of Shaykh al-Mufid’s rationalism, particularly with regard to determining the respective roles of reason and revelation in the acquisition of religious knowledge and identifying the ultimate criterion for understanding and evaluating the apparent meanings of transmitted texts.
Keywords
- Epistemology of Reason
- Sheikh al-Mufid
- Reason
- Rationalism
- The Relationship between Reason and Revelation
Main Subjects
)